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CITY OF WEST CHICAGO
DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY
ITEM TITLE:
AGENDAITEMNUMBER: — 2>:°C.
FILE NUMBER:
Gravel Parking/Driveway Prohibition
COMMITTEE AGENDA DATE: Oct. 11, 2021
COUNCIL AGENDA DATE:
STAFF REVIEW: Tom Dabareiner, AICP SIGNATURE ZA DB > ¥
APPROVED BY CITY ADMINISTRATOR: Michael Guttman SIGNATURE
ITEM SUMMARY:
The Municipal Code requires that all parking lots and driveways be hard-surfaced and no longer con-
sist of just gravel. In fact, the Code set a deadline of July 1, 2004 for the conversion of all gravel park-
ing area and driveways to an acceptable hard surface. A copy of the Code section, written in 1989,
follows:
Section 13.1-13 (A) (9) — Off-Street Parking and Loading — Location of Parking — Residential Districts
(9) Any and all driveways and residential parking areas lawfully existing on the effective date of the
parking ordinance amendment, which would not be permitted under the terms of the new ordinance,
may lawfully continue and remain nonconforming after the adoption of the parking ordinance
amendment until July 1, 2004. All driveways or parking areas so affected shall be removed or con-
verted to be in compliance with the parking ordinance within the amortization period. Any driveways
or parking areas that are not in compliance with the parking ordinance within the amortization peri-
od are subject to enforcement under the zoning code, including fines and costs set forth therein.
Subsequent to the 2004 deadline, code enforcement action began. As you can imagine, many proper-
ty owners were upset with the requirement. Eventually, enforcement was halted unilaterally by the
Community Development Director as inspectors and the Department wearied of the complaints.
Recently, the City received a complaint from a resident who had complied about the many examples
that exist of properties not in compliance. A survey by inspectors found 151 properties with gravel
driveways and/or parking areas. Since the ordinance deadline passed, some of the homes have
changed ownership and our inspections did not call out the gravel surfaces as a code violation.
ACTION PROPOSED:
Discussion on whether to extend another amortization period (not uncommon), or ignore the gravel
prohibition and rewrite the ordinance to grandfather existing properties. Staff is open to other solu-
tions, as well.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION: