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1996-08-21 - Plan Commission - Minutes REGULAR MEETING BUFFALO GROVE PLAN COMMISSION August 21, 1996 Revision of Village Comprehensive Plan-Workshop#1 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. Rosenston Mr. Samuels Mr. Berman Mr. Ottenheimer Commissioners absent: Mr. Krug Ms. Howard Mr. Lundine Mr. Trilling Also present: Jeffrey Braiman, Village Trustee Carter Burns,Buffalo Grove High School John Green, Village resident Larry Reiner, Buffalo Grove Park District Eric Smith,Buffalo Grove Chamber of Commerce Marc Spivak, School District 96 Chairman Goldspiel noted that several representatives of other governmental units and community organizations were present, and he commented about the importance of having the input and participation of these representatives in the Village's Comprehensive Plan revision process. He explained that the Village has tried to maintain a five-year schedule for revising the Comprehen- sive Plan, and the current document was approved in 1992. He noted that municipal comprehen- sive plans often use a 20-year planning horizon because plans usually include programming for public works improvements,which typically are planned and implemented in a 20-year cycle. He said that the current revision process will need to address the type of plan that is responsive to the community's needs, and whether to do fairly minor revisions to the current Plan or make substantial changes would be one area for the group to discuss at tonight's workshop. He commented that the Village needs a Comprehensive Plan to guide growth, even if the type of development is shifting from large scale developments to smaller scale in-fill developments. He noted that the Village has had some major planning successes over the years, and the recent Buffalo Grove Plan Comm-Regular Meeting-August 21, 1996-Page 1 commencement of Metra's North Central commuter train service on the Wisconsin Central railroad line is a prime example of successful planning that began with a concept and was ultimately implemented after many years of effort. Mr. Pfeil reviewed the information that was distributed in the packet for the meeting, including a review of the Village Board's visioning sessions, a joint meeting between the Village Board and Plan Commission, and an overview of land use,housing and population trends in the Village. Chairman Goldspiel commented that the concept of using scenarios for discussing various development alternatives may be useful in the Plan revision process, and he asked the community representatives to indicate the types of planning programs that are used in their respective organizations. He said that one of the major focuses of the evening would be to try to start establishing goals for the revised Comprehensive Plan, and community needs and desires are the basis for goals. Mr. Reiner commented that the Buffalo Grove Park District undertakes a variety of planning programs in serving its population, and he said that it is important for service providers to coordinate programs so that services wouldn't be duplicated. He noted that the Park District does surveys to learn about the needs of its residents, and services for senior citizens and disabled persons have been designed after studying results of surveys. He commented that the Park District is also continuing its planning for physical improvements to park facilities, but funding limitations have affected the level of improvements that can be made in each fiscal year. Mr. Burns said that School District 214 is very involved in evolving technologies related to cable, telephone and computer applications in areas such as home schooling and interactive television. Mr. Spivak noted that the Village will not have an appreciable amount of new development within the boundaries of School District 96,but the trend of"re-population"of residential areas needs to be studied. He said that elementary districts can have spikes in their enrollment numbers even without new development if existing housing is occupied by new families with young children. He said that District 96 has used a visioning process to look at 10 and 20 year time frames for development of the District's facilities and programs. Chairman Goldspiel commented that changes such as new commuter rail service can have significant impacts on a community, and he said that areas such as Prairie View should be studied to determine if new development patterns are likely now that a commuter station will be established on Main Street at Route 22. Commissioner Rosenston said the planning process needs to study areas such as the Route 22 corridor to determine what potentials the Village has for commercial development. He noted that the opportunities for commercial development are becoming very limited with Route 22 and Milwaukee Avenue being the areas that seem to have some potential. Buffalo Grove Plan Comm-Regular Meeting-August 21, 1996-Page 2 Chairman Goldspiel commented that the amount of commercial use that the Village can support also needs to be assessed. He said that a community can reach a point of saturation, when additional commercial development can't be supported by the population base and available income in the community. Commissioner Samuels concurred that the Village has very limited potential for additional commercial development, and there are few locations that are suitable for commercial use. Chairman Goldspiel said that this situation in relation to additional commercial development seems to point out the need for the Village to develop additional sources of revenue other than sales tax income, and this could be considered as a goal for the Comprehensive Plan. Mr. Reiner noted industrial and office park uses often have an impact on public park facilities, and damage and over-use can occur at some parks. He suggested that when industrial and office developments are reviewed, some consideration should be given to active use recreational facilities for the employees. Mr. Braiman said that this could be looked at for the Village's Title 19 park donation ordinance. Chairman Goldspiel noted that assessment of recreational opportunities in industrial and office developments could be considered as a goal for the Plan. Commissioner Samuels suggested that companies within corporate parks could be solicited for funds to support park facilities. Chairman Goldspiel commented that the Des Plaines River area should be looked at for its potential for additional recreational use, particularly because of its proximity to business parks in the Milwaukee Avenue area. Mr. Reiner noted that the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District has developed recreational facilities as part of other public improvements, and these types of opportunities should be considered. Mr. Burns indicated that District 214 probably wouldn't be adding any more recreational facilities at Buffalo Grove High School, but the High School is working with a developer concerning a bike path on the High School's recreation field west of the proposed Shires condominium development at Weidner Road and Dundee Road. Mr. Braiman said there are other sources for funding recreational improvements such as the Buffalo Grove Recreation Association (BGRA), which has partially funded lights at Emmerich Park through concession stand revenues. Mr. Reiner pointed out that the BGRA has also used its revenues to avoid the assessment of fees Buffalo Grove Plan Comm-Regular Meeting-August 21, 1996-Page 3 by the Park District for non-resident use of the District's facilities. Commissioner Samuels commented that concerning overall development patterns in the area, because of land costs there will be pressure to allow smaller residential lots and greater density even in villages such as Long Grove, and this will necessitate provision of park facilities for the new developments. Mr. Braiman said that in terms of overall planning, School District 102 has used the Village's Comprehensive Plan in the District's assessment of the need for additional facilities, so unless there are changes to the Village's Plan to allow new areas of residential development, District 102 can handle projected enrollment increases without significant new construction of additional classrooms. Chairman Goldspiel suggested that some time be spent on discussing transportation issues in relation to goals for the Comprehensive Plan. Mr. Reiner said that pars-transit for providing access to medical care and other services for seniors and disabled citizens is an important transportation issue. He said that the current situation can be very difficult because Townships will not cross their boundaries to provide para-transit services, so there are barriers that prevent convenient access to services. Mr. Burns noted that District 214 has looked at more efficient ways to provide transportation for students, such as using the regional Pace bus system. Chairman Goldspiel suggested that the Plan should include a goal concerning the facilitation of transportation for the general public and persons with special needs. Mr. Spivak said that District 96 has advised parents to look at public transportation opportunities such as Pace if their children live less than 1.5 miles from a school, but still desire some type of transportation service to school. Commissioner Berman noted that it is important that the new North Central Metra line be supported, and the Village's policies concerning land use and other improvements should provide support for the new commuter line. He said that concerning other regional transportation issues, the Village should foster broad regional support for improvements to Route 53, Route 22 and Deerfield Road. Commissioner Ottenheimer noted that Lake Cook Road is also a problematic situation in peak traffic conditions, and it is evident that improvements are needed. Commissioner Samuels concurred that it is essential that improvements be made to Lake Cook Road, and this should be a goal in the Comprehensive Plan. Buffalo Grove Plan Comm-Regular Meeting-August 21, 1996-Page 4 Commissioner Rosenston noted that currently congestion is a major problem on Lake Cook Road in the Route 83/Buffalo Grove Road area, and violations of turning restrictions are occurring regularly, thereby raising concerns about traffic safety. Chairman Goldspiel pointed out that Lake Cook Road carries a large amount of traffic that is bound for roads going north, and it would be helpful to have the Village's traffic consultant look regional impacts of various improvement scenarios. Mr. Braiman commented that improvements to other east-west arterials such as Route 22 should be done before major improvements are contemplated for Lake Cook Road in the center of the Village. Mr. Reiner concurred that improvements on roads going through the northern portion of the Village should be considered a priority. Commissioner Rosenston suggested that scenarios such as creating a one-way system around the Town Center area on Route 83 (northbound) and Buffalo Grove Road (southbound) should be considered as part of the improvements to Lake Cook Road. Commissioner Samuels noted that currently there are too many turn maneuvers on the Lake Cook Road system at Route 83 and Weiland Road, and these movements have to be considered in designing possible improvements. Chairman Goldspiel said that it is clear that improvements to the Lake Cook Road/Route 83 area is an important issue, and traffic improvements in this area should be addressed as a goal in the Plan. Chairman Goldspiel asked for discussion on other topics that the Plan needs to address. Mr. Green suggested that the consideration should be given to how in-fill development will be evaluated and regulated by the Village. He said that Village ordinances need to be reviewed and changed as needed to provide appropriate flexibility for in-fill development projects. Mr. Braiman said that uses for sites such as the parcel on Lake Cook Road that Computer Discount Warehouse will be vacating should be evaluated. He said uses other than office/industrial should be considered. Chairman Goldspiel noted that significant land use changes are possible even in built out communities, if areas such as golf courses are converted to other uses. Commissioner Rosenston said the Commission will need more information on in-fill development opportunities, such as what scenarios may be feasible for areas such as Prairie View. Buffalo Grove Plan Comm-Regular Meeting-August 21, 1996-Page 5 Mr. Green noted that some communities in the region, such as Homewood, have experienced a significant amount of in-fill development. Commissioner Samuels suggested that planning for"small areas"may be needed as well as evaluating possible in-fill developments, and redevelopment tools such as tax-increment financing should be considered for some areas. He said that in the case of Prairie View, a decision would probably be needed as to whether the Plan should assume that the area would be re-developed on a larger scale from a"clean slate,"or if incremental development by separate landowners will be the land use pattern. Mr. Braiman commented that the Plan could"set the scene"with guidelines and goals for the types of development that are appropriate for specific in-fill areas. Mr. Reiner said there may be some good examples of development from places such as Colorado that might be used to get some ideas. Mr. Braiman noted that suburbs such as Highland Park and Northbrook have had a considerable amount of new housing built in locations where older housing has been demolished. Commissioner Berman commented that if a"Hubbard Woods"type of development is envisioned for Prairie View, the Plan would have to articulate this goal and there would have to be appropriate ordinances to support it. Commissioner Berman said that the group should also be discussing issues concerning telecommunications, because recent trends could have a bearing on physical development and other areas of concern to the Village. Chairman Goldspiel concurred, and he noted that cable franchises will start to reflect that more than one entity will be able to offer various services to business and residential customers. Mr. Reiner noted that other developments such as laws concerning persons with disabilities will affect physical planning and other areas that concern local governments. Chairman Goldspiel said that issues of diversity within the community should be addressed in areas such as housing. He commented that the price of new single-family detached housing in the Village is in the $400,000 range, and this limits the range of households that can buy new homes in Buffalo Grove. Commissioner Samuels noted that the price of the existing housing stock in a community defines the base level of housing prices, so in a free-market system there isn't much that can be done to lower the cost of new single-family housing. Mr. Braiman commented that land cost is the main variable in pushing the residential market to Buffalo Grove Plan Comm-Regular Meeting-August 21, 1996-Page 6 either expensive detached single-family housing or higher density designs such as townhomes. Commissioner Samuels said that another alternative to dealing with land cost is to allow smaller lots such as 40 or 50-foot widths, but this probably isn't the pattern of single-family development that the Village wants to encourage. Chairman Goldspiel said that to wrap up the evening's discussion, the group has identified some preliminary goals for several topics such as land use and transportation, and there is a need for additional information concerning subjects such as examples of successful in-fill development. He indicated that more information is also needed concerning transportation issues and economic development. Commissioner Berman noted that examples from other communities would be very helpful. Mr. Braiman commented that Park Ridge has recently revised its comprehensive plan, and it might have some ideas that would be useful to Buffalo Grove's planning process. Mr. Reiner noted that more study should be done concerning sources of revenue other than property tax for some of the programs and projects that the Village and Park District need to fund. Chairman Goldspiel suggested that the next meeting date for the Comprehensive Plan discussion be set, and the group concurred that September 25, 1996 would be the next workshop date. ADJOURNMENT II Moved by Commissioner Samuels, seconded by Commissioner Rosenston and carried unanimously to adjourn. Chairman Goldspiel adjourned the meeting at 9:30 P.M. Respectfully submitted, Robert E. Pfeil, Villag Planner APPR VED BY: TE GOLDSPIEL, C airman Buffalo Grove Plan Comm-Regular Meeting-August 21, 1996-Page 7