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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03/24/1998 COW minutes MINUTES COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MARCH 24, '1998 Mayor Fadey celled the meeting to order at 7:35 p.m. Present at the meeting were: Trustees George Clowes, Paul Hoefert, Richard Lohrstorfer, Daniel Nocchi and Irvana Wilks. Absent from the meeting was: Trustee Timothy Corcoran. Staff present included Village Manager Michael Janonis, Assistant Village Manager David Strahl, Community Development Director William Cooney, Deputy Community Development Director Michael Blue, Plannlng Coordinator Dan Ungedeider, Finance Director Brian Caputo and members of the Downtown Ad Hoc Committee. II. MINUTES Approval of Minutes of March 10, 1998. Motion made by Trustee Wilks and Seconded by Trustee Nocchl to approve the Minutes. Minutes were approved. I!1. CITIZENS TO BE HEARD Jim Kobler, 91t South Elmhuret Road, spoke. He requested some information concerning the status of the work that is proceeding at the 3Com building on Central Road. Community Development Director Bill Cooney responded by stating he has a meeting scheduled with 3Com representatives in the near future to discuss the final status of the facede and the foundation of the building. He stated that IDOT has approved work on Central and Busse and would hope to get these issues resolved by early spring. IV. DOWNTOWN STRATEGIC PLAN REVIEW Mayor Farley provided a general Introduction to the topic and stated that he has Invited staff input and anticipated a developer presentation concerning this project this evening. He stated that the purpose of this meeting is to solicit questions from Ad Hoc Committee members and citizens. Comments will be forwarded to the developer for further responses if necessary. He requested that the number of questions be limited and be so that they might be answered this evening. He stated any audience member has the option of using the podium or writing down the question On an index cerd and forwarding it to staff members for an answer. Community Development Director Bill Cooney provided a general background on the Ad Hoc Committee and Its charge. He stated the Committee went through numerous discussions in order to come to the POint of creating an RFP which was submitted to over 70 developers. Of the 70 requests that were sent, two developers responded in a timely fashion. The Ad Hoc Committee met and racernmended both ~-~ proposals be presented to the Village Board this evening. One developer withdrew after additional questions which came up during the initial review of the proposal were submitted to both responders for follow-up prior to the, meeting tonight. Therefore, only one proposal will be Presented this evening. He stated the Ad Hoc Committee will meet after the Village Board to formulate a final recommendation'in order to forward it to the full Village Board. He stated an Open House is scheduled for March 31 from 4:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m., at the SeniOr Center for any interested residents to review the proposed development plans firsthand. Mark Anderson, principal for A&T Investments, spoke. He stated that he is in the business of downtown redevelopment and feels that the Town Centre LLC proposal is a compilation of Input from numerous experts in the field of downtown redevelopment and ls responsive to the Village's Strategic Plan,. * Mark Hopkins, the architect for the Town Centre project, provided a general overview of Phase I and other components of the overall plan. He highlighted the development concept on each bloCk. He stated that some issues obviously still needed to be resolved but generally, t~e plan is sound as presented. He stated the Main/Wille bloCk would include cond0miniums in Phase I with town homes along Emerson (Phase II) and a parking deck at First Chicago and the eventual movement of Village Hall to the block Where the Library is located (Phase III). He stated the plan has been revised by taking one of the buildings initially drawn On the Main/VVille block and moving it away from the homes on Central Road. He stated the proposed buildings (three buildings on which one would be lower) have two levels of parking and six floors for living areas. He stated there would be one. space per unit inside the building with an overall parking ratio of 1.5 spaces per unit and stated that vehicle access would be near the rear of the building and all pedestrian walkways would be linked. - A combination of the Village Hall/Seni0r Center Was conceived as a stand-alone bUilding on Its own site and is designed as a gathering place for community events by providing a large green space area. He stated the design focuses on pedestrians. Mark Anderson stated that the missidn described here :reflects vadous opportunities for the downtown and provides a source of pdde for the residents and can be achieved within the current financial means. He stated his group is ready ~. to discuss Phase I and any connection to Phase II and Phase III. He stated they are willing to enter Into discussions C°ncemlng public/private partnerships and any other items which need to be addressed to get the project moving. General comments from the Ad Hoc Committee members are as follows: There was a concem regarding existing businesses in the downtown and how the plan incorporated their possible relocation. There weTM also questions concerning the types of retail uses contemplated by the plan. Mark Anderson answered the questions presented by the Ad Hoc Committee members. He stated the group would be willing to work with local businesses in order to retain them within the downtown and feels there are very similar demographics in Mount Prospect as with Arlington Heights where they have been successful in Incorporating existing local businesses. General comments from the Village Board members included the following items: There was a question regarding the amount of square' footage reserved for retail In Phase I and Phase II. There was also a suggestion whether there would be any effort made for retail development along Wille Street. A question was posed about who was responsible for attracting retail to the area under redevelopment. There was also a question concerning the number of units contemplated for the Main/Wille block and the average square footage of the units. Some ~3oard members expressed a concern about the proposed height of the buildings. Mark Hopkins responded to the questions presented by the various Board members. He stated that the proposed plan includes approximately 13,000 square feet of retail space per retail area within each block. He said based on their analysis, the group felt that placing retain along Main and along Wilte would not have a desirable impact as other locations which were recommended within the plan. He stated that parking and sight lines could create a problem for retail operators placed in locations less than ideal. Mark Anderson stated that A&T Investments would be respenslble for renting out all retail spaces. Bruce Adreani, owner of Norwood Builders, stated there is some flexibility in dressing the condominium buildings up so they look less like the typical "Norwood" building and stated the .average square footage for each condominium unit would be approximately 1600 square feet with approximately 25 square feet of sidewalk to improve sight lines. Bill Reddy, of the Ad Hoc Committee, spoke. He stated that he is concerned about the building height if all parking is underground. He stated that it appears as if the plan is weighted toward completing Phase I and would be interested in the possible impacts if other Phases were undertaken prior to completion of Phase I. He also wanted to know the average cost perunit and cost of the underground parking. · ,~ 3 Mark Anderson stated that nothing can really happen with the plan until the residential component is completed first. He stated that parking is definitely an economic Issue and feels that the condominiums will ddve retail use in the araa. The plan Includes four floors of living space above parking for one building. Two other buildings will have two levels of parking with six floors of residential and based ~-~ on past experience, 1.4 to 1.5 parking spaces per unit is adequate. Mark Hopkins also stated that the proposed location for the municipal building was designed in order to have a Village green meeting space surrounding the building. Dave Llndgren, of the Ad Hoc Committee, spoke. He stated that he would encourage the development group to work with local people to complete the project. He also inquired as to how the access to the proposed raw-homes in Phase I would be accommodated. Mark Hopkins responded by stating that there are some design limits with back and front entrances and the front door would be fight on the sidewalk. He stated that they have been successful In dressing up the back doors in other communities to improve the look and flow for access. He stated these raw-homes would include a two-car garage and elevated living area. The total living space would be about 1800 to 2200 square feet on two levels. He felt the design would be unique to ~--,. 'Mount Prospect. He also stated that the three condominium buildings would have approximately 200 units as proposed. He stated he did not believe that more retail would necessarily work beyond what was proposed in Phase I based on their experience. General comments from the Village Board members included the following items: There was a concern regarding the secondary market and its relationship with the physical limits proposed by the plan and the impact of traffic flow on the retail market. There was also no discussion i concern ng relocation of other businesses or services. There was also an Issue regarding whether the parking deck at First Chicago Bank is a viable option to provide the necessary parking for Phase II and Phase III; 'Trustees felt it was cdtical that retail have a Visual exposure to a major street because there was a concern about empty, retail space.- Mark Anderson stated that his group has had some preliminary discussions with First Chicago Bank. Unfortunately, he cannot discuss the details of that meeting but would state that he is encouraged by the .discussions that 'such'a parking deck might be possible. .. , ~4 Bruce Adreanl stated that his concern with putting retail along Wi!le is that it would push the buildings that are proposed for that block closer together and create more of a canyon effect and be less pedestrian friendly. 4 Uoyd Levin, from Crystal Towers, spoke. He stated he is concerned about providing only 1.4 parking spaces per unit. Based on his experience at Crystal Towers, he feels it is Inadequate. He stated that he also disagrees with putting residential in before retail. He is concemed about existing businesses being able to move back into the new structures once they aro built and the impact of traffic flow on any new development. He felt that the height should be limited to only four st. odes and the competition between this proposal and other communities could limit the overall value of this development in the long mn. He also stated that the minutes from the meeting on March 17 aro not reflective of his concept proposal of Groat World. He feels that the Groat Wodd plan could co-exist with this proposal and he stated that the railroad has expressed an Interest in proceeding with this proposal. Dennis Relnd[, owner of Northwest Electric, spoke. He felt that the condominiums would impact the businesses because of their location and he has concems about the financial capability to make the project happen. He stated that Northwest Electric wants to work with the Village Board if financially possible and they can receive fair-market value for the property including moving costs. He stated nothing in the proposal includes a figure for Northwest Electric to'consider at this time. Mike Zadel, 800 South NaWaTa, spoke. He stated that nothing in the plan seems to accommodate professional services. He stated that the advantages of living in the downtown may decrease the demand for on-site parking so the 1.4 spaces per unit might be moro realistic. Mayor Farley stated that once the Ad Hoc Committee recommendation is presented to the Village Board, he would expect the Village Board to take official action at its meeting on April 7. Trustee Wilks stated that she has concerns about downtown, redevelopment being done in Phases. She also is concerned about looking at only one proposal and not comparing it against others. She felt thero was a need to include professional offices within any plan that may be considered. Mayor Farley responded by stating that regardless of the number of responses the Village may have received, thero would still be a need to select only one developer for'this project. He stated that he agrees with the need for incorporating professional office space into any plan. 5 ·Trustee Hoefert'stated that he Is not °vedY supportive of taller buildings. He stated that many residents look at Mount Prospect as an aitemative to other communities and any proposal must be sensitive to issues unique to MountProspect. He stated that he likes the Overall COncept of the proposal and wants to ensure that there is · full carny-through of completion of the Phases. He stated that he was disappointed that only one proposal was presented for consideration. !~ _. Trustee Nocchl stated that the developer shoWs a willingness to partner with the Village and appears to show sensitivity to existing ,businesseS. He felt that the - Village might have received additional proposals had the Village had more of the land in this development area under its control. David Lindgren stated that it may not be realistic for others to resp0n~ due to the time frame and he felt that the Village has looked at a number of proPOsals over the last 17 years. Trustee Lohretorfer stated that he WOuld like to see a financial p,~P0Sal to match the vision that is outlined here. Mayor Farley felt that the height issue for residential is real and stated that such concern has led to lower-rise buildings in the community. · ~ The Downtown Redevelopment Proposal fi'om Town Centre Was presented for Informational purposes only and required no Village Board action at this time. ,V. · VILLAGE MANAGER'S REPORT '; '~' ' None. VI. ANYOTHER BUSINESS · Trustee Wilks requested information concerning the road work ih central Road in front of Melas Park. Village Manager Janonis stated that a recent sewer collapse in front of Melas Park has necessitated the work in Central Road. A report would be forwarded to the Board by the weekend~ . ~--, 6 A Motion was made by Trustee Hoefert and Seconded by Trustee Wilks to move into Closed Session to discuss property acquisition and litigation. The meeting moved into Closed Session at 9:44 p.m. Meeting reconvened at 10:13 p.m. VII. ADJOURNMENT There was no further business. A Motion was made by Trustee Hoefert and Seconded by Trustee Wilks to adjourn the meeting. The meeting was adjourned at 10:14 p.m. DAVID STRAHL Assistant Village Manager DS/rcc X.'~US ERS~J:{OBERTAC~WIN~OFFICE~COWMIN~324COW. MIN 7