CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
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Pass the ordinance approving a conditional use for public assembly in the ORI district for the IPSD 204 STEPS Program - PZC 22-1-062
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DEPARTMENT: Transportation, Engineering and Development
SUBMITTED BY: Sara Kopinski, AICP
BOARD/COMMISSION REVIEW:
The Planning and Zoning Commission (PZC) considered PZC 22-1-062 on July 20, 2022 and recommended approval of the request (approved 8-0). Staff concurs.
BACKGROUND:
The subject property is located at the northeast corner of Mill Street and Shuman Boulevard. It is zoned ORI and is developed with a three-story, multi-tenant office building. The petitioner, Indian Prairie School District 204, proposes utilizing approximately 21,900 sq. ft. on the first floor of the building to run the STEPS (Supportive Training Experience Post-Secondary) program.
The school district requests approval of a conditional use for a public assembly use on the subject property, pursuant to Section 6-8B-3:15 (ORI/Conditional Uses) of the Municipal Code. To support the conditional use request, the petitioner has provided an overview of the program, a transportation traffic plan, as well as letters of support from existing tenants within the surrounding Naperville Office Park Owners Association.
DISCUSSION:
The STEPS Program is a transition program for young adults 18-22 years of age that focuses on skills aimed at achieving a student’s individual goals for independent living after high school. It is currently sharing space with the district’s freshman center, and the school district is looking to relocate the program due to overcrowding issues and incompatibility for the 2022/23 school year. The subject property’s large parking lot and adequate space attracted them to this location.
The STEPS Program is classified as a “public assembly use” which requires a conditional use approval in the ORI zoning district. The STEPS Program is proposed as a first-floor tenant, utilizing approximately 21,900 sq. ft. of a 110,000 sq. ft. multi-story, multi-tenant office building. The school district projects approximately 120 young adults and 55 staff to be a part of the program for the 2022/23 school year.
The impact on adjacent users is anticipated to be minimal as ample parking is available on the site and bus circulation for twenty buses can be accommodated as shown on the bus circulation plan included in the attachments. Students will enter a common hallway and be allowed a secure access, via key card, to the space.
The school district has identified that young adults will arrive via bus in the morning, and approximately 20 buses are anticipated each day. The drop-off/pick-up process is not expected to impede or otherwise affect the other tenants of the building as it is expected to be completed in under 10 minutes.
Letters of support have been received from four businesses located within the surrounding Naperville Office Park Owners Association. The school district believes the presence of a program for young adults with disabilities will have a positive impact on the other tenants, surrounding businesses (as potential future work sites or volunteer sites), and community, as the young adults are eager to make a difference in their surroundings and learn the skills that will make them contributing members of the community and society.
The City’s Land Use Master Plan identifies the future place type for the subject property as Employment Center. Staff finds the proposed use to be compatible with this designation since several community facilities like the proposed STEPS Program (including schools) are identified as supporting uses in this place type. Furthermore, the underlying land use designation for the site will remain consistent with existing conditions as the majority of the building (approximately 88,100 sq. ft. / 80% of the building) will continue to be used for professional and medical offices.
Findings of Fact
The petitioner’s responses to the Standards for Granting a Conditional Use can be found in the attachments. The PZC and staff concur with the petitioner’s findings and recommend their approval by City Council.
Planning and Zoning Commission Action
The PZC conducted the public hearing to consider PZC 22-1-062 on July 20, 2022. No member of the public provided testimony. After limited discussion, the Planning and Zoning Commission closed the public hearing and voted to recommend approval of the petitioner’s request (approved 8-0). Staff concurs with the recommendation.
RELATED FILES
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