Naperville commission endorses natural gas fuel station plans
A proposed Naperville compressed natural gas station, which a private company will build in
partnership with the city, won the recommendation of the city's planning and zoning commission
Wednesday.
"I like it because it leans toward the future," Commissioner Robert Williams said. "This is certainly an
appropriate area in this city for this type of land use."
The station would be built by Trillium, a private compressed natural gas or CNG provider. Naperville
would contribute $300,000 to the $2 million construction cost, using money awarded through the
Drive Clean Chicago's Drive Clean Station Grant Program and building it on city-owned land near the
Naperville Test Track on Jefferson Avenue at Ogden Avenue.
The property would be leased to Trillium as part of a 10-year contract.
The planning and zoning commission voted in favor of a conditional-use permit for the project,
which still requires Naperville City Council approval.
Commissioner Steve Peterson asked why the city, not Trillium, was presenting the proposal.
Public Works Director Dick Dublinski said the city wants the station to provide fuel for its truck fleet,
25 percent of which will be converted to run on compressed natural gas as a cost-saving measure.
The city has about 500 trucks total, he said.
"Our business is not running gas stations. We have a partnership with a private company to do what
they do best," Dublinski said.
The station also could provide fuel to Waste Management's fleet of garbage trucks, all of which are
powered by compressed natural gas, he said. Compressed natural gas stations have already been
built in Downers Grove and in the DuPage County's Blackwell and Churchill forest preserves, where
Naperville's handful of CNG vehicles now fill up, city staff said.
Not only is CNG typically cheaper than gasoline, the price has not experienced the drastic swings like
those of oil-based fuel, Dublinski said. CNG also burns 98 percent cleaner than traditional gasoline,
making it better for the environment.
"That's what we do here in Naperville," Dublinski said.
The proposed station, which would be open 24 hours a day, will start with one twin-hose pump and
room for expansion. It could accommodate everything from passenger cars to 18-wheel semi trucks,
staff reports said.
The lot eyed for the CNG station sits near major thoroughfares and car dealerships. The test track is
a course where people in the market to buy a new car can take test drives.
"This is a good avenue to pursue," Commissioner Brett Fessler said. "We have to start somewhere."
https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/naperville-sun/ct- nvs-naperville- planning-zoning- cng-st-
