What the City Council would like to do with the Sim’s Bowling property...

Background

Midwest Bank owns the property.

The City of Des Plaines made the only offer.

The majority of the City Council voted to buy the property for around $800,000 for a property that was worth $2 million two years ago.

TIF1 is the only district that is solvent—others are in the red.

In the past budget battle, the subject of the city’s bond debt was discussed, and determined to be too high.

Tax bills are going up in Des Plaines.

The city just eliminated 38 employees from the payroll.

The State of Illinois is cutting back on money allocated to the city by $1.3 million.

The property comes with a $40,000 back-tax bill.

It would cost $100,000 to tear down the property, backfill and pave the lot.

The bowling alley has been gutted and scavenged, and would cost at least $600,000 to make it usable again.

City staff were tasked with finding a way to pay for the property

The adjacent TIF property was not showing a profit, and funds had to be transferred from TIF1 to TIF2. Fund are no longer available in TIF1.

The city will issue a bond debt to be voted upon at the March 15 City Council meeting.

Where the City Council stands

For: Haugeberg, Higgason, Robinson

Opposed: Argus, Bogusz, Wilson

Undecided: Brookman, Walsten

Mayor is in favor of purchase.

Resident Input

Q: How much will be bond be?

A: $900,000 not including the cost to demolish the building and convert the land to a parking lot.

What is the reason the city wants to buy the property?

The Council feels the development of the Kinder property did not maximize its  potential, and doesn’t want it to happen again.

Pearson to River is now not as desirable because the corner lot is occupied.

The entire strip is viable, but many properties exist between Midwest Bank and the Heritage.

Q: Are we going to start a new TIF?
A: No.

Q: Who in the Economic Development Commission is pushing this sale?
A: Mike Conlon, Director of Community Development, identified the property sale as something the city should look into.

The property can’t be sold to developers with a dilapidated building.

A level lot would be more desirable to future developers.

What is the best-case-scenario for this purchase?

The economy will improve.

The strip where Sim’s sits will be purchased at a profit to the city

The land will be converted to mixed-use.

The properties will be profitable.

Q: Is the prospect of the casino what Aldermen who are in favor of the Sim’s purchase are hoping will generate interest from developers?
A: No.

Q: When will TIF1 expire?
A: 2021

Miscellaneous comments from residents

If it’s the land the city wants, then they should buy the land and not the building.

We should let the bank continue to own the property and maintain it.

We’re all going to have to pay for it eventually.

We shouldn’t use TIF to make a hole in the ground but rather to improve the neighborhood as TIFs are designed to do.

Stores that are eventually built on the Ellinwood strip won’t fill up anyway as shown by the Metropolitan Square development.

What residents can do

Residents should think about how this purchase will help us or hurt us if we do it.

Residents with opinions about the purchase should attend the March 15 meeting.

Residents who live in the Wards where aldermen are undecided, should make their opinions known to them.

Residents can e-mail comments to Matt Bogusz.

Summer 2010 Bike Race in the Villas

Alderman Wilson and the Mayor are in favor of this new event.

The Villas are a good location if the residents buy-in to the idea. There are logistical problems, and if the residents don’t want it, the event won’t happen.

The free event is being organized by a non-profit cycling organization.

Residents on the inside loop will be free to come and go during set windows of time during the race.

Potential benefits

Street improvement will need to take place to make the course safe for cyclers.

Charitable donations will be made from the proceeds of the event. 

Des Plaines 101: Form-Based Zoning Code

History

Zoning regulations came in during the Industrial Revolution. 1916 was the first attempt to separate industrial from residential and commercial buildings.

Current code created 12 years ago

New code will focus on how a building is built (form)  rather than how it is used (function)

Process of creating new code

Every street in Des Plaines was evaluated for aesthetics

Des Plaines’ building needs evaluated for next 10 years

Energy needs evaluated in order to build a sustainable community

Focus on preserving unique character of Des Plaines

Focus on what’s important to Des Plaines

Mixed-use

There could be some commercial areas that would support residential communities

OK to mix housing and commercial buildings as long as they are compatible

Craftsman Commercial

Can we allow some commerce within residential homes?

Beauticians-traditional

Software developers & architects-contemporary

Live/Work Units: office downstairs, live upstairs

New Housing Categories

Cottage House A – small, postwar, modest (English, Tudor)

Cottage House B and C – medium, postwar (Bungalow, Split, Raised Ranch)

Manor House A – larger (American Four-Square, Victorian)

Manor House B – larger (Georgian)

Manor House C – larger (1970s Ranches and Splits)

Estate House – largest (“McMansions” or homes that replace smaller tear-downs)

Add to the tax base, nicely built

Don’t honor the character of neighborhood

Least liked among neighbors

New Zoning Code

After categories were determined, standards were re-written into a new code to be made available to developers and home builders

More user-friendly

Graphics used to show home standards

Higher level of detail for each type of house

Lot size

Setbacks

Parking: alley, driveway, etc.

Will specify character of neighborhood

Will create areas where large-scale construction is limited

Will allow for more green spaces connecting with trails

Will address other areas

Downtown buildings – Main Street A

Commercial buildings

Street types and surfaces

Landscaping

Current Problems in Des Plaines Zoning

Residential areas abut industrial areas with no buffers

Incompatible land use

R1 Zoning states any type of building can be built as long as it is under 35 feet high

Summary and Timeline

New code is still in development

Alderman decided regulating “Pop the Lid” home additions (roof torn off to add 2^nd level) in favor of back-of-home build outs was too restricting

Dialogue begins in 6-8 weeks

This code will affect everyone’s neighborhood

Between some and all of the new zoning proposals will make it into the future code

Zoning Question & Answer Session

Q. Will developers still be able to build after buying half lots next to older homes on full lots with intent to tear down?

Mr. Conlon: Yes.

Q. Why isn’t the Zoning department doing something about foreclosure problems and the noise of industry next to residences?

Ald. Bogusz: The current state of the economy is something all departments are dealing with. The Zoning Department is making use of the down time (less permits are being requested now) to update the zoning code so we’re prepared for the time when the economy makes an upswing.

Mr. Conlon: The reason housing prices in Des Plaines are lower than surrounding areas without industry is because of the proximity to railroads, highways and the airport. Most of these industries were here first, and Des Plaines homes built up around them.

Q. When will the Oakton Corridor undergo a facelift?

Mr. Conlon: It depends on the economy now. When new development and tenants take over, the beautification can happen.

Q. Do we want the city to control what people can build?

Resident input: OK as long as zoning code is easy to read and implement. OK since zoning has always regulated what people can build and as housing stock ages, preserving the integrity and character of neighborhoods becomes more important.

General Question and Answer Session

Q. Who is responsible for leaves that fall from Prairie Lakes trees?

Overhanging branches are property owners responsibility. Ald. Bogusz will check with Park District to see how much they can do to minimize impact on residents.

Q. Why did Des Plaines inspectors leave cars running several years ago?

Things have changed since then and the city is more conscious of energy conservation now.

Will changes to Health and Human Services affect the 1/2 price cab fares for Seniors?(Holly)

How much of a liability is the Methodist Campground to the City of Des Plaines?

Is there anyway to break the endless cycle of pay raises for union employees considering binding arbitration?

When will new curbs be installed on Dennis Place? (Brydges)

What is happening with the land the City purchased for the fire station on the south end of town?

How deep does a yard need to be to qualify for the rear yard drainage program?

...answers will arrive shortly.

Introduction, Ald. Bogusz

Today’s meeting to focus on Carol Lane and City Budget

Special visitor from Des Plaines History Museum

Carol Lane Issue Overview

Residents have observed excessive speeding occurring on Carol Lane, north of Oakton and South of Algonquin in the 3^rd Ward.

Ald. Bogusz part of Staff Traffic Advisory Committee (STAC) whose purpose is to develop a speed calming engineering plan for city streets
1. There is no state or federal guidelines to follow for speed calming

2. The city is challenged by a tough budget season
     a) Any plan for Carol Lane will cost money
     b) Are residents willing to pay for solution in form of assessment?
     c) Residents cannot expect quick turnaround due to budget constraints

3. Will look at the problem as a whole, and not just a concern for Carol Lane, but for surrounding streets and other streets throughout the city with similar issues

4. Speed humps and stop signs have already been proven to not work in street speed calming

Resident Comments

Vehicles speed from Webster to Carol Lane at all times of day and night; some in excess of 50 m.p.h.

Vehicles spotted speeding are Postal vehicles, school busses, and vehicles carrying Maine West High School students

Vehicles use Carol Lane as a cut-through to Oakton Ave, via Webster Ln.

Speeding has been a problem in all of Carol Lane’s history, and no solutions have worked so far.

“Local Traffic Only” signs were installed to placate residents’ complaints more than 15 years ago, but have proved ineffective as they are not enforceable.

Police patrols have been in place, but aren’t consistent, and the problem resurfaces once the patrols are gone.

Children who live and play on Carol Lane are warned by parents to not play near or to cross the street; however, at times, some children do, and an accident is likely to occur.

Vehicles often jump the curb at the bend and damage parkways, lawns and trees.

Residents’ Suggestions

Install speed humps

Install stop signs at Wayne and Dennis

Allow parking on both sides

All times

Alternating times

Increase police patrols

Increase fines given to speeders

Allow turns onto Webster only at certain times of day

Make streets one-way

Use Citizen’s Patrol to supplement police patrol

Create a dead-end at Webster

Commander Hicks’ comments

Traffic Units assigned to Carol Lane

Officers receive a list of problem areas and assign a beat car for one hour; Carol Lane is on the list.

Times and days traffic units spend on Carol Lane have been decreased due to budget constraints.

State controls (City cannot control)

Fine structure for offenses

Placement of stop signs

Speed humps can cause more accidents by vehicles that do not slow down and lose control

A traffic study could assist engineering in making plan

Residents should call the police department to make a report every time there is an incident with a vehicle that tears up the parkway, hits a tree, etc. on Carol Lane.

“Keep Kids Alive, Drive 25” campaign
1. Program places speed limit signs in residents’ yards
2. Designed to raise drivers’ awareness on residential streets
3. Proven to reduce speeding
4. Signs for Des Plaines are already ordered, and will be rotated throughout the community. Carol Lane will receive signs next month indicating 15 M.P.H speed zone.

Jon Duddles’ comments

Speed humps

Mount Prospect and City of Chicago are taking out speed humps because of ineffectiveness in speed calming

Speed humps actually increase vehicle speeding by drivers who perceive being slowed down, and speed up between humps to make up time.

Park Ridge has had none since 2006

Need 75% of street residents in favor; 50% of surrounding streets

Funding got out of hand

Don’t work on “collector” or main residential thoroughfares—more resident complaints

Carol Lane would need 5 humps at a cost of $25,000

Stop signs

Placement of stop signs are subject to federal regulations.

Stop signs are a method of traffic control, not traffic calming.

Because Carol Lane is a dead end street, federal mandates will not allow a stop sign placed at Carol and Webster.

In order for stop signs to be placed on Webster, it must meet 8 warrants in the federal mandate to qualify.

STAC will look into warrants

Residents need to report all incidents in order for reports to go on record

Other traffic calming measures

Striping: painted parking lanes narrow drivers’ perception of street width,

Have been proven to work in traffic calming

Done on Prairie Ave. between Graceland and Wolf

Parking on 2 sides of street: difficult to implement because one side needs to remain clear in case of water main break

Current plans for Carol Lane

Police patrol saturation for one week

Install 2 chevron signs (yellow with black chevron symbol) at the bend

“Stay Alive, Drive [15]” resident yard signs distributed next month

Next steps for Carol Lane

Residents report all incidents on Carl Lane and Webster to Police Dept.

Ald. Bogusz will look at Park Ridge’s plans for traffic calming
1. Residential yard signs
2. “Pace car” volunteer program
3. Citizen radar speed clocking

STAC will draft a plan to benefit the entire city that will create a sustainable way to deal with traffic calming

Ald. Bogusz will hold a public hearing

City Budget

Budget of $100 million is $3 million short. It costs Des Plaines 20% more to run than Mt. Prospect

City employees are 90% union

Set standards are set by their union boards

Contract expirations are staggered; Fire up next

Fire negotiates with binding arbitration

Union employees without binding arbitration work along with the city and walk away believing in fair deal

Every ¼ point reduction City Council can negotiate with unions means $20,000 in savings

Goals

Invest to build up capital reserve without layoffs or increased taxes

ERI: Early Retirement Incentive offered to police and fire employees

Possible savings of $3 million

Keeps newly-trained employees; does not fill positions left by retiring employees

Library

Board reported eliminating 3 full-time positions; really eliminating part-time positions to equal full-time hours

Budget discussed and approved by city without challenge

Budget draft

Shows increases in every department

Likely won’t pass as-is; up for amendments at next council meeting

Des Plaines History Center

City of Des Plaines has funded the History Center since 1969

Current funding of $166,000 is set to be eliminated

Receives $77,000  from the Park District

Receives $45,000 from membership

History Center does a lot of good for the City

Tourism

Repository for historical documents

Reduction in funds would mean less staff support; fewer programs; shorter hours of operation

Resident input

History Center should find other ways to support itself with traditional fundraising

Value services, programs History Center provides, and would be willing to pay more as members

City should reduce funding in incremental amounts over time—not all at once

Next steps

Board President Burke to create a business plan to present to Council

Residents can sign a petition at the History Center.

In attendance: 19 residents; Alderman Matt Bogusz; Jason Bajor, City Manager, Timothy Oakley, Director of Public Works and Engineering

Introduction, Ald. Bogusz
New series of Ward meetings, “Des Plaines 101” will focus on specific topics
Attendees will become better informed
Attendees will be able to inform neighbors about issues

Presentation on “Engineering 101” by Timothy Oakley
See Powerpoint file

Questions from Residents answered by Mr. Oakley

Will permeable concrete be used more often in Des Plaines?
Yes, the “green alleys” are in test phase. As they are proven to work, the concrete will be used in more alleys and other rights-of-way that are not heavily traveled as dirt can fill the porous spaces, making it ineffective.

Will more street lighting be installed in Des Plaines?
The tradition in Des Plaines has been to illuminate residential intersections and commercial areas. The city does not fund street lighting. Most street lighting is developer-funded.

Will anything be done with traffic signals?
The city owns only one traffic signal—at White and Oakton. All other signals are controlled by IDOT. Des Plaines will be painting signals black for aesthetics.

Water pools at Third and Prairie during storms, and Public Works employees arrive to do something with the sewer that alleviates the problem. What are they doing?
They could be rodding or using a T-Valve; however, there isn’t a valve in that intersection. Will look into issue. Residents should clean debris off sewer covers to assist with proper drainage.

Why do sanitary sewers back up?
Due to defects in the household systems. The city recommends that anyone with sewer backup problems should install “overhead plumbing.” One resident confirmed that this resolved the problem in her home.

Why is there more flooding since the Deep Tunnel project?
The reason for the flooding has to do with higher rainfall amounts. The Deep Tunnel project is not complete because a reservoir has not yet been built for the tunnel to empty into.

What is the lifespan of residential streets?
The cycle of a street’s lifespan begins in 10-15 years with resurfacing; with resurfacing again in another 10-15 years, and then reconstructing after the next 10-15 year time. Street conditions are given ratings by Public Works. 

After Mt. Prospect Rd. was redone, why did they recently put holes back in?
Mt. Prospect cut out holes in the concrete and filled them in again. This was concrete patching on bad areas that had settled.

How long are road contractors responsible for their work?
1 year; longer if an extended warranty was purchased.

Is Des Plaines preparing for the effects on weather of global warming?
More revenue would be needed for capital improvements.

When will Dempster Ave. at the River be finished?
There was a delay due to a design change. It has been resolved, and construction should be complete this week.

Questions from residents answered by Mr. Bajor

How much is the budget down?
Due to a decrease in sales tax from merchants and car dealers, the budget is down $2.5 million. The size of government is large and currently not sustainable with the budget we have. Tough decisions will need to be made on day-to-day expenses. Adequate staffing will be implemented. Beautification is still important in order to attract businesses and increase revenue. Casino revenue will be used to improve streets and pay off debt service.

If a gas tax of 1-2¢ is implemented, how will it benefit us?
A tax increase from the current 2¢ per gallon to 4¢ (Park Ridge has 4¢ per gallon) will directly fund street improvements. An increase will not shut down businesses or affect consumer choice.

How much will a property-tax increase mean to homeowners per month?
A 1% increase on a $300,000 home will equal $2 per month.

What about red-light cameras?
Other communities who have failed at this endeavor have looked at where to make revenue first. Des Plaines will look at safety issues first using traffic studies to determine the most unsafe intersections, then install. Implementation of the ticket process will be reasonable and judicious.

Has a new fire chief been brought in to reduce the work force?
No, he was the best possible candidate. Life safety is a priority. The new chief will assist with determining the most efficient way to run the department including the deployment of various apparatus, the number of firefighters sent on calls, and early retirement options for staff so that firefighters will not lose jobs.

Why is the Sysco retention pond still full? (Ald. Bogusz). An update is coming out this week.

Informal poll of audience

Should Des Plaines implement a gas tax to fund street improvements?
Yes (13)
No (6)

Should Des Plaines implement the use of red-light cameras to improve public safety?
Yes (10)
No (9)