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2013-05-15 - Plan Commission - Minutes Board or Commission: ❑ Plan commission Document Type: 0 A e g nda 0 Minutes Meeting ate: 05/15/2013 Type of Meeting: ❑ Regular Meeting REGULAR MEETING BUFFALO GROVE PLAN COMMISSION May 15, 2013 Brunswick's, 350 McHenry Road - Review of Special Use for a Family Entertainment center, including site plan modifications and appearance review, in the B-5 Town Center District -Workshop #1 Chairman Smith called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. in the Village Council Chambers, Buffalo Grove Municipal Building, 50 Raupp Boulevard, Buffalo Grove, Illinois. Commissioners present: Chairman Smith Mr. Khan Mr. Stark Mr. Weinstein Ms. Johnson Mr. Goldspiel Mr. Matthews Commissioners absent: Mr. Cohn Also present: Mr. Brad Jorgensen, Brunswick Bowling & Billiards Mr. Michael Pagan, Chipman Design Architecture Mr. Larry Costakis, Brunswick Bowling & Billiards Mr. Andy Stein, Village Trustee Mr. Mike Terson, Village Trustee Mr. Robert Pfeil, Village Planner APPROVAL OF MINUTES Moved by Commissioner Khan, seconded by Commissioner Matthews to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of April 17, 2013. Commissioner Johnson noted the error in her name as Mr. Johnson to be corrected. All Commissioners were in favor of the amended motion and the motion passed unanimously with Commissioner Johnson abstaining. COMMITTEE AND LIAISON REPORTS Commissioner Khan attended the May 6, 2013 Village Board meeting where a referral was made to the Plan Commission regarding the Brunswick petition to replace the current eSkape facility at Town Center. Also Village Trustees Stein, Sussman and Ottenheimer were sworn in for their new terms in office. There was also some discussion on the state legislation concerning medical marijuana. It may be next year before the law if finalized in terms of details affecting local jurisdiction to regulate facilities. At the appropriate time, the Village Board will expect the Plan Commission to review and make a recommendation concerning zoning regulations. BRUNSWICK'S, 350 McHenry Road - REVIEW OF SPECIAL USE FOR A FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT CENTER, INCLUDING SITE PLAN MODIFICATIONS AND APPEARANCE REVIEW, IN THE B-5 TOWN CENTER DISTRICT-WORKSHOP #1 Mr. Brad Jorgensen presented information concerning a new brand of entertainment center that Brunswick proposes for the Buffalo Grove location currently occupied by eSkape. This would be the third facility of this type in the U.S. The proposal includes an outdoor patio with a fire pit as a place for socializing and playing games. Inside the facility is meant to be a warmer environment for family and friends to gather and socialize. This will hopefully be one of the premier bowling destinations in the entire country. Mr. Jorgensen stated one of the areas they are really focusing on with this concept is the food and beverage offerings. For the menu they are working with a company called Trifecta Management Group which recently redid all the menus for the House of Blues nationwide. The proposed menu at Brunswick's will have a lot of interesting selections. Mr. Michael Pagan, the project architect, discussed the proposed changes to the exterior and interior of the building. He noted that since the building currently has a similar use there isn't a lot that needs to be done with the exception of the front entrances on the south fagade of the building. No changes to the other elevations are proposed other than signage. They will not be modifying any of the masonry. The existing metal roofs will be painted a silver color. The building entrances will be moved and treated with new fagade elements. Other than that they are proposing to put a new corrugated metal panel as well as a new porcelain tile finish which is on the feature wall with the signage. It is a porcelain tile that looks like wood. They will also be adding the patio which will extend out into the existing parking lot a bit. Mr. Pagan reviewed the floor plan for the project. The restaurant flow will be maintained in the current layout with just cosmetic upgrades. They will be removing a wall and opening up the bar area to the concourse to give more of an open feel to the building but it will not require any structural changes. They will be eliminating a few bowling lanes to increase the arcade area. Mr. Pagan reviewed the proposed patio. He noted they took into account the existing radiuses of the fire lane, and the current radiuses are maintained for fire equipment clearances around the building. The current width of the fire lanes is also maintained. Other than that they will just be replacing the landscaping in the islands affected by the parking lot modifications. He noted they will be creating a new entrance to the patio from the existing restaurant area. Access to the patio is through the restaurant, not from the outside fenced area. A new trellis feature is proposed at the entrance, so the sidewalk will be bumped out adjacent to the patio. Mr. Larry Costakis, Director of Construction for Brunswick, reviewed the sign package. He stated the proposed signage is very similar in size to what has been used for eSkape, but variances of the Village Sign Code will be needed. A new ground sign is proposed along McHenry Road. Mr. Costakis noted that the patio and related parking lot modifications will reduce that parking count by 12 spaces. They expect the parking demand to be similar to what eSkape has needed. They have reviewed the parking demand of adjacent businesses, only the Rackem Up billiard hall has a similar operating schedule. The available parking field of 373 spaces will be adequate for the business demand in this part of Town Center. Commissioner Goldspiel asked what variance is requested concerning the sign package. Mr. Costakis stated variances are needed to have more than one wall sign on the south elevation and to allow the sign areas on the south elevation to be larger than the size allowed by the ordinance. The ground sign needs a variance to allow the restaurant name as well as "Brunswick's." Commissioner Goldspiel asked for information concerning the size of the signs needing variations. Mr. Pfeil said the two wall signs on the south elevation are allowed to have an area of up to 20 percent of the respective fagade background areas. He said he would need to check on whether the signs exceed the 20 percent limit. Commissioner Goldspiel asked if the facility will have bowling leagues, what the mix will be for league and non-league play. Mr. Jorgensen stated they plan to have leagues but will always have about 10 lanes available for open play. The leagues will be focused on Monday through Thursdays, with perhaps some weekend activity. Commissioner Khan asked about the amount of real estate being purchased by Brunswick. Mr. Costakis outlined the area they are acquiring from Inland; it is Lot 2 of Town Center Unit 8 subdivision. The rest of the Town Center shopping center is owned by Buffalo Grove Venture LLC. Commissioner Khan asked for clarification of the parking area to be owned by Brunswick. Mr. Costakis said there are approximately 108 spaces on Lot 2 to be purchased by Brunswick, and the rest of the parking is on Lot 1 owned by the shopping center. Maintenance and access are shared by the two ownerships. Commissioner Khan asked about the plan note for the south end of Lot 1 indicating a future outlot. Mr. Costakis stated it is not an outlot now; it's part of the parking lot. He said the shopping center owner wanted this note about the outlot on the plan. The owner would have to come to the Plan Commission concerning creation of the outlot and the proposed use. Commission Khan noted that Brunswick's patio area will remove 12 parking stalls. If an outlot for a new use is proposed, there could be an impact on overall parking for this portion of Town Center, since there would be a total reduction of about 52 spaces. Mr. Costakis noted the remainder would be about 250 spaces if the outlot is developed. He stated the developer would have to work that out to make sure that there would be adequate parking for all the businesses. The 250 spaces would be adequate for Brunswick's facility. He noted that Brunswick has other entertainment centers larger than the proposed facility in Buffalo Grove, and 250 spaces are adequate for these locations. Mr. Costakis pointed out that additional parking is available south the landscaped median in the access road between Lot 1 and the rest of the shopping center to the south. Commissioner Khan asked Mr. Pfeil how this would work out for the whole shopping center. Mr. Pfeil commented that the shopping center has a large amount of available parking, and customers and visitors are allowed to use parking throughout the center. A limiting factor is the distance that customers are willing and able to walk. If the outlot on Lot 1 of Unit 8 is proposed, the Plan Commission will need to evaluate parking demand for the north portion of the shopping center. Commissioner Khan noted that because of the patio bump out, the parking lot island is being moved. He noted back of curb to back of curb is 35 feet. But he would like to see clear dimensions from face of curb to face of curb and the clear distance for the fire lane width. Mr. Costakis stated when they laid out the patio they maintained the current width of the fire lane so they did not decrease that at all. Even with the bump out there is still a 35-foot fire lane going straight across in front of the patio. They brought the radiuses from the side of the road and maintained those radiuses and fire lane width. Mr. Jorgensen noted they will be preparing detailed site drawings and submitting them to the Village for review. Commissioner Weinstein asked if the brick will be painted or staying the same, and he requested comment concerning the compatibility of the modified exterior elevation with the other buildings in Town Center. Mr. Pagan noted they are not intending to paint the brick. He stated they might have to stain a portion because originally there was a big Eagle sign right in the middle of the fagade and when they took that down the brick was discolored. Commissioner Weinstein asked about access in and out of the patio area. Mr. Pagan noted there was no entrance from the outside but there is an exit from the patio so people do not have to go back into the restaurant in case of an emergency. Commissioner Weinstein asked if there are any issues such as noise from the outside patio that may affect nearby residences. Mr. Pfeil noted that sound needs to be managed by the operator. If there are complaints from adjacent residents, the Village would ask to the business to take steps to reduce or eliminate the noise. Commissioner Weinstein commented that Town Center has a lot of available parking, so it doesn't appear that there will be parking supply issues. Chairman Smith asked if there will be live music or similar activities in the outdoor patio area. Mr. Jorgensen stated they do plan on having some live entertainment but only inside the building. He stated they expect the patio area to be only a food and beverage service from the restaurant. Commissioner Stark asked if the outdoor seating will have the same hours as the rest of the facility. Mr. Jorgensen stated they are planning on that now. It will really depend on the amount business activity, is not planned to go beyond the facility operating hours of 11 a.m. to midnight during the week and potentially somewhat later on weekends. Commissioner Stark asked if there's a need for physical protection from wayward cars for the patio in addition to the fence. Mr. Jorgensen stated generally no extra protection because it is a drive lane and vehicles would be turning away from the patio area, so they aren't planning to add a barrier in addition to the fence. Mr. Pagan stated they may be able to build some reinforcement into the fence itself. He noted that the curb also acts as a barrier to vehicles. Commissioner Stark asked how this Brunswick facility would be different from the one in Lake Zurich. Mr. Jorgensen stated the Lake Zurich property is the first one they built, and it doesn't have the padded chairs and couches to provide a higher level of comfort as proposed in the Buffalo Grove facility. The Lake Zurich facility is more of a classic bar; Buffalo Grove will focus more on the restaurant. Commissioner Matthews asked if the plan will be reviewed by the Fire Department. He noted his concern is not only with the width of the fire lane but there is an "S" curve in the access aisle. He asked if a ladder truck or large truck would be able to make the double "S." Mr. Pfeil said that the Deputy Fire Marshal has reviewed the plans and indicated that the fire lane and access is acceptable. He will check again with the Fire Marshal to confirm that the fire lane is properly laid out in terms of the curve and the width. Chairman Smith asked if there are coin operated machines there now and how many are proposed. Mr. Jorgensen noted there are coin operated machines in the eSkape facility. Brunswick plans to have about 50 games. They will probably go to a debit card system but it is still the same principle. Commissioner Terson asked if the Village has received any complaints from neighbors about people just hanging out and smoking there. Mr. Pfeil said he would check with the Police Department and Building & Zoning. Both departments have reviewed the plans and are aware of the proposed outdoor area. Chairman Smith said the next step for the project will be a public hearing by the Plan Commission. Commissioner Goldspiel asked if there should be some review of the agreement between the seller and the buyer concerning the rights for shared parking. Mr. Pfeil asked Mr. Costakis to confirm that the parking agreement is part of the purchase of the property. Mr. Costakis stated he would send documentation to verify the parking agreement. CHAIRMAN'S REPORT- None FUTURE AGENDA SCHEDULE Mr. Pfeil stated the next meeting will be June 5`h and property owners will be notified. PUBLIC COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS - None NEW BUSINESS - None ADJOURNMENT Moved by Commissioner Weinstein, seconded by Commissioner Khan and carried unanimously to adjourn. Chairman Smith adjourned the meeting at 8:10 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Fay Rubin, Recording Secretary APPROVED BY: ERIC SMITH, Chair