With summer right around the corner, Downtown Naperville is beginning to return to a constant bustle of residents and visitors. With its dozens of restaurants, local businesses and common areas, downtown has become an iconic venue for people in the Naperville community, including students, to connect.
Over the next few months, Downtown Naperville will undergo some major changes as a result of a new renovation initiative titled the Progress in Progress Initiative.
The construction for the Progress in Progress Initiative began on March 1 and is set to continue through late August. The project’s main goals are to increase pedestrian accessibility and mobility, community safety and to maintain Downtown Naperville’s reputation as a must-see destination. The initiative is separated into five distinct phases, each with a different aim. Some of the main goals of the project are to improve infrastructure by replacing old water mains, widening sidewalks, installing new lighting and landscaping and updating outdoor seating and furniture for local businesses. So, what benefits will all of these additions have for students?
Christopher Nichols, the Project Engineer for the Progress in Progress Initiative, explained that the updates to the downtown area will present benefits for all age groups. He emphasized the specific changes to common spaces for students to connect.
“Students will benefit from this project since they will now have spaces to talk without being in the way of things like strollers and others walking because of the expanded sidewalks,” Nichols said.
Alina Gasior, a junior at Naperville North, thinks some of the changes being made by the project, more specifically the wider sidewalks, will help older residents or visitors as well.
“[Wider sidewalks] will be a good addition because it will help older residents and visitors who are visiting students, or people who are handicapped, navigate the downtown area more safely especially when it’s busy,” Gasior said.
The Progress in Progress Initiative follows a trend of surrounding communities renovating or “beautifying” their downtown areas. Most recently in Lisle, Illinois, the village kicked off an initiative titled the 2018 Downtown Lisle Master Plan in Jan. 2019. The eight-step plan aims to improve urban design, street life, transportation, economic development and land use. Despite the project being in the works for about two and a half years, some aspects of the initiative are facing pushback from community officials. Christopher Pecak, the mayor of Lisle, recently vetoed an economic incentive put forth by developers of the project to redevelop a shuttered-down shopping center, putting some local retailers out of business. Even after the mayor’s veto, Lisle trustees overrode his decision in late February.
Despite the hurdles that the city of Lisle has faced with its project, Nichols said that Progress in Progress is different due to its collaborative nature.
“[The Progress in Progress Initiative] is different because it’s really collaborative. We are working with the Downtown Naperville Alliance and Naperville’s Transportation, Engineering and Development Business, among others, to make this possible,” Nichols said.
According to the Progress in Progress Initiative webpage, the phases of the project are as follows:
Phase 1 (March 1- May 13)
Remove & replacing pavements on curbs, gutters and driveways
Replace sanitary services & install new drainage and storm sewer systems
Remove and replace sidewalks
Replace water mains and reconnect water services
Install new lighting, electric, brick paving, planters and landscaping
Phase 2 (May 14- July 15)
(All projects from above continued)
Duct breakout work at Main St. and Jefferson Ave.
Phase 3 (July 15- Aug. 26)
Remove & replace curbs, gutters and driveways
Install new sidewalks
Install new lighting, electric, brick paving, planters, landscaping
Phase 4 (Runs simultaneously with all stages)
Install new water main bypass and line water main through Jefferson Ave. and Webster St.
Phase 5 (After completion of all other phases)
Final roadway surfacing and roadway cleanup
Though the project has just begun, Nichols is optimistic that this project will succeed in providing all of the updates that the plan outlines.
“The benefits from the project are going to be great, and we can’t wait to see what this initiative brings,” Nichols said.