TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Dustin Anderson, Director of Community Development
SUBJECT:
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Ordinance Approving Amendments to the Subdivision Regulations Regarding Final Plats
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BACKGROUND:
The City’s Subdivision Regulations are adopted by ordinance to guide the process by which land is subdivided for the purpose of providing orderly, planned, efficient, and economical development of the City. For most subdivisions, three different plats must be submitted before subdivided land is recorded with Will or Kendall County. These plats include the preliminary, final, and recording plats. The proposed amendments to Section 3.3(A) of the City’s Subdivision Regulations pertain to application procedure requirements with the final plat portion of the subdivision process.
Construction Plans are documents that are submitted during the subdivision process that allows City staff to verify how the proposed site will be modified with respect to site topography, roadway and sidewalk construction, utility infrastructure, and several other related site design elements. The goal is to ensure that the proposed design of these elements meets the City’s required construction standards and specifications.
One proposed amendment to the City’s Subdivision Regulations will require subdivision applicants to obtain approval of construction plans from City staff, prior to submitting final plat petitions. Currently, these plans are submitted and reviewed simultaneously with the final plat. Staff believes that the final plat review process will be accelerated if construction plan details are finalized prior to final plat submittal. Changes to a site’s construction plans can often result in material changes to the final plat. With construction plans pre-approved, these issues should be minimized during staff’s final plat review.
Another proposed amendment is to eliminate the requirement for paper copies of the final plat. The City moved to an online submittal process (ProjectDox) and online review process in 2023. The City’s Subdivision Regulations currently requires 18 paper copies of the final plat with the final plat application submittal.
The proposed amendments to Section 3.3(A) of the City’s Subdivision Regulations are as follows:
Delete Subsection (3) of Section 3.3(A), which states:
- (The final plat application shall) Be accompanied by a minimum of eighteen (18) paper copies of the final plat complying with these regulations and one (1) digitized copy thereof on a medium and in a format specified by the Director of Community Development.
Delete Subsection (4) of Section 3.3(A), which states:
- (The final plat application shall) Be accompanied by a minimum of three (3) paper copies of construction plans as described in these regulations and one (1) digitized copy thereof on a medium and in a format specified by the Director of Public Works and Utilities.
Replace Subsection (4) of Section 3.3(A), with:
- (The final plat application shall) Be accompanied by construction plans that have been approved by the City of Joliet.
PLAN COMMISSION PUBLIC HEARING:
The Plan Commission held a public hearing on this matter on August 21, 2025. City staff presented the petition. No one spoke in favor of or in opposition to the petition at the public hearing. Meeting minutes are attached hereto.
RECOMMENDATION OF THE PLAN COMMISSION:
Jason Cox moved, and Debbie Radakovich seconded, to approved M-2-25: Amendment to the Subdivision Regulations Regarding Final Plats. The motion passed with five aye votes. Voting aye were Cox, Kella, Martin, Radakovich, and Turk. Commissioners Crompton, Eulitz, Perez, and Roehr were absent.
RECOMMENDATION:
recommendation
Staff concurs with the recommendation of the Plan Commission and recommends that the Mayor and City Council approve the Ordinance Approving Amendments to the Subdivision Regulations Regarding Final Plats.
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