Better street signs, a consistent landscape and public bathrooms were all topics on the agenda recently as Naperville residents got their first look at proposed concepts for improving downtown streets and sidewalks.
The Downtown Plan Implementation Committee wanted the public’s comments on drawings of new trees, benches, drinking fountains, banners, garbage cans and lighting.
The Naperville City Council adopted a comprehensive plan for the downtown area two years ago. The plan, which reflects the collaboration of business owners, residents, consultants and city planners, addresses building design, traffic, parking, land use and development.
City planners and community representatives have been working with consultants from Land Design Collaborative of Skokie to determine the concepts.
“We walked through the downtown in all types of weather to evaluate the features,” said Steve Rubin of Naperville, who chairs the committee as a volunteer. “Our goal is to ensure the consistency and beauty of the streetscapes.”
The committee saw confusion in landscaping around trees and overall street appearance, Rubin said. After the walking tours, the consultants produced several drawings showing new lighting and other features.
While the exact design has not been chosen, the drawings show a consistent design scheme in each amenity.
Speakers at the hearing requested signs for the downtown that are less confusing and the addition of more flowerbeds.
Naperville resident Joan Ellman brought up an issue that she said has been neglected.
“We need public restrooms. We get people coming in the store all the time asking to use ours,” said Ellman, an owner of Ellman’s Music Center at 103 S. Main St. Others at the hearing said that the bathrooms at the Nichols Public Library are overburdened.
The next steps involve selecting design materials, determining construction costs and finding sources of funding.
The city also is studying the utility infrastructure in the downtown area.
A Woodridge firm, V3IS, is looking at the electrical, water, sewer and telecommunications services to determine the age of each system, its condition and future capacity.
“This study will guide us in improving and maintaining the utilities,” said Anastasia Urban, project engineer for the city of Naperville.
A final report will be presented to the City Council in May, she said.
