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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08/22/2000 COW minutes MINUTES COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE AUGUST 22, 2000 I. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 7:33 p.m. by Mayor Gerald Farley. Present at the meeting were: Trustees Richard Lohrstorfer, Dennis Prikkel, Michaele Skowron and Irvana Wilks. Absent from the meeting were: Trustees Timothy Corcoran and Paul Hoefert. Staff members present included Village Manager Michael Janonis, Assistant Village Manager David Strahl, Public Works Director Glen Andler, Village Engineer Jeff Wulbecker~ Police Sergeant John Dahlberg, Community Development Director William Cooney, Deputy Community Development Director Mike Blue and Senior Planner Judy Connolly. II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Approval of Minutes from July 25, 2000. Motion made to approve the Minutes by Trustee Lohrstorfer and Seconded by Trustee Prikkel. Minutes were approved. Trustee Skowron abstained. Approval of Minutes from August 1, 2000 Special Committee of the Whole meeting. Motion made by Trustee Lohrstorfer and Seconded by Trustee Prikkel. Minutes were approved. Approval of Minutes from August 8, 2000. Motion made by Trustee Wilks and Seconded by Trustee Skowron. Trustee Prikkel requested a change in the language regarding the consensus recommendation from the Board concerning Community Center use for senior activities. Minutes were approved with the modification~ III. CITIZENS TO BE HEARD None. IV. WISCONSIN CENTRAL/METRA NORTH CENTRAL COMMUTER LINE DOUBLE TRACK PROJECT-UPDATE Village Manager Janonis stated that the Village staff has been in discussions for at least five years with the Wisconsin Central and Metra representatives regarding the upcoming addition of a track line adjacent to the existing track that runs through the northeast portion of the Village. In the 1960s, the railroad owner at that time removed one of the tracks to make it a single line, however, with the purchase of the line by Wisconsin Central and the addition of commuter lines, traffic has increased to the point where an additional track is necessary to handle the traffic volume. Village staff has worked diligently to minimize the impact on the adjacent residents near the Prospect Heights station including the erection of a fence and location of the boarding platform. The second track will be located to the west side of the existing track with the platform in between and construction is slated to begin in September of this year. Construction drawings have been received and reviewed and are consistent with previous commitments made by Wisconsin Central and Metra. Staff has also worked to close the private crossing in the unincorporated area of Mount Prospect referred to as Morrison Avenue. The closing and relocation of the entrance to this private parcel will relieve the train engineers from blowing their whistle at this uncontrolled intersection in the future. Staff has also prepared cost estimates and purchase agreements to install quick- curb at Emmerson and Euclid if in fact the Federal Railroad Association (FRA) requires whistles to be blown at that intersection. Previous commitments from FRA have stated that if a physical device is installed to keep drivers from going around the gates, they would not require a whistle being blown. He stated the screening fence that is currently in place behind the residents adjacent to the existing platform will be removed during the construction process but reinstalled. It is his intention to put together a Resident Information Bulletin for home delivery this week to provide information to the residents along the track line. This item was for information purposes only and required no Board action. V. ROUTE 83 RECONSTRUCTION PROJECT - UPATE Village Engineer Jeff Wulbecker provided a progress report regarding the construction and stated that the Phase I portion of the project regarding the east side of the street is almost completed. There was a pouring of concrete all day today and another one will be scheduled for this coming Friday. He stated the bridge for the east of the road will be completed within two weeks and IDOT has approved overtime to make sure the bridge construction portion is brought back on schedule. He stated several factors including a labor strike, structural steel shortage and utility location issues have caused the project to fall slightly behind but two-way traffic is still expected by Thanksgiving and the traffic should be shifted to the newly paved east side within three weeks. He does not expect permanent traffic signals, right-of-way restoration and other final items to be completed until next spring. Police Sergeant John Dahlberg provided an overview of the Police activities during the construction process. He stated the Police Department has stepped up enforcement along Emerson and has written almost 250 citations for either speeding or Stop sign violations along Emerson. He stated that the Police and Village staff have spent substantial time addressing the traffic issues of not only Emerson but also adjacent streets in which traffic is found as an alternative to Route 83 during the construction. He stated that Public Works has been very responsive in putting up additional signage within short turn-around periods to improve the flow of traffic through the area. He stated discussions with IDOT have been fruitful in altering the signal timing for the traffic lights and Police personnel have been located at strategic intersections in an effort to educate drivers during the process. He stated that currently Officers are assigned to Prospect and Emerson in the evenings to improve the flow of traffic at that intersection. He stated that even after the left turn from Prospect to northbound 83 was instituted with extensive signage and barricades, 12 citations were issued for people ignoring the signage and barricades. Public Works Director Glen Andler stated that he has retained a Traffic Consultant to assist the Village in suggesting alternatives to the ICC in reviewing the staff suggestions regarding the intersection of Prospect Avenue and Route 83 near the tracks. General comments from Village Board members included the following items: A number of Trustees stated that this project has been a model of cooperation between different agencies and have recognized the extensive staff commitment to make the project move along as smoothly as possible. John Korn, 301 North William, spoke. He referred to a recent article in the Daily Herald newspaper which referred to the construction being completed next year. He felt the article was not entirely accurate due to the fact that only restoration would be completed next year and it appears as if the construction process itself should be completed on time. He suggested Village staff correct these misstatements by the newspaper. VI. MISCELLANEOUS ZONING ISSUES DISCUSSION Community Development Director Bill Cooney stated that thera are three major issues that he is bringing forward this evening for general discussion and comment. Those items include lot coverage, tear downs and oversized garages. 3 Lot Coverage This is defined as the amount of land covered by a structure or improvements to a piece of property and the ratios that are established in the current Ordinance are based on the various Zoning Districts. Several items impact lot coverage including storm water runoff and aesthetics to the property and neighboring properties. Some of the staff issues that arise with lot coverage discussions include situations where lot coverage is exceeded as existing and when a resident wants to come in to replace a deck, a patio or a driveway, they are informed they cannot replace such an improvement due to them exceeding the lot coverage. Unfortunately, many of the improvements to a large number of homes in the Village were either built in the County or built when Codes were substantially different. There are several options available for consideration including leaving the lot coverage ratios the same, or credit different amounts of coverages as a percentage of the total, or allow administrative flexibility in allowing residents to restore existing non-conforming coverage. Tear Downs This is defined as the removal or substantial rebuild of single-family homes. This is a significant reinvestment in the community and in the housing stock within the community. While the impact on the neighborhoods may be based on various judgmental differences, the phenomenon has occurred on a very limited basis in Mount Prospect to date. Other communities have taken different approaches to this single-family redevelopment. Oversize Gara,qes Community Development Director Bill Cooney stated it is quite typical that residents have submitted plans for significantly larger structures than current allowed by Code and the Zoning Board of Appeals is involved in considering all garages under 600 square feet. It has been very difficult to define hardship as required by the Code for a significantly larger garage than allowed by Code. General comments from the Village Board members included the following items: There was a concern regarding the definition of hardship for Variation and whether such hardship is consistently used in Mount Prospect as other communities. There was also a suggestion that some consideration be considered for lot coverage related to a ratio of the lot size. Several Board members stated they did not necessarily see an issue with allowing replacement in-kind for structures that are currently non-conforming. 4 There were also some comments regarding the consideration for the administrative option for allowing a percentage of Variation with certain conditions regarding replacement of existing structures. Generally, the Board members felt that additional study needs to be undertaken regarding tear down and rebuild of single-family homes. There was also a concern raised regarding retaining affordable housing within the community and whether the community is at any legal exposure. It was suggested that the ZBA be offered the opportunity to provide input regarding these subjects for the Board to consider. VII. VILLAGE MANAGER'S REPORT None. VIII. ANY OTHER BUSINESS None. CLOSED SESSION Motion made by Trustee Wilks and Seconded by Trustee Lohrstorfer to move into Closed Session to discuss Personnel, Litigation and Property Acquisition. Meeting adjourned into Closed Session at 9:17 p.m. Meeting reconvened into open session at 10:29 p.m. IX. ADJOURNMENT No other business was transacted and the meeting was adjourned at 10:30 p.m. Respectfully submitted, DAVID STRAHL DS/rcc Assistant Village Manager H:\GEN\Cowffvlinutes~082200 COW Minutes,doc