Village of Buffalo Grove Planning and Zoning Commission met Feb. 5.
Here is the minutes provided by the commission:
Call to Order
The meeting was called to order at 7:30 PM by Chairman Frank Cesario
Public Hearings/Items For Consideration
1. Consider a Text Amendment for Special Use in I District and Approval of Special Use (Trustee Johnson) (Staff Contact: Nicole Woods)
Bob Heilman (Metro Storage) was sworn in. Mr. Heilman presented his petition for retail use as ancillary to Special Use.
Commissioner Moodhe asked if this was standard practice for the storage industry. Mr. Heilman said it was standard for most storage facilities and start for all of Metro Storage. Commissioner Moodhe asked if there would be advertising anticipated. Mr. Heilman said that this was typically not advertised except for maybe a small sliding sign as this was offered for the convenience of customers.
Village Staff said that there were no negative comments received from the community.
Chairman Cesario asked if this was where people would normally go for moving supplies. Mr. Heilman said that actually most people go to a big box store or Uhaul.
Chairman Cesario entered the Village Staff Report as Exhibit 1; he entered the picture submitted as Exhibit 2.
The first public hearing closed at 7:38pm
Commissioner Khan made a motion for positive recommendation to the Village Board for the text amendment to Section 17.48.020C (Special Uses) in the Industrial District, which adds language concerning incidental retail uses and approval of a special use for an incidental retail use at an existing storage facility in the Industrial District, subject to the conditions in the Staff Report.
Commissioner Moodhe seconded the motion.
RESULT: APPROVED [UNANIMOUS]
AYES: Moodhe, Cesario, Cohn, Goldspiel, Khan, Au
ABSENT: Mitchell Weinstein, Kevin Richards, Neil Worlikar
2. Consider Height Variation for a Public Safety Communication Consider Antenna to Exceed the Maximum Permissible Height (Trustee Johnson) (Staff Contact: Nicole Woods)
Chairman Cesario swore in those testifying in the case - Mike Skibbe (Deputy Director of Public Works) and Ed Mervin (Urban Communications). Mr. Skibbe presented the proposal.
Commissioner Au asked for clarification on the new site location and asked if, with construction of this new tower, if the old one would come down. Mr. Skibbe said that there would be a short time where both towers would be up until the existing communications came down. Mr. Mervin explained the process for installation and said that this would take less than 30 days. The engineering firm had deemed this a safety hazard, so it needed to come down as quickly as possible.
Commissioner Moodhe asked how tall the emergency siren was. Mr. Skibbe said that this was 60 feet. Commissioner Moodhe asked if this was tower would house the meter readings. Mr. Skibbe said that this tower only hosted the dispatch and was critical for community safety. The department planned to work closely with NEMA to ensure this was in full operation after installation.
Commissioner Cohn said that the report mentioned radio frequency radiation and asked if a radio frequency emissions test had been done. Mr. Mervin said that this would be done by the FCC during the licensing phase; in order to be licensed by the FCC, the tower would need to follow all guidelines.
Chairman Cesario asked about the second tower.
Fire Station 26
Subject: Special Use in the R District and Height Variation for a Public Safety Communication Antenna
Mr. Skibbe said that Fire Station 26 had an existing tower that was 80 feet high; however, the engineering firm questioned the durability of the guidewire. Cognizant of previous issues with the guidewire, the department was proposing the same tower as at Fire Station 27 but on the ground just south of the fire station.
Chairman Cesario asked how this compared to the height of the current tower. Mr. Skibbe showed the picture comparing the two and noted that it would reach roughly the same height when taking into consideration the height of the building. He said that the tallest tower in the Village was 125 feet, but most were 60 feet.
Commissioner Goldspiel asked what wind this was meant to withstand. Mr. Mervin said that this met the highest standard allowed in the United States for cell towers - which was a 125-mph wind. The foundation would be built based on the soil conditions to meet this standard. Commissioner Goldspiel also asked about the water table measurements in the report. Mr. Mervin said that this would need be handled by final engineering. Commissioner Goldspiel had a concern about the water table in Lake County being high. Mr. Mervin said that this would be submitted to the Village, but the tower could be built to whatever geo- specifications were needed.
Commissioner Au asked if these two towers were replacing the current towers, and the new lifespan of the towers was. Mr. Mervin said that, if properly maintained, the towers should last 40 to 50 years. The manufacturer of these towers was the same manufacturer that built most of the cell towers in the United States.
Staff said that there had been several inquiries about this petition, but no concerns had been brought to their attention.
Chairman Cesario asked about the tree canopy and if the tower would be impaired if it was 60 feet tall. Mr. Mervin said that any interference would be handled by a private gigabyte network as a protected backbone for safety between the stations. A better signal could be transmitted from the water location.
Chairman Cesario entered the Staff report on Fire Station 27 as Exhibit One.
Jeff Braiman was sworn in and expressed that he was not objecting to the height but to the structure itself. He felt that there were better places to locate the tower. The proposed location was very close to Aster Place near Canterbury and was visible. He thought that this was an eye sore and would be better suited near the train station or fire training center (CAFT) ComEd easement. He understood the need for the new tower and the height, but he did not like this being directly next to a residential area.
Mr. Skibbe said that this location was because of the automated meter reading as this needed to be centralized for Buffalo Grove and parts of Palatine. This was also the primary data source for the administration of the fire station so needed to be directly connected to the facility.
Commissioner Moodhe asked about Hamm radio technology. Mr. Mervin said that the current connection used CAT-5 wire to communicate with the radios that were more compact for efficiency. The location was imperative for the network design because the fire network needed the communication backbone, but the current tower did not meet the G2 standard. He reiterated the safety concerns about the tower on the roof. He also noted that the base of the tower was 36 inches.
Commissioner Moodhe asked what the cost would hypothetically be to relocate the tower at Fire Station 26 to the CAFT center. Mr. Skibbe said that it would likely be over $100,000 to reroute the appropriate network. Commissioner Moodhe confirmed that the current proposal would be the most dollar efficient.
Chairman Cesario said that replacing the towers at a risk of them falling was important but asked about the petitioner’s thoughts on moving locations. Mr. Skibbe said that the main concern with the rooftop tower was the guidewire. Originally, the department was looking to improve the mounting points, but that cost was approximately $10,000. Since the tower was over 30 years old and near the end of its lifespan, the smarter bet was to invest $30,000 in a new tower and up to the new standards, in the same location.
Chairman Cesario asked about the feasibility for alternate locations. Mr. Skibbe said that in addition to the tower, a connection to the fire station would require a fiber line run along the county highway which would cost approximately $25 to $30 per foot as a standard rate. Mr. Mervin said that a microwave option was looked at for the existing tower, but the cost of this would be $35,000 to $40,000 plus labor costs. The intent was to meet the safety standards with the most reasonable cost.
The resident did not feel that the Metra train station would be a bad alternative even with a slightly higher cost. Mr. Skibbe said he was unsure if the Metra Station location would be close enough to provide sufficient services.
Commissioner Moodhe asked how tall the tower was outside of Village Hall. It was determined that this was 125 feet tall and approximately 6 feet wide. It was noted that a structure half this size was what was being proposed.
The second public hearing closed at 8:17 pm.
Commissioner Khan asked the Village Staff for clarification regarding the motions required. Ms. Akash noted that the tower at Fire Station 27 was in the Industrial District so did not require a special use but a height variance only. The tower at Fire Station 26 was in a residential area so required both a special use and a height variance.
Commissioner Khan moved to grant a variation to Zoning Ordinance Section 17.32 to allow for the installation of a public utility facility (Public Safety Communication Antenna) at Fire Station 27 to exceed the maximum permissible height of 60 feet, subject to the conditions in the Staff Report.
Commissioner Moodhe second.
Chairman Cesario said that this was a significant structure, but it did not feel too imposing.
Commissioner Goldspiel asked if there would be a fence around the base of the tower. The petitioner confirmed that there would be anti-climbing features added.
Commissioner Moodhe said that these towers were critical for safety communications. The way that the networks were occurring and complex, this was required for community reliance.
RESULT: APPROVED [UNANIMOUS]
AYES: Moodhe, Cesario, Cohn, Goldspiel, Khan, Au
ABSENT: Mitchell Weinstein, Kevin Richards, Neil Worlikar
3. Consider Special Use in the R District and Height Variation for a Public Safety Communication Antenna (Trustee Johnson) (Staff Contact: Nicole Woods)
Commissioner Goldspiel asked how far the base of the tower was from the residence. Ms. Akash said that this was approximately 195 feet from Highland Grove property with setback requirements in place. It was 132 feet from the closest property line. Commissioner Moodhe believed that this was further than the one approved near Vernon Township. There was some discussion regarding this.
Chairman Cesario clarified that the height of the structure was the same height as the current when taking the 25-foot building height into consideration.
Chairman Cesario entered the Staff report on Fire Station 26 as Exhibit One. The third public hearing closed at 8:29 pm.
Commissioner Khan moved to grant a special use for a Public Utility Facility (Public Safety Communication Antenna) at Fire Station 26 in a Residential District and a variation to the Zoning Ordinance Section 17.32 to allow for the installation of a communication antenna at Fire Station 26 to exceed the maximum permissible height of 60 feet.
Commissioner Moodhe second.
Chairman Cesario thanked everyone for their input.
The Public Hearings closed at 8:32pm
RESULT: APPROVED [UNANIMOUS]
AYES: Moodhe, Cesario, Cohn, Goldspiel, Khan, Au
ABSENT: Mitchell Weinstein, Kevin Richards, Neil Worlikar
Regular Meeting
Other Matters for Discussion
None.
Approval of Minutes
Chairman's Report
None.
Committee and Liaison Reports
Commissioner Khan said that he attended the Village Board meeting, and the marijuana facility location change was approved 5:1.
Staff Report/Future Agenda Schedule
Ms. Woods said that the Village was working on the Comprehensive Plan. The Existing Conditions report had been completed and shared with the Board. The Steering Committee was meeting on Tuesday before making it available to the public.
Ms. Woods said that she would love to get feedback on the Features Website Pilot Project to see if the outreach was working. Chairman Cesario noted that people tended to take the path of least resistance, and new formats took time to gain traction. Commissioner Au said that the same people seemed to be commenting and responding in the public formats.
Ms. Akash asked everyone to mark their calendars for April 1 for Census 2020. Residents would start seeing mailings in March. The Village was trying to reach out to residents to ensure that everyone participates. It was a confidential process but a critical one to allow the Village to properly handle community needs.
Public Comments and Questions
None.
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 8:39 PM
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