Westmont planning commission backs comprehensive rewrite of zoning code, forwards recommendation to village board

The Village of Westmont Planning and Zoning Commission voted on July 23 to recommend adoption of a comprehensive rewrite of the village’s zoning ordinance and to forward the revised text to the Village Board for final action.

The rewrite, described at the meeting by Scott Williams, the village’s senior planner, “So today marks the fifth public hearing” on the zoning update, consolidates the entire zoning ordinance into a new Chapter 95 and includes changes to zoning districts, development standards, planning procedures and other zoning regulations, officials said. The commission voted to recommend the revised text after a line-by-line review and edits discussed at the meeting.

Why it matters: the update is the most sweeping zoning rewrite Westmont has undertaken in decades and will change rules that affect residential lot setbacks, downtown building types, parking calculations, accessory uses such as accessory dwelling units (ADUs), vehicle/fleet rules and outdoor lighting standards. Staff and the commission said the revisions aim to reflect current building practices, close loopholes, speed permit review and better align regulations with downtown redevelopment goals.

What the commission approved Scott Williams said the draft incorporates public and commissioner comments gathered over four earlier hearings (April 23, May 7, June 11 and June 25) and subsequent staff-and-consultant revisions. Key changes summarized by staff include: - Residential districts: Clarified introductory provisions, transitional rules and exemptions; retained an aggregate interior-side setback concept and shortened certain minimum street setbacks (example: reduced minimum street setback to 15 feet for a 40-foot buildable width on some corner lots). - Business/downtown districts: In some business districts staff reduced front-yard setbacks to 10 feet where foundation landscaping is met; downtown building-type assignments clarified so the zoning administrator may determine applicable classifications; storefront upper-story heights were increased from an 11-foot maximum to 15 feet in some tables; the downtown edge (B-1) district removes “row” building…