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Crest Hill plan commission approves zoning text updates for vehicle, contractor, beauty and firearm uses
Summary
The Plan Commission approved text amendments to the Crest Hill zoning ordinance to add or clarify definitions, permitted zones and special-use requirements for motor vehicle storage/salvage, contractor and landscaping businesses, beauty and personal services and firearm-related businesses. The commission forwarded the updates to the City Council.
The Crest Hill Plan Commission voted 5-0 to send a comprehensive set of zoning text amendments to the City Council that clarify and modernize land-use definitions and standards for four categories: motorized vehicle storage and salvage activities; contractor and landscaping-based businesses; beauty and personal service businesses; and firearm-related businesses.
Pat Ainsworth, the city’s community and economic development director, said staff and the city attorney worked with consultant Ron Messer to identify ambiguous or missing definitions, align parking standards and add targeted use standards and buffers where warranted.
What changed: The amendments do several things: they rename and clarify salvage and wrecking uses (making certain motor vehicle salvage/wrecking operations a special use in M-1 and M-2 industrial districts), add a capped “storage garage” use (permitted in M-1 and M-2 up to 2,000 square feet), define contractor- and landscaping-based businesses and add standards to manage outdoor storage and screening, and expand definitions for beauty and personal services (for example, aestheticians and similar regulated practices). The amendments also create three categories for firearm-related businesses (retail, federal firearms license transfers and manufacturers) and set a 150-foot buffer from “sensitive uses” (schools, parks, daycare, churches) where those uses would be disallowed.
Why it matters: Ainsworth said the zoning ordinance has gaps that make it difficult for staff, property owners and prospective business buyers to know whether a use is allowed and what rules apply. Commissioner comments reflected support for clearer definitions and predictable requirements; one commissioner suggested explicitly adding “RVs” to the vehicle-storage language to reflect local practice, and staff agreed to incorporate such clarifying edits.
Implementation: The amendments include new use table entries, modifications to development standards (screening, height, indoor-operation requirements where applicable) and special-use review triggers for sensitive or potentially intrusive operations. Staff prepared reference maps showing parcels that would be eligible for firearm-related uses under the 150-foot buffer; Ainsworth said those maps are included in the staff report and are snapshot references for current conditions.
Vote and next steps: Commissioner Ken Carroll moved approval; Commissioner Gordon Butler seconded. The roll call vote was 5-0 in favor. The plan commission forwarded the proposed ordinance language to the City Council for review at an upcoming workshop on June 23, 2025.
