Portage’s Board of Zoning Appeals shot down a developer’s bid to build a 108-lot subdivision behind National Transmission, with all three members present voting no. The rejection leaves Lotton Development facing a setback on a project that drew pointed questions about whether it belonged before the zoning board at all.
A Separate Lute Road Proposal Also Came Before the Board
According to the Chicago Tribune, the board rejected Lotton Development’s 108-lot proposal behind National Transmission, with all three members present voting against it. The board separately delayed action on a subdivision proposal at 5806 Lute Road. Representing the developer, Chris Salatas had shown a sketch for 91 lots for the Lute Road proposal, though that figure would likely have shrunk further once engineering accounted for drainage infrastructure, the Tribune reported.
For the separate proposal at 5806 Lute Road, Salatas described an age-targeted subdivision connected to the bike and pedestrian trail, with Lotton Development hoping to link it to the Prairie Duneland Trail for access to the nearby YMCA and other amenities, the station’s report notes. The homes were pitched as 900-square-foot, single-story houses aimed at buyers wanting smaller lots, less maintenance and an affordable price point. To make that pencil out, Salatas requested a minimum lot width of 33 feet and a minimum main floor area of 630 square feet — both well under the standard R2 zoning requirements of 80 feet and 1,000 square feet, respectively, according to the same account.
Mayor Says the Process, Not the Project, Was the Problem
Mayor Austin Bonta told the board the number of requested variances looked more like a zoning change and that the process should instead go through the city council, the Tribune reported. Bonta said the project should go to the plan commission for a comprehensive zoning change rather than seeking multiple variances, explicitly opposing use of the Board of Zoning Appeals as the approval route. He instead suggested Lotton consider a planned unit development with customized zoning and city council approval — a path in which the Portage Planning Commission would hold a public hearing and recommend action to the council, per the article.
Bonta’s objection wasn’t to the housing itself. He said city staff are directing developers inward into the city and he appreciated the affordable price point, backing infill development over sprawl and saying he hoped the developer would continue working with the city, the outlet reported. Board member Greg Lach echoed that the proposal seemed more appropriate for rezoning, while fellow member Brent Wright said the small-lot project could still be needed in a highly dense part of town, per the same report.
Traffic and Drainage Concerns on Lute Road
Residents raised concerns that Lute Road — which runs parallel to U.S. 6 — is intended as a narrow side road but already carries substantial traffic as an unintended thoroughfare, the Tribune noted. Drainage was also a sticking point: the neighboring Destiny Street subdivision has had drainage problems after heavy rains, though the report indicates the proposed subdivision could actually improve some neighbors’ drainage through its own stormwater infrastructure. Portage’s stormwater ordinance requires new developments to capture runoff onsite without adversely affecting neighboring properties, per the same coverage…