Commission opens workshop on allowing accessory uses in churches and other noncommercial places of assembly

Planning staff led a workshop on July 9 to discuss how the village might allow accessory or limited commercial uses in noncommercial places of assembly (such as churches) and solicited feedback for a possible zoning text amendment.

Staff described two principal approaches: (1) an Oak Park–style special-use route allowing conversions of existing noncommercial assembly space to a limited list of uses (for example, regulated housing or a short list of commercial activities), and (2) an accessory-use approach that would permit certain subordinate activities (for example, counseling offices or small-scale retail) inside an existing assembly building as incidental and subordinate to the principal use, possibly capped at a percentage of floor area or activity.

The staff presentation noted the policy tension: many noncommercial places of assembly are in residential zoning districts while the uses that might occupy vacant space (offices, child care, counseling centers) are usually permitted only in commercial districts. Commissioners discussed whether to treat conversions differently from new construction, how to avoid rezoning single-family neighborhoods into commercial uses, and whether to require conversions to meet specific standards (e.g., limits on new building footprints or a cap on accessory activity at roughly 25 percent).

Commissioners suggested practical tools — special-use conditions, caps on intensity, phased pickup or traffic controls for uses like child care, and careful drafting to avoid loopholes that could enable large multifamily developments in single-family zones. Staff said a more formal text amendment will be prepared for future meetings, including legal research and draft language to bring back to the commission. "The goal of tonight is to just workshop: are there ways you would want to approach this challenge?" staff said.