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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-04-07 PZC MINUTES• • • [11) I. CITY OF ENGLEWOOD PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS APRIL 7, 2015 CALL TO ORDER The regular meeting of the City Planning and Zoning Commission was cal led to order at 7:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers of the Englewood Civic Center, Chair Fish presiding. Present: Bleile, Brick, Freemire, King , Kinton, Knoth, Madrid, Townley (arrived 7:05), Pittinos, Fish Absent: Staff: None Michael Flaherty, Deputy City Manager Chris Neubecker, Senior Planner Dugan Comer, Deputy City Attorney [11) 11. APPROVAL OF Ml N UTES • March 1 7, 2015 Minutes Knoth moved; King seco nd ed: TO APPROVE THE MARCH 17, 2015 MINUTES Chair Fish asked if there were any modifications or co rr ect ion s. Chair Fish request ed a change to the minutes to omit his comme nts regarding attendance and cancellation of meetings by staff . AYES: NAYS: ABSTAIN: ABSENT: Bleile, Brick, Freemire , King, Kinton, Knoth, Madrid, Townley, Fish None None None Motion carried, minutes are approved as amended. t!l1 Ill. PUBLIC HEARING CASE #2015-01 ADMINISTRATIVE ADJUSTMENTS AND VARIANCES Knoth moved; Bleile seconded: To open the public hear in g for case #2015-01 Administrative Adjustments and Variances 1 • • • AYES: NAYS: ABSTAIN: ABSENT: Bleile, Brick, Freemire, King, Kinton, Knoth, Madrid, Townley, Fish None None None Motion carried. ~ Staff Presentation Chris Neubecker, Senior Planner, was sworn in. Mr. Neubecker reviewed the background of the request to adopt the proposed amendment to the UDC (Unified Development Code) relating to Administrative Adjustments and Variances. Staff is requesting this amendment in order to obtain approval to administratively allow minor adjustments in the minimum lot width or minimum lot area of a property in order to facilitate redevelopment and investment in the City. Administrative Adjustments of up to 5 % would enable staff to address lots that are oddly shaped or sized due to historical plats, or township and section lines that are not consistent with the surrounding neighborhood. It would be the responsibility of the applicant to provide information to justify the adjustment and show that there are no adverse effects on nearby properties. In some cases, approval of an Administrative Adjustment could result in an increase in the permitted maximum density of up to one (1) additional dwelling unit. Notification to adjacent property owners will still be required. Appeals of Administrative Adjustments made by the City Manager or designee are heard by the BOAA (Board of Adjustments and Appeals). !/] Commissioner's Comments Mr. King asked Mr. Neubecker what the definition of a "significant impact" on adjacent properties would be. Mr. Neubecker responded that should the property owner of an adjacent lot have issue with the adjustment, they can present information to staff or the City Manager and would also be entitled to appeal to the BOAA within 30 days of the decision. Mr. Bleile asked about the criteria staff would use to make an objective decision on a request for an Administrative Adjustment. Mr. Neubecker responded that staff would examine the requested adjustment in relation to the character of the neighborhood and factors such as size, height, parking and the rights and uses existing on the surrounding properties. !/] Mr. Bleile questioned how changes in staff could affect the issuance of Administrative Adjustments. Mr. Neubecker replied that staff is responsible for researching precedence to 2 • • • ensure that decisions are consistent and taking into consideration the goals of the Comprehensive Plan. ~ Mr. Knoth asked about the cap of one additional dwelling unit. Mr. Neubecker said that increasing density is a function of the Planning and Zoning Commission. If the adjustment would increase the allowed density, staff would examine the property and the surrounding neighborhood to ensure that the adjustment would not negatively impact the neighboring properties. The zoning regulations in place would determine the maximum allowable dwelling units for the property. A maximum of one additional dwelling unit can be the result of an Administrative Adjustment. ~ Mr. Freemire asked what the advantage to the property owner would be with adoption of the amendment to the UDC. Mr. Neubecker replied that as the code is currently, a property owner could not be granted a variance that would result in an additional unit of density. ~ Chair Fish requested clarification of the possible outcomes of an Administrative Adjustment in the proposed addition to the UDC under section 16-2-17-D(2)(e)(2). Mr. Neubecker explained that the terminology includes the word "may" is used to indicate that the outcome is possible but does not affect the permitted usage of the property. ~ Ms. Townley asked about the order of events and if someone could request an Administrative Adjustment in order to increase the value of a property. Mr. Neubec ker responded that it would be a possibility as individuals often inquire about the code r~lations for a particular property before purchasing. Public Comment Matthew Casey, 6364-53 South Lamar Court, Littleton, was sworn in . Mr. Casey spoke in favor of the proposed amendment to the UDC. Mr. Casey is interested in developing the corner of Yale Avenue and Lincoln Street in Englewood, southwest corner. The property is 14 inches short of meeting the required minimum lot width for development of a multi- unit dwelling. He has examined the original plat of the property and determined that the original surveyor adjusted for the lot sizes on the properties at the north and south ends of the block. The original plat was recorded in the late 1800's and in his experience, it is not uncommon to see this type of discrepancy. He encouraged the Commissioners to allow staff and the City Manager to make Administrative Adjustments. ltlJ Knoth moved; King seconded: To close the public hearing for case #2015-01 Administrative Adjustments and Variances AYES: NAYS: ABSTAIN: Bleile, Brick, Freemire, King, Kinton , Knoth , Madrid, Townley, Chair Fish None None 3 • • • ABSENT: None Motion carried. l?ll Knoth moved; Bleile seconded: To approve Case #2015-01 Administrative Adjustments and Variances AYES: Bleile, Brick, Freemire, King, Kinton , Knoth , Madrid, Townley, Fish NAYS: None ABSTAIN: None ABSENT: None Motion carried. ~ Comments by the Commissioners Mr. Madrid -This is a common sense approach to streamline the process and is a tool to provide flexibility. Mr. Bleile-Yes, this change makes development and redevelopment easier for applicants and the fact that the local area was platted over a hundred years ago and could possibly be off, not incurring additional expense for applicants ltll Mr. Freemire -This is a reasonable change , it streamlines the process, 1s not without safeguards and gives the applicant opportunity to appeal. Mr. Brick -Concurred with Mr. Bleile and Mr. Freemire. Mr. King -Concurred with Mr. Bleile and Mr. Freemire. Mr. Kinton -Concurred with Mr. Bleile and Mr. Freemire. Mr. Fish -Concurred with Mr. Bleile and Mr. Freemire and added that the proposed amendment to the UDC is consistent with the goals of the Comprehensive Plan. ltll IV. PUBLIC FORUM Matthew Casey commented on the Commission's efforts regarding Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) and encouraged the Commissioners to continue pursuing the subject to increase flexibility for development options. He spoke about the advantages of vacating lot lines to increase lot size and create the opportunity for developers to build larger homes. l?ll V. ELECTION OF OFFICERS 4 • • • Chair Fish reviewed the history of the Commission with regards to election of officers. It is the purview of the Commission as to how long the Chair and Vice Chair serve in those positions. Discussion regarding the history of the Commission continued. Chair Fish opened the floor to nominations for Chair and Vice Chair. Mr. Bleile nominated Mr. King for the position of Chair. Mr. Brick nominated Mr. Fish for the position of Chair. Vote for Chair: Mr. Fish -5, Mr. King -2, Abstain -2 Mr. Madrid nominated Mr. King for the position of Vice Chair of the Commission, Mr. Freemire seconded. Mr. Bleile nominated Mr. Kinton for the position of Vice Chair of the Commission. Vote for Vice-Chair: Mr. King -6, Mr. Kinton -1, Abstain -2 Mr. Brick requested staff to schedule discussion regarding elections for the January 2016 meeting. ltll VI. A TIORNEY'S CHOICE Diuty City Attorney Comer did not have any comments for the Commission. VII. STAFF'S CHOICE Mr. Neubecker outlined options for the Commission to improve communications with City Council. Mr. Fish expressed that he would like to improve the relationship between the Commission and Council in order to more effectively collaborate on priorities for the City. Mr. Bleile asked for the number of recommendations that have been forwarded to City Counci I by the Commission that have been altered prior to approval or not approved. Mr. Neubecker outlined the upcoming schedule of meetings regarding the Comprehensive Plan. Mr. Freemire commented that his observation is that the Commission would prefer to understand the goals of City Council for the near future and identify the milestones by which progress can be measured. ltll Mr. Flaherty spoke to the Commissioners about City Council and explained that City Manager Keck is working closely with them to establish a consensus on goals for the City. ltll 5 .. • • • Discussion continued regarding how to best work with Council and ensure that goals and objectives are met through collaboration on topics that are important to the advancement of the City. ~ Mr. Flaherty informed the Commissioners that the Council meeting on April 13th will include an update on the Next Steps Study, Walk and Wheel Plan and the Comprehensive Plan and encou raged the Commissioners to attend in order to hear Council 's feedback. ~ Mr. Neubecker referred to Englewood resid ent Doug Cohn's comments at the prior meeting requesting that the Commission reclassify groups as they relate to group homes allowed in the City. The Commissioners agreed that the topic should be addressed at a future date, but is not currently a priority. The Boards and Commission Appreciation Night will be held June 22, 2015, at the Englewood Recreation Center. The meeting April 21, 2015, will begin at 6:00 p.m. to accommodate discussion on the Comprehensive Plan and the scheduled public hearing. The Commissioners were provided a schedule of the upcoming meetings for th e Comprehensive Plan, N ext Steps Study and Walk and Wheel Master Plan. ~ The May 5, 2015, meeting will be a pub li c hearing for a small lot development plan and a conditional use application for a brewery will be scheduled soon as well. ~ VII. COMMISSIONER'S CHOICE Mr. Brick requested information from Mr. Flaherty on how the Commission can assist Council with budgeting and prioritizing capital projects. Mr. Bl e ile expressed that he believes the decisions of the Commission should be based on data. He commented on the monthly report from Community Development and that he found it very helpful. He requested data on ordinances that were altered by Council. ~ Mr. Fish recapped the discussion at the previous meeting on attendance. The meeting adjo urn ed at 8 :50 p.m. ~~=(=~Recording Secretary 6