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PLAN COMMISSION 2012/10/10 MinutesPlan Commission Minutes – October 10, 2012 Page 1 of 5 The City of Lake Forest Plan Commission Proceedings of the October 10, 2012 A regular meeting of the Lake Forest Plan Commission was held on Wednesday, October 10, 2012, at 6:30 p.m., at City Hall, 220 E. Deerpath, Lake Forest, Illinois. Commission members present: Chairman Jack Reisenberg, Commissioners Lloyd Culbertson, Jim Carris, Jeff Kuchman, Michael Ley and Augie Ziccarelli. Commissioners absent: John L. Anderson Staff present: Catherine Czerniak, Director of Community Development, Megan Neuman, Planner 1. Introduction of Commissioners and staff. Chairman Reisenberg introduced the members of the Commission and staff. 2. Approval of the minutes of the September 19, 2012 meeting. The minutes of the September 19, 2012 meeting were approved as submitted. 3. Introduction: Preliminary overview of the progress to date on the development of a Bicycle Master Plan for The City of Lake Forest and presentation of introductory material. The draft plan is scheduled to be presented to the Commission for review and public hearing at the November meeting. Presented by: City staff Chairman Reisenberg invited a presentation from Ms. Neuman. Ms. Neuman reviewed the public process to date to support the development of a Bicycle Master Plan for the City of Lake Forest. She explained that in response to a suggestion from a resident at a recent City Council Ward meeting, the City Council directed that a Bicycle Master Plan be developed for the City. She stated that the project team included representatives from various departments in the City: Parks and Recreation, Public Works, Police, and Community Development. She added that representatives from the Forest Preserve, Lake Forest Open Lands Association and the Village of Lake Bluff also were part of the project team. She noted that public information and input sessions were held to gather data, ideas and concerns from interested parties and she explained the information gathered is being used as the foundation to develop a Master Plan. She stated that the purpose of this presentation is to give the Commission an introduction to the project and a high level overview of the information gathered to date. She noted that it is anticipated that the Bicycle Master Plan will be incorporated into the City’s Comprehensive Plan as an update. She stated that many other communities have adopted Bicycle Plans or are in the process of doing so as part of healthy community initiatives, in response to rising gas prices, as a part of complete streets programs and to support bicycle and Plan Commission Minutes – October 10, 2012 Page 2 of 5 pedestrian friendly communities. She stated that both Lake County and the Illinois Department of Transportation have adopted complete streets programs which require that bicycle improvements be considered, and if appropriate, included in street improvement projects. She noted that communities that have adopted Bicycle Master Plans have an advantage in obtaining grants from the Federal government or other sources. She noted that this project was initiated based on resident interest and that there has been good public participation in the project to date. She explained that the Bicycle Master Plan will identify a bicycle network in the community and opportunities and priorities for future bicycle related improvements. She stated that the Bicycle Master Plan also advocates for bicycle friendly amenities, educational programs for both cyclists and drivers and community activities that encourage bicycling. She added that the Master Plan will support enforcement of regulations and periodic evaluations of bicycle facilities in the community to assure continuous progress toward making the community more bicycle friendly. She stated that during the public meetings, interest was expressed in providing safe bicycle connections between key destinations such as parks, the train stations, the beach and schools. She noted that there was also interest in connections to destinations and bike paths outside of the community. She stated that supporting bicycling in the community can have positive impacts on lifestyles, the environment, and the business district and can increase recreational opportunities. She stated that a recurring theme heard in the discussions is that there are good north/south bicycle trails including off road bike paths particularly the McClory bike path which runs along the railroad tracks and through the Central Business District. She stated that in addition, there are many low volume and low speed streets that are safe and comfortable for bicycles noting that these streets function as part of the bicycle network in the community. She noted that essentially, for many bicycle riders, the bike network starts at their driveway and includes on street riding and sometimes riding on off street paths. She reviewed a graphic illustrating opportunities within Lake Forest that allow key destinations to be reached by bicycle within 15 minutes from various neighborhoods. She reviewed some key concerns identified so far in the process: the lack of safe east/west connections, barriers to getting from one side of the City to the other, the need for drivers to be more aware of bicyclists, the need for bicyclists to be aware of how to ride safely on streets and the need for improved access to the Central Business District. She reviewed the draft goals developed based on the input received: increasing awareness and acceptance of bicycling in the community, providing connections to key destinations, supporting the environment and healthy life styles and providing a viable and convenient option to driving a car everywhere. She explained that the Master Plan will identify a set of “tools” that can be used to achieve the goals. She stated that the tools might include fairly simple actions such as adding signs or striping on pavement, or more involved actions such as widening a road or improving an intersection over the long term. She stated that the Master Plan will identify actions that can be taken and as determined to be appropriate and identify priorities. She clarified that the improvements would be made in the future as funding becomes available. She invited comments and questions from the Commission at this early point in the development of the Master Plan. In response to questions from Commissioner Kuchman, Ms. Neuman explained that the Master Plan process itself is being staffed internally and funded by the City. She confirmed that the intent is that once the Bicycle Master Plan adopted that it will provide a strong base for seeking outside funding for the improvements identified. She stated that in the future, the projects identified in the plan could be incorporated as part of larger road improvement projects and be funded as part of the City’s Capital Improvement Program and ideally some improvements will Plan Commission Minutes – October 10, 2012 Page 3 of 5 be funded by grants. She stated that having the Master Plan in place, to identify goals and projects that will achieve the goals is the first step in the process. In response to questions from Commissioner Carris, Ms. Neuman confirmed that completion of the plan is targeted for the end of the year. She acknowledged that the lack of east/west paths in the community has been identified as an issue. She noted that the Master Plan will likely call out the lack of east/west paths as a weakness in the City’s bicycle network and identify various opportunities for enhancing east/west connections. She confirmed that the plan will also likely make suggestions for enhancing bicycle parking facilities in appropriate locations. In response to questions from Commissioner Ziccarelli, Ms. Neuman noted that during this planning process, discussions have occurred with neighboring communities and with the County. She added that once completed, copies of the City’s Master Plan will be made available to other jurisdictions to support continued coordination of efforts toward establishing a regional bicycle network. In response to questions from Commissioner Culbertson, Ms. Neuman confirmed that a bicycle network map will be included in the Bicycle Master Plan. In response to questions from Commissioner Ley, Ms. Neuman explained that the Master Plan will identify desired routes and types of improvements that should be made, but will likely not get into the detail of how improvements will be made. She stated that in some instances, the Plan may provide more detail if the improvements needed are well defined. She reiterated that some improvements may be low cost and as a result, may be able to be implemented more quickly than others. Chairman Reisenberg invited public comment, hearing none; he invited final comments from the Commission. Commissioner Kuchman suggested that the Master Plan include a list of people and groups who contributed to its development. Chairman Reisenberg thanked Ms. Neuman noting that at this time, no Commission action is needed on this item. 4. Preliminary Information: The City Council directed the Plan Commission to review Section 46-10 of the City Code pertaining to fences and consider amendments if determined to be appropriate. Staff will review the existing Code provisions regulating fences and recommend a process for Commission review going forward. Presented by City staff Chairman Reisenberg introduced the agenda item and invited a presentation from City staff. Ms. Czerniak stated that at a recent meeting, the City Council directed that a review of the existing Code provisions relating to fences be undertaken. She stated that this section of the Code has not been reviewed, updated or modified for 20 years or more. She stated that in the Plan Commission Minutes – October 10, 2012 Page 4 of 5 past, staff from various departments has been able to work with property owners along ravines to find workable solutions to meet needs for privacy or yard enclosure. She noted however that in a recent situation, a fence was erected in a ravine in a highly visible manner and as a result, the City Council and staff received a number of calls from residents expressing concern about the impact of the fence on the ravine and on the character of the neighborhood. She stated that although the City’s Code supports protection of the ravines, currently, there is no language in the Code that specifically prohibits or limits fences in ravines. She stated that in response to the concerns raised, the City Council directed the Plan Commission to consider modifications to the fencing provisions in the Code to specifically address fences in ravines. She stated that from the staff perspective, reconsideration of the overall Code language relating to fences may also be worthwhile. She asked the Commission for direction on whether input on the current fencing regulations should be requested from the Building Review Board and Historic Preservation Commission since both of those bodies deal directly with neighborhood character and landscaping aspects of development. She clarified that the Plan Commission is the body that would ultimately make a recommendation to the City Council on any proposed amendments to the current Code language. In response to questions from Commissioner Ley, Ms. Czerniak clarified that to date; there have been no discussions with the Building Review Board or the Historic Preservation Commission about the current Code provisions relating to fences. She noted however that in the past, those bodies have raised questions about the Code requirements as part of their reviews of various petitions. In response to questions from Commissioner Ziccarelli, Ms. Czerniak confirmed that staff from various City departments are involved in reviewing requests for fences and will be involved in the review of any proposed changes to the current Code language. In response to questions from the Commission, Ms. Czerniak confirmed that after gathering input from the Building Review Board, Historic Preservation Commission, the public and staff, recommendations for any amendments would be brought to the Plan Commission for a public hearing and consideration. She acknowledged that a task force could be formed to study the issue, but suggested that amendments to address key issues may be able to be developed based on the input received and presented to the Plan Commission for a public hearing, deliberation and action. Chairman Reisenberg summarized that there seems to be a consensus on the Commission that it is appropriate to seek input from the Building Review Board and Historic Preservation Commission prior to Plan Commission consideration of specific amendments. He noted that the Commission’s role is to operate at a high level rather than to get into specific details of development. 5. Public Testimony on non-agenda items. There was no additional public testimony presented. 6. Additional information from staff. Plan Commission Minutes – October 10, 2012 Page 5 of 5 No additional information was provided by staff. The meeting was adjourned at 7:15p.m. Respectfully submitted, Catherine J. Czerniak Director of Community Development