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2004-02-04 - Appearance Review Team - Minutes Board or Commission: ❑Appearance Review Team Document Type: ❑Agenda 0 Minutes Meeting Date: 02/04/2004 Type of Meeting: ❑ Regular Meeting Appearance Review Team (ART) Meeting 6:30 p.m., 2/4/2004 Proposed Townhomes, East Side of Prairie Road at Chestnut Terrace Petitioner: John Green, Groundwork Limited, for Insignia Homes ART TEAM: Denice Bocek, Plan Commissioner Matthew Cohn, Plan Commissioner Robert Pfeil, Village Planner Greg Summers, Associate Planner ALSO PRESENT: John Green, Groundwork, Limited Alan Scimeca, Insignia Homes Karl Krogstad, Pugsley& LaHaie, Limited CC: Steve Trilling, Trustee Liaison to the Plan Commission Jeff Berman, Trustee Liaison to the Plan Commission Plan Commission SUBJECT SITE East Side of Prairie Road at Chestnut Terrace (immediately north of Mirielle Phase II) PETITIONER REQUEST Petitioner John Green, Groundwork Limited (on behalf of Insignia Homes), is seeking consolidation of four parcels on the east side of Prairie Road at Chestnut Terrace (immediately north of Mirielle Phase II), and approval of an R-8 Planned Unit Development. The plan proposes the removal of the current single family residences and related structures and construction of 41 new townhome units including associated streets, walks, water retention, and recreational features. ART RECOMMENDATION / NOTES Mr. Green provided an overview of the aesthetic changes that have been made since the January 7, 2004 Appearance Review Team (ART) meeting. The unit floor plans have remained unchanged but other modifications have been incorporated as requested at the prior ART meeting. The changes include: flipping buildings six and seven, front gable modifications (enlarging and adding a pop-out at the "B" end unit), pairing the garage door and header styles, lengthening of the corner windows, incorporation of interior muntins into the windows, modification of the entry door sidelight, repositioning of the gable element on the side elevations, and changes to color Palette 1 to broaden the range between the two palettes. Additionally, Mr. Green presented the proposed light fixtures which would be the same for all exterior light locations. The ART found all of the aforementioned modifications to be improvements as compared to the previous submittal. Mr. Krogstad provided an overview of the proposed landscaping plan. The plan calls for saving existing trees where building placement and site grading permits. The two areas where saving trees will be possible are at the northeast and southwest corners of the site. There would be no relocation of existing trees because the size, species, and quality do not lend themselves to a relocation plan. Instead, higher quality new trees would be planted throughout the site including the required street trees. Due to street and driveway layout not all required street trees could be located in the parkway and the petitioner has proposed locating these trees elsewhere within the development. The ART team noted the Village Engineer's skepticism that the trees in the northeast and southwest corners of the site could be saved. Mr. Krogstad indicated it is their intent to try to save those trees. Mr. Green responded that they have moved the buildings further away from the trees they intend to save and that site grading would be carefully planned to allow the trees to remain. The fence along Prairie Road would be a combination of five-foot board-on-board for the sections parallel to Prairie Road and an "ornamental iron" look for sections perpendicular to Prairie Road. As the fence approaches Chestnut Terrace (extended) it would terminate at the development entry monuments. The south property line would include fencing and berming to provide a buffer between the proposed townhomes and the existing single-family residences as well as soften the appearance of the existing fences which are of inconsistent styles. A section of the existing fence along the south property line would be removed at Avalon Drive to allow the emergency access drive (or street connection). Similar landscaping would be used to soften the eastern edge of the property as it abuts the railroad tracks. The central recreation area proposed for the site would incorporate enhanced landscaping to create a sense of place and provide privacy for the units which would abut it. Mr. Krogstad reviewed typical foundation plantings for the three and four unit buildings describing the plantings as "framing and accenting the architecture of the building, not hiding it." The proposed foundation plantings would add enhancements to the building and screen exterior mechanical equipment. Landscaping for the cellular tower peninsula would be terraced with different plantings on each of the three levels created by the two-tier wall. The upper tier would consist of typical dry soil plantings whereas the lower two terraces propose wet plantings since each is below the engineered high water level and could be immersed during heavy rain events. The ART asked if anything in the cellular tower lease prohibited the proposed landscaping and Mr. Scimeca indicated that they have not had any objection from the cellular tower company. The seating area adjacent to the cellular tower would include benches and the paving is proposed to be a stamped concrete pattern which would be both functional for the cellular site access and more aesthetically pleasing than a standard concrete or asphalt drive. The cellular tower site would be fenced until the current lease ends. After the lease has ended the company would remove the cellular tower leaving a peninsula overlook for the residents of the development. In the interim, the fenced area would be turf grass which would be maintained by the townhome association. Finally, Mr. Green indicated that the current proposal can accommodate either an emergency access drive at Avalon Drive or a full street connection. In the event that a full street connection is provided the eastern unit on building ten would be eliminated thereby reducing the overall development to 40 units. If the emergency access is found to be the preferred alternative, Mr. Green proposes a fully paved connection with a rolled curb which would accommodate police and fire access while prohibiting everyday vehicular traffic from using the connection. The meeting adjourned at 7:15 p.m.