The Joliet Zoning Board of Appeals voted to recommend approval of companion petitions to allow a self-storage facility at 1701 Drowden Road, forwarding the special-use permit and variation of use to the city council with a recommendation to approve.

Staff described the 3.86-acre site and said the proposal includes a one-story, 10,950-square-foot climate-controlled building plus six single-story outdoor-access buildings with about 370 storage units. Staff said the site would be buffered with landscaping and a 6-foot decorative perimeter fence, that no outdoor storage would be permitted, and that the facility would operate roughly from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. Staff cited Joliet zoning rules including Section 47-11.4, Section 47-17.28, Section 47-13.2(a), and Section 47-5.2(c) in explaining why the petitions require both a variation of use and a special-use permit.

Nate Washburn, attorney for the applicant, said the parcel’s unusual shape and the presence of high-tension lines make many by-right uses infeasible and that a secured, gated storage facility would be a low-traffic, service-oriented use. "We are asking for approval and a recommendation thereof for this mini storage use to allow what’s been a 20-year-in-the-making project to finally come to a close," Washburn said.

Several residents raised objections during public comment. Margie C. Pond said the petitioner application in the agenda packet had redactions that hid the petitioner’s name, address and phone on a packet page and argued the redactions undermined transparency: "Page 8 of the application — the petitioner's name and address is redacted," she said, adding that redactions leave the public unable to judge who is proposing the project. Other commenters raised concerns about increased traffic, noise, potential for squatting in units, and proximity to nearby schools.

City attorney Todd Lindsey and staff said recent administrative practice had redacted some personal information to align with FOIA and to prevent fraud, and that the city corrected some redactions prior to the meeting so the petitioner’s name was visible on the posted version. Washburn said the applicant did not request the redactions and that the application submitted to staff was complete.

The board moved and seconded a recommendation to approve the companion petitions. Roll call produced five ayes and two nos: Mister Dokovic and Miss Smidge voted no; Miss Rohrer, Mister Stiff, Mister Bias, Mister Nachtree and Chairman Hennessy voted aye. The board’s action is advisory for land-use decisions; the city council will make the final determination.

The petitions will appear before the Joliet City Council for final action. Members of the public interested in the matter were advised to monitor upcoming council agendas for the hearing date.