Lake County Gazette

Village of Deerfield Plan Commission met May 11

Here are the minutes provided by the commission:

The Plan Commission of the Village of Deerfield called to order a Public Hearing at 6:30 P.M. on May 11, 2023 at Deerfield High School.

Present were:

Al Bromberg, Chairman

Blake Schulman

Jennifer Goldstone

Lisa Crist

Bill Keefe

Kenneth Stolman

Sara Lubezny

Also present:

Jeff Ryckaert, Principal Planner

Daniel Nakahara, Planner

Carmen Forte, Village Attorney

DOCUMENT APPROVAL

1. Recommendation Regarding Amendments to the Comprehensive Plan; Text Amendments to the Zoning Ordinance to Create a New Entertainment and Limited Retail Business District; and a Map Amendment for 0, 1411, 1415, 1417, 1419, 1425, 1435 and 1445 Lake Cook Road

Commissioner Goldstone moved, seconded by Commissioner Schulman to approve the recommendation. The motion passed with a unanimous voice vote.

2. April 20, 2023 Plan Commission Minutes

Chair Bromberg provided a correction to the minutes. Commissioner Goldstone moved, seconded by Commissioner Crist to approve the minutes with the correction. The motion passed with a unanimous voice vote.

3. April 27, 2023 Plan Commission Minutes

Chair Bromberg provided a correction to the minutes. Commissioner Goldstone moved, seconded by Commissioner Crist to approve the minutes with the correction. The motion passed with a unanimous voice vote.

Chair Bromberg announced that at this meeting, the Petitioner Bridge Industrial will present its proposal. The Plan Commission and Village staff will ask any questions they have for the petitioner. An objector to the petition (Thorngate HOA Board of Directors) has notified the Commission that they are asking for additional time to prepare a case against the petition once the petitioner has concluded its presentation. Therefore, following questions from the Plan Commission, the Chair will entertain a motion to continue the hearing to a later date to accommodate this request. While no public comment on the petition will be taken at this meeting, an opportunity for all public comment will be provided at a further hearing date to be announced. Chair Bromberg reiterated that the Plan Commission has not formed opinions yet and will not until all information has been presented and all public comment has been heard. Chair Bromberg stated that there have been signs placed around town and Public Works removes any signs on Village property but signs on private property will not be touched.

Public Comment on a Non-Agenda Item

There were no comments from the public on a non-agenda item.

PUBLIC HEARING

1) Continued Public Hearing on the Request for Approval of an Annexation, a Rezoning from R-1 Single-Family Residence District to I-2 Limited Industrial District; a Text Amendment to the I-2 Limited Industrial District to Allow a Motor Freight Terminal; an Amendment to the Comprehensive Plan, a Resubdivision, a Special Use for a Preliminary and Final Development Plan for an Industrial Planned Unit Development for Two Industrial Buildings; a Concept Plan for a Recreational Facility, and Any Necessary Exceptions for the Planned Unit Development on the 101-Acre Property Located in Unincorporated Lake County at 1 Baxter Parkway for Bridge Industrial (current Baxter Healthcare Corporation campus located to the north of Horizon Therapeutics and south of Parkway North Center on Saunders Road)

THIS MEETING WAS CONTINUED FROM APRIL 27, 2023 PLAN COMMISSION MEETING

Chairman Bromberg swore in all who plan to testify before the Commission.

Mr. Ryckaert reported that the legal notice for this matter was published in the Deerfield Review on April 6, 2023 and the petitioner provided proof of certified mailing.

The petitioner’s attorney, Jerry Callahan with O’Donnell Callahan law firm addressed the Commission. He represents Bridge with respect to this application. He stated that he has provided proof of certified mailing and the list of those who were sent the notice.

David Meek, attorney for Thorngate HOA, stated that he tendered a letter to Village on April 25, 2023 requesting to continue the hearing and appreciates this being considered. He also questioned if the applicant had followed protocol and filed a Final Development Plan. He commented that they have tried to collapse the Preliminary and Final Development Plans for the Planned Unit Development (PUD), however there are mandatory requirements for filing a Final Development Plan and the application is deficient because of this. He added that it is missing three components that are supposed to be reviewed by the Plan Commission for a recommendation to move forward to the Village Board. He is asking whether the Village has considered if the application is ready to be heard because these three areas of concern. These include proposed covenants, conditions and restrictions that would be applicable to a multi-lot development, a letter from the Village Engineer, and a final development plan with a development agreement. Mr. Meek stated that these are mandatory requirements that have not been satisfied by the application. And he feels they should not move forward because they do not have those pieces of information.

Village Attorney Carmen Forte stated that they can proceed with the public hearing today, and if they find after that the application is insufficient or deficient, they can make those findings.

Mr. Callahan replied that with respect to the development agreement, several months ago they proposed to the Village that because it is an annexation they will submit an annexation and development agreement later because it is standard practice that the Village prepare a draft annexation agreement. He believes they will have plenty of time to do that given that this will take some time. He stated that all engineering has been submitted and they cannot control when a letter from the Village Engineer will be issued. They expect that the Plan Commission will not make a recommendation until they see that letter. And regarding covenants, conditions and restrictions, this property is going to remain under the ownership of Bridge and those are only necessary if you are going to have more than one owner.

Mr. Callahan reviewed that there are a number of things requested by Bridge as part of this petition. First is an annexation because the property is unincorporated. Per the Village’s Zoning Ordinances, upon annexation the property would be zoned R-1. There is a request to rezone it to I-2 which would be appropriate for this site. They are also asking for a text amendment to describe this specific use and list it. This is important to the Village because there are limitations on what properties would qualify for this use. For example they must be at least 75 acres and must be adjacent to the tollway. They are also requesting a special use for a Planned Unit Development (PUD), as this is customary for a development like this. And the PUD provides the opportunity to be more flexible in the project design and get exceptions, as bulk standards do not always work for large developments. They will also review their preliminary and final development plan, concept plan, and preliminary and final plat of subdivision for three lots and four outlots. And lastly, they are asking for exceptions with regard to a rezoning. To do this there are findings that the Plan Commission will make. One of them is with respect to existing uses. The surrounding land uses are commercial to the north, south and southeast. And to the northeast and northwest are single family residential land uses.

Mr. Callahan reviewed the standards for rezoning. First, he reviewed the suitability of the property in question for the permitted uses under the existing and proposed zoning. It is unincorporated, and about two thirds is zoned limited industrial in Lake County, and this allows what Bridge is proposing, however Bridge wants to come into the Village of Deerfield. And the remaining third along Saunders to the north is zoned for office in Lake County. Mr. Callahan commented that it is important to understand that it is already zoned for limited industrial. It is zoned for warehouse and distribution, and this is not a special use but a permitted use in Lake County. Mr. Callahan reported that he will review the trend of development in the general area including changes which may have taken place. Suburban office has been decreasing which is why Baxter decided to sell. And he is certain there will be no office interest. This use is consistent with the trend of development in the market.

Mr. Callahan reported that they are requesting a text amendment to describe the use requested. Bridge worked with Village staff to define this to limit what would be available for this type of use. The standard is if it will benefit the public which is for the Plan Commission to decide. They believe it will. And finally, findings for the PUD include effect on the community. Mr. Callahan stated that they believe it will not be significantly or materially determinantal to or endanger the public health, safety and welfare of the community. And regarding the impact of the development on the tax base and economic well-being of the Village, the site is being proposed to be annexed into Deerfield. It would add to the tax base without any burden on the schools. And it will remove an underutilized obsolete corporate campus There is also a request to amend the Comprehensive Plan to change the land use which is consistent with the Comprehensive Plan because it is one of the only parcels that the Village has identified for possible annexation. Mr. Callahan added that it will provide job opportunities and the traffic volumes will be lower than when Baxter was at full strength. Trees and green space will be preserved, and there are green development components including being solar ready (for solar panels on the roof of the buildings). And finally, he stated that there will be a contribution to the Park District that will be described. Regarding effect on the neighborhood, he stated that the PUD will not be injurious to the use and enjoyment of other property in the immediate vicinity for the purposes already permitted, nor will it diminish or impair property values in the neighborhood. He stated that they will hear from the traffic consultant and civil engineer to review Village infrastructure which will be lower for this use than historically, and an appraiser to address land values. He added that green areas are being preserved, and the Park District will receive land and other contributions. Lastly, Mr. Callahan stated that the proposed PUD will not impeded the normal or orderly development and improvement of the surrounding properties. The development will provide job opportunities, consumers for local restaurants and businesses, and Park District improvements. Utilities and facilities are already there so there is no need to bring in any new (utilities). He also commented that the site has adequate ingress and egress which the traffic consultant will address. This plan is meeting regulations aside from the exceptions requested which can be incorporated into the PUD, and the Plan Commission can recommend or not recommend approving these.

Chair Bromberg commented that regarding the annexation, they would not need to annex into Deerfield as they are unincorporated Lake County, and their proposal is a permitted use in Lake County. He asked why they want to annex into Deerfield. Mr. Callahan replied that it is not all zoned limited industrial, about a third is zoned office. And there is no office market. So they could develop some of it in that way but not all, and there is also an advantage to being in a municipality in terms of services available. He added that the Comprehensive Plan identifies this as a parcel to be annexed. Mr. Callahan stated that Bridge talked to the Village and thought this was the most logical development avenue and if the Village determines not, then there are other options. But their preference is to be incorporated into Deerfield.

John Pozerycki, Partner at Bridge Industrial addressed the Commission. He stated that he will review the overall project design and considerations that they think will make it successful in leasing and in being minimally impactful to the surrounding community. He shared that Bridge started in 2000 in Chicago and up until 2011 Bridge built 4.5 million square feet of light industrial space in the Chicago area. From 2011 to 2015, Bridge expanded throughout the country. Today they consider themselves an institutional loaner and investment manager for industrial real estate across the country. Since its inception Bridge has built about 70 million square feet of light industrial; 22 million in the Chicago area and 3.8 million in Lake County, most notably Bridge Point Waukegan which is 3.25 million square feet. They will hold this property long-term and will not sell it. They plan to be involved throughout a long-term partnership with the Village.

Mr. Pozerycki reviewed the history of this site. Baxter has been there since 1972, and they recently brought it to the market to be sold. Their business was impacted by the trend of the suburban office market and the pandemic. Baxter has been considering what to do with his asset and plans to downsize to a more modern accommodating building for today’s workforce compared to what it was 40 years ago. Bridge was very interested in this site, and they have had a lot of success in Lake County. He stated that it is a good location off the interstate and a good opportunity to redevelop for industrial which they believe is the highest and best use. Other industrial developers were also looking at it, and there were no other interested parties for any other use. It is a 101-acre site, improved with a series of office buildings; 650,000 square feet of old functionally obsolete product that Baxter is looking to dispose of and downsize. All of the glass is a single pane, and it is difficult to heat and the building is not up to modern standards. The fire sprinkler system is also not to modern standards. For those reasons, if someone wanted to take it “as is”, it would need significant investment to be able to be leased or used as is. It is a difficult site to use as office and they believe this plan will be the most successful in the market. They are proposing to redevelop it to a modern state of the art environmentally conscious class A corporate campus for industrial tenants. Mr. Pozerycki showed the site plan with two new buildings, a larger one closer to the highway, and a smaller one closer to Saunders Road. Oriented north to south so that all trucks will stay within the center of the site and off of Saunders Road. They will remove the current Baxter guard shack which is 500 feet from Saunders Road to allow trucks to get onto the property. The road is 45 feet wide and will allow trucks to come in and stop in the middle of the interior roads as it is wide enough for three lanes. Once into the campus, trucks will be able to enter into truck courts which will contain noise in the site, minimally impacting the surrounding areas.

Mr. Pozerycki stated that from a distance standpoint, the nearest building, which is the smallest, is approximately 900 feet from Saunders Road which is 2.5 football fields away. Others along the interstate are much closer to the roads. They took this into consideration and set this far back off Saunders Road and plan to retain the mature vegetation that is currently there. The buildings will not be visible from Saunders Road. The truck route from the site will go down Saunders Road to Lake Cook Road and back. They will restrict trucks from leaving the site and going north on Saunders Road. They will improve the exit to encourage going south on Saunders Road. And tenant leases will restrict leaving any other way and will require trucks to come from Lake Cook Road and up on Saunders Road.

Mr. Pozerycki stated that they are using a cutting edge design above their competitors since they own properties long-term and take pride in them. They will incorporate LEED certified elements and the property will be enrolled in the LEED certification program. They are including storm water pollution prevention and erosion control measures, they will use zero potable water, and will have low flow plumbing to reduce water consumption by 30 percent. Additionally, they will use LED lights, zero mercury to reduce energy costs and better occupant health, and all MEPs in the building will be tested and commissioned by an independent third party so that everything they say they are doing is happening, and if not, they can fix it to maintain LEED certification throughout ownership. They are slated to use more than 10 - third party certified safe and healthy materials. And more than 50 percent of construction waste will be diverted from landfills. They will crush and reuse all existing concrete in the new project. They will install bike racks, electric car charging stations and a bus route and bus stop.

The project is being designed to support solar on the roof. They will consult with a third party solar developer to implement community solar. This will have a positive impact on the grid and the surrounding community and can power over 1,000 homes in the area. The solar developer will work with ComEd to sign up residents for this. From a social standpoint, they will take measures to mitigate the impact to surrounding residences. They will adhere to the Village noise ordinance during construction and operation. They will implement a construction waste management plan, which is not required. They will also implement a robust tenant engagement program with any tenant that comes to the building to improve tenant satisfaction and stay environmentally conscious going forward. This will be required to lease the building. They will govern tenants with green lease clauses to ensure they operate as efficiently as possible. And they will include other policies for sustainable business practices for construction and operation.

Mr. Pozerycki stated that in addition to design, they are discussing who the tenants could be. Bridge is designing this site to garner to higher end tenants who would seek to locate a corporate campus here. A higher end office use with less truck use is envisioned, and this is how it is designed. But they want to build it on a speculative basis. It is designed to be as leasable and marketable as possible. They will not allow hazardous materials and are strict about that. They want to make sure there is nothing that is hazardous to the people working there or the surrounding area. They have very strict language in leases that it cannot be subleased without Bridge approval so they can control who will be in the building.

Mr. Pozerycki stated that through the planning process, it was apparent that a recreation facility would be important to the community and as a long-term owner, they wanted to adhere to that. They first proposed to build a building for an indoor recreation facility that the Park District would lease. They have since learned that the Deerfield Park District has determined that they do not have the wherewithal to lease or own an indoor center. So instead Bridge has committed to contributing the land for free and contribute additional dollars to develop an outdoor recreation facility at no cost to the Deerfield Park District. This will include fully turf fields for soccer and baseball, pickleball courts, bathrooms, a storage area and parking. The plans are not final and are still preliminary. Bridge is committed to contributing this piece.

Chair Bromberg clarified that they are proposing two buildings and open fields for the Park District. Mr. Pozerycki replied that it would be two industrial warehouse facilities and the recreation piece is conceptual as they are working with the Park District to figure out what that facility would look like. Bridge is committed to contributing to make that happen. Chair Bromberg asked for comments and questions from the Commission.

Commissioner Stolman commented that they spoke about the trends and the market and that they have 22 million square feet of industrial property in the Chicago area, about 20 properties total. He asked how many are adjacent to a residential community and share ingress and egress with a residential community. He also asked for more information on why Bridge chose this site. Mr. Pozerycki replied that they have built next to residential much closer than this, where truck routes and residential routes are shared. He stated that they can come back with definitive numbers on their other developments like this. Commissioner Stolman commented that at the Prefiling Conference they spoke about how they will add signage and discourage truck traffic from going north on Saunders Road and asked how they will discourage truck traffic from not using Saunders to Deerfield Road. Mr. Pozerycki replied that they will discourage tenants from using this direction by writing it in leases and working closely with their tenants. He stated that it is always a risk that a truck will go that way, but they work hard to discourage this. Commissioner Stolman asked if there has been any discussion of trying to avoid the stoplight on Saunders and making modifications for an easement directly to Lake Cook Road on the property. Mr. Pozerycki replied that the traffic consultant will discuss this in his presentation.

Commissioner Stolman commented that when the Plan Commission evaluates a proposal, the petitioners’ relationship with the community repeatedly comes. Including efforts to engage with the community by holding informational sessions. And the Plan Commission always encourages that petitioners to this to have a dialogue with the community and the neighbors. Commissioner Stolman asked Bridge if they had done this or to explain their plan to do this. Mr. Pozerycki replied that they are in the beginning stages of the project and have not yet done this, but they are open to having community meetings. He added that they are in the process of creating a website with more facts and information for the community and they are here to work with everybody.

Commissioner Keefe commented that the Village has received comments from residential neighbors, and asked Bridge if they have received any comments from their corporate neighbors Parkway North or Horizon. Mr. Pozerycki replied that they had not heard from them, and Bridge has not reached out to them.

Commissioner Goldstone asked the petitioner to explain what kind of trucks would be at the site. Mr. Pozerycki replied that they are planning to build on a speculative basis, and they do not know the tenant or type of operation that will be there yet. But they do have an idea of what type of tenant given the design. The trucks would likely be 18 wheelers and smaller 30 feet box trucks. Commissioner Goldstone asked how many can be there at one time. Mr. Pozerycki replied that there is typically one truck per 7500 square feet of warehouse. And based on the amount here, this equates to 150 trucks.

Commissioner Schulman commented that he is concerned about potential issues with traffic, noise and pollution. He commented that they plan to have 24/7 operations and asked if it is feasible to have more limited hours. Mr. Pozerycki replied no, every other use of this type offers 24/7 operations, even though this is usually not the way they operate. They may have a shipment inbound at the end of the day, unload, rack for storage, and prepare to be shipped out in the morning. There is typically no inbound and outbound truck traffic at nighttime. Commissioner Schulman commented that the traffic study showed that trucks could come in at 4 A.M.

Commissioner Schulman confirmed that Bridge will contribute the land for the Park District and asked if they also plan to construct a building for the Park District. Mr. Pozerycki replied that they plan to contribute the land and build turf fields with facilities including dugouts. Commissioner Schulman asked if the petitioner is aware of any historical landmark designations on the Baxter Building. Mr. Pozerycki replied that he is not aware of any.

Commissioner Lubezny asked if any truck backups could occur on the site and if trucks could get backed up onto Saunders Road. Mr. Pozerycki replied that they are not concerned at all about trucks backing up onto Saunders Road. In addition to truck parking on site which mitigates getting trucks off Saunders, docks can all be utilized at once. There are over 150 truck docks there. And another mitigating factor is the way they designed the road. The width is wide enough so that a truck can park in the middle, and they can still have traffic flow on both sides. Commissioner Lubezny asked about trucks idling or if they would be turned off while they wait. Mr. Pozerycki replied that trucks could be up against a dock and running, but it is not typical to sit and be idling all day long. They moved the buildings as far away from Saunders as possible to keep this confined to the middle and close to 294.

Chair Bromberg asked if their Waukegan building is leased. Mr. Pozerycki replied that it was previously Cardinal Health and they redeveloped it into 3.2 million square feet of industrial and it is more than 90 percent leased as it stands today. Chair Bromberg stated that he visited this site during normal business hours, and it appeared that there was nothing going on and there were no trucks. Chair Bromberg asked if the buildings are built in a way to handle electric trucks. Mr. Pozerycki replied that yes, they will install conduit to allow for car charging and potential truck charging in the future.

Mark Houser with Bridge stated that he will review their plan in more detail. He showed the site plan and pointed out the two industrial buildings. They are submitting preliminary and final plans for just the two buildings. The Park District will come back for a Prefiling Conference and Public Hearing for the recreation facility portion. He stated they have a verbal agreement with the Park District for the outdoor recreation component and they expect to have an agreement in the next few weeks.

Mr. Houser reviewed that there are bump outs on both buildings that help with noise and visuals. He showed an aerial rendering and pointed out two wet basins with fountains and stated that they are leaving all of the screening and landscaping along Saunders. He pointed out the area for solar panels which will be available for community use. He showed Building B, the smaller building, and the wings that come out where the dock areas are. The construction materials will be insulated precast concrete panels with steel supports and a fair amount of glass. The smaller building will be approximately 47 feet high, and the larger building will be approximately 50 feet high. There is a large amount of glass at the entries. He showed an image to give an idea of what the office entry will look like on Building B, which is up against tollway. He showed the wing walls on the west side of the building providing protection for when the trucks are in the docks. Mr. Houser stated that the buildings will have a heavy amount of concrete and asphalt, and they will reuse all of the material after demo of the existing buildings. He showed line of site images including the approximate distances, and the view of the smaller building from Saunders which is 885 feet off the road. He also displayed site renderings of Buildings B and C from Saunders Road, from Horizon, from Hawthorne Road, and other locations. These site lines are based on what is there now in addition to the landscape plan. Mr. Houser pointed out that the screening is very heavy with the landscaping and there is a great distance with the building setbacks. He showed the landscape plan which the landscape architect will further describe.

He stated that they will leave the wetlands as is and will add a walking path around the wetlands. They are also adding a new walking path along Saunders and pedestrian paths that will go from Saunders to all buildings and the outdoor facility. Mr. Houser showed the truck routes. They plan to have no trucks going north on Saunders; all will head south then east on Lake Cook Road to access the highway and the same in reverse when they exit the highway. They will have stipulations that tenants must abide by this. Any truck traffic that is trying to come in off the Edens will be directed to take 41 to Lake Cook Road and Lake Cook Road over to the site. There will be some traffic getting off at Deerfield Road and going west on Deerfield to Saunders and to the site, but they will do their best to minimize this. Mr. Houser showed the photometric plan and stated that there will be zero light spillage in most of the site, except for the entrances off of Hawthorne and small areas at the northeast and southeast corners where there will be close to zero light spillage. Landscape buffering will ensure zero light spillage to any residential properties.

Commissioner Goldstone shared that the Village received communication from Landmarks Illinois asking that the Baxter property be preserved in some way as it is a historic landmark. She asked if there is any way to preserve some architectural elements. Mr. Houser replied this is not something they have considered.

Commissioner Crist asked how they will prevent trucks from going north on Saunders out of the facility. Mr. Houser replied that they will post signs and put it in the tenant leases. And they can make it difficult with the design for trucks to make that turn. Commissioner Crist commented on

traffic flow and sharing a stop light with a neighborhood. She asked if it is possible to find another entrance to the facility further south on Saunders. Mr. Houser replied that there is an entrance at Horizon but that is a private road. They can consider reaching out to the owners and seeing if they could use this as an access point to the docks. Commissioner Goldstone agreed with this suggestion.

Commissioner Schulman confirmed that the petitioner is asking for a height variance and asked why the larger building is taller. Mr. Houser replied that it is higher so that the inside area can rack trucks up to it without hitting anything. He added that their buildings will be lower than what is there now by 25 to 30 feet. And 30 feet lower than the Horizon buildings and 25 feet lower than the hotel and the office building to the north, so they will not stand out.

Commissioner Keefe asked about the community solar program. Mr. Pozerycki replied that they will hire a solar developer who are experts at building solar on roofs. The power from the sun will go to the grid and the solar developer works with ComEd to ensure this happens appropriately.

Chair Bromberg asked if they anticipate any security like a guard house or fencing. Mr. Houser replied no, unless an individual tenant adds security. There will be no gates at the entrance from the road. The closest gate could be at the dock entrance at the east end of building B which is 1,400 feet from Saunders. Chair Bromberg agreed that if this project gets approved that he recommends they explore the possibility of getting trucks to Lake Cook and avoiding Saunders at all costs, as this would be an ideal solution.

Luay Aboona, Traffic Engineer from KLOA reported that he was retained to prepare a traffic study to evaluate the traffic impact of the proposed redevelopment of the Baxter site on area roadways. He stated that this site has excellent access to the tollway. He stated that Saunders Road has two lanes in each direction with left turn lanes and it sees about 14,000 cars a day. Lake Cook Road also provides access and is a high capacity roadway with six lanes and dual left turn lanes. It carries about 47,000 cars a day. The tollway on the east frontage carries about 180,000 cars a day and about 16,000 trucks a day. Lake Cook Road has a full interchange for the tollway and provides excellent access. Mr. Aboona explained that they took traffic counts in weekday morning peak periods to understand the current traffic level. They looked at Saunders from Lake Cook Road to Deerfield Road at every signalized intersection and analyzed this to understand how each intersection operates. All intersections have left turn lanes. Lake Cook Road is a high capacity interaction with dual left turn lanes and right turn lanes. All area intersections operate with acceptable levels of service and acceptable delays. Current truck traffic in the area is about 4 percent of traffic on Lake Cook, and about 2 percent on Saunders. They also measured the traffic Baxter is currently generating. They are generating over 200 trips in and out in the morning over a one hour period and about 180 in the evening peak period. Baxter is generating traffic and impacting area roadways as it is now.

Mr. Aboona explained that their next step in the traffic study was to estimate traffic generated by the new development. They use industry standards and Lake County DOT data. They utilized trip generation rates published by the Institute of Traffic Engineers based on similar developments. With this information they can estimate vehicle and truck traffic. And also compare to traffic generated with what Baxter is generating today as well as at full occupancy. Currently, Baxter traffic exceeds traffic over what they are estimating this development will generate at peak hours. Baxter has over 200 trips in morning peak, and they anticipate about 180 with this new development. And in the evening Baxter has 180 trips and they anticipate 160 trips for new use. So the impact will be removing more traffic than they are adding. There will be a reduced impact from that standpoint. And when compared to when Baxter was at full operation pre-pandemic, the new development would generate 20 to 30 percent less traffic.

That is a significant decrease in traffic impact. This development will generate truck traffic. The amount of truck traffic on a daily basis is about 300 trucks, or 600 trips, 300 in and 300 out. These truck trips will be spread throughout the day and will not be significant during peak traffic hours. During peak hours they estimate one truck every two minutes, and an increase in truck traffic at midday to about a truck a minute. Trucks will not all be coming and leaving at the same time, they will be spread throughout the day and will have a reduced impact on area roadways. They are significantly reducing overall traffic compared to Baxter under full occupancy, although there will be additional truck traffic impact, but this will be offset by the reduction in overall traffic. Mr. Aboona reiterated that measures will be taken to force truck traffic from Saunders to Lake Cook. Exiting trucks currently cannot make the right turn onto Saunders as it is a small turn radius and does not allow a truck to turn right there. They can also make it more difficult with design and will add signs and include this in leases. Mr. Aboona stated that they found that the intersections have adequate reserve capacity to absorb passenger vehicles and trucks. They took into account truck movements by intersection and all stacking will be accommodated and there will not be overflows or spillage of queuing as a result of increase in truck traffic. The level of service will continue to be in acceptable standards. All area intersections have adequate capacity and have left turn lanes. There will be safe movement in and out of the residential area and this development. No modifications will be needed to intersections for capacity or signalization. The access road is Baxter Parkway to enter and exit and the connection to Hawthorne Lane is only for vehicles, not trucks. Right now there is about 1,100 feet on the access road before the first building which allows for lots of stacking. Mr. Aboona stated that KLOA has reviewed lots of these industrial developments and they usually don’t see this good of traffic flow, access and stacking.

Chair Bromberg commented that they can add a sign at Saunders saying trucks cannot turn right. But it would not be enforceable without an ordinance from the Village. He recommended that if this petition goes forward, that they include in the recommendation that the Village pass an ordinance to make this enforceable.

Commissioner Crist commented that trucks will want to make the righthand turn to get to the spur via Deerfield Road. And she agrees with the suggestion for an ordinance. Commissioner Crist asked about truck and emissions and wear and tear on pavement. Mr. Aboona replied that he is not an expert in these areas and cannot answer this. Commissioner Crist asked if he would advise changing lane markers on Lake Cook Road if cars needed to stop sooner at the light for trucks turning left. Mr. Aboona replied that no, the intersections were designed with that in mind.

Commissioner Goldstone commented that two percent of truck traffic on Saunders today is truck traffic and asked with this what will it be with the additional trucks. Mr. Aboona replied that truck traffic will increase on Saunders to and from the facility. They expect to double the amount of truck traffic using Saunders in peak hours. And while the volume will increase, he is not sure about the percentage. Commissioner Goldstone asked when Baxter was in full operation. Mr. Aboona stated that he does not know.

Commissioner Stolman commented that traffic counts were done on November 29 and on February 18 which was a holiday over President’s Day weekend. Mr. Aboona stated that counts were done on weekdays and that Saturday counts were done to measure traffic in the area on a weekend. The analysis and findings are based on the weekday conditions.

Commissioner Schulman stated that the biggest issue is the impact of a lot more trucks in the area and they are not comparing apples to apples when comparing a car to a truck and total aggregate of vehicles. He commented that trucks move slower and cause more noise and more traffic. If the access to the site were not on Saunders Road this would help with some of these issues, and he agrees that they should try to make an easement from Lake Cook Road to eliminate a lot of concerns.

Commissioner Lubezny asked about estimated truck trip generation and how this is done without knowing tenants. Mr. Aboona replied that they use the Institute of Transportation Engineers trip generation manual for this land use and also based on the size of the building, for passenger vehicles and truck traffic. Commissioner Lubezny also stated that she would be concerned about trucks leaving the site in the early morning hours and lights shining toward the houses. She also agreed that if there is another access point for the trucks, particularly to exit, that would be preferred.

Civil Engineer Brett Duffy from Spaceco Engineering reviewed utilities and storm water plans. He stated that the property is 101 acres and the western side from Saunders to the first building is 12 acres of wetlands that will be preserved. The site is served with sewer by Lake County Public Works. The sewer system is located along Saunders and is distributed to the Lake County treatment plan which has available capacity. The Village of Deerfield provides water service, with the system along Saunders and Hawthorne. Storm water has been designed to meet and exceed the Lake County Watershed Development Ordinance. There are two western basins which will be open water basins with fountains. The other three basins will be native planting basins. They will exceed storm water requirements for this facility by about a 19 percent increase over what is required with a great deal of additional water storage above and beyond county ordinance. And they are preserving 1.3 acres of wetlands in wooded areas.

Chair Bromberg asked about the impact to wildlife. Mr. Duffy replied that they submitted plans to the DNR who reported no finding of endangered species on the property.

Environmental Engineer Steve Torres with Tetra Tech reviewed the environmental aspects of this development. He shared that Tetra Tech evaluates air emissions as well as soil and groundwater testing. He reported that this site has 130 feet of natural clay below it with limestone bedrock beneath the clay. The air study completed was to compare air emissions from the current office use to the newly proposed warehouse use. They used the traffic study to determine the past and proposed volumes and types of vehicles for the site use. They conducted air dispersion modeling using US EPA protocols to determine where air pollution is going and evaluate emissions. They looked at nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide and particulates which are microscopic solids or liquids generated by combustion. These contribute to ground level ozone or smog. In evaluating emissions they used US DOT compound specific emission factors to calculate vehicle emissions for cars and semi-trucks for office use and proposed warehouse use. Data indicates that truck traffic will result in a net decrease in carbon monoxide with a net increase in nitrogen oxide and particulate emissions. The calculated emissions are not expected to change the ambient air quality which complies with US EPA national ambient air quality standards. They also looked at impacts from emissions from the highway. IDOT indicates that the tollway serves 180,000 vehicles per day: 164,000 cars and 16,000 semi trucks. Based on this, vehicle emissions from the highway will far exceed air emissions from the site by a factor of 100. The 101 acre site will be a buffer for vehicles from I-94 to the residential subdivision. Prevailing winds flow to the east playing a role in dispersion. Mr. Torres stated that emissions will not change ambient air quality which meet US EPA standards. And although the proposed development will reduce traffic volume, truck traffic will increase and so will some pollutant emissions, but not enough to cause regulatory thresholds to be exceeded. Mr. Torres concluded that air quality impacts from site generated vehicles will not be discernable for the neighborhood.

Commissioner Schulman commented that there are 164,000 cars and 16,000 trucks daily on the highway and asked about the difference between going 60 plus miles an hour on the highway compared to slow speeds in the area off the highway. And whether emissions congregate or get dispersed in this scenario. Mr. Torres replied that trucks at high speeds are more efficient and less polluting and when emissions are compared, the sheer number of trucks on I-94 compared to anything generated on the property, it is difficult to separate emissions from the highway or the current use. Commissioner Schulman also asked if trucks or cars coming in and out of Lake Cook, Saunders, and Baxter Parkway cause more pollution than a truck moving on the highway.

Commissioner Crist asked how far emissions can travel and if properties on the other side of the tollway could be affected. Mr. Torres replied that it depends on barometric pressure and wind what comes from the highway versus the site would not be distinguishable.

Commissioner Goldstone stated that she wants to understand the difference between what is being emitted now and what will be emitted with this use and what will be added. Mr. Torres replied that there will be a decrease in carbon monoxide and a net increase in nitrogen oxide and particulates, but none at hazardous levels.

Commissioner Stolman commented that normally Bridge contracts with Tetra Tech during predevelopment. And asked if any studies have been done to show pre and post development effects of a community near a Bridge development. Commissioner Stolman stated that they have received thousands of documents and have poured over everything including lots of public comments. He would like to know the environmental impact on the health of those who live near these facilities over the long-term. Mr. Torres replied that he has worked with Bridge for 12 years as their consultant, and there are two properties that he has worked on near residential areas, one in Downers Grove and one in Libertyville. He stated that this issue has not come up at those sites, nor at any other site.

Landscape architect Kathryn Talty reviewed the landscape plans. She stated that the building and development are pushed toward the highway leaving a good swath of natural existing tree cover to Saunders. She shared their strategies for tree preservation and landscape design. They had arborists come out and survey every tree on the property to determine trees for protection. 1,672 trees that were 6 inches in diameter or greater were surveyed. Based on the building and basin construction, they need to remove over 900 trees. 200 of these were classified as fair to poor or dead, leaving 700 trees to remove. They are proposing to plant over 1,100 trees, 775 shade trees, 208 evergreens, and 140 ornamentals. There is a large area of natural wetlands that they intend to preserve and improve by removing buckthorn and other invasive species that exist there. Ms. Talty stated that the landscape plan strategy focused a lot on the frontage along Saunders, both the natural area and the area to the north of the access road where they are installing a new basin that will be a wet basin with a fountain. To the north, the first 100 feet of this area graded for the basin will be preserved. To the south of the access road there is about 830 feet before the regrading for the parking lot. Everything possible in this area will also be preserved except for buckthorn or other invasive species. For the southern portion, they have about 350 feet to the grading for the basin that they will also preserve. And there will be supplemental planting along Saunders and the pedestrian path. Natural areas total about 12.5 acres. Within that they will preserve the wetlands, add a nature path that will be open and maintained, add storm water basins, two which will be open water and the banks will be treated with deep rooted native species. And the other basins that are not standing water will also be native planted basins with long term maintenance and monitoring plans to ensure they establish. They will add screening with evergreens and ornamental trees around the perimeter where the site is adjacent to other lots. The interior parking lots will be planted with large canopy trees to decrease the heat effect parking lots have and decrease the use of carbon dioxide in the area.

Commissioner Crist asked how high the berm on Saunders is. Ms. Talty replied that they are not regrading the berm and it is staying as is with the vegetation. She is not sure what the height is. Commissioner Crist asked if there is a landscape rendering from west to the east. Ms. Talty showed a street level perspective across Saunders looking into the site. She stated that trees and vegetation will be the only thing visible as the building is over 800 feet away, and it will be very similar to what is there today.

Valuation expert Michael Sullivan, owner of Realty Valuation Services in Libertyville reported that he was asked by Bridge to determine if there is any potential impact on value to neighboring homes in Thorngate from this development. He stated that Thorngate is situated on a former country club site and the homes were constructed in the mid-1990s. The streets were designed so that most of the homes are away from Saunders Road. There is one section on Castle Pines Road that has 9 homes that back up to Saunders Road. He showed aerial views pointing out that none of the homes on Castle Pines have any view line of this proposed development. He stated that in all of Thorngate there is no view to the development. He reported that to determine his findings he reviewed the Baxter site and researched developments in Lake and Cook County business centers near residential areas. He reported that the best comparable site is the Libertyville Industrial Center, off of Route 176 east of Milwaukee Avenue. This industrial center adjoins to residential. Bridge developed two buildings in this industrial complex of 186,000 square feet each with 36 foot building heights. There are 27 docks and 6 overhead garage doors. Mr. Sullivan showed the view of the building constructed by Bridge in Libertyville, and the immediately adjoining development of about 20 homes. The homes in this area were developed from 2000 to 2022. He showed views of the industrial buildings from homes immediately abutting the buildings, which is about 180 feet away which is very close. There have been six sales in this development, one is directly across the street from the industrial building. The industrial building was constructed in 2015, and the home that sold was built in 2017. It sold for $885,000 at $315 per square foot. Another sale was directly across the street and has full views of industrial building. This one in August for $885,000 at $315 per square foot. Another sold for over 1 million dollars or $336 per square foot. A fourth sold for $795,000. And there are other homes slightly further away from industrial building that sold for $265 per square foot. A fifth sale was in December of 2022 for $910,000 at $287 per square foot. And a sixth was a new construction that sold for $1,218,500 at $340 per square foot. Mr. Sullivan showed a map of this area and pointed out the sales closest to the industrial building which ranged from $315 to $336 per square foot. Homes that sold slightly further away sold for $266 to $287 a square foot. He stated that this tells him that the market is not adjusting for the presence of the industrial building, because higher sale prices are closest versus further away. In analyzing this and looking at Thorngate, he stated that Thorngate residents are impacted mainly by traffic. They have no site views, while Libertyville has direct site views. He stated that there will be no diminishing home values by this proposed development.

Chair Bromberg confirmed that he is stating that because these homes are close to this development in Libertyville are selling at a high price, that this is proof of no diminished value. Mr. Sullivan replied that houses closer are selling at a higher price than newer homes in the same area. Chair Bromberg asked if he had done any before and after studies where he looked at home values prior to the building of a development like this to see the impact after the building is built. Mr. Sullivan replied that no, but he feels there is a wealth of data here and the homes in Libertyville have not had any loss in value. Chair Bromberg commented that Deerfield has looked at workforce housing and for this use, there have been studies done over years that have analyzed this.

Commissioner Schulman commented that the six comps are all dated after the industrial building was built so there is no data on what they would have been worth before and no information on the attributes of the homes. He also pointed out that the access and shared roadway are also very different factors. Commissioner Schulman stated that without before and after data, they do not know the change in market value.

Mr. Sullivan reported that in the eastern portion of Thorngate, there have been nine sales in the last 16 months. These range from $570,000 to $835,000 with a median value of $690,000. And the Libertyville homes close to the industrial building sold from $800,000 to 1.2 million.

The petitioners concluded their presentation.

Commissioner Crist confirmed that there will not be a maintenance facility on the site. She also asked if it would help if there was a police presence at peak traffic hours for cars if they have to use the shared stoplight, as this has been done at other office buildings in Deerfield. Mr. Pozerycki replied that they can look into this.

Commissioner Keefe asked about possible diverted trips in the traffic study, and if they know how many vehicles would already be there. Mr. Aboona replied that this is typically for commercial retail uses, and in this case, they assume every trip is a new trip. Commissioner Keefe asked the petitioners to provide a copy of the environmental report that was presented tonight.

Commissioner Stolman commented that in reviewing this plan with the PUD standards including effects of the development on the surrounding property, the petitioners state that it will add job opportunities and increase use of restaurants and hotels in the area. He asked if they have any data on jobs and increased business as a result of one of their developments. Mr. Pozerycki replied that anecdotally, tenants increase foot traffic to local businesses. But they do not have any definite reports of before and after.

Commissioner Goldstone asked staff if this petition moves forward, if they can somehow require Plan Commission approval of the tenants so that they can control how many trucks could be there and who would be using the space. She asked if they make every use a special use for this PUD to control this. As right now a lot is speculation. Mr. Ryckaert replied that that is a possibility and can be done if, for example, they stated that a use over a certain size like 50,000 or 100,000 square feet, must be a special use. The text amendment is written as a permitted use and can be changed to a special use. Chair Bromberg asked petitioners to consider this possibility.

Commissioner Bromberg commented that there is already ambient noise from the tollway, and asked if there has been any studies done or information available on whether this development would add more noise to the area. Mr. Pozerycki replied that they have not prepared a noise study as the development will comply with the Village noise ordinance. Chair Bromberg stated that he is interested in if the development would raise the overall noise level or if the ambient noise from the highway is so loud that it would not be distinguishable. This concluded comments from the Commission.

Commissioner Goldstone moved, seconded by Commissioner Stolman, to continue this Public Hearing to June 8, 2023. The motion passed with the following vote.

Ayes: Crist, Stolman, Lubezny, Keefe, Goldstone, Bromberg (6)

Nays: Schulman (1)

Chair Bromberg reported that the June 8 meeting will start with Mr. Meek’s presentation and the Commission will hear his presentation and ask questions. And then both parties can question each other’s experts. Once that is complete, public comment will be opened. And all who wish to speak will get a chance to speak. If the meeting goes too long it can be continued again. Mr. Callahan asked that Mr. Meek provide the names of his speakers. Mr. Meek asked that the petitioners provide the Tetra Tech report and any new reports in advance. Mr. Meek reported that they plan to post everything in advance, as is standard with meeting materials, for their case against this proposal.

Items from the Staff

Mr. Ryckaert reported that the next Plan Commission meeting will be May 25, 2023. Adjournment

There being no further discussion, Commissioner Goldstone moved, seconded by Commissioner Crist to adjourn the meeting at 9:06 P.M. The motion passed with a unanimous voice vote.

https://www.deerfield.il.us/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_05112023-990