N. Aurora clears path for hotel

Despite concerns from neighbors, the North Aurora village board Monday approved a zoning amendment that will allow a Country Inns and Suites near the corner of Orchard and Randall roads.

The approval carried a condition that the developer must return to the board and specifically state how high a center gable will rise. The four-story, 101-room hotel will also have a pool area and adjacent banquet hall, representative Bob Browning said.

The zoning agreement, a planned unit development agreed upon by the village and developer Washington River LLC several years ago, stated that the tallest structure was not to exceed 35 feet. The center gable to the hotel will rise to about 54 feet, Browning said. Trustees said an ordinary business zoning of the property would allow the height.

The hotel would not be feasible at three stories, Browning said.

The hotel would be near the south end of the commercial parcel near Ritter Street and about 500 feet from its closest residential neighbor. Developers would be willing to work with neighbors to effectively screen the development, which would rise to an elevation 8 feet above the townhouses that face the hotel site, Browning said.

Shawn McMorris, a resident and neighbor of the property, said he felt better about the hotel but still had mixed feelings after Monday's meeting. He said the hotel was better than a big-box retail space, which was the initial plan for the development.

McMorris also said he had concerns about the banquet hall because of a rumor that it would be a video game-type establishment similar to Dave and Busters. Something along that line would not fit in an area so close to housing, he said.

Browning said the deal for the hall is not complete, but it would not be a Dave and Busters. He said it would cater more to a business or wedding atmosphere.

Resident Alison Davis said she was concerned about all-night traffic on Comiskey Avenue, the main egress to her subdivision and the commercial area.

"It's upsetting. We're not going to get the cute little Randall Highlands (subdivision) that we were supposed to," Davis said.