Village of Northbrook Board of Trustees met Nov. 12.
Here is the minutes provided by the board:
1. ROLL CALL
| Attendee Name | Title | Status | Arrived |
| Sandra Frum | Village President | Present | |
| Kathryn Ciesla | Trustee | Present | |
| Bob Israel | Trustee | Present | |
| Muriel Collison | Trustee | Present | |
| Jason Han | Trustee | Present | |
| Heather Ross | Trustee | Present | |
| Johannah Hebl | Trustee | Present |
3. MINUTES APPROVAL
A. Board of Trustees - Regular Meeting - Oct 22, 2019 7:30 PM
Trustee Frum noted a change to the second line. “The Board cannot tell her "now" what the results of tonight’s meeting will be.”
RESULT: ACCEPTED [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Kathryn Ciesla, Trustee
SECONDER: Muriel Collison, Trustee
AYES: Frum, Ciesla, Israel, Collison, Han, Ross, Hebl
4. RETIREMENT AND SWEARING IN
A. RESOLUTION NO. 2019-144
A Resolution Recognizing Officer Sal Martinez for Twenty-Seven Years of Service in the Police Department President Frum presented a Resolution recognizing Officer Sal Martinez.
RESULT: ADOPTED [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Kathryn Ciesla, Trustee
SECONDER: Muriel Collison, Trustee
AYES: Frum, Ciesla, Israel, Collison, Han, Ross, Hebl
B. Firefighter/Paramedics Swearing In
Two new Firefighter/Paramedics were sworn in, Tyler Mortensen and Ryan Dubowski.
5. PUBLIC COMMENT TIME
Tensley Garris, President of the Northbrook Chamber of Commerce, reminded everyone that the holiday shopping season is upon us and is a vital time for Northbrook's small businesses. The Chamber will be ramping up the "Shop Local" Program. November 30th is Small Business Saturday. Ms. Garris encouraged all to follow "Nicki the Northbrook Shopping Elf" on Facebook and to sign up for the mobile program by texting NBK to 555678.
Trustee Ciesla asked Ms. Garris to put all the above information on the Chamber's Facebook page.
MANAGER'S REPORT
Village Manager Nahrstadt asked Village Engineer Matt Farmer t report on Dundee Road and when it will open. Mr. Farmer stated that at the last meeting with the DOT they stated they will be paving next week. This will take about three weeks, so they expect to have Dundee completely open to thru traffic, detour ended by the week of December 9th. There is a section of Lee Road from Dundee Rd south to Shermer that they will have to take care of in 2020. So, in 2020 we will probably see a lane closure eastbound Dundee Rd. for approximately a month and a half.
Trustee Ciesla stated that she was excited to join the composting program with Advanced Disposal and when she called customer service to obtain the container, they had zero information on the Northbrook composting program. Village Manager Nahrstadt stated he will meet with Advanced representatives.
7. WARRANT LIST
Review and Approval of Payments to be Made
Trustee Ciesla Moved to approve Class A and B Warrants from October 16, 2019 through October 31, 2019 in the amount of $2,640,275.53 and Frontage Deposit Refunds dated October 30, 2019 totaling $31,700.
C. Green Moment
James Williams gave a presentation on autism and what happens when these children reach adulthood. For many of these individuals, who finished high school during the 2000s and early 2010s, have found employment to be closed for them and our current economic reality has necessitated that many of these individuals acquire government disability benefits to survive. There needs to be a place in Northbrook for adults with disabilities to have a sense of community. How can we help build residential housing for people with disabilities just as the communities of Morton Grove and others have done?
Green Moment:
What can be put in recycling bins - Any clean cardboard, office paper, brown paper bags, mail or newspaper.
What cannot be put in recycling bins - Any wet, greasy or soiled paper.
Aluminum, glass and metal containers should be lightly rinsed. However, pull tabs that are completely separated from the can are too small for the recycling equipment and should be discarded along with any broken glass.
On the bottom of plastic containers there are numbers; 1-5 and 7 are accepted, number 6 is not. Most plastic jars, bottles and jugs are accepted. Caps on these plastics are typically not the same plastic as the containers and should be discarded. The Kohl Children's Museum will take the caps and use for art projects; perhaps a collection box could be set up in the Village Hall where those caps could be collected and then given to the Museum. A documentary film called Paris to Pittsburgh, relating to climate change, will be shown at the Northbrook Library at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, November 18th.
President Frum mentioned that this Sunday, November 17th from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Historical Society, they will be celebrating Northbrook's 118th Birthday. There will be artwork from the Plein Air Painting Festival.
There is a bin from the Rotary at the Village Hall where they will be accepting coats and jackets.
Toys for Tots has a bin at the Village Hall. The Food Pantry is always looking for food. If you are interested in sponsoring a child or a family, you can visit YSGN.org.
Trustee Ciesla will be the representative to the Northbrook Interfaith Community Service, you can give thanks and celebrate the season Wednesday, November 27th at 7:00 p.m., the Annual Interfaith Community Thanksgiving Service put on by the Northbrook Clergy Association and held at the Northbrook Evangelical Covenant Church on Pfingsten and Techny Roads.
9. CONSENT AGENDA
COMMITTEE REPORTS
10. FINANCE
There was a meeting on the Capital Improvement Plan. One of the focuses of the group is to consider green initiatives. The Finance Committee also voted to submit for approval to the full Board, the tax levy for next year.
11. PUBLIC WORKS
None
12. COMMUNITY
13. PLANNING/ZONING
A. Public Hearing for Docket No. BOT-19-05 an Application Requesting a Renewal of Special Permit Approval to Allow Continued Operation of Wireless Cellular Antenna at 1401 Landwehr Road
Motion to continue this Public Hearing to December 10, 2019. Second. All in favor.
B. PRELIMINARY REVIEW - ZONING & DEVELOPMENT APPLICATIONS
1. Preliminary Review - 3139 Dundee Road - Special Permit for a Music School
2. Preliminary Review of a Request to Amend the Comprehensive Plan and Rezone 916-1002 Dundee Road to Accommodate a Mixed Use Development of Green Acres Proposed by Taylor Morrison and Lincoln Properties
Michaela Kohlstedt reported that this is a preliminary application for the Green Acres property on Dundee Road referred to as Terra Verde. The subject property is zoned Open Space with 127 acres and contains roughly 2.7 acres consisting of three parcels fronting on Dundee Road, that are currently Zoned R2 Single Family Residential, which are also included within the boundaries of the subject property. To the north is single family residential in unincorporated Cook County. To the east is R8 - Multi-family. The southwest corner of the subject property is located within the hundred-year flood plain and flood way. The Comprehensive Plan designates most of the subject property as appropriate for open space and outdoor recreation uses. The applicant is requesting a mixed-use planned development that would involve a Comprehensive Plan amendment to designate the property appropriate for something other than open space, a rezoning for multi-family as well as commercial. The applicant is proposing a variety of housing types totaling approximately 800 units. The variety of housing types range from apartments on the east side of the property to detached single family homes on the west side of the property. The property is broken down to 120.5 acres of residential, 6.5 commercial acres fronting on Dundee Road, of the 120 acres, 45 acres are proposed as open space, fifteen of which the applicant is proposing to dedicate to the Northbrook Park District. The Park District has stated that they would require a minimum of 10 acres for this property to be developed. The apartments on the property will occupy 15.8 acres with thirteen three-story buildings, 444 units, approximately 28.1 dwelling units per acre. The majority of the apartment area has a forty-foot landscape buffer around the perimeter of the property. There will be a communal building and outdoor pool for the apartment complex. The next housing type are the urban townhomes, which are townhomes where the garages are accessed through vehicle courtyards in the interior. These townhomes will be situated on 8.1 acres with 15 buildings and 89 units with 10.98 dwelling units per acre. The homes will have front sidewalks and streets within the community and they would have rear loaded garages that you would not see from public spaces. In the center of the development will be traditional town homes on roughly 12 acres with 18 buildings and 92 units. There will be 7.6 dwelling units per acre with front loading garages. Buffering between the townhome developments and the single-family residences, the applicant is proposing 72 duplex units; these will have 36 buildings with 72 units with front loading garages accessed off a public street. The northern portion of the duplexes is the only area that does not maintain a 40-foot buffer. On the west side of the property, which is adjacent to single family residential, the applicant is proposing 103 single family homes on 26.5 acres with 3.88-4.3 dwelling units per acre with front loaded garages. The applicant is proposing 6.5 acres of commercial property on the frontage of Dundee Road; however, at this point there have been no users identified. There will be 45 acres of open space consisting of various spaces which include detention ponds and trails. On the west side of the subject property the applicant is proposing a community park and a parking lot accessed through Lee Road. The applicant is also proposing a pickle ball court, a playground and they will maintain an existing club house building, which is currently on the subject property. The applicant is proposing a series of walking paths; these paths will go throughout the property. The applicant is proposing a traffic signal to be installed at the existing entrance to Green Acres, which will be maintained and utilized as the main entrance to the proposed development. The applicant is also proposing three emergency vehicle access only points; one north onto Morrison Road and two on the east side of the subject property that would access an existing fire lane.
Katie Janke Dale, Law firm of DLA thanked the Board for their time and consideration. Ms. Janke Dale stated that the subject was bank owned until the current owner purchased it in 2018. Since then, the current owner has been studying the site to come up with a development plan and development team. Last night there was an informal meeting with the adjacent neighbors and received some very good feedback.
Scott Barenbrugge of Taylor Morrison Development stated that they are handling the for-sale portion of the development, they are the nation’s fifth largest home builder. This location is great for transportation access, employment, local services, retail, dining, etc. It’s a development that will allow access to Dundee Road, and quick access to I-94 and will create very little traffic through the community. The demographics of the housing cover a wide range of ages and lifestyles; attracting empty-nesters and young professionals. There will be first floor bedrooms for home buyers wishing to age-in-place. We will create appropriate zoning transitions and buffers to surrounding uses. Dundee Road will become our principal arterial access with an added traffic light at the existing entrance. Our goal is to preserve ninety percent of the heritage trees on the subject property. We will be utilizing standards of the National Wildlife Federation, we will have native plantings to support butterfly and songbird populations, natural playscapes with public open spaces and storm water infiltration. There will be a pool that will be private and operated by the HOA. Our community goals are to retain existing Northbrook residents, create low maintenance and maintenance free lifestyles, walkable and open space amenities for all age groups, a positive economic impact on the Village, park and school districts, attain housing options not readily available in the resale market and offer affordable housing. There were some concerns from residents about construction on Lee Road, but we will restrict all construction traffic to Dundee Road.
Steve Elrod, Village Attorney explained the Village's rights and obligations regarding the rezoning of a property of this type.
Trustee Collison stated that she is happy that the developer is going to try and save as many trees as possible, but that's about it. She has concerns about the schools. She spoke with Larry Hewitt; Meadowbrook has twenty-four sections of classes K-5, "They're near top end of capacity for the current school layout." According to Mr. Hewitt an increase in enrollment resulting in twenty-six or more sections, would require serious discussions about additions to the school. Northbrook Junior High has 600 students and enrollment capacity is 630 students. There is an option to have children attend other district schools if there were enough to fill an entire bus, however, currently there is zero, no space, at Westmore and limited space at Greenbrier. Mr. Hewitt said they do not view Green Acres as a stand-alone development. They are currently dealing with the impact of ongoing projects such as 1000 Skokie, Jacobs Town Homes, etc. The estimated tax revenue will not even put a dent it what would be needed to house the extra students from this proposed development and to hire the staff needed to keep Northbrook's excellent standard of schools. Regarding traffic, if this project goes forward, there will need to be thorough traffic studies. Another concern is the impact on the Police and Fire Departments and the additional manpower needed. The neighbors that currently own homes in this area did not purchase their homes to have 800 units behind them. She would like to see a lot less density, more open space, fully integrated affordable housing, age restricted homes and protection for the surrounding neighbors. Trustee Collison suggested that they come back with a more creative plan, i.e., Prairie Crossing.
Trustee Ciesla stated that she is open to something in this area but, this is not it. With respect to the commercial section, she is not in favor a strip mall type feel on Dundee Road. The park space, the community park in the 100-year flood plain seems to be, a joke, a useless space. The walking trails are not cohesive at all. She agrees with Trustee Collison's comments on the schools and agrees that a traffic study is appropriate. Regarding affordable housing, we directed the Plan Commission to develop something akin to the Highland Park model for Northbrook; affordable housing not attainable housing. The Plan Commission was also directed to not include a provision for a fee in lieu of development, she would not be interested in giving the developer an opportunity to buy out of affordable housing. She would like to see a tree survey from the property, how many landmark trees will be cut down. There is a development called Whisper Valley in Austin, homes start in the $230s single and multi-unit developments. They employ solar panels and geothermal heating and it is termed a net zero capable community. Maybe this is something we could strive for here in Northbrook. Not only will our schools be impacted but so will our municipal services. She is not interested in amending the Comprehensive Plan, not interested in the commercial development, does not feel there is sufficient open space. She is interested in saving the club house building.
Trustee Israel shares the concerns with Trustees Ciesla and Collison. This development is way too dense. The detention pond does not count as open space. He cannot vote for this in its current form.
Trustee Han stated that this property is zoned open space, and this is what the Comprehensive Plan designates this property as. He is not open to any development that variates from this.
Trustee Ross stated that she is nervous about losing so much green space in the community. She is not opposed to development here, but it must maintain a large portion of open space. She would love to see the club house stay. Northbrook is serious about providing affordable housing. Encouraged the developer to take all these comments to heart.
Trustee Hebl stated that as a golfer, she hates to see a golf course leave. This is zoned open space and should stay open space. She is neither in support of this plan nor the rezoning.
President Frum agrees with the Trustees, there is no benefit to the community. This plan is way too dense. She would like to see this stay open space not just for the community but for the public.
Mr. Elrod informed the audience that if this development does go forward, there will be a public hearing before the Plan Commission at which time comments can be made. The Village Board will also take comments from the public before a vote is taken.
James Williams stated that every development mentioned in comparison lacks access to public transportation. So many developments that are proposed go under the assumption that everybody owns an automobile or has access to one.
Kara Schmidt, resident of Lee Road and head of the Green Acres Community Action Committee, thanked the Board for their research and the Committee agrees with the comments from the Board.
John Scully, 535 Fairway Lane, stated he felt that owners and developers came to them last night with good faith, but he agrees with his neighbors and the Board and thanked them for their clear sight. If the owners and developers would reach out to our neighborhood association, they would love to work hand in hand with them and maybe together we could come up with a plan that works for all.
Sara Sanford, Northbrook resident on behalf of Go Green Northbrook, thank you for your careful consideration on this and the idea of keeping this open space is very important to us.
Damon John lives on Morrison and thanked the Board for their comments. Everyone owes it to themselves to become familiar with that property and see how beautiful it is.
14. LEGISLATION AND COMMUNICATION
A. ORDINANCE NO.
An Ordinance to Amend the Annual Fee Ordinance to Increase the Number of Class “B-1” Liquor Licenses for Northbrook BP
Trustee Ross stated that she isn’t opposed to this but would like to know if they sell alcohol at any of the other gas stations that they own and what measures they take to make sure that there are no sales to minors. She also suggested to the Board that they add something to the Zoning Code to limit the number of licenses that could go to a gas station. President Frum responded that it wouldn't be in the Zoning Code, it would be in the Municipal Code. It is the absolute right of the Board to determine how many licenses are out there, she believes they don't have to approve a license, it is up to the Village President whether to grant it. Attorney Elrod stated that there is a Municipal Code provision that lists the number of liquor licenses that are available, and there are none available. Anyone seeking a liquor license would have to come before the Board and seek an amendment to our Code.
Trustee Ciesla - No.
Trustee Israel has concerns about the proximity to schools, the ease of access makes him hesitant to approve this. The Station Manager, who would oversee this, is not here tonight and that is concerning.
John Graham, Owner of Graham Enterprises responded that there are about 500 employees and they are moving around and it's hard to keep track of who is managing at the present time. Their business survives on cigarettes, liquor and lottery. The industry is changing dramatically, and we need to stay competitive.
Trustee Han asked if there are video games on the premises. Mr. Graham stated that yes, about six businesses in other municipalities outside of Northbrook have them. Northbrook does not allow video gaming.
Trustee Collison stated that she did not have a problem with this.
Trustee Hebl suggested tabling this until the next meeting to obtain more data.
Trustee Hebl moved, seconded by Trustee Ciesla to table the matter to the next
meeting. On voice vote, Trustees Ciesla, Han and Hebl voted yes, Trustees Israel, Collison, Ross and Frum voted no. The motion failed.
Trustee Ciesla moved, seconded by Trustee Hebl to DENY the proposed Ordinance.
15. PUBLIC SAFETY
None.
16. REMARKS FOR THE GOOD OF THE ORDER
Happy Thanksgiving.
17. CLOSED SESSION
18. ADJOURN
Trustee Ciesla moved, seconded by Trustee Han to adjourn at 10:09 p.m. On voice vote, all were in favor.
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