PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
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Conduct the public hearing to consider a variance to Section 6-6B-7:1 (Yard Requirements) for the single-family home two-story addition at 524 S. Brainard St - PZC 23-1-107
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DEPARTMENT: Transportation, Engineering and Development
SUBMITTED BY: John Scopelliti, Assistant Planner
ENTITLEMENTS REQUESTED:
A variance to Section 6-6B-7:1 (Yard Requirements) to allow a two-story addition to a single-family home to encroach the rear yard setback approximately 5 feet 1 inch.
BOARD/COMMISSION REVIEW:
Official notice for the public hearing for PZC 23-1-107 was published in the Naperville Sun on Sunday, December 31, 2023.
BACKGROUND:
The property is zoned R1-B (Medium Density Single-Family Residence District) and is located at 524 S. Brainard St. The petitioner is Thomas Budzik, 2800 S River Rd, Des Plaines, IL 60018. The subject property is approximately 0.23 acres in size, with the primary dwelling unit fronting the east side of Brainard Street and driveway access provided at the rear of the property, from Victoria Ct. As depicted in the attached site plan, the subject property is unique as it is a flag lot with vehicular access provided from the rear of the property.
DISCUSSION:
The petitioner, Thomas Budzik, is proposing an approximately 750 square foot, two-story addition to the single-family in the rear of the property as illustrated in the attachments. This addition serves to provide a new family room on the ground floor and a new office on the second floor. The petitioner is requesting approval of a variance from Section 6-6B-7:1 (Yard Requirements) of the Naperville Municipal Code to allow the proposed two-story addition to encroach approximately 5 feet 1 inch into the 21.8 foot required rear yard. Staff notes the two-story addition is not parallel with the rear property line and that the proposed addition setback varies depending on where it is measured from. The proposed addition encroaches approximately 3 feet into the rear yard when measured at the northern portion, and approximately 5 feet 1 inch when measured at the southern portion, resulting in approximately 85.72 square feet of the addition being located in the required rear yard.
The setback and lot coverage requirements that are established in the Naperville Municipal Code for both attached and detached accessory structures are intended to preserve a portion of a residential rear yard for open space. The petitioner’s proposed encroachment results from the unique configuration of the lot, combined with the access provided from the rear property line on Victoria Court, making the rear yard an irregular shape and shallow proximate to the existing home.
The petitioner has ensured the massing and design of the proposed addition maintain the existing character of the home and neighborhood, including maintaining similar building materials and making use of window shapes and roof geometries found in the neighborhood. Additionally, the petitioner has indicated that neighboring homeowners have pledged support for the proposed addition as provided in the attached public comments.
Based on the subject property’s unique configuration and compatibility with the surrounding neighborhood, staff finds the variance request to be appropriate and recommends approval of the request. If the Planning and Zoning Commission determines that the Standards for Granting a Variance are met, staff recommends adding the following condition of approval to this variance to further the intent of the Zoning Ordinance to preserve such open space:
The 85.72 square feet of the two-story addition encroaching into the rear yard setback as depicted on the site plan shall be included when calculating the percentage of the required yard that may be occupied by detached accessory structures, such that the total square footage of the detached accessory structures plus the new addition shall not exceed 25% of the required rear yard per Section 6-2-10.5 of the Naperville Municipal Code.
Findings of Fact
The petitioner’s responses to the Standards for Granting a Variance can be found in the attachments. Upon review, staff agrees with the variance findings and recommends their adoption by the Planning and Zoning Commission.
Key Takeaways
• The petitioner requests a variance from Naperville Municipal Code Section 6-6B-7:1 (Yard Requirements) to allow a single-family home addition to encroach the rear yard setback approximately 5.1 feet. Due to the uniqueness of the subject property, staff supports the requested variance.
• Staff is supportive of the requested variance and recommends the inclusion of a condition of approval that factors the two-story addition in the calculation of percentage of the required rear yard that may be occupied by detached accessory structures.