HomeMy Public PortalAbout2004-02-03 PC MinutesVillage of Plainfield Planning Commission Record of Minutes Date: February 3 , 2004 Location: Village Hall Chairman Sobkoviak cal led the meeting to order at 7:03pm . Roll Call Present: Commissioners Henry, Kachel , Manning, Schinderle, Racich, Sobkovia k , Library District , Park District Absent: Commissioner Gehrke, Fire District, School District Minutes The minutes from the February 3 , 2004 meeting were accepted as submitted. Agenda Change Chairman Sobkoviak announced that they would be rearranging th e agenda to view the new business before the old business. New Business CASE NO.: 1091 -010904.RZ PRAIRIE CREEK DEVELOPMENT (CB&I) Request: Rezoning from ORI to B -3 and R -4 Location: 1501 N. Division Street Applicant: Dayfield Properties, LLC Started: 7:05pm Michael Garrigan announced that this is a public hearing being held in accordance with all applicable rules and regulations of the Village of Plainfield and the State of Illinois. He presented the staff report. Commissioner Schinderle said that he had never heard of this area referred to as “Eden Preserve”. Mr. Garrigan said that the northwest area shows this as a forest preserve. A discussion ensued regarding Eden farm. Commissioner Schinderle said that Main Street between 59 and Renwick already has a lot of businesses. Ms. Sheetz said that their concern is for future rezoning – they want this mainly to be residential. 1
A member of the audience said that the Eden Preserve was left as a natural preserve but was later “tucked” into the Park Distri ct for them to maintain. Changes have been made since then. Clayton Olson said that the Eden property is not a part of CB&I. It was donated to the Department of Natural Resources and through legal means, Meijer bought the land. Now, the petitioner has bought the land from them. Commissioner Kachel asked about the greenway being part of the comprehensive plan. Chairman Sobkoviak also asked if a prairie path ran along the river. Doug Carroll said that this would be a p a rt of their presentation. Chairm an Sobkoviak swore in Paul Mitchell, Doug Carroll and Clayton Olson. Mr. Mitchell said that the owner of the property is Prairie Creek which is a join venture of Clayton Olson and a bank subsidiary. They require rezoning at this time and will come in lat er with a PUD plat. The site plan currently is a “bubble” plan. The front part will be B -3 (commercial/retail). It will be divided by a boulevard. The residential area will be multi -family, a cluster of condominium units – 24 acres of which will be bui ldable. There will be some right in -right out access points, but the main access with be at Joseph Street – which they are hoping will become fully signalized. Another full access point will be at Pheasant Point – which may be a joint access with Meijer. There will be a cross access easement to the future Meijer site. Mr. Mitchell said that the proposed zoning is more appropriate than the current zoning due to t he retail and commercial nodes. This is away from office development, so the rezoning is act ually “down -zoning”. He listed different uses of the property but said that he will come back with more detail at a later time. Commissioner Kachel asked about the greenway and the floodway – if they planned to dig deeper holes. Mr. Carroll said that th ey will do more digging to provide more detention – probably by the bridge. Commissioner Kachel asked if there are other ponds along that area. Mr. Garrigan did not believe there was. Chairman Sobkoviak opened up the floor for public comment. Chairman Sobkoviak swore in Steve Savadeu. Mr. Savadeu said that this land has been part of his grandfather’s farm for some time, and he is just concerned with the area around the river. He wanted to make sure that this is not moved down. He also noted that he l ikes the plan and had originally come to the meeting to object to it. Mr. Carroll said that down to the south, they will get rid of any non -Native species but will repopulate the area. Other than that, the area will not be touched. 2
Chairman Sobkoviak sw ore in Bill Hastings. Mr. Hastings asked if they had done any real studies on flood retention. He is nervous about the effects this has on the properties across the street. Mr. Carroll said that they cannot touch the floodway. Any detention they take a way, they must replace. He pointed out where the dry detentions were located as well. Mr. Carroll also said that they have an engineer on staff that is doing studies. Not all of the area will be buildings; there will be quite a bit of open space. He al so mentioned that there are requirements by state and federal agencies to protect this. Chairman Sobkoviak pointed out that this is only the first stage of the project. Mr. Hastings asked how many floors will be in the multi -family housing. Mr. Carroll said that they will be no more than two stories. Chairman Sobkoviak swore in Richard Peterson. Mr. Peterson said that he lives just east of the river and when he bought his property, Eden preserve was larger. Chairman Sobkoviak corrected this by saying that CB&I has owned the land “forever”. Mr. Peterson said that with R -4 zoning, there will be people living along that area. He asked how close they will be building to this. Mr. Carroll said that the R4 zone will bump up to the river. There will be a buffer of about 50 feet depending on the location of the flood plane. Commissioner Henry said that developers and engineers will validate this on the city side. Mr. Savadeu (already sworn in) said that the last gentleman was concerned about the north sid e, but there is a large drop off that extends out in this area. Chairman Sobkoviak announced the time for public comment was closed. Commissioner Kachel said that the map does not show the entire area and asked if there will be public access for the bike path. Mr. Carroll said that they have committed to building a bike path; they are just not sure where it goes yet. They will not cut it off. Mr. Garrigan said that the River Path is currently being reviewed by the Board. Commissioner Racich asked if t he representative from the Park District had any problems with this. He did not. Commissioner Racich asked if this area was inundated in the 1996 flood. Mr. Olson said that these 25 acres has never been flooded, and west of Normantown Road was never inu ndated. Commissioner Racich asked if they could go over the number of units being planned for this project. Mr. Carroll said that they are looking at 12 -15 one -acre lots – each lot being a mansion -type structure of 8 units. 3
Commissioner Racich asked wha t plans they were working on with the Park District. Mr. Carroll said that besides the bike path, they are looking at a picnic area and a sitting area – incorporating vegetation along an easily accessible path. Although the school district was not in att endance, Chairman Sobkoviak expressed an interest in hearing the school district’s feelings on the project. Commissioner Kachel asked who currently owns the property. Mr. Carroll said that they did. Commissioner Kachel also asked if the Village Board ha d talked about this area. The representative from the Park District said that this would be open to the public, and they planned to preserve and repopulate this area. There was some discussion about the open space area by the homes. Chairman Sobkoviak a sked if there was any further discussion on this. There was none. Chairman Sobkoviak agreed with the staff’s conclusions regarding the five findings of fact. CB&I has tried to get rid of this property before and this project meets many of the Village’s goals. At 7:53 pm, Commissioner Henry moved to approve the rezoning of the subject site from ORI zoning to B -3 and R -4 zoning. Commissioner Manning seconded the motion. Chairman Sobkoviak called for a vote by roll call. Aye: Henry, Kachel , Manning, Schi nderle, Racich, Sobkoviak Nay: None The motion is carried 6 :0. This will go forward upon further discussions with the Staff. Old Business CASE NO.: 967 -051702.CP/AA/SU/PP SPRINGBANK Request: Concept Plan/Annexation Agreement Special Use/Prelimina ry Plat Location: South of Renwick, East & West of Drauden, North of Caton Farm Road and East & West of County Line Road Applicant: MAF Development, Inc. Started: 7:55pm Michael Garrigan announced that this is a public hearing being held in accordance with all applicable rules and regulations of the Village of Plainfield and the State of Illinois. He presented the staff report. 4
Chairman Sobkoviak asked the staff to provide a “laundry list” of all the things that the Village wants and put it into a pac ket so that the Plan Commission can focus on these issues. Chairman Sobkoviak swore in the group from MAF Development, Inc. Paul Mitchell addressed the commission. Mr. Mitchell said that they originally filed this application in May 2002. There was a p ublic hearing in October of 2003 and a site plan was provided in November of 2003. He went over several changes that have occurred since the last meeting: 1. Realigned Drauden Road (he pointed out the exact realignment) 2. A substantial greenway (1.2 miles) was plotted that connected several park areas 3. They have worked with the Park District to establish a regional park and to work on other park areas 4. They have done a site analysis on the possible school site 5. Landscape medians are planned along the major roads (he pointed out examples of this) 6. Single -loaded roads are planned so that driving along the two roads by the greenway will be along open space. 7. Provided two round -abouts He also mentioned the planned connected park to Creekside. He said that they cannot e xtend this without crossing streets. He then showed pictures of the planned greenway, railroad area and bike paths. He also gave some density figures that were provided to the commission. Mr. Mitchell said that he knows that this may take a while, but t here are immediate benefits to pushing this case through – the most important of which is transportation. Chairman Sobkoviak said that under a PUD development, this is a win -win situation. He asked the developer to also make up a laundry list consisting of things that they are doing that they are not required to do. He gave some examples. Chairman Sobkoviak asked if the commissioners had any comments. Commissioner Manning asked if they intend to keep the aquatic park. Mr. Mitchell said that this is not a park district facility – this would be private. Commissioner Racich said that he has 3 pages of questions but asked to hear from the public first. Chairman Sobkoviak agreed but called for a 10 -minute break first at 8:33pm. The meeting readjourned at 8:44pm. 5
Chairman Sobkoviak gave quick congratulations to Michael Garrigan for joining the Oswego Historical Preservation Commission. They look forward to working with him in this aspect. Chairman Sobkoviak then opened up the meeting to public comment on the Springbank case. Chairman Sobkoviak swore in Vincent Fazzio. He stated his opposition to the Van Dyke Road extension. He said that with 1,900 residents in Springbank and 600 or so in Creekside, they are opening up this road to many cars. The 20 02 Comprehensive Plan classifies Van Dyke as a minor collector. He does not think that this will be the case. Mr. Fazzio also asked what advantages this will have to the Village, who is advocating the road extension, and if this is a safety concern. He said that the Van Dyke Road extension will have several curves, and he thought that this might pose a problem putting that many cars on a winding road. Commissioner Henry asked if as Van Dyke was going to end at Renwick. Mr. Garrigan said that they are l ooking for Van Dyke to run from Renwick north. Chairman Sobkoviak said that Van Dyke Road as a boulevard was conceived as a link to the Village downtown business area. This is important as there are talks of a hospital and YMCA coming to the Village soon . He said that denying this road would be to deny two subdivisions with easy access to these areas. Chairman Sobkoviak swore in James Tomkin. Mr. Tomkin asked about the laundry list the developer was asked to provide. He said that everything the develo per provides will be profitable. He also said that while the plan for the area looks great, taking Van Dyke Road through Wallen Woods would not be safe. He said that the woods were sold to the park district and he is not sure how the road can come throug h there as not much “meandering” can be done. He finally asked whose interest they are looking at. Chairman Sobkoviak swore in David Tucci. Mr. Tucci said that he hopes that the Village interests come before the “almighty dollar”, but he said that ultim ately this is about dollars. They are adding homes to an area that cannot handle the traffic. They are turning a subdivision into a major thoroughfare. He said that the amount of building permits recently has been more than the past 6 years combined. C hairman Sobkoviak swore in John Lathrop. Mr. Lathrop said that he is in agreement with the others who do not think Van Dyke Road should come any further south. The Indian Boundary set back is 100 feet, so he thinks that this was meant to be a thoroughfar e. However, putting Van Dyke Road through Walli n Woods will wreck the subdivision and the town. Chairman Sobkoviak swore in Zach Stanford. Mr. Stanford said that anybody who has been back in Mather Woods would know that it would be horrible to put a roa d through there. He also said that he thinks the Mather family was lied to about this. 6
Chairman Sobkoviak swore in John Kelly. Mr. Kelly said that he is new to small towns and was confused about the role of the Chairman of the Planning Commission. Chai rman Sobkoviak said that he is charged with running the meeting so that everyone has a fair chance to present their case. Mr. Kelly said that asking the developer for a laundry list showed that he is more on the side of the developers than that of the peo ple. He said that they have a job to make sure that this road does not go through. Chairman Sobkoviak swore in Janet Corchran . M s . Corchran said that the original design and plan for Van Dyke Road in 1995 and 2002 is that of a minor residential collecto r. H owever, this road is going to be a thoroughfare, and people are going to choose it over the Drauden -Steiner connection. She said that taxpayers spent thousands of dollars on a traffic study in order to alleviate traffic. She believes that Steiner Ro ad was mentioned, but not Van Dyke. Chairman Sobkoviak asked what the definition was of a “minor collector”. Mr. Garrigan said that there is no traffic estimate on this. The term is used to define an 80 -foot right of way. Chairman Sobkoviak swore in Ma riah Binacke. Ms. Binacke said that she fails to see how Van Dyke is a natural roadway. There is no point to it other than to benefit the developer. As a Wall i n Woods taxpayer, she does not understand why a road that is already there is being shut off. Commissioner Kachel said that there was also talk of a Route 30 extension, but Van Dyke was going to be a “meandering road”. A heated discussion ensued regarding Indian Boundary and Van Dyke Roads. Chairman Sobkoviak swore in Dave Shuldus. Mr. Shuldus said that he had a specific question regarding the plan – he and four others own land along the east side of the subdivision. He felt that putting townhomes there is inconsistent with what is there. He also had some general observations that John Q. Publ ic does not have time to check every time the Comprehensive Plan changes, so when it changes – it confuses people. He also pointed out that people that a major concern is that people are still trying to get to I -55. Chairman Sobkoviak swore in John Locke . Mr. Locke said that all the lots around the river are large, and he does not want to see townhomes along the northeast side of his property. Chairman Sobkoviak swore in Nicholas Darsey. Mr. Darsey said that there are natural bike paths in Mather Woods . It is the last place in Plainfield to get away from the city and to run a road through there would destroy it. Chairman Sobkoviak swore in Sara Stanford. Ms. Stanford said that she is opposed to the Van Dyke Road extension. A lot of good reasons had already been given – safety 7
being a main one. The greenways are nice , but they are talking about putting a road through a natural area when one is already there. Chairman Sobkoviak swore in Tim Smith. Mr. Smith said that he bought a house that backs up to Mather Woods. He understands the need for development but seeing a deer and owls is nice. They will have deer running across the road. Right now, the sidewalk ends at Settlers Park, and he thinks it should stay that way. Chairman Sobkoviak swore in Donna Locke. Ms. Locke said that everything along the river is on single -family multi -acre lots. Putting townhomes there would not be consistent with this. She also asked about the creek that runs north between the railroad and Renwick. West of Drauden along the railroad, this fills with water, and she hopes that they take this into consideration. She asked if they are going to bust up the tiles west of Drauden that drain into the river. She also asked if there will be a barrier between the townhomes and her backyard. Finally, she asked if the any land changes were going to be made around the townhomes (digging down, filling in, etc). She was worried that any change will cause grief on her property. Chairman Sobkoviak said that the creek she is talk ing about is a seasonal creek. Mr. Hader pointed out the creek on a map. A discussion ensued regarding the location of the creek and the drain tiles. Mr. Hader said that storm sewers will pick up underground drains. Ms. Locke asked what happens during construction. Mr. Hader said that sewers, drains, and tiles will be handled during construction. He explained drain management and said that the townhomes will be 20 feet higher due to the flood plane. Chairman Sobkoviak swore in Dave Gruber. Mr. Grube r said that he opposed the Van Dyke extension. He said that this was not the original intent for Mather Woods. He also said that there is a safety standpoint as this will be a windy road with many cars. He said that congestion will bring more traffic to downtown. He also asked about a big bridge over the wetlands and if the taxpayers would have to pay for this. Chairman Sobkoviak said that generally the bridge would be paid for by a contribution from the developer. Mr. Gruber said that this is a big b ridge for taxpayers to have to pay for. There was a discussion regarding the quantity of cars in the area. Chairman Sobkoviak also said that they are not trying to bring traffic away from downtown. A heated discussion ensued regarding this. Chairman So b koviak swore in Dale Shubsheski who said that he was watching the broadcast from a few blocks away and could not hear the people stepping up the microphone. (The microphone was fixed) Chairman Sobkoviak swore in Karen Tucci. Ms. Tucci said that she is against the Van Dyke Road extension and was appalled that the chairman asked the developer what they 8
are doing extra. She is in agreement that the amount of cars going down Van Dyke Road will be too many and asked when they thought there would be enough n eighborhoods. She also said that if they do extend the road, kids will run across a busy road as they already run across it now. She mentioned that cars do not follow the speed limit. She also asked why they would build a park to tear it down. She conc luded by saying that they are not preserving Plainfield, they are taking it away. Commissioner Manning said that this was the second person to accuse the chairman of being prejudiced and pointed out that Chairman Sobkoviak had also asked the Village to pr ovide a list of what they want as well. Commissioner Racich said that you cannot win as a chairman but thought that the chairman was prejudiced by saying that Van Dyke Road should go through here. He thought that the commissioners should wait to make the ir comments. Chairman Sobkoviak swore in Anthony Lee. Mr. Lee said that he was not going to reiterate what has been said already. It had been stated by a Trustee that Van Dyke will be an alternate to Route 59. With this statement, he knew how busy Rout e 59 is and asked if there would be a plan to do a traffic study. Mr. Garrigan said that a current traffic study has been done, and he can get the numbers for projected traffic in the area for the next meeting. Mr. Lee said that the numbers do not includ e cars coming from Joliet and thought that an objective third party should conduct the study. Chairman Sobkoviak swore in Janet Corchran . Ms. Corchran asked if Van Dyke will go under Renwick Road. Chairman Sobkoviak said that was being proposed. Ms. Co r chran said that Walli n Woods will have to go far south to access this. Renwick running east -west will only benefit Springbank residents to avoid Route 59. Ms. Corchran also asked if the developer was paying for the entire Van Dyke Road extension as we ll as the bridge. Mr. Garrigan said that there are ongoing discussions regarding this. It will ultimately by the Village’s decision, and they are looking for a contribution for offsite improvements from the developer. Ms. Corchran asked if the developer has submitted the costs for this. Mr. Garrigan said that he is not sure. Ms. Corchran finally asked about traffic impact fees and asked if the new fees are why the golf course was removed from the property. Mr. Mitchell said that there were problems wi th several things regarding the golf course – mainly lack of interest and the fact that Drauden Road would have split the course. Mr. Mitchell also added that they do not have a cost estimate on the road construction as the funds have not been specified. He also noted that the last person to want a golf course in the area was defeated in the election. Chairman Sobkoviak swore in Amy Siznewski. Ms. Siznewski asked how the Van Dyke Road extension would benefit the current residents. Chairman Sobkoviak sa id that their vision is to have a boulevard as an alternate to Route 59 to access the downtown area. 9
Ms. Siznewski asked what the goal was of the comprehensive plan. Commissioner Henry said that it was developed as a guideline for the staff, commissioner s and trustees regarding how things are to develop. It provided guidelines for land use and municipal requirements. Chairman Sobkoviak added that it was to guide development. Ms. Siznewski said that it is not benefiting all the residents of Plainfield a nd is contradicting the goal. She asked about the cost of the bridge and why it was being built. She also asked why they could not use other roads besides Van Dyke. There was a discussion regarding state department recommendations. Commissioner Henry said that the state transportation department said “No” to Indian Boundary, so the City is looking to Van Dyke Road and Drauden -Steiner. Commissioner Kachel said that he still supports this, but at the time Van Dyke was talked about eleven years ago, it was meant to be a “meandering” road. Ms. Siznewski said that the comprehensive plan stated this road was to be an alternate for Route 59. Chairman Sobkoviak corrected this as an alternate for village residents. An extended discussion ensued regarding Ro ute 59 Chairman Sobkoviak swore in Tom Devou. Mr. Devou said that the newspaper stated that the fire department was going to full -time because of traffic. He asked where the traffic was going to go since not everyone works in the village. Mr. Garrigan said that a traffic study showed projected traffic routes. The Village Engineer was not present, but he can come in to show transportation improvements like the Drauden -Steiner -Heggs extension. Chairman Sobkoviak asked that the Village Engineer bring dat a on the traffic study to the next meeting. Mr. Garrigan said that they have a newly hired traffic engineer on staff who can help with this as well. Commissioner Kachel asked that they bring in information on Renwick going over the railroad and how it wo uld tie into Van Dyke. Commissioner Racich also asked about exploring avenues on who is financing what. Mr. Devou said that he is against the Van Dyke extension. He liked the ide a of tying in Indian Oaks, Walli n Woods, and Whispering Oaks to the downtow n area – but not with a road. He hoped that the Commission was influenced by what people have to say as not one person has had positive feedback on this. Chairman Sobkoviak swore in Angie Kruger. Ms. Kruger said that she owns property along the river an d would love a shortcut to the post office, but she would rather go around than cut through the woods. She also said that the townhomes are in contrast to the estate -size homes along the river now. She asked how many units were planned for this area. Th e developer said that there will be 202 units at 6.68 du/acre. 10
Ms. Kruger said that the y did not see any designated areas for a playground. Mr. Mitchell said that the Park District did not want this. Ms. Kruger also asked if there was going to be a bu ffer between the townhomes and the neighbors’ yards. If there is not, she was worked that they would use her yard to access. Chairman Sobkoviak asked if she was objecting to the location of the townhomes. Ms. Kruger said that she loves the greenway, but there is only one access to the townhomes. Chairman Sobkoviak swore in Karen McMicken -Miller. Ms. McMicken -Miller said that she wanted to see the area developed for the people who live here. She said that she does not like the townhomes and does not th ink that people will want to live there. She said that when the McMicken Assemblage was first built, a Board member complained, and the next time they came in, the problem area was changed. She said that what is good for him should be good for all of us, and if the project went through, she will be one of several in the area who will complain. Ms. McMicken -Miller also asked about how many trains go over the track where the new bridge will be built. The staff believes that it is four a day – all freight, no Metra. Commissioner Kachel said that if Metra takes the property over, they will need to put a bridge over this, but EJ&E owns it now. Ms. McMicken -Miller said that building a bridge to go over a track that has four trains a day is a lot of money for only four trains. Chairman Sobkoviak swore in Ralph Muller. Mr. Muller said that he took the time to talk to Bill Hader who said that Drauden will be built beforehand , but once the road is across the existing bridge, they will close it down. He wanted to know how people will get over the bridge. Chairman Sobkoviak clarified the timetable of the Drauden construction. Mr. Mitchell said that their first priority will be to build the new bridge, and they will need to shut it down. Commissioner Racich sai d that he though the old bridge would be staying open. Mr. Muller said that there would be no way to get to it. Mr. Mitchell pointed out where the roads will exist and at what times. They will all be in place before the bridge is completed. A further d iscussion ensued regarding this. Chairman Sobkoviak swore in Kris Ruffner. Ms. Ruffner asked if there are any other roads connecting to I -55. Chairman Sobkoviak said that the City of Joliet is working on Caton Farm Road and also making 126 a complete in terchange – although the latter is still up for debate. Ms. Ruffner asked how Wall i n Woods was built in regards to the Van Dyke plans. A discussion ensued regarding Settlers Park going up. Ms. Ruffner also said that the density of the area is going up a nd asked why not get bigger lots as you can get as much out of the bigger lots as the smaller ones. Sh e also 11
said that they need more shops. Chairman Sobkoviak said that they are working on this. Commissioner Kachel said that the master plan is to get a s much as possible with higher density within walking distance to the downtown area. Ms. Ruffner said that everything is disappearing and being made smaller. Sh e thinks that the comprehensive plan needs to be changed. Commissioner Henry said that a comm ittee of 18 officials and a public hearing helped establish the comprehensive plan. It set forth a standard lot size of 12,000 square feet, but a PUD can be different to help provide for variety. Ms. Ruffner asked if the mayor and chairman live on Indian Boundary. Chairman Sobkoviak said that they did. Clayton Olson stepped forward to say th at the average lot size in Walli n Woods in 12,000 square feet while the average lot size in Springbank is 11,800 square feet. Chairman Sobkoviak spoke a little bit about when they tri ed to put a golf course in Walli n Woods. Chairman Sobkoviak swore in Dale Shlubshleski. Mr. Shlubshleski asked where the railroad will be. (This was pointed out on a map) He said that he sees freight trains carrying ethane -oxide, a po lymer used to make alcohol, going to the Chanahon -Morris area. He said that there are highly explosive chemicals going through parts of this subdivision. He used to work for a company that handles these chemicals and is worried about something happening if someone misses or dodges the train gates. He also was not sure if there were enough buffers for the bike paths running alongside the tracks. Chairman Sobkoviak said that the staff gave the commission seven questions to address. #1 - Is the proposed a nnexation of the subject site an appropriate extension of the Village’s municipal boundaries? Chairman Sobkoviak asked if there was any discussion on this. Commissioners Manning and Schinderle both said that this was very appropriate. Commissioner Racic h began a discussion regarding the Joliet boundary. Commissioner Henry said that there are a number of plan modifications. Commissioner Kachel said that west of Plainfield, homes are high quality. Someone will develop the area, and at least Plainfield h as a minimum square footage. Commissioner Racich welcomed Mr. Hader to Plainfield due to the recent boundary agreement. He also said that he has a question on one major issue – is Van Dyke Road vital to the development? He asked why they should jeopardi ze the development and if they needed the road. Mr. Hader said that when any developer looks at a property and is entering into a development agreement, they review comprehensive plans, talk to the staff, park district, school district, and weigh differen t issues. This is the largest project they have ever 12
entertained, and when they looked at the comprehensive plan it showed several new roads – including the Renwick Road Bridge , Drauden -Steiner -Heggs, County Line Road, and Van Dyke Road. From the timing of the subdivision, Van Dyke is the most logical and quickest road to develop. A discussion ensued regarding the possible plans. Mr. Hader said that they got involved with the park district and planned to swing the road west bi -secting Mather Woods and g oing to Drauden. Yes, to move forward, they would like to see the road go through. Commissioner Racich said that the developer should draw up a list of what they are “taking” as well as what they are “giving” and asked if they would be willing to abandon their plans if it came down to it. There are a great number of people who feel very strongly about it. Commissioner Schinderle asked if all the members of the commission received a report from the arborist on the effect the street will have on Mather Wo ods. Mr. Garrigan said that this has not been distributed yet. Commissioner Schinderle thought t hat this should be distributed s o that a minimum amount of trees will be destroyed during this. Chairman Sobkoviak said that if they take a small part of the issue and concentrate on it, they miss the big picture. He advised the commission to focus on the first question regarding annexation, and there was agreement that this was appropriate. #2 - Does the proposed Planned Unit Development conform with the Vi llage’s PUD Design Ordinance findings of fact? Chairman Sobkoviak said that the staff has gone through the developer meeting the PUD challenges. Commissioner Henry said that generally, the follow the guidelines, but he would like to see the southern bord er lots on the east and west side vary in size. Chairman Sobkoviak asked how this is possible if they are stuck with the width size. Commissioner Henry said that he would just like to see a variety of lot sizes. He also said that he is not convinced tha t the townhomes are in the correct place. Chairman Sobkoviak said that this is an issue with the site plan. #3 – Is the land plan of this development consistent with the previously adopted PUD Design Guidelines? Commissioner Manning said that the staff complimented the developer on certain things and then asked for a density plan. He said he would like to hear what the staff is expecting. #4 – Is this proposed development consistent with the Village’s Comprehensive Plan and the vision of the Village? Commissioner Manning said that he wanted to hear more from the staff. #5 – What transportation improvements will have to be made concurrent with this development to improve the Village’s transportation network? 13
Commissioner Kachel said that a bridge go ing above the road concerns him because if they put this at a grade at a later date, it cannot tie into Van Dyke Road. Chairman Sobkoviak said that the plans show this will continue as proposed. Commissioner Racich asked if they can speak with the Villag e Engineer about putting together a report on monthly traffic usage. He believes Van Dyke as a minor collector is incorrect. Commissioner Schinderle also asked the staff to bring forward information on the Trustee’s decision on how Van Dyke was to be b uilt. H e thought that they forced Walli n Woods to be built as it is because of this. Mr. Olson said that he worked on the Wall i n Woods project in 1996, and the project was held up until he approved Van Dyke Road. No homes were built in the area they wer e talking about extending this. A discussion ensued regarding past decisions on this. Mr. Olson said that it is unfair to cut off people moving into Plainfield form the downtown area. Commissioner Racich asked if they contributed the 25 acres for this, or if the cost was part of the development. A discussion ensued regarding developments in the business to make money. #6 – Do the strategic needs of the Village outweigh the importance of unique and interesting urban design? Mr. Garrigan said that they can strike this question as it was based on the previous plan’s premise. #7 – Does the Plan Commission support the extension of Van Dyke Road? Commissioner Racich said that if they go down this road, it will be like a vote. Commissioner Kachel asked abo ut the bridge. Mr. Garrigan said that the village is working with the township on this. Commissioners Schinderle and Manning said that they would support this. Commissioner Kachel said that he would support it based on the bridge. Commissioner Henry sa id that they just recently approved two schools and a YMCA and is not sure why they need Van Dyke. He cannot approve it. Commissioner Racich said that he is also opposed. Chairman Sobkoviak asked if the two opposing would oppose the subdivision with thi s extension. They said they would. Commissioner Manning asked if this was in the annexation agreement. Mr. Garrigan said that he is working on this. Commissioner Kachel pointed out that if Van Dyke is not there, residents would have to go west to acces s downtown. 14
Commissioner Racich asked if the staff can specify who “staff” is in their reports, so the right person can be held accountable for certain issues. Chairman Sobkoviak said that the people voting on the matter are sitting there. Commissioner Gehrke will not be voting on this. He reiterated that there was agreement on the annexation and special use. The concept plan and preliminary plat will be at the next meeting. Chairman Sobkoviak said that a great number of people object to Van Dyke as w ell as the townhome placement. Commissioner Kachel asked if they should have the developer address these issues. Chairman Sobkoviak said that the petitioner is providing a preliminary plat. Mr. Mitchell said that right now it is just a concept plan. Chairman Sobkoviak said that they have concerns about the townhomes. Commissioner Manning said that they wanted to know that there would at least be a buffer. Commissioner Kachel pointed out where their concerns were, and Chairman Sobkoviak said that they need to let the petitioner know their concerns, so they can address them. Commissioner Racich asked how they can shield the homes from the railroad. Mr. Hader said that on the cross -section, they show a 6 -foot fence where a permanent steel chain -li nk, vinyl -coated black chain link fence will be installed with landscaping. It will continue down both sides. To maintain this safety for park -goers, they will put up a fence and significant landscaping as well. Commissioner Kachel asked about the railr oad crossing. Mr. Hader said that they need to work for approval on an under grade system. Commissioner Schinderle asked what happens north of that. Mr. Hader said that there is a fence on one side and shoed the route of the railroad on a map. Chairman Sobkoviak asked about a square of land on Walker Road. Mr. Hader said that this is a 10 -acre commercial site with two acres possibly dedicated to assisted living or a water tower. Chairman Sobkoviak asked if there are any concerns with that area. There was no response. Chairman Sobkoviak said that the biggest concern was the townhomes. Mr. Hader asked if they should come back in two weeks. Mr. Garrigan said that they can prepare something for the next meeting . Commissioner Racich asked if the public will have a chance to respond because so many people have concerns about this. Chairman Sobkoviak said that they will have a chance to speak at the end of the meeting. 15
Mr. Garrigan said that the public hearing will be continued. At 11:10pm, Commissione r Henry moved that case number 967 -101303 (Springbank) be continued to the next Plan Commission meeting for further discussions. Commissioner Kachel seconded the motion. Chairman Sobkoviak called for a vote by roll call. Aye: Henry, Kachel, Manning, Sch inderle, Racich, Sobkoviak Nay: None The motion is carried 6:0. Chairman Sobkoviak declare d the meeting adjourned at 11 :12 pm . __________________ Respectfully submitted, Laura Griffith Recording Secretary Karick & Associates, Inc. 16