HomeMy Public PortalAbout2007-08-07 PC Minutes VILLAGE OF PLAINFIELD PLAN COMMISSION MEETING RECORD OF MINUTES DATE : August 7, 2007 LOCATION: Village Hall Chairman Sobkoviak cal led the m eeting of the Plan Commission to order at 7 :05 p.m . ROLL CALL: Present: Commissioners Kachel, McKa y, O’Rourke , Bonuchi, Chairman Sobkoviak, and ex -officio Commissioners Cox and Sanders . Also present was Plainfield Fire District. Absent: Commissioner s Renzi and Murawski , School District , Library District and Police Department Also Present: Michael Garr igan – Village Planner Village of Plainfield , Sara Leach – Planner I Village of Plainfield, Sara Javoronok – Planner I Village of Plainfield, Carol Millan – Secretar y Village of Plainfield , and Neil Eicholtz – Baxter and Woodman . MINUTES: The minutes from the Plan Commission meeting of July 17 , 2007 were accepted as presented. DEVELOPMENT REPORT Michael Garrigan gave the development report. The following items were brought befor e the Village Board at their 8/6/07 meeting: Binny’s Beverage Depot – Varianc e was approved. Plainfield Small Business Park, Bldg. #3 – Site Plan Review was approved. All American Auction House – Special Use Permit was approved Spring Knoll Resubdivision – M otion to adopt an ordinance for Special Use for a Planned Development. Vil las at Fox Run – O rdinance for a major change to a PUD and the Final Plat was approved Heron Point – Gas City – Amendment to Special Use was denied by a vote of 4:2. The proposed concept plan consideration for Gas City was not discussed based on the fact there was no support for the proposed amendment to the Special Use. Text Amendment to Village’s Subdivision Code – A pproved. Medical District as part of the Comp Plan – A pproved. Chairman Sobkoviak asked about a question regarding the Spring Knoll Resubdi vision he had received from a concerned citizen about a tree. He asked if that concern was resolved. Michael Garrigan stated there was a tree survey. It was one of the conditions of the proposed development. Chairman Sobkoviak stated he would talk to M ike Schwarz, the Planner on the project, to see if this matter was resolved.
Village of Plainfield Plan Commission Minutes August 7, 2007 Page 2 of 10 Chairman Sobkoviak mentioned a letter the he and the other Commissioners had received about a water problem from a concerned citizen. He stated this needs to be addressed by th e engineering staff. He stated it would be helpful to see where the water came from. The citizen had experienced water in their basement and he wanted to know if it was water that came through a window or was it a sewer backing up, etc. He stated a lot of people had water in their basements during the last storm due to an electrical problem and sump pumps did not run. Michael Garrigan stated staff is workin g with the engineers and Public Works to address this issue. Commissioner Kachel stated the Villa ge has had two real bad rainstorms and the citizen stated they did not have any water since 1970. He stated also lighting can be an issue with the BTD District. Chairman Sobkoviak reiterated that these issues need to be addressed in the BTD District. Ch airman Sobkoviak mentioned an article in the Plan Commissioners Journal about “Late Nights with the Commission.” He stated this should be a topic of discussion by the Commission. NEW BUSINESS: CASE: 1340 -062707.AA.SU.SPR.FP LATTER DAY SAINTS Request: Annexation, Special Use (Public Hearing) Site Plan Review/Final Plat Location: 1336 Simons Road, Oswego Applicant: Ed Howell This was continued per the applicant’s request. At 7:10 p.m. Commissioner Bonuchi made a motion that the Plan Commission contin ue this case to August 21, 2007. Commissioner O’Rourke seconded the motion. Chairman Sobkoviak called for a vote by roll call. Aye : Kachel, McKay, O’Rourke, Bonuchi, Chairman Sobkoviak Nay: 0 The motion is carried 5:0 CASE: 1338 -062207 .RZ COIL PLUS DRIVE, LOT 16 Request: Rezoning (Public Hearing) CROSSROADS BUSINESS CNTR. Location: Lot 16 of Resubdivided Lot 2 Applicant: D.C. Crossroads Properties, LLC D. Cass – Wennlund, Shain, Burney, Ross & Citron TIME: 7:15 p.m. Sara Javoro nok gave the staff report. She stated this is a public hearing and notices have been published and posted per the ordinance. She stated the findings of fact and stated 5 of the 5 findings are favorable. Applicant is requesting rezoning to allow for addi tional uses not currently allowed on the site. Currently, the property is zoned I -2 and the applicant is requesting it be rezoned to I -1. Staff finds the proposed
Village of Plainfield Plan Commission Minutes August 7, 2007 Page 3 of 10 rezoning meets requirements of the Zoning Ordinance. Chairman Sobkoviak requested one sti pulation be added to the motion and that would be compliance with the requirements of the Plainfield Fire Protection District. Chairman Sobkoviak swore in the petitioner, Dan Shapiro of the law firm of Shain, Burney, Ross & Citron. Mr Shapiro gave testim ony. He stated he represents the petitioner. He stated they are encouraged by staff’s findings. He stated this rezoning will provide additional uses and also it is consistent with the Comprehensive Plan and the trend of development in the area. He aske d the Commission for rezoning from I -2 to I -1 tonight and they would come back before the Commission on 9/4 with a presentation for the intended use, Pump -It -Up. Chairman Sobkoviak asked the commissioners if they had any questions. Chairman Sobkoviak st ated his preference would be to not down zone this parcel, but offer it as a special use in both I -1 and I -2. He stated it is something that can be looked at the next time the Zoning Code is updated. He did not have a problem with changing the zoning for this particular parcel though at this time. Michael Garrigan stated staff can look at that idea. Commissioner O’Rourke had a concern about the amount of parking. He asked if there was a different requirement in the I -1 than the I -2. Sara Javoronok sta ted the parking requirement is not different between I -1 and I -2, but rather it is based on the type of facility. Commissioner O’Rourke asked if the whole building would be occupied. Sara responded a little over one -quarter of the building would be occup ied. She stated it is about 13,000 sq. ft. out of 40,000 sq. ft. The petitioner stated he did not believe parking would be an issue and it could be more properly addressed when they come back with the specific use, Pump -It -Up. Commissioner Kachel stat ed the area has changed and did not have a problem with the rezoning to I -1. Commissioner McKay mentioned a parcel that had recently been rezoned from I -2 to I -1 along Van Dyke Road. Commissioner O’Rourke stated his concern was not the co -existing of di fferent uses, but the original design was based on the I -2 zoning . He felt since this is a new bu ilding, it was originally designed as a warehouse with a few employees versus more of a retail, almost commercial use, of a play area. He felt parking would be a lot different between those general uses. He felt since this tenant would only be using one -quarter of the building it might not be an issue, but as future tenants come forward it could be an issue. Chairman Sobkoviak asked if there was anyone in the audience that cared to make a comment or ask a question. There was no response. At 7:30 p.m. Commissioner Kachel made a motion that the Plan Commission recommend approval of the request to rezone Coil Plus Dr., Lot 16 of the Crossroad Business Center from I -2 (General Industrial) to I -1 (Office, Research and Light Industrial) subject to the following stipulations: 1. Compliance with the requirements of the Village Engineer. 2. Compliance with the requirements of the Plainfield Fire Protection District . Commissioner McKay seconded the motion.
Village of Plainfield Plan Commission Minutes August 7, 2007 Page 4 of 10 Chairman Sobkoviak called for a vote by roll call. Aye: McKay, O’Rourke, Bonuchi, Kachel, Chairman Sobkoviak Nay: 0 The motion is carried 5:0 CASE: 1341 -062907.SU PUMP IT UP Request: Speci al Use (Public Hearing) Location 14407 S. Coil Plus Dr., Lot 16 Applicant: LeSaut, LLC TIME: 7:31 p.m. The petitioner asked that this case be continued to September 4, 2007. At 7:32 p.m. Commissioner McKay made a motion th at the Plan Commission continue this case to September 4, 2007. Commissioner Kachel seconded the motion. Chairman Sobkoviak called for a vote by roll call. Aye : O’Rourke, Bonuchi, Kachel, McKay, Chairman Sobkoviak Nay: 0 The motion is carried 5:0 CASE: 1344 -071007.S U CHRIST COMMUNITY CHURCH Request: Special Use (Public Hearing) Location: 12410 Van Dyke Road Applicant: Hank Potts Christ Community Church TIME: 7:33 p.m. Sara Leach stated this was a public hearing and it has been posted and published per ordinanc e. The applicant is requesting to open a pre -school within the church building. The Church is currently zoned R -1 and the Comprehensive Plan identifies the site as Municipal/Institutional, which is consistent with the current use of the property. There is sufficient parking and there is a full access point for the site on Van Dyke Road. The pre -school will be in session two mornings per week, either Tuesday and Friday or Monday and Thursday. The start and end times for the preschool will not conflict with the public school traffic. Two of the 2 findings of fact are favorable. Staff recommends approval of the special use. Chairman Sobkoviak requested to add two stipulations to the motion. They are: 1) meet the requirements of the Plainfield Fire Pro tection District, and 2) meet any and all requirements of the State Regulatory Board. He stated preschools, daycares, etc. are heavily regulated by the State.
Village of Plainfield Plan Commission Minutes August 7, 2007 Page 5 of 10 Chairman Sobkoviak swore in the petitioner, Hank Potts. He gave testimony. He stated Sara did a good job summarizing and putting this together. She tanked both Sara Leach and Michael Garrigan for their help. He stated one of the functions of the Church is to reach out to the community. Their Church has experienced tremendous growth and a big part of that growth is working with young families. He stated this is one way they can further help young families. Chairman Sobkoviak mentioned that in the staff report it states they intend on operating two days a week. He asked if there was any expe ctation that this would be increased to 5 days a week. Mr. Potts stated there is no talk about 5 days a week. Chairman Sobkoviak stated there would be nothing in the Commission’s actions that would limit the operation to a certain amount of days. Chai rman Sobkoviak asked the commissioners if they had any questions. Commissioner Kachel asked if there were any plans for an outside play area. Mr. Potts stated there are no plans at the present time, but if they decide to have a play area they will defi nitely work with the Building Department. Chairman Sobkoviak stated that would be regulated by the State. Commissioner O’Rourke stated he thinks it is great. Chairman Sobkoviak asked if there was anyone in the audience that cared to ask a question or ma ke a comment. There was no response. At 7:44 p.m. Commissioner Kachel made a motion to adop t staff’s findings of fact and recommend approval of a Special Use for a Preschool as part of Christ Community Church, located at 12410 Van Dyke Road in an R -1 Zon ing District with the following stipulations: 1. Meet the requirements of the Plainfield Fire Protection District. 2. Meet any and all requirements of the State Regulatory Board. Commissioner O’Rourke seconded the motion. Chairman Sobkoviak called for a vote by roll call. Aye: Bonuchi, Kachel, McKay, O’Rourke, Chairman Sobkoviak Nay: 0 The motion is carried 5:0 CASE: 1349 -071107.FP GRACE POINTE CHURCH Request: Final Plat Location: NW Corner of 248 th & 127 th St. Applicant: Patti A. Be rnhard TIME: 7:45 p.m. Sara Javoronok gave the staff report. The subdivision consists of 2 lots. Lot 1, zoned R -1, will be developed as a church and Lot 2, zoned B -3, will be developed as commercial in the future. Staff recommends approval of the fin al plat with two stipulations.
Village of Plainfield Plan Commission Minutes August 7, 2007 Page 6 of 10 Chairman Sobkoviak swore in the petitioner, Patti A. Bernhard. She gave testimony. She stated the Final Plat is in conformance with the Preliminary Plat which had been approved by the Commission in March. Chairman Sobk oviak asked Neil Eicholtz from Baxter and Woodman if there were any engineering issues. He stated there were none. Commissioner O’Rourke asked Neil about the public utility and drainage easement. He stated in the southwest corner there was a gap in the easement and was there any reason that sho uld not have been continued . Neil stated there was no particular need in that area for the easement. He further stated the flood routing is along 127 th Street. Commissioner O’Rourke brought up the issue that was brought up during the Preliminary Plat coming before the Commission and that was a deceleration lane being incorporated into the layout, knowing the amount of volume during peak periods for the church services. Patti Bernhard stated there will be a decele ration lane on 127 th constructed by the commercial developer when they come through rather than the church putting in the deceleration lane. Commissioner O’Rourke asked why there would be a deceleration lane for the commercial, but not for the church use. Patti Bernhard stated there will be a number of entrances to the church property, two on 127 th and two access points off of 248 th . She stated the church currently uses Plainfield North’s site, where there is no deceleration lane, and they have no traffi c issues at the high school coming into the church services. Chairman Sobkoviak asked if the traffic engineer had reviewed this plan. Michael Garrigan stated yes he had reviewed it. It was the consensus there was no need for the deceleration lane for th e church property. Commissioner O’Rourke asked if it becomes an issue in the future was there right -of -way there where the Village could go into that at a later date. Michael Garrigan stated there was right -of -way. Chairman Sobkoviak asked if there was anyone in the audience that cared to ask a question or make a comment. There was no response. At 7:53 p.m. Commissioner Kachel made a motion that the Plan Commission make a favorable recommendation for Final Plat approval for the proposed Grace Pointe Ch urch subject to the following stipulations: 1. Compliance with the requirements of the Village Engineer. 2. Compliance with the requirements of the Plainfield Fire Protection District. Commissioner McKay seconded the motion. Chairman Sobkoviak called for a vote by roll call. Aye: Kachel, McKay, O’Rourke, Bonuchi, Chairman Sobkoviak Nay: 0 The motion is carried 5:0
Village of Plainfield Plan Commission Minutes August 7, 2007 Page 7 of 10 CASE: 1342 -070507.TA TEXT AMENDMENT Request: Text Amendment to Municipal Code Chapter 6, Article III, Division 2 (Public Hearing) Location: Village -wide Applicant: Village of Plainfield TIME: 7:54 p.m. Sara Leach gave the staff report. She stated this is a public hearing and all notices have been posted and published according to ordinance. It is unclear in Chapte r 6 of the Municipal code whether natural landscaping constitutes a weed. Staff has restructured Chapter 6, Article III, Division 2 of the Municipal Code to state natural landscaping does not constitute a weed so long as a permit has been obtained for the naturally landscaped site and the site is maintained properly. Staff would not encourage areas that are simply “let go”, and never have any maintenance performed. The Village’s Design Guidelines for PD’s already identify native or natural landscaping as a BMP to aid in handling storm water issues and to preserve water quality levels above ordinance requirements. The issue of clarifying that natural landscaping does not constitute a week was originally raised by Code Enforcement because they wanted to ma ke the public aware of the benefits of naturally landscaped detention ponds, how they should be maintained , and how often the maintenance should occur. Staff supports the recommended amendments to Chapter 6, Article III, Division 2 of the Municipal Code. Commissioner Kachel did not have any problem with the text amendment. He stated a lot of the ponds are stagnant and not aerated. The Village should look at finding a remedy. He also stated there is a grading area where grass grows up through it and the re is a green space area. You cut it just like grass, but cars can be driven across it. He stated it is being used in residential uses and he felt it was something the Village should take a look at. Commissioner Kachel talked about the concrete islands on Route 30 and Route 59. He felt those areas that are gateways to the Village should be important. Commissioner O’Rourke asked if the plant species are going to be available when someone comes in for a permit. Sara Leach stated staff is working on the design guidelines and copies will be available. Commissioner O’Rourke asked if it was necessary to charge the $15 fee. Sara Leach stated staff wanted to incorporate a nominal fee for the permit processing. Commissioner McKay stated she is very much in favor of adding the weed violation, especially for some of the recently approved subdivisions that are building out and developers start to leave and HOA’s start to take over. She stated the natural flowers are beautiful, but she has yet to see developer s incorporating them, but instead are just using the grasses around the detention ponds. Sara Leach stated there are some detention ponds on the northern part of Plainfield that have incorporated some of the Black -eyed Susans, and some of the yellow and r ed flowers. That would be the goal of staff to openly illustrate these to developers. Chairman Sobkoviak mentioned Grande Park South where a lot of these natural plantings have been incorporated. This ordinance will go hand -in -hand with other things the Village is now demanding from the developer . Commissioner McKay asked that when a developer gets their permit they are handed some information about the wild flowers so that they don’t just use various natural grasses . The public needs to be informed th at these are not just weeds, but that they do serve a purpose.
Village of Plainfield Plan Commission Minutes August 7, 2007 Page 8 of 10 Sara Leach stated that the guidelines that will be given to developers illustrate a detention pond that does not have a continuous native planting ring around it. In this way residents can go up to the pond and fish, etc. Michael Garrigan talked about the design workshop a few years ago. There was an approach to create more naturalistic ponds to incorporate native plantings. Commissioner Sanders stated one of the key elements would h ave to be community education of individuals, developers , and Home Owners Assocations. Sara Leach stated staff has talked to Conservation Plainfield and individual developers to create some type of poster or flyer that they can have in their offices so an yone participating in a conservation event will have access to this information. At 8:15 p.m. Commissioner O’Rourke made a motion that the Plan Commission recommend approval of the proposed text amendment Chapter 6, Article III, Division 2 of the Municipa l code as highlighted in the staff report. Commissioner Bonuchi seconded the motion. Chairman Sobkoviak called for a vote by roll call. Aye: McKay, O’Rourke, Bonuchi, Kachel, Chairman Sobkoviak Nay: 0 The motion is carried 5:0 Trustee Bill Lamb wanted to make a public comment. He was giving testimony as a Home Owners Association President. He suggested the fee could be used to bring people in to educate them ; and once they are present to apply , staff could give them information to educate them on nat ural plantings. He wondered if the mandate to burn every 3 years is something that the Village should be requiring. He also stated there are only a few people authorized to do the burns. He felt this text amendment overall was a good idea. He stated th ere was a good spreadsheet on BMP’s. He suggested that should be made available. He stated Stephanie Sheetz had provided the spreadsheet. He also suggested that possibly contractors could check out the listing of native plants and see if anything should be added. Sara Leach stated that Code Enforcement would probably not enforce burning ev ery 3 years unless they receive a complaint ; and upon checking out the complaint, find that maintenance has not been performed . T hen they would enforce the issue of bu rning every 3 years . There was a discussion about controlled burns. Trustee Lamb stated the phrase, a burn every 3 years must be made, should be tempered in some way. DISCUSSION: Commissioner Kachel stated he would like follow up to co mments the Commission makes at the end of their meetings. He talked about sidewalks along Rt. 59 from specifically Renwick Rd. to Ft. Beggs. He stated this is an unsafe condition. He suggested that funds from developers should be put in a separate fund to finish sidewalks throughout town instead of having developers put in short sections of sidewalks in front of just their development. He was concerned about high school kids walking along Rt. 59 going to Burger King, Subway, etc. from the high school. H e also brought up the handicap accessibility. He felt in the downtown area, the Village is doing an excellent job, but something needs to be done in older sections of town.
Village of Plainfield Plan Commission Minutes August 7, 2007 Page 9 of 10 Michael Garrigan stated comments are forwarded via the minutes. There should be a general consensus among commissioners before going to the Village Board. Commissioner Kachel asked the other commissioners if they concurred. Michael Garrigan stated if it was the Commission’s opinion for the Village to construct sidewalks to fill in g aps, staff could take that to the Village Board for consideration. Commissioner Kachel also talked about the cleaning of sidewalks along Route 59 in the winter time. Commissioner O’Rourke agreed with Commissioner Kachel. He stated that if the Commission could increase safety for residents that is a positive thing. Commissioner Bonuchi also agreed with Commissioner Kachel. She stated if there is an area that is already zoned residential and more than likely will be developed, the Village would have a way to recoup the funds needed to complete the sidewalks. She also stated the area that Commissioner Kachel mentioned along Rt. 59 is a very dangerous area. Commissioner McKay also agreed . Michael Garrigan stated this would be forwarded to the Village B oard for their consideration. The area being talked about is Shadow Wood and currently with the downturn in the housing market, the developer has no current plans. The Village would have to take the lead in constructing the sidewalk. Commissioner Kachel mentioned the workshop some of the commissioners attended in Yorkville. He stated it was very interesting. There will be an ongoing workshop, with transportation as one of the major issues. Commissioner Bonuchi stated this workshop will focus on a diff erent topics as often as they can. She found it to be very interesting to see what other communities are doing and how they are handling certain issues. Commissioner McKay addressed a concern that was brought before her by a citizen. She stated staff an d the Village need to stay on top of developers as they are potentially introducing new models because of the downturn in the market. She asked if there was a policy where the developer is required to let the homeowners know in the subdivision that new mo dels will be built. She stated sometimes there are size, elevation, etc. issues. Michael Garrigan stated if it is an older development and there are no design guidelines, it was not a PUD, and there is nothing specifically in the covenants, there would r eally be no oversight by staff in regards to a new product. As long as the square footage is maintained, staff really has no oversight over that. Chairman Sobkoviak stated in the newer subdivisions, the homes have to follow the pattern book. Michael Ga rrigan stated that the pattern book, and residential guidelines address architecture to avoid some of these scenarios. Commissioner Kachel asked if there was anything that says a developer has to maintain a lot, other than just cutting weeds. He also sta ted some of the developers store all of their equipment outside , and because of the downturn in the market some of this equipment is being stored outside for a long period of time. Michael Garrigan stated there is a provision in the Municipal Code. There are regulations that basically address outside storage. He stated if there are issues regarding a certain site, he can confer with Code Enforcement to address that issue.
Village of Plainfield Plan Commission Minutes August 7, 2007 Page 10 of 10 Commissioner O’Rourke asked about partially constructed buildings. He asked i f that falls under the same category. Michael Garrigan stated unless they become a nuisance, generally no. He stated there is , to the best of his knowledge, no specific time line for building permits unless it becomes a nuisance or becomes abandoned. Ch airman Sobkoviak stated he believed construction has to be completed within one year. Since there was no further business before the Plan Commission, Chairman Sobkovia k adjourned the meeting at 8:40 p.m. _________________________________________ R espectfully Submitted Carol Millan Planning Secretary – Village of Plainfield