Title/Name/Summary
Miroballi Plaza - SP, AR, VAR
History
PROJECT:
Miroballi Plaza - 2011-0540
PETITIONER:
Daniel Miroballi, Manager
REQUESTED ACTION:
Site Plan Review
Elevation Review
Variance Review
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this petition is to construct a 10,000 square foot retail center on a .97 acre piece of property at the northwest corner of La Grange Road and 144th Place.
LOCATION:
14360 S. La Grange Road
P.I.N. NUMBERS:
27-09-215-029
27-09-215-007
ATTACHMENTS:
Site Plan
Elevations
Variance Standards
SIZE:
10,000 Square Feet on a .95 Acre Lot
EXISTING ZONING:
Village Center District
EXISTING LAND USE:
Vacant; Brownfield
SURROUNDING ZONING AND LAND USE:
North: Village Center District - Retail/ Commercial
South: Village Center District - (across 144th Place) Restaurant
East: Village Center District - (across La Grange Road) Retail/ Commercial
West: Village Center District - Residential/ Multi-Family Apartments
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN DESIGNATION:
Community Intensity Commercial/ Office
PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING:
Christopher B. Burke Engineering Ltd. has approved preliminary engineering for this project.
PUBLIC UTILITIES:
The site is serviced by all public utilities. Storm, sanitary sewer and water main utilities are accessible for the development in the right-of-ways.
TRANSPORTATION:
The site is bounded by La Grange Road on the east, a major arterial road under IDOT jurisdiction. One driveway will provide access to the site from southbound La Grange Road lanes. The driveway will be right-in/right-out once La Grange Road widening improvements are completed and a raised planted median prevents full access. As a result the site plan proposes a second ingress/egress along 144th Place, which is a local street. A traffic signal is at the intersection of 144th Place and La Grange Road, which will provide the site with “full access” opportunities.
PLANNING OVERVIEW:
The subject site has been a vacant brownfield for the last eight (8) years on the northwest corner of 144th Place and La Grange Road. According to the US EPA, “brownfield” means real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant. This property operated as a gas station for a number of years prior to the vacancy and the petitioner is working with Shell Oil to receive a No Further Response letter from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA).
Miroballi Shoes is currently located at 9620 W. 143rd Street at Orland Plaza. With the recent acquisition of Orland Plaza for downtown redevelopment, Miroballi Shoes is proposing to move its retail operations from Orland Plaza to the subject property. As part of the relocation, Miroballi Shoes will benefit from a program approved by the Village Board that allows reduced & waived fees and will also receive relocation assistance.
The petitioner is proposing to construct a four unit, 10,000 square foot retail center on a .97 acre lot at the northwest corner of 144th Place and La Grange Road. The proposed retail center is a brownfield and infill development site in the downtown area.
DISCUSSION:
Land Use and Compatibility
According to current Land Development Code definitions, the former land use of this property was a motor vehicle service use (gas station). The proposed project converts the property to a retail commercial land use, which is more compatible with the zoning district regulations, the surrounding retail, financial and office based land uses and the Comprehensive Plan designation.
Subdivision
The subject site is currently subdivided into two separate lots: a small 5,400 square foot lot on the north and a 39,000 square foot lot on the south. The proposed redevelopment of the site indicates that a parking field will be constructed on the smaller north parcel. Parking fields are not permitted stand-alone uses in the Village Center District. Additionally, the 5,400 square foot area of the lot does not meet the minimum lot area requirements for the Village Center District (10,000 square feet). As a result, a lot consolidation is required for the proposed redevelopment to conform to current land use regulations. The consolidated lot will be 44,400 square feet or .97 acres.
The petitioner will need to apply for a subdivision and submit a Plat of Subdivision to the Village for recording.
Land Use Intensity and Lot Size
The subject site is currently vacant but previously operated as a gas station and car wash. The proposed land use will increase the land use intensity significantly from the existing use by constructing a new building with 50 parking spaces for four potential retail units.
The minimum lot size in the Village Center District is 10,000 square feet. The subject property, when consolidated, exceeds the minimum lot size requirements and is therefore compliant with the Code.
Setbacks and Setback Variances
The following is a discussion on the required versus the proposed building setbacks for the subject property.
La Grange Road: 25 feet required; 15 feet provided (variance requested)
La Grange Road and 144th Place Intersection Corner: 25 feet required; 11 feet provided (variance requested)
144th Place: 5-15 feet required; 21 feet provided
Rear (west property line): 30 feet required; 50 feet provided
Side (north property line): 15 feet required; 137 feet provided
Variances are requested for the La Grange Road setback and the setback from the corner of 144th Place and La Grange Road. The total distance between the proposed back of curb (the old right-of-way line) and the building is 26 feet. But for the La Grange Road widening, the building would meet La Grange Road setback requirements. However the IDOT right-of-way taking is approximately 11 feet of that distance, leaving only 15 feet for the setback from the actual right-of-way. At the northwest corner of 144th Place and La Grange Road, the setback is reduced from 25 to 11 feet. These are 40% and 56% setback reductions from the right-of-way respectively.
Height
The maximum proposed building height is 26 feet at the parapet above the main retail unit marked as “Miroballi Shoes”. According to Section 6-212.D.3.b, at intersections of public streets, corner buildings may be up to 4 stories tall at a maximum height of 55 feet.
Lot Coverage
The Village Center District allows 75% impervious lot coverage for a site, with an additional 5% allowance when stormwater best management practices (BMPs) are incorporated into the project. The site plan proposes 76% lot coverage with no BMP’s, 1% higher than the Code maximum. This is, however, a 24% improvement from the original lot coverage for the site, which was near 100% impervious. This project was published for a variance that would allow up to 85% (15% over Code) lot coverage. The final lot coverage may also increase based on staff requests to increase the sidewalk area (discussed in the pedestrian, bicycle access and public transit section) as well as the pending No Further Response letter. The petitioner should provide a revised site plan, with the most current lot coverage calculation, prior to the Committee meeting.
As a district covering an established part of the Village, the lot coverage regulations for the Village Center District were designed to provide flexibility and to encourage redevelopment. As discussed in the detention/retention section below, stormwater retention is not even required for this site due to the improvement in lot coverage from the previous built condition to the proposed condition.
The petitioner could minimize or even eliminate the lot coverage variance if BMPs were incorporated into the site. BMPs can range from green roofs to pervious paving to rain gardens to planter boxes connected to the roof drains. For this particular site, a series of interconnected accessory infiltration planter boxes seems the most appropriate. Downspouts from the flat rooftop would collect storm water runoff from the roof and release it into the planter boxes, which would be interconnected with a perforated pipe into the storm sewer that releases excess storm water both into the ground for infiltration and into the storm sewer for overflow. The planter boxes, with appropriate vegetation, would serve to reduce the flow of storm water offsite. Strategies such as these are frequently and successfully deployed in urban settings to mitigate runoff and encourage groundwater infiltration. At this time, the petitioner is not proposing any best management practices, but is encouraged to do so in order to reduce or eliminate the variance request.
The No Further Response letter may also complicate the installation of certain BMPs. If the IEPA requires the site to have a full barrier, there will be no potential for groundwater infiltration. Landscape areas may still be possible, but would need to be constructed with an impervious bottom layer.
Detention and Retention
Following the La Grange Road widening takings, the subject property is reduced to .97 acres. Sites less than one acre in size are not required to provide storm water detention facilities in Orland Park, especially when existing impervious surface area is reduced. In such scenarios BMPs are normally encouraged but not required.
Traffic and Access
Previous to the current 143rd Street and La Grange Road intersection improvements, the subject site had four drive-ways on La Grange Road and two on 144th Place. This condition was a relic of the former gas station use. With the intersection improvements the drive-ways will be reduced to one on La Grange Road and one on 144th Place.
Until the La Grange Road widening occurs, the site will have a single full access drive-way on La Grange and a single full access drive-way on 144th Place. The widening effort will introduce a raised landscape median on La Grange that will render the full access drive there into a right-in/right-out drive-way. The 144th Place drive-way will remain a full access drive that provides immediate access to the 144th Place and La Grange Road intersection.
To improve circulation for the site and the block in general, the proposed site plan includes a cross-access drive-way at the northwest corner of the site that links to the properties to the north (Pizza Pete and Rich Realty). The neighboring properties will benefit from the additional vehicular access both now and after the widening. The petitioner should work with the neighboring property owners to enter into a cross-access agreement between the properties.
Emergency Access
Because the site is narrow and drive-aisles are limited to 22 feet, access for emergency vehicles must be considered a priority. The petitioner should provide a turning radius study to ensure that Orland Fire Protection District vehicles are capable of accessing the site before the project attends a Village Board meeting.
Parking and Loading
According to Table 6-306(B), the proposed 10,000 square foot building requires 50 parking spaces at a ratio of one space per 200 square feet. The site plan proposes exactly 50 parking spaces, including the two handicap spaces.
In addition, the parking fields for this property include eight (8) parking lot landscape islands, including the end islands in the long west parking row. The Code requires seven (7) islands.
Loading activities for the site must be programmed at the rear of the building during non-business hours. Loading zone signs must indicate the location of the zones and the times of loading.
Pedestrian, Bicycle Access and Public Transit
The La Grange Road widening proposed by IDOT indicates that IDOT has enough room within the right-of-way to provide a seven (7) foot sidewalk in front of the building. The sidewalk will abut the curb without a parkway buffer between the sidewalk and the road proper. At this location La Grange Road will be a seven (7) lane roadway with a raised median (including turning lanes). Due to the proximity of the sidewalk to the road, the 7 foot wide sidewalks are considered a challenged pedestrian space where many people will not be comfortable walking or standing next to seven (7) lanes of traffic.
As a result, it is important to keep the sidewalks as wide as possible at this location, particularly because the site is a) adjacent to multiple neighborhoods long known for their pedestrian activities, b) a PACE bus stop (Route 379) is at the corner of this site, and c) the intersection is signalized with a pedestrian crossing.
To provide a wider sidewalk in this downtown urban setting, the site plan should utilize public and private land to create an overall 15 foot wide sidewalk along the frontage of the building. This would be divided between the seven (7) foot IDOT sidewalk and an eight (8) foot private sidewalk built to the IDOT walk. This will require IDOT approval for connecting to the public sidewalk system. The expanded sidewalk will enable future uses of the site to use the outdoor spaces around the building for such things as outdoor seating, benches etc. The same treatment should be applied to the corner of the building. An expanded corner sidewalk system will provide the necessary room to activate the corner of the building and provide the necessary pedestrian amenities and space.
The proposed sidewalk expansions will come at the expense of some pervious surface areas. The proposed solution seeks a balance between more sidewalks for pedestrian comfort and pervious surface area. The petitioner must provide updated lot coverage calculations to determine the resulting lot coverage conditions.
Landscaping and Buffering
As a result of the La Grange Road setbacks and the narrowness of the subject lot, the west bufferyard is significantly reduced from the required fifteen (15) feet in Bufferyard C to two and a half (2.5) feet, an 85% reduction. This is so that a six (6) foot sidewalk can run along the west elevation of the building and a 22 foot drive-aisle can provide access from144th Place to the parking lot.
To mitigate the variance the petitioner is proposing to install a solid six (6) foot tall cedar fence screening wall along the west property line to screen the land use from the neighboring multi-family buildings. The screening wall will be punctuated by brick piers that match the building every 45 feet. At the south end of the screening wall, where it is narrowest at 2.5 feet, the frequency of the brick piers are reduced to every 90 feet because the piers will not fit without impeding parking for a few spaces (overhang issues).
In addition to the screening wall, the petitioner has agreed to provide four (4) canopy trees at the north end of the bufferyard where it is widest and can accommodate them. These will appear on the landscape plan and will remain a condition for the site plan.
Bufferyard B (10 feet) is required on the north property line and it is met. The Village Center District allows for no bufferyards along the street frontages provided they include wider sidewalks and other amenities (e.g. planter boxes). In addition, the Village Center District setbacks typically do not allow wide bufferyards between the building and the street.
The petitioner must submit a full landscape plan designed to Code requirements within 60 days of final engineering approval.
Environmental Remediation
As stated before, the petitioner is working with the IEPA and Shell Oil to secure a No Further Response letter. The conditions of that letter may impact the design of the site. Any proposed changes to accommodate NFR requirements will require a re-review of the site plan.
Building Elevations
The proposed site plan indicates that the building is located along the La Grange Road and 144th Place street frontages, meeting Village Center District requirements to establish the building along the street and screen parking fields to the side and rear (Section 6-212.D.5 and 6-212.E.2). In addition, the elevation drawings indicate that street level transparency is provided and the materials proposed on the building are masonry and appropriate to activate the public realm (6-212.E.4).
The elevation drawings indicate four-sided architecture for the proposed retail center. All the elevations are similarly characterized by storefront entrances (nine all around the building) with transparent storefront windows. The entrances are covered by aluminum awnings with the main east and west entrances covered by aluminum canopies that are cantilevered over the sidewalks. Limestone banding, cornices and base trims frame the windows, entrances and the brick work of the building at the top, middle and bottom of each façade. To accent the building’s entrances, medallions are proposed on each side of the windows. The main entrances are highlighted with clerestory windows above the center storefront entrance. The main entrances are further highlighted with higher parapet walls that wrap around the center of the building (note “High Roof North Elevation”).
Service doors are provided on the north elevation that will lead to the matching masonry waste collection enclosure at the north end of the site near the cross-access drive. The garbage enclosure will be a roll-out enclosure that does not require garbage trucks to align with the units for collection.
Section 6-212.E.5 encourages “vertically articulated entry and corner features” for all buildings in the Village Center District. The proposed elevation drawings demonstrate some vertical articulation, particularly over the main entrance of Miroballi Shoes with raised parapet walls. The southeast elevation which faces the corner, however, is not as articulated. The parapets are lower than the Miroballi Shoes main entrance parapets. Section 6-212.E.5 seeks vertically articulated building corners to frame intersection corners and maximize a building’s visual exposure.
As a corner gateway building into the core of the downtown area as well as into the Old Orland Historic District one block west, the proposed retail center has the opportunity to increase building height at the corner by providing an architectural feature that will meet the intent of Section 6-212.E.5. The petitioner is encouraged to consider a corner feature and planter boxes to better articulate the building.
As an example, the petitioner is encouraged to consider the 143rd Street train station’s corner feature (clock tower) and the vertical effect it provides both for the building’s visibility and the enhancement to the public realm. Other options may include adding ornamental brick work (similar to the medallions proposed) and other masonry enhancements to the façades, changing brick colors or textures, raising the parapets or recessing entrances to articulate the architecture.
The area of the building and the setback limitations proposed for the site, limit the building’s façade articulation. Taller corner features would improve building visibility following La Grange Road widening improvements. The petitioner is encouraged to revise the drawings to reflect the gateway character and status of the building.
Planter boxes would also provide enhanced articulation to the building’s street façade, provide attractive landscaping to the site, provide pedestrian amenities to a flat streetscape (such as seating) and protect the building from traffic while using gutters and downspouts to a sustainable advantage.
Energy Efficiency and Lighting
The petitioner is proposing LED light fixtures for the building and parking lot lights. The petitioner is encouraged to seek ComEd Smart Ideas for Your Business incentives to reduce the cost of these utility installations and recover costs associated with these and other energy efficiency improvements such as building lighting and HVAC systems.
With the development of the downtown and Orland Crossing, the Village Center District has established a consistent lighting theme for the downtown area. Along with the new lighting present in the Old Orland Historic District to the west, the area’s lighting has become a common unifying element in the more urban part of town. Therefore, ornamental lighting should be used in the parking lot of the proposed retail center to visually and thematically link this redevelopment site to the rest of the downtown. This will establish a redevelopment precedent that other properties will follow to create a united downtown environment. The ornamental street and parking lot lights used by the Village in places like Orland Crossing, the downtown, Old Orland and even in some of the other transit oriented developments (e.g. Sheffield Square) are capable of fitting compatible LED fixtures, ensuring energy efficiency. ComEd incentives can help reduce overall costs associated with installation and the energy efficient performance of these fixtures will help pay for them.
Utility Conduits
The elevation drawings indicate four (4) foot parapet heights on the building. The parapets may be too short to adequately screen any rooftop units. All rooftop units and utility conduits must be screened from view of public rights-of-way as well as neighboring properties. The petitioner must ensure that any rooftop equipment will be screened.
Variance Summary
The proposed redevelopment requires the following variances:
La Grange Road setback reduced from 25 feet to 15 feet;
NWC setback of La Grange Road and 144th Place reduced from 25 feet to 11 feet;
West bufferyard reduced from 15 feet to 2.5 feet;
Lot coverage increased from 75% to 76%-85% (see above discussion for needed updates)
The petitioner’s response to the Variance standards is attached for review. The property’s size, shape and status as an infill development supports many of the requested variances. Even so, improvements above Code requirements should be provided to minimize the impact of the variances. The petitioner is proposing to install a solid cedar and brick pier fence along the west property line. The petitioner should also use the exterior ornamental light pole used in the Main Street Area and Orland Crossing and should plant 4” caliper trees instead of the Code minimum 2.5” caliper trees. The petitioner is encouraged to consider the use of BMPs to reduce the lot coverage variances, incorporate a more prominent feature on the southeast corner of the building and incorporate raised planter boxes along the facades.
This case will go before the Development Services/Planning Committee for review prior to being sent to the Board of Trustees for final review/approval.
Recommended Action/Motion
I move to accept as findings of fact of this Plan Commission the findings of fact set forth in this staff report dated September 13, 2011
and
I move to recommend to the Village Board of Trustees to approve the preliminary site plan titled “Miroballi Plaza Site Plan”, prepared by Cambridge Companies, dated 9/13/11, project number BIL1102, sheet number SP1.10, and the preliminary elevation drawings titled “Miroballi Plaza Elevations”, prepared by Cambridge Companies, dated 9/13/11, project number BIL1102, sheet number A3.10, subject to the following conditions:
1. That the petitioner revises the site plan to incorporate a 15 foot sidewalk area in front of the building, include updated lot coverage calculations and show a signed loading zone at the rear of the building;
2. That the petitioner provides an emergency vehicle turning radius study for emergency access to the site prior to appearing before the Village Board;
3. That the development use the same lamp post patterns in the parking lot that are present in Orland Crossing, Main Street Triangle and Old Orland Historic District for a unified appearance across the Village Center District and downtown area;
4. That the petitioner considers BMPs, architectural features and planter boxes to mitigate variance requests;
5. That the petitioner submits a landscape plan within 60 days of final engineering for separate review and approval that includes four (4) inch caliper trees and a minimum of four (4) canopy trees in the west bufferyard;
6. That all rooftop mechanical equipment and utility conduits are appropriately screened from neighboring properties and the rights-of-way;
7. That all final engineering and Building Code related items are met;
8. That building permits are obtained prior to construction;
9. That the site plan is subject to the NFR letter issued by the IEPA and any changes to the site plan, including landscape area and BMP implementation, are re-reviewed and approved prior to construction;
10. That the petitioner works with neighboring property owners to the north to establish a cross-access agreement between the properties;
11. That the petitioner applies for a subdivision for lot consolidation and submits a Plat of Subdivision to the Village for recording prior to appearing before the Village Board;
12. That the petitioner work with staff to create a more aesthetically pleasing architectural design element for the exterior building facade on the southeast corner of the building to be completed prior to the Village Board meeting;
AND
I move to recommend to the Village Board of Trustees to approve a variance to reduce the La Grange Road setback from 25 feet to 15 feet (40% reduction) and the corner setback of La Grange Road and 144th Place from 25 feet to 11 feet (56% reduction) subject to the above conditions;
AND
I move to recommend to the Village Board of Trustees to approve a variance to reduce the west bufferyard, Bufferyard C, from 15 feet to 2.5 feet (85% reduction), subject to the above conditions;
AND
I move to recommend to the Village Board of Trustees to approve a variance to increase the lot coverage for the site subject to the above conditions;