Planning & Zoning Board

March 26, 2019 WHEATON PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD I. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL VOTE Chair Weller called the March 26, 2019 Wheaton Planning and Zoning Board meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers of the Wheaton City Hall, 303 W. Wesley Street. Upon roll call, the following were: Roll Call Vote Present: Christopher Dabovich Bob Gudmundson Mark Plunkett Dan Wanzung Scott Weller Absent: Nicole Aranas Cecilia Horejs City Staff Present: Tracy Jones, Staff Planner Jim Kozik, Director of Planning and Economic Development II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES - FEBRUARY 26, 2019 The minutes were approved as presented. III. PUBLIC COMMENT There was none. IV. OLD BUSINESS EAST ROOSEVELT ROAD STUDY/ REVISED DRAFT LAND USE AND ZONING RECOMMENDATIONS/ CAMIROS Pursuant to letters being mailed to property owners, Chair Weller called to order the March 26, 2019 public meeting for the East Roosevelt Road Study. Chair Weller stated that the purpose of this workshop was to review the revised draft land use and zoning recommendations. He added that this meeting was the fourth such meeting held by the City. An email from Bill Fowee and a letter from Bob Barger were incorporated into the record. Chair Weller introduced Chris Jennette from Camiros who would be giving an overview of the new information provided since the last meeting. Mr. Jennette stated that the Comprehensive Plan update includes a discussion of the City’s current parking ratios. In particular, the plan references the City’s requirement for multi-family dwellings to provide 2.25 spaces per unit, and for office uses to provide 3.8 or 4.5 spaces per 1,000 square feet (dependent on total gross floor area). The Board requested some additional research to document and compare the City’s current requirements to other local communities. Based upon this research, we can see that though standards do vary from community to community, the City of Wheaton is generally on the higher end of the spectrum relative to the amount of parking required for this standard set of uses. As such, it may be valuable to consider an adjustment of the City’s parking ratios to better suit current trends/best practices. The proposed ERRC zoning  Wheaton Planning and Zoning Board March 26, 2019 Page 2 of 4 overlay language suggests reducing the City’s requirements by 15% in the established ERRC area; if the City intends to pursue other zoning changes, parking ratios should be evaluated and adjusted for the City overall. Mr. Jennette stated that it is typical for zoning ordinances to allow for commercial development to build at a zero foot setback on interior sides, unless abutting residential development. This is the approach recommended for the East Roosevelt Road Corridor, as it can provide the flexibility needed for development to occur on small or narrow lots, and allow for the creation of a continuous, pedestrian-friendly street-wall over time. This is the approach already in place for some of Wheaton’s commercial districts, including the C-2 district (which only requires yards insofar as they accommodate a corner visibility area), and the C-4 district, which doesn’t require any yard unless abutting residential. Any development occurring near or within a specified distance to another structure would continue to be required to meet any applicable fire ratings. Some ordinances also provide a minimum dimension that must be met if an interior side yard is provided, to ensure that such a side yard can be accessed and/or maintained. This is a somewhat less common standard, however. We recommend continuing with the current minimum interior side yard requirements in the draft Comprehensive Plan update. Mr. Jennette stated that it was mentioned at the last meeting that the current draft does not distinguish between residential and nonresidential uses in the “ERRC Subdistricts Design Standards.” As detached residential structures and townhomes are of a different character than mixed-use or multi-family buildings, transparency requirements should be split to ensure that they are realistic and achievable. It is recommended that the transparency requirements within the “Fenestration Design” section of the draft subdistrict design standards table be edited to ensure that the standards specify applicability to nonresidential and multi-family residential structures only. Mr. Jennette stated that at the previous meeting the need to clarify the permissions for residential dwellings above the ground floor in each of the ERRC Subdistricts was discussed. As the intent is to permit mixed-use development in each of the subdistricts, residential dwellings would be allowed above the ground floor for the entirety of the overlay. It is recommended that the draft sample use matrix be updated to include a use called “Dwelling – above the ground floor,” which would be permitted in all subdistricts. Mr. Jennette stated that a lot width analysis was conducted at the request of the PZB. In the Horizontal Mixed Use Subdistrict, the average width was 109 feet and the median width was 63 feet. In the Commercial Core Subdistrict, the average width was 119 feet and the median width was 71 feet. In the Mixed Use Flexible Subdistrict, the average width was 72 feet and the median width was 56 feet. In the Transition Subdistrict, the average width was 102 feet and the median width was 62 feet. Average is included for illustrative purposes, as it provides a depiction of variability in width for each section of the corridor. The median width is more indicative of the typical condition within each section of the corridor – with each hovering around the 60’ width. As such, the required minimum of 60 feet in the HMU and CC districts would seem to be on-target and related to current on-the-ground conditions. As such, we would recommend that the required minimums within the draft Comprehensive Plan update remain as proposed. Bill Fowee, 804 Gamon Road, Wheaton was sworn in. Mr. Fowee stated that he was concerned about the new store Starbucks was proposing at the corner of Warrenville Road and Roosevelt Roads. He added that the additional traffic would be unwelcome and it is too close to Whittier Elementary School. Director Kozik stated that while Starbucks has had preliminary discussions with staff, no formal application has been submitted to date. He added that if a zoning application is submitted, adjacent neighbors within 250 feet will receive a public hearing notice in the mail.  Wheaton Planning and Zoning Board March 26, 2019 Page 3 of 4 Eric Kobus, 425 W. Park Avenue, Wheaton was sworn in. Mr. Kobus stated that he was concerned about new restaurants and/ or coffee shops with drive throughs increasing traffic congestion in the area. Director Kozik stated that any restaurant with a drive through will still require zoning approval to review access to the site and vehicle stacking for the drive through. Dan Gries, 802 Warrenville Road, Wheaton was sworn in. Mr. Gries stated that there is an existing stormwater problem in the area and new commercial development with additional impervious coverage would exacerbate the problem. Mr. Gudmundson stated that engineering requirements for new commercial development are much more stringent than when the properties were previously developed. Thus, new commercial development in the area would actual help the stormwater problem. Bob Barger, 618 N. Wheaton Avenue, Wheaton was sworn in. Mr. Barger stated that he was the Chairperson of the Wheaton Housing Commission. Mr. Barger stated that the Wheaton Housing Commission is interested in constructing more affordable housing on Roosevelt Road. Gerald Brenc, 421 W. Roosevelt Road, Wheaton was sworn in. Mr. Brenc stated that he owns a single-family home on Roosevelt Road that could be used for office space today if it was rezoned. He questioned how the proposed plan would impact his property. Director Kozik stated that the proposed plan would allow additional uses for the property beyond office use. Bonnie Fritz, 800 E. Roosevelt Road, Wheaton was sworn in. Ms. Fritz stated that safe crossings on Roosevelt Road are crucial to make it more pedestrian friendly. Ms. Fritz further stated that she was concerned that a potential street vacation of Chase Street could impact the sale of her property. Chair Weller stated that the plan is not requiring the street vacation but merely mentioning it as an option for future owners/ developers. The Board discussed revising the report to include a reference to the definition of “Substantial” in the Zoning Ordinance, accommodate the clustering of trees in lieu of just linear plantings and establishing different parking standards for the various types of multi-family developments. The Board decided to vote this evening. Mr. Dabovich moved and then Mr. Gudmundson seconded the motion to approve the East Roosevelt Road Study prepared by Camiros, subject to the following elements being added to the plan: 1. A reference to the definition of “Substantial” in the Zoning Ordinance; 2. Language allowing the clustering of trees in lieu of just linear planting; and 3. Different parking standards for the various types of multi-family developments. Roll Call Vote Ayes: Christopher Dabovich Bob Gudmundson Mark Plunkett Dan Wanzung  Wheaton Planning and Zoning Board March 26, 2019 Page 4 of 4 Scott Weller Nays: None Absent: Nicole Aranas Cecilia Horejs Motion Passed V. MISCELLANEOUS There was none. VI. ADJOURNMENT Mr. Dabovich moved and then Mr. Gudmundson seconded the motion to adjourn the meeting at 8:30 p.m. On a voice vote, all voted aye. Respectfully submitted, Tracy L. Jones, Staff Planner