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2005-01-19 - Plan Commission - Minutes Board or Commission: ❑ Plan commission Document Type: ❑A e g nda 0 Minutes Meeting ate: 01/19/2005 Type of Meeting: PUBLIC HEARING BUFFALO GROVE PLAN COMMISSION January 19, 2005 Edward R James Partners plan for the Powernail Property 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. Samuels Mr. Smith Ms. Bocek Ms. Kenski-Sroka Mr. Khan Mr. Stark Mr. Cohn Commissioners absent: Mr. Teplinsky Also present: Mr. Bernard Citron, Schain Burney Ross & Citron Mr. Jerry James, Edward R. James Partners, LLC Mr. Steven Spinell, Edward R. James Homes Mr. Randall Drueck, Cowhey Gudmundson Leder, Ltd Mr. Dan O'Malley, Bloodgood Sharp Buster Architects Mr. Scott Freres, The Lakota Group Mr. Jeffrey Braiman, Village Trustee Mr. William Raysa, Village Attorney Mr. Mark Biederwolf, Village Civil Engineer Mr. Timothy Doron, KLOA Mr. Robert Pfeil, Village Planner Mr. Greg Summers, Associate Planner The following exhibits were presented by the petitioner at the public hearing: Exhibit 1: Slide and Plan Site and Surrounding Uses Exhibit 2: Preliminary Site Plan PowerPoint presentation Exhibit 3: Parking Summary Landscape plans dated January 4, 2005: Exhibit 4: Entrance Area Landscape Plan Exhibit 5: Pocket Park Landscape Plan Exhibit 6: Pedestrian Path Landscape Plan Exhibit 7: Central Park Landscape Plan Exhibit 8: Hardscape Landscape Plan Building elevations and plans from project booklet dated January 4, 2005: Exhibit 9: Rowhome Vignette Exhibit 10: Additional Rowhome Depiction Exhibit 11: Rowhome Elevations Exhibit 12: Rowhome Elevations Exhibit 13: Rowhome Elevations Exhibit 14: Tuckunder Townhome Plan Exhibit 15: Tuckunder Elevation Exhibit 16: Villas Plan Exhibit 17: Villas Elevation Exhibit 18: Villas Photo Depiction Exhibit 19: Duplex Plan Exhibit 20: Duplex Elevation Exhibit 21: Duplex Photo Depiction Exhibit 22: Single Family Plan Exhibit 23, 24, 25 Single Family Elevation Plans Exhibit 26: Site Engineering Plan dated December 30, 2004 Exhibit 27: Traffic Report prepared September 1, 2004 by KLOA Exhibit 28: Addendum dated January 4, 2005 to Traffic Report prepared by KLOA Exhibit 29: Summary slide from Powerpoint presentation Exhibit 30: Site Plan dated January 19, 2005 Exhibit 31: Memo from Mr. Pfeil to the Plan Commission dated January 14, 2005 Exhibit 32: Petition from Residents Objecting to Alignment with Apple Hill Lane Exhibit 33: Memo from James J. Benes & Associates dated January 18, 2005 Exhibit 34: Fiscal Impact Study prepared September 20, 2004 by Kane, McKenna Mr. Citron stated Edward R. James is the proposed developer of the Powernail site. The project consists of 156 homes of various styles. The variations requested are not significant variations. The other variations that were present in prior plans in terms of setbacks and the like are no longer part of this development. They have worked very hard to bring forth more centralized open space that will work for the betterment of this community. Mr. Jerry James reviewed his company and his development team noting they have 50 years of experience as an integrated builder. He noted they look for unique situations that require a unique product. It is a plan and an approach that involves landscaping, land planning, engineering, architecture and color selection. He noted the plan they have reflects input from members of the staff and commission. Mr. Scott Freres noted the site is adjacent to the train tracks to the west and Half Day Road on the north and is a long triangular shape that leads south to a wooded area and then a Lincolnshire office zoning district to the south. To the east is Mirielle and Tenerife subdivisions. One zoning classification there is an R-9 PUD multi-family which is very similar in density to what they are talking about and the other is an R-4 single family zoning. To the north is Noah's Landing of R-8 PUD zoning and RE single family subdivision. To the northwest is the train station and they are sensitive to providing some sort of access to that from their project. Mr. Freres stated the overall process they looked at is one of a transitional use of an infill site, close to transit. They developed a product that provides a mix of ranges, sensitive to their neighbors to the east in terms of the type of use they put there and type of product they put there and the buffering of that approach. They provide a plan that provides a linkage to the neighborhood to the east knowing that it is important to have inter-connectivity between neighborhoods. They believe that the open space elements they have brought forth are usable, memorable and actually a benefit to the community. These are actually parks and open pond systems that are an amenity to the community. Mr. Steven Spinell stated the proposal has five different single family and attached single family products to provide different types of housing products for Buffalo Grove. The target market is consistent with empty nesters, commuting professionals and young couples. A pedestrian friendly streetscape with rear loading product to buffer the adjacent railway and Route 22 is something else that is incorporated into the plan as well as a low maintenance lifestyle orientation throughout the community. Mr. Spinell noted the original proposal was 194 attached single family units with four different product types. The site plan shows the original submittal had all the water features to the east buffering the neighbors. The next plan had 176 units which obviously reduced the density of the project. The water on the north section was now put inbound to make it more of a central feature for not only the rowhomes on the west side but the townhomes to the east. They also made the four unit townhome buildings along the east property lines into duplex townhomes. On those duplex townhomes they had both a front loaded garage and a side loaded garage. They added pedestrian linkage to the northwest portion of the site so that people have easy access from this community up to the Metra. They added a pedestrian greenway in between the rowhome buildings. There was a half acre pocket park added as well as .7 acres of open space in the southern portion of the property which left them with about 60 percent of the site being impervious. Mr. Spinell noted the third proposed plan reduced the units to 172 and the big change was that on the northeast portion of the site they eliminated the duplex townhomes and put in a cluster single-family product. Through the process they spoke to IDOT about the improvements to be made along Route 22. Heading westbound there could be a left turn only lane into the community and also heading eastbound a left turn heading north. The fourth proposal to the Commission included all the dimensions and setbacks, the bikepath up along Route 22, village code public roads and alleyways. They removed the parking bays from the public roads and they also demonstrated to the Fire Department that all public roads and service roads met emergency criteria for the Village. They reduced some traffic medians in order to accommodate the different large vehicles and they redesigned and relocated the cluster single family private road inbound. That was the big change with regards to taking the road off of where the backyard of the neighbors were and putting it internal around the pond and creating more of a single-family to single-family relationship along the northeast property. Mr. Spinell stated the latest proposal reduces the plan to 156 units. The big changes on the plan when it comes to unit counts were the townhomes. They were at 62 which was reduced to 42. The big change there was on the north side of the property. The recommendation was to put rowhomes there whose back garages have a story and a half structure. The way they are constructed along with the grading, berming and landscaping allows for only the roofs of the garages, some of the second story of the home and the roof of the home to be visible along Route 22. The duplexes were reduced along the southeast portion of the property to 12 units and they reduced the central rowhome density as well. This plan shows only 6 buildings with 2 facing the east with the overlook over the pond and 2 facing west. They also reoriented the rowhome building to give a friendlier streetscape to the rowhomes up on Route 22 while still maintaining the central open space. That open space has been increased to one acre and by doing so they have increased their total open space to 4.3 acres. He stated they also widened the pedestrian greenway in between the rowhomes and the once private road is now a public road built to Village standards. Mr. Spinell stated there are two cars per unit as well as 229 on street parking one side only and 139 more unit spaces for a total of 680 spaces which far exceeds the minimum requirement of two spaces per unit. Mr. Freres reviewed the landscape plan noting the overall sense of the plan is a heavily designed program for foundation plantings around all the buildings. They will be using a variety of plants and no house is exactly the same and it all flows together in a very naturalized setting. That carries on into all the open spaces so that it looks like it is designed as one. The idea at the entrance is some kind of low stone monument and low stone wall that would wrap along Route 22 and then turn the corner back into the site. It will be very simple and elegant. The site is flanked on either side by the pond features. The idea behind the ponds is that they have much more of a meadow feel to them interspersed with native groupings of trees and shrubs. Mr. Freres stated the pocket parks and pedestrian connections are spaces that help define the ends of streets or places that are defined by the architecture. The berm along Route 22 meanders and is heavily planted with evergreens. They are adamant about making sure screening is as dense as can be from day one. One of their goals is to have the berm and that landscaping are put in as of day one so it sets the tempo for the rest of the development. The berm is anywhere from 3-5 feet and maybe even 6 feet in terms of the height from the rowhome side of the berm. It is lower on the backside towards Route 22 because of the grade of the road. Mr. Freres stated the walkway system is continuous around the entire site. The pedestrian path allows people to cut through from the neighborhood to the central open space feature pond. At the end there is an overlook at the pond. He stated the central park is an acre of green space. They would visualize that there will probably be several places along the walkway system with bench seating and decorative street lights. Mr. Freres stated it is their intention to use a decorative street light fixture. They also intend to have overlook areas with stone piers which will be integrated into the decorative stone pavers. The wood fencing all along the railroad site will be cedar with steel poles that are wrapped with wood so that the poles do not rot. The decorative black benches and trash receptacles as well as coordinated mailbox facilities will be used and become amenities as well. Mr. Spinell reviewed the products and price points noting the rowhomes along Route 22 and the central portion will be 1,742 square feet with a base price of just over $400,000. They will have rear loaded garages and outdoor living spaces. There are 42 tuck under townhomes and will be a little over 1,800 square feet with a base price of about $375,000. The villa units along the railroad are rear loaded and will be 1,810 square feet with a sales price of just under $400,000. There are 12 single family homes along the southeast having front and side loaded garages. All the rear has water features to the east and they are 2,300 square feet and will be priced just under $500,000. The cluster single family homes will be front loaded with two car garages and will border the central pond area with private back yards. Mr. Spinell stated the entire community will have operating agreements. There will be fee simple ownership on the community except for the condominium ownership with the villas. There will be recorded declarations and covenants, conditions, easements and restrictions associated with the project and there will be a homeowner's association that will be responsible for maintaining the landscaping, entry monuments, detention ponds, fencing and all the private access drives. Mr. Randall Drueck stated they have worked with the Village Engineer and staff to design the site grading, sewers, streets and water mains in conformance with Village standards. They also determined there are adequate utilities to serve the site. He stated that currently the site is bisected in the middle into two watersheds. The north watershed flows from west to east and the south watershed flows also from west to east and then drops down to the south and eventually drains into a larger wetland area adjacent to the property. The north watershed ultimately drains to a stormsewer which was put in place with the Mirielle subdivision and sized accordingly and adequately for any future development here. Mr. Drueck stated it was agreed that the most effective way of controlling the stormwater runoff from the site would be to integrate long linear ponds along the central and eastern portions of the site. This provides for the best entrapment of runoff and the largest amount of storage they can provide for storm events. Due to the linear nature of the ponds, it was noted that the 15 foot normal pond depth would be impractical because there is not enough width in these ponds to achieve 15 foot depth. It was agreed that variance would be in order and would not only be safer but improve the overall water quality because it would eliminate the need for any retaining walls which are both a safety and maintenance concern. There will be a variety of landscaping around the pond shorelines and the intent is to create a naturalistic look which will supplant the need for the shelf that is typically there by providing more than adequate soil erosion protection for the ponds. Mr. Drueck stated the stormwater needs for the development are met with the four ponds in the plan. The ponds have a capacity to hold an extra 4 feet of water in the worst storm event. This will significantly reduce the peak flow of runoff from the present condition that exists today. Mr. Drueck noted the site grading was discussed and along with that a tree preservation plan has been put in place. Special attention will be put on maintaining existing trees of value along the perimeter of the property. He further stated they have worked with the Army Corps of Engineers and the County in discussions regarding a small existing wetland at the very southern tip of the site which is part of the adjacent wetland system to the south. This plan, with the help of those agencies, will allow them to save this wetland. They are also allowing them to enhance the native vegetation in this area so it can be transformed into an aesthetic amenity while still preserving its fundamental purpose which is to absorb rainwater. Mr. Timothy Doron noted they did traffic counts in March at Prairie Lane, in June at Prairie Road and again counted traffic during school hours. He stated they talked to IDOT about this proposal and the new plans for Route 22. He stated he is somewhat more optimistic about plans for Route 22 as he sees CommEd has begun to remove and relocate its utility poles along the right of way. IDOT has also noted that Route 22 is at the top of their list. Further he stated they did a field review of traffic and roadway conditions. They also did a capacity analysis of what is going on at the existing intersections now. They also did a quantitative gap analysis for both way gaps, one way gaps and how difficult it would be to get out of the development. They further calculated site trips compared to the permitted uses on the site which was .20 FAR for office which would allow much more traffic. They also did a timing run on Apple Hill Lane to the subdivision to the east to see how much time it would take to get up to the signal on Route 22 which came out to be about 90 seconds. Mr. Doron stated they will construct a left turn lane at their expense per IDOT standards going west for this development and to the east for the development to the north on Prairie Lane which will be removed when Route 22 is improved. If it is co-incidental with the improvements it would be great, however, they do not anticipate this. Mr. Doron stated this with the improvements to Route 22 will operate at a level of service C in the PM and D in the AM. The existing level of service here is E and with their traffic it will continue to operate at a level of service E. In the PM it will be D. The traffic that will come out of this subdivision to make a left turn will have to wait. They are proposing two lanes at the access drive so the people turning right do not have to wait. It is only the few left turns going out from the driveway will suffer. Mr. Doron stated they also analyzed the intersection at Prairie Road south which is also a very busy intersection with a lot of left turns in the morning. He stated they will be adding about 7 more turns to it and it operates at a very good level of service. Mr. Freres noted there are three variances requested relative to this site. He stated they believe each of them is minor relative to the big picture of sound planning. The first is regarding the air conditioning units which are only relative to the rowhome units. They are requesting that a single air conditioner unit sit in the front yard of the central units only. The option is to put them in the back yard, however this really impedes on an owner's ability to enjoy their outdoor space. The design of this unit was built around the idea that people have an outdoor courtyard. The air conditioner unit would be humming while people are sitting out there and they believe it would be best to put the air conditioner in the front yard in those central units with appropriate screening. Mr. Freres stated the second variance is for the detention pond cross section. The pond depths are shallower than the required 15 foot depth and they are requesting 6-8 feet in depth. He noted the landscape treatment around the pond is a naturalized grass mix which is about two feet high and is not meant to be encroached in terms of the edge of the pond. He stated their goal would be to put in a washed river stone that would start at one foot above normal water and go 2-3 feet below normal water for the seasonal bounce in the pond. He noted there is a safety ledge or safety net and the side slopes of the pond are built to the standards required. He stated just do not have the safety ledge within the water boundary of the pond and stated they believe that naturalized landscaping is an appropriate solution to solve that. Mr. Freres stated the last variance is the central pond and the right of way issue. They believe they now have a beautiful feature surrounded by homes but in order to create that element and in order to have the right side slopes and in order to provide all of the walkways and green spaces around that they have created public right of ways. Because of that and because of the setback requirements that would put additional burdens on the single family homes they decided to ask for a variance that provides small right of ways. The main drive is all still the typical 60 foot right of way dimension, but as you surround the pond with the other street which they are designing to Village code at 27 feet wide it reduces the right of way to 47 '/2 feet. This means they still have a 10 foot parkway on the outer edge against the rowhomes and a 10 foot parkway on the outer edge of the single family homes to accommodate a full five foot sidewalk and a green parkway but they have no extra space on the inside. They merely have their 3 foot carriage walk which surrounds the entire pond area. They are really meeting all of the standards of the Village but are just asking for relief on the width of that right of way to accommodate the right plan. Commissioner Bocek asked if the developer could review some of the changes proposed during the ART meeting. Mr. Dan O'Malley stated what came out of the first ART meeting was to focus some areas of additional brick to be sure they had some high visibility areas treated and also to be sure they had the view from Route 22 addressed with the rears of the rowhomes themselves specifically. He noted they were asked to pay particular attention to the quantities of brick and where they are placed and pay particular attention to the rear elevations. The rear elevations that primarily face the railway was of particular concern and they were directed to look at the rear elevation and be sure they had enough break and bounce there and not offer a flat elevation. He stated they have some elevations designed in more of a classical style. The building massing, shape, lifestyle and goals of the building have all been designed and reflective of a similar pallet of materials and a similar style that came through. Commissioner Bocek stated she would like to try to maintain the same density of trees even it means keeping some lesser quality trees. Mr. Spinell stated they will be happy to look into that. Commissioner Khan asked if the developer had considered turning the central open space into a park. Mr. Spinell stated their thoughts were to keep it as a passive recreation for everyone within the community to be able to enjoy it. He noted the majority of people who are empty nesters or young professionals look for more passive recreation and they do not anticipate a lot of people with young children purchasing here. They have thought of having some benches around the perimeter and to leave it as is. Commissioner Khan noted the intersection of the road coming in front of the single family homes and the one that goes around the pond is somewhat off and asked if that could be aligned. Mr. Spinell stated they can look at that but he thinks they are very tight with their detention requirements. Mr. Drueck stated in design of interior roadways they have always felt that separating the driveways internally is actually better for circulation and for keeping traffic speeds down. In that particular location and the amount of traffic generated by those few single family homes, it was not felt to be a big benefit. The bigger benefit was to try and regionalize the stormwater in that larger basin. Mr. Freres stated from a roadway alignment it would make sense but to line up a road with the service court tends to create more concrete and makes it much more difficult to landscape. Those offsets and the ability to come out of your home onto the road and not look straight down an alley or service way is actually a benefit. He stated they consciously did not align the roads because you would be looking straight through an area of garage doors in the back. It is not a traffic issue but more of a visual and landscape screening issue of those back yards. Commissioner Cohn asked for comments on how this development fits into the overall design of Buffalo Grove and into the future potential development of the community. Mr. James noted this site is close to the train station and railroad tracks and they asked what they have done in similar areas. They looked at this as an empty nester community and they clearly see it as appropriate for this land use because of its proximity to the rail line. When they are done the rail line with not be seen and that will be a real positive for this area. When you get over to the east side they have used the single family use which is an appropriate relationship with what is to the east. He noted his developments tend to raise the average selling price of similar product types. He stated they are hitting the upper levels here. This plan will provide some examples of product types that have not been seen before and will drive the value of this community and which overall will have a positive benefit on Buffalo Grove. Commissioner Smith asked if any analysis was done assuming no IDOT improvements. Mr. Doron stated no, it was analyzed with IDOT conditions. However, they are putting in a left turn lane which is an improvement so that those people who are now struggling to make left turns in the existing stream of traffic to Prairie Lane north will have a left turn lane. Secondly, the people suffering will be people exiting the proposed development and they predict 30 in an hour. Benes & Associates disagrees with this and feels there will only be about 21 or 22 making left turns. Mr. Doron stated he can name about 150 driveways and unsignalized intersections up and down Route 22 that are in the same condition as this will be. Any time a minor roadway intersects a major arterial at an unsignalized intersection it will fail. Commissioner Smith asked how the traffic would be if it was kept as light industrial zoning. Mr. Doron stated multi-family housing in the evening and morning is about '/z trip per unit in and out. To the best of his knowledge light industrial is more significant in the morning inbound because of its employee base. They did analyze this as office at a .2 FAR which is a permitted use on the site also and those numbers are huge. He stated light industrial exceeds multi-family housing in trips generated per unit. But in total it would exceed their traffic. When you deal with light industrial you are dealing with trucks moving in and out on Route 22 which is not a good thing. He stated multi-family is about as good as it gets in traffic. Commissioner Smith asked for a review of the results of the intersection capacity analysis at Prairie Lane and Half Day Road which will operate unsatisfactorily. Mr. Doron explained it is the left turns are probably dragging down the whole intersection which makes it failing and unsatisfactory according to national standards. Commissioner Smith asked about Mr. Doron's summary in his analysis. Mr. Doron stated generally a lane of traffic can handle 2,000 cars per hour unimpeded. There is only one lane and it is getting close to capacity. Commissioner Smith noted that if Route 22 does not get done or if it is done a long time from now, this project will add a lot more traffic to the existing conditions which are already approaching capacity. Mr. Doron stated they measured traffic during school hours which is about 200 vehicles less along Route 22 during the 2:30 and 3:30 hour than it is during the 4:30-5:30 hour. Therefore, they feel comfortable that the peak hour which is what they analyzed is significantly more than during school hours. Mr. Doron stated right now there are 1,600 cars going in both directions on Route 22 during the PM peak hour. He stated they are adding 70 cars out and in. Percentage wise the 70 as a percentage of 1,600 means about a 5 percent increase in traffic. Mr. Doron noted they have agreed in deference to the community and other neighborhoods that they will close the connection, subject to Village approval, to Apple Hill Lane until the first quarter of 2007 or 50 percent of the units are constructed. Commissioner Kenski-Sroka asked what percentage of traffic would be added due to this project. Mr. Doron stated they are adding about 4 percent. Commissioner Kenski-Sroka noted Benes and Associates stated it would only be about 2 percent. Commissioner Samuels asked how long it would take to construct the proposed left turn lane. Mr. Doron stated it would be about 45-60 days. Commissioner Samuels asked how traffic on Route 22 would be routed during that construction. Mr. Doron stated they must work with IDOT but it is their intention to widen while keeping the two lanes flowing. When through with that they would move the roadway over to that side and widen the other side. Commissioner Samuels asked how long it will take to construct the project. Mr. Spinell stated they anticipate completion by 2009. Commissioner Samuels asked if they will be bringing trucks on and off the property during construction and how do those trucks fit into the gap analysis. Mr. Doron stated they did not analyze that. It is a temporary situation and is usually not analyzed. Trucks will be routed as directed by Mr. Kuenkler. Commissioner Samuels asked if the pond design has been reviewed and is the absence of the shelf within the pond an issue to the engineering department. Mr. Biederwolf stated no. He noted there is still a safety ledge underneath the normal water level. Commissioner Samuels asked how the vinyl siding came to be as it is not on the list of preferred building materials. Mr. Freres stated they had some and the overall feeling was that in terms of cost, the increased use of brick was a more important feature and this developer is proposing to use wood corner boards and wood trim around the windows so the siding would butt into that as opposed to having traditional vinyl corners. Commissioner Samuels asked if there is an architectural issue as to the use of the vinyl. Mr. O'Malley stated the position they took is that the appearance of the elevations is not a matter of quantity of brick or quantity of siding or what the siding is made of. The issue is one of character and is not a matter of cost. The character of the building is consistent on four sides and that is the direction the ART team has taken. The color patterns of the buildings are blended in with the vinyl siding and would not be an issue. Commissioner Samuels asked what was done in Glenview and Deerfield. Mr. Spinell stated those communities do have vinyl siding. These are maintenance free communities and they do not want to burden the residents with a long term ongoing maintenance obligation to redoing the siding and restaining. Commissioner Samuels stated the air conditioners is a dilemma for him. He understands the request, however, everyone else in Buffalo Grove has to have them in their back yard for the most part and listen to the noise of the compressor. Therefore, why is this different. Mr. Spinell noted the courtyard space is a 10 foot by 12-13 foot space that is surrounded on three sides so the noise you will get there is all encapsulated by a small area. The first time they built these they put them in the courtyard and received many complaints. So they relocated them to the front in future developments. Ms. Robin Walovitch, 2180 Apple Hill Lane, stated no one disputes this is a beautiful complex. But traffic is the issue on this property. She asked how people in this community will be able to make the left turn without a lane to pull into. Mr. Doron stated the turn lanes at Apple Hill will be the same ones used at this development. Ms. Walovitch asked if the people will be told to go around to the light at Stevenson Drive to make a left turn. Mr. Doron stated it is his professional opinion that no one will go east to go west. From Mirielle it is little shorter j aunt. Ms. Walovitch asked what benefit the homeowner in the Mirielle complex have to opening the road onto Apple Hill Lane. Mr. Doron stated in communities such as Buffalo Grove you connect neighborhoods instead of creating enclaves. Ms. Walovitch asked why no one has gone to IDOT to ask for something to be done to create easier access for this proposed development. Mr. Doron noted that if they do expand the road to four lanes it will help everyone. Mr. Carl Renouard, 2213 Apple Hill Lane, stated his objection to the connection to Apple Hill Lane due to the increase in traffic and there are many kids in his neighborhood. He further stated one solution would be to have an exit out to Prairie Road north in the northwest corner. That would be a right turn in and right turn out which would give access to fire trucks and remove the need for traffic to go through his subdivision. The other option is to work closely with Lincolnshire so this development could go south through the Corporate Park. That way there would be lots less traffic on Route 22. This is an ideal solution. If they could put a roadway along the railroad tracks and connect west of the Hewitt printing plant and go straight south from there it would relieve all the problems and gives the residents of the subdivision two ways to get out and also removes the need for the access at Apple Hill Lane. Mr. Steve Lefar, 2038 Jordan Terrace, stated this is a great development but there is a context issue about the impact of this development on the community that goes far beyond traffic. The area is getting too dense in terms of multi-family housing. You are not bringing the price points up. Homes in a lot of these communities are selling for more than $600,000 to $700,000 now and there is a character issue in that part of town about multi-family versus single family. Secondly, the target market is incorrect. He noted people will not spend $9,000410,000 in taxes if they are not using the schools. People want the school district and they will try to find a way into the district. There is already a dearth of community amenities such as camps and pools. Unless the developer is willing to put money up to improve these there is a problem. He does not understand how anyone will walk to the train and some sort of crossover is necessary. Lastly, the schools need to be asked about this development. He further stated if this plan does go forward the developer should consider the following items: 1. Real train access from the development. 2. There must be no rentals in the by-laws and a commitment to no investor presales, bulk sales etc. which had an impact on Tenerife in the first three years. 3. Contribution for the impact to the neighborhood so that the residents who are putting up with the traffic have more amenities. Ms. Audrey Somers, 2170 Apple Hill Lane, submitted a petition from the Mirielle homeowners to try and keep Apple Hill Lane closed. Mr. Sam Feldman, 2320 Chambourd Drive, noted ponds bring lots of geese which will now be moving into his backyard. He asked what the possibility is of moving the pond to another part of the area. He also asked if it would be possible to put a road on the western end of this property that would tie into Route 22 and Prairie instead of cutting through Mirielle. Mr. Citron stated the location of their connection to Route 22 is fixed and they cannot move it as IDOT will not let it move. Even if you could, there is a safety issue of putting it that close to the train track. Extending a roadway south would cut a roadway right through a wetland and is not only on their property but is actually far more extensive off the property and they would not be allowed to put a roadway south as opposed to east. That would not be an alternative. In terms of the pond, that is the design that has come up and appears to be the best design they could come up with. Commissioner Cohn asked Mr. Lefar if it is his general impression that this development will provide a very nice benefit to the people that will ultimately live there, does not provide an overall benefit to the community at large and there is actually a negative to the community because of the traffic. Mr. Lefar stated it is his personal belief that more multi-family housing is not needed. More single family housing is needed that keeps a balance in this community between single family and multi-family. He noted there has been a massive creation of multi-family housing in this area and more single family housing is needed. Mr. Raysa indicated a discrepancy in dates between the large site plan dated January 19, 2005 and the one in the booklet which is dated January 4, 2005. Mr. Citron noted in the booklet it was uncolored and here it is colored and therefore dated January 19, 2005. Mr. Citron stated they are asking for rezoning to R-9 with a Planned Unit Development. This is an infill parcel and it is completing a development in this area. In looking at these type of infill parcels just looking at an underlining zoning district is not necessarily appropriate. If we were just asking for an R-9 zoning we might be thrown out. R-9 zoning without this particular Planned Unit Development with Special Use is a different issue. He stated that noting the surrounding zoning and uses are and what the trends of development in the area are and what the influences on the site are, it is their view that this development does fit in and is the keystone piece. There are various issues with the site in restricted access, odd shape and impact from the railroad tracks shows a need and a market here. This site is appropriate zoning with the higher density development on the west side of the site shading over to the lower density development in the east. Mr. Citron noted that this site should not remain manufacturing because if you look at the trend of development in the area it should be residential. It does not work for a pure commercial site despite the traffic. He stated they looked at that very early on and because of the restricted access in it would not work well and would also add traffic. If ultimately this project is not recommended or approved by the Village Board, the site will not remain vacant. Powernail is going away and this site will ultimately get redeveloped. Despite the traffic concerns and all other issues it might still become warehouse distribution with lots of truck traffic or office and in the end create more of a traffic issue and more of an impact on the surrounding residential uses. The proper zoning of this site today would be for residential use. Mr. Citron stated he believes they have hit all the factors for a Planned Unit Development. This is an imaginative development which creates common open space that is usable by all the people in the community. It is essentially a park but the taxpayers are not paying to maintain it as the association will maintain it. This is an integrated community open to everyone which is one of the advantages to the neighbors. The site has a lot of open space in common ownership for density of this size. The density itself is below what is allowed for a straight townhome development and they have accomplished that despite not using one of the tools of a Planned Unit Development which is to give increased architecture, landscaping and other public amenities in return for varying density, setbacks and other aspects of the zoning ordinance or parking. Mr. Citron stated this will be a pedestrian friendly development albeit it may be difficult to get to the trains. Overall he believes they have met the standards for open space for integrated development, imaginative land plan, contextual development, increased amenities that are called for in a planned unit development. Mr. Citron stated the special use standards when distilled down all fit this development. In terms of traffic 4 percent is a small increase which will be greater if there is another use on this property. Therefore, approving this development is better than letting it sit the way it is. In the long term something would happen here and if it is not this type of residential development with a benign traffic impact, it will be something worse so in effect you bettering the public health, safety and welfare. In addition all traffic consultants have noted that one single family house counts as two multi-family because you have kids driving as well. He stated he is confident this development will not have a lot of kids. Mr. Citron noted that if this were all single-family there would be tons of kids with a negative impact on the schools. This development is a positive impact. He further noted that they are paying a park and school impact fee and they have not asked for a waiver of that even though they will not be using those resources in the same way other members of the community are. In the end he believes they meet the standards for the rezoning. He stated he believes it does bring something to the community. It brings a level and type of development that this community deserves. This is a good project and it will bring people into the community who will participate and spend money at the Town Center because they are the type of people who have the income to do that. Mr. Sam Feldman, 2320 Chambourd, stated he agrees this is a nice product but you also have to have a good project for a nice product and this one is way too dense and putting a $300,0004400,000 house amongst $600,00-$700,000 homes does not do anything for the neighborhood. There being no further testimony or business before the public hearing, Chairman Ottenheimer closed the public hearing at 10:20 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: 01/19/2005 Type of Meeting: ❑ Regular Meeting REGULAR MEETING BUFFALO GROVE PLAN COMMISSION January 19, 2005 Edward R James Homes, proposed residential development of the Powernail property, 201-301 Half Day Road—Rezoning to the R-9 District and approval of a Planned Unit Development and Preliminary Plan Chairman Ottenheimer called the meeting to order at 10:25 p.m. in the Village Council Chambers, Buffalo Grove Municipal Building, 50 Raupp Boulevard, Buffalo Grove, Illinois. Commissioners present: Chairman Ottenheimer Mr. Samuels Mr. Smith Ms. Bocek Ms. Kenski-Sroka Mr. Khan Mr. Stark Mr. Cohn Commissioners absent: Mr. Teplinsky Also present: Mr. Bernard Citron, Schain Burney Ross & Citron Mr. Jerry James, Edward R. James Partners, LLC Mr. Steven Spinell, Edward R. James Homes Mr. Randall Drueck, Cowhey Gudmundson Leder, Ltd Mr. Dan O'Malley, Bloodgood Sharp Buster Architects Mr. Scott Freres, The Lakota Group Mr. Jeffrey Braiman, Village Trustee Mr. William Raysa, Village Attorney Mr. Mark Biederwolf, Village Engineer Mr. Timothy Doron, KLOA Mr. Robert Pfeil, Village Planner Mr. Greg Summers, Associate Planner APPROVAL OF MINUTES Moved by Commissioner Smith, seconded by Commissioner Kenski-Sroka to approve the minutes of the public hearing of December 1, 2004. All Commissioners were in favor of the motion and the motion passed unanimously with Commissioners Khan and Cohn abstaining. Moved by Commissioner Kenski-Sroka, seconded by Commissioner Smith to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of December 1, 2004. All Commissioners were in favor of the motion and the motion passed unanimously with Commissioners Khan and Cohn abstaining. COMMITTEE AND LIAISON REPORTS -None EDWARD R. TAMES HOMES, PROPOSED RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE POWERNAIL PROPERTY, 201-301 HALF DAY ROAD—REZONING TO THE R-9 DISTRICT AND APPROVAL OF A PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT AND PRELIMINARY PLAN Moved by Commissioner Samuels, seconded by Commissioner Smith to recommend approval to the Village Board of the petition for rezoning from the Industrial District to the R-9 Multiple-Family Dwelling District with a Residential Planned Unit Development (P.U.D.) and approval of a Preliminary Plan with the following variations: ZONING ORDINANCE— Section 17.120030.1.5 (to allow air-conditioning units to be located in the front yards of interior rowhomes); DEVELOPMENT ORDINANCE — Section 16.50.040.C.4. (concerning the design of the stormwater retention facilities (ponds) — to waive the requirement for a 12-foot wide flat area 18 inches above the high-water line around the perimeter of the ponds and to allow a minimum pond depth of less than 15 feet); Section 16.50.070.D.2. (to permit a residential street right-of-way of 47.5 feet instead of 60 feet for the loop street around the 1.6-acre pond between the single-family homes and the rowhomes); Section 16.50.080.A.1. (concerning sidewalk and parkway width—to allow reduction of the parkway requirement from 10.5 feet to 0 feet on one side of the loop street around the 1.6 acre pond between the single family homes and the rowhomes, and to allow reduction of the sidewalk width from 5 feet to 3 feet on one side (adjacent to the pond) of the loop street in this area), so that the petitioner can build its proposed 156 residential unit development consisting of 10 single-family homes, 12 duplex homes, 30 village units, 42 tuckunder townhomes and 62 rowhomes, and pursuant to the documents introduced in evidence at the public hearing and the testimony by the petitioner and interested parties at the public hearing. Commissioner Khan noted there are two options here. First, leave the site industrial and wait for someone to develop the parcel as industrial. However, the zoning all around this site is residential. It makes more sense to change the zoning to residential. As long as he has been on the Commission there has never been a proposal where the surrounding residents have not come out opposing a connection to an existing road. This right of way was set aside for future extension and everyone who bought there house in this adjacent subdivision knew that this road would be extended someday. He stated he believes that it is good planning to connect neighborhoods. He further noted there will not be a signal warranted at the Prairie Lane location because there is not enough traffic there and IDOT will not allow a traffic signal at this location. He stated he feels this is a good product and as an infill parcel it is always difficult to develop. Commissioner Cohn stated the real issue here is how this fits into the whole community and whether it is right for the community. He noted the Edward James development in Deerfield is built next to a large commercial center and a train station. The development in the Glen is adjacent to a commercial development with a whole lifestyle that goes with it and the development in Bartlett is downtown and the Heatherfield development has a whole lifestyle associated with the commercial development. He stated he is trying to attract the empty nester, professional young couples to move into this community but you are only providing them half the lifestyle they are looking for. They are not going to be exclusively attracted to living near the train. The development is transit oriented but you are not providing everything else they want. That is where this development fails. This development just does not fit as it is merely a function of a piece of land. Buffalo Grove is a young community that is maturing and we need to start focusing on creating everything else that is a community. Commissioner Kenski-Sroka stated she appreciated that in the ART review process the developer was amenable to suggestions and comments from the Commissioners. This is a difficult piece of property. When weighing all the factors in her conclusion is that this is a viable project for this piece of property. Commissioner Samuels stated he feels Commissioner Cohn was eloquent in expressing essentially the same feelings he has about this project. This is a beautiful project with a wonderful team and a nice product and where it has been built in other communities it works and makes sense. However this location, primarily because of the traffic situation, as well as the lack of additional functionality of commercial development, that does not fit. Commissioner Stark stated the developer has now reduced the units by 20 percent which is a huge number and is greatly appreciated. He noted that from an emergency and planning standpoint the Apple Hill Lane will be connected at some point. He stated this is a great product but does not fit in. Commissioner Smith stated it is of course a beautiful product but his concern from day one has always been the traffic. There will be delays here no matter what project comes in. He will, however, support the project because of their honesty as to conditions. Chairman Ottenheimer called for a vote on the motion and the vote was as follows: AYES: Smith, Bocek, Kenski-Sroka, Khan, Ottenheimer NAPES: Samuels, Stark, Cohn ABSTAIN: None ABSENT: Teplinsky The motion passed 5 to 3. Moved by Commissioner Kenski-Sroka, seconded by Commissioner Bocek to direct the Village staff to prepare findings of fact for review and signature by the Plan Commissioner Chairman. All Commissioners were in favor of the motion and the motion passed unanimously. CHAIRMAN'S REPORT—None FUTURE AGENDA SCHEDULE Mr. Pfeil said that the next meeting will be held on February 2, 2005. STAFF REPORT—None NEW BUSINESS—None ADJOURNMENT Moved by Commissioner Kenski-Sroka, seconded by Commissioner Bocek and carried unanimously to adjourn. Chairman Ottenheimer adjourned the meeting at 10:47 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Fay Rubin, Recording Secretary APPROVED BY: LESTER OTTENHEIMER, Chair