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Plan commission approves clearer 'clear line of sight' rules; adds option for commercial driveways with stop control
Summary
The Village of Lombard Plan Commission on Jan. 27 recommended amendments to the zoning code to clarify clear-line-of-sight rules and to permit an alternate driver-centered sight triangle for certain commercial driveways with stop control.
The Village of Lombard Plan Commission on Jan. 27 recommended approval of zoning text amendments that clarify and relocate the village's clear line-of-sight regulations, and adds an alternate measurement for commercial private driveways where stop controls (stop bar and stop sign) exist.
Director Heniff told commissioners that staff, working with the village traffic consultant KLOA and Public Works, reviewed a recent case on East St. Charles Road where a freestanding sign projected into the line-of-sight area. The review led staff to conclude that some clarity—and relocation of language from the code's definition section into a substantive clear-line-of-sight section—would reduce inconsistency and the need for individual variances.
Under the proposed rewrite, clear-line-of-sight triangular areas measured from public rights-of-way remain 30 by 30. Private residential driveways remain 20 by 20. The substantive change authorizes, for certain commercial private driveways with stop bars and stop signs, an alternate standard that measures a 20-foot sight triangle centered on the driver's stop position (the centerline of the entry/exit), a method staff said better reflects a driver's actual sightlines and could avoid unnecessary variances in commercial settings.
Heniff said the change is limited to commercial or multidirectional private driveways and excludes residential driveways and unsignalized through-rights where different conditions apply. Staff cited AASHTO and MUTCD (Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices) literature and empirical review by the village consultant in support of the change.
Commissioner Springberg moved and Commissioner Flanagan seconded a motion recommending approval of PC 25-03, with an additional insertion clarifying applicability to multidirectional commercial entrances. Roll call recorded ayes by Commissioner Springberg, Commissioner Flanagan, Commissioner Johnson, Commissioner Verson and Chair Giuliano. The recommendation will be forwarded to the Board of Trustees for final action in February 2025.
