"I am inspired by Warrenville’s ability to embrace change while respecting its past. Compared to neighboring municipalities, Warrenville incorporated relatively recently in the 1960s, after six unsuccessful attempts. Many long-time residents value the city’s small-town character and charm, but this has not prevented thoughtful development. Warrenville has actively shaped its growth while maintaining the qualities that make it special. This balance has resulted in a community with something for everyone — diverse housing options, extensive parks and open spaces, over 15 miles of public bike paths, vibrant public events, and a culture of engaged, invested residents. … What sets Warrenville apart is not just its amenities but its people — residents and leaders who are committed to strengthening their city’s future.” Jack Maszka, a community planner in Warrenville, Illinois
Like many suburbs, Warrenville’s zoning ordinance historically encouraged development patterns that did not generate sufficient tax revenue to support long-term infrastructure maintenance.However, since the city is landlocked by forest preserves, federal land, and neighboring municipalities, it’s unable to use constant growth to fund maintenance, as many other suburbs do. Instead, the city must continuously assess its existing infrastructure and revenue sources to fund repairs.Over the past decade, the city has approved numerous infill development projects to increase tax revenues and fund infrastructure improvements. These projects — ranging from townhomes and duplexes to apartment buildings — were completed without annexation and required only modest road investments. New residential developments brought in additional residents and economic activity. To further capture this growth, the city conducted a Special Census in 2024, which counted new residents and resulted in approximately $420,000 in additional annual state funding for capital improvements and city services.In addition to maximizing existing roads, Warrenville is working to maximize its sewer system by conducting a sanitary sewer capacity study. Warrenville sends all of its sanitary sewer waste to a neighboring municipality, but the volume of waste is constrained by the diameter of the single pipe connecting the two systems. This limitation affects development and redevelopment opportunities. The study will clarify infrastructure constraints and help guide future infill development in a way that increases tax revenue while ensuring that existing city infrastructure is not overburdened.
In 2021, Warrenville adopted the Warrenville Homes for a Changing Region Action Plan, which assessed housing conditions and provided guidance for addressing unmet needs. A key goal of the plan was diversifying housing stock to support residents who want to age in place, downsize or remain in the community, including young professionals and single-parent households. Using this plan as a policy guide, the city undertook two major code updates:
First, they reduced residential parking requirements. Previously, Warrenville required all multifamily residential dwellings with two or more bedrooms to provide four parking spaces, which made their development prohibitively expensive. Current regulations require only one space per bedroom. Additionally, a new provision allows for administrative reductions in parking requirements based on the availability of adjacent public parking spaces.
Second, they adopted Warrenville by Design: Mixed-Use & Middle Housing Overlay, an overlay district that promotes a walkable environment by permitting a mix of uses and housing types by right. This allowed the city to legalize mixed uses and “middle housing” without having to rewrite all of their residential zoning regulations. The adoption process began in spring 2024, including listening sessions, public input meetings, open houses and a public hearing before the Plan Commission. Resident input played a crucial role in shaping both the plan and its specific regulations. On August 5, 2024, the city council officially adopted the overlay district. Now, duplexes, townhomes, row houses, and residential units above commercial spaces are allowed by right within the district.
Warrenville is effectively landlocked by forest preserves, federal land, and neighboring municipalities, so it has limited ability to annex land for development and growth. The city recognized that reducing parking requirements could promote growth and incremental development within the city’s bounds, allowing land to be used for economic activity instead of unused asphalt.
Thus, the city updated its parking regulations, effectively halving the required number of off-street parking spaces for all uses, with some exceptions. These changes unlocked opportunities for infill development on existing lots and made the parking rules more compatible with middle housing options.
Warrenville is a small town of about 15,000 residents, and elected officials are visible and accessible within the community. Leaders engage with residents through local businesses, civic organizations and public events. Residents can also easily communicate concerns, questions and feedback to officials via phone and email, which are posted on the city’s website. To further enhance communication, the city publishes several regular communications:
Warrenville does not have a traditional downtown to support local businesses. To provide home-based businesses with a space to grow, city staff and elected officials organized a Merry Market at City Hall during the local holiday celebration. This event featured 11 local businesses offering goods and services to hundreds of residents. Vendors sold handmade clothing, home décor, jewelry and books from local authors, among other items. Due to the event’s success, city staff and elected officials are exploring longer, more permanent opportunities to support local businesses, such as a “pop-up shop” market. The long-term vision is for the “pop-up shop” to serve as a stepping stone for home-based businesses to transition into brick-and-mortar storefronts. Ideally, incremental development guided by Warrenville by Design will create a walkable retail district to support local businesses.
