ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS 2015/10/26 MinutesThe City of Lake Forest
Zoning Board of Appeals
Proceedings of the October 26, 2015 Meeting
A regular meeting of the Lake Forest Zoning Board of Appeals was held on Monday,
October 26, 2015 at 6:30 p.m., in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 220 E. Deerpath,
Lake Forest, Illinois.
Zoning Board of Appeals members present: Chairman Robert Franksen and Board
members Lloyd Culbertson, Jay Kennedy, Richard Plonsker, Kevin Lewis, Louis Pickus
and Mark Pasquesi
Zoning Board of Appeals members absent: None
Staff present: Michelle Friedrich, Office Manager and Catherine Czerniak, Director of
Community Development
1. Introduction of Board members and staff, overview of meeting procedures.
Chairman Franksen reviewed the role of the Zoning Board of Appeals and asked
members of the Board and staff to introduce themselves.
2. Recognition of Past Board Member Richard Christoff.
Chairman Franksen spoke about former Board member Richard Christoff, who
suddenly passed away in November 2014. He presented a plaque to Mary Christoff
recognizing Mr. Christoff’s time service to the community on the Zoning Board of
Appeals.
Board member Culbertson spoke about former Board member Christoff’s dedication
to the Zoning Board of Appeals and noted that he was a good friend, neighbor and
member of the North Carroll Meadow Subdivision Architectural Review Board.
Ms. Christoff thanked the Board and commented that Richard very much enjoyed his
time on the Zoning Board of Appeals and working with all of the members.
3. Consideration of the minutes of the September 30, 2015 meeting of the Zoning Board
of Appeals.
Consideration of the minutes of the September 30, 2015 meeting was postponed.
4. Consideration of a request a side yard setback variance to allow an addition
to the existing residence and garage located at 347 Cherokee Road.
Owners: Erik and Elizabeth Lekberg
Representative: Shawn Purnell, architect
Chairman Franksen asked the Board for any conflicts of interest or Ex Parte contacts,
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October 26, 2015 Page 2
hearing none; he invited a presentation from the petitioner and swore in all those
intending to speak on this petition.
Mr. Purnell introduced the petition and noted that the owners were unable to be at
the meeting. He noted that only a portion of the proposed addition requires a zoning
variance. He noted that the existing house encroaches 2’ into the required setback
and the addition keeps with that existing setback. He explained that reducing the
garage by two feet does not allow it to function properly and noted that moving the
mudroom back into the house does not work due to the height of the existing ceiling
in the first floor room adjacent to the proposed mudroom. He noted that the second
floor addition and the sunroom comply with the setback requirements. He noted that
the Building Review Board heard an initial presentation on this petition and the plan
presented reflects changes made based on the Board’s comments. He explained
that the Building Review Board’s comments resulted in improvements to the west
elevation on the second floor.
Ms. Friedrich noted that this home was built in 1960 and is part of the Campbell’s Lake
Forest Addition, subdivided in 1925. She explained that the existing house was
constructed prior to the establishment of today’s setback requirements in the R-2
district. She noted that the existing house does not conform with respect to the side
yard setback requirements and the minimum lot width requirements. She noted that
the Building Review Board did hear this petition at the October meeting and Mr.
Purnell has addressed the comments offered by the Board with the revised plan as is
now presented. She stated that the proposed garage addition requires a setback
variance of 2 feet, maintaining the encroachment of the existing house.
Chairman Franksen invited questions from the Board.
In response to a question from Board member Plonsker, Ms. Friedrich explained that
the finding of fact in the staff report means that the specific conditions of the property
in question are generally unique and not common to all properties in the area.
In response to a question from Chairman Franksen, Ms. Friedrich confirmed the current
lot width requirement is 100’ and the property in question has a lot width of 76’.
In response to a question from Board member Plonsker, Ms. Friedrich stated that the lot
width is a pre-existing non-conforming condition which played a role in the original
siting of the house. She stated that as a result, the house does not conform to today’s
zoning setback requirements.
In response to questions from the Board, Ms. Czerniak added that the finding
recognizes that a combination of unique factors on the property led to the variance
request. She noted that in this particular case, the proposed garage, if it were to
comply with setback requirements, would not be functional, whereas if the proposed
addition were a bedroom, it may be possible to simply reduce the width of the room
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October 26, 2015 Page 3
to meet the setback requirements.
In response to a question from Chairman Franksen, Mr. Purnell confirmed that the
portion of the garage that encroaches into the setback variance is just the 2 foot
section at the west.
In response to questions from Board member Pickus, Mr. Purnell confirmed that the
mudroom is not part of the existing house. He stated that normally, there is a
transitional area between the garage and the house, and the mudroom is proposed
to serve that function. He stated that the house currently does not have a transitional
area but rather, the garage enters directly into the living room. He confirmed that the
area proposed for the mudroom is part of the existing garage.
Hearing no further questions from the Board, Chairman Franksen invited public
testimony. Hearing none, he brought the discussion back to the Board.
Chairman Franksen invited any final comments from the Board.
Board member Pickus stated that this appears to be a straightforward request.
Chairman Franksen agreed and noted that it is important that a garage be fully
functional noting that without the encroachment, the use of the garage would be
compromised.
Board member Kennedy stated support for the variance.
Board member Pickus made a motion to recommend approval of a variance allowing
an addition to the existing garage to encroach in the side yard setback two feet as
detailed in the plans presented to the Board. He stated that the recommendation is
based on the findings presented in the staff report.
Board member Kennedy seconded the motion.
The motion was seconded by Board member Kennedy and was approved by a 7 to 0
vote.
OTHER ITEMS
5. Opportunity for the public to address the Zoning Board of Appeals on matters not on
the agenda.
There was no other public testimony presented to the Board.
6. Additional information from staff.
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October 26, 2015 Page 4
Ms. Friedrich noted that in response to the Board’s request, the November 23 meeting
was re-scheduled to Tuesday, December 1. She stated that staff will contact the
Board to confirm whether any agenda items are received prior to the meeting date.
The meeting was adjourned at 6:51 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Michelle E. Friedrich
Office Manager