Agenda Item:
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Consideration of a Referral to the Zoning Commission of a Proposed Zoning Code Amendment to Adopt a Planned Development Ordinance
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Staff Contact: Taylor Baxter, Development Services Director, Choose an item.
Purpose and Actions Requested: Staff requests Village Board consideration of a referral to the Zoning Commission of a proposed Zoning Code amendment to adopt a Planned Development (PD) ordinance
Budget Impact: Not Applicable
Strategic Priority Addressed: Reliable Infrastructure, Economic Vitality, Community Resilience, Choose an item.
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BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS
Glencoe’s 2024 “All In, Glencoe” Comprehensive Plan is organized around five “Big Ideas”, the first of which is to “build upon Glencoe’s Character”. This character is defined by “quality housing and architecture, good schools, community institutions, places of worship, local businesses, local cultural resources, the Lakefront parks and golf courses, tree-lined streets, and the connection that Metra rail station provides to the Chicago Metropolitan Region.” The Comprehensive Plan also notes that, “Embedded in the notion of “building upon Glencoe’s character” is a concern that was consistently raised during public engagement about being known as a place with large single-family homes, and limited alternatives for existing residents who raised their families in the community and wish to remain here through retirement. Without changing its existing character and quaint, small-town feel, this Big Idea also discusses expanding the variety of housing options so that people of all life stages can live and remain in Glencoe.”
With this concern in mind, the Comprehensive Plan includes a Goal of providing “a variety of housing types to serve the full spectrum of life stages, lifestyles, and economic circumstances, and to accommodate multiple generations of Glencoe residents.” Within the Plan’s recommendations for achieving this goal is a directive to “Develop a Planned Unit Development Ordinance.” The “Future Land Use” section of the Plan includes the following strategy:
Strategy A: Create a Planned Unit Development (PUD) Ordinance that establishes a process for integrating planning, engineering, and enhancing design character across mixed-use or multiple-lot development.
1. Residential PUD: Develop a set of residential standards for a planned unit development in a residential setting. This would become especially useful if one or more of the golf courses or any large tract of land in Glencoe became available for redevelopment
2. Business Districts PUD: Develop a separate set of standards for a planned unit development to guide new development or redevelopment, particularly for mixed-use developments or where buildings exceed three (3) stories in height. This should include the following standards:
1. Diminish the visibility of parking (by locating parking in the rear, constructing underground parking, or wrapping active uses around parking)
2. Encourage retail and active uses on all first-floor spaces
3. Encourage reinvestment in existing properties without diminishing pedestrian vitality
The Comprehensive Plan includes a chapter on plan implementation, in which this strategy is listed as a high priority.
PLANNED DEVELOPMENT ORDINANCE OVERVIEW
Also referred to as a Planned Unit Development (PUD) ordinance, a PD ordinance is a regulatory tool that can be used to provide flexibility from otherwise applicable zoning standards to allow developments to provide desirable design enhancements through a detailed development review process. Some goals of a PD process include:
• Flexible zoning and development standards
• Comprehensive Plan implementation
• Economic development
• Natural resource protection
• Higher-quality design
• In-depth development review
• Context-sensitive design
A PD ordinance should include:
• Clear regulations regarding which development standards may be flexible and the limits of such flexibility;
• Standards for review, including a list of desired design enhancements; and
• A clear review process for proposed Planned Developments.
PLAN COMMISSION REVIEW AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The Plan Commission has been working on developing the process framework for a working draft PD ordinance since the fall of 2025. Commissioners’ recommendations have included:
1. Commissioners discussed what types of projects should require a PD review and which types of projects should be permitted to go through an optional PD review process. Commissioners considered whether all new developments in the Central Business District should be required to go through a PD review process but ultimately recommended that only significant redevelopment projects should require this review. For example, new commercial, mixed-use, or multi-family residential projects over 10,000 square feet in size or creating 10 or more dwelling units could be required to go through a PD process. These thresholds could be reduced to 5,000 square feet and five new dwelling units for additions. Smaller projects may be eligible for an optional PD review process. New residential developments over 10 acres in size could be required to go through a PD process, with sites over two acres being eligible for an optional PD. The Commission recommended that the Zoning Commission and Village Board consider and refine these thresholds.
2. Commissioners considered the design enhancements that the Village may look for during a PD review process. These are summarized in the “goals” section above, with the intent of providing zoning and development flexibility for projects that will deliver high-quality design.
3. Commissioners discussed what zoning and development standards should be able to be modified through a PD process. These may include changes to height, setback, floor area, or other standards. Commissioners recommended following the guidance of the Comprehensive Plan when considering these flexible standards.
4. Commissioners recommended that the Zoning Commission and Village Board perform a detailed review of the proposed PD process, including making a determination about which Boards and Commissions should review proposals.
CODE AMENDMENT PROCESS
The Zoning Code amendment process is:
Step 1: Initial Village Board consideration. The Board may deny the proposed amendment or refer it to the Zoning Commission for a public hearing and a recommendation. The Board may include any instructions to the Commission as it determines to be appropriate.
Step 2: Zoning Commission public hearing. Following the public hearing, the Zoning Commission makes a recommendation to the Village Board.
Step 3: Final Village Board decision.
Following the referral by the Village Board of this proposed Zoning Code amendment, the Zoning Commission will hold a public hearing to gather feedback on the proposed PD ordinance. This feedback, along with the recommendations of the Plan Commission and Comprehensive Plan and any guidance provided by the Village Board will be used by the Zoning Commission to recommend the final text of the PD ordinance to the Village Board for final review and approval.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that if the Village Board determines that further consideration of this topic is needed, it should move to refer the proposed Zoning Code amendment to the Zoning Commission for a public hearing and a recommendation.
MOTION:
Move to refer the proposed Zoning Code amendment to adopt a Planned Development ordinance to the Zoning Commission for a public hearing and a recommendation; or move to deny the proposed Zoning Code amendment.