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2008-11-19 - Plan Commission - Minutes Board or Commission: ❑ Plan Commission Document Type: ❑A e g nda 0 Minutes Meeting ate: 11/19/2008 Type of Meeting: PUBLIC HEARING BUFFALO GROVE PLAN COMMISSION November 19, 2008 Discussion of Village Comprehensive Plan Update 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 Mr. Smith Ms. Bocek Mr. Stark Ms. Myer Mr. Weinstein Commissioners absent: Mr. Khan Mr. Teplinsky Mr. Cohn Also present: Mr. Robert Pfeil, Village Planner Moved by Commissioner Weinstein, seconded by Commissioner Bocek to continue the Public Hearing to December 3, 2008. All Commissioners were in favor of the motion and the motion passed 6 to 0. There being no further comments or questions from anyone else present, Chairman Ottenheimer closed the public hearing at 7:40 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: 11/19/2008 Type of Meeting: ❑ Regular Meeting REGULAR MEETING BUFFALO GROVE PLAN COMMISSION November 19, 2008 Discussion of Village Comprehensive Plan Update Chairman Ottenheimer called the meeting to order at 7:40 p.m. in the Village Council Chambers, Buffalo Grove Municipal Building, 50 Raupp Boulevard, Buffalo Grove, Illinois. Commissioners present: Chairman Ottenheimer Mr. Smith Ms. Bocek Mr. Stark Ms. Myer Mr. Weinstein Commissioners absent: Mr. Khan Mr. Teplinsky Mr. Cohn Also present: Mr. Robert Pfeil, Village Planner APPROVAL OF MINUTES—None COMMITTEE AND LIAISON REPORTS Commissioner Myer attended the November 17, 2008 Village Board meeting and stated the Police Department took the best in the country of 860 national entries for the most comprehensive traffic safety. Secondly, the Waterbury Place subdivision ordinance passed by a unanimous vote by the Board. Mr. Pfeil noted that ordinance for Waterbury Place includes the stipulation recommended by the Plan Commission a single rowhome or townhome building cannot be place in the middle of two buildings of a different type. DISCUSSION OF VILLAGE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE Mr. Pfeil commented that as the Comprehensive Plan update process is coming to the end, one area of concern is the Aptakisic Road sub-area. The plan recommends a substantial amount of low—density, single-family detached residential. He noted the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) is working on a land use and transportation for the Chicago region, and recommendations for planning at the neighborhood scale will incorporate LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards. He suggested that LEED for Neighborhood Development (LEED—ND) standards should be evaluated for applicability to the Aptakisic Road sub-area, including re—thinking specific in land use recommendations. Mr. Pfeil commented that CMAP's planning process for the regional 2040 Plan is focusing on the link between land use and transportation. In that context"sustainable development" and other environmental issues are being carefully evaluated. Approaches such as "smart growth" are based on clustering development and minimizing the amount of public investment in streets and utilities and reducing traffic congestion by providing connections to transit facilities and reducing the need for automobile travel. All of these things are part of physical planning, but CMAP also addresses overall issues including environmental impact and regional equity concerning use of resources in the region. Commissioner Myer asked about the plans for the Aptakisic area and whether it must be specified as part of the Comprehensive Plan if there are LEED considerations that need to be incorporated. Mr. Pfeil said the Village's plan doesn't need to mandate the use of LEED standards. He commented that the larger context is that many architects and planners are now focusing on LEED especially on the city level because that is the scale that can more adequately address environmental issues such as climate change, reducing motor vehicle and industrial emissions, and other impacts. The standards for LEED development are getting more sophisticated as far as trying to put measures to what would constitute sustainable neighborhoods and cities. Mr. Pfeil suggested that at this time, the value of LEED—ND for the Village is more as a policy guide concerning planning and development. Some of the principles will become common standards that developers and municipalities will start to use to address the costs of constructing and maintaining developments. A specific area that the Village needs to address is development regulations, specifically the Zoning Ordinance and Development Ordinance. The standards in these ordinances should be evaluated to determine if they support long—term sustainable development. Pavement widths and other physical planning standards need to be scrutinized. For the Plan Commission, concepts such as clustering development and providing more open space should be considered for land plans that are presented for review. Commissioner Stark asked if there is a substantial cost involved not only in applying but also building if the developer is asking for some kind of subsidies or just building a smaller development. Mr. Pfeil noted that for the LEED—ND pilot program there is an application fee of several thousand dollars. He noted that he is not suggesting that the Village participate in a formal LEED application at this point. He commented that the standards and land plans used for planning at the neighborhood level need to be carefully considered. Too much density and streets that are too narrow can create problems. Commissioner Stark asked if the Village would use the LEED program more as a recommendation and guide than as mandated standards. Mr. Pfeil said that is correct — LEED—ND standards would not be mandated at this time. The design principles can used to strongly encourage developers to create land plans that provide open space and connections between developments. Ms. Bocek stated she is seeing more and more of this kind of thing in the developments she is working on and a lot of developers have a fear because there are a lot of unknowns as it relates to what the requirements are and what the associated costs are. She stated costs are higher than standard construction costs. You also have anywhere between $20,000 to $50,000 depending on the development size and the cost of certification which is also large. There are not a large number of people who are LEED certified, so the people who are can charge more money for their expertise. It is still a good thing to look into as there are some good thoughts there. But we want to be caution to be sure we do not overdo it. Mr. Pfeil reviewed some of the current recommendations in the Village's draft plan for the Aptakisic Road corridor. He noted that the Didier and Hoffmann farms are designated for single— family detached residential development. The area along the south side of Aptakisic Road west of Prairie Road is also designated single—family residential. In the Pet Lane area land use recommendations acknowledge the future alignment of the Weiland Road extension to Prairie Road. On both sides of the realignment near Aptakisic the plan designates commercial land use, and to the west, on Arlyd Road, the plan recommends single-family detached development. Mr. Pfeil noted that these are the areas he requests that the Commission consider for land use scenarios other than single-family detached. For the Didier farm one choice is continuation of the current agricultural use. This area is designated as agricultural on the Lake County Framework Plan. There are mechanisms such as conservation easements that can provide property owners with financial incentives to preserve land. Chairman Ottenheimer commented that the Aptakisic Road corridor would be a good location for some commercial development, including a gas station. Mr. Pfeil suggested that the commercial area designated near Pet Lane and the railroad tracks could be a suitable location for a gas station, assuming that vehicular access is carefully handled. Chairman Ottenheimer asked what is proposed across from the Didier property next to the shopping center at the southeast corner of Buffalo Grove Road and Aptakisic Road. Mr. Pfeil noted that the plan currently recommends single-family detached. Commissioner Smith asked when the single-family detached concept was initiated on the plan. Mr. Pfeil stated the 1992 and 1998 Plans show this designation. Commissioner Smith asked if there has been any discussion about the Didiers selling their property in the next 3 to 5 years. Mr. Pfeil said that he is not aware of any communication from the Didiers to the Village concerning specific redevelopment plans. In 2006 John Didier indicated to the Village Manager that the farming operation would continue at least until 2012. Commissioner Smith asked what the Didiers had indicated they might want at the meetings that were held during the public input planning sessions in 2006. Mr. Pfeil said he will have to check concerning specifics items that were discussed. Commissioner Smith stated he would be open to suggestions other than single-family development. Chairman Ottenheimer stated it seems like a nice spot to have mixed use development. Commissioner Stark asked if the property on the southeast quadrant along Prairie Road is all owned by the Didiers or different property owners. Mr. Pfeil said there are various property owners for the parcels along Prairie Road. The Hoffmann property is a 20—acre agricultural parcel, and members of the Hoffmann family own a couple of the properties south of the agricultural parcel. Commissioner Stark stated he remembers reading in the Pioneer Press that the Lake County Forest Preserve was putting aside money to perhaps purchase the Didier farm. Mr. Pfeil said that the Forest Preserve has been buying a lot of property, but he is not aware that the Didier farm is being considered. Lake County has also considered programs such as farmland preservation, but the program was not enacted or funded. He noted that the Buffalo Grove Park District is updating its overall plan, and recommendations for the Didier farm may be part of this process. Mr. Pfeil reviewed the land use recommendations for the Commerce Court area. He noted that the Transit Station Area Study (2007) recommends higher density mixed use and residential along Commerce Court. The current Village planning recommendation does not include as much mixed use for Commerce Court as the transit area study. The plan recommends multi-family on the unincorporated parcel to the west of Commerce Court. The plan also recommends mixed use and relocation of the Pace Park and Ride facility for land on the east side of the railroad line on the parcels at Deerfield Parkway and Busch Parkway. The current Pace property is designated for commercial use. One of the policy issues is whether the plan should recommend mixed use for some of the existing industrial properties proximate to the Metra station. Chairman Ottenheimer asked if we should first consider whether Berenesa Plaza is actually going to be built. This would have an affect on the amount of commercial use that may be possible in the Metra station area. Mr. Pfeil noted that the plan for Berenesa Plaza is all commercial, with no mixed use elements such as residential. The Commerce Court area, in the long—term, may be able to support mixed use including residential. Chairman Ottenheimer suggested that the planning for the Commerce Court area should be flexible since it is difficult to predict what may happen. If a developer proposes a different concept than the current plan, the Village may want to re—evaluate the situation concerning land use mix and the uses that can be supported based on market demand. The Commission concurred that the plan recommendations for the Metra station and Commerce Court area are acceptable. CHAIRMAN'S REPORT—None FUTURE AGENDA SCHEDULE Mr. Pfeil stated the next meeting will be held on December 3, 2008. PUBLIC COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS—None STAFF REPORT—None NEW BUSINESS—None ADJOURNMENT Moved by Commissioner Smith, seconded by Commissioner Bocek and carried unanimously to adjourn. Chairman Ottenheimer adjourned the meeting at 8:10 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Fay Rubin, Recording Secretary APPROVED BY: LESTER OTTENHEIMER, Chair