CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
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Pass the ordinance approving a variance to permit a detached garage/summer kitchen at 337 N. Sleight Street - DEV-0101-2025
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DEPARTMENT: Transportation, Engineering and Development
SUBMITTED BY: Anna Franco, AICP, Community Planner
BOARD/COMMISSION REVIEW:
The Planning and Zoning Commission (PZC) considered DEV-0101-2025 on November 19, 2025, and recommended approval of the request (approved 9-0). Staff concurs.
BACKGROUND:
The subject property is located at the southwest corner of Sleight Street and 4th Avenue, just south of the BNSF commuter railroad tracks, and is zoned R2 (Single-Family and Low Density Multiple-Family Residence District). The property is approximately 8,092 square feet and is improved with a two-story single-family residence and detached, historic summer kitchen structure.
The existing summer kitchen is approximately 319 square feet and 16 feet in height and is located to the west of the primary residence on the property. The structure has a setback of 3.53 feet from the west property line and therefore does not comply with the minimum detached accessory structure setback of five feet as outlined in Municipal Code Section 6-2-10:1 (Accessory Buildings, Structures and Use of Land: Location). There is no garage on the property, so vehicles currently park on the small driveway off 4th Avenue, which is slightly less in length than a standard parking space. Since no garage currently exists, the property does not comply with the City requirement for the provision of one enclosed parking space per Municipal Code Section 6-9-2:4.2.1 (Off-Street Parking Facilities).
DISCUSSION:
The petitioner and property owner, Lisa Coronel, has submitted a petition for approval of a variance in order to lift the existing detached summer kitchen about six feet and construct a garage underneath the summer kitchen at the property. According to the property owner, the summer kitchen is historic in nature and is believed to have been moved to the property in the 1940s.
The new detached structure will be two stories, with the garage and a new lean-to summer kitchen addition located on the first floor and the lifted summer kitchen structure comprising the second floor. The structure will be located about 7.5 feet south of the front wall of the existing summer kitchen to accommodate a longer driveway to 4th Avenue and will comply with all applicable setbacks. The new structure will have a total footprint of about 530 square feet and a height of 22 feet.
The accessory structure regulations of the Naperville Municipal Code state that accessory structures in residential districts shall be limited to a maximum of 18 feet, as measured from the grade at the base of the structure to the highest point of the roof. The proposed structure is four feet higher than the maximum permitted height due to the fixed height of the existing summer kitchen and therefore requires approval of a variance to Municipal Code Section 6-2-10:3 (Accessory Buildings, Structures, and Uses of Land: Height Limitations).
Findings of Fact
Staff is supportive of the variance to the maximum accessory structure height as the proposal is a creative solution for both preserving a historic summer kitchen structure while also bringing the structure into compliance with required setbacks and the property into compliance with the minimum residential parking requirement. The petitioner’s responses to the Standards for Granting a Zoning Variance are attached. Upon review, the Planning and Zoning Commission and staff agree with the petitioner’s findings and recommend their adoption by the City Council.
Please note that the property owner has confirmed that the structure will not be used as an accessory dwelling unit as accessory dwellings are not permitted in the City at this time.
Planning and Zoning Commission Action
The Planning and Zoning Commission conducted the public hearing to consider DEV-0101-2025 on November 19, 2025. No public comments were voiced during the public hearing. The Planning and Zoning Commission provided positive remarks about the proposal and then closed the public hearing and voted to recommend approval of the petitioner’s request as presented (approved 9-0). Staff concurs with the Planning and Zoning Commission’s recommendation.
Key Takeaways
• The subject property is improved with a single-family home and detached historic summer kitchen structure. The owner wishes to preserve the existing detached summer kitchen and construct a garage underneath the summer kitchen at the property, which requires a variance to the height limitation for accessory structures.
• Staff and the Planning and Zoning Commission support the requested variance as the proposal preserves a historic structure and brings the structure into compliance with required setbacks and parking regulations.
FISCAL IMPACT
N/A