Northbrook panel recommends special permit for Carnegie auto sales at 3160 Commercial Avenue

The Northbrook Plan Commission voted to approve a resolution recommending the Board of Trustees grant Carnegie Inc. a special permit to operate a motor vehicle dealership with an open sales lot at 3160 Commercial Avenue, and to permit a parking variation that reduces the required 27 spaces to 24 and a loading-space variation eliminating a required loading space.

Senior planner Pandy told commissioners the property is zoned I-1 (restricted industrial) and that the motor vehicle dealership with an open sales lot is a special-permit use in that district. Pandy said the business had been operating on the site and had been cited for storing vehicles outdoors; the applicant filed the special-permit application after a preliminary review found the use otherwise appropriate.

Applicants Ilya Resnick and co-owner Sarish Schaub told the commission Carnegie operates as a boutique used-car dealership that generally stores inventory inside and moves vehicles outside temporarily for appointments or test drives. Resnick said the operation is appointment-focused and not a typical used-car lot with large outdoor displays; Schaub told the commission the business responded to the village’s enforcement letter and that outdoor storage had been limited to “reasonable inventory movement.”

According to the application packet, the single-tenant building can store roughly 40–45 vehicles inside. The site contains 46 striped parking spaces; the applicant proposed dedicating 24 spaces for customer and employee parking and using the remaining striped spaces to stage up to 22 vehicles for sale during daytime operations. Because the zoning code requires off-street parking calculations to exclude spaces used for vehicle storage, the property needs 27 parking spaces for the building’s use and the applicant requested a three-space reduction (an 11.11% reduction). The applicant also requested a loading-space variation from the code requirement of one loading space to none and asked that the commission consider any additional waivers required.

Commissioners probed operational details including overnight storage, delivery activity, and circulation for emergency vehicles. Commissioners asked the applicant to ensure vehicles be parked only in striped stalls (the village zoning code requires parking in marked stalls) and discussed a possible condition to require all vehicles be stored inside overnight; commissioners were split on adding an explicit overnight requirement and ultimately left the resolution as prepared by staff.

Commissioner comments in favor noted the applicant is the only tenant in the building and that circulation concerns could be addressed by restricting parking to striped spaces and keeping rear circulation clear for emergency access. After discussion, a motion to approve Resolution No. 25-PCD-01 (Village of Northbrook Plan Commission docket PCD 24-14) carried on roll call.

Votes at a glance: plan commission recommendation on Resolution No. 25-PCD-01 (PCD 24-14) - Motion: Approve resolution recommending approval of a special permit for a motor vehicle dealership with open sales lot, a parking variation to reduce required spaces from 27 to 24, and a loading-space variation from 1 to 0, as prepared and submitted by staff. - Mover: (motion recorded in the transcript as made during the hearing; name not specified in the audio record provided) - Second: (second recorded in the hearing; name not specified in the audio record provided) - Roll-call vote (as read aloud by staff): Commissioner Bremen — Aye; Commissioner Halperin — Yes; Commissioner Caravides — Yes; Commissioner Malnik — Yes; Commissioner Sandler — Yes; Chairman Alisco — Yes. - Tally: yes 6, no 0, abstain 0. Outcome: approved by the Plan Commission (recommendation to Board of Trustees).

The resolution and Plan Commission recommendation will go to the Board of Trustees for final action at its next available meeting; staff indicated the item is expected to reach the board on Feb. 11. If the board approves the special permit and variations, the applicant may operate the open sales lot subject to any conditions the board sets.

Proper names and references in this article use spellings and terms cited by the village and the applicant: Carnegie Inc.; PGL Properties Investment Management LLC (owner); Village of Northbrook zoning code; Resolution No. 25-PCD-01 (staff draft).