PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
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Conduct the public hearing to consider a variance to Section 6-6C-7:1 (Yard Requirements) for the garage addition at 693 Cottage Avenue - DEV-0154-2025
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DEPARTMENT: Transportation, Engineering and Development
SUBMITTED BY: Therese Egner, Community Planner
ENTITLEMENTS REQUESTED:
A variance to Section 6-6C-7:1 (Yard Requirements) to allow for a garage addition to a single-family home to encroach the rear yard setback approximately 5 feet.
BOARD/COMMISSION REVIEW:
Official notice for the public hearing for DEV-0154-2025 was published in the Naperville Sun on Sunday, January 18, 2026.
BACKGROUND:
The subject property is zoned R2 (Single-Family and Low Density Multiple-Family Residence District) and is located at 693 Cottage Avenue. The owner and petitioner is Douglas May, 693 Cottage Avenue, Naperville, IL 60540. The subject property is approximately 8,548 square feet in size, with the primary dwelling unit fronting the north side of Cottage Avenue. The subject property is currently non-conforming as there is no garage currently located on this lot. Instead, the petitioner has been utilizing an existing detached garage located on the property at 695 N Fremont Street, north of the subject property which is accessed from a driveway from Cottage Avenue.
DISCUSSION:
The petitioner and property owner, Douglas May, is proposing to construct an approximately 650 square foot addition attached to the east side of the single-family home as illustrated in the attachments. This addition will provide two parking spaces within an attached garage for the single-family home and will be accessed from a new driveway from Cottage Avenue. The petitioner is requesting approval of a variance from Section 6-6C-7:1 (Yard Requirements) of the Naperville Municipal Code to allow the proposed garage addition to encroach 5 feet into the 25-foot required rear yard. If approved, the existing garage located on 695 N. Fremont Street, and associated driveway leading to this garage, will be removed.
The setback requirements that are established in the Naperville Municipal Code are intended to preserve a portion of residential rear yard for open space. The petitioner’s proposed encroachment into the required rear yard is requested in order to bring the subject property into compliance with minimum parking requirements for a single-family home.
Off-Street Parking Requirements
Section 6-9-2:4.2.1 (Off Street Parking Requirements) requires single-family detached dwellings to be provided with at least one required parking space in an enclosed garage. Since no garage on the property currently exists, the property does not comply with the City requirement for the provision of one enclosed parking space. The addition of an attached garage on the subject property will provide the required parking for single-family residences per Code.
Accessory Structures
Detached garages are regulated as accessory structures. Section 6-2-10 (Accessory Buildings, Structures and Uses of Land) requires that no accessory structures shall be constructed prior to the establishment of the principal building to which it is accessory. The existing detached garage at 695 N Fremont Street is existing nonconforming as there is not a principal structure for the garage to be accessory to. Demolishing the existing detached garage also brings the property at 695 N Fremont Street into compliance with the Municipal Code.
The applicant is pursuing an attached garage addition, rather than a detached garage addition, to be consistent with design of the neighborhood and will maintain a larger setback from abutting property lines.
Based on the proposed compliance with Section 6-2-10 (Accessory Buildings, Structures and Uses of Land) and Section 6-9-2:4.2.1 (Off Street Parking Requirements) and compatibility with the surrounding neighborhood, staff finds the variance request to be appropriate and recommends approval of the request.
Key Takeaways
• The petitioner requests a variance from Naperville Municipal Code Section 6-6C-7:1 (Yard Requirements) to allow a garage addition to encroach the rear yard setback approximately 5 feet.
• Staff is supportive of the requested variance as the proposal is consistent with the surrounding properties and brings the subject property into compliance with required parking regulations.
Findings of Fact
The petitioner’s responses to the Standards for Variances can be found in the attachments. Staff concurs with the petitioner’s findings and recommends their approval by the Planning and Zoning Commission.