The Village of Riverwoods Plan Commission on a continued public hearing on Orphans of the Storm’s proposal to replace and expand its animal shelter at 2200 Riverwoods Road, saying additional technical information is needed before the commission can act.

Orphans of the Storm seeks a text amendment to the village zoning code to add an explicit definition and special‑use category for animal shelters, and a special‑use permit to replace the existing roughly 15,000‑square‑foot shelter with a new, 22,000‑square‑foot building that the applicant says will not increase the number of animals cared for. Director Steve Witt told the commission that staff recommends approval be conditioned on the text amendment and on the project’s “substantial conformance” with the materials submitted to the village.

The applicant’s presentation, led by Michelle Shields, volunteer president of Orphans of the Storm, and the project design team, described a design focused on animal welfare and noise control. Shields said the shelter is privately funded and that “our building is almost a 100 years old.” The design team described indoor‑outdoor kennel “neighborhoods” with overhead doors that can be closed at night to limit sound, larger individual enclosures, separated public and service circulation, and an education center and adoption spaces. Architect and design team members said the footprint of active operations is concentrated in roughly 2.7 acres of the site’s 8.92 acres and that most remaining land is protected woodlands and wetlands.

Commissioners and staff pressed the applicants for more detail on several technical items. Staff and commissioners asked for:
- an ecological mitigation plan and tree‑replacement calculations tied to the village’s tree preservation standards; staff flagged potential impacts to the woodland and requested clearer cross sections showing finished grades where the proposed parking and pavement meet existing trees;
- a detailed staging and phasing plan that demonstrates the project will stay within the village’s allowable disturbance limits during construction and that public access will be preserved while portions of the site are under construction;
- confirmation of stormwater approaches, including whether proposed artificial turf products would count as pervious surface for impervious‑area calculations, and additional information on proposed swales and rain‑garden features; and
- plans and specifications for noise‑sensitive mechanical equipment (HVAC) and rooftop screening to limit operational noise transfer to nearby homes.

The commission and staff also discussed a long‑running village concern outside the zoning review: a retaining wall and berm along the south property line and an existing 10‑foot bike/path easement granted to the village in 2006. Village staff reported preliminary coordination with the Lake County Division of Transportation (LCDOT), which is evaluating Riverwoods Road improvements that could require permanent or temporary right‑of‑way; staff said that if the county’s final design requires changes to the wall or berm, the village needs assurance those costs will not fall to the village. Village staff asked the applicant to work with the village attorney and to consider a guaranty or surety to cover any future relocation or underpinning of the berm/wall if county construction requires it.

On operations, the applicant said it expects staffing levels to remain similar to current operations (roughly 15 on‑site employees and a regular volunteer corps) and presented proposed holding capacity counts: up to 69 dog units (including adoption runs, isolation and holding) and 65 cat units. Executive Director Rick Alexander told the commission that the shelter currently schedules trash pickup “6 days a week” and that the new building will include flushing stations for animal waste to reduce odors.

Public comment at the hearing included supportive remarks from a nearby neighbor who said he was impressed with the plan but asked whether the shelter’s continued location is appropriate after nearly a century. Several commissioners and staff responded that the hearing and the requested text amendment are the process for evaluating that question, and that the proposed design seeks to reduce noise and other impacts compared with the current facility.

After extended discussion, the commission did not vote on the special use request. Instead members voted to continue the public hearing to allow the applicant to supply the additional information requested by staff (ecological mitigation/tree replacement details, a staging/phasing plan, stormwater and turf product clarifications, and legal review/assurances regarding the berm/retaining wall and LCDOT coordination). The commission asked staff to review the new materials, coordinate with the village attorney on the retaining‑wall/easement issue, and return to the commission at the continued hearing.

Votes at a glance
- Motion to approve minutes for 02/06/2025: approved; recorded abstention(s) as noted in the minutes.
- Motion to approve minutes for 06/05/2025: approved; recorded abstention by Commissioner Blaylock.
- Motion to continue the public hearing on Orphans of the Storm to the commission’s next meeting/date certain: passed.

The commission closed the public comment period and continued the hearing; a specific continued hearing date will be set and published. Staff and the applicant will supply the requested technical documentation before the next session.