Palos Park plan commission recommends village adopt comprehensive development code update with conditions

The Palos Park Plan Commission voted unanimously to recommend that the Village Council approve the January 2026 draft of a comprehensive development code update, conditioning the recommendation on revisions discussed at a continued public hearing and the consultant's memo. Commissioners approved the motion after public testimony on parking, legacy-lot standards, cemetery definitions and other policy questions.

The commission's recommendation covers a package of text changes to Part 12 of the village code and accompanying zoning-map edits. Staff read seven specific edits to be incorporated before the council review: clarifying that an integrated sculpture-and-fountain counts as a single front-yard feature; aligning legacy-lot interior side setbacks with R-1 standards (minimum 15 feet); increasing the cap for legacy-lot front-setback averaging to 50 feet and stating that new residential subdivisions without averaging would have a 50-foot front setback minimum; requiring two offset rows of shrubs to screen parking lots located across from residential uses; reverting certain map edits to restore existing M-1 (limited manufacturing) areas; and amending the cemetery definition to exclude crematoriums. The motion to recommend approval was made, seconded and carried by roll call with all commissioners voting yes.

During the…