Plan Commission

Village of Lombard Village Hall 255 East Wilson Ave. Lombard, IL 60148 villageoflombard.org Minutes Monday, August 16, 2021 7:00 PM Village Hall Plan Commission Commissioners: Ruth Sweetser, Leigh Giuliano, Bill Johnston, Kevin Walker and Tony Invergo Staff Liaison: Jennifer Ganser Plan Commission Minutes August 16, 2021 Call to Order Vice Chairperson Sweetser called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m Pledge of Allegiance Vice Chairperson Sweetser led the Pledge of Allegiance Roll Call of Members Present 4 - Ruth Sweetser, Bill Johnston, Kevin Walker, and Tony Invergo Absent 1 - Leigh Giuliano Also present: Bill Heniff, AICP Director of Community Development, Anna Papke, AICP, Senior Planner of Community Development Vice Chairperson Sweetser called the order of the agenda. Ms. Papke read the Rules and Procedures as written by the Plan Commission. Appoint an Acting Chair A motion was made by Commissioner Johnston, seconded by Commissioner Invergo to appoint Commissioner Ruth Sweetser Chair. The motion passed by an unanimous vote. Public Hearings 210239 PC 21-21; 920 E. Roosevelt Road, Enterprise Leasing Company, LLC The petitioner, Enterprise Leasing Company, LLC, requests a conditional use pursuant to Section 155.417(G)(2)(a)(iv) of the Lombard Village Code to allow for motor vehicle sales/rental to operate on the subject property located within the B4A Roosevelt Road Corridor District. (DISTRICT #6) Sworn in to present the petition was Anna Papke, Senior Planner and Dana Melzer on behalf of the petitioner. Acting Chairperson Sweetser read the Plan Commission procedures and asked if anyone other than the petitioner intended to cross Village of Lombard Page 1 Plan Commission Minutes August 16, 2021 examine and, hearing none, she proceeded with the petition. Ms. Melzer, Facilities Specialist for Enterprise Leasing Company of Chicago, presented the petition. The company plans to update the property at 920 E. Roosevelt Road with field stone on the outside and restripe the parking lot to meet the standards. The business is currently located in Villa Park however most of the customers are from Lombard. Their largest account is with Service King a few blocks to the west. She noted the proposed addition of a bay in the interior of the building to hand wash cars and offices, lobby and restrooms will also be added. Acting Chairperson Sweetser asked if any person would like to speak in favor or against this petition, or for public comment. Hearing none, she asked for the staff report. Ms. Papke presented the staff report, which was submitted to the public record in its entirety. The petitioner requests a conditional use to operate a car rental business on the subject property. The property was formerly the site of a payday loan business. The petitioner plans to remodel the existing building and make minor site improvements, including repairing the fence and adding additional shrubbery in the landscape yard along the north property line. The petitioner will remove the existing freestanding sign on the property and install a new sign that meets current signage requirements. Staff has reviewed the petition and finds it meets the standards for conditional uses. Staff notes that the property is located in the B4A Roosevelt Road Corridor District, where auto service and car rental/sales businesses are common land uses. Staff recommended approval of the petition subject to the conditions in the staff report. On a motion by Commissioner Johnston, and a second by Commissioner Invergo, the Plan Commission voted 4-0 to recommend that the Village Board approve the petition associated with PC 21-21 subject to the four (4) conditions in the staff report: 1. The petitioner shall satisfactorily address all comments noted within the Inter-Departmental Review Committee Report. 2. The car wash/garage use and activity shall operate solely as an accessory use to the retail rental of passenger motor vehicles and shall not otherwise operate or become a principal or separate business use on the premises. 3. Shrubs shall be added to the transitional landscape yard to bring it into greater compliance with Section 155.707. 4. This approval shall be subject to the commencement time provisions as set forth within Section 155.103(F)(11). The motion carried by the following vote: Village of Lombard Page 2 Plan Commission Minutes August 16, 2021 Aye: 4- Ruth Sweetser, Bill Johnston, Kevin Walker, and Tony Invergo Absent: 1- Leigh Giuliano Business Meeting Approval of Minutes A motion was made by Commissioner Invergo, seconded by Commissioner Walker, the minutes of the July 19, 2021 meeting be approved. The motion carried by the following vote: Aye: 4- Ruth Sweetser, Bill Johnston, Kevin Walker, and Tony Invergo Absent: 1- Leigh Giuliano Public Participation There was no Public Participation DuPage County Hearings There was no DuPage County Hearings. Chairperson's Report There was no Chairperson's Reports. Planner's Report There was no Planner's Report. New Business There was no New Business. Subdivision Reports There was no Subdivision Reports. Site Plan Approvals There was no Site Plan Approvals. Workshops Mr. Heniff introduced the workshop. He said that a number of issues related to sheds, garages, and other accessory structures had come up in recent months. This had prompted staff to consider some possible amendments to Village of Lombard Page 3 Plan Commission Minutes August 16, 2021 Village Code related to these structures. Some of those changes would occur in the Building Code (Chapter 150), under the purview of the Board of Building Appeals (BOBA), and some would occur in the Zoning Ordinance (Chapter 155), under the purview of the Plan Commission. He explained that the changes to both chapters would eventually be sent to the Village Board for consideration at the same time. Mr. Heniff provided an overview of the proposed changes to Chapter 150, which had already been presented to BOBA at the August 4 BOBA meeting. These proposed changes to Chapter 150 included the following, which were presented to the Plan Commission for background and informational purposes: · An amended definition for “garage, private” and a new definition for “shed.” A definition for “building, detached” already existed in Chapter 155 and would be added to Chapter 150. · A requirement that accessory structures greater than 200 square feet have a foundation. · A requirement that garages have a driveway to provide vehicle access. · Regulations related to utility connections in accessory structures. · Standards for attaching garages and other accessory structures to the principal structure. Mr. Heniff and Ms. Papke presented an overview of the proposed changes to Chapter 155, seeking feedback from the Plan Commissioners. These items included proposed amendments or possible areas for additional research, as follows: · Shed standards Staff presented proposed regulations that would limit sheds to 200 square feet in area, limit door openings to 6 feet in width, and allow no more than two sheds on an individual property. Commissioner Invergo mentioned that sheds could present a safety concern if not well constructed. Ms. Papke said that any shed larger than 80 square feet is required to get a building permit, at which point the construction of the shed is reviewed for code compliance. Commissioner Johnston suggested looking more closely at allowable height for sheds. He said that the current height limit of 17 feet to the peak of the roof might allow a shed that was taller than ideal. He also asked if there were any design standards in place for sheds, and expressed concerns about the aesthetic impact of sheds. Ms. Papke noted that the question of design standards would be considered at a later point in the workshop. Acting Chair Sweetser asked if sheds would be allowed in the front yard. Ms. Papke said the current prohibition on accessory structures in front of the front wall of the principal structure will remain in place. Commissioner Johnston noted that the proposed standards would allow no more than two sheds. He said that someone with a larger lot Village of Lombard Page 4 Plan Commission Minutes August 16, 2021 might have a need for more storage than could be accommodated in two 200-square foot sheds. Ms. Papke responded that property owners would be able to construct accessory structures other than small sheds, such as a garage or a detached building that could be used for storage. She explained that the Building Code has specific construction standards for sheds, which are different from those required for garages or detached accessory buildings. The intent was to take a similar approach in the Zoning Ordinance and create specific bulk standards for sheds. If a property owner wanted to construct a larger accessory building to accommodate storage, they would then need to build a garage or detached building, which is regulated slightly differently with respect to the Building Code. Mr. Heniff noted that there are also standards already in the Zoning Ordinance that limit garages to less than 10% of the lot, less than 1,000 square feet, and no bigger than the house. With respect to the number of sheds, he said the intent of the proposed limit of two sheds on a property is intended to prevent someone from building multiple sheds in order to avoid having to build a more substantial accessory structure. In response to the Plan Commission discussion, Mr. Heniff said staff would look at possible height regulations specific to sheds. Commissioner Invergo asked if there are existing regulations related to separation between two sheds or connecting sheds to other structures. Mr. Heniff said there are not currently many regulations addressing separation between sheds, but staff would make sure this was adequately addressed in any proposed amendments. · Setback standards for accessory structures. Staff proposed increasing the required rear setbacks for accessory structures from three feet to 10 feet. This will address issues related to drainage and proximity to overhead power lines that can occur when accessory structures are located so close to the rear property line. It would also be consistent with current Chapter 154 (Subdivisions and Development) standards that require 10-foot utility easements on all new platted lots. Mr. Heniff noted this would be a significant change and would make existing accessory structures located less than 10 feet from the rear property line legal nonconformities. He reiterated that the proposed change is intended to address concerns related to stormwater management and proximity to power lines. He noted the new setback would apply to development going forward. Existing buildings less than three feet from the rear property line would become legal nonconforming structures if the setback were amended as proposed. Village of Lombard Page 5 Plan Commission Minutes August 16, 2021 Commissioner Invergo asked if there is a Village ordinance setting distance requirements between structures and power lines. Mr. Heniff said there are some related regulations in the Building Code, however most distancing requirements are determined by ComEd. Commissioner Invergo asked if an existing garage built less than 10 feet from the rear property line could be rebuilt under the proposed ordinance. Mr. Heniff responded that it would become a nonconforming structure; the new building would either need a variance to be placed in the former building footprint, or would need to be rebuilt to current Code. One of the Commissioners asked when potential Code amendments would be brought to the Plan Commission for a public hearing. Mr. Heniff and Ms. Papke responded that staff’s goal was to bring items to the Plan Commission in September 2021, unless more time was needed for additional research. · Attached garage standards. Currently, Village Code states that no more than 500 square feet of an attached garage can extend in front of the remaining front façade of the house. The regulation was adopted in 2008 in an attempt to limit the visual impact of garages. The code provision has resulted in construction of unneeded or unwanted living space above side-loaded garages in order to bring the front façade of the house forward and allow for construction of an attached three-car side-loaded garage. Staff had received feedback from residents and contractors requesting the Village revisit this standard. Staff noted that an existing standard that limits the size of front-facing garage doors will remain in place. The question up for discussion was whether the Plan Commission would be open to revising the standards to permit larger side-loaded garages projecting in front of the house. Commissioner Johnston said he could understand the need for a three-car garage, especially for families with multiple drivers. Commissioner Invergo said adding a second story over the garage adds more bulk to the structure. He suggested more bulk is not necessarily desirable. Commissioner Sweetser agreed. Commissioner Walker suggested having some additional design guidelines to address living space above attached garages might be useful in limiting the visual impact of a second story on top of the garage. · Design standards for accessory structures. Village Code currently does not have any design standards for accessory structures. Staff noted that some commonly sold pre-fab accessory structures included metal-sided buildings, Quonset huts, Village of Lombard Page 6 Plan Commission Minutes August 16, 2021 and open-sided carports. These types of structures are not necessarily common in the Village, but there is also currently no standard in Village Code that would prevent them from being constructed provided they meet all other building and zoning regulations. Staff sought feedback from the Plan Commissioners on the level of interest in enacting design standards for accessory structures. Commissioner Johnston said he would be supportive of design standards for accessory structures. He said he would like to see standards for materials and design that would ensure accessory structures are compatible with development in Lombard. Commissioner Invergo noted that Quonset huts could present stormwater drainage concerns. Mr. Heniff said that staff would do some research into possible design regulations for accessory structures, and would bring more information back to the Plan Commission at a future meeting. Commissioner Sweetser noted that any regulation changes should be reviewed to make sure they do not create unintended consequences. In particular she mentioned open space and lot coverage issues associated with permitting three-car attached garages to project in front of the house. Commissioner Johnston said the proposed 10-foot rear setback for accessory structures may be too deep. He understood the need to have more than three feet between a structure and the rear property line. He suggested five or eight feet might accomplish the goal of preventing stormwater issues and power line conflicts, while maximizing the buildable space in the rear yards of residential properties. Mr. Heniff said staff would do some more research on this topic Adjournment A motion was made by Commissioner Johnston, seconded by Commissioner Walker, to adjourn the meeting at 8:06 p.m. The motion passed by an unanimous vote. ______________________ Ruth Sweetser, Vice Chairperson Lombard Plan Commission __________________________ Jennifer Ganser, AICP, Assistant Director Community Development Village of Lombard Page 7