Economic Development Commission

***PLEASE NOTE THE LOCATION*** Village of Skokie Economic Development Commission Wednesday, January 15, 2025 8:30 A.M. 4051 Main Street, Skokie, IL I. CALL MEETING TO ORDER / DECLARATION OF QUOURM II. APPROVAL OF MEETING MINUTES FROM December 18, 2024 III. OLD BUSINESS IV. NEW BUSINESS a. 4051 Main Street Discussion b. Downtown Report c. Chicago Life Sciences Event at ISTP in February V. COMMUNICATIONS a. Village Staff b. EDC Members VI. PUBLIC COMMENT VII. ADJOURNMENT The next regular meeting of the Economic Development Commission is scheduled for Wednesday February 19, 2025 at 8:30 A.M. in CONFERENCE ROOM D+E at Skokie Village Hall, 5127 Oakton, Skokie, IL Document Number: 624157  Draft/Not Approved Economic Development Commission Meeting Minutes Date: December 18, 2024 EDC MEMBERS PRESENT: Michael Rosen, Chair Howard Meyer, Vice-Chair, Maegan Akers, Marc Battista, Barbara Carley, Steve Franklin, Nathan Norman and Trustee Alison Pure Slovin EDC MEMBERS ABSENT: Lynn Nolan, Scott Gendell, Jeremy Gleason, Brian Levinson STAFF PRESENT: John Lockerby, Village Manager Johanna Nyden, Community Dev. Director, Rodney Tonelli, Economic Vitality Director, and Carol White, Economic Vitality Coordinator OTHERS PRESENT: Kevin Gazley, Terraco Real Estate Services (I) CALL TO ORDER A quorum being present, Chair Rosen called the meeting to order at 8:34 AM. (II) APPROVAL OF MEETING MINUTES FROM AUGUST 21, 2024 A motion was made to accept the draft minutes of the August 21, 2024 meeting. The motion passed by unanimous voice vote. Staff requested that the item – Drive-Through Regulations, under New Business be moved up and discussed first. Chair Rosen called for that item to be discussed first. Drive-Through Regulations – Feedback Requested Rod introduced the item stating that the Village Board has requested feedback from the EDC. Community Development Director Johanna Nyden gave an overview of the drive- through policy discussion and the Plan Commission work in 2023. Some of the key policy issues include sustainability, business friendliness, permitting in locations where they make sense. She indicated that drive-throughs are currently handled as special uses. Chair Rosen commented that a code change would make existing drive-throughs grandfathered. Howard Meyer discussed location options asking if they can be behind buildings. Staff discussed different site plan scenarios and the desire for visibility for safety. Kevin Gazley of Terraco Real Estate spoke about most drive-throughs now being app based picked ups that move quickly. He stated a rear window requirement would be wrong. Sometimes it might work, but generally on the side is preferred. He indicated potential safety issues if in the rear and that the police might not like that. Stated that if restrictions are too tight, it might limit or restrict development. Referenced Bakers Square. He encouraged Document Number: 623994 Document Name: Economic Development Commission Meeting Minutes_December 18, 2024  Draft/Not Approved seeking resident input stating that residents near recent drive-throughs would have positive comments. Chair Rosen asked about the update process and if Plan Commission leads it. Johanna discussed that the Village Board had referred the policy discussion to the Plan Commission for review. The Plan Commission input is back at the Village Board. Village Board is discussing policy recommendations and working to balance sustainability and business needs. Barbara Carley asked about the no drive-through policy in mixed use districts and the tree ratio for trips generated. Johanna clarified the tree ratio item. The pedestrian nature of mixed-use districts is the limiting factor in the downtown and CX. Howard Meyer commented that there is limited area on most drive-through sites for too many trees. Trustee Pure Slovin asked for feedback on a fee in lieu of trees if there isn’t sufficient space to plant trees. General conversation was that a fee in lieu was acceptable. Rod commented on new business model for pick-ups, app-based ordering and trend to reduce restaurant dining space. Commented that the term drive-through window may be out of date given most are pick-up window. Maegen Akers commented that almost all restaurants want pick-up capabilities. As an example she referenced the volume of pick-up revenue that the Cheesecake Factory does. She commented that a guideline approach would make for easier and more flexible review than strict rules. She asked about past approval experiences and how the Plan Commission reviewed if residents commented. Johanna commented that concerns are often addressed just by providing more information, perceptions are different than reality. A guideline approach versus a text amendment maintains flexibility to address needs and concerns. Barbara Carley commented that the way restaurants and drive-throughs work will continue to evolve and that any code change would need to change again. She commented that menu boards should not be eliminated. Johanna commented that a reduction in parking requirements would help when there is less dine-in space. Maegen commented on encouraging a reduction in food waste. Howard commented that Village needs to enforce trash-bins at the end of drive-throughs. Johanna and Rod summarized the commission feedback and that the apparent preference was to use a guideline approach to reviewing special uses. Commissioners concurred. (III) OLD BUSINESS a. Economic Vitality Strategy Update – Recap update process Rod Tonelli gave a brief update on the Economic Vitality Strategy update process and schedule for 2025. b. Main Street Plan Update Document Number: 623994 Document Name: Economic Development Commission Meeting Minutes_December 18, 2024  Draft/Not Approved Rod gave an update on the Main Commercial Corridor Plan stating that it is complete and has been reviewed by the Village Board. Staff has already started implementation with one property acquisition being pursued. (IV) NEW BUSINESS a. Drive-Through Regulations – Feedback Requested Moved and discussed before Old Business (see above) b. Downtown Development - 2024 Activity Update Rod showed the recent CBS news video highlighting downtown Skokie. Carol White discussed how the CBS piece came about and the logistics of the filming and interviews. Johanna highlighted some of the new business inquiries it has already generated. Carol gave an update of the downtown cookie walk and coffee mug campaigns. Rod gave an overview of 2024 downtown activities highlighting new businesses that opened, prospective businesses and downtown events. c. Old Orchard Redevelopment Plans Rod presented an overview of the Old Orchard redevelopment plans that were approved by the Village Board. (V) COMMUNICATIONS a. Village Staff Rod stated that staff had no other comments than already discussed and wished everyone happy holidays. b. EDC Members Chair Rosen asked for an update on the hotel project. Rod provided an update on the status of court case. Chair Rosen asked about the 8030 Lamon auction. Barbara Carley gave an update stating that Singerman was the winning bidder and has since closed on the property. Chair Rosen discussed the recent office closure of Charles River and the relocation of Cour from the ISTP. Steve Franklin commented on the Northlite Theater relocating to Evanston. He commented on the success of their capital campaign and that they will be breaking ground and plan to open in 2026. Howard Meyer gave an overview of the Skokie Chamber’s 2024 activities, He highlighted more than 30 grand openings and 300 plus events and programs. Chair Rosen suggested that Howard present the Chamber’s 2025 goals at the next meeting. (VI) PUBLIC COMMENT There was no public comment. Document Number: 623994 Document Name: Economic Development Commission Meeting Minutes_December 18, 2024  Draft/Not Approved (VII) ADJOURNMENT Chair Rosen adjourned the meeting at 10:02 AM. Respectfully submitted, Rod Tonelli, Economic Vitality Manager Document Number: 623994 Document Name: Economic Development Commission Meeting Minutes_December 18, 2024