Fender Road Townhome Development Moves To Next Step In Lisle

LISLE, IL — A luxury townhome development proposed for Fender Road recently got approval on its zoning map amendment request and variance requests from the Lisle Planning and Zoning Commission.

The development would occupy an unincorporated 1.5-acre parcel of land at 5S320 Fender Rd. that is surrounded by the village on each side. The parcel will need to be annexed by the village to move forward.

At their Feb. 19 meeting, members of the planning and zoning commission reviewed an alternative design concept from petitioners that included fewer townhomes than had been originally proposed. Initially, the design had called for 12 residences. If the project moves forward, the development would include a pair of townhome buildings with four attached units each, along with two single-family homes, per the alternative design concept.

Were the property to be annexed, it would automatically become R1 residential zoning. The petitioner is seeking to have the zoning map change to permit an R3 residential classification.

During the meeting, the petitioner noted that the project's requested zoning variances are due to the development occupying a "very challenging and narrow lot" of 140 feet by 480 feet. For this reason, they requested that the lot frontage requirement for the development's townhome portion be reduced from 75 feet to zero feet and that the lot frontage requirement for the single-family home portion be reduced from 75 feet to 70 feet.

The parcel is currently zoned to require a minimum lot area of 10,000 square feet, intended for detached single family homes. The variance approved for this request will allow each lot to be platted individually for buildings of between 2,491 and 2,768 square feet.

After the petitioner's presentation, commissioners voted on all requests simultaneously, with only Commissioner Mark Boyle voting "no."

Board Chair MaryLynn Zajdel thanked the petitioners, saying the design was “substantially better than the first go-around."

Zajdel acknowledged the amount of work required to “go through the process and address all the community concerns and come back with something that, I think, personally met the requirement of meeting the needs of the neighbors and your needs and desire to fully develop the property."

A public hearing on whether the village should annex the property is planned for March 3.