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2019-03-20 - Planning and Zoning Commission - Minutes03/20/2019 MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION OF THE VILLAGE OF BUFFALO GROVE HELD IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS, 50 RAUPP BOULEVARD, BUFFALO GROVE, ILLINOIS ON WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 2019 Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 7:31 PM by Chairman Frank Cesario Public Hearings/Items For Consideration 1. Consider an Amendment to Ordinance 2009-15, Which Adopted the “Village Comprehensive Plan Update 2009” as Amended by Ordinance 2018-24 by Adding Thereto the Prairie View Metra Station Area Plan (Trustee Smith) (Staff Contact: Chris Stilling) Mr. Chris Stilling, Director of Community Development; and Ms. Nicole Woods, Village Planner, were present and sworn in. Ms. Woods thanked the consultant, Ratio, the Steering Committee, the Village Board, the Planning & Zoning Commission (PZC), Village staff and the Buffalo Grove community for their work and support to develop the proposed plan. She then presented an overview of the plan. Ms. Woods reviewed the Benefits, Findings and Vision of the Plan, including the three (3) sub-areas of the Plan; North, Central and South. The implementation includes Village Commitment, Leverage and Marketing Opportunities, Neighborhood Identity and Branding and Enhanced Sustainability and Quality of Life. She also reviewed the public comment period, which began March 5, 2019 and runs through April 4, 2019. There will be a refinement period prior to the Plan being presented to the Village Board on April 15, 2019 for adoption as an amendment to the Comprehensive Plan. A video presentation was played for the PZC. Com. Goldspiel understands the plan and why parts of it are necessary. He is concerned about the new urbanism approach to the area. The plan is focused heavily on the train service. Metra is considering eliminating train service along this line and he believes it is not appropriate to rely on train service to sustain the use of the area. He believes that the plan should emphasize the retail potential instead of the train service. The train service is driven by Metra, who is having funding problems. The plan is focused on new urbanism with greater density. He is concerned about streets being too narrow, as detailed on page 58 of the packet. He is also concerned about emergency vehicle access and bicycle traffic. Page 38 of the packet suggests incorporating all future commercial space within mixed-use buildings. He believes there should be some commercial within residential buildings, but not all of them. It would not be a good thing to have a condominium unit over a bar. The plan calls for on-street parking. He believes parking should be kept off the streets, especially with more narrow streets. He would like to see the area plan approached more closely with the existing ordinance and look to Special Uses and keep existing buildings as non-conforming. The plan could develop special zones instead of creating density and on-street parking. He then asked about the Boundary Agreement with Lincolnshire. Ms. Woods explained that a Boundary Agreement was created in the early 2000’s with Lincolnshire. The Agreement dictated certain properties would be annexed to Buffalo Grove and some to Lincolnshire and discussed land uses. Mr. Stilling added that the only part of the proposed plan that would be affected by the Boundary 03/20/2019 Agreement is the North sub-area, which contained a density cap at 2 units per acre. The proposed plan calls for 3.2 units per acre. Com. Goldspiel advised staff to engage with Lincolnshire about the proposed plan. Mr. Stilling advised that staff has already met with officials from Lincolnshire and they are fully aware of the proposed plan. Com. Goldspiel has concerns with the new urbanism proposal and believes that this area needs to be handled very carefully. Com. Moodhe asked staff about the narrower streets and if First Street would be the only narrow street. Mr. Stilling advised that less parkway may be needed and the sidewalks would be wider. The typical profile would remain the same. Com. Moodhe asked about on-street parking on one side of the street. Mr. Stilling believes that would be the best solution. Com. Moodhe asked if the plan takes into account the Fiore property. Mr. Stilling responded yes, in the Central sub-area, south of the new east/west street, is the north part of the Fiore property. Com. Moodhe stated that there appears to be a number of buildings up for sale in the plan area. Mr. Stilling responded that those property owners view the proposal plan as an opportunity. Com. Moodhe ask ed about the density of the Easton project. Mr. Stilling stated that Easton is about 7 units per acre. Com. Moodhe believes that precedence has been set with density in this area. Mr. Stilling added that the trend is less building footprints and more open space. Com. Moodhe believes the proposed plan would be consistent with the other developments in the area. He also understands Com. Goldspiel’s comments concerning new urbanism and asked if that is the wave of the future. Mr. Stilling responded that mixed use is substantiated. Ms. Woods added that the consultant was reserved with their retail estimates. The Steering Committee proposed ideas, concepts and emerging trends that can be incorporated well when done right. The use of flex space could incorporate residential on the first floor for several years to get a return on the initial investment, and then move to commercial use. Com. Moodhe noted that in the Lake Cook Corridor Plan the commercial led the residential. This proposed plan has the opposite approach. Mr. Stilling responded that in this plan, the commercial would be a convenience to the residential. Com. Moodhe asked if any consideration was given to the history of the area. Ms. Woods responded yes, a lot of consideration was given in the development of the plan which can be seen with the retention of the church and the old American Legion building. Old pictures served as an inspiration for the vision of the area. The proposed plan has kept true to the roots of the Prairie View area. Some of the roots of new urbanism go back to neo-traditional and walkability. People like it and markets demand it. Residents want a pedestrian environment. Mr. Stilling added that it’s proven that a higher walkability score improves property values. Ch. Cesario asked staff to pull up page 28 of the packet and noted that Principle Number 1addresses the preservation of the area’s historical character. Mr. Stilling added that the scale of the plan is relative to the area. If you look at the proposed renderings, the tallest buildings are the two existing buildings, the church and old Legion. Com. Khan recalled the work with Lincolnshire on the Boundary Agreement and asked why the Village has not annexed the area to the south. Mr. Stilling responded that the area in question is over 60 acres and cannot be forcibly annexed. The property owners must petition the Village for annexation. In addition, most Boards are hesitant to forcibly annex land and it would give the Village more leverage with the development community during annexation negotiations, including zoning. Com. Khan asked if the water and sewer utilities are owned by Buffalo Grove. Mr. Stilling responded that Buffalo Grove owns the water utilities. The sewers flow into the Lake County sewers, which is through an agreement with Lake County. Com. Khan stated that he is very excited about this proposed plan. He travels downtown by Metra and has seen the areas around the train lines exploding with development over the last several years. Wheeling is currently 03/20/2019 developing around its station with an 800 unit residential building and more development is coming. The proposed plan is less dense than other areas and will have unique features. Mr. Stilling added that staff is aware of the talks about this Metra line and it’s service. Planning around service lines and stations gets Metra interested in investing in the service line. Ch. Cesario asked staff to pull up page 21 of the packet and asked staff to discuss the parking at the Metra station. Ms. Woods explained that the parking lot is large and would be shared for patrons of the retail and commercial elements of the plan. The parking lot is existing, would not take up additional space, would not add cost and shared parking is considered a best practice in planning. This station does not have weekend train service. Ch. Cesario stated that currently the area is not approachable or walkable and asked how this area can be used. Ms. Woods responded that this area would be like a front door to the Village. Currently it does not look pleasant. This is an opportunity to create a welcoming area. 20% of all commuters that utilize this stop walk to and from the station. Stevenson High School students park in this area. The proposed plan would generate sales, especially at lunch time. Ch. Cesario asked staff to discuss the neighborhood designs, including the open greenspace. Ms. Woods explained the idea about shared greenspace. Housing units are clustered with large areas of open greenspace. This concept is in demand and preferred. There were no additional questions or comments from the Commissioners. Ch. Cesario entered the Staff Report dated March 20, 2019 as Exhibit 1 and the video as Exhibit 2. Ms. Robin Stiebel, 23065 N. Prairie Road, Lincolnshire, IL 60069, was present and sworn in. She lives directly east of the Metra station. She has a different feeling about the proposed plan. She noted the proposed rendering of the west side of the tracks and asked what that would look like during winter. Cobblestone is not practical in this climate. The students from Stevenson use the area to park. The plan calls for higher density. With higher density comes higher crime. More development means more students for Stevenson High School. Traffic is currently heavy in this area and it is dangerous. There currently are no sidewalks. Sidewalks are not the answer. The railroad tracks are dangerous. The Standcliff property, which is about 6 addresses north of her home, if sold, would create one entry and one exit from that development onto Port Clinton Road. That would create more traffic onto Prairie Road. The North sub-area would create 262-300 more cars. The streets cannot accommodate that kind of traffic. The plan calls for a community marquee. The residents do not want to call attention to themselves. She wants to be left alone. She believes that forcible annexation is another word for eminent domain. She could not afford Buffalo Grove taxes. If her property was forcibly annexed, it would end up being a tear down. It is her house. She works from home. Sh e would have no place else to go. This plan is not what her and her neighbors want. She asked the PZC to reconsider approving the plan. Com. Goldspiel asked Ms. Stiebel what she wants the Village to do. Ms. Stiebel replied to let it evolve as it is and as it has. Town Center was a flop. She just wants to be left alone. She does not want sidewalks. They want to be able to walk in the streets and be safe to walk in the streets. 03/20/2019 Mr. Dan Segal, resides in Vernon Hills but has family that resides at 1298 Green Knolls Drive, Buffalo Grove, Illinois 60089. His family moved to Buffalo Grove in 1979. He is strongly against the proposed plan for many reasons. He objects to the way the plan would affect people’s lives in the area. The plan is clearly a fiscal decision to bring in more tax dollars in property and sales taxes. Prairie View is a quant, charming, historic town which should be left alone. There are several family -owned businesses in the area and he is sure that their livelihood would be affected. This plan would kick those people out. By annexing the land and raising property taxes to levels the residents cannot afford and re-zoning the land is the same thing as kicking them out. The recycling center has been there for over 40 years and provides services to the residents. There are no other businesses in the area that do what they do. There are many other family-owned businesses that will be adversely affected. Lake County Scrap Metal and Nursey, a four generation family business that has been there for over 40 years. Hoffman Streams has been there for over 20 years. Prairie House Tavern for almost 15 years. By re -zoning the land, the Village is taking away their livelihoods. The Village has pressing issues other than consuming the town of Prairie View and pr oposing to build more housing to generate more tax dollars, which he believes are not being put to proper use. This plan is similar to the Lake Cook Corridor Plan, which had a quarter of a million dollars spent to prepare. He questioned how much money has been spent on this proposed plan. The Village should be concentrating on fixing things internally like infrastructure in Buffalo Grove instead of spending money on a plan for an area that is not even within Buffalo Grove. The Village should be spending money addressing Town Center. This was supposed to be the epicenter of Buffalo Grove. Instead it lies mostly bare. Another is Chase Plaza which has been a mostly vacant retail area ever since Dominick’s left. Another is Cambridge Commons which is an eyesore and a black eye for the Village. It’s a completely deserted retail center with garbage all over. It’s a prime piece of property on a corner. Another is the former Bob Rohrman dealership corridor. Those are more pressing issues to him than using taxpayers’ dollars to take over land and build more housing and retail. He understands this is all about the money the Village would generate by annexing the property and building more homes with the Stevenson High School district. The plan would add an additional 668 residential units along with 51,000 square feet of commercial space to an already congested area. The Village has plenty of commercial space that remains empty. The Village has recently added homes in that area, including Easthaven and the Easton Townhome s, which he believes is an eyesore. They do not fit with the charm of the other houses in the area. He is thankful the townhomes are not visible looking down Easton Street from the area. The Village is also building new homes in the Link Crossing development, next to Meridian School. He is not thrilled about a construction site next to a school. The Village is adding all these homes in the area and doing nothing to address the infrastructure like widening the roads and adding lanes to accommodate all these new housing developments. The Village should be fixing the roads, traffic flow problems and other issues to assist residents in their daily commute. After annexing Prairie View, will the Village then annex Didier Farms, which has been a staple in the community, for more housing and retail. He believes it is wrong to take over the small town of Prairie View. He is strongly against the plan. The Village should use tax money to fix the current problems with infrastructure and the barren retail centers within the Village. Com. Goldspiel advised Mr. Segal that developers want to build in the plan area and asked Mr. Segal what the Village should do. Mr. Segal responded that there are a lot of other areas that are vacant, such as Town Center and the other centers he mentioned. The Village has already developed a plan for that area and he suggested looking there to build more residential homes. The Village has enough commercial space right now. He asked if the developers are looking to build in the Stevenson High Sc hool district. New homes are going to be built in Link Crossing. Com. Goldspiel asked Mr. Segal if he is suggesting leaving the area alone and not having a plan for it. Mr. Segal responded yes, for right now. He suggested the Village concentrate on the are as that are Buffalo Grove. 03/20/2019 Buffalo Grove has its own Metra station. He suggested building around that. Com. Goldspiel stated that he believes it is better to have a plan than to have no plan. Ch. Cesario stated that the idea is to have a framework that would steer development activity. Mr. Segal asked what jurisdiction the Village has over the Prairie View area if it is not part of Buffalo Grove. Ch. Cesario explained that the proposed plan is to guide development if the area ever does become annexed. Com. Moodhe advised that Cambridge Commons will be redeveloped in the near future under a plan presented to the Village Board earlier in the week. Mr. Segal asked about redevelopment of Chase Plaza as well. He said the Village spent a lot of money on the Lake Cook Corridor Plan and asked if the Village has to wait for that to be redeveloped. Com. Moodhe explained that the Village cannot force a property owner to redevelop a property; it has to wait for a developer to come forward with a plan. He also explained that even though Prairie View is not Buffalo Grove, a plan gives more control by giving the people input on what will occur there. If the area is left in its present condition, there is nothing from stopping a developer from presenting a development plan to the Lake County Board. With a plan in place, if a developer comes in and wants to building within that vision, the Village will have control over the development. It is not necessarily about the money. Tax dollars flow in, but the Village’s portion of those tax dollars is very small. The school district portion is still the highest. Mr. Segal stated that he when goes by that area, the houses are charming, the church is charming, everything there is charming. Before Easton townhomes, there used to be a barn. He used to horseback ride down Easton Street back when he was a little kid and the area was all prairie and not developed. He understands what the vision is and what the plan calls for, but in his opinion, what has already been developed there does not go with the area. Com. Moodhe understands the viewpoint of what is there now. This area has grown over the years. The proposed plan is looking 15-20 years in the future. He added that Town Center is part of the Lake Cook Corridor Plan, which is also a long term plan. Com. Goldspiel addressed the comments about the Village’s interest in unincorporated properties outside of its boundaries. Under Illinois law, the Village does have some planning jurisdiction of those areas. Mr. Stilling added that the Villag e of Buffalo Grove, by State Statute, does have jurisdiction of properties within one and half miles of its boundaries to have review authority. It is very important to the Village to have a Comprehensive Plan that addresses those particular areas, which may or may not every come into the Village of Buffalo Grove or any other community. In this case, if this area were ever to be incorporated, it would only be incorporated into Buffalo Grove. Mr. Stilling then answered Mr. Segal’s questions about different a nnexation scenarios. Ms. Stiebel added that a big issue for her, and her neighbors, are the lights in the train station parking lot. When she moved to Prairie View about 23 years ago, she could see stars. The lights in the parking lot are as bright as any baseball field. They do not turn off at 11:00 PM or dim. The lights shoot right into her home. She does not understand why the lights cannot be dimmed or turned off after the last train comes through. She sees shadows in her backyard at night. It was not like that when she moved there. She wants the stars back and the darkness. Mr. Stilling responded that those lights are controlled by Vernon Township. The issue has been raised with Vernon Township previously and the Village will continue to raise the issue with them. Vernon Township was part of the Steering Committee. Ms. Stiebel advised that the lights at the Vernon Hills train station are fake gas lights that are attractive and not as bright. The lights at the Buffalo Grove station are high-intensity but are lower to the ground and the light does not spread as brightly. 03/20/2019 Com. Cohn asked staff to comment on the idea of a plan and what could happen without a plan. Mr. Stilling explained that zoning regulates what a property can do. The idea of having a Comprehensive Plan is to give a vision and a guide as to how the Village would like development to occur. Zoning regulates how a property can get developed within certain parameters. When you don’t have a specific plan, then the zoning will dictate what you can do, including placement of buildings and setbacks, which may or may not be compatible with that particular area. That also includes the types of uses. He recalled that Easton Station Townhomes was a project that was already started before both he and Ms. Woods were employed by the Village. That is an example of a project for which there really was no definitive vision for that area. The Village learned from that project. Having a plan like the proposed plan helps layout a roadmap of what the Village would like to see that fits within the character of that area. Mr. Segal asked staff about once the plan is approved and implemented and one of the property owners wants to build a bigger home on a lot, would they be allowed to do that since the property is still unincorporated. Mr. Stilling responded that they would have to meet the County regulations unless it would be a request for a subdivision or a Special Use. Then the County would look at the planning document for that particular area, such as this plan, and determine if the proposal is consistent with that planning document. The Village has shared the proposed plan with the County and they are fully aware of it. There were no additional questions or comments from the Commissioners. There were no additional questions or comments from the audience. The public hearing was closed at 9:04 PM. Moved by Com. Weinstein, seconded by Com. Moodhe, to recommend approval of an amendment to Ordinance 2009-15, which adopted the “Village Comprehensive Plan Update 2009” as amended by Ordinance 2018-24 by adding thereto the Prairie View Metra Station Sub Area Plan. Com. Moodhe has seen the growth of this area over the years. He understands what the Village is trying to do to make sure the character of the area is retained. The proposed plan puts the Village in a far better position. Com. Weinstein is in favor of the proposed plan. It is a plan, a framework, and not the end all. It provides guidance to developers on the Village’s vision of the area. Things may change over time. The Comprehensive Plan has changed here and there to accommodate developers and market conditions. It is a good starting point. Com. Goldspiel knows the area well but thinks the plan is too dense. He believes the Village should get away from the idea of new urbanism and rely more on traditional zoning. He is appalled at the idea of parking on the streets and narrowing the right-of-way which would put homes closer to the street and traffic. He would like to see the language changed so that not every building has to have commercial in it. He is opposed to the proposed plan. 03/20/2019 Com. Cohn agrees with Com. Moodhe that the proposed plan would give some control, where right now there is none and anything can happen. He does not believe what is proposed will be built in the next 5 to 10 to maybe 20 years. It is a framework, a vision, which is more than what the Village has now. This creates an opportunity to have some influence over development. He supports the proposed plan. Ch. Cesario is sensitive to the comments raised and is supportive of the plan. The time of walking in the streets is dangerous. He prefers a walkable community with safety. The plan would allow for an improved safety aspect. The proposed plan will allow the Village to add a degree of harmony to future development, which is inevitable. This area will develop with or without the Village putting a framework in place. He believes the framework is a good one, a livable one. It is important to have a diversified housing stock. It is an asset, not a liability. Com. Moodhe commented on Com. Goldspiel’s concern that the plan is too dense. What the village is doing is laying a framework for a vision. Anything that comes out of this, even if it is 20 years down the road, will be re-looked at in regards to the actual density and what will be built there. Worrying about the density now is premature in looking at the overall vision. RESULT: RECOMMENDATION TO APPROVE [6 TO 1] Next: 4/15/2019 7:30 PM MOVER: Mitchell Weinstein, Commissioner SECONDER: Adam Moodhe, Commissioner AYES: Moodhe, Cesario, Cohn, Khan, Weinstein, Au NAYS: Stephen Goldspiel ABSENT: Scott Lesser Regular Meeting Other Matters for Discussion None. Approval of Minutes 1. Planning and Zoning Commission - Special Meeting - Feb 13, 2019 7:30 PM Moved by Com. Weinstein, seconded by Com. Khan, to approve the minutes of the February 13, 2019 Special Meeting as submitted. RESULT: ACCEPTED [6 TO 0] MOVER: Mitchell Weinstein, Commissioner SECONDER: Zill Khan, Commissioner AYES: Cesario, Cohn, Goldspiel, Khan, Weinstein, Au ABSTAIN: Adam Moodhe ABSENT: Scott Lesser Chairman's Report Ch. Cesario commented on the Volunteer Reception held on February 24, 2019 and congratulated three Commissioners on the their years of service milestones. 03/20/2019 Ch. Cesario noted that the Consolidated Election is coming up on April 2, 2019 and encouraged everyone to vote. Committee and Liaison Reports Com. Goldspiel stated he attended the March 18, 2019 Village Board meeting and advised that the Zoning Map was approved. Also, a referral to the PZC was made for a proposed redevelopment of the Cambridge Commons Shopping Center. A concern was raised regarding proper screening at night for the 24 hour fitness center Ch. Cesario advised he attended the February 19, 2019 Village Board meeting where the Special Use for 1350 Abbott Court was approved. In addition, the Village Board upheld the PZC denial of the RV variation for 156 Ironwood Court by a vote of 6 to 1. Staff Report/Future Agenda Schedule Mr. Stilling advised that three items will be on the April 3, 2019 PZC agenda; signage for Starbucks, a parking lot expansion for Meridian Middle School and the workshop for the Cambridge Commons Shopping Center redevelopment. He also noted that several items are anticipated for the April 17, 2019 PZC agenda including an RV variation, a fence variation and possibly the NCH site public hearing. Public Comments and Questions Mr. Segal asked if there has been any development inquiries regarding the Rohrman properties. Mr. Stilling advised there has not. Mr. Segal also asked if Panera Bread is moving from Riverwoods to the new center along Deerfield Parkway. Mr. Stilling responded yes. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 9:20 PM Chris Stilling APPROVED BY ME THIS 20th DAY OF March , 2019