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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-07-21 PZC MINUTES• • • I. CITY OF ENGLEWOOD PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS JULY 21, 2015 CALL TO ORDER The regular meeting of the City Plannin g and Zoning Commission was cal l ed to order at 6:00 p.m . in the City Council Chambers of the Englewood Civic Center, Chair Fish presiding. Present: Absent: Staff: Also Present: Fish, Brick, King, Kinton , Knoth (arrived 6:30), Madrid, Townley (arrived 6:20) Bleile (Excused), Pittinos (Excused), Freemire (Excused) Mike Flaherty, Deputy City Manager Harold Stitt, Senior Planner John Voboril, Planner II Audra Kirk, Planner I Chris Neubecker, Senior Plann er Dugan Comer, Deputy City Attorney Gale Schrag, Signature Senior Living Doug Cohn, Englewood Resident Cassandra Letkom i Iler, Englewood resident Jeremy Letkomiller, Englewood resid e nt Brad Segal, Progressive Urban Management Associates Kristina Kachur, Logan Simpson D esig n II. STUDY SESSION 2015-03 Next Steps Study John Voboril, Planner II , reviewed the N ext Steps Study progress. The Commission wil l be cha rged with determining if the N ext Steps Study supports the 2003 Comprehensive Plan. The real estate feasibility study included in the plan will be used to determine the infrastructure improvement priorities throughout the City. Mr. Voboril has submitted a grant app li cat ion for the Next Steps II Study which would focus on 100% engineering design for the three pedestrian bridges that are part of the rail trail. Th e Next Steps Ill Study project wil l include 30% design for the Oxford/Sheridan off-street trail and a DRCOG Urban Center Expansion Study that would include the greater centra l business district area. The zoning regulations surroundin g City Center and the north a nd south neighborhoods will be evaluated as well. [!] 1 • • • The overlay zo nin g for the transportation areas will need to be implemented in a timely manner as well as studying streetscape design standards and shared parking strategies . The Commiss ion previously com m e nted on proposals for Transit Station Area Overlay r~ulations. Mr. Vobori I asked the Commissioners how they view the Next Steps Study in relation to the Comprehensive Plan and the origina l Station Area Master Plan. [!] Mr. Fish stated that he feels the co ntent of the document is good. He asked for clarificat ion of the prioritization of projects. H e a lso asked for the definition of the north, south, east, west neighborhood areas as they are referred to in the draft document and feels that would make the document easier to understand. !?] Mr. King also feels that the document is very good. Mr. Madrid expressed that he is not convinced that Dartmouth is the best choice for a bike route but that Floyd Avenue may be more appropriate. He is in favor of the pedestrian overpasses. Mr. Voboril replied that Dartmouth i s good for strong cycl i sts and Floyd and Bates are a lternative choices. [!] Mr. Brick commented that the majority of the projects are transit oriented and stated that he wou ld like to see more examination of the area west of Santa Fe. Mr. Fish expressed a desire to see dates assigned to projects although he rea lizes that is difficult to do. Mr. Kinton agreed. H e would like to see a Santa Fe crossing placed higher on the prioritization of p rojects . [!] The Commissioners reviewed the plan by c h ap t er. Comments included formatti ng i ssues, specifical ly that the hard copy is difficult to read. General discussion about each chapter continued. [!] Mr. Brick asked Mr. Voboril to rev iew the re lationship of Englewood and Sheridan in the development of Oxford Station. Th e City of Sheridan wo uld like to create a safe passage between Federal and the Oxford Station to best serve their citizens. Long term plans for COOT (Colorado Department of Tr ansportation) includes pedestrian bridges over Santa Fe at both Dartmouth and Oxford, however these bridges are very low on CDOT's priority list. [!] Chapter 6 includes the prioritization of projects and improvements recommended for the City. Ms. Townley suggested that the projects co uld be labeled as to whether or not they are cooperative projects or the responsibility of Sheridan or Englewood individu ally. [?] Mr. Brick asked abo ut the proposed bike routes. Mr. Voboril repl ied that the projects are moving ahead with direction from the Walk and Wheel cons ultants and cooperat ion from the City Public Works D epartmen t. Some of the bike lan es may be completed as ear ly as fall 2015 as they only req uire paint, si gnage and marking to implement. The lon g term project including protected bike lan es will require additiona l funding to comp lete. [?] 2 • • • Mr. Voboril commented on the parking arrangements at the Oxford Station and that there may be a possibility of creating shared private/public parking near the Oxford Station. The future fare change planned by RTD will most likely increase use of the Oxford Station. Mr. Kinton agreed that access to the Oxford Station should be examined as it can be difficult from the west side of Santa Fe. l?ll The Action Plan contained in Chapter 7 outlines the implementation of suggested enhancements to the transit station areas . Development of the Englewood Light Rail Corridor is important but making the connections to South Broadway and the Medical District is a high priority. Identifying funding sources will be critical to the implementation process. II] Ill. APPROVAL OF MINUTES • July 7, 2015 Minutes King moved: Brick seconded: TO APPROVE THE JULY 7, 2015 MINUTES AS WRITTEN Chair Fish asked if there were any modifications or corrections. There were none. AYES: NAYS: ABSTAIN: ABSENT: Brick, King, Kinton, Knoth , Madrid, Townley, Fish None None Bleile, Freemire Motion carried. IV. PUBLIC HEARING CASE #USE2015-010 CONDITIONAL USE 3555 SOUTH CLARKSON STREET, SIGNATURE SENIOR LIVING Brick moved; King seconded: To open the public hearing for Case #USE2015-010 Conditional Use 3555 South Clarkson Street, Signature Senior Living AYES: NAYS: ABSTAIN: ABSENT: Brick, King , Kinton , Knoth, Madrid, Townley, Fish None None Bleile, Freemire Motion passes. l?lJ Staff Presentation Audra Kirk , Planner I, was sworn in. Ms. Kirk reviewed the case that was submitted in June 2014 by the same applicant, Signature Senior Living for a location in the same vicinity as 3 • • • the current application. The applicant received a variance to reduce the minimum distance requirement between a group living facility and another group living facility from 1 ,250 feet to 60 feet. The Conditional Use application is to allow a group living facility special/large in the M-2 zone district provided the applicant submits a copy of their State-issued license to operate an assisted living and memory care facility. tlll Applicant Presentation Gale Schrag, Signature Senior Living, 2785 Heather Road, Golden, Colorado, was sworn in. Mr. Schrag reviewed the plans for the development via PowerPoint and outlined the operations and the intent of the facility. The facility is a long-term care community providing residential care for patients. The facility will not significantly impact the surrounding properties. A parking garage with 71 spaces and a rooftop garden will be constructed and the parking garage will provide adequate faci I ities for visitor and staff parking. The Development Review Team at the City of Englewood has examined the project and has not indicated any issues to this point in the development's design. The development is consistent with the Englewood Comprehensive Plan by providing a mix of housing. ~ Public Comment No members of the public were present to comment on the application. ~ Brick moved; Knoth seconded: To close the public hearing for Case #USE2015-010 Conditional Use 3555 South Clarkson Street Signature Senior Living AYES: NAYS: ABSTAIN: ABSENT: Brick, King, Kinton, Knoth, Madrid, Townley, Fish None None Bleile, Freemire Motion passes. ~ Knoth moved; King seconded: To approve Case #USE2015-010 Conditional Use 3555 South Clarkson Street Signature Senior Living Vote: Brick -Yes -The facility serves a need to the community that is increasing, the location is convenient to medical care and the parking is more than adeqLiate . King -Yes, the development meets the goals of the Comprehensive Plan. 4 • • • Kinton -Yes, it is an appropriate use for the area . Knoth -Yes Madrid -Yes, it is a good form of infill development. Townley -Yes, for the aforementioned reasons and there are no negative impacts. Fish -Yes, the development is in character with the neighborhood. Motion passes (7-0). !?l) IV. PUBLIC FORUM Doug Cohn, Englewood resident, addressed the Commission regarding recent construction on Lincoln, Sherman and Acoma Streets. It is his opinion that the new structures (duplexes) are out of character with the neighborhood. He encouraged the Commission to develop design standards to regulate the size and character of the homes. A handout was distributed to the Commission and is part of the record of the minutes. He feels that a mechanism to control the changes in the neighborhoods is necessary. ttl Cassandra Letkomiller, 2856 South Lincoln Street, addressed the Commission regarding the increasing redevelopment of neighborhoods. She cited regulations from other communities that impose design standards and restrictions on new construction. Her opinion is that the mass of the new buildings is out of scale with t he existing homes. She supports formation of an historic preservation oversight organization or some form of protection for original homes. Mr. Brick and Mr. Fish thanked Ms. Letkomiller for attending the meeting and speaking about her concerns. !?l) Jeremy Letkomiller, 2856 South Lincoln Street, expressed his concern about the duplexes being built in the R-2 zone districts. He feels that the density is not healthy for the community and that some mechanism to ensure historic homes are not destroyed would be beneficial. Mr. Kinton thanked Mr. Letkomiller for bringing the issue to the Commission. !?l) V. Study Session -2015-04 Englewood Comprehensive Plan Implementation Strategies Harold Stitt, Senior Planner, reviewed the activities related to community engagement and information on the results of the recent neighborhood meetings. Residential and Commercial strategies were reorganized and Mr. Stitt supplied the Commissioners with an updated spreadsheet with the recommendations from the consultant team. !?l) Ms. Kachur reviewed preliminary strategies for the residential areas. Residential strategies include general strategies and specific strategies for the different areas identified during the study process. The Commissioners will be as ked to prioritize the implementation of the strategies. Mr. Brick commented that the text of the plan includes vocabulary that is not familiar to a layperson and could possibly be simplified . !?l) 5 • Ms. Townley commented on the first strategy of attracting families and noted that it does not address the theme of "learn'"; education or connection to schools is not addressed. Mr. King asked what the Commission can do to improve housing stock and reviewed the difficulty the Commission has had in the past when they attempted to implement standards. Mr. Fish expressed that the focus seems narrow with regards to protecting what currently exists and Mr. Stitt explained that these ideas are only a sample of what may be included in the final version of the Comprehensive Plan. Mr. Knoth feels that the small size of existing homes is a limiting factor in attracting families to Englewood. Mr. Fish remarked that because there are no design standards in place it would be difficult to implement and enforce design standards in the future. Mr. Brick added that Commissioners should support the desires of the community by recognizing that there is interest in maintaining the character of the neighborhoods. ~ Mr. Knoth stated that the Planning Commission is charged with looking ahead and considering what is good for the City. He feels that the house size is a significant hindrance to the City. ~ Mr. Fish agrees with Mr. Knoth and that the Commission should consider that the individuals who favor retaining older but not necessarily historic homes are a minority. The Commission should look forward and use the data gathered by the Comprehensive Plan project to form ideas for the future. The consultants used information from other • comparable communities to bring ideas for the future to Englewood. • Mr. Brick asked how many responses were received through the online surveys; Ms. Kachur responded that there were approximately 150. Mr. Knoth commented that the opinions of the respondents are important, however staff and the consultants examine both local and national trends to make recommendations for the future. Ms. Townley suggested that having the objectives broken into smaller goals would be beneficial in developing effective strategies. Mr. Fish stated that having measurable goals is important to chart success with the strategies. Different strategies will be necessary for the various neighborhoods. r?lJ Mr. Kinton discussed the existing housing and the possibility of a home improvement program. Identifying and prioritizing the needs of the housing is important. He suggested that examining the possibility of historic neighborhood preservation may be an option. Schools and parks should be addressed as well. The demand for pedestrian and bicycle i~rovements is rising. Mr. Flaherty added that it has been mentioned that increasing home ownership in the City is important and a strategy needs to be developed to reach that goal. Mr. Brick commented that the "Play" theme could be enhanced with a diverse mix of entertainment options. Mr. Fish added that providing community areas would be helpful in adding opportunities for "Play". Ms. Townley commented that a measurable goal would be ensuring that all citizens are within 10 minutes walking distance of a park or trail. 1?11 6 • • Mr. Brad Segal spoke to the Commission regarding the business environment in Englewood . He stressed the Comprehensive Plan needs to be flexible to allow for changes in market conditions. Four strategies were identified: connect City Center to the Broadway area by creating a Downtown Development Authority (DDA), utilize the Urban Renewal Authority to increase redevelopment of blighted sites, capitalize on the south industrial area by allowing mixed use and possibly branding and address South Broadway as an edge to the aiining neighborhoods by considering the zoning. Mr. Knoth remarked that a limiting factor for South Broadway is the lack of parking . Th e parking deficit affects the value of the commercial properties on the Broadway corridor. Mr. Segal replied that a DDA could assist in solving the problem and as neighborhood serving businesses populate the area parking will be less of an issue. ltll Strategies for encouraging commercial development include minor intervention to facilitate growth. Mr. Brick asked about the possibility of a small conference/meeting center. Mr. Segal responded that in conjunction with a hotel facility, it would be a viable option. Mr. Kinton stated that his opinion is that the "Move" theme is underrepresented and needs to address east-west travel. Mr. Segal commented on the potential redevelopment of the Kmart site. ltll VI. A TIORNEY'S CHOICE Deputy City Attorney Comer informed the Commission that they will be addressing changes in the sign code in the near future. ~ VII. STAFF'S CHOICE Deputy City Manager Flaherty asked the Commission if they would be willing to have Slate Communications present at the meeting on August 18th. In order to accommodate the presentation, the meeting will begin at 6:30 PM. ltll Mr. King asked Mr. Neubecker for information on lot coverage due to the discussion with Ms. Letkomiller earlier in the meeting. ~ VII. COMMISSIONER'S CHOICE Mr. Brick stated that his choice for a brand is "Englewood-Small Town Feel ". Mr. Knoth requested that meetings do not begin earlier than 6:30 p.m. The meeting adjourned at 9:00 p.m. 7