PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
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Conduct the public hearing to consider a variance to Section 6-9-3 (Schedule of Off Street Parking Requirements) for the property located at 1504-1516 N. Naper Boulevard (Tower Crossing) - PZC 23-1-052
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DEPARTMENT: Transportation, Engineering and Development
SUBMITTED BY: John Scopelliti, Assistant Planner
ENTITLEMENTS REQUESTED:
A variance to the off street parking requirements for an eating establishment per Section 6-9-3:4 (Schedule of Off Street Parking Requirements) is requested to permit 23 parking spaces rather than the required 52 parking spaces for an eating establishment.
BOARD/COMMISSION REVIEW:
Official notice for the public hearing for PZC 23-1-052 was published in the Naperville Sun on Sunday, July 2, 2023.
BACKGROUND:
The subject property is zoned B3 (General Commercial District) and is located at 1504-1516 N. Naper Boulevard (Tower Crossing). The approximately 94,500 square foot lot currently has four commercial buildings and a shared parking lot located on the property. The petitioner/property owner, Napleton Investment Partnership L.P., is seeking approval of a variance to the off-street parking requirements for Shabu-You Japanese Restaurant.
DISCUSSION:
The Tower Crossing Shopping Center includes approximately 94,500 square feet of tenant space and 455 shared parking spaces. The current tenant mix is varied and includes retail space, office, commercial services and eating establishments that have differing peak times. In accordance with Section 6-9-3 (Schedule of Off Street Parking Requirements) <https://library.municode.com/il/naperville/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TIT6ZORE_CH9OFSTPA_6-9-3SCOFSTPARE> of the Municipal Code, the current tenant mix (not including the proposed Shabu-You restaurant) requires 433 parking spaces, resulting in a parking surplus of 22 parking spaces.
The proposed eating establishment, Shabu-You Japanese Restaurant, is approximately 5,160 square feet in size and plans to occupy 1512 N. Naper Boulevard (Units 148, 152, and 156). Section 6-9-3:4 (Schedule of Off Street Parking Requirements) <https://library.municode.com/il/naperville/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TIT6ZORE_CH9OFSTPA_6-9-3SCOFSTPARE> of the Code requires eating establishments to have a parking ratio of 10 parking spaces per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area, which requires 52 parking spaces for the proposed restaurant. The purpose of this requirement is to ensure that adequate parking is provided to meet demand. With the addition of Shabu-You, the Tower Crossing Shopping Center would be required to have a total of 485 parking spaces on site, therefore the petitioner seeks approval of a parking variance to reduce the total required parking on-site by approximately 30 parking spaces (455 spaces provided vs. 485 parking spaces required).
To support the requested variance, the petitioner has submitted a detailed parking study that compares the City’s parking requirements to current parking occupancy/demand and national parking data. As noted above, 455 parking spaces are available within the Tower Crossing shopping center. Based on the petitioner’s Parking Supply and Occupancy Survey, only 64% (or 292 of the 455 spaces) are currently occupied during peak times, signifying a significant parking surplus.
The parking study also includes data from the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) that can be used to determine how many vehicles would be expected to park in the Tower Crossing lot on an hourly basis should Shabu-You occupy a tenant space. The calculations show that the percentage of occupied spaces in the lot would rise from 64% to 75% at the peak hour (12:00pm) and would stay below 75% occupied at off-peak hours (11:00am, 1:00pm, and 2:00pm). According to the data if Shabu-You was to move into their respected unit, a continued parking surplus would be available on the site as follows:
- 151 parking spaces available during the weekday off-peak hours (~33% Available)
- 114 parking spaces available during the weekday peak hour (~25% Available)
- 158 parking spaces available during the Saturday off-peak hours (~35% Available)
- 116 parking spaces available during the Saturday peak hour (~25% Available)
*Please note these quantities and percentages above are structured around the potential business operating under code requirements for off-street parking; 10 parking spaces per 1,000 SF for an eating establishment.*
As a guideline, the parking study states the parking demand should not exceed 90% of the supply.
Based on the Tower Crossing Shopping Center’s current parking demand and the projected parking demand outlined in the petitioner’s parking study, staff believes the requested parking variance is appropriate and is supportive of the request.
Findings of Fact
The petitioner’s responses to the Standards for Granting a Variance can be found in the attachments. Upon review, staff is in agreement with the variance findings and recommends adoption by the Planning and Zoning Commission.
Key Takeaways
• The petitioner requests a variance from Naperville Municipal Code Section 6-9-3 (Schedule of Off Street Parking Requirements). Staff supports the requested variance.