McHenry Times

City of Crystal Lake City Council met Jan. 4.

Here are the minutes provided by the council:

Call to Order

Mayor Haleblian called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.

Roll Call

Mayor Haig Haleblian, Councilmembers Ellen Brady, Cameron Hubbard, Ian Philpot and Mandy Montford were present. City Clerk Nick Kachiroubas was present. Councilmembers Cathy Ferguson and Brett Hopkins were present via teleconference.

Also present were City Manager Gary Mayerhofer, Deputy City Manager Eric Helm, Director of Public Works and Engineering Mike Magnuson, Director of Community Development Kathryn Cowlin, Finance Director Jodie Hartman, Fire Rescue Chief Paul DeRaedt, and Chief of Police James Black. City Attorney John Cowlin was also present. Special Legal Counsel Victor Filippini was present via teleconference.

Approval of Councilmembers Ferguson and Hopkins Telephonic Attendance Councilman Philpot moved to approve Councilmember Ferguson's and Hopkin's telephonic attendance of the City Council Meeting. Councilwoman Montford seconded the motion. On roll call, all present voted yes. Motion passed.

Pledge of Allegiance

Members of Cub Scout Pack 194 led the City Council and the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance. Mayor Haleblian thanked them for their help.

Approval of Minutes

Councilman Philpot moved to approve the minutes of the December 21, 2021 Regular City Council Meeting. Councilman Hubbard seconded the motion. On roll call, all present voted yes. Motion passed.

Accounts Payable

Councilman Philpot moved to approve the Accounts Payable in the amount of $1,475,381.52. Councilwoman Montford seconded the motion. On roll call, all present voted yes. Motion passed.

Public Presentation

Mayor Haleblian asked if there was anyone in the public who wished to make a public presentation regarding an item not on the agenda.

Matthew Schreiner resident of 1335 Gardina Vista, asked the City to review the nuisance ordinance regardidg barking dogs. He said the City's current ordinance is subject to interpretation, and provided the City Council with a copy of both the City's regulations and Naperville's regulations.

Councilwoman Brady asked Mr. Schreiner if he contacted Naperville to see how their ordinance is enforced (i.e. fines, etc.). She said fines would be one of the only ways to make situations like these stop.

City Manager Gary Mayerhofer said staff will work with the City Attorney and there may be a way to issue fines through the adjudication process.

Mayor Haleblian thanked Mr. Schreiner and asked if anyone else wished to speak. No one else wished to speak. Mayor Haleblian closed the Public Presentation portion of the meeting.

Mayor's Report

Mayor Haleblian thanked Public Works staff for the excellent snow plowing during the recent snowstorms. He also thanked the Police and Fire Rescue Departments for their efforts on a recent fire.

City Council Reports

None.

Consent Agenda

Councilwoman Brady moved to approve a Consent Agenda, including Items 9a and 9b, and adding Items 10, 12, 13, 14, and 15. Councilman Philpot seconded the motion.

Mayor Haleblian asked if anyone wished to speak on the Consent Agenda. No one wished to speak.

On roll call, all present voted yes. Motion passed.

9a. Moved to take no action on the County Zoning Request for 6302 Edgewood Road

9b. Adopted a Resolution appropriating $360, 000 in MFI' funds for the North Main Street improvement construction.

10. Approved the Planning and Zoning Commission (PZC) recommendation and adopted an Ordinance granting a Preliminary and Final Planned Unit Development and Variation to allow a Single-Family Detached Dwelling in the B-4 Mixed Use zoning district at 14 Brink Street.

12. Adopted a Resolution authorizing the City Manager to execute a Change Order in the amount of $15,867.50 (14.6%) increasing the City's Contract for construction observation services with Fehr Graham for the McCormick Park Area Water Main Upgrade Project to a total of $124,237.50.

13. Adopted a Resolution supporting the application for Rebuild Downtowns & Main Streets Capital Grant funding for the Route 14 Beautification Improvement Project.

14. Adopted a Resolution supporting the application for a McHenry County for Community Development Block Grant to partially fund the Edgewater Drive Drainage Improvement project.

15. Adopted a Resolution approving the 2022 Crystal Lake Chamber of Commerce Independence Day Parade and authorizing $15,000 to the Crystal Lake Chamber of Commerce for the Independence Day Parade from the fiscal year 22123 City Budget.

11. 95 E. Crystal Lake Avenue, Hamilton Partners - Preliminary PUD for a 99-unit multi-family residential development

Community Development Director Kathryn Cowlin provided the Mayor and City Council with an overview of the project and reviewed the Planning and Zoning Commission recommendations.

Ms. Cowlin explained the request is a Preliminary Planned Unit Development (PUD) for a 99-unit multi-family residential development at the corner of Crystal Lake Avenue and Main Street. She said the request will comeback before both the Planning and Zoning Commission and City Council for Final PUD approvals.

Ms. Cowlin provided a brief history of past development approvals for the site, including the Hummel development, which was more dense (170 condominium units and 14,000 square feet of retail space). The height of the previous approval was also six stories. She explained the current project is 99 residential units, with the building also being shorter at four stories, with three-story townhomes closest to the neighboring residential properties.

Ms. Cowlin also reviewed the site plan, outlining the layout of the buildings and greenspace. She outlined the variations being requested, a rear yard setback of 20 feet to allow a 16-foot setback for townhomes, and a variation to allow a principal structure height of 36 feet and three stories to allow an overall height of 49.5 feet for the apartment building and four stories.

Next, Ms. Cowlin noted that Civiltech completed a traffic study for the development, and improvements made last year to the Crystal Lake A venue and Main Street intersection will accommodate residential development at this location.

She also noted the right-in/right-out access drive on Main Street will operate satisfactorily. In addition, a "Do Not Block Driveway" sign is recommended at the north site access driveway for eastbound traffic along Crystal Lake A venue to reduce the chances that access to and from the site will be hindered by eastbound queues on Crystal Lake A venue. The northbound left-tum lane on Crystal Lake A venue will be restriped, and be a shared left-tum lane.

Ms. Cowlin highlighted several architectural elements of the plan, including the appearance of commercial development on the first floor of the apartment building, which would help "activate" the street. This would be the common area for the building.

The developer has incorporated high-quality materials into the development, including brick and Hardie-board siding, varying rooflines, awnings, and balconies. The architectural elements will also carry over to the townhouses.

Ms. Cowlin reviewed original renderings provided showing the different orientations and design elements of the townhouse development. She said the developer has developed alternatives to the exterior design elements (red brick, different color materials) in response to Planning and Zoning Commission comments. Copies of the two alternatives were provided to the City Council.

In closing, Ms. Cowlin stated the project received a positive recommendation from the Planning and Zoning Commission, with the suggestion of a different color scheme, use of more brick and an accent for the comer beside the landscape bed/retaining wall. She said staff will continue to work with the developer on this item for Final PUD.

Overall, Ms. Cowlin said this site is less dense than others that have received approval in the past and additional residential units near the Downtown supports the business district. The Crystal Lake A venue and Main Street intersection was also designed and built to accommodate traffic generated from this development.

Ms. Cowlin said approvals tonight are preliminary and the developer will need to go back through the process for final approvals. She said there is time between preliminary and final approvals to make adjustments. The developer is looking for feedback from the City Council on architecture.

Tim Beechick thanked Ms. Cowlin for her project summary and introduced Todd Berlinghof from Hamilton Partners and Rick Filler from Harlem Irving, their partner in this project.

Mr. Beechick stated they collaborated with staff on the project architecture, and they are excited to present the project. He introduced staff from BSB Design and Dickson Design Studio.

Mr. Beechick reviewed the architectural renderings, beginning with the developer's original color palette. He said the elements used work quite nicely together and would be used in both the apartment building and the townhomes.

Mr. Beechick said the Planning and Zoning Commission asked them to research other possible colors/materials. He presented a second rendering, which incorporates red brick into the design base and gray and white accents. The third rendering uses the same brick as the original, and uses different gray and tan accents.

He said the original design is distinctive and they are excited about it. The other options are used often in other developments. He asked for feedback from the City Council on architecture.

In regards to the site plan, Mr. Beechick said the developer has made changes as requested. He said the developer will do anything possible to save the elm tree located on Main Street, and engineers were able to develop a detail where the water main will be located far enough away from the tree to save them. The development team also stated they would continue to work with staff on the material for the textured intersection for the internal driveway; a stamped asphalt may be the best solution to meet the recommended condition.

Mr. Beechick reviewed the three different material boards with the City Council. He explained the original base brick colors draws in different color variations, and asked the Mayor and City Council for their feedback.

Mayor Haleblian asked if anyone from the public would like to comment on the request. No one wished to speak. Mayor Haleblian closed Public Comment.

Councilman Philpot said he likes the original color scheme; however, the red brick option is appealing to him as this is found in many of the older homes in Crystal Lake. He clarified if Hardie-board would be used above the brick. Mr. Beechick said yes and that they had samples of materials should the City Council want to look at them.

Mr. Beechick provided the City Council with the samples for review.

Mayor Haleblian asked if Councilmembers Ferguson and Hopkins had any questions. The Councilmembers said they had no questions.

Councilwoman Ferguson said she prefers the third color palette.

Councilman Philpot said the building materials will last and asked if possible to incorporate more masonry into the townhomes. He asked if the petitioner is in agreement with the staff recommendations regarding greenery and stamped concrete.

Mr. Beechick said they are in agreement with staff recommendations related to landscaping, and they will do the best they can to save the elm tree, and a dog park will be included in the plan. He said they are developing the best method for hardscaping (i.e. pavers or other materials) for the entryway into the property that will withstand the expected traffic over time. As such, he thinks the stamped asphalt makes sense at this location, and will work with staff on a distinctive central area.

Councilman Philpot said he is excited about the project.

Councilwoman Brady said the developer has done an excellent job and she is excited for the project. She said the only issue is the elevations and colors/materials, and she prefers the brick in the original option rather than the red brick or the beige option. She also asked ifthere is a way to add more brick to the townhouses, she would support that.

Councilwoman Ferguson said she prefers option three, but she would support option one if a majority of the City Council felt that way.

Councilman Hopkins said it is a great project and he appreciated the effort the developer has put into the planning for the project. He reviewed the landscape plan and really likes it. He said the City prides itself on the landscaping in the Downtown area, and if the development can enhance that, it is a win.

Councilman Hopkins expressed concern with the location of the dog park near the bike path. He said this could be addressed with landscaping.

Councilman Hopkins asked about snow storage onsite. Mr. Beechick said they are considering storing snow at the park area toward the south end of the site. They are considering extending the sidewalk between townhouse clusters in this area. Councilman Hopkins said he wanted to make sure landscaping did not die from the snow storage.

Councilman Hopkins said he prefers the original design to the options with red brick and tan. He commended the developer on the project.

Councilman Hubbard agreed with Councilman Hopkins and prefers option one the best, then option three, then the red brick. He complimented the developer on the project.

Councilwoman Montford said it is a beautiful project and asked about the existing trees in the future dog park location. Mr. Beechick said the existing trees are not high quality and not salvageable.

Councilwoman Montford said she was in favor of option one. As this development is an entryway to the Downtown, she asked if there would be regulations preventing tenants from hanging items from balcony railings. The development team confirmed there would be regulations in the lease.

Mayor Haleblian said he appreciates the attention to detail on the architecture. He said he is in favor of option one, and said grey tones will be here for a long time and diversity is a good thing.

Mayor Haleblian said he is a proponent of native plantings in landscaping, and encouraged the developer to look into this option. He suggested the developer work with McHenry County College regarding the addition of a few sculptures on the site. He said snow removal was a concern, but that has been addressed. He said it is a great project.

Councilwoman Brady thanked the developer for creating different options for consideration.

Mayor Haleblian thanked the developer for bringing the samples for review as well.

Councilwoman Brady moved to approve the Planning and Zoning Commission (PZC) recommendation and adopt an Ordinance granting a Preliminary Planned Unit Development (PUD) for a 99-unit multi-family residential development at 95 E. Crystal Lake Avenue with the original color palette. Councilman Philpot seconded the motion. On roll call, all present voted yes.

Council Inquiries and Requests

None.

Adjourn

There being no further business, Councilwoman Brady moved to adjourn the meeting at 8:09 p.m. Councilman Philpot seconded the motion. On voice vote, all present voted yes. Motion passed.

https://ecode360.com/documents/CR2206/public/641642290.pdf