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Record of Proceedings

Plainfield Zoning Board of Appeals & Plan Commission Joint Meeting - October 21, 2025

Village Board & Commissions — Tuesday, October 21, 2025
BodyPlainfield, Illinois
SessionVillage Board & Commissions
DateTuesday, October 21, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:37:55

Original source
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2:51

Yeah, I'll just see what I'll do.

2:59

I'll do that.

3:45

We're all good stuff.

3:52

Thanks for following the stuff.

4:29

Okay.

6:09

Good evening and welcome to the Tuesday, October 21st zoning Board of Appeals and Plan Commission joint meeting.

6:16

We'll call our meeting to order at 701.

6:18

All rise for the pledge.

6:52

Hearing none, I would undertain a motion to approve those minutes.

6:56

Motion to approve minutes.

6:57

Second.

6:58

All right.

6:58

Motion and second has been made.

7:00

We can do this with a voice vote.

7:02

All in favor with an aye.

7:03

Aye.

7:04

Any opposed with a nay?

7:06

Any abstentions?

7:07

All right.

7:08

The ayes have it, and those are now part of the permanent record.

7:11

Uh next is an allotment of time for public comments.

7:14

If there's anyone here this evening that has any comments you'd like to make that are not related to a existing public hearing or to one of the cases that we're talking about this evening, uh, you can approach the microphone up here to your left.

7:30

Okay.

7:30

Seeing no one come forward, we'll move forward.

7:33

Uh, do we have a development report, Alyssa?

7:36

Um yes, briefly the Oswego Broundary Agreement was approved last night.

7:41

Um, and then just an update for our zoning code UDO update.

7:46

Tentatively December 2nd, we're going to be having a joint meeting with Plan Commission and Village Board.

7:52

So that is a Tuesday, a normal plan commission night.

7:55

Um we're gonna have the consultants come in and do a joint workshop with both of you.

7:59

So if anybody can't attend, please let me know as soon as possible.

8:04

What was the date of that again?

8:05

December second.

8:06

December second.

8:07

Okay, great.

8:09

All right, thank you for that update.

8:11

Uh there is no old business on the agenda for this evening, so we'll move forward into new business.

8:15

Uh first case on the agenda is for seven brew.

8:19

It's case number two one five-091925.

8:25

V A R dot S U dot S P R.

8:29

Uh, this case is a public hearing, so before we get started, I would first look for a motion to open the public hearing.

8:36

Motion to open.

8:37

Thank you.

8:38

All right.

8:38

Motion has been made and seconded.

8:40

Uh, we can do this with a voice vote.

8:41

All in favor with an aye.

8:43

Aye.

8:43

Any opposed with a nay?

8:46

Any abstentions?

8:47

All right.

8:47

The ayes have it.

8:48

So we are now entered into the public hearing for this case.

8:51

Do we have a planner's report?

8:53

Um, yes, thank you.

8:55

So the applicant, Seven Brew Coffee is proposing a drive-through coffee concept at the former Chili site off Route 59 in the Kensington uh shopping center.

9:05

The proposal is for special use for a drive-through facility, uh, site plan, and then three variances.

9:11

Um the proposed building will be five hundred and ten square feet with a detached cooler of two hundred and thirty-eight square feet.

9:20

Um this is a drive-thru only concept, so there's no indoor seating or dining space.

9:25

Um business hours are five thirty a.m.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Zoning And Land Use███████████████████████████████31%
Affordable Housing██████████████████████22%
Procedural████████████████████20%
Public Engagement██████████10%
Public Safety████4%
Engineering And Infrastructure████4%
Transportation Safety███3%
Community Engagement███3%
Education Funding███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Plainfield Zoning Board of Appeals & Plan Commission Joint Meeting - October 21, 2025

The Zoning Board of Appeals and Plan Commission met jointly on Tuesday, October 21, 2025 at 7:01 PM in the Village Boardroom. The meeting covered two major public hearing cases (7 Brew Coffee and The Nook by Elevant), administrative approvals, and a development report.

Consent Calendar

  • Minutes Approval: The Commission unanimously approved the minutes of the Plan Commission meeting held on October 7, 2025.
  • 2026 Meeting Schedule: The Commission unanimously approved the proposed 2026 meeting schedule for the Plan Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No general public comments were made.
  • Regarding The Nook by Elevant: Fran Lehman, pastor of Life Spring Church (located across Wood Farm Road), expressed general support for the residential development, noting he had hoped for residential rather than commercial use on the site. He raised concerns about stormwater management given the property’s history of floodplain issues, and expressed a desire for a future full-access intersection at Wood Farm Road and Lockport Street.

Discussion Items

1. 7 Brew Coffee Drive-Through (Case 2115-091925.VAR.SU.SPR)

  • The applicant, Hubrew (franchisee of 7 Brew), proposed a 510‑square‑foot drive‑through coffee stand with a double drive‑through lane on a 1.1‑acre site at the former Chili’s location in Kensington Center (12740 S. Route 59). The project required a special use permit and three variances: (a) more than one wall sign (on three elevations), (b) an LED light strip on the canopy trim (shielded variant proposed), and (c) the drive‑through facing a public street (Route 59). Staff recommended approval subject to stipulations.
  • Commissioners discussed queuing capacity (38 stacking spaces provided, exceeding the code requirement of 4), traffic concerns at other 7 Brew locations (e.g., Naperville), the location of the trash enclosure, and the large open green space in the center of the site. The applicant committed to working with staff on additional landscaping in that area and coordinating trash pickup times. The applicant also confirmed the use of shielded LED lighting to reduce light pollution.
  • Key Outcomes: All three motions (variances, special use permit, and site plan review) were approved unanimously (4‑0) by the Zoning Board of Appeals and Plan Commission, subject to stipulations including additional screening landscaping along the interior drive‑through lane.

2. The Nook by Elevant (Case 2116-092325.AA.REZ.VAR.SPR)

  • The applicant, Elevant Development, proposed a four‑building, 288‑unit multifamily apartment complex on an 8.8‑acre site east of the post office on Wood Farm Road. The proposal required annexation, rezoning from R‑1 to R‑4, and variances from density limits (R‑4 allows 15 units/acre; the project would be denser) and building configuration standards (72 units per building vs. the 24‑unit maximum). The presentation highlighted amenities (pool, gym, courtyards, co‑working spaces, etc.), covered parking (1.5 spaces per unit), and a phased construction timeline (spring 2026 to 2029). Staff recommended approval.
  • Commissioners discussed pedestrian connectivity to downtown, traffic impacts on Wood Farm Road, the need for improvements at the Lockport/Wood Farm intersection (currently limited due to IDOT jurisdiction), and the density variance. The applicant noted a Tracy Cross study indicating demand for 585 multifamily units per year in Plainfield and mentioned a teacher recruitment program (free rent for teachers) to mitigate school impacts.
  • Key Outcomes: The public hearing was closed. However, due to one commissioner (Heinen) needing to recuse himself, the Commission lacked a quorum to vote on the substantive motions. A motion to continue the item to the next meeting (November 4, 2025) was passed (3‑0‑1, with Chairman Minnich abstaining). The vote on annexation, rezoning, variances, and site plan will be taken at that future meeting.

Key Outcomes

  • 7 Brew Coffee: Unanimous approval (4‑0) of variances, special use permit, and site plan with stipulations.
  • The Nook by Elevant: Public hearing closed; item continued to November 4, 2025 for voting due to commissioner recusal.
  • Minutes and 2026 Schedule: Approved unanimously.

Meeting Transcript

Yeah, I'll just see what I'll do. I'll do that. We're all good stuff. Thanks for following the stuff. Okay. Good evening and welcome to the Tuesday, October 21st zoning Board of Appeals and Plan Commission joint meeting. We'll call our meeting to order at 701. All rise for the pledge. Hearing none, I would undertain a motion to approve those minutes. Motion to approve minutes. Second. All right. Motion and second has been made. We can do this with a voice vote. All in favor with an aye. Aye. Any opposed with a nay? Any abstentions? All right. The ayes have it, and those are now part of the permanent record. Uh next is an allotment of time for public comments. If there's anyone here this evening that has any comments you'd like to make that are not related to a existing public hearing or to one of the cases that we're talking about this evening, uh, you can approach the microphone up here to your left. Okay. Seeing no one come forward, we'll move forward. Uh, do we have a development report, Alyssa? Um yes, briefly the Oswego Broundary Agreement was approved last night. Um, and then just an update for our zoning code UDO update. Tentatively December 2nd, we're going to be having a joint meeting with Plan Commission and Village Board. So that is a Tuesday, a normal plan commission night. Um we're gonna have the consultants come in and do a joint workshop with both of you. So if anybody can't attend, please let me know as soon as possible. What was the date of that again? December second. December second. Okay, great. All right, thank you for that update. Uh there is no old business on the agenda for this evening, so we'll move forward into new business. Uh first case on the agenda is for seven brew. It's case number two one five-091925. V A R dot S U dot S P R. Uh, this case is a public hearing, so before we get started, I would first look for a motion to open the public hearing. Motion to open. Thank you. All right. Motion has been made and seconded. Uh, we can do this with a voice vote. All in favor with an aye. Aye. Any opposed with a nay? Any abstentions?

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