Quite a large crowd turned up curious to learn what the future held for the 5th Avenue "Neighborhood". Many were disappointed with the lack of information provided at this meeting. However, city planner Rory Fancler made it very clear that this was an information gathering meeting. The purpose and intent of the evening's meeting was to receive input from the public in order to be able to craft a plan.
Topics of discussion were Transposrtation/Parking which unfortunatley due to a previous engagement I missed. Land Use and the Washington Streetscape. Initially the study is for land use, and zoning will follow at a later date. They addressed the Washington streetscape as it is now the more of a gateway to our town, particularly with the Naperville Blvd exit off I-88 being re-routed to Warrenville Rd, it's an easy left to access Washington and head south to town. Although there is not much to work with in terms of space they plan to weigh different options to beautify and make safe this section of Washington.
Currently we do know that the Department of Public Works (DPW) will be vacating their present location at 5th Ave & Loomis this fall and relocating to Fort Hill Drive and Jefferson Ave (NE corner). The disposition of that land is still to be determined.
We learned a proposal has been formally submitted to the City of Naperville for condominiums on Ellsworth. We "heard" that there has been "talk" with Omnia regarding the theatre, but presently nothing formal has been proposed. The break out sessions proved more interesting than the meeting. Some residents expressed concern about being approached by developers to purchase their block for a hotel even.
Obviously any land use would have to be voted on and approved by the Council and thus the people. My advice to you is if you have any stake at all in property in and around the vicinity of 5th Ave, you should be in attendance at these meeting to make your voice heard. The next meeting will be held October 29,2008 in City Council Chambers at 7pm.
Stay Tuned
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