CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
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Receive the staff report and conduct the public hearing to consider the Annexation Agreement and related ordinances for the property located at 10826-10846 S. Book Road for The Reserves of Saddle Creek - DEV-0033-2025 (Item 1 of 7)
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DEPARTMENT: Transportation, Engineering and Development
SUBMITTED BY: Anna Franco, AICP, Community Planner
BOARD/COMMISSION REVIEW:
The Planning and Zoning Commission conducted the public hearing regarding DEV-0033-2025 on July 16, 2025, and recommended approval of the petitioner’s request (approved 7-0). Staff concurs.
BACKGROUND:
The subject property is approximately eight acres and is located on the west side of Book Road where Clearwater Lane intersects Book Road. The property is currently zoned A-1 in unincorporated Will County and had been improved with two single-family homes and associated farmstead structures, which have recently been demolished by the developer. Adjacent uses include the Clow Creek Greenway to the north, an unincorporated single-family residence to the south and incorporated single-family residential homes to the east, south and west.
DISCUSSION:
The petitioner, Doug Overstreet, requests approval of certain entitlements to redevelop the property with 14 single-family dwelling units in the City of Naperville, to be known as The Reserves of Saddle Creek. As part of the development, the petitioner is proposing to connect the dead end of Clearwater Lane to Book Road and locate seven single-family lots on the north side of the proposed Clearwater Lane extension and seven single family lots south of the road extension. Stormwater detention is proposed along the north property line and provides a large green area between the single-family lots and the Clow Creek Greenway to the north.
Annexation & Rezoning
The petitioner is requesting annexation into the City of Naperville. The subject property is contiguous with the City of Naperville’s municipal boundaries and is therefore eligible for annexation. Upon annexation, the petitioner seeks to rezone the subject property to R1A (Low Density Single-Family District). Staff finds the proposed R1A zoning to be consistent with the property’s Single-Family and Duplex Residential Future Land Use Master Plan designation and compatible with the existing zoning of surrounding properties
Findings of Fact
The petitioner’s responses to the Standards for Granting a Map Amendment are included in the attachments. Upon review, the Planning and Zoning Commission and staff agree with the petitioner’s findings and recommend their adoption by the City Council.
Preliminary/Final Plat of Subdivision
The petitioner is proposing to subdivide the eight-acre subject property into 14 single-family lots as well as one outlot for stormwater management. The petitioner is also dedicating to the City a total of 1.2 acres of right-of-way for the extension of Clearwater Lane and 0.57 acres of right-of-way for Book Road. The preliminary/final subdivision plat meets all technical requirements for preliminary/final plats of subdivision with the exception of the requested subdivision deviation to the ninety percent rule and the requested deviations to City of Naperville Design Manual for Public Improvements. Staff recommends approval of the requested preliminary/final plat of subdivision.
Subdivision Deviation
The petitioner is requesting a subdivision deviation from the ninety percent rule as Lots 13 and 14 do not meet the minimum lot size based on the ninety percent rule calculation. The ninety percent rule requires a minimum lot size of any single-family residential lot that results from resubdividing one or more existing lots to be equal to or greater than ninety percent (90%) of the mean of all the incorporated single-family residential lots within 300 feet of the proposed lot. The ninety percent rule requires a minimum lot size of 13,662 square feet and Lots 13 and 14 are 12,515 square feet and 11,727 square feet, respectively, or 1,147 and 1,935 square feet less than the minimum lot size based on the ninety percent rule.
For planning and safety considerations, the City is requesting that the proposed extension of Clearwater Lane directly align with the existing Clearwater Lane intersection on the east side of Book Road. Due to this alignment, Lots 13 and 14 do not meet the ninety percent rule requirement for lot size.
Findings of Fact
Staff is supportive of the requested subdivision deviation as the required alignment of Clearwater Lane imposes practical difficulties and hardships due to special and unusual conditions not generally found on other properties and that are beyond the control of the petitioner. Further, Lots 13 and 14 well exceed the minimum lot size of 10,000 square feet as required in the R1A zoning district. The petitioner’s responses to the Standards for Granting a Subdivision Deviation can be found in the attachments. Upon review, the Planning and Zoning Commission and staff agree with the petitioner’s findings and recommend their adoption by the City Council.
Rear Yard Setback Variance
The petitioner is requesting approval of a variance from Section 6-6A-7:1 of the Municipal Code to reduce the rear yard setback for Lot 14 from the required 28.2 feet to 20 feet.
Due to the required alignment of Clearwater Lane, Lot 14 is a smaller lot with a shallower lot depth than the other lots within the proposed subdivision and therefore the petitioner is requesting relief from the required rear yard setback to provide a marketable building footprint on this lot. Since the reduced rear yard will permit a future patio, deck, and other backyard amenities to be located closer to the rear lot line than the other lots in the subdivision, the petitioner is providing a six-foot fence at the rear of this property to provide permanent screening for the benefit of the unincorporated residential property to the south.
Findings of Fact
Due to the hardship created by the Clearwater Lane alignment, staff is supportive of the requested variance, subject to the following condition to ensure screening will be maintained on Lot 14 in perpetuity:
A six-foot tall privacy fence or minimum six-foot tall evergreen landscaping is required to be maintained along the rear property line of Lot 14 in perpetuity.
The petitioner’s responses to the Standards for Granting a Variance are included in the attachments. Upon review, the Planning and Zoning Commission and staff agree with the petitioner’s findings and recommend their adoption by the City Council.
Deviations to City of Naperville Design Manual for Public Improvements
The petitioner is requesting a deviation from the Naperville Design Manual for Public Improvements. The petitioner is requesting approval of a deviation from Section 2.5.4.2 of the Design Manual to permit a maximum side-slope of 4:1 for a detention basin adjacent to a residential area in lieu of 6:1. The petitioner’s responses to the Standards for Granting a Subdivision Deviation can be found in the attachments. Staff supports the requested deviation and recommends its adoption by the City Council.
Historic Preservation
The subject property is included in the Will County Rural Historic Structures Survey Project and some of the existing structures on the property were considered “contributing” to rural and historic heritage per the “Wheatland, Plainfield, and Lockport Townships” chapter of the report. However, the structures are not listed as historical landmarks and are therefore not protected from demolition. The petitioner has since demolished all existing structures on the property, but per the City request, coordinated with Naper Settlement and Naperville Preservation Inc. to conduct photo surveys of the existing structures and to salvage material from the property prior to demolition.
As noted above, the petitioner worked closely in a commendable partnership with Naper Settlement, Naperville Preservation Inc., and the Naperville Heritage Society throughout the entitlement process to retrieve historical components from the main house on the property. A letter from the Naperville Heritage Society outlines this partnership and is included in the attachments for reference. The petitioner also commissioned a historical and architectural report that identifies the property as being in the notable Clow family for six generations and originally part of a much larger tract of land that was purchased from the public domain by Robert Clow Sr. in 1844. The present-day farmhouse was built c. 1910 by then-owner John B. Clow, the grandson of Robert Clow Sr, and replaced a c. 1850s house built by Robert Clow Jr, which was apparently destroyed by a fire. For the purposes of recording this history, the report will be on file with Naper Settlement.
Planning and Zoning Commission Action
The Planning and Zoning Commission conducted the public hearing to consider DEV-0033-2025 at the July 16, 2025 meeting. Two adjacent residents spoke at the hearing and expressed concerns relating to screening and buffering between the existing single-family homes and the proposed single-family homes, tree removal, stormwater impacts, and the overall impact the development will have on the neighborhood. The Planning and Zoning Commission discussed the cited tree-removal and screening concerns and expressed interest to the petitioner for potential privacy fencing and additional landscaping. The Commission also addressed stormwater concerns with staff to ensure stormwater will be adequately addressed on the subject property. The Planning and Zoning Commission closed the public hearing and voted to recommend approval of the petitioner’s request (approved 7-0) subject to the conditions of approval for the rear lot setback variance. Staff concurs.
The petitioner’s final landscape drawings include the fence in the rear of Lot 14 as recommended by the PZC. As such, 18 coniferous trees were added along the south property line, however, no additional fencing was added to the plans following PZC review.
Key Takeaways
1. The petitioner requests approval of an annexation agreement, annexation, rezoning (map amendment) to R1A upon annexation, a preliminary/final plat of subdivision, a subdivision deviation to the ninety percent rule, a variance to reduce the rear yard setback for Lot 14, and an engineering deviation to develop the property with 14 single-family homes.
2. Staff and the Planning and Zoning Commission are in support of the requested entitlements subject to the condition of approval for the provision of rear yard screening on Lot 14.
Related Files
• 25-1141 - Pass the ordinance authorizing the execution of the Annexation Agreement (requires six positive votes) for The Reserves of Saddle Creek - DEV-0033-2025 (Item 2 of 7)
• 25-1142 - Pass the ordinance annexing 10826-10846 S. Book Road for The Reserves of Saddle Creek - DEV-0033-2025 (Item 3 of 7)
• 25-1143 - Pass the ordinance rezoning 10826-10846 S. Book Road for The Reserves of Saddle Creek to R1A upon annexation - DEV-0033-2025 (Item 4 of 7)
• 25-1144 - Pass the ordinance approving a Preliminary/Final Plat of Subdivision and a subdivision deviation for The Reserves of Saddle Creek - DEV-0033-2025 (Item 5 of 7)
• 25-1145 - Pass the ordinance approving a variance for The Reserves of Saddle Creek - DEV-0033-2025 (Item 6 of 7)
• 25-1146 - Pass the ordinance granting a deviation from the City of Naperville Design Manual for Public Improvements for The Reserves of Saddle Creek - DEV-0033-2025 (Item 7 of 7)
FISCAL IMPACT:
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