Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee

Niles 2040 Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee Tuesday, October 20, 2020 6:00 PM FINAL Meeting Minutes Attendance: Project Steering Committee: Colin Baker, Michael DeSantiago, Adam Konopka, Janet Lee, Joe Maccione, Denise McCreery, Dennis McEnerney, John Murphy, Craig Niedermaier, Mike Shields Village Staff: Kate Lockerby, Staff Liaison/Recording Secretary, Charles Ostman, Nathan Bruemmer, Hadley Skeffington-Vos Consultants: Scott Ruhland (The Lakota Group), Mike Kritzman (The Lakota Group), Abigail Rose (The Lakota Group), Linda Goodman (Goodman Williams Group), Sarah Wilson (Goodman Williams Group), Christen Hayes (Goodman Williams Group), Eric Russell (KLOA) Other Attendees: N/A Absent: Steering Committee Members: Tom Kanelos, Scott O’Brien Trustee McCreery called the meeting to order at 6:05 PM. A roll call was taken. Trustee McCreery asked for a motion to approve the July 22, 2020 and October 6, 2020 meeting minutes. Mr. DeSantiago made a motion to approve the minutes. Mr. Shields asked to amend the July 22, 2020 minutes, page 2, regarding the amount of the 2030 plan that has been implemented. The draft minutes show that 2/3 of the plan has been implemented but it really is more like 80-90%. Further, he asked that the word preliminary be added before the acronym SWOT as the analysis done at the meeting was not a full SWOT, more of a preliminary SWOT. Trustee McCreery asked Mr. Ruhland if the word “preliminary” would be appropriate to add to the minutes and he stated that it would be a correct representation of the exercise. Trustee McCreery recalled the motion and asked for an amended motion for approval of the minutes with the suggested changes. Mr. Shields made a motion to approve the amended minutes from July 22, 2020. Mr. Maccione seconded the motion. All were in favor. The July 22, 2020 Minutes were approved. Mr. DeSantiago made a motion to approve the minutes from the October 6, 2020 meeting. Mr. McEnerney seconded the motion. All were in favor. The October 6, 2020 Minutes were approved. Mr. Ruhland introduced the members of the consultant team that were in attendance. He noted that over the past month they have held stakeholder meetings (6 meetings with community stakeholders, including residents, business owners, library, school district superintendents, church organizations, etc.) and technical sessions with Village Staff. He then gave a presentation about what the consultant team has been working on since July (a copy of the presentation is attached to the minutes). He further noted that the State of the Village Report (existing conditions report) should be completed within the next 6 weeks. Trustee McCreery asked what the nature of the meetings with Staff has been. Mr. Ruhland stated they were information gathering sessions to see what has been done thus far. Mr. Shields named a few people he thought should be interviewed. Ms. Lockerby responded, mentioning that Staff has been very mindful regarding seeking input from members of the community. Ms. Rose gave a presentation about the community engagement endeavors and the Niles2040.com website. She noted that in the last 30 days, the site has had 486 site visits and 39 people have registered with the site, which makes them able to interact with the website in a variety of ways (pin ideas on a map, share ideas, storytelling, etc.). She mentioned that the Village created a marketing flyer to be sent to residents within the water bills. Ms. Lockerby stated that the first round of mailers were sent in mid-October, the next 1/3 should go out in November, and the last 1/3 should go out in December. She also mentioned that the Village ordered about 350-yard signs, 250 had been placed throughout the Village, so if anyone on the Committee wanted a yard sign for their own yard, please let her know. Ms. Rose noted that, at the Village’s request, google translate has been added to the Niles2040 website so it can be used by anyone in a variety of languages. Mr. Shields asked how long the site would be live. Ms. Rose stated it would be live throughout the entirety of the project and if the Village wanted to continue with it once the project is completed, the Village could pursue that with Bang the Table, the host of the site. Bang the Table has extended the contract without any fees because of the effects Covid has had on this project. Ms. Lee asked what drove the increase to the site visits. Mr. Ruhland stated that it was likely the Village’s water bill mailer, but yard signs and social media has likely helped as well. He also stated that they view the website as an ongoing engagement effort throughout the project. Trustee McCreery thought it looked like a low number of site registrants based on the number of visits. Ms. Rose stated that Bang the Table has indicated that there is typically a hesitation at first. To minimize this, the Village has made the registration questions as simple as possible. Ms. Lockerby asked if Ms. Rose noticed any trends when looking at the last question in the registration: “How did you hear about us?”. Ms. Rose said she had not. Trustee McCreery encouraged everyone on the committee to register for the site. She mentioned she has filled out a lot of information on the site. Niles 2040 Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee Page 2 of 7 October 20, 2020 Meeting Minutes Mr. McEnerney asked if this could be promoted in private Facebook pages (Everything Niles, Growing Up in Niles, etc.). Ms. Lockerby stated that it is being marketed on the Village’s Facebook page, but as far as marketing it in resident groups, Staff would need to discuss how to best market it there. Mr. McEnerney and Trustee McCreery stated that they would promote the Niles2040 site in various private Facebook groups. Mr. Shields stated he wanted to make sure we are marketing the site and project to all areas of town, especially in the area north of Dempster. Perhaps a Zoom open forum with the residents in this area may be a good idea. Ms. Lockerby stated that we have been talking internally to try to get people involved that don’t typically get involved in Village projects. The Village may be able to do smaller, more intimate sessions if it is determined it is warranted. The Village is also hoping to pass out flyers at grocery stores, public facilities, different location that people are needing to go (essential stores) to advertise the site and events. Trustee McCreery wanted to make sure Lakota was spending a good amount of time reviewing the results of the Community Survey which gives a good background with very in-depth questions. Mr. McEnerney suggested putting flyers out for early voting at the Village Hall. Talk ensued about sending flyers to schools and/or churches. St. Isaac Jogues was suggested as a good place to market the site as it is north of Dempster. Ms. Rose stated they would brainstorm about marketing the project. Mr. Shields asked if there were a number of responses in mind with which Lakota would be happy. Mr. Ruhland and Ms. Rose outlined that every project and community is different; some projects garner a lot of responses, some not as much. The information they use for the plan is a culmination of all the outreach efforts, including pop-up events, etc., so the website is one piece of a larger puzzle. Ms. Rose mentioned that the community open house will hopefully be in a webinar format toward the end of November. Mr. Russell gave an update about the Transportation component of the plan:  They have met with public works/engineering; PACE, IDOT, reviewed all documents and plans that VON and regional plans. Additionally, they have looked at the 2030 Comprehensive Plan. They will continue to look through the 2030 plan to see what is still relevant for the 2040 plan.  Highlights: Niles is well connected to region, has close access to Metra Lines, PULSE line and other Pace lines. In summary, the Village very well served.  Most of major roadways in town are under IDOT control.  The bike plan promotes alternate modes of transportation and to fill in gaps in sidewalks. The Village has a Complete Streets policy to make roadways safer. Green technologies are being incorporated into the Village’s plans as well.  IDOT has a 5-year program. Most of which include modification to surface quality, ADA, lighting: Harlem, Touhy, Waukegan, Lehigh & Ballard.  IDOT street widening  Pace PULSE lines were discussed as well as PULSE’s future expansion plans in Niles. Trustee McCreery asked what role the Village has with IDOT when widening streets. She noted that she does not like when streets are widened; it takes away from walkability, creates greater speed zones, etc. Mr. Russell agreed and stated the roadways they are looking at do carry a lot of traffic. He clarified that IDOT looks at the volume/capacity relationship and the roadways with potential for widening already exceed the recommended volumes. Mr. Russell stated that there are measures that can be added to minimize the effects street widenings have on communities, such as the addition of landscape medians, pedestrian crossings, Niles 2040 Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee Page 3 of 7 October 20, 2020 Meeting Minutes etc. He also stated that IDOT does try to work with communities to make sure there is a balance between road capacity and pedestrian safety (they have a Complete Streets policy too) and that the Village does have a say/should be an active member early on in construction projects. Mr. Ruhland stated that Niles should maybe look to solutions to the problems that could be done before widening is entertained. Mr. Shields agreed with Trustee McCreery and he doesn’t want more road widening. He believes the real answer is, like Mr. Ruhland stated, is the PULSE line and other transit opportunities. Traffic may be heavy because there aren’t better public transportation options out there. Mr. Kritzman said the Committee member’s concerns are being heard and he didn’t get the sense that it is high on the priority for IDOT. He further stated that safety, wellness, and character should be included in the plan. He concluded by stating that the PULSE line on Golf Road is not in the near future, but it is something that will fold into the area. By the time it is running, he believes Pace will be pushing out the next generation of service (dedicated lanes, etc.) and these are all things that will be looked at in the report. Mr. Shields stated he believes this is all positive for Niles and that from this Niles should have a TOD mindset because it can connect Niles to Jefferson Park/Downtown Chicago, etc. He continued by stating that if a Metra station happened in Niles, that would be a game-changer. He asked if Niles has ever thought about partnering with Glenview or Park Ridge for a larger, more regional approach? He also stated that Bikenomics is also very important. People in Chicago ride bikes a lot, but there aren’t enough “bikenomics” in the suburbs. Mr. Kritzman stated that the single connection of the two PULSE lines will be at the intersection of Dempster and Milwaukee which will be interesting in the future (potential TOD location). He further stated that the Dempster line will connect Downtown Evanston to O’Hare, through downtown Des Plaines and will expand the reach of Niles in the region. Mr. Shields encouraged Lakota to think big, as these things weren’t explored in the 2030 plan. Mr. Neidermaier stated that he had concerns about energy and changing of retail habits. He’d like to know what PULSE brings into Niles and what it brings out of Niles. He doesn’t think Niles is terribly walkable and he believes Niles will get more walkable and bikeable when there are jobs within town that people can walk/bike to. He wants to think about the future population to also get the community “right-sized”. Ms. Wilson started the section about the real estate market. She outlined some of the key demographic findings: Niles’ population has declined since 2010 and is projected to decline by 2025 (not by much). Niles’ median age is trending upward from 48 to 50.2. She also noted that the population is diversifying – the Asian population is fastest growing segment. This is being reflected in several of the retail offerings which is a real asset to the community. Regarding residential demographics, there are 12,500 total residential units in Niles, 93.4% are occupied, and nearly 70% are owner occupied but there is a growing renter occupancy rate. Ms. Wilson noted that there has been a lack of new construction activity; there were few new single-family homes, but only one new multi-family residential project since 2003 (no new supply). She also noted that median sales prices are increasing in the Village. Niles is still affordable comparable to adjacent communities, but the sales prices are on the rise. Also significant is that homes are selling quickly; averaging 89 days on the market for detached residential and 68 days for attached residential. In conclusion, Ms. Wilson noted that these are encouraging numbers because it shows people are coming into Niles because they see value in the homes. Ms. Wilson continued to discuss the retail market. Currently there is 5.2 million square feet of retail space in Niles with a vacancy of 8.8%. In looking at the retail sales tax data and comparing to neighboring communities, which helps to get a sense of the health and vitality of the market, Niles is second to Glenview. Niles has brought in $15.7 million in retail sales tax, but it has stagnated. Ms. Wilson noted that there are 14 Niles 2040 Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee Page 4 of 7 October 20, 2020 Meeting Minutes shopping centers in Niles with over 100,000 sf and of those, Golf Mill and Golf Glen Mart are the two with the largest vacancy rates. It’s important to look at the length of vacancy and how can we think big to reinvigorate the centers or re-think them in entirety. Ms. Wilson discussed the office market in Niles. There is under 1,000,000 square feet of office space which is not a lot in comparison to neighboring towns, especially next to the O’Hare market, which consists of Class A premier office space. The majority of the space in Niles is Class C. Vacancy in Niles’ office market is starting to drop: 4 years ago, the rate was 10.6% now it is 4.5%. She noted that, as we think about the future of office, there may be opportunity to convert some office into perhaps co-working spaces for people that are working out of their homes. Ms. Wilson discussed the industrial market in Niles. There is currently 8.6 million square feet of industrial space with a small vacancy rate of 1.7%. Currently there are 5 properties in town listed either for sale or lease. She noted that though there are no new projects planned and it’s a tight market, Niles is still very well positioned. Trustee Niedermaier asked if our small vacancy rate is a good thing as it appears people like our Class C spaces. Ms. Wilson stated that it is great there’s not a lot of unoccupied space and a good portion of the vacancy is from the Golf Mill office building. She further explained what the different office classes mean. Mr. Shields brought up history about Oak Mill Mall and how the previous owner filled it with medical office spaces. Mr. Shields has always thought, since we’re surrounded by hospitals, doctors need office space. Mr. Shields continued by stating that he has always wondered if people that move into town now in their 20s or 30s have the same ideas about staying around Niles for generations or are they more “starter homes” with longer-term plans of moving elsewhere. Mr. Shields also mentioned that he believes the Village’s retail sales has flat- lined due to the fact that many of Niles’ shopping centers are becoming very dated looking. He concluded by stating that we need to decide if we are doing enough to dress up the older areas. Ms. Wilson referred to one of the stakeholder meeting discussions where we discussed that the size and age of housing stock within the Village could be prohibitive for families wanting to stay because they tend to be single-story and families tend to need more space. She also note that, especially with Covid, families are realizing that space is a necessity. We need to think about providing opportunities for different housing stock (attached residential or larger single family) or potentially expanding the Village’s Grow Your Home program to encourage more people to stay in Niles because getting people to stay is a key component to the vitality of the Village’ future. Trustee McCreery asked at what point do we think our demographics will trend younger not older? Ms. Wilson stated that it extremely hard to project out beyond 5-10 years and she would be hesitant to give a time frame because people are living longer and they are making different choices. Ms. Lee asked if it could be that some families are marrying older and having families older, triggering the average age to go up. Ms. Wilson said household sizes are staying the same so maybe some are choosing not to have children. Ms. Goodman stated that Covid has not been mentioned/how Covid may change things moving forward. Mr. Kritzman thought the number could also be skewed because of Niles’ housing stock which consists of a significant number of smaller ranch homes. Older people may choose to downsize to a single-family ranch home in Niles verses an apartment or condominium. He also stated that household formation age has increased as well. Niles 2040 Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee Page 5 of 7 October 20, 2020 Meeting Minutes Mr. Shields mentioned the “Chicago effect”, people moving out of Chicago for various reason. He questions if this something that Niles needs to look in to and be prepared for? Ms. Goodman said no one can predict the real estate market over the next 12-24 months. Rates are so low so purchasing is more attractive. She further stated that Niles should focus on the housing stock: how do we encourage upgrading the current housing and then building new and creating expanded housing opportunities. Trustee Niedermaier stated that focusing on different paths should be explored, such as plans to get people to stay here once they are here. We should focus and take advantage of our proximity to Chicago. Ms. Goodman agreed and stated that with an older housing stock, how can you encourage investment in property rather than selling. Trustee Niedermaier stated that a good case-study would be redevelopment area that occurred after the devastation in Louisiana after Katrina. Mr. Murphy asked if the demographic trends are consistent between 2010 and 2020. Ms. Wilson stated the Asian demographic has increased by 28% while other groups have decreased. Trustee Niedermaier talked about trying to make the personalities of the shopping centers to entice people to shop in some areas. Mr. Shields complimented the Maine-Niles Library District. Mr. Ruhland talked about the past plans that they have reviewed, in particular the 2030 Comprehensive Plan. He talked about the 11 specific topics in the current plan and whether the Committee wants them to be exactly the same or if they can be included in different ways, and what can be added (community health/wellness and inclusion/social equity). He also talked about the 5 guiding principles in the current plan and whether the Committee wants them to be exactly the same or if they can be included in different ways. He also mentioned the 4 focus areas/corridor plans within the current plan. Are they still the focus areas or should they target more specific areas/redevelopment areas rather than an entire corridor? Mr. Shields gave some history about economic development and in his opinion, it should be a higher priority. Regarding environment, he believes it may need a separate spot. He also thinks public health is important and can be wrapped into family services. The one item that should be considered is governance and civic engagement. There’s always room for improvement, but he thinks governance and civic engagement are key to Niles’ vitality and growth because without, Niles won’t optimize. His last issue was that Milwaukee Corridor is 2 sections with a huge opportunity area being that part north of Dempster Street. Mr. Ruhland stated that Golf Mill is definitely an opportunity area as well. Trustee Niedermaier believes that the 11 specific topic areas should be flipped in terms of importance and that Niles needs to separate itself from other surrounding communities and find our identity. Mr. Kritzman reiterated that he wasn’t sure that the topic areas in the 2030 plan were in order of importance; rather, having all of the topic areas separated out like this may go against the opportunities a more holistic vision could provide. For example, Image and Identity, Economic Development, and Arts and Culture likely should tie in to many of the other focus areas. Mr. Shields cautioned that the Committee needs to stay realistic, too. Trustee McCreery brought up the redevelopment of a particular property and, in her opinion, was a missed opportunity. What was there was a business, with a lot of employees that added to the vibrancy of the community and what is there now is a very truck-heavy operation that doesn’t add to the vibrancy of the community. Further, the site is a vital connection between the train, community, etc. Mr. Ruhland talked about Planning and Design. The Lakota Group believes there is an opportunity to characterize the Village as a “Village of Neighborhoods”, which will help create community and identity. He Niles 2040 Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee Page 6 of 7 October 20, 2020 Meeting Minutes also talked about the importance of the corridors, economic development (where can we plan for jobs in the future), the PULSE routes and how to take advantage of the routes, and to celebrate/promote the Village’s diversity. Mr. Ruhland reviewed the timeline and the potential of the State of the Village report within the next 6 weeks. Phase 2 will be heavy in community visioning and Phase 3 is when the report comes together. Mr. DeSantiago stated he didn’t see the slide show due to the loss of power. Ms. Lockerby stated she would pass along the presentation to the Committee. Trustee McCreery stated that the Committee has the following homework:  Review the presentation and think about priorities,  Review the 2030 Comprehensive Plan,  Visit the Niles2040 website and interact, and  Advertise the project on social media. Ms. Lockerby stated she would send the information out, but asked that the Committee really go through the 2030 Comprehensive Plan with a fine-tooth comb and really think about what changes need to be made. Trustee Niedermaier noticed that urban design was missing from what we have seen and gave an example about the new Howard and Harts Road bridges. Mr. Ruhland stated that it is certainly within their scope of work. Mr. Kritzman stated that the need for urban design is certainly a good action step. Ms. Lockerby noted that no public comments were received during the course of the meeting. She also noted that the next meeting would likely be in early-mid December, once the draft State of the Village Report is complete. However, we won’t know until closer to the date. Trustee McCreery suggested that everyone do their homework as discussed and asked for a motion to adjourn. Mr. Konopka made a motion and Mr. Murphy seconded. All were in favor. The meeting adjourned at 8:05 pm. Niles 2040 Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee Page 7 of 7 October 20, 2020 Meeting Minutes