Planning & Zoning Commission

MINUTES CITY OF DEKALB PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING January 27, 2016 The City of DeKalb Planning & Zoning Commission held a regular meeting on January 27, 2016, in the City Council Chambers of the DeKalb Municipal Building, 200 South Fourth Street, DeKalb, Illinois. Chair Atherton called the meeting to order at 6:01 p.m. ROLL CALL Planning & Zoning Commission members present: David Castro, Matthew Crull, Adam Katz, Roger Ruehling, and Chairperson Christina Atherton. Not present: Deborah Nier and Jerry Wright. Also present: Derek Hiland, Principal Planner, and Natalie, Administrative Assistant. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Chairperson Atherton called for an approval of the agenda. Matthew Crull made a motion to approve the agenda. David Castro seconded the motion; it was approved by voice vote. CITIZEN COMMENTS None APPROVAL OF MINUTES Chairperson Atherton called for an approval of the January 13, 2016 minutes. R. Ruehling moved to accept the minutes of January 13, 2016. D. Castro seconded the motion; it was approved by voice vote. OLD BUSINESS Continued Public Hearing on a request by KV & Sons, LLC for a Special Use Permit on .34 acres of property for a Dunkin Donuts with a drive-thru, located at 446-460 E. Lincoln Highway to be included as part of a multitenant strip center which is zoned “CBD” Central Business District. D. Hiland presented an overview the December 16, 2015 meeting of the Planning and Zoning Commission, which included discussions of the drive-thru and stacking and questions and comments from surrounding property owners. It was decided that revised plans were necessary. D. Hiland listed the new elements of the revised plans. The number of tenants increased from four to five users, the patio size and scale were reduced to provide for landscaping along the Fifth Street parking, the building elevations were added, and patio elements including a new design with lighting and brick columns being added. D. Hiland stated that the purpose of this meeting was to decide if the drive-thru warrants a Special Use Permit and if there are any special considerations or conditions the Planning and Zoning Commission wants to recommend to the City Council. REOPEN PUBLIC HEARING Jim Bibby of Rempe Sharpe and Associates, located at 324 W. State Street in Geneva, spoke upon the revisions of the plan since the December 16, 2015 meeting of the Planning and Zoning Commission. To address the traffic circulation concerns, this plan includes widening the alley from 12 feet to 16 feet to accommodate safe two-way traffic, and diagonal parking was created off the alley as well as Fifth Street. Infrastructure issues arose during the engineering and design review of the project. The Sanitary District discovered a partial blockage and collapse of a portion of the sewer down the alley, which the developer has fixed, back filled and repaved already. The open patio plan on the corner of the project allows for visibility for traffic at the corner of Fifth Street and Lincoln Highway. The landscaping on the west edge of the property along Fifth Street has been added. The car stacking and radii have been confirmed as satisfactory. D. Castro asked if the angled parking has been increased in the newest plan. D. Hiland stated it has not been increased. C. Atherton asked if there was any concern about a lack of landscaping along Lincoln Highway and asked if planters may be placed there like the rest of the rest of downtown. D. Hiland confirmed that this is the case. Hemal Purohit, Project Architect at Purohit Architects, Inc., spoke about the proposed plan floorplan to allow for five businesses and the patio, which will be open to the sky with a bulkhead and green fabric awnings on the northeast corner. C. Atherton confirmed that the entrance to Dunkin Donuts would be off the patio. D. Castro asked if drivers must enter the drive-thru to get to the angled parking. J. Bibby confirmed this is correct but later corrected himself to indicate the angled parking would locate off the alley. C. Atherton asked about where to exit after parking in the alley. J. Bibby stated that there is more than one way out, including circling through alongside the drive-thru stacking and through the alley. R. Ruehling confirmed that the only business served by the drive-thru would be Dunkin Donuts, not Subway. C. Atherton asked if there were any concern regarding decibel levels. D. Hiland stated that there are no residential buildings nearby to warrant a study but offered that apartments are located across the street above the hardware store. If sound is a concern then the decibel level is to be measured at the property line. D. Castro cited a citizen’s concern regarding the traffic flow in the area and asked if D. Hiland could provide some response to the concern. D. Hiland stated that the operator of the hardware store nearby raised the concern that the nearby intersection can be perceived as unsafe, and this project will add more traffic to an already congested area. There are times when eastbound vehicles on Lincoln Highway are turning left into McDonalds across the street, westbound vehicles on Lincoln Highway are turning left onto Fifth Street, and a train is crossing at Lincoln Highway and Fourth Street, causing cars to stack. D. Hiland agreed that it is a challenging intersection and explained that since the proposed drive-thru will have access at Fifth Street, it will likely not exacerbate the congestion that can occur on Lincoln Highway. 012716 Planning and Zoning Commission Regular Meeting Minutes/p.2 He stated that this Commission may consider additional conditions for approval of the Special Use Permit, if that is something they choose, to try to dissuade vehicles from using that intersection. City staff is aware of the intersection challenges and has found that at this time there is no good solution. D. Castro stated that he personally has not experienced traffic congestion issues in this area because he had never been around this intersection over the lunch or dinner periods, but he appreciated that the citizen raised the concern. He said he is glad that the current project’s drive-thru is in the back. He said he cannot imagine how this development would exacerbate the problem as it is designed. However, it is something to keep in mind in the future. C. Atherton stated that she had personally experienced traffic congestion in the area due to the train crossing, and how people use Fifth Street as a cut-through to avoid the intersection at Fourth and Lincoln when a train is passing through. She said the area can get very busy with people driving through to work in town and at the university. However, she believed the current project is needed for this part of town. The parking on Fifth Street still concerned her, but the Commission is tasked with approving the drive- thru. She also mentioned alternative traffic patterns, like closing Fifth Street or making it one way. She agreed that it is a tough area. D. Castro clarified that a motion to approve the Special Use Permit is also approval for the drive-thru and decibel level. D. Hiland confirmed. M. Crull recommended that decibel attenuation not be a condition of approval. A. Katz moved to approve the Special Use Permit for the proposed drive-thru. R. Reuhling seconded the motion. All approved by roll call vote. C. Atherton stated that she was glad the project is being developed on the east side of town and thanked the developers for bringing some life to that part of town. NEW BUSINESS Public Hearing on a request by Ron Breese Jr for an annexation agreement, to annex property to the City of DeKalb, and rezone the annexed parcels to “PD-C” Planned Development Commercial by approving the preliminary / final plat and development plans for the subject property on a proposed multitenant development at 2023 Sycamore Road. C. Atherton opened the public hearing and turned the discussion to D. Hiland. PUBLIC HEARING D. Hiland reported he discussed with the petitioner that he wishes to have everything approved and no longer in flux by the time it gets to the Commission for consideration. He said that the petitioner’s attorney is reviewing annexation agreement and Ron Breese Jr is working with the surrounding property owners to try to resolve any issues that have arisen. D. Hiland requested that the Public Hearing be continued for two weeks, specifically to the February 10, 2016, meeting of the Planning and Zoning Commission, to allow Mr. Breese time to get his application ready for consideration. R. Ruehling motioned to continue public hearing for February 10, 2016. M. Crull seconded. All approved by voice vote. CONSIDERATIONS 012716 Planning and Zoning Commission Regular Meeting Minutes/p.3 None FUTURE CONSIDERATIONS None. ADJOURNMENT C. Atherton invited a motion to adjourn. M. Crull motioned to adjourn, seconded by D. Castro. All approved by voice vote. The meeting was adjourned at 6:33 p.m. Natalie Nelson, Recorder Administrative Assistant Approved at the February 10, 2016 Meeting 012716 Planning and Zoning Commission Regular Meeting Minutes/p.4