Plan Commission

STAFF REPORT 2017-39P: Zoning Map Amendment Community Development Department Council Chambers, 7:30 PM, November 2, 2017 To: Paul Luke, Chairman, Skokie Plan Commission From: Mike Voitik, Planning Technician Steve Marciani, Planning Supervisor Re: 2017-39P: Zoning Map Amendment 4000 and 4012 Church Street Related Case – 2017-40P: Site Plan Approval General Information Location 4000 and 4012 Church Street Purpose To amend the zoning map to change the zoning district for 4000 and 4012 Church Street from B1 Service Commercial to TX Transit Mixed-Use. Petitioner The Church Street Synagogue, Inc., on behalf of Raffi Arzoumanian Size of Site 18,970 square feet (0.435 acres) with frontage on Church Street and Crawford Avenue Existing Zoning & B1 Service Commercial – vacant commercial building, parking as a Land Use principal use Adjacent Zoning & North R1 Single-Family – religious assembly Land Use South B1 Service Commercial – multi-tenant office building, beauty parlor, vacant storefront, upper-story residences over nonresidential uses East B1 Service Commercial – sports and recreation education, beauty parlor, dry-cleaning and laundry establishment, fine and performing arts education West B1 Service Commercial – dry-cleaning and laundry establishment, beauty parlor, nail salon, clinic, upper- story residences over nonresidential uses Comprehensive The site is designated as retail/service employment. Plan PETITIONER’S SUBMITTAL The petitioner is requesting to amend the zoning map to change the zoning district for 4000 and 4012 Church Street from B1 Service Commercial to TX Transit Mixed-Use. VOSDOCS-#523707-v1-Staff_Report_-_2017-39P_-_Zoning_Map_Amendment__4000_and_4012_Church_Street.doc 1 of 4 The petitioner desires to rezone the subject site, which presently contains a vacant commercial building and surface parking lots, to TX which allows for taller building height and upper-story residential with more potential FAR. The petitioner intends to raze the existing building, and construct a mixed-use building with enclosed parking and stormwater detention (Case 2017-40P). With regards to the request, the petitioner states that: The site is no longer being used as a religious facility. The zoning change is being requested to satisfy a demand by the community to provide housing close to (walking distance) to the synagogue for empty nesters and attract young families that wish to move close to the synagogue. STAFF ANALYSIS All pertinent departments and divisions were offered an opportunity to comment on this case. Other than the Planning Division comments below, all others did not respond or approved the request without comment. Planning Division The Planning Division has reviewed the submitted materials and supports the proposed zoning map amendment. The amendment is inconsistent with the retail/service use designation in the Comprehensive Plan in that residential uses are not contemplated within that land use type. However, mixed-use zoning districts did not exist when this land use sector map was adopted. The intent of the TX Transit Mixed-Use district is for areas within 2,000 feet of rapid transit or adjacent to CX Core Mixed-Use districts. While this property meets neither of those criteria, a new Arterial Rapid Transit station for the Pulse Dempster Line is planned for the intersection of Dempster and Crawford 4 blocks to the south, and an improved and rerouted Pace 215 bus stop will be in front of the site on Church Street, with direct access to the CTA Blue Line. Staff would also like to provide an opportunity to test how a 4-story building might look on a commercial corner of the Village’s linear strip-commercial properties. The NX Neighborhood Mixed-Use zoning district was conceived with the intention of potentially applying this zone to portions of these strip-commercial areas, but Staff has received much feedback from the development community that the 3-story height limit constrains economical redevelopment of these locations. The TX zoning district allows the 4th story. If the proposed building in 2017-40P is constructed, Staff will reevaluate the height and bulk requirements for the NX zoning district and recommend adjustments, if necessary. Both sides of the 4000 block of Church Street already have multistory mixed-use buildings. Amending the zoning district to TX would allow for new buildings to be built with a similar form to those surrounding uses. VOSDOCS-#523707-v1-Staff_Report_-_2017-39P_-_Zoning_Map_Amendment__4000_and_4012_Church_Street.doc 2 of 4  The property in question is more suitable for the uses allowed under the proposed mixed-use zoning district than the existing zoning district. The subject site was originally zoned E Commercial and was rezoned to B1 Service Commercial sometime between 1952 and 1956. The building at 4000 Church Street was constructed in 1958 as a restaurant and was eventually remodeled in 1997, becoming a hair salon. The building was subsequently occupied by a religious assembly use from 2005 until 2013, when a new synagogue was constructed across the alley to the north of the subject site (2009-17P). The building on the site has remained vacant since that time. The surface parking lot at 4012 Church Street was constructed in 1964 to provide off-site parking for a business located on the south side of the street. The property was sold to The Church Street Synagogue within the past 5 years. The subject site appears to have been undeveloped prior to the construction of the building and the parking lot. The surrounding uses include a synagogue, a multi-tenant office building, hair salons, a vacant storefront, existing mixed-use buildings with upper-story residences over nonresidential uses to the west and southwest, a martial arts studio, dry- cleaning and laundry establishments, a dance studio, a nail salon, and a chiropractic clinic. The trend in development in the general area over the past 25 years has been very stable with commercial uses to the immediate east, west, and south of the subject site, and detached residences at the southeast corner of and within less than a half block of the other corners of the Church Street and Crawford Avenue intersection. The only new development within this time period was the conversion of several detached residences to the north of the site to religious assembly. STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS Staff recommends that the petitioner’s request to amend the zoning map to change the zoning district for 4000 and 4012 Church Street from B1 Service Commercial to TX Transit Mixed-Use be GRANTED, subject to the attached Proposed Positive Findings of Fact. ATTACHMENTS 1. Proposed Positive Findings of Fact for 2017-39P 2. Land Use and Zoning Map VOSDOCS-#523707-v1-Staff_Report_-_2017-39P_-_Zoning_Map_Amendment__4000_and_4012_Church_Street.doc 3 of 4 Proposed Positive Findings of Fact 2017-39P: Zoning Map Amendment Community Development Department Council Chambers, 7:30 PM, November 2, 2017 Consideration Finding The map amendment is consistent with the The amendment is inconsistent with the Comprehensive Plan or development trends retail/service use designation in the in the area that have taken place since the Comprehensive Plan in that residential affected property was placed in the present uses are not contemplated within that zoning district. land use type. However, mixed-use zoning districts did not exist when this land use sector map was adopted. After identifying the existing uses and The existing B1 zoning district is very zoning districts in the area, the property in restrictive with respect to the uses that question is more suitable for the uses could be allowed on the subject allowed under proposed zoning district than properties. Legal non-conforming mixed- the existing zoning district. use buildings already exist on both sides of this block. Amending the zoning district to TX would allow for new buildings to be built with a similar form to those surrounding uses. VOSDOCS-#523707-v1-Staff_Report_-_2017-39P_-_Zoning_Map_Amendment__4000_and_4012_Church_Street.doc 4 of 4