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Board approves amendment allowing alternative compliance for commercial districts
Summary
Ordinance 7-2025 passed to adjust commercial-district architectural requirements and add an alternative-compliance process for one- and two-story exceptions.
The Village Board approved Ordinance 7-2025 on June 23, 2025, amending the commercial district standards to allow alternative compliance where previous text required a minimum two-story building form in C-3 and C-4 districts.
Robin (village planner) said the two-story requirement was added previously to increase density and tax base along state highways and maintain urban scale. Staff encountered variance requests for projects such as a new bank on Durand Avenue and an ambulance center; Ordinance 7-2025 creates an alternative-compliance pathway that lets applicants meet village goals through other measures (for example, demonstrated return on investment, alignment with the master plan or an RFP) rather than strict two-story construction.
The public hearing drew no speakers and the board approved the ordinance by roll call (Karas: aye; Ventrini: aye; Washburn: aye; Doxey: aye; Anastasio: aye; Bhatia: aye). The ordinance updates references in chapter 90-130 and adds criteria and a process for alternative compliance consistent with existing architectural variances and master-planned projects.
Implementation: community-development staff will apply the alternative-compliance pathway when reviewing commercial site plans and rezones; the change is intended to reduce the need for case-by-case variances while preserving the village's urban-design goals.
