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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPLAN COMMISSION - 04/03/1996 - OFFICE DEPOT r vc ELK GROVE VILLAGE Plan Commission Minutes April 3, 1996 8:00 p.m. Present: P. Feichter, Acting Chairman C. Prochno C. Henrici R. Guzzardi J. McAllister n. Paliganoff (8:30 p.m. ) Absent: P. Ayers F. Geinosky J. Meyers Staff: S. Niehaus, Administrative Assistant Petitioner: Frank Calloway, Atlantis Holdings, Inc. Acting Chairman Feichter called the meeting to order at 8:02 p.m. Item A: Office Depot - Special Location Plan F. Calloway stated that his company, Atlantis Holdings Inc. , was a real estate development company which represents Office Depot throughout the nation including the Chicagoland area. Calloway stated that Office Depot has been interested in locating in the Elk Grove area due to the large number of businesses in the industrial park. Calloway stated that Office Depot had originally been interested in a site at the southeast corner of Busse Road and Devon Avenue but declined to pursue it due to possible flooding concerns. As a result, Office Depot has now decided to pursue the construction of a site at 924 Busse Road which is currently occupied by the Air Lane Motel. Office Depot has negotiated a purchase of the Air Lane Motel property subject to development approval. If approved the existing structures on the site would be razed and replaced by the Office Depot building. Calloway stated that the proposed Office Depot building was approximately 30, 000 square feet in size and would be located entirely on the 2. 83 acre lot currently occupied by the Air Lane Motel. The store would be open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and employ 50-60 people. The exterior of the building would consist of split-face block and be landscaped by various trees and shrubs. Ingress and egress to the site would be available from two existing right-in/right-out driveways on Busse Road and one multi-directional driveway on Landmeier Road west of Busse Road. Office Depot anticipates an annual sales volume of $10-15 million. Calloway stated that his purpose of coming before the Plan Commission was to receive approval of a special location plan which would allow Office Depot to share parking spaces with the adjacent property to the south which was occupied by the Esquire Restaurant. Calloway stated that the Office Depot property only provided enough room for 59 parking spaces which was insufficient to meet Village Code (156) . Therefore, he was seeking approval of a special location plan which would allow Office Depot to utilize some of the 111 parking spaces provided for on the Esquire Restaurant property. This would provide a total of 170 available parking spaces for use by Office Depot. Calloway stated that he felt that this should provide more than adequate parking due to the nature of the Office Depot business. According to the Zoning Ordinance, retail stores are required to provide 1 parking space for every 180 square feet of building. Calloway explained that of the 30, 000 square feet of building for Office Depot, approximately 10,000 square feet (334) would be used for warehousing of goods. In addition, 7,000 square feet of space would be utilized as a furniture show room thus bringing the actual retail space down to 13, 000 square feet (72 spaces) . Calloway also stated that Office Depot does not create as much auto traffic as typical retail stores because customers do not do single item shopping but tend to buy in bulk when on the premises. Calloway stated that the peak parking needs of the average Office Depot range from 60-75 parking spaces. In regards to the Esquire property, Calloway stated that Office Depot has negotiated a ground lease for the property with the owner which would give Office Depot control of the property subject to the existing conditions of the lease between the Esquire Restaurant and the owner. Negotiations between Office Depot and the Esquire would then be necessary in order to ensure that both businesses are agreeable to the special location plan. Calloway stated that sufficient parking should exist for both businesses due to the fact that the restaurant's peak periods do not conflict with Office Depot 's. In addition, he has observed the restaurant parking lot on several occasions and never found it to be at capacity. Commissioner Prochno questioned if Office Depot has done any traffic counts or studies on the Esquire Restaurant during lunch time hours. Calloway stated no studies have been done but they can be if requested. Commissioner Henrici questioned as to what was the maximum number of parking spaces needed by Office Depot. Calloway stated that the most they would ever need is 100 spaces. Commissioner Henrici questioned if Office Depot has had any discussions with the Esquire Restaurant. Calloway stated that all discussions to date have been with the owner of the property, Vic Bondioli. Commissioner Henrici expressed his concern over approving a special location plan if the plan had not been discussed with the current user of the property. Commissioner Guzzardi concurred with Commissioner Henrici's comments. Commissioner Guzzardi questioned as to whether the purchase of the Air Lane Motel was conditional upon the approval of the village. Calloway confirmed that this was the case. Commissioner Henrici questioned as to the length of the lease and what improvements would be made to the property. Calloway stated that the lease would be for 30 years. Improvements to the lot would include new asphalt, resurfacing, and new lighting. All work would be done without disturbing the restaurant operations, in addition, Calloway stated that when the restaurant lease was up in two years, the owner plans to demolish the building, thereby creating more parking area for use by Office Depot. Acting Chairman Feichter questioned if there were any comments from the audience. A. Palakitas and K. Demotropolas representing the Esquire Restaurant identified themselves and requested to state their opinion to the Plan Commission. Palakitas stated that the Esquire objects to the shared parking plan due to the fact that it would infringe upon the available parking spaces they are paying for under their lease. Palakitas stated that there was not enough parking to satisfy both businesses and that he would like the opportunity to discuss a possible agreement with Office Depot. Acting Chairman Feichter questioned whether similar agreements exist in the village which allow businesses to share parking. Niehaus stated that several examples exist in the Village including some made by businesses which meet minimum parking requirements. Considerable discussion took place among the Plan Commission regarding the availability of enough spaces to satisfy both businesses. it was the general consensus of the Plan Commission that sufficient spaces were available for both businesses to co-exist, however, discussion and terms of an agreement providing for shared parking should be determined prior to approval. Upon discussion, Commissioner Henrici moved, and Commissioner McAllister seconded a motion to recommend approval of the special location plan subject to the following conditions: - Office Depot acquisition of at least a minimum 30 year lease for the property; - negotiation of an agreement between Office Depot and the Esquire Restaurant for shared parking on the site; and - final review of the special location plan by the Plan Commission. Upon voting, (All AYES, Ayers, Geinosky, Meyers ABSENT) the motion carried unanimously. Commissioner Guzzardi moved and Commissioner McAllister seconded a motion to adjourn. Acting Chairman Feichter adjourned the meeting at 9:40 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Scott R. Niehaus Administrative Assistant el C: Chairman and Members of Plan Commission, President and Board of Trustees, Village Clerk, Village Manager, Assistant Village Manager, Administrative Assistant, Administrative intern, Director of Engineering/Community Development, Director of Public Works, Fire Chief, Deputy Fire Chief (2) , Assistant Fire Chief, Village Attorney, Chairman and Member of ZBA