Village of Arlington Heights Design Commission met Aug. 8.
Here are the minutes provided by the commission:
Chair Kubow called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m.
Members Present: Jonathan Kubow, Chair
Ted Eckhardt
John Fitzgerald
Scott Seyer
Members Absent: Kirsten Kingsley
Also Present: John Anstadt, JMB Architects for 624 N. Haddow Ave.
Katie Zittergruen, Owner of 624 N. Haddow Ave.
Ryan Schulz, AH School District 25 for Patton School Gym
Don Hansen, STR Partners LLC for Patton School Gym
Steve Hautzinger, Planning Staff
REVIEW OF MEETING MINUTES FOR JULY 11, 2023
A Motion Was Made By Commissioner Eckhardt, Seconded By Commissioner Fitzgerald, To Approve The Meeting Minutes Of July 11, 2023. All Were In Favor. Motion Carried.
ITEM 1. SINGLE-FAMILY TEARDOWN REVIEW
DC#23-030 – 624 N. Haddow Ave.
John Anstadt, representing JMB Architects, and Katie Zittergruen, the homeowner, was present on behalf of the project.
Mr. Hautzinger presented Staff comments. The petitioner is proposing to demolish an existing two-story house and two-car detached garage to build a new a new two-story residence with an attached three-car garage. This project requires review by the Zoning Board of Appeals for a zoning variation to allow a 32.3 foot front setback where 35.7 feet is required. The plans do comply with all other R-3 zoning requirements.
Overall, the proposed design is very nicely done with varying roof lines, quality materials, and a nicely coordinated color palette. The home is large, but the one-and-a-half-story massing helps to bring down the scale, and the massing steps down towards the single-story house to the north. The recessed and side load garage is a nice arrangement to keep the focus of the design on the main body of the home. There are other large homes on this block, and the proposed design will fit in well in this location. Staff feels the scale of the new home in this location will fit in very well and recommends approval as submitted.
Mr. Anstadt introduced the homeowner. Ms. Zittergruen said she wanted to be part of the meeting tonight because they are very excited about the new home. She grew up in Arlington Heights and moved back after living in the City and is extremely excited about the design and everything about this lot. She hopes everyone likes the design and it is approved.
Mr. Anstadt said there have been some revisions made to the original rendering, specifically that the main portion of the roof was brought down in the center to comply with the required building height. He acknowledged that the new home is large, but pointed out that both the north and the south sides of the home were lowered to be more compatible with the homes on either side of it. The materials are traditional and the colors are intentionally subdued so the architecture can speak for itself, with landscaping being a big part as well. The main entry will have a metal roof, and the remaining roof will be asphalt shingle. Their goal is to add a pool in the backyard, which is why a zoning variation is needed to bring the home forward about 3- 1/2 feet. He welcomed any comments or questions.
Chair Kubow asked if there was any public comment on the project and there was no response from the audience.
The commissioners summarized their comments. Commissioner Fitzgerald said the home is beautifully designed; he liked the colors, the architecture, and he was okay with the size of the home on this lot because there are other large homes on this block. His comments include the placement of the light fixtures on only one column on each side of the front porch, which he has never seen before; the expansive driveway, which could be softened with landscaping if the petitioner chooses; and a suggestion to add a window on the north side in the garage, which appears like a very large blank wall that will be the entrance to the back yard for guests.
Commissioner Eckhardt said it is a great home and he loved the rendering that gives a good flavor of what the home will look like. He commented that 4 light fixtures on the front columns would be too much, although the placement of the 2 fixtures shown is an interesting detail. He had no issues with the new home and said it was fantastic with details on all four sides.
Commissioner Seyer appreciated the renderings that help to illustrate the new home and the quality of the materials. He liked the design and had no issues with the front columns, and he appreciated that the massing was broken up so the home does not feel so large. He was in favor of the design as proposed.
Chair Kubow agreed with the comments from the other commissioners. This is a beautiful home, and although it is a little large, the way it is designed helps break down the massing all the way around the home. He asked if the revision that lowered the main roof height to meet code was represented in the drawings and Mr. Anstadt said that it is. Mr. Hautzinger explained the revision to the main roof for further clarification.
A Motion Was Made By Commissioner Eckhardt, Seconded By Commissioner Fitzgerald, To Approve The Architectural Design For The Proposed New Single Family Home To Be Located At 624 N. Haddow Avenue, As Submitted. This Recommendation Is Subject To Compliance With Plans Received 7/6/23, Site Plan Received 7/18/23, Design Commission Recommendations, Compliance With All Applicable Federal, State And Village Codes, Regulation And Policies, The Issuance Of All Required Permits, And The Following:
1. A Recommendation To Add A Window On The North Elevation As Appropriate, To Be Reviewed By Staff.
2. This Review Deals With Architectural Design Only And Should Not Be Construed To Be An Approval Of, Or To Have Any Other Impact On, Nor Represent Any Tacit Approval Or Support For The Proposed Land Use Or Any Other Zoning And/Or Land Use Issues Or Decisions That Stem From Zoning, Building, Signage Or Any Other Reviews. In Addition To The Normal Technical Review, Permit Drawings Will Be Reviewed For Consistency With The Design Commission And Any Other Commission Or Board Approval Conditions. It Is The Petitioner’s Responsibilty To Incorporate All Requirements Listed On The Certificate Of Appropriateness Into The Permit Drawings, And To Ensure That Building Permit Plans And Sign Permit Plans Comply With All Zoning Code, Building Code And Sign Code Requirements.
Fitzgerald, Aye; Eckhardt, Aye; Seyer, Aye; Kubow, Aye.
All Were In Favor. Motion Carried.
ITEM 2. COMMERCIAL REVIEW
DC#23-033 – Patton School Gym Addition – 1616 N. Patton Ave.
Don Hansen, representing STR Partners, and Ryan Schulz, representing Arlington Heights School District 25, were present on behalf of the project.
Mr. Hautzinger presented Staff comments. The petitioner is proposing a 4,350 square foot addition to the existing gymnasium. This project requires Plan Commission review and Village Board approval for an Amendment to a Special Use Permit to allow a building addition for a school in the R-3 One-Family Zoning District. Because this project is going to the Plan Commission, the role of the Design Commission is limited to building and signage only.
In February of 2023, the Design Commission reviewed and recommended approval of a three classroom and storage space addition to Patton Elementary School. The classroom addition received Village Board approval in March of 2023.
The proposed gymnasium addition is located at the south corner of the school which has limited visibility from the street, but it will be highly visible from the school parking lot. Overall, the proposed design is nicely done to fit with the existing school. All exterior materials have been selected to match the existing materials and colors. The massing of the proposed addition is a natural extension of the existing gymnasium. The clerestory windows and limestone fascia are nice features that enhance the appearance of the addition.
There will be a new rooftop mechanical unit on the new addition. However, since the addition and rooftop unit are setback from the street, the sight line will be cut off from view.
Staff is recommending approval of the gymnasium addition as submitted.
Mr. Schulz said this gym expansion is to give the school more curriculum space for PE classes at the school, this is not enrollment driven. Adding another bay to the gymnasium will allow two sections of PE to be run at the same time. They are proposing to extend the existing architectural feel of the entire building with the addition to include a limestone cap, clerestory windows, brick, and provide a secondary entrance into the building that will also allow the community to use the space as well. He welcomed any questions.
Chair Kubow asked if there was any public comments on this project and there was no response from the audience.
The commissioners summarized their comments. Commissioner Seyer said the addition looks nice and he appreciates the extra design details. He is in favor of the design. He also said that it appears that the existing rooftop unit is not really visible from the other main entry, which he is okay with.
Commissioner Eckhardt said he had difficulty finding the proposed addition on the drawings because it is so well designed and fits in well with the original building. He is sensitive to the rooftop equipment and the screening requirements, so if this equipment is anywhere close to being visible, he would suggest painting it a color rather than adding screening in front of it. He had no further comments.
Commissioner Fitzgerald said this is a great design. Chair Kubow agreed and said there is an obvious need for the gym addition and it is great to see the space increased for the students and for the community.
A Motion Was Made By Commissioner Eckhardt, Seconded By Commissioner Seyer, To Approve The Proposed Architectural Design For A Gymnasium Addition To Patton Elementary School Located At 1616 N. Patton Avenue, As Submitted. This Recommendation Is Subject To Compliance With The Plans Received 6/20/23, Design Commission Recommendations, Compliance With All Applicable Federal, State And Village Codes, Regulation And Policies, The Issuance Of All Required Permits, And The Following:
1. This Review Deals With Architectural Design Only And Should Not Be Construed To Be An Approval Of, Or To Have Any Other Impact On, Nor Represent Any Tacit Approval Or Support For The Proposed Land Use Or Any Other Zoning And/Or Land Use Issues Or Decisions That Stem From Zoning, Building, Signage Or Any Other Reviews. In Addition To The Normal Technical Review, Permit Drawings Will Be Reviewed For Consistency With The Design Commission And Any Other Commission Or Board Approval Conditions. It Is The Petitioner’s Responsibilty To Incorporate All Requirements Listed On The Certificate Of Appropriateness Into The Permit Drawings, And To Ensure That Building Permit Plans And Sign Permit Plans Comply With All Zoning Code, Building Code And Sign Code Requirements.
Fitzgerald, Aye; Eckhardt, Aye; Syer, Aye; Kubow, Aye.
All Were In Favor. Motion Carried.
ITEM 3. OTHER BUSINESS
2023 DC Budget
A Motion Was Made By Commissioner Eckhardt, Seconded By Commissioner Fitzgerald, To Approve The Proposed Design Commission Budget For Year 2024.
Seyer, Aye; Fitzgerald, Aye; Eckhardt, Aye; Kubow, Aye.
All Were In Favor. Motion Carried.
2023 Alan F. Bombick Award – Discussion of Nominations
Mr. Hautzinger presented the projects being considered for the award this year, which include completed and constructed single-family and commercial projects. The commissioners reviewed the nominations and agreed on a winner for the single-family project (801 N. Forest), and a winner for the commercial project (Consumers Credit Union).
Public Comment
There was no input from members of the audience.
Other Business
Commissioner Eckhardt asked Staff to verify the colors that were submitted and approved for the multi family building under construction on the east side of Rand Road near Stonebridge Apartments. What is currently being built includes bright white panels and neon blue panels, which he did not remember being as intense as they now appear. Mr. Hautzinger said approval of the materials for this project was based on the petitioner coming up with a panel color that matched the rendering submitted, which the commissioners were in support of. He said that he met with the architect after the Design Commission approval to review the different fiber cement blue color samples, and the color being used is spot on to the blue color in the rendering.
A Motion Was Made By Commissioner Fitzgerald, Seconded By Commissioner Seyer, To Adjourn The Meeting At 7:15 P.M. All Were In Favor. The Motion Carried.
https://www.vah.com/government/agendas___minutes.php
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