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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPlanning Commission Minutes 02-06-2019Approved Minutes 1 of 7 Meeting of February 6, 2019 Approved Minutes Planning Commission Meeting February 6, 2019 MEMBERS PRESENT: Chair Marc Anderson, Commissioners Bryan Oakley, Julie Witt, David Witte, and Jaspreet (Jesse) Narr MEMBERS ABSENT: Commissioners Donovan Saba and Justin Markell STAFF PRESENT: Planning Manager Barbara Thomson and Senior Planner Kip Berglund OTHERS PRESENT: Councilmember Ned Carroll 1. CALL TO ORDER - 7:00 P.M. 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 3. PUBLIC FORUM 4. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION by Commissioner Witte, seconded by Commissioner Oakley, to approve the February 6, 2019 Planning Commission Agenda. Vote. 5 Ayes. MOTION approved. 5. CONSENT AGENDA A. APPROVAL OF THE JANUARY 16, 2018 PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES MOTION by Commissioner Oakley, seconded by Commissioner Witte, to approve the consent agenda. Vote. 5 Ayes. MOTION approved. 6. PUBLIC HEARINGS A. WEST PLYMOUTH DEVELOPMENT (2018078) Chair Anderson introduced the request by West Plymouth Development for a rezoning, preliminary plat and PUD general plan for a subdivision containing 125 single-family lots to be called "Westin Ridge" on property located at the southeast corner of County Roads 47 and 101. Chair Anderson noted that the applicant is still working on revisions to the plan and continued the public h aring to February 20, 2019. 5A Approved Minutes 2 of 7 Meeting of February 6, 2019 7. NEW BUSINESS A. SPERIDES REINERS ARCHITECTS (2018092) Chair Anderson introduced the request by Sperides Reiners Architects for a sketch plan for a senior housing project on property located at 3025 Harbor Lane. Senior Planner Berglund gave an overview of the staff report. Commissioner Oakley referenced the reduced number of parking stalls and potential for shared parking, asking if there are guidelines for acceptable reductions, based on the uses. Senior Planner Berglund replied that there is not an exact guideline. He stated that the formal application review would include more detailed numbers on the stalls that could be shared between the office building and senior building. Planning Manager Thomson stated that there would need to be consideration on whether the use of the office may change in the future, as there currently is not an intense user. She agreed that more details would unfold if the applicant moves forward. Commissioner Oakley asked for additional details on how shared parking is calculated. Senior Planner Berglund provided additional details on past examples of shared parking agreements. Commissioner Oakley stated that the existing office building use has business hours Monday through Friday, and asked if there are other uses allowed under the current zoning that would allow for more use in the evening and weekend hours. Senior Planner Berglund provided examples of uses that would be allowed in the office zoning district that may have evening hours. He stated that conditions can be written into a planned unit development resolution that would put restrictions on hours, should shared parking be allowed. Commissioner Narr asked if the support staff for the senior living facility have been included in the parking calculations or whether those were specific calculations for the senior tenants. Senior Planner Berglund replied that the ordinance requires 1.5 stalls per dwelling unit, which would take into account the support staff needed for the residents. Commissioner Witte referenced the location of the nearest park, specifically how the distance is measured, and asked if there are sidewalks from the subject property to the park. Senior Planner Berglund replied that staff attempts to measure the distance via a walking path, rather than as "the crow flies." He described the path that would be taken to reach the nearest city sidewalk or path that would require seniors to walk along a portion of a city street before reaching a sidewalk or trail. He stated that there has not been an identified need for a sidewalk Approved Minutes 3 of 7 Meeting of February 6, 2019 along Harbor Lane, but noted that discussions would continue, should this application move forward. Commissioner Witte asked for details on potential shadowing of the homes to the west. Senior Planner Berglund provided details on the potential shadowing to the west, which would partially cover the neighboring apartment dog park in the morning in June and December. He stated that both summer and winter scenarios show that the single-family homes would not be impacted. Commissioner Witte stated that he was pleased to see the inclusion of affordable housing units. He asked if the City's definition and the applicant's definition are the same. Senior Planner Berglund stated that the housing program manager has been involved in meetings with the applicant to discuss what affordability would mean. He noted that as the application moves forward, the City would ensure that the definitions match. Chair Anderson stated that it appears there would be a plat in the future to divide the property. He referenced the building height and the absence of a conditional use permit (CUP) and that rather this would move forward as a planned unit development (PUD). Senior Planner Berglund provided additional details on the building height and how that would be related to the required setbacks. He confirmed that although a PUD can follow the guidance that would be required in a CUP, a PUD would be its own zoning district. Chair Anderson stated that it appears that use of a PUD would be the only way this could move forward. He recognized that in a PUD the applicant is given flexibility on certain zoning requirements in return for additional benefits. He asked what the additional benefits of this project would be. Senior Planner Berglund replied that the applicant has stated that if the PUD were to be approved, the applicant would provide higher architectural design elements, building materials, and four-sided building elevation design; needed continuum care for seniors; and the affordable housing unit component. Chair Anderson asked the current occupancy rate of the office building. Senior Planner Berglund stated that currently three to four of the tenant spaces are vacant, which equates to about 3,400 square feet. Chair Anderson introduced Eric Reiners, representing the applicant, who stated that infill sites of this nature are important in a community such as Plymouth, where development is nearing completion. He stated that there is a demand for this product type for this age group in the community, and this would also provide an element of affordability, which is in serious need in the community. He acknowledged that parking would be a question for this application. He stated that the owner of the office building has provided very accurate data on the occupancy of the building and potential parking needs that would occur should current vacancies be filled. He Approved Minutes 4 of 7 Meeting of February 6, 2019 indicated that the office building owner has stated that even at full capacity, no more than 130 parking spaces would be required on a daily basis. He explained that they also did their own random parking observations, noting that on average there were 73 vehicles in the parking lot. He stated that there is very good historical data on the needs for parking for this type of senior building. He stated that typically one space is provided for every independent unit, one space for every five memory units, 12 staffing spaces, and an average of 10 visitor spaces. He stated that the parking proposed would sufficiently meet those demands. He recognized that there would be higher visitor demand times on certain days and that is when the shared office parking could be utilized. He stated that there is sufficient space on the lot to accommodate a larger setback. He referenced storm water management and noted that soils testing is currently in process and a management plan would subsequently be developed. He noted that there would be a combination of surface treatment and underground treatment. He stated that the city would be getting a desired and needed housing product that would meet the needs of that age resident while providing an element of affordability, and would also transition well between the office and adjacent residential areas. Commissioner Oakley asked if the parking observation counts were taken on weekdays and whether counts were taken on weekends. Mr. Reiners replied that the counts were taken on weekdays and stated that he could certainly take a weekend count if desired. Commissioner Witte asked for details on the trash removal process. Mr. Reiners replied that trash is collected through trash shoots that go to the ground floor and then the receptacles are rolled out on the trash collection days and rolled back in after collection. Commissioner Witte asked for details on the location of the main entrance and the entrance that would be used for move-ins and move-outs. Mr. Reiners highlighted the locations of both the main entrance and the service corridor that would be used for trash collection and move-ins/move-outs. Commissioner Witte referenced the continuum of care and asked if hospice would be a part of that care. Mr. Reiners stated that he does have representatives present that could address operations if necessary. Chair Anderson asked if there would be HVAC equipment on the roof, which would increase the building height. Mr. Reiners confirmed that there would be rooftop equipment and overruns above the elevator shafts. He noted that the parapet would be used to partially screen those rooftop elements and noted that the 50-foot height included in the narrative would include those rooftop elements. Approved Minutes 5 of 7 Meeting of February 6, 2019 Chair Anderson referenced the comment that was made to adjusting the footprint to meet the necessary setbacks and asked if the building footprint would be adjusted or whether the building location would just be shifted. Mr. Reiners stated that the building location would be shifted on the lot, noting that the programming footprint can be met within the proposed footprint, which can fit on the lot and meet the required setbacks. He confirmed that there would be underground parking included, approximately 60 spaces. Chair Anderson stated that it would be helpful to have additional information on parking, specifically a chart showing the city requirement compared to the proposed stalls and how that would relate to certain periods where shared parking may be utilized. He referenced the affordability issue and asked how initially affordable would be different than perpetually affordable. Mr. Reiners replied that the development will set aside 15 percent of all of the units on opening day to accommodate residents with affordability requirements. He explained that inevitably some seniors exhaust their resources while residing in senior housing and in lieu of moving those residents to another facility, those residents would be transitioned into affordability units. He explained that the facility would then eventually allow up to 20 percent of the units to be affordability units. Chair Anderson asked how the city would enforce that element in a permanent way, rather than allowing those affordable units to transition to market rate units. Commissioner Witt asked if the developer traditionally comes with sketch plans or whether they typically present more developed plans. Mr. Reiners explained that it would depend upon the individual site and the process allowed by the city. He stated that some cities have a more extensive process and allow a sketch plan review to allow comments to be brought forward and addressed prior to moving through the formal process. Commissioner Witte stated that the plan seems tight and asked for details on emergency services access. Mr. Reiners stated that it may not always be feasible to have drive lanes all the way around the site. He provided details on the circulation that would be available and fire lanes that are available on adjacent parcels. He noted that because of hydrant location, there would be sufficient access. He stated that he would confirm the plan with fire safety officials. Commissioner Witte asked how many parking stalls would be used for snow storage. Mr. Reiners stated that he is not aware of the exact number. He stated there is boulevard space available and noted that additional analysis would be done on snow storage. Approved Minutes 6 of 7 Meeting of February 6, 2019 Planning Manager Thomson explained that the City has a sketch plan process because sometimes it is unknown as to how the Planning Commission and City Council will react to a proposed plan, and therefore the sketch plan allows a developer to gauge the reaction before investing a larger amount of money into the formal review process. Chair Anderson if there was anyone present who wished to speak on this item. No one responded. Commissioner Witte stated he would like to make three additions to the resolution: 1) noting the concerns with access to sidewalks and trails from the site; 2) asking staff and the applicant to come to an agreement on the definition of affordable housing; and 3) determining the impact on parking spaces due to snow removal. Chair Anderson asked how the affordability would be maintained throughout the life of the building. He noted that he would also like more specific information on the parking calculations in a chart format, highlighting the available spaces and the proposed shared parking. Commissioner Oakley stated that the biggest issue with parking is demonstrating that the peak parking for each building occurs at different times. He noted that perhaps a restriction is included on the office building use to ensure availability of shared parking spaces as agreed upon. Chair Anderson asked for clarity on the condition related to density, whether the applicant would be asked to reduce density or change the mix of units. Senior Planner Berglund replied that the applicant would have the choice on whether to reduce the overall density of the building or change the mix to reach that density. Chair Anderson referenced the condition related to the fire lane and stated that perhaps that language could be changed to state that the fire lane be shown in a form acceptable to the fire marshal, which would allow for the option suggested by the applicant, should that be approved by the fire marshal. Commissioner Oakley stated that he is unsure if the surface water treatment condition is required, as that would be part of the formal review. He stated it seemed clear that the applicant is aware that the treatment could be reached above or below ground. Planning Manager Thomson confirmed that the language could be changed to state that surface water treatment requirements must be met. Commissioner Narr referenced the surface water treatment and stated she was not able to find details on what that treatment could be. Chair Anderson provided an example of an underground treatment facility. MOTION by Commissioner Oakley, seconded by Commissioner Witte, to forward to the City Council the comments and recommendations, as modified, regarding the request by Sperides Approved Minutes 7 of 7 Meeting of February 6, 2019 Reiners Architects for a sketch plan for a senior housing project on property located at 3025 Harbor Lane. Vote. 5 Ayes. MOTION approved. B. ELECTION OF PLANNING COMMISSION CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR Commissioners voted unanimously to maintain the current leadership: Marc Anderson as Chair and Bryan Oakley as Vice Chair. Commissioner Oakley volunteered to be a representative to the Parks Commission. C. 2019 WORK PROGRAM Planning Manager Thomson gave an overview of the 2019 Work Program and 2018 Annual Report. Chair Anderson asked for additional details on the affordable housing projects and whether they are on hold. Planning Manager Thomson noted that the projects are on hold because they did not receive funding in the most recent funding cycle. She noted that given the need for affordable housing, there is competition for the funding that is available. She stated that the HRA does a great job working with these projects to put them in the best light to receive funding. Commissioner Witte referenced the decrease in the number of rental housing inspections during a period of time and asked for additional details. Planning Manager Thomson replied that the inspection policy and procedures have changed. MOTION by Commissioner Witt, seconded by Commissioner Narr, to forward the 2019 Work Program to the City Council. Vote. 5 Ayes. MOTION approved. 8. ADJOURNMENT MOTION by Chair Anderson, with no objection, to adjourn the meeting at 8:22 P.M.