Council OKs zoning text changes to allow institutional electronic message signs; conditional use approved for 710 N. Chicago Ave.

Kankakee City Council on Monday approved changes to the city zoning code to allow pole and electronic-message signs for institutional uses in residentially zoned areas and granted a conditional-use permit for an electronic message sign at 710 North Chicago Avenue.

The text amendments were requested at the school district’s direction and were presented by City Planner Melissa King. King said many schools and churches are in residential zoning and currently the code does not allow pole signs or electronic-message components in residential districts. The amendments permit pole signs for institutional uses and permit electronic-message components only as part of another sign and only by conditional use.

King told council the planning board reviewed the proposal at a public hearing on May 20 and voted 5–1 in favor after members discussed concerns about broad placement of electronic-message signs. Director Keating said the conditional use for the 710 North Chicago Avenue sign was approved unanimously, 7–0, at planning board; conditions include that the sign be part of another monument or pole sign, operate only from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and limit message change to once every 10 seconds with a final inspection by the planning department.

Council voted to suspend the rules and place the text amendment and the conditional-use ordinance on final reading the same night. The text amendment passed on final reading, roll call 13–0. The conditional-use ordinance passed on final reading with 12 ayes and one abstention after O’Brien abstained to avoid a potential conflict; the item’s final tally recorded 12 ayes, 0 nays, 1 abstention when counted earlier and council later recorded approval as 12 ayes, 0 nays, 1 abstention for the conditional-use placement.

Proponents on the council noted few complaints from residents where similar signs already exist. Alderman Marzak said he has two electronic message boards in his ward and has not received complaints. City staff emphasized that any electronic message sign will need a conditional-use approval each time an electronic component is requested and must meet the city’s electronic-message regulations.

The ordinance files on the dais were recorded as PB 2025-5-4 (text amendments) and PB 2025-5-5 (conditional use for 710 North Chicago Avenue). The final ordinances include the operational hours and the message-change interval described by planning staff.

Council scheduled no further action beyond passage; enforcement and inspection are to be handled by the planning department under the terms adopted by council.