Planning Board backs city-initiated rezoning to correct historic industrial/commercial designations for dozens of north-side properties

The City of Kankakee Planning Board on June 17 recommended that City Council approve city-initiated map amendments to rezone dozens of properties in neighborhoods north and east of downtown from commercial or industrial districts to residential districts.

The action aims to align zoning with long-standing residential use in several blocks where older zoning maps had retained industrial or commercial designations, a mismatch that has caused problems for owners seeking insurance, loans or the ability to rebuild after substantial damage.

Melissa King, Director of Planning and Zoning, told the board the rezoning batches correct historical inaccuracies on the zoning maps. "When I looked back historically, the zoning maps has actually been zoned industrial since even the 1939 zoning map," King said, noting residents reported homes built in the 1950s and later. King said the city is recommending R-1T (traditional single-family residential) for much of the area; a small number of properties with existing multiunit buildings are being recommended for R-3 so those uses are legal rather than nonconforming.

The hearing drew homeowners with questions and concerns. Roland Jones, a lifelong Kankakee resident who said his family owns 344 East Sycamore, asked about rebuild rights if a house were more than 60% destroyed under its current commercial zoning. Planning staff confirmed that under current commercial or industrial zoning, single-family rebuilding rights would be limited; rezoning to residential would allow an owner to rebuild a single-family home. "If your house burned down and was over a 60% loss, you would not be able to rebuild your home back without coming to this planning board to have it rezoned," staff explained during the hearing.

Several property-specific clarifications were discussed in public comment and staff responses: corner or commercially situated parcels can remain commercial if the owner requests exclusion; properties with active rental licenses or existing multiunit construction were proposed for R-3 to legalize the existing use; vacant lots included in the map amendments would gain residential entitlement for single-family construction; and the city is absorbing the cost of public notification for these city-initiated rezonings.

Two motions recommending approval were made and passed by roll call. Barry McCracken moved that the board recommend rezoning a set of addresses (case PB2025-6-2) from commercial or industrial to residential; Jose Arturo Barajas seconded and the board voted unanimously to recommend approval. A second, similar map-amendment recommendation for a separate list of addresses was moved by Steve Case, seconded by Barry McCracken, and also recommended for City Council consideration. Both items were scheduled to appear on the City Council agenda in early July.

City staff reiterated that the Planning Board is a recommending body; final action will be taken by City Council. Staff also said owners may ask to remove individual parcels from a city-initiated request prior to council action; one resident was offered that option for a vacant corner parcel adjacent to his house.

The rezoning effort is meant to stabilize neighborhoods by reducing the number of homeowners with properties legally zoned for nonresidential use, thereby easing refinancing, sales and insurance transactions. The Planning Board’s recommendations will be forwarded to City Council for final action.