Crest Hill Homeowner Granted Side Yard Setback Variance for Accessible Addition

Will County Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting | March 3, 2026

Article Summary: The Will County Planning and Zoning Commission approved a side yard setback variance for a Crest Hill residence, permitting the homeowner to build an addition designed to accommodate mobility issues.

Crest Hill Setback Variance Key Points:

• The variance for Case ZC-25-140 reduces the required side yard setback from 10 feet to 5.62 feet.

• The applicant will construct a 35-foot by 16-foot addition to the existing single-family residence.

• The property was originally platted in 1925, predating modern zoning setback requirements.

JOLIET, Ill. — The Will County Planning and Zoning Commission on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, unanimously approved a setback variance for a Crest Hill homeowner, allowing the construction of a home addition designed to improve accessibility.

The variance, filed under Case ZC-25-140 by Jeffery and Lynn Metzger, requested a reduction of the side yard setback from 10 feet to 5.62 feet at their property located at 56 Blossom Street in Plainfield Township.

County planner Alec Van Patten outlined the historical context of the 9,362-square-foot parcel, which is zoned R-3. The lot was originally created as part of the Sunnyland subdivision in 1925, decades before Will County introduced formal lot standards in 1978. The existing home was built in 1950 and currently sits encroaching into the modern side yard setback.

“This is a legal non-conforming structure for encroaching side yard setbacks,” Van Patten said. “The addition of the house is considered an expansion of this nonconformity and must be brought into compliance.”

Van Patten noted that the requested 5.62-foot setback aligns with the existing footprint of the 75-year-old home and simply continues the historical line of the building. County staff recommended approval of the variance.

Homeowner Jeffery Metzger briefly addressed the commission, explaining the personal necessity behind the 35-foot by 16-foot addition.

“We’re building this addition for my sister-in-law,” Metzger said. “Once you get in my house, it only takes three steps to get in my house. It’s a flat house. You don’t have to go any more steps. So, it’s for her and for myself. I can’t walk too well anymore.”

With no objectors present, the commission voted unanimously to approve the variance.