The Will County Board Land Use and Development Committee voted to approve a map amendment rezoning a vacant lot at the northeast corner of Algonquin Street and Copperfield Avenue in Joliet Township from R-5 to R-6 and then granted a special-use permit allowing a four-unit apartment building to be built on the site.

The applicant, property owner Marcos Vivian, said he bought the long-vacant parcel and designed a single-story, ranch-style four-unit building to provide “affordable housing” for the neighborhood. Vivian told the committee he is willing to reduce the number of units to two or three if necessary.

The committee discussion focused on compatibility with the surrounding single-family neighborhood, availability of city water and sewer, lot size, and parking. Margie (county planning staff) described the site as approximately 15,600 square feet, combining lots 146–148 of the Belmont subdivision, with about 130 feet of frontage on Copperfield Avenue and 120 feet on Algonquin Street. The conceptual plan shown in the staff packet proposes eight parking spaces; staff said the Will County standard is one space per unit for this type of multiunit building and the site plan shows one handicapped space included in the eight.

Staff told the committee that the planning and zoning commission had previously denied the map amendment and approved the special-use permit; the map amendment must pass for the special-use permit to be allowed because multifamily buildings are not permitted in R-5. Committee members pressed for proof of service connections; Margie said the applicant reported contact with the City of Joliet and that the city “allegedly is offering those connection services,” but staff did not have a written confirmation in the packet.

Members also questioned how dense development allowed under R-6 could be on a relatively small, combined lot. Margie noted R-6 allows up to 45 percent building coverage and, if the building is under 30 feet high, a five-foot side-yard setback can apply on the northern and eastern property lines; a 30-foot street yard setback would apply along the street. Committee members raised concerns about limited rear-yard space and whether units would principally house singles or families; some members urged flexibility to allow two or three units instead of four if the lot size made four impractical.

The committee approved the map amendment by roll call and then approved the special-use permit. The owner, Marcos Vivian, said he had already consulted informally with the fire chief and the City of Joliet about water and fire protection; Margie reiterated that proof of connections will be required at permitting.

Votes at the meeting record the map amendment and special-use permit as approved by the committee; the special-use permit will still require the normal building-permit sign-offs, including fire and health approvals and any required road-district reviews.

The committee noted neighbors’ earlier objections at the planning and zoning hearing — concerns the record attributes to crime and neighborhood character — and members said those issues were part of their deliberations. The applicant said the lot has been vacant for many years and that the township contains other multifamily properties in the general area.

The committee’s action sends the approvals forward in the county’s review process; the applicant must provide documentation of service connections and meet building- and site-permit requirements before construction can proceed.