Loading...
PC APPROVED Minutes 07-28-16 Minutes Spokane Valley Planning Commission Council Chambers—City Hall, July 28,2016 Vice-Chair Stoy called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Commissioners, staff and audience stood for the pledge of allegiance. Secretary Deanna Horton took roll and the following members and staff were present: Kevin Anderson Mike Basinger,Economic Development Coordinator Heather Graham, late,arrived at 6:15 p.m. James Johnson Deanna Horton Secretary of the Commission Tim Kelley Mike Phillips Suzanne Stathos Joe Stoy Commissioner Kelley moved to accept the July 28, 2016 agenda as presented. The vote was six in favor, zero against and the motion passed. Commissioner Anderson moved to approve the July 14, 2016 minutes as presented. Secretary Deanna Horton stated a corrected copy had been handed out. The address for Mr. Hatcher had been updated and Mr. Roger's first name had been corrected. The vote to approve the corrected minutes was six in favor, zero against and the motion passed COMMISSION REPORTS: The Commissioners had nothing to report. ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT: Economic Development Coordinator Mike Basinger reviewed the schedule for upcoming meetings, reminding the Commissioners the schedule is subject to change. August 11th Draft Goals and Policies,August 25th Conceptual Regulations PUBLIC COMMENT: Lyle Hatcher,302 S.Mitchell Dr.Liberty Lake, regarding 102 N.Bolivar Rd.: Mr. Hatcher stated he was speaking on behalf of Ms. O'Donnell who resides at 102 N. Bolivar Road as well as two other seniors who live on Bolivar. Mr. Hatcher stated Ms. O'Donnell's home has been a nightmare for her to live in, as it has been for the surrounding neighbors who live near Aspen Sound. He said the City Attorney's office has been very helpful in reducing the noise from the business. Mr. Hatcher said these three residents have lived in this neighborhood for 45-50 years. These elderly people cannot sell their homes. With the noise still from the Aspen Sound, although it has improved it still is a problem, their customer's cars making noise,the customer's from the beauty salon who park on the street and in front of these neighbors, no families will look at these houses. Mr.Hatcher said currently the properties are worth little as residential property but feels if they were changed to commercial zoning, then the elderly people would be able to sell their properties. COMMISSION BUSINESS: Study Session: Comprehensive Plan—Draft Land Use Map Mr. Basinger first shared the community's vision,which had been vetted in the very beginning of the process,for the items which should be included in the update to the Land Use map: • Increased focus and access to parks and trails • Consider a specific focus area around the new City Hall • Provide for a greater variety of housing types • Preserve the character of the neighborhoods ■ Locate housing near amenities like retail,health care,parks, and transit ■ Increase business opportunities and reduce barriers Also he shared the City Councils goals for the Land Use map: • Streamline land uses and maximize flexibility 07-28.16 Planning Commission Minutes Page 2 of 4 • Preserve established neighborhoods • Provide for a variety of housing types like tiny homes,cottage houses • Change the mixed-use designations along Trent • Consolidate Office and Garden Office or change to Corridor Mixed Use • Expand and designate new areas of Neighborhood Commercial Commissioner Johnson asked if the Council mentioned tiny homes and cottages specifically. Mr. Basinger said, they had. It has been a topic for some time, but part of the broader subject, but to provide more options over all. Commissioner Graham asked if it was a desire to address a certain population which was underrepresented, such as low income or senior housing. She also asked if there were any statistics to show these types of communities are in demand at this time. Mr. Basinger did not believe there was a particular target, but wanted to make sure that if there was a desire for them people would have the option. He said staff looked at it as providing options overall. Mr. Basinger said he has advised the consultants to look at including the tiny home/cottages into the Planned Residential Development (PRD) standards. Commissioner Anderson asked if the Schedule of Permitted Uses (Spokane Valley Municipal Code SVMC 19.120 Use Matrix) was going to have the uses which are currently allowed the separate zones combines, as we combine the zones or would there be a new Use Matrix. Mr. Basinger answered the Use Matrix would be revamped. There would be a broad use matrix, with broad categories and less of a chart. This would allow more flexibility, and give more guidance of what the categories are, definitions on what is included in each category and what would not be included. Commissioner Kelley asked if it would be more like concepts instead of being specific. Mr. Basinger said this would be a closer explanation. Mr. Basinger also covered some the points which were in the Existing Conditions Report that stated: • Medium Density has experienced little development • Office zones have high vacancy rates • Desire to have more opportunities for Neighborhood Commercial • Corridor Mixed Use may not be appropriate along Trent Avenue Mr. Basinger stated there had only been one permit issued between 2012 and 2015 for the development of MF-1 property. He said this particular property only had been developed on half of the parcel and all of the allowed density have been placed on the one half. This still shows that MF-1 is not marketable, only the 22 units per acre would be and putting half of the development on half the land, gets to the same density. He also said that 60% lot coverage was unattainable. Most of the MF- 2 development has occurred in the Mixed Use zones. The recommendations for Medium Density Residential (MDR) is to integrate it into low density residential, high density residential and mixed use where appropriate. Also, to create transitional provisions to protect adjacent uses, with a relational height limit, next to residential areas. Consolidate MF-1 and MF-2, allow for increased density and locate multifamily near services. Commissioner Stoy was concerned trying to increase the density in some of the areas is going to bring in the citizens up in arms. Mr. Basinger said the entire Comprehensive Plan would be coming back in one document for review prior to the public hearing. Commissioner Graham said that integrating multifamily into the neighborhoods is in direct conflict with the goal of protecting the neighborhoods. Once multifamily is introduced into single family neighborhoods it then no longer preserved. Mr. Basinger said only where it was appropriate would the zoning be changed, this would be opposite of what Commissioner Graham was thinking. He also said the relational setback proposal has been part of the development regulations for some time now, but staff plans to expand on this for the future development regulations. There were many areas of MDR which reached into SFR areas and converted them to LDR, but keeping the HDR near services and transportation. Commissioner Stathos stated some of the HDR which has been allowed in the areas Mr. Basinger was suggesting, between 4`'' Avenue and Sprague Avenue, have not improved the roads to handle the traffic which a multifamily development brings. She stated the apartments, for example along 4th Avenue between Conklin and Sullivan, have cars parked on both sides and the street is not wide enough to handle all of the traffic, and she feels a child on a bike will be hit because no one will be able to see them. There was discussion how home owners are going to feel being right against a multifamily development, with the building right against the property lines. The Commissioners have concerns with SFR next to multifamily and being able to put up a `wall' 07-28-16 Planning Commission Minutes Page 3 of 4 five to ten feet from the property line which makes a high wall next to a home next door. Commissioner Anderson asked if the development regulations made it so that the MF-I was not a feasible development. Mr. Basinger said the development standards that are in place for multifamily development such as parking, landscaping, and circulation naturally limit density. The market currently demands 2.5 parking spaces /unit. In conversations with local developers they are hard pressed to get 22 units/acre considering the market demands 2.5 parking spaces/unit. Commissioner Anderson clarified the new map, which will be presented online will have the current Comprehensive Plan designation and then what the changes are going to be. Mr. Basinger stated that the map would be available online and as soon as it was ready he would let the Commission know. This would be how the public would review the new map. It will make the map more accessible than it has been in the past. The online map will show a hash marks over areas which have been changed and when those areas are clicked on it will show the proposed changes and what the change is moving away from. Commissioner Stay was looking for the documentation which showed the Office zones had high vacancy rates. Would it be the lots are small and make it difficult for redevelopment. Mr. Basinger said the new office space being developed is north of the freeway, more along the river, not along the older corridors along Argonne, Mullan, Pines and other traditional office zones. Commissioner Anderson questioned that Corridor Mixed Use did not seem to allow that many more uses than the Office zone had, Mr. Basinger said Corridor Mixed Use allows for light industrial, multifamily, office, and retail, and many more uses than the Office zones allowed which is office except on the ground floor it allowed some retail. Mr. Basinger stated the City had been doing research on this zone for some time now. Multifamily is allowed on the second floor, but this has not been marketable in the City. Commissioner Johnson wondered what the recession had to with the vacancy rate. Commissioner Kelley offered the Walt Worthy building is on the river and the Centennial Trail. He said the other office development near Mirabeau Park is right on the river and right on the Centennial Trail. There is a large part near these developments. He said along Argonne, if you work in an office building there, go out for lunch,you have to fight the traffic, there is no pleasant place to walk. He felt these were strong reasons why the development was moving off the traffic corridors and more to the new destinations along the river. Staff will be marking all of the parks and open space, including areas near the Mirabeau Park and the Appleway Trail. Commissioner Anderson asked the businesses along the Appleway Tail would allow pedestrian traffic between 4th Avenue to Sprague, in order to shorten the needed distance to services, such as bus service. The City will be talking to those businesses which would be enhanced by allowing an access to the Trail to be able to incorporate it into the system. Commissioner Kelley said there are already many places where people are creating paths from the trail to stores and back. Commissioner Graham confirmed the Trail was currently extended to Pines Road. City Attorney Cary Driskell confirmed to the best of his knowledge there was funding to extend the Trail to Tshirley Rd. At this point the Trail would connect with another trail into Liberty Lake. Office and Garden Office designations will go away. The city has an oversupply of office space. Commissioner Kelley asked if office buildings would be around the new City Hall, because this type of development would spur cluster development of office buildings. There has been no consideration of the destruction of any of the older buildings at this time. Some spots of neighborhood commercial have been added to the map. The citizens and the Councilmembers have requested more neighborhood commercial areas. Commissioner Kelley stated he felt successful neighborhood areas are located near a park. Councilmembers requested any single family residence which might be designated as a new if neighborhood commercial area be made conforming. Mr. Basinger explained the City's noticing practices for when the drafts were ready for publishing, email lists, publishing to the newspaper of record, when the Commissioners asked how the public would be informed of the changes to the Land Use map. Staff have created a new designation for the properties along Trent Avenue, Industrial Mixed Use, allows for light industrial and for commercial uses and will align the properties along Trent Avenue 07-28-I6 Planning Commission Minutes Page 4 of 4 which would make more sense along this road, however it will not allow multifamily. At all the off- ramps fframps along the Interstate they will be zoned as Regional Commercial which allows multifamily. The Light and Heavy Industrial zones will be combined in order to streamline the industrial uses. Mr. Basinger said the traffic consultant did an analysis on the changes to the map and those changes did not result in significant impact to the transportation system. The Community Commercial designation is being deleted. What was Community Commercial will be integrated into Corridor Mixed Use and Regional Commercial depending on the appropriateness of the surrounding areas. The last change is changing the Low Density Residential zoning to keep the R-1 and R-2 zoning designations, consolidate the R-3 and R-4 zoning designations, make a minimum lot size of 5,000 square feet, no width or depth restrictions and rear yard setback of ten feet. The some of the Commissioners still struggle with the minimum lot size being 5,000 square feet. Mr. Basinger said this will allow the flexibility needed infill development. He also said this change would not create a dense environment for the Valley, the way he believes some of the Commissioners are envisioning. Commissioner Johnson suggested there could be a maximum number of lots in a development which could be at the 5,000 square foot size. Mr. Basinger said he did not feel this would be a proposal which staff would bring forward since the allowed density is at six units per acre, so there would not be a lot of parcels which ended up at 5,000 square feet. He said there could be a variety of lots mixed in but the density would be reached before there would be a worry about there being too many lots which were smaller. Mr. Basinger stated he would bring forward a drawing with the difference between what plat would layout as with all the required infrastructure and setbacks based on the old requirements and the new requirements so that the Commissioners can see there is little difference in tite development as a whole. The map has been reduced from 12 Comprehensive Plan designations to nine, removing Office, Garden Office and Community Commercial. The implementing zones have gone from 17 to 11, consolidating R-3 and R-4 to R-3, consolidate MF-1 and MF-2 to MF, integrate Office and Garden Office into Corridor Mixed Use, adding an Industrial Mixed Use zone, combine Light Industrial and Heavy Industrial, and integrate Community Commercial into Corridor Mixed Use or Regional Commercial. GOOD OF THE ORDER: Commissioners Graham and Stoy stated they will be absent for the August 11, 2016 meeting. Commissioner Graham nominated Commissioner Anderson to act as chair for the next meeting. Commissioner Anderson reluctantly accepted this nomination. The vote on this nomination was six in favor and one against, the motion passes, Commissioner Anderson dissenting. ADJOURNMENT: Commissioner Johnson moved to adjourn the meeting at 7:41 p.m. The vote on the motion was unanimous in favor,motion passed. Chair He ther Graham Date signed J 417, 011,141( I , Secretary Deanna Horton /