BATAVIA – The Batavia Plan Commission is adding conditions to the proposed Campana building apartment project.

Most notably, planners want a sidewalk around the entire oval driveway and parking area in front, known as the racetrack.

After its third marathon meeting on the project Aug. 30, the commission appears to be poised to take final action Sept. 6, before sending the proposal to the Batavia City Council with its recommendations.

Evergreen Real Estate Group’s redevelopment project would include 80 residential apartments inside the building and renovation of the historic 1936 structure.

The developer’s plan includes widening portions of the oval to increase available parking in front of the building to 88 spaces. Planners said a sidewalk is needed to serve residents making their way to and from the building and the parking area.

Evergreen Director of Development David Block agreed to include the sidewalk, provided the Illinois State Historic Preservation Office and the National Park Service approve.

Similarly, he agreed to the commission’s recommendations for benches, trash receptacles and a bicycle rack outside the building to serve the residents, contingent on approval from the preservation agencies.

The planners considered the requirement of a right-in-, right-out-only configuration for the site’s Fabyan Parkway entrance. After concerns were raised about the geometry of such an arrangement, they opted for the placement of a sign prohibiting a left turn out of the site onto Fabyan during the morning and afternoon rush hours.

The sign would need approval from the Kane County Division of Transportation.

And at the insistence of commission member Joan Joseph, the panel made Evergreen’s offer to provide bus service to Western Avenue School in Geneva for children living at Campana a requirement.

Commission Chairman Tom LaLonde was critical of Evergreen’s plans for a sheath to hide cellphone antennas on top of the tower, as well as retention of the building’s signature glass block, which would provide light but little in the way of views for the residents.

But LaLonde acknowledged that the building’s landmark status prevents any changes to the glass block.

Moreover, Evergreen’s financial plan is reliant on the historic preservation tax credits it will receive for renovating the structure.

The Campana building has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1979, and was designated a local landmark by the city of Batavia in 2003.

City Planning and Zoning Officer Joel Strassman told commissioners that the city staff supports the proposal, and outlined a series of conditions and zoning modifications for the project.

Key among these would be a vehicle parking “landbank,” which would allow the number of parking spaces to be increased from the 206 total proposed by Evergreen to the 301 required under the city’s code.

An area on the northwest side of the property, which Evergreen plans to use as a soccer field and tot lot for residents, would have to be paved for parking in the future if the city decides it is needed, under the staff recommendation.

Community Development Director Scott Buening said a Special Service Area would be part of the arrangement, guaranteeing that the developer would pay for the additional parking and necessary drainage work if the city invokes the requirement.

Evergreen’s $30 million project would include 36 one-bedroom units, 38 two-bedroom units, and six three-bedroom units. Of these, 16 would be market-rate apartments, and 64 would be income-restricted. The developer would make use of low-income housing tax credits to help finance the project and offer affordable rents to the tenants of the income-restricted units.

Evergreen, based in Chicago, wants to use the original 1936 factory building and the north addition for the apartments, while maintaining business uses in the south and west additions.