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Commission advances zoning change to allow temporary outside seasonal events at commercial properties
Summary
The Plan Commission approved a text amendment to permit limited temporary outside seasonal events (e.g., a haunted‑house midway) with a 60‑day annual cap, parking‑management requirements, vendor and safety rules, and a one‑year review; it goes to the development committee July 14.
The West Chicago Plan Commission unanimously approved revisions to the zoning code that would create a new category for "temporary outside seasonal events" in commercial districts, forwarding the proposal to the development committee.
John, city planning staff, told commissioners the amendment was prompted by a petition from Five Points Productions and would allow short‑term outdoor activities ancillary to an existing commercial use. Key proposed standards include a limit of no more than 60 days on a property, only one occurrence per year, compliance with the International Building Code, NFPA 101 (life safety) and the Illinois Accessibility Code, submission of a parking management plan that documents primary and overflow parking and accessible pedestrian routes, prohibition of nonpaved parking for events, vendor licensing and health‑department compliance, noise and lighting controls, and a requirement that tents and temporary structures be securely anchored and permitted when the building code requires.
"We have proposed a limit of no more than 60 days on a property and it can only occur one time a year," John said when outlining the draft provisions. Commissioners asked whether carnivals, amusement rides or circuses would be permitted; staff recommended explicitly excluding those uses by definition and said noise and lighting standards also make such large‑scale amusements unlikely.
Jesse McKay, operator of the Five Points Haunted House, said an outdoor midway would give patrons a monitored place to gather before and after shows and would improve public safety compared with unsupervised parking‑lot gatherings.
Commissioner Banasiak moved and Commissioner Terrazas seconded approval of the amendment with tightened parking language (requiring that loss of stalls be accounted for in a master parking plan). Roll call recorded all four members voting aye; the motion carried 4–0. Staff said the item will go to the development committee on Monday, July 14 at 6:00 p.m.
