Update 6/16/16 – The DuPage County board voted 15-2 on Tuesday against the self-storage development proposed by Extra Space and WM Ventures. The board rejected the project after development-committee members were divided on it last month, according to the source.

June 16, 2016

6 Min Read
County Board Rejects Extra Space Self-Storage Development Near Naperville, IL

Update 6/16/16 – The DuPage County board voted 15-2 on Tuesday against the self-storage development proposed by Extra Space and WM Ventures. The board rejected the project after development-committee members were divided on it last month, according to the source.

"One of our jobs as county board members is to listen to our residents," board member Tonia Khouri said during the meeting. "I have heard overwhelmingly from the residents. They oppose this project. The city of Naperville is unanimously opposed to this project."

One board member, Kevin Wiley, supported the project in committee but voted against it this week. "I apologize for that," Wiley said. "But the intensity of the building—the space on the frontage—is not as I envisioned it when I looked at the documents."

4/11/16 – The self-storage project proposed by Extra Space and developer WM Ventures sustained another blow last week when the DuPage County Zoning Board of Appeals voted 6-1 against recommending the facility. One member abstained from voting, according to the source. The proposal is now scheduled to be heard by the county’s development committee on May 3.

Board member Mike Loftus said he opposed the project because no areas with zoning designated for local convenience businesses have self-storage on them, the source reported.

The board’s rejection was applauded by local residents who have been vocal in their opposition. “Last night at the zoning board of appeals, their denial adds to our momentum,” Donnell told the source. “We’re pleased. We’re happy it’s going in this direction.”

After the development committee reviews the plan, it could still be heard by the county board for approval. A supermajority, with 14 of 18 members supporting the project, would be necessary for its approval.

3/8/16 – Extra Space met with officials from Naperville on March 1 to get a better sense of the city’s objections to its proposed self-storage project in DuPage County. The two sides discussed potential changes to the project including “building elevation and landscaping improvements, as well as potential annexation of the property into the city," according to the source, citing a memo from Allison Laff, deputy director of Naperville's department of transportation, engineering and development.

Extra Space will formally bring the project before the Naperville City Council on March 15. "We're just trying to have a discussion as to what their objections are," Kasson told the source.

With the REIT seeking input from Naperville, the county zoning board of appeals delayed its expected recommendation last week and rescheduled it for April 7. Assuming the Lisle Township property remains unincorporated, the recommendation from the appeals board will be sent to the development committee and full county board, both of which must approve the project, the source reported.

2/22/16 – Extra Space continues to face opposition to its proposed self-storage project in DuPage County, Ill. The company presented a revised design to the zoning board of appeals last week that reduces the height of the building by eight feet and the number of above-ground floors from three to two, but residents continued to oppose the project, according to the source. The board is scheduled to make a recommendation on the requested land-use changes to the development committee on March 3.

“It’s an industrial-size building,” resident Dean Vance told the board. “There are no other industrial-size buildings in this neighborhood.”

Tracy Kasson, an attorney with Rathje & Woodward LLC, represented Extra Space during the hearing and told the board the facility will be more than 100 yards from the Hobson Villas subdivision, and lighting will be restricted to two lights for the parking lot. The facility also isn’t expected to increase traffic in the area. “This is an office building without the parking requirement of an office building,” he said.

The revised design for the facility still calls for 730 units, but many would be placed in a floor below grade, the source reported.

Bob Suren, district manager for Extra Space, told the board the real estate investment trust wants to add to its two Naperville locations to meet rising demand. “We feel there’s a need here,” he said. “That’s why we’re wanting to keep growing.”

Approval from the county is complicated by a formal resolution from Naperville officials opposing the project. Although the facility would be built on unincorporated land, it’s within 1.5 miles of the city boundary. The city’s opposition requires a supermajority of county board members to approve the project, according to the source.

2/5/16 – Extra Space Storage Inc., a publicly traded self-storage real estate investment trust (REIT) and third-party management firm, is facing opposition to a proposed storage development at 24W655 and 24W681 75th St. in Lisle Township, Ill. The REIT wants to build a three-story, 105,000-square-foot facility on 3.5 acres, but nearby residents fear extra road noise, security issues and increased traffic, according to the source.

The facility would be 40 feet tall at it highest parapet, comprising 730 storage units and 17 parking spaces. Intended building components include gray masonry and decorative metal. The project would include open space for water retention and detention between the building and Meadow Glens Park. The structure would replace two houses on the property, which is also near Meadow Glens Elementary School and a Walgreens. A traffic study determined the facility should generate 180 additional trips each day, the source reported.

Residents opposed to the project also argue the facility won’t fit the character of the community and fear an increase in industrial development in the neighborhood. "The area is decidedly residential. We're concerned that [the self-storage facility] might set us on a path that industrializes the neighborhood because of the availability of adjacent properties," resident Tim Donnell told the source.

To move forward, Extra Space would need the DuPage County Board to approve a zoning change from residential to a local business district and a conditional-use permit. It would also need board approval to increase the floor-area ratio allowed on the site to fit the building, according to the source.

The neighboring city of Naperville, Ill., previously filed an objection with the county arguing the self-storage facility is inconsistent with a planning study of the 75th Street corridor. The study outlines limited-commercial, office or residential uses for the site, the source reported.

The zoning board was scheduled to examine the project on Jan. 18. It is then scheduled to be reviewed by the development committee before it is discussed by the full county board, according to the source.

Headquartered in Salt Lake City, Extra Space owns or operates 1,347 self-storage properties in 36 states; Washington, D.C.; and Puerto Rico. The company’s properties comprise approximately 885,000 units and 100 million square feet of rentable space.

Sources:

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