1996-05-29 - Plan Commission - Minutes Board or Commission: ❑ Plan Commission
Document Type: ❑Agenda 0 Minutes
Meeting Date: 05/29/96
Type of Meeting: ❑ Special Meeting
SPECIAL MEETING
BUFFALO GROVE PLAN COMMISSION
May 29, 1996
Proposed Walgreens store, rezoning to the B-5 District
and approval of a Preliminary Plan for a retail store, northeast corner
of Lake Cook Road/Buffalo Grove Road --Workshop #4
Chairman Goldspiel 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 Goldspiel
Mr. Krug
Ms. Howard
Mr. Samuels
Mr. Berman
Mr. Lundine
Mr. Trilling
Mr. Ottenheimer
Commissioner absent: Mr. Rosenston
Also present: Mr. J.F. Carter, Dial Companies
Mr. Ted Treesh, Metro Transportation Group
Mr. Dennis Huffaker, W-T Engineering
Mr. Jonathan Reese, Matthew Moran and Associates
Ms. DeAnn Glover, Village Trustee
Mr. Robert Pfeil, Village Planner
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Moved by Commissioner Lundine, seconded by Commissioner Trilling, to approve the regular
meeting minutes of May 15, 1996. All Commissioners were in favor of the motion, and it passed
unanimously, with Commissioners Howard and Ottenheimer abstaining.
COMMITTEE AND LIAISON REPORTS
Commissioner Lundine reported on the May 20, 1996 Village Board meeting, noting that the
Board had a pre-application conference concerning a proposal to use the existing house and an
adjoining vacant lot at the Relics of Olde subdivision for a school concerning education about
PMS. Commissioner Lundine said that the Board raised a number of substantive issues concerning
this use in a residential district, and the petitioner will have to address these questions prior to
proceeding with an application for referral to the Plan Commission. He also noted that the
President and Board re-appointed Commissioner Samuels to another term on the Plan
Commission.
Commissioner Krug stated that he will not participate in the discussion concerning the proposed
Walgreens development to avoid a conflict of interest.
PROPOSED WALGREENS STORE, REZONING TO THE B-5 TOWN CENTER DISTRICT
AND APPROVAL OF A PRELIMINARY PLAN FOR A RETAIL STORE, NORTHEAST
CORNER OF LAKE COOK ROAD/BUFFALO GROVE ROAD -- WORKSHOP 44
Mr. J.F. Carter of Dial Companies indicated that several changes have been made to the site plan
for the proposed Walgreens store on Parcel A. These changes include modification of the
driveway to Lake Cook Road to allow only right-in movements, the addition of an 8-foot
sidewalk along Lake Cook Road, the addition of three street lights on Lake Cook Road and the
addition of 8 parking spaces on the site. He noted that the access to Buffalo Grove Road is a full
access driveway with 2 exit lanes (one for right turns and one for left turns) and one lane for
entering vehicles.
Commissioner Samuels inquired if any variations are being requested from Village ordinance
standards.
Mr. Pfeil said that the two proposed parcels do not meet the 10-acre minimum parcel size
required in the B-5 District, and this is the only variation that has been identified. He noted that
the minimum parcel size was varied for other developments such as Deerfield Bakery and the
Grove Memorial Chapel. He indicated that no variations of the Development Ordinance have been
requested.
Chairman Goldspiel inquired if the added parking spaces in the northeast corner of the site were
analyzed concerning conflicts between vehicles backing out of these spaces and vehicles
circulating around this area of the building.
Mr. Carter said that these spaces would be used for employee parking, so there would be very
few movements in a typical day.
Chairman Goldspiel noted that the right-in only access from Lake Cook Road makes the access to
Town Center even more important to allow for circulation from the site.
Commissioner Howard asked how the proposed driveway to Buffalo Grove Road would impact
the existing driveway to the St. Mary's property on the west side of Buffalo Grove Road.
Mr. Treesh said that the offset between the two driveways is in the "right" direction in terms on
minimizing conflicts between vehicles using the respective driveways. He said that he is doing
further study of the St. Mary's driveway and will provide information for the Village traffic
consultant to review prior to the public hearing.
Commissioner Howard noted that during the school year traffic in the morning peak period enters
the St. Mary's property from the Buffalo Grove Road driveway and exits to Church Road.
Mr. Treesh said that since Walgreens typically opens at 9:00 A.M. there would be little impact on
the morning peak period traffic on Buffalo Grove Road.
Chairman Goldspiel asked how left turns from the Walgreens site would affect traffic movements
on Buffalo Grove Road, and what impact there would be on left turns from the St. Mary's
driveway.
Mr. Treesh said that traffic exiting Walgreens to go south on Buffalo Grove Road would need
to find gaps to exit safely, but sight distances in the area are good, so these movements can be
accommodated.
Chairman Goldspiel asked how the right-in only access to Lake Cook Road affects exiting
movements from the Walgreens site.
Mr. Treesh said that the exiting movements previously allocated to Lake Cook Road in his traffic
analysis will shift to the Buffalo Grove Road driveway. Approximately 10 additional exiting
movements for southbound turns onto Buffalo Grove Road in peak periods will occur because of
this re-allocation from Lake Cook Road.
Mr. Pfeil noted that the Village Engineer has discussed the proposed full access driveway to
Buffalo Grove Road with the Lake County Division of Transportation. It appears that Lake
County will permit this driveway, but a full application needs to be submitted and approved.
Mr. Treesh indicated that he has studied the free-standing Walgreens in Hanover Park, where
approximately 70 to 75 parking spaces are available. His survey indicates that there are 30
vehicles in the parking lot at any one time. The drive-through facility has 2 vehicles stacked at a
time. He noted that the turnover of vehicles in the parking lot is fairly constant. He indicated that
the store has been open approximately 3 months.
Chairman Goldspiel noted that the Hanover Park store is new, so the survey may not show trends
for parking lot use that will develop over time as the store becomes more established.
Commissioner Lundine inquired if the drive-through facility is a major component of the plan for
the store. He asked if it would be open 24 hours per day.
Mr. Treesh said that about 50 transactions per day occur at the drive-through, and it is considered
to be a convenience for customers that would find it difficult to park their vehicles and enter the
store. He indicated that the drive-through facility may not be open 24 hours per day, but this is a
management decision by Walgreens based on the specific store.
Chairman Goldspiel noted that the Village approved a drive-through facility for a pharmacy use at
the Cambridge Commons shopping center, but it was never actually put into use.
Mr. Huffaker reviewed the Preliminary Engineering Plan, noting that the site grading has been
adjusted at the Village Engineer's direction to raise the building by 6 inches and to raise that
parking lot by one inch. He explained that the stormwater requirement for proposed Parcels A and
B is being provided by enlarging the existing facility at Town Center.
Chairman Goldspiel asked how the detention facility is designed concerning overflow situations.
Mr. Huffaker said this aspect to the Town Center facility is not being changed from the current
design. He indicated that stormwater storage on the Walgreens parking lot is not part of the
design.
Mr. Carter stated that Dial Companies has discussed the use of the Town Center stormwater
facility and cross easements for traffic access with Simon Development, owner of Town Center.
These discussions will be "memorialized" at a meeting scheduled for June 4, 1996.
Mr. Carter reviewed the four alternate site plans for Parcel B north of the proposed Walgreens
store on Parcel A. He noted that the plans consist of a 5,000 square foot retail store; a 7,000
square foot retail building; a 3,500 square foot restaurant; and a parking lot of 62 spaces.
He noted that all four of the plans include an access connection to Town Center, and all of the
plans show the shared driveway to Buffalo Grove Road between Parcel A and Parcel B.
Mr. Carter said that the 5,000 square foot building would be usable by businesses such as a video
store or insurance office or other similar tenants. The 7,000 square foot building would be more
oriented to multiple users such as a sandwich shop and a hair salon.
Commissioner Samuels asked if the plans comply with B-5 zoning standards for setbacks.
Mr. Pfeil said that he has not done a detailed analysis on the plans, but the B-5 District does not
require a building setback adjoining property that is zoned commercial. He noted that the B-5
District does require a 25-foot setback from roads.
Chairman Goldspiel inquired if the alternate plans have been discussed with Mr. Leikam, who will
be the owner of Parcel B.
Mr. Carter said the plans have not yet been discussed with Mr. Leikam, but Dial will ensure that
easement rights for access on Parcel B are obtained from Mr. Leikam.
Chairman Goldspiel asked if Mr. Leikam has agreed to the shared driveway to Buffalo Grove
Road.
Mr. Reese indicated that Mr. Leikam has agreed to this shared driveway.
Chairman Goldspiel said that he is very concerned about the effectiveness of a Planned Unit
Development ordinance as the tool to ensure that the site planning and access for Parcel B will
actually be implemented as planned by the Village.
Commissioner Berman suggested that the Plan Commission select one of the four alternate plans
for Parcel B, and this plan should be an exhibit to the P.U.D. ordinance. The plan clearly shows
the access that is contemplated for Parcel B in relation to adjoining properties. A future developer
could request a revision to this plan, and the Village would have right of approval over any
changes.
Commissioner Ottenheimer said it would be helpful if the plan that provides the best access
arrangement could be identified.
Mr. Carter noted that it is difficult to make this determination.
Commissioner Samuels inquired if Simon Development has a preference for one of the plans.
Mr. Reese said that Simon would favor the plan that removes the fewest parking spaces from its
property at Town Center.
Commissioner Berman suggested that the plan depicting a parking lot use for Parcel B should be
the plan recommended by the Plan Commission.
Chairman Goldspiel asked if this might have some legal implications as a deprivation of landowner
rights.
Commissioner Berman commented that it would be arbitrary to pick one of the three plans
showing a building.
Commissioner Samuels noted that the parking lot plan emphasizes that access is required from
Parcel B to Town Center, so it will be very clear to developers that this is a basic parameter for
development of Parcel B.
Commissioner Howard noted that the parking lot use might actually be a good choice for Parcel B
if it is ultimately owned by St. Mary's. She noted that overflow parking is needed for activities at
St. Mary's.
The consensus of the Plan Commission was to use the parking lot plan for Parcel B as the plan of
record for the public hearing and P.U.D. ordinance.
Mr. Carter indicated that the documents necessary for the pubic hearing would be submitted.
CHAIRMAN'S REPORT
Chairman Goldspiel said that he had toured various stormwater detention facilities after the recent
heavy rains, and had talked to U.S. Army Corps personnel at the Buffalo Creek reservoir. The
Army Corps staff indicated that the recent storms were only 2 to 3 year storm events, despite the
common idea that 100-year storm events occur frequently.
Commissioner Krug said that the parking lot at Willow Stream park on Old Checker Road
stores water in storm events, and it is clear to him that the project engineer misrepresented the
stormwater management design when the plan was reviewed and approved by the Village.
Chairman Goldspiel indicated that he would like to get comments from the Village Engineer
concerning the stormwater facility on the north side of Deerfield Parkway across from the
Wheatlands apartments. It appears that some erosion is occurring at this facility.
Commissioner Trilling said he looked at the Boznos property along Milwaukee Avenue at
Aptakisic Road, and it appeared fairly dry even after the recent storms.
Commissioner Lundine noted that the Wal Mart in Wheeling has leased the northeast corner of its
site along Lake Cook Road to McDonald's for a restaurant.
FUTURE AGENDA SCHEDULE
Mr. Pfeil noted that the public hearing concerning the Walgreens project is scheduled for next
week, June 5, 1996.
PUBLIC COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS - None
STAFF REPORT - None
NEW BUSINESS - None
ADJOURNMENT
Moved by Commissioner Berman, seconded by Commissioner Krug, and carried unanimously to
adjourn. Chairman Goldspiel adjourned the meeting at 8:35 P.M.
Respectfully submitted,
APPROVED BY: Robert E. Pfeil, Village Planner
STEPHEN GOLDSPIEL, Chairman