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HomeMy WebLinkAboutP&Z MINUTES AUGUST 02, 2012 1 Commissioners Attending; City Staff and Others: Winston Dyer – Chairman Stephen Zollinger – City Attorney Thaine Robinson Mary Ann Mounts Val Christensen- Community Development Director Jedd Walker Gil Shirley Elaine McFerrin – P&Z Coordinator Mark Rudd Darrik Farmer – Community Development Intern Chairman Dyer opened the meeting at 7:06 pm. He welcomed everyone, including a group of Boy Scouts who were attending to observe the meeting process. The Chair welcomed the new Planning & Zoning Commissioner, Mark Rudd. Mark Rudd stated he is pleased to be a member of the Commission. He and his wife are longtime residents of Rexburg. He sells real estate with Countrywide Properties. Roll Call of Planning and Zoning Commissioners: Jedd Walker, Gil Shirley, Thaine Robinson, Winston Dyer, Mary Ann Mounts, Mark Rudd Dan Hanna, Marilyn Rasmussen, Richie Webb, Scott Ferguson and Cory Sorensen were excused Minutes: 1. Planning and Zoning meeting - July 5, 2012 Corrections: Page 10 – Clarify under Mary Ann Mounts that “…when they get to the zoning request, that is when there are other concerns that should be addressed.” Page 20 – Clarify under Beverly Whiting and a submitted petition that “… the Chair asked that the petition be added to the official record of this Public Hearing…” Page 24 – Clarify that “Thaine Robinson felt this change would be a tremendous boost to the City and the area…” The Chairman noted for the record that the July 5th meeting was adjourned at 1:15 am. Thaine Robinson motioned to approve the Planning & Zoning minutes of July 5, 2012 as amended. Mary Ann Mounts seconded the motion. Mark Rudd, Gil Shirley, and Jedd Walker abstained for having not been present. None opposed. Motion carried. Public Hearings: Chairman Dyer explained the procedure that is followed for public hearing. In America, everyone gets their say without intimidation. There will be a presentation of the proposal by the applicant or representative. The Commissioners may ask questions of the applicant and of staff for clarification; the public will also be given the opportunity to ask clarifying questions – these should be questions to help them understand the proposal, saving personal opinion comments for public testimony. 35 North 1st East Rexburg, ID 83440 Phone: 208.359.3020 Fax: 208.359.3022 www.rexburg.org Planning & Zoning Minutes August 2, 2012 2 Public testimony from the public will then be taken. Staff evaluation and recommendations will be given. The Commission will then deliberate the matter in order to come to a decision. The Commission is a recommending body to the City Council. One hearing tonight will have the Commission recommendation made to the Madison County Commission, because the subject property is in the City’s Impact Area. 1. 7:05 pm – Rezone – 340 and 330 North 12th West - Rural Residential 1 (RR1) and Transitional Agriculture 1(TAG1) to Medium Density Residential 1 (MDR1) Dan Larsen, 231 South 300 East, Hyrum, UT presented the proposal. He is one of the three property owners/applicants. They would like the property to be rezoned to MDR1. This request would allow them to expand the current trailer park to the east. The property is in the City’s impact area. Thaine Robinson asked if the property is on City services at this time. Dan Larsen said the location is not currently on City services. They have spoken with City staff; it is possible to get City services there for sewer. Chairman Dyer asked if they would be alright if a recommendation was made that they do need to connect to the City sewer system. Dan Larsen said that would be fine. Val Christensen reiterated that the property is in the Impact Area. The P&Z Commission’s recommendation will be to the Madison County Commission. The City Engineer’s review had stated that water is in front of the property and is available for use. The sewer service is available at the corner of Main and 12th West and would need to be extended to the subject site, with most of the cost going to the developer. It was clarified that this subject property does not abut the City, so annexation is not a point of discussion at this time. Chairman Dyer opened the public input portion of the hearing. In Favor: None Neutral: None Opposed: None Written Input: None Chairman Dyer closed the public input portion and asked for the staff evaluation. Val Christensen clarified that the preferred land use map or Comprehensive Plan map is a planning tool to show the City’s intentions for future planning and development. Zoning the of property would have to fit with the Comprehensive Plan map’s land use designation, which in this case is Low-Moderate Density Residential. The requested Medium Density Residential 1 (MDR1) zone is allowed under this land use designation. MDR1 allows 16 units per acre. 3 Tonight the request is only for a zone change. The applicants would eventually also need a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) because mobile home courts are required to have a CUP. Gil Shirley asked if it was appropriate to address fire safety and snow removal at this time. Chairman Dyer clarified that tonight’s request is a land use issue. How the development can be done and the safety issues would be looked at in the future. The Chair asked the possibilities of requesting or requiring connection to City facilities. Stephen Zollinger said they likely would not be granted permission to septic connection, but would likely have to connect to sewer. The Chair said there seems to be a dilemma because someday the property may be in the City, and they would not want to have higher density of individual septics. Stephen Zollinger said the City manages the land use part; the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) manages the utility side of the issue. The City does have the authority to require them to connect once City utilities are within 300 feet of a development. The DEQ would require a community system for waste. There was concern expressed about the wastewater issue. Chairman Dyer said the question before the Commissioners is shall a recommendation be made to the Madison County Commission to rezone the subject property from Rural Residential 1 and Transitional Agriculture 1 to Medium Density Residential 1. Thaine Robinson said from a land use standpoint, he does not see any problem with this rezone change. Gil Shirley agreed. Thaine Robinson motioned to recommend approval to the Madison County Commission of a rezone for the property located at 340 and 330 North 12th West, to change from Rural Residential 1 (RR1) and Transitional Agriculture 1(TAG1) to Medium Density Residential 1 (MDR1). Gil Shirley seconded the motion. None opposed. Motion carried. 2. 7 :20 pm – Conditional Use Permit – 450 West 4th South – to increase density from thirty (30) units per acre to forty (40) units per acre Chris Carr, 251 West River Park Dr., Provo, UT, the applicant, presented the proposal. Last year, the hotel on this property was converted to apartments. At this time they want to build more units on the north part of the property. They would also add some covered parking. Therefore, they are requesting a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) to increase the density to 40 units per acre. The site plan was viewed on the overhead screen. Mr. Carr pointed out where the units would be added. Jedd Walker asked for clarification on the number of units. 4 Chris Carr said currently there are 100 units. They would add 28 units and turn 2 of the existing units into common area amenities, so there would be a total of 126 units. The new units will be one bedroom apartments, and the current units are studio apartments. Parking requires 1.5 stalls per unit. They will have about 1.8 stalls per unit. Mary Ann Mounts asked about visitor parking. Chris Carr said there is plenty of room for the required visitor parking. Mark Rudd asked about access to the property. Chris Carr said for the past 35 years, the two accesses on West 4th South were sufficient. The City Engineer has requested that the developer build an access on the east by building a bridge over the canal to connect to 4th West. Although they have been operating for eight months and have not seen a need, they will comply with the City Engineer’s request. A different property to the north has added a bridge crossing, but it is not for shared use. Thaine Robinson thought the bridge was required to be added as part of the existing project. The Chair asked how the building was allowed to be open and be occupied without bridge completion. Chris Carr said the building was allowed to be open and occupied because when they wanted to start construction of the bridge the canal was full. They have been in touch with City staff. They will build the bridge over the canal when the canal is empty. Val Christensen clarified that there first was an effort made to get this applicant to work with the property owner to the north. That did not work out. In the meantime, the canal became full. The occupancy is a conditional occupancy until the bridge is built. Mr. Carr said construction is planned as soon as possible. Mary Ann Mounts asked if the apartments are fully occupied. Chris Carr said the complex is full. Every single unit has been contracted out. Not every person has moved in. Gil Shirley asked about parking contracts. Mr. Carr said parking contracts are a non-issue because the property is not in the Pedestrian Emphasis Zone (PEZ) overlay. Parking has never been a problem. The three new buildings will be two-story. Val Christensen said no design review is done at this level. The developer will have to meet design requirements at the time of building review during the building permit process. He said the original building was an existing building, so the vacant ground is considered underutilized. Staff felt it made sense to add the new buildings. Mary Ann Mounts had sidewalk concerns for 4th West. The sidewalks around this area are not walker-friendly. Snow will worsen the situation. Chairman Dyer opened the public input portion of the hearing. In Favor: None Neutral: None Opposed: None 5 Written Input: None Chairman Dyer closed the public input portion and asked for the staff evaluation and review. Val Christensen said the subject property is the location of the old Cotton Tree Inn, which was converted to apartments last year. The applicant is requesting an increase in density to 40 units per acre, which requires a CUP. Regarding the surrounding neighborhood, there are apartments to the north and south and east. Staff feels more apartments in this location is good for the community due to the location of the University nearby. The bridge was a requirement for the existing project and remains a requirement. The Chairman reiterated the viable sidewalk concerns stated by Mrs. Mounts, regarding 4th West, pedestrian movement, and traffic. It is very narrow and hampered by the existence of the canal and the need for access to the canal. Has the City Engineer looked at the issue? Val Christensen said the City Engineer looked at this issue when the apartments to the north were done. At that time it was determined that the sidewalk would be across the street. That was the solution because of the location of the canal. There is not a right-of-way for any widening of the street. Stephen Zollinger said there is no room to widen the street. They cannot go east, and the canal takes all of the western right of way. Val Christensen said there will have to be a place for snow; this requirement will be addressed during the building review process. Mary Ann Mounts expressed concern about the nearby railroad crossings and the traffic that crosses over them. At one crossing there is a stop sign for one direction but not the other direction. Stephen Zollinger clarified that every crossing of a road and the railroad has to be signalized, armed, or have a stop sign, unless there is a safety reason for not having one of these. Stephen Zollinger said a study was done at this intersection. The City Engineer recognizes it is a substandard road compared to other roads in the City, but it is still well within its capacities. The concerns here will be watched closely. If a crosswalk has to be created then no right of way on the west side is left. Jedd Walker said the site plan does not show sidewalk on the south side of the property. It was determined that there is sidewalk on the south. Mr. Zollinger said pedestrian access to all areas to and from the property is required as part of the development. There has to be connectivity to the right of way. The building on the left in the site plan would have to show this connectivity. Thaine Robinson asked if the bridge going on to 4th West would have a pedestrian access. Stephen Zollinger said previous bridges have all required a pedestrian wing. Val Christensen clarified that sidewalk and buffering issues and any other Development Code issues will thoroughly be addressed during site plan review. Chairman Dyer said the question before the Commission is shall a Conditional Use Permit be recommended to City Council for approval, approval with conditions, or denial for the property at 450 West 4th South to increase the density from 30 to40 units per acre. Jedd Walker felt the density is appropriate for this area. 6 Thaine Robinson said the issue of still not having a bridge here should be a condition even though the bridge was a requirement of the existing project. We still do not have a bridge. Jedd Walker thought one of the conditions should address pedestrian flow. There was discussion of maintenance of sidewalks. Jedd Walker suggested that more green space than what the Development Code requires could also be a condition. The green space currently is very sparse. Val Christensen said the development would be required to meet the green space requirement. A minimum of 10 percent green space is required. Thaine Robinson felt Mr. Walker’s point regarding asking for increased green space being a condition is valid. It would benefit the residents. It would be a give back to the City in addition to beautification of the property. Val Christensen said if the developer cannot meet requirements for green space, they would have to create fewer units. Jedd Walker motioned to recommend to City Council approval of a Conditional Use Permit for 450 West 4th South to increase density from thirty (30) units per acre to forty (40) units per acre, to include meeting the Standard Conditions for Conditional Use Permits as stated in Section 6.12 of the Development Code No. 1026, and including three proposed conditions: 1. There shall be 15 percent green space (*map attached for the record to indicate recommended green space locations) - and if unattainable, the developer should come back and discuss this issue with the P&Z Commission. 2. A bridge with a pedestrian walkway shall be installed over the canal. 3. The sidewalks around the subject property shall be maintained, and cleared for snow removal. Thaine Robinson seconded the motion. None opposed. Motion carried. 7 *Map showing requested green space locations 8 3. 7:40 pm - Comprehensive Plan Map Amendment –Single Family Residential to Moderate- High Residential – 1042 and 1068 West 7th South Chairman Dyer said the Commission recognizes that a number of interested citizens have joined the meeting. He restated the public hearing procedure. Everyone has their right to be heard. Quite a number of letters regarding this request have been received. He clarified that a citizen cannot give both public testimony and submit a written input letter, as that is seen as an unfair advantage of giving input twice. A citizen may do one or the other but not both. A community letter has been written and has been submitted by a committee. He will read the committee names at the time of the reading of the letter. If one of the people wants to speak, the name can be stricken from the letter, and they can give public testimony. Kevin Murray, 3525 Merlin Dr., Idaho Falls. He is a real estate agent representing the two property owners. He has sat in on hundreds of P&Z meetings and has served as a P&Z Commissioner. He complimented the Rexburg P&Z Commission on the job they have done tonight. As was just mentioned, he has received several letters. In all the nine letters, there were typically about four things that kept coming up as concerns. The Chairman intervened and expressed that rebuttal would be reserved till later in the public hearing process. Now is not the time to rebut. Kevin Murray said the problem that he saw was that there was a lot of misunderstanding of what the difference is between the Comprehensive Plan versus the reasons to adjust the Comprehensive Plan, versus Zoning. In addition the purpose of the platting process and development agreement seem to be by the letter writers as a kind of montage being considered tonight. Chairman Dyer said he usually tries to help the public understand such issues. Kevin Murray said the Comprehensive Plan is an overall range of uses. Zoning, which was mentioned in the letters, is a different stage. They are not here tonight for a zoning issue. The buffering moves out in a ripple effect from commercial. Buffering is an important part of the Comprehensive Plan. Letters he received mentioned concerns of value. There are reasons for the Comprehensive Plan designations. The request tonight is that the applicants believe because they are adjacent to Moderate- High Density Residential Comprehensive Plan Map land use designation property on the east, that the subject two small parcels could be changed to this land use designation. It is straight-forward thinking. The property was pointed out on the map on the overhead screen. The parcel to the south is designated as Neighborhood Commercial/Mixed Use. Mr. Murray stated he sells real estate for a living, and if this is a commercial area, businesses would create traffic. If the Comprehensive Plan map land use designation was changed on this little corner for the two parcels, it would be a buffer from commercial for the residential properties to the north. If this Comprehensive Plan change is granted, a change may eventually move on down all the way west to the corner to make a buffer if the south property develops commercially. Kevin Murray stated the other issue mentioned in all the letters was there is only one ingress/egress. The applicants did not have anything to do with there only being one ingress/egress. If the requested change is allowed and the parcels are developed, there would be the opportunity to add another ingress/egress. 9 Letters also mentioned that 7th South is difficult and impassable at times during the winter. He does not know why this matter was mentioned other than the frustration of the people coming in and out of the area. Chairman Dyer said Mr. Murray needs to indicate what specifically in this proposal would address the stated issue, or Mr. Murray should hold these types of comments for rebuttal. Kevin Murray said he feels this request is being blamed for things the applicants have no control over. The same is true for noise and debris. It is felt this change would not negatively impact property values in the subject area. The applicants believe the request is reasonable and prudent, it is contiguous, it is across the street from property that is zoned much more stringently, and it would serve as a good buffer. It makes sense to allow this to happen. Thaine Robinson asked the Comprehensive Plan land use designation of The Meadows. The land use designation of The Meadows is Moderate–High Density Residential. Jedd Walker asked the acreage. Kevin Murray said each of the two parcels is about 2 acres. The owners of 1068 West 7th South would stay; they do not want to put the property on the market. The owner of the corner property, 1042 West 7th South wants to sell about three quarters of that property. No developers have been in contact with either of the property owners. Chairman Dyer said the property was before the Commission in the past for this very question. Mr. Murray stated that the owner of the corner parcel said that it had, but he did not have any details. The Chairman said the Commission would be interested in what might have changed to bring this forward again. The request was denied at that time because it did not fit the character of the Single Family Neighborhood. The Meadows Apartments were done under the County before the property was in the City. The Commission made a very concerted effort about the idea of buffering along the highway which multi-family does a nice job with. The City redid the Comprehensive Plan to reflect that along the highway and then to step down to the single family residential uses. Kevin Murray said the issue that has come to light is the single ingress/egress. There is another access point planned on the north of the Meadows for future developments. The Chair said the reason for the Neighborhood Commercial/Mixed Use designation to the south is that it has not been determined what kind of development there is going to be. Mr. Murray said the plan is to leave the area Single Family Residential even with commercial across the road ? The Chair said yes. The Comprehensive Plan map was viewed. Chairman Dyer said there are two planning documents that are used. One is the Comprehensive Plan map, and that is the question before the Commission. Shall it be changed? This is not a request for a zone change. The Comprehensive Plan is a vision of planning for the future. It is also called the preferred land use map. It gives a developer the right to request certain zones. The Zoning map was viewed. The Zoning map is the law - what can actually be on a property. 10 The zones allowed under the current Single Family Residential Comprehensive Plan Map land use designation on the subject property are Low Density Residential 1 and 2 and 3, and Rural Residential 1 and 2. If the proposal were to go through to change the subject property to a Moderate-High Density Residential land use designation, there would be 4 zones that could be asked for - MDR1 (16 units per acre) and MDR2 (20 units per acre), and High Density Residential 1 (30 units per acre ) and High Density Residential 2 (42 units per acre). If this requested Comprehensive Plan change is approved, it would allow zoning to be requested at another public hearing. Chairman Dyer asked if the audience had any questions to help them understand the proposal. A second egress was mentioned. Where would it be? The north part of the corner property. How will the sewer be addressed because it is not a City sewer connection. Mr. Murray said that is not part of this concern tonight. There are options later but it is not known where sewer would be. The Chairman clarified the steps of change - first a Comprehensive Plan map change is requested; if granted a rezone could be requested, which allows certain uses. Following this would come a development proposal with building and sewer and water line and other issues to be addressed. There was a question about development to the west. Kevin Murray said a developer in the future could come in and buy up neighboring properties adjacent to the west if this change is granted. Chairman Dyer opened the public input portion of the hearing. In Favor: None Neutral: Two letters that were neutral to the proposal were submitted. They are included below under the Written Input section of these minutes. Opposed: Chairman Dyer stated that a petition opposing the Comprehensive Plan Amendment request with a total of 157 signatures was submitted. It is signed by “Rexburg residents from the neighborhoods of the Willow Brook area of Rexburg, including Willow Brook Circle and Blue Willow Circle, The Meadows Townhomes, and residents of 12th West and the Arctic Willow neighborhood…” The petition is part of the official record of this hearing. Curt Mueller , 681 Blue Willow Circle. His property borders the subject property. He understands the Comprehensive Plan being a preliminary to a Zoning change down the road. In 1999, he and his wife looked for a place to build a home and did so on a nice quiet road in the country, which is now 7th South ending on the west side of Highway 20. They built a home in one of the two cul-de-sacs that were developed for single family homes. It was a nice quiet place in a rural neighborhood. A few years later a developer bought a long narrow strip of land with a plan to build apartments. Their rural road was then annexed into the City to accommodate this development. 11 What started out as a quiet rural area with a short quarter mile dead-end road now includes over 160 housing units with most residents of these units having one or two cars. It is now an extremely busy road with over 100 cars traveling back and forth all day and all night long. No other egress was developed, and still there is only one egress to 12th West. He is a letter carrier in Rexburg, and he is familiar with most of the areas in the City. He cannot think of another neighborhood with this many homes that has only one way to get out. The density has led to some hazardous situations. An example is difficulties of a winter storm – this Comprehensive Plan change request did not cause it, but it could add to it. There was a heavy snowstorm which brought blowing and drifting snow across 7th South. The road became impassable as people were trying to get to and from work. One by one, cars became stuck in the drifts. He went out with others to offer assistance. Three hours later the road became totally blocked with cars. Of course we live in an area where snow storms are expected. Everyone deals with it. If there would have been an emergency, there would be no other way for anyone to get in or out. High residential would only add to the hazardous situation. They believe that creating more congestion in an already congested area would be a hazard and would not be beneficial to their neighborhood. There is a possibility on these 4 acres to have another 160 units. It could happen. It is hoped the Commission considers those who are long term residents, as well as the impact this decision would have on the values of their homes and the quality of their neighborhood. Paul Scholes, 1118 Coyote Willow Way. He is a resident of the Willowbrook Subdivision. He has 3 points of opposition to this proposal. One is it would be setting precedence. Expectations have already been set for this area. Second, there is a contract made in the major investment of buying/building a home. The contract is that there is a certain life style and amenities; the residents expect the contract to be fulfilled for long term and not to be changed. The third point is safety concerns which have already been mentioned Daniel Moldenhauer, 1049 Arctic Willow. His biggest concern is that there is a neighborhood feel in this area which would be detracted from if more apartments are added. The other concern is property values. Twelve more people would have been here tonight but they were unable to attend, so there was strong support for this opposition. They realize the applicants are not to blame. The problems already existed but this proposed change would add to it. Maren Nichols, 649 Countryside. She stated just for information that The Meadows complex has been approached by a developer. The concerns of long term residents regarding property values were mentioned. She is a property owner here for the short term, and she is concerned. She is also concerned about safety. Please consider keeping the land use designation as it is currently. Written Input: All letters were read by Chairman Dyer. The letters are part of the official record of this Public Hearing: 1. Letter from Mike and Michelle King, opposed to the proposal 2. Letter from Tyler and Sharee Barton, opposed to the proposal 3. Letter from Richard and Tammy Geddes, opposed to the proposal 4. Letter from The Committee from Willow Brook, Arctic Willow, and the Meadows, opposed to the proposal – (Committee names are Doug Hansen, Adam Montierth, Nick and Danielle Atwood, Theresa Moldenhauer, Amy and Barry McCoy, Darla and Kelley McCoy, Melodee Mueller, Stacey Kunz, Janet Christensen, Mark Pugh, T.J. Meynders - Several names were removed from this letter if the persons gave testimony tonight or submitted a letter of their own). 5. Letter from Andrew and Melodi Johnson, neutral to the proposal 6. Letter from Barrett and Amy McCoy, opposed to the proposal 12 7. Letter from Shelly Wilkes, opposed to the proposal 8. Letter from Talsan Schulzke, representing The Meadows Homeowners Association and its Board of Directors, opposed to the proposal 9. Letter from Allison Coltes, neutral to the proposal 13 14 15 16 17 18 (Committee: Doug Hansen, Adam Montierth, Nick and Danielle Atwood, Theresa Moldenhauer, Amy and Barry McCoy, Darla and Kelley McCoy, Melodee Mueller, Stacey Kunz, Janet Christensen, Mark Pugh, T.J. Meynders - Several committee names were removed from this letter if the persons gave testimony tonight or submitted a letter of their own). 19 20 21 22 23 24 Rebuttal: Kevin Murray requested clarification of the petition that was read earlier tonight. The Chair re-read the petition information. Mr. Murray asked how much traffic 7th South is authorized to carry. Chairman Dyer said there should not be interaction with the Commission at this time in the hearing process. He explained briefly that there would be a capacity for that roadway; a 2-lane roadway will carry safely about 900 vehicles per hour without degrading the level of service. Mr. Murray said much of the information that was brought forth in the letters and testimony indicated that as many as 300 cars would be on the street in one hour. Please take into account that West 7th South is not near capacity. He asked what zoning is allowed under the current land use designation. Stephen Zollinger stated that the Single Family Residential land use designation allows Low Density Residential 1, 2 and 3, and Rural Residential 1 and 2. Twin homes are allowed in LDR2 and LDR3 with a conditional use permit. Mr. Murray asked if The Meadows sewer system is private. This sewer system is private. Chairman Dyer closed the public input portion and asked for the staff evaluation and recommendations. Val Christensen clarified that this request is to change the properties from Single Family Residential to Moderate-High Density Residential. The applicants feel this request is consistent with the use to the east. The City Engineer/Public Works has expressed concern about the availability of sewer to the subject parcels, additional traffic on a single access roadway, 7th South, and that it will be a problem if it at some time is blocked for any reason. The City Engineer/Public Works in his review stated that this is not a good use for the constricted access land. Mary Ann Mounts said it has been mentioned that The Meadows has only one ingress/egress. The biggest concern has been brought to the Commission’s attention by the Public Works Department - there is only one access road, and that road dead ends. When and if there comes a time when that road does not dead end, that might be a time when such an issue could be looked at. At this point, she believes as Public Works has said - that it presents a real safety issue here. The road ends and does not go anywhere. She does not feel the requested change is doable. Thaine Robinson said on the Comprehensive Plan Map, The Meadows property is not really congruent with the Rural Residential neighborhood to its west. The City kind of inherited that project from the County. He would not want to encroach upon the Rural Residential. If the property was LDR1 or LDR2 it might be a different issue. Traffic bottlenecks on West 7th South here. He does not see the situation getting better and does not want to add to it. Jedd Walker said when looking at the community as a whole, he would hope that the density could be developed in the places that have already been designated for the best density before changing other areas. He would like to see those areas that the City has specified to be densifed to be filled in first. Gil Shirley said the timing may not be right. He is concerned about the bottleneck that could increase here on West 7th South. He is concerned with safety. If there were other accesses the situation might be different. Mark Rudd asked for clarification on a possible access north of The Meadows. 25 Chairman Dyer said the land has been platted, but it is awaiting development of the property to the north. The developer would be required to connect for circulation. Chairman Dyer noted that this request is conducive in that it would be abutting against an existing multi-family, so it is worthy to come forward and be considered. However, he reiterated that the Commission has long struggled with this whole area west of the freeway. At the time there were a number of development proposals coming forward – stable single family neighborhoods, large plats with varied uses, and small pieces of property that wanted to be added on two or three at a time to all of this, and with varying proposed densities. The Commission recognized that they needed to get a handle on the master planning of this area. The Commission spent a considerable amount of time and made a concerted effort through the comprehensive planning to get it all put together. They talked about leaving the buffer along the highway and then protecting the interests of the single family. The applicant has pointed out potential mixed use to the south. However the planning was done this way until it could be seen how things are happening; it was unsure how things would go – whether residential or commercial. It was mentioned tonight about an unwritten social contract. The Commission does that in a way with their planning effort, in indicating what they foresee to be the logical and desired types of development and growth in certain areas, and they have done that through the Comprehensive Plan. Chairman Dyer felt in the position to deny this request for these reasons and planning purposes, even though it is recognized that the applicants had a connective right to ask for this request. The Chair wanted the record to reflect that he very much appreciates Mr. Walker’s observation that the areas specified to be densified be filled in first. It is looking at part of a larger picture. Thaine Robinson motioned to recommend to City Council to deny the Comprehensive Plan Map Amendment request for the properties at 1042 and 1068 West 7th South to change from Single Family Residential to Moderate-High Density Residential. Jedd Walker seconded the motion. None opposed. Motion carried. Unfinished/Old Business: None New Business: None Compliance: None Non controversial Items Added to the Agenda: 1. Cancelled - Discussion – Kirt Crittenden – properties on Widdison Lane and Parkside Drive 2. Priority Area of Infill Exercise Study - Not all of the Commissioners have completed this exercise. Emails will be sent requesting that they do so. 3. Map Val Christensen said the purpose of this map is to look at use at a glance - the underlying use map. The idea with this map is to establish where some of the more solid stable single family neighborhoods still exist. The focus area that is being looked at for infill and redevelopment is outlined on the map. The map is still in the refining stage. 26 Report on Projects: None Tabled Requests: None Building Permit Application Report: None Heads Up: August 16- Infill Zoning Discussion The meeting was adjourned at 10:25 pm.