Village of Northbrook Plan Commission met April 17.
Here is the minutes provided by the Commission:
1. Call To Order
Attendee Name; Title; Status; Arrived:
Steven Elisco; Commissioner; Present;
Norm Jacobs; Commissioner; Present;
Jeff Sandler; Commissioner; Present;
Dan Pepoon; Commissioner; Present;
Jeremy Melnick; Commissioner; Present;
Mark DeBartolo; Commissioner; Present;
Johannah Hebl; Commissioner; Present;
Jennifer Lawrence; Commissioner; Present;
Marcia Franklin; Chairman; Present;
2. Minutes Approval - April 3, 2018
Commissioner Pepoon moved and Commissioner Melnick seconded a motion to approve the minutes for April 3, 2018 as presented. On a voice vote, the motion passed unanimously with Member Sandler abstaining.
3. Community Planning Report
Tom Poupard reported that at the last Board of Trustees Meeting the Board reviewed a preliminary application for 1835 Raymond, a proposed tennis facility, just south of another tennis facility; owned by the same people. The Board was favorable in their response, they would like the Plan Commission to consider pickup and drop off for children. At the next Board Meeting the Board will be reviewing a preliminary application for 105 Revere Drive for a dental office, and for 500 Skokie a renewal of a Special Permit for cell panels. The Board has been spending some time discussing assault weapons and other matters related to that, i.e., bump stocks.
4. Hear From The Audience
5. Review Of Draft Resolutions
A. Docket No. PCD-18-02: 1875 Techny Road - Northshore Car Center, LLC. (Public Hearing Closed.) Consideration of a resolution for an application filed by Northshore Car Center, LLC as lessee of 1875-1881 Techny Road which is owned by Allen B. Frake Trust, for the purpose of authorizing the following zoning relief: A) Special Permit Approval to Allow Automotive Detailing (SIC No. 7542.01) in the I-1 Restricted Industrial District; B) Special Permit Approval to Allow Automotive Repair with Outdoor Automobile Storage (SIC No. 7530.00) in the I-1 Restricted Industrial District; C) Rear Setback Variation to reduce the required setback from 15’ to 10’ to accommodate the existing building; D) Interior Side Yard Variations to reduce the required yards from 5’ to 0’ on both the east and west sides to accommodate existing parking; E) Rear Yard Variation to reduce the required yard from 5’ to 0’ to accommodate existing parking; and F) Approval of such other zoning relief as may be necessary.
Commissioner Elisco made a motion, seconded by Member Pepoon to approve Resolution Number 18-PC-04 for Plan Commission Docket Number PCD-18-02 1875-1881 Techny Road, Special Permits and Related Relief for Northshore Care Center, LLC as prepared and submitted by Staff. The motion was approved on a roll call vote with Member DeBartolo voting no and Member Sandler abstaining.
6. Continued Review Of Applications
A. Continued Discussion of Downtown Zoning Regulations - Ground Level Retail vs. "Active Storefront" Requirements
Tom Poupard reported that at the last two meetings when the Plan Commission was discussing building heights, there was discussion about having more ground level retail; perhaps making that a requirement. Mr. Poupard prepared a packet and shared a slide presentation with the Commission showing downtown Northbrook and the different zoning districts that currently exist. He stated that the intersection of Meadow and Shermer and the west side of Cherry Lane are Zoned C-3, which has always been considered the heart of downtown. What we are seeing now, is very low vacancy rates in downtown which is good news. Included in the slide presentation, was a comparison of how other suburban communities in the Chicago area have or have not required ground level retail and the standards they have used. Mr. Poupard noted that many communities require ground level retail in one form or another, but the manner in which they do so varies widely. The presentation included a chart comparing: Deerfield, Glencoe, Glenview, Highland Park, Lake Forest, Lemont, Libertyville, Northbrook (existing), Northbrook (proposed Form Based Code), Palatine, Skokie, Wilmette and Winnetka.
He also said that communities need to think about how “retail” is defined and how relief is granted from this requirement. He provided examples of code language from Lake Forest and Winnetka. Commissioner Lawrence suggested that there be an incentive in place for developers rather than a requirement, i.e., tax relief. Some things to consider would be, should there be certain streets or segments where retail storefronts should be required, what constitutes retail, is an active storefront acceptable, if there is not a demand should there be a mechanism for granting relief, if so, what process should be used.
Chairman Franklin questioned how can we create something, requirement or incentive, that is flexible enough to take vacancy rates into consideration.
Mr. Poupard doesn’t feel like a traditional Special Permit is the best mechanism for considering a waiver. Is it really necessary to have a Public Hearing on the topic? A public discussion, yes, but the cost and time involved with a public hearing may be unnecessary. As far as incentives go, the Village has such a small percentage of the property tax bill that some other approach is probably more effective. Some communities have waived or reduced permit or license fees for retailers as an incentive. Having public parking available is a huge incentive.
Commissioner Elisco suggested that the process used by the Plan Commission could be like the ZBA and the retailer would come before the Commission with their presentation, the Ordinance would be passed that night and not have to go to the Board. Then the Plan Commission would be the final word and the Board would not have to deal with it. Mr. Poupard noted that perhaps only an appeal could go to the Board.
All the Commissioners are unanimous in their feelings toward going forward with exploring ground level retail options. Chainman Franklin asked that the staff look into some other communities, such as Arlington Heights to see how they have approached the issue. Mr. Poupard said that staff can certainly include more communities in the survey and present that information.
Chairman Franklin stated that there is the potential for great changes in the downtown area, they need to consider the long-term impact of the Grainger property and how that may change downtown. Chairman Franklin also feels that you cannot micro-manage the types of retail uses that want to open in downtown. We should find out within the next twenty-days or so if the Village will be purchasing Grainger.
7. Old Business
None.
8. New Business
None.
9. Adjourn
On voice vote, a motion to adjourn passed unanimously.
Adjourned at 8:39 p.m.
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