Planning & Zoning Commission

MINUTES CITY OF DEKALB PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING SEPTEMBER 30, 2015 The City of DeKalb Planning & Zoning Commission held a regular meeting on September 30, 2015 in the Executive Conference Room of the DeKalb Municipal Building, 200 South Fourth Street, DeKalb, Illinois. CALL TO ORDER Chair Atherton called the meeting to order at 6:02 p.m. ROLL CALL Planning & Zoning Commission members present: Roger Ruehling, Matthew Crull, David Castro, Deborah Nier, Adam Katz, Jerry Wright and Chair Christina Atherton. Also present: Derek Hiland, Principal Planner and Brenda Hart, Administrative Assistant. APPROVAL OF AGENDA A motion was made by M. Crull to approve the September 30, 2015 agenda. The motion was seconded by D. Castro and approved by voice vote. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A motion was made by M. Crull to approve the August 12, 2015 minutes. The motion was seconded by R. Ruehling and approved by voice vote. A motion was made by R. Ruehling to approve the August 26, 2015 minutes. The motion was seconded by D. Castro and approved by voice vote. OLD BUSINESS None NEW BUSINESS Public Hearing on a request by Eric Uebelhor on behalf of Insite Real Estate Investment Properties, LLC, on 1.54 acres of property for a Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen restaurant with a drive thru, located north of 1127 W. Lincoln Highway. To approve a Special Use Permit for a Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen, and to approve preliminary and final plats of subdivision for the DeKalb Retail Development Subdivision Derek Hiland spoke regarding the request by the applicant for the approval of a final plat for DeKalb Retail Development Subdivision DeKalb Retail Development Subdivision and a special use permit for a Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen drive-thru restaurant located at 1127 West Lincoln Highway on property zoned “GC” General Commercial. The applicant proposes to redevelop the 1.54 acre property into three lots. Two of the lots would be buildable and the remaining lot would serve as detention for the subdivision. On one of the lots a 2,695 square foot Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen restaurant and drive-thru would be constructed and on the other a 4,000 square foot commercial building is proposed. The property would be developed to meet the needs of the proposed restaurant and could bring increased future development to the area. The completion of the proposed project would likely bring projects and redevelopment to surrounding properties that currently sit vacant. This redevelopment of a vacant property would be very beneficial to the West Lincoln Highway corridor. Community Development Department staff recommends approval of the Final Plat for DeKalb Retail Development Subdivision and approval of the Special Use Permit. Eric Uebelhor gave a presentation indicating the proposed plan. Mr. Uebelhor noted the three lots consist of 9,300 square feet which is mostly paved. He said the plan for Phase I is Popeyes, Phase II will be another 4,000 square foot retail building that will be marketed for retail. Phase three is a proposed detention area with ownership and maintenance falling to the Phase II owners. Mr. Uebelhor informed the Commission that Insight Real Estate Investments own the property at 1015 W Lincoln Hwy which they have been maintaining for years noting it would be easy to maintain this new property at the same time because of the close proximity. M. Crull asked if the store would close at 10:00 p.m. Mr. Uebelhor answered that it would. D. Castro asked if Insight Realty has any idea what may be established on the east portion of the lot. Mr. Uebelhor answered that they don’t know yet but they would be seeking low intensity retail because of limited parking. A. Katz asked what the building would look like. Mr. Uebelhor noted that they have a fairly standard building prototype with Harvard brick, 20-25’ with a flat roof. R. Ruehling asked where the ordering station would be located. Mr. Uebelhor answered that it would be to the north of the building. Chair Atherton asked if you can enter and exit from both the east and west. Mr. Uebelhor said yes, entry and exit would be from both directions. D. Castro asked if all landscaping requirements would be met. D. Hiland said the applicant has not filed for a fully engineered site plan review but indicated that the recommendation has been made to soften some of the landscaped areas, noting that additional landscaping has been requested. Mr. Uebelhor said all requirements would be met. He said as a standard they always put in sod and irrigation rather than seed. Chair Atherton opened the Public Hearing. With no one from the public wanting to speak Chair Atherton closed the Public Hearing. . Chair Atherton gave the opinion that the area at 1127 W Lincoln Hwy has been in need of improvement and is happy that Insight Real Estate is willing to make those improvements. M. Crull made the motion to approve the final plat for DeKalb Retail Development Subdivision and a special use permit for a Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen drive-thru restaurant located at 1127 West Lincoln Highway subject to the following: 1) Approval of the final plat of subdivision. 2) Approval of the proposed drive thru. 3) Modify the landscaping plan to incorporate additional plantings along the north, west and south landscaping island adjacent to the dumpster enclosure. D. Nier seconded the motion. Discussion of the motion - D. Castro asked if the City’s hands would be tied with approval of this proposal when it comes to future tenants of the Phase II location. D. Hiland answered for any future tenants with a use that is in line with the zoning would not come before the Planning and Zoning Commission again but if, for instance, another drive-thru was part of the plan the applicant would need to apply for a special use permit. D. Hiland said one of his only concerns is the possible need for a special service area for the purpose of maintenance of the area. A roll call vote was taken. David Castro – yes, Matthew Crull – yes, Adam Katz – yes, Deborah Nier – yes, Roger Ruehling – yes, Jerry Wright – yes, Chair Atherton – yes. REPORTS/ITEMS FOR NEXT MEETING 1. There will be no meeting October 14th. 2. D. Hiland said another co-location request is being made to put cellular equipment on top of the building at 155 S. 3rd St. 3. Bylaw changes. 4. Planning and Zoning Commission training will be held in Normal on Thursday, October 7th. If Commissioners are interested they should contact D. Hiland. ADJOURNMENT A motion was made by J. Wright to adjourn the meeting. The motion was seconded by M. Crull and approved by voice vote. The meeting adjourned at 6:34 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Brenda Hart, Recorder Minutes approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission on October 28, 2015.