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TO: Mayor Richard C. Irvin
FROM: Planning and Zoning Commission
DATE: April 22, 2022
SUBJECT:
A Resolution Approving a Preliminary Plan for a portion of Lot 1A1, Lot 2A1 and all of Lot 4A1 of The Third Resubdivision of Fox Valley East Region 1 Unit No. 1, on property located on the north side of Fox Valley Mall, south of New York Street and west of Route 59 (Atlantic Residential - 22-0175 / NA21/4-22.056-Ppn - TV - Ward 10)
PURPOSE:
The Petitioner, Atlantic Residential, is requesting approval of a Preliminary Plan for a portion of Lot 1A1, Lot 2A1 and all of Lot 4A1 of The Third Resubdivision of Fox Valley East Region 1 Unit No. 1, located along the north side of the Fox Valley Mall, south of New York Street, west of Route 59 which includes the construction of a multi-family residential development and the reconfigures of the existing parking lots.
BACKGROUND:
The Subject Property consists of 9.121 acres lying on the north side of the Fox Valley Mall. The property currently is comprised of a portion of the ring road and surface parking, part of which serves the Fox Valley Mall, part of which served the now closed Carson Pirie Scott building and part of which serves the retail outlot. The property is currently zoned PDD Planned Development District, which is part of the Fox Valley East Planned Development District.
The owner, Centennial Real Estate Company ("Centennial"), purchased the Fox Valley Mall in 2015. Then in 2018, a partnership controlled by Centennial purchased the Sears' and Carson's Site after falling into bankruptcy. Since then, Centennial has been making substantial investments essential to the Mall's revitalization including the remodeling of the mall center. In early 2021, they demolished the Sears building to make way for a future retail and residential development. In 2021, Lumen at Fox Valley, a multi-family residential development was approved by City Council along the east side of the mall and is now under construction. Early this year, a Rezoning and Preliminary Plan for a luxury senior housing development was approved at the northeast corner of the mall.
Centennial has teamed up with again with Atlantic Residential to redevelop the Subject Property for a 4-story multi-family residential development.
The Petitioner is requesting approval of a Preliminary Plan. The proposal consists of a 4-story, 319-unit multi-family residential building, private amenities, and associated parking. The proposed multi-family building is oriented with a glass entrance at the southwest corner of the building facing the mall. The residential building consists of 34 studios, 145 one-bedrooms, and 140 two-bedrooms ranging in size from 550 square feet to 1,550 square feet. The building features amenities including balconies or patios for each unit, an entertainment area and fitness room. A private courtyard is being constructed in the center of the building including an outdoor pool, a pavilion with grills and an event lawn. The building will also wrap around a multi-story parking garage having direct access into the building.
Situated just west of the building will be a linear park containing a gaming area, seating areas, and a dog park. A triangle park for passive recreation is situated on the east side of the building at the southwest corner of Entrance #6. As part of the proposal, the Petitioner will be rerouting the ring road, Private Road A and Private Road C, to loop along the south and west side of the proposed development and will be reconfiguring the existing parking lots. These Private Roads will have parallel parking spaces along them. The ring road will still extend to the west of Entrance #6 to allow for access to the existing restaurant and access to the parking garage and surface parking lot for this proposed development. A total of 493 parking spaces are being provided with 327 spaces within the parking garage, 140 spaces within the surface parking lot, and 26 on-street parking spaces exceeding the 1.5 parking ratio requirement. Sidewalks are being constructed throughout the development with wider sidewalks along the private road.
Stormwater management from the original Mall has already been accounted for in Spring Lake located west of Commons Drive along McCoy Drive. As a positive, the development will decrease the impervious area reducing the amount of stormwater runoff.
Building elevations that are in the packet are conceptual. The building elevations and landscaping will be fully reviewed and approved at the time of Final Plan.
Concurrently with this proposal, the Petitioner is requesting the Establishment of a Conditional Use Planned Development, and to change the underlying zoning district from PDD Planned Development District to R-5A Multiple-Family Dwelling District. The details of the request include the approval of a Plan Description that outlines specific requirements and allows for modifications including certain rules, bulk standards, bulk restrictions, parking requirements and building code amendments to allow for the construction of a 4-story multi-family residential development.
DISCUSSION:
Over the past year, Staff has been working collaboratively with the Petitioner on the building design, building orientation, amenities, streetscape and parking. The Plan Description modifications reflects the urban feel of the development that are recommended in the City of Aurora’s Route 59 Corridor Plan. That Plan stresses the importance of the Mall on the Corridor and the larger region. The mall is a large and unique development in the heart of the Route 59 Corridor and its success strengthens the City’s image and identity as well as the positive ancillary benefits to its outlots and other businesses.
The layout and building design are intended to be urban in nature, with reduced building
setbacks along the private streets, residential units on all floors, urban streetscape design including wider sidewalks, well-defined crosswalks and pedestrian scaled lighting to create a friendly and safe environment that promotes walkability within the development and to the nearby existing and proposed shopping and dining opportunities. Centennial, the Petitioner and Staff continue to work with Pace to try to relocate the Mall's existing bus stop (currently located by the southwest entrance to the Mall) to an area closer to the residential to create a transit-oriented development life-style.
The proposed development is consistent with the recently approved Route 59 Corridor Plan for the Fox Valley Mall Sub-Area. The Sub-Area plan recommends the modernization of the mall from a traditional commercial center into a mixed-use development that includes a variety of land uses including multi-family housing. Throughout the Comprehensive Plan process, one concern that was brought up by Indian Prairie School District #204 was the potential for new school-aged children in an area that has been historically planned for only commercial uses. In an effort to help reduce the number of school-aged children living in this development, City Staff worked with the Petitioner and the developer to design the residential developments in such a way as to help discourage high student counts. For example, the development is being designed with more studios and one-bedroom units (no three bedrooms) and higher price points and amenities that will help attract millennial’s, singles, and seniors.
POLICIES AND GUIDELINES:
The Staff’s Evaluation and Recommendation are based on the following Physical Development Policies:
10.0 To provide for the orderly, balanced and efficient growth and redevelopment of the City through the positive integration of land use patterns, functions, and circulation systems. To protect and enhance those assets and values that establishes the desirable quality and general livability of the City. To promote the City’s position as a regional center.
11.1(3) To encourage new development contiguous to existing development.
11.1(5) To guide and promote development to areas where public utilities, public roads and municipal services are either available or planned.
12.1(3) To encourage residential development in close proximity to places of work, shopping and recreation.
13.1(4) To provide for the location of high density residential, commercial, and industrial centers close to or along transportation routes designed to accommodate the movement of people and goods to and from such centers.
13.1(7) To promote mass transit stations and intensive land uses, including high-density residential complexes, to locate in relative proximity to one another so as to stimulate transit use.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
The Planning and Zoning Commission recommended CONDITIONAL APPROVAL of the A Resolution Approving a Preliminary Plan for a portion of Lot 1A1, Lot 2A1 and all of Lot 4A1 of The Third Resubdivision of Fox Valley East Region 1 Unit No. 1, on property located on the north side of Fox Valley Mall, south of New York Street and west of Route 59, with the following conditions:
1. The Preliminary Plan be revised as follows:
a. That the 5' sidewalk along New York Street be changed to a 10' shared path.
b. That the retaining walls on the north side of Private Road A should be labeled indicating the height.
c. That the retaining walls along both sides of Private Road A shall not exceed three (3) feet in height. The stepping of retaining walls is allowed up to six (6) feet in overall height with a minimum run of three (3) feet between steps.
d. That the center median within Private Road A be striped west of the entrance into the parking lot.
2. That the area at the northwest corner of Private Road C and Fox Valley Center Drive be restored and seeded.
3. That the Preliminary Plan be contingent upon Final Engineering approval.
4. Provide an updated traffic impact study, to be reviewed and approved by the City of Aurora, at Final Plat and Plan time which shall define improvements that are warranted, responsible parties, and cost participation for the intersection of New York Street and Entrance 6.
5. That best management practices (BMPs) such as bio-swales, infiltration basins, rain gardens and/or porous pavers, to address stormwater runoff quality shall be considered in the overall site design.
ATTACHMENTS:
Exhibit "A" Preliminary Plan
Land Use Petition with Supporting Documents
Maps
Legistar Number: 22-0175
cc:
Alderman Michael B. Saville, Chairperson
Alderwoman Patty Smith, Vice Chairperson
Alderman Carl Franco
Alderman Sherman Jenkins
Alderman Ron Woerman
CITY OF AURORA, ILLINOIS
RESOLUTION NO. _________
DATE OF PASSAGE ________________
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A Resolution Approving a Preliminary Plan for a portion of Lot 1A1, Lot 2A1 and all of Lot 4A1 of The Third Resubdivision of Fox Valley East Region 1 Unit No. 1, on property located on the north side of Fox Valley Mall, south of New York Street and west of Route 59
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WHEREAS, the City of Aurora has a population of more than 25,000 persons and is, therefore, a home rule unit under subsection (a) of Section 6 of Article VII of the Illinois Constitution of 1970; and
WHEREAS, subject to said Section, a home rule unit may exercise any power and perform any function pertaining to its government and affairs for the protection of the public health, safety, morals, and welfare; and
WHEREAS, by petition dated March 2, 2022, Atlantic Residential filed with the City of Aurora a petition requesting approval of a Preliminary Plan for a portion of Lot 1A1, Lot 2A1 and all of Lot 4A1 of The Third Resubdivision of Fox Valley East Region 1 Unit No. 1, located along the north side of the Fox Valley Mall, south of New York Street, west of Route 59 and related required documents as attached hereto as Exhibit "A"; and
WHEREAS, the Planning and Zoning Commission conducted a hearing on April 20, 2022, reviewed the petition and recommended CONDITIONAL APPROVAL of said petition; and
WHEREAS, on April 17, 2022, the Building, Zoning and Economic Development Committee of the Aurora City Council reviewed said Preliminary Plan and the before mentioned recommendations and recommended CONDITIONAL APPROVAL of said petition; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of Aurora, Illinois, finds as facts all of the preamble recitals of this Resolution and hereby grants CONDITIONAL APPROVAL of said Preliminary Plan with the following conditions:
1. The Preliminary Plan be revised as follows:
a. That the 5' sidewalk along New York Street be changed to a 10' shared path.
b. That the retaining walls on the north side of Private Road A should be labeled indicating the height.
c. That the retaining walls along both sides of Private Road A shall not exceed three (3) feet in height. The stepping of retaining walls is allowed up to six (6) feet in overall height with a minimum run of three (3) feet between steps.
d. That the center median within Private Road A be striped west of the entrance into the parking lot.
2. That the area at the northwest corner of Private Road C and Fox Valley Center Drive be restore and seeded.
3. That the Preliminary Plan be contingent upon Final Engineering approval.
4. Provide an updated traffic impact study, to be reviewed and approved by the City of Aurora, at Final Plat and Plan time which shall define improvements that are warranted, responsible parties, and cost participation for the intersection of New York Street and Entrance 6.
5. That best management practices (BMPs) such as bio-swales, infiltration basins, rain gardens and/or porous pavers, to address stormwater runoff quality shall be considered in the overall site design.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of Aurora hereby adopts the Preliminary Plan and related required documents as attached hereto as Exhibit "A" Preliminary Plan.