Village of Thornton, IL Plan Commission

[Amended 6-17-2013]

There is hereby established a Planning and Development Commission which shall assume and be responsible for the duties of the Plan Commission and the Zoning Board of Appeals and such other powers as enumerated in 65 ILCS 5/11-12-4 and 65 ILCS 5/11-13-3.

§ 3-2-2 Membership; terms.

[Amended 6-17-2013]

The Planning and Development Commission shall consist of seven members appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Board of Trustees. The initial Planning and Development Commission members shall be those who presently are members of the Zoning Board of Appeals and Plan Commission. Each of said members shall be a resident of the Village of Thornton and shall be appointed to service terms as follows:

Term of Office. Upon original appointment of seven members, two shall serve for a period of one year, two for a period of two years, three for a period of three years. Thereafter, such members shall serve for a period of two years. Vacancies shall be filled by appointment for unexpired terms only. All members of the Commission shall serve without compensation, except that, if the Board of Trustees deems it advisable, they may receive such compensation as may be fixed from time to time by said Board of Trustees and provided for in the Appropriation Ordinance.

Removal. The Village President shall have the power to remove any member, for cause, upon 10 days' notice.

Staff provisions. If said Plan Commission shall deem it advisable to secure technical advice or services, it may be done upon authority from the Board of Trustees and appropriations by the Board of Trustees therefor.

[Amended 9-19-2016]

§ 3-2-3 Chairman and Vice-Chairman.

[Amended 6-17-2013]

The Village President shall name a member "Chairman" and a member "Vice-Chairman." The Chairman shall conduct the meetings of the commission and may call special meetings on his own, or at the request of two or more members of the Commission. He shall have the right to vote on all questions before the Commission and shall be a member thereof. The Chairman may administer oaths and compel the attendance of witnesses. The Vice-Chairman shall conduct the meetings of the Commission in the absence of the Chairman.

§ 3-2-4 Number of concurring votes required.

[Amended 6-17-2013]

The concurring vote of four members of the Planning and Development Commission is necessary to reverse any order, requirement, decision or determination of such administrative office, to decide in favor of the applicant any manner upon which it is required to pass under an ordinance or to effect any variation in the ordinance, or to recommend any variation nor modification in the ordinance or zoning map to the corporate authorities.

§ 3-2-5 Meetings; hearings.

[Amended 6-17-2013; 4-5-2021]

Meetings, Hearings:

The regular meeting of the Plan and Development Commission of the Village of Thornton shall be held on the second Wednesday of each month at the Thornton Village Hall, and shall convene at 6:30 p.m. and will be held on the following Thursday in the event the meeting falls on a legal holiday.

All meetings and hearings conducted by said Commission shall be open to the public and shall be in compliance with the Illinois Open Meetings Act.

The Commission shall keep minutes of its proceedings showing the vote of each member upon each question, or if absent or failing to vote, indicating such fact and shall also keep records of its hearings and other official actions. Findings of fact shall be included in the minutes of each case of a requested variation, and the reasons for making or denying such variation shall be specified.

Every rule or regulation, every amendment or repeal thereof, and every order, requirement, decision, or determination of the Commission shall be filed immediately in the office of the Board and shall be a public record.

Rules of Procedure. The Commission shall adopt its own rules of procedure not in conflict with this chapter or with the Illinois Statutes in such case made and provided.

§ 3-2-6 Powers and duties.

[Amended 6-17-2013]

The Planning and Development Commission shall have the following powers and duties.

Comprehensive Plan. To prepare and recommend to the Board of Trustees a comprehensive plan for the present and future development or redevelopment of the Village. Such plan may be adopted in whole or in separate geographical or functional parts, each of which, when adopted, by the Board of Trustees shall be the official Comprehensive Plan, or part thereof, of the Village. This plan may include reasonable requirements with reference to streets, alleys, public grounds and other improvements hereinafter specified. The plan, as recommended by the Plan Commission and as thereafter adopted in the Village, may be made applicable, by the terms thereof, to land situated within the corporate limits and contiguous territory not more than 1 1/2 miles beyond the corporate limits and not included within the Village. Such plan may be implemented by ordinances:

Establishing reasonable standards of design for subdivision and for resubdivisions of unimproved land and of areas subject to redevelopment in respect to public improvements as herein defined;

Establishing reasonable requirements governing the location, width, course and surfacing of public streets and highways, alleys, ways for public service facilities, curbs, gutters, sidewalks, street lights, parks, playgrounds, size of lots to be used for residential purposes, storm water drainage, water supply and distribution, sanitary sewers and sewerage collection and treatment; and

May designate land suitable for annexation to the Municipality and the recommended zoning classification for such land upon annexation.

Plan Changes. To recommend changes, from time to time, in the official Comprehensive Plan.

Improvements Recommended. To prepare and recommend to the Board of Trustees, from time to time, plans for specific improvements in pursuance of the official Comprehensive Plan.

Aid in Plan. To give aid to the Village officials charged with the direction of projects for improvements embraced within the official plan, to further the making of these projects, and, generally to promote the realization of the official comprehensive plan.

General Powers. To exercise such other powers germane to the powers granted by this chapter as may be conferred by the Board of Trustees.

To prepare and recommend to the corporate authorities schemes for regulating or forbidding structures or activities which may hinder access to solar energy necessary for the proper functioning of solar energy systems, as defined in § 1.2 of the Comprehensive Solar Energy Act of 1977 (30 ILCS 725/1.2), or to recommend changes in such schemes.

Improvements Considered. The Village Clerk shall from time to time furnish the Plan Commission for its consideration a copy of all ordinances, plans and data relative to public improvements of any nature. The Plan Commission may report in relation thereto if it deems a report necessary or advisable, for the consideration of the Board of Trustees.

The Zoning Board of Appeals shall hear all applications for special use, variations, amendments, planned unit development and appeals, and such other relief as provided in Title 11 of the Municipal Code of the Village of Thornton and the Illinois Municipal Code.