Council awaits pre-annexation agreement

Public hearing on development could be Feb. 6

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

By JOHN R. PULLIAM

The Register-Mail

GALESBURG - Although Galesburg City Council chambers were jammed with an estimated crowd of more than 60 people Tuesday night, there was surprisingly little comment on the first reading of two ordinances dealing with First Rockford Group's proposed Galesburg Commons shopping center at U.S. 34 and Henderson Street.

An ordinance to annex the property, with the exception of a house that is already within the city limits, and an ordinance to rezone that house from R-3A (multi-family) to B-2 (commercial) led to a discussion of the entire process.

If the pre-annexation agreement, now in First Rockford's hands, is returned to the city today, the 15-day publishing requirement of the notice of a public meeting can be met. In that case, there would be a public hearing on the pre-annexation agreement before the Feb. 6 council meeting. If not, the hearing would be delayed until Feb. 20.

The pre-annexation agreement outlines what the developer agrees to in terms of roads, access, zoning, storm water and other items.

The pre-annexation agreement would then come before the council and would need six of eight votes for approval. If First Rockford gains that approval, the annexation agreement and zoning agreement will come before the council later during the Feb. 6 meeting.

Don Benson, a resident of Lincolnshire, spoke against the project Tuesday. Residents of the subdivision have been vocal in their opposition.

"The project is too big for the area," Benson said. He repeated concerns about the single entrance and exit and questioned earlier statements by some council members that the shopping center would not affect the values of homes in the upscale subdivision.

The Plan Commission has twice voted against recommending that the City Council approve First Rockford's rezoning, even after the developer agreed to only ask for B-2 (business) zoning for the outlots. The 200,000-square-foot "big-box store," the strip mall and the parking lot all would fall under the more restrictive B-1 zoning.

"If we don't listen to the Plan Commission, why do we have one?" Benson asked.

Alderman Roland Paulsgrove asked city engineer Wayne Carl if he has seen First Rockford's plan for the intersection of South Lake Storey Road and North Henderson Street.

"First Rockford has not submitted a drawing to me as yet," Carl said. He said the developer did submit the plan to the Illinois Department of Transportation on Friday.

"IDOT had some comments, which First Rockford has to address," Carl said.

Paulsgrove noted projections show traffic near the new shopping center increasing from 600 to 1,600 vehicles per hour. Carl said with the additional lanes First Rockford is proposing, traffic in that area would be Level C, meaning a delay of 20-35 seconds per vehicle.

"Those volumes are projections at peak volume," Carl said. "It may occur a couple of times per year and it's also based on full development."

One thing in favor for the traffic flow, Carl said, is the majority of the traffic will be coming from the south, thus making right-hand turns into the shopping center. He said there will be one lane for right turns and straight-ahead traffic and two left turn lanes to address turns in and out.

Ken Goad, a member of the Plan Commission, said he was "disappointed in some members of the City Council. It seems obvious they didn't listen to our discussion at the Plan Commission meetings."

Goad also cited traffic problems.

"What are you going to do with traffic on Henderson Street?" he asked. "Is this going to be dumped back onto Lincoln Park Drive if it can't be handled on Henderson Street?"

Jeff Maresh of First Rockford Group made a brief presentation, pointing out the company's change to asking for the combination of B-2 and B-1 zoning, rather than all B-2, as well as changes in the berm that would screen the gate of the emergency entrance and exit.