Loading...
2007-04-18 - Plan Commission - Minutes Board or Commission: ❑ Plan Commission Document Type: ❑A e g nda 0 Minutes Meeting ate: 04/18/2007 Type of Meeting: PUBLIC HEARING (continued from March 21, 2007) BUFFALO GROVE PLAN COMMISSION April 18, 2007 Village Comprehensive Plan update Chairman Ottenheimer called the hearing to order at 7:30 p.m. in the Village Council Chambers, Buffalo Grove Municipal Building, 50 Raupp Boulevard, Buffalo Grove, Illinois. Chairman Ottenheimer read the Notice of Public Hearing as published in the Buffalo Grove Daily Herald, explained the procedure to be followed for the public hearing, and swore in all persons who wished to give testimony. Commissioners present: Chairman Ottenheimer Mr. Smith Ms. Bocek Ms. Kenski-Sroka Mr. Khan Mr. Teplinsky Mr. Stark Mr. Cohn Commissioners absent: Mr. Podber Also present: Mr. William Brimm, Village Manager Mr. Jeffrey Braiman, Village Trustee Mr. Robert Pfeil, Village Manager Moved by Commissioner Kenski-Sroka, seconded by Commissioner Smith to continue the public hearing to May 16, 2007. All Commissioners were in favor of the motion and the motion passed 9 to 0. Respectfully submitted, Fay Rubin, Recording Secretary APPROVED BY: LESTER OTTENHEIMER, Chair Board or Commission: ❑ Plan Commission Document Type: 0 A e g nda 0 Minutes Meeting ate: 04/18/2007 Type of Meeting: ❑ Regular Meeting REGULAR MEETING BUFFALO GROVE PLAN COMMISSION April 18, 2007 Proposed Berenesa Plaza (Ventrella property), Northwest and Southwest corners of Deerfield Parkway and Milwaukee Avenue, Review Of a Preliminary Plan and Business Planned Unit Development (PUD) In the B-3 Planned Business Center District and Office & Research District—Workshop #1 Chairman Ottenheimer called the meeting to order at 7:35 p.m. in the Village Council Chambers, Buffalo Grove Municipal Building, 50 Raupp Boulevard, Buffalo Grove, Illinois. Commissioners present: Chairman Ottenheimer Mr. Smith Ms. Bocek Ms. Kenski-Sroka Mr. Khan Mr. Teplinsky Mr. Stark Mr. Cohn Commissioner absent: Mr. Podber Also present: Mr. Ken Kuchler, Single Site Solutions Mr. Michael Caldwell, Marchris Engineering, Ltd. Mr. Peter Uliasz, OKW Architects Mr. William Brimm, Village Manager Mr. Jeffrey Braiman, Village Trustee Mr. Robert Pfeil, Village Manager APPROVAL OF MINUTES Moved by Commissioner Smith, seconded by Commissioner Kenski-Sroka to approve the minutes of the public hearing of March 7, 2007. All Commissioners were in favor of the motion and the motion passed unanimously. Moved by Commissioner Teplinsky, seconded by Commissioner Smith to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of March 7, 2007. All Commissioners were in favor of the motion and the motion passed unanimously. Moved by Commissioner Smith, seconded by Commission Khan to approve the minutes of the public hearing of March 21, 2007. Commissioner Kenski-Sroka noted a correction necessary on page 7 to reflect "Mr." Brimm, not "Ms." Brimm. All Commissioner were in favor of the amended motion and the motion passed unanimously with Commissioners Kenski-Sroka and Teplinsky abstaining. Moved by Commissioner Smith, seconded by Commissioner Stark to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of March 21, 2007. All Commissioners were in favor of the motion and the motion passed unanimously with Commissioners Kenski-Sroka and Teplinsky abstaining. COMMITTEE AND LIAISON REPORTS Commissioner Khan stated he attended the April 9, 2007 Village Board meeting at which there was a referral to the Plan Commission for a proposed University of Phoenix at 1500 Lake Cook Road. This would be a special use in the Office and Research District. DISCUSSION OF VILLAGE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE Moved by Commissioner Teplinsky, seconded by Commissioner Kenski-Sroka to defer the discussion of the Village Comprehensive Plan update to May 16, 2007. All Commissioners were in favor of the motion and the motion passed 8 to 0. PROPOSED BERENESA PLAZA (VENTRELLA PROPERTY), NORTHWEST AND SOUTHWEST CORNERS OF DEERFIELD PARKWAY AND MILWAUKEE AVENUE, REVIEW OF A PRELIMINARY PLAN AND BUSINESS PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT (PUD) IN THE B-3 PLANNED BUSINESS CENTER DISTRICT AND OFFICE AND RESEARCH DISTRICT—WORKSHOP#1 Mr. Ken Kuchler stated he represents Milwaukee/Deerfield North LLC who is the owner of the property and that they are proposing a mixed use project of office, retail, restaurant, and hotel site plan of approximately 18 acres on the northwest corner and 6.5 acres on the southwest corner. The name of the project is Berenesa Plaza with Bernice Ventrella being a part owner of the property. Mr. Kuchler stated they are planning a medical office use for which they have a signed lease with Advocate Medical for a two story office building. They are also in negotiations for a hotel along the retention area. They also have three retail strips going north to south along the full access off of Deerfield Parkway as well as three smaller restaurants along Milwaukee Avenue and one larger restaurant along the northeast corner of the property. On the south side they have an office building all the way on the west end, a drug store use and a bank and then a retail strip center on the corner. Mr. Michael Caldwell stated they have been working on this project for about a year now. One of the first things they did as part of this project was to make sure that it had criteria needed for access with regard to Milwaukee Avenue which is under the auspices of the Illinois Department of Transportation and the county. Both entities have given their permission to move forward with the right in/right out access on Milwaukee Avenue. In addition they will be seeking a right out on Milwaukee Avenue egress on the southern portion adjacent to the stop at Deerfield Parkway. Mr. Caldwell stated in their preliminary meetings with the County Highway Department, they have indicated that they see there is a need for a traffic signal if this development moves forward. He noted they have made sure that the location of the access point on Deerfield Parkway is spaced at a point where the County will consider it and the County has given them documentation and verbally indicated they would consider such placement. Mr. Caldwell stated they have tried to make sure that the access drives are far enough back within the development to take into consideration stacking and reaction time so that people entering the site will not have a problem getting into the parking areas and there will not be any immediate decisions made. As you come in off of Milwaukee there is a fairly long drive that gives people an idea of what is going on to make sure they have enough decision making time to figure out where they will be going. Likewise on the accesses to Deerfield Road we have the same situation. Mr. Caldwell stated in addition to traffic and site layout they have worked on the drainage of this project. This is part of a piece of a project that was in the works many years ago. In the 1990's a project called Barclay Station developed the full area here as well as the area surrounding Aptakisic Creek and off to the west. As part of that project the site adjacent to Milwaukee Avenue was filled and the retention ponds along Aptakisic Creek were created. One of the purposes of that was to eliminate the flood plane from this property. Recently they have had a topographic survey commissioned which has been submitted to the engineering department for review which shows that virtually all of the flood plane that used to be on this site is now gone. Mr. Caldwell further noted that when Barclay Station was developed it made sure that the ponds were sized properly. There was a conceptual plan placed on this site which was used to determine the flood plane and the sizing of the stormwater retention basins. He noted they have made sure that the pervious landscaped area on their proposed plan is equal to or greater than was approved by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, FEMA, the Village, and the County. Therefore with regards to drainage there should be very little in the way of offsite improvements that will be needed. Mr. Peter Uliasz stated the two story office building as well as the hotel are backed up against the detention pond to take advantage of the amenity and views on that side of the site as well as the office building being proposed on the south side of the site. On the north side of the site they have a row of retail buildings which sets up a backdrop to the Milwaukee Avenue views. They will create building elevations that are different to create a streetscape and something that is not monochromatic but is still unified in certain elements. The livelier activities such as the restaurants have been put along Milwaukee Avenue as well as the additional retail building on the southwest corner. Mr. Uliasz stated they have quite a bit of landscaping proposed for the project. They have the boulevard as you enter from the front of the site. There are a number of areas where they bring in large landscape islands and pedestrian sidewalks to help break up the parking area to create more intimate areas and not have a big expanse of parking. Those will, of course, be connected with the sidewalk allowing people to walk to the restaurants. Mr. Uliasz noted they have internal sidewalks that will allow you to walk from one of the site to the other end and essentially connect everyone. You can actually come to the site, park your car, and go to multiple stores without having to repark. He noted they are also exploring adding sidewalks from the public sidewalk directly into all of the stores. Mr. Uliasz noted at the main corner of Deerfield and Milwaukee they are proposing a large landscaped plaza that will have heartscape as well landscaping with a potential water feature and some seating. It is also something that could be used for some signage for the center and the Village. On the south side of the street they have a smaller plaza space that will help connect the two. They are exploring the possibilities of a right out only at that point but the sidewalk would continue through. The landscaped sidewalk is proposed to continue all the way to the north end of the site. Mr. Uliasz reviewed some of the building materials and the building itself. He noted they are trying to create a street like feel where the buildings feel like a number of buildings even though it is one building. They are looking at creating a common architectural neutral background for some of the smaller tenants which will get picked up in all of the buildings. At prominent center areas and corner areas they are looking at doing features to anchor the corners and to get some variety, height and feel to the project. They are looking at some face brick, stacked stone and metal canopies as well as a number of high quality materials. Once they bring this through to development they will also be creating design guidelines for some of the buildings that they do not have full control over such as the bigger restaurant and office buildings. Mr. Uliasz noted at the rear of the buildings they will be taking the trash areas they had previously located outside the buildings and move them into service areas that are fully screened with materials that are similar to the building. At the three restaurant areas the trash areas will be located between the buildings as well as common loading berths which will be fully screened from Milwaukee as well as the parking lot. Mr. Uliasz noted you can see the rear and side elevations which takes the architecture around the corner and then picks up the common neutral background which then wraps around the building so there is uniformity in the design. They are trying to create some areas in the rear of the building that are not just blank walls but have some activity and are potentially useable for show windows. Again, the trash would be hidden behind screen walls and then talked in behind alcoves which will be created. Commissioner Stark noted there have been some similar site plans a block north and a mile south which did not go through for one reason or another. He asked if there is something different going on that will be able to support hotels and office buildings that other people did not see previously. Mr. Kuchler noted they can only see the interest that they have. The hotel they are negotiating with has already been into the Village to talk with the engineer about their portion of the site and positioning of the building. The Advocate office portion which is the larger of the two office buildings already has a site lease for that space. Commissioner Stark asked if the plan would be scrapped if one of the major hotel or office lessees backed out. Mr. Kuchler stated no, they would just start shopping for another hotel. Advocate is has a specific date they want to be in so they are definitely in place. They also are negotiating with three major restaurants at this time. Commissioner Stark asked if the proposal is to have one major retailer. Mr. Kuchler stated they are trying to attract one major big retailer and are in discussions with a couple right now. Commissioner Stark asked if the hotel is a higher end hotel chain. Mr. Kuchler noted it is the Hyatt. Commissioner Stark noted the amenity on the corner of Milwaukee and Deerfield seems awfully close to a major intersection and might not be conducive to people congregating there. Mr. Uliasz stated they are in the preliminary stage of putting this together but there is a potential for knee walls and such on the sides. Also that is a place where they can get some signage in announcing the entrance to the Village and the center. The water feature would create some background noise and then the landscaping. He further stated they hope to come up with a few tiers of buffers. He noted the intersection is quite busy but part of their goal was to get the amenity out to the public and out where it will be seen. Even though it is not a large area they want to have the path run all the way up Milwaukee and then they spread out the rest of the landscaping to help reduce the heat island effect (????????????) and break up the parking. Commissioner Stark noted the bank area on the south side of Deerfield calls for 20 parking spaces and noted that half of those spaces would probably be for employees. He asked if that would still be sufficient. Mr. Kuchler noted 20 spaces is the Village requirement. It all depends on the type of bank and their individual parking requirements according to the type of banking they engage in. Commissioner Stark stated he would like the proposed traffic signal on Deerfield Parkway to be as far west as possible so it is not too close to Milwaukee Avenue. Mr. Kuchler stated that is correct and noted they had taken that into consideration and they have placed it as far west as possible with regard to the requirements of the site. They have also discussed this with the County Highway Department as well as looking at the requirements of the development would be. Commissioner Teplinsky asked what retail pad is shown on the elevation rendering. Mr. Kuchler stated it is the largest building in the center scheduled for phase 4. Commissioner Teplinsky asked if this is the same phasing that was presented before the Village Board. Mr. Aliasz stated no. Commissioner Teplinsky asked how it has changed. Mr. Kuchler stated it is basically the same noting phase 1 would be the Advocate building and the smaller retail. He noted that if they got restaurants signed tomorrow they would move into phase 1. He further noted it is to their advantage to build as fast as possible since they are putting out a lot of money just in site work to get all the pads ready. Commissioner Teplinsky noted that phasing of this project is a major issue for the Village Board. Mr. Kuchler stated he cannot change anything until he gets some leases signed. He noted he has assured the Village president and the Board that when they come back for their approval they will have a different phasing plan than the one they saw originally. Commissioner Teplinsky stated this parcel will be one of the crown jewels coming into the Village. He stated this project will have to be something really special and unique in order to get approval. It will have to have a lot of amenities and creativity. Mr. Kuchler stated they came tonight with basically the same package that had been submitted to the Village Board but they have been sympathetic to what they have been hearing from staff and have so far removed one of the two proposed banks and fast food restaurants in favor of something more upscale. He stated they are looking for input from the Plan Commission at which time they will go back to their plans. Commissioner Teplinsky asked if accessing the site northbound on Milwaukee Avenue would be on Deerfield Road. Mr. Kuchler stated yes as IDOT would not allow other any type of full access there. Mr. Caldwell stated that whenever they went to IDOT they were requested by elements within the Village that perhaps they would be cooperative. We tried to go to them with a full access, right in, right out and there is a potential for two right ins and right outs on Milwaukee Avenue on the northern portion. However, looking at it as it went with the plan they felt that it did not help the plan. The way it is now with one right in and right out fits better than anything they may get IDOT to agree to. Commissioner Bocek asked if the parking requirements are geared more for the restaurants or retail requirements. Mr. Kuchler stated the restaurant parking requirements are stricter and that is what they used. Commissioner Bocek stated she likes a development like this to work together. At this time it seems as if the hotel is segmented from the office building which is also segmented from the center section. There are the buildings along Milwaukee Avenue. She asked if there is a way to make the development work together as a single development instead of single sections. Mr. Kuchler stated the hotel and medical office are somewhat separated just because of their parking requirements and they asked to be buffered off as they are very parking intensive. That is why they put towards the back. The rest is all open parking with the walkways connecting. Mr. Caldwell stated one of the things they were looking at was bringing the bikepath on the north together with a bikepath along Milwaukee Avenue as part of the overall plan for the Village. There is also a bikepath that was constructed as part of the development directly to the north and Village staff has asked them to extend that along from where it ends to Milwaukee Avenue. One of the things this plan does is brings the pedestrian way along the major road and every portion of this plan is connected so that people can go from the restaurants in front to the retail area without going through a sea of parking. They are looking at bringing the bikepath into the development and tying everything together. Commissioner Bocek noted the Village Planner's comments about a central plaza or gathering place, which is certainly one thought. However, the buildings do not even seem to line up. The building at the north end of the retail is sort of blocked as you go north on Milwaukee from the center larger building. Even the buildings along Milwaukee Avenue seem to form a barricade blocking the visibility from Milwaukee Avenue to the retail. The retail there would want some kind of visibility. Mr. Uliasz stated he agrees and noted they are trying to create an internal view of the center as opposed to just completely just out. He thinks that with the large opening between two of the buildings along Milwaukee as well as the ability to have the plaza on the corner helps them. They are also trying to take advantage of the ponds and these uses are better served by facing them than towards the heavy traffic on Milwaukee. He noted they are refining the plan and they are working through some other issues. Commissioner Bocek noted another comment from the Village Planner regarding better utilization of the pond. She noted that with the water there it should be a nice feature with some way of enjoying the view. Commissioner Bocek further asked what kind of overall theme in aesthetics would be used to make it look like it is a development instead of single individual buildings. Mr. Uliasz stated they are working with the developer to come up with design guidelines for the buildings. Commissioner Bocek stated that is fine as long as they have some sort of uniformity. She noted that some of the buildings seem extremely different in brick facade and asked them to be careful in how that is executed. Mr. Uliasz stated they are very aware of that and they have done some very successful developments with it. The key in getting this put together properly is not to have a straight wall that has a whole bunch of different materials. The building needs to move forwards and backwards as you go along and change materials. You just do not want to have two different materials in the same plane and that is something they are working on. Commissioner Khan asked in what phase the proposed signal on Deerfield Parkway will be constructed. Mr. Caldwell stated it will be constructed in phase 1. He noted the very first thing they are going to do is construct a ring road and the overall infrastructure that is needed in order to develop the site. Commissioner Khan asked if the County has any problem with this construction even though it will not meet the traffic warrants for a traffic signal. Mr. Caldwell stated the plan they have now is substantially similar to the plan they presented to the County. Commissioner Khan asked if FEMA has submitted a letter of map revision for this site. Mr. Caldwell stated it was already submitted to the Village. Commissioner Khan asked if there would be any modification to the existing ponds. Mr. Caldwell stated they do not plan on making any modifications. The Village Engineer has indicated he does not anticipate any modifications being needed. Commissioner Kenski-Sroka stated she did not see any handicapped parking spaces delineated for the restaurants. Mr. Kuchler pointed out where those would be. He noted Village staff has already requested one additional for each restaurant. Commissioner Kenski-Sroka asked about a side entrances to the Advocate building as there is a main dropoff area with handicapped parking spaces. Mr. Kuchler passed out a new site plan for just the Advocate portion of the site which they have just received. He noted this is the way they want the building oriented and they have actually requested less handicapped parking because most people are just dropped off at the front. Commissioner Kenski-Sroka asked if there would be a patio in the back of the building. Mr. Caldwell stated they are looking at that as a nice amenity for the building. Commissioner Kenski-Sroka noted that usually the drugstores that are slated come in with their standard plan which is probably what will happen here. Mr. Uliasz noted that when they set up the design guidelines it will apply to everyone. He noted that some of the drug stores can be flexible. Mr. Caldwell reviewed some of the previous comments and how they have been addressed. He noted that the turning radii of the fire apparatus have been addressed. Further the required setback of 25 feet from the flood plane has now been met. They have also moved the Advocate building forward to integrate it better within the development. They have also come up with a nicer dropoff area with more immediate and efficient movements. Commissioner Smith asked if there are any elevations as yet for the other retail buildings. Mr. Uliasz stated they are in the process and have some sketches so far. The development team is trying to locate a major tenant to occupy a significant amount of the development first. Commissioner Smith asked what some of the ideas for signage are. Mr. Uliasz stated they are looking into sign sizes as based on the size of the tenant, limiting the maximum height of the letters, limiting what is permissible and whether or not logos will be permitted. Commissioner Smith asked if signage will be above the doorway on the walls or a monument sign in the front or what. Mr. Uliasz stated there are a number of layers of signage. He stated the tenants would be permitted have signs above their doors obviously. They will try to avoid a large amount of tenant signage on the inside of a store right on the glass. They are trying to make the facade as transparent as possible. They are also working through some monument sign designs that would be part of the neutral architecture that they are trying to create. They will limit the size and the location as well as how it is mounted. Commissioner Smith noted that the restaurant on the north end of the site plan needs a better circulation pattern. Mr. Uliasz noted they just received these comments and they agree with it about the dead end parking. There are a number of things they can do whether it is a cul-de-sac or some other escape route. What they are really looking at is potentially having a right out only that will come down into the entrance drive. Commissioner Cohn asked if any coffee shops had been looked at and if it is part of the restaurant complex or independent facilities. Mr. Kuchler pointed out a potential 3,000 square foot place for a smaller sandwich/coffee shop. Commissioner Cohn noted the morning rush hour traffic going out of Buffalo Grove is substantial and that is when a lot of people get their coffee and there is no place along Deerfield Road from Route 83 all the way here and it should succeed here. Mr. Kuchler pointed out a potential for a drive-through. Commissioner Cohn noted the 6.5 acre property on the south lot that has a lack of connectivity between all the buildings. To get from the drugstore to the retail building going through the bank has no proper connection. Mr. Kuchler stated one of the things they have talked about was to take a look at the southern portion of the development which has a path. Mr. Caldwell noted they have looked at the bikepath having access to all the developments and they will try to provide some kind of connectivity between all the different sites. Commissioner Cohn stated his fear is that the drugstore and the bank will become islands and completely isolate the retail building in the front from the office building in the back. Mr. Caldwell stated that is why they are talking about bringing the sidewalk down for connection. Commissioner Cohn stated it would be very hard to have a nice adjoining property when you are walking across five drive through lanes no matter what you do with the sidewalk. Commissioner Cohn noted the Westin retail shops and the ones going up in Lincolnshire seem to be having a problem getting started. He asked if there is enough of a market for all those to succeed as well as the ones planned here. Mr. Uliasz stated that is their hope and based on the interest they have had in the last month or so he feels there is a market. He feels once they get a couple of major restaurants or major anchor the interest will build on that. Commissioner Cohn stated the lack of a central gathering point is a problem. He noted there needs to be something that ties this all together from the center so it radiates out. Right now it looks like any other retail center without a wow factor. Commissioner Cohn noted there is no sidewalk between the northernmost of the restaurants and the big restaurant on the north. It looks like you would have to get over to Milwaukee Avenue and get on that side to walk up or across the lawn. Mr. Uliasz stated they are addressing and adjusting that now. Commissioner Cohn noted bicycle access would be good here. Mr. Uliasz noted they have been speaking about that in terms of locating bike racks at the corners or the building and dispersing them around the site. He stated they are in the process of looking for areas all around the site for bike racks. Commissioner Cohn asked if there should be a sidewalk on both sides at the entrance to Deerfield Road going to the northern 18 acre property. He noted they are showing one on the west side only. Mr. Uliasz stated they could add that. He noted he had thought about it but he likes the idea of the landscaped area too and if you bring a sidewalk area on the east side it is somewhat of a problem especially because you have the rear of the larger development which will be a loading area. He felt that a landscaped section here would be nicer to shield that Commissioner Kenski-Sroka asked about a right out on the Deerfield Parkway access. Mr. Uliasz stated that is not possible per the Lake County Highway Department. He noted this is too close to the corner. Commissioner Kenski-Sroka asked if the restaurants would have any outside dining area. Mr. Uliasz stated they are anticipating outside dining areas on all four restaurants. He noted the middle restaurant would have some outdoor seating on the front; the northern restaurant could potentially wrap around a bit and have it on the corner as could the southernmost restaurant. Chairman Ottenheimer stated he hopes the development team will get creative with the rear of the buildings that face Milwaukee Avenue. Mr. Uliasz stated one of the goals in this layout was that the service part of the buildings is really in between the buildings and the backs would be dressed up. Chairman Ottenheimer noted he would like to see a traffic study as well as some sign concepts for the next meeting. However, he noted he is still bothered by the three retail buildings in the middle of the site. It appears that the entrance to those three retail/restaurant areas is on the west side and he wonders if any thought has been given to dual entrances (east and west side) to open it up more. He stated he is not crazy about where those three buildings are in terms of visibility which echoes Commissioner Bocek's comments. He noted perhaps even reconfiguring those buildings somewhat to provide more visibility would be good. Mr. Pfeil noted the parking for the three restaurants along Milwaukee seem somewhat distant, and requires customers to cross a travel aisle. Mr. Uliasz stated they are contemplating upscale restaurants and what they have in the front is a drop off area with potential for valet parking. Chairman Ottenheimer asked how far along the developer is in the process for anchor stores. Mr. Kuchler stated he would say it is very early now for that. CHAIRMAN'S REPORT—None FUTURE AGENDA SCHEDULE Mr. Pfeil said that the next meeting would be on May 2, 2007. PUBLIC COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS—None STAFF REPORT—None NEW BUSINESS -None ADJOURNMENT Moved by Commissioner Smith, seconded by Commission Khan and carried unanimously to adjourn. Chairman Ottenheimer adjourned the meeting at 9:07 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Fay Rubin, Recording Secretary APPROVED BY: LESTER OTTENHEIMER, Chair