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ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS 2014/09/22 MinutesThe City of Lake Forest Zoning Board of Appeals Proceedings of the September 22, 2014 Meeting A regular meeting of the Lake Forest Zoning Board of Appeals was held on Monday, September 22, 2014 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, Richard Christoff, Richard Plonsker, Louis Pickus, Jay Kennedy and Kevin Lewis Zoning Board of Appeals members absent: None Staff present: 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. Consideration of the minutes of the July 28, 2014 meeting of the Zoning Board of Appeals. The minutes of the July 28, 2014 meeting were approved as submitted. 3. Consideration of a request for approval of an amendment to the Special Use Permit for The Lake Forest Club located at 554 Westmoreland Road approving an updated Master Plan for the site. The amendment requests approval of the addition of a paddle tennis court. Owner: Lake Forest Club Representative: DePaul Chairman Franksen asked the Board for any Ex Parte contacts or conflicts of interest. Hearing none, he invited a presentation from the petitioner and swore in all those intending to speak on this petition. Tom DePaul, a Board member of the Lake Forest Club, introduced the petition. He noted that Scott Bruce, Club Manager, originally submitted the petition, but after 30 years at the Club, has recently resigned. He explained that the Club needs a fifth paddle tennis court and is requesting approval of an amended Master Plan for the Club property to allow the addition of the court. He stated that the proposed improvements are intended to better meet the needs of the existing Club members. He stated that no increase in membership is proposed as part of this amendment. He reviewed the existing site plan and the proposed plan pointing out the location of the additional court. He noted that the new court will match the existing courts in size, Zoning Board of Appeals Minutes September 22, 2014 Page 2 color, dimensions and lighting. He explained that the options for locating a new court on the Club property are limited noting that from a practical perspective, all of the paddle tennis courts need to be located in the same area. He noted that in addition to the new court, an existing playground will be relocated and walkways associated with the court will be added. He stated that no other changes are proposed on the property. He stated that if approved, the construction of the paddle court will take only a very short time. He stated that the new court will not impact neighboring property owners or impact the parking lot. He reviewed some photos of the Club pointing out the proposed location of the new court. Ms. Czerniak confirmed that an amendment to existing Special Use Permit is requested to adopt an updated site plan for the Club. She explained that the Lake Forest Club is authorized through a Special Use Permit because it is located on residentially zoned property. She stated that other private clubs in the community, as well as schools, churches, the hospital and the College, are also authorized through Special Use Permits. She noted that Special Use Permits give the City the ability to have oversight of non-residential uses and to establish limitations on both the use and the facilities as determined to be appropriate. She stated that like other non-residential uses, the Lake Forest Club has grown and changed over time and the Special Use Permit has been amended to recognize those changes. She stated that in 2003, the Club requested an amendment to the Special Use Permit to allow the construction of a new bath house. She explained that at that time, the Zoning Board of Appeals took the opportunity to consolidate all of the previous Special Use Permits and the amendments into an updated document. She stated that as part of the current request, changes are proposed only to the site plan, not to the conditions of approval. She stated that the changes to the site plan include the addition of a fifth paddle tennis court, the relocation of a playground and the addition of walkways associated with the new court. She pointed out that unlike other private clubs in the community; the Lake Forest Club is for the most part surrounded by institutional uses, the hospital and the Church. She added that the hospital and the Church own the residential properties located to the south of the Club. She stated that since the current conditions of approval for the Club have been in place, the City has not received any complaints and commented that the site has functioned well. She stated that the staff report presents findings in support of the petition. In response to questions from Chairman Franksen, Ms. Czerniak confirmed that no changes are proposed to the existing conditions of approval, the only modification will be to the site plan. In response to questions from Board member Pickus, Ms. Czerniak stated that the existing Special Use Permit does not establish a limitation on the number of paddle courts, only on the number of Club members. She confirmed that if additional paddle courts are proposed in the future, the Club would need to request a further amendment to the Special Use Permit. Zoning Board of Appeals Minutes September 22, 2014 Page 3 In response to questions from Board member Culbertson, Ms. Czerniak reviewed the existing conditions regarding lighting. She noted that the tennis courts have greater limitations on lighting than the paddle tennis courts due to proximity to the neighboring homes to the tennis courts. She confirmed that the existing Special Use Permit does not place any limitations on the paddle tennis court lighting. She stated that in the past, no concerns have been raised about lighting on the paddle courts. She stated that there is no limitation on the time of year during which the paddle courts can be used. In response to questions from Board member Culbertson, Mr. DePaul stated that he is not aware of a required cut off time for the lights on the paddle tennis courts. He stated that paddle tennis play is normally completed by 10 p.m. He stated that to his knowledge, no complaints have been received by the Club regarding lighting on the paddle courts. He reviewed the site plan noting the location of the paddle courts, away from neighboring homes. In response to questions from Board member Culbertson, Ms. Czerniak confirmed that to her knowledge, the City has not received any complaints about the Lake Forest Club pertaining to lighting or any other issues since the approval of the updated Special Use Permit in 2003. In response to questions from Board member Plonsker, Ms. Czerniak confirmed that the Lake Forest Club owns the Club property. She clarified that the hospital owns the property to the west of the Club, between the paddle courts and Westmoreland Road. She stated that in the recently approved Master Plan for the hospital, no development is planned for that area. Hearing no further questions from the Board, Chairman Franksen invited public comment. Hearing no requests to speak, he noted that Board member Culbertson raised a good question about limitations on lighting on the paddle tennis courts but commented that the existing Special Use Permit does not place any restrictions on the paddle court lighting. He stated that given the limited views of the paddle courts, and the new paddle court, from off of the Club property and the distance from any neighboring homes, he is inclined to support the petition as presented. He invited any final questions, comments or a motion from the Board. Board Member Christoff made a motion to recommend approval of an amendment to the Special Use Permit approving an updated Master Plan for the Club and allowing the construction of a fifth paddle tennis court as reflected on the plans presented to the Board. He clarified that no changes to the existing conditions of approval are recommended. The motion was seconded by Board member Pickus and approved by the Board in a 7 to 0 vote. Zoning Board of Appeals Minutes September 22, 2014 Page 4 OTHER ITEMS 4. 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. 5. Additional information from staff. There was no additional information presented by City staff. The meeting was adjourned at 7:23 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Catherine J. Czerniak Director of Community Development