The $300 million-plus CityGate Centre in Naperville won’t be just another suburban office park if officials at Calamos Real Estate LLC have their way.

And they are building it the way it’s been envisioned.

“At the end of the day, this is unlike anything that has been done in the Chicago area,” said Daniel J. Slack, president of Calamos Real Estate LLC in Naperville. “There are very few examples of a facility like this in the U.S.”

CityGate Centre is a mixed-use center that, when completed by 2012, will be anchored by 1 million square-feet of Class A office space, 150,000 square-feet of high-end retail, six-to-eight restaurants, a performing arts center, and a 140-room boutique hotel.

If all goes according to plan the corporate facility will become a major suburban destination for both employees and local residents alike.

“The whole idea is for the development to have a Lincoln Park ‘feel’ to it,” said Slack. “We want it to bring an urban environment to the suburbs. This will appeal to all of those who used to live in the city, but eventually moved out into the suburbs. Now they won’t have to drive two hours to have that downtown experience anymore.”

The new development will have a “main street” that will connect the principal office centers, but also act as an outdoor pedestrian corridor lined with retail stores and restaurants that provide shopping opportunities and al fresco dining.

The site should also score big with employers, who can use the facilities and its amenities for their own recruiting purposes.

In today’s competitive marketplace, top candidates measure quality of life almost as much as they measure salary and benefits. While it may not be the only important aspect of a place of work, Calamos officials are hopeful that the high-quality of CityGate Centre could be the tipping point for employees with multiple offers.

“CityGate Center is designed to make companies more competitive,” Slack said. “The idea is that the facility will help attract employees and provide a low turnover rate and increased productivity.”

While shopping during the lunch hour has yet to be linked to a solid work ethic, features like displacement ventilation and underfloor air actually have. Quality air flow has been proven to make employees more alert, attentive and productive. CityGate Centre will have these features throughout its facilities.

The buildings will also be LEED-certified, making them energy efficient by relying more on natural light with a 100 percent glass exterior and other improved infrastructure. Slack estimates that the buildings will use 30 percent less energy than those of comparable size and the savings will be passed on directly to tenants.

“It is a bit more expensive to build this design up front, but if you are already committed to top-quality Class A space, it is worth it,” said Slack.

Despite its deliberate urban feel, a primary strength, perhaps, is its suburban location. With a large existing labor pool in the immediate area, Calamos officials believe that many prospective employees will benefit from short commutes, making the location itself attractive.

The boutique hotel, a unique aspect of the development, will be run by Preferred Hotel and Resorts, a manager of independent luxury hotels. The high-end hotel will serve as housing for traveling executives who have heretofore been unable to find the luxury hotel space outside the city.

“There never really has been a place in this market to put key executives for short-term stays,” said Slack. “Most of them would spend two and a half hours making the roundtrip from downtown. They won’t have to do that anymore.”

The performing arts center will most likely cater to “classic American theater” and act as an entertainment center for hotel guests and area theater enthusiasts, said Slack.

The Monarch Landing senior community development directly across the street from CityGate Centre could also provide a steady number of clientele for the theater, he said.

A few leases have been signed for the retail and restaurant space, but Calamos has not released the names of companies.

The entire project is on pace to be completed by 2012, which is quite a feat in that ground was broken only 18 months ago.

“It’s a pretty aggressive project,” said Slack. “This project is all about creating the best corporate destination in the suburbs.”