Recent tumult surrounding proposed development northwest of Naper Boulevard and Hobson Road in Naperville may have a lasting impact on how land-use matters are considered in the city.
Two Naperville leaders are calling for change, in the wake of a City Council decision to reject the Spring Green plan to build a two-story office building and 11 single-family homes at the corner.
“What I think this is doing is showing us we need to have more input in some areas up front,” said Mayor George Pradel, one of two members of the council to vote for the Spring Green plan. “We need to tell our staff what we want and what we don’t want. If our policy is that we don’t want commercial building in any one area, then we need to tell the staff that.”
Pradel said that if Naperville is going to take a hard line on land-use issues, it should do so early in the process.
Many council members who voted against the plan referred to a council resolution that the city would not support future commercial development at the site. The resolution was approved last year after a gasoline station proposal was turned away from the site.
Council member John Rosanova said the Spring Green battle will lead him to call for additional study of development. He said the city needs to contemplate areas where established residential neighborhoods and commercial districts will meet. He said that without such studies, similar land battles will become more common.
Rosanova said he has contacted Naperville staff members about a review.
“I think we need to look at the whole issue of commercial development,” Rosanova said. “Do we have too much or not enough? Commercial development is an important part of the puzzle, but what mix we will have is what we need to consider.”
Many of the more than 120 residents who attended the recent meeting at which the vote was taken to defeat the project said they were surprised and relieved by the outcome. Dozens were among the 200 who spent a recent Saturday morning at a protest march at the 6-acre development site.
The residents contended the development would harm their property values and lead to traffic congestion that would put their children at risk. Many who begged the council to spare their neighborhood from “creeping commercialism” credited the earlier rally for getting their point across.
“The council has finally heard from the people and listened to the people,” said Cathy Allen, who lives near the corner. “I think the march let them know we were serious about this. We’re very pleased.”
The council voted 7-2 against the Spring Green plan proposed by developer Richard Marker. Those who voted it down said protecting the interests of residents should be the chief goal of the panel.
Many echoed council member Mary Ellingson.
“I simply believe that this land use is not appropriate,” Ellingson said. “We have not found a compelling reason to change the zoning from residential. I believe this would indeed alter the essential character of that area.”
After the vote, some residents said they hope the council will remember its choice when considering the parcel in the future. Many of those who took part in the protest promised that it was a scene they would repeat as necessary.
For Naperville, one of the country’s fastest-growing communities, the contentious battles may become more commonplace as vacant spaces scattered about the suburb begin to be filled.
“This is the first one that is really a big chunk of land coming in, but we have pockets like this all around the city,” said Douglas Krause, who was the only member of the council to mix with picketing residents. “Without a doubt this is something we are going to have to look at. We are going to be running into this situation not only in commercial areas, but more often in residential neighborhoods as well.”
Organizers of the march used the event to launch a political organization they said would monitor infill development on behalf of Naperville residents. The Zoning and Planning Group, or ZAP, will push candidates and try to prevent rezoning that allows increased density.
“Just think about the number of empty parcels in this community,” said Rich Weyand, who marched even though he lives more than two miles from the Spring Green site. “This is going to happen again and again and again in Naperville.”
Most of those who marched are among the 3,000 residents who live in the Pembroke Commons and Huntington Estates subdivisions, the two closest neighborhoods to the controversial corner.
Marchers said the development would cut into property values by ruining its residential character and lead to a marked increase in congestion at an already busy intersection.
Mark and Jenny Lawson live near the corner and already are concerned about their three young daughters crossing either street. The protesters would like businesses to stay south of Hobson Road.
“We moved from Berwyn to get away from commercial development,” Jenny Lawson said. “We could have stayed there for this.”
Many of the neighbors were involved in a fight last year that helped prevent a gas station from being built on the site.
But some council members warned residents the parcel eventually will be developed.
