Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout09/26/2000 COW minutes MINUTES COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE SEPTEMBER 26, 2000 I. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 7:33 p.m. by Mayor Gerald Farley. Present at the meeting were: Trustees Timothy Corcoran, Paul Hoefert, Dennis Prikkel and Irvana Wilks. Absent from the meeting were: Trustees Richard Lohrstorfer and Michaele Skowren. Staff members present included Village Manager Michael Janonis, Assistant Village Manager David Strahl, Community Development Director William Cooney and Deputy Community Development Director Michael Blue. I1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Approval of Minutes from August 22, 2000 was deferred. Approval of Minutes from September 12, 2000 was deferred. Both sets of Minutes were deferred due to the limited number of Board members present. III. CITIZENS TO BE HEARD None. IV. MISCELLANEOUS ZONING ISSUE DISCUSSION Community Development Director Bill Cooney introduced the topic by stating this is a follow-up discussion from several weeks ago in which floor area ratio, minor administrative variation considerations, garage size and single-family home tear-down criteria was discussed. Floor Aree Ratio Discussion He stated the floor area ratio example would be based on the lot coverage and stated that the garage size and pavement area has a significant impact on the percentage of coverage ratio which is typical depending on lot size of anywhere from .63 to .75. Staff recommends a floor area ratio amount of .50. General discussion from the Village Board members included the following items: There was a discussion regarding the maximum height of a structure and the impact of height on the structure's mass. There was also discussion regarding the definition of a hardship and the need to better define a hardship for use by the ZB^ members. There was also some discussion regarding whether the redefinition of a hardship would limit people's ability to maximize the use of their property. Arlene Juracek, Chairperson of the ZBA, spoke. She stated the more subjective a hardship is defined, the more difficult it is for the members to determine whether a hardship actually exists. She would suggest the consideration of a Conditional Use and the ZBA has considered economic hardships in the past including protection of mature trees. Keith Youngquist, member of the ZBA, spoke. He felt that the definition of a hardship could be refined to help in the decision process. Consensus of the Village Board was to retain the hardship definition as is but monitor the requests for variations due to hardships to determine whether unique circumstances are present. The Board also recommended the floor area ration to be altered .50. Discussion on Minor Administrative Variations Community Development Director William Cooney is suggesting administrative authority to allow residents to replace non-conforming structures if they are limited to only a 10% variance. He stated there still would be the intent to have the necessary Hearings but they would be administrative hearings and appropriate back-up material would be provided to the Village Board. General comments of the Village Board members included the following items: There was a recommendation that a trial period be considered regarding this administrative variation option. There was also a question regarding a piecemeal approach that would possibly compromise the administrative variation and how that would be controlled. It was also pointed out that there is a need to allow neighbor input to variation changes. Consensus of the Village Board was to establish a reasonable trial period and allow administrative variations of a minor nature primarily regarding driveway, patio and garage replacements on existing footprints, ZBA Chair Arlene Juracek spoke. She stated the hardship cannot be of the petitioner's making and would feel that the minor variance being limited to specific items is worthwhile and would support the change. Garage Size Discussion Community Development Director Cooney stated that staff has reseamhed the option of creating a sliding scale for garage sizes based on lot size, home size and rear yard setback requirements. However, after the analysis, staff feels it is unrealistic to create a sliding scale. Therefore, staff is recommending a standard size as the permitted use and requests variations for a larger size beyond that. He is recommending the Board consider a 672 or a 720 square foot garage as a permitted use. Obviously, it is expected that in order for a garage of this size, it would still have to meet the necessary requirements on the property and if there were variations necessary, appropriate Public Hearings would be undertaken. General comments from Village Board members included the following items: Severel Board members felt that a 672 square foot garage would be acceptable but there were also concerns regarding the mass of the structure upon the lot and the limitations the lot size contributes to the structure itself. Consensus of the Village Board was to alter the Zoning Code to allow 672 square foot garages as permitted uses. Single-Family Tear-Down and Design Review Community Development Director Cooney stated that other towns have dealt with this issue in different manners and has summarized those options in the back-up material provided. Generel comments from the Village Board members included the following items: Some Board members do not see this issue as a major problem in Mount Prospect and saw this as a good option for redevelopment and shows that Mount Prospect is a very desireble community if people are willing to invest in the property. ZBA Chair Arlene Juracek spoke. She personally welcomes the redevelopment and feels that the current restrictions in place are effective and there would not be a need to alter them at this time. Consensus of the Village Board was to monitor the number of tear-downs and rebuilds to determine whether this issue starts to reduce the number of homes overall throughout the community. 3 Mayor Farley suggested that staff look at whether the Village can require vacant property to be planted in grass instead of maintained in gravel awaiting redevelopment. Mr. Cooney stated that he would research the option of putting the property in grass and determine whether the Village could require it. Mayor Farley also suggested some staff review regarding specific yard landscaping that retains water runoff to supplement storm water management. V. VILLAGE MANAGER'S REPORT Village Manager Michael Janonis stated the 2001 Budget will be available starting October 6 and the review sessions will be starting soon thereafter. VI. ANY OTHER BUSINESS Mayor Farley suggested the Village consider one COW meeting per month in order to maximize the available staff and Village Board time. The Closed Session for Personnel was cancelled. VII. ~[~ Since there was no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 9:14 p.m. Respectfully submitted, DAVID STRAHL Assistant Village Manager DS/rcc H:\GEN~Cow~Minutes\092600 COW Minutes.doc