Naperville, a city of over 100,000 people approximately 30 miles west of Chicago, is home to high-tech facilities and corporate headquarters for a number of major corporations. The city has experienced dramatic population and job growth over the past decade.
The city seeks to respond to its continuing rapid growth with a balanced plan for development, and with services for its residents most in need. In 1995 the city will spend $424,000 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds as well as work with the private sector and non-profit agencies to carry out its Consolidated Plan.
The city staff consulted extensively with community groups, met with the Naper/Lisle Services Coordinating Council, and held two public hearings and a City Council Workshop during the development of this plan. In addition, a Housing and Community Development Information Survey was mailed to 109 agencies and community groups, in which they were asked to assess and prioritize community needs. Forty-one surveys were returned. One individual gave the only testimony at each of two public hearings, advocating both times for rental housing for persons with physical disabilities. During March and April, the city held a public comment period, but no written comments were received.
MAP 1 depicts points of interest in the jurisdiction.
Naperville's population doubled during the 1980s, and continues to increase rapidly. Twenty-four percent of the people in Naperville are under the age of 19, and more than 5 percent are age 65 or over. About 9 out of 10 residents are white, with Asians and Pacific Islanders being the largest minority at 6 percent, and African Americans the next largest at 2 percent. There are no areas of minority concentration, but concentrations of low-income persons exist in the central area of the city. In 1990 the per capita income was $23,934 and the median household income was $60,979.
MAP 2 depicts points of interest and low-moderate income areas.
MAP 3 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, and minority concentration levels.
MAP 4 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, and unemployment levels.
Over 9 million square feet of office and research space and 4 million square feet of warehouse and distribution space are the key to the more than 40,000 jobs in the city. Almost one-fifth of the land in Naperville is still undeveloped, and substantial increases in both population and employment are anticipated. Between 1972 and 1990, the number of jobs in Naperville increased by 428 percent to 40,522. The major national employers driving this job growth include Bell, Amoco, Hewlett Packard, Chrysler, and Weyerhauser. The unemployment rate in 1990 was a little over 2 percent.
The number of housing units in Naperville more than doubled during the 1980s, increasing to 30,906 units in 1992. Of all housing units in Naperville, 72 percent are owner- occupied. The vacancy rate for rental units is 13 percent, while the vacancy rate for owner-occupied units is less than 2 percent.
Reflecting the dramatic growth being experienced in the city, over 1,000 building permits were issued in the last half of 1994. Of these, 62 percent were for detached single-family homes, and 36 percent were for townhouses. The number of persons per household has steadily dropped, and stood at 2.85 in 1994. Two-thirds of the single-family homes are valued at or over $150,000 and the average monthly contract rent in Naperville is $698.
There are no uninhabitable units in the city, due largely to strong code enforcement. Overcrowding is rare in Naperville, and apparently limited to large lower-income families. Naperville officials conducted a field survey in 1991, and identified only 221 units as substandard.
HUD classifies any household paying more than 30 percent of income on housing to be cost burdened. Five hundred and eighteen extremely low-income households (0-30 percent of median family income [MFI]), 501 low-income households (31-50 percent MFI), and 1,127 moderate-income households (51-80 percent MFI) experience at least a 30 percent housing cost burden.
Of the 2,146 households having affordability problems, 56 percent were renters and 44 percent were homeowners. Elderly renters were by far the worst off of all renters, except in the moderate-income category, where small related households had the highest incidence of cost burdens.
There is no clear picture of homeless needs in Naperville, but a local 1992 count of homeless persons indicated that there were 632 sheltered homeless persons in DuPage County. Naperville Social Services, which has casework responsibility for services to potentially homeless persons, reported 133 unduplicated cases in the year ending September 30, 1994. There are five facilities in Naperville serving the homeless: Naperville Community Outreach provides temporary shelter and counseling for 6 boys age 10-17, Childserv operates an emergency shelter for 6 adolescent girls, area churches provide transitional apartments for 23 persons and shelter and food for 50 persons, and Family Shelter Services provide 13 beds for victims of domestic violence and their children.
There is no public housing in Naperville, but there are 372 assisted units, of which 67 percent are for the elderly. Waiting list estimates range from 6 months to 5 years, with the longest wait being up to 5 years for family units. Two hundred more assisted units are under construction. A few units of assisted housing for low-income persons with special needs are available at several facilities.
In addition, 83 Naperville households receive Section 8 tenant-based rental assistance through the DuPage County Housing Authority. These tenants must locate a landlord willing participate in the program and accept the Federally designated Fair Market Rent. The authority reports that high rents in Naperville make use of Section 8 difficult.
The price of land is seen as the greatest barrier to affordable housing development. Undeveloped farmland in the area has been priced between $60,000-$80,000 per acre. Such land costs drive developers to build more upscale housing to make a profit. The city has in some cases provided annexed land to developers and gotten agreements for development of housing within a certain price range.
Most of the potential lead-based paint hazards in Naperville are restricted to the downtown area, where the majority of the housing units were built prior to 1978. This area is bounded by Ogden Avenue on the north, Columbia Street on the east, Hillside Road on the south, and the DuPage River. According to 1990 census data, as many as 2,700 households could be at risk of exposure to lead-based paint hazards.
During the 1980s, the number of persons over 65 doubled, as did the overall population. About two-thirds of elderly households have low- or moderate-incomes. The city estimates that there may be 22 persons in Naperville who are low-income, elderly, and frail. Senior Home Sharing operates an independent living group home in the city, where two elderly persons currently reside.
There are no specific figures on persons with mental illness or with developmental disabilities in Naperville, but data from the county indicate that there are significant numbers of such persons in the area. Reports also vary on the number of physically disabled persons requiring supportive housing in the area. A 48-unit complex is being constructed in Naperville for physically disabled persons.
The city identified only a few community development items as high-priority needs: youth centers and services for youth, services for the elderly, and child care.
Naperville developed its housing and community priorities by surveying 109 local agencies and community groups.
Naperville chose the following housing priorities for the next 5 years:
The city will also carry out a survey of lead paint hazards in the older downtown area, implement a public education program on lead hazards, and integrate lead testing and lead hazard reduction activities into housing programs.
Respondents to DCD's survey identified the greatest needs as being for youth centers and child care facilities. There was little support for any infrastructure improvements.
The city of Naperville chose the following nonhousing community development priorities for the next 5 years:
Though the poverty rate indicated in the 1990 census was 1.5 percent, providers believe that it is increasing. Requests at a food pantry doubled in 1 year, and victims of domestic violence have had to be denied shelter. The city will support social service providers in providing supportive and transitional housing, and in further identifying needs of people threatened by poverty. The city will also work with social service providers to create an after school program for low-income youth.
In addition to CDBG funds, Naperville could access funding from a variety of Federal and State sources, such as HOME, Shelter Plus Care, the Illinois Weatherization Assistance Program, and the Illinois Affordable Housing Trust Fund. Many nonprofits involved in Consolidated Plan activities will rely heavily on volunteer assistance.
DCD will implement strategies for Consolidated Plan priorities with a number of city agencies, agencies from DuPage County, and the Will County Development Department. It will also work with nonprofit groups, 11 of which it identifies in the plan. DCD will also work with private lenders to provide down payment assistance to first-time homebuyers, and participate in a program for low-interest mortgages with other nearby municipalities.
The city has identified two areas where there are gaps in Naperville's institutional structure for carrying out housing and community development goals: leadership in addressing housing issues and provision of supportive services with housing. The city will continue to work with nonprofit agencies, other government agencies, and private lenders to close this gap, and will participate in the Naper/Lisle Services Connection, as well as the DuPage HOME Investment Partnerships Consortium.
MAP 5 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects.
MAP 6 is a map, sectioned by neighborhood, which depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects.
MAP 7 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects within one of the four neighborhoods indicated in MAP 6.
MAP 8 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects within another of the four neighborhoods indicated in MAP 6.
MAP 9 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded project(s) from a street level vantage point; as well as, provides a table with information about the project(s).
Fourteen projects have been identified for funding in 1995 from the federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, listed here with funding levels:
Projects have been funded on a citywide basis, but many are located in or near the downtown area.
DCD will monitor recipients getting $50,000 or more in CDBG funding through onsite visits to monitor financial and related procedures. Periodic project reports will be required of all groups provided with funds, as well as an annual report describing the results of the project. DCD will provide technical assistance to first-time recipients and others upon request.
Fax: 708-420-6657
