Peoria Standard

City of East Peoria Zoning Board of Appeals met July 14.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

The meeting was called to order at 6:00 PM

Attendees: Gina Driscoll, George Whitman, Don Tippet, John Broshears, Michael Bruner, Tim Kelly Absent: Troy Sams

Minutes:

Minutes from the June meeting were motioned for approval by Tim Kelly and George Whitman seconded. The motion passed 6-0.

Case V-2025-003 Petition of Kelsi Spangler for a variance to allow a 6' privacy fence in the front yard on property located at 135 Shoshone Drive., 01-01-23-406-015.

Drew and Kelsi Spangler explain they would like to install a 6' privacy fence on their property. The current zoning regulations hinder their ability to enjoy their property more fully. He is planning on using cedar wood which would improve the look of his home and improve the overall aesthetic of the neighborhood. He mentioned that he has spoken with several neighbors, and they are on board with the request.

Don clarified they are planning on putting the fence right on the property line. Don asks if they are aware of how far off the curb their property line was? Petitioners said they were not.

George asks if the back chain link would stay and are only planning on putting fence in the front. Petitioners said yes. George asked about the other side of the house. The petitioner said nothing is there except one small section in the back going to the house to enclose the yard.

Gina asked if the petitioners talked to city staff about fence placement requirements. Petitioners said they had spoken with staff but did not ask about where it was allowed to be placed, they are flexible on placement.

Case V-2025-004 Petition of Cody Locke for a variance to allow a 6' privacy fence in the front yard on property located at 123 & 125 E. Autumn Lane, 01-01-25-300-008 & -009.

Cody Locke explains he wants to build a 6' privacy fence around the majority of his lot because a large ravine behind his house leaves him very little back yard.

Don asks if the petitioner knows how far off the back of curb/road he is planning on putting his fence. The petitioner said maybe 10' to 15'.

George asks if that would be behind the 2 big trees. The petitioner said he was planning on going just in front of those trees.

Gina asked if the petitioner would be open to combining the 2 lots. The petitioner said he had thought about it.

Tim asked if they made lot combination a condition if the petitioner would be opposed to that. The petitioner said no.

Case SU-2025-006 Petition of Yvonne Long of Hawk Attollo for a Special Use to allow a ground mount solar installation on property located at 304 S. Pleasant Hill Road, 05-05-12-102-005.

Yvonne Long, Jacob and Beth of Cross Point Church. Yvonne explains they are planning on installing 1 row of panels to provide power to the church and the education building located on this property. They are using the Illinois Solar for All Program. She said the system would be about 102' by 13' wide by 8' tall. She explains that this would be screened from the north and west by trees south by a berm and the chain link fences along S Pleasant Hill Rd. Jacob said they are trying to increase their community outreach through their community park as well as a food pantry and other outreach ministries. The solar project will allow them more funds to put towards these endeavors.

Don asks for clarification of the location being behind the paved area in the back of the education building. The applicant said yes. Don clarified just 1 row and 3 racks. Yvonne said 1 row and 1 racking system with 54 modules. She said it would be about 102' by 13' wide by 8' tall and 30" clearance. Don asked about screening. Petitioners said screening would mostly be the trees on the north and west sides. The building and berm helps screen on the south side and the playground on the east side. Don asked how they arrived at this number of panels? Yvonne said that the system was designed to only provide as much as they would need but not produce a surplus. Don asked if they thought about putting these anywhere else. Jacob said they had thought about putting them on the roof. The inspectors said the roof was not in the greatest shape and while they could make it work it wasn't the best option. Yvonne also mentioned the area further back would also be usable but there were concerns of standing water in certain areas as well as losing the berm as a screen. Don also asked if there was a fence from the tree line to the parking area and how tall it was. Petitioners said yes there is it is a 4' chain link fence.

George asks if there was any way to screen the panels from Bloomington Rd? Applicant said they would prefer not to add any additional screening so as to allow for grounds maintenance. They have not yet found any kind of greenery that would be suitable that wouldn't hinder the production of the system.

Gina asked if the solar panels will be restricted from the playground. They said it would be accessible but it would be set a decent distance away from the playground. Gina asked if they had considered any kind of signage for the solar. The applicant said they could consider it. Gina asked if the Bloomington Road residents would be looking at the edge and not the expanse. The applicant said that is correct.

Don asked what the estimated savings would be? Applicant said they would not own the assets but would be purchasing their power from Hawk Attollo.

Dory Cridlebaugh is a neighbor of the church asks how the land under the solar panel is protected if the panels become damaged by hail or other means such as vandalism? Will there be fences to protect the panels from vandalism. Can the panels be recycled. She asked if this was the first ground mounted solar panel case and as such would it set a precedent? Ty said this was the second case and would not set any precedent as each Special Use is considered by its individual merits.

Gina said that the panels are hail resistant and built / designed to withstand hail. Yvonne said that all hail damage they have observed was just cracking and not shattering. If the church chose to cease operation the agreement is that the asset would go with the sale. Gina said that every ground mounted solar project will require a Special Use so there isn't a concern on precedent.

Tim asked Yvonne are there any potentially hazardous materials that could be released in the event of a catastrophic failure. She said not that she knows of. Tim asked Yvonne to speak on the topic of vandalism. She said to her knowledge the systems that they have in other communities have not experienced any vandalism with or without fencing. Tim asked about the recycling of the panels. Yvonne said that they do have a contact that will pick up and recycle panels but she doesn't know what that process looks like after they pick it up.

Dan Decker at 100 Clover asks the height of the berm that would sit in front of the panels. Dan expressed concerns about visibility from Bloomington. Dan further said he doesn't have any issues with roof mounted panels but doesn't understand why they need to be ground mounted. Dan asked if the panels being their would hinder the marketability of the property in the event that the church no longer wished to own the property or could keep the property.

Janet Cooperschmidt lives across the street. She is concerned about the resale value of her home. She saw online that it could lower the value by 5%.

Case SU-2025-007 Petition of Macy Downey of McBride Dale Clarion for a Special Use to allow a fueling station on property located at 123, 139, 141, & 143 Everett St, 01-01-33-312-011, -012, -013, -015 and 126 Almiron St, 01-01-33-312-014.

Macy Downey explains she is requesting a Special Use for a fuel center at this location. It will have 5 pumping stations with a pump on either side. There will be a canopy. There will be a kiosk with a bathroom and an office. There will be outdoor merchandise for sale. The dumpster is proposed in the eastern / southeastern portion of the lot. It will be screened by landscaping. She explains their landscaping does meet the landscaping requirements of the special use code. Lighting will be directed down and not onto adjacent properties. She feels the proposed lighting meets the requirements while being mindful of the neighbors. There will be no direct access to Almiron. It is anticipated that fuel will be accessed from the Kroger parking lot. There will be signage on the canopy and the kiosk. There will also be L.E.D. pricing sign on the canopy. These have been placed for best viewing while pushing it as far from residential properties as possible. She also mentioned the new proposed signed to be discussed in the next case. The plans are still preliminary,

Tim asked about the hours of operation? Macy said it would be attended by an attendant during store hours and then credit card only after hours.

Don asks if a traffic study has been completed? Macy said they have not done one at this point. She wasn't sure how much a traffic study would affect their property. Don also asked to see the display more closely.

George asked Macy to speak on other fuel stations built recently in terms of problems. She said that isn't really her scope but nothing really came to mind.

Gina said she is happy to not see it at the corner of Main and Washington. Gina also mentioned that there are 2 empty building that are not currently generating traffic. Macy said this would not typically be

something that would generate traffic but be more of a side thought once folks are out and about.

Chelsea parker said she lives on Johnson and is also the daughter of the pastor of the nearby methodist church. She is concerned about property values and light shining in her house. She is worried about pollution and contamination caused by this proposal. She is worried about traffic becoming worse on Johnson St. She is worried about crime and loitering caused by the proposed use.

Tera Young also lives on Johnson. She said she lived there when the decision was made to tear down houses and was disappointed when their large crowd went unheard. She said she is worried about the health risks about living near these locations. She is worried about the speeding traffic in this neighborhood. She believes this use will bring more crime. She expresses concerns about the hours of operation. She complains about the amount of light pollution in the neighborhood from Kroger's parking lot and that this will make things worse. She asks the ZBA to remember that people do live here. She expressed concerns about her taxes and property value. She does want to see some revitalization on Washington and Main but this isn't what she envisioned.

Penny & Jimmy Gore live on Everett St. they explain they are concerned about the same things as mentioned above. They are very concerned about the traffic on their street. She is concerned that her street is going to be treated as a short cut. Jimmy asked if there would be any barrier around the property to contain any garbage. They said they have issues with garbage from Kroger's parking lot already. They asked if the lights will be bright the whole night or be dimmed after hours? Gina suggests that the lights would need to be the same all night long. They asked what happens if an issue occurs when an attendant isn't there? Gina said the ways she understood it they wouldn't have any options.

Laurie test said she also lives on Everett St. she said she is concerned about the environment if this were allowed. She also expressed many of the same concerns above. She also said that people have to park on the street and as a result cars were hit by speeding vehicles. She expressed she would prefer trees that would not lose their leaves for landscaping options. She said there are many gas stations in the area and asked why we need another one? She said that many of her neighbors do not use this Kroger. She expressed frustration in that she does not want to live near a gas station. She is concerned about what happens if Kroger decides to close this location in the future? She said that Kroger has changed plans a lot and that makes her distrustful of Kroger.

Case SU-2025-008 Petition of Macy Downey of McBride Dale Clarion for a Special Use to allow the expansion of a non-conforming sign on property located at 201 S. Main St, 01-01-32-414-008.

Macy Downey explains the second request is to allow a replacement and expansion of a nonconforming sign on Washington St. Kroger is proposing to replace this sign with a sign that shows fuel prices. She explains that it is not conforming because there is a prohibition on signs within 350' of the intersection of Main and Washington. She said this sign would otherwise meet all other sign regulations and bring it up to Kroger's current standards. She adds that Kroger is seeking to replace this sign instead of placing a monument sign at the fueling station.

Don asks if this new sign will also be on the ground. She said yes. Don asked how large the existing sign? She said she wasn't quite sure. Don clarifies the new sign will be a total of 13'.

Macy said that Kroger has not generally had issues with their fueling stations and they typically operate

https://www.cityofeastpeoria.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_08112025-1278