Submitted By
Tammie Grossman, Development Customer Services Director
Reviewed By
LKS
Agenda Item Title
Title
(*) Concur with the Plan Commission’s Recommendation and Adopt an Ordinance Authorizing the Vacation of the Remaining Thirty-Seven (37) Feet of a Public Alley Abuting 535 Wenonah Avenue to the West in the Village of Oak Park, Cook County, Illinois
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Overview
Overview
Rush Oak Park Hospital is requesting that the remaining portion of the north-south alley that ran/runs along the west side of the 500 block of Wenonah Avenue between Monroe Avenue to the south and the alley behind Belmont Village to the north abutting 535 Wenonah Avenue be vacated. (Companion Agenda Items are ORD 17-264; An amemdment to Special Use Ordinance 1999-O-52 & ORD 17-265; Rezoning of 535 Wenonah Avenue).
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Recommendation
Recommendation
The Plan Commission unanimously recommended approval of this application.
Body
Staff Recommendation
Staff supports the Plan Commission’s recommendation.
Fiscal Impact
No fiscal Imact to the Village; however if approved and prior to recording of the Plat of Vacation, the applicant shall compensate the Village of Oak Park for the remaining portion of a previously vacated public alley (37.02 X 16 feet) in the amount of $9,477.12. The compensation is based on a per square footage amount of $16.00/sq-ft, which is the same used for the appraisal of the now vacated portion of this alley.
Background
In 1999 the Village Board approved a Special Use permit to allow the construction of a medical office building at 620 South Maple Avenue and ancillary surface parking lots. As part of that approval, the applicant requested the construction of surface parking lots on the 600 block of South Maple Avenue, 600 block of Wisconsin Avenue and the 500 block of Wenonah Avenue with the exception of those parcels owned by the Hospital and located at 622 South Maple Avenue, 621 Wisconsin Avenue and 533 Wenonah Avenue. The hospital also asked for the vacation of the public alley abutting the west side of the 500 block of Wenonah except for that portion abutting 535 Wenonah (which was privately owned at the time). Ordinance 1999-O-52 states that 533 Wenonah, which was (and is currently) owned by the hospital, shall be reserved in perpetuity for single family residential purposes “unless” a change is specifically approved by the President and Board of Trustees after a public hearing. The reason for this requirement was to ensure 533 Wenonah Avenue remains as a residential building buffer between the privately owned 535 Wenonah Avenue and the hospital’s proposed surface parking lot. Recently, the hospital was able to acquire 535 Wenonah and wishes to expand the existing parking lot by razing both houses at 533 and 535 Wenonah Avenue. With the sale of 535 Wenonah Avenue to Rush Oak Park Hospital, the protection from the hospital’s surface parking lot is no longer necessary. In order for the restriction to be removed, Ordinance 1999-O-52 must be amended. Please note: The parking lot extension will maintain the existing 20 foot wide landscape buffer along Wenonah Avenue and the Hospital will provide a 20 foot wide landscape buffer along Monroe Avenue between the sidewalk (ROW) and parking lot’s edge. The current alley access drive from Monroe Avenue will be removed and replaced with green parkway.
Under Ordinance 1999-O-52, the Village reclassified certain properties from Single Family residential zoning districts to Hospital zoning districts which allowed the development of hospital-related surface parking lots and the medical office building at 620 South Maple Avenue. The property located at 535 Wenonah Avenue was not included in the rezoning request as it was privately owned at the time. Now that the hospital owns this property, they wish to rezone it to the H-Hospital zoning district in order to allow for an expansion of their existing surface parking lot as allowed by-right within the H-Hospital zoning district. The expansion of the surface parking lot would require the razing of 533 and 535 Wenonah Avenue.
Alternatives
Approve the application as recommended
Deny the application
Previous Board Action
The Village Board referred this application to the Plan Commission for public hearing at their July 17, 2017 regular meeting.
Citizen Advisory Commission Action
The Plan Commission opened the public hearing on August 3, 2017 then propmtply continued it to September 7, 2017 due to a full Plan Commission agenda. There was no public comment.
Anticipated Future Actions/Commitments
N/A.
Intergovernmental Cooperation Opportunities
Zoning and land use matters are unique to Village government within the corporate limits of Oak Park and therefore, intergovernmental cooperation opportunities do not exist.
Performance Management (MAP) Alignment
A Governance Priority for the Development Customer Services Department is Land Use Regulations