PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
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Conduct the public hearing for Naperville Polo Club located north of 119th Street, east of Route 59 and west of Book Road- PZC 22-1-056
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DEPARTMENT: Transportation, Engineering and Development
SUBMITTED BY: Gabrielle Mattingly, AICP
ENTITLEMENTS REQUESTED:
• Annexation and Annexation Agreement
• Rezoning to R2
• Preliminary Subdivision Plat
• Preliminary PUD Plat (Section 6-6C-3)
• Conditional Use to permit single-family attached units (townhomes) (Section 6-6C-3:5)
• PUD Deviations
o Requested Deviations for the Spring Series
§ Reduce the minimum lot size from 6,000 sf to 4,510 sf (Section 6-6C-5:1)
§ Reduce the minimum lot width from 50’ to 41’ (Section 6-6C-6:1)
§ Reduce the front yard setback from 25’ to 20’ (Section 6-6C-7:1)
§ Reduce the interior side yard setback from 16’ total for 2 side yards with each side yard a minimum of 6’ to 11’ total for 2 side yards with each side yard a minimum of 5’ (Section 6-6C-7:1)
§ Reduce the corner side yard setback from 15’ to 10’ (Section 6-6C-7:1)
§ Reduce the rear yard setback from 25’ to 20’ (Section 6-6C-7:1)
§ Permit the eaves to encroach 12” into the easements (Section 6-2-3:5.3)
o Monument Sign deviations
§ Increase the maximum permitted monument sign size for all four monument signs from 32 square feet to 40 square feet (Section 6-16-4:2.1.2)
§ Increase the maximum permitted height of the two monument signs adjacent to Book Road from 6’ to 8’-4” (Section 6-16-4:2.1.3)
• Variance to the exterior wall construction requirements to permit 0% masonry on the single family attached units (townhomes) (Section 5-2C-3)
• Temporary use to approve a marketing signage plan
BOARD/COMMISSION REVIEW:
Official notice for the public hearing for PZC 22-1-056 was published in the Naperville Sun on September 4, 2022.
BACKGROUND:
The subject property is located at the northwest corner of 119th Street and Book Road, located in unincorporated Will County. The property is approximately 110 acres and is generally used as sporting fields with a handful of auxiliary structures. The subject property is surrounded by a residential neighborhood to the north (South Pointe); Riverview Forest Preserve to the east; 119th Street, a residential neighborhood, and agricultural property to the south; and a business to the west. The property located to the north is incorporated into the City of Naperville and the properties located to the south, east and west and in unincorporated Will County.
Prior Development Proposal (PZC 18-1-022)
A prior development was previously proposed for the subject property by developer DR Horton. This proposal was never approved by the City Council and the application has since expired. The subject property has continued to remain in unincorporated Will County.
DISCUSSION:
The petitioner, Pulte Home Company, LLC, requests the entitlements previously described in order to develop the subject property with 252 single family detached homes and 149 single family attached homes (townhomes) for a total of 401 units, including common open space and two multiuse fields. The petitioner’s annexation request is not reviewed by the Planning & Zoning Commission, but information on the request is provided for reference. The annexation request will be heard at a subsequent public hearing during a City Council meeting.
While the subject property is not located within the City’s current planning boundary, it is adjacent to property located within the City and to the Land Use Master Plan (2022) boundary. Staff has identified the following goals from the Land Use Master Plan which the proposed development furthers:
1. Guiding Principle #1: Ensuring Housing is diverse, responsive to community needs, and accessible to everybody (p.27):
a. Emphasize housing diversity to ensure Naperville offers homes that are comfortable, affordable, and inclusive to everybody. Provide homes that are of different types, price points, styles, and densities.
2. Guiding Principle #4: Incorporate thoughtful design and sustainable best practices to make Naperville a healthy community (p.30)
a. A healthy community prioritizes accessibility through strategies like …promoting walking and cycling and protecting critical open space
3. Guiding Principle #5: Coordinate with partner agencies to ensure all residents have access to quality schools, parks, open spaces, and other services (p.31):
a. Support partner agencies (School Districts 203 and 204, the Naperville Park District, the Forest Preserve Districts of DuPage and Will Counties) by supporting land use patterns that provide connections between residents and nearby parks, schools, open spaces, and community facilities. Likewise, facilitating efforts to plan for and develop additional neighborhood parks, trails, and schools…
The petitioner’s proposal is generally consistent with the goals of the Land Use Master Plan (2022) by providing a mix of housing types, promoting a healthy community through the provision of open space and multi-use trails, and coordinating with the City’s partner agencies to provide multiuse fields and open space to be donated to the Naperville Park District (Outlots E & F) and a stormwater management area (Outlot D) to be donated to the Will County Forest Preserve District.
Rezoning
The petitioner requests rezoning upon annexation to R2 (Single Family and Low Density Multiple-family Residence District). The proposed development provides a transition from the single-family residential and forest preserve uses to the north and east, to the more intense arterial road (119th Street) to the south, and commercial and industrial districts located further to the south and west (near Route 59 and 119th Street), by situating the single family detached homes in the north portions of the site and the townhomes in the southern portion of the site. The proposed mix of single family detached, and single family attached is consistent with the intent of the R2 zoning district to provide multiple-family areas of low-density character accommodating a variety of housing types. The proposal is consistent with the goals and recommendations of the Land Use Master Plan by providing a variety of housing types and thoughtful design through the coordination of partner agencies. The petitioner’s responses to the Standards for Granting a Rezoning are included in the Development Petition. Staff is in general agreement with the petitioner’s Findings and recommends adoption by the Planning and Zoning Commission.
Preliminary Plat of Subdivision
The petitioner requests approval of a preliminary plat of subdivision in order to plat the 401 lots and associated outlots. The petitioner is seeking approval of deviations to the minimum lot width and lot size for the Springs series lots. Per code Section 7-2-2:5, the proposed plat of subdivision is reviewed by the Planning and Zoning Commission given deviations (which require a public hearing before the PZC) are being requesting in conjunction with the subdivision plat. These deviations are further described below.
Preliminary Planned Unit Development
The subject property consists of approximately 110 acres that today is predominately used as sporting fields with several associated structures and gravel parking areas. The petitioner seeks approval of a conditional use for the proposed Polo Club Preliminary PUD in order to develop the property with four different housing series including 252 single family detached homes and 149 single family attached homes for a total of 401 dwelling units.
The petitioner’s responses to the Standards for Granting a PUD are included in the Development Petition. Staff is in general agreement with the petitioner’s Findings, subject to the condition that the petitioner submit additional elevations of the Townes Series (Townhome units) for review and approval in conjunction with the Final PUD submittal and that additional amenities be provided in the common open space areas to meet the intent of the PUD requirements. These requests are described in detail below. Staff recommends adoption of the Standards for Granting a PUD by the Planning and Zoning Commission.
The four different housing series are: Estates, Meadows, Springs, and Townes. Each series is described below and a site plan that identifies the location of each housing series can be found in the attachments:
Estates Series (59 Single Family Detached Dwelling Units)
The Estates series is comprised of 59 lots located in the northern portion of the property created for construction of 59 single family detached dwelling units. The lots range in size from roughly 7,903 square feet to 15,448 square feet. The Estates Series lots are the largest single family lots included within the development. These lots will be in compliance with the R2 minimum required lot area (6,000 square feet) and lot width (50’). No deviations are sought for creation of the Estates series.
Meadows Series (54 Single Family Detached Dwelling Units)
The Meadows series is comprised of 54 lots generally located in the northern portion of the property, just south of the Estates series, created for construction of 54 single family detached dwelling units. The lots range in size from 6,720 square feet to 10,499 square feet, in compliance with the R2 minimum required lot area (6,000 square feet) and lot width (50’). No deviations are sought for creation of the Meadow series.
Springs Series PUD Deviations (139 Single Family Detached Dwelling Units)
The Springs series is comprised of 139 lots and are generally located throughout the center of the property and to the southwest corner of the property, just below the Meadows series and above the Townes series. The petitioner seeks approval of several deviations in order to permit the Springs series lots. The deviations are as follows:
|
Code Provision |
Requirement |
Request Deviation |
|
Minimum Lot Size (Section 6-6C-5:1) |
6,000 square feet |
4,510 square feet |
|
Minimum Lot Width (Section 6-6C-6:1) |
50’ |
41 |
|
Front Yard Setback (Section 6-6C-7:1) |
25’ |
20’ |
|
Interior Side Yard Setback (Section 6-6C-7:1) |
16’ total for 2 side yards, with each side yard a minimum of 6’ |
11’ total for 2 side yards with each side yard a minimum of 5’ |
|
Corner Side Yard Setback (Section 6-6C-7:1) |
15’ |
10’ |
|
Rear Side Yard Setback (Section 6-6C-7:1) |
25’ |
20’ |
|
Easement Encroachment (Section 6-2-3:5.3) |
No encroachment above, across, under or over a 5’ interior side yard drainage or utility easement from ground level to the sky |
12” encroachment for the eaves |
Staff is supportive of the requested deviations as the Springs series will diversify the City’s housing stock and provide a more affordable for-sale option (as further described below) which helps meet an unmet housing need in the City. The petitioner’s responses to the Standards for Granting a PUD Deviation are included in the Development Petition. Staff is in general agreement with the petitioner’s Findings and recommends adoption by the Planning and Zoning Commission.
Conditional Use for 149 Single Family Attached Dwelling Units (Townes Series)
The Townes series are generally located in the southern portion of the property and are comprised of 149 units within 33 buildings. The number of units per building ranges from 3 units to 6 units. Each unit features front loaded 2-car garages and driveways which accommodate 2 cars. The Townes will be in compliance with the maximum permitted height of 3 stories, not to exceed 40 feet.
The R2 zoning district requires a conditional use for single family attached dwelling units. Staff is supportive of the proposed townhome housing type finding it complements the proposed development and will diversify the housing options in south Naperville. The petitioner’s responses to the Standards for Granting a Conditional Use are included in the Development Petition. Staff is in general agreement with the petitioner’s Findings and recommends adoption by the Planning and Zoning Commission.
Affordability
Following approval of the “Addressing Unmet Housing Needs” plan which was adopted by the City Council in September 2020, the City has worked on several action items to address identified housing challenges and capitalize on opportunities to create diverse housing options at various price points. One of the action items included the creation of an Affordable Housing Incentive Program (AHIP) which would link the creation of affordable housing units to market-rate residential development. The AHIP program was presented to the Planning and Zoning Commission at their meeting held on July 6, 2022. Staff will be seeking City Council direction on next steps following the feedback that was received.
While no program has been formally adopted at this time, the petitioner has committed to a voluntary restriction on the initial sale of a portion of the Springs series and Townes series. The petitioner is proposing that a minimum of 20% of the units in the Springs series and Townes series will be sold at a price that is at or below 80-100% Naperville AMI (for reference, this is equivalent to a household income of approximately $100,700 - $125,900/year resulting in a home purchase price ranging between $352,000 - $440,000, depending on household size). The petitioner has provided a letter detailing the affordability proposal (included in attachments). Should the proposed development be approved, this restriction and its terms would be written in the annexation agreement for the development.
Parking
The development proposes 2 parking spaces per dwelling unit provided in an enclosed garage and 2 parking spaces provided on private driveways for a total of 4 parking spaces per dwelling unit. This exceeds the code required parking of 2 parking spaces for single family detached dwelling units and 2.25 parking spaces for single family attached dwelling units. Residents also have the ability to parking on the street during the day. The on street parking option will function as overflow parking for any additional guests visiting the site (note: overnight on-street parking is not permitted).
Open Space Improvements
The proposed Polo Club development provides approximately 28 acres of common open space, or roughly 38% of the subject property, exceeding the 30% minimum area required by City Code. The open space includes landscaped buffer areas and stormwater management ponds. A multi-use path will be constructed along the north side of 119th Street from the west property line to the east end of the property. This multi-use path will also run north-south through the development on the west of Book Road and along the northeast portion of the property within outlot D (to be dedicated to the Forest Preserve District). In addition to the provided open space, the petitioner is also proposing two multi-use fields with associated parking and an additional open space in the center of the site (outlot F). However, these fields and outlot will be dedicated to the Naperville Park District and therefore, these cannot be counted towards the PUD open space calculation.
Per the Code, PUD outdoor common area must be improved as passive or active recreation, site amenity, environmental protection or beautification. Staff has reviewed the submitted improvements for the open space areas and while significant open space is provided, staff finds additional amenities are needed, particularly within these stormwater areas adjacent to the main entrance (i.e. seating areas, overlooks, gardens, additional walking paths, water features, etc.). Staff requests additional amenities be provided to meet the purpose and intent of a PUD.
Landscape Plan
In addition to the required parkway trees along all public rights-of-way, the landscape plan includes a variety of landscaping to buffer, provide shade, and enhance the proposed development. Landscape buffers are provided along 119th Street and Book Road to provide screening from those roadways. The entrance to the development from 119th Street (Road B) is designed as a boulevard with landscaping proposed in the median and along the side of the roadway which leads to a landscaped roundabout. A 25’ wide landscape buffer is also proposed along the north property line between the Estates Series and the neighborhood to the north.
Building Elevations and Masonry Variance
The petitioner has submitted a building elevation packet which includes depictions of the proposed Meadows, Estates, and Springs series. The packet also includes one rendering of the 4-unit Townes series and side and rear elevations (one version with a habitable attic which depicts a dormer and one version without). The packet also includes four different color palettes for the Townes Series. Given the number of townhome units that are proposed (149 units in 33 buildings), staff has requested the petitioner provide additional color building elevations of the townhome units. In response, the petitioner submitted images of a recent development completed by Pulte (included in attachments), however, no additional color building elevations of the townhomes have been provided. Staff will request the petitioner provide additional elevations of the townhomes in conjunction with the Final PUD approvals.
An anti-monotony provision has been provided for the single family detached buildings. This provision prohibits the single family detached buildings directly next door or directly across the street from having the same front elevation and/or color package as one another. Staff may also seek an anti-monotony provision be provided for the single family attached dwelling units; if an anti-monotony provision is determined to be desirable for the townhomes, staff will include this provision in the annexation agreement for the development.
Per Section 5-2C-3 (Exterior Wall Construction), the proposed townhomes are required to provide a minimum of 50% masonry (brick and/or stone) exterior building materials. The petitioner is seeking approval of a variance to the masonry requirements to reduce the required masonry for the townhome units to 0%. The petitioner has indicated that each townhome unit will consist primarily of vinyl siding and will include portions of masonry (as depicted on the submitted building elevations); however, since the proposed masonry varies between each building and the petitioner has not committed to a minimum % masonry per building, the petitioner is seeking a variance is to reduce the required masonry from 50% to 0% for each townhome building.
The petitioner has stated that the masonry variance is being requested as the masonry requirement adds substantial development costs which does not support the desire to sell the townhomes at an affordable level. Additionally, the petitioner notes the variance will help to provide consistent architecture throughout the development as the masonry requirement is not required for the single family detached units. The petitioner also finds the vinyl siding product has improved significantly and is now a thicker and more durable product, reducing the maintenance cost once found to be necessary with the vinyl product. The petitioner’s responses to the Standards for Granting a PUD Deviation are included in the Development Petition. Staff is in general agreement with the petitioner’s Findings, particularly given the proposed affordability component, and recommends adoption by the Planning and Zoning Commission.
Monument Sign Deviations
Per the Municipal Sign Code, a total of four monument signs are permitted (maximum two per entrance) per subdivision. These signs are permitted to be a maximum size of 32 square feet and a maximum height of 6’ with the exception that this sign height may be increased to 9’ along an arterial roadway.
The petitioner proposes to install four monument signs each monument sign will be 40 square feet in size. Two monument signs are proposed at the Book Road entrance and will be 8’-4” in height and two are proposed at the 119th Street entrance and will be 9’-0” in height. The petitioner seeks deviations to increase the sign size from 32 square feet to 40 square feet and increase the sign height along Book Road from 6’ to 8’-4” (note: 119th Street is considered to be a major arterial roadway therefore a deviation for the height of these signs is not required).
Staff does not have a concern with the proposed monument sign size or height and is in support of the requests. The petitioner’s responses to the Standards for Granting a PUD Deviation are included in the Development Petition. Staff is in general agreement with the petitioner’s Findings and recommends adoption by the Planning and Zoning Commission.
Traffic Impact Study (TIS)
As part of the submittal, the petitioner has provided a Traffic Impact Study. The City has retained Civiltech Engineering, Inc. to conduct review of the Traffic Impact Study. Civiltech reviewed the TIS and provided feedback and the petitioner revised the TIS in response to this feedback. The revised TIS can be found in the attachments (note: Civiltech has not reviewed the revised TIS at this time).
Road C and Road D Intersection
Staff does not support the layout of the northern intersection of Road C and Road D, due to the close proximity of a sharp curve to the T intersection. The Illinois Vehicle Code requires vehicles on the terminating leg of a T-intersection to stop for the adjacent through street. Though this intersection is expected to serve a low volume of vehicles, the proposed alignment could make it difficult for drivers to determine which street is the through street and which approach is required to stop. To avoid this potential confusion and safety concern, staff recommends that the petitioner adjust the roadway configuration.
Hawkweed Drive Closure
Staff finds a temporary closure of Hawkweed Drive, until the subdivision is mostly constructed, acceptable to avoid construction traffic through South Pointe, but staff does not support the closure of Hawkweed Drive until the future 119th Street improvements are completed. The Hawkweed Drive connection provides neighborhood connectivity and benefits both neighborhoods since it expands access to major roads. Staff does not believe this will be an attractive cut-through route for the general public outside of these neighborhoods due to the characteristics of the roadway network in these neighborhoods. The roundabout in Polo Club provides a traffic calming measure, while the road layout in South Pointe requires drivers to make multiple turns before reaching Rt 59. The interim turn lane improvements that Pulte will be implementing at the Route 59 and 119th Street intersection will also partially address the existing intersection capacity issues.
As has been done with other developments (i.e. Costco, Walmart) with similar anticipated traffic concerns, staff will collect traffic data on area streets following the opening of Hawkweed Drive. Based on actual traffic data, traffic calming measures included in the City’s toolkit can be considered if conditions exceed established typical ranges.
Temporary use for signage
The petitioner is requesting approval of a temporary use for approval of a marketing signage plan. This temporary use will establish the parameters of the proposed marketing plan for the development including the total number of signs and the timeframe. The temporary use does not require the review and approval by the Planning and Zoning Commission. This information is provided for reference only.
Waste Service Pickup Plan
All trash and recycling cans will be brought to the street by each individual unit owner for pickup by Groot Waste Management Services for all residential dwelling units (single family detached and townhome units). This approach has been approved by Groot. However, staff notes that this plan may result in many trash and recycling cans near the entrances of the townhome buildings as Groot will only service from the public streets and will not turn into the private drives of the townhomes. Staff notes that the petitioner will be required to submit a trash plan with submittal of the Final Planned Unit Development that illustrates that there is enough space to house the containers without obstructing the drive aisles/sidewalks or damaging landscaping.
Key Takeaways
§ The petitioner requests annexation, rezoning to R2 upon annexation, preliminary plat of subdivision, a conditional use for a Preliminary PUD, a conditional use for single-family attached dwelling units (townhomes), a masonry waiver for the single-family attached dwelling units, 7 deviations for the Springs Series single family detached homes, and 2 deviations to install monument signs in order to develop a mix of 252 single family detached and 149 single family attached (townhomes) on the subject property.
§ Staff is supportive of the proposed use and layout of the subject property and finds the proposed development to be compatible with the surrounding area. Staff is requesting additional elevations of the Townes Series (Townhome units) be provided upon submittal of the Final approvals and is recommending additional amenities be provided in the common open space areas to meet the intent of the PUD requirements.