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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - 10/04/2001 - Planning and Zoning Commission CITY OF MCHENRY PLAN COMMISSION OCTOBER 4, 2001 A meeting of the City of McHenry Plan Commission was held on Thursday, October 4, 2001. Commissioner Semrow called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. with the following persons in attendance: 1. Plan Commissioners: Buhrman, Cadotte, Ekstrom, Franzen, Lovett, Nadeau, Osmon, Semrow, Thacker. Absent: Howell. 2. City Attorney: Absent. 3. Recording Secretary: Absent. 4. City Planner: Douglas Martin. 5. Director of Community Development: Joseph Napolitano. 6. Applicant: None. 7. City Council/Staff: 8. Court Reporter: None. 9. Registered Observers/Objectors: None. Director of Community Development Napolitano introduced City Planner Douglas Martin to members of the Commission and indicated his first day in his new position was Monday, September 24, 2001. The Commission welcomed Planner Martin and wished him well in his tenure with the City. Discussion regarding NIPC Presentation: Protecting Nature in Your Community – Preserving and Enhancing Biodiversity General discussion occurred regarding the Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission workshop presented at the September 10, 2001 City Council Meeting. The following items were discussed:  Parking for restaurants and retail development. Items discussed included how much parking should be required for restaurants. Further retail parking was discussed in terms of parking requirements for adjoining retail stores in relation to large big box retail development.  Preserving open space. The Commission noted this is an important issue.  Street design. Due to parking concerns, the Commission was opposed to having narrow streets.  Reduced setbacks for residential lots. The Commission was concerned that reducing setbacks would severely limit parking due to the fact that most households have two or more cars. Additionally, there would be less off-street parking available for visitors.  Residential lot size. The Commission indicated there was currently an abundance of RS-2 residential lots. The Commission judged there is too large a gap in lot size between the RS-2 lots of 10, 890 square feet and the RS-1 lots of 30,000 square feet. The Commission is in favor of the creation of another residential zoning district of one-third acre to bridge the gap between RS-1 and RS-2 sized lots.  Survey regarding preferred lot sizes. The Commission suggested a survey be prepared and conducted which would poll residents, realtors and developers as to the preferred lot sizes in the City. The survey could be done as a college student project or via City Newsletter.  Open ditch swales. The Commission noted it would be preferable to utilize open ditch swales as opposed to concrete curbing to direct surface water runoff. This would ultimately reduce the amount of impervious surfaces in any given development. Additionally, the Commission favored using native grasses to landscape the swales. Concern was expressed regarding homeowners filling in or obstructing the swales. Page 2 PC 10/4/01  Sidewalks. Suggestion was made to limit sidewalk installation to only one side of the street. It was the consensus this could be implemented in some areas of the City but would not be practical overall.  Landscaping detention ponds. The Commission favored utilizing native vegetation to landscape detention ponds and other areas of development.  McHenry Riverwalk. The Commission discussed developing the proposed Riverwalk using native landscaping materials. Discussion also occurred regarding the dredging and clean-up of Boone Creek. Other Business Due to scheduling conflicts and potential lack of quorum, the October 11, 2001 Zoning Board of Appeals Public Hearing was rescheduled to October 18, 2001 at 7:30 p.m. Adjournment Motion by Osmon, seconded by Nadeau, to adjourn at 8:57 p.m. Voting Aye: Buhrman, Cadotte, Ekstrom, Franzen, Lovett, Nadeau, Osmon, Semrow, Thacker. Voting Nay: None. Not Voting: None. Abstained: None. Absent: Howell. Motion carried 9-0. Respectfully submitted, Kathleen M. Kunzer, Deputy Clerk Recording Secretary McHenry Plan Commission C: Mayor, Aldermen, City Administrator, City Clerk, City Attorney, City Planner, City Engineers, Petitioners, Landmark Commission Chairman, Chicago Tribune, Northwest Herald, Aldermen Conference Room, File Copy.