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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/22/2009 P&Z minutes 27-09 MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION CASE NO. PZ-27-09 Hearing Date: October 22, 2009 PETITIONER : Village of Mount Prospect PUBLICATION DATE: October 7, 2009 : REQUEST South Mount Prospect Sub-Area Plan MEMBERS PRESENT: Richard Rogers, Chair Joseph Donnelly Leo Floros Theo Foggy Ronald Roberts MEMBERS ABSENT: William Beattie Keith Youngquist STAFF MEMBERS PRESENT: Brian Simmons, AICP, Deputy Director of Community Development Clare O’Shea, AICP, Senior Planner INTERESTED PARTIES : Bob McGugin, Valerie Roesti, Julio Barken, Kathy Balogh, Eric Nelson, Mike Nelson, Rick Anderson, Ed Ruff, Mark Jensen, Timothy Stef, David Karkubek, Jim Jakubek, Willy Sudol, Ron Boucher, Phyllis Zumph, Pat St. Leger, Sandi Wille, Rick Bulthuis, Herbert Schardt, Pat Weldon, Bill Johnston, Eduardo Flores, Mike Cronin, Coren Raymond, Irene Blascher, Bret Asrow Chairman Richard Rogers called the meeting to order at 7:40 p.m. Mr. Floros made a motion to approve the minutes of the September 24, 2009 meeting; Mr. Donnelly seconded the motion. The minutes were approved 5-0. Chairman Rogers stated that case number PZ-26-09, 1060 S. Elmhurst Road, Variations for Wall Signs has been postponed to the next scheduled Planning and Zoning Meeting on November 12, 2009. Chairman Rogers introduced Case PZ-27-09, the South Mount Prospect Sub-Area Plan at 7:42 p.m. Ms. O’Shea stated case number PZ-27-09 has been scheduled for the October 2009 Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting to review the application by the Village of Mount Prospect regarding a proposed amendment to the Village’s Comprehensive Plan. The Planning and Zoning Commission meeting was properly noticed in the October 7, 2009 edition of the Journal & Topics Newspaper. Ms. O’Shea said South Mount Prospect is situated in a very important area and has the potential for growth due to regional transportation projects. The STAR line is proposed to be located near South Mount Prospect and the O’Hare Modernization Program will make the area more attractive for global businesses. Additionally, the proposed full interchange at Interstate 90 and Elmhurst Road would make the area more accessible to the Interstate system and the airport. Ms. O’Shea stated the 2007 Comprehensive Plan called for a strategic plan for the intersection of Algonquin, Busse, and Dempster Roads to review the corridor improvements and pedestrian amenities. Ms. O’Shea said during the study to develop this plan, the Village decided to include the entire South Mount Prospect Sub-Area. The purpose of the Sub-Area Plan is to comprehensively review the area and plan for future growth. Richard Rogers, Chair PZ-25-09 Planning & Zoning Commission Meeting October 22, 2009 Page 1 of 7 Ms. O’Shea said information for the Sub-Area Plan has been retrieved from interviews with businesses, residents, Village Staff, Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), ComEd, Arlington Heights and Des Plaines Staff members, reviewing planning documents, comments from open houses, e-mails, and phone calls. Much of this information was included with the Staff Report. Ms. O’Shea showed a map of the South Mount Prospect Sub-Area. It is located south of the ComEd Right-of- Way in the Village of Mount Prospect and included properties south of Oakton, and included the corporate boundaries to the east and west side of the Village. The area is generally bounded by I-90 to the south, Des Plaines to the east, the ComEd Right-of-Way to the north, and Arlington Heights to the west. Ms. O’Shea summarized the existing conditions report that included information regarding utilities, transportation (roads and existing bus routes), jurisdictional control issues from unincorporated land, state and county roads, zoning, and land use consistency. Ms. O’Shea stated based on the reports, the goals and objectives were developed. The goals were formatted similar to the Comprehensive Plan. The objectives are more specific to South Mount Prospect. The goals are broken down by residential, Economic Development (commercial and industrial), transportation and infrastructure, and community facilities, services, and open space. Ms. O’Shea explained the recommendations. There are three long range planning concepts that the plan focuses on: business park, Algonquin/Busse/Dempster Commercial Center, and the United Airlines Property Office Campus. The Village was making sure the business park area south of Algonquin Road was properly marketed and has the correct amenities to attract and retain businesses. In regards to the Algonquin/Busse/Dempster Commercial Center, the Village was trying to make sure this area could be easily accessed by motorists, pedestrians, and vehicles so people could get into and out of properties and to make sure the area is safe for those who live and work around. The third long range planning concept is the United Airlines property. The Village was proposing a recommendation of an office campus if the property was to be redeveloped with open space and retail to support the office campus. Ms. O’Shea said the other recommendations were general and could be applied to the entire sub-area. These included corridor improvements and aesthetic improvements (corridor and private property). Ms. O’Shea discussed the implementation plan. The plan was geared to be implemented over the next ten to fifteen (10-15) years. The strategies that were assigned to meet the plan’s goals were: related objective, responsible party, timing, and the type of strategy. Staff recommended that the Planning and Zoning Commission approve the South Mount Prospect Sub Area-Plan as an amendment to the Village’s Comprehensive Plan. Mr. Roberts asked that this was just a strategic plan; anything proposed may or may not happen depending on several factors that included funding. Ms. O’Shea confirmed that this was correct. This was a strategic plan and the Village was looking at the area as a whole. This ensured that the Village was working with the correct departments and other organizations on improvements in the area. Mr. Donnelly asked if the STAR line does not go through, would the strategic plans still be a good idea for the area. Ms. O’Shea said even without the STAR line, the area was very attractive and has a lot of competitive advantages because of its location and accessibility to various roads. The Village would still be interested in improving the area not only from the business aspect, but for the safety of the residents in the area. Ms. O’Shea stated the Village was trying to improve the overall look as well. Richard Rogers, Chair PZ-27-09 Planning & Zoning Commission Meeting October 22, 2009 Page 2 of 7 Chairman Rogers said this was an overall plan. He stated the area needs improvement. The STAR line would be a benefit to the community as it would bring more businesses and people to the community. Chairman Rogers stated from the Planning and Zoning Commission’s point of view, this plan makes sense. Mr. Roberts stated the Sub-Area Plan quoted a percentage of housing units that are in the area. Mr. Roberts asked if Staff knew how many residents were in this sub-area or the total percentage of Mount Prospect’s population. Ms. O’Shea did not have the information available at the meeting. Chairman Rogers swore in Bob McGugin, 1757 W. Crystal Lane, Mount Prospect, Illinois. Mr. McGugin stated that the plan he saw mainly involved economic development. He wanted to know what was planned for residential, especially rezoning. Ms. O’Shea said that Village Staff was not proposing to rezone any residential properties; Staff would like to preserve the housing stock in South Mount Prospect. Ms. O’Shea stated Staff would like to focus on reinvestment to make the area more safe and pedestrian friendly so the residents could walk or bike to retail or other commercial areas in town. Mr. McGugin said that a lot of the housing in South Mount Prospect were rental units. He stated single family homes were practically non-existent with the exception of the Briarwood neighborhood. Ms. O’Shea said that Staff was not proposing to change rental properties to ownership properties. Mr. McGugin believed there were too many rental properties in the area that were potentially bringing property values down. Ms. O’Shea stated that the Village would like to keep a choice in housing for Mount Prospect. She stated that Staff was proposing to increase lighting for safety in all areas and work with landlords and investors to make sure the properties were up to safety standards. Chairman Rogers stated that the rental units in South Mount Prospect were developed because of the airport. He said as the STAR line comes in with more businesses, he believed that the area would naturally improve. Chairman Rogers hoped that the landlords of the properties would improve their properties as well. Chairman Rogers swore in Valerie Roesti, Business Owner at 2355 E. Oakton Street, Arlington Heights, IL (Elk Grove Township). Ms. Roesti said her business is on the south side of Oakton/east of Busse Road. Ms. Roesti was concerned that the original long range plan showed that current business would be converted to a parking lot adjacent to a hotel. She stated that the value of her business would be affected by the sub-area plan. Ms. Roesti was also concerned with the area being annexed because codes would be different. Chairman Rogers stated there was no reason to believe that the area surrounding Ms. Roesti’s business would not stay as a commercial/industrial area. He said the sub-area plan would hopefully improve the area. Mr. Simmons stated the original sub-area plan was presented at an open house in June 2009 and included a plan with more detail for land uses and how the area could be re-developed. Based on comments at the open houses held in June and August, the detailed portion of the plan was removed and Staff generalized a list of appropriate land uses for the area. Mr. Simmons said the report does recommend more office/warehouse uses south of Oakton to create more of an office park, but the detailed plan with the parking lot and hotel has been removed due to public comments. There was further discussion regarding proposed land use and Village services for annexed properties. Chairman Rogers swore in Julio Barken, 547 Ida Court, Mount Prospect, Illinois. Mr. Barken wanted to know how all the proposed improvements would be paid for. He was concerned with taxes being raised for the improvements discussed in the sub-area plan. Ms. O’Shea stated the sub-area plan was a long range plan, property owners and developers would be responsible for private property. As far as streetscape improvements and public improvements, they would be budgeted over the next ten to fifteen (10-15) years. Ms. O’Shea said the Richard Rogers, Chair PZ-27-09 Planning & Zoning Commission Meeting October 22, 2009 Page 3 of 7 Village does a lot of grant writing for this area seeking outside sources for public improvements. She said that as a part of this plan, the Village was not doing everything at one time. Mr. Barken asked what type of businesses the Village was seeking for the Algonquin/Busse/Dempster commercial area. Ms. O’Shea stated the Village would be doing retail and restaurant recruitment in this area because it is more service oriented. There is a large daytime population within close proximity to the South Mount Prospect area. Mr. Barken asked how many United employees would the area be losing. Ms. O’Shea stated about a thousand, which is why the Village was looking to add other jobs to the area if United moves. Mr. Barken was concerned with taxes being raised because of more police and fire protection in the area and for road improvements along Dempster. Ms. O’Shea said Dempster Street was under the jurisdiction of Cook County, but Staff would work with the county to get the road improvement on their planned projects list. She stated one of the purposes of the sub-area plan was for the Village to go to outside organizations and show what the Village was trying to get accomplished in the area. Ms. O’Shea stated the Village would benefit from additional tax revenue from restaurants, retail sales, and property taxes. Mr. Simmons said the sub-area plan indicated what the Village would like to see in the area. The improvements to the area would still have to go through the budgeting process. The Village would create a priority list for Capital projects and improvements would be made from an affordability standpoint along with projects elsewhere in the Village. Mr. Barken wanted reassurance that his taxes would not increase with all the improvements. Mr. Donnelly said United does not pay any taxes into Mount Prospect because the property is not annexed. If it does become an office park incorporated into the Village, the tax income from the property would help pay for additional services for the sub-area. Chairman Rogers swore in Kathy Balogh, 1777 W. Crystal Lane, Mount Prospect, Illinois. Ms. Balogh stated the sub-area plan called for working with the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for more subsidized housing and low income ownership. She stated this was the biggest crime area in Mount Prospect and wanted to know any statistics on the Village’s Crime Free Housing Program. Ms. O’Shea stated that she does not work directly with the Crime Free Housing Program, but she did know that around 98% of the landlords in the Village have become a part of the program. Ms. O’Shea wanted to clarify that when the Village stated they were working with HUD, they were spending money that was received from HUD in this area. The grant money was to set-up a strategic neighborhood revitalization area, so it could be spent on public improvements. Ms. O’Shea said the Village was not trying to attract any new section eight housing, this was not indicated anywhere in the sub-area plan. Ms. Balogh asked if the Village would be purchasing the United Airlines property. Chairman Rogers said that all that the Village would do would be to annex the area. The property would still be privately owned. Chairman Rogers swore in Eric Nelson, Business Owner at 1801 S. Busse Road, Mount Prospect, Illinois. Mr. Nelson stated that he would not have been able to open his business if it was located inside the corporate village limits of Mount Prospect. He choose unincorporated Cook County because of the zoning. He was worried that he would not be able to expand his business if it was in Mount Prospect in the future because of restrictive zoning. He was also concerned with the value of his property being reduced if it was incorporated and the Village limited the uses in the zoning district. Chairman Rogers said the buildings in the sub-area would stay as they are if they were annexed into the Village. Mr. Nelson understood that he would be grandfathered in under his current use. He further discussed the zoning issue along with increased costs for the proposed improvements. Chairman Rogers stated the Planning and Zoning Commission cannot dictate what goes in on every property. The Village and Planning and Zoning Commission always tries to work with business owners. Mr. Floros stated that annexation into Mount Prospect Richard Rogers, Chair PZ-27-09 Planning & Zoning Commission Meeting October 22, 2009 Page 4 of 7 was normally performed because the property owner wanted to incorporate; he said the Village rarely forcibly annexes a property. Mr. Nelson stated that his issue was due to involuntary annexation to the Village. There was further general discussion on annexation. Chairman Rogers swore in Mike Nelson, Elk Grove Township Fire Chief, 1415 E. Algonquin Road, Arlington Heights, Illinois. Mr. Nelson wanted to clarify two issues for the record. He stated that the Village of Mount Prospect does not completely surround the United Airlines parcel. According to Elk Grove Township Fire Department records, there is a condo development to the north along Dempster that is still unincorporated along with parcels along Algonquin Road. Mr. Simmons confirmed that the Village does not completely surround the United Airlines parcel as a single parcel, but the land area where United is located including adjacent parcels as a whole is surrounded by the Village. Mr. Nelson asked if the Village forcibly annexed the east side of Busse Road, south of Moretti’s to Interstate 90, in the early 1990s. Mr. Floros said that was a possibility. Mr. Nelson stated there was a court battle and the Village did forcibly annex these properties and made the property owners upgrade their fire alarms with computer lines. He said all of these properties went to court to disconnect, but the only businesses that did not were Moretti’s and the gas station that was converted into a Laundromat. Mr. Floros stated there were property owners that did want to come into the Village. Mr. Nelson stated no, all the businesses were disconnected with the exception of the Citgo because a notification was never received, the Moretti’s parking lot along Algonquin Road, and the adjacent parking lot. Ms. Roesti wanted clarification that if she sold her business in the future that did not conform to code in the long range plan, this would not affect the sale because the business was grandfathered in. Chairman Rogers said it depended on what the new business would want to change the use to. If they maintained the existing business, there would be no issues. If the change in use was drastic, there could be a problem. The new use would need to conform to the zoning in place at that time. Mr. Barken stated that when he moved to Mount Prospect in 1972, Ida Court was unincorporated. He could not recall the year his property was incorporated, but he was told everything that existed would be grandfathered in. He was concerned based on a previous experience that new annexed areas would have problems rebuilding. He provided an example of a garage that burned down across the street from his property. Mr. Barken said the owner had issues rebuilding due to current code requirements. Chairman Rogers stated that if there was a fire that significantly destroyed a structure, the new structure would have to conform to Village Code. This applied to all areas of the Village, including areas that have been annexed. Mr. Donnelly said property owners could also apply for a Variation. Chairman Rogers swore in Rick Anderson, 1106 E. Algonquin, Arlington Heights, Illinois. Mr. Anderson said that a certain part of his property lies in a flood plain. The original drawing showed his property as a detention pond. He wanted to know how his property and others that lie in the flood plain would be sold in the future. Mr. Simmons said the drawing was no longer in the plan as previous public comments were reviewed. If there were any new developments, there would be requirements for providing storm water detention. Mr. Simmons stated there are certain federal restrictions for development in a flood zone. There are options to regrade the property through the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) or other departments that would handle storm water detention. Mr. Anderson asked if the Village would condemn certain properties south of Algonquin Road, east of Busse for redevelopment in the future. Mr. Simmons said the South Mount Prospect Sub-area Plan is a long range plan for what uses the Village would like to see in the area if redevelopment did happen. The Plan would advise a potential developer of uses in a particular area. Mr. Simmons said the Village was limited by the State of Illinois how it could utilize condemnation powers. Any sort of redevelopment in this area would likely be by private development. Richard Rogers, Chair PZ-27-09 Planning & Zoning Commission Meeting October 22, 2009 Page 5 of 7 There was further general discussion on eminent domain and condemnation. Chairman Rogers swore in Ed Ruff, 521 N. Elm Street, Mount Prospect, Illinois. He stated that he was representing JA Johnson Paving Company located in the South Mount Prospect Sub-area at 1025 E. Addison Ct., Arlington Heights, Illinois. Mr. Ruff stated all the O’Hare activity has the Village concerned and how it impacts the Village. He said the Village would like to have some control. Mr. Ruff asked if the STAR line would be north of Interstate 90 through the corridor. Chairman Rogers said there was a basic outline for the STAR line, but the exact location had not been determined. He believed there was a good chance a station would be in Mount Prospect. Chairman Rogers did state that the Village would like to have some control in the area with a positive approach so everyone would be happy. Mr. Ruff asked if there were any annexations for the sub-area. Chairman Rogers said the Village would like to annex the United property because the Village almost surrounds the entire parcel. Mr. Floros questioned if the STAR line was suppose to run down the middle of the Interstate. Mr. Simmons said Metra was also exploring potential locations north and south of the Interstate 90 right-of-way. The most likely scenario for the location of the STAR line would be down the center median of Interstate 90 to limit the impacts of properties within the corridor. Mr. Simmons stated the Village has a Comprehensive Plan already in place that looks at the Village as a whole. One of the directives of this plan was to look at properties that are not incorporated that surround the Village for potential annexation. Mr. Simmons said with the sub-area plan, there was more detail in this specific area to discuss annexation options. Going forward, any annexation would have to go through a more detailed plan analysis to determine whether or not properties would be viable to come into the community. Mr. Simmons stated the United property would come into the Village via voluntary annexation due to its size. Chairman Rogers swore in Mark Jensen, 1690 Imperial Court, Arlington Heights, Illinois. Mr. Jensen stated his company has been at this location since 1968. He said his company has been happy with emergency services in the area, but there are several issues and concerns with the street that is in disrepair. Mr. Jensen said he was glad the Village was looking at the sub-area for improvements. Chairman Rogers swore in Timothy Stef, 2231 E. Oakton, Arlington Heights, Illinois. Mr. Stef was asking Staff or the Planning and Zoning Commission to clarify what surrounding area meant in the sub-area report. Chairman Rogers stated that the surrounding area was within driving or walking distance of Mount Prospect. Mr. Stef referenced page 8 of the sub-area plan that stated that annexation would be voluntarily or forced if the land is wholly surrounded less than 60 acres. Ms. O’Shea clarified that this sentence in the report was educational to set- up the legal parameters of annexation. It may be forced or it may be voluntary, if it’s going to be forced the legal requirements were explained. This was just to introduce the topic of annexation. Ms. O’Shea said the report does discuss annexation further that references the Village’s cost and the needs of the business. Mr. Roberts asked if the word wholly meant complete, one-hundred (100) percent surrounding. Ms. O’Shea stated that this was correct, completely surrounded. Mr. Stef asked about improvements and safety to the sub-area. Chairman Rogers stated the plan was suppose to make Mount Prospect a better community. There was further general discussion regarding improvements. Mr. Roberts asked Mr. Stef to clarify what he meant by Algonquin and Dempster east of Busse Road being bad. Mr. Stef said the streets were bad. Mr. Roberts stated the Village does not maintain Dempster and he agreed that it is in terrible condition. Mr. Stef stated that he was concerned with the police always being in the area. There was further discussion regarding police and fire activity in the area. Richard Rogers, Chair PZ-27-09 Planning & Zoning Commission Meeting October 22, 2009 Page 6 of 7 Chairman Rogers asked if anyone else in the audience would like to speak on the sub-area plan, hearing none, he closed the public portion at 8:53 p.m. and brought the discussion back to the commission. Mr. Foggy asked if the sub-area plan was being developed to create a land use map around the STAR line, or if it was being created regardless if the STAR line moved forward. Ms. O’Shea stated that the plan was being produced originally due to the businesses at Algonquin, Busse, and Dempster per the directives of the Village’s Comprehensive Plan. The Village was already working in the area to improve its general safety. The report expanded beyond the Algonquin, Busse, and Dempster intersection as many of the proposed recommendations applied to the entire sub-area and not specifically to this corner. Ms. O’Shea stated there are a lot of great things coming into the area over the next ten to fifteen years (10-15) and the Village wanted to have a unified vision for the area. The plan would still be appropriate even if the STAR line does not become a reality. Mr. Foggy said the real purpose of the plan was not to take land, but the Village was trying to control the growth and limit mistakes other municipalities may have made by not having a long range plan in place. Mr. Donnelly made a motion to approve a recommendation to the Village Board to amend the Official Comprehensive Plan for the Village of Mount Prospect to include the South Mount Prospect Sub-area Plan. Mr. Floros seconded the motion. UPON ROLL CALL: AYES: Donnelly, Floros, Foggy, Roberts, Rogers NAYS: None Motion was approved 5-0. Mr. Donnelly made a motion, seconded by Mr. Roberts, to adjourn at 8:57 p.m. The motion was approved by a voice vote and the meeting was adjourned. ________________________________________ Ryan Kast, Community Development Administrative Assistant Richard Rogers, Chair PZ-27-09 Planning & Zoning Commission Meeting October 22, 2009 Page 7 of 7