Comp Plan Steering Committee Minutes 2015 07-16-15Page 1 of 4
APPROVED 9/29/15
UNITED CITY OF YORKVILLE
COMP PLAN STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING
Thursday, July 16, 2015 7:00pm
Yorkville City Hall, Conference Room
800 Game Farm Road
In Attendance:
Committee Members
Chairman Amy Cesich, Park Board Russ Walter, Library Board
Tom Kozlowicz, Chamber of Commerce Bill Gockman, Resident
Joel Frieders, Alderman Erin-Mickal Dickens, Resident
Deb Horaz,White Oaks Estates Adalma Stevens, Resident
Bob Delo, Windett Ridge Tim Shimp, Yorkville School District
Anthony Hansen, Resident Reagan Flavin Goins, Zoning Board of Appeals
City Officials
Krysti Barksdale-Noble, Community Development Director
Mr. Chris Heinen, City Planner
Other Guests
Nick Kalogeresis, Lakota Group Zach Lowe, GoodmanWilliams Group
Justin Weidl, Lakota Group Jim Considine, T. Y. Lin
Welcome
The meeting was called to order by Chairman Amy Cesich at 7:04pm.
Roll Call
Roll call was taken and a quorum established.
Previous Meeting Minutes May 21, 2015
The minutes were approved as read on a motion by Tom Kozlowicz and second by Bob Delo. Voice
vote approval.
Citizen Comments None
New Business
STATE OF THE CITY REPORT PRESENTATION
1. Introductory Chapters
Nick Kalogeresis welcomed all and re-introduced members of the consulting team. He said he would
give an overview of the “state of the City” report he distributed which will be revised at the end of the
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month and post it on-line for the public. He said Phase I is ending and the planning phase will begin in
the next few months. Concentration was on land and land use issues and the team studied zoning,
transportation and conducted extensive analysis of market conditions. They held a community
workshop and talked with many people. They also looked at IDOT plans and the Retail Coach Study
and tried to align with the 20/40 (regional plan) of CMAP.
Plan Process: The team established a plan area and Mr. Weidl commented that there were many holes
in the corporate boundary posing a challenge as well as opportunity.
2. Overview of Land Use Issues
Mr. Weidl said land use was classified into six different categories: residential, commercial/office,
industrial, public/quasi-public, park/open space, agricultural and discussed them as follows.
Residential
They divided the community into 2 parts: the center of the community and newer subdivisions. A
buildout scenario was considered and they estimated 110 units per year with a 50-year time frame to
buildout. If less than that is built, they will further determine what area to focus on if building growth
is slow. Infrastructure, including water is thought to be adequate for this time.
Steering Committee member Adalma Stevens asked if the consultants had projected the population 20
years from now. Mr. Lowe replied they looked at Esry Business Analyst and Mr. Heinen said staff
estimates about 19,000 people in the year 2020. Ms. Noble said the staff budgets for 60 units per year.
Mr. Kalogeresis said they considered whether different housing is needed. Current prices range from
about $225,000 to $275,000. He said they observed some monotony in the current housing stock and
landscaping and side windows could be changed to make the housing more attractive.
Commercial Land Use
Most of the commercial is north of the Fox River and they considered how to plan for future retail.
Community comments suggested the downtown should be made more attractive. It was also
questioned if too much land is zoned commercial vs. residential and population. He discussed where
additional commercial development could happen. Mr. Frieders commented that commercial zoning
has happened by default. Mr. Weidl said the commercial is scattered and he said some zoning might be
reconsidered. Mr. Delo asked where the retail analysis numbers came from.
Mr. Freiders suggested that expensive homes should not be built behind commercial. Mr. Weidl said
there should be more buffering and a smoother transition in these situations. In the past, developers
were guiding the development and there was no Comp Plan, said Ms. Noble. Developers saw cheap
land and there was very little planning. She said there is only a small area for manufacturing and more
is needed to allow for an increase in jobs.
Mr. Lowe commented on the amount of spending by consumers in the City vs. the spending on those
goods from persons outside the City. Spending habits can be obtained from the federal government
through the reporting of sales tax to the State and federal government, said Ms. Noble. Mr. Weidl said
they are aware of the desire for another grocery store and City residents only spend $9 million in
Yorkville of the $34 million being spent on groceries by the residents. Russ Walter asked about on-
line buying—it is covered in the category “non-store retailer” category.
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Industrial
Mr. Kalogeresis said Eldamain Rd. presents some challenges. The community will be asked if they
want industrial uses near residential areas, light manufacturing near the downtown where there are
industrial properties or do they want a bigger industrial area? There are some areas that could be
redeveloped in addition to the existing industrial park that could be expanded.
Public & Quasi-Public Land Use
Kendall County desires to expand their facilities--should it be downtown? Also, should city hall be
downtown?
Parks/Open Space
The City is well served by parks, open space and forest preserves etc. The Parks Dept. asked where an
indoor recreation facility could be sited in the future. Other suggestions included expanding the
riverwalk and a more realistic bike plan. Chairman Cesich said Farmers Market could also be done
under Parks and that staffing has been a problem. Regarding indoor facilities, she asked at what
population level should there be a park district? Ms. Noble said if there was a park district, the City's
involvement would be different with the Parks as they would no longer be part of the City.
Agricultural
Agriculture represents 72% of the current plan area and serves as some open space. Mr. Weidl said
typically agriculture land is not annexed into the City until it is being developed, however, Yorkville is
an exception. Should it be preserved or developed to develop a tax base? Ms. Stevens asked what
agri-tourism means--it could be spending a week on a farm, learning how they operate etc.
PUD
Ten PUD's are complete and are a mix of residential and commercial develoments. There are others in
various stages of development.
Historic Resources
The consultants found information that was collected by the State in Illinois in the 1970's and most
historic buildings are in the downtown. Mr. Kalogeresis said there is a grant program offered by the
State, though the current budget problems could affect this.
3. Overview of Transportation and Infrastructure Issues
Jim Considine addressed the transportation issues and highlighted the improvements planned or in
construction. He said there is no activity on the Prairie Parkway, though it is still shown on regional
plans so it was included on the maps related to the Comp Plan. Other proposed improvements include
the proposed Eldamain bridge and Wik-a-duke (close proximity to the City).
Transportation
Several trail plans are shown throughout the community and were built to coincide with development.
Mr. Considine noted there is little connectability between subdivisions. Regarding public
transportation, Metra is studying an extension. He said there are 3 proposed bridges over the Fox
River, though he is not sure a third one is needed. That location is north of White Oak Subdivision.
Mr. Weidl commented that due to early and fast growth, the City is in good shape regarding roadway
capacity.
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Infrastructure
Mr. Considine said no documentation was available regarding the water supply, however, the City
Engineer had an old report from 10 years ago. Water sources will need to be addressed separately and
he said there is a long-term regional study underway. Mr. Frieders added that EEI did a study on local
need and would make sense to include. YBSD reps were at a plan meeting this year and said there is
no room for expansion where they are. The system is currently at 80% of capacity. With building
permits increasing, additional capacity will be needed and will need to be considered ahead of water.
YBSD had a permit to expand and it has now expired. Alderman Frieders noted that a portion of the
City is connected to Fox Metro. He said many areas are not connected to YBSD and that lift stations
might be needed
4. Major Planning Issues
Mr. Considine said planning and boundary agreements are related to infrastructure and Yorkville has
done a great job on boundary agreements with neighboring towns. He commented on areas to the south
saying Joliet is growing into Yorkville's plan area and Millbrook is very close to the City. He said there
are several areas close to the City that are unincorporated developments. From a planning standpoint,
the City and County must establish policy and work together. Alderman Frieders asked if there is a
method that can be used to accept property into the City and have the responsibility on the landowner.
Mr. Considine said these situations are labor intensive for the City Staff.
Mr. Weidl summarized the planning issues and asked the committee members to prioritize the 12 major
planning issues shown at the end of the handout (“The Yorkville Plan”) distributed at this meeting.
The results were collected to give the consultants guidance as to the importance of each issue. He
invited comments about the “Yorkville Plan” report or other topics. This will be made public on the
website.
PROJECT SCHEDULE UPDATE
State of the City Report Revisions Timeline & Community Workshop No. 2
A state of the City report will be compiles before the end of the month and a community workshop will
be held in September or October.
Ms. Stevens asked about the legal name of the City which is United City of Yorkville, but it is
shortened to City of Yorkville.
The next meeting will be held in early September.
Adjournment
There was no further business and the meeting adjourned at 8:45pm on a motion by Mr. Frieders and
second by Mr. Delo. Voice vote approval.
Minutes respectfully submitted by Marlys Young, Minute Taker