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Consultant outlines three alternatives for Kenilworth development-review process
Summary
Teska Associates presented three options—consolidation, hybrid, or status quo—for Kenilworth’s development-review process and warned there is no single best practice among neighboring communities.
Michael Blue of Teska Associates told the Committee of the Whole that updating the Village zoning code raises policy questions that cannot be resolved purely by technical edits and presented three structural alternatives for handling Certificates of Appropriateness and zoning reviews.
He described the current multi-step process and its challenges—lengthy review timelines, expense for applicants and multiple meetings for residents—and summarized three options: consolidation of ARC duties into the PC and expanded administrative review for minor items; a hybrid approach with PCs including design professionals and a smaller ARC for standalone CofA requests; and maintaining the status quo of separate ARC and PC reviews. Mr. Blue said there was no clear pattern among nearby communities to point to a single best practice.
Trustees asked how staff could write code to allow more flexibility and whether administrative review could handle minor items. Mr. Blue noted the trade-off: "He urged the Board to weigh the trade-offs of efficiency and thoroughness," and recommended vetting any changes with Village Attorney Jones to avoid violating State of Illinois public-meeting regulations.
Mr. Blue will return with more specific drafting recommendations only after legal review and further staff work.
