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TO: Mayor John Laesch
FROM: Planning and Zoning Commission
DATE: July 24, 2026
SUBJECT:
An Ordinance Granting a Conditional Use Permit for Educational services (6100) on the Property located at 2001 Heather Drive (West Aurora School District #129 - 26-0443 / AU18/2-26.169-CU/SR - KP - Ward 5)
PURPOSE:
The petitioner, West Aurora School District #129, is requesting approval of a Conditional Use for Educational Services (6100) for the purpose of allowing a parking lot expansion.
BACKGROUND:
The Subject Property is located at 2001 Heather Drive and is currently zoned P Park and Recreation District. However, a public school is classified as 6100 Educational Services which is a conditional use within the P District. It is necessary to bring the property into conformance with the Conditional Use to allow (any) expansion of the (school) use.
Hall Elementary School was established in 1961 and has experienced growth in students and staff over the years and has outgrown their parking facilities. In the past, public schools were not subject to municipal zoning regulations. However, back in 2016, a School Zoning Law was passed by the State of Illinois that gave local governments the authority to apply and enforce their zoning regulations on public schools. As a result, many public schools, including Hall Elementary School, are often considered to have "grandfathered" zoning status, making this type of zoning request common.
The insufficient parking has been an ongoing challenge for the School District. Currently, there are only 65 on-site parking spaces and approximately 68 staff members, consisting of teachers and support personnel, plus additional visitors. The lack of parking spaces has led to overflow parking on Heather Drive, which is the area designated for student drop-off, causing congestion during drop-off and pick-up times. To address the parking shortage, the petitioner proposes to construct an additional parking lot.
The proposed parking lot...
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