HomeMy WebLinkAboutP&Z MINUTES JANUARY 12, 1994o.~~,l~
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Planning & Zoning
Public Hearing & Work Meeting
1/12/94
7:00 P. M.
Those Present: Chairman:
Members:
John Millar
Mary Ann Mounts
John Watson
Jim Long
Marsha Bjornn
Davawn Beattie
Bob Lee
Richard Smith
Jerry Jeppesen
Jeff Walters
Rose Bagley
J. D. Hancock
Joe Laird
Bruce Sutherland
Excused:
City Clerk:
Attorney:
Engineer:
City Councilman:
John welcomed Bruce Sutherland, as the new assigned councilman over the
Planning & Zoning Committee.
RE: PUBLIC HEARING FOR ANNEXATION OF PROPERTY ON WEST MAIN BY FREEWAY
'l • The purpose of this meeting is for a Public Hearing to annex and zone a
nine acre tract of land on West Main, on the South side of the road
next to the freeway. The said property if annexed to the City will be
zoned HBD, which will necessitate a change in the zoning as defined in
the Madison County-Rexburg Comprehensive Plan 2000. The amendment in
the Master Plan is to change said parcels from commercial to HBD, which
would permit the use of the said property for a motel, restaurant and
mini-mall.
John turned some time over to Judy Davis to present the plan and then
it would be turned over for public comment. It would then be turned
over for comment from Planning & Zoning Members.
Judy Davis, Relator with Century 21, is working with the people who
would like to purchase the parcel of ground and develop it into a fifty
or sixty unit motel complex. That is all they are requesting from the
city at this time. They are purchasing nine acres and will need about
three acres for the development they are putting in. In the future
they hope to be able to interest a chain restraunt, a full service
family restraunt, and possibly some type of specialty retail stores.
There has been a lot of misinformation that was circulated. The
application that we have made to the city specifically excludes a truck
stop. She showed a poster of Comfort Inns. At this time we do not
know what the design of the motel will be, it will be between fifty and
sixty units. It will have an enclosed swimming pool and a meeting
• room. These people have three other motels, two in West Yellowstone
and one in Jackson. She and her sons went to one of their complexes in
West Yellowstone and stayed there and felt that it was a nice motel and
run very well. She had sent out a letter explaining the complex to all
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the people who had signed the petition to the city. She also talked to
many of them in person. Many of the people on the petition were not
even certain of the location of the potential development. She had
defined for them that they were doing the motel complex and were
excluding a truck stop. The Choice International are the people who
own the Road Way Inns, which is the top of their line and this one is
in the top end middle class which is above the Motel 6 and Super 8, but
not at the top with the Shilo Inn.
Ora Green asked how soon it would happen. Judy said about spring,
middle or end of March they would start construction. The engineering
would need to be done for the water and sewer. The old Squires home is
included, it is part of the property. Temporarily that will be left
there and will be used to house some of the people who will be working
on the project, then it will come out because it is in the way. The
State will allow us three accesses off the road. She had talked to the
State and they are in the process of getting the permits and permission
from them. There will be three ingress and egress slits in the curb
and they will allow us two forty foot slits and one thirty foot slit.
They have to be separated by at least five feet.
It was then turned over to public comment. No one asked to comment, so
it was turned over to the Planning Board for comments or questions.
Marsha Bjornn asked what were some of the
f' want it? John Millar said he understood
around earlier that it was a truck stop.
afraid if this development were put in, i
Street? John said it was not brought up.
L'
reasons that people did not
that there was a concept going •
Marsha asked if people were
t would continue on down Main
Jim Long asked where it was in the Impact Zone? John told him it was
contiguous with the city. The Impact Zone that is proposed goes to
Highway 20.
Davawn asked what about utilities? John stated that water and sewer
would have to be extended out to it from 5th West. Bruce said it would
be paid for by the developer. John said the Sub Division Ordinance
requires 6" inch water lines and anything above that will be paid for
by the city. If lines are extended out there, they should be big enough
to serve the whole area.
Marsha asked when a motel complex like that
anticipated tax revenue for the city? John
property tax revenue. Judy stated the cost
million dollars to 1.6 million for rough fig
stated he thought the tax would be a little
valuation.
goes in, what is the
stated that there would be
of the motel would be 1.5
lures at this point. Bob Lee
over l~ on assessed
John Watson stated that assuming that the reason for annexation is for
city utilities, will the utilities need to be changed significantly to
accommodate this motel? John Millar said they would need to be. He
said they had prepared some rough costs on utility extensions. The •
water line will have to be extended clear from 5th West,. there is only
a 6" line that goes out to those last homes on that street. The sewer
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• goes out basically to the south east corner of the Golf Course. The
cost would be $168,000 total cost to the developer. There would be a
cost to the city, if we stay with the large lines. We have basically
said if you are going to extend the water line out there, it should be
at least 12", and sewer line like wise, so there is some cost in
over-sizing the line. As long as you are going out there lets get it
deep enough and large enough to serve more than one complex.
Jim Long asked if there is more development in the Impact Zone, is
there any way the city can get the money back that they have put in to
expand the size of those lines for future development. John Millar
told him it would come from connection fees. The city has taken the
stance that only property that is annexed will receive city services.
The zoning would be HBD for that nine acres.
Bob Lee asked, what if the motel idea fell though, what then could come
into that location. HBD is basically any commercial development. Bob
asked if a Truck Stop could come in? John Millar told him unless we
develope an annexation agreement, which should be our recommendation,
which would have stipulations on extension of utility services, on
limitations that would be placed on the property, those would be
binding on the property. Judy stated that is why with the application
they had excluded the Truck Stop to give as much peace of mind to the
people that would be their neighbors. John Millar stated that we could
annex contingent up and negotiated annexation agreement and Joe could
• work it up. The property contiguous to it' is not zoned.
John Millar showed the city limits on the map which needs to be
corrected as to the city limits. He said it had been in the city
limits for thirty years and not zoned. We have discussed this before,
it is used for an agricultural zone.
Jim Long asked how far does the F.A.A. extend in their jurisdiction.
Do they go beyond Main Street. John Millar stated only in height
limitation.
Ora Green stated that they own the house just east of the proposal.
Bob Lee stated that if it were him he would be concerned unless it were
screened someway, so they are buffered. John Millar told him our
ordinance does require screening. There are trees along the property
line that belong to Greens. Mrs Green stated at the moment they are
not in the city and she had an agreement with the mayor that they will
not be annexed into the city. Is there anyway in the future that you
could compel us to be in the city? John Millar asked if they lived just
east of this site? She answered yes. He told her the records show
that thirty years ago her property was annexed into the city. She
argued that they were not in the city, describing her property line and
the city line. John stated that we would have to verify that. The
records show that everything out to U.S. 20 with this annexation would
be in the city. She stated it had better not be, because the mayor
promised her and they would go around her. John said they dug into
this to find out what had been and what had not been annexed into the
city and back in 1964 that area was annexed clear past the canal west.
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i/ Jim Long stated he was never happy with the definition we put into the •
ordinance for the density of screening. What we have in our ordinance
is not going to provide screening for these people between the motel
and residents. At this point if we are going to negotiate other
things, we need to negotiate what that screening is going to consist
of, as to density and specifically identify what. John Millar said we
can require a fence. Jim said that irritates him, because the fence
will not screen what they need to have screened. It will only provide
a barrier six feet high, but is does not provide for sound or esthetics
or anything else that a good green screen is designed to provide.
Bob Lee asked Mrs Green what she would like to see there to screen her
from the Motel? She suggested a high green solid hedge to screen from
the noise. Jim Long stated that if we talk about height, it will spell
out width, which might be different from what the ordinance provides
for. You will need spruce trees to get what you are asking for and you
are talking about a minimum of a 25 foot width for a buffer zone. Ora
said what concerns me more, is annexation to the city. John Millar
told her as near as he could tell it happened thirty years ago.
Bob Lee asked what the developer is willing to do, are they willing to
put in that type of buffer to insulate them from the noise. John said
we probably will require that in the annexation agreement. Judy Davis
stated that you can talk about the thirty foot strip of spruce trees
but the cost of establishing those trees would be quite a bit to ask. •
The chance of them surviving would be very slim. Jim Long told her to
look out south at the Stake Center and see the trees that are a
buffer around that building. Bob Lee stated that those were planted
young. Judy said it would be reasonable if they could plant young
trees, a green barrier would be beneficial and a reasonable request,
but 25 feet wide is very wide. You are dealing to a limited access to
the property because of Freeway. We have approximately 170 feet
frontage to deal with as far as ingress and egress. If you force a 25
foot wide buffer, you would limit it to approximately 135 for 120 foot
ingress and egress. It would cramp the people coming in and out of
there, suggesting that we need to look at that in light of what makes
good sense for traffic flow and 25 feet is a lot for a buffer. She had
no problem in working with the city in coming up with something that is
reasonable. Jim stated that he thought they should look at alternate
ways of site planning the development on the nine acres. Judy said
regardless of how it is located, there is only 170 feet frontage.
John Watson- Assuming that it is not annexed, what is the impact on the
developer? John Millar stated they would not have access to city
services, no city police protection. It frees them up because they
will not have any requirements on what they do there.
Jim Long asked, when we adopt the Impact Zone is it the same as if they
were annexed? Richard Smith stated in the discussions we have had, we
may impose the city ordinances in the Impact Zone, if we pass the
Impact Zone and we have not passed that hurdle yet.
• John Watson asked if we have a time frame for the Impact Zone? Richard
told him at best 60 to 90 days.
Bruce Sutherland stated from the council point of view any development
of this magnitude the city would prefer that it be annexed, for the
simple reason of control and taxes.
John Watson stated that if it is annexed, it would have to come to
Planning and Zoning for a plan review and to make sure that we handle
driveways correctly and also help the residents with what they want.
Bob Lee- To comment on it being next to residential zone, you have a
real prcblem when you have a freeway. No one would want to build a
house next to the freeway, so what you look at is what kind of a
development would go in there that would be most compatible with a
residential zone. Probably a motel is least damaging to a residential
setting of any other type of business you would put ir. there. John
Millar stated not only requiring a buffer but it would give us the
opportunity that when they do the site planning if they have a truck
parking that it is over on the west side next to the highway, not next
to Green's house. It would keep traffic away from that area and give
us some input on what could be done.
Bruce Sutherland suggested that there are several ways to do the site
plan. Just by angling the motel in a certain way, they can also
decrease the impact on the Green property.
Judy stated that she realized that all of these things need to be taken
into account, but as any business there are also things like visibility
to the public, signing and things like that. She would like to look at
the whole picture.
Bob Lee stated we are assuming that it will be a first class operation
which will be a credit to the city. If it is not a first class
operation it won't be a credit to the city, but how do we control it.
John Millar told him the meeting tonight is strictly for the Annexation
and Zoning. Any development on the site will have to come before this
group at another meeting, and we can try to work with the developer and
get the best we can.
Judy stated that the Choice International has control on what can go in
and have their name on it. These people have signed a contract with
Choice International. They have control on what can happen and have
their name on it.
{Discussion on the annexation and development on the North of the city)
Ora Green- If the water and sewer go out will it interfere with the
irrigation water. John Millar told her no, we cannot do that, water
rights are deep in this country.
. John Millar closed the hearing. We either need to table it, approve it
or make a recommendation. John Millar introduced the new city
engineer, Joe Laird. John stated that something we have not done in the
past that needs to be done is make a formal Annexation Agreement with •
stipulations. Joe has agreed to work with the developer and get it
worked up. If there is anything we want on that agreement, we need to
say as part of the agreement.
John Watson- If it is annexed it would come under the Zoning Ordinance
and would have to meet the dimensions as dictated in the ordinance or
by the Highway Department, so it isn't something we impose our wished
on. John Millar stated we have some say but the ultimate say is the
Highway Department.
Jim Long felt that as a condition, we should establish a design review
and designate whc the professional licensees would be on this Design
Review Committee. He suggested that one of conditions would be that
the plans be submitted to a Design Review Committee consisting of an
Architect, Engineer and a Landscape Architect.
Judy- Our intent is probably the same. She stated that she gets
concerned when we get great government regulation that gives birth to
lots of things that those of us have to live with after. We will have
an architect drawing the plans and will work with the city engineer and
they are dealing with Forsgren and Associates as far as the engineering
the developer will be required to do. She was concerned about creating
a lot of government regulations that costs a lot of delay and could
cost many thousands of dollars to implement. Jim Long disagreed, Boise
does it very well and gets good results. This is what he would
ultimately like for our city. We don't have it right now, here is an •
opportunity to demonstrate it.
P.ichard Smith- The fact of the matter is our Zoning Ordinance does not
permit that. If that is a function that this community wants, then he
suggested that we go forward and take it to public hearing and let
people have input and put it in the zoning ordinance. By taking that
type of action through an annexation agreement, we are really saying we
are not authorized to do this, but we are going to hold this hammer of
annexation over your project because there are members on this
committee that want to do that. Tf we are going to take this activity
the community needs to come in and go to public hearing and have input
and if they want that kind of review, then lets put it in the zoning
ordinance. He was nervous using it as a threat through an annexation
agreement. A11 changes in the zoning ordinance needs to be by the
proper procedure.
John Watson stated that it already states in the Zoning Ordinance that
a facility of that nature would have to be designed by a professional
and he needs to be responsible for it and the building inspector has a
responsibility to see that the plans are reviewed and stamped, and it
meets the zoning ordinance and building code. He felt that it was a
good process.
Bob Lee asked about the plans for the remainder of the property. Judy
told him they have a conceptional plan only. Probably the motel will
go on the center south end of the property. A restaurant will go i:~
the one corner and then a some type of a little resale mall, with
specialty outlet stores. That is what we hope to attract. Anything we
propose will have to go through Planning & Zoning.
Jim Long asked what process we need to take to get a Review Committee.
Richard told him if that is what this group wants, we need to take it
to City Council and then go through the process of a public hearing.
John Millar agreed there is a process, we need to go through and a
project should not spur a change.
(discussion on the agreement} John Millar stated that the agreement
needs to include costs for sewer and water, users fees, restrictions,
traffic facilities. There are some things we want to see as Planning
ar~d Zoning and some things from engineering which should fall to the
city engineer. Richard stated that if what we want is not in the
ordinance, then we have a problem with the ordinance. If this project
was happening on property that is in the city we would only be able to
control it with our ordinance, we would not have an annexation
agreement. He gets very uncomfortable when we say we don't like the
ordinance so we are going to put extra restrictions on a particular
project. Bob Lee felt the key issue is to protect the residences that
live next to it.
A motion was made by Jim Long to recommend to proceed with the
annexation and to zone it H.B.D. with an annexation agreement prepared
by the city engineer. Seconded by Bob Lee. All Aye
. RE: DISCUSSION OF THE IMPACT ZONE
Next on the agenda was to discuss the Impact Zone. John Millar told
the board he had obtained the property ownership maps and would like to
get together with two or three members and develope the zones for the
area.
Marie Sakota was at the meeting and asked about the zoning on her
farm. Richard told her it would be zoned as it is now, we would leave
it agricultural. She said she had one request that we left all her
property zoned the same.
Davawn Beattie said he would work with John Millar to develope the
zones. John would check and see if Jerry would have time to help with
it. Richard suggested that we need to keep the zoning as it is now.
Richard stated that we adopted different boundaries at the last
meeting, which were different from what we decided on when the
commissioners met with us. They did not sell very good with the
change. Archibalds met with the county and want to be out of the
Impact Zone. Roger Muir does not want to be in. Richard felt we
should implement our total zoning ordinance in the Impact Zone with an
agricultural zone. The commissioners felt strongly that this should
follow along the river and then come up to the corner of the cemetery
and then go east. They felt the ground west of that will never be
annexed for years and years, because of the natural geographical
barriers of the river and bottom lands. The board felt that Archibalds
and Muirs would have as much impact to the city as anyone around that
area. Richard stated with the rest of the boundaries the commissioners
were in agreement. They are swallowing a little hard with implementing
the total zoning ordinance in the Impact Zone. Richard had told them
there would be one or possibly two agricultural zones added to the
zoning ordinance in the Impact Zone and they were in agreement with
that. They felt the zoning ordinance really needs to be in place as
annexation continues to go forward. This is one issue we need to talk
about. This is a barrier we need to come to grips with. We are really
close. The commissioners are close to implementing arterial protection
and a sub division ordinance. They have come a long way.
(discussion) Mary Ann left before a decision was made. John Millar
stated that he felt we :,eed to move on it. If we get it into place,
and we need to change it in a year or five years, we can do it. The
Archibald property is in the flood plain and the water act will help
control it, if they have any run off.
Richard stated that the commissioners stated that they recognized that
we need somekind of planning up and down the cemetery road, but if
water and sewer won't be brought down that road, let the county
regulate it. They have intentions of having a county plan in effect.
Jim Long stated that the county attorney has refused to work with the
committee and the reason is he believes that we should proceed with the
Comprehensive Plar. before we have sub division ordinances. The
committee and the commissioner say to heck with it they want to go
through the piece meal thing. So the commissioners have authorized Jim
to hire Ranae Magee to work with the committee.
(discussion) A motion was made by John Watson to go back to the second
original plan leaving Rasmussen in and excluding the Cemetery Road.
Seconded by Jim Long. All Aye - Marsha Bjornn and Mary Ann Mounts had
left the meeting before the motion was made.
RE: DISCUSSION OF 5ET BACKS ON A CORNER LOT
John Millar discussed the issue of a corner lot. We need to define the
rear yard instead of two side yards. If you require one to be a side
yard and one to be a rear yard, you have one property owner that has a
five foot side yard and a twenty-five foot. Was that the intent or was
it the intent to have five foot on either side and let it fit the lot
as it can and maintain in essence two front yard setbacks and two side
yard setbacks? The committee felt it would be to maintain two front
yard setbacks and let the back and side yard fly as it may.
Meeting adjourned.