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The vote came after a staff presentation summarizing a two‑year drafting process and an extended public comment period in which dozens of residents urged the commission to reject provisions they said would allow duplexes and so‑called “cottage courts” in established single‑family neighborhoods. The commission approved the package by roll call, with one commissioner recording a no vote on the motion as amended; the recommendation now goes to the Village Board for final action.

Mikaela, a village planning staff member, told the commission the draft code is the product of public surveys, stakeholder interviews and multiple open houses and public hearings dating back to 2023, and stressed that some key items were unchanged from the existing code: “Nothing throughout the entire 2 years of this process. There have been no edits or changes to Article 13, which is the inclusionary housing in new development. That is an article that was adopted in 2020 by the village board of trustees, and it has been in place for the last 5 years in the current Northbrook zoning code.”

The draft code contains a wide set of organizational and substance changes staff highlighted in their presentation: consolidated sign standards (with three typographical corrections staff posted for commission consideration), revised parking calculations (staff changed proposed restaurant parking from 1 space per 100 square feet to 1 per 150 square feet), clarified accessory dwelling unit language (separating “ADU attached” and “ADU detached,” with detached ADUs left not permitted), a proposed increase in maximum allowed driveway coverage in a required front yard from 30% to 40% (while retaining a 50% overall lot coverage cap), and retention of a floor‑area‑ratio definition for some grandfathered districts even as FAR is otherwise removed.

Staff also described the specific rezoning docket for 2890 and 2990 Dundee Road: the draft code eliminates the O‑5 restricted office district and staff proposed rezoning those two parcels from O‑5 to O‑2 (limited office) so that they have a current district assignment after O‑5 is removed.

Public comment focused overwhelmingly on concerns about two draft allowances on the residential side: by‑right duplexes in R‑4/R‑5 districts and the addition of cottage courts (clusters of small detached homes around a shared courtyard). Dozens of speakers said they had not understood how the code changes could affect single‑family neighborhoods, and warned of traffic, parking, stormwater and school impacts. Carol Zorn, a Highlands resident, told the commission she had read the document and was opposed: “I urge you guys to vote no on this proposed zoning change and not take it to the board at this time.” Mark Spencer, a 24‑year resident, asked rhetorically about the neighborhood impact: “If you ask most people if they thought it would be appropriate for 2 adjacent lots of theirs to be knocked down, and the house to be knocked down, and 4 of these cottage homes built instead, that would be pretty shocking.”

Commissioners debated how to respond to the volume and tenor of public testimony. Several commissioners said they had heard similar concerns previously; others noted that past code changes such as accessory dwelling units produced few actual applications and argued wholesale neighborhood change was unlikely. After discussion the commission conducted a straw poll and directed staff to amend the draft recommendation: the commission will forward the code with housekeeping corrections to the sign standards and with duplexes and cottage courts in single‑family districts permitted only through a special‑permit process rather than by‑right. Chairman Alisco said the amended recommendation would move “up to the Village Board as a positive vote with the amendments.”

The Plan Commission took two recorded actions at the meeting: it voted to recommend the zoning code amendment (PCD‑25‑09) as amended, and it voted to recommend rezoning 2890 and 2990 Dundee Road from O‑5 to O‑2 (PCD‑25‑10). Deputy Director Kolstad called the roll on both motions. On the main zoning resolution the roll call showed a majority in favor with one recorded no vote; the rezoning of the two Dundee Road parcels passed on a unanimous roll call in the meeting's record.

Staff emphasized several clarifications the commission approved for the public record: the inclusionary housing provisions adopted in 2020 remain substantively identical and apply to new developments over five units (15% required affordable units or a fee‑in‑lieu mechanism, using Chicago‑area AMI tiers and HUD updates); cottage courts as drafted require larger minimum lot area and setbacks (staff noted an example layout required roughly six assembled lots, about 47,000 square feet and a lot width of approximately 175 feet to accommodate the required common space, parking and unit sizes); cottage‑court lot coverage in the draft was 70% with a 35% building coverage cap, while duplexes were shown with the same building coverage as single‑family homes and a 50% total lot coverage limit consistent with current R‑5 standards. Staff also reminded commissioners that occupancy and occupant limits are regulated under the International Building Code, not the zoning code.

The commission and staff repeatedly noted that the draft code and the two rezoning requests are advisory recommendations to the Village Board of Trustees; final adoption will be a Board decision and the public record from this hearing will be provided to the board. The village planning staff said they will post the exact text edits to the sign standards (three typographical and clarification fixes) and will include the public comments received after the packet was published as part of the record.

Less central items discussed in the staff report included preliminary reviews for a proposed child care center at 755 Huell Road (a reuse of a prior child‑care location), a Huntington National Bank request for an accessory drive‑through at an existing branch parking area, and an administrative renewal for a Crown Castle personal wireless service antenna whose previous permit had expired. Staff also reiterated that the new codes are the result of a multi‑year process that included consultant work, diagnostic reports, five joint Planning Commission/Board of Trustee meetings, several open houses and outreach at the Chamber of Commerce and the farmers market.

Next steps: the Plan Commission’s recommendation, as amended, will be transmitted to the Village Board of Trustees for formal consideration. The board will hold its own meeting where additional public comment is allowed and make the final decision on adoption and on the rezoning of the two Dundee Road parcels.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Northbrook - Plan Commission","oneSentenceSummary","The Northbrook Plan Commission voted to recommend adoption of a comprehensive replacement of the village zoning code and to rezone 2890 and 2990 Dundee Road, while adding two conditions requested during deliberations: limited changes to the sign ordinance and that duplexes and cottage‑court developments in single‑family districts be allowed only by special permit.","taxTitle","Northbrook, Cook County, Illinois","taxId",55401,"location","headline","","shortSummary","actionData","errors"]

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Northbrook Plan Commission backs new zoning code, requires special permits for duplexes and cottage courts after heavy public opposition