Planning commission votes to recommend PUD amendment to allow Boxed Up Self Storage with conditions

The Pingree Grove Planning and Zoning Commission voted to recommend that the village board amend Ordinance 2007-88 to allow a self-storage facility on Lot 1 of the north parcel (parcel ID cited) after the petitioner agreed to conditions addressing fire protection, access, landscaping and phasing.

Village staff recapped changes to the developer's plans since the commission first reviewed the project on Jan. 16, saying the Fire Protection District identified five requirements for adequate service — a permanent second entrance, Knox boxes at each gate for emergency access, an entrance threshold so gates won’t close on a fire hose, a shut-off to keep an automatic gate open in an emergency, and a requirement that any future office buildings install a fire alarm system. "The developer has agreed to all of those items," staff said.

Stephanie Hyman, assistant general counsel for First Midwest Group, representing the petitioner, told the commission the developer also doubled the number of trees along U.S. Route 20 for additional screening and is working with IDOT to identify the primary access on Route 20. Hyman said the project is intended to be built in two phases and that the developer prefers not to be "wed" to a specific phasing sequence until IDOT determines the access alignment.

Commissioners raised safety and sight-line concerns about making Route 20 the primary access, noting the roadway curve and the types of vehicles (U-Haul trailers and small trucks) that serve a storage facility. "I think that, it's a dangerous road to begin with," one commissioner said, pressing that Thurnau Road would be a safer primary access. Staff acknowledged that final primary access requires IDOT approval and recommended the commission explicitly request the village board consider changing the findings of fact to indicate primary access from Thurnau Road rather than Route 20.

The commission's recommendation includes specific conditions: no outdoor storage on the site; final legal, engineering, and building approvals; IDOT approval of the primary access; submission and village review of a phased construction plan prior to issuance of building permits; concurrence of the Countryside Fire Protection District (fire district) on fire-protection measures; and landscaping maintained in accordance with the approved landscape plan. The petitioner also confirmed units would be fully enclosed (including indoor RV storage areas) and that leases generally require tenants to provide their own insurance for stored contents.

On a roll-call vote, commissioners voted to recommend the PUD amendment to the village board subject to the stated conditions. The commission closed the public hearing for the record; the village board will consider the recommendation in a future meeting.

Boxed Up Self Storage is the operating name the petitioner provided; the commission packet also includes draft findings of fact that staff advised must be adopted by the board for the special-use approval to proceed.