Zoning Committee Minutes March 22, 2006

Department of Community

Preservation and Development

ZONING COMMITTEE

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

City Hall, City Council Chambers

505 Butler Place

Park Ridge, Illinois 60068

M I N U T E S

The meeting was called to order at 7:05 p.m.

A. Roll Call and Introduction

Present Staff

Ald. DiPietro R. Derifield

Ald. Machon, Chairman C. Davis

C. Funkhouser

T. Provencher Other

A. Rifkind Jacques Gourguechon, Camiros

A. Tennes Arista Strungys, Camiros

B. Kidd

E. Upton Absent

J. Barclay A. Karkhanis

J. Cwik G. Zimmerman

A. Abella-Austriaco

P. Mitchell

R. Lohens

T. McConville

T. Metropulos

Chairman Machon opened the meeting and said that the purpose of tonight’s discussion is to review proposals for two new zoning districts, namely a Hospital District and an Uptown District, as identified in Camiros’ July 12, 2005, Regulatory Approaches memorandum that the Committee wished to address further.

B. Discussion on Approaches for the Proposed New Hospital District

Arista Strungys, with Camiros, gave an overview of the memorandum, dated March 17, 2006, concerning the proposed new Hospital District.

Overall, the Committee reached a consensus that creating a new Hospital District would be appropriate. The current R-4 zoning for Lutheran General Hospital is a cumbersome district for regulating hospital related uses and activities. A new district would add predictability to regulating hospital activities by being specifically stated in the Zoning Ordinance. The City, hospital and neighbors would have a better understanding of the regulations and where certain activities can occur.

Incorporating the proposed core and transitional hospital zones within the new Hospital District makes sense, as long as the zones are identified and the regulations for each one clear. A third zone for open space and surface parking lots could be considered, particularly near the south end of the south campus adjacent to residential, to prohibit buildings.

The process should be clear on how the City should regulate construction activities and changes in use. The Committee favored City review of activities on a case-by-case basis, rather than creating a master plan for the hospital. While this may be more practical for the City, it may be more cumbersome to the hospital. The hospital created a master plan several years ago, but has not adhered to it. Also, the hospital has not always share details of future construction ahead of time.

In considering the case-by-case approach, the Committee agreed that some projects could be approved administratively, while others should require a Site Plan Review or Special Use. Whatever is decided, however, the City must maintain some control over all activities. Construction and changes in use have the potential to impact traffic and parking throughout the facility and in the surrounding neighborhood. Thresholds should be established to determine which review process is required and when. Thresholds should be triggered based on such things as the zone a project is in, the type of use and the height of a building. They should also be small, perhaps for construction entailing 10,000 square feet or more. There was concern that new construction would be allowed as a permitted use without requiring any type of City review. At the same time, it makes sense, for example, that interior remodeling (not associated with a use change) and recent changes to the emergency room entrance at the rear of the main hospital, including a small addition, should not require a Special Use review. Special Use reviews in these situations do not necessarily create a better project.

One Committee member had concerns about the potential encroachment of the hospital into the single family residential area adjacent to the southeast corner of the parking lot on the south campus along Western Avenue and north of the residences along Weeg Way. The hospital attempted to do this several years ago, but some neighbors opposed it.

There were also questions as to whether Appearance Commission approval would continue to be required for signs at the hospital. Randall Derifield said that wall and ground signs used for identification would still require Commission approval. There was also a concern about lighting, particularly in the proposed transition zones.

C. Discussion on Approaches for the Proposed new Uptown District

Ms. Strungys gave an overview of the memorandum, dated March 17, 2006, concerning the proposed new Uptown District and considerations for incorporating form-based zoning into that district.

The Committee agreed that incorporating elements of form-based zoning, whether alone or in combination with traditional zoning, should be explored in selected areas in Uptown or even on a block by block basis. It would be practical to create a code that encourages maintaining and perpetuating an existing character, such as along the block of Prospect Avenue between Northwest Highway and Summit Avenue, without dictating a specific style (i.e., Italianate). The Uptown Plan already provides elements of a form-based code by recommending the number of stories, build-to lines and setbacks for buildings based on certain locations in Uptown. The Urban Design Guidelines used by the Appearance Commission also offer suggestions for site and building design.

One Committee member asked how to avoid having form-based zoning encouraging Disneyland type design or preventing a design from going out of style. Another member said that dictating style is an extreme form of form-based codes. What would be more practical in Park Ridge would be to look more closely at building form, such as with height limits and setbacks.

D. Citizens Wishing to be Heard - None

E. Next Steps

Mr. Derifield stated that the next meeting is tentatively scheduled to discuss the several additional items not identified in the Regulatory Approaches memorandum, but referred to the Committee either by one of the advisory board members or the City Council.

F. Adjournment - The meeting adjourned at 8:40 p.m.

These minutes are not a verbatim record of the meeting but a summary of the proceedings.