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Record of Proceedings

Joliet Zoning Board of Appeals Meeting – February 19, 2026

Meeting Portal — Thursday, February 19, 2026
BodyJoliet, Illinois
SessionMeeting Portal
DateThursday, February 19, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 10:21

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it
0:00

This is a duly advertised meeting of Jonah Zoning Board of Appeals in our capacity.

0:05

We hear petitions for relief of the strict provisions of our city ordinance.

0:11

The decision of this board is final.

0:14

And respect it does not go to the mayor or the city council for any further reaction.

0:19

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

0:24

We also hear petitions for variations of land use.

0:38

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

0:44

Secretary call roll.

0:46

Mr.

0:46

Bias.

0:48

Mr.

0:48

Natree.

0:49

Here.

0:49

Ms.

0:49

Radakovich.

0:51

Ms.

0:51

Roar.

0:52

Ms.

0:53

Schmig.

0:54

Here.

0:54

Mr.

0:54

Stiff.

0:55

Here.

0:55

Chairman Hennessy.

0:59

Great.

1:00

First on the agenda is approval of the Zoning Board of Appeals meeting minutes for January 15th, 2026.

1:07

Motion be in order.

1:08

So move.

1:10

Second.

1:11

Motion second approved or control of the board.

1:14

Mr.

1:15

Bias.

1:16

Mr.

1:16

Nattree.

1:17

Ms.

1:17

Radakovich.

1:19

Ms.

1:19

Schmidt.

1:20

I'm Mr.

1:20

Stiff.

1:21

Chairman Hennessy.

1:24

All right.

1:24

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

1:28

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

1:34

It is not a question and answer period, and staff and the zoning board of appeals members do not generally respond to public comments.

1:41

I will note that we have one item on the agenda tonight as a public hearing.

1:45

So if you are here as a petitioner or a member of the public for that, you are welcome to speak then or you can speak now, but there is an opportunity to address the zoning board during the public hearing.

2:03

Let's proceed.

2:05

Okay.

2:06

Next on the agenda is old business public hearing, of which there are no agenda items, which brings us to new business public hearing.

2:14

And the petition is petition 2026 03.

2:20

The applicant is Fabian Contreras.

2:23

The status of the applicant is property owner and the location is 108 Hunter Avenue.

2:28

And the request is a series of variations to reduce the required rear yard and side yard setbacks for a new detached garage from three feet to one foot located at 108 Hunter Avenue.

2:42

Again, the variation requests are to reduce the required rear yard setback from three feet to one foot, and then the side yard is the second variation request to reduce, or excuse me, a second variation request is to reduce the side yard setback from three feet to one foot.

3:00

And the zoning board of appeals makes the final decision on these variation requests.

3:05

For site specific information, the subject property is 6,515 square feet.

3:11

And this contains a two-story single-family residence that was built in 1900.

3:17

The property has an existing 566 square foot detached garage in the southeast corner.

3:24

An asphalt driveway leads to the existing garage from Hunter Avenue.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Zoning And Land Use█████████████████████████████████████████████75%
Procedural███████████████25%
Summary of Proceedings

Joliet Zoning Board of Appeals Meeting – February 19, 2026

The Zoning Board of Appeals met on February 19, 2026, at 2:00 PM in City Hall Council Chambers. Six members were present (Brigette Roehr absent) and unanimously approved a single petition for setback variations for a new detached garage. No public comments were made.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes (January 15, 2026): The board unanimously approved the minutes from the previous meeting by a vote of 6-0 (motion by Bob Nachtrieb, seconded by Ralph Bias).

Discussion Items

  • Petition 2026-03 – Variations for 108 Hunter Avenue: The applicant, property owner Fabian Contreras, requested two variations to reduce required rear and side yard setbacks for a new detached garage from 3 feet to 1 foot. The subject property is 6,515 sq ft and contains a two-story single-family residence built in 1900 with an existing 566 sq ft detached garage. The proposed garage would be 42 ft by 22 ft (924 sq ft total) including 264 sq ft of patio space (approximately 28% of the structure), making it about 63% larger than the existing garage. Planning Director Jayne Bernhard read the staff report, which noted that while the applicant had not demonstrated a practical difficulty or hardship to waive the setbacks, many nearby garages abut the lot lines. Staff concluded the variation would not alter the essential character of the locality and recommended approval with a condition that the garage's materials and colors match the principal structure. Mr. Contreras confirmed he would move the garage 1 foot forward in response to a board question. No members of the public spoke in favor or opposition.

Key Outcomes

  • Approval of Petition 2026-03: The board voted 6-0 to approve the requested variations (motion by Ralph Bias, seconded by Jesse Stiff). The approval is conditioned on the garage matching the materials and colors of the principal structure. As the Zoning Board of Appeals makes final decisions on such variation requests, no further city council action is required.

Meeting Transcript

This is a duly advertised meeting of Jonah Zoning Board of Appeals in our capacity. We hear petitions for relief of the strict provisions of our city ordinance. The decision of this board is final. And respect it does not go to the mayor or the city council for any further reaction. If you disagree with our decision, you do have recourse in a court of record. We also hear petitions for variations of land use. Final decision on land use is made by the mayor and the city council. Secretary call roll. Mr. Bias. Mr. Natree. Here. Ms. Radakovich. Ms. Roar. Ms. Schmig. Here. Mr. Stiff. Here. Chairman Hennessy. Great. First on the agenda is approval of the Zoning Board of Appeals meeting minutes for January 15th, 2026. Motion be in order. So move. Second. Motion second approved or control of the board. Mr. Bias. Mr. Nattree. Ms. Radakovich. Ms. Schmidt. I'm Mr. Stiff. Chairman Hennessy. All right. Next on the agenda is citizens to be heard on agenda items. The 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. I will note that we have one item on the agenda tonight as a public hearing. So if you are here as a petitioner or a member of the public for that, you are welcome to speak then or you can speak now, but there is an opportunity to address the zoning board during the public hearing. Let's proceed. Okay. Next on the agenda is old business public hearing, of which there are no agenda items, which brings us to new business public hearing.

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