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Crest Hill plan commission backs variances to let four-unit Broadway apartment be rebuilt
Summary
The Crest Hill Plan Commission recommended approval of multiple zoning variances so a renovated four-unit building at 1813 N. Broadway can be rebuilt where an owner demolished a center section. Approval is conditional on eight improvement requirements and will be forwarded to city council.
The Crest Hill Plan Commission on Tuesday recommended approval of zoning variances that would allow an existing four-unit apartment at 1813 North Broadway Street to be renovated and for a number of long-standing nonconforming conditions to remain after work is finished.
The commission voted 5-0 to recommend the request from A and J Rehab Properties, with the approval subject to eight conditions that staff said the owner must meet before final sign-off.
The variances cover multiple items in the Crest Hill zoning ordinance that the property cannot practically be brought into compliance with, staff said. Community and economic development consultant Ron Messer told the commission, “we're recommending that they be approved subject to 8 conditions,” and described both improvements the owner will make and existing conditions that will remain because rebuilding to full compliance would require starting over.
Why it matters: The building sits on a 13,374-square-foot lot zoned R-3 multifamily and predates current zoning, city staff said. The owner bought the property, began renovating and then demolished a central section after finding it structurally unsalvageable; under the code, that demolition would have prevented rebuilding unless the whole property was brought into full compliance. The variances allow the owner to rebuild the removed section while requiring specific upgrades to reduce nuisance and safety issues.
Key facts and commitments: Staff and the project architect said the work will reduce impervious surface on the lot to about 47 percent (the city maximum is 50 percent), pave a previously gravel driveway and parking area, provide compliant landscaping, enclose refuse containers and install downward-focused lighting in parking areas. Architect Brian Gould of VR Design and Architecture said the owner intends to “button[] up” the building, preserve the existing slab for the rebuilt section and bring siding, trim and other exterior details up to quality standards.
The variances requested (detailed in staff exhibit C) also include maintaining existing setbacks, retaining small unit sizes that do not meet current minimums, not requiring masonry on the exterior, a variance from the multifamily parking standard and allowing the driveway to remain as narrow as 12 feet at its tightest point (the current minimum is 14 feet). Ron Messer said some of those items are impractical to change without demolishing and rebuilding the entire structure.
Discussion and public input: Commissioners asked practical questions about the design and site work. Commissioner Jeff Peterson asked how the project would achieve the reduced lot coverage; Gould replied that a large concrete area in front of the units would be removed and replaced with sidewalks and green space. The architect said the project currently shows two garbage corrals on the plan but the owner may reduce that to one depending on final trash container sizing.
Vote and next steps: Commissioner Jeff Peterson moved the approval; Commissioner Cheryl Slabazewski seconded. The roll call vote was 5-0 in favor (Gordon Butler, Jeff Peterson, Ken Carroll, Cheryl Slabazewski and Bill Thomas). The plan commission’s recommendation will be forwarded to the Crest Hill City Council; staff told the applicant the council is expected to hear the case at a workshop on June 23, 2025.
The approval on June 10 was to recommend the variances to the council; the council has the authority to grant final approval and any additional conditions or changes.
