ACTION REQUESTED:
Title
Communication from the City Manager and Director of Community Development with a Request to Concur with the Recommendation from the Planning & Zoning Commission and Staff to ADOPT an ORDINANCE, Amending an Existing Special Use Ordinance No. 13,932, as amended, in a Class C-2 (Large Scale Commercial) District, to Add a Freestanding Sign for the Property Commonly Known as THE SHOPPES AT GRAND PRAIRIE Located at 5201 W. WAR MEMORIAL DRIVE, Peoria, IL. (Council District 5)
Body
BACKGROUND:
Proposal
Petitioner Greg Slowiak for Institutional Mall Investors, LLC is requesting to amend the existing Special Use to add a 38-foot tall, 474 sq. ft. in size, multi-tenant freestanding sign to the Shoppes at Grand Prairie area. The sign is designed with painted aluminum pillars and a stone-like material at the base. The sign also includes an electronic multiple message board.
Requested Waivers
1) Increase the size of a freestanding sign from 70 sq. ft. to 474 sq. ft.
2) Increase the height of a freestanding sign from 25 feet to 38 feet.
Current Development
The subject property contains approximately 55 acres of land and is currently developed as the Shoppes at Grand Prairie mall. The property is zoned Class C-2 (Large Scale Commercial) and is surrounded by Class C-2 (Large Scale Commercial) zoning to the north, south, east, and west.
The original Special Use for the shopping center was approved in 1995. Since 1995, amendments to the Special Use have been approved to allow for expansions to the shopping center, signage plans, and other site plan revisions.
Previous amendments to the special use included the adoption of Local Sign Regulations for two sections of the shopping center: Grand Prairie Plaza and the Shoppes at Grand Prairie. The Grand Prairie Plaza area is bound by Grand Prairie Drive, War Memorial Drive, and Orange Prairie Road. The Shoppes at Grand Prairie area is bound by IL Route 91, War Memorial Drive, and Grand Prairie Drive. Local Sign Regulations for each area identify the approved sign locations and sign designs.
Analysis and Recommendation
Staff does not object to the request, including the waivers, and subject to the following conditions:
1) Landscaping of the front yard of War Memorial Drive must be in compliance with the Zoning Ordinance.
2) Adherence to the requirements of the IL Dept of Transportation regarding multiple message signs.
3) Sign must be setback a minimum of 100 feet from the center lines or 25 feet from the right-of-way lines of IL Route 91 and War Memorial Drive, whichever is greater.
FINANCIAL IMPACT: N/A
NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERNS (at the Planning & Zoning Commission meeting): None
PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION ACTION: The Planning & Zoning Commission found that the request met the Findings of Fact requirements and VOTED 4 TO 1 TO APPROVE including the waivers and Staff’s conditions of approval.
IMPACT IF APPROVED: The Special Use, including the Local Sign Regulations for the shopping center, will be amended to allow for a 38-foot tall, 474 sq. ft. freestanding sign to be installed at the southeast corner of the shopping center, near the intersection of War Memorial Drive and IL Route 91.
IMPACT IF DENIED: The Special Use and Local Sign Regulations for the shopping center will not be amended. A freestanding sign up to 25 feet in height and 70 sq. ft. in size, as permitted by the Zoning Ordinance, may be installed upon issuance of a sign permit.
ALTERNATIVES: N/A
EEO CERTIFICATION NUMBER: N/A
WHICH OF THE GOALS IDENTIFIED IN THE COUNCIL’S 2014 - 2029 STRATEGIC PLAN DOES THIS RECOMMENDATION ADVANCE?
1. Grow Peoria: Businesses, Jobs, and Population
WHICH CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTOR(S) FROM THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN DOES THIS RECOMMENDATION IMPLEMENT?
1. Grow employers and jobs.
DEPARTMENT: Community Development