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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08/25/2005 P&Z minutes 30-05 MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION CASE NO. PZ-30-05 Hearing Date: August 25, 2005 PROPERTY ADDRESS: 253 E. Rand Road PETITIONER: Marc Callero 710 S. Beverly Lane, Arlington Heights, IL 60005 PROPERTY OWNERS: Marc Callero & Vince Sommer PUBLICATION DATE: August 10,2005 PIN #: 03-34-200-055-0000 REQUEST: Conditional Use – Daycare Center MEMBERS PRESENT: Richard Rogers, Acting Chair Joseph Donnelly Leo Floros Ronald Roberts Keith Youngquist MEMBERS ABSENT: Arlene Juracek, Chair Marlys Haaland STAFF MEMBERS PRESENT: Judy Connolly, AICP, Senior Planner Jason Zawila, Long Range Planner Ellen Divita, Deputy Director, Community Development INTERESTED PARTIES : Owners of Early Days Daycare: Marc Callero, Vince Sommer, Sheila Miller, and Errol Oztekin Acting Chair Richard Rogers called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. Joseph Donnelly moved to approve the minutes of the July 28, 2005 meeting and Ronald Roberts seconded the motion. The motion was approved 3-0 with Leo Floros and Keith Youngquist abstaining from the vote. At 7:34 p.m. Mr. Rogers introduced Case No. PZ-30-05, a request for a Conditional Use for a Daycare Center at 253 E. Rand Road. He said that this case would be Village Board Final. Judy Connolly, Senior Planner, summarized the case. She said the Subject Property is located on the south side of Rand Road, between Highland Street and Kensington Road, and contains a commercial building with related improvements. The Subject Property is zoned B3 Community Shopping and is bordered by the B3 District to the north and east, R3 Low Density Residence to the south, and B1 Office to the west. Ms. Connolly said that the proposed daycare facility would be located in the B3 District, which requires Conditional Use approval. She reported that “Early Days” is an independently owned and operated preschool environment for infants as young as 6 weeks old and toddlers up to 5 years old. The facility would occupy the former Heart & Soul Café building. The daycare facility has a maximum capacity of 94 clients and 15 staff members, which are based on Department of Children & Family Services (DCFS) regulations. The facility would be open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and have staggered start times with children arriving between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m.. The Petitioner anticipates half of the children arriving at 9 a.m., with 8 to 8:30 a.m. being the peak arrival time. Children may be enrolled in a morning only program or a full day program. Richard Rogers, Acting Chair PZ-30-05 Planning & Zoning Commission meeting August 25, 2005 Page 2 Enrollment projections for January 2006 are expected to be 50 children. Early Days requires that each child be signed in and out. This requires that the parent/guardian physically accompany each child both to and from their vehicles and the sign-in desk, which is located inside the facility. A security system will be installed in the vestibule of the building, with Staff monitoring the area to ensure a safe and efficient drop-off/pick-up routine. Ms. Connolly reported that the Subject Property does not comply with current zoning regulations because the parking lot encroaches into the required 10’ setback. She noted that the Zoning Ordinance classifies it as a legal nonconforming situation and is allowed to remain. However, the building meets the required setbacks. The Petitioner proposes a number of improvements to the Subject Property, which include an addition to the existing structure, and decreasing the amount of impervious surface by removing sections of the parking lot and reconfiguring the parking lot. Although the site currently does not exceed the Zoning Ordinance’s lot coverage limitation, the Petitioner proposes to remove asphalt to install additional landscaping and convert portions of the parking lot into a play area. Since the scope of the addition does not exceed 25% of the square footage of the existing structure, the Petitioner is not required to provide storm water detention. It is important to note that any future additions that exceed 1.5 sq. ft. will trigger the application of Development Code regulations and storm water detention and other improvements listed in Sec. 15.402 will be required. Ms. Connolly also reported that the Subject Property contains sufficient parking to meet the Village’s requirements. She said that the available on-site parking totals at 31 spaces, meeting the 30 space requirement. The 30 space requirement is based on the Village’s Zoning Ordinance, which requires 1 space per employee plus 1 space per 10 children. Based on a maximum enrollment of 94 children (9 spaces) and a staff of 15 employees, the daycare facility would require a total of 24 parking spaces. In addition there is an easement allowing cross access and spillover parking for the adjacent property. The office building at 259 E. Rand Road requires 16 parking spaces, but only has 10 spaces on-site. Therefore, it needs 6 spaces from the adjacent site to comply with zoning regulations. Ms. Connolly said that the Petitioner submitted a traffic study that evaluates the impact the daycare facility will have on Rand Road traffic. The Subject Property has two driveways, which helps create a better traffic flow and limits congestion within the parking lot. Also, there are over 30 parking spaces on-site and the drop-off/pick-up process will allow for a quick-turn over for the spaces. The Village’s Traffic Engineer reviewed the study and agreed with the study’s findings that the daycare facility will have minimal impact on Rand Road. However, the site plan indicates four parallel parking spaces along the south property line. In an effort to ensure a smooth drop- off/pick-up routine, the Traffic Engineer recommends that those spaces be designated as Employee Parking. Ms. Connolly stated that the Village’s Zoning Ordinance does not have operational requirements for daycare uses. However, the Petitioner is required to meet specific DCFS regulations, which the Petitioner is aware of and has worked with in other daycare facilities. It is important to note that the Petitioner is required to follow State regulations, which will be enforced by the appropriate State agency. The DCFS requirements include regulations pertaining to play areas, providing food service, and program content. These regulations are based on the length of the child’s stay at the facility. Ms. Connolly said that the interior of the building has to be modified to comply with the National Life Safety Code and the BOCA Building Code for daycare centers which entails installing a fire detection system and a fire sprinkler system. She said that although this is a Building Permit issue, it is important to note now to eliminate potential confusion during another review process. Also, Staff reviewed the landscape plan and found the proposed improvements would be an attractive addition to the Subject Property. However, the existing landscaping along the ‘west’ property line is primarily deciduous and the parking lot would not be screened year- round. Therefore, the proposed plan should be revised to include year-round plantings to screen the parking lot. Ms. Connolly summarized the standards for Conditional Uses and said that the proposed use meets the Conditional Use standards contained in the Zoning Ordinance. Based on these findings, Staff recommends that Richard Rogers, Acting Chair PZ-30-05 Planning & Zoning Commission meeting August 25, 2005 Page 3 the Planning & Zoning Commission approve the following motion: “To approve a Conditional Use for a Daycare Center at 253 E. Rand Road, Case No. PZ-30-05 subject to the following conditions: 1) The Early Days facility be constructed in accordance with the plans prepared by HKM Architect, dated August 12, 2005, but the landscape revised to include additional year-round plants that screen the parking lot along the west lot line; 2) meet the Building Code & Fire Code requirements, which include but are not limited to the installation of sprinkler and fire alarm systems; 3) future improvements that exceed 1.5 sq. ft. shall comply with all Village Codes including, but not limited to the Development Code; 4) the Village reserves the right to review any traffic related matters created by the use and require any necessary measures needed to address them; and 5) prior to the Village issuing a Certificate of Occupancy, the Petitioner shall obtain the necessary permits and authorizations from the appropriate agencies. Ms. Connolly also noted that the Village Board’s decision is final for this case. Vince Sommer, 214 Fox River Drive Cary, IL, was sworn in. Mr. Sommer gave an overview of the mission, philosophy, and culture of the company. He stated that Early Day will provide premier preschool and childcare services for their clients, respect individuals in and outside their company, career and growth opportunities for their associates and grow a financially strong organization. Mr. Sommer then summarized the personal backgrounds and related experience of the primary investors to this company. Afterwards, Mr. Sommer briefly went through the daily operations, building and location plans of Early Days. Also, he presented renderings of the exterior of the building and landscaping. Mr. Sommer concluded his presentation by stating that Early Days would be good for Mount Prospect because it would improve the appearance of the existing site, not create a negative traffic impact, provide childcare parents can be proud of, provide property tax revenue, and that Early Days would be good for the community because it is a company with a neighborhood focus, and plans to participate in community events. Sheila Miller, 212 S. Dunton, Arlington Heights, IL, was sworn in. Ms. Miller stated that she will be the Director; then she summarized the curriculum planned for use at Early Days. Early Days would use a play based theory, called a “creative curriculum”, meant for children 6 weeks through 5 years old that would teach children to make decisions early in life. Ms. Miller also stated that Early Days would also work closely with DCFS, maintain a low teacher to child relation, and strictly monitor three meals a day and the release of children to their parents or guardians. Mr. Rogers asked Ms. Miller if she reviewed the conditions of approval listed in the Staff Report and if she agreed to meet the conditions. Ms. Miller agreed to meet the conditions. Mr. Rogers also wanted to know if there were any plans to improve the exterior of the building; the Petitioner said yes. Leo Floros asked for clarification on the scope of the proposed property improvements. Errol Oztekin, 7 Pacer Trail, South Barrington, IL, was sworn in. Mr. Oztekin said that the work for improving the site was going to be extensive and would include interior and exterior improvements that would take up to 3 months to complete. He hopes to be able submit building plans within a couple weeks to get moving on the project for an opening in February 2006. Mr. Floros asked if market studies were conducted to measure the demand for this service. Mr. Sommer replied that he did not know the exact demand for daycare. He said that even though there were a few daycares in the area he still believed there is a strong need for a daycare with the amount of children in Mount Prospect. Ronald Roberts mentioned that daycare centers sometimes are a large part of the decision for people moving into the community and that he believes there is a big need for them. Mr. Donnelly asked the Petitioner to explain the logistics for the drop off and pick up process at the center. Mr. Sommer replied that parents would enter the center at one entrance and there would be a designated area for drop off and pick up; the parents would exit a different way when leaving the center. Mr. Donnelly further mentioned that he was concerned how the movement of cars would be organized when 90 children were in the daycare center ichard Rogers, Acting Chair PZ-30-05 Planning & Zoning Commission meeting August 25, 2005 Page 4 at one time. Ms. Miller stated there would never be 90 children at the daycare at one time, and that drop off and pick up would be staged through out the day because of programming schedules with those in the half-day program picking up mid-day. Mr. Youngquist asked the Petitioners if there were any other Early Day daycare centers, or if this was the first one; the Petitioners replied that this was the first one. Mr. Roberts asked if there were any plans for a special education program. Mr. Sommer replied that there were no immediate plans, but one of their long term goals was to provide that type of education if possible. He stated that as a father of an autistic child, he is aware of the demand for this type of programming. Mr. Rogers mentioned that the Mount Prospect community is growing and that there are families coming in with young children. He stated that the Petitioner’s facility would be a great addition to the Village. Ms. Rogers asked if there were any questions from the audience. There were none and the Public Hearing was closed. Keith Youngquist made a motion to approve the Conditional Use for a daycare center at 253 E. Rand Road, Case No. PZ-30-05 with the conditions listed in the Staff Report. Ronald Roberts seconded the motion. UPON ROLL CALL: AYES: Donnelly, Floros, Roberts, Youngquist, and Rogers NAYS: None Motion was approved 5-0. After hearing four more cases, Joseph Donnelley made a motion to adjourn at 10:40 p.m., seconded by Ronald Roberts. The motion was approved by a voice vote and the meeting was adjourned. __________________________________ Jason R. Zawila, Long Range Planner /kd C:\Documents and Settings\kdewis\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\OLK2\PZ-30-05 253 E Rand - CU - daycare1.doc