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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-12-22 Planning Commission Minutes MINUTES Town of Pulaski Planning Commission June 13, 2022 Commissioners Present: Janet Jonas, Vice-Chair; Luke Seigfried; Terry Hale; David Hall; AJ Schrantz Commissioners Absent: Kevin Meyer, Chairman; Chris Conner Town Staff: Caroline Smith, Planner/Zoning Administrator; Darlene Burcham, Town Manager; Trey Peace, Economic Development and Planning Manager; Spencer Rygas, Town Attorney 1. Call to Order Vice-Chair Jonas called the Planning Commission to order at 6:00 p.m. 2. Roll Call of Commission A quorum was determined with six commissioners present. 3. Review and Approval of Minutes Ms. Jonas asked if there were any comments on the March 14th and May 9th minutes. Mr. Seigfried motioned to approve the minutes and Mr. Hale seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously on a voice vote. 4. Public Hearing 5. Old Business Ms. Smith introduced the new Commissioner, Mr. Schrantz, and the Town’s new Economic Development and Planning Manager, Mr. Peace. a. Minimum Structure Size Cont. Page 2 of 7 / May 9, 2022 Ms. Smith stated that Ms. Burcham was present to expand on the previous meeting’s discussion. Ms. Burcham explained that the tiny home discussion came from inquiries that the Town received regarding minimum structure size. She continued to say that in her experience, tiny homes typically appear within their own clusters and neighborhoods and they should avoid being put in established neighborhoods. She believed that the comprehensive plan would be a great place to start thinking about housing and the diversity of housing stock. She ended with her final suggestion by stating that tiny homes should be put in new neighborhoods, not established ones. Ms. Jonas stated that last month’s discussion included the necessity of diverse housing stock, and not much was spoken regarding infill lots versus new neighborhoods. Ms. Burcham emphasized the importance of established neighborhoods and their integrity. Ms. Jonas asked if there were any questions for Ms. Burcham. Mr. Seigfried stated that he wanted to clarify that their prior discussion was about how the tiny homes would impact property value and whether or not that would preserve the neighborhood and not just observing the current housing inventory. He also added that the houses would need to be permanent structures. Ms. Jonas stated there may not be a recommendation until the end of the Fall. 6. New Business a. Crematories in B-2 Ms. Smith introduced the next item on the agenda, crematories in B-2. She stated that currently, they are only allowed within the B-1 district, which is typically a more restrictive district, and recommended that the language be amended to allow them in the B-2 district as well. Ms. Jonas and the rest of the commission agreed for a staff-initiated zoning amendment to occur at the next meeting. b. Townhome Setback Requirements Ms. Jonas introduced Kevin Connor from Shah Development. Page 3 of 7 / May 9, 2022 Kevin started by stating that he plans to work on rezoning for a district to become R-3. However, the townhome setbacks are more restricted, and he made a proposal to have the Planning Commission adjust the setbacks to match the single-family home requirements. The Planning Commission agreed and an amendment to this effect will be on the next month’s agenda. c. Presentation from Mainspring Recovery for a Future Special Exception Ms. Karen Cohen, a lawyer with Gentry Locke, introduced Mainspring Recovery. She stated that she met with Ms. Smith and the Town Attorney for a pre-application meeting. She continued to say that the special exception will be for a hospital or health center adjacent to LewisGale Hospital in Pulaski. She stated that Mainspring is currently constructing a facility in Dumfries, VA, and introduced the COO Lisa Dehorty. Due to technical difficulties Yitzy Halon, the CEO of Mainspring Recovery started the presentation. Yitzy shared his personal story of addiction and recovery centers. He shared how he became the CEO and started the company. He also stated they were different from a methadone clinic. Lisa started then presented her background, indicated she started with Mainspring in December and has worked for multiple treatment centers in the past. She has been working in the field since 1994 and has a bachelor’s in clinical psychology and an MBA with a concentration in healthcare. She said the clinic would provide residential substance use disorder treatment, not harm reduction treatment, which is very different. She stated that the social determinant will be the most challenging part, and they are not interested in substituting one drug for another. The clients will be with them for 21 to 45 days. Their goal is to ensure the client has a plan and an intense case management system will be implemented. The clients will be 18 years or older and voluntarily admitted. They are planning to serve clients within a 70-mile radius. She stated that the center will accept Medicaid and private insurance. Additionally, the center will create 50 new jobs. She said their patients could come from LewisGale hospital’s unit and their clinicians would be able to provide community education outreach. Lisa asked if there were any questions. Ms. Jonas asked how many beds there will be in the facility. Page 4 of 7 / May 9, 2022 Lisa said that the designs are not completed yet, but the current plan is 40 to 50 beds. Ms. Jonas asked if there will be room for outdoor space with the highway there. Yitzy stated the property is about a five-acre parcel and they are not far enough into the development phase yet, but there will probably be a gazebo and some basketball hoops. He stated that they are very mindful of how people come and leave. Mr. Schrantz asked if they were planning to renovate the property. Yitzy explained that they were planning to renovate the building and have been working with Shah development, who owns the property. He stated that Shah development is very eager to start the process. The center has been referencing a previous organization’s plans who were at one point going to move into the same property. Ms. Jonas stated that she is quite sure that Shah development is excited to use the building for a recovery space. She said that Shah development also owns the property next to the methadone clinic and was adamant that he has the perfect space for the facility, the site under consideration by Mainspring. Mr. Schrantz asked how the patients will pay for the treatment. Yitzy answered that they anticipate that 80% of their patients will be on Medicaid. He stated that since they want to help, they plan to target that percentage and will be able to make a real impact. Mr. Schrantz asked how patients will be admitted. Yitzy stated that no one is there against their will but they may have some that are court ordered. He then deferred to Lisa. Lisa stated that patients will come from all over. With the main referrals coming from hospitals and it will be 100% voluntary. However, they will accept court-ordered clients but if they come in non-compliant, they will go back to jail. Ms. Jonas asked what the exit plan and process would be like. Lisa stated that they are going to be looking at that in terms of their mission. She said they will need to purchase some homes for sober living Page 5 of 7 / May 9, 2022 to provide structured care when they leave. She went on to say that when clients leave, they need to know where they are living, what they are going to do for work, where they will receive ongoing counseling, and where they will receive their medications. She said the sober living and recovery communities will be the important part, and if it does not currently exist, the team will need to look at that. Yitzy stated that he can understand why a locality may be concerned about sober living houses because they can become a place for drug activity. Ms. Jonas voiced her concern on that as well. Yitzy stated that they are currently focused on residential treatment, however that is just one part of the process. He said it is their responsibility to provide a network beyond the treatment facility for their clients. He said clients will begin planning their discharge on day one. He went on to say that sober homes will not run rampant throughout the community but if it is needed they would come back and have that conversation with the Town. Lisa said she previously worked at a rural substance use treatment center and had no resources, so the company had to build out silver homes. However, it is a process that they need to convince the patient to continue the care. Ms. Burcham asked how they chose Pulaski as the location. Yitzy stated he is in charge of choosing facilities. He said they didn’t choose Pulaski because there was a need in Pulaski specifically but more a need in this part of the state. He also said they like the site and its location directly adjacent to the hospital. Mr. Seigfried asked how many patients they may have in a year. Yitzy stated that they hired a consultant that determined the number to be around 300. He also stated that they may only be at 80% capacity sometimes, but will always be staffed as if they were at capacity. Ms. Jonas expressed excitement to see what this would do for workforce development. Yitzy stated that they were very concerned about staffing and that Lisa spoke to the president of LewisGale. He said that LewisGale easily received applicants for the jobs that were available for their mental health unit that was recently added. Page 6 of 7 / May 9, 2022 Mr. Schrantz asked what the salary would be for their staff. Yitzy stated that they will want to attract top talent for their patients and salary will come along with that. Mr. Schrantz asked what type of career placement would be involved for the patients. Lisa said she has always worked with the community workforce development but has not done the research into seeing what this locality has. Ms. Jonas stated that there is a strong workforce development program here. Lisa said she would typically have workforce development people come in and do weekly presentations for the clients. She stated that not all of their clients will be jobless, but they support those that need them. Ms. Jonas asked if there were any more questions and thanked Mainspring for coming. 7. Staff Report 8. Old Business 9. Adjournment With there being no further business to discuss, Ms. Jonas adjourned the meeting at 7:15 p.m. Page 7 of 7 / May 9, 2022 Kevin Meyer, Chair ATTEST: _ Caroline Smith__________________ Caroline Smith, Planner/Zoning Administrator/Secretary