Loading...
Minutes - 08/01/2000 - Zoning Board of AppealsVILLAGE OF OAK BROOK ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS MINUTES August 1, 2000 L CALL TO ORDER The regular meeting was called to order at 7:32 p.m. MEMBERS PRESENT: Chairman Members MEMBERS ABSENT: ALSO PRESENT: Village Trustee Village Manager Director of Community Development Fire Chief Fire Captain A quorum was present. II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Champ Davis Paul Adrian Louis Aldini George Mueller Manu Shah Ayesha Zaheer Richard Ascher Alfred Savino Stephen Veitch Robert Kallien Debra Jarvis Robert Cronholm Member Shah moved, seconded by Member Adrian, to waive the reading of the July 6, 2000, regular Zoning Board of Appeals meeting minutes and to approve them as written. VOICE VOTE: All in favor. Motion carried. Ill. VILLAGE OF OAK BROOK — MUNICIPAL BUILDING PROJECT — (1200 OAK BROOK ROAD) — SPECIAL USE Steve Veitch, Village Manager of the Village of Oak Brook, represented the Village in its petition for an amendment to an existing Special Use, which includes a driveway serving a new fire station which would be constructed at a width greater than that expressly permitted by the Zoning Ordinance. The original application was to seek an amendment to the Special Use and a Variation. The Village Attorney later advised that the appropriate way in which to handle such a deviation from the express terms of the Zoning Ordinance, is to handle it as a condition of the Special Use and subject it to Special Use standards, as opposed to treating it separately and subjecting it to variation standards. The application was amended to state that the Village is seeking an amendment to a Special Use, which includes this feature. Village Manager Veitch described the various Village functions and locations of the departments within the Village Commons. Village Hall contains the Police, Finance, Information Services, Purchasing and Engineering departments, as well as general administrative functions and meeting facilities. Fire Station 1 is the administrative headquarters of the Oak Brook Fire Department and ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS Minutes (Zi yt August 1, 2000 1 houses half of the response operation, the Fire Prevention Division, and the Community Development Department which is the aggregation of the Planning, Zoning and Code Enforcement functions that are sometimes referred to as the Building Department. There are two other buildings on the site, one is the old Butler School building which currently houses the Oak Brook Public Library and the Public Works facility. The Village Commons property is zoned R -3, single - family residence district. However, government facilities, including municipal offices, public libraries, police and fire stations, public works facilities, and the like are provided for as Special Uses in the R -1 through R -4 zoning districts. The existing Village Commons development is considered to be a legally valid special use, and is subject to the provisions of Section XIII (J) Special Uses, in the event of a substantial alteration or expansion. The Ordinance has been interpreted to require this proposed project to be covered by a Special Use Ordinance and an approved site plan relating to the existing development. The Village seeks to consolidate, upgrade and improve its facilities through construction of an addition on the west side of Village Hall, which is about 32,700 square feet in size. The project results in a net expansion of floor space of only about 20,200 square feet because the addition will replace old Fire Station 1, which is about 12,500 feet in size. The project also includes extensive changes and improvements to the Village Commons site, which will alter and improve the access to the site, circulation within the site, and provide stormwater management facilities as well as adequate off - street parking. The addition will house Fire Station 1, Fire Administration, Fire Prevention, Community Development, Engineering, Information Services and Purchasing. The Communication function will also be located in the addition, getting it out of the way of the renovation of the Police Dept. It also includes a divisible multi - purpose conference and meeting room, which is also designed to function as an Emergency Operating Center (EOC). A common break room is adjacent to that, which can become part of the EOC if need be. The renovation of the existing Village Hall will result in a Police Department that is approximately 30 percent larger than the existing facility. The project also includes an overall upgrade of the almost 27- year old electrical and mechanical systems throughout the building. The project as it has been designed meets all applicable bulk regulations of the Zoning Ordinance with the exception of the width of the apparatus apron of the Fire Station. The Ordinance states that access driveways for nonresidential uses at the lot line can be no wider than 38 feet without a median or 44 feet with a median. This apparatus apron of the four -bay fire station is designed to be approximately 65 feet wide where it meets the west lot line, before it begins to flare out. It is driven by the operating requirements of a fire department and its large vehicles. The apron is comparable in width to the apron of Fire Station 2, at 22nd and Enterprise Drive. However, because Enterprise Drives curves at the location where the driveway meets the street, the dimension of the drive at the lot line is approximately 100 feet. It is a four -bay station, two of the bays are drive - through and two of them will not be. The existing site suffers from a number of problems that will be addressed through the project. 1. The setback of the existing Fire Station apparatus room is insufficient in terms of the Zoning Ordinance; it is shorter than the truck that is housed in the apparatus room. The driveway is about 31 feet from the back of the curb to the front of the building, and the pumper is about 32 feet bumper to bumper. Obviously that is a problem, as is getting in and out onto 31s` Street, without the benefit and protection of traffic signals. The site plan reflects fire equipment access to and from Jorie Blvd. The traffic signal plan shows signalization controlled by the station keeping the area clear for exiting of fire equipment. The apron will be large enough to allow the apparatus to turn around on -site and provide some space for training activities. ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS Minutes qL`t August 1, 2000 2 2. The main entrance to the complex will be located at an established intersection at Spring Road, making ingress and egress easier, especially after DuPage County's planned improvements to 3151 are completed. The Jorie Road entrance is intended to be for fire equipment ingress and egress and a minor entrance principally for staff. 3. The existing development predates the DuPage County Stormwater Ordinance and contains no on -site storage. The redevelopment of more than one acre of the site introduces the need to comply with the stormwater ordinance. Stormwater detention is provided in the north centrallnorthwest part of the site. The outfall from the detention will be to Ginger Creek through the stormwater system on the McDonald's campus. 4. The site plan indicates a total of 200 parking spaces, which is more than double the number presently on site. The controlling provision of the Zoning Ordinance requires one off - street parking space for each two employees of a governmental service use. If it were assumed that every employee of the Village works at this site that would yield the requirement of about 90 spaces, which would seem to be far from adequate, especially considering the number of meeting that occur here because of the convenience of the location. If the building is divided into its various uses, public assembly, office space, and storage space and yields a requirement of about 190 spaces, which is met and slightly exceeded in the design. 200 parking spaces is what is believed to be needed for the activities that take place on this property. The standards for Special Uses are found in Section 7.2 of the Plan Commission Rules of Procedure and provides that the Commission consider certain factors in its review of applications for special uses. (a) For proposed uses operated by a public agency or proposed uses traditionally affected with the public interest, the proposed building or use at the particular location request is necessary or desirable to provide a service or a facility which is in the interest of the public convenience. 1. This use has existed at this site for approximately 40 years. 2. Many of its facilities are outmoded, cramped, unsafe, not in compliance with various codes, and not conducive to serving the public. Fire Station 1, if not occupied by the Village, would be closed. An example of that is the separation of the Engineering and Community Development Depts., because anyone needing to get a permit, needs to deal with both. They are separated by a parking lot. 3. The improvements are desirable in order to provide municipal services that are in the interest of public convenience. 4. The site is centrally located in the community and is located at the intersection of major thoroughfares, immediately adjacent to other nonresidential uses. (b) The proposed building or use will not cause substantial injury to the value of other property in the neighborhood in which it is located. The nearest residential uses are located to the south and west across major 5 -lane roadways. As improved, the buildings on the site will be located further from residential uses, in particular, the residential use to the south. The most visible activity (fire and emergency medical response) will take place no closer to any residential property and further away from the residential neighbor to the south. General traffic will be directed to an established intersection at Spring Road. With respect to adjacent non - residential property (McDonald's Corporation), there will be no material change other than the fact that the Village will be retaining its stormwater rather than delivering it directly to them without benefit of any detention, now will meter the flow. ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS Minutes 01i August 1, 2000 3 (c) The proposed building or use will be so designed, located and operated that the public health, safety and welfare will be protected. The complex provides the services that are essential to the community and in the interest of the public health, safety and welfare. The proposed improvements will enhance the Village's ability to deliver those services efficiently and safely, and enhance the convenience of the public as business is conducted at the Village Commons. In the file, the Plan Commission's report and recommendation, in addition to suggesting the allowance of the extra width in the apparatus apron, also suggested that consideration be given to increasing the number of oak trees shown on the landscape plan. In that regard, the larger green circles on the plan are the shade trees provided for in the landscape plan, those that are rather plain with just a little cross in the center are existing trees. Those that have branches drawn in are the proposed new trees. There are 36 proposed new trees, and about 18 are in locations that they think an oak might reasonable be substituted for what was shown on the planting list in the file, with a reasonable chance of survival. There are a number of other sites where they think a change can be made to the planting plan to reflect oak trees. One other change was recommended by Trustee, Savino, in his role as liaison trustee, and as an observer of the process, was that the berm on the corner of Oak Brook Road and Jorie Blvd. be a continuous berm in terms of the earthwork. Whether or not the planting areas are continuous, is a different issue. As designed on the plan, the berm is actually, three pieces, and they believe they can connect those in order to provide a more consistent and continuous screen of the parking areas. The Village seeks approval of a special use amendment to improve and expand the municipal complex at 1200 Oak Brook Road. Although there will be no increase in the level of activity, the improvement will result in a far more efficient facility and better functioning site plan for delivery of municipal services and will therefore benefit the community and its citizens. Member Mueller asked if the berm on Jorie Blvd. would be modified to accommodate Fire Department access. Chairman Davis questioned when the existing Special Use was granted. Village Manager Veitch responded that no history was found regarding the Special Use. When the Municipal building was constructed in the early 1970's, the site had been used for those purposes prior to the construction. Records were not found of a specific granting of a Special Use for it. Special Uses in existence at the time of the adoption of the Ordinance are considered to be lawful Special Uses, in the general provision sections of the Ordinance. Chairman Davis concluded that they are then amending a Special Use. The amendment is to approve and expand a municipal complex as presented in the site plan and subject to the conditions set forth by the Plan Commission. Chairman Davis asked who would be using the parking facilities in the front of the Fire Station. Village Manager Veitch answered that it will be used by Fire personnel and other Village staff that will be working in that section of the building. The intent is to have the public use the main entrance and park in the main area. Chairman Davis questioned the relocation of signage and road maps for the public. Village Manager Veitch said that when one enters if they need to go to Community Development or Engineering they will go straight ahead. People seldom need to see fire administration or fire prevention. There will also be signage to direct people who are interested in getting to the Police Dept. and people who are interested in getting to Administration. The Police Dept reception window will no longer be at the far end of the building during the day. The Police Dept. reception window will be located where the stairway currently exists. Chairman Davis asked about the timetable. Village Manager Veitch said that the construction will begin this year. It is a complicated phasing scheme involving partial demolition of the fire station, utilizing what can be used during the construction period, and supplementing that with trailers, until ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS Minutes (kk August 1, 2000 4 the wing is built and occupied, then demolish the rest of the fire station, remove the trailers, move people in and construct the rest of the parking. The Police Dept. will have to live there while the work is being done. Member Zaheer said that to find the entry to the building, you have to travel almost through the entire property to find out where the main entrance is located. Village Manager Veitch responded that they are trying to direct the public to the main entrance. Member Zaheer noted that it appears they are trying to blend in the fagade of the new building to the existing building, by using vertical coursing on top and horizontal coursing below, and wondered if the brick will be the same color. Village Manager Veitch answered that the brick is intended to be exactly the same. It will be broken up by the Fire Station. Member Mueller asked if the Public Works building would be connected to the municipal building. Village Manager Veitch answered that the grades are all wrong. As such, it will not be connected. No one in the audience spoke in support of or against the proposal. Member Mueller moved, seconded by Member Adrian, that the Special Use as requested is deemed necessary for the public convenience and will be operated so that the public health, safety and welfare are protected and there will be no substantial injury to other property that it is located. The petitioner has met the requirements necessary to recommend the Special Use for approval subject to the following conditions: 1. Consideration should be given to increase the number of oak trees shown on the landscape plan. 2. Allow the increased width of the apparatus apron of the Fire Station as requested to accommodate its operating requirements and large vehicles. 3. Subject to the site plan as presented. ROLL CALL VOTE: Ayes: 6 - Adrian, Aldini, Mueller, Shah, Zaheer, and Davis Nays: 0- Absent: 1 - Ascher Motion Carried. IV. ADJOURNMENT Member Shah moved, seconded by Member Mueller to adjourn the meeting. VOICE VOTE: All in favor. Motion carried. Meeting was adjourned at 8:09 p.m. Director of Communit pe elopment Secretary October 3, 2000 Date Approved ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS Minutes August 1, 2000 5