HomeMy Public PortalAbout1985-12-17 minutesCORRECTED
PLAN COMMISSION
Minutes of the December 17, 1985 meeting.
PRESENT: Arlo Simmons, Chairman Bob Russ, Ex-Officio
Herb Bayer John Myers, Ex-Officio
Rich Neely Dale Gullicksen, Trustee
Don Pearson Mary Latta, Village President
Walt Schempf Steve Manning, Planner
Don Anderson
ABSENT: Jim Anderson
Avon Arbo, Ex-Officio
S. Hjemvick, Ex-Officio
Gene Cline, Ex-Officio
A sign up sheet was circulated for those in the audience to note their own
attendence.
MINUTES
Simmons - A correction should be made on the minutes of October 15 and
December 3. Ex-Officio member Arbo first name spelled "Avon".
Don Anderson - My vote on December 3 regarding the Czajkoski Rezoning
should be corrected to "Present" not Aye.
Minutes approved as corrected.
BAYS REZONING
Simmons - I have been active in the past on this case so I will turn the
meeting over to the Vice-Chairman Bayer until this hearing is closed.
Simmons left the room.
Myles Jacobs - I represent John Bays in his request for rezoning the new
shopping center building at 106 Division Street trom B-1 to B-2. This
request is different from our prior request for B-3 zoning. After that
request was turned down, Mr. Bays decided to go ahead and build the
shopping center building according to B-1 standards. We feel that B-2
zoning will allow us to do what we want to do and not change the impact
on the neighborhood. The uses permitted -under B-3 are substantially
different than B-2 -uses. The new shopping center building will be a
benefit and a credit to Plainfield. The Plaza to the South is owned and
operated by Mr. Bays. He has made many improvements and plans, to make
more improvements. Most of the uses we intend to put into the new building
are permitted in the B-1 but a few are not. The B-2 zoning will not change
appearance of the new building nor will it change the traffic on the
public streets. We recognize there is some concern by the neighbors so
we propose to set up some controls to make sure this is a good shopping
center and be more compatible with the neighborhood including: install a
PLAN COMMISSION
December 17, 1985
Page Two
fence in the rear at a cost of $15,000 so the people living back there do
not-have to look at the truck traffic; to voluntarily block our access
to Highview Court so that delivery trucks do not use that street; and
restrict undesirable outside storage by not having a restaurant or any
outdoor sales or garden center nursery. None of these restrictions are
required by the Zoning ordinance. We propose to set up covenants that
the Village can enforce. The Plaza to the South is zoned B-3 and we don't
think we have a problem. Mr. Bays is planning on adding some parking in
the rear and has already put in a catch basin to keep storm water away
from neighboring property.
Neely - You say you will not put a restaurant or garden center, in the
new building but is there anything to stop you from putting them in the
Plaza?
Jacobs - B-3 does allow those uses so it is possible. The covenants we
propose would apply to the new building only. We want to be a good
neighbor. We have put up a quality building. It is something
Plainfield can be proud of. I don't think there is that much difference
between B-1 and B-2 in terms of impact on an area.
Bayer - Would you install and maintain the fence?
John Bays - Yes.
Schempf Would you have any fruits or vegetable sales or outside display?
Jacobs No, no outside display.
Bayer Do you have any plans for a hardware store?
Jacobs Nothing definite yet. We are talking to several people now.
Don Anderson - What about your shortage of parking spaces?
Jacobs - We are going to construct employee parking in the rear of the
Plaza and customers can use the parking in front of the Plaza. The
parking demand will not be any different whether the new building is
zoned B-1 or B-2. I would say that some B-1 uses such as grocery stores
generate even more parking than B-2.
Schempf - How will cars get to the new stores?
Bryant (Architect) - It will be possible to drive from one parking lot to
the other. The two lots will share a driveway from Route 59 and second
curb cut is planned on the North end of the frontage.
PLAN COMMISSION
December 17, 1985
Page Three
Manning - Will there be loading and unloading of trucks behind the new
building?
Jacobs - Yes, trucks will access there from the drive between the two
buildings. If there is not enough room for a truck to make the turn to
get back there, then the deliveries will have to be made in front. As
far as I know, there is no restriction of our use of Highview Court.
Bayer - Mr. Buck, what happens to these covenants if Mr. Bays sells the
shopping center.
Buck - They can be written to convey to the heirs or purchasers.
Jacobs - Covenants are the same as contracts that run with the land. The
Village can file,an injunction to enforce the covenants.
Neely What about fines or withholding business licenses?
Buck I am not sure.
Jacobs - Mr. Bays has built quality building to attract good businesses
and plans to remodel the other building and he is working with the neighbors
to resolve any problems. The building is in place and the zoning is
commercial so what we can do now is to try and make it better for everyone
to live with.
Schempf - When you came in for zoning before, why didn't you ask for B-2
then instead of B-3?
Bays - With B-3 we could have joined the two buildings together and had
more of a setback on the North side.
Neely - What will the hours be?
Jacobs - The same as any normal shopping center. I don't think Mr. Bays
is talking with any tenants that would be open late.
John Lohmar (501 W. Highview Court) - I live right behind the new stores.
We oppose the rezoning request. Our view of the back of the new building
looks terrible. I did get some flooding on my property before the new
storm sewer and catch basin was put in. We think trucks should not be
allowed to use Highview Court to get to the stores.
Jacobs - The zoning ordinance does not prohibit our use of Highview Court.
We are willing to voluntarily prohibit truck access from Highview Court as
part of our rezoning agreement.
PLAN COMMISSION
December 17, 1985
Page Four
Ann Lohmar - B-2 zoning permits such uses as groceries and restaurants that
have garbage that attract rats.
Jacobs - We have agreed to put a covenant on the property that will prohibit
all food handling businesses except ice cream retail. The Village ' has
other ways to force a business to clean up their refuse.storage for health
and safety reasons.
John Lohmar - My property has been devalued because of this new commercial
construction.
Jacobs - I suggest to you that changing the zoning on Mr. Bays building from
B-1 to B-2 will not change the current value of your property because the
differences between B-1 and B-2 is minimal. I think it will be more
influential on your property to have our proposed fence in place and a
restriction on truck traffic.
Manning - Mr. Lohmar, if you feel your property has lost market value,
then I recommend that an appraisal of current value and probable future
value with rezoning would be good evidence for this Plan Commission and
Board of Trustees to base their decisions in the case. Will there be any
more done to complete the rear of the building?
Bryant - Just painting of the exposed concrete block. No face brick. Also,
landscaping will be planted in the Spring - in the parkway and northside
of the building.
(Unidentified Man) - The. purpose and intent of zoning, the granting of
variances from zoning, and the Comprehensive Plan are specified in the
State Statutes. I would say that the increases traffic due to the new
shopping center would cause a burden by increasing congestion on Route 59,
especially at the Plaza Drive intersection. It may also cause safety
problems for students, and other school traffic.
Manning - Plainfield has an adopted Comprehensive Plan Wh cih.has a land
use plan with 2 categories of commercial land us.,e; service and retail. The
Plan shows retail commercial on the Bays site. The Zoning 'Map is different
than the Comprehensive Plan.. The. Comprehensive Plan does not say which.
Zoning districts ought to correspond to the "retail commercial" category
in the Plan. I would say that B-1 and B-2 districts seem to permit mostly
retail uses and B-3 permits most of the service uses.
Pat Davis (502 W. Highview) - Where will the fence go?
Jacobs - Along West property line for old and new portions of the shopping
center.
G. Krupowicz (504 Highview) - What type of fence?
PLAN COMMISSION
December 17, 1985
Page Five
Bryant - Solid, cedar with posts on the inside, 6' to 7' high.
J. Krupowicz (504 Highview) - There are residential uses to the East, North,
and West of this site so there is not a trend of development that would
support B-2 zoning necessarily. We do not want more truck traffic,
especially on Highview. Even if Bays does not block trucks access to the
back of his building, the Village should be willing and able to block off
the end of Highview Court. Signs should say "No trucks allowed
Neely - There is the opportunity here and now to get 'the developer to
resolve some of the problems with this shopping center.
Bays - When I give up the rear access to my property, I am trying to be
a good neighbor. What happens is my property value goes down. I am making
a substantial investment that will benefit Plainfield.
Buck - It is possible for the Village to create a dead end to Highview
Court that would in effect block access to the shopping center without
getting any dedication of land from Mr. Bays. However, it would not be as
simple as getting the cooperation from Mr. Bays to voluntarily block access
via a covenant. The items to be addressed in this covenant that I gather
from this discussion include 1) blocking access from Highview Court 2) install
and maintain fence 3) no grocery, nursery with outside sales or storage
4) no sit down restaurant - ice cream shop to be permitted 5) paint back of
building.
Mark Krippel (406 Union Street) I have mixed feelings about this new
building. On the one hand, it seems to be too much of an intrusion into
a single family neighborhood. One house was even torn down for these
stores. It points to the need to have zoning controls to stop this from
happening agqin. On the other.hand, the building is up and it may be that
without B-2 zoning, the owner may not be able to find enough stores to
lease up the space. If the shopping center is not profitable and if it
becomes rundown, then it will be a blight on the neighboring property.
Manning - The current Zoning Code does not have any parking standards.
Looking at the list of B-2 permitted uses, I would say the highest parking
demand would come from delicatessens, grocery, appliance, and restaurants.
Bays has already said he would limit deli's, grocery, and restaurants so
that leaves appliance and furniture stores.
Jacobs - We think there will not be a high volume of traffic coming to the
shopping center.
Manning - How many parking stalls are to be provided in front of the new
building?
Bryant - About 60 or 65.
PLAN COMMISSION
December 17, 1985
Page Six
Manning - The site plan I have, shows about 42. How many stalls were you
planning to pave at the rear of existing center which could be used to hold
overplow parking?
Bays - Right now there is gravel back there and we intend to black top
all along the building. We have not estimated how many stalls that will
yield.
Ann Lohmar - If they get B-2 now, the next thing you know they will get B-3.
Don Anderson moved to recommend approval of the request for B-2 zoning
subject to the list of conditions discussed at this hearing. Neely
seconded. Don Anderson, Neely, Schempf voted aye. Pearson, Bayer voted
nay. 3-2 motion carried.
Simmons returned to the meeting.
WOOD REZONING
Mr. and Mrs. Presley Wood appeared to present their petition for rezoning
the property at 1061 Lockport Street from A to 1-1.
Wood I've owned the property for 20 some years and I getting ready to sell
it.
Neely - Without knowing what uses might move in, it is difficult to recommend
a rezoning. The Bays rezoning is an example of the problems with rezoning
based on speculation.
Wood - I have a man who is interested in the property who owns a drive
shaft company in.Chicago. He is thinking about putting in a small drive-
in restaurant selling hotdogs and hamburgers.
Manning - Restaurants are a permitted use in I-1.
Simmons - The Comprehensive Plan shows the Wood property and the property on
either side for future commercial use. Even though there is some industrial
zoning in the area, we do not want to add any more. It would -make more
sense to continue the trend of commercial zoning along this valuable
highway frontage.
There was some discussion concerning the precise location and land use of
the subject site and neighboring property.
Wood - Would you rather just rezone my property industrial and then when
you finish your Zoning Code revisions, just rezone everything B-3 or B-4
or whatever?
PLAN COMMISSION
December 17, 1985
Page Seven
Simmons - No because that would create another situation where the zoning
does not agree with the plan and that's not good.
Manning - I recommend that Mr. Wood reapply for commercial zoning so the
proper public notice can be published. We should get the buyer to send us
his plans or appear at the hearing.
Pearson moved to recommend to the petitioner to refile for commercial zoning
and recommend to the Village Clerk to waive the fee for refiling if possible.
Don Anderson seconded. All voted Aye.
ZONING CODE REVISION
Manning - Any comments on the handouts or presentation from last meeting?
Simmons - The sideyard setback for commercial next to residential is now
required to be 10' and should be more.
Russ - A lot of the commercial built in Joliet have setbacks of 30, and
40' and more.
Simmons - Parking standards in the Zoning Code should be enforced by the
Village everytime a business license is issued.
Russ - I would expect that the number of parking stalls needed for medical
offices would be greater than other offices as required in Joliet.
Manning Yes. I am putting together a chart comparing the parking
standards of various towns. It is surprising how many differences there
are among standards. I will bring this table to you as soon as I am
finished.
OLD BUSINESS
Simmons - The Plainfield Commerce Association has been invited to the
January.7 Plan Commission meeting to discuss a new sign ordinance.
Manning - Does the Board want a press release inviting the public to this
meeting?
Latta - That would be okay.
MEETING ADJOURNED
Would everyone attending this Plan Commission meeting -2 /17
please sign this sheet for our official records.
NAME
P
Lk N77 1\1 C
Joe
Oar �5 �Qft,&
ADDRESS
&,(6,4 poplAr S—, I-ej I /, ---- -T
VJ ul�
UA,1,1041 -Z"LL
ID,
4)d
VO UIV,117A.1
Would everyone attending this Plan Commission meeting
please sign this sheet for our official records.
NAME
IA
rn
z&j
V
if
0