Economic Development Minutes 2015 12-01-15Page 1 of 4
APPROVED 1/5/16
UNITED CITY OF YORKVILLE
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
Tuesday, December 1, 2015, 6:00pm
Yorkville City Hall, Conference Room
800 Game Farm Road
In Attendance:
Committee Members:
Chairman Ken Koch
Alderman Chris Funkhouser
Alderman Carlo Colosimo
Alderman Diane Teeling (left 7:57pm)
Other City Officials:
Mayor Gary Golinski
City Administrator Bart Olson
Community Development Director Krysti Barksdale-Noble
City Planner Chris Heinen
Code Official Pete Ratos
Administrative Intern Nicole Kathman
Other Guests:
Lynn Dubajic, Consultant City of Yorkville
Jeff Crane, GC Housing Development
Dawn Camp, GC Housing Development
Andy Block, GC Housing Development
Mr. Tracy Kasson, Attorney-Rathje & Woodward
Ben Moe, Resident
The meeting was called to order by Chairman Ken Koch at 6:00pm.
Citizen Comments: None
Previous Meeting Minutes: November 3, 2015
The minutes were approved as read on a unanimous voice vote.
New Business:
1. EDC 2015-49 Building Permit Report for October 2015
Mr. Ratos reported there were 7 BUILD permits in October and 1 detached single family home for a
total of 74 permits so far this year. He said prices had increased by about $40,000 from 2 years ago.
No further action.
Page 2 of 4
2. EDC 2015-50 Building Inspection Report for October 2015
There were 212 inspections for the month with 122 related to the BUILD program and 15 commercial
buildouts. No further action.
3. EDC 2015-51 Property Maintenance Report for October 2015
Several cases were adjudicated and some for the downtown area were dismissed since they were
corrected prior to the hearings. The house at 206 Heustis was found liable for a large amount of money
and the citations were a last resort, said Mr. Ratos. This residence was in violation for 35 days.
(out of sequence)
9. PC 2015-16 GC Housing Developmet – Senior Independent Living Facility – Northeast Corner
of Walnut and Freemont – Rezoning and Variance
Mr. Heinen presented the background regarding this property and said the petitioner would like to
rezone the property for a 4-story senior housing building with 75 apartments. A density increase
variance will be heard at the Zoning Board of Appeals meeting on January 6th. The petitioner is also
trying to purchase a small property to the west of the site.
Jeff Crane gave a presentation of the details of this proposed project. He said his company chose
Yorkville as being a receptive community where affordable senior housing is needed. He shared details
of the construction and amenities of the project and said they have a similar facility in Glendale
Heights (which Mr. Koch will visit). He said the residents of the building would have to meet age (55
years old minimum) and income requirements. He gave examples of rental costs for certain income
levels. Extensive renter applications are required along with verification of income and a formula is
used to determine eligibility. Mr. Olson discussed a possible rental assistance program through the
City. Mayor Golinski asked if preference could be given to veterans.
The federal government issues tax credits to each state and Mr. Crane has made an application with the
State to build. Builders receive points for certain qualifying factors to determine who receives the
credits. There are 60 such projects that have applied for assistance. He will be notified by January 4th
if this project will qualify, followed by other deadline dates. When tax credits are awarded, the
developer must guarantee that the housing will stay affordable for 30 years and there are restrictions of
the rents.
Mr. Crane said there is a contingent contract on the purchase of the property from the Catholic
archdiocese of Joliet. There is also the possibility of purchasing a small strip of land nearby to help
with density and parking. Density was discussed as a concern. It was noted that an existing facility,
Heritage Woods, has greater density than proposed here.
There was concern for the height of the proposed building in comparison to a nearby single family
home owned by Mr. Moe. It was noted that the City has fire equipment to reach 4-stories. Traffic was
also discussed and a study is being planned.
Mr. Moe was asked to voice any concerns as a nearby homeowner. He said this housing would be a
great asset for Yorkville, however, several apartment dwellers would have balconies that would
overlook his property and trees. He is also concerned about density and his property value. Alderman
Colosimo commented that the city must respect current residents and he will listen to his constituents
when voting.
Page 3 of 4
Chris Heinen said the following meetings will be scheduled for this proposed senior housing:
January 6: Zoning Board of Appeals density variance
January 13: Plan Commission rezoning hearing
January 26: City Council
4. EDC 2015-52 Economic Development Update
Ms. Dubajic said that today was her first official day as consultant to the City. She added that many
properties are being looked at for development and she will provide an update at each EDC meeting.
5. EDC 2015-53 Business Directory
Ms. Kathman said staff is trying to implement more features of the newly launched website. A
business directory may be started and a letter is being sent to local businesses for business information.
At the start, only businesses within incorporated Yorkville will be included. Comments favored only
businesses in incorporated areas since the website is taxpayer funded. Alderman Koch suggested
working with the Chamber so that businesses are not missed. However, Alderman Funkhouser noted
that many Chamber businesses are not in the City. Maps may be provided to direct visitors to certain
locations. Alderman Colosimo said he liked the idea of using the public access method rather than
depending on businesses returning information letters. Mr. Ratos said information can also be
provided upon issuance of occupancy permits. He said the Kendall County Soil and Water Cooperative
is outside the City, however, they serve the City. These types of entities could be shown under
governmental listings such as Waubonsee College. Listings of elected official should also be included.
6. EDC 2015-54 Downtown Planning
Downtown planning has been discussed as part of the Comprehensive Plan. Ms. Noble said the Plan
should be updated every 10 years. Strategies were prioritized by the Lakota Group and the top 5
priorities determined by survey respondents and other forums were:
1. Create park west of Rt. 47/purchase property along Fox River
2. Enhance Hydraulic Street with pedestrian amenities
3. Building and facade rehab
4. Riverfront trail extension/purchase land
5. “Clean and Green” legacy block
It was noted the City will have to find funding and cannot wait for State grants. The FS area does not
qualify as a major project to receive funding. The downtown area was defined as Van Emmon Park on
the east, Orange/E. Fox St. on the south, Morgan St. on the west and Fox River on the north.
The downtown TIF was also discussed and it was noted there might not be enough recapture time if
someone invested in the downtown. Mr. Olson said the City might have to take on the repayment risk
to make it successful, however, the City has not done this in the past. Alderman Colosimo said he
would like to see money invested in the south side of town. Extending the TIF would take significant
effort, said Mr. Olson. Mayor Golinski asked how current TIF members would be affected by
extending it.
The hand railings on Rt. 47 were also discussed and it was suggested to paint them black, make them
uniform height and place a handrail on the inside of the concrete wall.
Page 4 of 4
A suggestion was made by Alderman Colosimo to purchase the former Old Second Bank building for a
city hall. It would promote local businesses and represent an investment in the downtown. A second
floor could be built on top of the existing structure. Administrator Olson noted that the priority list
from the Lakota Group was suggested, but did not have to be followed.
7. EDC 2015-55 Lot Coverage
New standards were recently adopted for lot coverage and the new numbers now include all impervious
surfaces. Alderman Funkhouser suggested incentivizing the use of permeable pavers. To incentivize,
staff would have to remove language regarding permeable pavers as impervious surface. Staff gave 2
scenarios in their justification memo. Ms. Noble said the staff's position was that the present
ordinance already has an implied benefit to using pavers with no need to further incentivize. It was
decided to not make changes to the ordinance unless there are reasons to change later.
8. EDC 2015-56 Electronic Message Display Signs
Alderman Funkhouser had concerns with how the staff defines display panels. There are 3 different
definitions which Ms. Noble detailed: 1) animation, 2) text, 3) video, moving, live action. She said
staff feels the ordinance is clear and they also reviewed some signs that uses one of these 3 methods.
Mr. Funkhouser said he did not envision scrolling video. There is to be 5 seconds between screens and
one business was pointed out as being faster than that. The business owner will be notified.
Brightness of signs was also discussed. It was decided to forego any changes at this time.
Old Business: None
Additional Business: None
There was no further business and the meeting was adjourned at 8:42pm.
Minutes respectfully submitted by
Marlys Young, Minute Taker