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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-12-21 Planning Commission Minutesi 1% Adsh, Aft PULASK MINUTES Town of Pulaski Planning Commission April 12, 2021 Commissioners Present: Kevin Meyer, Chair; Janet Jonas, Vice Chair; Terry Hale; Chris Conner; Luke Seigfried Commissioners Absent: Tracy Belcher Town Staff: Brady Deal, Planner/Economic Developer/Zoning Administrator 1. Call to Order Chairman Meyer called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. 2. Roll Call of Commission A quorum was determined since five of the six Commissioners were present. 3. Review and Approval of Minutes a. February 8, 2021 minutes were approved by a unanimous voice vote with a motion from Chris Conner seconded by Terry Hale. b. March 8, 2021 minutes were approved by a unanimous voice vote with a motion from Chris Conner seconded by Terry Hale. 4. Public Hearing 5. Old Business a. Comprehensive Plan Update Process i. Press Release ii. Working Group iii. Engagement Site/Flyer iv. Survey v. Land Use Map After the staff report was completed, Chairman Meyer asked Aphi to continue with the Comprehensive Plan Update Process. Mr. Deal provided an update to the Planning Commission on the individuals that have agreed or tentatively agreed to participate in the Working Group process. He also mentioned that the engagement site had gone live. Mr. Conner asked if it would be appropriate to add a Fire/Police/EMS person to the working group. Mr. Deal responded that he would see if he could get a first responder to participate. Aphi proceeded to discuss the various elements that were proposed for the Comp. Plan update and asked the Commissioners if they thought that some of the elements should be grouped together under a "super element." She proceeded to discuss the various sub -elements that could be condensed. Aphi then reviewed the Future Land Use map and some of the inconsistencies between Future Land Use map and the Zoning Map. A discussion ensued between the Commissioners on the various aspects of the Future Land Use map. Much of the discussion surrounded conservation areas. Aphi mentioned that the discrepancies need to be addressed. She also stated that the Commission may need to advertise and complete some map amendments to complete this process. The Planning Commission determined that the GIS information was reflecting the current use of the land versus the Future Land Use. Aphi then asked the Commissioners if they would like the FLU to be more specific. She stated that currently the map just includes residential and does not include specific sections for the differing residential districts. She mentioned that the FLU map in the new Camp. Plan needs to mention the density and intensity. Aphi proceeded to discuss the land use map and zoning map. She reviewed the maps with the Commissioners and described the distributions between the various uses/districts. Aphi stated that this process provides an opportunity to review the FLU map and Zoning District map to determine the inconsistencies to ensure our maps are most accurate. Aphi stated that it is important to find these land use issues and then determine what actions should be taken. She stated that if a hospital is going to be a hospital forever, then why leave it as a non -conforming use. A discussion ensued about various areas where the zoning district does not reflect the land use. Mr. Deal mentioned properties located behind the Jefferson Yarns buildings. Page 2 of 7 1 April 12, 2021 Aphi stated that she would bring a table that would detail the incompatibility of the FLU and zoning district map. A discussion ensued regarding conservation areas, public land, and the potential annexation of property north of the Town off of Route 11. Chairman Meyer and Ms. Jonas mentioned information they were aware of regarding that potential annexation and project. Chairman Meyer asked Mr. Deal what the status/capacity of the current water/sewer system to serve new developments such as the Claremont School apartment project. Mr. Deal stated that he did not have the knowledge or expertise to answer that question but would check with the Town Engineer. Chairman Meyer stated that it would be beneficial for the Town Council, Town Manager, and Planning Commission to know the condition of the water/sewer infrastructure in the various neighborhoods and residential areas. Mr. Deal stated that the Town's public works and engineering employees do an incredible job with maintaining the aging infrastructure the Town's residents rely on. Aphi stated that this discussion is another reason we need to review the FLU because future development projects need to occur in areas that have the capacity to support the development's needs. Aphi then mentioned that she and Mr. Deal would meet with department heads and would learn more specific information about issues like service capacity with current water infrastructure. Chairman Meyer mentioned going to the shops and talking with the workers. He stated that they would know the troubled areas best and would be a great source of information. 6. New Business 7. Staff Report a. Section 5.3.3 Table 2: Off -Street Parking Requirements b. Manufactured/Mobile Homes c. Food Truck Location Chairman Meyer decided to skip the Old Business section and proceed with the Staff Report since the representative from the New River Valley Regional Commission was not present. Page 3 of 71 April 12, 2021 Mr. Deal started by introducing Mr. Luke Seigfried, a newly appointed member of the Planning Commission. Mr. Deal provided an overview of the background of Mr. Seigfried to the other Commissioners. Chairman Meyer welcomed Mr. Seigfried to the Planning Commission. Mr. Deal introduced the three items under the staff report as potential concerns within the Zoning Ordinance that he felt may need to be discussed by the Planning Commission to determine if any rectification and/or amendment is necessary. Mr. Deal started with the off-street parking requirements. He stated that the Town's Zoning Ordinance required 2.5 parking spaces per unit for multi -family units. He stated the developers working on projects within the Town have noted concerns regarding this requirement. Chairman Meyer stated that Blacksburg has been getting away with not requiring substantial amount of spaces and that it is difficult for visitors/people out of town to find spaces to park. Ms. Jonas stated that Blacksburg has a robust advanced public transportation system that alleviates the need for parking. Ms. Jonas stated that we need to be considerate of the developer's concerns. Mr. Deal stated that one of his main issues with the requirement was the lack of consideration for different size units within a multi -family development. Chairman Meyer stated he would not mind looking at something more complex such as parking spaces per bedroom. He mentioned the issue with the Main Street apartments not having identified parking areas and using public parking instead. Chairman Meyer warned that public parking may become non-existent if all the apartment residents are using those lots. Mr. Deal stated that he was just bringing this up for the Planning Commission to discuss and consider. He further stated that if the amount of development the Town is seeking does in fact come, there will be a significantly higher number of vehicles. Specifically, in the Downtown. Chairman Meyer asked what development in fact is the Town seeking for the Downtown. Mr. Deal responded and stated the Town is hoping to expand the retail/restaurant environment downtown. However, he stated that many of the property owners and developers have chosen to use the upper floors of downtown buildings for residential use. Page 4 of 7 / April 12, 2021 Chairman Meyer asked if there was a recommendation from a Commissioner on how to proceed forward with a review of our parking requirements. Mr. Conner asked if it would be necessary to hold a work session to discuss this topic. Ms. Jonas responded that we would need to do further research and review the topic comprehensively to ensure we had the best perspective on the matter. She stated that we should strive to make things least restrictive then provide more latitude through special exceptions. Chairman Meyer mentioned that there is a balance that must be found between our regulations, the developer's desire to save money and increase profits, and prevent parking shortages. Mr. Deal asked if there were any localities that he could research for the Commission to review. Chairman Meyer stated that they had done that before. He stated that Wytheville, Marion, and maybe Christiansburg and Radford would be beneficial. Mr. Seigfried asked if there is a standard locality used for comparative purposes. Chariman Meyer responded not specifically and said they look at multiple. Ms. Jonas stated that she would consider this and possibly get back to Mr. Deal at a later date. She stated that Rocky Mount came to mind as a possible option for comparison. Mr. Deal stated that this is one of the tough topics that will continue to be mentioned as more developers begin projects in the Town of Pulaski. He also stated that it is best if a rationale is established to support the regulations so that explanations can be provided when regulations are questioned or challenged. Ms. Jonas stated that the transportation landscape will likely change drastically over the next ten years and result in this discussion being a recurring one in the future. Mr. Deal then discussed the Manufactured/Mobile Home language or lack thereof in the Zoning Ordinance and Town Code of Ordinances. He stated that manufactured/mobile homes are defined to be used a single-family dwelling. Mr. Deal stated that he had struggled to find concrete language on this issue in the Zoning Ordinance. Chairman Meyer stated that he also was of the impression that there was not concrete language regarding mobile homes. He stated that he assumed there was a reason related to discrimination that prevented the ordinance from limiting mobile homes in any district. Page 5 of 71 April 12, 2021 Mr. Deal stated that Christiansburg and Wytheville have polices that limit single -wide and double -wide mobile homes throughout their towns. Ms. Jonas stated that she thought no new single-wides were permitted. Mr. Deal stated that he spoke with the Town Attorney regarding this issue and that he thinks it would be illegal to outlaw them collectively but limiting them to certain districts is legal. Mr. Deal asked if the Commissioners would like to amend the Zoning Ordinance to strengthen the language related to mobile/manufactured homes. Chairman Meyer stated that he thinks we should treat it the same was as we are the parking. Mr. Deal stated that the last item under staff report is related to food trucks. He specifically asked if the Commissioners would be interested in identifying a permanent food truck location. He asked if there were any potential locations the Commission thought were appropriate. Ms. Jonas stated that we definitely need to make this a priority. She stated that she was hoping the Downtown grant would have provided hook-ups but there was not enough money for it. Mr. Conner stated that the Fire Marshal has inspected food trucks before for events. Mr. Deal stated that currently there is not a Mobile Food Preparation Vehicle application. Ms. Jonas mentioned that Main Street behind the County Building is a great location for food trucks. Mr. Seigfried asked if Heritage Park would be acceptable. Ms. Jonas stated that would be a potential location because of the families and children. Ms. Jonas stated that we need a versatile approach that includes a location for a food truck rodeo and a location where food trucks can come if they just want to visit. Mr. Conner stated that it would be neat if we could land on a semi-permanent spot and strive to make it more attractive for food trucks to set-up. She stated that a set-up dining area would be awesome. Ms. Jonas asked if the Train Station would be the most appropriate place. Chairman Meyer stated that it was a limited parking lot which is not ideal for a permanent location. Page 6 of 7 1 April 12, 2021 Mr. Seigfried asked if we could look up what installation costs would be for food truck necessities. Ms. Jonas stated that there is information in the Downtown Master Plan. 8. Other Business 9. Adjournment With there being no further business to discuss, Chairman Meyer adjourned the meeting at 7:41 p.m. Page 7 of 71 April 12, 2021 Kevin Weyer, Chair