A new day-care facility has won the unanimous endorsement of the Naperville Planning and Zoning Commission.
Plans for Cypress School, an early childhood center proposed for 628 N. River Road, near West Ogden Avenue, now move to the Naperville City Council, which is expected to review and vote on the project in December or January, city spokeswoman Linda LaCloche said.
As proposed to commissioners, Cypress School would provide a variety of full-, part- and summer camp programming for up to 200 infant- to school-age children. About 30 to 35 teachers and staff would be needed to staff the center.
Plans call for a 14,000-square-foot, one-story building to be constructed on a 1.2-acre site at the southeast corner of Naperville’s River Woods Office Campus. Adjacent to the center would be a 5,200-square-foot playground area and a 1,150-square-foot grass play lawn, both surrounded by a fence.
The location is next to the StoryPoint Naperville assisted living facility and a McDonald’s restaurant.
Plans submitted by Naperville-based developer BHC Construction require city approval of a major change to the planned unit development (PUD) previously approved for the River Woods campus and a conditional use permit to allow a day-care facility on the site.
The original PUD was approved in 2008 and allowed for the development of six single-story office buildings, according to city staff. Though zoned as a Community Shopping Center District, which allows day-care centers as a conditional use, the campus was approved for office use only.
Four of the six approved office buildings have been built. BHC Construction is seeking the change so the site isn’t restricted to office space, a use the developer says is no longer in line with current market trends.
“Based on the state of the commercial real estate market and office downsizing, an office use is no longer a viable use for the subject property,” Eric Prechtel, an attorney representing BHC Construction, told commissioners at a meeting last week. “This is also demonstrated by the fact that the property has sat vacant for the last 16 years.”
City staff members have recommended the changes be approved, finding the Cypress School a “creative and appropriate use to address vacant land,” according to an agenda report. No parking changes would be required.
When open, the day care’s hours of operation will be from about 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Center officials said they do not anticipate having a large volume of cars at any given time as drop-offs and pick-ups will be interspersed throughout the school day.