Council Denies Appeal of Administrative Complex Plan

Published February 24th, 2023 at 4:55 pm

During a nearly three-hour long special meeting, the Village Council on Tuesday denied an appeal of the village’s administrative complex site plan and sent a separate appeal back to the Planning and Zoning Commission for review.

The development plan for the administrative complex calls for a redesign and upgrade of the parking area surrounding Village Hall and would add a prefabricated kennel for the animal services division. 

A dozen people – including former village councilors, planning and zoning commissioners, and other credentialed residents – appealed the P&Z Commission’s approval of the plan, arguing that minimum landscaping requirements were not met. The group also advocated for a path through the village administrative complex property for pedestrians, cyclists and equestrians. 

While their appeal was denied by the council on Tuesday, the plan is not set in stone. Mayor James Fahey said the plan could still be “tweaked.” He said the tweaking would not involve what materials will be used for the construction, but other adjustments could still be considered.

Councilors were reluctant to commit to a final plan because public comment was not held prior to a vote. However, according to the village administration, an updated plan would be presented at a future council meeting. 

The appeal threw off the administration’s timeline for the development site plan. Originally, village staff sought to get approval from the P&Z Commission, then present the plan to the council. But the appeal subjected the council to review the plan ahead of time.

In a separate appeal, the council remanded an application for a variance of a 15% slope for construction of a retaining wall and retention pond at a property in the Mesa Alta subdivision back to the Planning and Zoning Commission.

Mike Source and Patrick McClernon argued that applicants for the variance did not consider the health, safety or welfare of nearby neighbors and that P&Z’s approval contraindicated village ordinances.

The applicant, a representative for landowner Mariano Sanchez, previously received approval for a drainage and grading permit by P&Z and received a variance to have a slope over 15%. However, it appears that preliminary work was done on the property without proper permits. 

Source and McClernon were concerned that the slope may disturb historical water flows. In a letter to the applicants, Planning and Zoning Administrator Laurie Stout wrote, “Please ensure that work on the site, and finished construction, does not increase stormwater flows or erosion on any adjacent properties.”

The P&Z Commission will revisit the application at its next meeting with guidance to pay special attention to village ordinances regarding stormwater management and terrains.