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HomeMy WebLinkAbout12/18/2003 DAHC minutes MINUTES DOWNTOWN AD HOC COMMITTEE PHASE H 2nd Floor Conference Room~ Village Hall Thursday~ December 18, 2005 $:30 p.m. The meeting of the Downtown Ad Hoc Committee of the Village of Mount Prospect was held on Thursday, December 18, 2003, in the second floor conference room of Village Hall, I00 South Emerson Street, Mount Prospect, Illinois. CALL TO ORDER Chairman George Busse called the meeting to order at 3:30 p.m. Committee members Laurel DiPrkna, Jackie Hinaber, Daniel Lee, Elizabeth Lespinasse, Tom Lowe, Jean Reibel, Jim Uszler and Tom Zander were present. David Lindgren was absent. Also present were Bill Cooney, Director of Community Development and Marisa Warneke, Neighborhood Planner. APPROVAL OF MINUTES The minutes of the December 11, 2003 Committee meeting were reviewed and approved unanimously after some minor revisions were incorporated. OLD BUSINESS Sub-area #1 Chairman Busse asked the committee members for additional input regarding final recommendations for sub- area # 1. Ms. Reibel stated that she felt that the best redevelopment opportunity was to acquire and demolish all properties on the small triangle area and to reconstruct a 3-story mixed-use development fronting along Rte. 83 including across the existing Busse Avenue right-of-way. She stated that her concept plan would include approximately 10,000 sq.ft, of retail with two additional floors of residential condominiums. She stated that the western portion of the small triangle area and the remaining Busse Avenue right-of-way would be reconfigured to provide surface parking for this area. She stated that the vehicular access would be eliminated from Rte. 83 onto Busse Avenue but that a porte cochere would be installed to allow pedestrian access through the proposed new building. Her concept would also require the acquisition of the 2 West Busse building and the reconstmction of this building to allow for a wider sidewalk along the west side of Rte. 83. There was general discussion among the group about the concept that was proposed by Ms. Reibel. Chairman Busse stated that he felt that this concept went far in incorporating many of the concepts discussed in the previous meeting and he felt it would be an ideal redevelopment concept. There was discussion regarding the economic reality of the plan. Mr. Cooney stated the current TIF did not have the capacity to fund the acquisition proposed under the plan but that future meetings in January would cover various financial alternatives to move forward with the downtown effort. There was also discussion regarding types of uses that would be appropriate in sub-area # I. There was consensus that the focus in this area should be for restaurant and entertainment uses to create a district that is more vibrant in the evening hours. It was felt that the redevelopment proposal would provide a greater visibilityto the north Busse store fronts and the new buildings that would be constructed. The committee also discussed development opportunities on the northeast comer of Wille Street and Busse Avenue. This property currently is a surface parking lot serving the Meersman Law Offices on the small triangle. It was generally agreed that this would be a prime opportunity for redevelopment, possibly including the adjacent law offices and hairstyle building, to create a larger redevelopment parcel. There was general discussion regarding the overall architectural style that would be appropriate in this area. It was agreed that any new development would need to complement the existing architectural styles in the sub-area and create a transitional area to the adjacent commercial and residential areas surrounding these properties. Chairman Busse asked for a motion supporting this development concept. Mr. Uszler moved to recommend that sub-area # I be redeveloped in a manner consistent with the discussion that had taken place this afternoon. Ms. DiPrima seconded the motion and it was approved unanimously. NEW BUSINESS Sub-area #2 Mr. Cooney provided a general overviexv of sub-area #2. This area contains the existing Village Hall, the new Lofts & Shops development and the Continental Bakery and Sakura commemial buildings. Mr. Cooney indicated the original plan called for the complete redevelopment of this block with three mixed-use buildings owntown Development Ad Hoc Committee December 11, 2003 Minutes Page 2 with maximum height of 4-5 stories. He stated that the Village Hall property was under an option agreement with Norwood Builders to construct a mixed-use development. He stated that the initial submittals by Norwood called for a 6-story mixed-use development on the Village Hall parcel. There was a discussion regarding the height in relation to the Lofts & Shops buildings and it was agreed that 6-stories should be the maximum height on the sub-area #2 block. There was also general discussion regarding the Sakura and Continental buildings. While the committee agreed that it would be ideal to redevelop those parcels to create a greater setback along Rte. 83, given the lack of funds to pursue this and the successful businesses that currently exist in these buildings, that it would not be considered priority to redevelop both those parcels in conjunction with the Village Hall site. The committee did agree that consideration should be given to ensuring that underground parking could be extended under those properties if they were redeveloped in the future. The committee also discussed what would be appropriate from an architectural standpoint for the new building on the Village Hall site. There was extensive discussion regarding the appropriateness of the roof treatments for the new building. It was agreed that the faux faCade design that was incorporated in the Residences project should not be continued on this site and that a pitched roof would be more appropriate. Sub-area #3 Mr. Cooney provided an overview of the existing conditions and proposed action plan for sub-area #3. He stated that the 1998 plan called for rowhomes to be constructed along the entire Emerson frontage between Busse Avenue and Central Road. He indicated that the Village owned the northern portion of the block while BankOne owned the middle half and Wallace Busse owned the two single-family homes on the south half of the block. There was discussion about the appropriateness ofrowhome development along this stretch of land. There was general support for pursuing this type of development. In addition, there was discussion regarding a recent group called SOS Mount Prospect that is looking to preserve the northern vacant land owned by the Village for an open space. The general consensus of the committee was that this would not be an appropriate location for a greenspace in a downtown area and that consideration should be given to possible additional greenspace on the southern end of the block. In addition, the committee felt that the Village should move forward in the very near future to complete the rowhome project on this property. CHAIRMAN'S REPORT Chairman Busse stated that he would be out of town on January 24th, which is the date that staff had initially planned for a public meeting. He asked if January 31st would work for other committee members and the majority of the committee indicated that it would. Mr. Cooney said he would look into securing that date for a public meeting. ADJOURNMlgNT The Committee agreed to hold their next meeting on January 8, 2004. The meeting was adjourned at 5:15 p.m. Respectfully submitted, William J. Cooney, Jr., AICP Director of Community Development WJC:bhs