Naperville resident seeks variances to create group home, greenhouse and accessory dwelling in DuPage County

David Nelson, a Naperville resident and the petitioner, told the DuPage County Zoning Board of Appeals on April 30 that he seeks conditional-use approval and nine zoning variances to operate a group home, a greenhouse for wholesale sales, and a detached accessory dwelling unit (ADU) at his property on Plank Road.

Nelson, who said he and his wife have adopted children with intellectual disabilities, described a shortage of appropriate single-level housing and explained the proposal’s purpose: "With the tight housing in in DuPage County, we sort of said, well, let's take the bull by the horn," he said, describing plans to transition his property into a charitable group-home model. He told the board the nonprofit Naperville Group Home Inc. (NGHC) would own the property as a 501(c)(3) and the charity would receive rent to support residents and operations.

The petition, read into the record by Chairman Robert Carthell, requests a conditional use for three uses and nine variances. Among the variances outlined were increases to the permitted total area for detached accessory buildings, allowing the combined area of detached accessory structures (including the proposed ADU, greenhouse and shed) to exceed the principal building’s area, permitting an ADU larger than the typical 1,000-square-foot cap to house four people, allowing an ADU to be located in a detached accessory building, increasing the allowable number of occupants on the property from five to 12 (eight in the principal dwelling and four in the ADU), and raising accessory-building heights (Nelson cited about 28 feet for the greenhouse and roughly 36 feet for the ADU).

Nelson said the greenhouse would provide vocational opportunities and generate revenue through wholesale sales to local businesses rather than on-site retail. When asked by board member Dennis Moran (attending by Zoom) whether the greenhouse output would be sold to the public, Nelson replied that the plan is to "sell wholesale, not on the property" and deliver products to local retailers. Moran raised logistical concerns about the plan, noting he saw "nowhere for deliveries, pickups, garbage" on the site plan and said several operational items needed to be addressed.

Nelson addressed the variance standard by describing a practical difficulty: he argued that the 1,000-square-foot ADU cap was intended for small accessory apartments and was not adequate for housing multiple residents in a group-home context. He said the lot size, topography (a drop from front to back), and nearby higher-density development reduce the visual and neighborhood impacts of larger accessory structures. Nelson also noted the main house was rebuilt after a 2018 fire and that the accessory dwelling would have a different, more conventional appearance; the board accepted photographic and plan exhibits for the record.

Chairman Carthell confirmed for the record that the petition had been published in the Daily Herald on April 15 and 20, 2026, and that county staff and circulated authorities had returned no substantive comments. The petitioner was sworn, presented exhibits (survey as Exhibit 1, site plan as Exhibit 2, photograph as Exhibit 3, and a written narrative as Exhibit 4) and completed his testimony.

No vote was taken at the April 30 hearing. Chairman Carthell closed the record for tonight’s testimony and scheduled the matter for a recommendation hearing on May 7 at 5:30 p.m.; he said the board would deliberate at that recommendation hearing and then the County Development Committee would review the case and make a recommendation to the full County Board later in May. That scheduling action means the Zoning Board made no final decision at this session.

Next steps: the matter is set for the Zoning Board’s recommendation hearing on May 7 at 5:30 p.m.; board members may request additional time to visit the property before that meeting. The County Development Committee and County Board will consider the case later if the Zoning Board forwards a recommendation.