McHenry Times

City of McHenry Planning & Zoning Commission met Feb. 16.

Here are the minutes provided by the commission:

Chairwoman Rockweiler called the regular meeting of the City of McHenry Planning and Zoning Commission to order at 7:00 p.m. In attendance were the following: Bremer, Davis, Lehman, Riley, Rockweiler, Smale, and Sobotta. Absent: None. Also in attendance were City Planner Cody Sheriff, Community Development Director Polerecky and Deputy City Clerk Johnson.

Chairwoman Rockweiler opened the public comment portion of the meeting at 7:01 p.m. There was nobody in attendance who wished to address the Commission with public comment.

Approval of Minutes:

Consideration of January 19, 2022, regular meeting minutes as presented. Motion by Bremmer and seconded by Lehman for approval.

Roll Call: Vote: 7-ayes: Commissioners Bremer, Davis, Lehman, Riley, Rockweiler, Smale, and Sobotta. 0-nay; 0-abstained; 0-absent. Motion Carried.

File No. Z-2022-04

Petitioner: CWK Properties – McHenry LLC of 7949 W 79th Street, Bridgeview, IL 60455 (Contract Purchaser)

Zoning Variations for a “Wingstop” dine-in restaurant at 4213 W Elm Street

Chairwoman Rockweiler called the hearing to order at 7:05 p.m. regarding File No Z-2002-04, for zoning variations for a Wingstop dine-in restaurant at 4213 West Elm Street. Chairwoman Rockweiler confirmed all legal posting requirements have been met.

Mr. Steve Brooks and Mr. Joshua Crow, the project manager, were sworn in. Mr. Brooks stated that they are requesting variations due to the size limitations of the lot that make it treacherous to fit a building on the property. Planner Sheriff shared his screen to show the layout of the property. A setback is required to get 17 parking spaces on site. The site is also extremely narrow. With the existing setback requirements, it would not be possible to build on this property. A variance is requested for the western landscape with the existing park to the west and the existing tree line that is already in place. The required landscaping around the parking lot is also not possible due to the narrow width and the ADA ramp requirements.

City Planner Sheriff provided the Commission with the Staff Report regarding this file stating the subject property’s limitations. A former currency exchange building exists but is dilapidated and run down. Staff agrees that this is a welcome investment to the site. Given the narrow size of the lot, it is recommended to place a six-foot privacy fence around the perimeter, which is a good substitute for the landscaping. They have agreed to add additional trees to the east of the building. To the west of the property is an existing park, which is not residential although it is zoned residential. Staff also feels that the number of parking spaces they are requesting is appropriate given the size of the building. The City’s parking requirements are out of date and are not in line with those in other municipalities. It is possible that IDOT could require some changes to the site plan due to the location on a state highway. The development is consistent with the land use map.

Chairwoman Rockweiler invited questions and/or comments from the Commissioners. Commissioner Sobotta asked if this would be a dine in or carry out establishment. Mr. Brooks explained that it was a dine-in restaurant, but they are expecting about 80% of the business to be takeout through DoorDash. Commissioner Sobotta asked how many staff would be working. Mr. Brooks wasn’t sure but estimated that there might be five employees per shift. Chairwoman Rockweiler asked what type of privacy fence would be installed, and Mr. Brooks explained that it would be a wooden fence that is six feet tall.

Chairwoman Rockweiler invited questions and/or comments from the Public. There were no comments from the public. Chairwoman Rockweiler closed the public comment portion of the hearing at 7:13 p.m.

Commissioner Davis explained that he had no problem with this request and understands that the property is narrow. He would like to see more parking spaces but has no problem with the variance requests. Commissioner Bremmer had no concerns other than the low number of parking spots. Commissioner Lehman had no issues and understood that the limited number of indoor seats would not require a larger number of parking spaces. Commissioner Smale agreed with all the other comments and believes that this is a good use for that space.

Commissioner Sobotta asked Mr. Brooks how the small parking lot would work for taking deliveries. It does not appear that there is much room to turn around. He is concerned how truck deliveries would work. Mr. Crow explained that it is set up to have orders taken through the rear entrance that has the ADA ramp. They expect the truck to drive into the parking lot area to drop off orders. Mr. Sobotta questioned how the trucks would have room to turn around. He assumes they would not be backing out onto the highway. Mr. Crow stated that there is 24 feet of space between the parking spots, so they are expecting a three-point turn. They would also expect deliveries and trash pickup to be done early in the morning and not during peak hours. The parking spaces should be open to make it easier for the trucks to turn around.

Community Development Director Ross Polerecky was online for the meeting and explained that Commissioner Sobotta makes a good point. He stated that the downtown business owners get deliveries done during off-peak hours. They should have all of that taken care of before patrons come. The business owner should have an understanding of when their busy times are and make sure the delivery companies and trash pickup are scheduled accordingly.

Chairwoman Rockweiler questioned the City’s current parking requirements and Planner Sheriff explained that our City has almost double the requirements of other towns. He would like to get rid of the parking requirements all together and have businesses provide the number of spots they need to run their business. If the lack of suitable parking does become an issue, the City has the ability of pulling a certificate of occupancy until the issue is resolved. Commissioner Sobotta stated that places like Crystal Lake have ample parking because their businesses are in outlots next to big parking lots. He would not want McHenry to rush into a decision to allow smaller parking standards. Chairwoman Rockweiler’s concern for the Wingstop is the number of spaces requested, but with 80% of the business doing to-go orders, that relieves her concerns. Commissioner Lehman asked if liquor would be sold there, and Mr. Brooks explained that no alcohol would be sold. Commissioner Riley asked if there would be a walkway connecting to the park from the rear, and it was explained that there would not be one.

Motion by Smale seconded by Lehman with regard to File No. Z-2022-04, to recommend amended approval of zoning variations to accommodate a “Wingstop” dine-in restaurant at 4213 W Elm Street, with the following conditions, as presented:

1. Variance to allow 17 parking spaces in lieu of the required 45 spaces.

2. Variance to allow a 6’ 4’’ interior side yard setback along the west lot line in lieu of the required 25 feet when adjacent to a residential zoning district.

3. Variance to allow a 25’ front yard setback in lieu of the required 30’ setback.

4. Variance from Residential Screen Strip Design Standards along the west property line

5. Variance from parking lot perimeter landscaping

6. Variance from building perimeter landscaping.

7. Any other zoning variations necessary to accommodate the proposed development.

The granting of said variations shall be subject to the following conditions:

1. The development shall be in substantial conformance with the submitted plans as determined by the Zoning Administrator.

2. The Zoning Administrator may approve, approve with conditions, or deny and recommend back to the City Council any site plan changes that may be requested by the Illinois Department of Transportation. and by making said motion, that the approval criteria for Zoning Variations have been met as outlined in the Staff Report.

Roll Call: Vote: 7-ayes: Commissioners Bremer, Davis, Lehman, Riley, Rockweiler, Smale, and Sobotta. 0-nay; 0-abstained; 0-absent. Motion Carried.

Chairwoman Rockweiler closed the hearing regarding File No. Z-2022-04 at 7:32 p.m. Open Discussion:

Planner Sheriff thanked everybody for filling out the poll for their meeting availability. He also discussed some housing developments that have come before Council for a conceptual review. One multi-family proposal on Blake Boulevard was not received well by the Council, but another on Municipal Drive seemed promising. A potential housing development from Lennar on Draper Road was also discussed. The Board welcomed new member Bryan Riley to the group.

Adjourn: Motion by Bremmer and seconded by Smale to adjourn the meeting at 7:39 p.m.

Roll Call: Vote: 7-ayes: Commissioners Bremer, Davis, Lehman, Riley, Rockweiler, Smale, and Sobotta. 0-nay; 0-abstained; 0-absent. Motion Carried.

https://cms8.revize.com/revize/mchenryil/Document_Center/Department/Community%20Development/Planning%20&%20Zoning%20Commission/Minutes/P&Z%20Minutes%202-16-22.pdf