Zoning Ordinance Committee Recommends Subdistricting

The Ad Hoc Zoning Ordinance Review Committee met Thursday evening at the Wilmette Village Hall to discuss proposed amendments to the town's single-family residential zoning development standards. The committee, comprised of members of the Land Use Committee, the Plan Commission, and the Zoning Board of Appeals, agreed that multiple subdistricts would help solve several concerns.

These problems, identified by the Land Use Committee in 2007, include a large number of variation requests from nonconforming homes. The committee also hopes to honor the unique characteristics of different Wilmette neighborhoods. 

"For tonight, there's the consensus that this is a good idea," Village Trustee Alan Swanson said.

It was during the last meeting in February when the suggestion of eight or nine subdistricts came up, a big change from the single R1 district. The proposed subdistricts, whose boundaries are still subject to review, would split the neighborhoods into East Wilmette, CAGE, Central Wilmette, West Wilmette, Hollywood, Hillville, Connecticut Village, and Kenilworth Gardens. A map of these subdistricts can be viewed here.

If eight subdistricts are approved by the committee, Indian Hill Adjunct at Fairway Drive and Bunker Lane will be added to West Wilmette. Kenilworth Gardens will also be expanded to include Indian Hill Adjunct and the portion of Central Wilmette east of Indian Hill Estates.

"We've always strived to balance the issues of people maintaining their homes," Lisa Roberts, the assistant director of Community Development, said.

"It's a sensitive issue we need to get our arms around," Swanson said. For this reason, the committee proposes each subdistrict will have tailored regulations or "bonuses" outside of the current bulk regulations. 

For example, Roberts and Zoning Review Planner Rachael Randolph studied the different housing styles before deciding that rules for first floor heights should be different in places like East Wilmette, where Victorian-style homes are more common, than in a neighborhood like Hollywood. 

"In Hollywood, more than any of the other districts, you see split level homes," Roberts said. "We did this largely due to house styles rather than lot styles."

A chart of the proposed regulations for each subdistrict can be seen

The next step for the committee is to submit their recommendations to the urban planning firm Camiros, Ltd. of Chicago for review.

The date for the committee's next meeting is tentatively set for August, with the hopes of including local developers.