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TO: Mayor John Laesch
FROM: Planning and Zoning Commission
DATE: October 23, 2025
SUBJECT:
A Resolution Approving a Revision to the Final Plat for Dolan Subdivision, located at 1329 North Lake Street, and Establishing Scooter’s Resubdivision. (Koru Group - 25-0626 / AU10/3-25.238-CUPD/FSD/FPN - SB - Ward 6)
PURPOSE:
The Petitioner, Koru Group, is requesting the establishment of Scooter’s Resubdivision, which includes subdividing the existing approximately two (2) acre lot into a new two (2) lot subdivision that consists of a new half acre commercial lot on Lot 1, and a one-and-a-half (1.5) acre Lot 2, which will contain the existing transitional facility.
BACKGROUND:
The Subject Property is currently zoned B-2, Business District - General Retail. The Subject Property is approximately two (2) acres. The Comprehensive Plan designates the Subject Property as Quasi-Public, while the adjacent block of N Lake St is designated as Arterial, and the adjacent block of Sullivan Rd is designated as Major Collector. The Subject Property received its B-2 zoning at the time of its incorporation to Aurora in 1967. The Subject Property was subdivided per PDFNL10-018, which established the Subject Property as Lot 2 of Dolan Subdivision.
The Subject Property is currently occupied by the Fox Valley Adult Transition Center, which is operated by the State of Illinois’s Department of Corrections. This existing use has been in place since at least April of 1972. The existing building, which was built in 1920, is four (4) stories: the first floor is utilized for approximately six thousand, nine hundred (6,900) square feet of offices and meeting space, while the remaining upper three (3) stories are utilized for residents, who are transitioning to the community via discharge from parole. There are sixteen (16) striped parking spaces that serve the transition center. The Subject Property has three (3) existing full access points: the first along the property’s midpoint on N Lake St, the second is on Sullivan Rd, and the third is a shared access point with the Social Security Agency along the southern property line.
The Petitioner, Koru Group, is requesting the approval of a Final Plat for Scooter’s Resubdivision, located at 1329 N Lake St. The details of the request include subdividing the existing, approximately two (2) acre property into Lot 1 and Lot 2. Lot 1 is to be approximately a half-acre, while Lot 2 is to be approximately one and a half (1.5) acres, and includes dedication of a new fifteen (15) foot wide City Easement to allow for a new Sanitary line to connect to the proposed multi-tenant retail building. There is also an existing ten (10) foot wide Sidewalk Easement that runs along the Subject Property’s frontage on N Lake St. There is a blanket Ingress & Egress Easement that allows access between lots.
Concurrently with this proposal, the Petitioner is requesting the establishment of a Conditional Use Planned Development on the property located at 1329 N Lake St. The details of the request include the creation of Parcel A and Parcel B on the Subject Property. Both parcels are to remain within the B-2 zoning district. Parcel A, which is approximately a half acre, includes the proposed Restaurant with a Drive-through Facility (2530) as a permitted use, while also reducing the required minimum setbacks to be reduced as follows: the Front Yard setback along N Lake St is to be reduced from thirty (30) feet to ten (10) feet; the Interior Side Yard setback is to be reduced from eight (8) feet to zero (0) feet; and the Interior Rear Yard setback is to be reduced from eight (8) feet to six (6) feet. Parcel B, which is approximately an acre and a half, allows for the existing Community Residence, Transitional (1530) to continue as a permitted use, and also establishes the minimum parking requirement to be based on one (1) space per four hundred, twenty-five (425) spaces per square feet of Gross Floor Area for the first floor of office space only.
Concurrently with this proposal, the Petitioner is requesting approval of a Final Plan for Scooter’s Resubdivision. The details of the Final Plan request for Lot 1 includes construction of a new approximately two thousand, eight hundred (2,800) square foot, multi-tenant commercial building that includes a drive-through restaurant. Lot 1 also indicates nineteen (19) striped parking spaces, which exceed the minimum requirement of sixteen (16) spaces for the entire building. The drive-through restaurant includes a single lane, with a single ordering board and a single pick-up window, signifying a minimum stacking requirement of ten (10) spaces, which is provided. The proposed building, which is approximately seventeen and a half (17.6) feet tall, consists of an exterior material that is predominantly gray Hardie Panel and dark Hardie Plank Lap Siding. Landscaping is to be installed per the Zoning code requirements for new construction on Lot 1.
The details of the Final Plan request for Lot 2 include changes to the property as a means to allow the development of Lot 1: the existing access points to N Lake St and Sullivan Rd are being adapted to serve the needs of the proposal, and the layout of the parking lot is being shifted to allow the flow of additional vehicles through its northern half, while still ensuring the minimum parking requirement for the transitional facility is still being satisfied.
Finally, the proposal also includes a five (5) foot wide concrete sidewalk along the Subject Property’s entire frontage on N Lake St. The Subject Property is one of the remaining properties along N Lake St to have a sidewalk installed. Along the Sullivan Rd is an existing eight (8) foot wide path that connects to the western branch of the Fox River Trail.
DISCUSSION:
Staff has reviewed the Final Plat petition and have sent comments back to the Petitioner based on those submittals. The Petitioner has made the requested revisions to these documents and they now meet the applicable codes and ordinances.
In addition to the proposal’s background and nature, Staff feels there is additional discussion necessary as to the benefits and strengths of the proposal.
The proposal effectively leverages the Subject Property’s existing characteristics to maximize its potential for new development and continuing usage. In particular, the layout of the proposed multi-tenant drive-through / retail is designed specifically to maximize the commercial footprint in a way that not only satisfies the minimum parking requirements for the entire building, but also allows for an efficient flow of shared traffic through both Lot 1 and Lot 2. The proposed layout also benefits from the request to reduce setbacks as mentioned previously in this Staff Report. This request also serves to further leverage the Subject Property’s potential: by reducing the exterior setback, the building and parking lot setback is consistent with the existing conditions of this block on the eastern side of N Lake St, while also implementing a new sidewalk and landscaping that compliments the existing and proposed built environment.
The access point on N Lake St is being widened from approximately fourteen (14) feet to twenty-five (25) feet at the property line, while the access point on Sullivan Rd is being widened from approximately fifteen (15) feet to twenty-five (25) feet at the property line, while also being shifted to the east, as a means to reduce conflict between vehicles that turn left out of the Subject Property, and vehicles that are turning left onto Sullivan Rd from Offutt Ln. The minimum landscaping requirement for Lot 2 is limited to the areas surrounding the proposed improvements, which is the new sidewalk along its frontages on N Lake St and Sullivan Rd, as well as north of the new parking spaces along Sullivan Rd.
As previously mentioned in this Staff Report, the northern access point on N Lake St and Sulivan Rd are to receive improvements with this proposal. These improvements are designed to not only support the full scope of this proposal, but also fully integrate the flow of traffic in and out of the Subject Property in a way that does not hinder traffic congestion at the adjacent intersection.
POLICIES AND GUIDELINES:
The Staff’s Evaluation and Recommendation are based on the following Physical Development Policies:
11.1 (3): To encourage new development contiguous to existing development.
14.1 (4): To encourage quality site design throughout the City of Aurora.
31.1 (4): To encourage the development of multiple use commercial, employment,
and service centers.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
The Planning and Zoning Commission recommended APPROVAL of the resolution approving a revision to the Final Plat for Dolan Subdivision, located at 1329 North Lake Street, and Establishing Scooter’s Resubdivision.
ATTACHMENTS:
Exhibit "A" - Final Plat
Land Use Petition with Supporting Documents
Property Parcel Maps
cc: Building, Zoning and Economic Development Committee:
Alderman Michael Saville, Chairperson
Alderman Patty Smith, Vice Chairperson
Alderman Javier Bañuelos
Alderwoman Juany Garza
Alderman Will White
CITY OF AURORA, ILLINOIS
RESOLUTION NO. _________
DATE OF PASSAGE ________________
title
A Resolution Approving a Revision to the Final Plat for Dolan Subdivision, located at 1329 North Lake Street, and Establishing Scooter’s Resubdivision.
body
WHEREAS, the City of Aurora has a population of more than 25,000 persons and is, therefore, a home rule unit under subsection (a) of Section 6 of Article VII of the Illinois Constitution of 1970; and
WHEREAS, subject to said Section, a home rule unit may exercise any power and perform any function pertaining to its government and affairs for the protection of the public health, safety, morals, and welfare; and
WHEREAS, by petition dated August 6, 2025, Scooter's Coffee filed with the City of Aurora a petition, “Requesting the approval of a Final Plat for Scooter’s Resubdivision, located at 1329 North Lake Street,” and related required documents as attached hereto as Exhibits "A"; and
WHEREAS, the Planning and Zoning Commission conducted a hearing on October 22, 2025, reviewed the petition and recommended APPROVAL of said petition; and
WHEREAS, on October 29, 2025, the Building, Zoning and Economic Development Committee of the Aurora City Council reviewed said Final Plat and the before mentioned recommendations and recommended APPROVAL of said petition; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of Aurora, Illinois, finds as fact all of the preamble recitals of this Resolution and hereby grants APPROVAL of said Final Plat.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of Aurora hereby adopts the Final Plat and related required documents as attached hereto as Exhibit "A" Final Plat along with any easement dedications deemed necessary by the Aurora City Engineer.