Park Ridge Zoning Board of Appeals Meeting - July 23, 2026

The Park Ridge Zoning Board of Appeals met on Thursday, July 23, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. in City Hall Council Chambers. The board approved the June 25, 2026 minutes, confirmed there were no appeals, and conducted public hearings on three variance cases.

Consent Calendar

• The June 25, 2026 meeting minutes were approved by roll call; one commissioner abstained.
• No appeals were listed or heard.

Public Comments & Testimony

• 140 N. Northwest Highway: No members of the public testified.
• 420 S. Lincoln Avenue: John Stevie of 434 S. Lincoln Avenue supported the variance, stating the shallow basement was not the owner's fault and the basement was not in good condition.
• 245 Vine Avenue: Several residents from neighboring 249 S. Vine Avenue opposed the two requested variances. They argued that there was no undue hardship tied to the land, that the applicant created the need by choosing townhouses, and that the four proposed parking spaces would push existing and new cars onto Vine Avenue, increasing congestion. They asked the board to recommend denial or limit approval to a conforming two-unit project. One audience member spoke in favor, citing demand from people downsizing near transit; another long-time Vine Avenue resident raised parking as her only concern. Lynn Duffy of 249 Vine Unit C said the existing building has small apartments and predicted the redevelopment would put more cars on the street. An applicant representative disputed that the current building was a converted single-family home, calling it a legal four-unit building.

Discussion Items

• 140 N. Northwest Highway - VA-26-12 (Major): Staff said the five-story brick multi-use building contains a LensCrafters store and the applicant proposed replacing a rear wall sign facing the parking lot. The new sign would be 20.5 square feet, 4.5 square feet larger than the 16-square-foot maximum. Applicant Shane Batrelli argued that the corner and dual-frontage location created a hardship and that the sign was a like-for-like replacement of a previously approved sign with updated branding. Commissioners found the corner location unique, noted that many customers park in the Summit Avenue garage, and concluded the sign would not alter the character of the area. The board voted unanimously to recommend approval to the City Council, a major variance.
• 420 S. Lincoln Avenue - VA-26-16 (Minor): Staff said the addition to the second floor would increase the floor area ratio to about 3,892.27 square feet, exceeding the permitted 3,552.48 square feet. Applicant Bill Peterson, representing Normandy Remodeling, testified that the 1920s house has an 81-inch basement without interior access that is counted toward FAR, and that the plan finishes the second floor within the existing roofline while placing the addition at the rear. A staff clarification noted that basements count toward gross floor area when more than half of their height is above grade. Commissioners regarded the FAR issue as a technicality and found the variance consistent with preserving older housing stock. The board voted unanimously to approve the minor variance; no City Council review is required.
• 245 Vine Avenue - VA-26-14 (Major): Staff said the property contains an older four-unit multifamily building. The proposal would replace it with three two-story townhomes and a detached three-car garage. The R4 district requires 3,000 square feet of lot area per townhome, or 9,000 square feet for three units; the roughly 8,265-square-foot lot permits only 2.75 townhomes. The parking requirement is six spaces; the plan provides four. A third requested variance regarding the detached accessory building setback was withdrawn after plan revisions. Eight public comments were submitted: five in support and three in opposition; the board took a recess to read the opposition letters received that day. The applicant's representative argued the project is less dense than what could be built on the site, fits the townhome context, is close to the Metra station and uptown uses, and that a two-townhome project would not be viable. In deliberations, commissioners questioned why townhomes require more land than multifamily units; staff could not provide a definitive rationale. Staff noted a multifamily alternative could fit about four units and would require six to eight parking spaces depending on unit mix. Commissioners were split: some saw the walkable location and townhome context as supporting the parking variance, while others concluded the lot-area request did not meet the undue-hardship standard and that added parking pressure on Vine Avenue was a concern. The chair offered the applicant a chance to withdraw, but the applicant chose to proceed with the votes.

Other Business

• The City Council liaison was not present, so no liaison report was given.
• There were no citizens wishing to speak on non-agenda items.
• The next regular ZBA meeting is scheduled for Thursday, August 27, 2026; staff expects two to three variance cases and will likely bring the proposed 2027 meeting calendar to the board in October.

Key Outcomes

• VA-26-12: The ZBA unanimously recommended that the City Council approve the major variance for the 20.5-square-foot rear sign at 140 N. Northwest Highway. The board adopted the standard findings of fact.
• VA-26-16: The ZBA unanimously approved the minor floor-area-ratio variance at 420 S. Lincoln Avenue. This decision is final and does not go to the City Council.
• VA-26-14 lot-area variance: The motion to recommend approval failed, 2 in favor and 4 opposed. The board did not adopt findings of fact for this request. The applicant can still seek City Council approval, but a negative ZBA recommendation raises the bar to a supermajority vote.
• VA-26-14 parking variance: The motion to recommend approval passed, 5 in favor and 2 opposed. The board adopted the standard findings of fact for this request.
• Next steps: The major variances forwarded to the City Council will be scheduled for Council consideration. Staff will provide applicants with the schedule.