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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPLAN COMMISSION - 09/03/2003 - CEDAR GLEN TOWNHOMES ' JV Elk Grove Village Plan Commission Minutes September 3,2003 Present: J. Glass F. Geinosky P. Ayers E. Hauser C. Henrici J. Meyers D. Paliganoff D. Sokolowski T. Thompson Absent: None Staff: P. Vadopalas, Assistant to the Village Manager S. Trudan, Assistant Director, Community Development M. Pye, Assistant Director, Engineering Petitioner: T. McGowen, Attorney at Law Chairman Glass called the meeting to order at 8:00 p.m. Item 1: August 20, 2003 Meeting Minutes Secretary Geinosky moved to recommend approval of the meeting minutes as written, and Commissioner Thompson seconded the motion. Upon voting(Glass, Ayers, Geinosky, Hauser, Meyers, Paliganoff, Sokolowski, Thompson, AYES, Henrici, Abstain) the motion carried. Item 2: Cedar Glen Townhomes,Meacham Road Chairman Glass asked the petitioner to introduce himself. T. McGowen introduced himself as the attorney representing the petitioner, Carey Construction. The petitioner is seeking approval to annex a 4.7 acre parcel of vacant land on the east side of Meacham Road, and rezone the land to the Village's A-2 Multi-Family zoning district. McGowen stated the petitioner proposes to construct a total of 36 townhouse units on the land. McGowen stated the multi-family development would provide a good transition between the single-family subdivision to the north of the subject property, and the Walmart commercial area to the south. T. McGowen stated that the petitioner has reached an agreement to purchase a'small portion of land to the north from First American Bank in order to line up the proposed new roadway with the existing Dakota Lane on the west side of Meacham Road. He stated that the petitioner has come to an agreement with Walmart to grant an easement for the construction of water retention facilities. McGowen stated that the petitioner has an agreement to purchase a home at the end of Home Avenue for construction of roadway and or water retention facilities. f. McGowen described the proposed townhomes as upscale units to be marketed at$350,000. A homeowners association will be established to administer maintenance of common areas. - I - The proposed development will include 6 lots of 6 units each. Each unit will include a two car garage, and the ability to park an additional 4 cars in the driveway. T. McGowen stated the proposed plan results in a variation request to exceed the Village's restriction of front yard paved surface area to 50%,but the driveways can be reduced in width to meet this requirement. T. McGowen stated that a variation is requested to permit the location of a retaining wall within a utility easement, and the project engineer will explain later why that is necessary. McGowen stated a variation is requested to eliminate the construction of sidewalk on the east side of the proposed street (Home Avenue extended) due to the lack of pedestrian traffic. McGowen stated the petitioner is seeking to reduce the required right-of-way width to 50-feet McGowen noted the roadway will be the same width as Dakota,but the right-of-way will be reduced by 10-feet. McGowen noted that the petitioner intends to meet the requirements of the Village's landscape ordinance. Mr.Kinsey introduced himself as the petitioner's project engineer. Kinsey discussed the grade difference between the subject property and the Whytecliffe subdivision to the north. The grade at the west end of the site is nearly identical, and at the west end the grade difference between the properties is approximately 6-feet. A retaining wall will be constructed toward the east end of the site, and the location necessitates construction in a utility easement. Kinsey stated a guardrail could be constructed along the proposed water retention area to prevent motorists from driving into the basin. McGowen noted that the petitioner is agreeable to traffic calming measures that the Village may require. Commissioner Meyers asked for clarification on the change in grade from west to east. Kinsey stated the elevation at the west end is at 733-feet, and at the east end in varies between 726 and 728-feet. Kinsey stated he calculated the shadows to be cast from the proposed townhomes using the winter sun, which is at the lowest point of the year at 30-degrees. The shadows will extend a maximum of 60-feet from the townhomes, casting shadows on the southern 15-feet of yard in the existing homes to the north. Kinsey stated the distance between the townhomes and the north property line is 45-feet. Commissioner Thompson questioned if the plan to cul de sac the new roadway is still being considered. Chairman Glass stated that he had met with staff to consider the various roadway options, and the consensus was to link the new roadway to West Glenn Trail to the east. Commissioner Ayers stated he did not oppose the concept of constructing a cul de sac. Chairman Glass stated the Fire and Police Departments were concerned about using the Wal-Mart parking lot as a potential second means of accessing the site should the Meacham intersection be blocked. Commissioner Meyers questioned if the cul de sac plan would impact the number of townhouse units to be constructed. McGowen stated no. Commissioner Thompson questioned if the petitioner had seen the latest staff comments from the Department of Engineering& Community Development. McGowen stated he has not seen those comments. Chairman Glass recessed the meeting at 8:35 p.m. to allow the petitioner to review the staff comments. The meeting reconvened at 8:45 p.m. Commissioner Thompson asked if the petitioner had come to an agreement with First American Bank to acquire the land needed to make the proposed street line up with Dakota. McGowen stated they have an agreement that is contingent on Village approval of their annexation petition. - 2 - Commissioner Thompson referenced staffs requirement to provide a 10-foot easement along the proposed 50-foot right-of-way. McGowen stated the engineer reviewed this comment, and the easement will be provided as required. Commissioner Sokolowski asked if the petitioner considered reorienting the plan to locate the new roadway to the north of the townhomes,rather than to the south. Kinsey responded that both configurations were considered and the petitioner designed the roadway to the south of the townhomes to prevent locating the new roadway along the backyards of the Whytecliffe subdivision. Commissioner Sokolowski noted his concern about the sharp turn at the east end of the new roadway. Kinsey stated the turn can be engineered to be smoother,but that would invite motorists to travel at a higher speed. Commissioner Ayers commented that the petitioners have met numerous requests from staff and the Plan Commission to put this site plan together, including the agreements needed with Wal-Mart, First American Bank, and the homeowner at the end of Home Avenue. He stated he generally had no objections to the plan. Commissioner Ayers questioned if the church access drive to Meacham Road would be closed given the proximity of the new roadway access for the townhomes. McGowen stated the petitioner would not object to providing access to the church parking lot from the new roadway,but that no agreements have been made with the church to date. Commissioner Ayers discussed staff comments that suggested more guest parking be provided, noting his feeling that adequate parking is provided in the plan as proposed. Given the size of the driveways, the guest parking being provided, and the ability to park along the south side of the street, no additional parking should be required beyond what is provided on the current plan. Commissioner Ayers noted a 20-foot right-of-way along the east end of the property and questioned the ownership and purpose of the easement. No information about this easement was available, and staff indicated that the right- of-way would be researched further. Commissioner Ayers noted staff comments regarding cut-through traffic should the new roadway be constructed to link with West Glenn Trail. He stated the traffic volume on Nerge and in the residential neighborhood to the east is not sufficient to raise concerns about increased traffic in the area. Commissioner Paliganoff stated the petitioner will need to address each of the issues raised by staff for further discussion at a later date. Commissioner Paliganoff questioned how the petitioner will respond to staff comments about the need for additional guest parking. McGowen stated additional guest parking would be constructed if required, but the petitioner is confident about the amount of parking now provided. Commissioner Hauser stated his support for the cul de sac design for this subdivision. He questioned if the cul de sac design impacted the number of townhouse units that could be constructed. McGowen stated that a more units could be constructed with a cul de sac,increasing the number from 36 to 38. Commissioner Hauser asked if the existing single-family property acquired by the petitioner at the end of Home Avenue is needed for constructing water retention. McGowen stated water retention would be constructed at that location to benefit the townhome development and Wal-Mart. Commissioner Hauser reiterated his support for the cut de sac design. Commissioner Meyers stated that the staff comments on this petition include too many questions and insufficient answers. He specifically referenced a comment that a traffic signal may be needed at the new intersection at Meacham Road, and that no supporting information was provided to substantiate the comment. S. Trudan stated - 3 - that changing the design from the initial cul de sac proposal does raise a number of questions that remain unanswered. Commissioner Henrici concurred with Commissioner Meyers and asked that facts be separated from questions in future staff reports. Commissioner Henrici stated when he served as Elk Grove Village's Fire Chief, the Fire Department worked hard to reduce the maximum cul de sac length to 600-feet. The proposed cul de sac for this development would be nearly 1000-feet long, and he stated the new roadway should be connected to West Glenn Trail. Commissioner Henrici questioned the concerns about:locating the proposed retaining wall in a utility easement. Kinsey responded that retaining wall would require 3-feet of the easement, so the petitioner can design a 13-foot utility easement to address the concern about the width of the remaining portion of the easement. However, a variation would still be needed to permit the wall within the easement. Commissioner Geinosky asked what the desired construction schedule would be. McGowen stated the entire project could be constructed from Spring 2004 to Spring 2005. Commissioner Geinosky questioned how the existing homes to the north of this site will be screened. McGowen responded they will be screened by a 6-foot board on board fence and landscaping. At 9:25 p.m. Chairman Glass opened the hearing to comments from the audience. Walt, 1080 West Glenn Trail stated he neighbors the land being considered for the roadway connection and questioned if terra-pavers were considered as an altemative to a traditional paving material. McGowen stated that design has not been considered. He questioned what type of landscaping would be installed to screen the homes to the east. McGowen stated the final landscape plan has not yet been prepared. Debbi Lane, Easton Lane, stated the number of children generated by this development will have a negative impact on Link School. She expressed concerns about the number of variations be requested. Rick Hultgren, 1048 West Glenn Trail,stated the property owners on his block currently experience drainage problems and he commented the existing retention pond has failed in the past. M. Pye stated the maintenance issues have been addressed in the past, and the petitioner will be held to a higher standard because this petition is subject to an annexation. Mr. Hultgren questioned if the new roadway will abut his property line. Kinsey stated that 20-feet will separate the roadway and his property line. John Tiessen, 1049 Conrad, asked for more information on the proposed roadway connection to West Glenn Trail, and expressed concerns about increased traffic in his neighborhood. He requested that the new road not provide any access to the Wal-Mart parking lot. He questioned if the new roadway would provide a faster response time for the Fire Department to reach his block. Chairman Glass stated the new roadway would provide a direct route to his neighborhood and the response time would therefore be shorter. .terry Szostak, 1064 West Genn Trail, asked that the Village closely review the water detention closely. He asked that the drainage problem in his neighborhood be corrected. Dennis Weiner, 768 Easton, asked how far the townhomes would be from his lot line. Kinsey responded 45-teet. Weiner asked what screening would be provided behind his home. Kinsey responded a 6-foot fence would be constructed on a 4-foot retaining wall at his lot line. Kinsey asked how the height of the townhomes would compare to his house. Kinsey responded the townhomes would be 6 or 7 feet higher than his home. Michelle, 1100 West Glenn Trail,asked that Home Avenue be improved to Village standards,with special attention to storm sewer facilities. Chairman Glass stated a connection to Home Avenue is not being considered as part of this development. - 4 - Mike Gates, 1492 Circle Court, introduced himself as the pastor of the Living Hope Church,which neighbors the subject property. He questioned what the required setback would be from the church. Chairman Glass responded no setback is required. Pastor Gates noted the church constructed new sewer to serve the church property and questioned if the petitioner will build their own sewer facilities or if they would tap into the existing sewer. McCowen stated the petitioner will build their own. Pastor Gates asked what screening would be installed between the townhomes and the church. Chairman Glass stated that a detailed landscape plan has not yet been submitted. Pastor Gates stated the church may not be favorable to sharing a driveway with the townhomes as earlier discussed. He would have reservations about supporting this concept until more information is provided. Pastor Gates agreed with previous comments that cut-through traffic from Nerge Road should not be a concern. However, traffic from the neighborhood to the east would use the new roadway as a convenient route to Meacham Road. Pastor Gates stated the subject property needs to be cleaned up and a large mound of dirt currently stands within view of the church. The petitioner stated the property would be cleaned up in the future, possibly within one month. Jerry Szostak, 1064 West Glenn Trail,stated he has called Schaumburg Township to make the property owner cut the grass, and that the Township has been out to property to enforce the required maintenance. Sharon Colwell, introduced herself as the business manager for the Living Hope Church. She stated a complaint was made about property maintenance on June 27, 2000, and that hearings before Cook County were scheduled for August 5,2003 and September 30, 2003 to consider zoning violations associated with operating a construction company on residentially zoned land. She further noted that the property owner has a deadline of November 22, 2003 to address violations with the State Fire Marshal. Chairman Glass stated the hearing would be continued to October 15, 2001 In the meantime, Chairman Glass directed the petitioner to address the following issues: • Identify the status of the 20-foot right-of-way on the east side of the property. • Address all staff issues with revised plans and correspondence • Work with the church about sharing the driveway and new roadway • Provide a rendering of the retaining wall with board on board fence Provide significant screening on a revised landscape plan Chairman Glass commented the general site layout and plans are good, but that he has concerns about the 40-foot right-of-way. Jerry Szostak, 1064 West Glenn Trail,questioned if the revised plans will be available for review in advance of the October 15°i hearing. Chairman Glass directed him to contact the Village Clerk's office for this information before the October 15°i meeting. Item 3: Adjournment Chairman Glass asked for a motion to adjourn. Commissioner Meyers moved to adjourn and Commissioner Sokolowski seconded the motion. Upon voting(Glass, Geinosky, Hauser, Henrici, Paliganoff, Sokolowski, AYES, Meyers, Thompson, Absent) the motion carried. - 5 - The meeting was adjourned at 10:05 p.m. Resp ully submitted Peter J. Vadopa s 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. - 6 -