Public Hearing Planned For College Church's Revised Parking Lot Proposal

WHEATON, IL — The Wheaton Planning and Zoning Board will hold a public hearing Aug. 11 to discuss a proposal from College Church for a special use permit to build a parking lot on the northeast corner of Seminary Avenue and Scott Street.

Initially, College Church had proposed a parking lot with 70 spaces. After a public hearing held in late June, the request has since been adjusted and petitioners are seeking approval for a parking lot with 53 spaces.

At least five spaces will be dedicated for ADA use. The original proposal had called for 17 ADA spaces, per city documents.

The proposed site of the lot is currently zoned as an R4 residential district. The petitioners are requesting it be rezoned to I-1 for institutional usage.

The site had previously been home to a single-family home and multi-unit buildings. These were demolished in spring to accommodate the lot proposal.

Petitioners are additionally requesting a zoning variation to shorten the lot's pavement setbacks from 15 feet to five feet.

The proposal has met with resistance from neighboring residents. Many residents in the nearby Union Corridor neighborhood have contended that the rezoning is inappropriate and the parking lot will result in diminished property values.