CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
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Endorse the Naperville Riverwalk 2031 Master Plan
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DEPARTMENT: Transportation, Engineering and Development
SUBMITTED BY: William J Novack, Director of TED/City Engineer
BOARD/COMMISSION REVIEW:
On September 9, 2020 the Naperville Riverwalk Commission unanimously approved the Naperville Riverwalk 2031 Master Plan and directed staff to seek endorsement from the Naperville Park District Board and the Naperville City Council.
BACKGROUND:
The development, construction, and maintenance of the Naperville Riverwalk has been a collaborative community effort since it was first envisioned in the early 1980’s. All of those efforts were formally documented in the first Riverwalk Maintenance Agreement approved in 2003. That agreement discussed the history and development of the Riverwalk and how maintenance would be addressed and funded into the future. When the City Council and Naperville Park District Board approved the Maintenance Agreement they also directed staff to prepare the Development Guidelines and, subsequently, an Asset Management Plan. Both of those documents have served the community and the Riverwalk well.
Over the last several years the Riverwalk Commission has been approached by many groups and individuals wanting to enhance or install various improvements on the Riverwalk. Two recent successful examples include Harmony Park near Rotary Hill and the Naperville Jaycees Park on the north side of the Municipal Center. While the Riverwalk Development Guidelines have been useful, and many projects have been implemented, these two recent successful projects demonstrated what an improved vision and focus on the future could yield.
DISCUSSION:
In late 2019 the Naperville Riverwalk Commission decided that, rather than be in a reactionary position relative to development initiatives on the Riverwalk, they would rather be proactive. With the City’s bicentennial and the 50th anniversary of the Naperville Riverwalk approaching in a little over a decade, the group decided to develop a new master plan that shows what the Naperville Riverwalk Commission envisions the Riverwalk to be in 2031.
For the past 11 months members of the Riverwalk Commission have been working hard to develop the attached master plan. This plan was not prepared in a vacuum without input, but rather at numerous Riverwalk Commission meetings and Planning, Design and Construction committee meetings with input from interested residents.
After a draft was developed, members of the Commission met with representatives from the following groups:
Ø Riverwalk Foundation
Ø Edward Hospital (written endorsement is attached)
Ø North Central College (written endorsement is attached)
Ø The top elected officials and executives of the City and Park District
Ø Select business and property owners adjacent to areas included in the plan
Ø The City’s Advisory Commission on Disabilities, Special Events and Cultural Amenities Commission, and the Downtown Advisory Commission
Ø The Naperville Chamber of Commerce, Naperville Development Partnership, Downtown Naperville Alliance, and Century Walk
Ø Several service organizations in the City of Naperville
Based upon input received, final revisions were made to the document being presented tonight. The overall plan is to make this a living document, that will be amended in future years as project scopes are narrowed and details developed. Today’s document shows where we are and where we envision ourselves being in 11 years when the Naperville Riverwalk celebrates its 50th anniversary.
The Riverwalk 2031 Master Plan is being presented to both the Naperville Park District and Naperville City Council for their consideration and endorsement. An endorsement does not financially obligate either of the agencies; it simply states that they approve of the vision of the Riverwalk and hope to acquire financial support to complete the projects in the future.
The Master Plan is ambitious and includes a dozen projects that total millions of dollars. The projects range from large, grand improvements requiring the cooperation of many adjacent property owners to simple, low-cost improvements and enhancements that could be completed this year.
FISCAL IMPACT:
None, this is simply an endorsement of the Naperville Riverwalk 2031 Master Plan. The endorsement is being done with no financial obligation attached to it.