Yorkville contemplates proposal to permit higher residential housing density

YORKVILLE – The city of Yorkville is considering a proposal that would allow for increased housing density in new residential developments.

The proposal is part of a larger plan for a Unified Development Ordinance, designed to combine traditional zoning and subdivision regulations along with other city requirements into a single document.

An open house was held Aug. 31 at Yorkville City Hall to allow residents to learn about the proposal, ask questions and provide feedback.

For the past five years, the city has issued an average of 120 new construction permits each year, fueling a building and population boom in the city.

The 2020 census recorded 21,533 residents in Yorkville. City officials now believe that figure has reached 25,000.

More construction is on the way, and the city is looking to provide developers with a single, modern online portal to guide their building projects.

“The city is seeking to create an easy-to-use document, which combines the zoning ordinance, subdivision regulations, landscape ordinance and appearance code,” Community Development Director Krysti Barksdale-Noble said.

A big change in the zoning ordinance would be to allow increased housing density in some developments.

Currently, the R1 zoning classification provides for the lowest density, with single-family homes on lots of at least 18,000 square feet with a minimum lot width requirement of 100 feet.

Under the proposed change, the minimum lot size would be reduced to 12,000 square feet and the lot width reduced to 70 feet.

This would have the effect of increasing housing density in a new development from the current 2.42 dwelling units per acre to 3.63.

The city also maintains an R2 residential zoning classification, under which homes may be constructed on lots of at least 12,000 square feet with an 80-foot minimum width.

The revised ordinance would reduce the lot size requirement to 10,000 square feet, with a minimum lot width of 70 feet.

The change would increase the housing density in R2 districts from three dwelling units per acre to 4.35.

The ordinance would create a new R2 zoning classification that would allow for 7.26 dwelling units per acre. The minimum lot size would be 6,000 square feet on properties at least 65 feet wide.

The new R2 classification would have reduced front and rear yard setbacks of 25 feet and could be allowed only in age-restricted developments designed to serve seniors.

Mayor John Purcell has indicated his opposition to the proposals that allow for increased density.

“I don’t have residents coming to me saying we need smaller lots,” Purcell said at the Aug. 8 Yorkville City Council meeting. “This is dead on arrival.”