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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPLAN COMMISSION - 12/04/2002 - MOBILITY WORKS/BOND Elk Grove Village Plan Commission Minutes December 4, 2002 Present: J. Glass F. Geinosky P. Ayers C.Henrici J. Meyers D. Paliganoff D. Sokolowski Absent: E. Hauser T. Thompson Staff: P. Vadopalas, Assistant to the Village Manager S. Trudan, Assistant Dir., Community Development Petitioner: B. Kociski, Mobility Works G. Wright, Paine Wetzel Chairman Glass called the meeting to order at 8:00 p.m. Item 1: October 16, 2002 Meeting Minutes Commissioner Henrici moved to approve the October 16 meeting minutes with one spelling correction on Page 1 of the minutes. Commissioner Geinosky seconded the motion. Upon voting, (Glass, Geinosky, Ayers, Henrici,Meyers,Paliganoff, Sokolowski, AYES,Hauser,Thompson, Absent)the motion carried. Item 2: MobilityWorks Special Use Permit—79 Bond B. Kociski introduced himself as the general manager of MobilityWorks Chicago operations, and introduced G. Wright as the agent representing the building owner. Secretary Geinosky swore in the petitioners. B. Kociski explained that MobilityWorks is a company based in Akron,Ohio, and is seeking a Special Use permit to operate a vehicle modification and sales operation in an I-1 district within a building at 79 Bond. As background, Kociski stated the company was founded in Akron in 1986 and opened a second location in Madison Heights,Michigan earlier this year. MobilityWorks purchased another company called Tri-State Mobility(operating in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York) making Mobility Works now the largest mobility company in the U.S. MobilityWorks serves customers needed accessibility equipment installed in vehicles,primarily mini-van vehicles. Examples of mobility accessories include:ramps, lifts, and new driving controls. Kociski explained that this is a relatively new industry that serves to offer mobility options to handicapped individuals. Kociski stated that major structural work on vehicle would take place at their Akron facility. Activities proposed for the Elk Grove site include sales of converted vehicles, lift installation, installation of driving controls, installation of lifts for chairs or scooters, and installation of seating and accessories for transporting wheelchairs. - 1 - Kociski stated that the company intends to accept trade-ins for new vehicle sales, and therefore will apply for a used vehicle sales dealer license. He stated this business would be a destination location,not a sales location for impulse buyers. MobilityWorks equipment and services is a specialized business that would only be of interest to a narrow market of families with a need for mobility-enhanced vehicles. The proposed location near Bond and Higgins is desirable because of ease of access from major highways. Kociski stated that a large proportion of their clients are seniors and the ability to easily find their site is of primary interest to the company. Kociski stated that traffic generated by this business is minimal. A busy day for their company would draw 6 to 7 visits from customers. Kociski stated that most customer visits are by appointment. Kociski stated that this location would serve a market area including Illinois,Wisconsin, and northwest Indiana, benefiting Elk Grove with additional visits from these areas. Kociski stated the proposed facility includes adequate parking spaces for storing vehicles in the parking lot,and ample square footage for vehicle storage within the building. MobilityWorks is seeking to lease 18,000 square feet of the 50,000 square foot building. Kociski estimated a need for 20 to 30 parking space;, 10 to 15 of which would be for outdoor storage of vehicles. He noted that the longest period that a vehicle would remain on-site would be one-month. Commissioner Sokolowski asked what portion of the lease area would be for the proposed showroom. Kociski stated 3,000 square feet of the 18,000 square feet would be used for the showroom area. Commissioner Sokolowski referenced the Fire Department's review comments requesting information about hazardous materials to be used on-site. Kociski stated no hazardous materials out of the ordinary would be stored on-site other than those normally used for vehicle service. Commissioner Sokolowski questioned the amount of noise to be generated from their operations. Kociski stated an air compressor would be used for their service operation, but no other equipment that would create noise. Commissioner Sokolowski asked for more information about their used vehicle sales. Kociski explained that MobilityWorks would consider offers to purchase used vans for reconditioning and resale. He stated that 70% to 80% of their business would be to lower the floor of the vehicle so it could accommodate wheelchairs and mobility accessories. Major structural work of this nature would take place at their Akron facility. Commissioner Ayers stated he did not object to the Special Use petition in principle, but the proposed site near Higgins Road is problematic and he suggested MobilityWorks find another location in Elk Grove. Commissioner Ayers stated the high visibility of this, site would be of interest to a vehicle dealer, however, MobilityWorks serves a specialized clientele that would seek their services no matter what location they found. The fact that this building is being proposed as a multi-tenant use creates parking conflicts, especially with regard to the distance of the parking lot from the remaining 32,000 square feet of this building. Commissioner Paliganoff asked for clarification on the Lot numbers as shown on the plat of survey. After some discussion, it appeared that the legal notice referenced Lots 23 and 24 differently than the plat of survey. G. Wright stated the legal description and survey will be reviewed and that corrected information will be submitted to the Village if an error is discovered. Commissioner Paliganoff asked for clarification on the number of vehicles to be stored on-site. Kociski responded 10 vehicles inside the showroom, and 15 vehicles outside in the parking lot. Kociski stated that generally, 3 or 4 vehicles would be undergoing service at a time. Commissioner Paliganoff asked how many handicapped spaces would be required for this business. S. Trudan stated three. - 2 - Commissioner Paliganoff asked for information about any warrantees on their service. Kociski stated that clients would receive standard manufacturers warranties, typically 3 years or 36,000 miles. Commissioner Meyers stated that in order to develop a fair parking arrangement for the two tenants of this building,Mobility Works would need to restrict them parking to the southern portion of the parking lot. This would force senior and mobility challenged clients to cross the entire parking area to access their office. In addition, they would have to navigate through the parking area of the future co-tenant's employees/customers which creates conflicts for both businesses. Kociski stated the number of clients that visit the site would be small, fewer than 10 per day. Of those,most would have appointments, and MobilityWorks employees would assist as needed. G. Wright stated that parking spaces could be divided between the two businesses, and labeled to prevent any parking conflicts. Chairman Glass noted that this business will likely grow,and require even more parking spaces over time. Kociski confirmed their intent to grow the business, and stated MobilityWorks would eventually want to have two locations in the Chicago area; Elk Grove and a second site in the southern suburbs. G. Wright stated if the number of parking spaces was reserved and forever restricted,MobilityWorks would not be able to use more parking than agreed to, and any additional business would have to be accommodated by a different location. At 9:05 p.m. Chairman Glass recessed the hearing. The hearing was reconvened at 9:15 p.m. Commissioner Henrici stated he had no objections to the MobilityWorks petition. He noted that the parking discussion would not be addressed by the Plan Commission if the proposed tenant did not need a Special Use permit. He stated a printing company would be permitted to occupy the site now with no review by the Plan Commission. Chairman Glass stated MobilityWorks is a retail use, which is different than an industrial use. Secretary Geinosky questioned if the Zoning Ordinance even permitted this use as Special Use. S. Trudan stated the petitioner's business was defined by staff as "New Auto or Truck Dealers"which is a permitted Special Use under Section 7E-3 of the Zoning Ordinance. Secretary Geinosky asked for clarification on the type of service activities proposed for this location. Kociski stated major structural work would be handled in Akron, Ohio. The proposed Elk Grove services would include installing lifts,ramps, and driving controls, which is not generally significant work. Kociski noted MobilityWorks would only service the mobility equipment, not general maintenance of the vehicle itself. Secretary Geinosky asked for the proposed hours of operation. Kociski stated 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday thru Friday is the proposed schedule. If needed, they would have a representative open the showroom for a client on Saturdays by appointment. Secretary Geinosky asked how many employees would work at this location. Kociski stated 5 to 8 initially, possibly growing to a maximum of 15 to 20. Chairman Glass stated that 15 to 20 parking spaces would then be needed for employee parking, 15 spaces would be needed for vehicle storage. He stated the number of spaces for customers, vehicles waiting for service, and vehicles stored inside is still unclear. G. Wright stated the presentation was vague on the need for parking, and the petitioner could prepare firm data and come before the Plan Commission in the future. Chairman Glass stated that the Plan Commission would need to see a parking layout plan, an accurate parking calculation, and a verification of the property's legal description. He further noted that given MobilityWork's clientele, they should give serious consideration to exceeding the Village's requirement for handicapped parking spaces. - 3 - G. Wright requested that the Plan Commission continue the hearing so the requested information could be submitted for review by the Village. Chairman Glass continued the hearing to January 15, 2003 at 8:00 p.m. Item 3: Adjournment There being no further questions or comments, Chairman Glass asked for a motion to adjourn. Commissioner Henrici moved to adjourn and Commissioner Ayers seconded the motion. Upon voting, (Glass, Geinosky, Ayers, Meyers, Henrici, Paliganoff, Sokolowski, AYES, Hauser,Thompson, Absent)the motion carried. The meeting was adjourned at 10:00 p.m. Respe lly submitted, Peter Aaadopias- �� Assistant to the Village Manager C: Chairman and Members of the Plan Commission, Mayor and Board of Trustees, Village Clerk, Village Manager, Assistant Village Manager, Assistant to the Village Manager, Administrative Intern,Director of Engineering/Community Development, Director of Public Works, Fire Chief,Deputy Fire Chief(2), Assistant Fire Chief,Village Attorney. - 4 -