Planning & Zoning Commission

Planning & Zoning Commission Meeting Agenda August 4, 2025 - 5:30 PM City Council Chambers, City Hall, 3rd Floor, 1528 Third Avenue, Rock Island, IL 1. Call to Order 2. Roll Call Michael Creger, Reshanda Johnson, Donald Mewes, Norm Moline, Samuel Odeyemi, Maureen Riggs, Bill Sowards, Tanja Whitten, Sarah Wright 3. Public Comment 4. Minutes a. Approval of the July 7, 2025 Meeting Minutes RC Roll Call vote is needed. 5. Old Business 6. Public Hearings a. Public hearing request from the Community Development Department regarding amendments to the City's Zoning Ordinance for retail tobacco businesses. 7. Other Business/New Business a. Approval of the Amended 2025 Public Meeting Schedule 8. Adjourn This agenda may be obtained in accessible formats by qualified persons with a disability by making appropriate arrangements from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday, by contacting the City Clerk's Office at (309) 732-2010 or visiting in person at: 1528 Third Avenue, Rock Island, IL 61201. Page 1 of 7  Rock Island Planning & Zoning Commission Minutes Council Chambers, City Hall, 3rd Floor 1528 3rd Avenue July 7, 2025 5:30 PM Voting Members Present Mike Creger Sarah Wright Don Mewes Tanja Whitten Maureen Riggs Samuel Odeyemi Voting Members Absent Norm Moline Reshanda Johnson Bill Sowards Staff Present Eunice Amissah-Mensah, Urban Planner Tanner Osing, Planning & Zoning Manager Call to Order and Roll Call Chair Riggs called the meeting to order at 5:31 PM and read the roll call. Public Comment No members of the public wished to comment so the meeting continued. Approval of the Previous Meeting Minutes Mewes moved to approve the minutes for April 7, 2025. Whitten seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 6 to 0. Mewes moved to approve the minutes for June 2, 2025. Wright seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 6 to 0. Public Hearings 2025-16 Public hearing: Request from Illinois Casualty Company to consider a variance from the Rock Island Zoning Ordinance for property at 225 20th Street in a B- 2(downtown business) district. Amissah-Mensah read the staff report with the recommendation for approval of the request. Arron Syutherland, CEO of Illinois Casualty Compan, spoke on the behalf of the request. He concurred with staff’s analysis. -1- Page 2 of 7 Commissioners asked the applicant if the 8foot fence along 21st Street had been there a while. The applicant responded affirmatively. As there were no other questions or members of the public wishing to speak, Chair Riggs called for a motion. Decision for Case 2025-16 Whitten made a motion to approve the fence variance with staff’s recommendation. Odeyemi seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 6 to 0 (Riggs, Creger, Whitten, Wright, Odeyemi, and Mewes) 2025-17 Public hearing: Request from Michael Parker to consider a variance from the Rock Island Zoning Ordinance for property at 43 Woodley Road in an R-1 (one unit residential) district. Amissah-Mensah read the staff report with the recommendation for denial of the variance request. Marcella Parker spoke on the request. As there were no other questions or members of the public wishing to speak, Chair Riggs called for a motion. Decision for Case 2025-17 Creger made a motion to deny the shed variance. Whitten seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 6 to 0 (Riggs, Creger, Whitten, Wright, Odeyemi, and Mewes) 2025-18 Public hearing: Request from Quad City Botanical Center to consider a variance from the Rock Island Zoning Ordinance for property at 2525 4th Avenue in a B- 3 (community business) district. Amissah-Mensah read the staff report with the recommendation for approval of the request. Kate Mapes spoke on behalf of the request. She concurred with staff’s analysis. Decision for Case 2025-18 Creger made a motion to recommend approval of the variance to the City Council. Wright seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 6 to 0 (Riggs, Creger, Whitten, Wright, Odeyemi, and Mewes) 2025-19 Public hearing: Request from A Hana Illowa LLC to consider a variance from the Rock Island Zoning Ordinance for property at 3809 60th Avenue West in a B-4 (highway business) district. -2- Page 3 of 7 Osing read the staff report with the recommendation for approval of the request. Missy Gasiocowski spoke on behalf of the request. Decision for Case 2025-18 Whitten made a motion to recommend approval of the variance with an amended sign height of 100ft to the City Council. Wright seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 6 to 0 (Riggs, Creger, Whitten, Wright, Odeyemi, and Mewes) Other Business None Adjournment Chair Riggs adjourned the meeting at 6:21PM. Minutes submitted by Eunice Amissah-Mensah. -3- Page 4 of 7 Memorandum To: Rock Island Planning & Zoning Commission From: Tanner Osing, Planning & Zoning Manager Subject: Public hearing request from the Community Development Department regarding amendments to the City's Zoning Ordinance for retail tobacco businesses. Date: August 4, 2025 Introduction and Background Information: The City's Ordinance on the Sale/Possession of Tobacco Products, Tobacco Accessories, Vape Devices, Smoking Herbs And Alternative Nicotine Products, otherwise known as the "Tobacco Ordinance", was recently updated. Part of the update revised the definitions for the two different license classes for businesses that sell products regulated by the ordinance. The Zoning Ordinance has location and separation requirements for the two different license classes, so the definitions in the Zoning Ordinance need to match the Tobacco Ordinance. To do so, staff recommend changing the definition of "Retail Tobacco Business" as defined in the Zoning Ordinance as follows: • Current definition: Any premises where the sale of tobacco products, electronic cigarettes, or alternative nicotine products is the principal use, as defined by the sale of said products generating more than 80% of gross revenue for the premises. • Proposed change: Any premise that engages in the retail sale and/or display of tobacco products, tobacco accessories, electronic cigarettes, vaping devices or alternative nicotine products where such sales and displays are a primary use of the premises, such as a tobacco shop, which devotes more than twenty (20) percent of its floor space or display area to such products OR which derives more than fifty (50) percent of its gross revenue from the sale of tobacco products, tobacco accessories, electronic cigarettes, vaping devices or alternative nicotine product. Besides the definition change, all other zoning requirements are proposed to remain unchanged. Previous Council Action (if any): • The City Council approved amendments to the Tobacco Ordinance in May 2025. Budget Impact: NA Additional Information as applicable (i.e. provide alternative options, community or staff input, staffing impact; resident impact; etc.): NA Council Goal (if applicable): Page 5 of 7 NA Recommendation: The Community Development Department recommends that the Planning & Zoning Commission recommend approval of the proposed amendments to the City Council. Submitted by: Tanner Osing, Planning & Zoning Manager Approved by: Page 6 of 7  City of Rock Island Planning & Zoning Commission 2025 Public Meeting Schedule Advertised Non-Advertised Public Meeting Submittal Submittal Date Deadline Deadline December 2 December 23 January 6 January 6 January 20 February 3 February 3 February 17 March 3 March 3 March 24 April 7 April 7 April 21 May 5 May 5 May 19 June 2 June 3 June 23 July 7 July 7 July 21 August 4 August 4 August 18 *September 3* September 1 September 22 October 6 October 6 October 20 November 3 November 3 November 17 December 1 “Advertised” items include Rezonings, Special Use Permits, Variances & PUDs DO require advertisement and notification “Non-Advertised” items such as preliminary and final subdivision plats do NOT require legal advertisement and notification Meetings are generally held the first Monday of every month, beginning at 5:30 PM in the Council Chambers (Third Floor) at City Hall, 1528 3rd Avenue. Page 7 of 7