Architectural Control Commission

1 Approved 2 MINUTES OF A MEETING OF THE ARCHITECTURAL CONTROL COMMISSION 3 VILLAGE OF NORTHBROOK 4 COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS 5 December 12, 2013 6 7 Commissioners Present (4) 8 Alan Schwall 9 F. Dirk Heidbrink 10 Cliff Town 11 Lori Jordison 12 13 Village Staff Present 14 Tom Poupard, Director, Development and Planning Services, Village of Northbrook 15 Bill Reupert, Plumbing Inspector 16 Lori McLeod, Recorder 17 18 Others Present 19 Jon Triphahn, W-T Engineering 20 Brian Pawlik, Morningside 21 Thomas Higgins, Thomas Higgins Company 22 23 1. Call to Order 24 Chairman Schwall called the meeting to order in the Terrace Room of Village Hall, 1225 Cedar Lane, at 6:13 p.m. 25 26 2. Roll Call 27 28 3. Public Comments Not on the Agenda 29 There were no comments from the public. 30 31 4. Review of Minutes 32 Commissioner Heidbrink moved, seconded by Commissioner Town, to approve the November 14, 2013 33 Architectural Control Commission (ACC) meeting minutes without corrections. On a voice vote, the motion was 34 unanimously carried. 35 36 5. NorthShore 770 Development (NW Corner of Skokie & Dundee) 37 38 a. Update on Development Review Process. On Tuesday the Board of Trustees (BOT) reviewed the 39 recommendations of the Plan Commission and ACC. The BOT directed staff to start the paperwork to 40 approve this project. The board concurred with the ACC’s recommendations that the Panera escape lane 41 was not necessary and the green roof was not warranted because of the costs. The electrical commission is 42 reviewing a request for a waiver to use aluminum wiring. They met last night and will review again in 43 January. Applicant is suggesting putting the aluminum cable in a tray system. The electrical commission is 44 focusing on safety issues with the installation. There are also discussions underway on the request for TIF 45 assistance on the financing. 46 47 48  Page 2 Minutes of the December 12, 2013 Architectural Control Commission Meeting 1 b. Continued Review of Request for Waiver of Certain Northbrook Plumbing Code Standards for the Proposed 2 Apartment Building 3 4 At the last meeting of the ACC it was suggested that the applicant put together proposed installation 5 practices for the use of CPVC. The Applicant distributed materials to the commission prior to the meeting. 6 Bill Reupert, the plumbing inspector, noted the Village conducted research on new building products that 7 the Village is considering with the adoption of the 2012 building codes. CPVC is not being listed as an 8 approved material in the draft amendments, but the material commonly known as “aqua therm” 9 (polypropylene) is being proposed as an acceptable material for the first time. We are looking at new 10 products that are proven and cost-effective, particularly given the price increases in traditional materials. 11 Bob Boiko, member of the Village of Northbrook Electrical Commission gave a presentation on his research 12 of CPVC. Mr. Boiko’s findings were that CPVC over 130 degrees loses its pressure containment rapidly. It 13 must have a mixing valve so that it never has a high pressure or high temperatures. He submitted a letter, 14 dated July 29th, 2009, from Charlotte Pipe and Foundry, which discontinued CPVC pipe and fittings. In this 15 letter the CPVC Schedule 80 was discontinued and the other product, Flow Guard Gold, was continued. The 16 CPVC Schedule 80 pipe and fittings were discontinued because the product had system failures. Some of the 17 system failures were due to not being properly installed. Mr. Boiko contended that the CPVC product has a 18 history of failure due to improper installation and contact with materials that cause it to degrade. 19 20 Brian Pawlik from Morningside pointed out that with the Flow Guard Gold product, installation is important. 21 To ensure that the installation is done correctly, the manufacturer is prepared to train and certify the 22 installers. 23 24 Tom Poupard asked if some of the construction precautions could be described for the commission. 25 26 Mr. Pawlik explained that the large parking garage will be used to store the materials. Morningside will 27 need to store and handle the CPVC correctly. Morningside stated that they are not only the builder but the 28 owner so they have an inherent interest in the quality of construction. In terms of installations of the walls, 29 Morningside will do a pre-dry wall inspection with a checklist of items. 30 31 Tom Poupard mentioned the chemicals that may be present under a kitchen or bathroom sink. It may be a 32 concern that the CPVC would be an exposed to many chemicals. 33 34 The representative for the material supplier noted that in some installations he has seen metallic nipples 35 and connectors used under sinks for additional security. He noted that CPVC has been now listed as an 36 acceptable material by the University of Illinois and Northern Illinois University. It has been used in a 37 dormitory at NIU without problems. 38 39 It was suggested that a complete test of the distribution system will need to be done to make sure there are 40 not any bad joints. Bill Reupert asked if Morningside considered using polypropylene piping, whiuch the 41 commission has endorsed. Mr. Pawlik noted that Morningside may consider the material, but it does not 42 offer the cost savings as CPVC. 43  Page 3 Minutes of the December 12, 2013 Architectural Control Commission Meeting 1 Mr. Reupert suggested that for the longevity of the buildings we need to consider the compatibility of 2 materials. Mr. Reupert feels more comfortable with polypropylene. Polypropylene has been used for over 3 46 years and has worldwide usage. He asked about water heaters for the units in the building. 4 5 Water heaters will be in their own closet in each unit. The final design has not been set. 6 7 Alan Schwall was concerned how to prevent the failures of installation or of simple human usage. An 8 additional concern was not just for this building but for setting a precedent for the future buildings. The size 9 of this building has to be considered. There are additional components that are not compatible with the 10 CPVC from bug spray to dishwashing liquid. The potential for failure for such a large building would have to 11 be considered. Can Morningside properly police itself is a concern as the builder and owner are one in the 12 same. The project could be sold at a later point for condominiums. 13 14 Some questioned if it would really be setting precedence if we allowed CPVC. There is a possibility that the 15 Village of Northbrook accept a waiver on a project by project basis. Pulte is beginning to build in 16 Northbrook and has a reputation for using CPVC. There is also a concern about the hangars used. A “cat 5” 17 cable on the CPVC could cause damage. Copper has a 50-year guarantee. 18 19 There was a discussion over the tolerance of the pipe connection. If it is not 3 inches it is not good. There 20 are certain procedures that need to be followed and the installers need to be trained. 21 22 ACC members noted these caveats need to be considered very carefully. This is a big project to consider all 23 the materials and all the other components that may affect these materials. It may set a precedence that 24 could open up a Pandora’s Box. There are many exceptions to using this material. 25 26 Cliff Town noted that was still undecided on the material. 27 28 Morningside is to begin a design kick off next week and discuss materials. 29 30 Mr. Heidbrink noted that failures tend to show up sooner than a few years but more than a few weeks. 31 32 The members of the commission asked if the factory rep could inspect the installations to ensure proper 33 installation. 34 35 Lori Jordison stated that there are too many variables with CPVC which make her feel uncomfortable with 36 the product at this time. 37 38 Mr. Pawlik stated their intent was to create a luxury property without maintenance problems. They feel 39 very confident with this product and it is their risk. 40 41 The ACC discussed amending the code versus limiting this product for projects on a larger scale. It was 42 agreed that Charlotte (the supplier) has many nice products; however, the ACC needs to approve a product 43 that doesn’t have a lot of problems. 44 Bill Reupert said if he had to choose he would not approve the CPVC for longevity reasons because of the 45 possibility of exposure to chemicals. Mr. Reupert would like to use materials that have the least amount of 46 problems, but are also competitively priced. 47  Page 4 Minutes of the December 12, 2013 Architectural Control Commission Meeting 1 Mr. Schwall is undecided about the CPVC. Comparatively, Polypropylene is a big step away from copper but 2 it does not seem to have the issues he sees with CPVC. He researched CPVC and could not find a lot of 3 information about the product. He feels thinks the ACC shouldn’t open the door partially here or there for 4 certain projects. As of today, Mr. Schwall would not be in favor of approving the usage of CPVC but would 5 approve of the polypropylene. 6 7 He noted that the ACC is split in their opinions, but we also have three members missing. The ACC will wait 8 until they have more ACC members present and can make a decision. 9 10 The ACC requested that more information be gathered on existing buildings that have utilized the product. 11 It was suggested that the Northern Illinois University dormitory can provide feedback on the success of the 12 product. 13 14 Morningside would restrict accessibility of the water heater to the resident to reduce the potential errors. 15 16 Mr. Reupert asked if CPVC is affected by petroleum vapors. He has a concern if the gas fumes from the 17 parking structure may affect the CPVC. ACC wondered if there may be wrapping to protect the pipes. 18 Morningside said this was good question and said they would look into this point too. 19 20 Morningside will do additional homework on the points raised and get back to the ACC in response to the 21 concerns discussed. 22 23 6. Review of the role of the ACC and areas/topics where the Commission would like to focus its attention next 24 year and beyond. 25 A suggestion was made that a trustee should consider attending a meeting. 26 There was a discussion if the ACC should have more authority to disapprove of projects. The code should allow 27 the ACC to make a determination if the project, as a whole, will fit into the fabric of the neighborhood. This 28 ability will offer the ACC to protect the monetary value of homes around the area. The discussion will be 29 continued until the next meeting. 30 7. New Single Family Home Elevations 31 a. 1877 Kiest Avenue (R-5 District) – Clifford Town, Architect 32 b. 2412 Farnsworth Lane ((R-4 District) – Clifford Town, Architect 33 34 Commissioner Dirk Heidbrink moved, seconded by Al Schwall to approve the elevations. On a voice vote, the 35 motion unanimously carried. 36 37 10. New Business 38 There was not any New Business. 39 40 11. Old Business 41 There was not any Old Business. 42 43  Page 5 Minutes of the December 12, 2013 Architectural Control Commission Meeting 1 12. Adjournment 2 3 There being no further business, Commissioner Al Schwall moved, seconded by Cliff Town, to adjourn the 4 meeting. On a voice vote, the motion unanimously carried, and the meeting adjourned at 8:20 p.m. 5 6 Respectfully submitted, 7 8 9 Lori McLeod 10 Recorder