Plan Commission

APPROVED PLAN COMMISSION VILLAGE OF DEERFIELD The Plan Commission of the Village of Deerfield held a Public Hearing Meeting at 7:30 P.M. on February 25, 2016 at the Village Hall, 850 Waukegan Road, Deerfield, Illinois. Present were: Mary Oppenheim, Chairperson Bob Benton Larry Berg Al Bromberg Elaine Jacoby Jim Moyer Absent: Stuart Shayman Also present: Jeff Ryckaert, Principal Planner Dan Nakahara, Associate Planner Public Comment on a Non-Agenda Item 1. Request for a Class B Special Use for ROTI Modern Mediterranean Restaurant located in the 720 Waukegan Road, Unit C (former Mephisto Shoes space) at the Shops at Deerfield Square (CRM Properties Group, Ltd.) Chris Siavelis, CRM Properties, explained that the retail world is changing, especially in regards to fashion retail. CRM Properties has strived to maintain the highest quality of retail apparel in the 720 Waukegan building; however, internet sales and consumers buying habits have changed and have significantly impacted apparel retailing, especially fashion retail. The petitioner is seeking a favorable recommendation for a 2,500 sq. ft. fast casual ROTI Modern Mediterranean restaurant with seating for approximately 74 customers, located at 720 Waukegan Road, Unit C in the former Mephisto Shoes space. Mr. Siavelis noted that the HVAC units will be mounted on the roof, fully screened from the parapet wall and any sight lines from grade. The petitioner will be installing a grease trap below grade in the service drive directly behind the building. He added that delivery services would operate at the back of the building. The petitioner’s traffic study made field observations during Deerfield Square’s peak hours on Friday from 12:00 P.M. to 1:30 P.M. and concluded that at peak times there was excess parking of 200 unused spaces, which would more than satisfy the 35 parking spaces that is required by Deerfield Zoning Ordinance. The petitioner plans to provide the required parking for its customers. Public Hearing February 25, 2016 Page 2 Mr. Siavelis commented that ROTI Modern Mediterranean has 22 locations including 9 in Chicago, approximately 10 in D.C. and a couple in New York. ROTI offers a healthy menu with fresh ingredients. The petitioner is seeking a liquor license to serve beer and wine at the proposed ROTI restaurant location. The build-out for the Deerfield location would have a modern, sleek look and outdoor seating area for approximately 8 customers. The petitioner has submitted plans which reflect the required railing for the two separate outdoor seating areas. With the outdoor seating area there still remains five foot clearance of the sidewalk in the front of the restaurant. Mr. Siavelis noted that there is a tree grate located just to the west of the outdoor seating fence. There is an 80 inches (6’8”) of clearance between the northwest corner of the west outdoor seating area fence and the corner of the tree grate. Mr. Siavelis stated that they meet all of the special use criteria and requests a favorable recommendation from the Plan Commission. Commissioner Benton asked if there provisions near the restaurant for accessible parking spaces and take-out parking, as the back of the restaurant does not seem to have a sufficient amount of room for these functions. Mr. Siavelis replied that there are existing accessible parking spaces just to the west of the 720 Waukegan Road, Unit C building, which already meets the required number of accessible parking spaces. Chairperson Oppenheim stated that there are accessible spaces in front of Barnes and Nobles. And Mr. Siavelis added that there are also accessible spaces in front of Pure Barre and Anne Taylor LOFT spaces, which are closer to the proposed restaurant location. Chairperson Oppenheim inquired about trash receptacles in the outdoor seating area since there are none close by. Mr. Siavelis agreed that it would be necessary to place trash receptacles in the outdoor seating area for ROTI’s customers. Chairperson Oppenheim pointed out that the proposed outdoor seating area for ROTI would be the first outdoor seating area in the 720 Waukegan Building, and is smaller and in a tighter area than outdoor seating areas in the rest of Deerfield’s Square, such as IL Forno, Whole Foods, Potbelly and Josh’s Hot Dogs. Mr. Siavelis commented that the plan to limit ROTI’s outdoor seating area to 8 seats with 24” by 30” tables was due to the limited amount of space. He added that all of the outdoor furniture was compliant with the Deerfield Square’s requirements. Commissioner Bromberg inquired about the signage, as the Plan Commission received memos from the Appearance Review Commission (ARC) that the proposed signage for ROTI was not approved. Mr. Siavelis replied that ROTI is requiring that the back panel be painted black from the current sandstone color. The black panel and the black awing that ROTI is requiring is a condition of their lease. Mr. Siavelis noted that the four facades that make up that section of the 720 Waukegan building all have the back panel in sandstone with white letters; however, ROTI feels that the white letters don’t stand out sufficiently against the sandstone background. He added that the black background (panel) is much more effective for the white signage. Mr. Siavelis commented that black is also a part of ROTI’s corporate signage colors. The petitioner is also requesting to Public Hearing February 25, 2016 Page 3 change the color of the awnings from the current sandstone color to black. ROTI’s exterior changes and signage were presented to the ARC on Monday, February 22, 2016. The ARC did not approve the color changes to the back panel and awning with a final vote of two ayes and two nays. Mr. Siavelis stated that they are planning to appeal the ARC decision to the Board of Trustees at their next meeting. Commissioner Oppenheim asked for confirmation that the objection was not in regards to the size of the sign (which met signage requirements), but the background color of the panel and the awning, which would not match the existing background colors in that section of the 720 Waukegan Road . Mr. Siavelis confirmed that the issue was with ROTI’s proposed black background for their back panel and the color of the awning. Mr. Siavelis noted that the ARC implied that they would possibly be in favor of changing the color of ROTI’s back panel and awning if the other units in the 720 Waukegan building were also changed to the same color, so that there was uniformity and consistency with that section of the building. Mr. Siavelis expressed that there are complications with that request as they do not have the unilateral rights in the leases with the existing tenants to make those changes. CRM Properties would like flexibility in regards to their tenant’s signage in the future given modern corporation’s requirements with respect to signage and they are not interested in creating new, uniform signage criteria for the 720 Waukegan building. Mr. Siavelis commented that he does not find the uniformity of the building’s signage as important as the ARC does, and feels that unique signage allows the store front to stand out. Commissioner Bromberg commented that although the color black fits in nicely with the building, the ARC seems concerned about future tenant’s requests for colors that don’t fit in with the ambience of the building. Mr. Siavelis responded that CRM Properties has been a Class A asset over the last 15 years, and assured the Plan Commission that the owners of Deerfield’s Square would not entertain colors that don’t visually fit in with the character of the area, and would remain reasonable with their considerations of signage colors. Commissioner Berg asked where the deliveries will take place. Mr. Siavelis stated that deliveries would take place from the service drive at the south elevation (rear). Mr. Berg asked if the rear of the 720 Waukegan Road, Unit C building backed into the back of the gas station. Mr. Siavelis clarified that there is a service drive in-between the back of the 720 Waukegan Road building and the gas station. Chairperson Oppenheim asked if the traffic study took into account the available parking spaces in the underground parking garage. Mr. Siavelis replied that the underground parking was not taken into consideration; only above grade parking was considered. Chairperson Oppenheim asked if ROTI employees would be required to park further away from the building, as the rest of the employees in Deerfield’s Square are required. Mr. Siavelis confirmed that employees would be required to park in designated areas further away from the building to allow for customers to park closer to the retail units. Public Hearing February 25, 2016 Page 4 There being no further business to discuss a motion was made and seconded to close the public hearing. Respectfully Submitted, Mary Glowacz  APPROVED PLAN COMMISSION VILLAGE OF DEERFIELD The Plan Commission of the Village of Deerfield held a Workshop Meeting at 7:30 P.M. on February 25, 2016 at the Village Hall, 850 Waukegan Road, Deerfield, Illinois. Present were: Mary Oppenheim, Chairperson Bob Benton Larry Berg Al Bromberg Elaine Jacoby Jim Moyer Absent: Stuart Shayman Also present: Jeff Ryckaert, Principal Planner Dan Nakahara, Associate Planner (1a) Discussion of Special Use for ROTI Modern Mediterranean Restaurant Commissioner Jacoby was in favor of approving the Special Use request for ROTI Modern Mediterranean restaurant. Commissioner Benton felt that ROTI would be a good addition to the Deerfield Square property, and that Deerfield needs some good, quick fast food restaurants in this area. Commissioner Oppenheim commented that she appreciated the submitted material that CRM Properties provided to the Plan Commission about the realities of the retail market. The materials assisted in explaining the turnover that Deerfield Square has recently experienced with some of its retail tenants, and the struggle to keep all of the units occupied. Commissioner Oppenheim expressed her approval of adding another restaurant to Deerfield’s Square, and thinks that ROTI is going to be utilized, as there are a lot of business professionals that come into town for lunch. The Commissioners felt that the special use criteria had been met. Commissioner Bromberg asked for clarification on the appeal process that ROTI would have to go through to receive approval from the Board of Trustees as their lease is contingent upon ROTI’s exterior changes gaining approval from the Board of Trustees. Chairperson Oppenheim confirmed that ROTI would have to appeal to the Board of Trustees, and reiterated that there wasn’t an overwhelming rejection of the exterior changes, as the final vote by the Appearance Review Commission (ARC) resulted in a two-to-two tie. Mr. Siavelis confirmed that he was going to appeal to the Board of Trustees the ARC’s decision. Chairperson Oppenheim commented that she had no issue with the signage, and thought the signage looked very sharp with the white lettering on the black background, and doesn’t feel that having less uniformity would devalue the property. ROTI Modern Mediterranean restaurant is a franchise, and their corporate signage is a part of their brand and image. Chairperson Oppenheim pointed Workshop Meeting February 25, 2016 Page 2 out that there is no wording on the awning and different colored awnings are allowed in the Village. Chairperson Oppenheim expressed her support of sending a recommendation to the Board of Trustees where both the Plan Commission, as well as the Appearance Review Commission’s recommendations would be considered in the Board’s final decision. Commissioner Jacoby moved to approve the request for a Class B Special Use for ROTI Modern Mediterranean restaurant located in the 720 Waukegan Road, Unit C at the Shops at Deerfield Square. Commissioner Bromberg seconded the motion. The vote was as follows: Ayes: (6) Benton, Berg, Bromberg, Jacoby, Moyer, Oppenheim Nays: (0) None The motions passed and will be on the March 7th Village Board of Trustees Meeting agenda. (2) Prefiling Conference: Request for Approval of a Final Development Plan for 8 Parkway North in the Parkway North Center on Site 5 & Site 8 (Parkway North Center and Quadrangle) Mr. Tim Sweeney, Principal, Quadrangle Development Company, stated that Quadrangle is the developer for sites 8 and 5 Parkway North in the Parkway North Office Center and introduced the members of their development team: Christopher Noon, President of Quadrangle, Stephen Wright, Principal with Wright Heerema Architects, Patrick Kennedy, Executive Vice President with V3 Companies, Peter Reinhofer, Transportation Engineering with V3 Companies and Kevin Clark, Associate Principal with The Lakota Group. Mr. Sweeney stated that Quadrangle purchased site 5 and 8 in 2015 from the John Buck Company and the combined parcels make up the development site for 8 Parkway North. He commented that their site is one of the two last development sites for the Parkway North Center (the other development site being Site 7). Quadrangle purchased the 8 Parkway North property with a plan to develop the site into a build-to-suit office building for a single tenant. Mr. Sweeney noted that they are not seeking any variances and to the best of their knowledge the plans are in conformance with all regulating documents, including the Annexation Agreement, the Approved Park Preliminary Development Plans, the Declaration of Protective Covenants, and the Village Code when applicable. To make the project more attractive to a build-to suit tenant, the development team has taken many steps to make the site less daunting and more attractive to potential tenants. He noted that all necessary agreements for access, utilities and shared improvements were fully executed and recorded with the adjacent property owners, and Workshop Meeting February 25, 2016 Page 3 the Park Associations Architectural Review Committee has reviewed their Development Plan for 8 Parkway North. Mr. Sweeney noted that the Lake County Department of Transportation has approved a full access driveway on Saunders Road subject to the Village’s approval of their Final Development Plan. Stephen Wright, Principal, Wright Heerema Architects, stated that they have been working in the Parkway North Center for many years; developing the architecture and building site plans for the 4, 9 and 10 Parkway North buildings. He noted that the goal of the Final Development Plan for 8 Parkway North was to create a structure and site plan that fit into the Parkway North Center, and keep consistent with the look of the surrounding Parkway North buildings and properties. He commented that while the Parkway North buildings differ slightly, there is a certain continuity to the Parkway North Center. The 8 Parkway North building was designed to keep with the overall look of the Parkway North Center, while recognizing and embracing subtle modern stylistic changes, as the building is slightly lighter in its rendition, but still keeps the same coloration, same feel, and same kind of geometry that characterizes and unifies the Parkway North Center. The 8 Parkway North site fits into the west side of the pond where, like the rest of the buildings around the pond, it is oriented to take advantage of the ambiance of the area. The 8 Parkway North site is adjacent to 9 Parkway North with a connected parking area, which is to remain the same, as the depressed service court is shared between Site 8 and Site 9. The parking area allows the ring road to continue along the west side of the property. The ring road comes from 9 Parkway North and goes across in front of the proposed 8 Parkway North office building, and continues out to Parkway North Boulevard. The petitioner noted that the 5 Parkway North building, currently a fitness and day care center, is included in the Final Development Plan for 8 Parkway North. The Final Development Plan includes the demolition of the 5 Parkway North building and replaced with a surface parking lot. They feel that modern corporations have a greater demand for parking. They are also proposing to have an underground parking garage. The parking study for the 8 Parkway North Final Development Plans indicates that parking for the building will exceed the parking requirements for the site. Mr. Wright reiterated that the Lake County Department of Transportation approved a full access driveway on Saunders Road subject to the Village’s approval of their Final Development Plan, adding the new access drive will provide relief to the traffic flow on the ring road. Chairperson Mary Oppenheim inquired if the Saunders Road Access would be an un-signalized driveway. Mr. Wright confirmed the access drive will not be signalized. Mr. Wright pointed out the 7 Parkway North site (the other remaining development site for the Parkway North Center) is directly adjacent to the south of their proposed development site and indicated that their development team is working directly with the Workshop Meeting February 25, 2016 Page 4 developers for the 7 Parkway North site throughout the development process as necessary. Mr. Wright reiterated that their proposed Final Development Plan would be keeping with the feel of the Parkway North Center, but expressing it in a more contemporary way. The 8 Parkway North building would resemble the color scheme of the other Parkway North buildings with the lighter colored precast and glass. However, the building would have a more modern tone with an open look and feel, in order to give a sense of transparency. The west elevation entry will have a little more glass, and a vertical pylon to give character to the front entrance. The proposed 8 Parkway North building will take advantage of the pond side with a patio that extends from the building and approaches the pond coordinating with the path that goes around the pond. On the north side of the building is a depressed loading area where the transformers and other mechanical equipment are hidden out of sight. The underground parking garage with 100 parking spaces will be accessed by a ramp that comes off of the north side of the building down to the lower level. The lobby at the front entrance on the west flows through to the patio towards the pond. The floors are designed to be open and flexible for prospective tenants. The building’s precast material and the glass will be similar to the other Parkway North buildings; however, the colors are going to be a little lighter, and the glass is of a more sophisticated, higher performance material. Overall these changes would be subtle. The petitioner is excited to be taking actions to complete one of the two final development sites for the Parkway North Center. Chairperson Oppenheim asked if the development team would divide the building to accommodate multiple tenants if a single tenant was not interested in occupying the entire building. Mr. Sweeney indicated they are open to dividing the space, but are confident that in a year’s time they would be able to find a single user considering all of the large corporations that reside in the area. Patrick Kennedy, Executive Vice President of V3 Companies, explained that V3 Companies have served as the civil engineers on various project in the Parkway North Center since it was annexed in the 80’s. He also noted that V3 Companies have been a part of the planning process in the 90s at which time the current look of the Parkway North Center property was developed. Mr. Kennedy noted that the grading plan for the subject site will flow to the pond, and the over flow route will go around the south end of the building and into the pond; following the original development plan. The 8 Parkway North building would be connecting to the water main as well as the sanitary sewer that serves the Parkway North Center. Mr. Kennedy commented that 5 Parkway North was not originally included in the calculations for the detention facility during the original plan for the Parkway North Center. There may be a need for additional detention after the 5 Parkway North building is replaced by a parking lot (creating impervious surface). Chairperson Oppenheim asked if the existing detention was sufficient to accept the amount of paving and building that is being proposed in their Final Development Plan. Workshop Meeting February 25, 2016 Page 5 Mr. Kennedy confirmed, and added that the Final Development Plan is following the original engineering plan. Kevin Clark, Associate Principal and landscape architect, Lakota Group, stated that the Lakota Group has been involved in creating the landscape architecture in the Parkway North Center since the beginning of the project. Mr. Clark identified that the Lakota Group’s goal is to maintain a high quality appearance that is associated with the park, as well as create circulation with the 8 Parkway North site and the entirety of the Parkway North Center. The landscape architecture plan for the 8 Parkway North site, includes: reinforcing the main entrance with shade trees, placing a number of trees in the islands and drive aisles throughout the parking lot, in order to ensure that it’s not one giant mass of asphalt, modifying the landscape at the new curb cut at Saunders Road, incorporating a landscape base that softens and compliments the building architecture, providing a base of evergreens and shrubs to liven the property with the green color year round, and providing year round interest with perennials. Mr. Clark mentioned that the Lakota Group has had some discussions and shared plans with the development team for the 7 Parkway North site. The development teams want to create a transition and flow among the properties. Mr. Clark stated that the landscape plan emphasizes creating an aesthetically pleasing environment around the common areas, the patio and the walkways. The landscape plan itself is an evolving process, and the petitioner’s objective is to enrich the property with species that are durable and longer lasting. Mr. Clark acknowledged that a number of trees are going to be removed during the demolition and construction of the parking lot on the 5 Parkway North site, and pointed out that the landscape plan will add more trees to the property. Peter Reinhofer, transportation engineering, V3 Companies, conducted a traffic study with an assumed opening year of 2018. Mr. Reinhofer reiterated that the Final Development Plan is proposing a new full access un-signalized driveway on Saunders Road just north of the Parkway North intersection. The driveway was planned during the preliminary process at the time that the Parkway North Center was first conceived; Lake County Department of Transportation is in agreement with this access driveway, following a final review of the traffic study, and the Village’s approval of the Final Development Plan. The County required the traffic study to include a right turn lane warranted analysis for the proposed new un-signalized driveway on Saunders Road. Based on the projections of Saunders Road traffic, as well as the 8 Parkway North site traffic, the study concluded that a right turn lane is not warranted for the proposed Saunders Road drive. The traffic study projected the 2023 future traffic flow at the two signalized intersections for the Parkway North Center and no major traffic issues are projected. Mr. Reinhofer noted one concern that materialized through the study was the storage for the westbound left turn lane on Deerfield Road. Currently, there is a lot of traffic that enters the Parkway North Center in the morning, with a fair amount of vehicles that make a left turn into the Park from Deerfield Road. The traffic study added in the traffic from the 8 Workshop Meeting February 25, 2016 Page 6 Parkway North site, as well as the other remaining development site (7 Parkway North), and determined that the queue line for the left turn lane is projected to be long. Mr. Reinhofer commented that the County required the traffic study to use a very high growth rate with the Deerfield Road traffic, which was not the case for the traffic study performed for the apartment complex to the west of the 8 Parkway North site (Woodview Apartments). Mr. Reinhofer emphasized that the projection for a long queue line in the westbound left turn lane on Deerfield Road is based on a very high growth rate, and that the development team was in negotiations with the County on the best solution. They suggested solution to the County was to restripe the westbound left turn lane in order to accommodate the longer queue lines in the future. Commissioner Benton asked how the current Pace bus routes would accommodate the new 8 Parkway North building. Mr. Reinhofer commented that there are currently two bus routes that travel through the Parkway North Center: One route travels up through the Marriott site, and continues onto Parkway North, and exits onto Deerfield Road and the other route travels along Deerfield Road. There is also a current bus station at the driveway of the 5 Parkway North site. He noted that the standard for the Pace bus routes in the Parkway North Center is to stop wherever a passenger needs to get off. Mr. Reinhofer added that current Parkway North bus stations are a short walk to all of the Parkway North buildings, and that the Pace bus service is a great asset for potential business professionals working in the new 8 Parkway North building. Commissioner Benton commented that the bus station(s) should be within a reasonable proximity to the buildings to make work commutes easier (especially during the winter). Mr. Reinhofer assured the Plan Commission that they would be coordinated with Pace on determining the best bus route for the new 8 Parkway North building. Commissioner Bromberg asked if there is a need for a traffic officer or if one is anticipated at the un-signalized intersection. Mr. Reinhofer commented that although there’s a decent amount of volume in that area, Saunders Road is not heavily trafficked, and therefore, a traffic officer would not be needed to direct traffic. Chairperson Oppenheim commented that the traffic study would need to make a projection based on the Woodview Apartments full occupancy. During the traffic study for the Woodview Apartments there was some anticipation that residents would not only exit onto Deerfield Road, but would also take the southern route and exit onto Saunders Road. Mr. Reinhofer commented that he had counted the intersections during the 2013 Woodview Apartments traffic study, and recently recounted the same intersections in January 2016 to capture the traffic that was being generated by those same intersections. Chairperson Oppenheim pointed out that some of the pressure from the westbound left turn lane on Deerfield Road comes from the Woodview Apartments, which was not initially anticipated during the preliminary development plan of the Parkway North Center. Workshop Meeting February 25, 2016 Page 7 Mr. Sweeney stated that the parking study was conservative in that the counts for the 5 Parkway North building remained in the study despite the fact that the building would be be removed per the Final Development Plan of the 8 Parkway North site. Chairperson Oppenheim thanked the Petitioners for giving the Plan Commission a very complete packet with their proposed Final Development Plan. Chairperson Oppenheim clarified for the record that the Preliminary Development Plan was previously approved during the initial development of the Parkway North Center, and that the proposed Final Development Plan was primarily staying within the parameters of the previously approved Preliminary Plans. The next step in the process is for the Petitioners to return to the Plan Commission for a final workshop meeting to ask for the Commission’s favorable recommendation for the Final Development Plan for the 8 Parkway North site. (3) Prefiling Conference: Request for Approval of a Final Development Plan for 7 Parkway North in the Parkway North Center on Site 7 (Parkway North Center and American Board of Psychology and Neurology) Donna Pugh, Attorney, Foley & Lardner LLP, identified the American Board of Psychology and Neurology (ABPN) as the owner of the 7 Parkway North site; and introduced: Dr. Larry Faulkner, President and CEO of ABPN; Julia Randles, Preconstruction Manager at Berglund Construction; Jerry Walleck, Principal at Perkins Eastman; Nate Koschmann, Senior Associate at Perkins Eastman; Ted Wolff, Landscape Architect at Wolff Landscape Architecture; Steve Corcoran, Director of Traffic Engineering at Eriksson Engineering Associates LTD; and, Mike Renner, Principal and Vice President of Eriksson Engineering Associates LTD. ABPN has been the owner of the 7 Parkway North site for over 2 years, and has looked forward to the development of the property for a long time. ABPN was founded in 1934, and serves the public interest by promoting excellence in the professions of psychiatry and neurology through certification and maintenance of the certification process. The Final Development Plan for the 7 Parkway North site includes a 41,000 square foot office building with 58 parking spaces (40 of which are underground parking spaces). The petitioners worked very closely with the neighboring properties on the relocation of easements, as well as accesses to and from the property. Ms. Pugh stated that they have received a tentative approval of the design for the Final Development Plan for the 7 Parkway North site from the Parkway North Center Association with two conditions: 1.) Must ultimately reach an agreement with the other Parkway North property owners on the relocations of easements; and, 2.) Reach an agreement, and provide proper documentation of the relocation of the utilities. She presented the tentative approval letter to the Plan Commission. The petitioners are seeking: 1.) Approval of the Final Development Plan for the 7 Parkway North site; and, 2.) Approval to landbank much of the required parking for their proposed office building. Ms. Pugh explained that the ABPN’s use of the building would Workshop Meeting February 25, 2016 Page 8 not warrant the need for very much parking, as the majority of the individuals visiting the building would not be driving to the location, but rather taking public transportation or hotel shuttle/taxi services to the office building. The petitioners noted that the required number of parking spaced based on the Village’s Code and the Annexation Agreement far exceed the number of parking spaces actually needed based on the actual use of the building. The Final Development Plan for the 7 Parkway North site reflects the property’s ability to accommodate all of the required parking through landbanking. They will be able to provide the required parking if it becomes needed in the future. The Final Development Plan provides 58 parking spaces (40 of which are underground) and landbanking 93 parking spaces. Jerry Walleck commented that the design of the 7 Parkway North building is based on ABPN’s aspirations for the site. The design of the building is different from a traditional office building, with two major differences: 1.) The offices are more open with external window views; and, 2.) There is more conference space (a demand based on the design of ABPN’s programming). Nate Koschmann noted that ABPN certifies psychologists and neurologists in the United States and the organization’s objective is to stay up to date on the science of psychology and neurology. To do this, they are constantly developing testing materials on current methods and practices. A lot of the implementation in developing certification tests involves conference attendees coming from different parts of the country. The ABPN’s current office location does not have the space needed to host their conferences on site, and they have resorted to hosting their conferences at off-site locations. The design of the 7 Parkway North property was based on a vision to develop an office that better suits ABPN employee’s daily needs, as well as a sufficient amount of conference space so that APBN can host their programs in-house. ABPN is planning on providing their conference attendees with overnight accommodations at a nearby hotel, ideally the Marriott Hotel located within the Parkway North Center, which would allow attendees to easily commute to and from the 7 Parkway North site by taking hotel shuttle services or walking. The interior building space is arranged to accommodate the 48 full time employees and up to 75 conference attendees. Based on the small number of year-round fulltime employees, and the projection that conference attendees will be shuttled to and from the property (rather than driving their own vehicles); the petitioners have determined that there is not a great demand or need for parking. The petitioner would like to create a sustainable landscape in place of the unneeded parking spaces. Mr. Walleck reiterated that the building is sectioned so that part of the building is an office space, and part of the building is a conference center. The conferences are generally made up of a group of between 15 to 25 attendees who participate in the writing of the tests. The ABPN also hosts larger conferences for around 75 attendees a couple of times a year. The underground parking garage has 40 spaces for employees that working in the building on a daily basis. The annexation agreement requirement for the number of parking spaces for a 41,000 square foot office building is 4 parking Workshop Meeting February 25, 2016 Page 9 spaces per 1,000 square feet. Mr. Walleck reiterated that they are seeking approval to provide fewer parking spaces than what is required, and landbanking the rest of the parking in landscaping. Chairperson Oppenheim asked if the landscaped area in front of the parking lot was considered the “landbanked” area. Mr. Walleck confirmed, and added that the building was actually positioned so that the landbanked area is the yard of the 7 Parkway North building. The structure of the building is L-shaped, creating the opportunity for a front yard and a back terrace. The L-shape also provides a protected outdoor space so that employees and conference attendees could work outside with a little more privacy than being out in the open. The offices are located at the front of the building looking out onto the front yard so that employees can enjoy the landscaped greenery from inside the building as well. The building design takes into account ABPN’s employees and conference attendees’ creative needs, as well as the specific uses of the building. The first floor building layout has a landscaped area in the front yard, entry to the building to a reception area, a first floor conference center, and an outdoor terrace area with views of the pond. Mr. Walleck explained that the first floor is primarily designed for the visiting conference attendees’ users. Mr. Koschmann explained that the 7 Parkway North site is located at the corner of the pond, so the L-shaped architectural design allows the building to be positioned in a way that maximizes the views of the pond. He noted that they are negotiating an easement with the Quadrangle property (8 Parkway North) to allow for permanent access to the underground garage on the north side of the building. The trash enclosure is on the east side of the building and the Walgreens building (6 Parkway North building). Mr. Walleck commented that the upper floor is designed for the fulltime employees’ office uses. The upper floor includes an office area, a café and a small conference space area. The building has an atrium facing the terrace, and stairs connecting the first and second floor. Mr. Walleck noted that a lighter color palette was used for the building in order to blend in with the rest of the buildings in the Parkway North Center development. He added that because the 7 Parkway North building is a smaller scale the they decided to use brick instead of precast. They feel that this material is a little more intimate with the scale of the building. The building is a combination of brick, glass, metal panels and stone. The monument signage at the front of the site is in accordance with the standards of the Parkway North Center; and nothing different is being done with the signage there. There is an additional signage opportunity at the building entryway and they are proposing a type of limestone wall sign on the building. Mike Renner commented that there are many different utilities that are within the subject property within easements, and a utility owned and maintained by the Village (water main). The Petitioners intend to reroute all of the utilities, and explained that existing easements need to be relocated and the utilities need to be built to provide continuous services for the other buildings within the development. Workshop Meeting February 25, 2016 Page 10 Mr. Renner noted that a storm water utility is in an easement. Currently, storm water from the 5 Parkway North building is routed through their property, and discharges out to the retention basin. He added that the development team for the 8 Parkway North site has conveyed their plans to remove the 5 Parkway North building and replace it with a parking lot. The two development teams have will be comparing drawings in regards to the existing storm sewer, so the petitioners have yet to determine if the storm sewer is going to remain or not. At this point, the Final Development Plan maintains the 8 Parkway North site’s sewer that comes through the 7 Parkway North property (as it is within an existing easement). Mr. Renner identified a manhole that exists within the Walgreens property (6 Parkway North), and explained that not only does the storm sewer from the 5 Parkway North building come through the 7 Parkway North property, but it’s also routed through the Walgreen’s property as it makes its way to the retention pond; and stated that there are a lot of entities involved with the civil engineering part of this project. Mr. Renner stated that there is adequate storm water detention in the basin; however, with the location of the basin being on the north side of the 7 Parkway North property, developing a route for the water from the parking lot to travel past the building (and avoid flooding the land banked area) has proved to be a challenge. The petitioners are proposing to build a storm sewer that has adequate capacity for the parking lot storm water overflow. He commented that although they will be landbanking the majority of the required parking spaces, the storm sewer will be capable of conveying the storm water in the event that those parking spaces are ever constructed in the future. Mr. Renner noted an existing stub within an easement that runs east towards the Walgreens property that they will connect to. The dry utilities include: electrical, telephone, cable TV and gas; and based on the easements and the property’s utility needs the dry utilities are either being relocated or remaining in their current location(s). Mr. Renner reiterated that the trash enclosure is on the east side of the building facing 6 Parkway North, the Walgreens property. They are proposing to reconstruct some of that pavement in order to accommodate their trash enclosure area, as well as handle storm water overflow from the Walgreens property. Currently, there is an overflow route that discharges storm water from part of the Walgreens parking lot across the 7 Parkway North property as it travels to the retention pond. They are planning on accommodating the overflow from Walgreens parking lot by picking the water up within the storm sewer, and conveying to the pond. He noted that the accessible parking spaces are located at the entry leading up to the front door of the building and if there is a need for more handicapped spaces in the future, there are landbanked spaces in the front of the building that can be transformed for that purpose. Mr. Renner pointed out a new median cut in Parkway North Blvd. that will provide northbound left turns into their property and left turns out of their property. Emergency fire equipment accessibility has been discussed with the Deerfield Bannockburn Fire District in regards to their site plan and the proposed median cut in Parkway North Blvd. Ted Wolff noted that they have taken a survey of existing trees on the property in order to create a landscape that’s integrated with the Parkway North Center as a whole, so that the 7 Parkway North site is a seamless part of the property. The petitioner’s goal is to create a beautiful and functional landscape plan, in which both the building and the Workshop Meeting February 25, 2016 Page 11 site are considered a part of the landscape. The landscape plan is designed to create seasonal interest with flowering trees and evergreen plants, as well as species diversity with cognitive, educated decisions made on the types of plants selected for the site. There is going to be some screening between the 7 Parkway North site and their neighbors to the north and west. Mr. Wolff reiterated that the site will provide terrific employee amenity areas, driven by the understanding of ABPN and their programing. ABPN employees and conference attendees are not only going to use areas within the building to perform their work, but also utilize the outdoor area as a part of their work environment. Mr. Wolff also noted the importance that ABPN placed on maintaining views to the pond, which influenced the decision to orient the building to frame the view of the pond with the L-shape architectural design. He commented on the physical connection to the pond with a walkway, the orientation of the courtyard. Another focus is providing external lighting throughout the property with beautiful, functional and attractive qualities. Most of the existing trees on the property are being maintained, however, some trees will be removed due to functional purposes, such as the trees that conflict with the new curb cut. The plan extends the existing Parkway North landscaped area to continue along the private drive to the south and the east-west drive that goes towards the 8 Parkway North site. Mr. Wolff pointed out that the driveways within the Parkway North Center function as a loop road, which allows vehicles to easily move around the Park. The access to the front of the 7 Parkway North building from the “loop road” works well in with the drop off area. The parking lot is both landscaped on the perimeter as well as slightly screened from the building with multi stemmed trees. The building entry is designed to create a welcoming atmosphere as the visitor enters into the building with white spire birch trees decorating both sides of the entryway. The space flows from the building entry through the atrium and back out to the courtyard. The layout of the courtyard is designed to accommodate both large and small groups. The connection to the pond has a slight grade change, which is integrated with some steps, as well as an accessible route, leading down towards the pond. Mr. Wolff pointed out that the sidewalk at the drop off location at the entrance to the building will have a zero curb and a textured accessible sidewalk surface that separates the sidewalk from the curb. Mr. Wolff pointed out that the landscaping for the Final Development Plan is currently a detailed schematic design, and they are looking forward to further enhancing the design for the next meeting based on the Village’s feedback. Chairperson Oppenheim commented on the impressive amount of landscaping conveyed in their plan, and is an advocate of the petitioner’s commitment not to paving in areas that don’t warrant the need. She supports their request for landbanking unneeded parking spaces in favor of creating more landscaped areas on the property. Steve Corcoran clarified that the traffic signal on Deerfield Road was in operation during their traffic study noting that traffic generated on Deerfield Road with the traffic signal was a part of the traffic counts. He also noted that their study includes traffic generated from the road between the Walgreen’s site, and the north-south road that travels through the 8 Parkway North site. Mr. Corcoran commented that the north-south road Workshop Meeting February 25, 2016 Page 12 currently generates a relatively low amount of traffic. Mr. Corcoran noted that most of the visitors are anticipated to come to the subject property will come from the Parkway North Marriott Hotel Property. He noted that the reality is that there not a large volume of traffic that will be generated from the 7 Parkway North building. The total traffic volumes for the 7 Parkway North site were generated in several ways including traffic generated by the 7 Parkway North site. Mr. Corcoran explained that there is going to be a very specific pattern of traffic for employees and conference attendees traveling to and from the site. There will be approximately 48 to 50 fulltime employees working from the site, which is a relatively small number of fulltime employees for a 41,000 square foot office building. The daily traffic generated by fulltime employees is going to be far less traffic than would typically be anticipated for an office building of this size. Mr. Corcoran explained that the 7 Parkway North building is not a “public building” and not open to the public. The conferences that ABPN will host at the 7 Parkway North property generate a specific number of attendees (once a week small group conferences have 15 to 25 attendees; and larger, periodical conferences have around 75 attendees). Conferences are scheduled and attendees will be on specific schedule traveling to and from the building at specific times of the day. The traffic study considered the traffic generated by fulltime employees, as well as the traffic generated by conference attendees, and concluded that the 7 Parkway North will be a low traffic generator. The traffic study also considered the traffic generated by the Woodview Apartments, assuming total building occupancy. Mr. Corcoran explained that the traffic numbers for the 8 Parkway North site were not a part of the traffic study report presented to the Plan Commission, but assured the Plan Commission that he generated a new capacity analysis report which considered the traffic generated by the 8 Parkway North site, and concluded that the results don’t change. Mr. Corcoran pointed out that the traffic generated by the 5 Parkway North building (which is going to be removed, and replaced by a parking lot) was also considered in the traffic study, and noted that that building generates far more traffic than the 7 Parkway North building is anticipated to generate. The traffic study determined that there is no traffic capacity issue in regards to the current road infrastructure being able to accommodate the low amount of traffic generated by the proposed 7 Parkway North ABPN office building. Mr. Corcoran explained that the road that connected to the Walgreens property was moved down to the south closer to Parkway North Blvd., which is going to serve as a secondary access into their property for emergency purposes, with their main entrance remaining further to the east on Parkway North Blvd. Mr. Corcoran reiterated that the Fire District has given the plan their preliminary approval. There is going to be a one lane in-and-out driveway to the employee parking garage that can be accessed from the north-south road; it’s anticipated to be the heaviest traveled driveway. Visitor access is going to be provided through a driveway on Parkway North Blvd., which continues around and exits onto the north-south circulation road. Mr. Corcoran explained that the Parkway North Center limits the number of directional signs, specifically in regards to the address. The address for the 7 Parkway North building is going to be by the Parkway North Blvd. entrance so that it is visible from the Workshop Meeting February 25, 2016 Page 13 road. The Final Development Plan is proposing a median cut by the Parkway North Blvd. entrance so that visitors and/or delivery services can easily make a direct turn into the property, rather than passing the site on the north-south route and having to make a U-turn further up. The access provided by the median cut would also serve as an emergency access allowing the Fire Department to enter the property from either direction. Mr. Corcoran reiterated that the Final Development Plan proposes providing 58 parking spaces and landbanking the remaining 93 required parking spaces. He noted that the building’s demand for parking spaces is far less than a typical building of its size based on the small number of fulltime employees. Ms. Pugh introduced Dr. Larry Faulkner, President and CEO of ABPN for comment. Dr. Faulkner stated that ABPN was planning on running their programs out of the 7 Parkway North site for many years to come, and expressed their enthusiasm about the site and the design of the building. He feels that this site and the building are going to make a positive statement in their profession of psychology and neurology, and with their hundreds of visitors every year. Chairperson Oppenheim explained that the Petitioners proposal for approval of the 7 Parkway North Final Development Plan should: 1.) Provide documentation of agreements confirming the relocation of easements and utilities; 2.) Clarify the rationale for landbanking parking spaces rather than building out the required number of parking spaces; 3.) Clearly note that the land banked parking area can be paved if additional parking spaces were needed in the future; 4.) Emphasize the fact that the storm sewer is being built to accommodate the runoff from the parking lot if the land bank area is eventually paved. Commissioner Benton also advised the petitioners to mention that the engineering changes that are being proposed is to relocate the easements accordingly are not only going to benefit the 7 Parkway North property, but the other properties within the Parkway North Center as well. Ms. Pugh commented that the utilities’ current infrastructure was designed as if there would be one owner for the entire development, which is why cross-easements exist across the different properties within the Parkway North Center. This is also why they have a complicated easement and utilities situation to figure out. Chairperson Oppenheim inquired as to whether the 8 Parkway North site and the 7 Parkway North site would be built out at the same time. Mr. Sweeney, Quadrangle, commented that the development of the 8 Parkway North site would likely occur after the construction of the 7 Parkway North site, as 8 Parkway North has yet to secure a tenant for their proposed 8 Parkway North building. Document Approval The Plan Commission approved the minutes from the February 11, 2016 meeting. The motion passed by voice vote. Items From Staff Workshop Meeting February 25, 2016 Page 14 The Plan Commission approved the 2016 Revisions to the Zoning Map. The 2016 Revisions included the rezoning of the 836 Chestnut Street from R-4 Single and Two Family to R-5 Multiple Family (Taylor Junction Development) as authorized by ordinance O-15-16 passed June 15, 2015. The motion passed by voice vote. There being no further business to discuss the meeting adjourned. Respectfully Submitted, Mary Glowacz