Plan Commission

Village of Lombard Village Hall 255 East Wilson Ave. Lombard, IL 60148 villageoflombard.org Minutes Monday, March 18, 2024 7:00 PM Village Hall - Board Room Plan Commission Leigh Giuliano, Chairperson Commissioners: Ruth Sweetser, Bill Johnston, Kevin Walker, Tony Invergo, Alissa Verson and Robert Spreenberg Staff Liaison: Anna Papke Plan Commission Minutes March 18, 2024 Call to Order Chairperson Giuliano called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m Pledge of Allegiance Chairperson Giuliano led the Pledge of Allegiance Roll Call of Members Present 6 - Ruth Sweetser, Leigh Giuliano, Bill Johnston, Tony Invergo, Robert Spreenberg, and Alissa Verson Absent 1 - Kevin Walker Public Hearings 240058 PC 24-05: 810 E. Roosevelt Road - KFC - (Continued from the 2-19-24 Plan Commission Meeting) - Request to Withdraw The petitioner requests that the Village take the following action on the subject property located within the B4APD Roosevelt Road Corridor District Planned Development (800-810 E. Roosevelt Planned Development): Pursuant to Section 155.504 (A) (major changes in a planned development) of the Lombard Zoning Ordinance, amend the 800-810 E. Roosevelt Road Planned Development, as established by Ordinance No. 5171, and amended by Ordinance Nos. 5172 and 5294, to approve a modification to the drive-through restaurant established by Ordinance No. 5172. (DISTRICT# 6) The Plan Commission accepted the withdrawal of PC 24-05. 240027 PC 24-02: 665 W. North Avenue - Conversion of Heron Point office building to storage center (Continued from the 1-22-24 Plan Commission Meeting) The petitioner requests that the Village take the following action on the subject property located within the OPD Office District Planned Development (Heron Point Planned Development): Pursuant to Section 155.504 (A) (major changes in a planned development) of the Lombard Zoning Ordinance, amend the Heron Point Planned Development, as established by Ordinance No. 4538, and amended by Ordinance Nos. 4729 and 5326, to approve a conditional use pursuant to Section 155.412(C) of the Lombard Zoning Ordinance to allow for a storage center to operate on the subject property located within the O Office Planned Development District. (DISTRICT #1) Sworn in to present the petition was Anna Papke, Planning and Zoning Village of Lombard Page 1 Plan Commission Minutes March 18, 2024 Manager, and the following on behalf of the petitioner: Liz Butler (attorney), Bill Zalewski (engineer), Chris Michalek (architect), and Jon Nicolich (LSC Development LLC). Chairperson Giuliano read the Plan Commission procedures and asked if anyone other than the petitioner intended to cross examine and, hearing none, she proceeded with the petition. Ms. Butler presented the petition. She introduced the petitioner’s team. She said LSC Development is an owner and developer of commercial properties with experience in storage centers. LSC requests a conditional use approval to allow conversion and adaptive reuse of the office building at 665 W. North Avenue as a storage center. Ms. Butler said the subject property is part of the Heron Point subdivision located on North Avenue, bounded by Route 53 and I-355. She described existing conditions on the property, which is developed with an existing office building, surface parking, and stormwater detention. She said the office building was constructed in 2002. Currently the building is approximately 80% vacant, due to low demand for office space in this submarket. The proposed development would preserve the existing building and convert the interior space to a climate-controlled self-storage facility for storage of nonhazardous goods. The petitioner also proposes to offer long-term motor vehicle storage on a portion of the parking lot. The façade and footprint of the building will not change. The petitioner will enclose an existing porte cochere on the rear of the building. This area will provide a one-way internal drive for loading by self-storage customers. Ms. Butler said this project would be an adaptive reuse. She noted the environmental benefits of reusing buildings. She said LSC has extensive experience with adaptive reuse, and had submitted a structural analysis of the building to confirm it could support the added loads of a storage center use. Ms. Butler showed the zoning map and noted the subject property is in the Office Planned Development District. The Village recently amended the Village Code to allow storage centers as conditional uses in the Office District. Accordingly, the petitioner is requesting approval of a conditional use for a storage center on the subject property. Ms. Butler said the petition meets the standards for conditional uses as set forth in the Village Code. Village of Lombard Page 2 Plan Commission Minutes March 18, 2024 Ms. Butler said storage centers have benefits for communities. She said LSC takes pride in being a good neighbor and had met with the owners of the neighboring hotel to discuss the proposal. She said the storage center would be an amenity to the area and would provide a useful service to residents and businesses. The petitioner’s market research indicates a demand for new self-storage facilities in the area. Ms. Butler said self-storage would be a less intense land use than the office building permitted by right on the property, particularly with regard to vehicle trip generation. Ms. Butler showed the proposed site plan and described the proposed site improvements. She said the building façade will remain in its current condition. The porte cochere will be enclosed to offer indoor loading for customers, and the parking lot to the south and west of the building will be enclosed to offer long-term vehicle storage. She said the enclosed loading area will mitigate impacts to neighboring properties by bringing unloading activities indoors. She said the storage center will be open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday-Friday, with different hours on the weekend. There will be three to four full-time employees and security cameras and monitoring. Exterior lighting will be controlled to shine away from adjacent properties. Mr. Zalewski addressed the Plan Commission. He said the proposed site work will be fairly simple. There are existing utility connections and stormwater detention facilities. Parking on the south and west sides of the building will be modified to accommodate larger vehicles in storage. The reconfiguration will include removal of some landscaping islands and installation of new landscaping islands inside the vehicle storage area. He described the proposed landscaping and fencing around the vehicle storage area. He noted that the number of parking spaces will be reduced due to the reconfiguration. The driveway along the east side of the building will be extended to allow vehicles coming from North Avenue to connect to the driveway on Route 53. He described traffic circulation on the site and noted that the long-term vehicle storage area will have gates for controlled access. He showed the landscape plan. Mr. Michalek addressed the Plan Commission. He described the architecture, noting that the building façade will remain as-is. He noted the enclosure of the porte cochere. He said the building will not use glaring colors associated with some storage brands. He showed images of the proposed drive-through loading area. Mr. Michalek said the signage will be updated but will be similar in size to the signs Village of Lombard Page 3 Plan Commission Minutes March 18, 2024 currently on the building. He said the façade for the porte cochere enclosure will continue with the same materials and colors used on the building. Mr. Michalek showed renderings of the solid wall proposed along the north side of the vehicle storage area and the entry to the drive-through loading area. Mr. Nicolich addressed the Plan Commission. Mr. Nicolich said LSC founded the Life Storage brand in 2002 and has developed many storage projects around the country. He showed examples of other adaptive reuse projects that LSC has done, including projects in Glen Ellyn, Glenview, Itasca, and the Ravenswood and Jefferson Park neighborhoods of Chicago. Ms. Butler said the petitioner concurs with the recommendations and proposed conditions of approval in the staff report, with the exception of Condition 3. The petitioner largely concurs with Condition 3 but wanted to offer a modification to clarify the types of vehicles that will be permitted in the vehicle storage area. The petitioner had transmitted a proposed amended Condition 3 to staff which was transmitted to the Plan Commission prior to the meeting. The modified condition clarifies that storage of boats and some other types of vehicles will be permitted. Ms. Butler said the types of vehicles proposed in the amended condition are the same as the types of vehicles the petitioner allowed to be stored in LSC’s Glenview location. Ms. Butler said the petitioner believes the request meets the standards for conditional uses and concluded the presentation. Chairperson Giuliano asked if any person would like to cross examine or 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 subject property is improved with an office building and surface parking lot. The petitioner proposes to convert the existing five-story office building in the Heron Point Planned Development into a self-storage center. The majority of the building will be converted to storage center uses immediately upon approval of zoning entitlements. Portions of the first floor will remain office space until the expiration of remaining office tenant leases in 2028 and 2029, at which point the first floor will also be converted to storage space. An existing covered drop-off area at the rear of the building will be enclosed to provide interior vehicular access for customers but the Village of Lombard Page 4 Plan Commission Minutes March 18, 2024 building footprint will not change. The petitioner proposes to offer long-term vehicle storage as a component of the business. This will occur in a fenced portion of the existing parking lot. The property is located in the Heron Point Planned Development, with an underlying zoning designation of Office. Storage centers are conditional uses in the O District. The petitioner requests approval of a conditional use to convert the building as proposed; no other zoning entitlements are required. Staff has reviewed the submitted plans and finds the petition is consistent with the standards for conditional uses. The Village Board approved a text amendment in February 2024 to add storage centers as conditional uses in the Office District. In review of the petition staff notes that Heron Point office building is largely vacant. The petitioner intends to make minor modifications to the exterior of the building, but otherwise the building will continue to resemble an office building. The petitioner proposes to offer long-term vehicle storage services within a portion of the existing parking lot to the west and south of the office building. This area will be enclosed with a wall and wood fencing, with controlled access points for customers. Staff notes that storage of vehicles is included in the definition of the term “storage center” in the Village Code. The petitioner has stated that storage will be available for personal vehicles, RVs, boats, and small commercial vehicles. Storage of tractor trailers, semi-trucks, and other large commercial vehicles will not occur. The staff report included a proposed condition of approval explicitly prohibiting storage of such vehicles. The petitioner has proposed an amended condition that provides more specificity in the types of vehicles that can be stored. Staff has reviewed the petitioner’s proposed condition of approval and has no objections. As part of the Heron Point Planned Development, the subject property and neighboring hotel were developed at the same time, initially under unified ownership. Users of both properties had access to driveway connections on North Avenue and Columbine Avenue, as well as the ability to park on the shared surface parking lot. The property was subdivided in 2004, at which time easements were established to preserve cross access and cross parking. The proposed vehicle storage area will reduce the number of parking spaces available to users of the storage center/office building and the neighboring hotel. Staff has reviewed the remaining parking areas open to users of the storage center and hotel and finds the planned development will meet Village Code minimum parking requirements following enclosure of the Village of Lombard Page 5 Plan Commission Minutes March 18, 2024 vehicle storage area. The petitioner states that they will seek to amend the terms of the easements governing cross access and shared parking with the neighboring property owner. The amendments would refine the easements in light of the proposed changes to the subject property. The Village would not be involved in these amendments, but the proposed conditions of approval in the IDRC report require that the office building/storage center and the hotel maintain compliance with Village parking standards and past Village approvals requiring cross access. The proposed plan includes reconfiguration of a driveway along the east side of the proposed vehicle storage area. This driveway is adjacent to a critical wetland located on the property. The plan thus will require approval by DuPage County. The petitioner met with DuPage County in early March, at which time County staff indicated revisions to the proposed drive aisle will be required to maintain adequate buffering around the wetlands. The petitioner has drafted a revised layout for the drive aisle that reflects the initial County review and will continue to work through this issue. Village staff expects any further revisions required by the County will have minimal impact on the proposed development. A proposed condition of approval in the IDRC report acknowledges the possibility of minor changes to the site plan resulting from County review. Staff found the petition met the standards for conditional uses and recommended approval of the petition subject to the conditions noted in the staff report. Chairperson Giuliano asked if there were any questions or comments on the staff report. Hearing none, she opened the meeting to comments from the Commissioners. Commissioner Spreenberg asked Ms. Papke to read amended Condition 3. Ms. Papke read amended Condition 3. Commissioner Verson asked for the definitions from the Illinois State Statutes contained in the revised Condition 3 to be read. Ms. Papke and Attorney Skrodzki read the definitions. Commissioner Verson said she thought the amended Condition 3 could be confusing because it contains the term “recreational vehicle” twice. Commissioner Verson suggested revising the condition. Ms. Butler said the amended condition mirrors language already in the Village of Lombard Page 6 Plan Commission Minutes March 18, 2024 Village Code. Attorney Skrodzki explained that the term “recreational vehicle” has a broader meaning in the Lombard Village Code than it does in the state statutes. The petitioner’s proposed Condition 3 is attempting to be more precise about the types of vehicles permitted to be stored on the subject property by referencing state statutes. Commissioner Verson said that made sense. Commissioner Johnston asked if the drive-in loading area will be on all floors of the building or only the first floor. Mr. Michalek said it will just be on the first floor. He said it will not be drive-through loading per se as there will be no loading doors inside. The purpose is just to have an area for vehicles to drive into and customers to take items out of the car inside the building. Commissioner Johnston sought confirmation that the lighting in the parking lot will be sufficient to address security concerns. The petitioner confirmed it will. Commissioner Johnston asked if the decorative fence would screen the vehicles in the vehicle storage area. He said some vehicles will be taller than the eight-foot-tall fence. He asked if customers will be covering vehicles or wrapping them for storage. Mr. Michaelek said wrapping vehicles will not be allowed. As a point of reference, he said the tallest moving truck someone could rent from U-Haul is just over 10 feet tall. He said there may be some slightly taller vehicles in the vehicle storage area but probably not many. There will be an eight-foot-tall fence all around the storage area, with additional landscaping to increase the visual buffer. He said the eight-foot-tall fence will encourage the eye to look upwards, and the angle of vision will not allow for much view of taller vehicles. Commissioner Johnston asked if the storage area will be in view of people staying at the hotel next door. Mr. Michalek said the storage building will screen the view of the storage area from the hotel. Commissioner Johnston asked about provisions to prevent leaking of fluids from vehicles being stored on the site, as well as wear and tear on the parking lot caused by the long-term storage of vehicles. Mr. Zalewski said leaking vehicles could be an issue in any parking lot. Routine parking lot maintenance is done to remove stains and fluids from asphalt. He said the parking lot was designed to hold the weight of cars parking on it. He was not aware of any instances where a car Village of Lombard Page 7 Plan Commission Minutes March 18, 2024 parking in one spot for an extended period of time had caused the parking lot to break down more quickly than expected. Commissioner Johnston said he was concerned that the parking lot’s asphalt surface could allow for absorption of leaking fluids. He contrasted this with gas stations, which typically use concrete surfaces that will not absorb fluids in the event of a gas spill. Mr. Zalewski said there will not be heavy commercial vehicles stored on site, so he would not expect the parking lot to break down faster than a standard parking lot. Mr. Nicolich said there will be a property manager or general manager on site. These employees will monitor the site for spills and maintenance concerns and will address as needed. He said this method has worked well on other sites owned by LSC. Commissioner Sweetser asked if there will be run-off from the parking lot into the wetland on the property. Mr. Nicolich said vehicle maintenance will not be allowed in the vehicle storage area, so there will be no run-off from people changing oil or other fluids. He said LSC will not permit customers to store dismantled or inoperable vehicles on the property. On a motion by Commissioner Johnston, and a second by Commissioner Invergo, the Plan Commission voted 6-0 to recommend that the Village Board approve the petition associated with PC 24-02 subject to the seven (7) conditions in the staff report, with Condition 3 amended as proposed by the petitioner: 1. That the petitioner shall satisfactorily address all comments noted within the Inter-Departmental Review Committee Report; 2. That the petitioner shall develop the site in accordance with the plans submitted as part of this petition and referenced in the Inter-Departmental Review Committee Report, except as they may be changed to conform to Village Code or as a result of review by DuPage County; 3. That the outdoor vehicle storage shall be limited to personal vehicles, recreational vehicles (as defined by 625 ILCS 511-169), watercraft, motorboat, sailboat, personal watercraft or specialty prop-craft (all as defined by 625 ILCS 45/1-2) (each a "recreational vehicle"), or any trailer (as defined by 625 ILCS 5/1 -209) used to transport or store any recreational vehicle (hereinafter a "trailer"), enclosed cargo trailers not exceeding 30 feet in total length, and small commercial vehicles not over one and one-half tons capacity. Storage of tractors, tractor-trailers, semi-trucks and like vehicles shall be prohibited; storage of shipping containers shall also be prohibited; Village of Lombard Page 8 Plan Commission Minutes March 18, 2024 4. That in the event that the petitioner amends the 2014 private agreement pertaining to parking on the subject property and the neighboring hotel property at 645 W. North Avenue, each land use shall maintain compliance with minimum parking requirements in the Village Code; 5. That in the event that the petitioner amends the blanket easement established on the plat of subdivision recorded with DuPage County as document R2005-064497, the amended easement shall maintain compliance with the condition of approval associated with the Village approval of the plat in 2004 (SUB 04-05); 6. That the petitioner shall apply for and receive building permits for the proposed improvements; and 7. 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: Aye: 6- Ruth Sweetser, Leigh Giuliano, Bill Johnston, Tony Invergo, Robert Spreenberg, and Alissa Verson Absent: 1- Kevin Walker Business Meeting Approval of Minutes A motion was made by Commissioner Johnston, seconded by Commissioner Verson, that the minutes of the February 19, 2024, meeting be approved. The motion carried by the following vote Aye: 6- Ruth Sweetser, Leigh Giuliano, Bill Johnston, Tony Invergo, Robert Spreenberg, and Alissa Verson Absent: 1- Kevin Walker Public Participation There was no Public Participation. DuPage County Hearings There were no DuPage County Hearings. Chairperson's Report There was no Chairperson's Report. Planner's Report There was no Planner's Report. Village of Lombard Page 9 Plan Commission Minutes March 18, 2024 Unfinished Business There was no Unfinished Business. New Business There was no New Business. Subdivision Reports There were no Subdivision Reports. Site Plan Approvals There were no Site Plan Approvals. Workshops There were no Workshops. Adjournment A motion was made by Commissioner Invergo, seconded by Commissioner Johnson, to adjourn the meeting at 8:02 p.m. The motion passed by an unanimous vote. Village of Lombard Page 10