DeKalb Times

City of Sycamore Planning and Zoning Commission met April 12.

Here is the agenda provided by the commission:

1. Call to Order

2. Roll Call

3. Approval of Agenda

4. Approval of Minutes from the January 11, 2021 Meeting

5. Public Comment

6. Old Business

7. New Business / Action Items

A. Consideration of a Request by Robert and Christine Frye for a Change of Zoning of the Property Located at 560 DeKalb Avenue Street (PIN number 06-32-330-019) from the Current Zoning of M-1, Light Industrial to C-1, Neighborhood Business District.

Robert and Christine Frye recently purchased the property at 560 DeKalb Avenue. The Frye’s currently operate Heirloom Estate Sales at the property and are looking to permanently house their antiques and auction business at the location. Although the property is zoned M-1, Light Manufacturing, it has housed commercial uses for several years with the Garden Market operating there prior to Heirloom Estate Sales. Before making additional investment in the property, including the installation of a new roof, Mr. and Mrs. Frye are requesting a zoning change from the current M-1, Light Manufacturing zoning to C-1, Neighborhood Business District.

From a conventional planning standpoint there are a couple of factors that should be considered in making a zoning determination.

· Many times, the question is asked as to whether the proposed zoning classification is the highest and best use? In this case, the answer lies in how it has been used over the past several years. The property has not yielded industrial or manufacturing interest, instead it has brought commercial users, likely due to the property’s high visibility to passing street traffic.

· Then there is the question about zoning compatibility? Even if there was manufacturing interest in the property, is it best to have it abut residential properties immediately adjacent to the west? There are many examples where this occurs in Sycamore due to previously utilized pyramidal zoning. However, today’s prescriptive zoning practices would recommend a buffer between residential and manufacturing lots. While it might look like spot zoning, as there are no other commercial uses surrounding the subject property, conventional planning would suggest a buffer strip between zoning uses.

From staff’s perspective, this is an administrative clean-up as the property has been used for the requested purpose for many years, and the proposed zoning classification creates a buffer between the adjacent uses.

A public hearing will be held at the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting. Notices of the public hearing were mailed to property owners within 250 feet, posted in the local newspaper, and a sign was placed on the property.

A favorable recommendation to the City Council is requested.

B. Consideration of a Final Subdivision Plat for the Property at the Intersection of East Page Street and Pleasant Street, PIN 06-33-102-007, in the City of Sycamore, Illinois.

As part of the Sycamore Park District’s Action 2020 initiative, the Great Western trail system is being connected from the Sycamore Forest Preserve to Old Mill Park. In order to make that connection, the City worked with the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) to get access to IDOT-owned property where Page and Pleasant Street intersect. The City transferred 0.251 acres at the southeast corner of North Walnut and East Page Streets, and in return the City acquired 1.091 acres along Pleasant Street.

The property that the City acquired is located at the intersection of Page and Pleasant Streets and is not currently annexed to the City of Sycamore corporate limits. The City Council will consider annexation of the 1.091-acre parcel east of the intersection at the next City Council meeting.

The plat would subdivide the parcel into two lots in order to facilitate the conveyance of a portion of the property to the Park District; Lot 1 and Lot 2 of the Great Western Trail Subdivision. The City of Sycamore will retain ownership of Lot 1, which consists of 0.57 acres. Lot 2, which is 0.401 acres, will be transferred to the Sycamore Park District in order to facilitate the Great Western Trail connection.

An excerpt from the Final Subdivision Plat is shown below:

In addition to the newly created lots, the Final Subdivision Plat would include the requisite drainage and utility easements as part of the plat and dedication of land for Pleasant Street.

A favorable recommendation to the City Council is requested.

8. Considerations / Workshop Items

A. Consideration of a Request by Ken Nelson of Meadow Ridge, LLC for a Workshop Item to Discuss a Concept Plan for a Proposed Residential Subdivision at the Corner of Freed and Brickville Roads.

Ken Nelson of Meadow Ridge, LLC is working on preliminary plans for a low-density R-1, Single Family Residential subdivision on the corner of Freed and Brickville Roads. The proposed development of the 5.439 acre property would include six (6) single-family lots, averaging just under half an acre each (0.4415 acres). The remaining 2.79 acres would be reserved for drainage with an easement over the property with a naturalized wetland for stormwater management planned.

The property is zoned R-1, Single-Family Residential, and this project, at 2.27 units per acre, is within the City’s low-density development range of 0-3 units per acre. When the property was annexed over twenty years ago, the plans included a denser single-family development. That annexation agreement has since expired and City staff and the Developer have discussed a Development Agreement that would memorialize obligations beyond what is already in the City’s Unified Development Ordinance and the City Code.

Preliminary engineering has highlighted stormwater management as an area of concern, as several surrounding areas drain toward this property. As with any project, the developer is required to meet the strictest of the City’s stormwater management standards.

Mr. Nelson will outline the project in the workshop in order to get feedback from the Planning and Zoning Commission. The Commission will want to consider how the proposed plan, from a conceptual point-of-view, fits with the City’s comprehensive and land use plans.

9. Reports

10. Adjournment

https://cityofsycamore.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Planning-Zoning-Commission-Agenda-4-12-21.pdf