Glen Ellyn residents will get their first chance to weigh in on rules governing housing types, commercial corridors and neighborhood character when the Plan Commission holds a special meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 13, at the Civic Center.
The session kicks off public discussion of land uses in both residential and commercial zoning districts as part of the village's first comprehensive zoning code rewrite since 1989. A zoning discussion originally scheduled for July 23 was postponed; the Aug. 13 meeting expands the scope to cover residential districts alongside commercial ones.
The Village Board approved a professional services agreement with ZoneCo, LLC on Jan. 28 to lead the overhaul. ZoneCo presented its Zoning Code Diagnostic Report to the Plan Commission on May 28, concluding that the current code "broadly supports long-standing community values but is not well aligned with the Comprehensive Plan's more contemporary expectations for housing variety, commercial reinvestment, and a clearer, more user-friendly regulatory framework."
What the diagnostic found
The code still favors detached single-family development on large lots, even as the 2023 Comprehensive Plan calls for more townhomes, duplexes, small multifamily buildings and accessory dwelling units. About 64 percent of Glen Ellyn's housing units are single-family detached. Roughly 51 percent of the village's land area is single-family lots, according to the Comprehensive Plan.
Common homeowner projects like additions, garages, porches and driveways routinely require variances, the report found, a sign that baseline standards are out of step with the existing built environment.
On the commercial side, ZoneCo found that downtown's layered zoning framework makes it hard for businesses to adapt to evolving models, while standards along Roosevelt Road and Butterfield Road still tilt toward auto-oriented patterns.
Four reform themes
ZoneCo's recommended overhaul focuses on four themes: simplifying the ordinance; restructuring residential and mixed-use districts around housing types and form rather than lot size alone; recalibrating dimensional standards to fit existing neighborhoods; and modernizing commercial and corridor districts to support reinvestment with context-sensitive transitions to adjacent homes.
What comes next
The Plan Commission may hold an additional special meeting in September to continue the discussion. A draft zoning code is planned for release in November, followed by a public open house. Plan Commission and Village Board meetings for final adoption will follow, with the village targeting completion by mid-2027, according to its strategic plan.
The code hasn't been rewritten in 37 years.
Multiple village commissions are involved in the process, along with the Glen Ellyn Chamber of Commerce and the Alliance of Downtown Glen Ellyn.
The full agenda for the Aug. 13 meeting will be posted to the village's Zoning Code Update page by Saturday, Aug. 8. Residents can attend in person at the Civic Center.
