MEMORANDUM
VILLAGE OF NORTHBROOK
DEVELOPMENT AND PLANNING SERVICES DEPARTMENT
TO:
RICHARD A. NAHRSTADT, VILLAGE MANAGER
FROM:
DAVID SCHOON, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
DATE:
January 10, 2017
SUBJECT:
PRELIMINARY REVIEW - ZONING RELIEF FOR FREESTANDING SIGNS DUNBROOK CENTER
INTRODUCTION
On January 10, 2017, the Board of Trustees is scheduled to conduct a preliminary review of an
application submitted by Shiner Dunbrook, LLC (the “Applicant”), as owner of Dunbrook Shopping
Center located at 2720-2776 Dundee Road (the “Subject Property”). The Applicant is requesting relief to
accommodate two new multi-tenant ground signs located along Dundee Road, which would replace the
three existing freestanding signs along Dundee Road. Upon initial review, the following zoning relief
would be necessary:


Text Amendments to the C-2 Commercial District
o
to allow ground signs taller than 8 feet by special permit approval;
o
to allow the reduction of the spacing requirement (currently 300 feet) between
freestanding signs by special permit approval; and
Special permit approval to allow two ground signs each of which is 16 feet tall and
approximately 200 feet apart.
 Variation to reduce the required ground sign setback from 20 feet to approximately 2-3 feet along
Dundee Road for each proposed ground sign.
The Subject Property is approximately 3.3 acres in size and currently contains a multi-tenant strip
shopping center and parking lot. The Subject Property is zoned C-2 Neighborhood Commercial and is
located on the northeast corner of Pfingsten Road (a County local arterial road) and Dundee Road (a
State regional arterial road). The Subject Property is surrounded by R-6 Multiple Family Residential
zoning to the north, C-2 and R-4 Single Family Residential zoning to the south, R-8 Multiple Family
Residential zoning to the east, and C-2 zoning to the west. The Comprehensive Plan designates the
Subject Property as appropriate for community retail. No portion of the site is located within the 100year floodplain, and the site is not in close proximity to any improvement project identified in the
Master Stormwater Management Plan. The Illinois Department of Transportation is completing an
intersection improvement project at Dundee & Pfingsten Roads.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Applicant recently purchased the shopping center and is planning to make a number of
improvements. The Subject Property contains a single-story strip shopping center with several tenants,
and a few vacancies. The site currently has three (3) freestanding signs. Two are pylon signs; one reads
“Electronic Cigarettes. Advance Electronic Cigarettes” and the other reads “Dairy Queen” and “Jack’s –
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Wines, Spirits, Beer & More”. The third sign is a ground sign which reads “Dunbrook Center”. Photos of
the shopping center and existing freestanding signs are included with this report for review.
REQUESTED ACTION
The Applicant proposes to remove the existing three freestanding signs on the property and install two
new ground signs. Each sign would:

be 16 feet tall;

contain 100 square feet of sign area per sign face (10’-0” x 10’-0”);

contain sign panels for either four or five businesses on each side of the sign; and

be setback from the front property line approximately 2-3 feet.
The signs would be approximately 200 linear feet apart.
The letter submitted by the Applicant identifies why the zoning relief is being requested. The Applicant
states that the proposed ground signs are necessary to market the tenants located in the center, which
will also help the Applicant lease vacant space in the center. They stated the Code would allow them to
install a pole sign that is 20 feet tall; however, they find the proposed 16-foot tall ground sign more
attractive.
The Zoning Code allows two structural types of freestanding signs: pylon signs and ground signs.
Pylon Sign. A sign that is mounted on a freestanding pole or other supports so that the bottom
edge of the sign face is eight (8) feet or more above grade. It has been interpreted that the
width of the pole or other supports cannot be more than 50% of the width of the sign face
containing the sign message. A pylon sign in the C-2 District can be no taller than 20 feet tall
and have no more than 100 square feet of sign area per sign face and no more than 200 square
feet total.
Ground Sign. Any sign, other than a pylon sign, placed upon or supported by the ground
independently or any other structure. A ground sign in the C-2 District can be no taller than 8
feet tall and have no more than 100 square feet of sign area per sign face and no more than 200
square feet total.
The existing freestanding signs on the property are examples of each type of sign.
Sign Height. The Zoning Code requires that the height of a ground sign cannot exceed 8 feet; except in
the following zoning districts, signs can be taller by special permit approval:
1. C-5 Commercial Boulevard District;
2. O-3 General Office District (not to exceed 20 feet in height) (On November 11, 2016, Board
amended Code to allow.)
3. O-4 Boulevard Office District;
4. ICS Industrial & Commercial Service District (not to exceed 20 feet);
5. I-1 Restricted Industrial District (not to exceed 20 feet);
6. I-2 Light Industrial District (not to exceed 20 feet).
Included in the materials is a map showing the location of these zoning districts.
As noted above, the Applicant is requesting a ground sign that is 16’-0” in height. The Applicant would
need a text amendment to allow ground signs in excess of the C-2 District height limits. The Board will
want to determine if this is an appropriate request.
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Sign Setback. The proposed ground sign is also located approximately 2’-3’ from the front lot line and
the Zoning Code specifies that ground signs must be at least 15’ from the front lot line. The Zoning Code
does allow for variations to reduce the required sign setback. The Applicant will need to seek a variation
to reduce the required sign setback in the C-2 District from 15-feet to approximately 2-3 feet. One of
the major rationales for the sign setback requirement is to ensure the sign does not create a visual
obstacle and does not overwhelm the streetscape along the property line. The Board will want to
comment on whether or not the signs do that.
The Board should also note that if the Applicant were to propose a pylon (pole-styled) sign, it could be
up to 20 feet in height and would be allowed without special approvals. Staff has often pointed to the
fact that the code seems to encourage pole signs over ground signs, as it allows them to be closer to the
street (6 foot setback requirement) and also allows them to be taller. In general, the staff and the Plan
Commission believe ground signs are more attractive and should be encouraged, so long as they do not
pose a sight distance hazard.
Freestanding Sign Spacing. The Applicant proposes that the ground signs be approximately 200 feet
apart. The general requirement in the Zoning Code is that freestanding signs must be spaced 300 feet
apart, which is the requirement in the C-2 District. However, over time various zoning districts have
been amended to allow freestanding signs to be spaced closer together, such as in the following
districts:
1. C-5 Commercial Boulevard District (300 feet apart by right, except signage for auto dealerships
may be 125 feet apart by special permit);
2. O-4 District (300 feet apart by right, except ground signs may be 100 feet apart if approved by
special permit); and
3. ICS Industrial & Commercial Service District (200 feet apart by right);
4. I-1 Restricted Industrial District (200 feet by right);
5. I-2 Light Industrial District (200 feet by right).
The purpose of the spacing requirement is to minimize sign clutter along the street frontage.
The Applicant has the frontage to space the signs more than 300 feet apart; however, the existing
parking lot on the Subject Property does not leave adequate green space at the proper spacing to place
a sign, and where it does, along the east property line, existing fences and vegetation limit the visibility
of any signage placed in that location.
The Department of Development & Planning Services has included a major audit of our existing sign
regulations in our work program for the current fiscal year. Our recommendations would certainly have
incorporated several of the concepts suggested by the Applicant.
Included in the background materials for this item is a table that summarizes how some nearby
communities regulate multiple signs on shopping center properties. The results vary widely, but in
general the Northbrook requirement that all freestanding signs must be separated by at least 300 feet is
on the stricter end of the regulatory spectrum. Also, Northbrook is unique in that it is not possible to
get a variation to reduce the separation standard.
SUMMARY
Some questions the Board of Trustees should consider when reviewing this preliminary application are:
1. Is the proposed sign package (reducing the total number of freestanding signs from 3 to 2)
viewed as a positive improvement to the Subject Property?
2. Does the Board generally find the proposed height and location of the signs appropriate for the
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Subject Property? If so, should the sign standards for the C-2 District be amended to allow
ground signs above the permitted district height by special permit approval and to allow signs to
be spaced closer than 300 feet apart?
3. Is it appropriate to reduce the sign setback from 15 feet to approximately 2-3 feet?
4. If it is appropriate to grant special permit approval, are there additional requirements or
limitations that should be included with the approval (e.g. limiting the number of individual sign
panels that could be placed on each sign, require landscaping around the base of the signs, etc.)
The Applicant and staff will attend the January 10 meeting to answer any questions.
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