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CITY OF WEST CHICAGO
DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY
ITEM TITLE:
AGENDAITEMNUMBER: —7-C.
1820 W Roosevelt Road
West Chicago School District 33 FILE NUMBER:
Zoning Variances
COMMITTEE AGENDA DATE: Sept. 8, 2025
Teele Ney CSO U0) COUNCIL AGENDA DATE: Sept. 15, 2025
STAFF REVIEW: John Sterrett SIGNATUR
APPROVED BY INTERIM CITY ADMINISTRATOR: Tia SIGNATU
Messino
ITEM SUMMARY:
West Chicago School District 33 intends to reuse the property and school building at 1820 W
Roosevelt Road — McAuley School, for administrative offices. No parking exists on the property and
the District is proposing to add 21 parking stalls to accommodate the future use of the building. The
proposed parking lot will be located on the west side of the building and cars will enter the parking lot
from the existing western access off Roosevelt Road. McAuley School, the last fully functioning one-
room school house in Illinois, closed in 1991 and has not been used since then. The structure was
added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. West Chicago School District 33 acquired
the property, including the schoolhouse, after its closure.
The District is requesting approval to reduce the required 20 foot parking setback along Roosevelt
Road to 10 feet. The lot is an oddly shaped polygon and has a narrow depth, roughly 116 feet, in the
area where the parking lot is proposed. Because of this, the proposed parking lot must be split into two
sections, separated by a curvilinear drive aisle, with one portion of the parking lot near the front of the
property on the west side of the building and the other towards the rear behind the schoolhouse
building. If the parking was pushed further back to comply with the front landscape yard setback then
either the number of parking stalls would need to be reduced or the proposed drive aisle would need to
be reduced in size and would no longer comply with the minimum drive aisle width. As a result of the
oddly shaped property, the property has 2 rear lot lines. The drive aisle will be located roughly 5 feet
from the rear lot line, which is less than the required 15 foot rear landscape yard. Compliance with the
15 foot rear landscape yard would amount to the drive aisle being reduced in size by 10 feet rendering
it non compliant. Finally, a variance to reduce the side landscape yard from the required 15 feet to 10
feet is proposed along the west side yard. The proposed rear portion of the parking lot is being
constructed as far from the property line as possible without interfering with the proposed accessible
improvements required on the rear of the building.
At their September 3, 2025 meeting, members of the Plan Commission voted unanimously (5-0, with
two absent) in support of the proposed Zoning Variances.
ACTION PROPOSED:
Discuss and recommend approval of the proposed Zoning Variances for 1820 W Roosevelt Road.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION:
Members of the Development Committee voted unanimously (6-0) in support of the Zoning Variances.
Attachments: Draft Ordinance 25-O-0040; Plan Commission Recommendation; Site Plan