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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPLAN COMMISSION - 03/18/1986 - CONGREGATE SENIOR HOUSING (2) i i • Minutes SLR GROVE VILLAGE PLAN COMUSSUff Date: Tuesday, March 18, 2986 Location: Council Chamber Municipal Building 901 Wellington Avenue The meeting was called to order at 8:15 p.m. by Acting Chairman Leah Cummins. Members Present: Members Absent: Leah Cummins, Acting Chairman George Mullen David Paliganoff John Glass Fred Geinosky Clark Fulton Orrin Stangeland Staff Present: Robin Weaver, Administrative Assistant John Coakley, Administrative Intern Tom Rettenbacher, Building Commissioner Nancy Yiannias, Health Coordinator • Others: Pat McHale, Board of Health Chairperson Pat Bourke, Board of Health member Cathy Duoba, Housing Commission member Suzanne Miller, Housing Commission member Larry Herforth, Housing Commission member Ruth Guest, Community Service Board member Sid Miller, resident Frank and Concetta Grecco, current owners of Huntington Square property Bob Lux, representing Huntington Square Jack Schleismann, Huntington Square Jayne Matt, Huntington Square Len Durkee, Huntington Square Congregate Senior Housing Leah Cummins stated that the Plan Commission had received a copy of a draft licensing ordinance from Schaumburg for congregate housing and also had the Orland Park ordinance on congregate housing. She asked the Housing Commission to discuss the report they had submitted regarding senior congregate housing (attached). Cathy Duoba paraphrased the points made in the report. The recommendations included in the report are to not deviate,from the • 50% open space requirement; a reduced number of parking spaces would be adequate; every few handicapped parking spaces should be required . I Plan Commission - 2 - March 18, 1986 • Congregate Senior Rousing (continued) for congregate housing; balconies should be required and should have open rails to allow visibility; and a schedule of fines should be imposed before the license is revoked for noncompliance with the ordinance. The Housing Commission also recommended the use of a density bonus point system to determine the density requirements for congregate housing. Pat McHale stated that she had met with the Huntington Square developer regarding the proposed licensing ordinance. Bob Lux said that the ordinance was acceptable to the Dominium Group. Pat McHale noted that if the licensing ordinance was adopted, the Health Department would enforce it and a license fee would be charged. Inspections by the Building and the Fire Department would also be required. Ruth Guest stated that private balconies should preferably be provided for each dwelling unit. She also noted that most of the parking spaces at the Village Grove Apartments are not used. She said that more green areas (versus asphalt) would benefit the residents. Orrin Stangeland raised a concern about whether congregate housing operated by a religious group could discriminate against members of other religion affiliations. Cathy Duoba stated that under Federal law, religious organizations can give preference to people • of their religious affiliation but cannot discriminate against others. Tom Rettenbacher stated that the licensing ordinance should be as specific as possible in order to be enforceable. Leah Cummins recommended that the Plan Commission go through the proposed ordinance page by page to make changes and additions and then ask the Village Attorney to draft the specific language. (9:25 p.m., John Glass arrives. ) Len Durkee stated that Huntington Square would prefer that the minimum age for residents be 55 due to marketing concerns. Tom Rettenbacher noted that the age limit of 55 would conflict with the current Village minimum age for senior citizens, set at 60. John Glass asked that this discrepancy be looked into by the Village Attorney. Leah Cummins raised a concern regarding the requirement of a part-time person with a Masters Degree in Social work. She said that a person with years of experience in gerontology might be more qualified. Orrin Stangeland agreed and asked the Board of Health members to bring in a description of duties that would require a person to have a MSW. Stangeland stated his concern that a smaller congregate housing development might not have the resources or needs to support a 20-hour-a-week person with a MSW. Pat McHale stated that the Board of Health is adamant about • the requirement of a person with a MSW. She explained that a social worker was necessary for a senior congregate facility. She further i Plan Commission - 3 - March 18, 1986 Congregate Senior Housing (continued) noted that the main requirement for becoming a social worker was the MSW degree. ' I Following further discussion and changes to the draft ordinance, the meeting was adjourned at 11:22 p.m. Respectfully submitted, � /�J ohn Coakley Administrative Intern ms Attachment d: Chairman G Members of Plan Commission, Village President, Board of Trustees, Village Clerk, Village Manager, Assistant Village Manager, Administrative Assistant, Administrative Intern, Building Commissioner, Village Engineer, Director of Public Works, Fire Chief, Deputy Fire Chief, Village Attorney, Housing Commission, Board of Health, Community Service Board, • Park District, NWMC, Centex. • March 17, 1986 To: Plan Commission s� From: n',� catelprine Duoba Rousing Commission Subject: Senior Congregate Rousing Open Space The Village has set minimum standards for open space. The 50% standard was required at Village Grove Senior Apartments and it should be required here. It is not so much a question of whether seniors do or do not use open space for recreation but whether the space is necessary in order to be a good neighboring use for the single family homes adjacent on the north. We agree with Orland Park that "by limiting the outside dimensions of elderly housing to these same present Village standards, it will blend to with other developments in the district so the appearance of overcrowding will not be a result of allowing a higher density." Retaining 50% open space will allow the building to be set farther back from its • neighbors. There are several ways of achieving this: one possibility might be to build one story higher but with such a setback that the line of sight from neighboring back yards would be improved. Also, it should be remembered that the majority of the open space must be space usable by seniors. Lawns should not be bermed or have unusable grades. Walkways should be ramped and be without steep grades or steps. Parking The required parking standard used at Village Grove has produced parking lots that are never even half used. The Village standard for parking should be relaxed. Density Bonus Points The Commissioners applied the Orland Park Bonus system to this site and three other imaginary proposals around the Village. Each time the system appeared to wrok well, allowing higher density where it was tolerable and keeping density lower where it would be overwhelming. It does not allow the 35 units/acre requested by the petitioner. However, where density points are given (for example, two • units/acre for employing a certified nutritionist), the licensing ordinance must make provision for enforcement of that position the present draft does not address this point. PIan Commission - 2 - March 17, 1986 • Orland Park Draft Amendment The draft amendment proposed by the developer has many faults. For example, it refers to Retirement Centers not senior congregate housing, and it confuses public living space with kitchen, adminis- trative and laundry areas. The Commissioners much prefer the Orland Park draft because it seems to have a clearer idea of the concept and objectives of senior congregate housing. Some, but not all, of the points on which we agree with this ordinance draft are: retaining open space; density bonus points for amenities; less than the standard number of parking spaces; the Safety and Convenience Section; periodic assessments of resident service needs and medical history; an employee certified in CPR and an employee responsible for service referrals. Size of Parking Stalls We feel that more than the usual minimum number of handicapped-size parking stalls may be necessary, but we do not agree with Orland Park's requirement of 100% 12'x20' stalls. Provision for Balconies The Commission is almost evenly divided between the following • two positions regarding balconies: A. Orland Park's standard requiring private balconies for all units. 8. Requiring a certain number of common (shared) balconies, at least one per floor, but stating that private balconies are preferred. Design Mistakes at village Grove Floor to ceiling windows cannot be cleaned by residents. Solid railings on balconies and patios do not allow seated residents to see anything but sky. The Licensing Ordinance The Housing Commission has not yet completed its review of the original draft licensing ordinance and has had no access to the revised draft. However, we do offer the following preliminary thoughts: 1. Some provisions in the ordinance are important 'enough to be encouraged but not crucial enough to cause a license to be revoked; for example: the requirement, page 7, C-2, for quarterly resident meetings. We recommend an inter- mediate step of enforcement involving a schedule of fines. • 2. As mentioned before, cross reference the licensing ordinance with the text amendment, especially the density bonus system, so the village can enforce the points for which we have given increased density. Plan Commission - 3 - March 17, 1986 • The Licensing Ordinance (continued) 3. On page 5, #1 A, use the phrase "private transportation with a wheelchair lift". 4. On page 5, #3, the Commission is unsure that a' Master's Degree in Social Work is necessary, perhaps established work experience is equally valuable. 5. On page 5, #4, the Commission feels a Recreation Director capable of producing a good recreation program is essential while a physical therapist is not. We would delete the words "Physical Therapist". 6. On page 5, #5, we prefer the wording on page 12, #7 A. 7. On page 6, #6 A, the Fire Department should be asked for their advice on the call system. 8. On page 6, reinstate Section B from the Orland Park section on Safety and Convenience. 9. On page 7, #1 A, this belongs under Objectives at the front of the ordinance. 10. On page 7, #1 C-3, this should include a job description for the social worker. . 11. On page 8, D, is it necessary to have written proof from community agencies. 12. On page 8, B (1), should TB tests be singled out for attention? Perhaps the last sentence in this section is sufficient. Also, is "within 6 months" too long a period for the exam and assessment to remain valid? ms c: Housing Commission Members