IL: Naperville to do study reevaluating I-88 corridor development goals

Naperville will hire a consultant to study the Interstate 88 corridor and come up with a new plan for future development.

Last year, the Naperville City Council set aside $150,000 to conduct one special project study in 2026. At the time, council members were presented with two options: a study of the I-88 corridor or the city-owned land surrounding Naperville’s Fifth Avenue Metra station.

Since then, additional topics such as affordable housing and housing-related zoning amendments were added to the mix for consideration.

However, because only one project can be pursued, council members voted last week to move forward with the I-88 corridor analysis, in line with what city staff recommended. At a minimum, the study will create a land use plan for the corridor and identify areas where zoning needs to be updated.

It will also build on a study released in 2025 by the Naperville Development Partnership, which identified opportunities for corridor redevelopment and specific industries the city should seek to attract.

“The ( Naperville Development Partnership) study did indicate that our zoning there is dated and we’re really seeing that come into play based on the proposals we’re receiving over the last couple of years,” City Manager Doug Krieger said at the meeting.

Some council members agreed, citing the rejected Karis Critical data center as an example of a proposal that current zoning inadequately addresses. While the property for the project was zoned for data center use, some council members and local residents pointed to recommendations in the Land Use Master Plan and the proximity of nearby residential developments as reasons to vote it down.

“When we had the discussions about the data center earlier this year, the Land Use Master Plan was essential for how we approached that decision,” Councilwoman Mary Gibson said, “so to hear that we have outdated zoning along I-88 while we have been putting extensive effort into attracting businesses just seems like a misalignment.”

Mayor Scott Wehrli said the original I-88 corridor study was important to ensure that the corridor remains an attractive location for businesses and does not become residential only. He pointed to the Northwoods of Naperville residences and a proposed housing development for the former Alcatel-Lucent site as examples of residential developments that replaced office buildings along the corridor.

“I think the question we have to ask ourselves is, ‘Do we want a business corridor along I-88, or are we comfortable becoming a community that relies on its residents to pay for services?’” Wehrli said.

Councilmen Ashfaq Syed and Josh McBroom indicated that they would have preferred a study focused on Fifth Avenue, citing a need for more affordable housing in Naperville.

A Fifth Avenue study would have built off the momentum from the Urban Land Institute panel, which presented Naperville last year with ideas for developing the property around the Metra station. The panel said the next step for the city would be to create a Development Master Plan.

Since Urban Land Institute presented their findings, the city has not undertaken any additional work in regards to the site.

City staff discouraged a Fifth Avenue study due to uncertainty surrounding the proposed Building Up Illinois Developments (BUILD) Act, a set of legislative initiatives that — if passed by the General Assembly — would change local zoning laws. City staff said they believe the BUILD Act would have a greater impact on the Fifth Avenue properties than on the I-88 corridor.

Staff also cited the “People Over Parking Act,” state legislation, which goes into effect in June and prohibits local governments from enforcing parking minimums on any development project within half a mile of a public transportation hub or one-eighth of a mile of a public transportation corridor. It could significantly change future development near train stations.

Some residents speaking at the meeting expressed frustration with the lack of progress on the Fifth Avenue site. Naperville resident Marilyn Schweitzer said that not proceeding with a project there would “effectively waste cost, time and efforts spent last year” by staff, council and residents.

“The city would add yet another failed attempt on their Fifth Avenue planning into its record,” she said.

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