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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-17-2012 Plannign Commission Minutes REGULAR MEETING May 17, 2012 PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order at 7:OOpm by Chairman Cruz. POSITION MEMBERS PRESENT MEMBERS ABSENT No. 1 Michael Levin No. 2 Vacant No. 3 Andy Anderson No. 4 Alecia Greenaway No. 5 Joe Cruz No. 6 Vacant No. 7 Zahra Khan No. 8 Jana Kempf No. 9 Paul Hilliard APPEARANCE OF FAIRNESS: Chairman Cruz read a statement about the appearance of fairness for hearings on land use matters. Chairman Cruz asked if any Commission member had anything to declare. There were no declarations. Chairman Cruz then asked the audience if there were any objections based on a conflict of interest or appearance of fairness questions regarding the items to be discussed this evening. There were no objections. ADMINISTERING THE OATH: Chairman Cruz explained that state law requires testimony in quasi-judicial hearings such as held by the Planning Commission be given under oath or affirmation. Chairman Cruz swore in all those desiring to speak. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Commissioner Anderson moved, seconded by Commissioner Greenaway, that the minutes dated April 19, 2012 be approved as mailed. The motion passed unanimously. -1- OLD BUSINESS: A. Special Permit Redevelopment of a school recreation field in an RS-12 Zone (Tri-City Jr. Academy) (MF# SP 2012-0081 Chairman Cruz read the master file number and asked for comments from staff. Rick White, Community 8a Economic Development Director, explained staff had nothing to add unless the Commission had any questions. There were no questions from the Planning Commission. Commissioner Khan moved, seconded by Commissioner Greenaway, to adopt findings of fact and conclusions therefrom as contained in the May 17, 2012 staff report. The motion passed unanimously. Commissioner Khan moved, seconded by Commissioner Greenaway, based on the findings of fact and conclusions therefrom the Planning Commission recommend the City Council grant a special permit to Tri-City Junior Academy for the redevelopment of a recreation field with conditions as contained in the May 17, 2012 staff report. The motion passed unanimously. Mr. White stated this item will go to next regular City Council meeting on June 4, 2012 unless appealed. PUBLIC HEARINGS: A. Special Permit Re-opened Public Hearing for expanding the capacity of a pre-school from 50 to 80 children in an existing church in an R-S-20 Zone (Imagination Studios Academy Preschool) (MF# SP 2012-007) Chairman Cruz read the master file number and asked for comments from staff. Rick White, Community & Economic Development Director, explained the purpose for re-opening the hearing was to introduce evidence related to traffic counts. The traffic counts present in the initial hearing were inconsistent with information present with the 2010 Special Permit application for the initial 50 student pre-school. A new traffic table in the staff report was reviewed for the benefit of the Planning Commission. Mr. White explained that aside from the traffic counts, nothing else changed in the staff report. Mr. White also stated the Planning Commission received an additional letter from a nearby property owner. Chairman Cruz clarified the additional letter was sent by Mr. Roger Lenk on May 16, 2012 specifically mentioning traffic counts among other items. -2- Matthew Welk, 1908 N Road 72, spoke on behalf of Imagination Studios Academy Preschool. He asked staff to clarify the new traffic count information. Mr. White answered that a student would generate approximately four trips because they are dropped off then picked up, causing the parent to make four trips. Rick Perez, 2512 Road 76, spoke in favor of Imagination Studios Academy Preschool increasing their number of students. He stated that it is a nice addition to the neighborhood. He briefly asked a question in regards to the traffic counts. Mr. White answered the traffic information came from a number of studies conducted in other places, times and locations. Those studies provide and average count that gives the results in the staff report. Mr. Perez stated that the church has traffic but it is no different than other schools in the area. The residential neighborhood is growing exponentially so traffic is increasing from the increase in residents more so than schools. The preschool is not a nuisance to the neighborhood. The children only go outdoors for about an hour a day. The outdoor activities that they have are enjoyable and not loud. Chairman Cruz asked Mr. Perez if he would describe the outdoor play area as an "amphitheater-like" setting in regards to the noise. Mr. Perez answered no, the noise is not amplified and the area is flat. Andrea Turner, 9317 Broughton Drive, her daughter attends the preschool and she drives Road 72 three days per week. Traffic has not been an issue. With no further comments the public hearing was closed. Commissioner Anderson moved, seconded by Commissioner Greenaway, to adopt findings of fact and conclusions therefrom as contained in the May 17, 2012 staff report. The motion passed unanimously. Commissioner Anderson moved, seconded by Commissioner Greenaway, based on findings of fact and conclusions therefrom the Planning Commission recommend the City Council grant a special permit to Imagination Studios Academy Preschool for the expansion of its existing preschool operation at 1800 Road 72, with conditions as listed in the May 17, 2012 staff report. The motion passed unanimously. Mr. White stated this item will go to next regular City Council meeting on June 4, 2012 unless appealed. B. Special Permit Expansion of a _jail (Franklin County Jail) (MF# SP 2012-011) Chairman Cruz read the master file number and asked for comments from staff. -3- David McDonald, City Planner, explained how the County had grown since the current jail was opened in 1985 from a population of 35,700 to approximately 83,000. A brief history was provided on the development of the courthouse complex starting with the original courthouse in 1910, the addition of the public safety building in 1973 and the current jail in 1983. The main parking lot along 4th Avenue was added in 2008. Mr. McDonald explained the current jail facilities were designed to house 103 inmates but now routinely houses 200 or more inmates per day. The County is proposing to add a new 192-bed jail with supporting facilities at the north end of the existing jail building. The new building will also provide courtrooms for the Pasco Municipal Court, Pasco Municipal Court offices and some office space for the County Sheriff's Department. The new addition will be 55,000 square feet in size and will extend through an existing parking of and part of vacated Octave Street. Mr. McDonald reviewed the written staff report and addressed staff recommendations on items, such as noise and fencing. Commissioner Hilliard asked if the fencing on the back side would be required to match the fencing on Fourth Avenue. Mr. McDonald explained the backside of the Courthouse on Fifth Avenue currently has a chain-link fence and the architect would be able to answer the question better. Christopher Patano, 1809 7th Avenue, Seattle, WA spoke on behalf of the applicant and addressed the perimeter of the building on the back of the building and new parking lot. The chain-link fencing will remain in those areas. The ornamental fencing on the front side of the building will be extended to the new entry. Mr. Patano reviewed some slides for the benefit of the Planning Commission and explained how the new building would tie into the existing buildings. Commissioner Hilliard asked Mr. Patano about the lighting for the exterior and if it would affect the neighbors to the west. Mr. Patano answered that they are still working on the lighting. With the regulations and new exterior lighting fixtures they will limit light pollution. The new fixtures help control light spillage. With no further comments the public hearing was closed. Commissioner Kempf moved, seconded by Commissioner Anderson, to close the public hearing and schedule deliberations, the adoption of findings of fact, and development of a recommendation for City Council for the June 21, 2012 meeting. The motion passed unanimously. OTHER BUSINESS: City Staff and Planning Commission thanked Commissioner James Hay, who recently resigned, for his 24 years of service on the Pasco Planning Commission. In his 24 years served, he only missed 2 meetings. -4- WORKSHOP: A. Code Amendment Secondhand Stores in C-1 Zones (MF# CA 2012-003) Chairman Cruz read the master file number and asked for comments from staff. Rick White, Community & Economic Development Director, reviewed the history of the prohibition against secondhand stores in several zoning districts, including the C-1 (Retail Business) Zone, Central Business District Zone, Business Park Zone, the "O" (Office) Zone and CR (Commercial Regional) Zone. Secondhand stores are permitted in C-3 (General Business) and I-1 (Light Industrial) zones provided they are at least 1,000 feet from another. These prohibitions were adopted in the 1990 to combat a decline in property values and private investment, particularly in the Downtown area. The regulations have had an impact on the Downtown area. If the code was to be amended Staff explained it would be helpful to modify definitions for, pawn shop, consignment store and thrift store. Five code options were presented to the Planning Commission to consider for the zoning amendment: (1) Amend the code to allow (donation-based) thrift shops in C-1 zones by special permit if they meet certain conditions, (2) Amend the code to allow thrift shops and consignment stores in C-1 zones by special permit if they meet and maintain certain conditions, (3) Amend the code to allow thrift shops, consignment stores and pawnshops in C-1 zones by special permit if they meet and maintain certain conditions, (4) Amend the code to retain restrictions on pawnshops; allow donation-based thrift shops through special permit in C-1 zones and allow consignment stores as a permitted use in C-1, CBD and C-3 zones, (5) No change to the code. Goodwill Industries submitted a letter for consideration. The letter suggested the size of a thrift store might be a variable to include in a code amendment. The size of the store would have an impact on the ability of the store to maintain its presence in a manner that would complement the surrounding business area and the City. Commissioner Khan stated that she has seen many consignment stores in the Tri- Cities that have done an excellent job of not contributing to blight. Many have a good business reputation. Commissioner Anderson was interested in the square footage proposal that Goodwill Industries put forth in their letter. The concern he had with the proposal, however, was that some places not only have the store but a storage area. He recommended the square footage should consider store display space, not the size of the building. Commissioner Hilliard asked if Pasco has any existing pawn shops. Mr. White answered that he believes they are all gone. -5- Commissioner Hilliard questioned whether or not pawn shops should be allowed back into the Business District in the future under stricter regulation. Commissioner Anderson mentioned that pawn shops are highly regulated enterprises. They are required to report each item they take-in, required to have identification for each person that turns in an item, so they shouldn't have a bad reputation. With that said, he felt they should be controlled as to where they are located. Chairman Cruz added that it was more a question of density and proximity and that is where the focus should lie. Any number of the defined secondhand businesses could be good contributing members of the community, however you wouldn't want several of them all put together. In larger communities there isn't a stigma that goes along with having a secondhand store next to any other retail shop. Gordon Comfort, 5990 Finewood Loop, West Richland, WA spoke on behalf of Goodwill Industries. He mentioned that the proximity or minimum distance component makes him a little nervous just because of where Goodwill Industries would like to locate. For instance, if they found a great location but there was a smaller secondhand store next door, the location would be off limits. If the building size restriction was put in place, the proximity may no longer be an issue. Mr. Comfort used the liquor store model as an example to illustrate how using square footage restrictions would make proximity unnecessary because it would address density issues. Commissioner Khan mentioned that it might be difficult to assign a square footage restriction. She asked if it would be done just to thrift stores but not to consignment stores since they are typically smaller than thrift stores. Chairman Cruz said that they could use a table dividing pawnshops, thrift stores and consignment shops and having different requirements for each. Or they can all be treated the same. Almost anything could be done as long as the code isn't too complicated. Commissioner Anderson asked staff if consignment stores are required to report what they take in. Mr. White answered consignment stores have no reporting requirements. Commissioner Anderson said that if consignment stores had to report what they take in it would become burdensome on law enforcement. He feels that the square footage restrictions are the way to go with special permit in the C-1 and CBD. Commissioner Khan agreed with Commissioner Anderson. Chairman Cruz suggested special permits only for CBD and C-1 zones for donation- based and pawn shops and perhaps look at size restrictions. He asked how the Commissioners felt about addressing proximity. -6- Commissioner Khan stated that she liked comments on the liquor store model and how it would alleviate the proximity question, yet still address density. She asked if proximity could be considered case by case. Mr. White stated making variations or exceptions would not be his recommendation. Regulations could be written to automatically exclude secondhand stores in close proximity or they could be allowed through a special permit. He asked if the Commission was recommending a special permit for all secondhand stores, regardless of proximity, in CBD and C-1 zones. Commissioner Anderson said that the Commission could go even farther and restrict the type of establishment allowed in the Downtown District versus the C-1 zone. Commissioner Hilliard stated the Downtown Pasco Development Authority is trying to revitalize the area and needs businesses in the Downtown. He felt more restrictions make it harder to bring businesses into the area. He agreed with limiting the concentration but he didn't want to make a decision that would hurt the businesses. Commissioner Anderson felt the downtown should not be a mecca of secondhand stores and pawn shops but a destination with nice restaurants, wine tasting and shopping. This is one of the first steps to go down the proper path. Commissioner Khan and Chairman Cruz briefly mentioned diversity of businesses in Downtown Walla Walla. Mr. White asked for clarification about limiting pawn shops to I-1 and C-3 zones, such as allowing consignment stores in the C-1 and Central Business District with a proximity limitation and allowing thrift shops, or donation-based, stores by special permit in the C-1 zones with a size consideration. Chairman Cruz asked about thrift stores in Central Business District. Mr. White said he did not have thrift stores in the Central Business District down but it could be considered. He explained the Business Park, CR (Commercial Regional) and "O" (Office) zones were left alone for now. Commissioner Khan stated she favored including thrift stores in the CBD. Commissioner Anderson asked if Goodwill was already in the CBD. Mr. White stated the warehouse was in the I-1 zone and the store was in the CBD zone. Chairman Cruz commented that for the CBD perhaps have larger thrift store requirement. This item will come back at the next meeting for a public hearing. -7- B. Plan Rivershore Amenities/Linkages Plan (MF# PLAN 2012-003) Chairman Cruz read the master file number and asked for comments from staff. Rick White, Community 8v Economic Development Director, explained the plan was briefly discussed at the previous meeting. It was explained the fourteen miles of Columbia and Snake River shoreline was divided into segments based on geography and similar characteristics to produce an inventory along with a short and long-term list of recommendations. Mr. White pointed out there were a couple of segments that staff would like the Commission to discuss. The Columbia Section between the Richland Bridge and Chiawanna Park contains the most private properties and the most concentration of piers and docks. It is also problematic from a grade standpoint. There is a small space between the water and the high water mark, making the public area very confined. Staff sought input as to the advisability of pursuing extension of the Columbia River Trail adjacent to the private property or to simply divert the trail away from the river. Commissioner Anderson stated he would rather go with the option to divert since it is already set up that way and the distance would not be that far. Chairman Cruz said there were a number of areas along the river where the path would not be reasonable. Commissioner Greenaway agreed there would be too many issues dealing with private properties and docks. Commissioner Khan agreed with the other commissioners. She asked if the Chiawanna section belonged to the Army Corp of Engineers and if that's why it has not been developed. Mr. White stated yes. The Chiawanna Park section has the most constraints and opportunities. One of the critical questions for this area is what to do with the vacant land and what should be the nature of Chiawanna Park. There may be opportunity for commercial vendor spaces, particularly near the boat launch. Those kinds of amenities can however alter the impact on the neighbors. One idea is to have a staging area for mobile food vendors throughout the summer to early fall. Commissioner Anderson stated from his experience, it would be nice to have a place to come off the river and sit and have something to eat. However, there should be some limitations on vendors, their hours of operation and length of the season. Commissioner Kempf mentioned there will need to be consideration for the native tribes, meaning digging could be problematic so vendors could not be permanent. It could take years for an archeological study to take place. Commissioner Greenaway agreed with Commissioner Anderson regarding food vendors near the boat ramps. It could increase community activity. -8- Commissioner Khan would like to see more pavilion spaces constructed. Commissioner Hilliard stated that all of the previous comments would be nice additions to the park and community. Chairman Cruz clarified that there was not a lot of support for permanent enterprise at the park. He also felt it might be good to discuss where to put the boat launch as the population is rising and there will be a need. Also, it might be a good idea to see a community center to draw more traffic to the area. More pavilions are a good idea. Chairman Cruz noted the lack of beaches in the Tri-Cities area. There are many miles of rivershore but no beaches. This is one of the few areas where a beach could be located. Mr. White discussed the Moore Mansion section. The plan was to enhance the levy by piping and filling the drainage ditch then vegetating both sides to minimize the grade associated with the levy. It will not make the levy go away but if done correctly it will have the effect of reducing it as a barrier to the river. It is also an expensive proposition. Commissioner Khan voiced concern about unsightly graffiti and trash on the underside of the Blue Bridge. She asked if a barrier could be made to keep the area nice. Mr. White clarified that Commissioner Khan was referring to blocking access from the underside of the bridge, not access to the trail. That would be a good recommendation for other bridges as well. Commissioner Hilliard suggested using landscaping to be pleasing and block access to the underside of the bridge. Mr. White discussed the Flamingo Village section stating the plan included landscaping one or both sides of the levy and enhancements to the trail for riverfront development. The main issue needing input was the zoning landward from the levy which is Industrial. The Industrial zoning encourages industrial uses as permitted in the Industrial District. One of the recommendations is to change the zoning to allow more retail uses to allow the community to get closer to the river. Commissioner Khan asked if that would mean the trailer park community in that area would be displaced. Mr. White answered not necessarily but over a period of time that might occur. Chairman Cruz stated that wouldn't happen overnight but it was possible. If a retail area was zoned it would become comparable to Clover Island. Chairman Cruz stated that he was in favor of the rezone. Commissioner Khan was also in favor a looking at a rezone in that area. -9- Commissioner Anderson agreed there was an opportunity to change the character of that area by removing the Industrial designation and make it retail. Chairman Cruz asked what would happen when Central Pre-mix goes away. Pasco does not have a good zone for non-motorized recreation. Perhaps it would be nice to preserve that basin for non-motorized aquatic recreation. He didn't feel a giant boat basin was the way to go. Mixed development with non-motorized use of that basin would be better. Carl Kostoff, 4403 Arlington Street, West Richland, stated that he just rode from West Richland to Sacajawea and appreciates what the City has done with the trail. It is a nice trail. One thing he wanted to bring up was the aspect of the Cable Bridge coming over to Pasco. Not only did he have a problem trying to get back on the trail but he ran into others who did not know how to get back on the trail due to lack of signage. He also felt the trail lacked businesses, bike rentals and food vendors. Mr. White said that signage is important and was one of the greatest things emphasized in the Tri-Cities Master Plan. With no further discussion or business, the Planning Commission was adjourned at 8:34 p.m. Respectfully submitted, David McDonald, City Planner -10-