Submitted By
Zoning Board of Appeals through Tammie Grossman, Director, Development Customer Services
Reviewed By
AMZ
Agenda Item Title
Title
Concur with the Zoning Board of Appeals’ Recommendation and Adopt an Ordinance Granting a Special Use Permit to Operate a Hotel/Motel at 1140 Lake Street
End
Overview
Overview
The Zoning Board of Appeals (“Board”) held a public hearing on an application filed by 1140 Lake Street LLC seeking a special use permit from Section 8.3 (Table 8-1: Use Matrix) of the Zoning Ordinance of the Village of Oak Park, which section requires a special use permit for hotel/motel uses located in the DT Downtown District, to operate a hotel/motel (Holiday Inn Express and Suites) at the premises commonly known as 1140 Lake Street, Oak Park, Illinois.
End
Recommendation
Recommendation
The Zoning Board of Appeals recommends approval of this application.
Body
Staff Recommendation
Staff supports the Zoning Board of Appeals’ recommendation.
Fiscal Impact
Village cost of legal advertisement ($266) Account # 1001.46202.101.550652.
Background
The Subject Property is a 19,200 SF square foot zoning lot, with approximately 100 feet of street frontage along Lake Street. The lot is located in the DT-Downtown Zoning District which is divided into three sub-districts. The property is located within the DT-1 Downtown Central Sub-District. This sub-district covers the most intensely developed portion of the Downtown, emphasizing an active, lively mixed-use environment with retail and entertainment located on the ground floor along the street, and a variety of uses above, including residential. The Applicants seek to redevelop the Subject Property as a hotel, while retaining existing commercial spaces on the first floor, converting the existing four upper levels from office space to hotel suits and adding one additional floor onto the front half of the building, also dedicated to hotel suits, for a total of 68 units pursuant to their plans and elevations.
Alternatives
Deny the Application.
Previous Board Action
The Applicants applied for a special use permit in 2019 to redevelop the Subject Property as a hotel, with commercial space on the first floor, converting the existing four upper levels from office space to hotel suits and adding three additional floors onto the front half of the building, also dedicated to hotel suits, for a total of 98 units. By Ordinance dated November 17, 2019, the Village Board granted the special use permit requested by the Applicant. The Applicant did not apply for a building permit within one year of the date of approval and therefore the previously approved special use permit expired.
Citizen Advisory Commission Action
The Zoning Board of Appeals held a public hearing on December 1, 2021. Several condo owners from 1116-1124 Lake Street testified and cross-examined about existing traffic issues regarding the alley/private road between FFC and Chipotle, as well service trucks currently blocking the alley and sometimes blocking the garage doors behind 1116-1124 Lake Street. The condo owners suggested that the hotel/motel would cause additional traffic surrounding the building, particularly in the alley, private brick road, and on Lake Street. The adjacent condo owners would like to work with the Village and the Applicant to solve the traffic issues in the area. The ZBA members believe that the Holley Court Garage would adequately accommodate the additional vehicles generated by hotel guests and requested that the Village collaborates with the applicant and local residents to resolve some of the traffic issues discussed at the meeting. The Zoning Board of Appeals ratified their findings of fact by a 5-1 vote on December 1, 2021. See ATTACHMENT A. The minutes are draft at this time, but the meeting can be viewed here on Commission TV: <https://www.oak-park.us/your-government/citizen-commissions/commission-tv>
Anticipated Future Actions/Commitments
N/A.
Intergovernmental Cooperation Opportunities
Zoning and land use matters are unique to the Village government within the corporate limits of Oak Park and therefore, intergovernmental cooperation opportunities do not exist.