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Minutes - 04/16/2018 - Plan CommissionviLLAGI, Or MINUTES OF THE APRIL 16, 2018 OAK B K REGULAR MEETING OF THE PLAN COMMISSION OF THE VILLAGE OF OAK BROOK APPROVED AS WRITTEN ON MAY 21, 2018 CALL TO ORDER: The Meeting of the Plan Commission was called to order by Chairwoman Tropinski in the Samuel E. Dean Board Room of the Butler Government Center at 7:01 p.m. 2. ROLL CALL: Gail Polanek called the roll with the following persons PRESENT: Chairwoman Marcia Tropinski, Members, Thomas Doyle, Rahma Hasan, Raju Iyer, Raj Lal and Kenneth Wilczak IN ATTENDANCE: Trustee Moin Saiyed, Development Services Director Tony Budzikowski, Village Attorney Kurt Asprooth, Planner Rebecca Von Drasek and Planning Technician Gail Polanek 3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: REGULAR PLAN COMMISSION MEETING OF MARCH 19. 2018 Motion by Member Doyle, seconded by Member Hasan to waive the reading of the minutes and to approve the minutes of the March 19, 2018 Regular Plan Commission meeting as written. VOICE VOTE: Motion Carried. 4. UNFINISHED BUSINESS There was no unfinished business to discuss. 5. NEW BUSINESS CALL TO ORDER ROLL CALL MINUTES MARCH 19, 2018 UNFINISHED BUSINESS NEW BUSINESS A. VOB - 2915 OAK BROOK ROAD — SPECIAL USE — VILLAGE OWNED VOB- 2915 OAK COMMUNICATIONS TOWER BROOK RD S.U. VR.LAGE OWNED COMMUNICATIONS TOWER Chairwoman Tropinski reviewed the meeting procedures. Tony Budzikowski, Village of Oak Brook Development Services Director gave an overview of the petition from the Village in cooperation with T -Mobile, requesting approval of a special use to permit and allow the construction of a new 120 -foot high, village owned wireless communication tower at 2915 Oak Brook Road. The VILLAGE OF OAK BROOK Regular Plan Commission Minutes Page 1 of 11 April 16, 2018 1.42 -acre property is located in the R-2 district at the southeast comer of Meyers Road and Oak Brook Road. The village owned property is currently improved with a village operated well house, Flagg Creek sanitary lift station and other ancillary public works facilities. The village currently has a 95 -foot monopole at the Butler Government Center (1200 Oak brook Road) that will be replaced with a 120 -foot tower this summer, which will have a similar use as the proposed tower. He noted that the petition was referred by the Village Board of Trustees on March 27, 2018 and that the presentation before the Plan Commission was the first meeting of three different boards as part of the approval process. Upon completion by the Plan Commission with a recommendation, the petition will be heard by the Zoning Board of Appeals for public hearing and recommendation. Lastly, the petition will be heard by the Board of Trustees for a possible approval. T -Mobile is proposing the construction of a new telecommunications monopole to locate its equipment and improve service to certain areas of the village in an effort to remedy a gap in their wireless service. The intent of the project is to provide residents, businesses, visitors and first responders with reliable wireless service throughout the community. Lauren Neil, Senior Siting Advocacy Manager, T -Mobile Central Region gave a presentation on the current wireless data usage showing a massive increase over the past ten years. The usage is expected to continue to increase annually. Additionally, there were over 260 million 911 calls placed in 2016 and 70% of those calls were made from wireless devices. T -Mobile has been working with the village over the past year on ways to improve coverage within the community. They determined that using existing infrastructure was not a viable option. She felt as though they had exhausted all options in the area to co -locate. The cell tower map that she presented showed a significant gap in coverage in the area of the proposed tower. Ms. Neil presented several maps which detailed current coverage, capacity restraints and proposed coverage with the new tower. Another map showed how the coverage would look if a new tower were located at Midwestern University and did not reach much of the residential areas needed. However, they had approached the university in the past, but due to construction at that time they were not interested. Additionally, a tower at Midwestern University would also interfere with nearby infrastructure. Ms. Neil discussed concerns regarding possible health effects of the tower and stated that all wireless carriers must follow FCC regulations and guidelines. Also, the World Health Organization, the FDA and the American Cancer Society have all released statements that no negative health effects have been attributed to cell sites. As far as the questions about having mini cell towers (boosters) in individual homes, she noted that it was not a feasible long-term solution. She added that if a home lost power, they would lose coverage. In regards to the concerns about cell VILLAGE OF OAK BROOK Regular Plan Commission Minutes Page 2 of 11 April 16, 2018 1 P� towers lowering property values, it was believed that many new home buyers are interested in buying in areas with good wireless service since approximately 50 percent of households no longer have a landline. Village Attorney Asprooth reviewed the special use factors that the Plan Commission must consider prior to granting a recommendation. Member Wilczak believed that installing the tower would have significant adverse effects on the Dana Park properties due to lack of mature trees or buffering in the subdivision. He noted that there is already a challenge in Dana Park due to the Downers Grove school district, and the tower would have a significant impact on the property values. He did support the tower. Member Lal discussed the concerns of the residents and believed that the tower would be unsightly and likely ineffective in the near future due to constant changes in technology. He believed the need for cell service will always be higher than the resources that are available. He noted that T -Mobile would be generating revenue for the village and benefit the residents. He found it difficult to balance the residents needs verses the esthetics of the tower. Member Hasan questioned if the size of the pole could be smaller and more compact. Ms. Neil responded that the reason for the height of the tower was to allow sustainable co -location opportunities for multiple carriers in addition to the village's emergency communication equipment. She noted that the tower could be shortened, but that could possibly diminish some of the effectiveness. Member Hasan asked if the use of small cells that are placed on top of the ComEd poles were an option. Ms. Neil responded that the small cells were a feasible solution for congestion, coverage and capacity. However, the small cells work off of the large macro towers and there would need to be one in the area. Member Doyle commented that he did not believe the tower would harm property values. Member Hasan mentioned she did see the need for increased cell service and hoped they could reach a compromise to satisfy everyone at the meeting. Chairwoman Tropinski questioned how far the radio frequencies travel for possible health concerns. She stated that although the American Cancer Society does not find conclusive evidence that radio frequency causes harm, other websites state the opposite. Ms. Neil presented a chart showing legally permissible emissions for several devices verses the maximum emissions output of the device. She also noted that the proposed tower has less typical emissions than a Bluetooth headset. Member Iyer questioned the minimum height needed for the tower to operate effectively. Ms. Neil responded that for this particular site 100 feet would be best VILLAGE OF OAK BROOK Regular Plan Commission Minutes Page 3 of 11 April 16, 2018 1t due to co -locating and the large mature trees blocking coverage. Member Lal questioned if there was an opportunity to collaborate with the owners of the current tower on 39th Street. Ms. Neil believed there could be interference for the safety equipment. He then questioned if cell phone carriers have uniformity in technology. Ms. Neil responded that all carriers have different technology. Member Wilczak asked if the village has had notification of any missed or dropped emergency calls. IT Director, Jim Fox responded that he was not aware of any. Member Wilczak inquired about the distance of the tower to the nearest residence. He stated that if the property was within a fall -line, it could affect lending for that property. Jim Fox stated that there was one residence that may be affected. Member Hasan stressed there is definitely a need for better service in this area of the village. She believed that shortening the tower to 85-90 feet would make a huge difference to the location. Dr. Merrell Reiss, 802 Red Stable Way addressed the Plan Commission stating that he believed the location is not appropriate for a tower and was opposed to the tower. He suggested other nearby locations would screen the tower better. Dr. Vivek Mohan who lives in the Dana Park subdivision and directly abuts the property where the cell tower will be located believed that the location is not appropriate for a tower. He discussed property value concerns, and that Dana Park is an unfinished development that has had difficulties with completion. Mark Mandich, 3102 White Oak Lane was opposed and believed the tower would affect property values. Lina Shah, Realtor representing the Dana Park Subdivision stated the homes in the immediate area have already been challenging to sell. She has contracts pending for properties on Cara Lane and believed if the tower is built, it would cause the pending contracts to fall through. She also believed the tower would negatively affect property values and that it should not be built in a residential area. Janet Mori, 707 Brougham Lane addressed the Plan Commission regarding the Civic Association newsletter article that stated the proposal was to build a 210 -foot communications tower. She mentioned discrepancies between the newsletter, the presentation and the commentary at the meeting. She questioned where the revenue from the tower would go. She believed the tower would negatively affect property values in several subdivisions in the area. Gary Mori, 707 Brougham Lane believed that zoning regulations are important and should not be manipulated for short sighted development changes. He also believed whatever fees that may be received should be given back to the residents since they are ones who would suffer. VILLAGE OF OAK BROOK Regular Plan Commission Minutes Page 4 of 11 April 16, 2018 Jeri Sadegi, 2909 Ave Loire said the tower should not be built and would impact property values. Larry Wise, 3000 White Oak Lane noted his disapproval and asked if T -Mobile was the only cell phone carrier that was having coverage issues. Howard Leafstone, 305 Polo Lane stressed his disapproval and questioned why a tower could not be built to look like a tree. He did not understand why the village would allow an ugly tower to be built in a residential area with expensive homes. Soundarya Chandran, 3113 Cara Lane in Dana Park said that she has been a customer of T -Mobile for 16 years and that while living in Dana Park over the past two years they have not had any problems with their cell phone service. She believed they moved into an urban oasis and were very disheartened that the village was considering the construction of a cell tower that would almost be in their backyard. She was confident that the tower would negatively affect their property values and stressed that she was worried about the emissions and possible health issues that may be related to the tower. Jim Fox presented a map of village -owned property and mentioned the difficulty in trying to plan and build towers within the village. He stated that the village has been working on this issue for a number of years due to demands for improved cell phone service. He was empathetic to the comments of the residents and stressed that they have tried to find a more suitable location on village property. He discussed the difficulties in trying to disguise the tower to look like a tree and believed a white tower against a blue sky was the most attractive, has the least maintenance and the least liability. He addressed the questions regarding the revenue generated by the towers. He stated that by 2019 it was possible that all of the village's towers would generate approximately $225,000 which goes into the general fund of the village. Jim Fox stated the reason for a co -located tower with several antennas was to prevent other carriers from asking to build similar sized towers adjacent to one another. Janet Mori spoke again regarding the possibility of 911 calls being dropped and called that statement was hypothetical. She didn't believe a new tower was needed in the future due to advancing technology. Member Lal believed that it was unfair that the Plan Commission had the obligation to make recommendations on such contentious petitions and noted that these types of petitions should be reviewed by the Board of Trustees in a public forum prior to the case being brought to the Plan Commission. Member Hasan asked Ms. Neil for specific data showing the number of residents VILLAGE OF OAK BROOK Regular Plan Commission Minutes Page 5 of 11 April 16, 2018 who went to T -Mobile with complaints of coverage. Ms. Neil did not have the information readily available, but would provide it. She stated that it was a very lengthy and expensive process to build a tower and that T -Mobile would not ask to build one without a specific need in the area. Member Hasan addressed the audience stating the Plan Commission's duties and mentioned that none of their decisions were based upon revenue generated for the village. Chairwoman Tropinski asked that each member of the Plan Commission provide a comment stating why they voted as they did. Member Iyer did not hear any positive public comment and did not think T - Mobile had done enough research. Member Lal believed there needed to be a larger forum for public comment. Member Doyle, Member Hasan, Member Wilczak and Chairwoman Tropinski believed the tower would affect property values. Motioned by Member Doyle, seconded by Member Hasan to deny the request to build a 120 -foot high village owned communications tower at 2915 Oak Brook Road. ROLL CALL VOTE Ayes: 6 — Members Doyle, Iyer, Lal, Hasan, Wilczak and Chairwomal Tropinski Nays: 0 — Motion carried Chairwoman Tropinski called for a break at 8:41 p.m. The meeting was called back to order at 8:53 p.m. 5. B. SENIOR LIFESTYLE — CLEARWATER DEVELOPMENT — 2100-2122 YORK ROAD — AMEND SPECIAL USE ORD S-1183 FOR A SENIOR HOUSING DEVELOPMENT Rebecca Von Drasek, Village Planner provided a brief overview of the petition seeking approval of an amendment to the Special Use Ordinance S-1183 to allow the construction of a six -story masonry building in the 0-4 District. "The Sheridan at Oak Brook", a luxury senior housing community that will have 200 apartments consisting of 119 independent units, 66 licensed assisted living units and 15 memory care units on Lot 6 of Clearwater subdivision, located at 2055 Clearwater Drive. Member Lal questioned the applicant's willingness to provide private ambulance services for non -emergency medical calls. Planner Von Drasek replied that she would give the applicant the opportunity to provide their presentation and answer the question. Member Lal questioned if the applicant had withdrawn their previous application. Village Attorney Asprooth responded that it was a new application. VILLAGE OF OAK BROOK Regular Plan Commission Minutes Page 6 of 11 April 16, 2018 1P SENIOR LIFESTYLE - CLEARWATER DEVELOPMENT 2100-2122 YORK RD - AMEND SPECL4L USE ORD S-1183 Bridget O'Keefe, Daspin Aument LLP, attorney for Senior Lifestyle Development Corporation, the contract purchaser of Lot 6 in the Clearwater subdivision, provided background information regarding the current and previous application. She said that when the petition was last reviewed by the Plan Commission, it was recommended for approval by a 5 to 1 vote. When the petition was reviewed by the Zoning Board of Appeals, it was recommended for approval by a 7 to 0 vote. The application was ultimately denied by the village Board of Trustees in January 2018. After continued discussion with the village and its trustees, it was recommended to re -review the petition. In order to so, the petition must follow the same process as the original application. Much of the application remains the same as the original petition with the exception of two trees that were added to the landscape plan in response to a request of the Zoning Board of Appeals. Bob Gawronski, Vice President Development, Senior Lifestyle Development Company, 303 E. Wacker Drive, Suite 2400, Chicago, IL, thanked the Plan Commission for their support last fall and for once again hearing their petition. He provided an overview of the company noting that they were a privately held Chicago based company that has been in business for 32 years. They are the 6s' largest operator of senior housing in the country with locations in 190 different communities in 27 states. They have developed 55+ senior housing communities and have a workforce of over 10,000 employees. They provide independent living, assisted living and memory care and focus heavily on the hospitality aspect for senior living. He believed that Oak Brook was in need of senior housing and that within 5 miles of the Clearwater site there are more than 10,000 households over the age of 75 earning more than $75,000 per year. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates more than 35% of Oak Brook's current (2016) population is over the age of 65. They also estimated that 24.7% of Oak Brook's households are headed by persons' age 75 or older. He believed seniors would like to stay close to their familiar surroundings, and according to a market study, there is an unmet demand for senior housing in the primary market area. If they had a senior housing option, this could create an opportunity to have a younger more diverse population move into the community when homes become available as seniors move out. He believed the positive impact on Oak Brook would include a retirement community that does not currently exist in Oak Brook. The project would be at least a $80 million investment in the community and would create a luxury housing option for Oak Brook seniors who want to stay in their community. The development would complete the final phase of the Clearwater Development with a compatible, but less intense use than the hotel and condominiums originally envisioned for this site prior to the recession. Senior Lifestyle will employ more than 100 employees. Residents, employees and visitors would patronize local retail businesses, commercial services and medical office. The development would VILLAGE OF OAK BROOK Regular Plan Commission Minutes Page 7 of 11 April 16, 2018 generate approximately $540,000 in property tax that would help the school districts without having an impact on the schools. The development was projected to pay over $1 million dollars directly to the village in permit fees. He also mentioned the support that had been shown by many of the Clearwater neighbors. Mr. Gawronski discussed the impact on local emergency services. They received feedback from several fire departments that they welcome senior housing facilities with professional staff. According to them, it actually lowers the number of emergency calls they would normally receive from seniors living in single family homes or living on their own because staff assesses the need for an ambulance before calling for one. He estimated that Senior Lifestyle in Oak Brook would generate approximately seven to nine 911 calls per month and that resident's fees for an EMS call range from $550-$800 plus $10 per mile. The plan is for 200 luxury apartments for seniors, allocating approximately 119 independent units, 66 licensed assisted living units, and 15 licensed memory care units. There will be a state of the art security system, including an emergency call system and real time tracking. Staff is present 24 hours a day. They embrace the dignity of the residents and their family. He discussed the definitions for the many types of housing targeting older adults that have been endorsed by the American Seniors Housing Association, Argentum and several other national organizations that are focused on housing and care for seniors. This proposal for their independent living facility provides access to meals, housekeeping, linen service, transportation, social and recreational activities. In a majority of the units, they do not provide assistance with daily living such as supervision of medication, bathing and dressing. There are no licensed skilled nursing beds in these properties and the property is not licensed as a nursing home. He described the amenities available for each type of unit — independent, licensed assisted living and licensed memory care in addition to the main differences in each unit. Their award winning memory care program called `Embrace' will staff nearly 39 full-time equivalent medical personnel. The care plan for each resident would meet the minimum requirement they would need to live safely. There will be semi- annual assessments by the staff nurses to ensure that all memory care residents are receiving the attention they need. Joe Patrick, Director of Development at Senior Lifestyle presented a PowerPoint showing the physical attributes for the proposed community. The shape of the 6 - story building follows the street line. The site is entered through a private drive on Clearwater. There are currently 179 parking spaces that will be reconfigured and buffered with landscaping. There will be approximately 185 underground parking spaces to accommodate staff, residents and guests. Landscaping is important to the project and as visitors come to the site, and would be the first thing that they see and lush landscape will be incorporated around the perimeter of the building as VILLAGE OF OAK BROOK Regular Plan Commission Minutes Page 8 of 11 April 16, 2018 well as when the site is entered. Additional landscaping was also added to the initial proposal to provide a larger buffer from the parking area. He reviewed each level and the exterior fagade of the building. The memory care would have its own secured entrance along with a garden and a higher fence that will be screened with additional landscaping. The building is conceptual in design, but should be very similar to the finalized version of the plan. Tim Doron, Senior Traffic Planner, Principal with Sam Schwartz Engineering, 303 W. Erie Street, Suite 600, Chicago, IL reviewed the access to and from the site and signals. He stated that the 185 spaces provided in the building would ensure that its residents, staff or visitors would use none of the retail spaces located in the parking lot. Traffic is heavy during peak hours, but this facility would not have an effect during peak hours. There will be a significant decrease in the amount of proposed traffic from the original special use that was approved for this property which consisted of a hotel and a condominium building. He reviewed the traffic generation study and a parking analysis and there is more than enough parking for retail patrons, residents, employees and visitors. Bridget O'Keefe discussed the many options Lincoln Properties considered for the development over the years. Many of the options explored were prohibitive due to the parking and traffic concerns. Senior Housing was the best option for both parking and traffic concerns. She addressed the special use standards and believed that the development of Senior Lifestyle meets all of the standards and would be a benefit to the community. Member Iyer questioned if there will be any mobile homes in the development. The response was no, there would not be any mobile homes. Member Wilczak believed the proposed development is the opposite of what the village desires in terms of age restricted facilities. He believed the village needs housing for younger families and that senior housing would not be beneficial to the community. Mr. Gawronski responded that there was a demand for developing high-end senior housing facility in Oak Brook and that Oak Brook residents want to stay in Oak Brook and would not want to move to Elmhurst or Lombard. He also believed that seniors moving out of single-family homes and into this development would give younger families the opportunity to move into the community. They have received numerous calls of interest since this approval process began for the development. Member Wilczak discussed Oak Brook's Comprehensive Plan and stated that the need is for younger developments and less burden on the EMS. Bridget O'Keefe responded that the focus is on the Clearwater property that has been vacant for nearly 10 years. Lincoln Properties has looked at many other possibilities, however, senior housing would be the best use for this property. She stated that building a condominium on the property for a younger demographic VILLAGE OF OAK BROOK Regular Plan Commission Minutes Page 9 of I 1 April 16, 2018 would simply not work on this property from many standpoints. Member Lai questioned the turnover rate of the company's employees. Mr. Gawronski was not able to answer the question. Member Lal then questioned what the percentage was of minimum wage employees. Mr. Gawronski noted that this location would pay a minimum of $12-$15 per hour for the lowest paid workers which would consist of approximately 30% to 40% of the workforce. He added that retention is key to the success of their company and that they have had very successful company for the past 32 years. Member Lal asked to see that data for the assumption of the need for the development. Mr. Gawronski noted that the market study was already presented. Dawn Baker, Briarwood resident said that there were no senior housing facility rentals in the vicinity of Oak Brook. She believed it is very difficult to find something similar to this development. Chuck Thompson, resident and business owner of Steam Coffee in the Clearwater Development was in support of the proposed development and shocked that it was not approved by the village board in January. He believed Trustee John Baar did his due diligence by visiting Senior Lifestyle in Northbrook while no other members did. He and his wife signed a lease for their business in Clearwater believing there would be residents coming from the mixed use - special use that was approved by the Village in 2007. He was taken aback at the Board of Trustees meeting when they heard that there should be more retail in the Clearwater development. Senior Lifestyles would create a small downtown Oak Brook. Additionally, the monetary benefits for the village and community are great. Lastly, the development could not support more retail due to the lack of parking. Member Lal questioned the rental fees for memory care and assisted living. Mr. Gawronski responded that the memory care rental would be approximately $7300- $8300 per month all-inclusive of the care plan that was developed by the resident's physician at the time of move in. Motioned by Member Hasan, seconded by Member Doyle to recommend for approval the special use standards subject to the following conditions: 1. To be constructed in substantial compliance with the plans as submitted and approved and that all previously approved special uses and variations granted to this property not in conflict with this request will remain in full force and effect; 2. Obtaining final approval of the proposed variations required to construct the 200 -unit senior housing development. 3. Comply with all other applicable rules and ordinances of the Village of Oak Brook. 4. Notwithstanding the attached exhibits, the applicant shall meet all Village VILLAGE OF OAK BROOK Regular Plan Commission Minutes Page 10 of 11 April 16, 2018 Ordinance requirements at the time of building permit application except as specifically varied or waived. ROLL CALL VOTE Ayes: 4 — Members Doyle, Hasan, Iyer and Chairwoman Tropinski Nays: 2 — Members Lal and Wilczak Motion carried. 5. C. VILLAGE OF OAK BROOK — TEXT AMENDMENT — TO ADDRESS AGE RESTRICTED MULTI -FAMILY LIVING FACILITIES :12 Member Lal that the Text Amendment proposal be continued due to time constraints. Mort Westman, 8 Ivy Lane, Brook Forest stated he is the past president of the Home Owners association and a resident of Oak Brook for more than 27 years. He had several comments and questions regarding the proposed Test Amendment, but agreed that the discussion should be continued to the next Plan Commission meeting due to the late hour. Motion by Member Hasan, seconded by Member Lal to defer the discussion for a Text Amendment to Address Age Restricted Multi -Family Living Facilities to the next Plan Commission meeting date of May 21, 2018. ROLL CALL VOTE Ayes: 6 — Members Doyle, Hasan, Iye, Lal, Wilczak and Chairwomai Tropinski Nays: 0 — Motion carried Director Budzikowski reviewed possible upcoming cases. 7. PUBLIC COMMENTS There were no public comments. 8. ADJOURNMENT: Motion by Member Iyer, seconded by Member Doyle to adjourn the meeting at 10:23 p.m. VOICE VOTE: Motion carried. ATTEST: /s/ Tony Budzikowski Tony Budzikowski Development Services Director Secretary VILLAGE OF OAK BROOK Regular Plan Commission Minutes Page 11 of 11 April 16, 2018 VOB-TA-ADDRESS AGE -RESTRICTED MULTI -FAMILY LIVING FACILITIES OTHER BUSINESS PUBLIC COMMENTS ADJOURNMENT