Lake County Gazette

City of Highland Park Plan and Design Commission met August 7.

Here is the agenda provided by the Board:

I. Call To Order

At 7:30 PM Commissioner Glazer called the meeting to order and asked Director Fontane to call the roll.

II. Roll Call

Members Present: Glazer, Kutscheid, Leaf, Waxman

Members Absent: Hecht, Pearlstein, Reinstein

Director Fontane took the roll and declared a quorum present.

Staff Present: Cross, Jackson

Student Rep.: Cortes

Council Liaison: Blumberg

Commissioner Glazer entertained a motion to preside over the meeting of August 7, 2018. Commissioner Waxman so motioned, seconded by Commissioner Kutscheid. On a voice vote, the motion was approved unanimously.

Planner Cross stated notice was made for an item that is no longer on tonight’s agenda.

The application was withdrawn for a special use permit at 176 Skokie Valley Rd. for an animal hospital. The circumstances surrounding the application changed and the application was withdrawn.

III. Approval Of Minutes

July 17, 2018

Minutes for the July 17, 2018 Regular PDC meeting will appear on the August 21, 2018 agenda for review.

IV. Scheduled Business

A. Design Review - No items for consideration.

B. Public Hearing 18-06-PUD-004 for a Major Amendment to the Planned Development for Crossroads Shopping Center at 135-295 Skokie Valley Rd. to Request Additional Zoning Relief Related to Off-Street Parking.

Planner Jackson made a presentation for the above item including application summary, project location, project background, re-tenanting to restaurant uses, parking relief, traffic impact and parking study, third party review by Civiltech Engineering, employee parking plan, pre-app follow-up and responses, application waivers, special use standards, PUD standards and recommendation.

Commissioner Leaf asked if there was research done about the Highland Park Hospital light that was installed after their development.

Planner Jackson stated there was not.

Planner Cross stated the police may have tracked reduction or increase data in accidents, but there was no follow up.

Commissioner Leaf this was mentioned at the pre-app meeting and they were given a deadline specific agenda item to rule on the stop light.

Planner Cross stated they could look into this for the next meeting.

Commissioner Leaf asked about shared parking and how did it apply to the PUD.

Planner Cross stated the concept of shared parking can be used in the PUD just as in a by right development. The shared parking is for more complementary uses. In this situation it is taken more aggregately between all the parking demands of the tenants. They can suggest a complementary parking arrangement as part of the request for relief.

Commissioner Leaf stated he was not sure what the legal grounds were.

Planner Cross stated they were the same.

Acting Chair Glazer mentioned if the parking lot is reconfigured there would be some loss of spaces. He asked if the plans called for any reconfigurations.

Planner Jackson stated the plans do not call for any such reconfiguration.

Ms. Julie Workman, Meltzer, Purtill & Stelle, 300 S. Wacker Dr., Chicago, IL, Attorney, made a presentation including major amendment to Crossroads Shopping Center planned development, not looking at a particular restaurant, abundance of parking, traffic impact and parking study, current conditions, proposed re-tenanting, additional steps being taken to mitigate potential parking concerns and snow removal

Commissioner Waxman asked how many stores are open in the evening.

Ms. Workman stated she did not know but could find out.

Mr. Dan Brinkman, Gewalt Hamilton, 625 Forest Edge, Vernon Hills, IL, stated he did not have the exact hours of operations for all the uses.

Commissioner Waxman asked how long they anticipated a restaurant to be open at night.

Mr. Brinkman stated they usually close around 8:00 or 9:00 PM.

Acting Chair Glazer asked about the weekends.

Mr. Brinkman stated weekends are probably later. They did hourly occupancy counts between 8:00 and 9:00 PM. By 6:00 the center was at 50% occupancy, by 8:00 it was 32%, on Saturday by 6:00 is was 31%, by 8:00 it was 15% and by 9:00 it was 6% occupancy. There is more than an abundance of parking by 6:00 to 8:00.

Acting Chair Glazer asked if there was a policy or lease requirement that the stores have to close by a certain time.

Ms. Workman stated she did not have that information, but could check. Fast, casual restaurants are usually open until 9:00. They are about 5,000 s.f. out of the whole center.

Commissioner Kutscheid asked about the stacking on the north and south is a maximum of two cars and if that was correct.

Mr. Brinkman stated they looked at a peak hour and 95% of the time the stack is that long or shorter. The Saturday mid-day peak occurs from 1:00 to 2:00. There is more traffic later in the day on Skokie Valley Rd. and the queue for left turns at the center access gets closer to 5.5 cars at 100% occupancy of the center.

Commissioner Kutscheid stated there plenty of room for queueing in the center aisle. It is the north and south where there is not a lot of room.

Mr. Brinkman stated they can queue about eight cars in the center aisle before you get to the drive aisle.

Commissioner Kutscheid asked if delivery was figured in the traffic counts.

Mr. Brinkman stated the traffic counts are fast casual restaurants. If the restaurant use that comes in has some high turnover or pickup functionality it might be appropriate to look at short term parking spaces. They City has two different parking requirements for restaurant space. One is 15 per 1,000 for the whole space and the higher one is the fast food where it is 20 spaces per 1,000. Since they do not know the tenant mix, they used the higher parking requirement in their analyses.

Commissioner Kutscheid stated delivery is becoming more common and asked if this was figured in. He asked if 20 was enough as part of the traffic calculation.

Mr. Brinkman stated they have done the best they can with the information to tried and address this. The national data covers all types of restaurants but it not the constant fast food.

Commissioner Kutscheid stated delivery or pick-up is going to become more and more common. He mentioned Barnaby’s or Max’ deli as pickup restaurants. He asked if that was figured in the way they did the traffic counts.

Mr. Brinkman stated the traffic generation has not yet caught up with that phenomenon. Planner Cross stated Highland Park’s requirements contemplate a seating allotment. They are seeing an increase in pickup and delivery and it decreases demand for seating. The calculations that the Federal team used are conservative and are calling for more parking than will be needed for this evolving model.

Commissioner Leaf stated there are two issues, parking and traffic. He was concerned about the traffic and thought more work had to be around that. Civiltech pointed out peak hours on Saturday. He would like to see a traffic signal warrant analysis done and have Civiltech double check it.

Mr. Brinkman stated they did this in the supplemental information provided and they looked at the existing traffic. They did a quick analysis of the warrants for the existing traffic before any additional uses. Currently none of the peak hours they looked at meet those requirements. They can certainly do that and it will be close but when you go through the warrant process based on the federal requirements the strong suggestion is to take out traffic that is going to make a right turn on red.

Commissioner Leaf stated it would be for current and 2022

Mr. Brinkman stated they can do this.

Acting Chair Glazer asked about the time and expense to do this and asked to hear more about what they have already done in updating the 2010 evaluation.

Mr. Brinkman stated in the 2010 study by Civiltech there was a provision in the PUD amendment that within a year the City would do a follow up of the study to see if the traffic after LA Fitness was open warranted a traffic signal. They looked at peak hour warrants.

Commissioner Kutscheid asked what is a warrant.

Mr. Brinkman stated it is a minimum threshold at which point the federal standards which lay out different criteria for thresholds for meeting the minimum volume when you may install a traffic signal. The easiest one is the peak hour where you need a certain volume threshold. In the supplemental analysis they prepared when you look at peak hour volume there is a chart showing lanes and two lanes existing the center.

Commissioner Leaf asked if the manual specifically addressed a shopping center to a four lane road.

Mr. Brinkman stated it does not. It is based on lane configuration. They did not back out the right turn volumes and it is based on the 2017 study.

Commissioner Leaf stated this was in Planner Jackson’s presentation.

Commissioner Leaf stated they were close to requiring it.

Mr. Brinkman stated these volumes are a little higher. The closest was the Saturday midday with 200 cars leaving the center and just over 1,100 cars on Skokie Valley Rd. and they are still 50-60 cars short at that time.

Acting Chair Glazer asked if they are OK on the timing.

Mr. Brinkman stated they were.

Commissioner Leaf asked about the level of service calculations in the submittals and if they would change much with the different volumes.

Mr. Brinkman stated when they looked at Saturday peak hour which occurs later they saw there is less traffic using the south entrance and more at the center. The level of service improves minimally at the south end.

Commissioner Leaf stated he was concerned about the E levels of service.

Acting Chair Glazer asked about point #9 in the Civiltech evaluation where they talk about the same distribution percentage as shown for both arrivals and departures for the afternoon and Saturday peak hours instead of a different distribution.

Mr. Brinkman stated because of the access and the way they operate there is actually a different arrival and departure pattern. More people come in from the south. 60% of the traffic arrives from the south and 40% arrives from the north. When it leaves the distribution is different and 55% go back south and 45% go north. It is a different arrival pattern.

Acting Chair Glazer stated people might be coming from Rt. 41 and stop at the center and keep going north.

Mr. Brinkman stated they could pick something up at Max’ and make a right in and right out. It is a different arrival and departure pattern.

Acting Chair Glazer stated they understood the application and what is driving it. He applauded the effort they are making to jump into increased restaurant space in light of the downturn in retail. He stated it was well thought out. He thought they were leaning toward asking them to return with the rest of the information. He asked if staff could prepare draft findings of fact recommending approval consistent with their findings at the next meeting after they have more discussion with the applicant.

Commissioner Waxman stated this was a good idea.

Commissioner Leaf stated he was concerned about the traffic and what the analysis shows.

Acting Chair Glazer stated they can amend the draft findings or not proceed at all. In case they are satisfied it might be of some help if staff has them ready to go.

Planner Jackson asked whether or not they still wanted a third party review of the signal warrant.

Commissioner Leaf stated he would like to see it.

Planner Jackson stated it is about a two to three week process.

Acting Chair Glazer stated he was not sure it was necessary in light of the additional time and expense associated with a third party. He asked what the Commission thought.

Commissioner Waxman did not think they needed it.

Commissioner Kutscheid stated it seemed like crunching numbers.

Commissioner Leaf stated it is very close to the warrant and he would like to see the data model. He thought it was their duty to analyze the traffic impact to see if the signal is warranted.

Acting Chair Glazer thought when they returned at the next meeting and if it seemed appropriate at that time, they could continue again if they are not satisfied with the information they receive from the applicant.

Acting Chair Glazer entertained a motion to continue to the August 21, 2018 meeting and to direct staff to prepare findings of fact recommending approval. Commissioner Waxman so motioned, seconded by Commissioner Kutscheid.

Director Fontane called the roll:

Ayes: Leaf, Waxman, Kutscheid, Glazer

Nays: None

Motion passed 4-0.

Acting Chair Glazer reminded Planner Jackson they were going to hold that issue and would not ask for it at the next meeting, but would keep it alive in case they decide it is appropriate on August 21, 2018.

Acting Chair Glazer thanked the applicant and stated they looked forward to seeing them at the next meeting.

V. Other Business

A. Administrative Design Review Approvals - None for Review

B. Next Regular Meeting - August 21, 2018

D. Case Briefing

Planner Cross stated the August 21st agenda will have two pre-app discussions.

Commissioner Kutscheid stated Beelow’s had completed their painting.

Planner Cross stated Dan Beelow had been very cooperative.

Commissioner Kutscheid mentioned the plastic building at the corner of Green Bay and Central and that their walls were ripped.

Planner Cross stated they would look into it.

Director Fontane stated Lake County Cleaners is finishing up their upgrades and they should be finished by the end of the month.

Acting Chair Glazer asked about the brewery.

Director Fontane stated they are looking at the Zuzu space and there is no update on the Witty’s space.

VI. Business From The Public

None.

VII. Adjournment

Commissioner Glazer entertained a motion to adjourn. Commissioner Waxman so motioned, seconded by Commissioner Kutscheid. On a voice vote, the motion passed unanimously.

The Plan and Design Commission adjourned at 8:25 Pm.

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