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2008-03-19 - Plan Commission - Minutes Board or Commission: ❑ Plan commission Document Type: 0 A e g nda 0 Minutes Meeting ate: 03/19/2008 Type of Meeting: ❑ Regular Meeting REGULAR MEETING BUFFALO GROVE PLAN COMMISSION March 19, 2008 Discussion of Village Comprehensive Plan Update Vice 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: Vice Chairman Smith Ms. Bocek Mr. Khan Mr. Teplinsky Mr. Stark Mr. Cohn Ms. Myer Mr. Weinstein Commissioners absent: Mr. Ottenheimer Also present: Mr. Robert Pfeil, Village Planner APPROVAL OF MINUTES Moved by Commissioner Teplinsky, seconded by Commissioner Weinstein to approve the minutes of the public hearing of February 20, 2008. All Commissioners were in favor of the motion and the motion passed unanimously with Commissioner Cohn abstaining. Moved by Commissioner Teplinsky, seconded by Commissioner Stark to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of February 20, 2008. All Commissioners were in favor of the motion and the motion passed unanimously with Commissioner Cohn abstaining. Moved by Commissioner Stark, seconded by Commissioner Teplinsky to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of March 5, 2008. All Commissioners were in favor of the motion and the motion passed unanimously. COMMITTEE AND LIAISON REPORTS Commissioner Myer attended the Village Board meeting on March 17, 2008 and stated there was nothing specific to the Plan Commission. They did recognize some officers for exemplary service and years of service. There was also an appeal of the Zoning Board of Appeals' denial of a yard setback variation for an addition to the house at 409 Gardenia Lane. Mr. Pfeil noted the appeal to the ZBA on the 409 Gardenia property ties to a PUD approved in 1977. When the Plan Commission first looked at the Commons plan in 1977, the concept was to have a large open space area in the middle of the subdivision and allow the individual zoning lots to be approximately 6,000 square feet. Within the approved PUD, there are standards that include a provision that the required rear yard is 30 feet, but if the rear lot line is not parallel to a front line such as a cul-de-sac lot, the rear yard requirement is calculated as an average. The property recently reviewed by the ZBA has a 22 foot setback on a portion of the rear yard that was approved as conforming in 1984 when the initial building permit was issued. Overall, the rear yard averages to 30 feet since in another portion of the yard the setback is greater than 30 feet. The neighbors across the lot line in the Vintage subdivision are concerned because they feel that the addition will be too much bulk in relation to their property, and reduce the openness of the yard space. DISCUSSION OF VILLAGE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE Mr. Pfeil noted that the broad land use recommendations need to be reviewed one final time before the upcoming public hearing, and he suggested some additional review of the goals and policies to determine if any concepts should be changed or added. Mr. Pfeil reviewed the future land use map from south to north and noted the areas that the Village could potentially annex. These areas include Dunlo Highlands south of Dundee Road near Buffalo Grove Road and an area near the Schwaben Center on Weiland Road. The Horatio Gardens area is east of Weiland Road and extends across the Wisconsin Central railroad tracks. Most of the Horatio Gardens area is not likely to be annexed since the homes are already served by Lake County water and sanitary sewer. Concerns about public safety or some other issue may eventually push the area toward annexation, but at this time the majority of property owners have not expressed interest in annexing. He Pfeil noted that properties with frontage on Weiland Road may be more likely to annex if redevelopment is proposed. Mr. Pfeil commented that the Pekara area is a residential subdivision west of Milwaukee Avenue just south of Berenesa Plaza near Deerfield Parkway. This area is served by Lake County utilities, so there is little interest in annexing to the Village. The area south of Deerfield Parkway fronting Milwaukee Avenue will be annexed eventually and the Village has been working with property owners concerning annexation. The Village has also discussed annexation with Lake County officials concerning the Pekara sewage treatment plant just south of the Pekara subdivision. The Lake County property extends to Milwaukee Avenue, so it can provide contiguity for annexing adjacent parcels including the River Run shopping center at Inverrary and Milwaukee Avenue. Contiguity could then be achieved with the Wheeling sale barn property across Milwaukee Avenue. Mr. Pfeil noted that the unincorporated properties along Aptakisic Road, Buffalo Grove Road, and Prairie Road are important because the total acreage is fairly large, and there may be substantial future development. He noted that the properties on the south side of Aptakisic Road between Prairie Road and Buffalo Grove Road are fairly small with various owners, so redevelopment will involve land assembly to create feasible development sites. He pointed out that the Village's planning recommendation for this portion of the Aptakisic Road corridor is low—density residential. He commented that low density residential is a safe recommendation, but it is not the most creative or imaginative idea. A portion of the Didier property might have the potential for some type of"heritage" commercial where the farm heritage could be preserved for people to visit and learn about the history of the area. Commissioner Cohn asked if heritage commercial is some type of little nugget of commercial property that relates to the historic use as a farm and then residential development around it. Mr. Pfeil stated that is the idea, but the big down side perhaps is that the buildings that are there now may not be suitable for continued use, and it may be difficult to achieve an authentic farm heritage design for new buildings. Commissioner Cohn noted it might be interesting as a concept for 55 and older development. The people who would move in there would have grandchildren and this would be a place to go where they can walk to and it would be a nice asset to the community. Commissioner Bocek said the senior living concept is a great idea. She asked if it would be a different zoning category. Mr. Pfeil commented that the Plan Commission should study this issue when we start working on a housing plan. He noted it might well be a different zoning category especially if it consists of rental apartments for seniors. This might require zoning tools that keep it with that land use rather than converting to some other type of higher density. There is definitely a need in the community for something like this. There are location parameters that need to be considered such as convenient access to medical services and basic shopping with reliance on traveling by car. Commissioner Bocek noted it would be something like a community within a community. You could do some kind of a mixed use development within itself. That would be more service based and would not be like a lifestyle center. Mr. Pfeil stated we need to be careful about urban form such as new subdivisions in the future. They should not necessarily be conventional platted lots and perhaps more clustering and that kind of thing may work better. The preference by consumers and developers for smaller owned parcels might be something to keep an open mind about. We have done that with Fairview Estates and Villas of Hidden Lake and we have to keep trying to do better and make sure the open spaces and setbacks and buffers are better than what we have achieved in some of these other developments. Commissioner Teplinsky noted that 3 to 4 years ago land prices were at an all time high and we had not had too many single family homes coming in. The Board was actually excited to see someone come in with something other than multi unit housing so perhaps we were not quite as restrictive as we could have or should have been. However, he sees the pendulum swinging the other way now. He also noted he does not know of a single incidence where someone came in with a plan who did not have to pull back on their plan somewhat. Mr. Pfeil noted that in the Aptakisic Road/Weiland Road area, commercial development is recommended east of the railroad tracks to Pet Lane. Weiland Road is planned to be extended north of Aptakisic Road to Prairie Road. This realignment is included in the plans of the Lake County of Department of Transportation. Construction of this extension will involve acquiring right—of—way. Mr. Pfeil discussed the Prairie View area at Route 22 and Main Street. He noted that several of the unincorporated properties are ready for redevelopment, but the property owners have not presented specific plans to the Village. The Prairie View area has great potential for redevelopment, as noted in the Village's Transit Station Area Study. Both commercial development and higher density residential uses are feasible for properties proximate to the Metra station. Mr. Pfeil noted that the area at the southeast corner of Prairie and Route 22 is very challenging in terms of feasible land use. The Transit Area Station Study shows a high residential density configuration that is probably not realistic. There are several major development constraints in terms of traffic access, provision of utilities and stormwater management. Vice Chairman Smith asked what happened to the most recent proposal for residential. Mr. Pfeil stated it was just before the big economic meltdown in real estate, and it was probably just getting too costly for the developer to proceed with the engineering plan. The sanitary sewer is challenging in this area and moving the pond and developing compensatory storage is difficult as is the dedication of land for the Prairie Road right-of-way. He commented the land planning concept was somewhat of a new idea and untested for the Buffalo Grove market in terms of the type of residential units and the layout. As far as commercial, several proposals have been started and then abandoned. It seems the costs of improving the area and getting it to market and perhaps the access limitations are the primary factors. Perhaps some commercial use that does not rely too heavily on numerous traffic trips might be the best fit. Vice Chairman Smith asked if a small office use such as a veterinarian would be a good fit. Mr. Pfeil stated he likes the veterinary use idea or a similar use that is not dependent on drive— by traffic. Commissioner Cohn stated he would like to keep this area commercial to keep it consistent with the mixed use development across the street and the overall goal of making this area a commercial mixed use. It fits in with the whole plan for redevelopment in this area and if a developer comes with something different, it can considered at that time. Mr. Pfeil suggested that on the east side of Prairie Road north of Route 22 there is potential for redevelopment for townhomes or rowhomes proximate to the Metra station. The boundary agreement with Lincolnshire allows moderate density in this area. Mr. Pfeil commented that Stancliff property at Port Clinton Road and Prairie Road near Buffalo Grove Road is within the boundary agreement area with Lincolnshire, and the agreement stipulates low density residential use at 2 units per acre. There could be clustering and more imaginative land planning than just a conventional lot layout. He suggested that the Village should continue to work with Lincolnshire on planning alternatives that might ultimately be somewhat greater than two units per acre. Commissioner Stark asked about the likelihood that Lincolnshire would be amenable to more density than 2 units per acre on the Stancliff property. Mr. Pfeil stated he feels it is less than 50/50 based on previous policy discussions with Lincolnshire. However, as time goes by a more creative planning approach such as clustering and somewhat higher density may be viewed more favorably since the area is close to a transit facility. Commissioner Teplinsky noted that the Stancliff property was discussed at several meetings concerning the Transit Station Area Study, and an official representing Lincolnshire made it clear that there is no support for increasing the density. Mr. Pfeil reviewed the overall future land use map noting the area south of Dundee Road at Buffalo Grove and Old Buffalo Grove Road shows a small unincorporated area adjacent to the Dunlo Highlands residential area. This area is somewhat commercial in nature, and from the east side of Old Buffalo Grove to Buffalo Grove Board there is potential for land assembly and mixed use, rather than maintaining only the current residential uses. The Plan contemplates a mixed use where there could be some residential with service or commercial uses on the Old Buffalo Grove side and commercial use on the Buffalo Grove Road side. Mr. Pfeil noted the Schwaben area on Weiland Road is designated for single family residential use. This is an area where it is probable that some kind of townhome use or other concept may be proposed rather than single family. He suggested that the Village should be receptive to land plans that propose clustering of residential units if the overall land plan provides good design features and adequate amenities such as open space and pedestrian paths. Mr. Pfeil commented that the northwest corner of Lake Cook Road and Milwaukee Avenue just south of Linden Avenue is designated for office use, and this is consistent with the area to the west. Moving north on Milwaukee Avenue the plan recommends commercial use. In the Pekara area the plan suggests that there could be land assembly extending one block into the residential. This would accommodate a redevelopment proposal that requiring a larger area for certain commercial uses. Mr. Pfeil noted the Village has been working with the owner of the Land & Lakes property, including the Plan Commission's public hearing in February. The portion of the Land & Lakes property on the west side of Milwaukee Avenue is designated for commercial use. The east side of Milwaukee Avenue north of Estonian Lane is challenging due to the current pattern of land use. Some of the properties are within the boundary area agreement with the Village of Lincolnshire. The agreement contemplates industrial and recreational types of uses. This area is so constrained with flood plain issues that it is problematic to get the land high enough with compensatory storage to actually achieve a developable parcel. Traffic access and utilities are also issues for redevelopment of individual properties. Mr. Pfeil noted that the area on Aptakisic Road west of the Aptakisic Creek Corporate Park in the Industrial Drive area of Lincolnshire has great potential for redevelopment. The boundary agreement with Lincolnshire allows disconnection of the properties and then annexation by Buffalo Grove. Mr. Pfeil stated one area he would like the Plan to address more specifically is the concept of sustainability. Commissioner Stark asked how much influence we have in requiring builders to be LEED compliant. Mr. Pfeil stated in theory it can be mandated but in practice it will be done more as a policy encouraging the appropriate design standards. He noted that the cost differential to buildings that are more LEED certified versus more conventional construction and energy systems has been narrowing to the point where it will be a rational choice to make buildings more energy efficient. Commissioner Bocek stated that as a general rule there would have to be some incentive to builders because it is a lot harder. Commissioner Myer stated it is harder to pursue a true LEED certification level, however, the costs have so significantly narrowed that the incentives are towards shareholders to be able to report what you are doing from a sustainability standpoint. Energy savings can be achieved that may offset some of those construction related differentials. At the end of the day it will not necessarily cost more because the energy efficiencies gained will outweigh other development costs. Commissioner Teplinsky asked if the Village has received any requests from any developers who are trying to build and sell houses to alter plans or specifications in terms of making the houses more affordable. Mr. Pfeil noted that the developer of the Turnberry condominiums requested a re—plan to reduce the interior size of the units and to use a different construction method to reduce costs. He noted that other residential developers have requested various changes to their models and exterior elevations, but the land plans have not been changed. CHAIRMAN'S REPORT—None FUTURE AGENDA SCHEDULE Mr. Pfeil stated the next meeting will be held on April 2, 2008. PUBLIC COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS—None STAFF REPORT—None NEW BUSINESS—None ADJOURNMENT Moved by Commissioner Teplinsky, seconded by Commissioner Khan and carried unanimously to adjourn. Vice Chairman Smith adjourned the meeting at 8:28 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Fay Rubin, Recording Secretary APPROVED BY: ERIC SMITH, VICE CHAIR