Village of Gurnee
Plan Commission Minutes
December 1, 2010
The meeting was called to order at 7:34 P.M.
Plan Commission Members Present: Chairman James Sula, Stephen Park, David Nordentoft, Richard McFarlane,
Gwen Broughton, Sharon Salmons, Patrick Drennan
Plan Commission Members Absent: None
Other Officials Present: Dave Ziegler, Community Development Director; Tracy Velkover, Planning Manager; Molly Booth, Associate Planner; Ryan Mentkowski, Associate Planner
1. Approval of Plan Commission Meeting Minutes for October 20, 2010.
Mr. McFarlane made a motion, seconded by Mr. Nordentoft, to approve the Plan Commission Meeting Minutes for
October 20, 2010.
Roll Call
Ayes: Sula, Park, Nordentoft, McFarlane, Broughton, Salmons, Drennan
Nays: None
Abstain: None
Motion Carried: 7-0-0
2. Continued Public Hearing: Special Use Permit for Theresa’s Home Care LLC
Ms. Booth stated Theresa and Paul Bicok, the petitioners, are requesting a Special Use Permit for an assisted living facility in the existing 2-story house located at 6455 Cunningham Ct. She stated they appeared before the Commission at the October 6th, 2010 meeting and several questions and concerns that arose at the October 6th public hearing. She stated the primary questions/concerns related to parking/traffic demand, driveway location, client number, assisted living facility use, landscaping/screening, and existing/ proposed interior layout of the facility. Ms. Booth stated to better address the questions and concerns the petitioners have made the following changes to their special use petition:
- Reduced the total client capacity by 6 from 30 clients to 24 clients.
- Reduced the total number of bedrooms by 3 from 15 bedrooms to 12 bedrooms. Remains a maximum of 2 clients per bedroom.
- Due to the reduction in clients, the existing attached garage will remain a 2-car garage and will not be converted to a dining room.
- Due to the decrease in the number of bedrooms, the second floor addition above the garage was removed which decreased the house’s total square footage by ~1,412 sq. ft. from ~8,600 sq. ft. to ~7,188 sq. ft. and decreased the Floor Area Ratio (FAR) by 2% from 0.12 to 0.10
- Decreased number of required parking spaces by 3 from 13 spaces to 10 spaces. Reduction is due to the decrease in clients and utilization of the 2-car garage by the petitioners. Zoning Departure for parking waivers is no longer a needed request.
- Village Traffic Consultant has been utilized to review the traffic demand and parking requirements associated with the facility.
- Provided a site plan with slight modifications made to the location of a parking space.
Chairman Sula asked for anyone present from Theresa’s Home Care to stand and be sworn in.
Chairman Sula stated this is a continued Public Hearing and there was testimony on this item at a previous meeting. He stated anything stated at the prior meeting is incorporated by reference and asked the petitioner to bridge from what was presented previously to what as being presented at tonight’s meeting.
Mr. John Wojtecko, representing Theresa’s Home Care, pointed out the revised site plan for the project. He stated they listened to the Commission’s request and this is the reasoning it has been reduced from 30 to 24 residents for their facility. He stated this reduction results in building out certain bedrooms on the 2nd floor which was formerly known as the “doll museum room”. He stated the build-out over the garage has been removed and the garage will remain a garage with the dining room staying in its current location.
Mr. Wojtecko stated Theresa Bicok currently resides full-time at this location and her husband Paul will be residing there in the very near future with this location being their permanent residence. He stated they are trying to make this property a home for the people in which they can feel they are part of a community at the same time. He stated they have high school kids who do their public service as well as gain a report with the residents. He stated they try and make the environment feel for the residents that they “belong” which creates a feeling of self-worth.
Mr. Wojtecko stated the Gewalt Hamilton parking report is in the Commission’s packets. He stated Gewalt Hamilton assumed they would be having regular delivery services to the property (number of ins and outs) and this was included in the report. He noted a minor modification that there are actually no delivery services as the Bicok’s go and purchase all of the supplies and bring them back to the property themselves. He stated no regular delivery services are used.
Mr. Wojtecko additionally stated there would be the equivalent of one large home in terms of the amount of traffic and require no on the street parking. He stated they have the capacity for the 10 exterior parking spaces as well 2 interior spaces inside the garage for a total of 12 parking spaces. He stated Gewalt noted additional spaces (if required) could be to the west of the property. He also stated that the report noted it would have less traffic than there would be with (4) four townhomes on the site.
Mr. Wojtecko referenced the questions regarding the State of Illinois and noted the State is willing to visit the site with their own architects and engineers at such time that the building is sprinklered. He stated they have a contract with Nova Fire Protection to sprinkle the building at such time when they know what they are permitted to have and know what will actually need to be sprinkled. He stated this would be done as a contingency to the Special Use and that Nova Fire Protection is ready to start at any time.
Mr. Wojtecko stated in essence what they are trying to accomplish is a place where their clients feel like residents who actually belong, in an open airy community. He noted the pictures show the residence is set back from the main street and is surrounded by plenty of vegetation as well as showing plants and trees that were added to the property at the request of the Village for screening from the Chelsea Crossing sub-division.
Mr. Wojtecko stated this is their response to the questions that were raised at the meeting on October 6, 2010.
Chairman Sula opened the floor to the Plan Commission.
Mr. Park stated the petitioner is proposing to have 24 clients on the premises. He asked how large the dining area is and asked if the residents are fed in shifts or if there is sufficient space for all the residents to be active participants.
Ms. Bicok responded there is enough room. She stated currently they are using (2) two tables with room for (4) four tables with one table that can be used for serving meals. She noted each table would have (6) six people.
Mr. Park stated in the comments from Gewalt Hamilton he noted that it was suggested that the driveway be widened not just to provide for future parking but to ensure that there would be proper turning radius. He stated to him this is very important as he is very conscious of the emergency care need from the fire department/paramedics as they would need a wide enough driveway.
Mr. Wojtecko responded there is ample space for the driveway widening of 20 feet and that this is part of their plan as they understand this same issue.
Ms. Salmons asked how many employees are on each shift and if the (10) ten parking spaces are all the spaces that they plan on having.
Ms. Bicok responded they could expand parking and (12) twelve spaces total have been requested. She stated the night shift consists of her and (1) one additional employee and the day shift would be she and (2) two more employees.
Ms. Salmons asked if there are 24 residents in the house and (10) ten parking spaces it would not allow for visitors to come in on a regular basis to see residents if the parking spaces are taken up by employees. She noted residents could have several visitors over Christmas and Thanksgiving and asked where people would park as there would not be parking allowed on the street.
Ms. Bicok stated there are (2) two interior garage spaces and stated people would not be overlapping. She stated the employee is actually a live-in and do not own cars or drive and noted they never have visitors at the same time.
Chairman Sula stated he heard something new and asked if some of the employees are live-ins full time.
Ms. Bicok responded yes.
Chairman Sula asked how this factors into the living space.
Ms. Bicok responded they stay in the lower level.
Chairman Sula stated so it is back to the basement suite with Ms. Bicok and her husband; and an employee.
Chairman Sula asked including live-in staff and assuming there are 24 residents in the client areas, how many people would reside in this building.
Ms. Bicok responded 26.
Chairman Sula stated 24 clients, Ms. Bicok and one employee.
Ms. Bicok stated the one other employee overlaps the night shift who is there for the night shift with one live-in person who works during the day time hours. She stated she is there 24 hours. She stated (1) one person is working during the day and she sleeps there at night. She stated another person comes and stays at night but is awake as she does the monitoring and checking of the residents at night.
Chairman Sula stated if he understands this correctly, there is a maximum of (24) twenty-four clients with (3) three additional people on the premise at any one time, either working or sleeping.
Ms. Bicok stated the night staff doesn’t stay.
Chairman Sula stated he thought that both employees do not drive.
Ms. Bicok stated that is correct and the one employee who does not drive is brought to and from the residence.
Mr. Wojtecko stated the Gewalt Hamilton plan shows the additional parking sitting a little to the west of the driveway as you are coming in and away from the street. He stated there is no anticipation of ever being on the street with any parking.
Ms. Salmons stated she is confused on the number of employees. She asked if there was going to be only (3) three employees for 24 full-time residents.
Ms. Bicok responded if she needs more employees she would get more part-time employees to assist in getting residents up in the morning and again at night to assist in putting residents to bed. She stated right now she does not need any extra employees. She stated she has a lady who comes in at 5:00PM and stays until 8:30AM at which time she then leaves. She stated presently her and (1) other employee is full-time.
Chairman Sula asked Ms. Bicok how many clients she has.
Ms. Bicok responded (7) seven clients.
Chairman Sula stated Ms. Bicok actually has (3) three, maybe (4) four employees servicing (7) seven people. He stated Ms. Bicok is asking for (3) three times as many clients and asked how many employees will be needed to service (24) twenty-four clients.
Ms. Bicok responded right now she can manage easily with the (7) seven clients not needing an extra person during the day.
Chairman Sula stated that is not what he asked. He stated there are now (7) seven clients and the request is to go to (24) twenty-four clients. He asked how many employees are needed to service the extra (17) seventeen clients.
Ms. Bicok responded maybe (1) one more employee.
Mr. Nordentoft referenced the license application that was included in the packet at the last meeting. He asked if the license has been granted.
Mr. Wojtecko responded that Susanne Grub from the State of Illinois is waiting to send in the architect and engineer once the sprinkling system is installed in the building and that would be a condition of the Special Use. He stated that the installation of the sprinkler system will be installed once they know how many bedrooms they can have.
Mr. Nordentoft stated originally the request was for (30) thirty clients and the license application did not reflect the request for (30) thirty clients but was actually for (20) twenty clients. He stated he would have a hard time approving the operation for (24) twenty-four clients when it is licensed for less than (24) twenty-four clients. He asked how this would be handled and if it would be amended.
Mr. Wojtecko responded it would be amended as soon as they received permission for the number of clients and they would send a letter to the State of Illinois. He stated that letter would accompany the fact that they would be ready to sprinkler the building so that the State could arrange for the inspectors to come out from downstate Illinois.
Ms. Broughton asked if the State of Illinois has a rule for the number of employees that can care for a particular number of residents.
Ms. Bicok responded no and there is no rule or law.
Ms. Broughton asked if the State of Illinois license was for (24) twenty four clients, it would then be okay for (1) one caretaker (24) twenty four clients.
Ms. Bicok responded yes. She stated the State of Illinois will come and review the facility.
Ms. Velkover stated she has spoken to the State of Illinois and there are no staffing requirements for “x” number of staff per “x” number of residents.
Mr. Wojtecko responded that it depends upon the nature of the needs of the particular residents. He stated a plan is required for each resident which is available and supervised by physicians on site.
Chairman Sula asked for any one from the public who wishes to ask questions or make comments to stand be sworn in.
Chairman Sula opened the floor to the public for questions or comments.
Mr. Dennis Devore, of 754 Blackman Terrace in Antioch, stated Theresa’s Home Care provided excellent care for his mother and improved the quality of her life at half the price and twice the care of other facilities in the area. He stated the facility is always clean and his mother was well fed and well groomed during the time she spent at the facility.
Mr. Paul Howard, of 738 Monroe Drive in Lindenhurst, stated his father has been at Theresa’s Home Care facility for 2 ½ years and receives excellent care with the cost being significantly lower than any other facility. He stated every time he has gone to the facility to visit his father everything has been very well organized. He stated the care is excellent along with terrific meals that are provided to the residents.
Mrs. Dennis Devore, wife of Dennis Devore, stated her mother-in-law was a resident of Theresa’s Home Care. She stated Theresa’s Home Care is a “home” not a facility where her mother-in-law was well taken care of.
Ms. Pat Budley, of 295 Cumberland Court in Gurnee, stated her father was with Theresa’s Home Care for over 5 years. She stated every day her father was dressed and up for the day and always around other people. She stated she never had to worry about her father while he was a resident because he was always taken care of. She stated the Commission should visit the facility. She stated the care that is available is no comparison to the care Theresa provides.
Mr. Jeff Levin, of 6464 Cunningham Court and President of Chelsey Crossing Homeowner’s Association, stated the concerns of the neighborhood related to parking are of the high school students coming in and out. He stated it appears the number of high school students have not been accounted for by the parking consultants. He also stated the consultant’s report shows more of an increase in traffic on a daily basis which was stated as being less traffic than having (4) four townhomes on the site. He asked where the garbage would go with 27 people living at the home. He stated there is no room on the drive for garbage bins due to the slope of the drive and fears they would end up on the street. He stated at the last meeting it was mentioned the care for people at this facility would be for “able body people” without wheel chairs, etc. He stated in the pictures shown this evening those pictures do have persons in wheel chairs. He stated the additional driveway plans that have been submitted include an additional drive on the adjacent property which is also owned by Theresa Bicok and he has understood that the PUD only permits one driveway for both properties. He stated he doesn’t believe this has been addressed at this point for the 2nd driveway that would be added. He stated if there are plans for a 2nd driveway landscape plans need to be considered for the esthetics of the neighborhood.
Chairman Sula closed the floor to the Public.
Ms. Booth stated she didn’t know if the counts for the parking counted the high school students.
Ms. Velkover asked Ms. Booth if this facility meets the Village codes in terms of parking.
Ms. Booth stated yes, that is correct.
Ms. Velkover stated based upon the number of patients in this facility it is line with what the Village has done with the other senior facilities including Sunrise and some of the others. She stated basically there are (12) twelve parking spots which include the (2) parking spots inside the garage, with 3 employees therefore there would be (9) nine parking spots available for high school students, visitors and residents. She stated the amount of parking is in-line with what the Village has done with other Senior Centers.
Chairman Sula stated one thing that troubles him is there is an existing (7) seven clients and (3) staff members and if it should go to (24) twenty-four clients his impression is fairly frugal but finds it hard to believe that (3) three staff can handle (24) twenty-four clients.
Ms. Velkover responded she spoke to someone from the North East Illinois Council of Aging in Rockford who informed her that the State of Illinois does not have a staff requirement. She stated that she explained Theresa’s Home Care facility/staffing to this person who stated the staffing Theresa will have is more than adequate. She stated the women in Rockford mentioned a facility in that area with 50 residents and a staff of only (4) four.
Ms. Booth stated the 2nd driveway on the adjacent lot is being handled on a Minor PUD process which requires approval by the Village Board and technically is not being reviewed by the Plan Commission. She also stated that she didn’t believe a trash enclosure was built into the site plan and asked for Theresa to answer how the refuse is handled.
Ms. Bicok responded a private refuse collector would remove refuse which consists of 4 bins that are currently stored in an appropriate area.
Chairman Sula asked about bio-medical waste.
Ms. Bicok asked what was meant by bio-medical waste. She asked if it was like syringes.
Chairman Sula stated it would be syringes and things such as human waste.
Ms. Bicok responded there would definitely be a separate bag and follow how the company states it needs to be prepared for them to take it away.
Chairman Sula stated the Special Use Permit is being requested by an LLC which is a company and not an individual. He asked what the succession plans are for maintaining the enterprise.
Ms. Bicok responded that her two daughters would be interested in taking over the business. She stated they are both in similar fields with one being a school psychologist and the other being a research scientist. She stated they do visit and are aware of what is done at Theresa’s Home Care.
Chairman Sula asked what assurances the Commission has that the manner of operation would be the same as what is being presented today in terms of deliveries and providing supplies. He stated he has to think about the neighborhood and the community to ensure things will always be this way.
Ms. Bicok responded truthfully that this will be worked on so this will happen.
Mr. Wojtecko stated he believes a portion of that answer would be is that both (daughters) Terry and Barbara have been involved with coming up in the same family following the same family traditions. He stated they have been involved assisting with different residents and that they would not differentiate from that because this is what they do know.
Mr. Park stated the question about the LLC as opposed to an individual as well as the continuing provision to meet all the requirements and commitments that are being offered as part of this package is also tied up by the State licensing. He stated that isn’t saying it is unique for this particular operation because the Village has Special Uses for a variety of commercial enterprises as well as residential throughout the community. He stated the enforcement of provisions such as a parking or refuse problem lies with the Village of Gurnee to ensure that the commitments are continued or violations achieved/court actions involved as there is a process for any type of Use. He stated he didn’t think of this as being unique because this is through the entire Village of Gurnee. He also stated he didn’t think the Village could control the State licensing as part of the provisions and that they must rely on the State of Illinois to enforce their own licensing provisions as the Village doesn’t have that authority.
Chairman Sula stated it is painfully clear to him that the State of Illinois provides no guidance in terms of some of these issues. He stated in terms of the operating conditions or whether or not the proprietors or principles do deliveries themselves or a change of management happens, or perhaps (3) three people are not enough to care for (24) twenty-four clients all in a residential area are issues that he is struggling with coupled with the fact that this operation has flown “under the radar” for so long. He stated he is feeling uncomfortable with this.
Mr. McFarlane stated he shares his discomfort and the only way to get issues on this will be through complaints.
Chairman Sula responded an LLC which is actually a sole proprietorship in this case. He stated he is concerned about longer term ramifications to the neighborhood. He stated he has no question in his mind that Theresa provides excellent care for her clients but he must think in terms of what will happen in 10,15, 20 years from now and he is struggling with this.
Mr. McFarlane stated the plans show an elevator and asked if the elevator is currently in place.
Mr. Wojtecko responded no, not yet.
Mr. McFarlane asked if this is an operating issue that deals with the licensing from the State.
Ms. Velkover responded it would be an item that would be dealt with through the State of Illinois.
Ms. Salmons asked if any clients were living on the 2nd floor.
Ms. Bicok responded yes they live upstairs. She stated there are chair rails and these two clients are mobile and able to walk up the stairs.
Ms. Salmons asked what the average is of a person who stays at this facility and what would be the usual length of time a client stays at the facility.
Ms. Bicok responded of the current (7) seven clients, the average age is 83 and the average length of stay overall is less than (1) one year.
Ms. Salmons asked if it is more short-term care than long-term care.
Ms. Bicok responded long term and residents can leave when they become better.
Mr. Drennan asked if the Commission is aware of any other residential properties in Gurnee that provide similar assisted living.
Ms. Velkover responded there is a group home off of Darlene that is operating but there are none that Staff is aware of that are senior facilities operating out of a home. She stated group homes are limited to (6) six individuals that must meet the definition of disabled through the Federal Affair Housing Act. She stated group homes are typically more toward developmentally challenged persons.
Chairman Sula asked the Commission for any other questions or comments.
Chairman Sula asked the Commission for a motion.
Mr. Park forwarded a favorable recommendation, seconded by Mr. Nordentoft, to the Village Board for the Special Use Permit as requested in the accompanying material for the site located at 6455 Cunningham Court, subject to the following:
- Maximum capacity shall not exceed 24 clients;
- That parking lot shall be screened from the adjoining single family area by a hedge of a minimum height of 4-foot evergreens;
- That any tree removal or re-location must follow the Tree Protection Ordinance;
- That no ground signs or wall signs are permitted;
- That the existing driveway be widened to 20 feet with the initial construction;
- That additional parking as depicted by the traffic engineer would be added if required by Staff because of parking problems from either clients, relatives or their employees;
- That the operation shall maintain all State of Illinois licenses and permits for the operation at the location; and
- That a valid Certificate of Occupancy for an assisted living facility is required from the Village of Gurnee.
Mr. Nordentoft asked Mr. Park if he wanted to include their commitment to utilize a private waste hauler.
Mr. Park stated that was a fine idea and amended his motion to include the following condition:
- That utilization of a private waste hauler with an area identified within the plan for their storage.
Mr. Sula asked if there was a definition of assisted living that Staff can enforce for what has been proposed with the special use petition. He stated he is reacting to the wording “for an assisted living facility” which is not a defined term in the Zoning Code.
Ms. Velkover responded that we do not have a definition for assisted living but the Zoning Code does have a definition for a nursing home and rest home. She stated that this facility could be defined as a nursing home/rest home.
Mr. Park amended his motion to reflect the use of nursing home/rest home to match the definitions found in the Zoning Code.
Roll Call
Ayes: Salmons, Broughton, McFarlane, Nordentoft, Park
Nays: Drennan, Sula
Abstain: None
Motion Carried: 5-2-0
3. Continued Public Hearing: Special Use Permit Amendment for Computer Systems Institute (CSI)
Ms. Booth stated CSI Computer Systems Institute is requesting an Amendment to their existing Special Use Permit (Ord. 2010-69) to allow the expansion of the proposed facility. She stated they received their original Special Use Permit in July 2010 for a Business/Commercial School in approximately 20,000 square feet of the existing Northern Lights Crossing commercial building at 5330 Grand Avenue. She stated they are requesting an Amendment to increase the size of the facility from approximately 20,000 square feet to 31,500 square feet to allow for more office, classroom and lab space. She stated the total student enrollment, class instructors and business hours will remain the same.
Chairman Sula asked for anyone from the petitioner or from the general public who plan on giving testimony, asking questions or making comments to stand and be sworn in.
Mr. Simon Borodyansky, Director of the Facilities Management Department representing Computer Systems Institute introduced himself. He stated after speaking with their own management they want to provide a better quality of education and services for their students. He stated to do this they realized they need more space and services to make the student classrooms more spacious, add more advisors, and create a resource center. He stated there is an available, but undividable space of 31,000 square feet that is available to them which they would commit to even though it is more than their actual needs of 25,000 square feet. He stated the number of their students would not increase and the square footage increase would be able to increase the technology for their students in more spacious classroom settings.
Chairman Sula verified that more square footage is being requested, but the number of staff and student projections would be the same
Mr. Borodyansky stated the number of students will be the same but projections are for the number of employees to increase on-campus from (12) twelve to (25) twenty-five. He stated this will not happen overnight and they would have to grow to the number of students to reach the goal of (25) twenty-five employees. He noted they would like to add more staff to have better control of the student population. He stated there are plans to add a campus President as well. He stated they are planning to enforce parking rules as far as the parking spaces. He stated employees, faculty members and students would have color-coded tags on their cars to easily be identified.
Chairman Sula asked if there would not be more students on-site at one time, but more in/outs.
Mr. Borodyansky stated the maximum capacity being projected would not be more than 200 students for the morning classes, not more than 100 students for the day classes and not more than 150 students for the evening classes.
Chairman Sula asked for the record, how many parking spaces would be allocated to this project.
Mr. Borodyansky responded there would be some cross parking and they have a letter from the landlord assigning them (100) one-hundred parking spaces.
Chairman Sula asked for questions from the Commission.
Mr. McFarlane stated he believes this is a good use for this space and with the shared parking, he is glad to see an expansion of the facility which helps improve an area that has been struggling.
Chairman Sula opened the floor to the Public and asked for any questions or comments.
Chairman Sula closed the floor to the Public.
Chairman Sula asked the Commission for a motion.
Mr. Nordentoft moved to forward a favorable recommendation, seconded by Ms. Broughton, for the Special Use Permit Amendment for Computer Systems Institute to amend the Special Use to expand their facility from approximately 20,000 square feet to 31,500 square feet within the existing Northern Lights Crossing commercial building as submitted.
Roll Call
Ayes: Sula, Park, Nordentoft, McFarlane, Broughton, Salmons, Drennan
Nays: None
Abstain: None
Motion Carried: 7-0-0
4. Public Hearing: Thomas Place Senior Living Facility Rezoning & Preliminary PUD and Hunt Club Development, LLC Rezoning
Chairman Sula asked for anyone from the petitioner or from the general public who plan on giving testimony, asking questions or making comments to stand and be sworn in.
[Thomas Place Senior Living Facility Rezoning & Preliminary PUD portion]
Mr. Lawrence Freedman, Attorney with Ash, Anos, Freedman & Logan of 77 W. Washington, Chicago, Illinois stated he is representing Ryan Companies who is the petitioner. He stated they are present this evening seeking an approval to rezone their portion of the subject property from an R-2 PUD to an R-5 PUD and for a Special Use Permit for a PUD to allow for a Senior Independent Living Facility to permit construction of a 100 unit Independent Senior Living Facility. He stated they were before the Commission in February 2010 seeking substantially the same development with some modifications. He stated that development contained 116 units rather than 100 units. He stated the Plan Commission recommended approval but before their appearance before the trustees they lost their financing due to the tough economic times. He stated at that time and before proceeding in front of the trustees they withdrew that petition and never acted upon by the Village. He stated they have now secured the financing and are seeking approval of the plan which has been moderately reduced in size but is essentially similar to the plan that was proposed in February 2010.
Mr. Dan Walsh from Ryan Companies located at 111 Shuman Boulevard in Naperville, Illinois stated they are asking for approval for their 100 unit Thomas Place Senior Housing facility located on the east side of Hunt Club Road just north of Washington Street. He stated Thomas Place Senior Housing will occupy approximately 12 acres of the 25 acre Hunt Club Development. He stated their portion is the southern half of the 25 acres. He noted to the north of them is vacant land and then single family homes, to the east is single family and to the south is some single family and finally to the west is a church and the Sunrise Assisted Living Facility. He stated the cost of the project is approximately $24.5 million dollars and will contain all affordable rent units. He stated there will be 33-1 bedroom/1 bath units and 67-2 bedroom/2 bath units. He stated the project will be age restricted for residents 55 years and older. He noted they are not tax-exempt and they would be paying estimated property taxes for the next twenty years of $2.6 million dollars or $138,000 per year. He stated according to the National Association of Home Builders a 100 unit multi-family project creates approximately 115 jobs which has a multiplier benefit to the Village short term during the construction period.
Mr. Walsh stated the development team consists of Ryan Companies as developer and design build contractor; the owner TPA Gurnee, a limited partnership that includes Ryan Companies, partner Jim Bergman (who has been a partner on other projects) and a tax credit investor who will purchase the tax credits which is the funding Mr. Freedman referred to earlier. He stated the zoning council is Ash, Anos, Freedman & Logan. He stated architectural services are being provided by Design Built Architectural Services which is a subsidiary of Ryan Companies and the property management would be provided by Pioneer Property Management which specifically has expertise in Section 42 Property Compliance.
Mr. Walsh stated the building will have an abundance of common area amenities that include enclosed parking; crafts room; exercise facility; large community room with a baby grand piano; computer area for resident’s use; library and billiard area; TV lounge with a big screen television; dining and kitchen area. He noted they do not provide food service as these are independent age-restricted and each unit would have their own kitchen. He stated the dining area would be for pot-luck dinners; holidays; and family parties. He stated the units consist of 1- bedroom/1- bath units and 2-bedroom/2- bath units. He stated the design of the building and units are spacious with 9-foot ceilings. He stated each unit would have either a patio or balcony, carpeting, window treatments, individual controlled heat and air conditioning as well as the kitchens having designer maple cabinets with a range, refrigerator, microwave, dishwasher as well as a stackable washer and dryer. He stated there would also be a common area laundry for oversize items such and quilts and blankets.
Mr. Walsh stated architecturally they are proposing a 3-story building which is an “H” shape configuration. He stated the main access to the property would be off of Hunt Club Road which is lined up with the access located across the street. He stated their 12 acres and the northern 12 acres of the property would share a common drive. He noted they have received (access) approvals from the DOT (Department of Transportation) for this site location.
Mr. Dave Erickson, Professional Engineer from Ryan Companies located at 111 Shuman Boulevard, Naperville stated on the eastern portion of the site there are flood plain and wetlands and noted they have the flood plain elevation approval and the wetland boundary approval through Lake County SMC as well as being currently in for permit through the Army Corp of Engineers for the wetlands. He stated they feel very comfortable that the project will have minimal impact to these areas. He stated storm water detention is located on the east side of the property and they will be meeting the Lake County SMC and the Village of Gurnee’s standards for detention. He stated traffic circulation will get access off of Hunt Club Road and they will be adding a right-hand turn lane heading northbound on Hunt Club Road which will turn right into the property. He stated the southbound traffic on Hunt Club Road will have access through the mill and grinding of the pavement adding a left-hand turn lane into the property. He stated they will be allowing for future cross access to the southern properties along both the eastern and western drive in front of the building. He stated the intention is for in the future when the southern properties develop into a different use, there would be access to this use allowing better circulation. He stated they will be providing 1.5 parking spaces per unit (for 100 units) which is (1) one underground parking space per unit equating to (100) one-hundred covered spaces for the residents and (50) fifty parking spaces outside of the building. He noted the majority of the spaces would be in front of the building which includes handicap spaces. He stated there would be some spaces to the south of the building as well. He stated they would be connecting to the water main located on the west side of Hunt Club Road along with connecting to the Village’s sanitary line located along the south side of the property. He stated they will meet the Villages standards for lighting and a photometric plan has been submitted. He stated there are trees on-site currently and they will mitigate for the landscaping providing trees throughout the site. He stated along the south property line it should be noted that they will provide shrubs and evergreen trees to buffer in this area. He stated they will have a pedestrian sidewalk that effectively goes around the entire building as well as providing a pedestrian walking path in the wetland areas that will include some benches just northeast of the building.
Mr. Walsh stated the requested zoning departures they are asking for are an R-5 PUD and some exceptions which include parking of (150) one-hundred fifty spaces at 1.5 per unit, rather than 2.0 spaces per unit; a building height of (39) thirty-nine feet to the roof mid-point instead of (35) thirty-five feet; a minimum resident age of 55 years instead of 62 years; and a 50% tree mitigation only for undesirable species and along the southern boundary of the property that is east of the east frontage road they will comply with the 100% mitigation requirement.
Mr. Walsh stated in conclusion they are excited about being able to bring to Gurnee a high quality age restricted affordable community that will generate property taxes without generating an impact on the school system. He stated they see themselves as a good neighbor and good citizen of the community as well as a valuable asset to the Village of Gurnee. He stated this is a $24.5 million dollar high quality project at this location and would be a nice anchor in this area for future development.
[Hunt Club Development, LLC Rezoning portion]
Mr. Steve Thelen, President of Hunt Club Development of 42720 N. Comberson in Antioch stated they had received approval for the Courts of Hunt Club prior to the catastrophe in the residential market. He stated he has been working with Ryan Companies in trying to find a reasonable and good use for this property. He stated they feel the southern portion would fit very well into the community.
He stated they do not have a plan for the north portion of the property at this point and part of the request is for the current R-2 PUD to be zoned as a R-2 Single Family until such time that they have a finished plan which at such time would melt into area with residents on the north and senior living on the south.
Chairman Sula asked for questions from the Commission.
Mr. Park asked for the architecture and materials of the building to be defined as well as why the height modification is needed.
Mr. Ron Danner, of Design Build Architect Services located at 201 N. Harrison Street in Davenport, Iowa responded as far as the architecture they have gone with a mix of Hardi-Plank siding and Hardi-Board and Batten siding which is a cementicious, board elapsed siding which looks exactly like cedar but of a higher quality that has a 50 year life-span. He stated there will be brick veneer on the lower level which increases in areas around the side of the building staggering up to look like a tiered front façade. He stated as the building is so long they have used a breakup of the material along with the balconies and chimneys and additional gables for esthetic value. He stated they have a total of (3) three different colors noting the siding being grey, the smooth board and batten type of siding being close to an off-white in color with white trim, and the brick veneer being a darker brown in color. He stated the roof would be asphalt shingles and noted with the underground parking the building would be a 3-story building in lieu of a 4-story building. He stated the building height is (39) thirty-nine feet to the center of the gable. He stated they actually looked at this in a preliminary state with a lower roof pitch and the building would not be as esthetic with a lower roof pitch and it would be more architectural with a steeper pitch even though it encroaches onto the (35) thirty-five feet.
Mr. Park asked if the extra height is due to the 9-foot ceilings instead of 8-foot ceilings and because of the underground parking.
Mr. Danner responded the 9-foot ceilings and the pitch of the roof add to this, but the underground parking does not.
Mr. Park asked what the grade differential is of the 1st floor versus that of Hunt Club Road.
Mr. Erickson stated they are slightly down and that the elevation difference of Hunt Club Road and the front entry is approximately (5) five feet down.
Chairman Sula asked if the Fire Department has any issues with the building height at (39) thirty-nine feet.
Mr. Mentkowski replied the Fire Department did not state that they had any issues with this facility regarding the height.
Mr. Park stated with the (5) five foot differential the project is (4) four feet above so effectively they are about the same at visual level.
Mr. Erickson responded that is correct, from Hunt Club Road.
Chairman Sula asked if the issue is more for fire protection than anything else.
Mr. Park responded it is within the zoning standard.
Mr. Park asked why 55 years versus 62 years for residents is appropriate.
Mr. Walsh responded in terms of the 55 years of age that is critical for financing of the project and they have also found that even though the average age of their residents is of those in their lower 70’s, they will have residents who are married and who have spouses under 62 years old. He stated they do see some part of their resident population that abridges an upper 50’s low 60’s with a spouse who is 65 – 68 years of age. He also stated it is critical for the financial feasibility of the project.
Chairman Sula asked Mr. Walsh to elaborate on why this is critical for the financing.
Mr. Walsh responded when evaluating the market there is a broader market at 55 years than at 62 years in terms of overall population and of people available.
Chairman Sula stated it is not because of Federal rules but because of broader population.
Mr. Walsh stated that is correct.
Mr. Park stated as he understands the code, it is 62 years of age but if there is two people in a unit, only one person has to be 62 years of age the other could be 22 years of age. He stated where Mr. Walsh is suggesting 55 years of age and no one less than 55 years of age. He asked if this is accurate.
Mr. Walsh responded that is not accurate. He stated there could be a 56 year old and a 53 year old.
Mr. Park asked why the reduced ratio of 1.5 parking spaces per unit is adequate.
Mr. Walsh stated their experience for parking demand for independent senior housing ranges from 0.95 to approximately 1.2 spaces per unit. He stated for example at Glenview they have 145 units and they provided 1.5 spaces of parking. He stated they are utilizing about 1.1 spaces for the same age group of 55 years of age and older. He stated Gurnee Meadows has 1.05 residents per unit and Library Tower in Libertyville is 1.17 residents per unit on average. He stated what they find in these communities in terms of the usage and population is that it doesn’t exceed 1.1 – 1.2 people per unit and that carpooling and public transportation being available through the township and combined with the number of residents per unit as well as their lifestyle has led them to the conclusion that 1.5 spaces per unit will leave them with open spaces. He stated all the spaces in the garage will be taken with the surface spaces being extra.
Ms. Salmons stated if there are 100 residents or more that means 100 people coming in off of Hunt Club Road which means a lot of traffic in the area. She asked if there would be anticipation for a stop light.
Mr. Walsh responded they do not anticipate a stop light. He stated their traffic engineer from the SEC Group looked very carefully at the traffic counts along Hunt Club Road. He stated at peak hours there would be some substantial traffic along Hunt Club Road. He stated as they looked at locations for affordable senior housing you want a location that is visible and accessible as well as concern for their residents to safely ingress and egress the property. He stated what they know about their population is that they rarely travel during peak hours as it is not part of their lifestyle. He stated in looking at the traffic counts and because of the signal located at Washington and Hunt Club Road there are breaks in the traffic that would allow their residents to exit, even heading south. He stated the design they have created for the interior road will enable them to have a 3-lane cross section so as exiting Thomas Place there would be a dedicated left-hand turn lane and be a stacking bay to allow their residents to safely wait until they are able to make a left-hand turn. He stated the cross-access that they have agreed to with the Village for the properties to the south, if and when those develop, will provide an opportunity for their residents to have another means of egressing their site to head south on Hunt Club Road be egressing onto Washington into a left-hand turn lane to head south on Hunt Club Road.
Mr. Mentkowski added that there will also be cross-access going to the north through the private drive. He stated when the Hunt Club property develops there will be cross access to the north where the intent would be to ultimately connect those properties together and potentially further north there would be a stop-light that residents could access if everything was developed and the streets were connected.
Ms. Salmons stated she had another question regarding the age restriction. She said the way in which it is stated is that a grandmother could be living there and have custody of a 15 year old grandchild and that the child could live there as there are no restrictions against it.
Mr. Walsh responded there will be a restriction that there will be no resident under the age of 20 years old. He stated there may be a caretaker with a resident.
Chairman Sula asked if this is enforceable.
Mr. Walsh stated having this type of age restriction is enforceable and they have looked into this.
Chairman Sula asked if anyone from the Public wanted to ask questions or give testimony.
Mr. Brian Huffhines of 1661 Deer Run Road in Gurnee stated his family has owned 16962 and 16944 on Washington Street for 60 years. He asked what the length and width is of the “H” shaped building is. He stated with the mentioned egress on the south end for the future development of Hunt Club and Washington Street and asked if this is what was just shown. He also asked where the area would be for storage of refuse until it would be collected and pick-up.
Chairman Sula asked for any other questions or comments from the Public.
Chairman Sula closed the floor to the Public.
Mr. Erickson responded that the dimensions of the building east to west would be approximately 323 feet and north to south would be approximately 239 feet. He stated the north side of the building at about the center of the “H” would be an interior trash area, thus no exterior trash dumpsters. He stated the area is interior with a door that goes up and down allowing enough room for a truck to back into this area and pick-up trash.
Chairman Sula asked for clarification on the cross-access.
Mr. Erickson stated there is an access drive all the way around the building and to the south they are allowing for future access and to the southwest of the building they are allowing for future access if needed.
Mr. Nordentoft stated he wanted to make sure that landscaping was adequate at the south end of the north-south access drives to protect the residents from headlight bleed. He stated he knew that it was meeting the code of metrics at the boundaries but wants to make sure at the corners if there is any headlight bleed going south that adequate work has been done to screen any of that headlight bleed.
Mr. Walsh stated if allowed to work with Staff on this, they would agree to that.
Chairman Sula stated he whole heartedly agrees that there does not need to be trees planted on-site just to have trees on-site as they get too close crowding each other and end up not growing well. He recommends that some sort of donation “in lieu of” replacement on-site to have trees planted in other areas of the Village that might need some trees.
Chairman Sula stated perhaps he mis-understood but thought they were asking not to replace sub-standard trees because they were sub-standard trees.
Mr. Mentkowski responded they are replacing trees that are defined as un-desirable. He stated in working with the applicant’s landscaper and verified by the Village forester that any tree that is defined as un-desirable would be replaced at a 50% value.
Mr. Erickson stated for the undesirable species it is 50% tree mitigation.
Chairman Sula asked is this code or a variance.
Mr. Mentkowski stated the Village Code does not differentiate between an un-desirable tree and a desirable tree. He stated in working with developers and recently with Heritage Woods the Village has allowed a reduced mitigation replacement rate. He stated if (2) two trees were required for replacement per code at 100% replacement, the reduced exception would allow them to do (1) one replacement tree. He stated they are proposing all those replacements on-site and at the undesirables would be removed and replaced with better trees.
Mr. McFarlane stated if he read the plan correctly, it is along the southern border where the replacement trees would be planted. He stated this is where the mitigation is and that the trees would be upgraded in this area, even though it would be fewer trees. He asked if this was correct.
Chairman Sula stated all he is suggesting is that it would be putting fewer trees on-site than what code requires and to put some more trees somewhere else.
Chairman Sula asked the Commission for any other questions or comments.
Mr. Park stated the rezoning of R-2 PUD Single Family to R-5 Limited Multi-Family is a very legitimate request and specifically related to the need for more senior housing in Gurnee. He stated this zoning does meet the standards within the Village Code.
[Thomas Place Senior Living Facility Rezoning]
Mr. Park made a motion, seconded by Mr. Nordentoft, to forward a favorable recommendation for the rezoning from R-2 PUD, Single-Family Residence District to the R-5 PUD, Limited Multi-Family District for the southern 12-acre Thomas Place parcel.
Roll Call
Ayes: Sula, Park, Nordentoft, McFarlane, Broughton, Salmons, Drennan
Nays: None
Abstain: None
Motion Carried: 7-0-0
[Thomas Place Senior Living Facility Preliminary PUD]
Mr. Park made a motion, seconded by Ms. Salmons, to forward a favorable recommendation for the Preliminary PUD requested for the Thomas Place Senior Living Facility, conditioned on the applicant working with Staff to develop an appropriate year-round landscape buffer at the ends of the north-south drive to prevent bleed through of any vehicular lights and shall include four departures from the Ordinance as follows:
1) a maximum building height of 39 feet;
2) to allow 1.5 parking spaces per unit;
3) to reduce the minimum age of at least one of the residents to 55 years of age with an absolute minimum age of additional residents at 20 years old; and
4) to reduce the mitigation requirement for undesirable trees to 50% for a portion of the site as stated within the application.
Roll Call
Ayes: Sula, Park, Nordentoft, McFarlane, Broughton, Salmons, Drennan
Nays: None
Abstain: None
Motion Carried: 7-0-0
[Hunt Club Development, LLC Rezoning]
Mr. Park made a motion, seconded by Mr. Nordentoft, to forward a favorable recommendation on the rezoning for the northern 12-acre parcel of the Hunt Club Development from R-2 PUD, Single-family residence district to R-2, Single-family residence district.
Chairman Sula asked for any comments or questions on the motions.
Roll call
Ayes: Sula, Park, Nordentoft, McFarlane, Broughton, Salmons, Drennan
Nays: None
Abstain: None
Motion Carried: 7-0-0
Chairman Sula asked for motion to adjourn.
Ms. Broughton made a motion, seconded by Mr. Nordentoft to adjourn.
The Meeting was adjourned at 9:24 P.M.
Respectfully Submitted:
Joanne Havenhill
Plan Commission Secretary