Plan Commission reviews comprehensive zoning-code rewrite, continues public hearing to Aug. 19

The Northbrook Plan Commission on a village‑initiated docket (PCD2509) continued the public hearing on a proposed, comprehensive replacement of the village zoning code and directed staff to prepare a resolution for the commission’s consideration on Aug. 19.

Deputy Director Mikaela Kolstad and consultant Jackie Berg of House Steel Levine told the commission the rewrite replaces the village’s zoning code (adopted 1988) with a new code composed of 14 articles covering general provisions, administration and enforcement, single‑family and multifamily standards, commercial and industrial districts, overlay standards (including the Village Green overlay), signs, nonconformities and definitions.

The rewrite is intended to “preserve community identity, prioritize the user experience and promote sustainability initiatives,” Jackie Berg said. Senior Planner Swati Pandey noted the code update has been a two‑year process with multiple workshops, open houses and joint meetings with the village board. “The last zoning code was adopted in 1988,” Pandey said. “The world has changed a lot since then.”

Why it matters: the draft makes multiple substantive changes to permitted housing types, project review processes and downtown design standards that would affect future development and redevelopment across Northbrook.

Key proposed changes described by staff and the consultant

- Administrative and procedural changes: the draft eliminates some distinctions between “permitted” and “major variations,” introduces administrative modifications for limited, objective deviations from standards, and provides flow charts of review steps. A new one‑step process is proposed for planned unit developments over 200,000 square feet.

- Single‑family districts: the draft proposes modest changes to minimum lot area/width in the R4 and R5 districts to reduce nonconformities; it also proposes removing floor‑area‑ratio (FAR) standards in favor of regulating bulk through setbacks, height maximums and lot/building coverage.

- Duplexes and cottage courts: the draft would allow duplexes (two single‑family dwelling units attached) by right in the R5 district using the same lot area and width minima as single‑family detached homes; staff said height limits for duplexes would match single‑family limits (35 feet). The draft also proposes allowing cottage courts in R5 on consolidated lots with a minimum lot area of 20,000 sq ft and minimum width of 110 ft; staff presented a conceptual layout showing four consolidated lots producing roughly 30,000 sq ft of area with a 2,500 sq ft common court and an optional community building.

- Commercial and use table modernization: the current use table (based on SIC codes) would be simplified into broader, modern categories (for example, “general retail”) to reduce hyper‑specific use listings and to accommodate newer business types (co‑working spaces, commercial kitchens, artisan manufacturing). The consultant said some uses would remain singled out (for example, tobacco retailing) and in some cases be shifted to a special use.

- Village Green overlay (downtown): new form‑based standards are proposed including a two‑story minimum for new buildings in the Village Green overlay, upper‑story stepbacks, a menu of façade articulation options (developers must choose a minimum number), minimum “tier‑1” cladding materials (brick/stone) and minimum transparent storefront glazing to support a pedestrian‑oriented street frontage. Staff also proposed allowing up to a 50% reduction or waiver of required parking in the Village Green overlay but stipulating a minimum of one parking space per residential unit.

Public comment and concerns

Residents and stakeholders spoke at the hearing. Christine Eckenburg (514 Helen Drive) asked the commission to retain the O5 restricted office district for two Dundee Road properties (see separate rezoning docket) and argued that O5’s narrower use allowances reduce the risk of high‑traffic uses. Neighbor Karen Foley (557 Helen Drive) said narrow residential streets near the properties could be subject to additional cut‑through traffic if more intense uses locate nearby.

Other commenters backed the draft changes: architectural illustrator and resident Bruce Bondi praised allowing more housing types to preserve “diversity” of housing sizes and price points and said increased downtown density can help support local businesses. Developer‑commenter Bridal Giles urged caution about prescriptive material standards in the downtown, recommending design guidelines and a discretionary review path for developers to balance cost and design.

Commissioner and staff discussion

Commissioners asked staff to research several issues before the commission votes on a final recommendation: whether duplexes should require special‑use review in some contexts, whether cottage courts should be permitted in other dense single‑family districts (for example R4), and whether additional localized studies or precedent reports are available about property‑value, traffic and public‑safety impacts where similar reforms have been implemented. Staff (Kolstad and Pandey) said most peer communities cited (Highland Park, Libertyville, Morton Grove, Deerfield) permit duplexes in the most dense single‑family district and that the village’s consultant had located property‑value analyses for Minneapolis and Evanston; staff agreed to search for additional local studies and return with more information.

Next steps and procedural actions

The commission closed the public hearing and then, after discussion, voted to reopen and continue both public hearings (PCD2509 — zoning code rewrite — and PCD2510 — Dundee Road rezoning) to a date certain: August 19, 2025. The commission also directed staff to prepare a resolution for PCD2509 to be considered at that continued hearing. Staff said the resolution would be draftable and could be amended by the commission at the August meeting.

Taper: commissioners and staff acknowledged the length and scope of the rewrite, thanked consultant Jackie Berg and village staff for a multi‑year effort, and noted the continued hearing gives commissioners and the public a month to review materials and submit further comments.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to approve minutes of 06/17/2025 meeting: approved (yes: 8; abstain: 1 [Commissioner Walden]). - Motion to close public hearings (PCD2509 & PCD2510): approved (roll call indicated unanimous yes among present commissioners). - Motion to reopen and continue both public hearings to Aug. 19, 2025: approved (roll call vote). - Motion directing staff to prepare a resolution for PCD2509 (zoning code rewrite): approved (roll call vote).