Westmont holds public hearing on comprehensive zoning rewrite; hearing continued to May 7

The Village of Westmont Planning and Zoning Commission opened a public hearing April 23 on a comprehensive zoning text amendment that would repeal Appendix A of the Westmont Code of Ordinances and establish a new Chapter 95 covering zoning districts, development standards and review procedures.

Kirk Bishop, the consultant from Duncan Associates, told the commission the rewrite is a comprehensive reorganization and update. “It’s been approximately 45 years since the last comprehensive overhaul of the village zoning ordinance,” Bishop said, and the draft is intended to modernize the document, improve usability, and supply new zoning tools for downtown and other areas.

Scott Williams, Westmont senior planner, summarized staff work and community outreach and said the update is intended to make rules clearer for residents and developers. “The zoning ordinance itself is a blueprint for how community should develop and grow,” Williams said, and he emphasized the draft continues existing residential district designations while changing certain dimensional standards and administrative procedures.

Key proposed changes described in the hearing packet and by staff include: reduced minimum detached-lot widths in several residential zones from 60 feet to 50 feet (R‑3, R‑4, R‑5); a new minimum lot depth standard drawn from Appendix B; a reduction of an interior side setback from 6 feet to 5 feet in some districts; elimination of the floor‑area ratio (FAR) maximum in many districts; increased allowed height for accessory buildings from 15 to 18…