Latest news with #NapervilleCityCouncil
Chicago Tribune
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Naperville News Digest: Registration open for Junior Tour de Naperville on Aug. 9; senior task force seeking nominees for volunteers of year
Registration for the Junior Tour de Naperville, set for Aug. 9 at Wolf's Crossing Community Park, remains open for children ages 3 to 5 and 9 to 12, Naperville Park District officials said. The 6- to 8-year-old group is at capacity, officials said. Naperville's take on the Tour de France, the event allows participants to ride their bikes, tricycles or Big Wheels along a 1.2-mile loop trail at the 3252 Wolf's Crossing Road park. Start times are staggered based on age. The 3- to 5-year-old group starts at 9 a.m., followed by 6- to 8-years-olds at 10 a.m. and ages 9 to 12 at 11 a.m. All participants must wear a helmet, a news release said. Parents can accompany their children around the course or cheer from the sidelines. Older children are encouraged to ride the course as many times as they can. Register at The Naperville Senior Task Force is accepting nominations for its Senior of the Year award through Aug. 31. Nominees must be Naperville residents who are 65 or older and have a history of community service and volunteering. Volunteer and community activities, positions in civic and charitable organizations, and information about their background, career or family should be part of the nomination. The award winners will be recognized at the Oct. 7 Naperville City Council meeting. Nomination forms are online at Supplemental materials may be sent to nominateasenior@ Students in the College of DuPage's dance program can earn a general associate in arts degree starting this fall. The new academic path is available to current and incoming students. With the degree, students can study dance while earning a degree that supports transfer and career flexibility, faculty member Jessica Kondrath said in a news release. The dance program also collaborates with the college's theater, art, fashion and music programs to expand skills and career options. Courses include dance appreciation, ballet, jazz, modern, tap, hip hop, choreography, pedagogy and production and performance, the release said. COD is the only community college in the area to offer a course in dance technology in which students can learn and use motion capture technology, explore music software to score their own work and create dance films, according to college officials. Naperville Park District officials are reminding pet owners to keep parks and trails safe, clean and enjoyable by cleaning up after their animals and keeping them leashed when outdoors. The district recently released its rules for dogs and other pets in public places, which are also stated in the city's ordinance for proper pet handling. Dogs must be on a leash at all times. They are not allowed to roam freely in parks, ballfields, turf fields, splash pads or elsewhere, a news release said. The district does not operate any dog parks so anyone seeking one for recreational purposes should go to the facilities operated by the Forest Preserve Districts of Will County and DuPage County, the release said. Dog waste contains bacteria, viruses and other pathogens that can be transmitted to humans and wildlife or washed into local waterways, negatively impacting water quality, which is why the district provides stations with dog waste bags in several of its parks, the release said. For more information, go to
Chicago Tribune
17-07-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Naperville council OKs new residential developments, one with proposed rents of up to $5,000
The Naperville City Council has signed off on two new residential developments — one with rents ranging from $3,900 to $5,000 — that will add a total of 154 new homes to the city when construction is complete. A final plat for M/I Homes' Northwoods of Naperville, which proposes converting the former 12-acre DeVry University site at 1151 E. Warrenville Road off Interstate 88 into 64 single-family townhomes, was approved by the council Tuesday as were the land annexation and variances needed for The Residences at Naper & Plank. The latter will bring 34 townhouses and 56 rowhouses, all leased luxury units with monthly rents of up to $5,000, to an 8.2-acre site at Naper Bouelvard and Plank Road. Plans for the Lincoln Property Co. development include a public park at the southeast corner of the site, created in cooperation with the Naperville Park District, as well as the construction of sidewalks and a walking path. Neighboring property owners urged the council to vote against the project at Tuesday's meeting, citing concerns about traffic congestion, the high rental prices, the park plans and the impact it will have on the neighborhood's character. 'I understand that the community petitioned for this level of density in 2022 and I'm not here to argue against that,' Alice Chin, a Naperville resident and local real estate broker, said. 'However, I don't think the community expected high priced rentals to be developed instead.' Traffic in the area, particularly because of the nearby Costco store on East Ogden Avenue and the drive-thru coffee shop 7 Brew just off Ogden, is already bad without adding so many more people to the mix, some opponents said. 'The proposed development is situated in one of the most already congested intersections in the area — Ogden, Naper, Plank and Tuthill,' Mulberry Hills Estates resident Elizabeth Baugmart said. 'This area was never intended to absorb this volume of new car traffic.' That was also an issue for Councilman Nate Wilson, who was the only council member to vote against the Naper & Plank project. Vincent Rosanova, an attorney representing the developer, said traffic was something they took into consideration when planning the project. That's why they provided access to the townhouses and rowhouses via both Tuthill Road and Burlington Avenue, something that should help ease traffic flow in the area, he said. 'One of the advantages of this location, from a traffic standpoint, is the ability of the traffic to be dispersed in multiple directions,' said Luay Aboona, a consultant who conducted a traffic study for the developer. Baugmart also argued that the density of the project would 'stand out starkly against surrounding single-family neighborhoods.' Initially The Residences at Naper & Plank was to have a 268-unit apartment complex but that plan was modified after developers received feedback from the city. 'When a developer comes back with feedback from the community and significantly adjusts its plan with what the community asks for and what council asks for and what city staff ask for, I think we have to seriously take that into account,' Councilman Ian Holzhauer said. As for the rental prices, he acknowledged the concerns raised but noted there was not much that could be done about that 'other than a market fix.' That said, Holzhauer said he hoped the council might have a discussion later this year about establishing an inclusionary zoning ordinance that would give developers more guidelines on how to bring more mixed-housing into new Naperville residential projects.
Chicago Tribune
16-07-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Proposal to hike Naperville's sales tax to replace lost grocery tax moves forward
The Naperville City Council will vote next month on increasing the city's sales tax to compensate for the loss of about $6.5 million in state grocery tax revenue. If implemented, escalating the home rule sales tax from .75% to 1% will generate about $6.57 million in new money but comes with the proviso that the increase be removed in two years. The tax would add 25 cents to every $100 spent on restaurant meals and store purchases, affecting items such as clothing, electronics and personal care products. It also means that the food and beverage tax patrons pay at downtown restaurants and bars will go down by .25%, per requirements included in city ordinances that dictate that if the home rule tax goes up, the downtown food and beverage tax must go down by the same amount. The current tax is 1.75%. The proposed adjustment was not universally supported by the council at the Tuesday night meeting. Members Josh McBroom, Allison Longenbaugh, Nate Wilson and Mayor Scott Wehrli said they preferred a local grocery tax. Last year, Gov. JB Pritzker repealed Illinois' 1% grocery tax, saying it hit poorer families harder than others. However, because revenue from the tax goes directly to municipal governments rather than to the state government, towns were granted the ability to levy their own 1% tax on groceries by Oct. 1. Some neighboring communities, including Wheaton and Plainfield, have opted to do that while others are still discussing their options. Naperville Finance Director Raymond Munch noted that the grocery tax and the home rule sales tax currently bring in about the same amount of revenue, but the local grocery tax is a more stable form of revenue. Council members who preferred the sale tax increase said they believed a lower grocery tax would be of greater benefit to Naperville residents with lower incomes. 'We have seen in the community there have been people who have been at the grocery stores every week — hundreds, thousands — shopping for groceries every week,' Councilman Ashfaq Syed said. 'I have not seen that at shopping malls or for dining.' Councilman Ian Holzhauer agreed. 'I think the one of the strongest arguments for the grocery tax is actually also one of the strongest arguments against it, which is that it provides revenue stability during periods of economic slowdown,' Holzhauer said. 'That means in times when a lot of people are losing their jobs … the only thing they can afford to buy that week is their food.' City staff noted that low-income people who receive assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, would not pay the grocery tax but would feel the impact of a bump to the home rule sales tax. For Holzhauer, however, recent cuts to SNAP through President Trump's tax bill are part of why he supports a home rule sales tax increase since he says more people will likely lose their SNAP benefits soon. Council members Mary Gibson, Benjamin White and Patrick Kelly were also in support of the increased home rule sales tax. Longenbaugh echoed comments she made at a previous city council meeting, emphasizing that she does not like the 'regressive' nature of either tax. She ultimately voted for implementing a local grocery tax. 'It's been on our receipts since the 1990s,' Longenbaugh said, referencing the year the tax was put in place. 'We've been seeing this on our grocery store receipts for this long. It doesn't necessarily make it right, but it's something that we are familiar with already.' The council action is counter to the position taken by the Naperville Financial Advisory Board, which voted 5-1 in May to recommend the adoption of the grocery tax over increasing the home rule sales tax. Local business leaders also expressed opposition to the sales tax hike at the Tuesday meeting. 'Our current sales tax rate is nearly 3% lower than many neighboring communities,' Kaylin Risvold, president and CEO of the Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce, said. 'An increase in the home rule sales tax would erode or eliminate this advantage, making Naperville less competitive for businesses.'
Chicago Tribune
08-07-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Washington Street bridge reopening to be celebrated with Friday ribbon-cutting
After more than two years, reconstruction of Naperville's Washington Street bridge over the DuPage River is finally complete and a vital route for downtown drivers, pedestrians and businesses reopened. All five lanes of the bridge and new pedestrian walkways on both sides of the span are in use, entrances and exits into Washington Street businesses restored and Riverwalk connections from Main Street and into Fredenhagen Park accessible, city officials said. While there may be occasional lane closures through the end of the month, the city plans to celebrate the project's completion with a ribbon-cutting at 11 a.m. Friday. The event, featuring live music and free ice cream coupons for the first 150 guests, will be attended by Mayor Scott Wherli and Naperville City Council members. Because bridge construction was done in conjunction with other major infrastructure work and streetscape improvements, downtown businesses, patrons and drivers have had to put up with the stress of traffic congestion, parking limitations and access issues for more than 24 months. Those were exacerbated by the project running nearly nine months over schedule due to weather and construction delays. Work started in May 2023 and was projected to be finished by October 2024. 'I understand that it's been very challenging, and really appreciate everybody's patience through this process,' said Jennifer Lauden, director of the city's Transportation, Engineering and Development department. 'We're very pleased that all the lanes are now open.' Some downtown businesses acknowleged the final product — accentuated with stone, iron railings and ornamental light fixtures — is impressive, but the loss of income resulting from the construction has been difficult. 'It's good that it's fixed now, but it was for sure a hassle for everybody,' said Grant Wightkin, an Empire Burgers + Brew manager. 'Not even just having the foot traffic being low, but people kind of thinking that we weren't even open on the block.' Now that it's done, however, 'I feel like our taxpayers' money definitely went in the positive direction here. It looks beautiful,' Wightkin said. Rosebud, an Italian restaurant located just a few steps away from the bridge, lost most of its lunch business because many people didn't realize it was open, representatives said last year. Ultimately, the owners opted to close in August 2024 to do renovations and are expected to reopen later this summer, according to their website. The Washington Street bridge was built in the 1920s, widened about 50 years later and renovated in 2004. With deterioration continuing, a 2014 study recommended the entire span be replaced. In 2016, the city had to impose a 15-ton weight limit to reduce further damage and started doing quarterly inspections, which became monthly in 2019. In September 2022, the Illinois Department of Transportation told the city to reduce the weight limit to 8 tons and close two lanes. As, the city prepared for a full overhaul, traffic studies recommended the span be widened to five lanes and right-turn lanes added at the Aurora Avenue/Washington Street intersection, according to the city's website. Construction was primarily funded by the Illinois Department of Transportation, which covered 80% of the cost. The rest of the bill was funded with federal and city money. Lauden said the city ended up paying about $3.3 million, which was close to the original estimate. With the project finally complete, downtown employees say they're hoping their job commutes are easier and foot traffic to their businesses improve. 'I was very happy,' said Patrick Berryman, who works at the Smoothie King near the bridge. 'I take that way for work anyway, sometimes when the construction was going on, I would go around it, but now that it's finally done, it just makes the commute so much faster.' For Jojo's Shake Bar on Jackson Avenue, the worst months of the construction resulted in event cancellations, Assistant General Manager Dessy Turner said. 'A lot of people just called and said, 'Hey, we can't deal with the construction and so on, so we're just gonna cancel,'' she said. 'It was literally almost daily at the time.' With the project now finished, she's hopeful that the foot traffic to her store and other businesses will return and the lively feel of the downtown district returns, she said.
Chicago Tribune
03-07-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Letters to the Editor: Naperville should not be locked into another IMEA contract
The Naperville City Council must vote against renewing the IMEA contract as the city's electricity provide. City Councilman Josh McBroom makes the point that the MDR (Member Directed Resource) will enable us to partly outsource our electricity to clean energy sources. This is misleading, at best. We cannot use an MDR to shave 10% off our peak load without shaving IMEA's demand as a whole. IMEA members will still be required to purchase their full requirements from IMEA. Naperville could use additional money to develop new energy sources and would be paid the 'market price' for those sources, but that might be less than the actual cost to Naperville. Renewing the contract will obligate Naperville to obtain the same amount of electricity from coal-fired energy plants. We must work to source our electricity from clean energy providers and not commit to continue to support coal burning for another 25 years!
