2004-09-29 - Plan Commission - Minutes Board or Commission: ❑ Plan Commission
Document Type: 0 A e
g nda 0 Minutes
Meeting ate: 09/29/2004
Type of Meeting: ❑ Special Meeting
SPECIAL MEETING
BUFFALO GROVE PLAN COMMISSION
September 29, 2004
Review of Village Comprehensive Plan -Workshop #2
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
Ms. Bocek
Mr. Khan
Mr. Stark
Mr. Cohn
Commissioners absent: Mr. Samuels
Mr. Smith
Ms. Kenski-Sroka
Mr. Teplinsky
Also present: Mr. Jeffrey Braiman, Village Trustee
Mr. Robert Pfeil, Village Planner
Mr. Greg Summers, Associate Village Planner
Mr. Marc Blumenthal, Buffalo Grove Chamber of Commerce
APPROVAL OF MINUTES—None
COMMITTEE AND LIAISON REPORTS -None
REVIEW OF VILLAGE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN—Workshop #2
Mr. Pfeil provided an overview of the agenda packet materials. He indicated that the
Commission needs to set a schedule for the Comprehensive Plan Update. The goal is to handle
all the required elements of the plan within a 12 month timeline. The proposed timeline is short,
so the Comprehensive Plan may be designed as a base document identifying areas or issues for
further study at a later date.
Chairman Ottenheimer stated that the group needs to set goals and priorities in response to
challenges the Village faces. He believes the challenges include a shift to redevelopment and
infill development, especially given that land resources are less plentiful than they used to be.
Another goal should address changes in the commercial environment, specifically less strip mall
development.
Trustee Braiman commented that the Village is not likely to become a regional shopping
destination due to its location in between other regional shopping areas. As a result, future
commercial development will likely be small strip malls or stand alone retailers because there
are not many other options.
Chairman Ottenheimer indicated he would prefer to see more mixed-use development, although
finding land for these developments will be a challenge. He noted that mixed use should include
commercial/residential centers, typically retail first floors with residential above. He suggested
that zoning regulations be evaluated and refined to encourage mixed use developments.
Trustee Braiman concurred that promoting mixed-use is an appropriate goal. The Village Board
needs to promote it and demand it from developers. Equally important, he believes the Village
needs to limit the number of non-retail sales tax generators in strip centers. He is aware that
some villages that even prohibit office uses on the first floor of retail centers.
Commissioner Cohn agreed that there is a lot of opportunity for mixed-use. He suggested the
plan try to focus the concept on key sites, specifically the two train stations and the Town
Center.
He said that he sees a need for two distinct types of housing in the Village, single family
detached and mixed-use with condominiums over retail. The village does not need any new
townhome communities.
Chairman Ottenheimer indicated that the Comprehensive Plan should promote integration of
neighborhoods, not isolated developments. Road connections between developments should be
encouraged, using appropriate designs to minimize cut-through traffic. He noted that many
neighborhoods of the Village experience some level of cut-through traffic and it is very difficult
to completely eliminate it.
Commissioner Cohn concurred that the Village's planning should encourage connections
between neighborhoods. Proper street design with stop sign intersections and circuitous routes
can control cut-through traffic adequately.
Commissioner Stark indicated that a key component of the Village's Comprehensive Plan should
address affordable housing.
Trustee Braiman commented that based on the current percentage of affordable housing the
Village complies with State law.
Mr. Pfeil noted that although the Village currently complies, if the trend to build expensive new
housing continues, in a few years the Village may fall below the 10% threshold for affordable
units required by the State.
Trustee Braiman stated that his concern is that young professionals and new families will not be
able to afford starter homes in the Village. We should target this group. We cannot continue to
expect them to buy homes farther north and west. The housing does not necessarily need to be
as low as the market values cited by the State, but targeted at starter homes, not low-income.
Mr. Pfeil indicated that these individuals and families having to live so far from the community
interrelates to traffic, air quality, lose of time with families, and money spent on commuting
costs. Some communities are affirmatively doing things to require affordable housing including
land trusts, etc.
Commissioner Bocek indicated that even older townhomes in Buffalo Grove now cost $250,000
to $300,000. She asked if affordable housing has to be owner-occupied.
Mr. Pfeil indicated that under the state legislation affordable housing may be renter or owner
occupied. He noted that communities typically consider owner-occupied units as more palatable
since owners are perceived as being more invested in the community.
Mr. Blumenthal asked which developers would be interested in building affordable housing in
Buffalo Grove.
Commissioner Cohn indicated that he believes the Village has been a victim of its own success.
Careful and controlled development has made Buffalo Grove a desirable place to live which has
driven up land values, resulting in less affordable homes. Mixed-use development would allow
the opportunity to provide more affordable housing, especially for young professionals.
Commissioner Bocek believes that affordable housing would best be integrated as a few units in
a larger complex of market-rate units rather than isolated buildings. She asked how the Village
can create incentives for doing these type of developments.
Mr. Pfeil indicated that short of public subsidy, which to date the Village has not been favorable
towards, the Village tries to identify developers that may be interested in doing projects with
mixed use elements, including housing.
Trustee Braiman stated the Village will not use tax-increment financing (TIF) based on prior
experiences, but has offered tax incentives to businesses where appropriate.
Commissioner Bocek expressed concerned about the Village's aging housing stock. She
commented that the Village should encourage maintenance but also prepare for replacement to
be built. She noted that the current trend is for large additions to homes in the Cook County
portion of the Village.
Trustee Braiman indicated that teardowns are can be expected and the Village needs to address
this.
Mr. Pfeil commented that the Comprehensive Plan should probe current and future trends and
the likelihood of teardowns in the older portions of Buffalo Grove. If the analysis reveals the
potential for teardowns, then a review of the Village's zoning for the affected district(s) will
need to be reviewed. So far most of the activity has been limited to existing home expansions.
Trustee Braiman indicated that the Village has had a long standing policy of no more than 40%
multiple family housing. He asked if that number should change. Should the Village put more
pressure on developers to do a mix of single family detached and multiple family housing?
Chairman Ottenheimer indicated that 40% seems like a fair goal to him. The Village should
strive to ensure as much of the multiple family housing was owner occupied as possible.
Commissioner Cohn does not believe that a hard number accounts for the fact that some types of
multiple family development are more desirable than others.
Commissioner Stark believes that single family homes foster more of a sense of community than
townhomes.
Commissioner Bocek believes Buffalo Grove has enough townhomes, but that perhaps more
condominium development would be appropriate. She believes that new single family homes
and townhomes are not as nice here as in Arlington Heights. For the same $700,000 single
family home price point in Arlington Heights people are getting semi-custom homes with all
brick exteriors.
Trustee Braiman asked if we need to put more pressure on developers to enhance the architecture
of their product and use more brick? He indicated that $700,000 does not buy semi-custom
homes anymore.
Commissioner Bocek indicated that the Appearance Review Team (ART) does a thorough job,
but at some point the developer resists additional changes. The Plan Commission as a whole and
the Village Board need to keep the pressure on developers who do not provide adequate
architecture.
Mr. Pfeil noted that the appearance review process currently involves a certain level of
negotiation with residential developers concerning building materials, while commercial
development is held to stricter standards.
Mr. Summers indicated that the ART has raised the bar for developers and that we need to
continue to raise the bar. We cannot simply ask developers to build an average design, we need
to ask them to exceed the quality of the buildings they see around them.
Chairman Ottenheimer indicated that he believes the Plan Commission has been getting more
experienced and that the ART has been helpful in promoting enhanced aesthetics. The ART
setting is more intimate and fosters a more productive negotiating environment. He wishes the
ART had been in place when the Walgreen's developments were approved so that the Village
could have been more proactive with those building's appearance.
Trustee Braiman indicated that we need to be more forceful without being overly demanding on
developers.
Commissioner Cohn asked how the Comprehensive Plan can carry aesthetic values forward.
Trustee Braiman indicated it should do so more as an underlying mindset than a specific goal.
Mr. Pfeil stated that it should do so in specific areas. For example, design themes for sub-areas
of the community, such as Prairie View.
Commissioner Cohn advocated pedestrian interconnectedness of commercial developments. In
general, a more pedestrian friendly environment would be preferred. Currently, adjacent centers
are not connected and, often, those centers are not connected to the public sidewalk system.
Commissioner Cohn asked if the plan should identify a way to consolidate recreational uses in
the industrial district. We seem to be getting a lot of these uses lately and they are spread all
over the industrial parks.
Trustee Braiman indicated that the problem is a building owner would have to want to do so.
Right now they have the ability to lease their space to industrial or recreational uses, and most
would not want to limit the scope of prospective tenants.
Commissioner Khan asked if the Village should include support for the Route 53 extension in
the Comprehensive Plan. In Woodridge, the Village had the I-355 extension in their plan along
with where they planned interchanges to be located. Now that the project is moving forward the
Woodridge Comprehensive Plan was used to achieve an interchange at a location that was not on
the original plan, primarily because Woodridge planned for it.
Trustee Braiman indicated that Buffalo Grove has been involved with, and has supported, the
Route 53 extension for decades. The Village is on record as supporting the extension, although
including a reference to it in the Comprehensive Plan would certainly express continued support
for the proposal.
Mr. Pfeil indicated that the next Comprehensive Plan discussion is scheduled for November 10,
2004. If commissioners are available for that meeting, specific data concerning population and
housing trends will be reviewed.
CHAIRMAN'S REPORT -None
FUTURE AGENDA SCHEDULE
Mr. Pfeil said the next meeting is scheduled for October 6, 2004. The agenda includes the Twin
Creeks Park public hearing, the public hearing concerning amendments for telecommunications
facilities and cellular antenna towers, and workshop #1 for the proposed single family detached
residential development by Jacobs Homes on the north side of Deerfield Parkway west of
Hidden Lake.
Mr. Pfeil also asked commissioners to review the draft future agenda schedule distributed to
them and let him know by phone or email if they can not make any of the scheduled meetings.
PUBLIC COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS -None
STAFF REPORT—None
NEW BUSINESS—None
ADJOURNMENT
Moved by Commissioner Stark, seconded by Commissioner Bocek and carried unanimously to
adjourn. Chairman Ottenheimer adj ourned the meeting at 8:3 5 P.M.
Respectfully submitted,
Greg E. Summers, Associate Planner
APPROVED BY:
LESTER OTTENHEIMER, Chair