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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11/21/2002 P&Z minutes 37-02MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION CASE NO. PZ-37-02 Hearing Date: November 21, 2002 PETITIONER: W. Thomas Niemira for DiMucci Companies & Dominick's Food Stores PROPERTY ADDRESS: Golf Plaza II (Southwest corner of Golf & Elmhurst Roads) PARCEL NUMBER: 08-14-204-023 PUBLICATION DATE: November 6, 2002 REQUEST: Conditional Use and Variations MEMBERS PRESENT: Arlene Juracek, Chairperson Merrill Cotten Leo Floros Matthew Sledz Keith Youngquist Richard Rogers MEMBERS ABSENT: Joseph Donnelly STAFF MEMBERS PRESENT: Judy Connolly, AICP, Senior Planner Marisa Warneke, Neighborhood Planner INTERESTED PARTIES: W. Thomas Niemira David Hene Stephen Corcoran Pamela Mueller Wes McAllister Jason Doland Vice Chair Richard Rogers called the meeting to order at 7:37 p.m. Keith Youngquist made a motion to approve the minutes of the October 24 meeting, seconded by Leo Floros. Vice Chair Rogers noted that the last vote for PZ-33-02 should be corrected to '5-1'. The October meeting minutes were approved as corrected 5-0. After hearing another case, Chairperson Arlene Juracek introduced Case No. PZ-37-02, a request for variations and a conditional use. Judy Connolly, Senior Planner, reported that the subject property is located at the southwest corner of Golf and Elmhurst Roads and contains a retail shopping center. She said that the subject property is zoned B3 Community Shopping and is bordered by commercial, residential, and multi-family zoning districts. Ms. Connolly said the petitioner would like to construct a fuel center along the Elmhurst Road frontage, make site improvements to the shopping center parking lot and the Dominick's fagade, in addition to installing two freestanding signs on Elmhurst Road. She said that the six-pump fuel center would be located slightly more than 50-feet from the Elmhurst Road lot line and 60-feet from the Boston Market restaurant, which is a separate lot of record. The fuel center includes a 422 square foot kiosk where people pay for gas and purchase convenience items. She reported that the kiosk would be constructed using brick materials. As part of the fuel center project, the petitioner proposes significant changes to the shopping center parking lot. Ms. Connolly said that driveways into the shopping center Would not be changed, but that the interior circulation pattern would be modified. The petitioner's plans show reconfiguring the parking lot to provide 90 degree parking stalls, creating landscape islands in the parking tot, and creating perimeter landscape screening along Elmhurst and Golf Roads. She said that these improvements are in Planning & Zoning Commission PZ-37-02 Arlene Juracek, Chairperson Page 2 keeping with the Village's corridor design guidelines, which requires redevelopment projects to incorporate landscape improvements along major commercial corridors as well as creating a more efficient parking design and eliminating vehicle conflicts. Ms. Connolly said the petitioner's plans do not adversely impact the adjacent Boston Market and LaSalle Bank developments, which am separate lots of record. She said that although the proposed site improvements reduce the number of parking spaces for the shopping center, the site continues to meet Village parking regulations. Ms. Connolly reported that Dominick's proposes fagade improvements to the existing grocery store. She said that the improvements include modifying the flat roof to include the addition of two 'towers' at the store entrances that create a gabled roofline. Ms. Connolly said that the modified roof is intended to better identify entrances to the store and update the store's fa~:ade. The petitioner proposes to use brick materials to construct the columns and archway design, in addition to extending the EIFS fagade to meet the metal coping 'towers'. She said that the Village recently adopted an ordinance that prohibits the use of EIFS. In order to comply with Village regulations, the elevations must be revised so the EIFS material is eliminated and substituted with another material that meets Village regulations. In addition, Ms. Connolly said that the height of the 'tower' structures measures 33.17' from the mid-point of the roof, 36-feet from grade. In order to create the gabled roof so it is in proportion to the entrances and the existing building, the petitioner is seeking relief from code regulations to construct the two 'towers' that are taller than code permits. The zoning ordinance limits the maximum building height to 30-feet from the mid-point of the roof and the existing building height is 26'8" from grade. Ms. Connolly said the petitioner is seeking a variation to allow two freestanding signs for the Elmhurst Road frontage since the sign code allows one sign per street frontage the intent of which is to minimize visual clutter and eliminate traffic hazards. One sign would be used to identify the stores in the shopping center and the second sign would be used exclusively for the fuel center. The distance between the two proposed signs is more than 300-feet and the signs would be used to identify two separate uses. Ms. Connolly said that the shopping center building would not be modified, with the exception of the two new Dominick's entrance features. She said that the parking lot will be reconfigured and a new 422 square foot kiosk will be constructed as part of the fuel center project. The kiosk location complies with zoning regulations. Ms. Connolly said that some of the existing site conditions do not comply with current zoning regulations. Although the proposed site improvements will bring the site closer to zoning compliance, the site will not meet current zoning regulations. She said that the parking setbacks and excessive lot coverage are legal non-conformities and allowed to remain because the petitioner is not seeking to increase the amom~t of the non-conformity. Ms. Connolly explained the standards for Conditional Uses, which are listed in the Zoning Ordinance. She noted that the zoning ordinance permits only one principal building on a zoning lot. Therefore, the petitioner's request to install a fuel center requires conditional use approval for a planned unit development because the fuel center constitutes a second principal building/use on the zoning lot. She said that the proposed fuel center has been designed so the kiosk structure meets current building material regulations, and the overall fuel center development will meet all building and fire codes related to fuel dispensing. Access to the fuel center has been designed so the shopping center's internal cimulation pattern is not adversely impacted. Redesigning the parking lot as proposed by the petitioner allows vehicles to enter the fuel center from Elmhurst Road and from the shopping center parking lot in a safe manner. Ms. Connolly reported that locating the fuel center away from the shopping center building will not have a detrimental impact on the stores within the center and the manner in which the center's parking lot will be reconfigured will not impair the use or value of the other stores and adjacent uses. She said that the fuel center use complies with the Comprehensive Plan and will be constructed according to Village Codes. Therefore, the petitioner's request to construct an outlot fuel center meets the standards for a conditional use. Planning & Zoning Commission PZ-37-02 Arlene Juracek, Chairperson Page 3 Ms. Connolly explained the standards for a variation as listed in the Village Zoning Ordinance. She said that the petitioner's justification for seeking a variation to construct the new entrance feature 'towers' that exceed the maximum building height is that the existing building height of 26'8" is an existing condition that makes it difficult to update the existing fagade without making significant structural changes to the building. She reported that the proposed gabled roof elements exceed code height limits by less than four-feet and the modifications would not adversely affect the neighborhood character or other surrounding properties. Ms. Connolly summarized the required findings for sign variations as listed in the Sign Code as they related to the petitioner's request for two signs on one lot. She said that the petitioner researched the possibility of using one sign and found that the gas price information and the tenant panels are difficult to read on one sign. The request to allow two freestanding signs on one lot of record meets the standards for a variation because combining the information from the two signs to one sign would not allow for the reasonable identification of the businesses. Ms. Connolly reported that the two signs would be located more than 300-feet apart, which is similar to two different businesses installing their own signs on each of their properties. The signs have been located according to Sign Code regulations and will not adversely impact adjacent properties, increase traffic problems or alter the character of the area. Based on these findings, Ms. Connolly relayed staff's recommendation that the Planning & Zoning Commission recommend approval of the petitioner's requests for: 1) relief from sign regulations to allow two freesta~ading signs as shown on their exhibits; 2) maximum building height of 33.17-feet (mid-point) for the two Dominick's entrances subject to the elevations being revised so the building materials comply with Village Codes; and 3) Conditional Use approval for a Planned Unit Development to allow for the construction of a fuel center subject to the following conditions: 1. Revise the site plan prepared by Kurtz Associates to reflect the interior parking lot landscape islands; 2. Revise the site plan prepared by W. C. Doland Engineering revision date November 6, 2002 to reflect the landscape islands shown on the Site Landscape Plan prepared by W. C. Doland Engineering revision date November 6, 2002 and to include landscape islands for the west section of the parking lot instead of the painted island shown; 3. Revise the Site Landscape Plan prepared by W. C. Doland Engineering revision date November 6, 2002 to reflect landscape islands for the west section of the parking lot instead of the painted islands shown; 4. Revise the Site Landscape Plan prepared by W. C. Doland Engineering revision date November 6, 2002 to reflect landscape islands that measure no less than 7-feet in width; 5. Construct the fuel center according to Building and Fire Code regulations related to fuel dispensing; 6. Record a cross access easement agreement between Lots 1, 2, and 3 of the DiMucci Resubdivision. Chairperson Juracek asked Ms. Connolly what would happened to the Conditional Use permit if the applicant, Dominck's, were to be sold in the future. Ms. Connolty said that the Conditional Use permit is transferable to another owner, but that the owner is required to design and operate the Conditional Use according to the original approval granted. Chairpemon Juracek asked if staff concurred with the traffic report submitted as part of the application. Ms. Connolly clarified that access into the center would not be modified and that staff worked with the petitioner to modify the internal parking lot configuration to create a safe design and to minimize vehicle conflicts. Merril Cotten asked iflDOT approval was r~quired as part of the project. Ms. Connolly said that an IDOT permit was not required because the applicant was not modifying the IDOT right-of-way. Leo Floros asked for clarification on the kiosk use. Ms. Connolly said the building would be the size of a small garage and people can pay for gas inside and/or purchase convenience items such as pop, chips, etc. Planning & Zoning Commission PZ-37-02 Arlene Juracek, Chairperson Page 4 Richard Rogers said that the parking lot does not meet the requirements for a Planned Unit Development because the applicant was doing less than the minimum amount of work needed to meet the criteria for a Planned Unit Development (PUD). Ms. Connolly said that the manner in which the site was designed, the location of the existing building makes it extremely difficult for the site to meet current zoning regulations. She said that the applicant focused on improving the frontages along the commercial corridors. Mr. Rogers said that the parking lot should include more landscaping. Matt Sledz asked if the applicant would be allowed to conduct seasonal outdoor sales as they had in the past because the fuel center would occupy the area the sales took place. Ms. Connolly said that the outdoor sales could not create a parking deficiency and would have to be located in a manner that did not create traffic conflicts. She said that the permit would have to document code compliance before staff could approve the request for outdoor sales, but it is possible that the outdoor sales would not be permitted. Mr. Sledz asked if the current tenants needed to approve the project. Ms. Connolly said no, just the property owner. Chairperson Juracek clarified that the Village posted two public hearing signs on the property and Ms. Connolty added that the case was published in the newspaper and notices were mailed to property owners as required by State Statues. Keith Youngquist noted a discrepancy on the site plan. One of the driveways on Golf Road allowed for a lef~ turn when there was a raised median in that location that prevents a left turn at this location. He said that the east and west driveway on Golf Road were transposed. Mr. Youngquist inquired if the signage on all sides of the fuel center complied with Village regulations. Ms. Connolly said that the fuel center is a separate use. Therefore, it is allowed to have signage on all four-sides as long as the size of the text meets code regulations. She clarified that the Sign Code did not recognize the md and green 'swirls' or lines as signs because they are not illuminated. Ms. Jumcek asked for the petitioners to be sworn in. Tom Niemira of the DiMucci Company provided a brief overview of the project and introduced members of the development team, who included David Hene of Dominck's Real Estate Management, Stephen Comoran of Metro Transportation, Wes McAIlister of Kurtz Associates, and Jason Doland, Doland Engineering. David Hene reviewed aspects of the $3.5 million store improvement and fuel center project. He noted that they were exploring alternative materials for the store entrance features since the Village prohibited the use of EIFS. He described how the fuel center would be used and noted that 70% of the users would be people shopping at Dominick's. He presented marketing information in detail and completed his presentation by stating that they concurred with the Staff Report. Chairperson Juracek asked for details on the existing fuel centers. Mr. Hene said there were eight fuel centers in operation and that this fuel center would be different from the first, early fuel centers opened. He said that the kiosk would mirror the Dominick's store and have more landscaping. Richard Rogers asked Mr. Hene if he agreed with staff's recommendation of having seven-foot wide landscape islands as the minimum size and installing landscape islands in the west parking lot. Mr. Hene said he thought that the DiMucci Company agreed to the changes. Mr. Rogers asked if they would agree to eliminate certain parking spaces to include more landscaping. Mr. Hene said that he would defer the question to Mr. Niemira. Steve Corcoran of the Metro Transportation Group testified that the fuel center was not similar to a typical gas station, that it was tied to Dominick's. He said that the use would create 50-70 'new' trips, people who were not already shopping at Dominick's. Mr. Corcorna answered clarified that an IDOT permit is not needed because they were not modifying the driveways and that IDOT accepted a Level Sevice D, which was cited in the traffic study, because the project location is in an urban area and that the fuel center would have minimal impact. Planning & Zoning Commission PZ-37-02 Arlene Juracek, Chairperson Page 5 Chairperson Juracek asked if the traffic consultants had input on the internal parking lot circulation pattern changes. Mr. Coreoran said they did not, but that the proposed changes were consistent with current design standards. Mr. Youngquist noted that the traffic report stated there were sections of parking along Elmhurst Road that were not used, which supported Mr. Rogers recommendation that these spaces be eliminated and replaced with landscaping. Mr. Niemira addressed the Commission. He said that he had concerns with eliminating parking spaces because the spaces may be needed for future tenants, such as restaurants, which require mom parking than a retail user. He said that another DiMucci shopping center, Golf Plaza I received a variation for parking, but finds themselves limited as to the types of tenants they can lease the spaces to because of the parking deficiency. As an alternative to eliminating the parking spaces, Mr. Niemira said that the amount of landscaping could he increased in the proposed ten-foot landscape areas. He noted that the west parking lot would be used for employee parking and stated that he would make the landscape improvements as recommended in the staff report, but was reluctant to do so because the improvements would not be visible to shoppers or people traveling on Golf or Elmhurst Roads. Mr. Rogers noted that constructing the fuel center should not limit the center's ability to lease spaces and if that was the case, then they should re-evaluate the project. There was discussion concerning the number of parking spaces needed to meet Village Code and the number needed to ensure the center's viability. Ms. Juracek noted that the parking lot at Golf Plaza I was difficult to maneuver larger vehicles through due to its tight design. There was a suggestion to increase the width of the drive aisle parallel to Elmhurst Road and to eliminate those parking stalls between the bank and the Boston Market restaurant. The modification would allow for easier ingress/egress to the site. It was further noted that eliminating these spaces would not adversely impact the center's viability because the spaces are located at such a distance from the building that the spaces rarely used by shoppers. Mr. Youngquist asked if new parking lot lights would be installed. Mr. Niemira stated that new code compliant lights would he installed as part of this project. There was discussion regarding future development within the shopping center, the impact of the fuel center on the stores located north of the fuel center, and how the kiosk and canopy are not solid structures and therefore will not adversely impact these stores. Chairperson Juracek opened the public hearing to receive comments frolll the audience. Pamela Mueller, 917 S. l- Oka, addressed the P&Z Commission. She said that she agrees that the project should include more landscaping, but was generally pleased with the design and changes to Golf Plaza I. Ms. Mueller noted that the driveway to enter/exit the shopping center from Golf Road gets obstructed and that traffic accidents occur sometimes. She asked how many accidents had occurred at this location and if the fuel center would create additional accidents. Ms. Juracek agreed that it was a difficult to make a left on to Golf Road from this driveway at times. She clarified that the Safety Commission could study the situation and noted that additional lighting may help to prevent some of the traffic conflicts at this driveway. Ms. Mueller concluded by stating that additional landscaping along Golf Road would help to reduce the amount of trash from GPI tenants from blowing down I-Oka. Ms. Juracek asked Mr. Niemira if he agrees to increase the landscaping as proposed by the P&Z which includes more bushes along Golf Road and eliminating the parking previously identified along Elmhurst Road to install more landscaping. Mr. Niemira said that he agrees to make the changes. Ms. Juracek closed the public hearing at 9:12pm. Mr. Rogers said that said that the fagade improvements would benefit the center and agreed to support the height variation, but only for the Dominick's entrances. Planning & Zoning Commission PZ-37-02 Arlene Juracek, Chairperson Page 6 Mr. Rogers moved to approve the petitioner's request to allow two 33.17' (mid-point) entrance features for the Dominick's entrances as shown on the elevations prepared by Kurtz Associates subject to the materials be revised to comply with Village Codes. Matt Sledz seconded the motion. UPON ROLL CALL: AYES: Cotten, Floros, Rogers, Youngquist, Sledz and Juracek NAYS: None Motion was approved 6-0. Mr. Rogers moved to approve the Conditional Use request for a Planned Unit Development to construct a fuel center as shown on the plans prepared by Kurtz Associates and Doland Engineering subject to the following conditions: 1. Revise the landscape plan to reflect an increase in the quantity and density of bushes along the north property line (Golf Road); 2. Revise the plans prepared by Kurtz Associates, the site plan prepared by WC Doland Engineering, and the Site Landscape Plan prepared by WC Doland Engineering to reflect: · Eliminating the parking stalls on Elmhurst Road between the LaSalle Bank and Boston Market developments to create a 20-foot wide landscape area m~d a 26-foot wide drive aisle parallel to Elmhurst Road for this section of the parking lot; · Interior landscape islands shown on the Site Landscape Plan prepared by WC Doland Engineering revision date November 6, 2002 and that the islands measure no less than 7-feet in width; and · Landscape islands for the west section of the parking lot instead of the painted islands shown; 3. Construct the fuel center according to Building and Fire Code regulations related to fuel dispensing; and 4. Record a cross access easement agreement between Lots 1, 2, and 3 of the DiMucci Resubdivision. Merril Cotten seconded the motion. UPON ROLL CALL: AYES: Cotten, Floros, Rogers, Youngquist, Sledz and Juracek NAYS: None Motion was approved 6-0. Matt Sledz noted that the 'Dominick's' text on the freestanding fuel center sign was disproportionate to the rest of the sign and stated that the size of the letters should be reduced. Mr. Hene said that the size of the sign was significantly smaller than a standard gas station sign. There was discussion regarding the size of the sign base and letters. It was agreed that the 'Fresh Card' graphic would be relocated to in front of the 'Dominick's' text and that the letter size would be reduced proportionately. It was noted that the reason for granting the variation to allow two freestanding signs was due to the size of the Elmhurst Road frontage and the distinct uses each size would serve. Mr. Rogers moved to approve two freestanding signs for the Elmhurst Road frontage as shown on the petitioner's plans prepared by Kurtz Associates and Doland Engineering subject to the fuel center sign face being modified to reduce the 'Dominick's' text and relocating the 'Fresh Card' graphic to in front of the text. Merril Cotten seconded the motion. UPON ROLL CALL: AYES: Cotten, Floros, Rogers, Youngquist, Sledz and Juracek NAYS: None lanning & Zoning Commission PZ-37-02 Arlene Juracek, Chairperson Page 7 Motion was approved 6-0. At 9:25 p.m., Keith Youngquist moved to adjourn, seconded by Leo Floros. The motion was approved by a voice vote and the meeting was adjourned. Marisa Wameke, Neighborhood Planner Judy Connolly, AICP, Senior Planner