Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board reviews zoning changes to clarify outdoor storage and vehicle-storage yards
Summary
Staff presented a draft text amendment that would create a new 'non-accessory vehicle storage yard' special-use category in the M2 district, set a 150-foot buffer from residential zones, separate principal vs. accessory outdoor storage, and revise screening rules; trustees generally favored combining definitions but emphasized robust screening and case-by-case variances.
Director Apt presented draft zoning text amendments intended to clarify how the village regulates outdoor storage associated with warehouses and distribution centers and to respond to developer and broker concerns.
“[The draft] creates a new use called a non-accessory vehicle storage yard for the storage of trucks, trailers, RVs, etc., not adjacent to a structure…designated as a special use in the M2 district and also not allowing it within 150 ft of a residentially zoned property,” Director Apt said, outlining that the amendment would also separate outdoor storage into principal and accessory uses and revise screening requirements depending on adjacent zoning.
Trustees asked detailed questions about process and practicality. Trusty Youngerman asked whether a petitioner would ever need to pursue two special uses if a site proposed both vehicle storage and material storage; staff clarified that combining the definitions could avoid forcing applicants down two separate special-use tracks. Several trustees said combining the vehicle and material storage definitions into a single principal outdoor storage category would simplify permitting.
Board members also emphasized screening: while staff proposed limiting some screening to street-facing perimeters where properties are adjacent to other industrial uses, several trustees urged that screening should also protect neighboring commercial or residential properties and that the code should allow common-sense variance relief in constrained sites.
Director Apt said the draft leaves principal outdoor storage as a special use in M2 and would permit accessory outdoor storage for uses like garden centers in other zones with differing permit requirements. No formal vote was taken; staff requested feedback and said they will return with revisions based on tonight’s discussion.
