Park Ridge Zoning Board of Appeals Meeting - May 28, 2026
Park Ridge Zoning Board of Appeals Meeting - May 28, 2026
The Zoning Board of Appeals met on May 28, 2026, at 7:00 PM in City Hall Council Chambers. The board considered two major variance requests for school district properties: Washington Elementary School (1500 Stewart Avenue) and Lincoln Middle School (200 S. Lincoln Avenue). Both cases were approved with recommendations to the City Council. The meeting also included approval of minutes from previous meetings.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of Minutes – April 23, 2026: Motion to approve carried unanimously (5-0).
- Approval of Minutes – May 14, 2026: Motion to approve carried with one abstention (Deslin abstained, remaining 4 voted yes; minutes approved).
Public Comments & Testimony
No public comments were offered for either variance case.
Discussion Items
Case VA-26-10: Variances at 1500 Stewart Avenue (Washington Elementary School) The applicant (Park Ridge-Niles School District 64) requested eight major variances to reconfigure the north parking lot and construct a 340-square-foot salt storage shed. The existing parking lot, with 48 spaces, had poor circulation and undersized stalls. The proposed plan would reduce spaces to 42 but widen stalls to 9 feet, improve internal traffic flow, and add landscaping. The salt shed (13′ x 26′) would replace tarp-covered outdoor salt storage, reducing waste and environmental runoff. The shed would be masonry to match the school and set back from Western Avenue. The board heard testimony from district staff and their consultants. Board members noted the unique circumstances of a school property and the difficulty of fully complying with residential-oriented code. They found the plan improved circulation, safety, and operation. All variances were approved in a single motion (5-0). The board adopted the staff’s findings of fact, concluding that strict adherence would cause undue hardship, the plight was due to unique circumstances, and the variance would not alter the essential character of the locality.
Case VA-26-11: Variances at 200 S. Lincoln Avenue (Lincoln Middle School) The applicant requested eight major variances to reconfigure the west parking lot, add parking, and install two 12-foot-tall fences (one around the basketball court, one around mechanical equipment). The existing lot had inefficient one-way circulation and only 8.5-foot-wide stalls. The new layout would provide ample parking, improve circulation, and add landscaping and stormwater detention. The 12-foot fence around the basketball court was needed to contain balls and protect students; the existing fence was also 12 feet. The board commended the applicant for minimizing impacts, maintaining tree counts (though relocated), and addressing safety needs. All variances were approved unanimously (5-0). The board again adopted the staff’s findings of fact.
Key Outcomes
- VA-26-10 (Washington School): Approved (5-0). Recommendation to City Council for all eight variances.
- VA-26-11 (Lincoln School): Approved (5-0). Recommendation to City Council for all eight variances.
- The board noted that the next regular meeting is June 25, 2026, with two cases on the agenda (hospital and LensCrafters).
- No other business; meeting adjourned.
Meeting Transcript
We're never going back. It's gonna stay zone forever. That's awesome. Does it make any sense to like drive the two page county courthouse? Or a 10-second status call to leave. You know what I mean? Make it any sense at all. Is there any major like it because they have the process last night? Can you tell me? Oh, yeah. Yeah. They got a better control of the courthouse. The judges like it's their court. Just fill the people that are sometimes. If someone's talking about something out of control, they can just take the thing was canceled for mechanical difficulties. I'll call to order the meeting of the zoning board of appeals for Thursday, May 28th, 2026. Caber here. Deslin here. Flassich here. Accurate here. And shilling here. We have a quorum. Uh first item of business is approval of minutes. We have two sets of minutes to approve tonight. The first being our regular meeting from April 23rd, 2026. Do we have a motion to approve? So moved. Second. Any discussion changes, corrections. All right, let's do a roll call vote from my left. Accurate, yes. Yes. Deslin, yes. Tabber, yes. And shilling, yes. Uh the minutes are approved from April 23rd. Uh next we have minutes from our special meeting of uh May 14th, 2026. Uh do I have a motion to approve? So moved. Second. Uh motion and second. Uh any changes, corrections, additions. All right. So roll call vote from my right. Taber, yes. Deslin abstained. Oh, abstain. Accurate, yes. And shilling, yes. I believe that's enough to approve, correct?
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