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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPLAN COMMISSION - 06/20/2007 - CEDAR GLEN TOWNHOME ANNEXATION Elk Grove Village Plan Commission Minutes June 20,2007 Present: P.Ayers J.Glass E.Hauser C.Henrici J.Meyers D.Paliganoff D. Sokolowski T.Thompson Absent: F.Geinosky Staff: M.Roan,Deputy Village Manager B.Jacobsen,Assistant Village Manager S.Trudan,Deputy Director of Community Development D.Zinnel,Deputy Police Chief D.Miller,Fire Chief Petitioner: T.McGowen,Attorney G. Carey,Petitioner Chairman Glass called the meeting to order at 7:10 p.m. Chairman Glass motioned to name Commissioner Henrici Acting Secretary. Commissioner Meyers seconded the motion. Upon voting(Ayers, Glass,Hauser,Henrici,Meyers,Paliganoff,Sokolowski, Thompson,AYES,Geinosky,ABSENT)the motion carried. Item 1: April 4,2007 Meeting Minutes Commissioner Henrici motioned to approve the April 4,meeting minutes. Commissioner Ayers seconded the motion. Upon voting(Ayers,Glass,Hauser,Henrici,Meyers,Paliganoff, Sokolowski, Thompson,AYES, Geinosky,ABSENT, Glass,ABSTAIN)the motion carried. Item 2: Cedar Glen Townhome Annexation and Development Chairman Glass read the legal description into record,as well as the public hearing announcement. G. Carey of 20 Monaco,.Roselle,EL identified himself with his attorney T. McGowen as the petitioners.T.McGowen,representing the.property owner,reiterated the long-standing inWfition of Mr. Carey to develop 6 lots, containing 6 townhomes each,under the zonjag code A-2.The submitted renderings show upscale.homes in the crud to upper$300,000 range placed along a cul-de-sac accessed via Meacham Road. These homes will have three bedrrx)ms,a basement,a two-car garage and a homeowners association. The builder indicated that he has extensive experience in building a wide variety of homes in the greater Chicago area.T.McGowen stated that the proposed development is receiving interest. T.McGowen noted that additional property has been obtained to maintain open space for detention ponds,and to allow for a bicycle path to connect adjacent subdivisions.The petitioner is requesting a variation for the length of the cul-de-sac and easement widths for the road. Commissioner Hauser inquired about sidewalks on the south side of the road and requested eave to eave elevation shots to homes in the Whytecliffe subdivision to the Cedar Glen townhomes.T. McGowen stated that four-footsidewalks would be placed within the ten-foot easement.McGowen handed out three elevation shots for the Commissioners to review. Commissioner Hauser was concerned that storm water would be properly moved to a detention pond, and that traffic coming from the planned bank development adjacent to the northwest corner of this property is adequately accommodated.T.McGowan stated that his client is aware of the proposed bank development adjacent to this site.The petitioner is supportive of the bank development,but has not worked through their physical plans.The petitioner is willing to work with the bank in the future as both projects move forward. Commissioner Meyers asked about the status of the curb cut coming from the bank parking lot into the proposed cul-de-sac and if staff had any comments regarding the flow of traffic. S. Trudan noted that the Engineering and Community Development Department has engineered an exit lane in the bank parking lot to meet the cul-de-sac at an angle perpendicular to radius of the curve in the cul-de-sac. Commissioner Meyers expressed his concern for possible flooding in low-lying areas such as in Whytecliffe. Al Kinzie identified himself as the engineer for the-Cedar Glen project and clarified the issue of drainage.He explained that the current water problem is based on this strip of land sitting between two developments.He designed a plan to run stormwater along the northern lot line,moving water to a detention pond.A.Kinzie noted that the Cook County Highway Department will not allow any water to drain onto their roadways. The solution is to pool the water in a detention pond. A. Kinzie added that his staff and the Village's staff are held to.high professional standards,and while these concerns are valid,they have been properly addressed. S.Trudan reiterated that the Director of Engineering and the Deputy Director of Engineering have both reviewed and approved of the drainage plans. Commissioner Meyers requested clarification on the fence that runs along the northern lot line that does not appear to extend behind all of the lots.A.Kinzie responded that the fence behind Cedar Glen would be in addition to a retaining wall that most of Whytecliffe already has.He added that the Cedar Glen fence could be extended east,beyond the current drafted location. Commissioner Meyers requested clarification regarding the additional parcel of land that was obtained.T.McGowen added that Parcel 3,previously part of Home Avenue, was acquired:He added that Parcel 3 had a home on it at the time of purchase,which has singe been demolished. Commissioner Meyers ask if the Petitioner knew the current status of Rucks Street.T.Mcuowen stated that he is not aware of the current status of Rucks Street. -2 - Commissioner Meyers requested clarification on the sprinkler plans for this development. T.McGowen noted that the current plan is to sprinkler only the utility rooms but would be open to sprinkle the entire building. Chairman Glass stated that the proposal is too dense for this parcel of land. Commissioner Thompson questioned emergency access to the cul-de-sac from the.Walmart parking lot and requested clarification on how the petitioner plans to limit access:In addition,he questioned if 24 feet was wide enough for a fire truck to access the street.T.McGowen stated that they would gate the entrance and maintain limited access by additional means if necessary.D..Miller stated that 24 feet is wide enough for fire apparatus to enter,but Meacham would always be the primary entrance. Emergency access would only be utilized if access from Meacham were compromised. Commissioner Thompson agreed with Chairman Glass that this development is too dense. Commissioner Sokolowski noted that the original proposal was a cul-de-sac and throughout this process the Commission has been pushing for a different street configuration.He requested the petitioner to explain the changes that have been made over time. T. McGowen explained that Walmart delayed this development. Walmart executives had initially planned to expand the adjacent Walmart into a Super-Walmart.This plan has since dissolved and the petitioner is again,comfortable moving forward. Commissioner Sokolowski asked if the cul-de-sac would align with Dakota.He also asked if there would he turn lanes on Meacham,or a left turn lane onto Meacham from the cul-de-sac? T.McGowen explained that Meacham would be reworked to include a left turn lane into the Dakota extension.This lane would be 180 feet long and hold approximately 10-12 cars. At this time there is no plan for a left turn lane onto Meacham from the cul-de-sac. Commissioner Ayers asked if the eastern most townhomes would have a reinforced foundation?A. Kinzie stated that the current plan does not include reinforced foundation based on the soil samples that have been taken. Commissioner Ayers asked if homes in Whytecliffe,east of Lot 23,have a retaining wall and if so, could the privacy fence extend behind the entire length of the proposed development.Commissioner Ayers noted that this would give them added privacy and eliminate foot traffic. Commissioner Ayers noted that he would support both the requested 50-foot right-of-way easement and the emergency entrance to the cul-de-sac,assuming the Fire Department_is able to use it. Furthermore,he noted that the development is too dense and doesn't have enough green space.He requested.a few units be removed.Specifically,he requested the far eastern unit on the 5&building, which is set back 20 feet,he removed. Commissioner D.Paliganoff asked for clarification on the sprinkler system.D. Miller stated that he was under the impression the homes would have a sprinkler system throughout.. 1'. McGowan stated again,the current plan is to sprinkler the utility rooms,but the petitioner would be open to sprinkle the entire building. Chairman Glass called for a ten(10)minute.recess.The meeting_reconvened at 8:20 p.m. - 3 - Chairman Glass opened the Public Hearing at 8:20. Rick Hultgren of 1048 W. Glenn Trail expressed his main concern about this development is excessive flooding. Chairman Glass responded stating,the Walmart detention pond is adequate for the Walmart site.The status of the land in question is undeveloped at this time. In order to develop this land,the Village's Engineering Department would require that it be updated to current drainage standards. S.Trudan dovetailed on this by stating,any development to this site would be an improvement to the current natural drainage of the land. Debby.Reed of 772 Easton-Lot 25 stated that she is concerned about over-crowding in the schools. Whytecliffe subdivision was scrutinized for adding 63 homes to the area and this development would add an additional 36. She stated that this development does not match the current single-family home fabric of the west side. In addition any children that may live in these townhomes would not have a park to go to. Kim Meyers of 764 Easton-Lot 23 stated that her home is 4 feet lower in elevation to that of the land the townhomes would build. She is worried that the townhome residents would look down into her back yard.In addition,she is concerned about the reduction in natural sunlight due to the fence that will be built above her retaining wall.Moreover, she is also concerned about additional traffic congestion,her property value,and drainage. Renee Gerami of 752 Easton-Lot 20 stated that her greatest concerns are the height of the townhomes and closeness to her property. She is worried about the townhomes towering over the Whytecliffe homes and is curious about the rules for construction. She is concerned that this development would be a burden with congestive traffic and constant pounding. She is also worried that the proposed road is too narrow. Chairman Glass noted that the proposed street is drawn at 28 feet wide,and the variance being requested, is the same variance Whytecliffe was granted. Harold Pletz of 158 Concord Ct.stated that he is concerned about several issues regarding this development.He is worried about flooding in Whytecliffe,traffic patterns of 36 homes accessing one road,property value,and parking for guests.H.Pletz would prefer if the Village made this into a park rather than allowing it to be developed. Jean Rogala of 759 Indian Lane is worried about traffic,specifically cars waiting to turn onto Meacham from.Dakota. She stated that a traffic light would be necessary at Dakota and Meacham. Pastor Mike Gates of 149 Circle Lane is the pastor of the church at 777 Meacham.He is concerned about traffic turning left into this new development and/or the church. Chairman Glass confirmed that a traffic study had been done and a traffic light will not be needed.The lcft turn lane on Dakota would be utilized to a greater extent with this development.There were no further questions for the C:ommissionem. Commissioner Henrici questioned the calculations of open space on the plans.He recalled from memory that the driveways were shaved down from the previous proposal,but is curious,about the Villages requirements in regards to the percentage of greenspace based on the land size.He would -4 - prefer if the street was not a cul-de-sac and if the development was sprinkled throughout.T.McCowen confirmed that the buildings could be sprinkled throughout. Commissioner Ayers added that he would like the last unit on the 5h building removed. In addition,he would like to see more units eliminated to meet the green space requirement.Moreover,he would like two units from the last building removed to make a total of 4 units and free up some space at the end of the cul-de-sac. Chairman Glass reiterated his feelings that there is too much on this parcel, and the renderings look. like beautiful homes on a lot of concrete.He requested that the fence run the entire length of the development.He also requested significant screening from Walmart with mature trees.He is curious about who will buy the homes and if there will be children,and asked if a market study had been done. He then requested more information on the builder. T. McGowen explained that Carey Builders and Century Builders are partners under one company. Chairman Meyers asked if Carey Construction was part of all of the developments in which he listed as references.G.Carey stated that Carey Builders have worked on all of the developments listed as references. Chairman Glass noted that cars could park on the south side of the street and asked roughly how many cars could fit along the south side of the street.T.McGowen responded that a number of cars could park on the south side of the street because there are no curb cuts or driveways to interfere with. Chairman Glass summarized that he is supportive of the requested variations.The landscape plan is unacceptable and he would prefer to see more mature trees planted.He was concerned about the length of the cul-de-sac but would approve it if the Police and Fire Departments accepted it.He added that he would not approve a variation in green space,and he does not recommend adding a park to the site as it is already too full. Commissioner Hauser suggested the use of"no mans land"to create a Pocket Park which the homeowners association would maintain and eventually give to the Village. S. Trudan asked the petitioner what percentage of ground coverage they currently planned for.T. McGowen responded that he was told he needed 50%of each lot to be open space including the driveway,and only the first lot meets that standard. S.Trudan believes there is some confusion over ground coverage and would like to see the calculations reworked. Commissioner Hauser stated that there are too many unanswered questions at this time.He added that he would like to see the renderings of this project tied to the bank on Meacham. Commissioner Meyers added that he is most concerned about water rctcntion and elevations. Conuuissioner Hauser stated that he would like more information on open space and elevations. T. McGowen added that he would re-shoot elevations between each home on the south side of Whytecliffe and the proposed development. Commissioner Thompson added that he would like to see a reduction in the number of units.T. McGowen added that they would reconsider this. - 5 - Commissioner Paliganoff requested that the petitioner speak with the Village's staff regarding the surveyor's gap and consider creating a park. Commissioner Hauser was most concerned about the elevations and would like to see all the buildings sprinkled. Chairman Glass requested that the petitioner listen to the comments made and resubmit plans within 30 days.Staff review would then take 10 days and.this development could come back as early as the first or third Wednesday in August. Item 3: Adjournment Commissioner Ayers moved to adjourn. Commissioner Sokolowski seconded the motion.Upon voting(Ayers,Glass,Hauser,Henrici,Meyers,Paliganoff,Sokolowski,Thompson,AYES,Gemosky, ABSENT)the motion carried. The meeting was adjourned at 9:20 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Beth Jacobsen Assistant Village Manager C: Chairman and Members of the Plan Commission,Mayor and Board of Trustees,Village Clerk,Village Manager,Deputy Village Manager,Assistant Village Manager,Director of Engineering(Community Development,Director of Public Works,Police Chief,Fire Chief, Deputy Fire Chief(2), Inspectional Services Supervisor,Village Attorney