Loading...
2014-06-18 - Plan Commission - Minutes Board or Commission: ❑ Plan commission Document Type: 0 A e g nda 0 Minutes Meeting ate: 06/18/2014 Type of Meeting: ❑ Regular Meeting REGULAR MEETING BUFFALO GROVE PLAN COMMISSION June 18, 2014 Mugs Pizza & Ribs, 1695 Weiland Road -Amendment of Planned Unit Development ordinance concerning allowed uses , 1691-97 Weiland Road (Lot 2, Old Weiland Subdivision) My Gym, 1622 Barclay Boulevard -Special use for a Recreation use in the Industrial District Torah Academy, 720 Armstrong Drive -Amendment of Village Zoning Ordinance concerning elementary school as a special use in the Industrial District and approval of special uses for a preschool /elementary School and child care facility in the Industrial District Commissioner present: Chairman Smith Mr. Khan Mr. Cohn Mr. Weinstein Ms. Johnson Mr. Goldspiel Commissioner absent; Mr. Stark Mr. Matthews Also present: Mr. Kyle Johnson, Kidsfitnessbg, and LLC Mr. Lawrence Freedman, Ash, Anos, Freedman & Logan Mr. Carl Kupfer, IG Consulting, Inc. RabbiSteven Zehnwith, Torah Academy Mr. Les Ottenheimer, Village Trustee Mr. William Raysa, Village Attorney Mr. Brian Sheehan, Building Commissioner Mr. Robert Pfeil, Village Planner APPROVAL OF MINUTES Moved by Commissioner Weinstein, seconded by Commissioner Khan to approve the minutes of the public hearing of May 21, 2014. Commissioner Goldspiel noted a change required on page 3, paragraph 3, the word should be "their" instead of"there." Also, on page 5, paragraph 4, include the word "about," and on page 6 in the second full paragraph the word "but" should be "asked about." All Commissioners were in favor of the amended motion and the motion passed unanimously. Moved by Commissioner Johnson, seconded by Commissioner Goldspiel to approve the regular meeting minutes of May 21, 2014. All Commissioners were in favor of the motion and the motion passed unanimously. COMMITTEE AND LIAISON REPORTS Commissioner Goldspiel attended the Village Board meeting on June 16, 2014. There were two items of interest for the Plan Commission: the ordinance establishing the Planning and Zoning Commission was adopted, and a pre-application conference was held for a proposed residential development at 23020 N. Easton Avenue. The plan proposes 15 townhomes on the site of 1.3 acres. MUGS PIZZA AND RIBS - AMENDMENT OF THE PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT (PUD1 APPROVED BY VILLAGE ORDINANCE NO. 96*9 PERTAINING TO ALLOWED USES ON THE PROPERTY Moved by Commissioner Weinstein, seconded by Commissioner Khan to recommend approval to the Village Board of the petition for amendment of the Planned Unit Development approved by Village Ordinance No. 96-09 pertaining to allowed uses on the property to add a take-out and delivery food use to the list of allowed uses on the property at 1691-97 Weiland Road. Commissioner Goldspiel asked if the Commission was amending the Planned Unit Development Ordinance as it affects everyone who comes to the Village not just this property? Mr. Pfeil stated this is specific to this property; the PUD ordinance limits uses allowed on the property. Chairman Smith called for a vote on the motion and the vote was as follows: AYES: Khan, Cohn, Weinstein, Johnson, Smith NAYS: Goldspiel ABSENT: Stark, Matthews ABSTAIN: None The motion passed 5 to 1. Commissioner Goldspiel stated his no vote was because he felt that the ingress and egress from the south driveway was not addressed concerning traffic visibility and safety. MY GYM, 1622 BARCLAY BLVD - SPECIAL USE FOR A RECREATION USE IN THE INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT Moved by Commissioner Weinstein, seconded by Commissioner Johnson to recommend approval to the Village Board of the petition to operate the My Gym facility as a Special Use in the Industrial district to offer its activates at 1622 Barclay Blvd. Commissioner Goldspiel spoke in favor of the motion stating the Village has had several similar types of uses in the area and it fits in well with them and would be an appropriate kind of use and activity. Chairman Smith called for a vote on the motion and the vote was as follows: AYES: Khan, Cohn, Weinstein, Johnson, Goldspiel, Smith NAYS: None ABSENT: Stark, Matthews ABSTAIN: None The motion passed 6 to 0. TORAH ACADEMY, 720 ARMSTRONG DRIVE - AMENDMENT OF VILLAGE ZONING ORDINANCE CONCERNING PRESCHOOL/ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AS A SPECIAL USE IN THE INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT AND APPROVAL OF SPECIAL USES FOR A PRESCHOOL/ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND CHILD CARE FACILITY IN THE INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT Moved by Commissioner Weinstein, seconded by Commissioner Johnson to add preschool/elementary school as a special use in the Industrial District with the definition as set forth Mr. Pfeil's memo of June 13, 2014. Chairman Smith called for a vote on the motion and the vote was as follows: AYES: Khan, Cohn, Weinstein, Johnson, Goldspiel, Smith NAYS: None ABSENT: Stark, Matthews ABSTAIN: None The motion passed 6 to 0. Moved by Commissioner Weinstein, seconded by Commissioner Cohn to recommend approval to the Village Board for the petitioner's request for special uses for a preschool/elementary school and child care facility for the property at 720 Armstrong Drive with the following conditions: 1. Approval shall be obtained from DCFS for the child care facility. 2. Maximum capacity of 45 students. 3. Until such time as the parking lot has been modified as set forth on the proposed plan the maximum capacity is 25 students and the special use will expire on August 15, 2015 unless the parking lot improvements have been completed as set forth in the proposed Torah Academy parking and drop off lane configuration presented as Exhibit 2 at the public hearing. Commissioner Goldspiel speaking in support of the motion stated the special use is being fit into the zone by appropriate means and planning and it should be effective and worthwhile. Commissioner Weinstein stated he is in favor of the proposal as well although he has his concerns about the first year but he is hopeful the petitioner will be able to manage the drop off and pick up successfully and given the number of students it is manageable. Mr. Sheehan asked where the main entrance for the building will be. Mr. Kupfer stated the main entrance will be the one that exists today. They have an opportunity if pick-ups and drop offs are facilitated to also use a second entrance which is opposite the parking lot on the east side of the building. Mr. Sheehan noted the current site plan exhibit shows an accessible parking space to the north of the building. If that is not the closest accessible space to the main building entrance, the accessible space may need to be moved to the parallel parking area along the east side of the site. Mr. Kupfer stated there are two entrances to the building; one in front which would tend to be used by the day care and the one in the back which could be used by elementary children as well as by persons needing handicapped accessibility. Mr. Sheehan noted the ADA rules require the accessible space to be located at the closest proximate route to the building entrance, not a just direct route. This will have to be determined. He stated that the site plan will not control location of the accessible space if the space is not in the correct location in relation to the building entrance. Mr. Kupfer stated they will explore that in detail as they do the final engineering and the architect will endeavor to get it there. Chairman Smith noted there are some concerns with the proposal, but the number of students is so low that parking will not be an issue for the foreseeable future, and any issues in the future will be addressed as needed. Chairman Smith called for a vote on the motion and the vote was as follows: AYES: Khan, Cohn, Weinstein, Johnson, Goldspiel, Smith NAYS: None ABSENT: Stark, Matthews ABSTAIN: None The motion passed 6 to 0. CHAIRMAN'S REPORT Chairman Smith stated he appreciates the time Commissioners Bruce Matthews and Barry Stark put in and thanked them for their years of service on the Plan Commission. FUTURE AGENDA SCHEDULE Mr. Pfeil noted this is the final meeting of the Plan Commission. The new Planning and Zoning Commission will not meet the first Wednesday in July. The first meeting will be July 16, 2014. Mr. Sheehan and he will be coordinating to blend in the various ZBA matters with the new commission. PUBLIC COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS - None STAFF REPORT- None NEW BUSINESS - None ADJOURNMENT Moved by Commissioner Weinstein, seconded by Commissioner Khan and carried unanimously to adjourn. Chairman Smith adjourned the meeting at 9:00 pm. Respectfully yours, Fay Rubin, Recording Secretary APPROVED BY: ERIC SMITH, Chair Board or Commission: ❑ Plan commission Document Type: ❑A e g nda 0 Minutes Meeting ate: 06/18/2014 Type of Meeting: PUBLIC HEARING BUFFALO GROVE PLAN COMMISSION June 18, 2014 Mugs Pizza and Ribs, 1695 Weiland Road Amendment of Planned Unit Development concerning uses allowed on property at 1691-1697 Weiland Road (Lot 2, Old Weiland Subdivision) Chairman Smith called the hearing to order at 7:30 pm in the Village Council Chambers, Buffalo Grove Municipal Building, 50 Raupp Boulevard, Buffalo Grove, Illinois. Chairman Smith read the Notice of Public Hearing as published in the Buffalo Grove Daily Herald, explained the procedure to be followed for the public hearing, and swore in all persons who wished to give testimony. Commissioners present: Chairman Smith Mr. Khan Mr. Cohn Mr. Weinstein Ms. Johnson Mr. Goldspiel Commissioners absent: Mr. Stark Mr. Matthews Also present: Mr. David Taitel, HMB Group Mr. Vince Cairo, HMB Group Mr. John Imreibe, Buffalo Grove Car Wash Mr. Les Ottenheimer, Village Trustee Mr. William Raysa, Village Attorney Mr. Brian Sheehan, Building Commissioner Mr. Robert Pfeil, Village planner The following exhibits were presented by the petitioner at the public hearing: Exhibit 1: Photo of oblique look to the west of 1695 Weiland Road (incorrectly labeled east of Weiland Road) Exhibit 2 Memo from Mr. Pfeil to the Plan Commission dated June 13, 2014 Mr. David Taitel stated he is petitioning the Village to amend the special uses at 1695 Weiland for a take-out and delivery pizza restaurant. Currently there are 47 other businesses listed in the ordinance, including a delicatessen and a retail bakery so we do not see our business as much different. Some of the concerns were parking and certainly many of the other businesses would require a lot more parking than we will. We will have no indoor seating so customers will be typically 2-3 minutes to get in and get their orders and leave and we are guessing we will have a fair amount of delivery at about 60 percent in this area. Mr. Taitel stated their business hours are from 3:00 pm to 3:00 am so many of the other businesses will be closed at their business times. The adjacent car wash which is the largest building there closes at 6:00 pm every night and they have the ability to use their parking as well. The Dunkin Donuts also closed by 7:00 pm on Monday through Friday. Mr. Taitel noted there is a fenced in area for garbage big enough for two and there is currently only one in there which is picked up every week and they do not anticipate any problem with that. If necessary they could always add a second dumpster in the fenced in area. There is currently room in the fenced in area for their grease drum which will be picked up once a week. There will be very little impact on the area in terms of garbage. Commissioner Goldspiel said there is a traffic conflict for vehicles coming out the south driveway from the parking lot for the south building and vehicles coming south on the adjacent travel aisle serving the car wash. The issue is a lack of visibility because of the dumpster location and height for vehicles exiting the parking lot from the south driveway. Vehicles coming from the car wash are obscured by the dumpster. He asked if there is an appropriate remedy, such as a stop line for vehicles coming out of the south driveway. Mr. Pfeil noted that the two buildings and related site improvements are part of a Planned Unit Development (PUD). He asked Mr. Imbreibe, owner of both buildings, if there have been issues with traffic visibility. Mr. Imbreibe stated there have been no traffic visibility issues. He noted that most of the time vehicles enter the south driveway where the dumpster is located and exit from the driveway between the two buildings because it's an easier turning radius. They have had no accidents or anyone saying there obstructed vision. Commissioner Goldspiel asked how high the enclosure is allowed to be under the plan. Mr. Pfeil stated the plan did not specifically limit the height of the enclosure. It has been rebuilt at least once. Mr. Imbreibe stated he rebuilt it about three years ago and he went according to the specification given by staff. Commissioner Goldspiel stated his suggestion is that a stop line be painted on that drive with some kind of a sign to alert people that there is potential conflict there. Mr. Cohn stated he has been to the car wash and Dunkin Donuts numerous times. He said the status quo is fine, but if a new control is desired, perhaps one way in and one way out would be a solution. Mr. Imbreibe stated it has not been an issue and since Dunkin Donuts gets its traffic usually in the early mornings it should not be an issue and the natural flow is really exactly the way Commissioner Cohn has suggested. He stated they will take any suggestions given. Commissioner Weinstein asked what the parking needs for the other occupants. Mr. Taitel stated there are 19 parking spaces for 1691 and 1697 and 8 additional spaces of the adjacent car wash of actual striped parking and once the car wash is closed there is a lot of space. Commissioner Weinstein asked how many employees they would have at any given time. Mr. Taitel stated the restaurant would have 2 to 3. Commissioner Weinstein noted he is just trying to figure out what the general demand would be for parking. Mr. Taitel stated their busiest time is really 6 to 9 pm for dinner and the car wash will be closed and Mr. Imbreibe who owns the car wash has extended any of his space for us as well. He stated he wants his customers to pull up right in front of the restaurant and get their food so they will keep the front as clear as possible. Commissioner Weinstein asked if this is the last open space in the building or is there still an opening. Mr. Imbreibe stated there is still one more. It was originally leased and their lease ended this past January. It is a small office space with about 1200 square feet. Most of the traffic is in the morning with Dunkin Donuts but it is gone by 9:00 am and then is pretty empty. There are 1 to 4 cars at most during the day. There is the nail salon which has about 1-2 people in any hour. Commissioner Weinstein asked if there have been any issues with the nail salon. Mr. Imbreibe stated no. Commissioner Johnson stated she is a frequent customer here and she goes in and out the first southern entrance and she has never had a problem. You can see the cars coming down the little road from the car wash and she just yields as they are coming straight. Also there is always plenty of parking there during the day. There being no further comments or questions from anyone else present, Chairman Smith closed the public hearing at 7:50 pm. Respectfully submitted, Fay Rubin, Recording Secretary APPROVED BY: ERIC SMITH, Chair Board or Commission: ❑ Plan commission Document Type: ❑A e g nda 0 Minutes Meeting ate: 06/18/2014 Type of Meeting: PUBLIC HEARING BUFFALO GROVE PLAN COMMISSION June 18, 2014 My Gym, 1622 Barclay Blvd Special Use for a recreation facility in the Industrial District Chairman Smith called the meeting to order at 7:55 pm in the Village Council Chambers, Buffalo Grove Municipal Building, 50 Raupp Boulevard, Buffalo Grove, Illinois. Chairman Smith read the Notice of Public Hearing as published in the Buffalo Grove Daily Herald, explained the procedure to be followed for the public hearing, and swore in all persons who wished to give testimony. Commissioners present: Chairman Smith Mr. Khan Mr. Cohn Mr. Weinstein Ms. Johnson Mr. Goldspiel Commissioners absent: Mr. Stark Mr. Matthews Also present: Mr. Kyle Johnson, Kidsfitnessbg, LLC Mr. Les Ottenheimer, Village Trustee Mr. William Raysa, Village Attorney Mr. Brian Sheehan, Building Commissioner Mr. Robert Pfeil, Village Planner The following exhibits were presented by the petitioner at the public hearing: Exhibit 1: Memo from Robert Pfeil to the Plan Commission dated June 13, 2014 Mr. Kyle Johnson stated he is petitioning for a special use for a recreational use at 1622 Barclay Boulevard to allow him to relocate his business there. My Gym is a family oriented business and has been serving Buffalo Grove now for 13 years and they have an outstanding reputation in the area. Mr. Johnson stated his proposed facility at 1622 Barclay Blvd. is similar size and layout to his current facility. The new facility is located off of Aptakisic Boulevard near Milwaukee Avenue so there are two large arteries to allow customers to get there very easily from every direction. It is also in the general vicinity of similar businesses such as Buffalo Grove Gymnastics, Xtreme Trampoline, Jump Zone but it is distant enough from them. Mr. Johnson stated the proposed plan does not change the exterior and should have no issues with future development for the area and it is served by all current utilities. It has sufficient power and water needs which are actually pretty limited. Mr. Johnson noted it is a corner lot and they have available parking on both the front facing side plus parking on the adjacent side. To the south is a doctor's office and their primary hours of business are in the afternoons after work and to the north and west is a yoga center which also does business primarily in the afternoons. Mr. Johnson stated their hours are from 9:00 am till noon and the most during that time they need 20 parking spots and they have about 26. They do have parking in the back for staff so they will not be taking away parking from customers. The largest parking needs are on weekends but most of those businesses are closed during the weekend times. Then they might need up to 30 spaces but they have the additional spaces from both of the adjacent businesses plus other offices that are in the facility and there is a sidewalk connecting it so families can simply park and walk on the sidewalk up to their door. Chairman Smith stated he should review the special use criteria. Mr. Johnson stated he thought he had answered all six of those. Commissioner Goldspiel asked if the petitioner foresees any activities of the gym being outside. Mr. Johnson stated it is entirely inside. Commissioner Weinstein wanted all six of the special criteria answered again and tied all together. Mr. Johnson stated: 1. They have been here for 14 years and they have an excellent reputation and they should not have any issues with or problems. 2. The location and size is adequate for what they need and is very similar in size and layout to what they currently use. They are about 400 square feet larger of usable space. 3. Our timing and classes are not being run at the same time as the people around them. 4. Just to be on the safe side the center is installing soundproofing in the walls just to make sure any kids running around will not be disturbing any neighbors although they have never had an issue or complaint in all their years. 5. Current utilities are all on location already and we will be transferring all of the garbage service and electric service and cable to this new location. 6. Parking is of adequate size with both sides for parking so there is extra parking. Commissioner Smith asked about the weekend need for parking of about 30 spaces. Mr. Johnson stated that would be the absolute maximum. He stated they rarely use that much and the doctor's office has very limited hours in the morning only and on the weekends they start later with birthday parties. On Saturdays they start at 1:00 and the doctor's office is closed and also completely closed on Sundays. The yoga facility does have classes on the weekend but they only need about 5-6 spaces according to the Rogers Center. Commissioner Goldspiel asked how late at night they would be operating. Mr. Johnson stated their latest class runs to about 8:00 pm but those classes are very small with only about 6-7 children. Commissioner Goldspiel asked if there was adequate lighting for people coming and going at that time. Mr. Johnson stated they do have lighting next to the doors and the parking is directly there so that should not be a problem. If there was a concern he would take that up with the Rogers Center and ask them to install some more exterior lighting to alleviate that concern. There being no further comments or questions from anyone else present, Chairman Smith closed the public hearing at 8:06 pm. Respectfully submitted, Fay Rubin, Recording Secretary APPROVED BY: ERIC SMITH, Chair Board or Commission: ❑ Plan commission Document Type: ❑A e g nda 0 Minutes Meeting ate: 06/18/2014 Type of Meeting: PUBLIC HEARING BUFFALO GROVE PLAN COMMISSION June 18, 2014 Torah Academy, 720 Armstrong Drive Special uses in the Industrial District for a child car facility and preschool /elementary school Zoning Ordinance text amendment to add preschool/elementary school as a special use in the Industrial District Chairman Smith called the hearing to order at 8:07 pm in the Village Council Chambers, Buffalo Grove municipal Building, 50 Raupp Boulevard, Buffalo Grove, Illinois. Chairman Smith read the Notice of Public Hearing as published in the Buffalo Grove Daily Herald, explained the procedure to be followed for the public hearing, and swore in all persons who wished to give testimony. Commissioners present: Chairman Smith Mr. Khan Mr. Cohn Mr.Weinstein Ms. Johnson Mr. Goldspiel Commissioners absent: Mr. Stark Mr. Matthews Also present: Mr. Lawrence Freedman, Ash, Anos, Freedman & Logan Mr. Carl Kupfer, IG Consulting, Inc. Rabbi Steven Zehnwirth, Torah Academy Mr. Les Ottenheimer, Village trustee Mr. William Raysa, Village Attorney Mr. Brian Sheehan, Building Commissioner Mr. Robert Pfeil, Village Planner The following exhibits were presented by the petitioner at the public hearing: Exhibit 1: Overhead view of site Exhibit 2: Civil architectural plan Exhibit 3: Internal building plan Exhibit 4: Memo from Mr. Pfeil to the Plan Commission dated June 13, 2014 Mr. Freedman stated they are seeking a text amendment that would add as a special use to be considered a school in the Industrial District and they are also seeking (presuming the text amendment is approved) the granting of a special use for the benefit of the Torah Academy for the subject property. Mr. Freedman stated both he and Mr. Kupfer have appeared before the Commission many times and are aware of the process and they are aware of the time it generally takes to get materials before staff and give them reasonable review time and to give the Commission a change to review it. This has been on a rather fast track and has been occasioned by the fact that they found the place quickly. The Academy is leaving its current facility in the Village and they are trying desperately to open in time to operate for the upcoming fall semester. This has resulted in putting a burden on the staff, especially Mr. Pfeil. On behalf of the applicant and themselves they apologize for that. Mr. Kupfer stated the subject property is currently occupied by a consulting engineering firm and is slightly over 24,000 square feet. There is a parking lot directly to the east of the building with 14 parking spaces. There is a service walk to the front of the building that moves from the parking lot toward the building. The area to the north and northwest corner has several trees that have died or are dead and will have to come down and to the left it is undeveloped and is a lawn as is the area to the west of the building extending all the way down to Armstrong. Mr. Kupfer stated the area is Industrial substantially developed if not fully developed. They conducted traffic counts on Armstrong to reassure themselves that they could deal with existing traffic. It turns up there are about 100 passenger cars per hour during the morning peak hour. The proposed Academy would let out before the afternoon peak so they did not get those hours in. It is the morning hours that count here. That is also two way traffic. Mr. Kupfer noted the removal of one of the parking spaces on the lower left hand corner of the proposed space which now gives them 11 spaces which is still in excess of what is required under the ordinance for parking. The existing parking had perpendicular spaces relative to the driveway and they are now proposing parallel spaces and extending it slightly to the north to provide a 50 foot diameter turnaround which is in excess of even the largest SUV. It provides parking to the north of the building and a drop off lane which will be useful as the school experiences growth. Mr. Kupfer stated the parking requirements are based on the ordinance standard which is for child care/pre-school operations which is 2 parking spaces per 1,000 square feet. For an elementary school the requirement is 1 per employee. They have 2 teachers for the elementary for the 1,000 square feet they are proposing. Code requires a total of 7 spaces and they are proposing to provide 11 spaces in the future condition which includes a required handicapped space at the north end of the building. Mr. Kupfer reviewed the drop off situation which has two inbound lanes by widening the driveway approximately 8 feet. They are able to accommodate inbound traffic, making the turn and coming back either leaving the facility or entering the drop off lane. They have 5 spaces at 22 foot in length per drop off position. That is an industry standard so that one could in theory drop off 5 children at a time. They have recommended to the administrator of the facility to prepare a drop off or loading and unloading plan so that one can efficiently handle that in the given time frame. There are two times for drop offs in the morning. There is the child care or pre-school which occurs from 7:15 to 7:30 a.m. They presently have 8 children enrolled in that program. Eventually it may increase to about 16 children in the pre-school category. They have 14 kids in their elementary division that would be increasing to about 28 kids total in the future. The elementary drop offs are from 8:00 to 8:15 a.m. With 5 drop off spaces that is an easy accommodation of about 45 seconds per drop off. Those would occur on the passenger side of the car and children would not have to cross traffic and would even have to be escorted by a parent. Mr. Kupfer stated there is a reason to use the existing parking configuration for the school as it operated today because these improvements could not be concluded in time. He stated it is his opinion that the 14 available spaces are quite adequate to handle existing parking as well as the remaining 7 to be available to parents dropping their children off with one caveat. He has recommended that these children be escorted into the building. Generally it is done by one or two of the teachers who will take the children from the car and into the school which is what they did presently in their existing location. The existing 14 spaces are quite adequate to handle their current load. The proposed plan is important for the future. Mr. Freedman stated this is the plan they propose to construct but it cannot be done this year. So the concept is that the site can work adequately and safely without the drop off provided there is the escort to and from. The escort would not be mandatory after they put the drop off in. Parents can still walk their children in and out and are out and are not obligated to use the escort service but it will be provided by staff during the interim period until these improvements are made for the following year. Commissioner Goldspiel asked if there is a separate child care operation from the school. Rabbi Zehnwirth stated they have a room for children under the age of 3 which is DCFS regulated. Once they become 3 years and up it become pre-school and then it goes into Kindergarten. It is under their auspices with the same staff and administrators but the rooms are for separate ages. Commissioner Goldspiel asked how these various regulations will affect the plan. Rabbi Zehnwirth stated the major requirements are the staffing requirements that must be met by submitting all the fingerprints and background checks. They need to have a play yard which they do in the back. He noted they were licensed in their previous location so they are familiar with the requirements but they must redo that for each new location. Commissioner Goldspiel asked if there is an entrance from the building to the future play area or will it be accessed from the parking. Rabbi Zehnwirth stated the play area is accessed from the building. The part of the building facing the north has a door which takes them right onto the play area. Commissioner Goldspiel asked if the State has requirements as to how many children can fit into this space. Rabbi Zehnwirth stated it is a certain amount of square feet per child. Commissioner Goldspiel asked in terms of maximum usage they have talked about 44 students and would more than that be allowed. Mr. Freedman noted the present number of students is 22. He noted they anticipate growth in the future but they do not anticipate that number will get substantially higher with the next year or two based on history. Mr. Kupfer's testimony was that there is the potential for expansion to those numbers because there is adequate staff to handle more kids so you would not be increasing staff parking. The number of children will have no impact on parking as long as you maintain DCFS standards. The idea of giving those numbers was to demonstrate that they are obviously not buying a building that they could not expand into and yet the expansion is not going to require improvements beyond what is being shown. Commissioner Weinstein reiterated that the pre-school has one drop off time and there are about 8 kids and the rest of the school has a separate drop off time for about 14 kids. Rabbi Zehnwirth stated that was correct. Commissioner Weinstein asked about pick up times. Mr. Kupfer stated the pick up time for the child care is between 5-5:30 pm. It is a longer period so there would be greater intervals between times of pick up. The elementary is at 3:45 when school lets out so that would be for approximately 15 to 30 minutes after the end school day. Commissioner Weinstein asked how many staff members will be using parking spaces at the time roughly 14 kids are being let out. Mr. Kupfer stated if all staff are there through the end of the day they are looking at a maximum of 7. Commissioner Weinstein noted that means there are about 7-8 spaces left for 14 kids to get picked up at about the same time. Mr. Kupfer stated that is correct. Commissioner Weinstein stated they are parking the car and the kids are escorted out and about 1-2 minutes later the next parent would arrive. He commented that he can envision a lack of parking at that time and he does not know where these cars will be at this pick up time. He is concerned with a lack of a plan in this first year. Mr. Kupfer stated he does not see that concern. He stated he has observed school child care and elementary operations to see how long it would take for person to pick up a child and it is somewhere along the order 1-2 minutes. Mr. Kupfer noted that he has recommended that there be a plan with specific times when the parents arrive. He further noted there is an opportunity to at the rear of the parking lot to provide 4 additional spaces to the north of the building. This would be the area where the future plan and a turnaround would be constructed and where future parking spaces would go. That could be done at some point during the school year because it would not interfere with the school drop off and pick up activities in the front. This would be for future parking in the rear. However based on his observations it can be done with some management. Mr. Freedman stated you are obviously discussing the worst case scenario which can obviously happen but they do not envision it being that kind of a problem because they do feel there will be carpooling and siblings and they will not be coming at the exact same moment. But to address the issue, these are regular people who come every day and if they do, in fact, find there is that kind of problem they certainly can put out a plan where pick ups and drop offs are staggered. Based on discussions with the application he does not feel that will be required but they certainly can do that if it is a necessity and they are only talking about this first year of operation. Commissioner Weinstein stated he has his concerns about this first year. He noted the nasty winter we just went through means parents don't want to park and want to pull up right to the door and send their kids in. Mr. Freedman noted there will be staff there during the first year which is the point of the escort. They feel that is a necessity. Rabbi Zehnwirth noted the reality in the afternoon 3-4 children of elementary school age are children of the administration and staff. They go home with their parents in their cars. For the first year they know exactly who their clients are and it is just a handful of children they see everyday and they can set up staggered times and they have never had any rush hour crush. Commissioner Weinstein asked if there is any issue with the number of overall parking spaces relative to this building. Mr. Pfeil noted Mr. Kupfer's testimony that the child care portion of the facility is 1,000 square feet, so that based on the Village zoning standard that would require two off street parking spaces. The other part is the number of employees in the school operation and Mr. Kupfer's testimony is that there would be 5 employees. The combined parking requirement pursuant to the Village's zoning standards would be 7 parking spaces based on two spaces for the child care facility and five spaces for the school. Mr. Kupfer stated that is correct. Mr. Pfeil asked if the school expands in the future and there are more students, how would the staffing increase beyond the initial five employees. Mr. Kupfer stated the staffing would not increase until there is approximately a doubling student enrollment. Mr. Pfeil asked how many teachers would be needed at that point. Mr. Kupfer stated the present staffing level would be able to handle 16 total pre-school students and 28 total kindergarten plus elementary with the current total of 7 staff, including the child care employees. Mr. Kupfer stated there are 2 child care staff members, 2 administrative staff members and 3 teachers. Mr. Pfeil asked if 11 spaces will be more than adequate to accommodate the number of teachers in the school and the child care facility. Mr. Kupfer stated yes. He stated 11 spaces for 7 staff members would leave the remainder for visitors and the like. Mr. Pfeil stated that based on the testimony it appears that the Village's standard would be met for off street parking. Mr. Freedman stated he would urge the Commission to take into account the likelihood of their rate of growth. He stated Mr. Kupfer is talking about accommodating some future growth but if it should go beyond double they would be looking to add land or look for a different facility. Commissioner Weinstein asked how many students this facility could accommodate if it really started growing and booming. Rabbi Zehnwirth stated about double the numbers. He noted they need an indoor play area as they cannot have the kids outside when it is freezing. They will be using one-third of the building space for an indoor play area. Mr. Freedman noted that if enrollment increases beyond the capacity of the building, the Torah Academy would have to start looking for a larger facility. Commissioner Goldspiel asked where snow would be stored. Mr. Freedman stated they would have to have a contractor haul it off if necessary. Mr. Pfeil asked if the landscaping and the sidewalk along the east side of the building would be modified with the parking lot improvements. Mr. Kupfer stated yes. He noted there is currently a side landscaped embankment which would be replaced by a drop off walk which would come within a foot of the building. Mr. Pfeil asked if there might be any tree removal necessary either along Armstrong Drive or at the north where the playground would be or the parking improvements. Mr. Kupfer stated he does not see the need for any tree removal in the front yard setback. There are a couple of dead trees in the rear that would have to go and there may be an impact to one or two others at the far north end. A good many of these trees are green ash and it would not be such a bad thing if they are removed. They would present a landscape plan when they come in with final engineering. Mr. Pfeil asked if the playground would be built sooner than the other site improvements because of DCFS requirements. Mr. Kupfer stated yes. He said the playground would have to be fenced and constructed for the coming school year in August 2014. Mr. Freedman addressed the special use criteria: 1. The building is of more than adequate size to accommodate the projected number of students and staff per testimony and the parking and drop off areas when added as part of the ultimate plan have been designed to function safely and sufficiently such that the proposed use will not be detrimental to or endanger the public health, safety, morals, comfort or general welfare. 2. The surrounding properties are already developed and the proposed use will be adding very minimal traffic at minimal times during the day such that the location and size of the proposed use and nature and intensity of the operation will be in harmony with the appropriate and orderly development of the district in which the property is located. 3. The proposed use is significantly less intense than surrounding uses which are primarily more often found in the I District such that this use will not be injurious to the use and enjoyment to other property in the immediate vicinity. 4. The building is pre-existing and as such has never had any negative impact, impeded, hindered nor discouraged the development and use of adjacent properties since they propose no significant changes to the building exterior so they do not see how it will going forward. 5. The building is pre-existing and is already being serviced by all necessary and required utilities, access drainage and other facilities and will continue to do so. 6. As demonstrated by the proposed plan the parking areas are of sufficient size to service the proposed use. There are no adjoining residential uses that have to be screened under that standard because it is in an I District and the traffic plan has been designed to prevent any kind of traffic hazards. Mr. Freedman stated they have therefore met the standards for the issuance of a special use permit. Chairman Smith asked what they envision for people entering from the street as far as a backup of people dropping off and picking up. Mr. Freedman stated the answer is that this is a very known and controlled population. They are talking about a total of 21 children, some of which are children of the staff. If, however, it starts to be a problem they will immediately sit down with each of the families and spread out the drop offs and pick ups. They will implement a plan with the people who use this facility who will want to do this as it will make their lives more convenient and safer. Commissioner Weinstein asked when the school year begins. Rabbi Zehnwirth stated they pretty much follow the public school calendar which is about the last week in August to the first week in June. Commissioner Weinstein asked if a condition of approval is completion of parking lot improvements, would mid-August of 2015 would be the correct deadline date. Mr. Freedman stated yes. There being no further comments or questions from anyone else present, Chairman Smith closed the public hearing at 8:55 pm. Respectfully submitted, Fay Rubin, Recording Secretary APPROVED BY: ERIC SMITH, Chair