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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPLAN COMMISSION - 03/16/1983 - NURSERY SCHOOL FACILITIES • Minutes ELK GROVE VILLAGE PLAN COMMISSION Date: Wednesday, March 16, 1983 Location: Council Chamber Elk Grove Village Municipal Building 901 Wellington Avenue The meeting was called to order by Chairman Glass at 8:30 p.m. Members Present: Member Absent: John Glass, Chairman Clark Fulton Leah Cummins, Secretary Frederick Geinosky George Mullen David Paliganoff Orrin_ Stangeland Staff Present: Thomas Rettenbacher, Building Commissioner Charles Henrici, Fire Chief Jon Wildenberg, Administrative Assistant Docket 83-3: Petition of Woodson Development Company for a Text Amendment to the Zoning Ordinance decreasing the number of required stacking spaces at Nursery School facilities. Charles Byrum, Attorney representing Woodson Development Company, was in attendence to present evidence in favor of the proposed text amendment. Byrum informed the Commission that Woodson Development is a national developer of child care centers and has built 130 such centers in the United States. There are 22 Woodson operations in the Chicagoland area. The child care centers in closest promimity to Elk Grove Village are located in Schaumburg and Hoffman Estates. The current Village requirement for stacking spaces would dictate that Woodson provide 41 or 42 stacking spaces on a one acre parcel of land. Byrum noted that it was doubtful if any one acre lot used for a nursery school purpose could meet this requirement. Therefore, Woodson is seeking to amend the Zoning Ordinance so that one stacking space be required for every 1100 square feet of building, instead of one stacking space for every 200 square feet of building as the Zoning Ordinance is currently drafted. Byrum noted that a petition before the Elk Grove Village Zoning Board of Appeals to waive the requirement in its entirety had been deferred to the Plan Commission for consideration of a text amendment. Robert Elkan, of Woodson Development Company, was present to describe the typical operation of a nursery school/day care center. He stated that Woodson operates across the Chicagoland area, having sites as far north as Vernon Hills and as far south as Country Club Hills and west to Naperville. E1kan pointed out that the one acre site plan as presented to date has been successfully employed throughout Plan Commission Minutes - 2 - March 16, 1983 Docket 83-3 (continued) the country and at 22 sites in Chicago. A one acre parcel is desirable due to its ability to maintain a self-contained operation, parking facilities, State building requirements, as well as meet State require- ments for playground area. E1kan explained that the facility could be expected to be licensed for 165 to 170 students and that, typically, it would operate at 70 to 75 per cent of capacity. Woodson Development Company has not encountered stacking require- ments in other towns that would necessitate a petition to seek relief. To meet the Elk Grove Village stacking requirement, Woodson would be 0 required to pave an inordinate amount of the site area. Bill Waddington, a Consulting Engineer from the firm of Christian, Rogan and Robando, stated that he had been retained by Woodson Develop- ment for their operations in Chicago. In his experience, he had not encountered stacking space requirements in the following towns: Aurora, Glen Ellyn, Naperville, Oak Forest, Orland Park, Roselle, Schaumburg, Streamwood, Tinley Park, Woodridge, Hoffman Estates, and Glendale Heights. Air. Waddington also stated that he had only been asked to deal with stacking spaces on occasions when a nursery school site fronted a major thoroughfare. Under such circumstances, the requirement for stacking spaces was usually five in number. Ron Havel, a Traffic Engineer from Christian, Rogan and Rolando, stated that he was retained by Woodson Development as a traffic planner to do a study on a parcel scheduled for a nursery school development in Glen Ellyn and located at a four-lane road (i.e. , Park Boulevard) . He presented the results of this study to the Plan Commission. In summary, the conclusions were: that 16 cars at a maximum would go through the facility in any one ten minute period; no more than 5 .to 6 cars would be stacked at the facility at any one time; and, finally, that 7 stacking spaces would be more than adequate to handle traffic generated by the nursery school/day care facility. This information is relevant because Woodson Development is proposing an operation of similar size and student capacity to be located in Elk Grove Village on a road of lesser traffic volumn. Mullen questioned the relevance of the Glen Ellyn traffic study. Byrum responded that the Glen Ellyn study deals with a facility of the same floor plan and the same developer; therefore, characteristics exhibited by that facility may be extrapolated to the Elk Grove situation. In response to Dave Paliganoff, Building Commissioner Rettenbacher responded that the justification for stacking spaces is to provide for an area to handle the temporary exchange of passengers and goods. The current requirement was established in 1972 with the passage of the Village Zoning Ordinance. At that time nursery schools were thought of more as kindergartens, regular schools, and other larger operations. Mr. Rettenbacher also noted that the Ordinance requirements have been met by other nurseries in the Village to date. A stacking space must be nine feet by twenty feet and must be accessible by automobile. In response to Dave Paliganoff, Fire Chief Henrici expressed concern over the reduced requirement. A reduction in stacking spaces may complicate the accessibility of emergency response vehicles. It is important to control congestion when dealing with emergency response situations. • Plan Commission Minutes - 3 - March 16, 1983 Docket 83-3 (continued) Mr. Waddington commented that the pickup and delivery of students to the school would be spread out over a time period and, therefore, the probability of congestion at any one time would be reduced. Elkin added that the variable starting times of programs would also serve to spead out traffic flow over time. Mr. Waddington presented to the Plan Commission a site plan incorporating seven stacking spaces into the development. Secretary Cummins, referring to the Glen Ellyn study, noted that a six second dropoff time and a ten second pickup time seemed to be rather unlikely estimates when dealing with preschool children. Mr. Havel clarified that point by stating that the dropoff and pickup times are measured from the point which the car door is opened to the point the car door is closed. Secretary Cummins expressed concern over the double stacking of stacking spaces. She indicated that this could present a very dangerous situation for children traversing traffic to reach their parents' car. Chairman Glass observed that to this point the testimony provided had not indicated what was truly needed in so far as the establishment of a new stacking space requirement. John Keller, Attorney representing the ABC Learning Foundation (on Devon Avenue in Elk Grove Village) , presented documentation from the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services regarding the staff requirements for nursery schools. Sandra Keller, Director of the ABC Learning Foundation, presented the following information: - A survey of nursery schools in and around Elk Grove Village indicating the maximum number of cars stacked at any one time; - A survey of the ABC Learning Foundation stacking situation; - A reference from the Department of Children and Family Services regarding parental participation in the nursery school process; and - A survey of parents utilizing the ABC Learning Foundation regarding child dropoff and pickup procedures. Chairman Glass indicated to all present that the information received at this public hearing would be considered by the Plan Commission and that the Plan Commission may make a recommendation to the Village President and Board of Trustees which could run the gamut of increasing stacking space requirements to maintaining the status quo to decreasing the stacking space requirements. The Public Hearing was adjourned at 11:49 p.m. Submitted by n P. Wildenberg ms Administrative Assistant c: Chairman & Members of Plan Commission, Village President & Board of Trustees, Village Clerk, Village Manager, Assistant Village Manager, Administrative Assistant, Building Commissioner, Village Engineer, Director of Public Works, Fire Chief, Director of Parks and Recreation, Centex, NWMC.