Plan Commission

Plan Commission Meeting Minutes Date: January 21, 2021 A motion was made by Commissioner Burman and seconded by Commissioner Franklin to approve the minutes of the January 7, 2021 Plan Commission meeting. The chairman read the following statement into the record. Until further notice, meetings of the Skokie Plan Commission will be electronically, with a majority of members participating via remote access in order to comply with the State of Illinois Gubernatorial Disaster Proclamation. Members of the public who wish to comment as to an item on the published legal notice must submit their statement or question in writing to Steve Marciani at steve.marciani@skokie.org and all properly submitted statements or questions will be presented and read during the relevant portion of the meeting. Written comments also may be submitted by email to citizencomments@skokie.org ; by mail to Village of Skokie, Attn: Matt Brandmeyer, Ex Officio Plan Commissioner, 5127 Oakton Street, Skokie, IL 60077; or via the Village’s drop box (no later than noon the day of the meeting) located by the public entry to Village Hall. The chairman called the roll to confirm a quorum. There were 8 commissioners present. Case Descriptions: 2020-18P – Special Use Permit: 4035 Dempster Street B & T Stores, LLC, on behalf of Maryan Bozai/Little Muslims Childcare, is requesting a special use permit for a child day care not in a residence and any relief that may be discovered during the review of this case. PIN: 10-22—203-052-0000 Discussion and Interested Parties Legal notice was advertised, posted, and delivered to property owners in the area as prescribed by the Zoning Chapter. Corporation Counsel determined that notice was proper and correct. The petitioner, Maryam Bozai, is requesting a special use permit to open a small child care facility which would concentrate on children aged 0-3 years from families speaking Arabic & Urdu. Ms.Bozai is a special education teacher since 2010 who taught at Lincoln Junior High School in Skokie and is currently teaching in Cicero, IL. Ms. Bozai stated that she always had an entrepreneurial spirit and has found her niche market with opening Little Muslims Childcare. The previous user of the site was also a daycare facility but only for infants. According to the landlord, they closed this site due to a decrease in enrollment caused by the COVID19 pandemic. They still have a large day care center nearby. A commissioner asked if she will continue teaching in Cicero or work at this center. Ms. Bozai stated that she plans on finishing the school year in her current position in Cicero 584376 Plan Commission meeting minutes for Case 2020-18P on 1-21-2021 and, if she can get the approval of DCFS in time, would like to open by the spring or summer for 12-15 children with a staff of 3. She plans on being the director/lead unless she can train staff by then. If so, she will continue teaching in Cicero. Staff requested the report be accepted into the record as presented and summarized some of comments made from other Village departments. The Fire Prevention Bureau stated that the fire improvements made by the previous tenant are required to be replaced as they were found to be missing or non-operational. Environmental Health noted that even though meals will be catered in, the necessary equipment must be built for food storage when not being served. Traffic Engineering has determined that the parking requirement has been met and there will not be a negative impact on other businesses in the area because drop- off and pick-up will occur in the early morning and late afternoon. They also noted that all employees are required to park on site. As the previous use was an infant day care facility, an outdoor play area was not required. The petitioner has secured a tentative agreement with Skokie Park District to use Seneca Park (adjacent to the subject site on the south) for the older children. This agreement must remain active as a condition of the special use. The chairman inquired about licensing from DCFS. Ms. Bozai stated that DCFS has okayed the location as the site was already approved as a day care center. They are waiting for the approval for the special use permit from the Village before they go forward with their licensing. There were no comments or questions from the public. Recommendations and Voting A motion was made to approve staff’s recommendation to approve the petitioner’s request for a special use permit for a child day care not in a residence at 4035 Dempster Street in a B2 Commercial district, subject to the recommended conditions. Motion: Burman Second: Mathee Absent: Mitchell Ayes: 8 Nays: 0 Commissioner Robinson congratulated the petitioner for contributing to the diversity in Skokie. Commissioner Lakhani commented that as an owner of 2 child care centers and 12 years of experience, it is wonderful that she is providing a service to a niche market in the community. 584376 Plan Commission meeting minutes for Case 2020-18P on 1-21-2021