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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04/12/2007 P&Z minutes MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION COMPREHENSIVE LAND USE PLAN UPDATE Hearing Date: April 12, 2007 PROPERTY ADDRESS: 50 South Emerson Street PETITIONER: Village of Mount Prospect MEMBERS PRESENT: Arlene Juracek, Chairperson Joseph Donnelly Leo Floros Marlys Haaland Ronald Roberts Richard Rogers Keith Youngquist STAFF MEMBER PRESENT: Ellen Divita, Deputy Director of Community Development Jason Zawila, Long Range Planner Chairperson Arlene Juracek called the meeting to order at 7:35 p.m. She stated the only item of business tonight is the public hearing to review the Comprehensive Land Use update and noted that there were no interested parties in the audience. She said this update comes from several months of workshops, open houses and discussions. Jason Zawila, Long Range Planner, said this public hearing for the Comprehensive Plan Update was properly noticed in the March 28, 2007 edition of the Journal Topics Newspaper. The 2007 Plan Update and Land Use Map represented a significant commitment by the Village to guide and control its future. It was based on several months of intense effort by local officials, staff, and residents to review improvement needs and plan for the future development of Mount Prospect. Mr. Zawila said the Plan includes the following chapters: Chapter 1: Introduction; Chapter 2: Mount Prospect Snapshot 2006; Chapter 3: Vision; Goals and Objectives; Chapter 4: Land Use Map; and Chapter 5: Implementation Plan. Whenever possible, within each chapter, text is organized according to the four elements introduced at the September 12, 2006 Comprehensive Plan Workshop which include: Housing and Residential Areas, Economic Development, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Community Facilities, Parks and Open Space. Mr. Zawila stated that the first chapter serves as the introduction to the Plan, providing a summary of previous comprehensive plan updates, a description of existing sub-area and strategic plans, the process for the 2007 Update, and the benefits of the comprehensive plan process. The summarization of existing Sub-Area and Strategic Plans is new to the document. He said these individual planning documents have been written since the last update of the Plan and should be recognized as they are important to supporting the general goals for land use development for the Village. The process used for the update is also provided in this chapter along with benefits of the Comprehensive Plan Process, which is from the 1998 Plan and was determined to still be relevant for this update. He asked for comments from the Commission. Chairperson Juracek asked if the corridor studies mentioned in the Plan are available as an addendum to the plan. Mr. Zawila stated that the studies are available on the Village website, or hardcopies can be obtained from the Community Development Department. Ellen Divita, Deputy Director of Community Development stated that when reviewing a proposal for property covered by one of these Sub-Area Plans, the Commission will refer to the sub-area studies because they are in greater detail. There were no additional comments on Chapter 1. Arlene Juracek, Chairperson Planning & Zoning Commission Meeting April 12, 2007 Comprehensive Land Use Update Discussion Page 2 Mr. Zawila said Chapter 2 presents a historical and current view of Mount Prospect and creates a community profile as of 2006. Information is presented on the following areas; Population, Community Facilities, Housing, Land-Use, Economic Development, Zoning, Transportation, Annexations, and Utilities. Where relevant, Staff compared demographic information to Cook County, the State and the U.S. on these topics. He stated that this chapter serves as a summary of the existing conditions of the Village and offers a snapshot of the community which seeks to answer the questions of "where we came from" and "how we compare to the region, state, and county." In addition, data on our neighboring communities can also be found in Appendix A of the document. He asked for comments from the Commission. Richard Rogers complimented staff on the excellent review and relevant data contained in this section. He said this is a lot of good information for people to learn about the community they live in. Leo Floros agreed stating this was an excellent review. Chairperson Juracek stated that the information in this section will be helpful to other commissions and groups in the Village. She also stated that the layout and readability of the document is excellent. There were no additional comments on Chapter 2. Mr. Zawila stated that Staff updated the goals and objectives in Chapter 3 from the 1998 Plan by reorganizing the four plan elements, consolidating redundant objectives, implementation actions moved to Chapter 5, and included comments and input from the Plan Update Process. He asked for comments from the Commission. Chairperson Juracek asked if there were any comments that stemmed from the Open House. Mr. Zawila stated attendance was low at that meeting and there were no comments received. He stated the Plan has been posted on the website and no negative remarks were received. Ms. Divita stated that drafts of the Plan were also sent to attendees of the focus groups and taxing bodies for additional comments and there were no negative comments received. Chairperson Juracek asked if the townships received a copy of the draft. Mr. Zawila stated an electronic copy was sent to both townships. Mr. Zawila reminded the Commission that the Illinois Local Planning Technical Assistance Act, passed in 2002, laid out the elements that must be addressed in a community's Comprehensive land Use Plan. One of those required elements is a vision statement. The vision statement, drafted by staff identifies how Mount Prospect sees itself in the future in terms of land use. He said it was drafted by staff but its core content was derived from all who took part in community meetings and focus groups. The statement has been updated from comments from the Commission at the February meeting. The Vision Statement serves as a summarization of the future that the goals and objectives will help reach. Mr. Zawila read the revised Vision Statement for the record; The Village of Mount Prospect will offer a high quality of life to its residents and promote a vibrant, diverse business community that serves customers from a broad geographic base. Residents will continue to live in attractive and well maintained homes. A mix of housing opportunities will be available to meet the needs of the wide range of individuals and families that make up our community. Our successful business community will be highly valued because of the nature of products, services, vibrant customer base, and employment it offers and its strong relationships with the community. New businesses will be drawn to the Village because of its reputation for quality development, municipal cooperation, and ongoing improvements to the character and appearance of the commercial and industrial environment, with particular emphasis on the downtown area as the geographic and social center of the Village. The Village will ensure a comprehensive infrastructure, parking, and traffic improvement program is in place to help further the goals and objectives of the Comprehensive Plan. The Village will continue to be dedicated to excellence in governance and service, schools, parks, and community facilities. Arlene Juracek, Chairperson Planning & Zoning Commission Meeting April 12, 2007 Comprehensive Land Use Update Discussion Page 3 The Village of Mount Prospect will be a community proud of the quality of life it helped create and the successes accomplished through comprehensive planning and continual evaluation of effectiveness. Chairperson Juracek stated that the ideas brought forth from the workshops were incorporated into the Vision Statement very well. She wanted to clarify on the statement "excellence in governance and service, schools, parks, and community facilities" that the Village government does not govern schools and parks, but that the governing body will be working toward and supporting the goal of excellence. There were no further comments on Chapter 3. To summarize the updates to Chapter 4, Mr. Zawila showed a video highlighting the update to the housing and land use categories, an update to the commercial land use categories, and individual updates made Village-wide. Upon completion ofthe video, Mr. Zawila asked for comments from the Commission. Chairperson Juracek stated the changes accurately reflected the discussions and suggestions from the focus groups. Mr. Rogers asked if the area called out as the "River Forest" area is now part of the Village. Mr. Zawila stated that it is not, but since it is unincorporated area and within 1.5 miles of the corporate boundaries, the Village is allowed to plan for land use. Mr. Rogers also asked if the commercial development along River Road is designated as residential. Mr. Zawila stated that portions of the area are classified as Neighborhood Commercial which would allow for mixed-use, along the road as a whole. Mr. Zawila stated that there was a slight revision to the thorough fare plan. The definition of collector street was revised; the original description stated that these type of streets intended to provide "only vehicle trips," which the engineering division believed may too narrowly defined the type of traffic that moves through neighborhood. These streets could appropriately handle other types of traffic such as bicycles in some cases, so the definition was tweaked to reflect that change. He said with respect to the list of collector streets in Figure 5.1, changes were made per the Village Code and the Neighborhood Traffic Studies that are currently in progress. The Village is still conducting these studies, and there may still be a slight revision to this list, base off of the studies findings. He stated that the studies are expected to be completed by 2009, when an amendment to this document's thoroughfare plan would be made. Chairperson Juracek asked if it would make sense for the Plan to refer to an appendix or an external document to refer to the collector streets. Ms. Divita stated that the Village Code would be current and would serve as a good external reference. She said staff can check with the Village Attorney to see if a reference to the Village Code could be made. There were no additional comments on Chapter 4. Mr. Zawila said revisions to Chapter 5 were made by reorganizing the chapter according to the four Plan Elements; irrelevant/completed actions were removed; new strategies were added as a result of Public Input, Existing Conditions Chapter, Focus Groups input, Joint P & Z and Village Board meetings, and the comments and input from the February Meeting. Mr. Zawila stated that the Implementation Strategies are categorized into four different types: Action - which can be acted upon to produce a result; Village Board Action - which reflects a policy which must be adopted by the Village Board; Special Study Needs - which requires additional study to determine best course of action; and Coordination - which requires ongoing coordination with other parties outside Village Staff. He said those items noted as Village Board Strategies often involve appropriation of Village funds and these projects are incorporated into the Annual Capital Improvement Plan and Village Budget. Other items end with an action taken by the Village Board, such as a change to the Village Zoning or Building Code, but along the way there is contribution from others Boards and Commissions such as the Planning and Zoning Commission. He showed a table indicating from which goals and objectives from Chapter 3 the strategy is derived and whether the strategy should occur in the short term (within 3 years), long term (4 - 5 years), or is ongoing. The Village department as well as other agencies/groups that will lead implementation of the strategy is then listed for each strategy. He asked for comments from the Commission. Chairperson Juracek suggested adding a footnote on how to read or find the objectives within the document. Mr. Zawila stated that staff can work on the footnote. Arlene Juracek, Chairperson Planning & Zoning Commission Meeting April 12, 2007 Comprehensive Land Use Update Discussion Page 4 There was general discussion regarding the information and maps contained in the Appendix. Chairperson Juracek thanked staff for an excellent document that has evolved into a very usable document. Chairperson Juracek questioned the land use designation regarding the STAR line site. Designated as institutional and asked if Staff is comfortable with that designation. Ms. Divita stated that staff is fine with the designation and the project is not at a point to go into more detail, in the Plan, at this time. Chairperson Juracek asked if the map the Commissioner's received were summarizing the Land Use Map changes. Mr. Zawila stated that is correct and the video presentation from tonight is also available on the Village website. Mr. Rogers thanked Staff and offered his congratulations for compiling such a useful document that encompasses all of the ideas brought forth during the meetings leading up to this draft. Keith Youngquist also thanked Staff for an excellent document. Leo Floros asked how this Plan compares to other communities Plans. Mr. Zawila stated the update took approximately 2 years, similar to other communities, and is visually appealing and more user-friendly for residents. He said Staff is proud of the document they have produced. Ms. Divita said that Staff was able to evaluate many opportunities within the Village. Marlys Haaland congratulated Staff on a job well done. Ms. Divita stated that all of the Community Development Staff contributed to the document. Also, all of the departments offered input to the final document. Richard Rogers motion to approve the 2007 Comprehensive Land Use Plan. Joe Donnelly seconded the motion. UPON ROLL CALL: A YES: Donnelly, Floros, Haaland, Roberts, Rogers, Youngquist Juracek NAYS: None Motion was approved 7-0. Richard Rogers made a motion to adjourn at 8:35 p.m., seconded by Joseph Donnelly. The motion was approved by a voice vote and the meeting was adjourned. Stacey Dunn, Community Development Administrative Assistant C:\Documents and Settings\kdewis\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\OLK6B\Minules 04-]2-07 PZ_doc