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2010-05-19 - Plan Commission - Minutes Board or Commission: ❑ Plan commission Document Type: ❑A e g nda 0 Minutes Meeting ate: 05/19/2010 Type of Meeting: PUBLIC HEARING BUFFALO GROVE PLAN COMMISSION May 19, 2010 Special use for a Child Day Care Home in the R-6A District 331 Fox Hill Drive Chairman Ottenheimer called the hearing to order at 7:30 p.m. in the Village Council Chambers, Buffalo Grove Municipal Building, 50 Raupp Boulevard, Buffalo Grove, Illinois. Chairman Ottenheimer 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 Ottenheimer Ms. Bocek Mr. Stark Ms. Myer Mr. Weinstein Commissioners absent: Mr. Smith Mr. Khan Mr. Teplinsky Mr. Cohn Also present: Ms. Mary Galison Mr. Eugene Galison Ms. DeAnn Glover, Village Trustee Ms. Beverly Sussman, Village Trustee Mr. William Raysa, Village Attorney The following exhibits were presented by the petitioner at the public hearing: Exhibit 1: Memo from Mr. Robert Pfeil to Plan Commission dated May 13, 2010 Mr. Eugene Galison stated his wife is asking for approval of a child day care at their home. He stated the day care will focus on Tripp School, grades 1 through 4. The primary purpose is to provide after school care. Most child care facilities operate until 6:00 p.m. However, due to the economic downturn and the longer commute times they are planning to offer extended hours with pick up around 6:30 as a benefit to parents who are finding it difficult to get home earlier. In addition to that we will be offering advanced mathematical tutoring. Mr. Galison stated their primary hours of operation will be around 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and perhaps 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on days when school is closed due to holidays and such. He stated they have two children of their own and they are planning to have only 6 more children. Therefore they do not expect any neighbor to see any detriment to their homes or their enjoyment of their homes. Mr. Galison stated their driveway allows for 4 cars to be parked. It would be unusual for all six kids to be dropped off at the same time but even if they were they could park on the street for just a few minutes. He stated there would be no traffic issues due to their facility. Mr. Galison stated the children would be provided food, help with their homework and if they are outside it will be in their fenced backyard where they have swings. They project the time outside would only be about 15-30 minutes if weather permits. Mr. Galison stated they are trying to provide more choices and convenience for the community while providing his wife the opportunity to spend time with children. He noted they have been very successful with their own children in their academic achievements and feel they can help other kids to do the same. In addition to that they feel they can provide children who have issues with large groups to have an option here to be in a smaller group setting. Chairman Ottenheimer asked how the children would get from the school to the home. Mr. Galison stated they will be walking from school as the house is less than 2 minutes away. He stated they are planning to have children from Tripp School exclusively. Chairman Ottenheimer asked what happens when the weather is really bad. Mr. Galison noted that when the weather is that bad the schools are usually closed. He noted there is usually someone out directing kids with a stop sign at Highland Grove and Fabish. Chairman Ottenheimer stated he was a little concerned about 6 and 7 year olds walking by themselves although that is really an issue for the parents to decide. Commissioner Myer asked if the petitioners had pets in the home. Mr. Galison stated they have a cat. He stated the cat would be isolated on the second floor. Commissioner Myer asked if the neighbors had been spoken to about these plans. Mr. Galison stated they have talked to a few neighbors. He stated there has not been any negative feedback to them personally. Commissioner Stark noted Tripp School also runs before and after care run by the Park District. Mr. Galison stated they are aware of that fact but feel some parents want their children to be in smaller groups. Additionally they will be offering help in advanced mathematics and computer. For several people they have spoken to this will be a big benefit. Commissioner Stark asked what kind of violations needed to be corrected. Mr. Galison stated that the Buffalo Grove Fire Department had a specific requirement concerning the location of the fire extinguisher in the kitchen. Another correction concerned the locations of smoke alarms. Mr. Jeffrey Lieberman, 330 Hill Ct W, stated he has a concern as a resident in terms of this is a residence and should not be operated as a business. Another concern he has is a lineup of cars with a number of children being dropped off. He is concerned that even with six children cars would block the sidewalk. Children in the backyard playing is one thing but a number of children congregating outside of the house can be an issue. Also, signage in front of the house would not be good. Property values are also a concern for him. He asked if there were any qualifications for teaching children. Mr. Galison noted his wife has a Bachelor degree and he has a Bachelor degree in computer science and a Master's degree in computer science and a Master's in management and he was a professor at Harper College for two years. He feels that education is well covered. Mr. Lieberman stated he does not doubt the qualifications but asked about early childhood and development. Mr. Galison stated his wife will be the one mainly working with the children and she has been a home based mom and has off and on worked part time with children. Their own children are testimony to child development. Primarily their experience is with their own children and they are proof that she will be very good with child care and development. Mr. Lieberman asked if signage is something for this Commission. Chairman Ottenheimer indicated that the Plan Commission does not review signs for this type of use, but the Village code would not allow a commercial sign. Ms. Svetlana Korzhenevich, 85 Somerset, stated she is Mr. Galison's sister-in-law and future client. She noted that on her street there are many high school age children and they have cars on their street all the time and they are of no concern Some of her neighbors have play dates for their children and there can be as many as 5-6 children in the house twice a week without any problems. Mr. Galison stated he completely understands Mr. Lieberman's concerns. He stated they will work with the parents to make sure pick up times are reasonable and do not hinder other neighbors. Mr. Lieberman asked that they make sure the safety of the kids is paramount and that there be guidelines for same. Commissioner Stark noted the first item on the special use criteria regarding safety asking if it is meant just for this location or also for getting to this location. Mr. Raysa stated in his opinion it is both. Commissioner Weinstein stated he is familiar with the walking requirements and policies of Tripp at Fabish and Highland Grove Drive. He stated he knows how the traffic builds up and where Fox Hill comes in you are prohibited from crossing the street at that point. As a condition of the granting of this petition he asked if the petitioner would agree that the children coming to this home only use the crossing at Fabish and Highland Grove Drive as opposed to the easy cut across Highland Grove at Fox Hill. Mr. Galison stated safety is the biggest concern and noted it is their plan to walk them to the Highland Grove and Fabish crossing. He stated they will meet the kids in front of the school and then walk them to the home. Commissioner Weinstein asked if they will always be able to meet the kids at Tripp or if there may be an issue if child from another school is dropped off or if one of their own kids is ill and cannot be left. He noted he only wants to make sure that the Tripp policy is abided for crossing. Mr. Galison stated that is a surety. He stated their plan is strictly to pick up kids at the school. There are no plans to have kids dropped off at their house unless the parents themselves pick the kids up at the school and bring them over. Chairman Weinstein noted that the concern about kids playing in the front yard. Mr. Galison stated there will be no playing in the front yard. Trustee Sussman asked what qualifications Mrs. Galison might have to address any child who might not do well in a regular setting and might have special needs. Mr. Galison stated there are certain groups of kids who do not operate well in large groups. He stated they are not planning to target a group of kids with special needs who need special care. There are kids who need teachers with special training but they are not targeting those children. Parents realize that themselves. However, there are kids who want more intense mathematics help and training in computer skills. Mr. Lieberman asked if there will be 2 adults in the house at all times and if the child care will be only for children from first through fourth grade or will that change down the road. He also asked what happens down the road when their own kids move on to another school and need to get on a bus. Mr. Galison stated their own children will be at Tripp School for the next two years and at that point when they come to renew their license they may or may not want to renew their license as required. At that time they may also have a better understanding of what kind of kids they are getting and how they want to proceed and whether they want to hire someone part time. Mr. Pfeil stated asked for clarification about how late in the evening the children would be at the home. Mr. Galison stated it would be 7:00 p.m. at most but the standard pick up time is 6:30 p.m. The later time is just in case something happens in winter. Mr. Raysa asked if there would or would not be employees as the concern with that would be the parking for the employee. Mr. Galison stated the plan for now is no employees. If they feel there is a need for part time employee parking it will be in their garage or driveway. Trustee Glover asked how many people will actually be caretakers on a daily basis during the hours of operation. Mr. Galison stated there will be one. Trustee Glover asked what happens if there is even one or two other children coming in and there is only one person to go pick up kids at Tripp. Chairman Ottenheimer asked if there would be only one caretaker who would meet only Tripp school children and walk them home. Mr. Galison stated that was correct. Trustee Glover asked how only one caretaker can focus on a small group environment for 2-3 children while there are other children as well. Mr. Galison noted what he means by small groups is just this number of eight people in a home environment who will be structured to do homework, have snacks and computer work. Chairman Ottenheimer noted he thinks what the petitioner is trying to say is they will not be broken up into various groups within the house. Because they are only having 6 to 8 kids which is what he considers a smaller group than some of the other pre-schools. Commissioner Stark asked if a nearby neighbor with a four year old child asked about daycare they would be told no because the concentration is only on Tripp students. Mr. Galison stated that was correct. Mr. Raysa asked if the number of children to be cared for is 6 plus 2 of their own. Mr. Pfeil noted they testified they have 2 of their own children and they could care for 6 others. There being no further comments or questions from anyone else present, Chairman Ottenheimer closed the public hearing at 8:20 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Fay Rubin, Recording Secretary APPROVED BY: LESTER OTTENHEIMER, Chair Board or Commission: ❑ Plan Commission Document Type: 0 A e g nda 0 Minutes Meeting ate: 05/19/2010 Type of Meeting: ❑ Regular Meeting REGULAR MEETING BUFFALO GROVE PLAN COMMISSION May 19, 2010 Child day care home, 331 Fox Hill Drive— Special use in the R-6A District Waterbury Place—Review of Final Plat of First Resubdivision Chairman Ottenheimer called the meeting to order at 8:20 p.m. in the Village Council Chambers, Buffalo Grove Municipal Building, 50 Raupp Boulevard, Buffalo Grove, Illinois. Commissioners present: Chairman Ottenheimer Ms. Bocek Mr. Stark Ms. Myer Mr. Weinstein Commissioners absent: Mr. Smith Mr. Khan Mr. Teplinsky Mr. Cohn Also present: Ms. Mary Galison Mr. Eugene Galison Ms. Beverly Sussman, Village Trustee Ms. DeAnn Glover, Village Trustee Mr. William Raysa, Village Attorney Mr. Robert Pfeil, Village Planner APPROVAL OF MINUTES—None COMMITTEE AND LIAISON REPORTS—None WATERBURY PLACE—REVIEW OF FINAL PLAT OF FIRST RESUBDIVISION Moved by Commissioner Weinstein, seconded by Commissioner Bocek to recommend approval to the Village board of the final plat of first resubdivision of Waterbury Place as presented on the plat dated November 3, 2009 with updates and revisions on March 2, 2010. Chairman Ottenheimer called for a vote on the motion and all Commissioners were in favor of the motion. The motion passed 5 to 0. CHILD DAY CARE HOME, 331 FOX HILL DRIVE — SPECIAL USE IN THE R-6A DISTRICT Moved by Commissioner Bocek, seconded by Commissioner Myer to recommend approval to the Village Board of a special use to operate a child day care home at 331 Fox Hill Drive, a single family detached home zoned in the R-6A single-family dwelling district with the condition that there be no employees. Trustee Glover asked if Mrs. Galison speaks English. Mr. Galison stated she does but felt more comfortable with him presenting the matter. Commissioner Weinstein stated the motion was made subject to no employees but feels it might be better to say no employees who are not residents of the home which is the condition in the ordinance. He noted he would like to consider an amendment that would abide with the walking policies of Tripp School that may be in effect from time to time. Moved by Commissioner Weinstein, seconded by Commissioner Bocek to amend the motion to say there be no employees who live outside the home and that the petitioners are required to comply with the walking requirements and policies of Tripp School as in effect. Chairman Ottenheimer called for a vote on the motion and the vote was as follows: AYES: Bocek, Stark, Myer, Weinstein, Ottenheimer NAYS:None ABSENT: Smith, Khan, Teplinsky, Cohn ABSTAIN: None The motion passed 5 to 0. CHAIRMAN'S REPORT—None FUTURE AGENDA SCHEDULE Mr. Pfeil noted that the next regular meeting date is June 2. PUBLIC COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS—None STAFF REPORT Mr. Pfeil advised the Commission that at the May 17 meeting, the Village Board discussed a proposed parking expansion at 1700 Leider Lane. Bridge Development Partners has requested that the Village Board handle the site plan modification rather than referring the matter to the Plan Commission. The Village Board directed staff to informally present the proposal to the Plan Commission to determine if there are any issues that should be addressed concerning the plan change. Mr. Pfeil noted that Bridge is discussing a lease with Leica Microsystems that would affect only a portion of the building. Leica wants assurances that parking can be added if necessary to accommodate future users at the property. Since the building is approximately 188,000 sq.ft., the parking demand could exceed the current available spaces if some tenants have large office areas. Mr. Pfeil noted that the request to add parking in the front yard would require a variation to allow 56 spaces to partially encroach into the 30—foot landscaped setback along Aptakisic Road. The amount of variation is minimal, but a public hearing for amendment of the annexation agreement is required. He presented photos of the site and the landscaped setback area. Commissioner Weinstein asked why we would consider this proposed parking space before they even know whether they will need it or not. Mr. Pfeil commented that Bridge has represented that Leica will not enter into a lease unless they have assurance that in the event that the building is fully tenanted, more parking would be allowed to be constructed if necessary to accommodate that overall parking demand at the site. The amended annexation agreement would stipulate that the parking in the front yard could not be constructed until it is needed to satisfy the parking demands of tenants at the property. Commissioner Weinstein stated his concern with the construction impact on the actual parking if and when they decide they need to create the additional parking. Mr. Pfeil noted it would probably be a fairly brief construction period as it not a huge project. Commissioner Myer stated she hopes the owners would understand that if Leica comes in they would have to be very careful about the parking demand of other tenants in the remainder of the building. Mr. Pfeil noted that Leica would have a substantial amount of office area, and this will limit the amount of additional office space available for future tenants unless major changes such as a parking structure would be feasible. Commissioner Bocek stated if they remove some of the berm along Aptakisic Road, some of the landscape material should be reused in other parts of the site rather than just disposing of the plant material. Mr. Pfeil noted a revised landscaping plan will be required as part of the parking lot expansion. The Village Forester will review the plan and make recommendations concerning re—use of plant materials. Commissioner Stark asked if the proposed area has enough space for additional parking spaces. Mr. Pfeil noted that the plan would need to meet applicable standards for aisle width between the parking rows. Chairman Ottenheimer asked if any Commissioners want a workshop to further review the proposal. The Commissioners concurred that additional review by the Plan Commission is not necessary. NEW BUSINESS—None ADJOURNMENT Moved by Commissioner Bocek, seconded by Commissioner Weinstein and carried unanimously to adjourn. Chairman Ottenheimer adjourned the meeting at 8:40 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Fay Rubin, Recording Secretary APPROVED BY: LESTER OTTENHEIMER, Chair