Developer of 75th St. storage project seeks Naperville's blessing
A proposed self-storage facility on 75th Street that is awaiting a decision on approval from DuPage County now is set to petition the city of Naperville for possible annexation.
The prospective developer of an Extra Space self-storage center proposed west of Wehrli Road is bringing the project for city council consideration during its meeting March 15, said Tracy Kasson, an attorney representing the project.
The council on Feb. 16 approved a resolution objecting to the facility and sent it to DuPage County, which has jurisdiction over the 3.5-acre site because it is in unincorporated Lisle Township.
But the developer recently met with Naperville staff members to ask what could be done to gain city support, according to a memo from Allison Laff, deputy director of Naperville's department of transportation, engineering and development.
The meeting covered "potential changes that might be made to the pending project, such as building elevation and landscaping improvements, as well as potential annexation of the property into the city," Laff wrote in the memo. The discussion with council members March 15 will seek "the same feedback."
Kasson would not confirm whether developers are seeking annexation into the city.
"We're just trying to have a discussion as to what their objections are," he said.
The city's resolution of opposition says the storage facility doesn't match what was outlined in a 2008 land-use study for 75th Street, which recommended the site contain one-story offices or businesses such as "small-scale neighborhood convenience retail and service uses."
Neighbors also have voiced their disapproval of the idea, saying a building with "industrial" character would not fit with its surroundings and could create more traffic and noise near their homes.
The self-storage facility would contain 730 storage units and 17 parking spaces. It would take the place of two houses west of the Walgreens at the southwest corner of 75th Street and Wehrli Road.
Revised proposals call for a two-story, 28-foot-tall building with an architectural parapet making the total height 32 feet. The first plan outlined a 36-foot-tall building with a 4-foot-tall parapet.
Despite the council's resolution against the project and a previous letter of objection filed Jan. 5 by city staff members, Naperville leaders will get another look at the project at 7 p.m. March 15, in the municipal center at 400 S. Eagle St.
The move to seek council input delayed a decision on the project that could have come Thursday from DuPage County's zoning board of appeals. The zoning board has rescheduled its decision for 5:30 p.m. Thursday, April 7, in room 3500B of the administration building at 421 N. County Farm Road in Wheaton.
If the property remains unincorporated, a county zoning board of appeals decision would not be final. The ruling would inform opinions of the county board's development committee and the full county board - both of which must approve the project for it to become reality.