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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04/26/2002 P&Z minutes 09-02MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION CASE NO. PZ-09-02 PETITIONER: Hearing Date: April 26, 2002 Nick Papanicholas PUBLICATION DATE: April I0, 2002 REQUEST: Rezone from BI to R2 to construct seven townhomes Conditional Use for a Planned Unit Development MEMBERS PRESENT: Merrill Cotten Joseph Donnelly Leo Floros Richard Rogers, Vice Chairperson Matthew Sledz Keith Youngquist MEM~BERS ABSENT: Arlene Juracek, Chairperson STAFF MEMBERS PRESENT: Judy Connolly, AICP, Senior Planner INTERESTED PARTIES: John and Kelly Dahlberg Tim Folk Nancy Fritz Roy Hamis.h Ron and Jean Holmes George Johnson Robert Judge Kurt Kaufhold Joseph Leone Leo and Muriel Newhouse Nick and Nancy Papanicholas Jim Pesoli Jan Ramcon Barbara Sabaj Domenico Safitone Len and Ruth Salemi Robert and Dawn Smith Vice Chairperson Richard Rogers called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. Minutes of the March 28 meeting were approved, with one minor correction. At 7:33, Mr. Rogers introduced Case No. PZ-09-02, a request for a Map Amendment and a Conditional Use for a Planned Unit Development. He explained that this case would be Village Board final. Judy Connolly, Senior Planner, introduced the staff memorandum for the case. She stated that the subject property, which totals 1.1 acre, consists of a medical office building and parking lot, built in 1957. The petitioner, who is the contract purchaser, would like to demolish the existing building & parking lot and construct the Villas 9f S~vres, a seven-unit town_home development. The petitioner states in his application that the townhomes would be fully occupied and that the residential development would benefit the Village more than the semi-vacant medical office building. Ms. Connolly said that the site is currently zoned for commemial use. In order to build the town_homes, the property must be rezoned to a residential zoning district. The applicant has requested R2 Attached Single Family. Elements of the development, such as the entry sign and masonry fence do not comply with zoning regulations and the petitioner is Planning & Zoning Commission Arlene Juracek, Chairperson PZ-09-02 Page 2 seeking Conditional Use approval for a Planned Unit Development. The proposed development will require Map Amendment and Conditional Use approval by the Village Board, following a public hearing and recommendation by the Planning and Zoning Commission. Ms. Connolly said Staff reviewed the petitioner's plat of survey, site plan, landscape plan, and visited the site. She described the surrounding zoning and land use: to the north, single-family residences; to the south, Union Pacific Railroad tracks; to the east and west: office buildings. The property is located along a state highway, on a commercial corridor. The Comprehensive Land Use Map designates the subject property as General Commercial - Office use. Ms. Connolly explained that there are a total of seven townhomes proposed: two 2-unit buildings and one 3-unit building. The development has a central driveway that provides access to/from Northwest Highway and Dale Avenue. Also, it links the individual driveways together. The development includes a five-foot masonry perimeter fence with six-foot pillars interspersed and landscaping on both sides of the fence. She said that the property has frontage on Northwest Highway and Dale Avenue. The townhomes have a 30-foot setback from Northwest Highway, a 20-foot setback from Dale Avenue, a 25-foot setback along the north lot line, and a 20-foot setback along the east lot line. The development complies with the R2 setback and lot coverage requirements. The petitioner's elevations show that the townhomes will be constructed of face brick and have stone fireplace chimneys. The development has a combination of front-and side loading garages. Ms. Colmolly reported that the petitioner's proposal includes a landscape plan that meets the general intent of the Village's landscape ordinance. However, additional landscaping on the outside of the masonry fence is recommended to minimize the impact of the fence and to ensure that the masonry fence does not appear institutional. The development's 2-car garages and 3 guest parking spaces meet zoning requirements for parking. There are 17 spaces provided on-site. Ms. Connolly relayed the comments of other Village Departments. The Public Works Department reviewed the proposal to rezone the properties and had no objections to the request. However, the development would have to meet all Village codes, including storm water detention, before a permit can be issued. The Fire Prevention Bureau requires that the central driveway be posted with a 'Fire Lane - No Parking' sign, that the development be constructed according to BOCA Building Code 1996 regulations, and that fire hydrants will be provided as required. The Police Department reviewed the request and had concerns that the site include adequate residential l!ghting. In addition, the Crime Prevention Division recommended posting highly visible address numbers and did not find that traffic flow would be an issue at the site. Ms. Connolly said that in order to rezone the site, the board has to find that the request meets the standards for a Map Amendment listed in the Zoning Ordinance. She said that the subject properties for the proposed Map Amendment are located in an established commercial corridor. The site is adjacent to residential and commercial uses. The proposed townhomes are of a similar use to the adjacent residential and the multi-family development one block west of the site, but are not consistent with the immediate surrounding commercial area. Furthermore, a new office building is under construction less than one block west of the subject site. This implies that office uses are still viable along this corridor. Ms. ConnolIy said that the essential character of the townhomes have elements of the surrounding residential uses, but the tewnhomes would be located on a commercial corridor and the property is adjacent to commercial uses. Ms. Connolly said that in order to approve the townhomes, the board has to find that the Planned Unit Development meets the standards for a Conditional Use listed in the Zoning Ordinance. She said that the proposal does not meet the standards for a Map Amendment and that it is not consistent with the Village's Comprehensive Land Use Map. However, the townhomes comply with the R2 Zoning Distr. ict regulations and the development has been designed in a manner that provides safe access to and from the development. The development would meet the standards for approving a Planned Unit Development if the proposal met the standards for a Map Amendment. Ms. Connolly said that based on Staff's analysis, the Planning and Zoning Commission cannot make positive findings with respect to the standards for Map Amendments. Therefore, Staff recommends that the Planning and Zoning Commission recommend that the Village Board deny the proposed Map Amendment and Conditional Use for the property at 1060 W. Northwes~c Highway, Case No. PZ-0-02. However, should the Planning & Zoning Commission Planning & Zoning Commission Arlene Juracek, Chairperson PZ-09-02 Page 3 determine that the Map Amendment request is appropriate, Staff recommends the following conditions of approval be included as part of the recommendation to Village Board: 1. Development of the site in general conformance with the submitted site plan prepared by W-T Civil Engineering, LLC dated March 19, 2002, but revising the landscape plan to reflect: a. Additional landscaping along the exterior of the west elevation of the masonry fence; b. Additional shade trees and evergreen plantings along the Northwest Highway frontage on the exterior of the masonry fence. 2. The central driveway is designated as a Fire Lane-No Parking and that signs are posted in locations identified by the Fire Marshal. 3. Addresses are posted in a highly visible manner to ensure they can be clearly seen from Northwest Highway. 4. Consolidate the site to a one-lot subdivision. 5. Approval of appropriate permits by I.D.O.T. and M.W.R.D. 6. Submittal of final building plans meeting all applicable Building Code and Fire Code requirements which include but are not limited to: · The central driveway is to be constructed in accordance with Development Code requirements (paved) and without gates; · Provide hydrants on-site as determined necessary by the Village's Fire Code, Fire Prevention Bureau, and Public Works; · Buildings are to constructed according to BOCA 1996 regulations. Richard Rogers, Vice Chair, clarified that two votes would be taken for this case: one vote to rezone the property and one vote for the Planned Unit Development request. For discussion purposes, both requests will be handled simultaneously. Leo Floros asked how long the building has been vacant. Ms. Connolly said there is at least one tenant on a month-to- month lease at present, but she did not know how long the remainder of the building has been vacant. Nick Papanicholas, 119 N. Stevenson, Mount Prospect was sworn in. He said that D50, 1250, 1100, and 1060 Northwest Highway have been for lease at least 3 to 5 years. Mr. Papanicholas said that regardless of the Boards' findings on this project, the owner of the 1060 building is shutting down June I because of economic reasons. A Real Estate firm attempted to develop the property for over one year, but was not successful. The other commercial buildings in the area have also experienced a high vacancy rate for many years. He said that there is a new building being built on Northwest Highway, but there is a long-term lease-in.place for that propete~y. Mr. Papanicholas said that office buildings are not being bui.lt on spec in the area and that most medical practices have relocated to properties in the vicinity of hospitals. The petitioner stated that when the 1060 parcel became available, he thought that a townhome development would blend with the R-X neighborhood. Mr. Papanicholas stated the units look like single-family homes and that they will be face brick. Although there is no water retention on the property now, the new development will provide detention. He said landscaping a very important aspect of the project and that this is a very necessary improvement to the area. Mr. Papanicholas said he will occupy one of the units and that there are six people very interested in purchasing the other townhomes. Mr. Floros asked the anticipated price of.the proposed townhomes. Mr. Papanicholas said they would range from $400,000 to $450,000 and will have three bedrooms, full basements and 2-car attached garages. Keith Youngquist asked Mr. Papanicholas how he had arrived at asking for R~2 zoning. Mr. Papanicholas said he could have asked for R-4, which would allow up to 16 units, but arrived at the R-2 zoning request with staff's help. He originally considered R-4 because there is site down the block zoned R-4, but reconsidered and decided on R-2. Mr. Youngquist asked how the storm water would be retained in a "controlled" manner and where it would leave the property. Mr. Papanicholas said his engineer could provide specific design details, but basically the water would leave on the northwest comer of property with box culverts storing the water on site and a restrictor releasing water into the Planning & Zoning Commission Arlene Juracek, Chairperson PZ-09-02 Page 4 system. Mr. Youngquist asked if the system would be above ground and Mr. Papanicholas said the system would be below ground where it leaves the property. Mr. Papanicholas said the engineer and architect were here to answer questions. He said there were people in audience interested purchasing units who would like to address the Board. He pointed out that many people want to remain in Mount Prospect after their families are raised, but it is difficult finding new construction in which to relocate in Mount Prospect. Nancy Fritz, 103 MacA~thur Drive, was sworn in and testified she is the president of the Northwest Meadows homeowners association. She said that the association met last night and had a number questions and concerns about the project. She said that the original subdivision started with R-X zoning and most properties are a minimum ½ acre lot. The property in question was zoned commercial and is part of Northwest Meadows Subdivision. She said that the homeowners association feels that the property should be rezoned as R-X to be consistent with the neighborhood. She conveyed the members concerns regarding an increase in the amount of traffic originating from the development and the number of children who would live there and add to the overcrowding at Fairview School. Members of the association were also concerned that the project would create flooding problems for the neighborhood. She said that the subdivision is on a culvert system with dry cell basins that contain their storm water runoff. Homes with basements get water in heavy rainfall. The association is concerned with the amount of land coverage on the proposed project and wanted to know where the water will go. Ms. Fritz said the engineering plan shows 27 sewers/drains that will be going into a single location of property near their neighbor, who already has problems with water. Ms. Fritz also pointed out that the neighbor's driveway would be just 5' away from the proposed driveway. Neighbors also feel that the proposed stonewall isolates the townhomes from the neighborhood and had concerns if the stonewall would have footings or be built on a slab. Ms. Fritz added that the association members also do not like the fact that they would view the townhomes from the back. They are concerned that the northeast corner townhome driveway is situated so a car driving in or out will shine lights in neighbor's bedroom window. They are also concerned with street parking on Dale. In addition, the association is concerned that rezoning this property to R2 would allow for future rezoning requests that would change the tenor of their subdivision. The group is concerned that the townhomes would create an urban nature for Mount Prospect and the association wants to retain the rural atmosphere. Also, Mount Prospect has limited commercial properties and that they are a better tax value than townhomes. Ms. Fritz summed up by saying the townhomes are very attractive on paper, but do not fit the tenor of their subdivision. Ms. Fritz suggested the Board 'hear from the neighbor most affected by this proposal, Mr. Smith. Robert Smith, 213 N. Dale Ave., was sworn in and testified that his qnajor concern is flooding. He said that the property next door is higher than his property and presently has grass and open space that collects water. Mr. Smith said the townhomes look good, but he moved to his home because of the rural setting and the distance between neighbors. He would like it to remain as it is. Robert Judge, 1194 Hunters Ridge East, Hoffman Estates, Architect, and Roy Harnish, W.T Engineering, 39 E. Scully Drive in Schaumburg, Engineer, were sworn in to testify. Mr. Judge said the plan must meet Village Code and MWRD regulations, which state water cannot drain offto adjacent property. This is done by storm manholes that go into underground box culverts, which is an underground storage drainage system. This releases water at a controlled rate. Heavy rains are retained with no storm water or runoff onto the property to the north. At present, the property probably does receive water due to "sheet drainage," which is where the water runs offwith the property slope. That is not allowed by today's codes. Roy Harnish testified that they have done storm water calculations for the site and were submitted to the Engineering Department of the Village. Ms. Connolly said the Engineering Division went over the plans in general and they will come under further scrutiny should the project be approved. There is now 30% green space and the proposed project would have 49% green space. Ms. ConnoIly also said Engineering has not received reports of flooding in the area. Mr. Harnish said they would use a 2.5" restrictor and there is .29 acre-feet of storage held in oversize concrete pipes underneath the greenspace. Keith Youngquist asked if the water would go into a designated storm system or a combined. Mr. Papanicholas said the restrictor and the drainage 9f the property goes underground into a storm system on Dale Avenue and eventually to Planning & Zoning Commission Arlene Jumcek, Chairperson PZ-09-02 Page 5 the north. It would remain underground until it reaches the MWRD approved system. Ms. Fritz said they had septic tanks originally and in the 1960s a sewer system was installed and each corner of the subdivision has a holding tank with an open grate dry cell. Mr. Papanicholas said the proposed project will not worsen any existing situation and will in fact improve it. Richard Rogers asked for clarification on the stonewall. Robert Judge said the stonewall would be on a foundation, which would be below the frost line. He said that the wall will enhance the look of the property and provide privacy for the neighbors.. There will be landscaping on both sides of the 5-foot wall and will block car headlights to the north and east sides of property. Mr. Judge said there would be attached 2-car garages and 2 spaces in each driveway, with 3 more spaces next to unit 5. There will be no parking on Village streets except for major functions such as a graduation, etc. The central driveway is 24' wide. Mr. Papanicholas said snow removal, landscaping, grass cutting will be done by an association which will be set-up when the project is completed. Keith Youngquist asked about trash removal and Mr. Papanicholas said they would work with the Village to reach an acceptable method. Robert Smith stepped up to the podium again to say he did not want a driveway 5' from his house and a brick fence blocking his driveway. He said he could not forecast parties and did not want cars parked in front of his house. He said he wanted to put a concrete driveway 5'away from his property line years ago and itwas not allowed, but now he will have one next to his house. Tim Folk, 402 North MacArthur, was sworn in. He said that he is a Real Estate agent and expressed concerns regarding the setbacks between the two zoning districts. He had shown 2-3 different properties to the present tenant of 1060, who was moving because his tenancy is "on again/off again" because of the probable sale of the property. Both of the other buildings are kept fully rented with commercial tenants, but the 1060 building has no basement and would be cosily to renovate. He said the development was attractive, but should be on 1½ or 2 acres,. Jim-Pisoli, 1931 Pine Tree Drive, Arlington Heights, was sworn in. He said he is a prospective buyer of one of the townhomes. He said 5 of the 6 prospective buyers do not have children. He said.that he is the youngest buyer and that his two sons are grown and in college. He feels this property would be asset to the area and is an eyesore, as it exists Kurt Kaufhold, 1007 W. Isabella St., said chang~ing B-1 to R-2 does not fit into the community: He also objected to the stonewall. Mr. Papanicholas came forward and said they originally thought the stonewall would enhance the neighborhood, but they were willing to eliminate the walt and work with staff to replace stonewall with landscaping. He also pointed out that all of Northwest Highway is a mixture of residential and business. Mr. Rogers closed the public hearing at 8:37. Merrill Cotten asked Judy Connolly about the Village's Corridor Plans. Ms. Connolly said the Village has a plan for Rand Road and Central Road, but not Northwest Highway. Therefore, the Land Use Map that was revised in 1996 would govern Northwest Highway. Leo Floros asked if the condo development at 1200 Northwest Highway had been rezoned from commercial. Ms. Connollysaid it had-been rezoned in 1979 and built in 1980. lanning & Zoning Commission PZ-09-02 Arlene Juracek, Chairperson Page 6 Matt Sledz said these commercial buildings have seen their heyday and would agree to the rezoning request in this area of mixed use. However, he has concerns about the density of this project. Merrill Cotten asked if they allow rezoning and this project is not allowed, would it be possible for a project with more units to be built. Mr. Rogers said the Village Board would make the final decision on the rezoning. Joseph Donnelly asked Ms. Connolly if this was the maximum amount of units that could be built on an R-2 zoning. Ms. Connolly said no that the R-2 district permits i0 units per acre. However, a Planned Unit Development would need to come back before the Board for review. Leo Floros said there is presently no consistency on Northwest Highway and t0.rezone this property would not set a precedent. Keith Youngquist said he had concerns with the tax implications of rezoning from business to residential. He said that the townhome development is an introverted concept and that the complex would only be seen by the back from the Northwest Meadows subdivision. In addition, he had concerns with the restrictor and the amount of water dumping into a ditch. He does agree that the present building is an eyesore and that it needs to be replaced, but he feels that the zoning should remain business. He said that the townhomes would not work well in this area. Leo Floros moved to recommend rezoning the property at 1060 W. Northwest Highway for Case No. PZ-09-02. Keith Youngquist seconded the motion. UPON ROLL CALL: Motion was approved 4-2. AYES: Cotten, Donnelly, Floros and Sledz NAYS: Rogers, Youngquist Leo Floros moved to recommend the Conditional Use for the PUD for the property at 1060 W. Northwest Highway for Case No. PZ-09-02 with the conditions stated in staff's memo and the condition that discussion regarding the stonewall take place between staff and the developer. Joseph Donnelly seconded the motion. UPON ROLL CALL: Motion was denied 3-3. AYES: Cotten, Donnelly and Floros NAYS: Rogers, Sledz and ¥oungquist At 9:43 p.m., after hearing two more cases, Keith Youngquist made a motion to adjourn, seconded by Joseph Donnelly. The motion was approved by a voice vote and the meeting was adjourned. Barbara Swiatek, Planning Secretary