Consensus building and compromise
both for commercial
filming and the future
of the Northwest Quadrant of the Village’s downtown was the major outgrowth
of today’s meeting of the Village Board of Trustees.
Mayor Harriet Rosenthal and the
Trustees listened to strong opinions from residents on both issues and
discussed key points among themselves before asking Village staff to refine
regulations on commercial filming and the Plan Commission to further develop ideas
for the northwest part of Deerfield’s downtown.
Balance Sought
on Commercial Filming Regulations
After
tabling a proposed ordinance on commercial filming July 15, the Board
discussed the divergent needs of different groups of citizens and asked Andrew
Lichterman, the assistant to the Village Manager, to have the final version of
the law reflect that.
“We need to understand in what cases
there needs to be a limit. If it does not cause a disruption, it’s not a
problem,” Rosenthal said. “We have some consensus on (length of) notice (to
neighbors) and hours.” Filming would have the same time restrictions a
contruction.
There is a wider variation of
opinion on the number of times residents can have filming on their property and
how many days the project can last. The ordinance as it stands limits a person
to no more than two four-day shoots a year.
Village Manager Kent Street promised
some variety for the Board to consider. “We’ll come up with different ways to
look at it,” he said. He expects an ordinance to be ready for a vote in
September.
Plan Commission
to Consider Northwest Quadrant
After 18 months of study with
consultants and stakeholders in the area bounded by Waukegan Road on the east,
Deerfield Road on the south, Hazel Avenue on the north and the railroad tracks
on the west—the Northwest Quadrant of downtown—the Board asked the Plan
Commission to further hone the project.
The current proposal calls for extensive
landscaping in the parking lots around Village Hall, the First Presbyterian
Church and the Jewett Park Community Center which will reduce parking spaces
and automobile access through those lots.
In its current state, the plan drew
objections from representatives of the church and Chuck Malk, the owner and
developer of Deerfield Square.
“This arrangement will not be
accepted by the church,” Ray Craig, a member of both the church and Northwest
Quadrant Task Force said. “Elements of the plan should be pared down.” Malk
wants more retail development in the area.
Changes from the Plan Commission are
expected. “It’s going to the Plan Commission for a lot more discussion and
compromise,” Trustee Robert Benton said.
BYOB Gets Closer
A proposal to allow diners to bring
their own wine to Deerfield restaurants got its first reading today. The Board
plans a vote on the ordinance August 19.
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