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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/21/24 Planning Commission Minutes/ Minutes Town of Pulaski Planning Commission Municipal Building, Council Chambers October 21, 2024 Present: AJ Schrantz, Kevin Meyer, Terry Hale, Van Taylor, Jeremy Clark Absent: Rachel Arthur Guests: Leroy Huffman Call to Order Vice-Chairman, Schrantz called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. The roll was taken by Summer Bork and a quorum was determined with four members present at the time of the roll call. Chairman Meyer joined the meeting at 6:02 p.m. Review and Approval of Minutes Chairman Meyer called for a review and a motion of September’s minutes. Mr. Hale made the motion to approve the minutes as written. Mr. Clark seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously. Public Hearing Review of application ZPO-24-SE-3: A Special Exception submitted by Peak Creek Energy Storage Center LLC for an electrical energy battery storage facility on Monte Vista Dr. Ext Under section 4.11.2-2, Special Exceptions within a Light Industrial Zoning District (I-1) Mr. Schrantz opened the Public Hearing. Ms. Bork reported Calvert Energy proposes to develop a battery storage facility on Monte Vista extension, the proposal is that it will be a static unit that will draw off of Appalachian Power Company’s existing infrastructure on the adjacent parcel. She stated the Town does not currently have existing goals for green energy or alternative energy within the Comprehensive Plan, however, the County does, and there are recommended conditions related to bonding and decommissioning plans, as well as hazard mitigation and property protection. Chairman Meyer closed the Public Hearing as there were no speakers. Chairman Meyer read through the bullet points from the Staff Memo. He stated the fencing requirement of 6 feet doesn’t seen high enough with the facility being unattended. Chairman Meyer continued to the mitigation plan, which is something that has to be completed and a decommission plan with written notice to the Town staff, of work to be done, timeline, vegetation restoration and he questioned if the Town would want to take on the task of checking behind the EPA. He asked the commissioners their thoughts on the building permit applications being submitted every three to five years or a special exception becomes void. Mr. Taylor stated submitting the applications would be smart for record keeping. Chairman Meyer recommend to staff to choose a definite number of years for recommendation to Town Council. Chairman Meyer asked who should be responding to correspondence during construction, Town Staff, Building Official, Code Enforcement, etc. Ms. Bork stated it would be helpful to have a designated person to call for staff if there are issues. Chairman Meyer asked is surety bonding is required. Ms. Bork stated it is recommended that it’s a requirement so that it ensures that the project gets completed and financed. Chairman Meyer questioned Commissioners on their thoughts with the Town reserving the right to inspect the site at any reasonable time with or without advance notice as long as the notice is provided to the applicant simultaneously with entry to the site. Chairman Meyer stated anyone going on site is recommended to be knowledgeable of what’s there and safety training is needed or be accompanied by trained personnel. Mr. Taylor agreed with Chairman Meyer’s recommendation and suggested a designee to inspect, i.e. Emergency Services, Code Enforcement, or Town Staff. Mr. Schrantz suggested the recommended staff be police, fire, or code enforcement. Mr. Taylor asked Ms. Bork if there were any other recommendations from Town Staff. Ms. Bork stated she was comfortable with the conditions on a professional level but the decision is up to the Planning Commission and the best interest of the Town. The motion was made by Mr. Taylor and seconded by Mr. Schrantz to recommend to the Town Council approval of ZPO-24-SE-3with the conditions that the summary outlined and only modifications to that being on the designation of project liaison be for Town Staff and the right to inspection be for Town Staff. The motion passed unanimously. New Business Review of Application ZPO-24-SE-4 A Special Exception submitted by Huffman Automotive for an Automobile Major Repair with Outdoor Storage and Scrap and Salvage Services on a General Business Parcel. Ms. Bork reported Mr. Huffman has submitted a special exception to turn a parcel on Madison Ave into a salvage yard, retailer, restore, and an automobile sale of restored vehicles. She stated with current zoning, B-2 zones can consider an I-1 under the use of a special exception and this special exception has been brought to the Planning Commission via a zoning violation notice. Chairman Meyer asked Mr. Huffman his plans for scrap and salvage, how that was going to be done and what it was going to involve. Mr. Huffman stated the plan would be to use the existing structure and occasionally they get a whole vehicle to repair, one for a customer or one that’s going to be rebuilt. He stated he would take the vehicle inside and dismantle it, save what they need and then discard the shell of the car through local scrapyard. He stated he would also like to extend the existing fence to create an impound lot and use the upper portion of the lot for extra customer parking and sales of the rebuilt cars. Chairman Meyer asked how the sale of vehicles fit in with the Town’s code. Ms. Bork stated retail sales are allowed in general business, and they have to be an operable vehicle being licensed and tagged. Chairman Meyer asked about inoperable vehicles, being stored on the property. Ms. Bork stated they are allowed if salvage is allowed and all fluids must be drained beforehand, which is a DEQ requirement. Chairman Meyer asked for Town Staff to find out if the concern of runoff into the creek in the groundwater, along with if the parcel is outside the floodplain. Mr. Schrantz stated he’d like to see the customer parking portion of the lot be paved to better fit in with the character of the area and less of an eyesore. Chairman Meyer and Commissioners discussed the need to shield the inoperable vehicles from the road per stipulations of the Town. Chairman Meyer thanked Mr. Huffman for coming. Schedule Public Hearing Date for ZPO-24-SE-4 on November 12th. Old Business No old business was discussed. Other Business No other business was discussed. Staff Report No Staff Reports were discussed. Commissioner Comments Mr. Taylor asked if the property adjacent to Huffman Automotive was grandfathered in or if it was also a special exception. Ms. Bork stated that company was part of a larger complex that was industrial back when the Town was booming and it never got shifted over. Adjournment With there being no further business, Mr. Hale made the motion to adjourn the meeting. Mr. Schrantz seconded the motion and with no objections, the meeting was adjourned at 6:56 p.m.