PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
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Conduct the public hearing to consider the requested entitlements for a multi-family residential development at 5S022 Raymond Drive (McDowell Grove Place) - DEV-0155-2025
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DEPARTMENT: Transportation, Engineering and Development
SUBMITTED BY: Anna Franco, AICP, Community Planner
ENTITLEMENTS REQUESTED:
1. Annexation into the City of Naperville.
2. Rezoning to OCI (Office, Commercial and Institutional) upon annexation.
3. Conditional use for multi-family dwellings in the OCI zoning district per Section 6-7F-3 (OCI District: Conditional Uses) of the Naperville Municipal Code.
4. Variance from Section 6-7F-8:1 (OCI District: Height Limitations) of the Municipal Code to allow a maximum building height of 44 feet, 7 inches in lieu of 43 feet.
5. Variance from Section 6-7F-5:2 (OCI District: Area Requirements) of the Municipal Code to allow one unit per 1,428 square feet (39 units) in lieu of one unit per 2,600 square feet (21 units).
6. Variance from Section 6-9-3:1 (Schedule of Off Street Parking Requirements) of the Municipal Code to allow 1.56 parking spaces per dwelling unit (61 spaces) in lieu of 2.25 parking spaces per dwelling unit (88 spaces).
7. Variance from Section 6-9-2:4.3.1 (Off Street Parking Facilities) and Section 6-9-2:4.6 (Off Street Parking Facilities) of the Municipal Code to decrease the required parking facility setbacks along Raymond Drive.
8. Approval of a Preliminary-Final Plat of Subdivision.
BOARD/COMMISSION REVIEW:
Official notice for the public hearing for DEV-0155-2025 was published in the Naperville Sun on Sunday, November 1, 2026.
BACKGROUND:
The approximately 1.28-acre subject property is located at the northwest corner of Raymond Drive and Crystal Avenue. The property is zoned R-3 in unincorporated DuPage County and is improved with a single-family home.
The property borders the Tabor Hills Healthcare Facility and Tabor Hills Independent Living Community to the north, west, and south, and lies across the street from McDowell Grove, a Forest Preserve of DuPage County property. Also to the north is McDowell Point, a 174-unit age-restricted apartment building approved in 2018 for rezoning to OCI, conditional uses for multi-family residential dwellings and a planned unit development, with deviations from minimum lot area, minimum off-street parking, and maximum building height requirements.
DISCUSSION:
The petitioner, McDowell Grove Place, LLC, as authorized by the owners, Joseph Dichtl and John Dichtl, has submitted preliminary plans and requests approval of the above listed entitlements to redevelop the property with 39 multi-family dwelling units in the City of Naperville, to be known as McDowell Grove Place.
Annexation
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. The Planning and Zoning Commission does not review annexation requests and information on the annexation is provided for information only.
Rezoning
Upon annexation, the petitioner seeks to rezone the subject property to OCI (Office, Commercial and Institutional District). Although the City’s Land Use Master Plan designates this small parcel as Single-Family and Duplex Residential, the surrounding area is designated primarily Medium Density Residential, with High Density Residential immediately to the north. The Single-Family and Duplex Residential designation reflects the site’s historic pattern rather than the existing and planned context along the Raymond Drive corridor.
The surrounding area consists largely of institutional and multi-family residential development within the OCI District, including Tabor Hills Senior Living to the west and the McDowell Point community to the north. Because nearby parcels along Raymond Drive are designated for medium- or high-density residential use, the property’s single-family designation is isolated. The requested OCI classification would continue the corridor’s established development pattern and, given the property’s arterial frontage and proximity to multi-family and senior-housing communities, permit uses better suited to the site than low-density residential zoning.
The City similarly applied the OCI classification, together with conditional use approval for a PUD, to the adjacent Tabor Hills and McDowell Point communities to accommodate their higher-intensity residential and institutional uses. Rezoning the subject property to OCI would therefore align it with the zoning of these neighboring properties and support the development of compatible, complementary land uses.
Findings of Fact
Staff finds the proposed rezoning, and the land use proposed under this zone, to be consistent with the intent of the City’s Land Use Master Plan and compatible with properties in the surrounding area. The petitioner’s responses to the standards for granting a map amendment (rezoning) are attached. Upon review, staff agrees with the petitioner’s findings and recommends their adoption by the Planning and Zoning Commission.
Conditional Use for Multi-family Dwellings
The petitioner requests approval of a conditional use to permit multi-family dwelling units in the OCI zoning district pursuant to Section 6-7F-3 (OCI District: Conditional Uses). The proposed building would contain 39 rental units, consisting of six studios, 30 one-bedroom units, and three two-bedroom units.
• Site Design & Access
The proposed development is oriented towards Raymond Drive and includes a four-story building centrally located on the property and surrounded by surface parking and drive aisles. Resident parking is provided in a first floor garage and supplemented by exterior surface parking on the east and west sides of the building.
A single two-way driveway onto Raymond Drive will provide full access to the property, allowing left and right-turn movements in and out of the subject property. This driveway will replace the two existing access points serving the single-family home. Modifications are proposed to Raymond Drive to accommodate the development, including roadway widening and striping, and a dedicated left turn lane into the development
A traffic study evaluated existing conditions and the development’s anticipated impact on Raymond Drive and Crystal Avenue. The study concluded that the project would generate a modest number of additional peak-hour trips and would not adversely affect levels of service at the study-area intersections.
• Building Elevations
The four-story building is composed of 100% masonry and cementitious construction, including two tones of face brick, masonry heads and sills, and cementitious panels and trim, with a façade articulated by projecting balconies, vertical and horizontal modulation, and high-performance windows. The first floor includes a 28-space parking garage, a trash room, and storage. Windows, planters, and trim help provide visual interest along the first-floor façade.
• Landscape Plan
The petitioner proposes code-compliant landscaping throughout the development, including parkway and perimeter trees, foundation plantings, and screening around parking areas. To provide additional screening and separation from neighboring properties, a six-foot solid fence is proposed along the west and south property lines. Existing trees on the adjacent Tabor Hills property will be protected during construction with tree protection fencing.
• Accessibility
The petitioner has confirmed that the project will meet all applicable federal, state, and local accessibility requirements including two mobility-accessible units and one unit equipped for residents with hearing and/or vision impairments, as required by the Fair Housing Act. All outdoor spaces will be fully ADA accessible for residents and their guests.
• Affordability/Attainability
The petitioner is committed to providing 10% of the total 39 dwelling units as affordable units that are anticipated to be income-restricted to households meeting applicable area median income (AMI) thresholds. For a 39-unit development, this equates to four units. The petitioner notes that affordable units will be integrated within the building and will be comparable in exterior appearance and overall quality to the market rate units. Detailed terms for affordable housing will be discussed before the case proceeds to City Council for review.
• Park and School District
The subject property is serviced by nearby Naperville Park District parks as illustrated in the attached Development Map, including Redfield Commons, located 0.26 miles from the development and by the Forest Preserve of DuPage County’s 465-acre McDowell Grove, located across Raymond Drive with access at Raymond Drive and McDowell Road. Additionally, School District 204 has reviewed the development proposal.
The Municipal Code recognizes that certain uses have unique characteristics that require consideration of their potential impacts on adjacent land and the public need for the use at a particular location before they can be permitted. Accordingly, the OCI zoning district classifies multi-family dwellings as a conditional use, which requires an added layer of review.
In evaluating the request, Staff finds that the subject property does not function as part of a cohesive single-family neighborhood. Instead, the existing single-family residence is a legacy use that differs from the existing development pattern on adjacent properties and serves as a transition between medium-density residential uses and a major transportation corridor. The proposed development would therefore reinforce the established pattern of medium- to high-density residential uses along this section of Raymond Drive and advance sound planning principles by directing greater residential intensity to an arterial corridor.
Findings of Fact
Given the context of the property and the surrounding development pattern, staff finds the requested conditional use for multi-family dwellings appropriate and complementary to adjacent land uses. The petitioner’s responses to the standards for granting a conditional use are attached. Upon review, staff agrees with the petitioner’s findings and recommends their adoption by the Planning and Zoning Commission.
Height Variance
Section 6-7F-8 (OCI District: Height Limitations/Bulk Regulations) of the Municipal Code establishes a maximum height of 43 feet for residential buildings in the OCI zoning district. The petitioner proposes a height of approximately 44 feet, 7 inches. Although the structure measures roughly 42 feet from the finished floor to the roof, its height is 44 feet, 7 inches under the City’s grade-based measurement method. The petitioner further states that the proposed height is context-sensitive and consistent with the scale of other buildings along the Raymond Drive corridor.
Findings of Fact
The additional 1 foot 7 inches feet is believed to be reasonable and proportionate, as it is largely attributed to contemporary construction practices, including floor-to-ceiling heights, structural systems, and roof assembly requirements. The petitioner’s responses to the standards for granting a variance are attached. Upon review, staff agrees with the petitioner’s findings and recommends their adoption by the Planning and Zoning Commission.
Lot Area Variance
The petitioner requests a variance from Section 6-7F-5 (OCI District: Area Requirement) to reduce the required lot area for multi-family dwelling units. Per Code, the lot area for a structure consisting of multi-family dwellings shall not be less than the number of dwelling units times 2,600 square feet (of lot area). This code requirement is not intended to impose a minimum interior/livable square footage requirement for each residential unit proposed. Rather, the lot area requirement is used as a means of controlling density, as well as the bulk of the building. Based on the Code requirement, the petitioner would be permitted to construct 21 units* on the 55,699 square foot subject property. The petitioner requests a variance to decrease the minimum lot area from 2,600 square feet to 1,417 square feet per dwelling unit and allow 39 units on the subject property.
*Please note that the city is requiring the petitioner to dedicate 33 feet (9,678 square feet) of right-of-way along the property’s Raymond Drive frontage. Therefore, the pre-dedication lot area would be approximately 65,377 square feet and would allow 25 units on the property.
Findings of Fact
The petitioner’s responses to the standards for granting a variance can be found in the attachments.
Parking Variance
The petitioner requests a variance from Section 6-9-3:1 (Off-Street Parking Facilities: Residential Uses) to reduce the number of required off-street parking spaces for the development. Per Code, multi-family dwelling units require 2.25 parking spaces per dwelling unit; 2 of which are designated for residents, and 0.25 are designated for guests. Accordingly, the proposed 39-unit building is required to provide a total of 88 parking spaces; 78 spaces for residents and 10 for guests. The petitioner proposes 61 spaces, which is equivalent to 1.56 parking spaces per dwelling unit or 1.45 spaces per bedroom, resulting in a deficiency of 27 spaces.
To support the variance request, the petitioner submitted a parking study that uses national parking data to estimate site parking demand. Based on this data, the study concludes that the development would generate 36 vehicles or 0.92 vehicles per unit, which the proposed supply would accommodate. The study also evaluates comparable multi-family development in Naperville, where the average parking supply is 0.94 spaces er bedroom, equivalent to 39 spaces for this project. Based on these findings, the study concludes that the proposed 61 spaces are sufficient.
Findings of Fact
The petitioner’s responses to the standards for granting a variance can be found in the attachments.
Parking Setback Variances
The petitioner requests variances from Sections 6-9-2:4.3.1 and 6-9-2:4.6 (Off Street Parking Facilities) to reduce the required parking setbacks along Raymond Drive. Specifically, the proposed parking facility would extend 12.5 feet into the required 20-foot front-yard setback and 16.7 feet into the required 70-foot major arterial setback. The front-yard setback is measured from the property line, while the major arterial setback is measured from the roadway centerline. Both requirements are intended to separate parking from the arterial roadway, preserve safe sight lines, and maintain a landscaped frontage.
These variances are requested because the already shallow lot is further constrained by the City-directed dedication of 33 feet of right-of-way along Raymond Drive and the associated roadway widening required by the DuPage County Division of Transportation. The dedication shifts the front property line toward the proposed parking area, thereby reducing compliance with both setbacks independent of the petitioner’s site design. In addition, a slight inward angle in the front property line further narrows the setback area; if the property line continued straight, the parking facility would nearly comply with the required 20-foot front-yard setback.
Findings of Fact
Staff finds that the required right-of-way dedication and the property’s unique configuration create a hardship warranting the requested variances. Staff further finds that the reduced setbacks would not adversely affect sight lines and that code-compliant landscaping, including new trees and shrubs, is provided along the property frontage. The petitioner’s responses to the standards for granting a variance are attached. Upon review, staff agrees with the petitioner’s findings and recommends their adoption by the Planning and Zoning Commission.
Preliminary-Final Plat of Subdivision
The petitioner has submitted a preliminary/final plat of subdivision to dedicate 33 feet (9,678 square feet) of right-of-way along the property’s Raymond Drive frontage and grant a stormwater management easement for the proposed underground detention system. No new lots are proposed and therefore approval of the subdivision plat does not require a public hearing. The subdivision plat is included for reference only and is not reviewed by the Planning and Zoning Commission.
Neighborhood Meeting
At City staff’s request, the petitioner held a neighborhood meeting on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, at the Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce. Notice was mailed to all 88 Tabor Hills villa addresses and to property owners within 300 feet of the subject property. Approximately 30 residents attended the meeting, mainly from the Tabor Hills Independent Living Community. The concerns raised generally reflect those identified in written public comments received to date and include:
• Pedestrian activity and potential trespassing on Tabor Hills property;
• Increased traffic on Raymond Drive;
• Noise generated by the development;
• Potential effects on property values and concerns about the building’s appearance; and
• Tenant background-screening practices.
In response, the petitioner added a six-foot solid fence along the south property line (in addition to the fence along the west property line) to provide additional separation and screening and is exploring potential private agreements with Tabor Hills to address other concerns.
Key Takeaways
1. The petitioner requests (1) annexation; (2) rezoning to OCI upon annexation; (3) a conditional use for multi-family dwellings; (4) a variance to increase building height; (5) a variance to the minimum lot area; (6) a variance to the minimum off-street parking spaces; and (7) variances to reduce parking setbacks to develop the property with a 39-unit apartment building.
2. The requests for annexation and a preliminary-final plat of subdivision are not reviewed by the Planning and Zoning Commission. These requests will be heard by the City Council at a subsequent meeting date.