Kankakee officials weigh ordinance changes to require hard‑surface pads and screening for centralized dumpsters

Kankakee City Planner Melissa King told the council the city’s review of refuse collection agreements found no existing requirement that centralized dumpsters sit on a hard surface and recommended adding one to the zoning ordinance.

"I think my recommendation would be to require that as well," King said, describing planning‑board recommendations that collection facilities be placed on concrete or asphalt, retain a minimum 6‑foot solid screen and include language requiring sufficient coverage to conceal containers on all sides.

The planning board also recommended restricting permanent dumpsters to side and rear yards, prohibiting placement in front setbacks or corner sides. King said the board discussed allowing alternative screening (a wall, landscape or berm) when dumpsters are visible from a right of way or adjacent residential property.

Council members debated how to treat existing properties versus new construction. Several aldermen said many multi‑unit buildings already have hard surfaces, and they expressed reluctance to impose immediate retrofit costs on longstanding businesses and landlords. Chair Lance Marzak said many locations already meet the proposed pad requirement, but acknowledged some tight lots would struggle to accommodate a new corral.

Marzak and other members discussed cost estimates for installing a pad; one council member suggested a modest asphalt pad could cost roughly $500 and concrete closer to $1,000. The council discussed compliance windows ranging from six months up to 18 months, with several members proposing a one‑year to 18‑month deadline to balance cost and seasonal workability.

Operational concerns surfaced over requiring full enclosures with gates: members said corrals that force sanitation crews to exit vehicles or make sharp turns could damage alleys and complicate collection on constrained sites. Several council members said they would favor requiring screening and hard surfaces for new commercial developments and new 4‑unit (and larger) multi‑family buildings while providing flexibility for existing sites.

The meeting also covered residential refuse totes left at curbside. Councilors and staff discussed enforcement challenges tied to the city’s existing code (chapter 16, section 16‑4), which limits receptacle placement to 24 hours before and after pickup. Options floated included targeted education (door‑hanger notices), an escalating warning and citation system (a $25–$30 fine after repeat violations), and administrative adjudication for repeat offenders.

King asked the council for more time to consolidate the many suggested changes. The council agreed to have staff return next month with a single redlined ordinance that incorporates the hard‑surface requirement, screening language, placement rules and proposed enforcement language; no formal ordinance vote occurred at the meeting.

Next steps: staff will prepare a revised redline of chapter 4 (accessory uses) and related solid‑waste code language for council review at a future meeting.