2002-104 AMENDING ZONING ORDINANCE - SECTION XX - SPECIAL DISTRICTS

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Excerpts from Plan Commission Minutes of October 3, 2002 Cal. No. 02-51 Petition of A.J. KRIEGER, Assistant City Manager of ECONOMIC and URBAN DEVELOPMENT,#1 Gary K. Anderson Plaza, Decatur, IL to amend Section XX of the Zoning Ordinance(Ord.#2002-33)to create ' the I-OL Institutional Overlay District. ', Mr. Van Steenhuyse presented the recommendation of staff: , The new Zoning Ordinance went into effect on May 15, 2002 and was amended to take care of �I minor omissions and corrections in August. At the time the Ordinance was prepared, Section � XX, Special Districts,was created and reserved for future amendments. The intent of this I Section was to reserve a place for creation of overlay and other special zoning districts that have a more specific purpose than the traditional zoning districts. �� Staff has prepared the first such Special District for inclusion in Section XX. This district, the II� Institutional Overlay District,was created to respond to the special needs of institutions such as ��, Decatur Memorial Hospital, St. Mary's Hospital, and Millikin University. For instance, the I hospitals are located within the O-1 Office District, the only district that allows hospitals. I However, the O-1 District is also written to cover such uses as financial institutions, professional I offices and day care centers. Since large institutions such as hospitals have special requirements, the restrictions of the O-1 District are often not adequate or are too restrictive. Mr. Van Steenhuyse explained that large health care and educational institutions also must react quickly to innovations and demands on service. However, some of the requirements related to rezoning and site plan approval have impeded the hospital's ability to respond to these demands for new services in a timely manner. The institutions in the City have indicated a need for a mechanism that allows them to react to new service demands more quickly. Mr. Van Steenhuyse described the general requirements of the proposed district. He noted that the additional requirements of the overlay district supercede the underlying zoning. For example, a new DMH Clinic could occupy property within an R-3 Single Family District,but since it is also in the I-OL District, it would be subject to the additional requirements of the overlay district. The process for creating an overlay district will be the same as for rezoning. The intent of the I-OL Institutional Overlay District is to provide for expansion of the institution while providing safeguards for adjacent single family neighborhoods. The I-OL District may extend beyond the current boundaries of the institution. This allows for expansion of the institution and makes expansion areas subject to the requirements of the district. However, any existing uses, such as single family residences, will continue to be subject only to the underlying zoning district and are not subject to the I-OL requirements unless and until they are redeveloped as part of the institutional campus. Mr. Van Steenhuyse then listed the uses that would be affected by the I-OL requirements. Hospitals and their attendant accessory uses are listed, as are colleges and universities with their ancillary uses. These uses alone are subject to the I-OL requirements, regardless of the underlying zoning.