HomeMy WebLinkAbout1. COW Agenda 09/09/2014
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE
A G E N D A
Meeting Location:Meeting Date and Time:
Mount Prospect Village HallTuesday,September 9, 2014
50 S. Emerson7:00 p.m.
I.CALL TO ORDER -ROLL CALL
Mayor Arlene A. Juracek
Trustee Paul HoefertTrustee Steven Polit
Trustee John KornTrustee Richard Rogers
Trustee John MatuszakTrustee Michael Zadel
II.APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE FOR AUGUST12,
2014
III.CITIZENS TO BE HEARD
IV.MEDICAL MARIJUANA
The State of Illinois recently passed regulations which permits both the production and
dispensing of medical cannabis within Illinois. The Compassionate Use of Medical
Cannabis Pilot Program Act (or Act) provides guidelines for where facilities which are
participating in the program can be located. The Act established a four year trial period for
the program which has been modeled after similar successful programs in other states.
Additional legislation would be required to be passed by the State legislature to continue
the program beyond the introductory period. Staff will provide a brief overview of the Act,
the potential impact to Mount Prospect, and discuss how the Village may treat uses
governed by the Act.
V.KENSINGTON BUSINESS CENTER DISCUSSION
The Kensington Business Center(KBC)is a 300 acre business park that is home to several
high-profile corporations. It boasts over 60 properties with more than 3,000,000 square feet
of leasable office and warehouse space. Due to its proximity to O’Hare and Palwaukee
Airports; availability of a high caliber labor pool; and physical amenities which include
several landscaped ponds, a jogging trail, and a public park, the center is marketed as an
upscale light industrial business locale.
Originally, the site was a Northern Illinois Gas Company tank farm facility. It was reshaped
as light industrial/commercial businesspark during the 1970s and 1980s by the OPUS
Corporation. As part of this redevelopment, the village accepted responsibility for a variety
of public improvements including streets, storm sewers, water mains, sanitary sewers,
streetlighting, and parkway trees.
By agreement, the Village does not own but has accepted responsibility for sediment
control in the business park’s retention ponds. Similarly, the Village does not own but has
accepted responsibility for the maintenance of the jogging path. The Village also maintains
the Feehanville Creek channel to preserve its capability to convey storm water from the
Village to the Des PlainesRiver.
Generally, all of the public assets and Village-owned infrastructure in the park have been
maintained in a manner that vigorously supports its market profile as apremium business
site.
Since 2004, the Village has expended approximately $2,400,000 to improve public
infrastructure in the Kensington Business Center. These expenditures facilitated street
resurfacing, pond dredging, streetlight replacement, tree removal and planting, jogging path
maintenance, and a number of other improvements. Inthe 2015-2019 Capital
Improvements Plan, an additional $3,565,000 has been forecast to continue improvements
to the retention ponds and jogging path.
As part of a recent emerald ash borer infestation survey, Public Works crews noted a
preponderance of dead or declining trees on private property within the Kensington
Business Center.Subsequently, staff conducted a detailed walking survey of alltrees in
the Kensington Business Center. 346 trees were identified as dead or dying. For the
purposes of this survey, a “dead” tree is defined as one with no foliage and a “dying” tree is
defined as a tree that exhibited at least 50% crown loss. All 346 trees are on private
property. Legally, the maintenance and/or removal of these trees rests with the respective
property owner(s). There are presently no dead or declining Village-owned trees in the
business center area.Staff will present a plan to eradicate these trees at a possible total
cost of $100,000 to the Village. Appropriate staff will be available to facilitate discussion.
An issue, at present, is the fact that no property association has been active in the center
for a number of years, making it difficult to bring owners and/or tenants together to discuss
common property maintenance issues. In addition, as many as 25% of the properties in
KBC are currently vacant. Staffwill providea brief overview ofthe challenges of attracting
potential businesses to the center and discuss options available to market the center.
The Village has reached out to the Chamber of Commerce, School District 26 and property
owners in KBC to attend and participate in discussion.
VI.MANAGER’S REPORT
Status
VII.ANY OTHER BUSINESS
VIII.ADJOURNMENT
NOTE:ANY INDIVIDUAL WHO WOULD LIKE TO ATTEND THIS MEETING BUT BECAUSE OF A DISABILITY
NEEDS SOME ACCOMMODATION TO PARTICIPATE, SHOULD CONTACT THE VILLAGE MANAGER'S OFFICE AT
50 SOUTH EMERSON, MOUNT PROSPECT, ILLINOIS 60056, 847/392-6000, EXTENSION 5300.
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