Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutPLAN COMMISSION - 08/21/2023 -PC DOCKET 23-7. 700-905 rOPPOLO, 802-901 RICHARD, 210 LANDMEIER, 701-913 DIERKINGElk Grove Village Plan Commission Minutes August 21, 2023 Present: J. Glass P. Rettberg S. Carlson K. Weiner F. Geinosky G. Schumm J. Morrill Absent: R. DeFrenza L. Bacigalupo Staff: C. Gabiga, Assistant Village Manager B. Kozor, Deputy Director of Community Development R. Raphael, Deputy Director of Community Development Petitioner: R. Kennedy, Co -Managing Partner, Stream Data Centers G. Jones, Partner, Ancel Glink O. Murchu, Vice President of Development, Stream Data Centers Chairman Glass called the meeting to order at 7:04 p.m. Item 1: July 17, 2023 Meeting Minutes Commissioner Weiner moved to approve the meeting minutes of July 17, 2023. Commissioner Rettberg seconded the motion. Upon voting (Glass, Rettberg, Carlson, Weiner, Geinosky, Schumm, Morrill, AYES), the motion carried unanimously. Item 2: PC Docket #23-7: Petition for Annexation, Special Use Permit for an electric substation, Resubdivision, and zoning variations for the properties located at 700-905 Roppolo Drive, 802-901 Richard Lane, 2110 Landmeier Road, and 701-913 Dierking Terrace Chairman Glass read the legal notice into the record and asked the Petitioner to explain their purpose before the Plan Commission. 1 R. Kennedy stated that Stream Data Centers ("the Petitioner") has been operating in Elk Grove Village for the last 5 years. He stated that Stream Data Centers is based in Dallas, Texas and has been active in the data center industry since 1999. R. Kennedy stated that the Petitioner currently operates two data centers in Elk Grove Village and has invested $500 million in the existing data center buildings. He stated that the proposed project would bring three additional data centers and $1.5 billion to $2 billion in capital investment for the project. R. Kennedy stated that the Petitioner has primarily focused on leasing to large corporate users. He stated that 90 percent of the Petitioner's customers are Fortune 100 companies and shared that the Petitioner employs 30 people in their current data centers in Elk Grove Village. R. Kennedy explained that the proposed project is estimated to bring 40 full-time employees. He stated that all data centers built by the Petitioner are staffed by the Petitioner's employees. R. Kennedy stated that the existing data center buildings are located at 2080 Lunt Avenue and 1925 Busse Road. He stated that both buildings are 100% leased. G. Jones stated that the proposed development site is about 35 acres of land. He stated that the site is surrounded by properties in the I-1 zoning district on the west and east side of the site. He stated that the property directly to the south is in the I-2 zoning district. He stated that the Petitioner proposed I-1 zoning for the development site according to the Village's Comprehensive Plan. G. Jones explained that the development site is located in unincorporated Cook County and currently has some lots zoned for commercial use and some zoned for residential use. He stated that the Petitioner worked extensively to get everything in the development area under contract to be purchased. G. Jones stated that the only outlying property is at the northeast corner of Dierking Terrace and Landmeier Road, where Roback's Truck & Auto is located. He stated that the business expressed that they wish to continue their current operations and declined the Petitioner's offer to purchase the property. He stated that this would not interfere with the Petitioner's proposed development. G. Jones stated that there is an existing ComEd substation near the corner of Higgins Road and Busse Road that would be able to serve the proposed development in addition to other developments in the area, following a planned expansion of the substation in 2026. G. Jones stated that the proposed buildings will be approximately 700,000 square feet of floor space each. He stated that the main access to the site will be from Dierking Terrace via Landmeier Road and a secondary access at the southeast corner of the site. 2 G. Jones stated that the Petitioner has worked extensively with the Village to put together a design that both parties could be proud of, and that the Petitioner acknowledges that Landmeier Road is a major arterial road with many passersby. He stated that the proposed building design intentionally breaks up the mass of the building to make it more pleasing to the eye. G. Jones stated that the site would be subdivided into four lots, three of which would be occupied by data center buildings and one occupied by a substation. He stated that the total building square footage would be just under 2.1 million square feet. He stated that the proposed buildings meet the vast majority of the Village's code requirements, with the exception of a few variances. G. Jones stated that the Petitioner is proposing annexation of all 55 parcels into the Village and zoning the parcels to I-1 zoning, which would be in accordance with the Village's Comprehensive Plan. He stated that the Petitioner is also proposing subdivision of the lots, a special use permit for the proposed electrical substation, and variances associated with the substation. He stated that the variances for the substation include permitting a gravel driveway, increased building heights for lightning structures, allowing the building size to be less than 25% of the overall lot area, and allowing for a reduced number of parking spaces. G. Jones stated that the Petitioner is seeking a variation from the Zoning Ordinance for an increase in permitted building height from 60 feet to 120 feet. He stated that data center buildings have high floor -to -ceiling requirements due to the height of the equipment used. He stated that data centers typically have a 22-foot to 25-foot clearance. G. Jones stated that the Petitioner is seeking a variation to increase the allowable Floor Area Ratio (FAR) from 0.8 to 2.0 FAR for the three buildings to accommodate the higher number of floors in each building. G. Jones stated that the Petitioner is seeking a variation to reduce the required number of loading docks for the proposed buildings because data centers do not require significant loading or unloading, with the exception of installing or changing equipment. He stated that this occurs every four to five years when a new tenant moves in or an existing tenant chooses to upgrade their equipment. G. Jones stated that the Petitioner is seeking a variation to permit an 8-foot security fence. He stated that the Petitioner has such fences at their existing data center sites and is an industry standard for site security. Commissioner Rettberg asked what other uses are near the proposed development site. G. Jones stated that there are mostly industrial uses with the exception of Roback's Truck & Auto, which is a commercial use. Commissioner Rettberg asked if Roback's Truck & Auto is part of the proposed annexation. G. Jones stated that it is not part of the annexation. Commissioner Rettberg asked if the Petitioner foresees any issues with that. G. Jones stated that the Petitioner does not foresee any issues with the property not being part of the development. Commissioner Rettberg asked how long Roback's Truck & Auto has been in business. G. Jones stated that he is not sure, but it would likely be a long time. Commissioner Rettberg asked how many employees are anticipated for all three buildings. G. Jones stated that approximately 40 employees in total for all three buildings are expected. Commissioner Rettberg asked if there will be guards for the site, especially at night. G. Jones stated that there will be guards on -site 24/7 with a tight security protocol. Commissioner Rettberg asked if there will be guard stations at the entrances to the site. G. Jones stated that there will be gates across the vehicle entrances with call boxes and that visitors will have to call in and state their business at the site, then a guard will open the gate using remote access. Commissioner Rettberg asked if the Petitioner has contracts for the sale of all homes included in the proposed development area. G. Jones confirmed that the Petitioner has contracted with the homeowners in the included area. Commissioner Rettberg asked if these contracts are contingent on the successful annexation of the properties. G. Jones stated that the contracts have a standard zoning contingency based upon the annexation and approval of the development. Commissioner Rettberg asked if any of the sales have closed. G. Jones stated that none of the sales have closed. Commissioner Carlson asked how many stories can fit in 120 feet. O. Murchu stated that it would be four stories for a 120-foot building at 20 to 25-foot floor -to -ceiling measurement to allow for mechanical equipment to fit. Commissioner Carlson asked if the 120-foot building height includes rooftop equipment. O. Murchu stated that it does include the rooftop equipment and that the equipment would be screened. Commissioner Carlson asked for clarification on the construction phases. O. Murchu stated that the first building for construction would be the one along Landmeier. Commissioner Carlson asked if construction of the substation would follow. O. Murchu stated that the substation equipment to support the first data center building would be built in the first phase and the other electrical substation equipment would be installed as the other data center buildings are developed. Commissioner Carlson asked who will own the substation. O. Murchu stated that the Petitioner would own the substation first and that ComEd has requested the right to purchase the substation at a later date. Commissioner Carlson asked if the substation was initially built to take care of the initial development. O. Murchu explained that that the substation will initially be built to support 4 the three proposed data center buildings and that ComEd will determine if the substation can support additional developments, at which point ComEd will purchase the substation from the Petitioner. Commissioner Weiner asked if the substation will be built to support all three data center buildings or if it will be built to only support the first data center building constructed. O. Murchu stated that the substation will initially have infrastructure installed to support the first data center building. Commissioner Weiner clarified that the substation may support other developments in the future. O. Murchu confirmed that is true. Commissioner Weiner asked if the proposed development is speculative. O. Murchu confirmed that the proposed development is speculative. Commissioner Weiner asked if the Petitioner has any reason to believe that the economic demand for data centers will change and the second and third buildings would not be constructed. O. Murchu stated that based on the current market and technological developments like artificial intelligence, the opposite is true and that data hosting demand will only increase. Commissioner Geinosky asked if the three data center buildings will be networked together and sharing data or if they will be standalone. O. Murchu stated that both can be accommodated. He stated that three independent tenants may want totally separate security protocol and data storage operations, but it is also possible that a single tenant may occupy all three buildings. He stated that this is also the reason the Petitioner submitted a preliminary plat of subdivision instead of a final plat of subdivision. Commissioner Geinosky asked if the Petitioner has contingency plans in place in case an error occurs and the data needs to be offloaded from one of the data centers. O. Murchu stated that the tenants manage their own data and move the data between multiple of their own facilities. He stated that the Petitioner's responsibility is with ensuring that there is electrical redundancy. Commissioner Geinosky asked why there is no guard station at the Landmeier entrance. O. Murchu explained that there is a guard station planned for the Landmeier Road entrance and that it may have just not appeared on the visual renderings due to the selected angle. He stated that the Petitioner intends for there to be independent access to each building, each with its own guard station and emergency access. Commissioner Geinosky asked for clarification on access within the proposed development site. O. Murchu explained that the three buildings could have shared access if they are occupied by the same tenant. He stated that the buildings would not be connected and would have separate security if they are occupied by separate tenants. He stated that there will be a loop road around the site and two points of access per building in case of an emergency. Commissioner Geinosky asked if the landscape plan was reviewed by Village staff. R. Raphael confirmed that the landscape plan was reviewed by staff. Commissioner Geinosky asked why there is not landscaping present for certain areas of the site, including part of the eastern boundary of the site. O. Murchu stated that there will be architectural screening between the development site and the mechanical yard along the eastern boundary of the site that would obscure the equipment from view at ground level. Commissioner Geinosky asked if there would be trees or shrubs planted along that boundary. O. Murchu stated that there are no current plans to plant trees or shrubs there, but the Petitioner is more than welcoming to feedback from Village staff regarding adding landscaping. Commissioner Geinosky asked if there is sufficient water supply to support the three data center buildings. O. Murchu explained that the proposed buildings are air-cooled data centers and have a closed -loop water circuit, which means that there is no water loss because there is no evaporation and therefore no water demand beyond the water needed for restrooms. Commissioner Geinosky asked if the proposed development meets all Village standards for sidewalks, streets, curbs, and gutters. O. Murchu confirmed that the development will meet all such standards. Commissioner Geinosky asked for clarification on whether the Plan Commission is considering the request for approval of a variance to Subdivision Code Section 8-12A-2(B)(6)(a) to allow up to 10 years from the date the preliminary plat is approved to submit approval of a final plat of approval. G. Jones stated that request goes to the Village Board directly for approval. Commissioner Geinosky asked what the proposed construction schedule is for the first building. O. Murchu stated that the substation is scheduled to begin construction in late 2026. He stated that it takes approximately 24 months to develop a site like this, so the first building is scheduled to begin construction in 2024. Commissioner Geinosky asked if the substation would be built after the first building. O. Murchu stated that the substation and the first building would need to be developed simultaneously because the electrical power for the first building will come from the substation. Commissioner Geinosky asked if there is enough room for the substation to expand to support the second and third buildings. O. Murchu explained that additional transformers will be added to the substation as the second and third buildings are constructed. Commissioner Geinosky asked what the operating hours would be for the three buildings. O. Murchu stated that there would be staff present during all hours of the day. Commissioner Geinosky confirmed that there would be employees coming and going throughout the day during shift changes. O. Murchu confirmed that is true. Commissioner Geinosky asked if there would be opportunity for the Plan Commission to review substantial changes in the future. B. Kozor stated that if there were major changes to the items that required Plan Commission approval, the changes would have to be presented in front of the Plan Commission. 11 Commissioner Geinosky asked if minor changes would also need to be approved. B. Kozor stated that minor changes as defined in the Zoning Code can be handled at the administrative level and are approved by Village staff if it is determined that the changes do not warrant an additional Plan Commission hearing. Commissioner Morrill asked if the Petitioner has anything planned to soften the impact of the building's height. G. Jones stated that the architecture is stepped and varied in materials to make the building seem less large. He stated that the building heights are not uniform to give a more varied appearance. Commissioner Morrill asked if all three buildings will be 120 feet tall. O. Murchu stated that it is possible that not all three buildings will be 120 feet tall. He stated that the building along Landmeier Road has a larger setback from the street. Commissioner Morrill asked if the data center buildings will have multiple tenants each. O. Murchu stated that each building is intended for a single tenant. Commissioner Morrill asked about what flood control considerations there are. O. Murchu stated that the Petitioner worked with V3 Companies to plan for underground concrete stormwater basins that will be located in the parking lots of each building. He stated that stormwater will flow naturally on the site to the discharge swale at the northwest corner of the site. Commissioner Morrill asked if the stormwater management on the site would be able to handle 1-inch per hour rainfall. O. Murchu stated that he would need to follow up with V3 Companies for a precise answer. R. Raphael stated that the development must meet the requirements in the Watershed Management Ordinance per the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, which accounts for 100-year storms and requires that developments retain the first inch of rainfall. Commissioner Morrill asked if there will be ADA parking spaces available for each building or if there will be spaces for the area as a whole. O. Murchu stated that each building will have its own ADA parking spaces. Commissioner Morrill asked if there will be enough parking spaces for events or meetings on - site. O. Murchu stated that there will be approximately 70 spaces per building, which is more than what is required. Commissioner Schumm asked for clarification on the request for fewer loading docks and asked what kind of materials would be loaded into the loading docks. O. Murchu stated that the Petitioner is requesting to have fewer loading docks than required, and that servers and other mechanical equipment is typically loaded in and out of the buildings through the loading docks. Chairman Glass asked how tall the Petitioner's two existing buildings are. O. Murchu stated that the two existing buildings are one story tall and approximately 30 feet in height. 7 Chairman Glass asked why the Petitioner is proposing a four-story building. O. Murchu stated that the cost to develop land in Elk Grove Village is rising significantly and the Petitioner must construct vertically in order to increase capacity in the same space. Chairman Glass asked how much denser a four-story building is than a two-story building. O. Murchu stated that the density is similar. Chairman Glass asked if the Petitioner has one tenant in its other properties as well. O. Murchu stated that not all of the Petitioner's properties have one tenant. R. Kennedy stated that the building at 2080 Lunt Avenue has one tenant and the building at 1925 Busse Road has two tenants. Chairman Glass opened the public hearing to allow for questions and comments from the audience and staff. R. Nowman (25 Northwest Point Boulevard) expressed support for the development. He stated that Stream Data Centers has worked hard to ensure that there are no more obstacles or objections to the development. He stated that the area is surrounded by industrial so there would be no residents that would be affected by the taller buildings. He stated that the development would promote improved developments in the immediate area. He stated that he represents about a third of the owners that currently own property in the proposed development area. M. Hussein (700 Roppolo Drive) expressed support for the development and expressed gratitude for the opportunity to speak and listen to the Petitioner. He stated that it was a long and difficult process but the Petitioner worked with homeowners to come to a deal that both parties were satisfied with. He stated that the proposed development will fulfill all Village requirements and he believes the Petitioner will construct a good building. He expressed support and gratitude for the community. K. Dahm (905 Roppolo Drive) expressed support for the development. She stated that bringing this development into Elk Grove Village will be a positive addition to the community and will improve the community's image. RECOMMENDATION Commissioner Carlson moved to recommend approval of the following: • Petition to annex the properties located at 700-905 Roppolo Drive, 802-901 Richard Lane, 2110 Landmeier Road, and 701-913 Dierking Terrace; • Approval of Preliminary Plat of Resubdivision from one (1) consolidated lot to four (4) lots for the properties located at 700-905 Roppolo Drive, 802-901 Richard Lane, 2110 Landmeier Road, and 701-913 Dierking Terrace; E3 • Petition for a Special Use Permit to operate an electrical substation on the area designated on the future lot 4 as shown on the Preliminary Final Plat of Subdivision including variances specified on the approved Preliminary Engineering site plan Sheet C 1.2 including: o A variation of Sections 3-7-E.4 and 4-3-C.2 of the Zoning Ordinance to allow interior parking, driveways, and loading areas to be compacted gravel, with exception of the driveway apron; o A variation of Section 7-1, 3-6.13 and 3-7.1) of the Zoning Ordinance for the height and number of principal and accessory structures including lightning structures at approximately eighty-six (86) feet tall to allow the full development of the electrical substation as shown on the approved preliminary engineering plan o A variation of Section 7-1 of the Zoning Ordinance to allow a variation to reduce the minimum building size to less than twenty-five percent (25%) of the overall lot area; o A variation of Section 4-3:C-6 of the Zoning Ordinance to grant a variation from the lighting requirement for off-street parking; • A variation from Section 7-1 of the Zoning Ordinance to increase the allowable Floor Area Ratio (FAR) from 0.8 to 2.0 FAR for the three data center buildings; • A variation from Section 4-4-1 of the Zoning Ordinance to reduce the required number of loading docks for Buildings 1 and 3 from nine (9) loading docks and for Building 2 from ten (10) to four (4) loading docks; • A variation from Section 7E-9A of the Zoning Ordinance to permit a fence in the front of the buildings and an increase for the permitted height of the security fencing from six (6') feet to eight (8') feet; and • A variation from Section 7-1 of the Zoning Ordinance for an increase in building height from sixty (60') feet allowed in the I-1 Restricted Industrial Zoning District to one hundred and twenty (120') feet. Commissioner Weiner seconded the motion. Upon voting, (Glass, Rettberg, Carlson, Weiner, Geinosky, Schumm, Morrill, AYES), the motion carried unanimously. Item 3 : Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 8:17 p.m. 01 Respectfully submitted, (�4"eLrz Y4�146�� Caroline Gabiga Assistant Village Manager C: Chairman and Members of the Plan Commission, Mayor and Board of Trustees, Village Clerk. 10