2013-11-06 - Plan Commission - Minutes Board or Commission: ❑ Plan commission
Document Type: 0 A e
g nda 0 Minutes
Meeting ate: 11/06/2013
Type of Meeting: ❑ Regular Meeting
REGULAR MEETING
BUFFALO GROVE PLAN COMMISSION
November 6, 2013
Pulte Homes -Annexation with R-3A zoning and approval of a
Preliminary Plan for a single-family residential development,
Hoffmann property, 22140 N Prairie Road -Workshop #2
Chairman Smith 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 Smith
Mr. Khan
Mr. Stark
Mr. Weinstein
Ms. Johnson
Mr. Goldspiel
Mr. Matthews
Commissioners absent: Mr. Cohn
Also Present: Mr. Mark Mastrorocco, Pulte Homes
Mr. Chuck Hanlon
Mr. Bill Zalewksi, Spaceco, Inc.
Mr. Andy Stein, Village Trustee
Mr. Robert Pfeil, Village Planner
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Moved by Commissioner Goldspiel, seconded by Commissioner Weinstein to approve the
minutes of the public hearing of October 2, 2013. Commissioner Khan noted the misspelling of
his name for correction. All Commissioners were in favor of the amended motion and the motion
passed unanimously.
Moved by Commissioner Johnson, seconded by Commissioner Goldspiel, seconded by
Commissioner Khan to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of October 2, 2013.
Commissioner Goldspiel noted a typographical error on page 2 in the next to last paragraph for
correction. All Commissioners were in favor of the amended motion and the motion passed
unanimously.
COMMITTEE AND LIAISON REPORTS
Commissioner Stark attended the Village Board meeting of October 7, 2013; there were no
items concerning the Plan Commission.
Commissioner Johnson attended the Village Board meeting on October 21; the special use for
the Epic Exercise facility was unanimously approved.
PULTE HOMES - ANNEXATION WITH R-3A ZONING AND APPROVAL OF A PRELIMINARY
PLAN FOR A SINGLE=FAMILY RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT, HOFFMANN PROPERTY,
22140 N PRAIRIE ROAD -WORKSHOP #3
Mr. Mastrorocco stated they would be reviewing some of the changes made to the plan based
upon input from the Plan Commission.
Mr. Hanlon noted that adjacent property owners were sent notification about tonight's workshop
meeting.
Mr. Hanlon stated that after reviewing the stormwater detention calculations, three of the
proposed lots have been removed to provide the required area for detention. He noted that Olive
Hill Drive will be completed as a full two-way street as part of the development. He said a parcel
for active park land is provided adjoining the current Prairie Grove park. This park could also be
expanded to the west as part of a future subdivision.
Mr. Hanlon noted the previous discussion about the stormwater detention area suggested a
design other than just a rectangle. Due to the need for additional capacity, they chose to remove
the lots to the north which provides an open atmosphere as you are driving to the development
and you are then driving in and approaching the three front facades which will be very attractive
for the neighborhood.
Mr. Hanlon noted that on the drawing previously submitted they had a plan that was sort of a
concept plan with extra dimensions on it. Now they have a draft of the actual preliminary plat
that has all the lots calculated, dimension, easements, typical lot standards and average lot size
which is about 12,600 square feet.
Mr. Hanlon stated the first intersection as you come in had some discussion due to the angle of
the roadway and the geometry that was set. The intersection has now been modified so the
easterly curb line now just goes straight up and it adds a little extra asphalt and width to the
intersection which really cleans up the geometry.
Mr. Hanlon stated there had also been discussion about future access to the south and they are
now showing a sidewalk connection provision. They are providing the space and the ability to
put a sidewalk there in the future. There will be about 130 feet of extra sidewalk offsite to make
a connection to the east/west roadway. That is a pretty small number and a relatively small
expense for any future development.
The three western tier lots have all been widened from the previous plan by over 100 feet. The
main reason for that is to accommodate especially for the hammerhead T turnaround in this
location which is meant to be temporary for the read to be extended to the west. So they made
those lots wider and positioned the homes so that both the garages on both of the lots would be
to the west so you would not be watching out the window to the T turnaround. The driveway will
connect to the east/west roadway but they will make sure the T turnaround does not become
part of someone's driveway because it is meant to be a free open turnaround. The Fire
Department and engineering staff looked at it and felt it was fine.
Mr. Hanlon noted they did two things to the north. They created a cul-de-sac which makes an
adequate turnaround at that location. If that road gets extended also to the west then the
cul-de-sac would be removed and it would just be a straight road going to the west.
Mr. Hanlon further noted that another idea that staff came up with makes a lot of sense. The
roadway to the north makes a turn to the east but the Village has right of way so the road could
be extended to the south along the west side of the park. If there is any reason to extend to the
south to form an intersection with the east/west roadway the staff had the idea to create a right
of way parcel in that location which could be dedicated to the Village rather than to the Park
District.
Mr. Hanlon stated they have numbered the lots 1 through 38 so that the last two lot numbers are
39 and 30 which are the farmstead parcels.
Mr. Bill Zalewski, Spaceco Engineering, stated originally they had looked at the subdivision to
the north which is just a grass bottom detention basin and they were going to just follow the
same pattern. However, as of June 11, 2013 Lake County came out with a new ordinance and
there are a whole list of items incorporated that are to clean and treat the water before it leaves
the site. After evaluating everything and because we have to get the hydrocarbons out of the
discharge, we have to detain the water and store the first flush. The best way to do this is to
have a naturalized bottom. As the Village Engineer has pointed out they will most likely have to
do a naturalized basin based on the new criteria under the Lake County ordinance. They will
work with their consultants and the Village to come up with a product that will be appropriate for
this basin.
Mr. Mastrorocco stated the other element that came out is that the Village would take ownership
of that parcel as they have most other detention basins in a PUD.
Mr. Mastrorocco reviewed some of the provisions for the homestead which were to preserve the
out buildings, greenhouse, garages and so on which most likely will translate into some
variances from the subdivision ordinance which could change then in the future if those homes
were to be replaced by new homes or some kind of a resubdivision. He noted the chicken and
ducks on the property would remain and just would not be replaced when they passed. They
would like to screen with some kind of fence or landscape screening of the storage area for the
implements on the property. They would like to have the gardens and orchards remain and
would even like to increase the gardens on the property now. Many of the items on the list will
not really cause the need for a variance.
Commissioner Stark noted some variances had been requested on some of the northern lots in
terms of dimensions and asked if that was still being requested.
Mr. Hanlon stated yes. Lots 17 and 18 as well as 13 and 22 are requesting a 5 foot reduction in
the corner sideyard from 30 feet down to 25 feet. But depending on which model home gets
built on those lots you will not see every bit of that 5 foot reduction used every time.
Commissioner stark asked if the property just due east of lots 1 and 2 is where the Weiland
Road extension would come out of.
Mr. Mastrorocco stated that is where you are starting to see the curve there. The information
they have is that the curve for the new roadway improvement would begin immediately south of
the intersection and they do not believe the intersection is affected at all.
Commissioner Stark asked if you would be able to turn left on Prairie if you are traveling east on
Aptakisic Road or would you have to go to the new Weiland Road extension.
Mr. Pfeil commented that he thinks a left-turn will be allowed.
Trustee Stein stated option one of the Weiland road project is if you are coming east on
Aptakisic Road, there will be a no left-turn to Prairie Road.
Commissioner Stark asked what the other options were.
Trustee Stein noted option 1 is the option being favored by the engineers.
Commissioner Stark noted that if option 1 does go through, it is safe to assume that if you are
travelling east on Aptakisic you will have to do down almost all the way to the railroad tracks to
turn left.
Trustee Stein stated yes.
Commissioner Stark asked if the farmstead will have roosters.
Mr. Mastrorocco stated no.
Commissioner Stark asked about the provision for the farmstead to be able to construct an
attached or free standing 2 '/2 car garage without removal of any existing buildings. He asked if
that was something in the works and if so where would those be.
Mr. Mastrorocco stated they would just like to have that as an option.
Commissioner Stark asked about the continued use of the deep well and asked if the farmstead
would be hooked up to Village water.
Mr. Mastrorocco stated it would be hooked up to Village water but they would like to keep the
well for watering purposes for gardens and that type of use.
Commissioner Stark noted that it is a possibility that one of the owners of the two distinct farm
lots could sell and the other owner would not sell.
Mr. Mastrorocco stated yes.
Commissioner Stark stated that causes him some concern for 10-15 years down the road.
Commissioner Goldspiel asked about the phrase on the farmstead reading "qualified
engineering analysis can be used in lieu of code compliance."
Mr. Mastrorocco stated it refers to if the home gets some remodeling or additions put on, clearly
the existing structure may not meet a number of building codes and trying to bring the building
completely into compliance may not be possible and the owners would have the ability to hire a
professional to report to the Village and certify that it would work.
Commissioner Goldspiel noted that point should be reworded because it appears the Village is
bargaining away code compliance.
Mr. Hanlon noted this is a very routine type of thing in older neighborhoods with older homes
and just seems to stand out here because we are talking about new houses. It is, however, a
very routine concept.
Commissioner Goldspiel noted we had spoken about some screening between the agricultural
area and the southwest portion of the development. Have there been any ideas for that yet?
Mr. Hanlon stated Pulte is evaluating that and it will be at the next meeting.
Commissioner Goldspiel asked if this has already gone through engineering review.
Mr. Pfeil said the Village Engineer has seen the current engineering plans for preliminary water,
sewer and grading.
Commissioner Goldspiel noted that the Village usually tries to have a looped water line layout so
if there is an interruption of service on one segment, service can be provided from another
segment to maintain service to properties. He stated he sees some stubs of water mains and
wonders if this is within the way the Village does things and how long do we let the stubs go. He
inquired if the engineering plan has taken into account the sizing of water and other utilities to
serve future development to the west of the proposed subdivision. He noted the Village's master
plan shows a street extended through from south to north alongside this property and it looks
like there will be room for a few lots on the east side of that street. He asked if those would be
able to be served by the sanitary here.
Mr. Zalewski stated the sanitary sewer barely makes it to the west edge of the proposed
subdivision; the topography is falling to the west. Sanitary sewer in the Pulte subdivision is not
going to serve this area without a lift station. He stated they are not at the depths they would like
to be but they still have sufficient cover for the sanitary. You could probably cover about 100 to
150 feet depending on where the houses are or where the sanitary use is needed. But it is
highly improbable that just that small strip would be served by extension of the sanitary from the
Pulte subdivision. He said the water main could be extended to serve this area west of the new
subdivision.
Commissioner Goldspiel asked if soil sampling had been done.
Mr. Zalewski stated sampling had been ordered.
Commissioner Goldspiel stated he is worried about the height of the water table under this
ground and its effect on basements in the houses.
Mr. Zalewski stated if there is a ground table it is not really coming from anything higher. If there
is a high water table the introduction of storm sewers, detention basin and all utility lines will in
theory de-water the whole site.
Commissioner Goldspiel asked if the 15 feet for the pathway between the south and this
development is pretty standard in width.
Mr. Pfeil said he believes that would allow construction of an 8 to 10-foot wide walkway.
Commissioner Khan stated he would like to see the list of non-conforming farmstead items once
an agreement between Pulte Homes and staff and to go either into the ordinance approving this
project or into the annexation agreement which are the two best places to have these things
shown. He noted that personally he would like to see it go into the annexation agreement.
Mr. Hanlon stated that is their plan.
Commissioner Khan stated he is assuming the two lots on the farmstead will be connected with
municipal water. As they use well water now.
Mr. Hanlon stated they will connect to municipal water when they come in.
Commissioner Khan stated he is not opposed to the idea of using the well for irrigation purposes
and such but once the wells are in the Village he asks if there is any testing that needs to be
done as they must comply with some standards.
Mr. Hanlon stated he does not know and will try to get the answers to that.
Commissioner Khan thanked the petitioner for connecting the 15 foot connection to the south
and it is to be dedicated to the Village in the future so that maintenance will be maintained by the
Village.
Commissioner Khan noted the hammerhead extends beyond the 50 foot right of way and part of
that hammerhead is on parcel 28 on the north side and 30 on the south side. He asked if that
will be a temporary easement until the road is extended further to the west or how will it be work.
Mr. Hanlon stated it will be a temporary easement until the road is continued. He noted they
made the lots wider because they did not want it to affect the south and be marketed as well.
While they have to deal with the turnaround temporarily they do have a bigger sideyard and the
garages will be kept oriented to the west so that the entrance to the home is not compromised
with the extra asphalt.
Commissioner Khan asked whose responsibility it would be to remove the pavement from those
two lots and put the seed or sod back in.
Mr. Hanlon stated that would be the developer that extends.
Commissioner Khan asked that it be documented somewhere that it is the future developer's
responsibility to remove the pavement.
Commissioner Khan stated in principal he likes the idea of the water not rushing into the ground
and stopping filtration to prevent salt and oil from getting in. However, the only part he does not
like is the water sitting there for 2 4 to 48 hours before it dries up. The cattails are the most
prominent vegetation that takes over.
Mr. Zalewski stated when they first do the planting plan the cattails will be invasive plantings but
over a period of three years there is going to be a maintenance program that makes sure that
the plantings put in there basically choke out everything else out. While the roots are being
established you have maintenance going on to make sure that it is not being taken over by the
invasive plant.
Commissioner Khan asked if this retention pond will be dedicated to the Village who will be
maintaining once they accept the bill of sale from the developer.
Mr. Zalewski stated in most cases it has to be established before it is handed over, so for a
period of time it will be Pulte's responsibility to make sure it gets to that level of acceptance.
Commissioner Khan asked about the water main coming into this subdivision. He asked if it is
coming from one single feed or is it coming from at least two feeds because we will not be
seeing the mains for many years but eventually the water mains break and he does not want to
have an entire subdivision shut down without water due to a single feed.
Mr. Zalewski stated they are tapping into the water main on Olive Hill Drive where the line goes
out to a line on Prairie Road. A line also goes to the subdivision to the north. So even though
they are tacking into one line it can be isolated to back feed if they have a break in the
subdivision or if there is a break on Olive Hill Drive they can still get around it.
Commissioner Matthews stated he wants to make sure there is no extended delay once the new
subdivision to the west is approved next to the hammerhead for it to hang around for years.
Mr. Hanlon stated it will be part of the construction and punch list of the development to the
west.
Commissioner Weinstein asked if the non-conforming uses on the farmstead parcels would
continue beyond the current generation of property owners.
Mr. Burt Sherman, attorney for the Hoffmann family, said the request is that the uses could
continue if the parcels are conveyed to members of the Hoffmann family.
Commissioner Weinstein asked if the two houses becoming a part of the Village would be an
issue for the Fire Department, for example accessing the property via the gravel driveway from
Prairie Road.
Mr. Pfeil said he would check again with the Fire Chief, but the Chief has indicated that the
access from the new street in the subdivision would be adequate to protect those two properties.
Except for the period before the new street is built, the Fire Department would not use the gravel
driveway to access the properties.
Commissioner Johnson noted the numbering of the lots is inconsistent between the site plan
drawings and the engineering plans.
Mr. Hanlon stated they will check that out.
Commissioner Stark asked if the gravel driveway from Prairie Road is owned by Lot 40 or Lot
39.
Mr. Hanlon stated that there will be an easement so that the Village's detention parcel will go all
the way to the south edge of the parcel. When the gravel driveway is removed, the easement
will be vacated.
Ms. Dolores Nick, 22068 N. Prairie Road, noted the turning lanes on Prairie Road north of
Aptakisic Road are at her driveway. She asked if traffic congestion in front of her home would
worsen what is already there if additional homes are built on the Hoffmann tract. She noted
congestion is a concern for her especially as the traffic level is heavy from people traveling to
and from Stevenson High School on Prairie Road. She feels a lot more study is necessary
before a decision is made here. Also the water levels in her water well may go down as a result
of this new subdivision.
Mr. Zalewski stated typically if a property stops using well water, the adjacent properties have
more water to take, so he thinks the new subdivision will not be a detriment to Ms. Nick's water
supply.
Mr. Ron Theis, 16646 Aptakisic Road, said he has a lot of huge trees on the north end of his
property bordering the south end of the Hoffmann property. He inquired if the trees between the
properties will be trimmed or removed.
Mr. Hanlon stated they will most likely be planting some new trees around that area. Trees on
the Hoffmann side of the property line will not be cut carelessly. Pulte's development team will
work with Mr. Theis concerning the trees along the property line.
Mr. Theis commented that some of the trees are low quality, but he wants to be informed about
what is removed. He commented that the proposed sidewalk won't connect to anything.
Mr. Hanlon noted that he the sidewalk would only be constructed if there's a residential
subdivision proposed south of the Hoffmann property. The sidewalk would provide residents a
connection between the two neighborhoods.
Mr. David McArthur said he represents Thomas Pietruska, owner of the property at 22118 N.
Prairie Road, directly south of the Hoffmann property. He inquired how Mr. Pietruska's property
would be affected in terms of use and zoning.
Mr. Pfeil said the property is not being annexed to the Village, so the current regulations
administered by Lake County would continue.
Commissioner Goldspiel asked about how the re-routing of Prairie Road for the Weiland Road
extension would affect the resident at 22068 N. Prairie Road in terms of congestion in front of
her home.
Mr. Hanlon noted her home is south of the property and also on the west side of Prairie stated
the county plans are going to have a bigger effect on traffic than this development will have in
terms of diverting traffic away from this southern portion of Prairie. Left turns are restricted and
there is a stop light at the new road connection on Aptakisic. There should actually be a traffic
reduction at that portion.
Commissioner Goldspiel said he thinks the various issues discussed at this workshop should be
addressed before a public hearing is conducted. More information is needed about the treatment
of the south property line and more about the traffic impact.
Chairman Smith indicated that if the information is ready for review at the public hearing, it would
be acceptable to schedule the hearing.
The Plan Commission agreed that the petition may proceed to a public hearing.
FUTURE AGENDA SCHEDULE
Mr. Pfeil commented that there will not be a meeting on November 20`h. If Pulte Homes is ready,
the public hearing for the proposed development on the Hoffmann property will be scheduled for
the December 4`h agenda.
PUBLIC COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS - None
STAFF REPORT- None
NEW BUSINESS - None
ADJOURNMENT
Moved by Commissioner Weinstein, seconded by Commissioner Khan and carried unanimously
to adjourn. Chairman Smith adjourned the meeting at 8:40 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Fay Rubin, Recording Secretary
APPROVED BY:
ERIC SMITH, Chair