Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Zoning Adus topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Will County panel approves variances to legalize two homes, allow ADU conversion in unincorporated Wilmington-area parcel
Summary
The Will County Planning and Zoning Commission approved multiple variances for ZC‑25‑124 on Feb. 3, 2025, allowing one existing dwelling to be converted into an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) and resolving frontage and lot-area deficiencies after staff said the issue stemmed from a failed annexation and prior city-issued permits.
The Will County Planning and Zoning Commission voted Feb. 3 to approve a package of variances for ZC‑25‑124 that will allow the owner to convert one of two preexisting single-family houses on a single A‑1 parcel into an accessory dwelling unit and to remedy lot-frontage and area deficiencies.
Staff planner Jesus Precedo told the commission the owner, Cesar Nava Jr., acquired the roughly 5‑acre property in 2024 after building permits for the two dwellings were originally issued by the City of Wilmington during an attempted annexation that never completed. “The permits were issued in 1999 and 2002 respectively,” Precedo said, and because those permits were not issued by Will County the two homes are currently a nonconforming use under the county zoning ordinance.
Precedo calculated ADU-size limits under the ordinance: the primary dwelling’s gross floor area is 1,949 square feet, and 49 percent of that is 955 square feet. The second dwelling is approximately 1,345 square feet, so staff concluded a variance to the maximum ADU size was necessary to bring the property into compliance. Staff recommended approval of all five requested variances, saying the hardship was not created by the current owner and that approval would not alter the character of the neighborhood.
No members of the public objected at the hearing. Attorney Nathaniel Washburn, representing the property owner, said the applicant and owner were present and would stand on staff’s recommendation. After motions and roll-call votes, commissioners recorded affirmative votes on each variance motion and the package passed.
The approvals do not waive required building permits: Precedo emphasized that the property owner must still obtain the necessary permits from the Will County Land Use Department to complete the ADU conversion and to regularize the structures under county codes.
The commission’s action resolves the immediate zoning conflict on the parcel by adjusting the ADU-size limit and granting relief for lot area and frontage, while preserving the county’s permitting requirement as a condition of compliance.
