CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
title
Pass the ordinance establishing City of Naperville Special Service Area No. 30 for streetscape improvements in portions of Blocks 429 and 430 in the downtown area of the City of Naperville
body
DEPARTMENT: Transportation, Engineering and Development
SUBMITTED BY: William J. Novack, Director of TED/City Engineer
BOARD/COMMISSION REVIEW:
NA
BACKGROUND:
On December 18, 2018, the City Council passed Ordinance 18-156 scheduling a public hearing for the establishment of Special Service Area (SSA) No. 30 for streetscape improvements on portions of blocks 429 and 430 of the downtown. This was done at the request of Mr. Steve Rubin, a majority property owner in block 429. He and several of his neighbors in blocks 429 and 430 noticed the deteriorating condition of the streetscape and desired to make improvements.
The improvements would include the streetscape and parking on the south side of Jefferson Avenue between Webster and Main along with both sides of Main Street between Jefferson and Jackson. Streetscape improvements would also include small portions of Webster and Jackson adjacent to these blocks.
Since the streetscape improvements would be disruptive to the downtown staff decided to check with all stakeholders about what work they planned for their facilities in these blocks for the next thirty years. It was determined that DPU-Electric planned to install an underground ductbank on the south side of Jefferson Avenue and DPU-Water needed to replace their watermains on both Jefferson and Main Street since the existing pipes are 107 and 53 years old respectively. It was decided that all this work should be performed under one contract administered by the City. At the next City Council meeting in June we will bring the award of a contract for the design and preparation of contract documents for this work if the City Council establishes the SSA.
The public hearing for SSA No. 30 was opened at the February 19, 2019 City Council meeting and kept open to the March 5, 2019 meeting at the request of Mr. Rubin to allow him to discuss this proposal in greater detail with the surrounding property owners. The one item that needed City Council discussion and direction on was City cost participation on the streetscape improvements.
The streetscape improvements consist of everything from the back of the parking box curb to the buildings. The streetscape includes amenities such as sidewalks, ornamental lighting, brick paving, planters and streetscape furniture. The total cost of the streetscape, including design, construction and contingency is $2.2 million. At the March 5 meeting the City Council agreed to a 60/40 cost split of the streetscape, with the City paying 60% of the cost and the property owners paying for the other 40% through SSA No. 30. The City’s share would be $1.3 million with the property owner’s share being $900,000. Under the SSA the City would pay for all the improvements initially, and would then be reimbursed the property owner’s share of $900,000 plus interest over the next fifteen years.
DISCUSSION:
An SSA cannot be established if more than fifty-percent of the property owners in the SSA boundary object within sixty days of the public hearing. Over sixty days have passed since the closure of the public hearing and no petitions objecting to the establishment of Special Service Area No. 30 has been filed with the City. Therefore, all the requirements to establish Special Service Area No. 30 have been fulfilled.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The City will have to borrow $2.2 million to fund the streetscape improvements, and will be reimbursed $900,000 plus interest from the property owners over the fifteen-year term of the special service area. The electric and water work will be paid for by each utility as part of their 2020 capital improvement program. The cost to reconstruct half of Jefferson Avenue and all of Main Street will be funded as part of the annual street maintenance improvement program.