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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04/10/2007 COW minutes COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MINUTES APRIL 10, 2007 I. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 7:11 p.m. in the Village Board Room of Village Hall, 50 South Emerson Street, by Mayor Wilks. Present at the meeting were: Trustees Timothy Corcoran, Paul Hoefert, John Korn, Richard Lohrstorfer, Michaele Skowron and Michael Zadel. Staff members present included: Village Manager Michael Janonis, Assistant Village Manager David Strahl, Community Director Bill Cooney, Deputy Director Ellen Divita, and Senior Planner Judy Connolly. II. MINUTES Approval of Minutes of March 27, 2007. Motion made by Trustee Zadel and seconded by Trustee Hoefert. Minutes were approved. Trustees Corcoran and Lohrstorfer abstained. III. CITIZENS TO BE HEARD Dave Toeppen, 409 South Hi-Lusi Avenue, spoke. He stated he is supportive of any legislative control the Village Board may bring regarding the LED Lighting that is becoming more prevalent in sign boards these days. IV. PROPOSED TEXT AMENDMENTS Community Development Director Bill Cooney stated staff is asking the Village Board and Planning and Zoning Commission input on five or six main topics for direction for staff research. Senior Planner Judy Connolly provided an outline regarding the topics. She stated topics included are: 1. Townhouse Design 2. Floor Area Ratio or FAR 3. Permitted and Conditional Uses 4. Unenclosed Porches 5. LED Lighting Townhouse Design Judy Connolly stated the current code allows townhouse density of ten units per acre in the R2 Zoning District. She inquired whether the code should be revised to reflect the lower density desire of the Village Board. General comments from the Village Board members included the following items. They stated density is dependant on the setting and design of the project. There is also a need to include all necessary parking on site and depending on how it fits together will determine the density level. Several Village Board members felt that the current density level is a little high and would be supportive of lowering the level. 1 It was also suggested that interior streets that supply access to the site be included as part of the overall footprint along with public use spaces and the need to include residential amenities like patios. Village Manager Janonis suggested the Village Board consider the use of defining the amenities desired per unit for example, including the number of parking spaces, green space, patio, storage etc. based on the space of these items then the remaining area would be available for design of the units themselves. Bill Cooney stated that staff could define ratios that could be used for determining the number of units per site and could give examples of recent developments to get a better idea on understanding the site issues. Consensus of the Village Board was to consider fewer than 10 units per acre and consider making the process more efficient by using amenities as a determining factor for the number of units per site. Arlene Juracek, Chair Person of the Planning and Zoning Commission spoke. She stated the Commission members would welcome the discussion and feels that lowered density should be clearly codified. Judy Connolly highlighted the fact that guest parking should be addressed and does have an impact on the garage size minimum and green space available for determining parking per unit. She inquired whether these items should be included as part of the staff review of such developments. General comments from the Village Board members included the following items. Several Trustees felt that all parking per development should be self contained and should not rely on street parking availability for guest parking. It was also suggested that the garages be defined with minimum sizes so that the necessary incorporation of storage and garbage cans can be consolidated internally. There was also a discussion regarding private drives or drives into the development that are not standard Village widths in rights of way. It was also recommended that patio space be reserved for each unit and incorporated into the design. The staff recommended a minimum size development standard could be defined that would be required to make a public amenity donation or benefit offsite including possible additional sidewalks and tree replacements. Floor Area Ratio Discussion- (FAR) Judy Connolly stated that a possible response for tear down issues within the community could be to reduce the Floor Area Ratio (FAR) and increase the setbacks so the structure does not appear to fill the site due to the bulk of the house. General comments from the Village Board members include the following items. There was general satisfaction with the FAR ratio as it exists. It was also suggested that the Village Board be provided with some examples of possible complaints in the past so that there is a clear understanding of what may be the issue. It was also recommended that one opportunity to reduce the bulk on the site would be to maintain the side yard setbacks when the site is redeveloped. 2 Arlene Juracek stated that the FAR would not resolve this issue but the Village Board may want to consider extending the side yard set backs so that there is a reduction in the massive looking appearance of the structure. Joe Donnely, Planning and Zoning Commission member spoke. He suggested a review of the roof line height be considered to reduce the mass appearance of the structure on the site. Permitted and Conditional Uses: Judy Connolly stated staff has recommended provisions for Cultural Centers, Pet Day Care Facilities, Senior Housing, and distinguishing Community Centers from Cultural Centers. She stated staff has created a chart to clearly understand the differences and what additional items, including the conversion of commercial property to a church or homes to churches, will need additional Village Board input to be considered further. General comments from the Village Board members included the following items. They all suggested that a clear definition of each use be defined as a conditional use. It was also suggested that staff look at other towns based on the activities that seem to be occurring and to ensure that the handicap accessibility standards are maintained when the sites are considered for revision due to conditional use. Unenclosed Porches: Judy Connolly wanted to confirm whether the Village Board was comfortable with staff administrative review as the final approval compared to Planning and Zoning conditional approval to reduce the approval time down to 60-90 days for unenclosed porches. General comments from the Village Board members included following items. Several Village Board members stated they were comfortable with the staff review criteria and the conditional use remains with the property for future owners for record keeping purposes. Arlene Juracek stated that the criteria is very clear and strict material quality has been enforced through the hearing process and included staff input. LED lighting Incorporated Into Electronic Signage Displavs: Judy Connolly stated new technology has made these lights more efficient, they burn very bright, and staff is suggesting defining light levels so that the use of these lights does not become obtrusive. General comments from the Village Board members included the following items. It was suggested that staff review the brightness standards in an effort to understand what can be done technologically regarding LED Lighting. It was also suggested that signs be reviewed to address monument sign height compared to possible conflicts with parkway trees. The Village Board might consider sunsetting of lighting exemptions to encourage the switch over to full cut off lights. 3 Other Zoning Issues: Mayor Wilks suggested the Village consider a model sound ordinance that has been created by the O'Hare Noise Compatibility Commission. This ordinance addresses all noise, not just air craft noise, and could be used as a guideline for architects, builders and homeowners. V. VILLAGE MANAGER'S REPORT Michael Janonis stated that Coffee With Council is scheduled for April 14th from 9:00 a.m. -11 :00 a.m. in the Community Center. VI. ANY OTHER BUSINESS Village Manager Janonis stated that the Village Board meeting has been moved to April 18th due the conflict with the Consolidated Election on April 17th. Mayor Wilks stated that there is a Pot Luck Dinner on April 19th in the Community Center as part of the Sister Cities activities. Mayor Wilks also stated that there is a canvas of the votes from the election of April 1th but it will not be completed until May 8th, therefore, the swear in of any new Trustees would occur on May 15th. Manager Janonis stated that vehicle stickers will be on sale every Saturday in April from this point forward from 9:00 a.m. until noon. VII. ADJOURNMENT Meeting adjourned at 9:33 p.m. <=0~J ~j{J DAVID STRAHL Assistant Village Manager 4