A petition by a towing service to change the zoning for a lot it's occupying in violation of Kendall County regulations was denied by the Yorkville City Council.
The county council is expected to take up the petition in late October, but since the property at 790 Eldamain Rd. lies close to Yorkville, the city council wanted to weigh in on what it sees as problems with the proposal.
The property, which houses Jet's Towing and Services and includes a truck repair operation, also houses residents. The zoning matter came to the city's attention after a one and one-half mile review of special uses in unincorporated Yorkville was recently completed.
"The issue here is the property is currently in violation of county regulations for an agriculturally-zoned property," Community Development Director Krysti Barksdale-Noble said. "This was brought to the county's attention and then the petitioner requested to be rezoned to manufacturing."
No one representing Jet's was at this week's city council meeting, but its requests that have been submitted to the county were discussed. They include a variance to a requirement that the surface be paved, that it be allowed to store vehicles and not be required to erect fencing.
"Our current 2008 comprehensive plan does envision this area for manufacturing, but the comprehensive plan sees this as estate-large subdivision-residential," Barksdale-Noble said.
City staff recommended against the zoning change and the Planning Commission wanted a formal objection from the city council, she said.
Alderman Joel Frieders opposed the rezoning.
"Just the two things that were the most blaring were the obviously not paving an area where you'll be having leaky trucks and not fencing an area with stuff like that," he said.
Frieders said denial was appropriate for motorists on Eldamain Road who might encounter animals jumping into traffic.
" ... you can only go 45 miles per hour — but I've seen vehicles that go as fast as 65 miles per hour. That road is now super fast, just like downtown Route 47, if you've ever been down that road," Frieders said. "The fact that they're going to have all these places for large animals to hide, I agree with you."