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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09/09/2014 COW MinutesCOMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MINUTES September 9, 2014 I. CALL TO ORDER — ROLL CALL The meeting was called to order at 7:03 p.m. in the Village Board Room of the Village Hall, 50 South Emerson Street, by Mayor Pro -tem John Korn. Trustees present included Paul Hoefert, Steven Polit, Richard Rogers and Michael Zadel. Mayor Arlene Juracek and Trustee John Matuszak were absent. Staff present included Village Manager Michael Janonis, Assistant Village Manager David Strahl, Community Development Director Bill Cooney and Public Works Director Sean Dorsey. II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE FOR AUGUST 12, 2014 Motion made by Trustee Hoefert seconded by Trustee Polit to defer the minutes. Motion was approved to defer minutes. III. CITIZENS TO BE HEARD None IV. MEDICAL MARIJUANA DISCUSSION Community Development Director Bill Cooney stated that he is asking the Village Board to consider zoning locations for potential placement of dispensing and cultivation locations since the zoning code is currently silent. He stated that dispensaries cannot be within 1000 feet of a school or day care facility which would allow a location in Mount Prospect in certain instances. He stated a cultivation facility cannot be less than 2500 feet from a residential dwelling which would in essence not allow such a facility within Mount Prospect. He stated he has reviewed what other communities have discussed as to potential zoning locations. He stated the staff is recommending that dispensary locations be permitted in zoning districts B-2, B-3, B-4, and B-5; therefore, dispensaries would be treated in a similar manner as pharmacies and under a conditional use consideration with review through staff, whereby a review would not be required to go before the Village Board. He stated the State has defined a dispensary location within the combined townships of Maine and Wheeling in addition to the combined townships of Schaumburg and Elk Grove. Therefore, it is possible, but unlikely that there could be two locations within Mount Prospect since Mount Prospect includes both Elk Grove and Wheeling townships. Nonn Knapp, 100 Walton, Chicago, spoke: she stated that she is looking for a dispensary license to operate within the Village of Mount Prospect and feels that the location she has in mind is not within 1000 feet of a school or day care and would fit the needs of persons needing marijuana through a convenient location. Committee of the Whole Page 1 of 3 9/9/14 IJ Consensus of the Village Board was to accept the staff recommendation to consider dispensary operations in the same manner as pharmacies and allow for staff reviews for placement within the proper zoning district. KENSINGTON BUSINESS CENTER DISCUSSION Public Works Director Sean Dorsey stated that his staff has identified 346 dead or dying trees located on private property within the Kensington Business Center. He stated that he has explored the option to extend the current contract with one of the Village's tree removal companies to expedite these removals. He stated the removals could be undertaken at a cost of approximately $100,000 with the caveats that there would be no removal of stumps, no site restoration, and the Village pays directly for the services rendered under terms offered by the current contractor. Therefore, the Village would have to pursue payment separately from private parties to offset the payment process paid by the Village. He stated staff would need to get all the necessary sign offs from various property owners which would take some time to obtain. General comments from the Village Board were the following: • It was stated that it would behoove the property owners to work with the Village closely since there is a lower cost that would be offered for these removals than obtaining an independent contractor for the tree removals due to the mobilization cost alone. It was also noted that the Village should prior to authorizing the work be completed. There is also general support to extend removal work. obtain funding commitments upfront the contract to undertake this tree General consensus of the Village Board was to authorize staff to extend the tree removal contract for one year at a cost of $100,000. In addition staff was directed to obtain funding commitments from the impacted private property owners prior to undertaking the actual removal work. Community Development Director Bill Cooney provided some background information regarding special challenges that are unique to the Kensington Business Center due to this location and the Cook County property tax structure. He stated the tax structure in Cook County is not favorable in comparison with industrial property in Lake County and DuPage County. He stated the 6B permit tax designation has been used in a number of instances and in some cases requests for extensions of 613s have been requested as the previous designations expire. These designations allow the property to be assessed at a competitive level in comparison with Lake and DuPage counties. He stated that the Economic Development Commission has expressed interest to discuss options to focus on this area to consider upgrades and additional amenities; however, since taxes remain a problem the area only generates approximate $9 million to the Village in property taxes; any change to the tax structure should be weighed carefully. He stated there is a significant amount of spinoff with economic impact due to the number of employees that work in the park. He stated the discussion would likely center on cooperation among owners to identify common areas to focus on and market the strengths of the park among interested parties. Committee of the Whole Page 2 of 3 9/9/14 Tom Doughty, 411 Business Center Drive, spoke. He stated that he had been invited along with a number of the other property owners to discuss infrastructure improvements. He stated he is interested in participating in that discussion. He stated there are a number of empty buildings and there are some options for combined operations and splitting buildings for business operations as needed. He stated that they would be support for updating the entrance markers. Dane Delli, Superintendent of School District 26 spoke. He stated the school district supports Village efforts in filling vacancies and upgrading the park. He also stated the district is supportive of the use of 613s, however, the district is concerned about the revenue ramifications of extending 613s indefinitely. Dawn Fletcher Collins, Executive Director of the Mount Prospect Chamber, spoke. She stated on behalf of the chamber she would welcome any opportunities to work together with any property owners to improve the value of the center among current and future tenants. General comments Village Board members include the following items: • There was a suggestion regarding the consideration of different zoning opportunities within the park to encourage more tenants with other uses than that are the traditional uses. • It was also suggested that some discussion be undertaken regarding potential marketing of available space within the park. VI. MANAGER'S REPORT Village Manager Janonis stated that Coffee with Council is scheduled for September 13th from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. at the Village Hall. VII. ANY OTHER BUSINESS None VIII. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 9:08 p.m, DAVID STRAHL Assistant Village Manager Committee of the Whole Page 3 of 3 9/9/14