Westmont commission approves Primrose daycare site plan, grants variance for front-yard playground encroachment

The Village of Westmont Planning and Zoning Commission on May 14 approved a site and landscape plan and granted a zoning variance permitting playground equipment to encroach into a front-yard supplemental setback for a proposed Primrose School at 98 East Naperville Road.

The commission voted to approve a variance allowing the playground to extend about 7.5 feet into the required 10-foot front-yard setback and to recommend the site and landscape plan with a condition that wheel stops be installed in the east row of parking. Commissioner Mike Simpson moved to approve the variance; Commissioner Tom Thomas seconded. The final site-and-landscape approval was moved by Commissioner Kim Sharp and seconded by Simpson. The roll calls for both actions were unanimous in favor.

Why it matters: the property sits on a unique remnant of the Naperville Road right-of-way that was rerouted years ago and leaves a triangular green space and two setback lines that create an unusual front-yard geometry. The developer said the playground encroachment and a requested reduction in stall width from 10 feet to 9 feet are practical responses to the existing building footprint and operations; staff noted the daycare use is permitted in the B-2 General Business District but the variance is needed because of the site’s unusual configuration.

Developer Chris Horney of Murphy Development Group told the commission the project will convert an existing two-story, roughly 32,000-square-foot building and that Primrose will occupy the first floor. "It is not just babysitting," Horney said. "They're prepping for kindergarten readiness." He said the first-floor daycare would be licensed for up to 82 children but that enrollment typically ramps up slowly over two to four years.

The application includes roughly 9,000 square feet of outdoor play area divided among age-specific playgrounds, a fenced perimeter meeting state health-department spacing requirements and 43 parking spaces on site. Staff said the village code requires 28 spaces for the combined uses; the applicant is providing 43. The applicant requested a waiver (to be decided by the village board) to reduce standard parking-stall width from 10 feet to 9 feet to recover three to four additional spaces for operational use.

Commissioners and staff focused discussion on circulation and safety. Commissioner Simpson said, "My concern here is if you start having people who do not attend that day care, who are now getting dropped off at the same time people are getting picked up, that's my concern," noting potential overlap with Salt Creek Ballet’s evening classes. CJ Bach, who would operate the Primrose franchise, responded on safety and operations: parents will typically park and sign children in rather than use a queuing drive-through, and staff said the school’s typical hours (7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday–Friday) and spread-out arrival times reduce peak congestion compared with traditional elementary-school drop-off.

Planning staff described the two applicable setback lines: a 10-foot front-yard setback and a separate 30-foot supplemental setback measured from the Naperville Road right-of-way. Staff said the outdoor play areas encroach about 7.5 feet into the 10-foot front-yard setback. The commission conditioned the site approval on the applicant showing wheel stops on the east row of parking on the site plan (or a staff note committing to install them) before proceeding to the Village Board.

Other details discussed included fencing, sight lines and landscaping. Commissioner Tom Thomas asked for a 36-inch shrub or planting buffer between the public sidewalk and playground fence; CJ Bach and staff explained "best practice is a full line of sight for teachers" and cautioned against tall shrubs that could create blind spots near play areas. Staff also said the applicant will work with village public works on the adjacent sidewalks but that no changes to the public sidewalk are included in the current submittal because the sidewalk is not on the applicant’s land.

Next steps: the commission’s approvals are a recommendation to the Village Board; staff said the applicant is tentatively scheduled for a May 29 Village Board meeting and that a Downtown Incentive Program (DIP) grant application (tier 3) is a separate village-board decision. Permits for signage and any façade changes will be reviewed later in the permit process.

Notes: the state health department sets fence spacing and play-surface requirements; the applicant said typical Primrose interior and playground materials include artificial turf with underdrains to meet stormwater constraints.