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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02/28/2002 P&Z minutes 4-02MINUTES OF Tlt~ REGULAR MEETING OF THE PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION CASE NO. PZ-04-02 PETITIONER: Hearing Date: February 28, 2002 James Kaplan RAP-SUM Properties 1770 First Street, #201 Highland Park, IL 60035 REQUEST: MEMBERS PRESENT: Variation to the number of parking stalls provided at 1 W. Rand Road (Randhurst Crossings) Merrill Cotten Joseph Donnelly Leo Floros RiChard Rogers Matthew Sledz Arlene Juracek, Chairperson MEMBERS ABSENT: Keith Youngquist STAFF MEMBERS PRESENT: Judy Connolly, AICP, Senior Planner Michael Blue, AICP, Deputy Director of Community Development INTERESTED PARTIES: James Kaplan Jim Stile Chairperson Arlene Juracek called the meeting to order at 7:33 p.m. Minutes of the January 24 meeting were . approved. Ms. Juracek announced the withdrawal of Case No. PC-18-01 and the Commission heard Cases No. PZ-02- 02 and PZ-03-02. At 10:15, Ms. Juracek introduced Case No. PZ-04-02, a request for a Variation to allow 80 parking stalls to serve the shopping center when the proposed tenant mix requires more than 80 parking stalls. She explained that this case would be Planning & Zoning Commission final. Judy Cormolly, Senior Planner, introduced the staff memorandum for the case. The subject property is located at Rand/Kensington & Elmhurst Roads. It is a 17,700 square foot commercial center that was constructed in 2001 and has 80 parking spaces. The center is almost 2/3 leased and the current, tenant mix includes a Quizno's, a dry cleaner, a currency exchange, a hair salon, a phone store, and a Starbucks. The Zoning Ordinance r&quires at least 60 parking spaces for the current tenant mix. Ms. Connolly explained that the petitioner is in the process of securing a lease with a new restaurant that would occupy 3,084 square feet and seat 56 people. By code, the proposed restaurant is required to have 25 parking spaces for the customers and the employees. The overall parking requirement for the center would be increased to 85 parking spaces. However, 3,616 square feet of space would still be vacant and could require as little as 14 parking spaces if all of the space is a retail use or it could require more parking spaces if there are more restaurants. Therefore, the property owner is seeking relief from zoning requirements for the minimum number of parking spaces provided at 1 W. Rand Road. Ms. Connolly stated that Staff reviewed the petitioner's site plan, tenant mix, visited the site, and talked to business operators to gain a better understanding of the parking demand at the center. The subject pamel is slightly less than 2 acres. It is out of any flood zone and is triangular shaped. The current tenant mix and 6,700 square feet of vacant space (38% vacancy rate) has not created a parking problem. As previously noted, the current tenant mix requires 60 parking spaces. The remaining 6,700 square feet of vacant space will require 27 parking spaces if the spaces are leased to retail users, which is one of the less intense parking uses. However, the petitioner is working with a restaurant that will occupy a portion of the 6,700 square feet and will require 25 parking spaces. In order to lease 100% of the corrumercial space, the petitioner will be required to seek relief from code regulations for parking since the center will Planning and Zoning Commission PZ-04-02 Arlene Juracek, Chairperson Page 2 be required to have at least 99 parking spaces (60 for the current tenants, 25 for the restaurant, and 14 for the remaining space for retail users). Ms. Connolly reported that in his application, the petitioner states that the actual parking need is less than the minimum required by the Village code. It is the petitioner's understanding that the majority of the employees who work at the restaurants either use or will use public transportation and/or earpool to work, so they do not require a parking space. Also, the petitioner states that the peak business hours have little overlap and that parking turnover is substantial. Ms. Cormolly said the petitioner is seeking relief from the Village's parking regulations and the reasons appear valid, · ' but the scenario presented cannot be guaranteed to hold true as the tenant mix could change. The change could impact peak-use times and if employees decide to drive and not use public transportation to get to work. Since the variation would be in place indefinitely, relief from code regulations will remain in place regardless of the owner, tenants, and employees. In addition, staff reviewed neighboring communities' Parking regulations and found that the Village's regulations are consistent with other communities' requirements. Ms. Connolly explained that the sqope of the variation would be reduced if the petitioner obtained an off-site parking agreement for employee parking. An off-site parking agreement for employees would free-up 21 parking spaces (this number is based on conversations with the tenants and reflects the maximum number of employees working during the peak business hours). Using 99 parking spaces as the parking need for the center, subtracting the 21 employee spaces, the site would need to provide 78 parking spaces. The shopping center has 80 parking spaces on-site and a variation is not required. Ms. Connolly said the Zoning Ordinance has provisions for off-site parking agreements. Staffwould be supportive of the petitioner securing 25 employee parking spaces within 500-feet of the shopping center. Ms. Connolly reported that in order to approve the requested variation, the Commission has to find that the request meets the standards listed in the Zoning Ordinance. She explained that .the addition of another restaurant at 1 W. Rand Road would be beneficial to the shopping center and community, but the petitioner's justification that the actual parking need is less than what the Zoning Ordinance requ/res is based on the premise that the '~enants' peak hours do not overlap and that employees will use public transportation and carpooI. However, the petitioner cannot guarantee that these'conditions will remain in place and the request fails to support a finding' of hardship, as required by the Zoning Ordinance. Based on these findings, Staff recommends that the Planning & Zoning Commission deny the proposed Variation to permit 80 parking stalls instead of 99 as required by the Zoning Ordinance to serve a 17,700 square foot retail center for the development at 1 W. Rand Road, Case No. PZ-04-02. Chairperson Juracek asked if the Village had approved other requests like this based on businesses' peak hours not overlapping. Ms. Connolly said the most recent approval would be Golf Plaza I shopping center at Golf and Busse Roads, which ~vas for different user types on a three-acre parcel. Also, the owner made on-site improvements to the center. Ms. Juracek noted that the Commission was presented with the possibility of a lease for 19 off-site parking spaces. Ms. Connolly explained that the Director of Community Development reviewed the lease and found it acceptable. The P&Z Commission could vote to den¥~the parking variation and approve the off-site parking lease. Richard Rogers asked if there was adequate parking when the center was built and, if so, what is causing the problem now. Ms. Connolly said there are three restaurants in the center, which is more than had been anticipated, and Ihat parking for restaurants is calculated based on the number of seats while re~ail parking is based on the st9re's square footage. Mr. Sledz asked if the Variation could mn concurrent with the lease or that particular use. Michael Blue, Deputy Director of Community Development, said the Variation runs with the land and that the draft parking agreement does run concurrent with the lease. Planning and Zoning Commission PZ-04-02 Arlene Juracek, Chairperson Page 3 James Kaplan, 1770 Ist Street, Highland Park, Illinois, was sworn in and testified that he had been approached by Boston Market to lease 3,000 s.f. of the property at the southernmost part of the center. He said that Starbueks Restaurant is at the far north of the property and Quizno's Restaurant is at the middle of the center. Mr. Kaplan said all these restaurants are categorized as food users and the Village's parking requirements are based on the number of seats that each business has. He said Starbucks has 30 seats and QuiZnO's has 45 seats, but from 11:30-2:30 Monday to Friday, 10 people at a maximum are seated; it is more a eanyout restaurant than a sit-down type. Mr. Kaplan said Starbucks peak hours are in the morning and their customers are in-and out quickly. He stated that the majority of tenants in the center have very quick turnover with the exception of the hair salon. In order to proceed with Boston Market's lease, he explored the possibility of obtaining offsite parking, if needed, within 500' of the shopping center. Mr. Kaplan said he would prefer not to lease off-site parking and would prefer to continue with the request for a Variation. Mr. Kaplan said tenants are encouraged to have employees park behind the center, to carpool, and use public transportation. He said Quizno's closes at 8 p.m., their peak hoars are 11:30-2, and that 60% of their orders are carryout. He introduced Mr. Stile of Boston Market to discuss their proposed parking needs. Jim Stile of Boston Market, 4320 Winfield Road,gte. 400, Warrenville, 1L, 60555, was swom in. Mr. Stile said their business consists of 65% dinner, 35% lunch. He said they do not serve breakfast and hax~e a phenomenal amount of take-out. He said the business started in Boston as just a storefront offering home-meal replacement, ohly as take-out. When purchased by an investmenf 'group and changed to a sit-down restaurant they still experienced well over 45% take-out activity. In July, 2000 MacDonald's purchased Boston Market and the take-out trend remained. Even when Boston Market converted to fi-eestanding buildings with a drive-thru in 35% of their stores, 45% of in-store business remained take-out. They feel this is due to the fact that their product isn't a pre-made sandwich and that people can see what their food looks like before they order. He said that this building will not have a drive-tkm and will be 55% kitcherff45% seating. They anticipate having 56 seats, with no deviation from that number, and their lease will contain a restrictive covenant that would restrict competing food stores. Mr. Sledz asked hoxv many people occupy cars in the lot at various times. Mr. Stile said studies on this topic indicate 2.2 people to a car at lunch, 1 to a car for breakfast. Ms. Juracek asked if the parking a[rangement was definite. She noted the contemplated term was for 19 spaces for 10 years. Mr. Kaplan agreed that was the way the lease read and the spaces were there if needed. He said they have an amicable agreement xvith F&F, who provided the leased spaces. Chairperson Juracek closed the public hearing at 10:45 and asked for a motion. Commissioners had questions about approving the Variation vs. accepting the parking leasing agreement. Mr. Blue.said that approving the Variation would grant Zoning that would allow the site to park itself and that the 19 spaces would not be necessary from a Zoning standpoint. To grant the Variation as requested tonight would effectively, from a Land Use and Zoning point, be the end of it and the contract for the 19 spaces would be irrelevant. If in the operation of the malt, the o-wner finds they need more parking spaces, the contract is available to them. If the Variation were denied, they would have the 19 spaces on the adjacent property to accommodate Boston Market. He said that without the 19 spaces, Boston Market cannot go in. However, the Planning & Zoning Commission would have to approve the lease agreement. Joseph Donnelly moved to approve the Variation as requested to allow eighty stalls as adequate parking for the center, Case No. PZ-02-02. Merrill Cotten seconded the motion. UPON ROLL CALL: AYES: Sledz NAYS: Donnelley, Cotten, Rogers, Juracek ABSTAIN: Floros lanning and Zoning Commission PZ-04-02 Arlene Juracek, Chairperson Page 4 Motion was denied 4-I. Ms. Juracek then asked for a'~0tion to accept the parking arrangement dated February 24, 2002 to lease 19 parking stalls from F& F Management in the location shown on the draft lease as meeting the intent of the parking requirements in the Code for the Randhurst Crossings Center. Merrill Cotten seconded the motion. UPON ROLL CALL: AYES: Donnelley, Cotten, Floros, Rogers, Juraeek Sledz NAYS: None -' Motion was approved 6-1. At 11:23 p.m., after hearing Case No. PZ-05-02, Richard Rogers made a motion to adjourn, seconded by Matt Sledz. The motion was approved by a voice vote and the meeting was adjourned. Barbara Swiatek, Planning Secretary