The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About2015-02-03 PZC MINUTES• • • [t] I. CITY OF ENGLEWOOD PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING CALL TO ORDER City Council Conference Room February 3, 2015 The regular meeting of the City Planning and Zoning Commission was called to order at 7:00 p.m. in the City Council Conference Room of the Englewood Civic Center, Vice Chair King presiding. Present: Absent: Staff: [!] Bleile, Brick, King, Kinton , Knoth, Madrid, Townley Fish (Excused), Pittinos (Excused), Freemire (Excused) Alan White, Director, Community Development Chris Neubecker, Senior Planner Dan Brotzman , City Attorney Dugan Comer, Assistant City Attorney Nancy Reid , Assistant City Attorney II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES January 21 , 2015 Knoth moved: Bleile seconded: TO APPROVE THE JANUARY 21 , 2015 , MINUTES Vice Chair King asked if there were any modifications or corrections. Mr. Bri ck requested that Mr. Ewert's co mments regarding illegal immigration be added to the minutes. Mr. Bleile asked that verbiage be changed on page 4 regarding Planning and Zoning Commission and City Council , which allows the Commission to be the thought leaders on planning issu es. Motion to table the app roval of the January 21, 2015, minutes pending correction. Brick moved; Bl e ile seconded: To table approval of the January 21, 2015, minutes. Th e minutes will be corrected and presented for approval at the February 18, 2015, meetin g. ~roved unanimously by voice vote. Ill. Study Session 2014-01 Accessory Dwelling Units Chris N e ub ecke r, Senior Planner, prese nted a Power Point presentation with illustrations of various types of Accessory Dwe lling Units. ADUs (Accessory Dwellin g Units) vary widely from basement apartments to separate structures from the principal dwelling. Page 1 of 5 • • • Definition of ADU: • "Dwelling Unit" with space for living, cooking, sleeping and bathing Independent from the main residence Secondary in size (smaller) Separate entrance Benefits of allowing ADUs: Additional housing options • Living space for elderly relatives & adult children • May increase property values Rental income • Additional vibrancy to support local businesses • "Eyes on the Street " can help to reduce crime along alley Concerns regarding allowing ADUs: • Rental units may be perceived negatively • More density may not be supported • Some homes may be built larger if they include an ADU in the primary structure • More units may increase traffic Impacts on parking • Offsite owners may not maintain property; difficult to regulate The 2003 Englewood Comprehensive plans cites accessory living units as a desirable housing option and encourages housing that serves different life stages. Investments that improve the housing mix, including smaller units, are also encouraged. ~ Changing demographics of Englewood: • Denver: 6th fastest growing metro area • By 2040, 3 million new people expected 1n Colorado (1 million will settle 1n Denver/Boulder area) Millennials (Age 25 -34) make up 19 % of Englewood population • Baby Boomers make up 13 % of population • Millennials comprise 36 % of workforce; projected to increase to 50 % by 2020. • "Aging in Place " (or near the kids) • Mix of housing options are necessary to capture growing markets ~ Student loan debt I sharing economy -delaying first time home purchase Mr. Neubecker reviewed options for regulation of ADUs. Considerations would be given to requiring a property owner to inhabit one of the units, attaching a covenant to the property to prevent both units being rentals and how to manage existing ADUs. ~ Discussion began with defining an ADU and the zone districts that would be appropriate . Determining size restrictions , parking requirements and design standards will be Pa ge 2 of 5 • • • necessary. Onsite parking would be preferable but how much parking and where it would be located would need to be addressed. Mr. Neubecker reviewed the various residential zone districts and corresponding lot sizes to demonstrate where ADUs would fit based on current zoning regulations. ~ Mr. Neubecker polled the Commissioners to determine what kind of information they would like to have to continue discussion on the topic of ADUs. It is the consensus of the Commission that lots will not be subdivided to accommodate AD Us. Ms. Townley stated that having an owner on-site is most important if there are two separate buildings as well as parking accommodations. Mr. Knoth expressed concern about parking and the existing non-conforming ADUs in the City. ~ Mr. Bleile questioned the definition of ADUs and commented on how it represents a wide variety of interpretations. ~ Ms. Reid outlined the current definition of duplexes and ADUs as it relates to water and sewer tap issues. Duplexes are separate properties, however ADUs would share the utilities with the primary structure. ~ Mr. King pointed out that with the current height restrictions , an ADU on the second level of a detached garage would not be feasible. Currently, the UDC defines an ADU as a dwelling unit with cooking facilities that is a separate living facility. Depending on the residential zone district, ADUs may be considered duplexes. Ms. Reid expanded on the definition of a household as it relates to multiple units on a property. It was agreed that it is very difficult to regulate household composition. Discussion regarding how to determine the allowable size of an ADU: • Basement apartments -restricted by the size of the primary residence • Allowable size based on the percentage of lot coverage • Size restriction relative to the primary structure ~ Mr. Kinton remarked that while he is in favor of less regulation for ADUs, he feels that the community may not support the change without sufficient regulation. Standards would need to be in place for the idea to be acceptable to citizens. Parking would be difficult to regulate because residents may have multiple vehicles. Existing non-conforming ADUs need to be addressed by establishing a minimum standard for the unit. Mr. Madrid asked if there is a way to determine if an existing ADU was legally built. Mr . Neubecker responded that if it is possible to verify a building permit, the structure would Page 3 of 5 • • • be considered legal non-conforming. Director White added that in the past, use variances were issued and required registration of the unit. It would be very difficult to require existing ADUs to be brought into current building code conformance. Lt] Mr. King explained the code regarding egress from basement apartments. Many basement ;rtments are not up to current code standards . Mr. Bleile asked if the Commissioners are prepared to discuss specific data points. The Commissioners requested that the chart presented at the previous discussion be brought back along with additional information regarding the code in other jurisdictions, the effect on taxable value of properties with an ADU and how they are defined in other areas. Lt] IV. Public Comment No members of the public were present at the meeting. Lt] V. Attorney 's Choice Ms. Reid introduced Dan Brotzman, City Attorney, and Dugan Comer, Assistant City Attorney. Mr. Comer will be supporting the Commission going forward. Mr. Brotzman spoke to how the definition of a family and a household affect the zoning code and the associated issues of regulation. He stated the City Council has expressed a desire to have the code simplified to make it user friendly for citizens . Ms. Reid announced that this is her final Planning and Zoning Commission meeting as she will be retiring at the end of February . She thanked the Commissioners for their service . Lt] V. Staff's Choice Director White reminded the Commissioners of the upcoming Englewood Forward Comprehensive Plan public meeting on Wednesday, February 11 th beginning at 6:00 p.m. Mr. Neubecker announced that Mr. Madrid is now a voting member of the Commission . The new alternate, Mr. Pittinos, will attend the meeting on February 181h. He was formerly a member of the Board of Adjustments. lt] VI. Commissioner's Choice Mr. Brick expressed his appreciation for Ms. Reid's guidance and tutelage during his tenure on the Commission . Mr. Bleile thanked Ms . Reid for her service to the Commission and congratulated her on her retirement. Mr. Madrid thanked Ms. Reid for her guidance. Mr. Knoth congratulated Ms. Reid. He requested that City Manager Keck visit th e Commission in the near future . Pag e 4 of 5 • • • Ms. Townley thanked Ms. Reid and expressed that she is sorry to see her go and wished her well. Mr. Kinton agreed with Mr. Knoth that City Manager Keck should attend a meeting. He wished her well in her retirement. He said that he found the joint meeting with City Council beneficial. Mr. King congratulated Ms. Reid and wished her well in her retirement. The meeting adjourned at 8:40 p.m. 6 /d.,,,;, 6,~et Recording Secretary Page 5 of 5