A temporary development moratorium along the Kirchoff Road corridor in Rolling Meadows is set to be extended while a planning study is completed.
Daily Herald File Photo, 2020
Rolling Meadows officials are set to extend a development moratorium along much of Kirchoff Road as they await results of a planning study that could eventually change the nature of the corridor.
The city council Tuesday night will consider a five-month extension of the temporary pause in place since Sept. 12, 2023, on most commercial development applications. The preliminary first reading vote would be followed by a final vote Nov. 26 — two days before the moratorium is due to expire.
The expiration date would be moved to April 30, 2025, giving city staff and aldermen more time to digest the Kirchoff Road Corridor Study and adopt recommended changes to city zoning regulations.
The land use study aims to restore what had been the city’s traditional downtown with additional businesses and commercial users.
Aldermen and residents have expressed a desire for a return to “more of a downtown feel,” City Manager Rob Sabo said after the project launched earlier this year.
“We know that Kirchoff Road is an area that developers are looking at. We wanted to make sure that we had the zoning in place so that we could get the right types of development that our community wanted to see,” he said.
The plan calls for mixed-use developments, slight reconfiguration of the road, public parking, wayfinding signage, and integration with Kimball Hill Park and Salt Creek, according to the project website.
The goal is to create “a vibrant and walkable town center with a mix of uses and public gathering places,” officials said.
The development moratorium — generally affecting properties within 400 feet of the right of way of Kirchoff Road, from Rohlwing Road on the west to Oriole Lane on the east — would be narrowed to exclude Kimball Hill Park and single-family homes fronting Kirchoff.
The moratorium has barred new commercial construction, building additions and major remodeling and additions — but not for residential properties. However, one homeowner told city officials that she’s planning to sell her home in the next month or so, and the moratorium could affect the price.
The city’s planning and zoning commission last Thursday voted 4-1 to recommend the city council extend the development pause, with the dissenting member saying the city has had adequate time to complete the study and that the regulations interfere with property owners’ rights.
A draft of the planning document should be available for review before the end of the year.