Is the meeting will please come to order?

This is a duly advertised meeting of the Juliet Zoning Board of Appeals.

In our capacity, we hear petitions for relief from the strict provisions of our city ordinance.

In matters of this type, the decision of this board is final.

I respect it does not go to the mayor or the city council for any further action.

If you disagree with our decision, you do have recourse in a court of record.

We also hear petitions for variations of land use.

Matters of this type, we act as an advisory committee to the mayor and city council.

Making a recommendation either for or against it.

The final decision on land use is made by the mayor and the city council.

Secretary call the roll.

Mr.

Bias Mr.

Nocktreeb.

Here.

Ms.

Radakovich.

Here.

Ms.

Rohr.

Here.

Ms.

Schmig.

Here.

Mr.

Stiff.

Here.

Chairman Hennessy.

Here.

All right.

First on the agenda is the approval of the Zoning Board of Appeals meeting minutes from November 20th of 2025.

Motion be in order.

So moved.

Second.

We have motion, second to approve the minutes poll of the board.

Mr.

Nocktreep.

I Ms.

Radakovich.

Ms.

Roar.

Aye.

Ms.

Schmick.

I Mr.

Stiff.

Aye.

Chairman Hennessy.

Aye.

Okay.

Next on the agenda is citizens to be heard on agenda items.

This section is for anyone wanting to speak regarding agenda items and are allowed a maximum of four minutes.

It is not a question and answer period.

And staff and the zoning board of appeals members do not generally respond to public comments.

And the speaking rules are on the screen.

So two things.

The first is that every item listed here on the agenda is a public hearing.

So if you're here to speak on a public hearing item, you can speak then and you'll be your speaking will be part of the testimony for that agenda item.

Or you're free to speak now.

But the second thing is that we have a request to defer the petition 2025 51 and 2025 52, which is a special use permit to allow a self-storage facility as well as a variation of use to allow a self-storage facility at 1701 Drowden Road.

So that request is to defer the agenda item to the January 15th, 2025 Zoning Board of Appeals meeting to allow additional time for meeting preparation.

So that agenda item will not be a public hearing tonight, so or today.

So if you are here to speak about that agenda item now would be your time, which is citizens to be heard on agenda items.

Come on up to the podium.

Do you swear the evidence you're about to present to be the truth under penalty of law?

Yes.

Could I have your names and addresses?

Lynn.

Your name and address.

Lynn Arm Brewster.

Address 1700 Lake Point Drive, Plainfield.

Okay, would you like to make some comments?

Yes, please.

Speak under the mic.

Um we live across the street from the area where they're wanting to build the storage units.

There'd be a school right next door to this storage unit, and it's a grade school.

And then not too far.

Maybe a couple blocks or so.

There's um uh middle school, and then on third third Theodore and Drowden area, there's the Troy schools there, and then Westmere subdivision has a grade school.

And we see children walking back and forth to school, you know, there and back home.

And I'm just afraid that if that storage units are there.

We have I have some friends who have uh bought units units and they say that they uh see drugs and um they deal drugs there and uh they also use it as their home.

Um and I I just can't see I'm I'm here to try to protect the children.

Um there's just no uh there you know there if anything should happen you know that it's it's not a good thing to have that there that's all I that's all I have to say hi my name is Janet Balinski I live at 1611 Lake Point Drive Plainfield Illinois 6056 um she's right that the schools are very important I have grandkids that go to that school and it makes me nervous to know that there's gonna be storage units and possibly who knows what else is gonna you know who's gonna rent those and um for me I mean I I live directly across the street from where they're gonna be and I don't wanna open my doors to see storage units you know but most of all I'm more concerned about my grandkids and other kids you know oh and the traffic yeah she's very traffic we got traffic from the gas station directly across the street that's a lot of traffic people pull out of there on two wheels I swear but uh it's crazy over there and I just can't see them putting storage units there but thank you thank you anyone else where the evidence you're about to present to be the truth under penalty of law I affirm name and address my name is Tracy Dahlmeyer D-A-L-L-M-E-Y-E-R I live at 1703 Heritage Point Court Plainfield Illinois 60586 um I realize this isn't question and answer but if you when you do deliberate um it looks like there's two points um and I'm a little bit confused one is to allow this but the other one is to allow just in general a business where it's a neighborhood business so I'm not fully sure I hope in your deliberations if this doesn't go through I'm really not sure what else would go there a resident a residence can't be built there I'm not sure what other business would um but it does seem that if you need a business I don't mind if you've done your due diligence um I do not mind more taxable income for the area and the schools and the families uh but um I just I guess I'm not sure if it's not this what else might go in there right now come within that zoning qualification could go in there I'm sorry what anything that falls within that zoning classification could go there we wouldn't know what that is until someone applies someone applies yeah I do not mind a business going in that area I do not mind it being reclassified residential business to just general business um but I would hope that you would do your due diligence uh look to see traffic is an issue um that it would turn you know in and out um that would be safe but I hope you do your due diligence and um thank you thank you anyone else let's move on okay any anyone else here to speak on a citizens to be heard on agenda item all right with that we'll move on to the agenda old business public hearing um this again is the agenda item that is being recommended for deferral which is case number 2025 51 a special use permit to allow a self-storage facility located 1701 Drowden Road and its companion case 2025 52 a variation of use to allow a B3 general business use in the B1 neighborhood business district so staff is looking for a motion staff's looking for a motion to defer we have a motion motion second we have a motion second poll board Ms.

So staff is looking for a motion.

Staff's looking for a motion to defer we have a motion.

Motion second.

We have a motion, second, pull the board.

Ms.

Radakovich.

Ms.

Roar.

Aye.

Ms.

Schmick.

I Mr.

Stiff.

Aye.

Mr.

Ayas.

Aye.

Mr.

Nattreb.

Aye.

Chairman Hennessy.

Hi.

Okay.

Next on the agenda is new business public hearing.

And the first petition is petition 2025 53, a special use permit to allow a community center within an R2 single-family residential zoning district located at 111 McDonough Street.

The applicant in this petition is Ms.

Glenda McCullum.

And again, the address is 111 McDonough Street, which is council district number five, and the request for one more time is a special use permit to allow a community center within an R2 single family residential zoning district.

The applicant is requesting a special use permit to allow a community center within an R2 single family residential district at 11 McDonough Street per the City of Juliet zoning ordinance.

The following use may be allowed as a special use by the mayor and the city council with the advice of the zoning board of appeals.

Under site specific information, the subject property is approximately 15,000 square feet in size and is zoned R2 single family residential.

The property contains a single-story commercial building that was built in 1959.

The zoning of the property appears to have changed numerous times over the past several decades.

Its original zoning appears to have been B1 neighborhood business according to the 1968 zoning map.

The property was rezoned to its current R2 single-family residential zoning designation in 2004.

The City of Joliet granted a variation of use to allow the property to be operated as a neighborhood store.

And past uses of the building have been restaurants, convenience stores, and other businesses.

The property is adequate on-site parking to accommodate the use with 26 spaces.

On-site utilities are present, and the property has ingress and egress from both McDonough Street and Displaying Street.

For surrounding zoning, land use and character, to the north is R2 single family residentials, which is single family dwellings.

To the south is R2 single family residential with single family dwellings.

And to the east is R2 single family residential.

And that is zone B1 neighborhood business district as well.

And then to the west is R5, which is high density residential, and that and that's a residential use with townhomes and duplexes.

Under applicable regulations, we have section 47-5.2, which is special uses.

For discussion, the applicant is requesting a special use permit to establish a community center at 111 McDonough Street.

The Arise Impact Center will offer tutoring, mentoring, arts programs, and other special or excuse me, and other services for the nearby community.

Community centers such as this are allowed as special as a special use with a recommendation from the zoning board of appeals and approval from the city council.

The maximum capacity of the community center would be approximately 50 people and will be staffed by volunteers or program leaders.

The center would serve school-aged children, young adults, and parents.

No commercial services will occur on site.

The proposed hours of operation will be from 10 a.m.

to 7 p.m.

Monday through Friday and 9 a.m.

to 5 p.m.

on Saturday.

There is existing on-site parking that is sufficient for the proposed use.

The applicant is also indicated that the building would undergo renovations to bring the building up to standard for the new use.

Some of the repla repairs include but are not limited to new interior paint, new flooring, and exterior work.

The exterior will receive a new coat of paint and the fascia and roof will be repaired as well.

The parking lot will also be repaired.

Additional details on the programs and services will be offered at the Arise Impact Center, as well as information on the site plan and floor plan can be found as attachments in the staff report packet.

For recommended action, a community center is an allowed use in the R2 single family zoning district upon satisfaction of the city's special use permit criteria.

Staff finds that the special use request meets the criteria in that it will not be detrimental to the public health and safety.

And the property provides adequate access.

The property has sat vacant for some time, and the proposed use will activate this property as well as result in property improvements.

If the zoning board desires to approve the special use permit to allow a community center, the following conditions should be included.

One that the building that excuse me, that a building permit shall be obtained prior to any renovations.

Two, that the ingress egress at the southwest corner of the site on displaying street be removed and returned to grass within six months of ordinance approval.

Three, that the facility shall not be leased for banquets or parties.

Four, should the property be declared a public nuisance, it shall be subject to a rehearing and possible revocation of the special use permit.

And five, that the special use granted shall heron terminate and lapse unless a building permit or certificate of occupancy is obtained not later than 180 days of the effective date of this ordinance and the erection or alteration of a building is started or the use commenced within such a period.

The board may grant an extension of this period valid for no more than 180 additional days upon written application and good cause shown without notice or hearing.

Whether or not there is an intention to abandon the special use, if any special use is discontinued for a continuous period of one year, or if an intent to abandon the special use is evident in a shorter period of time, the special use for which the special use for such use shall become void, and such use shall not thereafter be re-established until a new special use permit is obtained.

And that concludes staff's report.

Good afternoon.

Do you swear the evidence you're about to present to be the truth under penalty of law?

I affirm.

Your name and address.

Glenda McCullum 2110 Providence Way, Joliet Illinois, 60431.

Um as it was stated, uh I'd like to make a correction.

I think she said it was 15,000 square feet.

As you can see, it's only 1,500 square feet.

Uh the property is.

Underserved youth, as well as provide um uh cultural arts and leadership training, character development, those kinds of things is what we'd like to bring into the community.

Um in terms of the uh requests on the McDonald's Street entry site.

I understand that the petition is requesting that the entryway to the property right at the mouth of displains and McDonough Street is being requested to be closed off and grassed in.

I can understand that completely.

But to close off the or to open up the McDonald's street side uh would provide a real security hazard in the sense that there are there's lots of traffic that cuts through there to avoid the bridge, and they don't come slow, they come very, very quickly to make that cutoff.

And my concern is that if we have children out there and if we have cars that are parked there, um that the potential safety of of that property being um closing off that or opening up that side of the property.

What we would like to do is close that side of it off.

There still would be an entryway on the displaying street side in that there are two entryways on the displaying street side.

So there still would be egress and ingrate in egress into and out of the property.

Um, as part of your original petition to close it off.

Um there was yes, there was conversation about having that portion of it closed off.

Okay, fine.

If I can approach, I'd also like to show uh some photos because what you see here now is completely different from what we've done with the property.

We have put a coat of paint on it.

We have uh black top the parking lot and striped it.

Uh there is lighting there, and we are looking to waiting for the approval for the zoning board of appeals so that we can go interior and begin to do some cosmetic things.

What we're looking to do is basically flooring, painting.

Uh we plan to leave the space completely open.

We're not looking to put up uh classrooms or anything like that because the space is just too small for that.

So if I could approach to show you, I go by there every day, I know.

Okay.

This is what the property is looking like now.

Yeah.

Beautiful.

Yeah, I suppose.

And as has been stated, the property has been vacant for several years, and it has been um crime ridden.

Um there's a lot of vagrant activity that has been had been taking place on the property, and so we just want to come in and bring some beautification to the neighborhood and provide some resources to the residents that are in that community.

I believe that they are afforded that.

They they need that, and someone has to step up to say, hey, let's make a difference.

Also, I'd like to say, and I don't know if this is uh in order for this meeting, um, but as you can see, the sidewalks are very broken.

Um there is no street lighting there.

At night, it is pitch dark.

Um there is a speed limit sign that's supposed to be posted on the parkway that has been knocked down.

And the other day I came through and I found the speed limit sign laying in the parking lot.

So I had to move the speed limit sign back to the park.

The tree, not this tree, but the tree on the displains parkway is dead.

Um, and so in that we're bringing beautification, I would ask that the city would also join in the effort to bring some revitalization in this area down here.

This area has been historically so left out, and the residents deserve much more than that.

I have done that, and so yes.

Okay.

Anything else?

That's all I have.

Do you have other locations where you run this same type of an operation?

No, I do not.

What kind of services do you actually provide?

Okay, uh I am one of the board members for a rise, um, not a rise, I am the for uh Excel Homeschool Academy and the Hope Center.

So we do have a facility over on Curtis Avenue by which we provide uh all kinds of services for young people uh coming in and out.

We do a youth camp and uh our zone uh meets weekly, and so I am a very much involved in that aspect of it as well.

A rise has been in operation for a number of years, but we have been uh somewhat dormant uh as of late, and so we're in the process of revitalizing to where we can begin to provide those services again.

And where do you get your funding?

We are applying for grant funding and community partners as well as uh the board, my board, we are pouring our own dollars in.

Uh I'm looking to pour in some of my own dollars as well.

Uh, and so that's where the funding would come.

I have also spoken with uh the City of Joliet for uh grant funding for the CDBG grant funding.

I understand that Silver Cross Hospital also has funding, not necessarily for startup, but for uh programs that are already in effect.

So it's imperative that we get up and going and then we would be able to garner more funding.

How many staff members do you have?

We we have volunteer staff and there's about seven of us that are volunteer staff.

Are they there every day or is that just walk in?

They would be there on a regular basis during the business hours.

There would be an administrator that's on staff, uh, not volunteer staff, they're not paid staff.

Uh but yes, there would be someone on site daily once we get up and going uh providing the programs.

We also have the programming laid out where we're ready to start as soon as we can get the renovations done.

Any further questions?

Yeah, I have a sorry, I have a laundry list of questions.

Um I'm gonna let you know beforehand I'm a little biased because I love community centers and I'm all about expanding, you know, getting people involved, especially in that area.

So be patient with me because I have a lot of questions.

First off, uh great question about the funding.

Can you be a little bit more specific about your funding sources?

Um just because it is located within a flood zone, um, unless you were going to do mitigation.

So uh if you weren't able to get C D BG funding, where would your funding come from?

And I'm only mostly asking because I want to make sure that if a community center does go over there, I want it to be set up with you know for success.

So um what are your plans with that and how do you anticipate?

I have spoken with Jackie.

Uh I think her last name is Lozano with the C D BG grant, and we've had a couple of meetings, and there has been no indication that the funding would not be available.

She was waiting for me to bring everything together, get the zoning board of appeals approval before we can come back to the table.

Also, uh community partners, there are individuals who are in the community.

I have an individual who sits on the uh JJC board who has indicated whatever we need in terms of um, and these are people that would come in to do volunteer programming.

Okay.

Um I've also spoken with individuals who are um have reached out to me to say that they want to do uh some financial training, some financial literacy for uh the individuals that are in that area and targeting basically young people.

Um and so that and then I've been in contact with um a funding source that have indicated uh that beginning the first of the year that they would be willing to donate some um funding to us.

We have also received some other funding from other agencies and outfits that have already sewn into the project of what we're going to do, what we're wanting to accomplish.

So I don't see funding as being of a situation, and and I can share this on a personal level.

I have a property that I have up for sale, and once that property sells, I plan to take a lot of those dollars and and and plant them into that for the success of the center.

Um even though you don't own the building, okay.

And then the landlord is on board with all of the plans, I'm assuming.

Absolutely.

Um, like I said, I have a lease with option to purchase, and so that contract is in place.

And I've I've discovered that over the years that many times when individuals want to go in and set up a business, they'll go in and they'll do the renovations and and they lease the space to do the renovations that's needed in order to accommodate the business that they're wanting to accommodate.

And so this is really no different.

Um my passion, and and just to give you a little background, I grew up down the street on the corner of Displains and uh Wallace.

That's where my stomping grounds are.

And so that's um the real reason why I want to come back into that area and to give back into that area.

Um so even though I don't have I don't own the building, my plans is to purchase the building.

Um but at this point we are leasing with option to purchase.

I've met with the owner, and um they are very much on board uh with what we're wanting to do there.

In fact, he said he said to me that there were other people that wanted to come and lease the building and he would not lease that to them.

And when I came along, he indicated that he would rather see me go in with the programming that I want to do there.

Okay, so um refresh my memory because I remember looking at the pictures of the inside.

Um is it cinder block on the inside as well or their drywall?

There is drywall.

Okay.

Um I remember throughout the packet, it said it had previously experienced flooding multiple times.

Um have you done any mold test or any sort of environmental to ensure that it is safe for the public?

I don't I don't know that there's been we haven't um seen it.

There was some pipes had burst, and that was the flooding.

Uh so with the pipes bursting, and there was, but that was before I came into the um the project.

Yeah, and so um we have not done any mold testing, we have not seen mold in in the um in the building, and the things that we would be doing is um whatever needs to come up, and I understand I'd have to get a building permit, and that would accommodate you know whatever we're doing in there.

Okay.

Um Jane, to go back to what we were she was talking about with the parking lot, the ingress and egress.

the um the project yeah and so um we have not done any mold testing we have not seen mold in in the um in the building and the things that we would be doing is um whatever needs to come up and i understand i'd have to get a building permit and that would accommodate you know whatever we're doing in there okay um jane to go back to what we were she was talking about with the parking lot the ingress and egress um can we talk can we reverse a little bit and go back into the genesis of how it was decided that that was going to um you wanted displains closed off and and how that all worked yeah so staff evaluated the the property um and there is currently three ingresses three ingress egresses into the property it's best practice would be to close off the the south no north east corner which is the corner of displains of McDonough just because it's too close to the intersection um to which um Ms.

McCollum is is is fine with and return it to grass staff doesn't at this time have an a uh issue of requiring we weren't going to mandate that she close off the McDonald's street entrance um so that's why it's not a requirement now staff can continue to work with um Ms.

McCollum on on closing that off but we we did not we're not mandating or we're not recommending that that be closed off as a requirement of approval um though that's something that we can continue to work with her on but it's not part of this approval process so you know if you drive by a year from now it could be closed off I guess one thing what we kept coming back to is why we won't we didn't recommend it as a condition is that you know we you know as recommending this for approval we want this facility to be a success so our thought is if it is a success and there are cars in the parking lot it'd be less likely that people are going to cut through but again you know we don't have an issue at this time working with her to close that off we just didn't make um input it as a recommended um condition of approval okay so have you done estimates for repairs of the property at all?

I have gathered some okay was that a part of any of the estimates you've uh received previously you mean the closing off of the no okay um okay so this is my concern is that like I said we do know I mean it's undisputable that it is within a flood zone and I did my research um for a lot of HUD and federal programming because I'm as I was assuming that's where you were going because it was in the packet that grant money was going to be it was listed first as um what how this community center was going to be supported so if you're ineligible for a lot of the federal funds and there's not a lot of state funds are you looking for the c I mean I know you're gonna do private donations yet you were going to put your money into it too but I mean if we're talking about the price of the parking lot covering the ingress egress the paint we haven't even gotten to the programming yet painting is done parking lot is done and striped I have individuals who uh can do a lot of the work themselves that are a part of my team I do a lot of the work myself I roll up my sleeves I get out and um we we can get it done with nominal costs that it would cost to for someone else to I have a gentleman here that sits on my team who is the maintenance manager at a major uh apartment complex is very well versed in doing what needs to be done I have individuals that are connected to me the painting of the outside of the building was actually donated by uh Gates painting and drywall um there are other individuals who have submitted donations who have indicated whatever you need let me know because they want to see the revitalization come to this area I I don't um I don't understand the um the concern that it would not be successful when it has been sitting vacant for years with all of the vagrant activity going on around it and so for someone to come in to say hey we want to bring beautification we want to uh bring some things and you've got you can see I've already done some of those things and I don't understand the concern.

We're we're right back at square one, right?

So we want to make sure whoever we put in there is going to be successful and it's gonna be good best for the community, the highest and best value for the property.

So I I'm not sure if that makes it clearer for you as to why some of these questions are a little bit more Yeah, I understand completely, but my thing is we're already uh it's already an ISOR, and it's been an ISOR for years.

And so for someone to say that they want to come in and put their own money in it to make it successful, um my track record, I don't I don't in bark upon things that I can't complete.

Um this program will be successful, it will accommodate the residents in that community, and it will flourish.

Okay.

Um Jane, for improvements-wise when it comes to inspections, how what's the threshold for that before somebody would mandate maybe um like a mold test or any sort of inspection process.

Um well, sh she's indicated she's being she will pull a building permit to do interior improvements.

Um the use is also changing from a grocery store or commercial restaurant use um that it has been in the past into a place of assembly.

So um uh Ms.

McCullum will be engaging an architect to again again go through any building code um requirements.

So staff didn't see that as a barrier to the use that she's proposing.

It's just part of it the process of getting this space activated.

So that answers your question.

I mean there's a threshold for renovations um to to trigger more substantial like floodplain mitigation, that's a 50 percent value of the assessed um the of the value of the construction work, but we I mean 51 or 50 percent, yeah.

Of the proposed value of the I guess it's the building uh with property for So what it's valued at now I believe so and then fifty percent.

If the if the improved yeah, so when you pull a building permit, you and you're working with um an architect and a contractor, all building permits request that you identify what's the estimated value of construction, and so our staff then reviews that against the value of the property, and if it it's more than 50 percent, it may trigger floodplain mitigation requirements.

So at this point, I mean she hasn't done that yet because she's asking the request is to see if the use would be allowed, and if it was is to be allowed, then she would engage the appropriate people.

So her goal then would be to only improve under 50 percent of the value, then, right?

Well, I well, I didn't say that.

Well, no, no, I'm saying that if we know that it's in a floodplain, if we can just deduce from that, you know.

If we know that she's in a floodplain now, and she is doing rehabilitation to the building.

I mean again, I can't speak to what rehabilitation is going to occur, and I mean you could Ms.

McCollum can answer this too, but that's what her and her architect will decide if the use is allowed.

Okay, so the packet is if there's any contribution to more water damage on a building property is not gonna be issued anyway, if it's contributing to a floodplain, if it's not as not if it is it is running around in the circles.

Could I speak?

Yeah, could I speak?

Could I speak?

You can I own property in that area.

Uh what is is it funded and it's five feet lower than this building is.

I've been here since 1969, only had one flood, and this building was never flooded.

What is is there and they get federal funding?

This building sits in the neighborhood where it really I admire the fact that you come to do what you want to do.

That area needs it, it really does.

There should be a lot of money is being spent around the city, but it seems like for whatever reason this has been left out.

Absolutely.

Because make it because it may be in a flood zone.

If it is in a flood zone, people who live in the water's edge stay there twenty-four hours a day.

You're only gonna be there doing working business hours.

So what's the problem?

What's the problem?

If it's if it's in a flood zone, and the people particularly may get killed, and then not they're doing doing uh in the evening.

If they're doing the day when it's raining and it's it's flooding, then people should have the opportunity to leave.

Like I said, water's edge is next to that, what that was six million dollars that the government put in that building.

Okay.

So what's the problem?

Well, I I'm just gonna go back to the fact of like I said, I love community centers.

I want them to be successful.

I just want to make sure that we have the basis covered that we're talking about it now, because if in you know, we kick the can down the road and then in what is it 180 days, and then now all of a sudden we're we're like, oh no, this isn't gonna work.

I'd much rather ask you the questions now before we're back here in a hundred and so many days.

Well, let me ask you this.

If we get down the road at 180 days and we are right back where we were, what's the difference in where we are now?

I mean, it could be the opportunity for the landlord to find better use for the property.

The landlord doesn't want anyone else in the property.

Is he here?

No, he's not here.

Okay.

Until I have him here saying that, or I mean uh but I there's no way to guarantee that guarantee what it's gonna be a success or not unless you uh unless you approve it.

I can you approve it's not gonna be a success.

I I'm trying to make sure they have funding.

I mean, just as you know, a a bank loan would do.

And that's the same thing that I'm trying to do.

I would be crazy to embark upon a project that I can't bring to completion.

And so that's my that's my aim as well, more than it is yours.

I don't think you know that, but okay.

Well, I'm gonna be the one on the property, so it would be my loss, it would be a greater loss for me than it would for you.

Okay, right.

Any other questions?

Is anybody in the audience wishing to speak in favor?

Yes.

I have to apologize for my appearance.

How many people are gonna come forward here?

Okay, now I'm gonna warn you ahead of time.

We don't tolerate repetition of the same information.

If someone has already stated what your opinions are, be seated because we're not gonna I'll just throw you out of order.

Raise your hand.

Do you swear the other hand?

My right hand.

Do you swear you've got the evidence you're about to present us the truth under penalty of law?

Yes, I do.

Your name and address.

My name is Catherine Beavers.

I live at 408 Stockton Drive in Joliet.

Um I would be I'm her neighbor.

I'm at 105 McDonough Street.

We do permanent housing for veterans, and we've been there since 08, 2008.

And I know it's in a flood zone, all that.

We've never had a flood.

I think uh years and years ago, but it didn't affect our basement or nothing, no water or anything.

And uh we possibly some of my veterans could benefit from some of her services.

So I would love it if she could get that center.

Okay, thanks for the case.

I just wanted to add that.

Who's next?

Do you swear do you have an insurance present to be the truth under the penalty of the law?

I do.

Name and address.

I am still Tracy Dalmeyer at 1703 Heritage Point Court, Plainfield, Illinois.

Um I also concur this is an amazing endeavor.

You should put this forward.

The thing I would add, um, it said you will not, they you don't want them, or I'm not sure who wants.

Uh no banquets, no parties.

I would say I don't know why somebody can't have a party.

Uh it's somebody's birthday, they bring in a cake, they do a secret Santa.

I don't want somebody going, oh my gosh, you threw a party.

You're not allowed to do a party.

I think a community center should absolutely be able to do a party as well.

But please say yes to whatever they want.

You swear the evidence you're about to present to me is the truth under penalty of law.

I affirm.

Name and address.

My name is Nona Parker.

My address is 1923 Heather Lane, Joliet, Illinois 60431.

I own a property that's a block from this particular uh property here.

Um my parents bought the house in 1969.

We've never had a flood, not one in that area.

No flooding in the basements, none of those kinds of things.

However, uh I inherited this property, that property from my parents.

I've watched this neighborhood for 50 plus years.

And um this is something that is needed in that area.

Now, I I understand the concerns with uh the funding and all of those kinds of things like that.

I guess my question is, is it within the spectrum of this particular board to be concerned about funding?

Or is the job here for you guys to determine whether or not the property can and should be used for this particular uh endeavor?

A community center is something that is very, very needed in that area.

It's without a doubt, it's very high crime.

Children are running around with nothing to do but get in trouble, and these are the kinds of programs that I encourage every board in this city to back to try to eliminate the blight, the crime, and to even bring hope.

How about that?

Just bringing hope to a community that many times slept behind and is hopeless.

And again, I understand the concern with funding and all of those kinds of things.

I am uh Miss McCullum talked about the Hope Center of Joliet and being on the board.

I am the owner and the CEO of that center.

It's not in that area, and and yet we have consistently put money into it to the point where now we are getting funding.

You can't get funding for a startup, not grant money.

It's it's just impossible to do.

And that's that's the reality.

And so for Miss Bridget, I understand what she's saying.

Where's this money gonna come from?

I get it.

But I also know this lady, and I know the people that work with her.

And um, we are go-getters.

We we put our money into things that matter.

And I don't think that funding is going to be a problem for this.

I again I said I don't think.

I don't think, that's my opinion, that money is going to be a problem.

But I know for a fact that we can never get funding, especially grants, if we can't get the building open, and we can't get the programs moving.

And so this today is about coming to ask you to help us to get this program going.

And it is, of course, our it is our plan to not have it shut down.

It is our plan to have it to be successful.

There's no guarantees that it will, but we know for sure that it won't if we can't get it open.

That's all I have to say.

Yes.

Name and uh my name is Antoinette Gregory.

Um I live at 1948 Marlborough Lane in Crest Hill.

Um, sorry, Crest 06043.

Uh my statement is for I was a child that grew up at um what um Water Street, um, the original project area that was there.

Um in 1990, my mom decided to move us to Houston to Texas.

Um during that time of us living there.

I seen many people, we had mills on wheels, they used to come through that program back in that back then.

We had the the center down on, I believe it was on displains.

Um, when I moved back, um we had Girl Scouts there.

We had the Harlem Globe.

I mean, I I'm what I'm saying, what I'm bringing up is the fact that when I was younger, we had community community center down there that we were able to go to so we weren't outside when all of the gangs were really bad.

When the gangs, when we were sitting in our bedroom window and see people get drug out of their car.

You understand what I'm saying?

So me moving back and me being able to be a part of bringing that community back up to what it was, it means a lot to me.

I wish personally that I had the money to do something with Eliza Kelly, but that's not where we are.

And so I'm backing Ms.

McCollum 100% to make sure that we get some some programs in there to help the young kids around there because it's it's it's not what it used to be.

Okay?

Thank you.

I do affirm name and address.

My name is Frederick Dahlmeyer.

I'm from uh 1703 Heritage Point Court, Plainfield, Illinois, 6056.

Uh my point is I understand that there are some concerns about um the proposed site being in a floodplain.

Now, back uh the flood that I recall in the area was to the southeast uh on account of the Hickory Creek overflowing and not displayed.

Right.

So the concerns about the floodplain affecting this particular site, in my opinion, is in consequential.

And now we have a party here that wants to do a significant improvement to a site that has, in my opinion, nothing to do with a historic flood that happened about 40 years ago.

Uh so I'm full putting full support behind any improvement on this area, which has been in that condition for a couple of decades now.

Thank you.

Is there anyone who wishes to speak in opposition?

I'd like to can I if I could say one more thing.

Ralph, you had a question.

When I came here in 1969, I went to the same area as coming out.

I got married there, so it closed.

The bishops and doesn't went down at the sacred heart.

And the whole time I was there in the 90s, it never flooded.

St.

Mark is there.

Second Baptist is in that area.

We never had a flood.

When I worked at CAP, we had a flood, like you say, it wasn't in that area.

It was not in that area.

And since then, the city cleaned out the creek so that none of the water does flow much floor much flow book or flows much better now.

I own property in that area.

I own property in that area.

I never had a problem with flooding.

But I absolutely do admire the fact that you're willing to go and take an old building that's sitting there that's blighted and offer something that's good for the kids in the neighborhood.

I admire you.

Thank you.

I just have two last things to say.

The only reason why I even knew that it was in flooding is because the packet says that there is occasional flooding for that building.

So I get that we can say I haven't seen it or I don't remember it or whatever.

That it's in the it's in the staff report.

So that's why I'm bringing it up.

The second thing is a question for you.

I commend what you're doing, and I my heart is totally behind it when I say that I love community centers and I love the idea of it.

Are you committing to making this thing work?

That's my question.

Because you know, that's what I'm saying.

If funds are not available, if you're saying to me that you you're gonna make this work, I'm a hundred percent behind it.

I wouldn't be standing here if I wasn't.

Okay, that's all I need to hear.

I have one other thing that I like to say because it talked about not leasing the property out for um rentals and that kind of thing.

Now, I would like to be able to, as the um individual indicated, uh, if there's a baby shower, if there's a resident who desires to have a baby shower in the building, we would host anything that's happening there.

We would not lease it out to other people.

Anything that happens in that building is going to come under our jurisdiction, and we would host whatever is taking place.

It's a community center, and so you serve the community.

And if there's someone who needs um to have a baby shower or whatever, why would we not be able to accommodate that?

That's all I'm saying.

Chairs closed the position.

I can't floor.

Can I clarify a couple things?

Okay.

So yes, the leasing of this the entire facility was was suggested as a condition of approval to not be allowed be and this gets back to the fact that the property is zoned R2.

If it was zone B1 or B3, that condition wouldn't have existed.

Um as you're as you're attesting here, um, you know, if if it's not for lease, like that's something that I think the city would be amenable to, but um leasing the facility as like a bank with setter is not is not allowed in the R2.

So that that is why that conditions there.

It's not about having celebratory occasions at your facility.

Um that's one.

The second thing is it is it's not in the actual staff report packet and in the staff report it that it's in that it was subject to flooding.

Um that might have been in the appraisal that the applicants submitted.

Sorry, it's in the site data on page.

Right, so that so it was not part of the staff report though.

It's uh it was an attachment as part of the packet, and um just a there's been a lot of questions about the floodplain.

So this area of the city along this property along with other properties nearby was put into the floodplain per FEMA in 2019.

So prior to that, certain areas or certain excuse me, certain properties in this area were not in the floodplain.

It is a relatively new thing for this area, and it it's just a matter of fact, it's in the floodplain.

Um the city has been actively working with the Army Corps of Engineers on a levy project that many people in this room have heard about.

Um that's but it doesn't change the fact that it's in the floodplain.

Now, whether or not it's flooded, that that wasn't part of our purview of at least for staff for reviewing this, so but I just want to clarify that yes, it is in the floodplain, as is a bunch of properties in this area of the city.

And that was that's all.

Okay, now the chair is closing the petition asking the board for discussion and a motion.

Motion to accept.

Second.

We have a motion, second to approve the petition for the board.

Ms.

Rohr.

Aye.

Ms.

Schmid.

Aye.

Mr.

Stiff.

Aye.

Mr.

Bias.

Mr.

Nacktreep.

Ms.

Radakovich Chairman Hennessy.

Hi.

Applauding.

Thank you so much.

Okay.

Next on the agenda is petition 2025 55, a variation of use to allow a laundromat, which is a B1 neighborhood business use in an R4 multifamily residential zoning district.

And this is located at 629 North Hickory Street.

And this is council district number four.

The applicant in this matter is Jose Luis Rojas Sr.

He is the developer.

And again, it's a request for a variation of use to allow a laundromat, which is the B1 neighborhood business use in an R4 mostly family residential zoning district.

And there's also a companion variation to reduce the required amount of off-street parking from 31 spaces to 19 spaces.

And the zoning board of appeals makes the final decision on the variation requests pertaining to the amount of off-street parking.

For site specific information, the subject property contains a mixed-use two-story brick building that was constructed in 1916 and maintains its original layout with seven upper level apartment dwelling units and three commercial units on the main floor.

The subject property contained a B-2 local business zoning between 1939 and 1969, but has been zoned R4, which is low density multifamily residential since 1969.

Due to the property zoning classification, commercial uses are prohibited.

The R4 zoning classification appears to have never matched the historic and current land uses.

One from the building's northeast corner, one along the north side of the building.

There would be no internal access between the laundromat and the residences on the second floor.

A conceptual floor plan of the proposed laundromat business has been included in the staff report packet.

The site contains 19 off-street parking spaces as shown in the attached parking lot exhibit.

Twelve parking spaces are located west of the subject property with two additional spaces in a detached garage that is adjacent to the main parking lot.

Five angled parking spaces are located just south of Lime Street along the building's north side.

The entirety of the site is covered by the building, existing off-street parking or access drives that are needed for site circulation.

There is no room for additional off-street parking.

For surrounding zoning, land use and character, the zoning and land use for the adjacent properties are as follows.

To the north is R4 low low density multifamily residential, um, and it is multifamily residential as a land use.

To the south is R4 low density multifamily residential, and it is also multifamily dwelling to the south.

East to the east and the west is R2 single family residential zoning with single family residential uses.

For applicable regulations, we have section 47-8.1 permitted principal uses in the R4 district.

Section 47-8.8 prohibited uses in the R4 district.

Section 47-17.17, which is off-street parking regulations, and section 47-1728 variation of uses, and then Section 47-19.8 findings of facts supporting a variation.

For analysis, the applicant's proposal for a laundromat is not an allowable use within the subject properties R4, low density multifamily residential zoning district.

Therefore, a variation of use to allow the proposed use is required.

Section 47-19.8 of the city's zoning ordinance details the conditions that must be met for a variation to be granted.

The building predates both the city's zoning ordinance and the applicable R4 zoning designation and is operated as a mixed-use commercial and residential building since its inception.

Since the subject property has R4 low density multifamily residential zoning, commercial uses cannot operate within the ground floor area without a variation of use.

Therefore, the property in question cannot yield a reasonable return if permitted to be used only under the conditions allowed by the zoning district's regulations.

Staff views the misaligned zoning designation as a unique circumstance causing the owner plight in filling the vacant commercial space.

Due to the building's history as a mixed-use building within the context of the bicentennial bluffs neighborhood, staff does not believe that an additional neighborhood business oriented use will alter the essential character of the neighborhood.

The proposed laundromat use comes with an off-street parking requirement of one parking space for every two washing machines.

Since the applicant has stated that the laundromat would contain a maximum of 20 washing machines, 10 parking spaces are required.

An additional 10 parking spaces are required for the existing salon and grocery store uses in the building.

The residential uses on the top floor each require 1.5 parking spaces per dwelling unit.

Therefore, the off-street parking total that is required for the entire building is 31 spaces.

The attached parking lot exhibit shows how the site can accommodate no more than 19 off-street parking spaces.

While there is little on-site parking to accommodate the proposed business, ample street parking in the surrounding neighborhood is available at most times throughout the day.

Staff observed this location at several times throughout the day and found parking available on Hickory Street and Lime Street adjacent to the proposed business.

Furthermore, due to the building's centrality within bicentennial bluffs neighborhood, the subject building is easily accessible by walking or biking to many of its patrons.

Regarding the proposed variation to reduce the required amount of off-street parking from 31 spaces to 19 spaces, staff finds that the property in question cannot yield a reasonable return if permitted to follow the zoning ordinances applicable parking regulations due to the site constraints.

The size of the building relative to the overall lot size presents a plight of the owner due to unique unique circumstances.

Since the building has functioned as an established mixed-use building within the context of the bicentennial bluffs neighborhood for over 100 years, staff does not believe the variation, if granted, will alter the essential character of the locality.

For recommended action, staff recommends the zoning board of appeals recommend to the city council approval both the requested variation of use to allow a laundromat, a B1 neighborhood business use and an R4 multifamily residential zoning district, and a variation to reduce the required amount of off-street parking from 31 spaces to 19 spaces.

The requested variation of use should be recommended subject to the conditions below.

These uh recommended conditions are one that the structure is not expanded to accommodate additional dwelling units or commercial units, two that the existing off-street parking arrangement, which includes 19 total off-street parking spaces, shall remain in place while the three commercial units are occupied.

Three, that the city may initiate a repeal process for the variation of use if the required conditions are not satisfied, and four, should the property be declared a public nuisance by the city council, the variation of use may be subject to a rehearing and possible revocation.

And that concludes staff's report.

Hi, my name's uh Jose Rojas.

Uh address is 1109 Infantry Drive, Julian Noise.

Uh I'd like to make a correction.

Uh first of all, uh when I first made the uh the assumption that I was gonna have 20 uh washroom drivers, that's not correct.

It's more like somewhere between 11 to 15.

Uh washers and drivers.

I have a sales manager here that kind of is guiding me into trying to make a layout and a plan on what uh um he's trying to help me out as far as how to organize and how to establish a laundry mat.

Uh as far as uh I believe that this business would uh benefit the community.

You know uh it's a lot of apartment buildings there that people uh require to uh go to the laundromat, and there's nothing nothing around that area that uh that has a uh laundry match.

How long have you owned the building?

I don't own the building.

It's actually uh uh my father's the one that owns the building.

Do you presently have a laundromat?

No.

Ever ran one before?

Never have.

That's uh building's been before this board at least eight or nine times.

I can't remember for various occupancies.

And in those neighborhoods, it's pretty common to have buildings like this that were either grocery stores or local taverns, and we've always uh tried to accommodate people that come in with buildings like this.

Uh I've always worked, it's it's this is something that I've kind of brought up uh because I'm getting close to retirement.

It's something that I kind of felt like if I could I I could make it work where in a couple years I could actually retire and have this be uh something that that's that's gonna work.

How many of you how many of your commercial units are occupied?

Uh all commercial uh all commercial units except this one.

You all have tenants?

Yes.

Any questions by the board?

Yeah, I have a question.

Uh if on site parking is constrained, what is the plan to prevent overflow impacts?

At this moment, all the tenants don't have cars, it's all more walking distance, so it's basically I think out of uh seven apartment buildings, only two or three have uh vehicles where they can move around.

Uh, as you can see around there, there's planning a side street parking stuff.

Uh if there is a possibility where somewhere down the line I could purchase the building next door.

It's it's it's it's a thought where I can basically make that into a parking space as well, having that it works out for me as far as the business.

I have a question.

Uh if staff has an opinion about the increase in numbers of uh washers and dryers.

Does that change your opinion at all?

I thought he was decreasing.

Uh uh I stated when I first made it as 20 20 washers and dryers.

I wasn't familiar with the size of the washers and driers.

Okay.

I actually have my uh sales director that he kind of made the laid out and he said more or less more like 11 to 12 washers and dryers.

Okay.

Uh bigger sized washers and driers that would fit in there.

So I go from maybe 20 to other questions?

Is there anybody in the audience wishing to speak in favor?

Is there anybody opposed?

Chair closes the petition.

Motion to approve.

Second.

We have a motion and a second to approve the petition.

All the board.

Ms.

Schmig.

Aye.

Mr.

Stiff.

I Mr.

Bias.

Mr.

Nacktree.

I Ms.

Radakovich.

I miss Roar.

Aye.

Chairman Hennessy.

I next on the agenda is petition 2025 57, which is a series of variations to allow installation of a new ground sign located at 2200 McDonald's Street.

The applicant is Victory City Church, uh represented by Rusty Rayleigh, and the status of the applicant is the property owner.

The applicant is requesting the following variations on signage to install a new ground sign for a non-residential use in the R2 single family residential zoning district located at 2200 McDonald's Street, which is a variation to increase a max to increase maximum sign area for a ground sign from 12 square feet to 72 square feet.

Variation to increase maximum height for a ground sign from 11 feet to 16 feet 3 inches, and a variation to reduce the required setback to a pull sign from 15 feet to zero feet, which is based on the property line as shown on the attached survey.

The zoning board of appeals does make the final decision on these variation requests.

For site-specific information, the subject property is seven acres and contains a church and school campus for Victory City Church.

The church the current church owner purchased the property in January of 2025.

The site was formally occupied by the St.

Jude Roman Catholic Church and St.

Jude School.

The site was developed as a religious campus for St.

Jude in the 1950s and was annexed into the city in 1956.

The property is zoned R2 single family residential and has had that zoning designation since at least 1971 when the citywide zoning maps were established.

In 2002, the Zoning Board of Appeals approved a series of variations to allow construction of the existing ground sign on the property.

The request included the following.

A variation to increase maximum height of a ground sign from 11 feet to 15 feet 8 inches.

Variation to increase maximum area of a ground sign from 12 square feet to 32 square feet.

Variation to allow illumination in a residential zoning district, and a variation for an electronic message center.

The staff report from 2002 states that the existing sign would be constructed with a 10-foot setback, which was considered the permitted setback at the time.

Staff considers the proposed sign to be a pull sign, which would require a 15-foot setback to the leading edge of the sign.

For surrounding zoning land use and character, to the north we have R2 single family residential zoning, and it's the residential Merry Crest Subdivision with the south is zoned I1 Light Industrial and these are industrial uses.

To the east is zone B1, neighborhood business and B3 general business, and these are commercial uses.

And to the west is B zone B3 General Business and it's a health care facility.

For applicable regulations, we have section 47-1721 for signs, and then section 47-1721 3 B criteria for granting a sign variation.

Under discussion, the petitioner, Victory City Church seeks to install a new ground sign to replace the existing sign that was installed for St.

Jude Church in 2002.

The proposed sign would be 16 feet 3 inches in height to its peak and have a sign area of approximately 72 feet.

The sign would contain an approximately 37 square foot upper cabinet with illuminated letters and a 32 square foot electronic message center.

The previously approved variation from 2002 allows an illuminated sign in the R2 single family residential district.

Electronic message centers are now permitted wherever illuminated signs are permitted as long as they are 50 square feet or smaller.

The proposed sign exceeds the height and area permitted in the 2002 request, so the petitioner seeks additional variations on height and sign area at this time.

Additionally, the petitioner is requesting a sign setback of zero feet from the north property line.

The Will County parcel maps show that the right of way width for McDonald's Street varies adjacent to this property, with the north property line around 10 feet closer to the sidewalk on the east side of the property where the sign is located.

The existing sign was installed based on this property line layout.

However, the survey prepared for the owner in 2024 shows a straight property line across the north, which places the pole of the existing sign directly on the property line.

The petitioner has prepared their plans based on the 2024 survey and has moved the sign several feet to the south so that the sign falls entirely on private property.

Therefore, even the zero-foot setback from the property line as shown on the survey, the new sign will be located around three feet farther from the sidewalk than the existing sign.

Under recommended action, staff finds that these variation requests meet the criteria for sign variations.

Enforcement of the zoning ordinance would cause hardship due to the unique attributes of the property.

The proposed use would not be detrimental to the use or development of other property in the area.

The ownership of the property has been demonstrated, and approval of the variation would not be contrary to the objective of improving the overall appearance of the city.

The zoning ordinance limits the height and area for signs for non-residential uses in residential zoning districts without accounting for differences in property size.

The property in question at 7 acres is much larger than a typical residential lot and is located on a major collector street alongside other commercial and institutional uses.

Staff finds that the proposed sign dimensions are suitable for a property of this size.

The proposed sign is similar, is excuse me, is a sim is a similar height to the existing illuminated ground sign that has been in place for over 20 years.

Additionally, the property slopes down from the sidewalk toward the parking lot at the location of the sign, so the sign will not appear as tall from the street.

So the sign will not appear as tall from the street.

The proposed sign location, while it requires a reduced setback, actually moves the sign farther away from the street and ensures the sign is located entirely on private property.

For sub suggested conditions of approval, staff is recommending none, and that concludes staff's report.

Petitioner.

That's you.

How's it going?

Yes.

And an address.

Robert locked it.

22236, South Gawain Drive, Jill Juliet, Illinois 604.

Any comments?

Um when you did the square footage too, the digital sign of the existing wasn't included.

You said 32 square feet.

They had a two by six other the pre uh the previously existing also had a digital sign.

The top portion was 32 square feet, so with the bottom it'd be 48.

So it's it's only 16 square feet bigger of a digital sign.

So you got like a two by eight.

Okay, any questions by the board?

What relationship do you have to the church?

Um I'm gonna be the installer for the sign.

Any other questions?

Anyone in the audience wishing to speak in favor?

Is there anyone opposed?

Chair closes the petition.

Ask the board for discussion.

And a motion.

Motion to accept the second.

We have a motion and a second to approve the petition for the board.

Mr.

Stiff.

Aye.

Mr.

Bias.

Mr.

Noctree.

I Ms.

Radakovich.

Ms.

Roar.

I Ms.

Schmig.

I Chairman Hennessey.

Hi.

All right.

Thank you.

Next on the agenda is petition 2025 58, a special exception to allow a roof mounted solar installation located at 214 Oakleaf Drive.

No, Oakleaf Street, excuse me, Council District Number 5.

The applicant in this matter is Solar Landscape LLC, and they are the LESE.

The property owner is CubeSmart LP.

The applicant is requesting a special exception to allow a roof-mounted solar installation for community supply in the existing self-storage facility.

Community solar is generally defined as a as a solar project where the benefits from an off-site solar array are shared by multiple customers, including individuals, businesses, and other groups.

Customers typically receive monetary credits on their electric bill based on their subscription to the project.

Because a community solar installation supplies power back to the utility grid and not solely to on-site facilities.

It is considered a principal use and not an accessory use.

The zoning ordinance does not include provisions for solar installations as a principal use.

Therefore, this request must be considered as a special exception.

The City Council makes the final decision on this special exception request with a recommendation from the Zoning Board of Appeals.

For site-specific information, the subject site is 4.7 acres and contains a CubeSmart self-storage facility comprised of 14 buildings.

The site is in the middle of the Oak Leaf Center subdivision, which contains heavy commercial and light industrial uses, and it's bordered on the south by Interstate 80.

The property is zoned I-1 light industrial.

For surrounding zoning, land use and character to the north is I1 Light Industrial and its industrial uses.

To the south is Interstate 80 and the village of Rockdale, I1 zoning and industrial uses.

To the east is B3 General Business Zoning and Commercial Industrial Uses, and to the west is I1 Light Industrial Zoning and Commercial Industrial Us.

For applicable regulations, we have Section 47-3.9 BB, miscellaneous terms, and that's where you find information about special exceptions.

For discussion, the petitioner solar landscape is a national solar developer that develops, installs, and operates commercial and community solar projects, including commercial and industrial rooftop installations.

They currently have around 20 solar projects under construction in Illinois.

They are requesting approval of a special exception to allow a roof-mounted community solar installation and associated ground equipment at this location.

The solar array would be located on the rooftops of the 14 existing self-storage buildings.

The solar installation will be owned and operated by solar landscape who would be the who would lease the roof and ground space from the property owner.

Solar landscapes would be responsible for the installation, maintenance, and removal of the solar panels.

The company would have a lease agreement with the property owner for an initial 20-year period.

The proposed solar installation would be for community supply, not a behind-the-meter system that generates electricity for on-site use.

The installation would be connected to combat equipment and would supply power back to the utility grid for use by properties served by that system.

A community solar project is supported by subscribers who receive credits on their energy bill for their share of the program.

They do not receive electricity directly from the solar installation.

Subscribers can be individuals, businesses, municipalities, nonprofits, and other groups.

For this project, subscribers could be located anywhere in Wool County.

The physical arrangement and appearance of the installation would be very similar to an accessory solar installation that serves the building.

The rooftop panels would not be visible from the ground as they would be set back from the edge of the building and only rise about 10 inches above the roof surface.

The ground equipment is similar to the equipment used for a building's electrical service.

The comet equipment, which includes a switch gear cabinet and meter cabinet, will be at northeast corner of the site between the front property line and the eastmost building.

The customer owned equipment will be in the east side yard behind the front wall of the building.

There is no proposed fence enclosure.

For recommended action, staff does not believe that the proposed solar installation will have a negative effect on the area.

The physical appearance is similar to a permitted accessory installation and is not out of character with an industrial site.

The petitioner will have a lease agreement with the property owner that addresses maintenance, installation, and decommissioning of the solar array.

The petitioner will be required to obtain all necessary building permits for the proposed project.

If the zoning board desires to approve the special exception to allow a roof-mounted community solar installation, the following conditions will be included, and that is a building permit shall be obtained.

That concludes staff's report.

Your swear is the evidence rebuck present to be the truth under Federal Chimbs Law.

Yes.

Names and addresses.

I'm Mary Marshall, and we are at 603 Banks Avenue in Asbury Park, New Jersey.

Okay.

I'm Jim Griffin.

I'm the attorney for the applicant with the law firm of Shane Banks, 70 West Madison Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60602.

Any comments?

Yes, I have a presentation.

Mike, I put the mic down there.

Oh.

Can you hear me okay?

Just put the mic down.

Oh, yeah.

Sorry.

Okay.

All right.

Well, I really appreciate the opportunity to be here with you all today.

My name is Mary Marshall.

I work for Solar Landscape, and today I will give a summary of the proposed project.

We also have some team members here, our civil engineer from RTM, and one of our project managers on the construction team can help answer any questions if needed.

Luke and Vinny, really grateful for them being here as well.

The agenda for today is I'm going to give an overview of solar landscape.

I'll talk a little bit about community solar.

I'll go over details of the project, and then finally I'll touch on some local benefits of the project.

As mentioned, Solar Landscape is a leading commercial and industrial community solar developer in the United States.

We have over 300 projects completed.

We have projects on the East Coast in the Midwest.

Our headquarters is in Asbury Park, but we have an office here in Illinois in Arlington Heights.

I personally am from Darien, so I'm really excited to be here today and be home early for the holidays.

So we have a lot of these systems in place.

We have over 10,000 community solar subscribers right now, and in Illinois specifically, we have 66 projects that have been awarded through the Illinois Shines Community Solar Program.

So the Illinois Shines program is a program that was put into place by legislation called the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act or CETA.

Illinois Shines is the implementation of that legislation, and one aspect of it is community solar projects that emphasize local benefit.

So this is a visual of Solar Landscape's community solar projects that have been approved through this community-driven community solar program that's a part of Illinois Shines.

Through these programs, through this program, these community solar projects are approved by the Illinois Power Agency through CDCS, and people located within the county are eligible to receive solar energy from that project.

So I've been talking a lot about community solar.

This is a visual of how it actually works.

So a community solar system is a system that feeds into the utility grid, and that power is then reflected on the utility bill of folks in that community.

It starts with a company, in this case, Solar Landscape leasing a rooftop, developing a solar array their power flows into the electricity grid.

We work with Comed and have an agreement, and then customers or subscribers of the system will see a discount on their electricity bill from subscribing to the system.

They sign up through Solar Landscape.

There is no fee to enroll, there is no fee to cancel or to exit, and as soon as the system energizes, you will see that credit, that 10% discount on your next utility bill.

This is an overview of the project.

This is a bird's eye view of the Cube Smart facility.

As we learned, this is an area that is industrial in nature.

It is a light industrial zoned area to the south.

You have I 80, and there's a bit of a vegetative screen there at the south of the property before I-80, and due to the nature of the system, it would not be visible from the street.

The solar would be placed on the existing infrastructure of the roof, and we would work with ComEd.

We have an interconnection agreement with them for the project.

This is a bit more about the layout and a visual here of the civil plans for the project.

Solar panels, also called modules, will be installed across the 14 building complex.

We use industry leading industry recognized equipment, uh Jinko Solar modules and solar edge inverters.

Modules will be flush mounted to the roof.

They only rise about 10 feet.

Sorry, well, they only rise about 10 inches off of the roof, and they should not be visible from the street.

In addition, panels have an anti-reflective coating, and the federal aviation administration, FAA has confirmed that no impact has been detected from the project, so no permit would be required.

This project has also passed third-party structural feasibility inspection.

Oh, sorry, there's a bit of a delay there.

Now I'm going to talk a bit about the life of the system, the operations and maintenance.

Solar Landscape has a highly qualified OSHA and NFPA certified OM team and an established process for maintenance that includes biannual inspections.

The solar array has a monitoring system that connects to our computers, so we can detect dust or damage or the system just not operating properly at any time.

Solar Landscape has an agreement with the property owner where all solar facilities will be removed and the roof will be returned to its original condition after the lifetime of the project.

And finally, Solar Landscape plans to comply with all applicable building electrical, fire safety, or applicable local codes.

This is a timeline for the project.

Construction would begin in May 2026.

In July 2026, equipment would be installed, and then by September 2026, we through after all of the necessary inspections and approvals for the system, it would reach permission to operate or PTO, as it's often called.

This means that subscribers could see savings as soon as fall 2026, and like I said before, they would sign up through the link here to the Solar Landscape website, and they would then start seeing that discount on their utility bill.

I'm going to talk briefly about some local benefits.

So as I mentioned before, an aspect of the CDCS program is Illinois Shines prioritizes projects that have local benefits to communities.

Some of the local benefits that Solar Landscape offer are first of all commercial subscriptions.

Municipalities and nonprofits can subscribe their buildings to this community solar project.

Also, a solar landscape can work with local nonprofits to help provide education and share resources on the solar system.

And as folks subscribe, they can provide donations to those local nonprofits.

And then finally, Solar Landscape is happy to host educational events for the community throughout the construction and operation of the project.

And that is the presentation.

So thank you.

Questions by the board.

If I can understand your operations, are you selling electricity to clients?

Is this what you'd say?

No.

So how the that's that's a great question.

How it works is we are our electricity is going into Comed's grid.

So our I can bring up the chart actually again, which is really helpful.

Sorry, one second.

Okay, so our power flow is into Comed's grid.

Our agreement is with them, and then subscribers are just paying Comet as normal, and they will just see that 10% discount on their electricity bill.

So you just renting the rooftop from the from the stowage area.

Yes, we're renting the rooftop.

Leasing it.

Any other questions for the board?

I have a comment.

Um, if it is approved, I would like you to strongly consider one of your donations to go to the community center that was presented today.

We're happy to have any work with anyone.

Anybody in the audience wishing to speak in favor?

You've already been sworn in twice.

It stands.

Um I can't tell by your faces.

I'm guessing it's going to go through, but in case there was discussion, I approve.

This is I I guess I would love the city to just allow this anyway.

I'm not sure why it needs a special approval, but it should be an option for everybody, please.

Anyone else?

Anyone in opposition.

Chair closes the petition.

Motion to accept.

Second.

We have a motion and second to approve the petition.

Mr.

Bias.

Mr.

Naptree.

Ms.

Radakovich.

Ms.

Roar.

Aye.

Ms.

Schmig.

Aye.

Mr.

Stiff.

Chairman Hennessey.

Aye.

Thank you.

Thank you.

All right.

Moving on the agenda.

Next, we have a variation, case number 2025 59, a variation to allow for reduced total side yard setbacks from the required 20 feet to 16 feet located at 6303 Brunswick Drive.

And this is Council District 1.

The applicant is Heirroom LLC, also Marcus Brightwell and DeVera Leslie.

They're also the owners.

And the applicant is requesting a variation to reduce the total sum of side yard setback from 20 feet to 16 feet for a front porch located at 6303 Brunswick Drive.

The zoning board of appeals makes the final decision in this matter.

For site-specific information, the subject property is approximately 8,200 square feet in size and is zoned R2 single family residential.

A single family house was constructed here in 2004 within the Pheasant Ridge subdivision.

For surrounding zoning, land use and character, all properties in this vicinity are zoned R2 single family residential.

All homes in the area are one and a half or two-story homes with attached garages.

Some residences in the nearby area have an open front porch, like what the applicant is requesting.

For applicable regulations, we have section 47-6.4 single family residential yard and lot requirements, as well as section 47-19.8 criteria for granting a variation.

For discussion, the applicant seeks to build a one-story open front porch.

The proposed open front porch will have a height of eight feet from foundation to the lower eve.

The proposed open front porch will extend eight feet from the front facade of the home and will match the width of the main portion of the front facade, which is 23 feet wide.

The side setback of the proposed porch will not encroach further into the required side yard and will remain at eight feet.

The construction of the proposed front porch will not increase lot coverage and will not affect any other required setbacks.

Floor plans and building elevations for the proposed project are included in the staff report packet.

For recommended action, staff recommends approval of the variation request to reduce the required total side yard setback requirement from 20 feet to 16 feet for a front porch.

The property has unique circumstances in that the total of the existing side yard setbacks is 16 feet, which does not conform to the required 20-foot total side yard setbacks for a lot in the R2 zoning district with a two or two and a half story structure.

The front porch would continue but not increase the existing non-conforming sum of side yard setbacks.

Strict enforcement of the ordinance would involve practical difficulties to construct a front porch.

Staff believes that it is reasonable for a property owner to have an open front porch, and such addition to the house would not encroach into the required 30-foot front yard setback.

For this reason, this addition would not detract from the essential character of the neighborhood.

Many properties within the subdivision have a covered front porch.

For conditions of approval, if the zoning board desires to approve these variation requests to allow a 23 feet by 8 feet open front porch, the following condition would be included, and that is a building permit should be attained prior to construction, and that concludes staff's report.

Mark Pellatiri, 63 South Washington is the business address of Air Room.

Any comments?

No, I think it's in keeping with the neighborhood.

There's three across the street.

The neighbor has the exact same front porch.

Um I think it improves the uh property value and the look of the neighborhood.

Okay, any questions by the board?

You live there?

You live there?

No, I don't live there, no.

I'm the architect.

I'm the architect.

Oh, you're the architect.

Okay, right.

This is a new construction.

Uh the porch is the house is there.

Oh, okay.

All right.

All right.

Anybody in the audience wish to speak in favor?

I should have said this to everyone.

We have to have you on the council here.

Do you swear the evidence you're about to present as the truth under penalty of law?

Yes, I do.

I agree with the record.

I agree with everything that it would uh add to the community values, and I think you should uh approve this.

Anyone else?

Chair closes petition is board for discussion of the vote.

Motion.

Second.

We have motion and second to approve.

Proposal board.

Mr.

Noctree.

Aye.

Ms.

Radakovich.

Ms.

Roar.

Aye.

Ms.

Schmick.

Aye.

Mr.

Stiff.

Aye.

Mr.

Bias.

And Chairman Hennessy.

Aye.

All right.

The variation is approved.

Next on the agenda is petition 2025 60, a series of variations to allow reduced rear yard setback and to exceed maximum lot coverage located at 424 West Washington Street.

The applicant owner is Jose Luis Andrade Andread.

And the applicant is requesting a series of variations to allow a rear yard covered patio at the property located at 424 West Washington Street.

The zoning board of appeals makes the final decision in this matter.

Requested variations from the zoning board of appeals include a variation to reduce the rear yard setback requirement from 25 feet to 4 feet and a variation from required lot coverage from 30% to 62%.

For site specific information, the subject property is approximately 3,300 square feet in size and is zoned R2 single family residential.

The property contains a two-story single-family house built in 1913 along with a small attached garage.

For surrounding zoning land use of character, the properties in this vicinity are zoned as to the north is R2 single family residential and to the east, south and west is R3 1 and 2 family residential.

For applicable regulations, we have section 47-19.8.

Findings of facts supporting a variation.

For discussion, the applicant who is the property owner is seeking a variation to exceed the allowed lot coverage and to encroach into the required rear yard setback for an attached rear yard cover patio.

The allowed lot coverage is not to exceed 30% in residential districts, and the required rear yard setback is 25 feet for primary structures.

The proposed lot coverage would be 62%, and the setback would be four feet from the property line.

The rear yard covered patio was previously built without a permit, and the applicant was told that their only recourse was to retain the only recourse to retain the covered patio structure was to receive approval of a variance.

The subject property and adjacent lots have been non-conforming lots since their inception.

The current dimensions are 52 feet of frontage and 63 feet of lot depth, which totals 3,300 square feet.

The current standards for as a conforming R2 lot is 60 feet of lot width at a minimum of 125 feet in lot depth, and that would create a minimum lot size of 7,500 square feet.

Due to the non-conformity, any rear yard accessory structure which would be attached or detached would require the property owner to request relief from the city of Joliat zoning ordinance.

For recommended action, staff finds that the unique parcel causes hardship and that the property owner has no control over this.

The application of the zoning ordinance in its strictest sense limits the extent to which the property can be enjoyed.

The existing paper patio in the backyard along with the covering would not be a detriment to the surrounding properties as the structure faces the backyards of neighboring properties.

Staff recommends the zoning board of appeals recommend approval of the variation request for conditions of approval if the zoning board desires to approve these variation requests to allow the the covering over of an existing patio.

The following conditions should be included.

One, and that's the only one is that a building permit shall be applied for and approved.

And that concludes staff's report.

My name is Elvis Andrade.

My others is uh see.

Sorry, he doesn't speak English very well.

The evidence you're about to present is the truth under penalty of law.

Yes.

Francisco Jimenez 3007, South Trip, Chicago 60623.

Excuse me.

Uh so uh spoke to the applicant earlier.

Um but yeah, no, he just doesn't have anything to say.

Um it's a unique situation, and he just wants to have the covered patio for speak up enjoyment.

Speak up, speak up.

Sorry.

Uh so applicant just has a unique situation, and he just wants to have the covered patio in the back for his enjoyment, which is the reason that he's here for the uh variation.

Questions comments.

Anyone in the audience wishes to speak in favor.

Oops.

Name and address.

Uh my name is Edgar Ibarra.

My other says three South Cowin here in Gilead.

Um, his neighbor.

Um my concern is if he's gonna do some construction.

I I he's gonna touch honest ARIA.

I want he asking for permissions because sometimes he's working in his property, but in the same time, he's uh doing things in our property, and something that I don't like because I have two babies in in my house with my wife, and sometimes they come out and they turn a little bit scared because they I mean they don't they don't know who is the person reader.

Thank you.

And and also uh I don't want that he's uh damage our property because sometimes he's doing things that uh not right and ours property.

Once again, I don't have no problem that he's doing things.

I mean, I think for whatever he's doing is right for him, it's good for me too.

Is this his property, but he need to uh not do anything in our property is one of my microscope that's all thank you.

Anyone else?

Anyone else wishing to speak in opposition chair closes petition?

There's the board for discussion on a motion.

Motion we have a motion second to approach the petition.

We have a motion, second to approve the petition.

Ms.

Radakovich?

I Ms.

Roar.

I Ms.

Schmink.

Aye.

Mr.

Stiff.

Mr.

Bias.

Mr.

Nattreep.

Chairman Hennessy.

All right.

Okay.

The variations are approved.

Next on the agenda is petition number 2025 61.

The applicant is John Lewis.

The location is 1137 Kathy Avenue in Council District 5.

And it's the request is a variation to allow decorative pea gravel as ground cover in the front yard.

The applicant is requesting a variation to allow decorative pea gravel in a front yard at the property located at 1137 Kathy Avenue.

The zoning board of appeals makes the final decision in this matter.

This is to allow again decorative pea gravel in the front yard of a residential property in place of sod.

For site specific information, the subject property is approximately 6,900 square feet in size and is zoned R2 single family residential.

The property contains a split-level single family home originally built in 1995.

The property is located within the Cambridge subdivision.

Under surrounding zoning, land use and character.

All properties in this vicinity are located R2 single family residential.

All properties in the subdivision have the required pervious vegetative ground cover in the front yard.

Under applicable regulations, again is section 47-15E.3, minimum landscaping and screening requirements.

Under discussion, the applicant who is the property owner has had decorative pea gravel in the front yard since 2019 and was recently cited by the city zoning inspector based on a complaint.

The applicant was informed that non-pervious ground cover was not allowed, and that the only available recourse to retain the decorative pea gravel would be the approval of a variance from the city's landscaping requirements.

The landscaping requirements in the zoning ordinance specify that vegetative pervious ground cover is required on 70% of a lot that contains a single family home.

No other properties within the subdivision deviates from this requirement and all have vegetative pervious ground cover.

For recommended action, staff cannot recommend approval for this request as no hardship was demon was demonstrated.

The application and enforcement of the zoning ordinance as it exists does not impose difficulties on the homeowners or nor does it create exceptional hardships.

The landscaping requirements do not prohibit a reasonable return on investment of the property.

For conditions, staff is recommending none.

And that concludes staff's report.

Petitioner here.

Name and address.

Any comments, sir?

Yes.

Um first comment is it's not pea gravel, it's decorative stone, which is costs a lot more than pea gravel.

Second thing is when I did this, I called the village and asked them.

I talked to a lady, she put me on hold, and she came back and she said that we can do it, but we can't do the whole property, which I didn't.

If you see on the other side of the property, it's still grass, and I couldn't do the part way.

And then six years later, I'm getting I'm getting told that I can't do it.

I and I you know I would have never spent that kind of money and did it if I thought you know it shouldn't be.

And if you go right around the corner from me, there's another and I have pictures of it.

There's another property that is completely covered both sides.

There's not one speck of grass showing.

Okay.

Do you have any photographs of pardon?

Yeah, I have a photograph of it.

And if you drive down McDonham, right across the street from the church, there's a property that the whole front lawn is gone in its tower.

So I I don't understand how I'm getting singled out with this.

I could show you pictures of both properties.

What street is what street it is?

Kathy Drive.

Or the second Cambridge subdivision.

Yes.

But this is this is my house.

This is my okay.

Now we got that.

Okay.

What's with the pink rocks?

It's pink stone.

She wanted to make it look like their results.

Can I say anything?

They went.

You got that right.

Okay.

This is the property that's around the corner from this.

If you show it to the panel.

This is one side of his house.

You put a driveway in there and it goes around to the fence.

There's no grass there.

If you go to the father's house.

I'm assuming you're not lodging a complaint against him.

Okay.

I'm getting in the well somebody's called specifically on you though.

Did you make anybody mad?

May I say something?

No.

Just warning.

I'm not sworn in.

I don't know if you need me to be sworn.

I don't know if you need me to be sworn in, but I do swear to tell the truth.

Um I'm his wife.

And the we got called in on my truck.

Okay.

And when whoever came Oh, and then they came to look at the club.

And then and then the lady from your department, I think, had said something.

But we have called on this.

We do everything by the book.

And we have called on this, and what my husband had said, we got all the permission before we would ever do something that expensive.

And the reason we even did this is because we did have a we do have a business and we were very busy and we were getting grubs in our yard, and it was so hard to keep up, and our grass was turning brown.

Were all these permissions just verbal?

Correct, correct.

We didn't know, so we called and we asked, and they said, hold on.

And he's not sure he thinks her name was Pat, but this is many years ago, and and I'm telling you, everybody that comes past our house talks about my grass, my lawn, loves it, and the people around the block has done it, and right across the street at that church that you just showed has the same thing, but it's all blacktopped.

And we would have never did it if we didn't if we didn't have the approval.

I mean, and all of a sudden, from one thing we got this, and then we got nervous.

He's 70, I'm 69, we're still working.

So we try to keep our house looking pristine, and we want it to look nice.

And when the grubs took over, it wasn't looking nice.

So that was our solution to keep up on it.

Okay.

Where in the world did you find pink rub?

Where did I find pink from a landscaper?

It wasn't easy.

It wasn't easy, and it was very expensive, and that's why I am like I am so stressed right now because I don't know why after seven years I'm getting this.

Any other questions by the board?

Anybody in the audience wish to speak in favor?

The staff staff doesn't have a problem with it.

Just read the evidence you're about to present to be the truth under penalty of law.

Yes.

My name is Susan Keith.

I live down the street from John and Debbie.

I've lived there for 35 years now.

They take care of their property, they maintain their property, and all of this that's going on after all these years is because they pissed someone off.

And people need to just get along, you know?

There's enough haphold, there's enough against each other nowadays.

It's like when I grew up, you helped your neighbor.

You didn't damn your neighbor.

I've known them for over 35 years now, and we've gotten along.

We've never had a disagreement.

They've always been helpful.

We had block parties when we were younger.

Now we're older.

I understand why they did that.

If I didn't have two sons, I wouldn't be able to have grass in my front yard.

So I don't understand what the big deal is.

Especially you walk right around the corner and there's boulders in the front yard.

And that's okay.

I don't understand it.

They said they can't park their uh truck on their uh driveway no more.

Drive through Cambridge.

See how many trucks there are parked on the street and on their driveways.

And it's acceptable, it's okay.

I don't I don't understand what's going on.

Anyone else wish you to speak in favor?

Okay, there's a city water truck that's parked in the subdivision.

That's it's anyone else wish to speak in favor?

Is there anyone opposed?

Chair closes the petition and ask the board for discussion of the motion.

Yeah, let it have this page.

Motion to approve.

Second.

We have a motion or a second to approve the petition.

Ms.

Rohr?

Aye.

Ms.

Schmig?

Aye.

Mr.

Stiff.

Aye.

Mr.

Bias?

Aye.

Mr.

Naptreeb.

Aye.

Ms.

Radakovich?

Chairman Hennessy.

Yeah, how far do you live from Hennessy Drive?

Yeah, just for the record, uh, my grandfather and my dad were both mayors.

I served on the city council.

And in honor of that, they gave us a city street that's a half a block long and there's nothing on it.

So I I sympathize with you.

I vote aye.

He wants you to move to his street.

All right.

So the variation request that you've made was approved by the zoning board of appeals.

Thank you very much.

Now you can sleep.

All right.

Next on the agenda is old or new business, not for final action or recommendation of which there is none.

Which brings us to public comment.

Is there anyone wanting to speak regarding non-agenda items?

Seeing none, the next agenda item is adjournment.

Motion to adjourn review in order.

Aye.

Aye.

Those opposed.