W. Plan Commission

APPROVED VILLAGE OF LAKE ZURICH PLAN COMMISSION MINUTES APRIL 2, 2008 The meeting was called to order by Chairman Cushman at 7:35 p.m. ROLL CALL: Present - Chairman Cushman, Commissioners Bowling (7:37), Castillo, Crane, Kmiecik, Luby, Minden, and Tassi. Excused – Commissioner Jackson. Also present: Village Planner Gadde. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: APPROVAL OF THE MARCH 5, 2008 MINUTES OF THE PLAN COMMISSION MEETING: A typographical correction on the second paragraph on page 3 to read, “acetic acid” was requested. MOTION was made by Commissioner Crane, seconded by Commissioner Kmiecik, to approve the March 5, 2008 minutes of the Plan Commission as submitted. Voice Vote, AYES have it. MOTION CARRIED. PUBLIC HEARINGS: 526-530 WEST ROUTE 22 – TO CONSIDER A SITE PLAN, EXTERIOR APPEARANCE PLAN, AND MODIFICATION TO THE LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE TO SEEK A REDUCTION IN THE PARKING LOT LANDSCAPING ON THE SUBJECT PROPERTY ZONED IN THE VILLAGE’S B-1 LOCAL AND COMMUNITY BUSINESS DISTRICT – PETITIONER JEFERY PATHMANN, ARCHITECT The public hearing was opened at 7:36 p.m. The court reporter swore in those testifying. Jeffrey Pathmann, project architect, presented Lake Zurich Tire owner James Iverhouse’s proposal to reconfigure the existing vacant building at 530 W. Route 22 (previously occupied by Lake Zurich Towing) and build an addition of approximately 4,620 sq. ft. to be located in the existing parking lot and develop it into five retail spaces and storage space. No changes are proposed for Lake Zurich Tire at this time. Approximately 7,200 sq. ft. of the property had been taken by IDOT for the widening of Route 22. The petitioner is requesting a modification to the Land Development Code to allow a reduction in the parking lot landscaping by eliminating the parking lot islands. The landscaped surface area had been reduced from 16 percent to 5 percent due to the IDOT land acquisition. Site plan and exterior appearance plan approvals are also requested by the Plan Commission. This petition will be before the Zoning Board of Appeals for a public hearing on April 17, 2008. The site plan showing a circular driveway, the existing tire store, the vacant building, and proposed expansion were displayed and reviewed. Colored renderings depicting the exterior appearance plan and the floor plan were also displayed. Mr. Pathmann noted that the vast majority of the parking spaces are existing with new spaces added in front of the building. The traffic flow and driveway going to Whitney Terrace were reviewed. Plan Commission Minutes, April 2, 2008 2 The proposed parking and number of retail units was discussed. They are proposing 60 parking spaces while 58 are required. Chairman Cushman said if the number of retail units was reduced from five to four, code requirements could be met. Mr. Pathmann responded that the project would not be economically feasible if the retail space was reduced. He pointed out that these parcels are pre-existing non-conforming lots and are even more difficult to develop now due to the land acquisition by IDOT. He said this is not a “clean” site and they must work with existing buildings. Property owner James Iverhouse said he has owned Lake Zurich Tire for over eleven years and purchased the vacant building in 2004. He provided background information about the property, his ownership, and improvements made to the site. His business struggled during the Route 22 construction and is finally returning to previous revenue levels. Chairman Cushman addressed the landscape area ratio and noted that if Mr. Iverhouse only combined the three parcels, he would not need to appear before the Plan Commission and the ratio would be 5%. Mr. Pathmann said he would need to put landscaping between the two buildings to meet the 40% landscape area requirements. He further addressed the landscape proposal and various options including reducing the parking spaces and adding a landscape island. . Village Planner Gadde said the Public Works Department has raised a concern about proposed landscaping in the utility area. Parking spaces on the west side of the tire store could be eliminated and a tree planted. Commissioner Tassi was concerned about the parking layout and did not think it was consumer- friendly. Commissioner Bowling said standards are in place so pre-existing non-conforming properties can be brought up to current code when changes are proposed. She also recommends landscaping code requirements be adhered to as well as other code issues. The photometric plan was briefly reviewed. Mr. Pathmann distributed information about the proposed lighting and reviewed the type of fixtures. The existing fence will remain. They will screen the rooftop units. There will not be any outside storage of vehicles or any other material. The new building will be fully sprinkled. He described the exterior appearance plan. The proposed addition will be face brick. The existing building is painted concrete. Unit 1 and 2 will have front entrances only; the other units will have both front and rear access. Jim Tarbet, 1195 Cedar Creek Drive, provided historical information on the property and pointed out there were site limitations that were exacerbated by the Route 22 improvements and the bypass. The vacant building has been under utilized and has not had a “real” tenant in over 15 years. The landscape requirements would create a hardship in developing this property, and in this case, it would not be in the best interest of the Village to require adherence to the code. To deny this request would result in deterioration of the property. He recommends allowing the modification as a hardship case. The public hearing was closed at 8:33 p.m. Plan Commission Minutes, April 2, 2008 3 Commissioner Tassi said he likes the proposed improvements but is uncomfortable with the large difference in the required and proposed landscaping. Commissioner Bowling questioned if this was the best proposal for this site and asked if the proposed retail is viable. She was not sure the Plan Commission should grant this much latitude for something that might not succeed. She had concerns about the flow of traffic, ingress and egress, and the landscaping. She would be open to seeing a different plan or an improved plan come forward for the site. Commissioner Crane said she would like to see a local business succeed but had reservations about the landscaping and viability of the proposal. Commissioner Castillo said the project was too dense and large and should be scaled back. He recommends the Village adhere to their own requirements and not grant modifications. He said there is a large amount of empty retail space already in the Village. Commissioner Minden liked the project and said he would welcome new development instead of the vacant building. He supports a local business owner using private funds to develop property. Commissioner Luby agreed with Commissioner Minden and supports new retail development. He said a function of the Plan Commission is to allow relief when warranted and said there are many mitigating factors with this development. Commissioner Kmiecik said he would like to see the existing building demolished although it is an expensive solution. He thought Chairman Cushman suggestion to eliminate one unit had merit. MOTION made by Commissioner Kmiecik, seconded by Commissioner Bowling, to recommend the Board of Trustees approve the site plan for 526-530 West Route 22 as presented. AYES: 2 Commissioners Luby and Minden NAYS: 6 Chairman Cushman, Commissioners Bowling, Castillo, Crane, Kmiecik, and Tassi. MOTION DENIED MOTION made by Commissioner Crane, seconded by Commissioner Tassi, to recommend the Board of Trustees approve the exterior appearance plan for 526-530 West Route 22 as presented. AYES: 5 Chairman Cushman, Commissioners Castillo, Kmiecik, Luby and Minden NAYS: 3 Commissioners Bowling, Crane, and Tassi. MOTION CARRIED MOTION made by Commissioner Crane, seconded by Commissioner Kmiecik, to recommend the Board of Trustees approve a modification to the Land Development Code to seek a reduction in the parking lot landscaping for 526-530 West Route 22 zoned in the Village’s B-1 Local and Community Business District. AYES: 2 Commissioners Luby and Minden NAYS: 6 Chairman Cushman, Commissioners Bowling, Castillo, Crane, Kmiecik, and Tassi. MOTION DENIED Plan Commission Minutes, April 2, 2008 4 690 JUNE TERRACE – TO CONSIDER A SPECIAL USE PERMIT TO INSTALL 3 ANTENNAS AND RELATED TELECOMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT ON THE SUBJECT PROPERTY ZONED IN THE VILLAGE’S I-1 LIMITIED INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT – PETITIONER WANCHAY CHANTHADOUANGSY The public hearing was opened at 9:01p.m. In a memorandum to Village Planner Gadde, the petitioner asked that this item be tabled due to their inability to submit a complete package to staff. MOTION made by Commissioner Tassi, seconded by Commissioner Crane, to continue the public hearing for 690 June Terrace until the petitioner can assemble all the appropriate materials. AYES: 8 Chairman Cushman, Commissioners Bowling, Castillo, Crane, Kmiecik, Luby, Minden, and Tassi. NAYS: 0 MOTION CARRIED ADJOURNMENT: MOTION was made by Commissioner Crane, seconded by Commissioner Bowling, to adjourn the meeting. Voice Vote, AYES have it. MOTION CARRIED. The meeting was adjourned at 9:03 p.m. Submitted by: Approved by:_________________________________ 5/7/02