Plan Commission Minutes 2002 05-08-02 1
UNITED CITY OF YORKVILLE D O
PLAN COMMISSION MEETING
WEDNESDAY, MAY 8,2002
Acting Chairman Anne Lucietto called the meeting to order at 7:10 p.m.
ROLL CALL
Members present: Kerry Green, Clarence Holdiman,Jeff Baker,Anne Lucietto,Bill
Davis,Brian Schillinger,Tom Mizel,Ted King and Andrew Kubala.
Members absent: Sandra Adams,Jack Jones,Michael Crouch and Tom Lindblom.
VISITORS
Those who spoke at the meeting or signed the sign-in sheet were: Tom Grant, Joel
Strassman, Rich Guerard, Will Schelusky, Mary Block, Dallas Ingemunson, Henrietta
Undesser,Bob Nelson, City Planner Mike Schoppe,Mayor Art Prochaska, City Attorney
Dan Kramer,Mitch LaFave and Mike Feraguto.
A quorum was established.
MINUTES
Minutes from the April 10 meeting were approved with one correction on Page 2.
Minutes from the April 17 meeting were approved without changes.
OLD BUSINESS
1. PC 2002-11 River's Edge,Phase H: S & K Development-Final Plat
Tom Grant said S & K Development would meet all of the requirements in Joe Wyrot's
letter. He asked the Plan Commission to approve the final plat subject to the compliance
of Joe's comments and final engineering by the city engineer.
Andrew Kubala made a motion to approve the final plat subject to the comments made in
the city engineer's letter. Kerry Green seconded the motion. The motion was
unanimously approved by roll call vote. Green,Holdiman,Baker, Lucietto,Davis,
Schillinger,Mizel,King and Kubala voted yes.
2. Update of Comprehensive Plan—Final Draft
Joel Strassman said the text and map were revised based on comments from the April 17
meeting. A lot of extraneous lines were removed, corrections were made in labeling and
names of the railroads were changed to show current ownership, he said.
The biggest change, however, was to the top section of the map with the addition of a
transitional residential neighborhood next to the Oswego border. The area previously
was show as a suburban neighborhood.
A definition of density also was added and other comments made in a letter from Kubala
were made. Kubala said he did not see where some of those changes occurred. Lucietto
suggested a decision on approval of the final draft be moved to later in the meeting.
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Kubala moved to continue discussion until the end of the meeting. King seconded the
motion. The motion was unanimously approved by voice vote.
3. PC 2001-18 The Highlands: Wyndham Deerpoint Homes, petition to re-zone.
Rich Guerard said some changes were made to the plan that is being resubmitted. The
10-acre park site and 21-acre school site were flipped to allow for the Yorkville Park
District's request for a trail connection.
Guerard said the plan is to make the full park district contribution with high and dry.
Open space in the project was a 26 percent and is now at 28 percent of the site.
Also,he said the townhomes have been eliminated and converted to duplexes. Guerard
said the density of the entire project has been reduced by 60 units. The plan now calls for
649 total units—403 single-family homes and 246 duplex units.
Guerard said a boulevard would run from an entry through the duplex area to the school
site and the two entries to the property feature buffer areas. The entry on Route 71 will
feature three acres of buffer area and the entry on Route 126 will feature a landscaped
entry way. Guerard said the developers have submitted landscape plans to the city.
Along the area where the lots border the Block property, a 10-foot easement with very
heavy landscaping in it will be installed. Guerard said the landscaping would be a barrier
type of landscaping.
Guerard said the Yorkville School District sent a letter to the city giving its approval of
the location of the site. He said it makes sense to put the school next to property that may
someday be developed. Guerard also said the school prefers a six-foot board on board
fence on the property.
Guerard said there is a lot of open space in the project. Gross density was at 2.21 and
under the revised plan dropped to 2.02, which is at the high end of the estate density
under the new comprehensive plan draft.
In response to questions from Kubala and Brian Schillinger about buffers, Guerard said
they're willing to do either a 10-foot buffer easement with heavy landscaping or the fence
along the Block property line. In addition, the same intensity of buffers without the high
trees will be installed in other areas of the development.
Schillinger raised concerns about controlled burns necessary on those types of buffers
and said they could threaten crops. However, City Planner Mike Schoppe said the burns
generally take place before the crops are planted.
Guerard also said the detention ponds in the development will be wet all the time and that
seems to be the favored method for water quality and recharging aquifers.
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Landscaping will be dense when it's installed. Guerard said the ha-ha concept that had
previously been suggested wouldn't work with the development because it creates
drainage issues.
Schoppe said Guerard will put language from the Kendall County Right to Farm
statement on all of the plats.
Guerard said he is no longer seeking R3 zoning for townhomes, only R2 single family
and R2D duplex zoning.
Guerard said a traffic study has been completed. Improvements will be needed to Routes
71 and 126. He said the Illinois Department of Transportation will dictate what those
improvements need to be.
Dallas Ingemunson,representing the Block family, stated his opposition to the
development. He said he understands the developer's position,but that the Plan
Commission needs to consider the community as a whole. He said the Plan Commission
shouldn't sacrifice the density it prefers because a developer needs to have a certain
density to make his project work.
He also said that until IDOT approves the entrance on Route 126, there is nothing to talk
about.
Regarding the buffers, Ingemunson said that the high-density buffers will only be placed
where lots abut the Block property. He said people could walk around the buffers to get
to the farm. If the developer is only going to put buffers where the lots are, he might as
well not put any up, Ingemunson said.
Ingemunson said the Block farm is not an ordinary farm and that Guerard has"out of
hand" dismissed the ha-ha concept. He said he asks for very strong consideration of a
meaningful barrier.
He also said Guerard has never bothers to see Mary Block, However,Guerard said the
three of them met in Ingemunson's office. Ingemunson said that was only once and it was
at the request of City Administrator Tony Graff.
Schillinger asked if the development could consist of single-family homes only.
However, Guerard said it makes sense to have mixed use. He said it's a logical planning
use.
Mizel commented on the fact that this is a huge development coming to Yorkville and
that other towns such as Oswego have felt growing pains.
Schillinger commented that it seems the developer has tried to work things out with the
city and still be able to make a profit.
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Regarding the issue of a traffic study, Guerard the study conducted says that people will
not cut through other subdivisions to get to the Highlands. Some of the connections put
into the plan are there so that people will use them,he said.
Will Schelusky, an engineer for the project, said plans have been sent to the Illinois
Department of Transportation. Initial discussions with IDOT would indicate IDOT would
favor a left turn lane, a right deceleration lane and other roadway features that could
require some changes to the existing land.
Kubala asked if mechanisms were in place to protect surrounding property owners with
issues such as draining. Wyrot answered that there are ordinances and other mechanisms
in place to protect the property owners.
Regarding comments about changing the landscape to meet IDOT requirements, Baker
said the hills are the cool part of the road. He said he didn't like hearing the engineer say
the hills could be cut out if IDOT recommended it.
Lucietto reminded everyone that the commission needed to look at the zoning issues.
Attorney Dan Kramer reminded commissioners that if they approved zoning,they were
not necessarily approving the plan presented. The developers still need to return with a
preliminary plat.
Prochaska commented that there are stubs into the Country Hills subdivision because
there currently is only one exit and entrance into the subdivision. He also said that the
Wheeler/Davidson property next to the proposed Highlands area has already been platted
and approved for single-family housing.
Kubala made a motion to reconsider R2 PUD for single-family housing. Schillinger
seconded the motion. The motion was approved 6-2 by a roll call vote. Holdiman, Baker,
Lucietto, Schillinger,King and Kubala voted yes. Green and Davis voted no. Mizel
abstained.
Kubala made a motion to reconsider P2 PUD zoning for single-family residence. Baker
seconded the motion. The motion was approved 6-3 by a roll call vote. Baker, Lucietto,
Schillinger, King, Kubala and Holdiman voted yes. Davis, Mizel and Green voted no.
Kubala made a motion to reconsider R21) zoning for duplexes. Baker seconded the
motion. The motion was approved 6-3 by a roll call vote. Schillinger, King, Kubala,
Green, Holdiman and Baker voted yes. Lucietto, Davis and Mizel voted no.
Kubala made a motion to approve R213 zoning for duplexes. Schillinger seconded the
motion. The motion was approved by a 7-2 vote. Schillinger,King, Kubala, Green,
Holdiman, Baker and Lucietto voted yes. Davis and Mizel voted no.
After the votes, Ingemunson asked that the minutes reflect the Block family's concerns
about drainage and the buffer area.
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Davis said that the value of the Highlands property is because it is in an agricultural area.
He said it would be a disservice if the developers don't take into consideration the effects
the development will have on the Block property.
NEW BUSINESS
PC 2002-06 Westbury Village: Ocean Atlantic, petitioners request to rezone.
Mitch LaFave from Ocean Atlantic commented on the bus trip some Yorkville officials
took to see similar developments in the area by Ocean Atlantic.
Of the 240 acres that have been annexed to the city,600 feet along Route 47 have been
designated for B3 commercial, 60 acres for M-1 industrial and 160 acres for R2 single-
family and R213 for duplexes. About 60 acres still need to be annexed.
Ocean Atlantic is seeking a mixed use PUD that is less dense than what was agreed to in
1997. Mike Feraguto said the developers have eliminated plans for industrial uses.
Current plans call for traditional townhomes with a density of eight units per acre,
courtyard townhomes and single-family detached homes on 10,000 and 12,000 square
foot lots. Also included is a 20-acre pod of luxury apartments with a density of 15 units
per acre. Overall density of the project is four units per acre.
The developers also will run a trunk sewer one-mile up Rob Roy Creek and run the sewer
south two miles. In addition,they intend to beautify Rob Roy Creek.
Green commented that a single entrance into the northern part of the proposed
development would never be approved. Feraguto commented that there are two proposed
entries off Galena Road.
Davis suggested that the commercial aspect be removed.
Green also said that Rob Roy Creek does flood. Schoppe said that the city is undergoing
a study on the 100-year flood plain. He said it would be completed in June.
Green said his point is that he's looking for more than just some open space as a
contribution. He would rather see space for people to go and do things, such as play ball.
Schoppe said that of the requirements, 32 acres for the land-cash ordinance must be on
high and dry ground. Of that would be some consideration for a trail system along Rob
Roy Creek, he said. The recommendation from the park board would be to consider a
regional park, he said.
Feraguto said the development plan calls for 115 single-family units with lot sizes of
12,000 square feet; 280 single family units with lot sizes of 10,000 square feet; 220
courtyard townhomes, 320 apartments, 55 acres of open space and 20 acres of
commercial property.
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LaFave said the idea of the bus tour was to show city officials what the typical Ocean
Atlantic development looks like. Mizel said that Yorkville is not a typical town. He said
that the minimum lot size requirement is 12,000 square feet. He said he has problems
with plans for four units per acre. He suggested the developers reconsider the 10,000
square foot lots and the density.
Schoppe asked how this plan relates to the existing and proposed new comprehensive
plan. He said the existing plan shows two areas of commercial uses on the property with
the balance of single-family homes at a density of 2.2 to 3.3 units per acre. Under the
draft version of an updated plan,the area calls for two commercial pods and a transitional
designation on the balance of the property which would mean a density of 2.25 to 3.5
units per acre predicated on the amount of open space provided.
Feraguto said the 1997 annexation agreement talks about a Route 59 commercial type of
strip. However, he said that's not what they want to do. He said they want excellence in
design. They want to soften what's in place. They want to create a workable PUD and to
get in and get out in four to six years.
With regard to the single-family detached homes, the yard size is still fairly good, he said.
The families who live there typically aren't interested in big yards to maintain, he said.
They'd rather have smaller yards with access to a big open space area.
Feraguto said clustering the product together also decreases the lineal footage of
roadways, sanitary sewers and water mains and makes the development less costly. It
also reduces maintenance costs, he said.
Schillinger asked, "What's the benefit to Yorkville to take a piece of land like this and
cram it full of people."
Feraguto said that typically big commercial users look for rooftops before coming to a
community. He said rooftops get communities a big commercial base. Schillinger
commented that fast residential growth has hurt Oswego.
Prochaska commented that there is an asphalt and concrete plant near the area. He said
it's a viable business that has been there for a number of years. He said this would be the
first residential area that would abut that business. He said he wouldn't want the city to
lose that business.
LaFave said the developers are envisioning more of a Randall Road look than a Route 59.
Schoppe said that at this stage of the game,the commercial component of the plan is
different than what is in the city's comprehensive plan. He asked the commission
members to let the developers know how they feel about the single-family,townhomes
and apartment components of the plan.
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Schillinger told the developers they're going to have a hard time. "We haven't seen
anything closely resembling this," he said. Schillinger said the city isn't looking to
generate rooftops, it's looking to control growth.
Mizel said he'd prefer to see the density reduced. Lucietto commented that historically
the commission has had strong feelings against high-density developments.
Feraguto said that apartments are needed on a project such as this. He said about 1/3 of
the renters market is empty-nesters who are moving into smaller homes. About 2/3
consists of young couples with virtually no children. The apartments are typically owned
by real estate investment trusts. The townhomes, he said provide a maintenance-free
lifestyle.
Mizel said he envisions Naperville and Route 59 where people hop on the Metra station.
That's the people the development will attract, he said. Feraguto said that's not been the
company's experience. Mizel said people move to Yorkville for its small-town
atmosphere. He said the proposed plan goes against everything he has ever seen for a
small town atmosphere.
Green said he's concerned about flooding on the creek and about the impact the
development would have. LaFave said the developers would meet all of the requirements.
Summarizing the commissions concerns,Lucietto said flooding, density and turnouts
seem to be the biggest issues.
Schillinger said the development does not show the character that most of the
commissioners have been seeking.
Feraguto said it's difficult to address some of the comments without knowing the
economic model of the city.
Prochaska said that the draft of the comprehensive plan shows the area of the proposed
development as a transitional area. Under a transitional area,there can be some high-
density developments,but they must meet certain requirements.
Feraguto said they're not going to fight. They'd go back to what they originally proposed
which was a commercial strip. He said they try to do a good job. He said Mrs. Undesser
annexed the property to the city in 1997 with certain expectations.
Update of Comprehensive Plan Draft
Adding to comments made earlier in the meeting, Strassman said the plan has language
as to how open spaces would be used to create more meaningful open space.
Prochaska said the transitional areas can have different meanings and that those meanings
need to be made clearer. For instance,a transitional neighborhood could transition from
county to city or schools to high density.
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Baker asked about a third bridge. Prochaska said once the transportation study is
completed, it would be an overlay on the plan. He said that by law the plan has to be
reviewed every five years and he said the city would not build a bridge by then. Baker
also asked why a proposed site for a Metra station was on the plan. Prochaska said a
proposed site has to be identified for the city to even be considered as a possible location
for a site.
Davis said he believe Baker is asking if the city could lose funding for a bridge if it's not
on the map. However,Prochaska said it would be there once the transportation study is
completed.
Kubala pointed out several changes that still needed to be made to the plan.
Commissioners decided to vote on the plan so that it could progress to the next step.
Mizel made a motion to approve the comprehensive plan update. Baker seconded the
motion. The motion was unanimously approved by voice vote.
ADDITIONAL BUSINESS
Because Chairman Lindblom was out of town,the commission gave permission to
Lucietto to sign the Menard's plat in his absence.
Schoppe informed the commission that two meetings would be necessary in June. The
meetings will be June 12 and N.
The meeting adjourned at 9:55 p.m.
Minutes respectfully submitted by Dina Gipe