VILLAGE OF NORTH AURORA
PLAN COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES
APRIL 6, 2021
CALL TO ORDER
Chairman Mike Brackett called the meeting to order.
ROLL CALL
In attendance: Chairman Mike Brackett, Vice Chairperson Jennifer Duncan, Commissioners Anna Tuohy, Tom Lenkart, Doug Botkin, Mark Bozik and Aaron Anderson
Not in attendance: Commissioner Connie Holbrook
Staff in attendance: Village Administrator Steve Bosco, Community & Economic Development Director Mike Toth and Information Technology Manager Dave Arndt
Also in attendance: Kevin Drendel, Village Attorney
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
- Approval of Plan Commission Minutes dated March 2, 2021
Motion for approval made by Commissioner Lenkart and seconded by Commissioner Tuohy. All in favor. Motion approved.
PUBLIC HEARING
- Petition #21-03 (Lot 2 of the Randall Road Commercial Center): The petitioner, Randall Terrace Health Care Center LLC, requests the following actions in the B-2 General Business District, Planned Unit Development:
- A Special Use to allow an amendment to a Planned Unit Development with deviations to the Zoning Ordinance
- Site Plan Approval
Petitioner, Mark Sorrentino, presented his request for the development of Lot 2 of the Randall Road Commercial Center. He stated that the property is located off of Randall Road, north of Oak Street and south of Orchard Road. The proposed development will consist of 66 residential units over a 5.2 acre parcel. There will be four (4) residential buildings and a clubhouse with a pool. The units will consist of one, two, or three bedrooms and each building will be elevator equipped. The sizes of each until will range from 820 square feet to 1,452 square feet. All patios and balconies will face a central courtyard. The courtyard will also include seating, a barbeque area and a playground, providing a central gathering place for residents. The 3,200 square foot clubhouse will include a fitness center, rec center, business center and leasing center. Adequate parking is being proposed at 103 parking spaces, which will exceed the zoning requirements. The parking includes 30 garage spaces as well. Sorrentino stated that the public utilities are in place. The sanitary sewer, water and storm sewer are all stubbed to the site. There is a water retention basin offsite to the west of Lot 2. Lot 2 is part of the owners association for the entire subdivision so the common areas will be covered by the association. Sorrentino stated that the proposed development was presented to the Plan Commission in June 2019. At that time, the Plan Commission had recommended approval with suggestions for site plan revisions. Those recommendations have since been incorporated into the site plan that is being presented at today’s meeting.
Toth stated that the petitioner did receive a motion for approval at the June 4, 2019 Plan Commission meeting. No final site plan had been presented at the time. A preliminary site plan was introduced to the Village Board at the 2019 meeting. At that time, the board had requested additional changes to the site plan, which included additional dumpsters, reevaluation of the internal walkway network, and connecting to the sidewalk along the west side of Miller Drive. Toth confirmed that additional dumpsters were added to the site plan, the internal walkway system was upgraded, and a sidewalk was added along Miller Drive as requested. He stated that the petitioner is requesting amendments to the PUD, which will include exceeding the FAR (Floor Area Ratio) of .3, updating the approved material list to allow fiberglass shingles and hardy board, and allowing fencing in the front yard since the development may potentially be a gated community. A condition will be included that will state the fence must be metallic, non-chain link and will not exceed 6’ in height in the front yard. The applicant is also seeking site plan approval. Toth stated that staff recommends approval with four (4) conditions.
Chairman Mike Brackett opened the public hearing for public comment. No comment.
Chairman Mike Brackett closed the public hearing.
NEW BUSINESS
- Petition #21-03 (Lot 2 of the Randall Road Commercial Center): The petitioner, Randall Terrace Health Care Center LLC, requests the following actions in the B-2 General Business District, Planned Unit Development:
- A Special Use to allow an amendment to a Planned Unit Development with deviations to the Zoning Ordinance
- Site Plan Approval
Commissioner Tuohy asked what the price range will be for each unit. Sorrentino responded that the units will not be for sale since they are rental units. He stated that they will be competitive in the marketplace with surrounding properties when they establish the rent cost. Tuohy asked where the entrance and exit to the property will be. Sorrentino responded that there will be one main entrance at the north part of the property that a majority of the traffic will use. There is a second entrance at the southern part of the property, but he anticipates that will be used more for emergency vehicles. Tuohy stated she had no further questions.
Commissioner Duncan asked staff if there are any parking concerns. Toth responded that they meet the required code for the parking. Duncan asked if that includes the 30 garage spaces. Toth responded yes. Duncan asked who will be able to park in the garage spaces. Sorrentino responded that it will depend on the market conditions at the time. Duncan asked how it is possible to have a FAR of 2.0. Toth responded that it is possible with a multi-story building and it would be quite substantial. Duncan asked if all buildings will look the same. Sorrentino responded that yes they will all be constructed with the same materials. Duncan stated that the project looks great and has no further questions.
Commissioner Bozik asked if a condition could be included in the PUD stating that the garages cannot be used for storage. Sorrentino responded that the zoning code is two (2) parking stalls per unit and 50% of the units are 1-bedroom so he does not anticipate that every unit will have two (2) cars. He stated that the parking lot already exceeds the amount of required parking. Brackett responded that it may be difficult to monitor if garages are being used simply for storage. If the resident has been assigned that garage, then they should be allowed to park their car in there and store items as well. Toth responded that this could be something handled under the property management company. Sorrentino responded that they have a vested interest to make sure all parking stalls are utilized. Bozik asked who will be maintain ownership of the property. Sorrentino responded that he may have a joint venture partner for the development. Bozik stated he had no further questions.
Commissioner Lenkart asked how security will be handled for the development. Sorrentino responded that they want to incorporate high tech but at this time they are unsure of which route they are going to go, but the security will be more advanced than just a key to get into your unit. He stated that security is a concern and they would like to set up some kind of package drop off in the clubhouse so residents will not have packages sitting outside their units unprotected. Lenkart asked how many units there are in comparison to the number of garages. Sorrentino responded there are 66 units and 30 garage spaces. Lenkart asked if there is a sidewalk located in front of Miller Drive. Sorrentino responded that two sidewalk access points have been added off of Miller Drive at the north and south of the property. Lenkart asked if there is already a public sidewalk in front of Miller Drive. Sorrentino responded yes. Lenkart asked if there are other developments in the PUD that also have a deviated floor plan ratio and used a different established material list. Toth responded that during his time with the Village, he has not seen any other deviations. Sorrentino stated that they are requesting an amendment to the PUD for the materials since they chose materials that are different from the nearby storage facility located in the same PUD. The materials for proposed development present a softer appearance which is suitable for a residential development. Lenkart stated he had no further questions.
Commissioner Botkin stated that the project looks good and he is happy to see that everything has been addressed since the last meeting. He asked what the security is for the sliding entrance gate. Sorrentino responded that he would like to get feedback from the Police and Fire Department for their requirements. Bozik responded that the Fire Department would probably require a manual gate at the southern entrance and an automated gate at the main entrance. Sorrentino stated they have similar gates at the storage facility.
Commissioner Anderson asked if the market study provided what kind of demographics they are expecting for tenants. Sorrentino responded that they anticipate young families, couples or single tenants looking for a boutique like living space. Anderson asked if they had target dates for construction. Sorrentino responded that they would like to start in mid-summer. They are currently working on final drawings for building permit and would like to begin on site work while finishing them up. Anderson stated he had no further questions
A vote was taken to accept Staff’s findings for Standards for Specials Uses and Site Plan Review Standards of the North Aurora Zoning Ordinance Randall Road Commercial Center PUD. Vote: Duncan – Yes, Anderson – Yes, Bozik – Yes, Lenkart – Yes, Tuohy – Yes, Brackett – Yes, Botkin – Yes. Motion approved.
Motion for approval of a Special Use to allow an amendment to a Planned Unit Development with deviations to the Zoning Ordinance including four (4) conditions was made by Commissioner Bozik and seconded by Commissioner Lenkart. Vote: Duncan – Yes, Anderson – Yes, Bozik – Yes, Lenkart – Yes, Tuohy – Yes, Brackett – Yes, Botkin – Yes. Motion approved.
Motion for approval of Site Plan Approval was made by Commissioner Lenkart and seconded by Commissioner Bozik. Vote: Duncan – Yes, Anderson – Yes, Bozik – Yes, Lenkart – Yes, Tuohy – Yes, Brackett – Yes, Botkin – Yes. Motion approved.
OLD BUSINESS – None
PLAN COMMISSIONER COMMENTS AND PROJECT UPDATES
Toth stated that the PUD was approved by Village Board for the Opus Development at Valley Green Golf Course. Brother Chimp received approval on March 15, 2021 by Village Board for the proposed expansion. The Floor Area Minimum discussion was presented to the Village Board and they are supportive of looking into the subject further. Staff will be providing this information at a later meeting date. There will be a Plan Commission meeting on May 4, 2021 for a proposed 12,000 square foot addition at Gerald Hyundai.
Brackett asked what it will take to get Miller Drive to go through. Toth responded that he used to have ongoing conversations with Shodeen. Their interest was to establish Miller Drive upon development of the property. Different options have been explored and have been discussed. Toth stated that he has had no contact with Shodeen for a couple years now. Brackett stated this would make a huge difference for that area. Bosco stated that the area to the south is unincorporated and therefore the Village does not have any authority. He stated there is always the option to force annex but there really is no benefit to do so. Village Attorney Drendel stated that if the Village were to force annex, then we would lose any negotiating power or leverage we have with an annexation agreement. Brackett asked if Shodeen was open to other considerations. Toth stated they seemed somewhat receptive but the conversation hasn’t gone anywhere since. Bracket asked if staff could reach out to Shodeen again. Toth responded yes.
ADJOURNMENT
Motion to adjourn made by Commissioner Lenkart and seconded by Vice Chairperson Jennifer Duncan. All in favor. Motion approved.
Respectfully Submitted,
Jessi Watkins
Village Clerk
