TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: James V. Capparelli, City Manager
SUBJECT:
title
Ordinance Approving a Special Use Permit to Allow a B-3 (General Business) Use (Pole Vault Training Facility) in an I-2 (General Industrial) Zoning District (ZBA 2022-40)
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BACKGROUND:
The petitioner, Jake Winder of RISE Pole Vault, is seeking approval of a Special Use Permit to allow a pole vault training facility, a B-3 (General Business) use, in an I-2 (General Industrial) district. RISE Pole Vault mainly serves high school and college level athletes. The training center is currently located in Shorewood but the location does not have enough room to allow a full approach to the vaulting bar and pit. The petitioner would like to relocate to the space at 560A Joyce Road in Joliet because it is large enough to accommodate a full approach as well as other training equipment, and thus allow for a higher quality operation.
The site in question contains two warehouse buildings and is zoned I-2 (General Industrial). The petitioner’s request is for an 18,750 square foot tenant space in the larger warehouse, which currently has five other tenants: TEAM Industrial Services, Container Service Group, Bravo Inc, UNO Volleyball, and Logoplaste Joliet Inc. The smaller warehouse is occupied by Ameriplate, Inc. The property was reclassified from B-3 (General Business) to I-2 (General Industrial) in 1986 because of a proposal for a soy processing plant at the site, which was never built. The existing warehouses were built in 1998. In August 2016, the City Council approved a Special Use Permit to allow a volleyball club (UNO Volleyball), a B-3 use, in another tenant space in the larger warehouse. Per the Zoning Ordinance, B-3 uses are allowed as special uses in the I-2 zoning district if they are not “adversely affected by their location within industrial districts” and when the proposed use does not interfere with “the orderly and economic development of the remaining portions of the industrial district.”
The training center operates in the afternoons and evenings, from around 3:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., and occasionally on weekends. The center generally runs two classes at a time of approximately 6 to 9 people each, with one coach per 9 athletes. The proposed tenant space has enough parking in front to accommodate the users of the facility, and the site also has additional parking located along the west, north, and east sides of the warehouse building. Employees of RISE may park in the overflow parking to leave the spaces out front available for the athletes.
ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS PUBLIC HEARING:
The Zoning Board of Appeals held a public hearing on this matter on July 21, 2022. Jake Winder of RISE Pole Vault, petitioner, represented the petition. No one appeared or submitted comments in opposition to the petition. Meeting minutes are attached.
RECOMMENDATION OF THE ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS:
recommendation
Jim Riggs moved that the Zoning Board of Appeals recommend approval of the Special Use Permit request to allow a B-3 (General Business) use (pole vault training facility) in an I-2 (General Industrial) zoning district at 560A Joyce Road, subject to the following conditions:
1. Should the property be declared a public nuisance, it shall be subject to a rehearing and a possible revocation of the Special Use Permit; and
2. That the business shall be registered with the City Clerk’s Office.
Colette Safford seconded the motion, which passed with five (5) aye votes. Voting aye were: Hennessy, Alessio, Riggs, Safford, and McShane.
RECOMMENDATION:
recommendation
The Administration concurs with the recommendation of the Zoning Board of Appeals and recommends the Mayor and City Council adopt an Ordinance approving the Special Use Permit to allow a B-3 (General Business) use (pole vault training facility) in an I-2 (General Industrial) zoning district at 560A Joyce Road, subject to the same conditions approved by the Zoning Board of Appeals above.
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