(A) Architectural and site plans. Plans for buildings shall be prepared by or under the direction and supervision of a person registered to practice architecture in the state, under the provisions of the Illinois Architectural Practice Act (or any successor act), and shall bear the stamp of the official seal of such registered architect and certification to the effect that such plans were prepared by the architect, or under the architect’s direction and supervision, in conformance with the statutes and ordinances pertaining thereto; with such exceptions as are provided for under § 3 of said Illinois Architectural Practice Act.
(1) Architectural drawings shall be explicit and complete, accurately indicating all distances and dimensions including location of all sewers, water and other services.
(2) All construction shall be in accordance with the plans and specifications reviewed and approved pursuant to this section. If changes are desired, architectural drawings or addenda shall be submitted for review and approval prior to any change being made.
(3) Site plans shall be detailed to show all existing buildings and proposed additions, hardscape areas, existing and proposed utility and service locations and sizes, existing and proposed easements, required setbacks, trees and other key features of the site.
(4) Two surveys by a registered state land surveyor shall be submitted to the Community Development Department. The survey shall indicate all property lines, easements and all building lines of record. The survey shall indicate the legal description of the premises, be drawn on paper not smaller than 14 inches by 18 inches to a scale of not less than 30 feet to the inch. The Director of Community Development may require a title search of any lot or parcel of land proposed as a construction site.
(B) Building Review Board.
(1) Creation; composition; term. There is hereby created the City Building Review Board herein referenced as the Board.
(a) The Mayor, with the advice and consent of the City Council, shall appoint seven residents to serve as Board members with one of the members appointed as Chairperson. Each member may serve a maximum of three consecutive two-year terms or until a successor is appointed, with said terms set to expire on a staggered basis.
(b) Members serve at the discretion of the Mayor.
(c) In the event of any vacancy on the Board, the Mayor, with the consent of the Council, shall appoint a resident to fill the remainder of the term.
(d) Four members of the Board shall constitute a quorum.
(e) The Board shall include persons of diverse background with each member demonstrating various skills, knowledge and expertise in one or more of the areas of architectural design, engineering, construction, landscaping, real estate sales or development or related fields which facilitate the review of matters that come from the Board.
(f) One member of the Board may serve concurrently on the Zoning Board of Appeals with the terms for each body being distinct and separate.
(g) One member of the Board may serve concurrently on the Historic Preservation Commission with the terms for each body being distinct and separate.
(2) Purpose. The Building Review Board is responsible for evaluating and making recommendations regarding new construction, demolitions, additions and alterations to existing buildings and signage for the purpose of ensuring that the character of the community, the high standards for development, the quality of life and property values are maintained. The Building Review Board provides a forum for public input and deliberation with a focus on architectural design, building massing, landscaping and overall site design in relation to the individual site and the neighborhood as a whole.
(3) Powers and duties. The Board shall discharge the following duties under this chapter:
(a) Consider and make recommendations regarding applications for projects requiring architectural review pursuant to this section except that based on a majority vote of the City Council the required review of, and recommendations relating to, a city owned project may be reassigned to another Board, Commission or ad hoc committee, appointed by the Mayor with the approval of the City Council, if said body has purview over other aspects of said project and if its members are able, in the determination of the Council, to conduct the required architectural review and make associated recommendations. In the case of such reassignment, the selected Board, Commission or ad hoc committee shall receive a staff report and recommendation and conduct the architectural review, and make recommendations to the City Council, based on the standards in this chapter which would otherwise be used for the review of the project by the Building Review Board;
(b) Consider and make recommendations regarding applications for exceptions from the building scale requirements pursuant to § 150.148;
(c) Consider and make recommendations regarding applications for exceptions from the demolition permit regulations pursuant to § 150.148;
(d) Consider and make recommendations regarding appeals from a denial of a demolition permit § 150.148;
(e) Adopt an annual meeting schedule;
(f) Cancel or re-schedule regular meetings or hold special meetings if a reasonable basis for such action exists as determined by the Chairperson or a majority of the Board;
(g) Adopt rules and procedures for public meetings;
(h) The Director of Community Development or a designee shall act as Recording Secretary for the Board;
(i) Advise and make recommendations to other city boards and commissions on matters before those bodies as requested by those boards and commissions;
(j) Consider and make recommendations to the City Council pertaining to amendments to this section and § 150.148 from time to time as may be deemed appropriate;
(k) Undertake such other tasks as the City Council may direct from time to time; and
(l) Develop recommended guidelines if it deems appropriate to further explain how the standards set forth in this section may appropriately be incorporated into a project, which guidelines shall be available from the Community Development Department.
(C) Architectural design review.
(1) Purpose and goals. The city, a special charter and home rule municipality, finds that buildings, landscaping, awnings, signs, fences and other structures, when designed within the context of the established surrounding neighborhood, preserve the distinct and unique architectural and historic character of the city. It is the goal of the regulations in this section that each building in the city complement and improve upon the architectural heritage of the city. Specifically, the purposes of the architectural design review process are:
(a) To protect, preserve and enhance the natural and architectural environment of the city;
(b) To protect and enhance property values;
(c) To preserve the overall historic and architectural character of the community;
(d) To preserve the character of the neighborhoods which have a recognizable historic or architectural theme;
(e) To protect the unique aspects that distinguish neighborhoods from each other;
(f) To maintain the diversity of housing stock traditionally found in the city including diversity in style, size and price point;
(g) To avoid development that is unsightly, unsuitable or not compatible with the property or surrounding neighborhood; and
(h) To promote the health, safety and welfare of the city and its residents.
(2) Definitions. For the purpose of this division (C), the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.
PROJECT. Any activity requiring a building, demolition or similar development permit from the city that affects the exterior appearance of the subject property, including without limitation the erection, remodeling or alteration of a building, landscaping, awning, sign, fence or other structure, but excluding repairs and maintenance activity that does not alter the exterior appearance of a building or structure.
SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOOD.
1. The full block on which the property is located;
2. The block face opposite the street frontage on which the property is located; on a corner lot, the block face on both street frontages on which the property is located shall be considered;
3. The adjoining block face to the rear of the property; and
4. The general character of the larger neighborhood, consisting of two blocks in each direction of the property.
(3) Procedure.
(a) Review by the Director of Community Development.
1. Request for waiver of Building Review Board consideration. An application for waiver of Board review may be submitted for determination and recommendation on whether the standards set forth in division (C)(4) below are satisfied. Such application shall be delivered to the Director of Community Development or the Director’s designee. An application for waiver of Board review must include the following:
a. A completed waiver application form;
b. A legal survey of the property showing existing buildings and conditions on the property;
c. A site plan showing all new construction and any changes proposed for the property including, but not limited to, changes to buildings, landscaping, driveways, utility locations and grading;
d. Conceptual elevations and information on proposed exterior materials; and
e. A completed building scale calculation on a calculation sheet provided by the city.
2. Review of application for waiver and recommendation of Director of Community Development on whether Building Review Board consideration should be waived. Within 35 days following receipt of a complete application for waiver, the Director may recommend waiver of the requirement for Building Review Board consideration.
a. If the Director recommends a waiver of Board consideration based on a determination that the project complies with the standards set forth in division (C)(3)(b) below, then such recommendation for waiver shall be forwarded to the members of the Building Review Board for information. Unless a member of the Building Review Board directs that the waiver be disallowed and requests that the matter be referred for a hearing before the Building Review Board pursuant to division (C)(3)(b) below within five business days after the recommendation is forwarded by the Director of Community Development to the Board, the waiver shall be deemed granted by the Board and an application for a building permit may be applied for without further architectural design review; or
b. If the Director does not recommend a waiver of Board consideration based on a determination that the project does not comply with the standards set forth in division (C)(4) below, then the Director shall refer the application to the Building Review Board for a public hearing in accordance with division (C)(3)(b) below. The referral to the Building Review Board shall include a staff report and recommendation on the application as part of the packet provided to the Board. In addition, the Director of Community Development shall deliver a copy of the staff report and recommendation to the applicant and shall notify the applicant in writing of the time and place of the public hearing of the Building Review Board and of the application submittal requirements for Board review in accordance with division (C)(3)(a)1. above.
3. In the event that the Director does not issue a report and recommendation on an application for waiver within such 35-day period, the project shall be deemed eligible for submittal of a complete building permit application (subject to customary building permit review) without further consideration or action by the Building Review Board. For purposes of formulating a recommendation on an application for waiver, unless the Director finds a substantial inconsistency between a project and the standards in division (C)(4) below, the Director will recommend a waiver for any project that either: is not visible from a street; increases the gross floor area of a building by the lesser of 100 square feet or 10%; or is necessitated by requirements of health or safety.
(b) Review by the Building Review Board.
1. Application for Building Review Board consideration and action.
a. A complete application shall include without limitation the following plans and information and shall be submitted in accordance with the schedule adopted on an annual basis by the Building Review Board.
i. Completed building scale calculation form;
ii. Impervious surface calculation;
iii. Application form;
iv. Description of exterior materials form;
v. Statement of intent;
vi. Legal plat of survey;
vii. Site plan of proposed improvements;
viii. Grading plan (if any grade change is proposed);
ix. Site grading cross section (if any grade change is proposed);
x. Tree survey;
xi. Dimensioned drawings of all new structures or additions showing exterior materials;
xii. All elevations; at least one elevation shall be in color;
xiii. Floor plans;
xiv. Roof plan;
xv. Cross sections;
xvi. Streetscape elevation (required for all new houses and major additions visible from the street);
xvii. Landscape plan;
xviii. Photographs of the site and existing buildings;
xix. All applicable fees; and
xx. Other materials as required by the Director of Community Development, including, without limitation, a roof line mock-up.
b. In addition to the above materials, the following shall be submitted for all applications for demolition:
i. A written statement addressing the demolition criteria;
ii. Structural evaluation from an independent structural engineer;
iii. Massing model;
iv. Site plan overlay of existing and proposed structures and hardscape; and
v. Elevation overlays of existing and proposed elevations.
c. One or more of the required materials may be waived if the Director of Community Development determines that the information is not relevant to the project or to the issues that will be considered by the Board. Detailed information on the required materials shall be provided in the application packet available from time to time through the Community Development Department.
2. Site staked.
a. Staking. No less than 14 days prior to the Building Review Board meeting at which the application is scheduled to be considered, the foot print of all new residences and all additions shall be staked.
b. Application for Building Review Board consideration and action. Unless an application for waiver is granted or deemed granted by the Building Review Board in accordance with division this (C)(3), a complete Building Review Board application shall be submitted to the Community Development Department. Within five days after receipt of the application, the Director of Community Development shall issue a written notice to the petitioner identifying deficiencies in the completeness or correctness of the application.
c. Public hearing. After receipt of a complete Building Review Board application, a public hearing shall be set within 60 days thereafter, or at the first regularly scheduled Building Review Board that has not been fully subscribed, but in no event later than 120 days after receipt of a completed application. If a hearing is not commenced within the period set forth in the preceding sentence, the application shall be deemed recommended for approval and shall be presented to the City Council pursuant to division (C)(3)(c) below for final determination. At the hearing, the applicant and any owner of property within the surrounding neighborhood shall have the right to submit written and oral testimony.
3. Notice of hearing. Not less than ten days before the date of the public hearing, the Director shall post notice of the time and place of the hearing and mail notice of the hearing to the owners of each property within 1,320 feet of the subject property or within three properties deep, whichever is less. For purposes of this division (C)(3)(b)3., an OWNER of a property shall be either: an occupant; a legal or beneficial owner; or the person to whom the most recent real estate tax bill has been sent. Failure of any owner of a property to receive notice shall not affect the validity of any action taken with respect to a petition.
4. Recommendation by Building Review Board. At the conclusion of the public hearing, the Building Review Board shall vote in public whether to recommend to the City Council approval, disapproval or conditional approval of the application based upon consideration of the standards set forth in division (C)(4) below. The Board may continue consideration of an application if the Board determines that additional information is required. On behalf of the Board, the Director of Community Development shall transmit the written findings and determination of the Board, in the form of a meeting action summary, within ten business days after the conclusion of the hearing to:
a. The applicant;
b. Any owner of property in the surrounding neighborhood who delivers a written request for such determination to the Director of Community Development within three days after the close of the public hearing; and
c. The City Council.
(c) Action by City Council. Following the City Council’s receipt of the meeting action summary, the City Council shall by ordinance either approve, approve with conditions or deny the application. Consideration of such ordinance shall be placed on the agenda of the City Council no later than 45 days after the City Council’s receipt the meeting action summary. The City Council may in its discretion, seek further review on an application prior to action.
(4) Standards and considerations for architectural and site design review.
(a) Standards.
1. In evaluating applications for architectural design review, the Director of Community Development, Building Review Board and the City Council, shall consider and evaluate the propriety of issuing a building permit in terms of its effect on the stated purposes and goals of architectural design review. To that end, the Director of Community Development, Building Review Board and the City Council, shall consider the appearance of a project in terms of the quality of its design and the relationship to its surrounding neighborhood. A project should harmonize with and support the city’s unique character, with special consideration accorded the preservation and enhancement of landmarks, the preservation and enhancement of natural features (including without limitation existing trees and landscaping), and fostering architectural quality that complements the architectural and historic heritage of the city and the property values within the community. Furthermore, a project must be consistent with all applicable ordinances and regulations of the city, including without limitation the City Zoning Code, Comprehensive Plan and tree preservation regulations, absent a variance granted consistent with applicable code requirements.
2. In addition to the general standards listed above, the Director of Community Development, Building Review Board and the City Council, shall consider, among other factors, the following standards.
a. Site plan.
i. All setbacks shall be met or exceeded and disturbance to the natural landscaping on the site should be minimized. Further, the project should be designed to preserve and enhance natural features on the site, including, without limitation, existing trees, wooded areas and landscaping. In addition, the project should be designed to minimize changes to the natural grade in order to maintain natural drainage patterns.
ii. Access to the site and circulation thereon should be safe and convenient for pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles.
iii. Driveways should be located to maintain adequate space between cuts in the streetscape and to provide space for landscaping and drainage between driveways and neighboring properties.
iv. Driveway and parking areas should be screened to reduce visual intrusions into surrounding properties and to maintain the landscape dominant character of the city. Projects that materially affect the natural features of a neighborhood, or that materially alter the spaces and spatial relationships that characterize a property or surrounding neighborhood should be avoided.
v. Screening, fencing, gates and pillars should be consistent in design and materials with the principal buildings on the subject property and with properties in the surrounding neighborhood.
vi. Compatibility with the surrounding neighborhood should be achieved; however, repetitive duplication of building designs within the surrounding neighborhood should be avoided.
b. Elevations.
i. The scale and height of the project should be in conformance with the code requirements of the city, and should be visually compatible with the landscaping and topography of the site and with buildings on the site and in the surrounding neighborhood.
ii. The relationship of solids to voids in the front facade of a project should be visually compatible with buildings, public ways and places to which it is visually related in the surrounding neighborhood, and they should add interest to the elevations and relief from building mass.
iii. The visual continuity of roofs and their contributing elements (such as parapet walls, coping and cornices) should be maintained in building development or redevelopment.
iv. To the extent applicable, the project should be consistent throughout with the elements of the chosen architectural style (e.g., Colonial, English Tudor, Contemporary and the like) and such architectural style should be maintained for all elevations of the building or structure. Accessory structures should be architecturally compatible with the principal structure on the lot.
v. The elevations of the project should be proportional to the property on which it is located and to the surrounding neighborhood.
vi. Compatibility with the surrounding neighborhood should be achieved however, repetitive duplication of building designs within the surrounding neighborhood should be avoided.
c. Landscaping.
i. Landscaping plans should be consistent with the natural environment of the site, adjacent properties and the surrounding neighborhood; provided that, when a site is open, suitable landscaping consistent with the wooded nature of the city should be provided.
ii. Existing natural features should be appropriately preserved and integrated into the project. Under appropriate circumstances, a conservation area consisting of landscaping and natural growth, but excluding lawns and any impervious surface between adjacent properties or along the streetscape, would promote this objective.
d. Type, color and texture of materials.
i. Exterior materials should be of the highest quality, appropriate for the intended use, and consistent with the chosen architectural style.
ii. Materials should be selected for both their durability and usefulness, however, imitation and synthetic substitutions should be avoided.
iii. Colors of the materials for the project should be harmonious with compatible accents. Materials, level of detail and ornamentation should be consistent with the particular architectural type that is proposed.
iv. Design, material and color scheme should be compatible with and enhance the character of the property and the surrounding neighborhood. A project that is obviously incongruous with its surroundings or unsightly and grotesque should be avoided.
v. A project’s design or color should not be distracting to vehicular traffic so as to cause a safety hazard.
e. Overall site layout.
i. The building layout should maximize the distance between buildings on the site and buildings on adjacent properties.
ii. The building layout should maintain appropriate distances between buildings on the site itself.
iii. The size, scale and nature of a building or project should be consistent with the existing streetscape and character of the neighborhood and should not be inconsistent with the planned character for the surrounding neighborhood as expressed in the Comprehensive Plan.
iv. The project shall not cause a substantial depreciation in the property values of adjacent buildings, the surrounding neighborhood or the city.
v. The project should not unduly detract from the natural environment of the site, adjacent properties or the surrounding neighborhood.
f. Standards and guidelines. These standards and the specific residential design guidelines described in division (C)(4)(b) below are intended to encourage strong design and to provide direction on how to achieve that goal. These standards are not intended to limit creativity or restrict imagination, innovations or variety in architectural styles, but rather seek to preserve and enhance the city’s unique historic and architectural character and surrounding neighborhoods.
(b) Specific residential design guidelines. In addition to the standards set forth above, in reviewing an application for a residential project, the Director of Community Development, Building Review Board and the City Council shall consider whether the project meets the “City of Lake Forest Residential Design Guidelines,” which guidelines are set forth and incorporated by reference herein.
(5) Plan modifications. It shall be unlawful to alter or in any way modify plans that have been reviewed and approved by the City Council. If during the course of construction, it is desired to deviate from the application and plans as approved, the owner or contractor must obtain a waiver pursuant to division (C)(3)(a) above or obtain approval from the City Council for such modifications.
(6) Duration of approvals. No approval shall be valid for a period longer than two years from the date of such approval unless within such period a building permit is obtained and all fees are paid. If a building permit is not granted and fees are not paid within such period, the City Council, in its discretion, may extend the duration of any such approval upon request.
(7) Historic preservation jurisdiction. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this section, any matters pertaining to changes to a landmark or a district as designated under the city historic preservation regulations shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the City Historic Preservation Commission, and the Building Review Board shall conduct no proceedings relating to such landmark or district.
(Prior Code, § 9-86) (Ord. 94-11B, passed 4-21-1994; Ord. 01-11, passed 4-19-2001; Ord. 03-41, passed 9-8-2003; Ord. 00-12, passed 4-3-2000; Ord. 2006-57, passed 10-19-2006; Ord. 2009-18, passed 4-20-2009) Penalty, see § 150.999