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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-11-21 Planning Commission MinutesCommissioners Present Commissioners Absent: Town Staff: 1. Call to Order i PU LAS KI MINUTES Town of Pulaski Planning Commission January 11, 2021 Janet Jonas, Vice Chair; Tracy Belcher; Kevin Meyer Christopher Conner; Terry Hale Brady Deal, Planner/Economic Developer/Zoning Administrator Chairman Meyer called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. 2. Roll Call of Commission 3. Review and Approval of Minutes February 10, 2020 minutes approved October 12, 2020 minutes approved December 14, 2020 minutes approved 4. Old Business 5. New Business a. ARB Historic Guideline Update Justin Sanders presented an overview of the ARB Historic Preservation Guidelines Update to the Planning Commission. He noted that the guidelines had not been revised since 1987 and that the update was much needed because of the new understandings prevalent regarding historic preservation. Justin mentioned that there are two other historic districts within the Town that are not regulated by the ARB. He further elaborated on the review process for exterior work within the Historic District. He stated that all such work would require a Certificate of Appropriateness. The review panel known as the ARB, is responsible for reviewing cases involving substantial exterior alterations to buildings including new construction, demolition, streetscape, landscape, and open space improvements. Town staff can make determinations on minor improvements or modifications. Justin stated that the guidelines are intended to promote consistency and cohesiveness. If a case is determined inappropriate, the applicant can appeal to Town Council and then ultimately the Circuit Court. He mentioned the inadequateness of the current guidelines because of several issues. Justin stated that the increased number of restoration/renovation projects within the Historic District has highlighted the issues with the current guidelines. Justin then reviewed the grant process and the overall update process. He outlined the upcoming steps necessary to legally adopt the new guidelines. Specifically, he mentioned the need for the ARB to approve the guidelines and for the Town Council to approve as well. Justin concluded by mentioning the questions raised during the process. He overviewed the answers to these key questions. Justin finished by mentioning the desire for the Planning Commission and ARB to be aligned in their vision and mission. Specifically, in regards to the Comprehensive Plan Update and the focus on developing the Historic District. b. Comprehensive Plan Update Process Aphi Fancon from New River Valley Regional Commission then presented information regarding the Comprehensive Plan update. Aphi started by overviewing the last presentation which was the project kick-off. Aphi then discussed the need for Working Groups for key topics and requested the Commission develop a plan to staff these groups and identify the key issues they would like the groups to focus on. Ms. Jonas asked Aphi's recommendation for the number of working groups Aphi responded by saying 2-3 would be great with a focus on Future Land Use, Economic Development, or Housing. She also mentioned a minimum of 6 members for each group would be beneficial. She then mentioned the groups and topics that the county had included in their comprehensive plan update process. Ms. Jonas asked if there would be a benefit in doing a combination of that effort. Aphi stated that a focus on economic development and transportation would necessitate a large group such as developers and VDOT. She stated this would be beneficial. Aphi asked if the Commission believed there would be a strong ability to commit to these working groups over the next 4-6 months. Ms. Jonas responded that her upcoming schedule is extremely busy but that she is wholeheartedly committed to this process because of its importance. She mentioned the issue with not having a full Commission. Page 2 of 5 I January 11, 2021 Chairman Meyer stated that they had used working groups before and that they worked really well in tackling some of the issues. Aphi mentioned that the group could focus on multiple issues if the number of willing participants would be limited. Chairman Meyer responded by saying that he thinks it would be best for the groups to have a focus so it is not a free for all and inefficient. Mr. Deal mentioned that he could reach out to individuals to determine their willingness to participate on a working group. He also stated that it is the Commission's prerogative to determine the focus for these groups. Ms. Jonas mentioned that she would like to see a focus on housing and economic development. Mr. Deal concurred and stated that the Town is placing tremendous emphasis on housing and economic development. Specifically, with addressing the need to increase housing inventory, diversify housing stock, and rehabilitate blighted housing conditions. Ms. Jonas also mentioned smaller topics that include food security, childcare, and other support services. Aphi concluded with a recommendation that the Commission first work on identifying types of groups and focuses for the groups then identify individuals that would be interested. Aphi then presented a breakdown of the Comprehensive Plan components including Data Analysis and the Core Elements. She further elaborated on a core element, future land use. She described the role of the Future Land Use map and how it becomes the foundation of the zoning map. Aphi overviewed the current Land Use map and then also presented the future land use map. She described what the future land use map does and how it becomes the foundation of the zoning map. After reviewing the current land use and future land use maps, Aphi covered current Issues and Opportunities. Aphi suggested changing the residential land use categories to reflect the various residential densities and changing conditions, demands, and trends. Also, Aphi mentioned identifying some areas to review specific issues that neighborhood of town may be experiencing. Aphi addressed the potential reuse of catalytic sites and the importance of focusing development on these sites for economic development purposes. She mentioned Historic Preservation and the commercial strip development along major highways. She asked if we want to have policies and strategies in place about having cross -access easement to make them more pedestrian friendly. Are there areas where a medium to high density residential would be ideal. After Aphi mentioned Civic Uses, Ms. Jonas stated that the civic land uses are hospital, county buildings, and town building. Aphi suggested partnering with these civic land occupants to promote future growth. Aphi described a map exercise that we can complete to further understand land use. Page 3 of 51 January 11, 2021 Ms. Jonas asked if we could do the map virtually. Aphi said yes, that she should be able to facilitate the exercise online. Chairman Meyer stated that he had concerns that the town worries a lot about housing. He stated that in his 29 years in the area has him thinking there is a lot of poor -quality housing in need of repair. Specifically, he thinks this housing is primarily owned by individuals that may not be invested in the town. He questioned what it will look like to add more housing. Chairman Meyer continued by saying that he believes the biggest focus for the town needs to be attracting businesses. He spoke to the last comp. plan update and mentioned that the land use maps were very different. He stated that there is more conservation uses listed in the future land use map. He also discussed the dilapidated commercial properties that make the town look sad. He said that he knew Council was working to address this. Chairman Meyer added that transportation is a significant problem as well. Aphi then reviewed the survey data and focused on the town data. She discussed the number of participants and how most of them lived in the Town of Pulaski. Aphi mentioned that the most important issue from the survey data was employment opportunities. She emphasized that jobs was a large focus for our community. Aphi then provided a thorough overview of the survey data covering several topics and observations from the participant feedback. During the survey overview, Ms. Jonas pointed out that there was seemingly a larger variety of housing desires than the Town may be aware of. Some key points that Aphi pointed out were the public's concern regarding transportation, sidewalk improvements, drug issues and economic opportunities. Aphi then noted some concern regarding water. Ms. Jonas said that she was surprised by that note. She further stated that water notices were wordy and confusing. Mr. Deal responded that the according to the Town Engineer the water quality pre-treatment is even better than some locality's water post-treatment. A general discussion then ensued regarding the housing availability in the town. Mr. Deal mentioned the issue with having a lot of older large homes that are not ideal for prospective home owners because of the tremendous need for rehabilitation and overall maintenance. Chairman Meyer then moved the meeting onto the Staff Report. 6. Staff Report a. Mr. Deal updated the Commission on the upcoming joint hearing with the Planning Commission and Town Council. He detailed the case which is a request for a Zoning Amendment. Mr. Deal also described how the meeting would flow and what the seating Page 4 of 5 f January 11, 2021 arrangements would be due to Covid-19 Restrictions. Mr. Deal also reported to the Commissioners the official resignation of Missy Thomas from the Planning Commission. He asked for everyone to keep in mind anyone who may be interested in joining the Commission. b. Chairman Meyer then asked all the Commissioners to have the Real Estate Disclosure Form in by February 15t 7. Adjournment With there being no further business to discuss, Chairman Meyer adjourned the meeting at 7:30 p.m. ATTEST: Brady Deal, Zoning Administrator Kevin Meyer, thair Page 5 of 5 f January 11, 2021