Planning and Zoning Board

VILLAGE OF NILES 1000 Civic Center Drive Niles, IL 60714 www.vniles.com Final Approved Meeting Minutes Monday, December 3 , 2018 7:00 PM Village Hall Planning and Zoning Board Chairman Thomas Kanelos Members Susan DeBartolo Morgan Dubiel , Vice Chairman Ted Karabatsos Terrence McConville Barbara Nakanishi Robert Schulter , Secretary Interim Staff Lia ison Kate Lockerby CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Planning and Zoning Board Final Approved Meeting Minutes December 3, 2018 _________________________________________________________________ _______ The Niles Planning and Zoning Board was called to order at 7:01 P.M. All rose for the Pledge of Allegiance. PRESENT: 6 Chairman Thomas Kanelos, Commissioners Ted Karabatsos, Susan DeBartolo, Robert Schulter, Barbara Nakanishi and Terrence McConville. Also present was Director of Community Development Charles Ostman, Interim Staff Liaison Kate Lockerby and Village Attorney Danielle Grcic. Commissioner Morgan Dubiel was absent. Commissioner Terrence McConville arrived at 7:10 p.m. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Chairman Kanelos asked if there were any additions, clarifications or corrections to the minutes of October 1, 2018. There were no additions, clarifications or corrections. Commissioner Nakanishi moved to approve the minutes of October 1, 2018. Seconded by Commissioner DeBartolo, on roll call the vote was: AYES: 6 Nakanishi, McConville, Karabatsos, DeBartolo, Schulter, Kanelos NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 1 Dubiel There being six (6) affirmative votes the motion carried. Chairman Kanelos asked for a moment of silence in honor of the passing of President Bush. NEW BUSINESS 18-ZP-22; Grosse Pointe Manor; 6601 W. Touhy Avenue A request for a variation from parking requirements per Section 10.4 of the Village of Niles Zoning Ordinance to allow additional skilled nursing home rooms to be added without providing all required parking. Kate Lockerby, Interim Staff Liaison, said since there was lag time, Staff did a new notification for this variation which was originally heard in October. There was no meeting in November. She is going to address both items 1 and 2 since they have to do with the same property. They are proposing to build an addition to the fourth floor of Grosse Pointe Manor which would add 19 beds to the existing number of beds. Since there was already a Special Use for this property, a Special Use amendment is necessary due to the fact of increasing the scope of in-use on the property. The first issue is a variation on parking requirements. Page 2 of 16 Planning and Zoning Board Final Approved Meeting Minutes December 3, 2018 _________________________________________________________________ _______ Village of Niles Zoning regulations requires ½ a parking stall per one unit, in this case the number of beds. Based on the new number of beds, parking count total of 60 stalls would be required. The petitioner is requesting not to provide additional parking at this time because they want to keep it at 49 stalls. Chairman Kanelos said the packet says an increase of 21 beds. Ms. Lockerby said that is correct, it should be 21, not 19. Her predecessor, Bruce Sylvester, did take a look at the parking lot at certain hours. The lot seemed to be pretty full each time a visit was made. There were no questions from the Commissioners for Staff. Chairman Kanelos called for the petitioner to come forward. Sherry Mauer, 6601 W. Touhy Ave., Niles, IL, Joe Mauer, 6601 W. Touhy Ave., Niles, IL and Alan Freiberg, Harris Architects Inc., 4801 Emerson Ave., Suite 210, Palatine, IL approached the podium and were sworn in. Ms. Mauer said she has been the owner of the facility for 18 years. She started out as an oncology nurse in Evanston and she was encouraged to open her own place. She said she is not an absentee owner, she works on the property as well. She originally owned a small skilled nursing facility in Park Ridge. Grosse Pointe Manor is a five star nursing facility and services the community of Niles. [Much of the testimony is garbled and unable to be transcribed.] She did hire a valet company 3 weeks ago that monitors all spaces in the lot and she feels it is an average size parking lot. Sometimes on special occasions, i.e. Mother’s Day, Christmas and the like the nursing home is busy. They need the increase in beds because they are getting busier and each patient has different needs. They also need to isolate people with infections that come to stay there so no one else gets it. They did approach the neighbors and tried to purchase the adjacent property. She talked early on to Bruce Sylvester, former Senior Planner and Charles Ostman, Director of Community Development about purchasing that property, however, that deal fell through. She also approached Erich’s Body Shop to possibly park there if necessary. He thought she wanted to lease him spaces but it was actually the other way around but he said no, he did not have enough room. She also tried with Wells Lamont across the street but that did not work either. The forest preserve is to the south but they do not lease spots. She then continued to gove more of her background in care giving. Mr. Mauer went on to talk about the situation but his testimony was inaudible. Chairman Kanelos asked what percentage of the parked cars are employees and Ms. Mauer replied saying probably 50%. Chairman Kanelos asked if the number of employees will increase with 21 new beds. Page 3 of 16 Planning and Zoning Board Final Approved Meeting Minutes December 3, 2018 _________________________________________________________________ _______ Ms. Mauer said yes, if it was a 10 bed increase they would probably have one extra CNA and one nurse on a shift. When it is increased to 20, there would maybe be 2 CNAs on the day shift. Chairman Kanelos asked what the reason was for adding 21 beds. Is there that much demand? Ms. Mauer said yes, they mostly serve Niles residents and they are approximately 93% occupied. She feels that after the build out is completed in a couple of years, the occupancy would be the same. Chairman Kanelos asked if there were questions from the Commissioners. Commissioner Karabatsos asked if the number of handicapped spots would change with addition. Mr. Ostman said handicapped stalls are considered a parking spot. The petitioner’s response to this was inaudible. Commissioner DeBartolo asked if there are valet signs in place. Ms. Mauer said yes, there are two, one sign when you pull into the parking lot off Harts Road and another sign by the door. Valet parking is free. Chairman Kanelos said the chart they received about parking on five different days is all between 11:30 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. Was that done because those are the peak hours? Mr. Ostman said they picked those times at random. Chairman Kanelos asked what the peak hours for the nursing facility are. Ms. Mauer said it usually starts around 10:30 or 11 a.m. and visitors and day staff are gone by 3. Commissioner Nakanishi asked if after 3 p.m. there is no staff on hand for the patients? It is a nursing home. Should there be people there to take care of the patients? Ms. Mauer said it is staff and vendors which would be doctors, therapists, blood draw people etc. Food service leaves at 6 p.m. which would be 12 people. Commissioner Nakanishi still feels there needs to be nursing staff there after 3 p.m. Chairman Kanelos said there is staff but it is more ancillary. Page 4 of 16 Planning and Zoning Board Final Approved Meeting Minutes December 3, 2018 _________________________________________________________________ _______ Mr. Ostman said he heard the applicant talk about sharing parking with adjacent properties. There is a section in the zoning code that shared parking arrangements are only allowed when created via a document recorded against the title of each property that is party to the shared parking arrangement. The Village of Niles, however, is required to amend or cancel the shared parking arrangement. Commissioner Nakanishi asked when it is holiday time or other busy times, do the cars have to double park? Ms. Mauer said they do not have to double park but they can park end to end. The valet works to fit every car into the lot and if not, they are parked off site. Mr. Mauer is speaking. [Inaudible.] Commissioner Nakanishi said if they go off site, where do they go? Ms. Mauer said the valet company services other businesses in the area, so they go there to park. Chairman Kanelos said there are 49 spots on site. With the new beds, you need one more handicapped spot so now it is down to 48. Handicapped spots are not on the bed count but on the existing number of spots and it would stay the same. He asked if there were any more questions for Staff or the petitioners by the public and there were none. Chairman Kanelos entertained a motion and Commissioner McConville moved to approve item 18-ZP-22. It is a request for a variation from parking requirements per Section 10.4 of the Village of Niles Zoning Ordinance to retain the 49 spots already there without having to increase it to 60. They have met the criteria for this case. Seconded by Commissioner Schulter. Commissioner Nakanishi offered a friendly amendment. The valet parking must continue indefinitely unless and until they have a shared parking agreement according to Village regulations. This was accepted by Commissioners McConville and Schulter. On roll call the vote was: AYES: 6 McConville, Karabatsos, DeBartolo, Schulter Nakanishi, Kanelos NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 1 Dubiel There being six (6) affirmative votes the motion carried. 18-ZP-28; Grosse Pointe Manor; 6601 W. Touhy Avenue Page 5 of 16 Planning and Zoning Board Final Approved Meeting Minutes December 3, 2018 _________________________________________________________________ _______ A request to allow an amendment to an existing Special Use for a ‘Residential Care Facility ’ to allow an addition to the building which will create 21 additional beds. Staff had nothing more to add on this item. There were no comments from the petitioner. Chairman Kanelos asked if there was anyone in the audience who would like to comment. Ashley and Sebastian Danilowski, 6646 W. Harts Rd., Niles, IL, came to the podium and were sworn in. They are concerned about parking from Grosse Pointe Manor in front of their home. Is there a way to alleviate parking in front of the residences on Harts Rd? Ms. Danilowski said she was told by Grosse Pointe Manor that staff is not allowed to park in the lot so they park on Harts. Ms. Mauer said staff parks inside the parking lot they can park wherever they want. Mr. Mauer was speaking about the parking issue but it was inaudible. It was something about the bridge on Harts Road being closed for the past year and there was no through traffic. Chairman Kanelos said Ms. Danilowski is talking about street parking, not through traffic. Unless there is restricted parking on the street, there is not a lot they can do about it. Ms. Mauer said this new plan would take care of parking outside the lot. We do not want to cause problems in the neighborhood. Mr. Danilowski said some people tell him they are parking there to attend classes at Grosse Pointe Manor. Chairman Kanelos asked Ms. Mauer to request those people to please park on the property. Ms. Mauer said to please let her know if this still remains a problem and she will do what she can to eliminate it. Commissioner Schulter asked how long this has been going on because now they have valet parking as of three weeks ago. Mr. Danilowski said for a few months but now adding 21 beds will increase staff and visitors. Page 6 of 16 Planning and Zoning Board Final Approved Meeting Minutes December 3, 2018 _________________________________________________________________ _______ Chairman Kanelos asked Mr. Ostman if they pass this request for 21 beds, can they add a condition that says all staff and visitors must park in the lot. Mr. Ostman and Attorney Grcic both said yes, you can add any condition you want. Chairman Kanelos said they will try to include that as a condition if this item gets passed. There were no more questions and he entertained a motion. Commissioner Nakanishi moved to approve 18-ZP-28 for Grosse Pointe Manor; 6601 W. Touhy Avenue, requesting an amendment to an existing Special Use for a ‘Residential Care Facility’ to allow an addition to the building which will create 21 additional beds. As a condition of approval, they require all employees and visitors to this facility to park in the facility’s parking lot. Seconded by Commissioner DeBartolo, on roll call the vote was: AYES:6 Nakanishi, McConville, Karabatsos, DeBartolo, Schulter, Kanelos NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 1 Dubiel There being six (6) affirmative votes the motion was carried. Chairman Kanelos stated this Board is a recommending Board to the Board of Trustees who can either confirm or negate this recommendation. It will be necessary for the petitioner to contact Mr. Ostman and ask to be placed on the Board of Trustees agenda. The petitioner will then be notified of the date and anyone in the audience who would like to be informed as to the date this will be heard by the Board of Trustees, leave your name and address with the recording secretary. Items 18-ZP-24, 18-ZP-25, 18-ZP-26 Kate Lockerby presented these cases. She went over all three items regarding Zippy’s Car Wash. One item, 18-ZP-26, is for a plat of subdivision to divide the existing lot into two lots. Lot 1 will remain under the ownership and use of St. Matthew’s Church. Lot 2 would be for the new carwash. Item 18-ZP-24 is a zoning map amendment to rezone Lot 2 from the current ‘P-I Public Institutional’ to the proposed ‘C-2 General Commercial’ zoning district. Last is a Special Use request for the actual car wash, item 18-ZP-25. The petitioner provided how the proposed zoning map amendment meets what is set forth in the zoning ordinance. The information is included in the Commissioners’ packets tonight. They also provided a response to the criteria for the Special Use. Engineering had some concerns but they were addressed. The petitioner is working with IDOT for approval of the proposed curb cut and the plat of subdivision. Two suggestions of approval are included in the packets. First, signed Mylar must be submitted prior to Village Board consideration of the plat of subdivision. Staff is Page 7 of 16 Planning and Zoning Board Final Approved Meeting Minutes December 3, 2018 _________________________________________________________________ _______ recommending they move forward with a preliminary plat of subdivision at this time. When they get the Mylar signed by IDOT and all other necessary bodies, they can proceed before the Board of Trustees. Second, IDOT approval of proposed curb cut and turn restrictions must be obtained prior to issuance of the building permit. Chairman Kanelos asked if the police department elaborated on their concerns about vehicles exiting the site and turning left on Milwaukee Ave. or have their concerns been satisfied after the traffic study. Charles Ostman, Director of Community Development, said there had been some revisions done because of comments made. He did not go back a second time to the police department for any additional concerns. Chairman Kanelos said they will start with the zoning map amendment. He does not feel there needs to be comments from the petitioner on that. He then asked the petitioners to come forward, be sworn in and address all three items: John Myefski, Myefski Architects Inc., 400 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 400, Chicago, IL 60611. Jeremiah Diamond, Myefski Architects Inc., same as above Tom McHugh, owner of Zippy’s Car Wash, 1731 Ridgewood Lane East, Glenview, IL 60025 18-ZP-24; Zippy’s Car Wash; 9198 N. Milwaukee Avenue A requested zoning map amendment per Niles Zoning Ordinance Section 15.2 to rezone a portion of the subject property from the current ‘P-I Public Institutional ’ to the proposed ‘C-2 General Commercial ’ zoning district. The petitioners had no further comments on this first item. There were no questions from the Commissioners or the public. Chairman Kanelos entertained a motion. Commissioner McConville moved to approve 18-ZP-24 regarding Zippy’s Car Wash, 9198 N. Milwaukee Avenue, Niles, IL. The property is just under one acre and the request is to subdivide it from the existing current property. Seconded by Commissioner Schulter, on roll call the vote was: AYES: 6 McConville, Karabatsos, DeBartolo, Schulter Nakanishi, Kanelos NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 1 Dubiel There being six (6) affirmative votes the motion carried. Page 8 of 16 Planning and Zoning Board Final Approved Meeting Minutes December 3, 2018 _________________________________________________________________ _______ Mr. Ostman asked Attorney Danielle Grcic if this item needs to be specified as a preliminary plat of subdivision. Chairman Kanelos said that will be discussed on a following item regarding this same case. Commissioner McConville asked to attach a contingency to the item just voted on regarding IDOT approved inside Mylar and he would like to amend that motion. Chairman Kanelos said that would be addressed in the Special Use request. Thank you for reminding them of that contingency. 18-ZP-25; Zippy’s Car Wash; 9198 N. Milwaukee Avenue A request for a Special Use Permit per Niles Zoning Ordinance Section 8.2 to allow a proposed ‘Car Wash ’. Mr. Myefski said there are also representatives from St. Matthew Church in attendance. The petitioner is looking to put a car wash on the southern portion of the site. The site is being shown on the overhead and he explained the description of the site and how the fence wraps around it. There are two rows for cars at the access before you make your transaction. They do not anticipate more than five vehicles at that point. The cars then proceed through the car wash for the cycle. It currently allows for another stacking of approximately seven more vehicles. Once the cars exit the cycle to the north they can choose to go to the vacuum stations and those stations are probably never going to be full. There are typically two employees operating the facility and a third employee may be called in during peak times. Mr. McHugh said it depends on the time of year people use the vacuums. During the summer maybe 70% of the customers use the vacuums and in the winter it drops to as low as 20 to 25%. Mr. Myefski then described the inside and operation of the actual car wash including the drainage of the water. All this is being shown on the overhead where he then went over the entrance and exit area and the landscape area. Commissioner Schulter asked if they were familiar with the car wash that opened on York Road in Elmhurst. He then asked if they were the same gentlemen that tried to open a car wash on the other side of Milwaukee Avenue from this site? Mr. McHugh said yes, they actually used the same equipment company he is using and he said he is unfortunately the same person who proposed this two years ago. Chairman Kanelos asked if there were more questions from the Commissioners and there were none. He then asked for questions from the public. Page 9 of 16 Planning and Zoning Board Final Approved Meeting Minutes December 3, 2018 _________________________________________________________________ _______ Norm Stranczek, 9051 N. Maryland Avenue, Niles, IL came forward and was sworn in. Maryland is the street just west of the property in question and he wanted confirmation there is no access from the back of the property to the church parking lot. [An aerial picture of the property was shown on the overhead.] Chairman Kanelos said the property is completely fenced in and there is no traffic access to the church property. Mr. Stranczek said if they do not allow a left turn out of the car wash onto Milwaukee, people will turn right to Ballard and then turn right again to Maryland in order to get to the stoplight to turn left on Milwaukee. That, however, would be a lot of traffic plus there are school children there. Chairman Kanelos said right now the petitioner is requesting a left turn lane out. Mr. Stranzcek asked how many people in the neighborhood have been notified about this request and when will they know if the left turn lane is approved? Chairman Kanelos said everyone within 250 feet of the property has been notified and that is the law. There will be a decision tonight on allowing a left and right turn lane out of the property. This Board makes a recommendation to the Board of Trustees for the final approval. He recommends attending the Board meeting to express concern for approval of a left turn lane. Umberto DiPaolo, 9060 N. Maryland Avenue, Niles, IL came to the podium and was sworn in. He is concerned about the traffic. Chairman Kanelos said once people leave the car wash, this Board has no idea where they are going. He does not anticipate anyone going through the neighborhood on Maryland unless they live that way. If there is a left turn out of the car wash, that eliminates the problem. There were no other questions from the public and he entertained a motion. Commissioner Nakanishi moved to approve item 18-ZP-25 regarding Zippy’s Car Wash requesting a Special Use Permit per Niles Zoning Ordinance Section 8.2 to allow a proposed ‘Car Wash’ at 9198 N. Milwaukee Ave. The first condition is regarding the subdivision and the second condition added IDOT approval of a curb cut and turning restrictions prior to issuance of a building permit. [This would be a left turn exit out of the car wash.] Ms. Lockerby said it is only necessary to add the second condition. The first condition will be addressed in the next item, 18-ZP-26. Commissioner Nakanishi re-read the only condition - IDOT approval of a curb cut and turning restrictions prior to an issuance of a building permit. Page 10 of 16 Planning and Zoning Board Final Approved Meeting Minutes December 3, 2018 _________________________________________________________________ _______ Seconded by Commissioner DeBartolo, on roll call the vote was: AYES:6 Nakanishi, McConville, Karabatsos, DeBartolo, Schulter, Kanelos NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 1 Dubiel There being six (6) affirmative votes the motion carried. Chairman Kanelos stated this Board is a recommending Board to the Board of Trustees who can either confirm or negate this recommendation. It will be necessary for the petitioner to contact Mr. Ostman and ask to be placed on the Board of Trustees agenda. The petitioner will then be notified of the date and anyone in the audience who would like to be informed as to the date this will be heard by the Board of Trustees, leave your name and address with the recording secretary. 18-ZP-26; Zippy ’s Car Wash; 9198 N. Milwaukee Avenue A requested plat of subdivision for the property located at 9198 N. Milwaukee Avenue (Zippy ’s Car Wash). Chairman Kanelos entertained a motion since there were no questions from the Commissioners or the public. Commissioner McConville moved to approve 18-ZP-26 requesting a plat of subdivision for the property located at 9198 N. Milwaukee Avenue subject to the condition of signed Mylar. Seconded by Commissioner Karabatsos. Ms. Lockerby said there is no chance of getting IDOT signature to approve Mylar by next week. Therefore the petitioner needs to go before the Board of Trustees with a request for a ‘preliminary’ plat of subdivision. The condition of Mylar, however, does not need to exist any longer. Chairman Kanelos stated that a thing like this needs to be removed from the packets. Mr. Ostman said he would appreciate if this Board would vote on a preliminary plat of subdivision and then the petitioner can come before this Board again at some future date when IDOT approves the Mylar. Chairman Kanelos asked Commissioner McConville if he would accept this change and he said yes. Since it was seconded by Commissioner Karabatsos, he accepted it as well. On roll call the vote was: Page 11 of 16 Planning and Zoning Board Final Approved Meeting Minutes December 3, 2018 _________________________________________________________________ _______ AYES: 6 McConville, Karabatsos, DeBartolo, Schulter Nakanishi, Kanelos NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 1 Dubiel There being six (6) affirmative votes the motion carried. Chairman Kanelos stated this Board is a recommending Board to the Board of Trustees who can either confirm or negate this recommendation. It will be necessary for the petitioner to contact Mr. Ostman and ask to be placed on the Board of Trustees agenda. The petitioner will then be notified of the date and anyone in the audience who would like to be informed as to the date this will be heard by the Board of Trustees, leave your name and address with the recording secretary. 18-ZP-27; Chick-fil-A Restaurant; 5650 W. Touhy Avenue A request for a ‘Drive-Through Facility ’ Special Use permit for a Chick-fil-A Restaurant proposed to be located at 5650 W. Touhy Avenue, Niles, Illinois, as allowed by the Village of Niles Zoning Ordinance (Appendix B, Section 8.2(A). Ms. Lockerby said this is a request for a Chick-fil-A restaurant. The restaurant is allowed but this request is for a drive-through. That necessitates a Special Use. The petitioner provided a response to the Special Use material that is enclosed in your packets. Engineering had some concerns with the layout of the site but worked closely with Chick-fil-A to address most of those issues. There were no questions from the Commissioners for Staff. Chairman Kanelos called for the petitioners. Jason Hill, Chick-fil-A, 5200 Buffington Rd., Atlanta, GA and Joe Vavrina, HRGreen, Senior Project Manager, 420 N. Front St., McHenry, IL came to the podium and were sworn in. Mr. Hill said Chick-fil-A is a QSR restaurant which necessitates a drive-through, but they are more than a QSR restaurant. They focus heavily on how guests are served and provide a hospitable environment in the restaurant. The level of service provided to their guests is unparalleled in the QSR industry and in most fast, casual restaurants as well. The signature is the chicken sandwich but they serve a lot more. The food is served with a smile and with dignity, honor and respect and that transcends to their drive-through area. Similar to what Portillo’s does, they take orders face to face. During peak hours, instead of talking to a squawk box, there are individuals out there greeting customers with a smile to take your order and swipe your card payment as well. As you complete the order, you are greeted by another key member when you pull toward a window and there will be someone there to hand the order to you. They get customers through the drive-through efficiently. There are canopy covers for staff since they Page 12 of 16 Planning and Zoning Board Final Approved Meeting Minutes December 3, 2018 _________________________________________________________________ _______ spend hours outside in all kinds of weather and these canopy covers provide fans in warm weather and heaters in cold weather. He explained in detail the layout of the drive-through shown on the overhead screen and it included circulation of traffic, dumpster placement and landscaping. He also mentioned the buildings are brick with awnings. He would be happy to answer any questions the Board might have. This site has been on their radar for a while, having originally lost this site a few years ago but they are happy to get it back. Chairman Kanelos said they went to the covered areas because customers were expressing concerns about order takers out in the weather. That had to happen in the south, right? Because this is Chicago and nobody cares. Mr. Hill said that is exactly right. Chairman Kanelos said that is impressive. Commissioner McConville asked about access. Mr. Hill said the access comes from the ring road directly behind the restaurant. There is no access to the parking lot directly from Touhy. There is no access to the actual shopping center main entrance from the restaurant. Chairman Kanelos asked if there were more questions from the Commissioners and there were none. There were also no questions from the public and he entertained a motion. Commissioner Schulter moved to approve 18-ZP-27 for a request for a ‘Drive- Through Facility’ Special Use permit for a Chick-fil-A Restaurant proposed to be located at 5650 W. Touhy Avenue, Niles, Illinois, as allowed by the Village of Niles Zoning Ordinance (Appendix B, Section 8.2(A). Seconded by Commissioner DeBartolo, on roll call the vote was: AYES:6 Schulter, Nakanishi, McConville, Karabatsos, DeBartolo, Kanelos NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 1 Dubiel There being six (6) affirmative votes the motion carried. Chairman Kanelos stated this Board is a recommending Board to the Board of Trustees who can either confirm or negate this recommendation. It will be necessary for the petitioner to contact Mr. Ostman and ask to be placed on the Board of Trustees agenda. The petitioner will then be notified of the date and anyone in the audience who would like to be informed as to the date this will be heard by the Board of Trustees, leave your name and address with the recording secretary. Page 13 of 16 Planning and Zoning Board Final Approved Meeting Minutes December 3, 2018 _________________________________________________________________ _______ 18-SIGN-30; Advantage Gallery; 7850 N. Milwaukee Avenue Request for approval of a Special Use Permit per Village of Niles Ordinance 78-92(4)(c) and sign height variation to allow an electronic message center sign proposed at Advantage Gallery, 7850 N. Milwaukee Avenue, Niles, Illinois 60714. Ms. Lockerby said this is for a proposed message center sign for Advantage Gallery. If the proposed sign is not within the specifications of what is in the Sign Code, then the sign must seek a Special Use. This sign does not comply with 2 sections, the first is Section 78-92(3)(h)(a). The maximum size a ground sign can be is 25% of the entire sign. The proposal is 100% of the entire sign and there are limited hours of operation of electronic message signs in the code. The petitioner is requesting it be operating 24 hours a day. Those are the two sections that do not comply, as well as the height of the proposed sign which is 28 ft. and the maximum height allowed is 20 ft. The petitioner, David Kotowsky, Advantage Gallery, 7850 N. Milwaukee Ave., Niles, IL 60714 came forward and was sworn in. Commissioner Nakanishi asked why does this sign have to be so tall. Mr. Kotowsky said this is an existing sign and the objective is to keep the existing height. They are not building a brand new sign; simply renovating the existing sign. They have been in Niles 27 years and it is surprising how many clients come in and say they have driven past and never knew they were there. Not only will the sign have their logo but the electronics will alternate with some beautiful kitchen and bath products. In order to comply with the code and have it at 25%, they would have to create a whole different sign. He feels Jerry’s Fruit Market created a sign much less attractive to stay within the code and if they have a sign like that it would be a safety issue for oncoming traffic into the ingress and egress area of the building. He feels, however, it does not make any sense to bulk up the sign just for the sake of filling it in. Commissioner Schulter said the center of the existing sign is not going to have any more signage. It is being shown on the overhead. Right now they will just utilize the top, correct? Mr. Kotowsky said correct. Chairman Kanelos asked if the two upright columns are being reused. Mr. Kotowsky said yes. Chairman Kanelos asked why the need for 24 hours? Mr. Kotowsky said he said he is not sure that is needed but he thought this was granted elsewhere in the Village. Page 14 of 16 Planning and Zoning Board Final Approved Meeting Minutes December 3, 2018 _________________________________________________________________ _______ Ms. Ostman said Jerry’s Fruit Market is 24 hours. Commissioner Schulter said there is also a place on Caldwell. Commissioner McConville said a large part of the existing sign is at the top where it says Advantage Gallery. Is the message for the proposed sign going to be in that area? Mr. Kotowsky said yes, they are doing a complete rebranding of the company, updating showroom displays and the website as well. The signage around the building including the monument sign will actually reduce their signage to 73%. Commissioner DeBartolo asked if the lighting would be dimmed at night. Mr. Kotowsky said yes, they will follow the code and it will be very tasteful and subtle. It won’t be anything that would detract from the rest of the area. Chairman Kanelos was assured this will not be visible from the houses behind it and he entertained a motion. Commissioner Schulter moved to approve 18-SIGN-30. A request for approval of a Special Use Permit per Village of Niles Ordinance 78-92(4)(c) and sign height variation to allow an electronic message center sign proposed at Advantage Gallery, 7850 N. Milwaukee Avenue, Niles, Illinois 60714 and be allowed for signage display 24/7. Seconded by Commissioner Karabatsos, on roll call the vote was: AYES:6 Schulter, Nakanishi, McConville, Karabatsos, DeBartolo, Kanelos NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 1 Dubiel There being six (6) affirmative votes the motion carried. Chairman Kanelos stated this Board is a recommending Board to the Board of Trustees who can either confirm or negate this recommendation. It will be necessary for the petitioner to contact Mr. Ostman and ask to be placed on the Board of Trustees agenda. The petitioner will then be notified of the date and anyone in the audience who would like to be informed as to the date this will be heard by the Board of Trustees, leave your name and address with the recording secretary. DISCUSSIONS There were none. ADJOURNMENT Page 15 of 16 Planning and Zoning Board Final Approved Meeting Minutes December 3, 2018 _________________________________________________________________ _______ Chairman Kanelos made a motion to adjourn. Commissioner DeBartolo moved to adjourn. Seconded by Commissioner McConville, on roll call the vote was: AYES: 6 DeBartolo, Schulter, Nakanishi, McConville, Karabatsos, Kanelos NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 1 Dubiel There being six (6) affirmative votes the motion carried. The meeting adjourned at 8:45 P.M. Kathleen Janessa, Recording Secretary The following people would like to be notified prior to the next Board of Trustees meeting: 18-ZP-28 Sherry Mauer, 6601 W. Touhy Ave..Niles, IL 60714 773.272.5500 Alan Freiberg, 4801 Emerson Ave., Suite 210, Palatine, IL 60067 847.221.7276 Ashley Danilowski, 6646 W. Harts Rd., Niles, IL 60714 Sebastian Danilowski, 6646 W. Harts Rd., Niles, IL 60714 Davyesh Damji, 6640 W. Harts Rd., Niles, IL 60714 847.641.1989 18-ZP-25 Norm Stranczek, 9051 N. Maryland, Niles, IL 847.699.7129 or 847.894.5699 Umberto DiPaolo, 9060 N. Maryland, Niles, IL 847.824.6582 18-ZP-27 Joe Vavrina, HR Green, 420 N. Front Sht., McHenry, IL 60050 815.482.7868 18-SIGN-30 David Kotowsky, Advantage Gallery, 7850 N. Milwaukee Ave., Niles, IL 847.208.3016 Page 16 of 16