PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
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Conduct the public hearing to consider variances for a private gym and lacrosse training facility for the property located at 655 N. Washington Street (Jax Lax) - DEV-0170-2025
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DEPARTMENT: Transportation, Engineering and Development
SUBMITTED BY: Anna Franco, AICP, Community Planner
ENTITLEMENTS REQUESTED:
1. A variance to Section 6-9-2:4.3.2 (Off Street Parking Facilities) of the Naperville Municipal Code to decrease the required 5-foot minimum parking facility setback to 0 feet along the north property line.
2. A variance to Section 6-9-3:6 (Schedule of Off Street Parking Requirements) of the Naperville Municipal Code to decrease the minimum number of required off-street parking spaces for a fitness facility from 26 spaces to 9 spaces.
BOARD/COMMISSION REVIEW:
Official notice for the public hearing for DEV-0170-2025 was published in the Naperville Sun on Sunday, March 22, 2026.
BACKGROUND:
The subject property is approximately 0.28-acres (12,500 square feet) and is located on the west side of Washington Street between 7th and 8th Avenue. The property is zoned B3 General Commercial District and is improved with a 6,405 square foot, 1-story, vacant building, previously used as an auto body shop, and a gravel parking and outdoor storage area. Adjacent uses include a multi-tenant office building to the south, which shares a wall with the building on the subject property, single-family residential across the public alley to the west, an auto shop and U-Haul facility to the north, and retail and multi-family uses across Washington Street to the east.
DISCUSSION:
The petitioner and property owner, Throw Me a Bone, LLC, requests approval of a variance to the minimum parking facility setback and minimum number of required off-street parking spaces to renovate the vacant building for a private gym and lacrosse training facility and construct a paved parking area adjacent to the building.
The proposed parking area will be located directly north of the existing building on the property and will replace the current gravel surface and fenced outdoor storage area on the property. Due to the limited width between the existing building and the north property line, the petitioner is proposing a one-way drive aisle with angled parking. The one-way drive aisle will provide vehicular access onto the subject property from Washington Street and egress onto the alley at the rear of the property. A landscape island is proposed on the east side of the parking area to provide a barrier between the proposed parking spaces and the public sidewalk along Washington Street and a 6” curb and fence will provide a barrier between the parking area on the subject property and the parking area on the U-Haul property to the north.
The petitioner and property owner, Throw Me a Bone, LLC, requests approval of a variance to the minimum parking facility setback and minimum number of required off-street parking spaces to renovate the vacant building for a private gym and lacrosse training facility and construct a paved parking area adjacent to the building.
The proposed parking area will be located directly north of the existing building on the property and will replace the current gravel surface and fenced outdoor storage area on the property. Due to the limited width between the existing building and the north property line, the petitioner is proposing a one-way drive aisle with angled parking. The one-way drive aisle will provide vehicular access onto the subject property from Washington Street and egress onto the alley at the rear of the property. A landscape island is proposed on the east side of the parking area to provide a barrier between the proposed parking spaces and the public sidewalk along Washington Street and a 6” curb and fence will provide a barrier between the parking area on the subject property and the parking area on the U-Haul property to the north.
Parking Facility Setback Variance
The petitioner is requesting approval of a variance to decrease the required 5-foot minimum parking facility setback along the north property line to 0 feet. Per Municipal Code Section 6-9-2:4.3.2 (Off Street Parking Facilities), parking facilities where permitted shall not be located within 5 feet of any property line except in the case of combined parking facilities. The proposed parking area on the subject property is not combined with the parking facility on the property to the north and therefore the 5-foot setback is required.
Findings of Fact
Staff is supportive of the proposed parking variance as inadequate width is available on the property to provide both the required setback and the required parking spaces. Further, the proposal brings the property more into compliance by providing a paved surface for the parking area and by providing an ADA accessible space. The petitioner’s responses to the Standards for Granting a Zoning Variance are attached. Upon review, staff agrees with the petitioner’s findings and recommends their adoption by the Planning and Zoning Commission.
Parking Space Variance
The petitioner is also requesting approval of a parking variance to reduce the minimum number of parking spaces required for a “fitness facility” use. Per Municipal Code Section 6-9-3:6, a fitness facility is required to provide 4 parking spaces per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area. The existing building is 6,405 gross square feet and therefore 26 parking spaces are required. The petitioner is providing 9 spaces (including one ADA parking space), which is 17 spaces short of the minimum requirement.
Due to the private nature of the gym and lacrosse facility, the petitioner says that the facility will have limited parking needs. On weekdays before 5:00 p.m., the building will host 2 to 3 personal trainers and clients, and in the evenings, the building will be used by the petitioner and his son to train for lacrosse. The petitioner estimates that no more than 6 vehicles will be parked on the property during the weekdays. On weekends, the petitioner estimates that a maximum of 8 vehicles could be parked on the property due to overlap between gym clients and lacrosse training in the early morning hours.
Findings of Fact
Based on the projected parking demand outlined by the petitioner, staff believes the provision of 9 parking spaces is sufficient to meet the demand of the private gym and lacrosse facility and supports the request. The petitioner’s responses to the Standards for Granting a Zoning Variance are attached. Upon review, staff agrees with the petitioner’s findings and recommends their adoption by the Planning and Zoning Commission subject to the following condition:
If the City’s Zoning Administrator determines that the private gym and lacrosse facility’s parking needs cannot be accommodated with the parking on the subject property, the Petitioner shall take adequate measures to meet the parking needs of said facility, including but not limited to limiting business hours of operation, altering the number of employees or other business operations, constructing additional parking spaces, and/or establishing an overflow parking location off-site as necessary, which shall be subject to the review and approval of the Zoning Administrator. Failure to timely take adequate measures to accommodate the facility’s parking needs may result in the City’s revocation of the parking variance.
Exterior Building Modifications
In addition to the construction of the paved parking area and interior renovations, the petitioner is proposing several changes to the exterior building façade that will change the overall look of the building. The existing building is currently composed of brick on the front façade facing Washington Street and cinder block on the north and west facing facades (the south facade is a shared wall). According to the petitioner’s architect, the existing brick façade is over 70 years old and has been poorly maintained.
To provide consistent treatment on all façades of the building and to meet minimum insulation requirements, the petitioner is proposing to install dark gray hardie board siding on the exterior of the building. The petitioner is also proposing to remove the two garage doors at the front of the building and replace them with an entry door and new windows. All but two of the windows on the north facing facade will be removed and filled and the remaining windows will be replaced.
Staff finds that the proposed exterior building modifications are consistent with the intent of the Citywide Building Design Guidelines and will improve the appearance of a currently vacant and dilapidated building.
Key Takeaways
• The petitioner requests a variance to decrease the required 5-foot minimum parking setback to 0 feet along the north property line and a variance to reduce the required minimum number of parking spaces on the subject property from 26 spaces to 9 spaces.
• Staff is in support of these requests subject to the condition of approval noted above.