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APPROVED
Plan Commission Meeting Minutes
Date: January 15, 2026
Skokie Village Hall, 5127 Oakton Street,
Council Chambers
PLAN COMMISSION MEMBERS PRESENT: Paul Luke - Chair
Sigalle Shpayher, Boyd Black, Cindy
Franklin, Scott Berman, Talia
Gevaryahu, Dick Witry, Jeff Burman,
and Ross Mathee
PLAN COMMISSION MEMBERS ABSENT: None
STAFF PRESENT: Kate Portillo, Planning Manager, Mike Voitik, Planning
Coordinator, Jose Acosta, Planning Coordinator, and Marcus
Martinez, Corporation Counsel.
1. CALL TO ORDER
A quorum being present, Chair Luke called the meeting to order at 7:30 P.M.
2. ROLL CALL
Attendance was taken by roll call.
3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
A motion to approve the minutes of the November 20, 2025 meeting was made
by Commissioner Jeff Burman and seconded by Commissioner Cindy Franklin.
Ayes: 9 Nays: 0 Abstain: 0. The motion passes.
4. OLD BUSINESS
None
5. NEW BUSINESS
a. 5600 Old Orchard Road: Case 2025-26P: Subdivision
Mike Voitik presented the staff report for the Cook County Courthouse for the
subdivision of 7 lots into 1 lot and shared that the courthouse was built in the early
1980s but at that time there was no requirement for it to be on one lot of record. The
need to combine the lots was triggered by a 2025 construction project that installed
solar panels on the top floor of the parking garage. Mr. Voitik explained that the village
code requires properties to be on a single lot with a single tax pin. The overall site is
15.5 acres, and because it exceeds 4 acres it requires approval by both the Plan
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APPROVED
Commission and the Village Board. Mr. Voitik also addressed questions about the
dedication of Old Orchard Road as a public right-of-way, explaining that statements
were added to the plat to clarify that the street is a public right-of-way and not part of the
courthouse property.
Jamie Myers, Interim Bureau Chief for the Bureau of Asset Management for Cook
County, and Elizabeth Strand, Lead Real Estate Portfolio Manager, represented the
petitioner. Mr. Myers explained that Cook County has a goal to have 100% renewable
energy for electricity by 2030, and the courthouse was identified as a 2025 project to
take advantage of the Inflation Reduction Act, which allowed them to get back almost
50% of the cost of the project. When they applied for the permit, they were made aware
that the 7 plats needed to be combined into one.
No members of the public spoke regarding this case.
Motion to approve Special Use Case 2025-26P was made by Commissioner Shpayher
and seconded by Commissioner Burman. The motion passed unanimously.
Chairperson Luke noted that the case would still need to go before the Board of
Trustees for final approval.
b. 8255 Christiana Avenue: Case 2025-22P: Special Use Permit
Jose Acosta presented the staff report. The subject property is zoned M2 Light Industry
and is designated as manufacturing service employment in the Village's Comprehensive
Plan. The site contains an existing vacant commercial building with 14 off-street parking
spaces (7 in front and 7 in the rear).
The petitioner, Jafar Sangtrash and his son Benjamin Sangtrash, propose to relocate
their existing business, J & B Transmissions and Auto Repair, from Evanston to this
location. The business will offer routine maintenance services as well as engine and
transmission repair, serving local residents and small business fleet vehicles. The
business will employ 4 staff members and operate Monday through Friday (8am-6pm)
and Saturdays (9am-5pm).
Staff noted that a triple catch basin would be required to prevent pollutants from
entering the sewer system, and the petitioner confirmed it would be installed. Staff
recommended approval based on the proposed findings of fact and subject to the stated
conditions.
The petitioner mentioned that they had been operating in Evanston for about 25 years
and were involved in community service, including teaching high school students the
trade during summer. The Chair suggested they consider working with District 219 for
similar programs in Skokie.
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Motion to approve Special Use Case 2025-22P was made by Commissioner Black and
seconded by Commissioner Franklin. The motion passed unanimously.
c. 7240 St. Louis Avenue: Case 2025-23P: Special Use Permit
Jose Acosta presented the staff report. The subject property is zoned M3 Industrial and
designated as manufacturing service employment in the Village's Comprehensive Plan.
The petitioner, Eduardo Romero, proposes to operate a small-scale automotive repair
facility called Lalo's Auto Mechanic Shop, offering general vehicle maintenance services
including brake, tire, and oil changes, mechanical part replacement, and alarm system
installation. The site contains an existing commercial building with 3 off-street parking
spaces, including 1 ADA accessible space, which was less than the required 7 spaces.
Staff explained that due to existing site constraints and easements, the petitioner is only
able to provide 3 spaces. Staff finds the request reasonable given the limited scale of
the operation, the lower number of employees, and the petitioner's intent to operate
within the physical limitations of the site.
Several commissioners expressed concerns about the parking situation. The petitioner
explained that both he and his one employee would be traveling to work by bicycle,
scooter, or bus. Mr. Romero stated that this would be his first business after working on
cars all his life, though he currently works at FedEx and plans to operate the shop from
9am to 5pm before his night shift at FedEx. He further explained that he would primarily
service Amazon’s fleet of delivery vans, which would be quick repairs with vehicles
coming in and out rather than being stored on-site. The Amazon facility has its own
parking lots where vehicles can be kept when not being immediately serviced.
Motion to approve Special Use Case 2025-23P was made by Commissioner Gevaryahu
and seconded by Commissioner Witry. The motion passed unanimously.
6. PUBLIC COMMENT
None
7. ITEMS FOR COMMUNICATION
Kate Portillo noted that the continuation of Case 2025-21P will be heard on February 19,
2026, and that the February 5, 2026 Plan Commission meeting was canceled due to
lack of agenda items.
Commission Black requested the background information leading up to the 2024 update
of the Housing Chapter of the Comprehensive Plan, and staff agreed to follow up with
this information.
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Staff introduced the new Corporation Counsel, Marcus Martinez. Attorney Martinez
briefly shared his background, including his experience counseling numerous municipal
Zoning Boards of Appeal and Plan Commissions with Elrod Friedman and his prior work
with the City of Chicago Department of Law.
8. ADJOURNMENT
Chair Luke adjourned the meeting at 8:12 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Kate Portillo, Planning Manager
VOSDOC# 638128 Plan Commission Meeting Minutes January 15, 2026