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HomeMy WebLinkAbout12.13.18 P&Z Minutes_exppdf 1 City Staff and Others: Craig Rindlisbacher – Zoning Administrator Scott Johnson – Economic Development Stephen Zollinger – City Attorney Natalie Powell – Compliance Officer Tawnya Grover – P&Z Administrative Assistant/Plan Review Tracker Chairman Rory Kunz opened the meeting at 6:31 p.m. Roll Call of Planning and Zoning Commissioners: Roll Call. Present: Greg Blacker, Steve Oakey, John Bowen, Darrik Farmer, Rory Kunz, Kristi Anderson, Keith Esplin, Vince Haley, Todd Marx. Absent: Bruce Sutherland, Melanie Davenport, Council Liaison Brad Wolfe. Minutes: From Planning and Zoning meeting – November 8, 2018 Motion: Move to pass the minutes as recorded., Action: Adjourn, Moved by Steve Oakey, Seconded by Kristi Anderson. Motion passed unanimously. There are no public hearings or action items tonight. In order to stay in compliance with law, we are having our meeting tonight. Public Hearings: None Unfinished/Old Business: None New Business: None Compliance: None Non-controversial Items Added to the Agenda: None Items for Consideration: 1. Development Code Update Introduction – Tawnya Tawnya started a year and a half ago and part of her job was to know the Development Code. In the course of her job, she needed to answer the public’s questions from this code. She would find an answer in the book, tell the person on the phone, only to find out later there was a requirement somewhere in the book she had missed. Information about a single item was in different parts of the book. Tawnya set to work to organize the book to make it clear, accurate, and up-to-date with the Ordinances passed. Different answers to the public may create mistrust and miscommunication. Anyone reading the book should be able to find the information they need. Tawnya also worked with the Building Department, and she needed to take the Permit Technician test. For the test, she had to be able to navigate in the Building Code books. 35 North 1st East Rexburg, ID 83440 Phone: 208.359.3020 Fax: 208.359.3022 www.rexburg.org Planning & Zoning Minutes December 13, 2018 2 Memorization was not required. This background and exposure laid the foundation for the organization of the document she is presenting. In the current version, all of the zoning chapters began with Chapter 3. The public could navigate to Chapter 3 online, but then would have to scroll through the entire chapter to find the zoning requirements they needed. There was already an organizing document in place, which was used as the document’s framework. Items could be found in different places in the book including the administration requirements which could be found at the beginning of the book, in Chapter 6, and at the end of the Subdivision chapter. She talked about the organization of the chapters in the book. The Parking, Sign, Cell Tower, and those items labeled “Supplementary” were towards the back of the book, with chapters in between. Parking, Signs, and Cell Towers applied to all the zones. The label of “supplementary” wasn’t actually regulations that were supplementary or “in addition to” the zoning rules, these requirements applied to all the zones. In the Development Code, there are overlays which apply to certain areas of the city. The requirements of these sections are in addition to the zoning rules. It made sense to call these overlays “supplementary.” The standards for all the zones have been put in one place. In the past, the same regulation was repeated throughout the book. Ordinances were passed to change that one rule, but then the rule had to be amended in all those different places, leaving room for error. These are referenced in each zone, and the number pattern tells you that rule applies to all the zones. The residential zones have been placed in order from lowest to highest density. The Rural Residential zones used to follow High-Density, however, Rural Residential actually has the lowest density. The Planned Unit Development used to be in the “supplementary” rules, but it only applied to certain residential zones. It has been moved to the end of the residential zoning section, to make it closer to the residential zones to which it would apply. There is more than one mixed-use zone where commercial uses and residential uses could co-exist within the same zone designation. Those that followed this pattern were the Central Business District, and the Transitional Agriculture zones. The Transitional Agriculture zones were in the “Other Zones”. If you didn’t know, you might not know to look there. The standards repeated within a group of zones are also found at the beginning of the Chapter. For example, requirements that are repeated in the residential zones have been moved to the front of that chapter, repeated requirements in the commercial zones have been moved to the front of that chapter and so on. The commercial design standards follow the commercial zones. The 3 “Other Zones” section has also been put in alphabetical order. An Airport District was listed in the 3.1 organization page, but no regulation chapter. It has been removed. Now, the first chapter contains all of the administration processes. All of the land uses and their processes are also found in this chapter. The Comprehensive Plan Map chart, instead of having to go to that document to determine the possibilities for rezoning a certain parcel has been included in the Administrative chapter. The definitions are all in chapter 2; they will no longer be scattered throughout the book. We began to notice repeated questions from the public and some visual definitions were created and included in Chapter 2 for those people who understand better with a picture. The standards for a group of zones are found at the beginning of a chapter. As you move toward the back of the book, you become more and more specific. Just a little while ago, the Commission passed changes to the Public Works requirements. Tawnya worked with the Public Works Department to align their requirements in the Development Code with their Engineering Standards, which the Department was already following. A copy of the Engineering Standards has been placed in the appendix, because in the Public Works changes, the document now references many times those standards, and this provides easy access. In the current book, the numbering and lettering was difficult to follow, because the patterns repeated with no difference between the levels in the chapters. You couldn’t tell what sentence went with what section. The numbering and lettering pattern has been standardized and they look different: a. 1. a) 1) In the study of the Development Code, we found some items that weren’t consistent. The Planned Unit Development chapter was one of those chapters that were difficult to understand. The process is now in sequential order, the bonus density points have been moved to the back of that section because they don’t always apply, and the other pattern of this chapter follows the others in the book. Right now, the City and County are working together on aligning the Impact Area chapter. Over time, the City has moved some zones that were specific to the Impact Area and those zones are no longer there. In addition, commercial areas are in our impact area, so this chapter needs to adapt. The subdivision chapter has been organized with a sequential process, items for a preliminary plat have all been grouped together, items for a final plat have been grouped together, etc. This allowed us to see what we were asking for, determine what information we wanted at each stage of the process, and this allowed us to update our applications to reflect those requirements. These changes reduced the number of times we had to keep asking for information we needed. Steve Oakey brought up the 31 different zones and suggested we reduce the number of zones. Scott Johnson says this effort is a continuation of the Task Force. He thanked Tawnya for her work. Keith Esplin asked if the document is a living document. Chairman Rory Kunz clarified changes can be made through the appropriate processes. Any clarifying elements can be added, but substantive changes have to go through formal process. Melanie Davenport said when there were repeated problems with developers, a task force was created to go through all the different changes. John Bowen is happy that now he may be able to understand how the book works. 2. Upcoming Projects – Public Works Director, Keith Davidson & Economic Development Director – Scott Johnson Presentation & General Discussion Scott Johnson announced a 6-month competitive process with Basic American Foods (BAF). BAF is a California company that extends to Illinois and recently, they were looking for a new flagship for their company. Rexburg’s plant has been chosen for this expansion. Phase 1 is a $125 million expansion. The plant is currently valued at $7 million. With this change come challenges. Phase 1 is one of three potential phases, which will double the amount of trucks 4 coming in to the facility daily. Currently, they are at about 75, at peak possibly 100, turning onto 7th N. In addition, they act as a catalyst. Thomson Farms is also in this area with multi-family housing, townhomes, single-family homes, and commercial. To the south 4-plexes have been proposed, which put pressure on 7th N. The increased traffic needs to be addressed. How will this area function? The City worked with the Department of Commerce on the State level and the Idaho Transportation Department. The Department of Commerce awarded the City a $500,000 grant. The change in the roads in this area is a $4 million project. A cul-de sac would be created on the Sugar City highway. Keith Davidson showed a map of 2nd E. With the increased traffic on 7th N., it will drive a need for a signal. Hwy. 33 through town is a state highway and requires working with the Idaho Transportation Dept. (ITD). At an intersection farther to the north, where the Thomson Farms project would access the Highway, a new signal would be installed on the Sugar City/Salem Highway, and another signal to allow access to 2nd E. They are looking at what signals they can remove and what signals they can move. One of the suggestions was removing the signal from the old Wal-Mart. Traffic back-up will determine which signals will work best. Vince Haley asked if taking out the light at Wal-Mart, will discourage the businesses going into this shopping center. This could discourage them, but there is a signal at Albertsons. The signals are offset and not aligned across the street. When Fat Cats went in, the City looked at access, but a solution was not found to align the signals. Scott Johnson added that the businesses they have met with did not see this as a negative. Steve Oakey asked if the turn lane would stay? Keith Davidson said the turning lane is anticipated to remain. When there are higher traffic volumes, the City may look at right-in a right-out only, which is usually triggered by a traffic count of over 30,000 on a 5-lane road or you look at a 7-lane configuration. John Bowen asked what route the Basic American trucks will be taking. They would probably come off of US-20 and come South into the City. The land to the north of their plant is where the company land applies. If Basic does not land apply, the City would have to take their waste, which is a very expensive to process, about $4 million to buy capacity in the City’s plant. Keith Esplin asked if the company would need to expand their spray fields with this expansion. BAF also land applies five miles north of Sugar City. Darrik Farmer asked about talk concerning annexation. Scott Johnson responded, Basic American knows they are expected to annex within the next five years. $400,000 in additional taxes would be added if Basic was annexed. The City worked with Basic to apply for a grant from the State for the plant expansion, culminating in the largest grant in the state awarded to Basic American. Melanie Davenport asked how the increased jobs would impact the traffic. Keith Davidson says this expansion would bring in 110 new jobs. The positions are full-time benefitted positions far above our County average hourly income. In addition, the company will triple the amount of potatoes being processed. Rory Kunz asked about the HAWK light and a bike lane, which was part of the Thomson farms agreements and railroad impacts. A traffic signal would replace the HAWK signal. Impact to the railroad will be minimal. The trains come in about twice a day. 5 When the trains stop, this is what backs up traffic. Generally, the trains are not that long. Arms will be put in with the crossing tied into the signal. The crossing to the south will remain the same and the signals won’t be stacked. Greg Blacker asked if the business owners have been consulted by the cul-de-sac. When ITD is firmly onboard, Keith Davidson will meet with the business owners. The cul-de-sac businesses are storage units, Leishman Electric, and the nursery; these are usually destination businesses. The floral shop will still have access from 2nd E. John Bowen asked if Moran could be used to alleviate some of the Basic American traffic. He is concerned about the traffic at this corner. Kristi Anderson asked about the “for sale” sign in front of Thomson Farms. Can someone still come in and develop the area? Right now, Thomson Farms is still driving the project. Vince Haley asked about the urgency of the project. Keith gets many complaints. As growth occurs, and with the planned developments building out next year, the project needs to move forward quickly. These projects in this area are going to build-out beginning in the Spring of 2019. With BAF, ITD is forced to participate in a big way. Basic wants to have their phase 1 development done within an 18-month period. Melanie Davenport asked about Basic American’s other phases. Scott answered the other two phases haven’t been awarded yet. The company will complete all three phases within three to five years. Keith Esplin says Basic American is a good neighbor. In Blackfoot, Basic was the one stepping up to donate money for various community projects. Scott Johnson is working with Basic on some land along the river on their side, to increase the trail pathways and they have been very good to work with. The whole north area is developing. Transportation should be determined. The Transportation plan has been laid out to show the major and minor arterials, collectors, and some residential streets. How do we handle traffic? We have some roads in place already. Right now, the City is looking at right-of-way needs for those streets. In addition, they are looking at roads in the impact area. By thinking ahead, the right-of-way can be acquired, and won’t have to be purchased in the future, but can be part of the development negotiations. The interior roads provide an idea of where a road would be needed for the Transportation Plan. There is some flexibility in the general area to allow for the adjustment of lots. The East Parkway Corridor is permanent; it has gone through public hearings and negotiation with Sugar City and Madison County. Short-term, the bridge is a major expense and federal funding will be needed. East- west roads are needed to alleviate congestion on 2nd E. Steve Oakey doesn’t want to attempt to work with Sugar City right now due to the troubles they are having, but eventually this will be needed. Keith continued, the Rural Planning Organization (RPO) is an organization that coordinates roadway systems that meets monthly to discuss growth and roadway needs. 6 Kristi Anderson asked about the timeline for the East Parkway Corridor. Keith Davidson answered the Corridor is years away from being built, but Public Works is working to acquire the needed land. He compared the Corridor to 17th Street or Sunnyside in the City of Idaho Falls to move traffic. The focus is on a grid system with an east-west road about a mile or a mile and a half between them. John Bowen asked where the Corridor will go to the north? Sugar City hasn’t really decided where the East Parkway Corridor will connect into their town. The road by the Sugar City High School was discussed; this is not really where you want a lot of the traffic. Driveways will not access onto the East Parkway Corridor. Vince Haley talked about his traffic patterns and talked about using the Moody Highway instead of the East Parkway Corridor. Keith Davidson said people will be looking for the fastest way to their destination. He would probably work on making the Yellowstone Hwy. the place for the easy north-south movement. Keith Davidson is looking at Moody to create a 90-degree intersection. Vince Haley asked about the State agreement for maintenance. The State wants the City to maintain the Hwy. 33 through town. The partner would probably be ITD and the cost would be split with the city. Melanie Davenport asked if they could revisit the traffic study. The traffic study is the Transportation Plan. Craig Rindlisbacher answered this was presented at the last Planning & Zoning meeting. Scott Johnson invited the Commissioners to come talk to city employees. The Comprehensive Plan is outdated and probably needs to be changed. Residential housing around the Basic American plant is probably not what will be around the plant, due to the expansion. Scott Johnson and Keith Davidson will come back with some recommendations and hopes to see some brought forward by the Commission. The city would prefer to be proactive vs. reactive. Keith Esplin talked about the draw for Basic American. Basic American had the land in Rexburg. In their plant in this area, the work population is exceptional. They don’t have problems like they do in other areas. The University provides people with the technology. The smell when the company reapplies still provides some issues. BPA is beginning to crack down on the emissions. This will cause Basic American to clean up their emissions some more. The smell is probably another reason to not have residential right up next to the plant. Tawnya passed out some training materials to the Commissioners. Report on Projects: None Tabled Requests: None Building Permit Application Report: None Heads Up: January 3, 2018 Hearings: 1. (18-00612) Lorene Street Comprehensive Plan Map Change 2. Development Code Omnibus Chairman Rory Kunz handed the floor over to Scott Johnson. He invited the Commissioners to attend a retirement party for Craig Rindlisbacher on Thursday, December 20, 2018. Motion: Action: Adjourn, Moved by Kristi Anderson, Seconded by Greg Blacker. Motion passed unanimously.