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2000-08-16 - Plan Commission - Minutes REGULAR MEETING BUFFALO GROVE PLAN COMMISSION August 16,2000 The Cotey property,Northeast corner of Milwaukee Avenue/ Estonian Lane,Approval of a Special Use and Preliminary Plan In the B-4 District for a wireless communications tower(monopole Of 140 feet)and equipment cabinet—Workshop#1 Praedium Development commercial building,proposed change Of exterior brick color,25 Buffalo Grove Road—Discussion Plaza Verde East(Walgreens),Barbara Resubdivision Final Plat U-STOR-IT Subdivision(Aptakisic Rd/Roadway Lane) Final Plat U-STOR-IT—Plat of Vacation(Frillman Avenue/Roadway Lane) Chairman Ottenheimer 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 Ottenheimer Mr. Samuels Mr.Trilling Ms. Dunn Mr. Feldgreber Mr. Smith Commissioners absent: Mr. Panitch Also present: Ms. Charity Sullivan, Voice Stream Wireless Mr.Aaron Knight, Voice Stream Wireless Mr. Paul Bongaarts, Voice Stream Wireless `./ Mr. Roger Rasac Mr. George Markopoulos, Praedium Development Corp Mr. Robert Pfeil,Village Planner 1 APPROVAL OF MINUTES Buffalo Grove Plan Commission-Regular Meeting-August 16,2000-Page 1 Moved by Commissioner Feldgreber, seconded by Commissioner Smith to approve the minutes of the public hearing of July 19, 2000. All Commissioners were in favor of the motion and the motion passed unanimously with Commissioner Dunn abstaining. Moved by Commissioner Feldgreber, seconded by Commissioner Samuels to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of July 19, 2000. All Commissioners were in favor of the motion and the motion passed unanimously with Commissioner Dunn abstaining. COMMI i"i'F.E AND LIAISON REPORTS Commissioner Samuels attend the Village Board meeting on August 7, 2000 and stated the board approved the Belmont Assisted Living Center but made it contingent upon approval of the restaurant. In addition, there was a pre-application conference regarding a proposed subdivision of approximately 3 1/2 acres in Prairie View. He noted John Green proposed several alternative proposals for either R-4 zoning which would be for 8 units or a 13 unit P.U.D. cluster concept. The board seemed favorable but no specific action was taken. THE COTEY PROPERTY, NORTHEAST CORNER OF MILWAUKEE AVENUE/ESTONIAN LANE, APPROVAL OF A SPECIAL USE AND PRELIMINARY PLAN IN THE B-4 DISTRICT FOR A WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS TOWER (MONOPOLE OF 140 FEET AND EQUIPMENT CABINET—WORKSHOP#1 Ms. Sullivan stated Voice Stream deals in digital PCS in the western United States. It is a public traded company on the Nasdaq and recently purchased a license from the FCC to build a network in the Chicagoland area. She noted they are requesting a variance for height. They are proposing a 140-foot monopole that will be a three-carrier monopole. She noted they would work closely with the Village to ensure that drainage and trees issues are taken care of. Ms. Sullivan stated the site is 3 % acres and Voice Stream has a 50 x 50-foot lease from the owner, which is right in the middle of the three parcels, which encompass the area. There is actually a clearing, although heavily forested on the west and east side. She noted they would not be moving any trees less than 6 inches in diameter and two dead trees will be taken out. This will be sufficient for the leased parcel and the 12-foot access road. They are now proposing to move the access road 4 feet in order to preserve some of the trees as requested by the Village Forester. Ms. Sullivan stated their BTS units sit on the ground normally and are about 5 feet high. However, due to the flood plain, they will put the units up on a stilted platform and is between 2-4 feet. This will put the units about 8 feet above the ground. This will be about 14 feet long and 2 feet deep. The only place this will be visible is from Estonian Lane. There will be an 8-foot high chain link fence. Ms. Sullivan stated they feel Voice Stream meets all six criteria for a special use: Buffalo Grove Plan Commission-Regular Meeting-August 16,2000-Page 2 1. If they do not have this site they will not be able to provide reliable coverage for the area. There is a letter attached to the packet stating that emergency equipment, etc. would be able to utilize this site, as well as additional carriers, so more towers would not be needed all over. Maintenance will be once a month between the hours of midnight and 6:00 a.m. She noted that going down to 120 feet would prevent other carriers from using the pole due to the trees and ground elevation and would compromise their efficiency. 2. This pole is in the clearing of the property and they feel they are working with the Village relative to trees and flood plain. Pictures were shown simulating views of the pole from various points on the site showing the scant appearance of the pole. 3. Property valuation has no correlation. 4. This development would not impede any development or use of adjacent land, as it is pretty much commercial all around. 5. Adequate utilities will be provided and a 12 foot paved access road will be constructed. It will be slightly over 75 feet long from Estonian Lane. 6. This is an unmanned site, which requires no parking. Commissioner Trilling asked how many sites Voice Stream presently has in the Chicagoland area. Ms. Sullivan stated they have completed their roaming network, which is about 30 sites, and it goes from O'Hare to the Loop. They are now in the construction phase. Commissioner Trilling asked for some details on the propogation map as to areas Voice Stream is proposing to build or lease. Ms. Sullivan reviewed the map noting sites they had looked at for construction or leasing. Mr. Knight stated the site Commissioner Trilling was looking at was not actually in Buffalo Grove, rather in unincorporated Cook County. He noted they are not looking at any other candidates in Buffalo Grove. He noted there is an existing tower at the corner of Rt. 53 and Rt. 83 owned by Cell One that currently is full and will not be able to be co-located on. They are looking to establish service in that ring. Buffalo Grove Plan Commission-Regular Meeting-August 16,2000-Page 3 Commissioner Trilling stated he is asking for identification of the sites surrounding the proposed site to further understand where Voice Stream may or may not be able to locate and what the status of those are to find out what effect it may have on other sites that may potentially be within Buffalo Grove limits. Mr. Knight stated the only sites that could be effected are 164 and 223 on the propogation map. Commissioner Trilling asked for some detail on the difference between what Voice Stream offers in services that may be different from others. Mr. Knight stated they are a digital provider operating on the GSM Global System for mobile radio communications, which is a worldwide protocol for digital telephones. They were trying to merge with Deutsch Telecom, which is a large European firm. The goal of Voice Stream is to establish as much of a worldwide footprint as possible. Somedayyou should be able to takeyourphone anywhere tP in the world and not have any roaming or long distance problems. You are essentially establishing a seamless network. He noted they currently have licenses all over the country and are building out their nationwide network. Commissioner Trilling asked if competitors would also locate on the proposed tower. Mr. Knight stated yes. Commissioner Trilling asked if space would be afforded to competitors on the ground also. Mr. Knight stated yes. He noted they would essentially serve as the administrator for that particular parcel. Commissioner Trilling asked if Voice Stream would handle everything or if the carrier would have to go to Mr. Cotey for any additional services. Mr. Knight stated no. Commissioner Trilling asked how the tower would be constructed. Mr. Knight stated that it would sleeve onto each other if it were a taped type of monopole. Commissioner Trilling asked if there would be any difficulty in operating a crane for this construction with all the trees around. Buffalo Grove Plan Commission-Regular Meeting-August 16,2000-Page 4 Mr. Knight stated they would be fine. From the backside the trees are not too tall or thick. Commissioner Trilling asked about the trees on the site. Mr. Knight stated they have worked with the arborist and the forester who have been out on the site. They will actually tag those trees to be removed and those �./ not to be removed. Commissioner Trilling suggested that all trees that are to remain be placed on the plan. Commissioner Trilling asked what the pad would be composed of. Mr. Knight noted it would be a concrete pad. Commissioner Samuels asked the petitioner if they were aware of the recently approved Northwest Community Hospital tower and if they had been contacted by Voice Stream regarding space. Ms. Sullivan stated she was not aware of said tower. Mr. Knight indicated its location at Rt. 83 and Lake Cook Road would be too close to another one of their sites. Commissioner Samuels asked how much research Voice Stream has done regarding existing towers in the area. Mr. Knight stated he is pretty familiar with all of Buffalo Grove and pointed out all of their sites. Commissioner Samuels asked if the petitioner could get away with two lower towers on Milwaukee Avenue rather than the proposed 140-foot tower. Mr. Roger Rasac stated they are trying to cover the major traffic thoroughfares. Commissioner Samuels noted it was his understanding that the height of the tower affects the range. Therefore, if you are at 120 feet you would still get coverage but it would be a smaller circle. Mr. Rasac noted the problem is that if the circle becomes smaller and smaller, it causes a user to drop a phone call. Mr. Knight noted they have looked at every tower in the area and have tried to co- locate wherever it is possible. He stated they feel the proposed site is best not only for them but also for Buffalo Grove. If you limit height and then build a 3- Buffalo Grove Plan Commission-Regular Meeting-August 16,2000-Page 5 carrier pole, the next carrier stuck at 90 feet will come and say they cannot use this or they will need two or three towers to establish coverage. He noted they are trying to establish one tower in lieu of two with the extra 20 feet. Commissioner Samuels noted he would like a survey of the towers within this one mile radius and copies of letters evidencing communication with the owners of the towers regarding availability they may or may not have for the next meeting. Commissioner Smith asked what benefits the Village of Buffalo Grove might realize from this tower. Ms. Sullivan stated if additional carriers would like to locate in Buffalo Grove they could be directed to this pole as well as locating emergency equipment on the tower if it can handle structurally. Chairman Ottenheimer asked how any emergency system or any other Village service could locate on this pole if it would only be a 3-carrier pole. Ms. Sullivan noted if the Village comes to them before any other carriers, then it would be line of progression and whoever approaches first would be accommodated. Chairman Ottenheimer asked if lowering the tower by 10 feet has any big effect. Ms. Sullivan stated anything lower than 140 feet would increase the chances for the need for another tower. Chairman Ottenheimer noted the petitioner would need to present a preliminary engineering plan confirming compliance with the stormwater and flood plain regulations. Ms. Sullivan noted their engineers have spoken to the Village Engineer and they will have additional discussions with him as they prepare the engineering plan. Chairman Ottenheimer asked about the distances from respective property lines. Ms. Sullivan noted where they are noted on the plan. She stated the only questionable setback was the one from the monopole to the right of way on `./ Estonian Lane. She stated they might have to pull the monopole back 20 feet. She further noted the question is whether the monopole is considered a building. The way the ordinance reads is that no building will be constructed within 30 feet of the right of way. Mr. Pfeil commented that the Village Building Commissioner has stated that the height standard does apply to a structure such as the proposed tower. He noted that if a variation of the setback is requested, there should be an analysis by the Buffalo Grove Plan Commission-Regular Meeting-August 16,2000-Page 6 petitioner justfying the variation and indicating any impacts that might be created if the variation is granted. Ms. Sullivan noted they could work with that. The closest residence is to the east at 330 feet. Commissioner Trilling asked for a response from the appropriate person in the Village as to the Village's needs either now or in the future relative to this tower. Mr. Pfeil noted the Village MIS director believes the Village should reserve space on this tower, and the Village would be the manager for other public entities such as the Park District, school districts,etc. Commissioner Trilling would like to have a coordination with Village need as well as the programming on the tower for other users and what kind of coverages could be expected. Ms. Sullivan stated they cannot do propogation maps for other users. Commissioner Trilling asked if the technology used by Voice Stream is so different from other carriers. Mr. Rasac stated yes. Commissioner Trilling asked if the technology is becoming more efficient so that its coverages are getting greater in area or is the technology forcing it to become smaller in area because it offers more services. Mr. Rasac stated the technology is becoming greater and they can do more with the technology Commissioner Trilling noted his concern is in reducing the height of the tower to the point where it is no longer usable for the future. This should be taken into account so that if this pole is to be used by three carriers, it can be used effectively. Therefore, he would like some information for the next meeting that shows that 140 feet is right for Voice Stream and everyone else who will come on this tower. Mr. Rasac noted that Ameritech and Cellular One can now afford to have their additional sites to be lower and lower. However, initially when you build, the poles need to be at this height. Commissioner Trilling noted that his fear is that a carrier on this pole will decide they need to be higher and come to the Village asking for a higher pole. Therefore, he noted that perhaps making this pole 10-20 feet higher now is the way to go. Buffalo Grove Plan Commission-Regular Meeting-August 16,2000-Page 7 i �, � �� __ _ _ Commissioner Trilling asked if the height of the trees will become obtrusive to the use of the pole or is the pole tall enough not to effect the carriers on the pole. Mr. Knight stated the trees along the north end of Estonian Lane are 70 feet tall. The trees along Milwaukee Avenue range from 50-60 feet tall. He stated they are trying to have co-locators located from the 140 to the 110-foot range. That will typically work for any cellular or PCS provider. In working with the city communications or city transmission equipment, they typically do not need to be as high. It does, however, depend on the system they are using. He further noted they could also build a monopole at 140 feet now but extendable in the future. Commissioner Trilling asked if use of the pole would be free of charge for the Village. Mr. Knight stated he could not commit to that at this time. Chairman Ottenheimer stated he is uncomfortable with that type of question as it can be construed as offering approval if the petitioner is willing to give something to the Village. Commissioner Samuels agreed with Chairman Ottenheimer. To speculate about the Village's possible use of this pole should be irrelevant to this discussion. Chairman Ottenheimer noted it should not be irrelevant to the discussion. Commissioner Trilling stated to ascertain the Village's needs today or in the future and what possible roleis something this pole may serve that should be brought out. Commissioner Samuels asked if the petitioner's antenna on this pole has unlimited capacity at that point or is does that antenna have limitations regarding its capacity to handle calls. Mr. Roger Rasac stated their antennas are providing two tier access which is two phone calls at any moment and can therefore provide substantial phone calls. In other words,one antenna will provide 16 phone calls at any given moment. Commissioner Samuels asked how long Voice Stream's business plan thinks this covers capacity. In other words, at some point will there be more than 16 calls on one antenna. Ms. Sullivan noted their business plan has these locations mapped out for five years into the future. Mr. Knight stated there are four antennas on each sector and there are three sectors. This allows 63 calls per sector. Buffalo Grove Plan Commission-Regular Meeting-August 16,2000-Page 8 Commissioner Samuels asked at what point Voice Stream would need to take over a second location on its own tower. Mr. Knight stated they will not take over a second location on the tower but rather another site will be necessary Mr. Paul Bongaarts noted there is also a limited number of users that can be on the landline phones at any given time. Commissioner Samuels stated that since the commission approved the previous 199-foot tower which was not approved by the Village Board, he would not want to approve anything now that was more than 140 feet and have it turned down again. Commissioner Smith stated he does not see how this project is negative to Buffalo Grove at all. However, he would like to protect the interests of the residences in that area. He asked if there are any residences that can see just more than the top of the pole. Ms. Sullivan stated no. She further noted there is a residence east of the property and that person will be driving past and will be able to see it. However,that is the only residence that uses Estonian Lane. The reason they were working with the Village Forester and moving the access road 4 feet to the east is because the Forester wanted to keep some of the trees in the area to screen. The property immediately to the north is unincorporated Lake County and it is used as a business. Mr. Pfeil commented that there has been a business use on the property allowed by Lake County,but there may also be a residence. Ms. Sullivan stated it is used as some kind of a landscaping or tree trimming business. Commissioner Smith stated he would like to see what this pole would look like relative to each residence. Chairman Ottenheimer noted the following items to be addressed at the next meeting: 1. Engineering plan for stormwater and flood plain issues; 2. Something in writing establishing the fact that the petitioner cannot get onto other poles in the area within a mile radius; 3. Photos from all viewpoints of any residences; Buffalo Grove Plan Commission-Regular Meeting-August 16,2000-Page 9 it 4. How the Village can be served by this project; 5. Depict all the trees on one plan sheet. PRAEDIUM DEVELOPMENT COMMERCIAL BUILDING, PROPOSED CHANGE OF EXTERIOR BRICK COLOR 25 BUFFALO GROVE ROAD -- DISCUSSION Mr. Markopoulos stated they are currently under construction on the single-story retail building at the Walgreens resubdivision at Lake Road Road and Buffalo Grove Road and he is requesting a change from of brick color from that originally proposed. The original color was the cherry velour brick and they are now requesting to go to a medium red brick which is a shade darker from that originally proposed. Unfortunately due to market conditions, availability of this product was nil. Mr. Markopoulos presented samples of the proposed brick. It is a darker brick with a smoother finish and is actually a better quality brick. Moved by Commissioner Samuels, seconded by Commissioner Feldgreber to approve the substitution of brick and resulting change in color. Chairman Ottenheimer called for a vote on the motion,which was as follows: All commissioners were in favor of the motion,which passed unanimously. PLAZA VERDE EAST (WALGREENS) BARBARA RESUBDIVISION — FINAL PLAT Moved by Commissioner Trilling, seconded by Commissioner Smith to recommend approval to the Village Board of the Plaza Verde East Barbara Resubdivision—Final Plat. Chairman Ottenheimer called for a vote on the motion and the motion was as follows: AYES: Trilling,Dunn,Feldgreber, Smith, Ottenheimer NAYES: None ABSTAIN: Samuels ABSENT: Panitch The motion passed 5 to 0. U-STOR-IT -- SUBDIVISIONIAPTAKISIC RD/ROADWAY LANE)—FINAL PLAT Buffalo Grove Plan Commission-Regular Meeting-August 16,2000-Page 10 Moved by Commissioner Smith, seconded by Commissioner Dunn to recommend approval to the Village Board of the U-STOR-IT Subdivision—Final Plat. Chairman Ottenheimer called for a vote on the motion and the motion was as follows: AYES: Trilling,Dunn,Feldgreber, Smith, Ottenheimer NAYES: None ABSTAIN: Samuels ABSENT: Panitch The motion passed 5 to 0. U-STOR-IT — PLAT OF VACATION (FRILLMAN AVENUE/ROADWAY LANE) Moved by Commissioner Smith, seconded by Commissioner Dunn to recommend approval to the Village Board of the U-STOR-IT Plat of Vacation. Chairman Ottenheimer called for a vote on the motion and the motion was as follows: AYES: Trilling,Dunn,Feldgreber, Smith,Ottenheimer NAPES: None ABSTAIN: Samuels ABSENT: Panitch The motion passed 5 to 0. FUTURE AGENDA SCHEDULE Mr. Pfeil indicated the next meeting would be September 6,2000. PUBLIC COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS -None STAFF REPORT Mr. Pfeil noted he has passed yellow ID cards to the commissioners to be used when out in the field. NEW BUSINESS—None ADJOURNMENT Buffalo Grove Plan Commission-Regular Meeting-August 16,2000-Page 11 Moved by Commissioner Smith, seconded by Commissioner Dunn and carried unaimously to adjourn. Chairman Ottenheimer adjourned the meeting at 9:05 p.m. Respectfully submitted , P fn Fay Rubin, ec rding Secretary APP6VED BY: ;/4/'I _ ,ESTER OTTENHE Buffalo Grove Plan Commission-Regular Meeting-August 16,2000-Page 12