HomeMy WebLinkAbout1989-04-18 PZC MINUTES•
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CITY PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION
Apri 1 18, 1989
I. CALL TO ORDER.
The regular meeting of the City Planning and Zoning Commission was called to
order at 7:00 P.M. in Conference Room A by Chairman Fred Volkema.
Members Present: Carson, Draper, Fish, Getlick, Schultz, Tobin, Volkema,
Barber
Wanush, Ex-officio
Members Late: Becker
Members Absent: None
Staff Present: D. A. Romans, Assistant Director of Community Development
Susan Hirsch, Senior Planner
II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
April 4, 1989
Chairman Vol kema stated that the Minutes of April 4, 1989 were to be con-
sidered for approval .
Fish moved:
Carson seconded: The Minutes of April 4, 1989 be approved as written.
Brief discussion ensued.
The vote was called:
AYES: Carson,
None
Becker
None
Draper, Fish, Gerlick, Schultz, Tobin, Volkema, Barber
NAYS:
ABSENT:
ABSTAIN:
The motion carried.
III. STUDY SESSION.
A. "The Job of The Planning Commissioner"
Mr. Wanush and Commission members reviewed and discussed the first three chap-
ters of "The Job of the Planning Commissioner" as it pertains to the respon-
sibilities of the Commission and the relationship of the Commission to the
City Council and the staff .
Ms. Hi rs ch and Mrs. Becker entered the meeting during the course of this
discussion .
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Mr. Volkema stated that he had attended the City Council meeting on April 17,
1989, at which time Council opted to set a date for a Public Hearing on the
SMC Planned Development. Discussion foll owed. It was suggested that if mem-•
bers of the City Council have questions pertaining to a particular issue, such
as the SMC Planned Development, that an effort should be made to attend the
Planning Commission Hearing.
Discussion ensued on the role that politics may have in the recommendations
made by the Commission vs. the ultimate decisions that are rendered by City
Council , and whether there are purely "technical" recommend at i ans or sol u-
t ions. The attendance of City Council members at Planning Commission hearings
was briefly discussed, and the need for Planning Commission representation at
City Council meetings was also considered. Mrs. Becker stated that in her
opinion, it is appropriate for members of the Commission to attend a Public
Hearing before City Council on a matter that has previously been before the
Commission, and that it is appropriate for Planning Commission members to tes-
tify before the Council on those matters.
It was pointed out that the Commission serves as a fact finding body, and does
the "research" on an issue before making a recommendation to the City Council,
which may be accepted or rejected. Commission members noted that a couple of
matters, such as the Landscaping Ordinance and the Swedish Medical Center
Planned Development, have been remanded to the Commission. The reasons for
this action on the part of City Council was questioned and discussed. Mr.
Schultz cited a quotation: "If two people agree exactly, one of them is not
necessary." It was recognized that the views of the Commission and Council
may diverge, but that it is important to continue to send onto Council a clear
and complete report. Commission members also recognized that Council does not
have to accept their recommendation.
Members felt that it would be of help to the Commission to meet with other
Planning Commissions throughout the south metro area, as well as to meet with
DRCOG. The Commission was also of the opinion that it would be helpful to
meet with the City Council several times throughout the year.
Further discussion ensued on the issue of Commission members attending and
testifying at City Council meetings. Mr. Carson stated that the staff is in
attendance at the Council meetings, and he has always felt that the Commission
was represented by the staff. Mrs. Becker disagreed; this is not a respon-
sibility of the staff, and the Commission should make arrangements to address
the Council on issues that are of importance to the community. Further dis-
cussion followed.
It was the consensus of the Commission that it is of great importance to have
more frequent meetings with members of the City Council.
B. HOUSING ADVISORY TASK FORCE
Mr. Draper stated that the Housing Advisory Task Force held an organizational
meeting on April 10. Mr. Draper stated that everyone on the Task Force ex-
pressed concern about trash and enforcement matters. A bus tour of the
residential areas has been scheduled for Saturday, April 22.
Mr. Schultz stated that he is of the opinion that it is very important for the
various ad hoc committees to realize that they are an "advisory body", and
that the information they collect will be submitted to the Planning Commission
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or another body for further study and enaction. He stated that the input from
these ad hoc committees is very important, but they should understand that the
Planning Commission makes recommendations for City Council consideration .
Mr. Draper stated that he found it very interesting to learn about the loan
programs available for home improvement at low or zero percent interest.
Mr. Fish stated that the Kiplinger Letter had recently contained a synopsis of
housing in the U.S., and indicated that there were two negative centers in
their projections of housing values, one of which was the Denver Metropolitan
area. Denver was projected to have a -6% value in housing stock, and other
metro areas were projected to increase the value of housing.
Mr. Volkema stated that he felt the Housing Advisory Task Force must take into
account the problems of low income housing and dispersement thereof throughout
the City. He stated that the City does have low income units located through-
out the City and not a heavy concentration in any one area, so he does not
feel this will present the problem that is being experienced in portions of
Denver. He also suggested that the Committee consider the impact the Federal
Government cutbacks are making on housing.
Mr. Draper stated that it was pointed out that home buyers can purchase a new
home in Aurora for the same or very little more than the average home value in
Englewood. Mr. Draper stated that there is a lot of rental property, which is
not all poorly maintained, and that a considerable amount of this property
will probably be marketed for sale.
c . SIGN CODE UPDATE CASE #2-89
Mr. Volkema stated that Sound Warehouse has a sign facing U.S. 285. Ms.
Hirsch stated that this sign is a Joint Identification Sign.
Mr. Barber asked why the Sign Code allows signs for school board elections in
Denver. Mrs. Romans stated that this particular sign does not comply with our
Sign Code, and it is adjacent to the State Highway, also. The Enforcement
Officer has been asked to have the sign removed.
Ms. Hirsch stated that she had met with several sign contractors. Several
suggestions resulted from this meeting, among the suggestions being that
"maintenance" be added to the requirements on obsolete signs. The sign con-
tractors also felt that awnings could present a problem, particularly in fig-
uring the sign area. At the present time, a rectangle or square around the
lettering is figured as the sign area, vs. the suggestion from the City Man-
ager's Office that the entire awning be calculated as sign area. The sign
contractors were concerned about the "maintenance" of the awning, noting that
awnings get tattered and dirty rather quickly. Englewood is one of the few
cities that counts both sign faces as part of the total sign area permitted.
The sign contractors suggest that only one side be counted. The sign contrac-
tors also urged that the Commission address the issue of electronic message
boards. Discussion ensued. Several members of the Commission recalled that
the electronic message boards have been discussed, and it was the consensus
that the Commission did not want to allow this type of signage.
Third party signs were briefly considered .
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D. POLICIES FOR USE OF THE PLAZA AT LITTLE DRY CREEK
Mr. Vol kema stated that he had requested the opportunity to review the pol i-•
cies for use of The Plaza and other public areas for informational purposes
only. This will not require any action on the part of the Commission.
Mr. Fish addressed the issue of clean-up after an event, and stated that he
would rather see City personnel made responsible to assure the maintenance and
non-damage of The Plaza area. He also felt the 24 hour time period was too
long, in that some beverages or food products that may be spilled or dropped
on the stonework may stain if not removed for 24 hours. Discussion ensued.
It was suggested that the time element for clean-up might be shortened to 12
hours. Mr. Wanush stated that he would discuss the issue of City employees
assuming responsibility for clean-up after special events with the Public
Works Director. Mr. Wanush emphasized that there may be personnel shortages
and/or budgetary problems that have to be taken into consideration.
Issues regarding insurance, the permit fees for use of The Plaza and for ven-
dors licenses, and security were all considered by the Commission.
IV. PUBLIC FORUM.
No one was in attendance to address the Commission.
V. DIRECTOR'S CHOICE.
Mr. Wanush stated that the City Council discussed the issue of trash collec-
tion at their study session on April 17. It is the determination of City •
Council at this time to hold off on submitting an RFP for trash pick-up ser-
vices to determine the progress made with the reorganized Code Enforcement
program. This program will be re-evaluated at the end of summer.
Mr. Wanush stated that he wanted to discuss the issue of economic development
with the Commission at the next meeting. In considering the revision of the
Comprehensive Pl an, it was determined that the Housing section needed to be
revised and updated, and that an Economic Development section should also be
included.
Mrs. Becker stated that the cuts in the Governor's Committee on Economic
Development will impact all small communities, and suggested that Englewood
citizens should contact their legislators.
Mr. Schultz discussed an article in the Rocky Mountain News on April 16, which
addressed the purchase of American businesses by foreign interests.
Mrs. Romans stated that the Loyalty Day Parade wi 11 be held in Englewood on
April 29. Traditionally, this parade has been held in Denver, but is being
moved to Englewood.
VI. COMMISSIONER'S CHOICE.
Mr. Fish asked when the Commission would get into the rev1s1on of the Com-
prehensive Plan, and discussed his concern about Cinderella City. Mr. Wanush
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stated that the Housing Task Force and the Economic Development issues are
part of the Comprehensive Plan revision .
Mrs. Tobin stated that she has received calls expressing concern on the loss
of businesses in Cinderella City.
The meeting was declared adjourned at 8:40 P.M .
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