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 November 10, 2016 at the Village Hall, 850 Waukegan Road, Deerfield, Illinois. Present were: Mary Oppenheim, Chairperson Bob Benton Al Bromberg Jim Moyer Stuart Shayman Absent were: Larry Berg Elaine Jacoby Also present: Jeff Ryckaert, Principal Planner Dan Nakahara, Associate Planner Public Comment on a Non-Agenda Item No public comment on a non-agenda item (1) Public Hearing on the Request to Amend the Deerfield Depot Sign Plan to Allow RTA Interagency Directional and Informational Signs at the Lake Cook Metra Station in the Deerfield Depot Planned Unit Development (Regional Transit Authority) Joseph Moriarty, Regional Transportation Authority (RTA), commented that over the last few years the RTA has been leading an effort with CTA, Metra & Pace, as well as other municipal partners to install signage systems at major transportation hubs. The Lake Cook Road Metra Station is one of the major transportation hubs that the RTA would like to install their interagency directional and informational signage system. This would include 3 new Pace bus stops signs with information panels (that would replace the existing signs). The replacement bus stop signs are going to compliment a program of additional signage on the Metra platforms at the Lake Cook Road Metra Station. The signage is designed to provide commuters with the information they need to successfully transfer between bus and rail. Chairperson Oppenheim asked if there were any changes to the petitioner’s signage plans since their Prefiling Conference with the Plan Commission. Mr. Moriarty confirmed that their plans had not changed since their last meeting. Commissioner Benton commented that the new Ventra Card Program allows commuters easy access to both Public Hearing Meeting November 10, 2016 Page 2 trains and buses with an interagency payment method (the Ventra Card), and asked if the RTA would consider having a sign either in the station or on the platform with instructions on how to use the Ventra Card to transfer from rail to bus. Mr. Moriarty acknowledged that having instructional signage on how to use the Ventra Card would be beneficial to commuters and that it was an idea that he would share with his team. Commissioner Benton commented that he supports their petition for additional informational signage at the Lake Cook Road Metra Station, since many buses come in and out of that station which can be confusing for commuters. Mr. Moriarty commented that their signage program also includes information panels, as well as a diagram called the “bus connection” that shows how the buses radiate from the station. Chairperson Oppenheim explained the proposed signage is slightly larger than code allows, but the Commission’s position is that the more information given to commuters, the better, especially since the Station is a major transportation hub with a lot of commuter traffic. Chairperson Oppenheim stated for the public record that she would not be voting because her husband is an official at Metra, and although she certainly supports the petition, for appropriateness she would not be voting. A motion was made and seconded to close the public hearing. (2) Public Hearing on the Request for a Text Amendment and a Special Use for an Elementary and Middle School at 445 Pine Street for the Hellenic American Academy (The Foundation for Hellenic Education and Culture, NFP) Lawrence Freedman, attorney, Ash, Anos, Freedman & Logan, L.L.C., representing the Foundation for Hellenic Education and Culture, NFP, who is the contract purchaser of the 445 Pine Street property. The petitioner is proposing to acquire the property, and to lease it to the Hellenic American Academy. The Academy is moving its school from its present location at 1085 Lake Cook Road to 445 Pine Street. In conjunction with this request the petitioners are seeking a Special Use Permit and a Text Amendments to allow the proposed school, as well as a variation for the size of the proposed wall sign from the maximum allowed 24 square feet to a proposed 78 square feet. The Academy serves children pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, through a dual language program; the secondary language being Greek. Currently, the day school has a student population of 113 students, and they are expecting their attendance to remain the same at the new facility. The day school operates Monday through Friday from 8:15AM to 3:30PM. The Academy offers aftercare from 3:30PM to 4:30PM, which terminates around 5:30PM once pick-up is over. The evening school operates Monday through Thursday from 4:30PM to 6:30PM, and currently serves approximately 47 students. The adult school operates Monday through Thursday from 7:00PM to 8:00PM. The Saturday school operates from 1:00PM to 5:30PM, and serves about 75 students. The Academy also anticipates hosting approximately ten cultural events per year, which includes plays, lectures, concerts and the like; most of which will take place on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights from approximately 7:00PM to 10:00PM. Depending on the event, there could be approximately 20-100 attendees. The Academy intends to continue their annual Greek Festival event over Labor Day weekend at their new 445 Pine Street Public Hearing Meeting November 10, 2016 Page 3 location. The petitioner is planning on making changes to the festival in order to make it more amendable to the neighborhood. The Academy is proposing a summer camp. There is also a possibility that Starland, the current owner and operator of the building, may want to utilize a part of the property to continue to operate their own summer camp in conjunction with the Academy’s summer camps so they are seeking approval to continue Starland summer camps. The petitioners are confident that both summer camps can be accommodated on the property. There are no significant changes proposed to the interior or the exterior of the building at this time, so the building is going to essentially remain as it currently is, with the exception of the proposed wall sign. Steven Corcoran, Director of Traffic Engineering, Erickson Engineering conducted the traffic and parking study for the proposed use by the Academy. Mr. Corcoran observed road conditions, existing characteristics and traffic counts, considered how the traffic patterns are going to change and has recommendations based on his overall traffic and parking analysis. Mr. Corcoran displayed a location map of the 445 Pine Street property, and explained that Pine Street is a two lane collector road with on-street parking. There are parking restrictions in front of the school on both sides of Pine Street. Mr. Corcoran performed a traffic counts at both the 445 Pine Street location as well as at the Academy’s current location at 1085 Lake Cook Road. Performing a traffic count at the Academy’s current location allowed Mr. Corcoran to acquire actual trip generation data from the Academy for their day school, evening school and Saturday school programs. Mr. Corcoran noted that the traffic counts determined that the commuter peak, which includes the normal street traffic on Pine Street (people commuting to and from work and school), is offset from the peak hours of the school itself, which is beneficial to maintaining the traffic flow in the area. The current traffic counts that are generated by Starland’s programs was replaced by the Academy’s traffic count (performed at its current location), to determine the actual impact that the Academy is going to have on the neighborhood. The traffic study determined that currently Starland does not generate a lot of morning weekday or Saturday traffic. Overall, the traffic study determined that the Academy is going to generate more traffic on weekday mornings and Saturdays, and less traffic in the afternoon, since the afternoon activities at Starland are much more intense. The capacity analysis determined that the intersections and driveways are adequate for traffic generated in the area, and will remain so in the future. Mr. Corcoran explained that there are two existing driveways on Pine Street on the south of the property: one is a full access drive, and the other is an exit only (pick- up/drop-off) drive. The parking lot in the south lot is primarily going to be reserved for staff and visitors. The Academy is not going to use the existing pick-up/drop-off located off of Pine Street, for their primary pick-up/drop-off area, since it’s not large enough. The Academy does not provide a bus service for its students; therefore, students are dropped-off and picked-up. The drop-off/pick-up circulation will occur with vehicles entering into the north driveway, and then they drive through the parking lot, drop-off at the north end of the school where there’s an existing door. Vehicles will then continue into the parking lot, and turn around to exit out onto Pine Street. There is a lot of Public Hearing Meeting November 10, 2016 Page 4 queuing room at the drop-off area, so there’s no chance of vehicles backing up out onto Pine Street. There are currently 83 parking spaces on site with two accessible spaces. Four accessible spaces are required by the ADA code. Mr. Corcoran noted that they are proposing that two regular spaces be converted into accessible spaces. The conversion of two of the existing spaces to accessible spaces would decrease the parking space count from 83 to 81. The parking space count will still exceed the 73 required parking spaces. The requirement is based on the maximum occupancy of the auditorium. Based on the parking counts performed at the Academy’s existing location, there are only 22 cars parked at the school during the normal school day, which is essentially staff. In conclusion, the traffic study results showed: 1.) that the street system can accommodate the traffic generated by the Academy; 2.) there is a good circulation pattern for the Academy’s pick-up and drop-off, and 3.) the Academy generates less traffic in the afternoon than the existing traffic conditions, and more traffic on weekday mornings and Saturday. Chairperson Oppenheim asked how the pick-up/drop-off system for the Academy differs from the way that Starland currently operates. Mr. Corcoran responded that for the pick- up/drop-off area there are cones in the turnaround area of the parking lot to guide vehicle traffic, which is essentially the same as Starland’s current circulation system. Chairperson Oppenheim asked if the neighbors are used to the pick-up/drop-off area being at the north drive. Mr. Corcoran confirmed. Commissioner Benton suggested that if there are any staff members that need accessible parking, then the petitioners should consider putting one or two accessible spaces in the staff parking lot. Mr. Corcoran confirmed that they would take that into consideration. Mr. Freedman commented that there is currently one existing flagpole on the 445 Pine Street property, and the petitioners are proposing to add two flagpoles for a total of three flagpoles on the property. Mr. Freedman commented that the annual Greek Festival that takes place over Labor Day weekend is presently on Saturday, Sunday and Monday from 4:00PM to 12:00AM at its current operation (1085 Lake Cook Road). The petitioners are proposing to reduce the hours they will play music from 12:00AM to 10:00PM on Saturday and Sunday, and 4:00PM to 9:00PM on Monday. Mr. Freedman explained that there will not be any parking on the site during the festival. The petitioners are planning on negotiating a deal to utilize the parking areas that the festival currently uses (in the office park next to their current location at 1085 Lake Cook Road), or another parking area near their new location, and then shuttle bus festival-goers from the parking area over to the festival. Mr. Freedman commented that the petitioners are willing to demonstrate that there is parking available offsite on an annual basis as part of a stipulation to have the festival at the 445 Pine Street site. The petitioners recognize that the constant flow of vehicles traveling to and from the festival could be very disruptive to the residential neighborhood, which is why they will be providing shuttle service from the office parking lots to bring festival-goers to and from the site. Mr. Freedman commented that having the off-site parking will be less disruptive to the neighborhood. This will also Public Hearing Meeting November 10, 2016 Page 5 open up more space in the subject property’s parking area to set up and stage for the festival. The designated staging area will be primarily in the back of the building. Chairperson Oppenheim asked how many people typically attend the Greek Festival. Dean Kanellos, representative for the Foundation of Hellenic Education & Culture, responded that a couple thousand people attend the festival over the three days. Chairperson Oppenheim asked how many people would be on the site at once. Mr. Kanellos responded that about four to five hundred people would be on the site at once, and explained that the festival’s attendance was typically on a revolving basis. The earlier crowds are typically adults with small children who leave around 7:00PM- 8:00PM, and the younger crowd tends to come at night. Chairperson Oppenheim asked what was the difference in acres was between the 1085 Lake Cook Road location and the 445 Pine Street property. Mr. Kanellos responded that the new site is 7 acres while the 1085 Lake Cook Road property is 5 acres. Chairperson Oppenheim asked if there were any carnival rides at the festival. Mr. Kanellos responded that they are going to discontinue the carnival rides on the premises. The festival is going to mainly consist of food, music and dancing. Chairperson Oppenheim asked if the festival had live or recorded music. Mr. Kanellos responded that both live musicians and a DJ perform at the festival. Chairperson Oppenheim asked if there would be additional lighting on the site for the festival. Mr. Kanellos confirmed that there would be additional lighting, as there is very little lighting on the site as it exists. Commissioner Bromberg asked if the Petitioners had a good turnout for their neighborhood meeting on Tuesday night, November 8th, 2016, since it was election night. Mr. Freedman responded that no one showed up to the meeting. He explained that their option dates to host the meeting were limited and they wanted to include the date in their mailing to inform the neighbors of their Public Hearing date. The petitioners had to set up the neighborhood meeting between the mailing and the Public Hearing, so Tuesday night they chose was their only available option. Commissioner Bromberg asked if the petitioners have determined how they plan to setup and layout of the festival at the 445 Pine Street site. Mr. Kanellos commented that they just recently received the final blueprints for the 445 Pine Street site, so they are just starting to take a look at the setup and layout for the festival. Commissioner Bromberg asked if there would be beer and wine sold at the festival, as has been done in the past. Mr. Kanellos confirmed that there would be beer and wine at the festival. Commissioner Shayman asked if the beer and wine area would be roped off. Jim Vadevoulis, Chairman of the Greek Festival, confirmed that the beer and wine area would be roped off, as it is a required by the Lake County Health Department. He added that the food services also need to be certified by the Health Department. Chairperson Oppenheim asked where the refrigeration trucks and generators would be located for the food trucks, since the generators can be very noisy. Mr. Kanellos commented that utility trucks for the festival would be in the south parking lot (the teachers parking lot). Commissioner Bromberg asked how they would prevent people from the event without paying, as it will be difficult to close off such a large open area. Public Hearing Meeting November 10, 2016 Page 6 Mr. Vadevoulis commented that as of last year they no longer charge an admission fee into the festival, so having people enter the festival won’t be an issue. Commissioner Benton commented that the food is a separate charge. Chairperson Oppenheim asked how the alcohol area would be sectioned off. Mr. Kanellos commented that the liquor area will be roped off and they check ID’s to ensure that no one under age is sold an alcoholic beverage. Commissioner Shayman asked if people could walk outside of the roped off area with their alcoholic beverages. Mr. Kanellos confirmed that people would allowed to take their alcoholic beverage outside of the beer and wine area, but the only area where alcohol could be sold was within the roped off area. Commissioner Moyer commented that he has attended the festival the last four years and that it is a very well run, family oriented event. He advised that curtailing the hours to tailor the festival to its new location is going to be a key point for the neighbors. Commissioner Shayman asked if the petitioners saw the need to fence off the whole festival area. Mr. Vadevoulis responded that there would not be a need to rope off the entire area, since they no longer charge for the festival. Commissioner Bromberg commented that a lot of people would most likely walk to the festival from the neighborhood. Chairperson Oppenheim commented that the festival would be in the heart of the residential neighborhood, and that the petitioners would probably want the neighbors to come and participate. Mr. Vadevoulis confirmed that they would invite the neighbors to join the festivities and enjoy the free music, dancing and purchase the food and drinks. Commissioner Bromberg asked if the Plan Commission is being asked to make a recommendation to the Board on the festival in addition to the Special Use and Text Amendments. Mr. Ryckaert confirmed that he would like the Plan Commission to include a recommendation for the festival in their final recommendation to the Board. Mr. Ryckaert said the festival would be taking place in a new location and has impacts on the surrounding residential neighborhood. The festival would still be considered a temporary use, and the Petitioners would have to acquire a Temporary Use Permit from Clint Case in the Building Department who requires a Certificate of Flame Resistance for the tents, and receive a permit from the Lake County Health Department on an annual basis. The Commissioners are being asked to weigh-in on the appropriateness of the festival in a residential area. Mr. Freedman confirmed that the petitioners will meet these standards each year for health and safety, along with the festival limitations. Mr. Freedman commented that it is important for the Special Use that the Commissioners make a recommendation on the Labor Day Festival. Commissioner Bromberg asked if their recommendation to the Board would include a Text Amendment, a Special Use and a recommendation about the festival and it is his understanding that the Board would make the final decision. Chairperson Oppenheim confirmed. Commissioner Bromberg asked if there were going to be any bike racks on the property. Mr. Kanellos responded that there were not going to be any bike racks on the property since all of their students are driven to school. He noted that if children from the Deerfield area attend the school in the future and a need arises for bike racks then they would look at putting them in. Commissioner Bromberg asked if there was an ordinance Public Hearing Meeting November 10, 2016 Page 7 that required bike racks to be installed on the property for a school. Mr. Ryckaert commented that the ordinance indicates bike racks need to be installed if needed. The need is based on a case by case consideration. Commissioner Moyer advised that there may be a demand for a bike rack from the Greek Festival-goers. Chairperson Oppenheim advised the petitioners that they may want to consider installing a bike racks on the property sooner than later as the demand may be there and because biking is encouraged by the Village. Commissioner Bromberg asked if any of their other cultural events are hosted outdoors. Mr. Vadevolous responded that other than a couple of school picnics, but the Greek Festival was the only outdoor event that they host. Commissioner Moyer asked if the festival was the only event where they sold alcohol. Mr. Kanellos confirmed it is the only event where alcohol is sold. Commissioner Bromberg inquired about the signage. Mr. Kanellos commented that the signage is larger than what is allowed due to the number of letters in the Academy’s name, “Hellenic American Academy”. Mr. Kanellos explained that the letters are 10” in height and do not take up a lot of space. He indicated that the wall sign is proportionate for the wall and is tastefully done. Chairperson Oppenheim asked what percentage of the wall could be covered by a wall sign per code. Mr. Ryckaert commented that the zoning ordinance allows for up to 24 square feet, which is measured by a box around all the signage (including spaces between letters and words). Mr. Kanellos commented that the Academy’s signage would be placed on a 30 feet by 11 feet wall (a total of 330 square feet), and would take up 78 square feet. Commissioner Bromberg asked for confirmation that the signage would be roughly 20 feet by 4 feet, to incorporate and fit the Academy’s complete name on the signage. Mr. Freedman confirmed. Commissioner Bromberg asked if the signage was lit. Mr. Kanellos responded that there would be lights on the ground to illuminate the wall, but the signage itself would not be internally lit. Mr. Kanellos commented that currently there is one flagpole in the center of the building. The plan is to move that flagpole to the north side of the building and to install two addition flagpoles. There will be a symmetrical balance with the flagpoles on the north side and the signage on the south side of the building. Mr. Nakahara asked if the flagpoles were going to be illuminated. Mr. Kanellos responded that there would be lights on the ground around the flagpoles directed up at the flags, and would be on day light sensors. Chairperson Oppenheim asked if the flags would be illuminated at night. Mr. Freedman confirmed that the light sensors would trigger the lights to turn on at night as soon as it turns dark and then turn off at dawn (the three flag pole lights on dusk to dawn). Mr. Kanellos commented that the American Flag was required to be illuminated if it remains up after dark. Their intentions are to keep the flags up every day and night. Commissioner Bromberg asked how neighbors received notice of the neighbor meeting that the petitioners hosted on Tuesday night. Mr. Freedman commented that a letter inviting neighbors to Starland on Tuesday night was included in the mailing notice that the petitioners sent out to inform neighbors of the public hearing. Commissioner Bromberg asked if the petitioners received any calls from neighbors. Mr. Kanellos and Mr. Freedman responded that they didn’t receive any calls or emails in regards to the Public Hearing Meeting November 10, 2016 Page 8 neighborhood meeting or the public hearing. Commissioner Bromberg commented that it would have been helpful to have received feedback from neighbors with their comments and concerns. Mr. Freedman agreed. Mr. Ryckaert asked about Starland’s inquiry to continue to host their summer camps on the property. Scott Humphrey, owner, Starland, commented that Starland has come to an agreement with the Foundation to continue to host two of their summer camps at the 445 Pine Street location. Starland’s summer camps are relatively small, and are only offered two or three days a week and are primarily outdoor activities, with a few indoor activities in the afternoon such as drama or music. Steve Schaffer, 422 Pine Street, commented that he lives across the street from the entrance of the school. When Starland first went through the Special Use process a few years ago he was concerned about the zoning changes to the property. However, Starland has turned out to be a great neighbor, and he hasn’t had any issues with them. Mr. Schaffer commented that he was happy to hear that a school would be going back into that location, as it was originally a school when he bought his property there. Mr. Schaffer’s comments and concerns were as follows: The number of students attending the Academy looks to be less than Starland’s current attendance, so that’s not an issue. The night time ground lights that would illuminate the flagpoles could be bothersome since his house is right across from the school. The hours of operation for the school, including the afterschool enrichment programs, night programs and Saturday school doesn’t raise an issue with him. He is not thrilled that the Greek Festival would now be hosted at the 445 Pine Street property. As a residential neighborhood it doesn’t seem like an appropriate location for such a large scale event. He thinks that the festival’s current location in a commercial area is a great location for the event, and that it would be best to continue to host the event in that location or another commercial area that is more accessible (such as Jewett Park). He is concerned about how the petitioners would control the traffic coming and going from the neighborhood during the festival, and where guests would park if neighbors hosted their own Labor Day barbeques. He hasn’t experienced any traffic issues in the morning with Starland’s morning drop-off, so he isn’t concerned about the traffic flow for the Academy’s drop-off and pick-up circulation. He confirmed that he did receive the certified letter, but didn’t agree that neighbors were given a fair opportunity to come and discuss their concerns, since the applicant’s meeting was on election night. Mr. Schaffer did acknowledge that the neighbors did have the option to call or contact the petitioners. Mr. Schaffer concluded that his main issues were the Greek Festival at the new location, night lighting for the flags, and the maximum school size for the Academy, and that his primary concern is to maintain the integrity of their neighborhood. Commissioner Bromberg thanked Mr. Schaffer for sharing his comments and concerns. Commissioner Benton assured Mr. Schaffer that the Village’s ordinance holds the petitioners responsible for ensuring that there is no light spillover onto their neighbors’ properties. Mr. Schaffer commented that his main concern is that all of the windows in his home face the school, and he’s concerned about light shining through his windows at night. Chairperson Oppenheim commented that typically up lighting is a little softer. Public Hearing Meeting November 10, 2016 Page 9 Mr. Schaffer commented that he wanted to share his concern so that the Village is aware of his apprehensions. Chairperson Oppenheim commented that the Commission was glad that he was sharing his concerns with them, and that hopefully some of his concern is alleviated by their assurance that the petitioners must follow the special use limitations and zoning ordinance. The Plan Commission is hopeful that they didn’t hear from any of the other neighbors because they haven’t experienced any irreconcilable problems in the past. A motion was made and seconded to close the public hearing. (3) Public Hearing on the request for a Special Use for a Medical Office at 800 Deerfield Road (Aligned Modern Health and Taxman Company) Andrew Ingley, Principal Owner, Aligned Modern Health, commented that Aligned Modern Health is seeking a Special Use to locate their medical facility in the western half of the 800 Waukegan Road building. Aligned Modern Health is a complimentary and integrative medical provider that focuses on chiropractic physical medicine, functional medicine, clinical nutrition and acupuncture. Aligned Modern Health currently has eight sites in Chicago, all in high density retail areas. Mr. Ingley commented that Aligned Modern Health has proven to be very complimentary for retail areas and tends to have a positive effect on the businesses in the area. Commissioner Bromberg asked if their plan has changed since their prefiling meeting. Mr. Ingley responded that their plan remained the same, and that they have a scheduled meeting with the Appearance Review Commission this coming Monday to discuss their proposed awning sign for the facility. Commissioner Benton commented that one of his concerns was having the employee parking in the back of the lot, so that customers have priority parking, and asked if the petitioners had come to an agreement with the Village Managers Office. Mr. Ingley responded that they had a meeting with the Village Manager a few weeks ago, and determined that they would need to work out an agreement to have employees display vehicle stickers/passes to park in the west end of the municipal parking lot. Commissioner Bromberg asked where the employees for the other business in that area park. Chairperson Oppenheim commented that the Taxman Company property doesn’t have their own parking, so employees and customers use the municipal lot, and the Joy Fiorini property actually has its own strip of parking in the back that employees utilize. Commissioner Bromberg asked if there was a sufficient amount of parking for all of their employees. Chairperson Oppenheim responded that any overflow parking can park in the municipal lot, and that the Village hasn’t had any issues with that. Commissioner Bromberg asked if the other businesses would also be required to display employee parking stickers. Mr. Ryckaert confirmed that the Village will work with the other property owners on the parking situation as well. Mr. Ryckaert commented that the Village is going to have traffic study done after the Deerfield Road construction is complete to determine the impact the right-in and right-out had on lessening the traffic on Jewett Park Drive and Robert York Avenue. Public Hearing Meeting November 10, 2016 Page 10 Commissioner Bromberg asked for clarification on the petitioners projected peak times, as one of their peak times is projected to be before 9AM, but their Deerfield location is only scheduled to be open before 9AM one day a week. Mr. Ingley explained that their projections were based on their current clinics peak times, but they weren’t entirely sure how the peak times would differ from a suburban location versus a city location. The scheduled hours of operation for the Deerfield location are based on their best estimate, and they will adjust the hours as they see the demand. Commissioner Bromberg also asked for clarification on the maximum number of people that would be in their facility at one time. Mr. Ingley confirmed that a maximum of 10 – 12 people (including both employees and customers) would be in the facility at one time. 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 November 10, 2016 at the Village Hall, 850 Waukegan Road, Deerfield, Illinois. Present were: Mary Oppenheim, Chairperson Bob Benton Al Bromberg Jim Moyer Stuart Shayman Absent were: Larry Berg Elaine Jacoby Also present: Jeff Ryckaert, Principal Planner Dan Nakahara, Associate Planner (1a) Discussion of RTA Interagency Signage The Plan Commission did not have any issues or concerns on the RTA Interagency signage plan. They believe the signage will be useful and be is tastefully done. Commissioner Benton motioned to approve the request to amend the Deerfield Depot Sign Plan to Allow Regional Transit Authority (RTA) Interagency Directional and Informational Signs at the Lake Cook Metra Station in the Deerfield Depot Planned Unit Development including the necessary sign variations. Commissioner Bromberg seconded the motion. The vote was as follows: Ayes: (5) Benton, Bromberg, Moyer, Shayman Nays: (0) None Abstain: (1) Oppenheim The motion passed and will be on the December 5th Village Board of Trustees Meeting agenda. (2a) Discussion of Hellenic American Academy School Chairperson Oppenheim commented that much the Commission’s discussion has been around some of the issues over the Greek Festival and wanted to acknowledge that the Commission does not have a problem with this building being used as a school. She noted that the use as a school seems an appropriate use, certainly for this neighborhood. Chairperson Oppenheim commented that she was on the District 109 School Board when the building was sold in 1995. She remembers being in the room Workshop Meeting November 10, 2016 Page 2 as the building was auctioned off, and it was sold to the Korean Church. She noted that prior to that sale, the building was unused for a long period of time so it is a nice thing to have the building come full circle and have it be utilized for students and as a school. Chairperson Oppenheim feels that petitioner has done a very good job with the traffic study. Commissioner Shayman commented that the drop-off and pick-up appears to work. Commissioner Bromberg commented that he’s okay with the signage, and doesn’t have any issues with the proposal. He noted that he was concerned about the festival prior to the meeting, but his concerns have been alleviated after hearing the petitioners indicated they are willing to make regarding the music being shutoff earlier and patrons parking at remote parking lots. Chairperson Oppenheim commented that from her own experience, (she lives around the corner from Kipling school, and her house also backs up to Briarwood Country Club), it can be a problem in a neighborhood when lots of people come in for an event that’s not controlled; and it can be very intrusive. She feels that it will be very challenging task to make the Labor Day festival fit into the neighborhood with the number of people they expect and would be hard not have it be intrusive. It could be somewhat inappropriate for the neighborhood and she has reservations on allowing the event, even with the time restrictions and with the patrons being shuttled in. Chairperson Oppenheim was very uncomfortable with this. Commissioner Benton commented that the Academy has worked very well with the festival. He has been to festival and it’s a wonderful addition to Deerfield. He feels that they are trying very hard to be considerate by cutting the hours and cutting the noise, and using shuttle buses. Commissioner Benton feels that that the Commission should recommend the use with the festival restrictions that have been made. Commissioner Bromberg reiterated that he came to the meeting thinking that there should not be a Labor Day festival at this site, but after finding out that there will not be any carnival rides and the restriction of music hours helps with his concerns. He has changed his mind and thinks that they should be given a chance and see how it works out. Chairperson Oppenheim asked if the information given to the neighbors included the fact that Greek Fest would be held on this site. Mr. Freedman said he included a narrative on the school in the mailing. Commissioner Bromberg asked the one neighbor in the audience if he knew this prior to coming to the meeting. Mr. Schaffer commented that he knew prior to the meeting, but he would rather the event not be held at the site. Commissioner Moyer commented that another letter needs to go out to the neighbors, and that they should be better communication with them and work toward an agreement. Commissioner Shayman asked the petitioner how they were going to layout the event on the property. Commissioner Moyer commented that these are all variables that need to be addressed and talked about. Chairperson Oppenheim commented that the festival space would be on the north and east side. Mr. Freedman confirmed that the events would be behind the building. Commissioner Moyer commented that having the event behind the building would certainly be a way to overcome some of the objections with the neighbors. He noted that the reduced hours, Workshop Meeting November 10, 2016 Page 3 and lighting, and not having the carnival rides are positive things that they can do. He noted that first and foremost the use is for the school which is key. The fest is great but neighbors have to be tapped into it too, and there is still an opportunity to have some conversation with them. Commissioner Shayman commented if the event is in the parking lot for some reason would it be better to move the event further east or in one of the fields. Commissioner Bromberg commented that the event as it is currently, is mostly on the asphalt at the Lake Cook location. Mr. Vadevoulis confirmed that the event is primarily on the asphalt and added that this is one of our main fundraisers for the school and is very important for the school. Commissioner Bromberg asked if they have enough space on the asphalt so if it rains people won’t be in mud. Chairperson Oppenheim commented that she’s largely comforted by the fact that there won’t be any carnival rides. Mr. Vadevoulis said it’s mostly a gathering over food, music and seeing old friends. Chairperson Oppenheim commented that she was not sure how to structure the proposal, with Commissioner Moyer’s suggestion, so that this is sent back to the neighbors. Commissioner Moyer commented would be better if they would meet with the neighbors again. Mr. Freedman commented that there’s not enough time to do another mailing. The Commissioners agreed, and Commissioner Moyer commented that the key is that the neighbors have to be well informed and to be a part of the process. Mr. Freedman commented that they have followed the process. Chairperson Oppenheim agreed and commented that most of the neighbors are thrilled to have a school back in that location, but the large festival on the grounds is harder for the neighbors to happy about. Mr. Freedman commented that his concern is that he doesn’t want to give neighbors veto power over this event. He asked the Commission to put whatever restrictions they think are reasonable and to make a recommendation. He is confident the neighbors will hear about this before they get to the Village Board, and if they’re not happy with the conditions they’ll have a forum. Chairperson Oppenheim commented that the Commission could make a recommendation that the petitioner reach out to the neighbors. Mr. Freedman commented that the Commission wants them to commit to another mailing they will and they will set up another meeting but he is not sure there will be enough time especially if this goes to the Board on December 5th. The petitioner needs to be in the building in January. Mr. Ryckaert noted that they Commission could split up the recommendation so that the school portion goes to the Board, and then they could come back for the Labor Day festival. Mr. Kanellos commented that the school has been within the community for 10 years, there has never been any problems, and everything has always been tastefully done. He noted that they have come before Plan Commission acknowledging and understanding that they are taking a school located in a business environment and relocating into a residential area. He explained they don’t want to change the area to the extent that it is intrusive and having neighbors that don’t like us is not good for them. They want to tap into the community and be a good neighbor. They want to be a member of the community. He added that the festival is tastefully done; everything that we’ve brought forward to you is all with the neighborhood in consideration. He added that should they be allowed to have the fest this first year, and Workshop Meeting November 10, 2016 Page 4 should there be anybacklash that says 10:00PM is too much and to please shut it down at 9:00PM, then they are not going to have an issue with that, because once they upset the neighborhood it’s a bad relationship and they don’t want that to occur. Mr. Freedman commented that they would be open to a review of the event after the first year and have the conditions subject to review administratively rather than having to come back for a public hearing. Commissioner Moyer commented that he was comfortable with the conditions as long as they reach out to the neighbors. He would like the petitioner to let the neighbors know more about the event and ask for feedback. Mr. Freedman asked if they would have to meet with the neighbors again before they go to the Board. Mr. Moyer clarified that he wanted the petitioners to further communicate with the neighbors and was not suggesting that be done prior to the December 5th Board meeting. Mr. Freedman commented that if they want them to meet with the neighbors over time as things evolve then they would be absolutely do this. Chairperson Oppenheim commented that the questions were not that the fest was in good taste; the question was how appropriate it is moving it from a business industrial park to the center of a residential neighborhood. Mr. Freedman commented that they are aware of this and will reach out to the neighborhood. Chairperson Oppenheim commented that just knowing that they are making a commitment to the Plan Commission would make her recommend the proposal assuming that the petitioner will make the same commitment to the Village Board. For the petitioner to indicate that they will pledge to work with the neighbors to find the best ways to lay the event out so it’s the least disruptive of the neighborhood says a lot. Chairperson Oppenheim commented that there is no objection to the school but the festival event makes it a bit problematic. She confirmed that the petitioner will commit to reduce the hours, to stop the music sooner (particularly on Monday), will not have carnival rides, and will use shuttle buses to bring all the people in. The Commissioner discussed that they would also have to meet the Lake County’s Health Department requirements for food and drink. Chairperson Oppenheim advised that they may also get some questions on the location of the staging and if trucks will running during the staging (idling trucks is an issue). Commissioner Bromberg asked about the bathrooms for the festival and the petitioner noted that they will use the bathrooms inside the school. Commissioner Bromberg motioned to approve the Text Amendments and the Special Use for the Foundation for Hellenic Education and Culture, NFP including the sign variation, and to approve the recommendation that the Greek Labor Day Festival be allowed to be held on the property with the limitations that petitioner has suggested. Commissioner Benton seconded the motion. The vote was as follows: Ayes: (5) Benton, Bromberg, Moyer, Shayman, Oppenheim Nays: (0) None The motions passed and will be on the December 5th Village Board of Trustees Meeting agenda. Workshop Meeting November 10, 2016 Page 5 (3a) Discussion of Aligned Modern Health Medical Office Chairperson Oppenheim commented that the petitioner has done a good job of answering questions about traffic, but the larger question is whether or not we want to approve a non-retail use on the first floor in the C-1 District. She noted that service uses is one of the uses that was recently talked about in the proposed update to the C-1 Zoning District. She commented that the petitioner’s materials make justifications for their location and there were some questions initially about whether Fleet Feet be losing business, and would this use be decreasing a retail business to have the medical office next to it. Fleet Feet indicated that they will feed off of each other and still be able to maintain their level of business. She noted the recent lengthy discussions about whether or not the Commission thought it was appropriate to allow these kinds of uses on the first floor. Commissioner Bromberg commented that this use was talked about quite a bit in the prefiling conference meeting and whether this was an appropriate use and the impact it had. He noted that the petitioner explained that they put all their locations in retail areas and why it’s a good fit for them in these locations. Fleet Feet commented that they expect sales will go up as a result of the less square footage. He commented that based on the conversation they had when reviewing updates to the C-1 Zoning District and the presentation that Aligned made, he is okay with their request. Commissioner Benton agreed and noted that this use makes a lot of sense. Chairperson Oppenheim commented that the use is on the end of the building next to the municipal parking lot and access will be easy in and out. She thinks that the use will be a good use for that space. Commissioner Shayman feels that it’s the kind of use that will bring people into the area. Commissioner Bromberg commented it was specifically discussed at the prefiling meeting that the massage oils used for the massage therapy be environmentally friendly products. Mr. Ingley commented that the oils are made from apple, grape and apricot seed and no nut seed, not animal tested, desolvable. He added that the oils are environmentally friendly. Commissioner Benton commented at the prefiling conference meeting that he suggested (especially since this was a massage and chiropractic business) that there should be an accesible space near the business on the east side of the lot and is pleased that an accessible space nearest to the front entrance of Aligned has been added. Chairperson Oppenheim added that there will be positive changes in the northwest quadrant that will be coming in the future next to this space. Commissioner Shayman motioned to approve the request for a Special Use for a medical office at 800 Deerfield Road. Commissioner Moyer seconded the motion. The vote was as follows: Ayes: (5) Benton, Bromberg, Moyer, Shayman, Oppenheim Nays: (0) None Workshop Meeting November 10, 2016 Page 6 The motions passed and will be on the December 5th Village Board of Trustees Meeting agenda. There being no further business to discuss the meeting adjourned. Respectfully Submitted, Mary Glowacz