Kudos to Naperville council on duplexes

I read Mike Carter's complaint about his village of Glen Ellyn approving a developer's request for zoning variances, even after their planning commission rejected the request.

In the subdivision where I live in Naperville, we had a similar situation, in that a developer was trying to get several variances to be able to cram five duplex units on a narrow piece of property. The access road would have been narrower and only allow parking on one side, and the road would have been within a foot of a neighbor's property line.

Our planning commission rejected the request and there was concern that the developer had enough clout to push it through the Naperville City Council, but I am pleased to say that the Council also rejected the request.

I watched the council proceedings and was proud of the way members handled the situation. Even though there is always a desire to be fair to a developer, the members showed common sense, logic, and a true sense of caring for the community as a whole.

What was interesting was the city staff all recommended accepting the request, and yet the council members questioned their own staff's logic and voted against the plan.

I think it sets a very bad precedent when a council or board overrules a commission unless there is real negligence on the commission's part to do proper due diligence.

The planning commission did an excellent in gathering the facts, listening to both sides and forming their decision. A belated thanks to the Naperville City Council for a well-thought-out decision and not just being a rubber stamp.

Bob Van Slobig

Naperville