Kankakee planning board recommends rezoning and conditional-use permit for landscape contractor at 1192 S. Washington Ave.

At its March 18 meeting, the Kankakee Planning Board voted to recommend approval of a map amendment to rezone 1192 South Washington Avenue from R-2 (two-family residential) to C-2 (service commercial) and to recommend approval of a conditional use permit for a landscape contractor to operate at that address.

The planning department presented recommended conditions that the board attached before voting. Planning staff read the conditions into the record, saying, “Subject to, a prior to commencement of the business operation, all improve review and issuance of a site and plan approval and building permits by the building, fire, planning and engineering department. The applicant shall obtain a city of Kankakee business license prior to commencement, of the business operation. All parking lot standards outlined in the city zoning ordinance must be met, including the landscape requirements, screening shall be provided on the northern property line to provide a buffer for the residential use and appropriate perimeter landscape provided along the west and south property lines.” Staff also read an additional condition: “The applicant shall also be required to install a fence of not less than 8 feet above the existing grade ground level around the outdoor storage area.”

The board added a site-specific condition about a tree on the property. Commissioner Deb Tarrow moved to recommend approval of the map amendment and asked that the tree “be removed to the degree that it would be, you know, no more than 6 feet tall and used for decorative purposes.” Barry McCracken seconded the map-amendment motion. The board approved the map amendment recommendation on a roll call vote (Deb Tarrow — yes; Chip Wong — yes; Barry McCracken — yes; Arthur Wax — yes; Beverly Hood — yes). Planning staff recorded that the map amendment is recommended for approval and will be forwarded to the city council.

On the conditional use permit for the landscape contractor, the board voted to recommend approval with the planning department’s conditions and additional site limitations recorded in the staff reading. Those conditions include: completion of site-plan review and issuance of all building and fire permits before operations begin; compliance with all city parking-lot and landscaping standards; a required screen along the northern property line to buffer adjacent residential uses; installation of an outdoor-storage fence not less than 8 feet above grade; hours of operation and other limits as listed in the staff conditions; a maximum of two work trucks parked on site at any time; and a restriction that deliveries and material pick-up be routed to the alley so long as such deliveries do not create traffic issues (violations could lead to revocation of the conditional use permit). The conditional-use recommendation passed on a roll call vote (Deb Tarrow — yes; Chip Wong — yes; Barry McCracken — yes; Arthur Wax — yes; Beverly Hood — yes).

Jesus Pisano, the applicant, answered questions during the public hearing about operations and site layout and thanked the board after the vote: “thank you for your time,” he said. In remarks earlier in the hearing Pisano described using the site for retail displays of shrubs and other small plants, said the business has been operating in some fashion for about 30 years, and indicated plans to submit a site plan showing parking, screening, and drainage improvements.

Planning staff told the board the recommended motions would go to the City Council on April 7 for final action.

Votes at a glance: Map amendment (case PB2025-3-1) — Motion by Deb Tarrow; second by Barry McCracken; roll-call recommendation for approval (yes: Deb Tarrow, Chip Wong, Barry McCracken, Arthur Wax, Beverly Hood). Conditional Use Permit (case PB2025-3-1) — Motion by Deb Tarrow; second by Chip Wong; roll-call recommendation for approval (same yea votes).