To help advance plans for a school addition to Lester School, the Downers Grove Village Council examined the project at its Feb. 6 regular meeting.
The request seeks a 3,400-square-feet expansion for the building of three new classrooms necessary to accommodate Downers Grove Grade School District 58’s full-day kindergarten program.
“They’re not anticipating this to increase enrollment overall,” Community Development Director Stan Popovich said.
Renderings on display at the meeting show that the petitioner is looking to make some landscape improvements with the new entrance to the school and add a ramp.
In a related development, Downers Grove Grade School District 58 is seeking a zoning map amendment. It is the petitioner’s desire to reclassify the properties in question from R-4 residential detached house to INP-2 campus-scale institutional and public district to enable conformance to the Village’s comprehensive plan.
The site in question is located at 236 Indianapolis Ave. on the Village’s east side.
Notice was provided to those who live within 250 feet of the project. To date, two residents have included their concerns as part of the public record.
Downers Grove’s Plan Commission reviewed the project at a recent meeting, at which point a positive recommendation was passed to the Village Council.
The Village Council will take action on the petitioner’s requests at its Feb. 13 regular meeting.
Special use request for automobile dealership examined
Also at the meeting, commissioners took time to review a proposed plan for an automobile dealership.
The project requires a special use to enable the construction of a new 8,500-square-foot building located at 2410 Ogden Ave. Previous to the Village Council’s review of the proposal, a restaurant was housed on site and is currently vacant.
The plan, presented to the commissioners, conforms to the Village’s comprehensive plan, so long as aesthetic, site and screening improvements are in the works. The site is currently zoned as B-3 general services and highway business, which allows for an automobile dealership with the council’s approval of a special use.
Renderings of the building on display at the meeting show that primarily metal panels are proposed for the exterior.
No residents spoke during a recent public hearing regarding the special use request.
Following that, two Plan Commission members had concerns for traffic, light glare and the general number of automobile dealerships in Village limits. As such, Village staff explained the proposal including the site plan, traffic study, landscaping/screening and photometric plans.
The completion of a traffic study suggested that the petitioners work toward removing an eastern curb cut to allow for full access onto Ogden Avenue, as well as allowing for future inclusion of a sidewalk and providing for improvements to an eastern curb cut along Ogden Avenue.
Officials are anticipated to consider the special use request at the Village Council’s Feb. 13 regular meeting.
Round it up
A brief recap of action and discussion from the Downers Grove Village Council’s Feb. 6 regular meeting:
A motion was passed to approve an agreement of $185,000 to American Fire Training Systems for the construction of a fire department training facility.
Officials authorized a contract extension valued at $1,534.50, or a two-percent increase, to KLF Enterprises for debris hauling services through the year’s end. The total project’s cost is $78,259.50.
The commissioners secured an agreement between the Village and the Illinois Department of Transportation for Main Street road resurfacing between Ogden Avenue and Franklin Street. It stipulates that Downers Grove will allot $270,000, or 30 percent, toward the Village’s local share of the project cost.