Glenview trustees' decisions could affect Willow-Pfingsten plan

Glenview's New Development Commission may have passed the measure unanimously, but the village board of trustees was a little more conflicted.

It took two deciding votes by Village President Mike Jenny on Aug. 23 to determine some uses that should or shouldn't be included in neighborhood retail districts.

At issue were amendments to the municipal code for Planned Development land uses in the B1, B2 and B3 commercial zoning districts.

The first designation, B1, is for businesses within neighborhoods, the second being general business districts such as those found at intersections or along main roads. The B3 zoning is for general service such as large-scale automotive uses including gas stations and car dealerships.

There was a lengthy list of business types whose restrictions the New Development Commission either eased or tightened by square footage or by stating it as either a permitted or conditional use within B1, B2 or B3 zoning.

Most of the amendments, for aspects such as drive-in restaurants being incompatible to a B1 neighborhood business district, went by without comment by the trustees.

Athletic training facilities, convenience/grocery stores and, particularly, day care centers elicited debate.

The commission had allowed indoor athletic training centers and health clubs as a conditional B1 use. The trustees, after initially voting 4-2 for no cap on square footage requirements, voted unanimously for indoor health facilities of up to 3,800 square feet in the B1 zone. Facilities of any size would be allowed in the B2 and B3 business zones.

The commission changed an existing code of food stores to include grocery, convenience, and food stores, and said it would be permitted in residential areas up to a maximum size to be determined.

The trustees again placed the 3,800-square foot limit and a conditional use on grocery stores in a B1 zone. However, that came after Jenny's "yes" vote to snap a 3-3 deadlock to differentiate convenience stores from grocery and food stores.

As well, village attorney Julie Tappendorf noted that food stores and grocery stores are the same thing in village code. Jeff Rogers, deputy director of Community Development, said Glenview's only convenience stores are part of gas stations, which are not allowed in B1 zoning.

The main point of contention considered a cap on the size of day care centers in neighborhood retail districts.

Trustees Gina DeBoni and Adam Sidoti led the conversation about capping the size at 10,000 square feet, believing traffic from parents dropping off and picking up children at larger facilities would not be suitable in a neighborhood.

Trustee Jim Bland didn't want to set arbitrary limits on the size of the day care centers.

"I'd like market forces to determine" their size, he said. And later: "I want to keep Glenview family friendly, period."

For a second time Jenny was enlisted to break a 3-3 tie. With his approval, the board amended the B1 land use to permit day care centers of up to 10,000 square feet on a conditional basis. Any size is permitted in B2 and B3 zones.

The remainder of the ordinance passed 5-1.

Of interest at the Aug. 23 meeting were the four public speakers. Brett Hanley, Debbie Liner, Skip Newman and Carol Sullivan all are residents near the proposed Willows Crossing development at Willow and Pfingsten roads, which seeks B1 zoning from its current residential zoning.

This is a second GW Properties plan for 2660 Pfingsten Road. The first, which included a 35,000-square foot Amazon Fresh grocery store, was denied by the board on May 18, 2021.

This development plan is for five buildings offering 60,000 square feet of space. One building, initially 11,000 square feet, is intended for a single use as a day care center.

Less than four hours before an Aug. 24 New Development Commission public hearing on the proposal, the applicant reduced the size of the day care center to 10,000 square feet "so that it is consistent with the Village Board's discussion last night," the applicant's letter stated.

At the Aug. 24 meeting, the GW Properties team described its site plan and corresponding studies, and answered commissioners' questions. This process continues at the commission's Sept. 14 meeting, which also will include a public comment period.