Commission approves on-site sewage waiver for 102 Fry Street with five‑year buffer and hookup requirement

The Planning & Zoning Commission unanimously approved a waiver to allow an on-site sewage facility at a property near 102 Fry Street, but added time‑bound conditions and a single‑family restriction.

City engineering staff presented three options: make improvements to the nearby 30‑inch sewer main and associated manhole to allow a standard connection (staff’s cost estimate for that work was about $89,831), extend a local 6‑inch line (not feasible because of grade), or allow an individual on‑site sewage system (estimated cost $14,525). Abigail Knott, city engineer, said staff prefers connection to the city system when feasible but acknowledged the cost and technical challenges of tying into the shallow 30‑inch main that runs in a drainage easement behind the lot.

Commissioners debated timing and precedent. They agreed to a modification that mirrors a prior approach: the owner may install an on‑site system but the city will not require connection for at least five years; if city sewer formally becomes available after that period the property owner must connect within one year and remove and remediate the on‑site facility. The motion approved unanimously also limited the waiver to one single‑family residential lot and required payment of necessary fees and compliance with permitting through Kendall County for the on‑site system.

The applicant, who owns the adjacent parcel, said he prefers connection but would not absorb the city’s estimated $89,831 cost to construct a compliant connection; he asked the commission to allow the on‑site option to keep the lot marketable.