1997-05-28 - Plan Commission - Minutes SPECIAL MEETING
BUFFALO GROVE PLAN COMMISSION
May 28, 1997
Revision of Village Comprehensive Plan -Workshop #7
Chairman Goldspiel called the meeting to order at 7:30 P.M. in the Village Council Chambers,
Buffalo Grove Municipal Building, 50 Raupp Boulevard, Buffalo Grove, Illinois.
Commissioners present: Chairman Goldspiel
Mr. Krug
Ms. Howard
Mr. Samuels
Mr. Berman
Mr. Trilling
Mr. Ottenheimer
Mr. Moons
Commissioners absent: None
Also present: William Reid, Village Trustee
Larry Reiner, Buffalo Grove Park District
Michael Rylko, Buffalo Grove Park District
Robert Pfeil, Village Planner
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Moved by Commissioner Samuels, seconded by Commissioner Ottenheimer, to approve the
minutes of the Regular Meeting of January 29, 1997. The motion passed unanimously,with
Commissioners Berman and Moons abstaining.
Moved by Commissioner Samuels, seconded by Commissioner Ottenheimer to approve the
minutes of the Public Hearing and Regular Meeting of April 16, 1997. The motion passed
unanimously, with Commissioner Moons abstaining.
Moved by Commissioner Samuels, seconded by Commissioner Berman, to approve the minutes of
the Public Hearing and Special Meeting of April 23, 1997. The motion passed unanimously,with
Commissioners Ottenheimer and Moons abstaining.
Buffalo Grove Plan Comm-Special Meeting-May 28, 1997-Page 1
RIVERWALK UNIT 2 (PHASE 2 OFFICE BUILDING)-FINAL PLAT OF SUBDMSION
AND PLAT OF VACATION
Moved by Commissioner Ottenheimer, seconded by Commissioner Krug, to recommend approval
of the plat of subdivision and plat and plat of vacation.
Chairman Goldspiel inquired if the right-of-way of Long Beach Drive should be shown as
depicted on the plat of subdivision, and he asked if a building setback line should be shown along
the right-of-way of Marquette Place.
Mr. Pfeil said that he would have to verify both questions with the Village Engineer and Village
Attorney.
Chairman Goldspiel requested that the motion be amended to make the recommendation subject
to verification of these two points and revision of the plat as necessary.
Commissioners Ottenheimer and Krug accepted the amendment to the motion to make the
recommendation "subject to correction of the plat as necessary concerning the depiction of the
Long Beach Drive right-of-way and delineation of a building setback line along the right-of-way
of Marquette Place.
Chairman Goldspiel called for a vote on the motion, and the vote was as follows:
AYES: Krug, Howard, Berman, Trilling, Ottenheimer, Moons, Goldspiel
NAYES: None
ABSENT: None
ABSTAIN: Samuels
DISCUSSION OF COMPREHENSIVE PLAN REVISION -WORKSHOP#7
Mr. Pfeil noted the Village's Economic Development Task Force met this morning, and the Task
Force is discussing a strategic plan for economic development in the Village. The goals and
objectives of this strategic plan will need to be coordinated with the Comprehensive Plan revision
process.
Chairman Goldspiel commented that so far the Comprehensive Planprocess has not identified any
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specific themes to use as the focus for the Plan. He noted that in previous workshops ideas such
as active use recreation along the Des Plaines River have been put forth, and other concepts such
as in-fill development and redevelopment have been discussed.
Commissioner Krug noted that the amount of vacant land for annexation is very limited, and some
future annexations may involve existing subdivisions such Pekara,Dunlo Highlands and Horatio
Buffalo Grove Plan Comm-Special Meeting-May 28, 1997-Page 2
Gardens.
Commissioner Samuels concurred that the potential areas for annexation are limited, and he
suggested that the planning process focus on areas that have the greatest probability for
annexations. He noted that some areas in the Milwaukee Avenue corridor are unlikely to be
annexed in the foreseeable future.
Chairman Goldspiel commented that Buffalo Grove is no longer on the fringe of the development
in the region, it is now more toward the center of the metro area. He said that some annexations
in the future may have to address incentives that make annexation feasible for property owners.
Commissioner Samuels noted that a cost/benefit analysis would be needed for areas such as Dunlo
Highlands and Horatio Gardens to determine if annexation is feasible for the property owners and
to identify the advantages to the Village.
Chairman Goldspiel said that this type of analysis also needs to address assumptions concerning
how properties in these areas could be redeveloped for more valuable uses such as expensive
single-family homes.
Commissioner Samuels pointed out that market forces affect the types of homes that are
developed in specific areas. He said that expensive homes would not be built in an area such as
Dunlo unless the properties have a Buffalo Grove address.
Commissioner Trilling commented that in areas such as Highland Park, land and housing are very
expensive and land accounts for approximately 25 percent of the value of a home. He said that in
a redevelopment scenario, homes valued at $300,000 won't be built next to existing homes that
are substantially lower in value.
Commissioner Samuels noted that in some North Shore areas redevelopment is occurring in some
locations where homes of 4,000 square feet are being built next to homes of 1,200 square feet that
happen to be on one-half acre lots.
Commissioner Howard commented that in Glenview residential redevelopment is occurring in
areas with fairly narrow lots such as along Landwehr.
Commissioner Samuels said that when the lots are narrow, the house are turned sideways on the
lots.
Commissioner Berman commented that the lots in this area of Glenview are substandard, and this
is a different situation than what Buffalo Grove will be facing with unincorporated residential
areas.
Commissioner Samuels noted that there are some situations in Northbrook where large 3-story
Buffalo Grove Plan Comm-Special Meeting-May 28, 1997-Page 3
expansions have been done next to smaller homes, and it creates undesirable results in terms of
appearance and compatibility.
Commissioner Krug pointed out that Dunlo Highlands has problems such as poor drainage and
the need to replace septic systems with community sanitary sewers. Other unincorporated
developments in the Village's planning area have problems with lack of a community water
system.
Trustee Reid noted that if all of the Village's standard improvements are required for an area such
as Dunlo Highlands, it would be very expensive for property owners.
Commissioner Samuels said that the cost of improvements would be part of the cost/benefit
analysis to determine if these areas are feasible for annexation.
Mr. Moons inquired if the single-familyhomes in the ChevyChase area are on Buffalo Grove
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utilities.
Commissioner Krug said that Buffalo Grove does provide water and sanitary sewer to this area
even though it is unincorporated. This arrangement resulted from the Village assuming the service
obligations of the private utility company that served this area prior to development of the
adjacent office and industrial projects by Hamilton Partners.
Commissioner Trilling commented that in areas where water and sanitary sewer are needed to
serve existing residential uses, the cost would be approximately$250 per lineal foot. Depending
on the width of the lots in the area,the cost per lot could exceed $15,000.
Commissioner Berman noted that it appropriate study issues pertinent to the feasibility of
annexing specific areas as part of the Comprehensive Plan process,but a cost/benefit analysis
would require an in-depth analysis.
Trustee Reid pointed out that the president of the Dunlo Highlands homeowners association has
requested that President Mathias and the Village Board members work with the association to
determine how drainage improvements can be made to reduce flooding in the Dunlo area. There is
also interest by some residents in Dunlo to get information on the costs of obtaining Village water
and sanitary sewer service.
Commissioner Samuels commented that unincorporated residential areas may be appropriate
locations to address the Village's goal of achieving a diverse housing stock since these
unincorporated areas would tend to have more affordable prices than other areas within the
Village.
Chairman Goldspiel noted that Naperville has annexed existing residential areas based on a
program using loans by the city to finance water and sewer improvements for each property
Buffalo Grove Plan Comm-Special Meeting-May 28, 1997-Page 4
owner.
Commissioner Samuels commented that if the loan on a property goes into default, the equity in
the property would be consumed when the property is sold and the loan has to be paid off.
Chairman Goldspiel noted that the property gains in value if problems such as flooding are solved.
Trustee Reid pointed out that property owners would not want to make a large investment in
connecting to municipal utilities unless they are sure there would be an adequate return on their
investment.
Chairman Goldspiel asked for discussion concerning commercial areas such the Dundee Road
corridor. He asked for ideas about incentives that the Village could use to stimulate re-
development of commercial properties.
Commissioner Samuels noted that the Economic Development Task Force will be studying
development incentives as part of its planning for economic development. He suggested that
zoning is one type of incentive that the Village may be able to use, particularly on Dundee Road.
Commissioner Krug questioned if the Comprehensive Plan should really address issues other than
land use designations and appropriate zoning to implement the recommendations.
Commissioner Samuels said that the Comprehensive Plan should address issues such as incentives.
Trustee Reid noted that the Village has used economic incentives such as sales tax sharing with
Computer Discount Warehouse.
Chairman Goldspiel commented that specific incentives would probably be considered on a case-
by-case basis.
Mr. Pfeil commented that detailed plans for specific areas are beyond the scope of the
Comprehensive Plan and sub-area plans with specific recommendations and incentives could be
done as a follow-up to the Comprehensive Plan.
Chairman Goldspiel asked for discussion concerning the schedule for completing the
Comprehensive Plan.
The Commission concurred that the draft plan should be ready for public discussion by August or
September.
Mr. Pfeil reviewed unincorporated areas adjacent to the Village noting that there are relatively
few areas that are less than 60 acres, so annexations would generally occur on a voluntary basis.
He said that the areas that should be specifically addressed in the Comprehensive Plan include
Buffalo Grove Plan Comm-Special Meeting-May 28, 1997-Page 5
Aptakisic Road and Prairie Road,the Prairie View area and portions of Milwaukee Avenue.
Commissioner Samuels commented that the west side of Main Street in Prairie View has potential
for mixed commercial and residential uses. The residential uses might include three-story
townhomes and some high density developments.
Chairman Goldspiel noted that design standards to incorporate elements of the architecture of
buildings in Prairie View should be considered.
Commissioner Trilling pointed out that the north side of Aptakisic Road in the Prairie Road area
has well-maintained homes, but the south side has a mix of uses and appears to have some
development potential.
Commissioner Samuels suggested that uses other than single-family be considered for the south
side of Aptakisic Road.
Commissioner Berman commented that light commercial use may be appropriate for areas such as
the southeast corner at Buffalo Grove Road.
Mr. Pfeil noted that the 1992 Comprehensive Plan shows the extension of a collector street from
Old Farm Village to Aptakisic Road.
Commissioner Moons commented that the south side of Aptakisic Road is best-suited for single-
s family use.
Mr. Pfeil commented that the southeast corner of Prairie Road and Route 22 has an
unincorporated parcel that is being marketed as a commercial site. He noted that the 1992 Plan
designates this site for senior citizen housing.
Commissioner Samuels said that the property is suitable for commercial use,but improvements to
Prairie Road would need to be made to provide good access.
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Chairman Goldspiel questioned the impact on potential commercial development in Prairie View if
commercial occurs on the south side of Route 22 at Prairie Road.
Commissioner Samuels indicated that commercial development on the south side of Route 22
would not be a negative impact for Prairie View and may actually stimulate development in the
area. He said that automotive services and a car rental operation are possible commercial uses that
could work on the site.
Commissioner Trilling said that senior citizen housing or commercial use would be appropriate for
this property.
Buffalo Grove Plan Comm-Special Meeting-May 28, 1997-Page 6
Ms. Howard agreed that commercial use would be appropriate for this location.
Mr. Pfeil inquired if there were comments concerning appropriate uses for the vacant site south of
the La Salle Bank at the southeast corner of Busch Road and Weiland Road. He noted that a
proposal for senior citizen apartments was recently reviewed by the Village Board, and concerns
about adequate parking,building bulk and lot coverage were raised.
Commissioner Trilling said that residential, commercial or light industrial uses could work on the
site.
Commissioner Berman commented that business and professional offices would be appropriate at
this location.
Chairman Goldspiel commented that housing for senior citizens should be identified somewhere
on the Comprehensive Plan.
Commissioner Samuels said that the unincorporated field on the west side of Weiland Road across
from the Schwaben Center would be a good location for senior housing.
Commissioner Berman concurred.
Chairman Goldspiel noted that there is no indication that this property will be available for
development in the foreseeable future.
Commissioner Samuels pointed out that land value will have a strong influence concerning when
the property may be made available for development.
Chairman Goldspiel asked for comments concerning development of the Buffalo Grove Road side
of Town Center. -
Commissioner Samuels commented that a land swap might be a method for making the property
on the east side of Buffalo Grove Road used by St. Mary's available for development. He said
that commercial uses with a coordinated circulation and access plan would be appropriate for the
east side of Buffalo Grove Road in this area.
Mr. Pfeil said that the next meeting the Comprehensive Plan would be on June 18, and he would
work on preparing a draft for review.
CHAIRMAN'S REPORT-None
FUTURE AGENDA SCHEDULE
Mr. Pfeil noted tha
t a meetingis scheduled for June and the agenda will include a workshop
4, g
Buffalo Grove Plan Comm-Special Meeting-May 28, 1997-Page 7
concerning regulation of outside display and sale of merchandise in business districts.
PUBLIC COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS -None
STAFF REPORT-None
NEW BUSINESS -None
ADJOURNMENT
Moved by Commissioner Samuel, seconded by Commissioner Ottenheimer, and carried
unanimously, to adjourn. Chairman Goldspiel adjourned the meeting at 9:30 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Robert E. Pfeil, Village Planner
APPROVED BY:
ISPN GOLDSPIEL, hairman
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Buffalo Grove Plan Comm-Special Meeting-May 28, 1997-Page 8