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1994-07-28 - Appearance Commission - Minutes APPEARANCE COMMISSION VILLAGE OF BUFFALO GROVE, ILLINOIS THURSDAY, JULY 28, 1994 I. CALL TO ORDER Commissioner Fred Weissman called the meeting to order at 7:36 P.M. on Thursday, July 28 , 1994 in the Council Chambers of the Village Hall, 50 Raupp Boulevard. II. ROLL CALL Commissioners Present: F. Weissman, A. Viehman, M. Cea and S. Trilling Commissioners Absent: R. Gordon and R. Lundine Bldg. Dept. Liaison: Edward Schar, Deputy Building Commissioner III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. May 26 , 1994 - Corrected motion on Page 3 : References to signs s/b "sign" singular - location over the new east entrance. Com. Cea made a motion to approve the May 26 , 1994 minutes as corrected. Com. Trilling seconded the motion. Roll Call Vote: AYE - Viehman, Cea, Trilling, and Weissman NAY - None Motion Passed - 4 to 0. Minutes of March 26, 1994 were approved. B. July 14 , 1994 - Com. Viehman made a motion to Table. Com. Cea seconded the motion. Voice Vote - AYE Unanimously IV. BUSINESS Courtesy Corporation - Warehouse Facility Corporate Grove Drive and Busch Parkway Full Review: Elevations, Materials, Colors, Landscaping and Lighting Mr. Sheldon Dobrin, Dobrin Associates, Ltd. , Architects/AIA, 401 Huehl Road, Suite 1C, Northbrook, IL 60062 (564-5480) made the presentation. Mr. Randall Bees was present and Mr. Jerry Sommers of Courtesy Corp. was also present. Mr. Dobrin said the new 342,000 square foot building will be connected to the existing 265, 000 square foot building and will be used as a warehouse. Mr. Jerry Sommers gave an introduction to the project. Courtesy Corporation at 800 Corporate Grove Drive has been in Buffalo Grove for over a year and the operation has been so successful that they have outgrown the building. They purchased the adjoining property on which the warehouse will be constructed. The existing building will be used for manufacturing and production. Courtesy employs over 600 people, many from the Buffalo Grove area. Mr. Dobrin presented a colored rendering of the proposed building and described the site plan which shows both buildings. The new Courtesy Corporation warehouse will be located at the corner of Corporate Grove Drive and Busch Parkway and will be the largest building in Buffalo Grove. A ground link will connect the two buildings and will be used by pedestrians and for forklifts which will be used to bring in materials that are produced in the existing building. There will be a creative office area at the front of the building and a smaller office area at the northeast corner that will be used for the warehouse operations. The corporate offices will remain in the existing building. There will be a small assembly area in the new building but the majority of the space will be used as a warehouse. 1 . ARCHITECTURE, MATERIALS AND COLORS: The design of the building will be different to distinguish it from the existing building but the same materials will be used. There is a large expanse of glass facing the corner of Busch Road and Corporate Grove Drive, with strip windows on the south elevation. The north and west (rear) elevations will be stained concrete panels similar to the existing building. The smaller employee entrance (facing the existing building) at the far northeast end of the building resembles the main circular entrance. The truck docks on the north wall face the existing truck docks forming a large truck court. The structure linking the two buildings is 20 feet clear width and will be constructed with concrete panels stained white with tinted windows. Materials will be identical to the existing building: 1. Concrete blocks stained white with blue reveals; 2. Windows - Blue reflective glass with black mullions 3 . Front of building - River Run aggregate stone (from the circular glass area returning to west and north sides of the building) 4. Building will have a blue cap. 5. Canopy at front entrance will have a metal edge to match the fascia of the building. The roof is flat and curved to follow the curve of the building. APPEARANCE COMMISSION July 28 , 1994 - Page Two Mr. Dobrin asked the Appearance Commissioners to consider an alternate design for the front of the building. He asked for the option to bring the pre-cast panels around the corners to the circular portion. The purpose would be to set the office area apart but a final decision has not been made. Com. Cea remarked that either architectural scheme would be acceptable and the other Commissioners agreed. When the final determination has been made, if it is the alternate design, a new drawing will be submitted to the Building Department. The roof top units were discussed. There will be a 4-1/2 foot glass parapet over the office area that will screen all the HVAC units. The design is identical to the existing Courtesy Corp- ation building. The line of sight drawing depicts the sight distance from Corporate Grove Drive. The closest warehouse unit will be 80 feet from the front of the building so the height of the parapet should be sufficient. The warehouse area and connecting unit will have heaters suspended from the ceiling but no air conditioning units. Com. Cea made a motion to recommend approval of the Architecture, Materials and Colors as submitted for the Courtesy Corporation - Warehouse Building at the corner of Corporate Grove Drive and Busch Parkway, with the stipulation that if the alternate design is selected for the front elevation (with pre-cast panels and spandrels) a new drawing is to be submitted to the Building Department and the AC will be advised. Com. Viehman seconded the motion. Roll Call Vote: AYE - Viehman, Cea, Trilling and Weissman NAY - None Motion Passed - 4 to 0 B. LANDSCAPING: Ms. Corrie Schaeffer, Phil Robin Landscapes, 217 Holmes Avenue, Clarendon Hills, IL 60514 (325-7000) said the Landscaping will be similar to the existing Courtesy Corporation building. The pond area will be enhanced with additional trees and plantings. The building will be softened with large trees that have been set back from the roadway to leave the view of the building open. The parking area on Busch Road will be screened with a planted berm. There will be a one foot (1 ' ) strip of shredded wood chips next to the building to prevent rain water from splashing up on the windows. This is the same treatment used at the existing building. There are more parkway trees than necessary and they are closer together than the required forty foot (40 ' ) spacing. APPEARANCE COMMISSION July 28 , 1994 - Page Three Mr. Ray Rigsby' s Landscape Review, dated July 25, 1994 , states: "The plant selections are acceptable. Overall a good plan. " Com. Viehman made a motion to recommend approval of the Landscape Plan for the Warehouse as submitted by Courtesy Corporation. Com. Cea seconded the motion. Roll Call Vote: AYE - Viehman, Cea, Trilling and Weissman NAY - None Motion Passed - 4 to 0. 3 . LIGHTING: Mr. Dobrin described the Electrical Site Plan and stated that the Ballards, Parking Lot Standards with Shoebox Fixtures and Wall Mounted Lights will match the lighting at the existing Courtesy building. The truck dock lighting and the Wall Pacs over the man doors will meet code requirements. Photometrics were included with the cut sheets of the light fixtures. Com. Viehman made a motion to recommend approval of the Lighting as submitted for the Courtesy Corporation Warehouse. Com. Trilling seconded the motion, Roll Call Vote: AYE - Viehman, Cea, Trilling and Weissman NAY - None Motion Passed - 4 to 0. 4 . SIGNS: Two sign locations are indicated on the site plan. Signs will be blue with white lettering and will match the existing Courtesy Corporation signs. They will be presented for approval at a later date. Com. Viehman complimented Mr. Dobrin and Mr. Sommers. He said the new building will be a nice addition to Buffalo Grove and will enhance the corner of Busch Road and Corporate Grove Drive. VI. ANNOUNCEMENTS 1 . Mr. Schar said the owner of Outback Steakhouse would like to change the color of the background of the wall sign facing Lake Cook Road from the brown stain to grey to match the sign on the west elevation. He does not like the brown background of the front gable because it does not reflect the light from the sign as well as the grey background and he does not like the daytime appearance either. Mr. Schar said if the Commissioners had no objections, he would consider this a minor change and asked for a motion for the record. APPEARANCE COMMISSION July 28 , 1994 - Page Four Com. Trilling made a motion to approve the minor color change of the Outback Steakhouse sign on the front elevation facing Lake Cook Road from brown stain to light grey to match the existing sign on the west elevation facing Weidner Road. Com. Cea seconded the motion. Roll Call Vote: AYE - Viehman, Cea, Trilling and Weissman NAY - None Motion Passed - 4 to 0. 2. Mr. Schar distributed Copies of the proposed Sign Code revisions. He asked the Appearance Commissioners to review it and send their written recommendations to him before September 1, 1994 for submittal to the Village Board of Trustees. He explained that the language and intent have been clarified to make the code more readable. The fees have been raised approximately 30% and were changed for the first time in almost ten (10) years. Other villages were surveyed before the fees were changed. Buffalo Grove' s fees are not the highest nor are they the lowest in the surrounding area. The Code has been brought up to date and the revisions meet today' s standards for signs. The substance was not changed and the Code now reflects what is actually being done. Some procedures, such as pre-application conferences relative to signs, have been eliminated. Com. Viehman suggested that review and discussion of the proposed Sign Code revisions be made an agenda item the last meeting in August. Any changes should be made as a body and submitted to the Village Board of Trustees for consideration. The Village Board Trustee Liaison will be asked to attend the meeting so he will understand the Appearance Commission' s point of view and relate it to the Board. The Board will make the final decisions. VI. ADJOURNMENT Motion to adjourn was made by Com. Cea and seconded by Com. Trilling. Com. Weissman adjourned the meeting at 8 : 35 P.M. Respectfully submitted, Shirley Bate , Recording Secretary APPEARANCE COMMISSION July 28 , 1994 - Page Five