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Riverwoods amends office/research zoning to allow civic, cultural and religious uses on small lots
Summary
Trustees approved a zoning text amendment to the Office and Research Compatible district to permit civic, cultural, religious and educational uses on lots under one acre, a change tied to a pending sale at 248 Saunders Road.
The Village of Riverwoods Board of Trustees approved an amendment to Article D of Chapter 5 of the village zoning ordinance to permit civic, cultural, religious and educational uses in the Office and Research Compatible district when those uses occupy a building on a lot of less than one acre.
The change responds to a pending sale of 248 Saunders Road — the site of a center for holistic health — where prospective buyers have told staff they would use the building for after-school Hebrew school, enrichment classes, weekend social gatherings and related activities. Village counsel and staff told trustees the text amendment is intended to normalize such uses at that property without creating a special-use process for a single small parcel.
Why it matters: the proposed language widens allowable uses in a district that includes hotel, office and corporate properties and was intended to avoid imposing a special-use burden for the 0.75-acre parcel on Saunders Road. Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval of the amendment and the board voted in favor following a motion for first reading and subsequent formal consideration.
What trustees said: the plan commission report and zoning memo in the packet noted the amendment’s geographic reach is narrow because only the Saunders Road parcel currently fits the <1 acre scenario in that district. Trustees asked whether adjacent property owners had objected; staff replied that no adjacent objections were listed. Mayor Ford and trustees discussed the procedural path; the ordinance was presented for a first reading and board action proceeded per the packet materials.
Action taken: trustees approved the ordinance amendment on the record by roll call; the motion carried with recorded ayes from trustees present. Staff indicated the change is largely a textual cleanup of unused provisions in the existing district regulations and would allow the existing building to be used consistently with the village’s review and property classification.
Next steps: staff will implement the amended zoning text in the village code and process any future building or occupancy changes on 248 Saunders Road under the revised use classification.
