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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11/12/24 Planning Commission Minutes/ Minutes Town of Pulaski Planning Commission Municipal Building, Council Chambers November 12, 2024 Present: AJ Schrantz, Terry Hale, Van Taylor, Jeremy Clark Absent: Rachel Arthur, Kevin Meyer Guests: Chuck Yates, R.D. Warburton, David Stanley, Carolyn Soprano, Gary Horn, Tom Underwood, Leroy Huffman Call to Order Vice-Chairman Schrantz called the meeting to order at 6:01 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. Review and Approval of Minutes Vice-Chairman Schrantz called for a review of the October minutes and a motion to adopt. Mr. Taylor questioned the second paragraph on the second page stating ‘he asked the commissioners their thoughts on the building permit application submitted every three to five years or for a special exception becomes void’ he asked is the timeframe within three to five years’. Ms. Bork replied yes. Mr. Taylor made the motion to approve the minutes. Mr. Clark seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously. Public Hearing 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 Vice- Chairman Schrantz asked for the staff report before opening the Public Hearing. Ms. Bork reported Mr. Huffman with Huffman Automotive is looking to expand his business operation. She stated Mr. Huffman as rented a parcel across the street from his current location at 401 North Madison Ave and is proposing to operate a towing, salvage, and impound lot, and refurbishment facility, as well as increased parking for his current facility that’s located on fifth street. She reported this special exception was brought to the Planning Commission via a zoning violation and the owner has been cited several times by the Code Enforcement Officer for inoperative vehicles. She stated the property is currently zoned as General Business and has surrounding industrial use along with residential and business parcels, which questions the neighborhood compatibility. She reported the future land use map does not currently have the parcel of land to be expanded on slated for as industrial use. Ms. Bork stated the Planning Commission would need to sort through terms of how they would like to recommend that Town Council proceed. She stated at the previous meeting there were questions regarding the view shed, DEQ regulations on vehicle maintenance and fluid storage, and the impact the expanded business might have in the flood plains. Vice-Chairman Schrantz opened the Public Hearing. Chuck Yates, of Prospect Ave stated Huffman Automotive is already operating as he has expanded his business. He stated the owner has a lot full of cars, drops motors, drops transmissions, and drops fluid on the ground. He stated when United Muffler was in operation, it was in great stewardship of the neighborhood and Mr. Huffman has operated the business in total defiance of the neighborhood, the town ordinances, and defiance of taking care of safety. He stated he feels that Pulaski has turned into a junky dystopian town and Madison Ave is the epicenter of it. He commented on the multiple properties used for inoperative vehicles and dilapidated buildings throughout the town and recommended tearing those structures down and reclaim them for homes and parks and beautiful places within the town. Mr. Yates reported the vehicles Mr. Huffman has used to operate his business are tagged outside of the State of Virginia and the Town of Pulaski isn’t getting the taxes for the vehicles he uses. He stated he is strongly against allowing any zoning relief for Mr. Huffman and the town should be cleaning things up on Madison Ave, not trashing them up further. R.D. Warburton of Sixth Street NE began by thanking the Planning Commission members for their service on the board. Mr. Warburton stated the character on the north side, which is not the issue, is 100% residential, except for what Mr. Jesse started and where they are now, and that side of the street should, in his opinion, remain primary residential. He also stated when you enter town limits at the new elementary school, there is only one traffic light on Route 11, the entire length of time you’re in the Town of Pulaski, is right next to his house, and he agrees with Mr. Yates that it projects housing and ‘affluence versus what in the world is in the center of town’. Mr. Warburton stated Mr. Huffman has been a uniformly poor neighbor, as he routinely blocks sidewalks on both sides of the road, works on cars in the street, and uses Madison Ave as a runway for vehicles before turning them back over to the owners. He stated Huffman Automotive is a thriving business, which the town needs more of, but suggested the Planning Commission recommend to Town Council to put a hold on any approval until Huffman Automotive gets in compliance with its current difficulties. David Stanley of Sixth Street NE stated he and his family moved to Pulaski from Radford two years ago. He stated he works in the automotive field and no matter what Mr. Huffman does or tries to do, he will not keep the oil and antifreeze off the ground. He reported his children can’t get down the sidewalk when Mr. Huffman’s trucks are there. He also addressed his concerns with home values decreasing with Mr. Huffman’s business in operation and spoke against turning the parcel into a salvage yard. Carolyn Soprano of Fifth Street NE stated she grew up in Pulaski, moved away, and since has moved back and described the town as a ‘ghost town’ with not a lot of things to do. She stated there are other areas of the town for a scrap yard that aren’t in someone’s face and bringing down property values. She reported she has had problems with Mr. Huffman parking his cars on the sidewalks, blocking roadways and line of site entering to her home. She stated when Mr. Huffman moved into the property building he spray painted the building, allowing the paint to fly everywhere and discarded the old chipped paint onto the ground. Ms. Soprano stated she had called the town previously to report the numerous vehicles that are parked on the sidewalks and questioned if he has the right to sell vehicles. She stated there are several car lots in the town and there shouldn’t be another one in the middle of downtown. She stated the area where Mr. Huffman wants to expand to is already a highly-trafficked area with tractor trailers, Mr. Huffman’s vehicles, and everyday traffic. She suggested moving his business to another location off the main drag of town. Gary Horn of Fifth Street NE reported he lives in the home next door to Huffman Automotive and when he moved in, the business was not there and the neighborhood was quiet but since Mr. Huffman moved in, it has turned into chaos. Mr. Horn spoke of his concerns regarding his dialable daughter’s ability to exercise due to the parking on the sidewalks from Mr. Huffman’s vehicles. He stated if Mr. Huffman’s business is outgrowing his current location he needs to move to a larger space outside of a residential area. He stated he would like to see more homes and parks instead of pawn shops, junk yards, and towing companies where, if Mr. Huffman is allowed to expand, would affect home values. Tom Underwood, of Lee Highway stated he feels this problem isn’t of one incident, that it’s a town problem. Mr. Underwood stated he owns a church and homes in the area of Huffman Automotive and within three blocks of his properties there are piles of cars sitting behind fencing that aren’t covered most of the time, the yard isn’t maintained, and he feels the Planning Commission is dealing with a neglectful Town Council and Mayor. He stated he blames the town for places, like the towing company across from his properties, and believes there are legal ways that the town can set rules and standards before a business comes to the Planning Commission. He stated there are investors coming into town and there needs to be bylaws in place for every business to adhere by, and with the new apartments coming onto Main Street above store fronts, there’s going to be limited parking on the street for those store fronts which will drive business away. Mr. Yates invited listeners to come to the top of Madison Ave to view the downtown area and image absence of the junk yards and remnants of Pulaski Furniture, and how beautiful downtown would be. Mr. Underwood asked if the meeting was published in the newspaper as he wasn’t notified. Ms. Bork stated it was published and he should’ve received a letter. Mr. Underwood stated the residents of his properties may have received the letters. Vice-Chairman Schrantz closed the Public Hearing and asked the commissioners if they had any comments. Mr. Clark stated he doesn’t think it would be a good idea to recommend this case to the Town Council. Vice-Chairman Schrantz stated when he moved to Pulaski from Radford in 2016 he saw the value in the town and a lot of work has to go into it and stated Ms. Bork and town staff are doing their best to make it better. He referenced the Land Use Map and the Comprehensive Plan and stated something like Huffman’s expansion could be useful in another part of town but the current location isn’t a good fit. He stated he would like them to be in another location where it fits the image and the least amount of impact to other businesses and residents. Mr. Hale stated he agrees that it is not the proper location for Mr. Huffman to expand. Vice-Chairman Schrantz stated Ms. Bork and town staff could help find locations where Mr. Huffman’s expansion could benefit the town. Ms. Soprano stated she would’ve liked to been able to purchase the property that Huffman Automotive is located on if it wasn’t zoned for a business, as her property line is beside them. Mr. Underwood stated this problem is due to the town’s laziness as Mr. Huffman thought he could expand his business because the town gave him no guidelines. There was discussion between the guests of the meeting regarding the increased traffic due to KTI and the selected location for Huffman Automotive being too small for his vision. One guest stated there is an old garage on Main Street that would be large enough for Mr. Huffman. Mr. Huffman stated the old garage on Main Street isn’t for sale and the owners aren’t interested in selling. He stated his business isn’t going anywhere unless someone buys it out and the residents are squashing his vision and doesn’t understand why, as someone who wants to bring business to the town and due a good service for the community. Mr. Yates replied to Mr. Huffman stating it’s all about operating the business in good faith and Mr. Huffman has failed to do so. Mr. Taylor thanked the guests for coming to speak and sees the value in the neighborhood wanting to have a voice in these issues. Mr. Taylor made the motion that the Planning Commission recommend to Town Council that the request for this special exception not be approved because of the comprehensive plan the town currently has, as this is a different use than what is being proposed, also the negative impact this expansion would have on the character of the neighborhood. Mr. Clark seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Ms. Bork stated residents would not receive letters but the hearing will be advertised and heard at the Town Council meeting on December 3rd. New Business No new business was discussed. Old Business No old business was discussed. Other Business No other business was discussed. Staff Report 2025 Planning Commission Calendar for Review Ms. Bork stated she has put together the meeting schedule for 2025 and the October and November meetings are affected because of the state holidays. The motion was made by Mr. Clark and seconded by Mr. Taylor to accept the holiday and meeting calendar for 2025 as written. The motion passed unanimously. 0 & 34 1st Street NE Special Exception Applications for Adapt Reuse in the downtown area submitted by Peak Creek Partners LLC Ms. Bork stated she has received an application from a developer who is interested in doing adaptive reuse downtown buildings along First Street. She stated Peak Creek Partners, who did the West Main Street apartments have purchased 0 and 34 1st Street and are looking to do mixed use, live in artisan live work studios on the bottom and apartments on top. She stated the questionable portion would be if the live work studios would be sufficient for mixed use. Mr. Clark and Mr. Taylor both agreed to obtain all the details before reviewing the application and moving forward. Ms. Bork stated she was still working on getting the future comprehensive plan exercise compiled into a draft to fix the issues that were identified in the plan, particularly at density types for housing and in that moving towards identifying and adopting neighborhoods. Commissioner Comments Mr. Taylor asked if there was an update regarding the RFP for evaluating zones. Ms. Bork stated it died a while back, it is needed, but the question becomes finding funding for it. She recommended to sign off on a draft that is the direction of the Planning Commission to present to Town Council. She reported the town has had issues in the past that keep resurfacing that the town’s zoning is toothless and very broad. She recommended it be reevaluated one section at a time to make sure everything is up to date and in the interest of where the town is going and the best way for it to be done would be working with a consulting company. Mr. Schrantz asked if it was a resource issue. Ms. Bork stated there are consulting firms who do that work continuously and the Town Council hasn’t gotten much traction for that to be within the town. Mr. Clark recommended a goal of the Planning Commission would be to review it within the next year. Ms. Bork stated the reasoning behind the future land use relook is to better establish and correlate land use with the zoning types. Adjournment The motion was made by Mr. Clark and seconded by Mr. Taylor to adjourn the meeting at 7:10 p.m. The motion passed unanimously.