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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01102023 Planning & Zoning Minutes City of Seward,Alaska Planning&Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes January 10, 2023 Volume 7,Page 571 CALL TO ORDER The January 10, 2023 regular meeting of the Seward Planning&Zoning Commission was called to order at 7:00 p.m.by Chair Clare Sullivan. OPENING CEREMONY Everyone led the pledge of allegiance to the flag. ROLL CALL There were present: Clare Sullivan presiding, and Nathaniel Charbonneau Victoria Monaco Brenan Hornseth Troy Staggs Sew Comprising a quorum of the Commission; and Jason Bickling, Community Development Director Courtney Bringhurst, City Planner Selena Soto, Planning Technician Brenda Ballou, City Clerk Excused—Verhey, Ulman Absent—None CITIZEN COMMENTS ON ANY SUBJECT EXCEPT THOSE ITEMS SCHEDULED FOR PUBLIC HEARING—None APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND CONSENT AGENDA Motion (Charbonneau/Staggs) Approval of Agenda and Consent Agenda Motion Passed Unanimous The clerk read the following approved consent agenda items: Approval of the November 8,2022 Regular Meeting Minutes. SPECIAL ORDERS,PRESENTATIONS AND REPORTS Proclamations and Awards—None City Administration Report.Community Development Director Jason Bickling stated he appreciated the commission's attendance at last night's joint special meeting with council; he City of Sewara Alaska Planning&Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes January 10, 2023 Volume 7, Page 572 thought it went really well. He thanked the commission for all their work on the short-term rental project. Other Reports and Announcements—None Presentations—None PUBLIC HEARINGS Resolutions Requiring Public Hearing Resolution 2022-027, Recommending City Council Amend Portions Of Seward City Code, 15.25 Floodplain Management, Adopting Recommended Language And Regulations From The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). This resolution had a public hearing on November 8, 2022, was postponed, and is coming back for a second public hearing and approval. The main motion is back on the floor. City Planner Courtney Bringhurst said the city had been working with FEMA representatives to update the floodplain code, and at the November 8, 2022 meeting there were proposed amendments provided to the commission; however, at that time, not all the feedback from FEMA had been received. The redlined language included in the packet reflected the feedback FEMA had provided. Notice of the public hearing being posted and published as required by law was noted and the public hearing was opened. No one appeared and the public hearing was closed. Motion to Amend (Charbonneau/Staggs) Amend Resolution 2022-027 in Section 15.25.050(E)—Standards for Recreational Vehicles by adding "...meet one of the following criteria:" so that it reads, "All recreational vehicles placed on site shall meet one of the following criteria:". Motion to Amend Passed Unanimous Bickling said there was one housekeeping item that needed to be fixed in Section 15.25.030 (B)where it referenced the location for the FIS and FIRM panels to be viewed;the location should be city hall rather than the public works building. Motion to Amend (Staggs/Charbonneau) Amend Resolution 2022-027 in Section 15.25.050 (B) — Basis for Establishing Special Flood Areas in the last sentence by striking "Public Works building" and replacing it with "City Hall". Motion to Amend Passed Unanimous City of Seward,Alaska Planning&Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes January 10, 2023 Volume 7, Page 573 Main Motion Passed Unanimous Resolution 2023-001,Recommending Kenai Peninsula Borough Approval of the Preliminary Replat of Gateway Subdivision,Addition No.2,Tracts C4,C5,C6&C7,Tract C-4; Located at 2104 Olympia Road; Creating. Motion to Approve(Charbonneau/Monaco) Approve Resolution 2023-001 Bringhurst stated on November 28, 2022 council had approved Hilltop Properties for the Developer Reimbursement Program via Resolution 2022-116. There would be approximately $4 million spent to install water, sewer, and electric infrastructure, as well as roads and paving for this 87-home,21.3-acre subdivision.Bringhurst said all conditions of Seward City Code 16.01.015 were met and Community Development recommended approval. Notice of the public hearing being posted and published as required by law was noted and the public hearing was opened. Carol Griswold, inside the city, supported the development of new housing, but she was concerned with the high density of this proposed development; there would be traffic congestion and noise. Eighty-seven lots was a huge subdivision; only 55 were dedicated to single family homes, 22 for two family homes, and seven for multi-family homes. She thought development should focus on single family homes. She predicted issues with parking,traffic,pedestrian safety, and congestion. She estimated that once all the homes were occupied,there would be an additional 132 to 366 vehicles traveling through the area,plus bicycles and pedestrians. Griswold noted there would be a pedestrian pathway on the south portion which connected to the cross-country trail;for students walking to the elementary,middle,and high schools, she wondered if the pedestrian path would be lighted. Joe Tougas, inside the city, grew up in this neighborhood and had fond memories. He wanted to address the housing shortage in Seward and wanted to build affordable housing. The development plans included a walking path for students to access,but it wasn't fully developed in the plan because he needed to research the impact of turning the path into a right-of-way. Carol Griswold, inside the city, thought this development would be great for single families; she was only concerned about the density of housing. No one else appeared and the public hearing was closed. Hornseth wondered where the rights-of-way might be planned to alleviate potential traffic congestion. Tougas said the options were limited. Staggs wondered if Sea Lion Avenue could connect into Phoenix Drive, although bringing more traffic by the schools would not be a great solution. Charbonneau was pleased there would be 60-foot roads in this development. There would be congestion because Dora Way was already not wide enough; unfortunately, that couldn't be City of Sewarg Alaska Planning&Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes January 10, 2023 Volume 7, Page 574 changed. He was happy that the majority of the lots would be single family, and thought it was important to provide some variety of housing options because not everyone could afford to purchase a home. He thought the plan looked good. Monaco thought a lot of students would use the pedestrian path and walk to school,which may alleviate some of the school vehicle traffic. Sullivan said this 22-acre development would result in a housing boon that would help immensely. Homseth wondered if sidewalks could be considered, given the anticipated increase in pedestrian traffic. Bickling said a 60 foot right of way would be adequate to accommodate a sidewalk. Motion Passed Unanimous Resolution 2023-002, Recommending City Council Approval Of The Land Use Amendment To Rezone Proposed Gateway Subdivision,Hilltop Addition Lots 32-48,Block 6 & Lots 31- 35,Block 4 From Single-Family Residential(R1)Zoning District To Two-Family Residential (R2) Zoning District And To Rezone Proposed Lots 17-30, Block 4, From Single-Family Residential(R1) Zoning District To Multi-Family(R3) Zoning District. Motion to Approve(Charbonneau/Hornseth) Approve Resolution 2023-002 Bringhurst said this rezone would allow the housing development to have two family and multi-family homes; adjacent to the south it was zoned for multi-family. She said Community Development had reviewed and analyzed the square footage requirements and it was appropriate; she recommended approval. Notice of the public hearing being posted and published as required by law was noted and the public hearing was opened. Carol Griswold, inside the city, said recommending amendments to the Land Use Plan warranted thorough discussion and evaluation; rezones should not be approved without consideration of the facts. She said the following items should be considered: 1)were the rezones supported by the comprehensive land use plan and future land use maps? 2) Were the lots sizes adequate? 3) were there special characteristics present on site to justify zoning it differently? 4) what were the benefits and detriments to the landowners, neighbors, and community? Would any of them be harmed if the rezone was denied? and, 5) was there broad community support for the rezoning? Griswold said she opposed rezoning from Rl to R2 and R3. Joe Tougas, inside the city,said in the development plan,the proposed R3 portion abutted an existing R3 lot. The townhomes would be single family homes put into a townhome setting. The proposed R2 portion was designed to be transition between R3 and RI. The result would be a variety of homes, from single family to two family,to single family townhomes. City of Seward,Alaska Planning&Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes January 10, 2023 Volume 7, Page 575 No one else appeared and the public hearing was closed Charbonneau liked to see R1, but was pleased to see a variety of homes being proposed because that would provide accessible housing for people in different stages of life. In response to Staggs, Bringhurst said a multi-family dwelling in R3 would require a conditional use permit before construction could begin;the commission, at that time, would have the opportunity to review more detailed site plans, including trash, parking, and landscaping considerations. Motion Passed Unanimous Resolution 2023-003, Recommending Kenai Peninsula Borough Approval Of The Preliminary Replat Of Jesse Lee Heights Subdivision,Lot 6 & 7,Block 1,Located At 206 & 208 Great Bear Circle; Moving The Interior Lot Line Further To The East To Resolve A Shed Encroachment Issue; Creating Jesse Lee Heights Great Bear Addition,Lots 6A& 7A, Block 1. Motion to Approve(Charbonneau/Staggs) Approve Resolution 2023-003 Bringhurst said this replat would adjust an interior lot line, but would not create a new parcel of land;this replat was the result of an encroachment issue of a shed on Lot 6. Lot 6 would be increased by 1,893 square feet and would be renamed Lot 6A Block 1, and Lot 7 would be decreased by that square footage and would not be renamed. Community Development recommended approval. Notice of the public hearing being posted and published as required by law was noted and the public hearing was opened. Jackie Wilde, inside the city, was the owner of 206 Great Bear Circle. She thought this replat was fairly straightforward. No one else appeared and the public hearing was closed Charbonneau said it appeared that both property owners were in favor and this action would not affect any other properties. Motion Passed Unanimous UNFINISHED BUSINESS—None NEW BUSINESS Resolutions—None Other New Business Items City of Seward Alaska Planning&Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes January 10, 2023 Volume 7,Page 576 Set topic for January 24,2023 work session. Bickling suggested taking up the topic from the December work session, which included Spring Creek and Fourth of July Creek beaches, since the December work session had been cancelled. Bickling reminded the commission that council would have a special meeting on January 23,2023 to discuss roles and responsibilities,and the commission was invited to attend. Sullivan said the commission was supposed to do an annual review of the city's Comprehensive Plan and wondered when a review could be expected. Bickling said he was planning to bring that to the commission in the springtime. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS AND REPORTS Reminder: January 24, 2023 regular Planning and Zoning Work Session at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers, City Hall. Reminder: February 7, 2023 regular meeting at 7:00 p.m. CITIZEN COMMENTS Jackie Wilde, inside the city, thanked the commission for approving her replat. She said there were at least six grants she was aware of that were available that the city could pursue to address sidewalks in the new Gateway Hilltop Development; the financial burden for that could be removed from the developer's shoulders. On a different note, Wilde said her surveyor told her that the Community Development Department was taking 30 days to sign documentation that the commission approved. Last, she encouraged the commission to seek training; there were several new commissioners. Carol Griswold, inside the city,concurred with the suggestion for the commission to seek training; she suggested focusing on learning about spot zoning given the many rezones being done. Some spot zones were legal and some were not; training was important. She was surprised that ten lots had been approved tonight by the commission that did not meet the lot width requirements in code. COMMISSION AND ADMINISTRATION COMMENTS AND RESPONSES TO CITIZEN COMMENTS Hornseth thanked the citizens for coming and speaking up tonight. He thanked administration for their work. He was doing his best job on the commission, and would be interested in more training. Charbonneau thanked the citizens and administration. City of Seward,Alaska Planning&Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes January 10, 2023 Volume 7,Page 577 Monaco thanked everyone for coming to the meeting tonight and speaking. Staggs thanked the developers for taking on this housing project. Sullivan thanked the developers for their initiative,and also Griswold for her insights. She thanked Wilde for sharing her experience. Bringhurst thanked the commission. Bickling thanked the commission. He thanked Wilde for sharing the sidewalk grant information. Regarding his department taking 30 days with signatures, he said it was unusual to take that long and when it happened, it was due to certain people being unavailable to sign. On the topic of training,Bickling said he and his staff had been discussing training opportunities recently and they valued finding good training opportunities for the commissioners. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 8:09 p.m. :renda Ballou Clare ullivan City Clerk somesous% Chair ot.•`ov SEk4% (City Seal) d►`� �P Oft q �Q'•• =s v 9" rFo : . SEAL• =• • +•'elk I S.I4E1, ,,Q�`�' .'•.4 OF AVP.�`. 00.n is.last