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RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS
PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION
JUNE 7. 1994
Chairman Bruce Kerr called meeting to order at 4:30 P.M.
Answering roll call were Sara Garton, , Roger Hunt, Jasmine Tygre and
Bruce Kerr. Tim Mooney and David Brown and Bob Blaich were excused.
COMMISSIONER COMMENTS
Sara: Asked Leslie and Kim regarding the buffer on the East Cooper
affordable housing project.
Kim: I listened to the tapes on that. Lennie Oates and Pete Stone,
during the course of the final review, came in and expressed themselves
as to what they wanted. That being grass and trees, natural as
possible between the property lines and the buildings. The applicant
had responded from conceptual to final in increasing the setback or
where the building could be by from what 10 feet would be allowed under
the existing R-15 and then under the AH rezoning they offered to move
it back to 25 feet.
What I found in my research from P&Z minutes and Council minutes was
that none of the review members actually conditioned or furthered that
discussion to clarify or either agree with or disagree with the wish
list. And we recall that they also wanted to have no dogs in the
townhomes.
Leslie: Our problem is there was no differentiation between whether
everybody thought they were talking about a greater setback as defined
in the code or what the neighbors really envisioned when they wanted
the buildings moved back. If you recall they wanted the buildings
moved back because they thought the buildings were too close to their
property. We are goin~ back to Council to ask for clarification.
Roger: My recollection is that in increasing the setback to 25 feet
had created the additional buffer that they needed. That buffer may
not be a full 25 feet of buffer from their point of view but it
increased the amount of buffer area available. Basically I think we
worked more in the technical terms in trying to create additional
buffer by increasing the setback.
Sara:
renewal
again.
I understand that the Valley High approval is soon up for
for the second time- -the extension. It is about to be extended
I hate to see things being extended.
MOTION
Roger: At staff's request I make a motion to table and continue the
Austin conditional use review to date certain of July 5, 1994 because
of a defect in public notice.
Jasmine seconded the motion with all in favor.
PZM6.7.94
STAFF COMMENTS
Amy Amidon: I would like to set up a joint HPC and P&Z meeting to talk
about creating a temporary overlay over all of town which would reduce
FAR while the planning staff and P&Z and Council come to a conclusion
about what the correct level would be. We are trying to get to City
Council by the 27th of June on this.
Bruce: My feeling on this issue is that, yes, there are some things
that we really need to do but I would oppose an emergency overlay.
This is one where we are going to get a lot of feedback. This is one
where we need to proceed cautiously and know exactly what we are doing.
And that what we are doing really will address the problems we are
going to try to solve.
I am not opposed to having a joint meeting to work on the problem. I
am very much against fast-tracking some kind of emergency overlay.
We are liable to see all kinds of crazy stuff happen if we do this.
Sara: I disagree with Bruce because I felt that we were attacking GMQS
before we were attacking the real evil--huge house. I find that most
of the feedback I get on the street is people just up in arms. The
normal citizen just can't believe what is going up. "And you approved
that?" they will say. So I think you will get a lot of grass roots
support. You will get some organized objection from certain interest
groups but not from the citizen on the street. They will be very
pleased this went in. They consider it an emergency and it is an
emergency measure.
Time and date decided for this meeting was June 22 at 4:00.
tentative.
This was
MOTION
At staff's request:
Sara: I move to continue the public hearing for Independence Place to
date certain of July 19, 1994.
Jasmine seconded the motion with all in favor.
PUBLIC COMMENT
There were no public comments.
CREEKTREE SUBDIVISION/PUD AMENDMENT
Bruce re-opened the public hearing.
Mary Lackner, Planning, made presentation as attached in record.
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Sunny Vann, representative for applicant:
application.
Gave a history of this
Beckwith, applicant: I have been coming to Aspen since 1960. We have
owned this place since 1981. I love Aspen. And I appreciate what you
people are doing. I am not here to quarrel with your objectives at
all.
I am here today to ask you please in this case consider substance over
process. We are spending a lot of your time and a lot of my money has
been spent. That's all right. I did that willingly on the process.
But really when you get right down to it if you look at what we propose
to do here we have a home that has a dining area that is rather odd
shape. Outside that area is a deck. The deck is integral to the
structure. It is not just tacked on like a ground deck. It is part
of a structure. We simply want to enclose that deck and make the
dining area a more sui.table area. The architect tells me to do that
and have the best visual impact you should take that addition right
straight up to the roofline and that is what we propose to do so there
is a slight increase in the master bedroom size as well.
Leslie: Sunny stated we are just enclosing the deck.
Sunny: It is all in the same footprint.
Beckwith: I am not wed to increasing the master bedroom. But for
goodness sakes if it is aesthetically the best way to do it then it
seems to me that is the way to do it.
I am proud of those units. We have done a lot to improve them. We
have improved the landscaping. We think they are some of the nicest
units around. They are typical 1940's and 50's Aspen. They are not
glitzy. They are good solid structures. And they fit in there well.
The fact that I come in here and ask for enclosing a deck and next door
we have got 12 to 15 units and it is huge! I think it is fine. But
if you are concerned about the visual impact--that visual impact is a
lot different than the visual impact we are asking for. So I am
essentially asking that you really consider the substance here. The
reason the carport was enclosed is that when the people built the
Ri ver Park area next door, they asked for access to underground
parking. We said "OK, that's fine if you will give us 4 units
underground parking. So we have underground parking in there. As a
result of that we were able, those of us who wanted to, to enclose the
carport. It is really more attractive to do it that way. That looks
like it is part of the building without a garage door on it.
We are not asking for a future commitment. We will stick with that
footprint. All of my fellow condominium owners are willing to stick
with the footprint. We are willing to be limited to whatever it was.
Sunny agreed to 500 square feet. If this is a precedent for anything
else, I don't know where it is. This is the most complicated
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background that I have ever seen.
this as a precedent for anything.
And I don't see how you can site
Bruce asked for public comment.
There was none and he closed the public portion of the hearing.
Sara: Sunny's presentation of the calculation because it came in as
a whole PUD--do you have a response to his argument that those
calculations should be considered in a different way because of the
history of this project.
Lackner: This thing that he brings us as to the lot area whether or
not it is conforming now or not, I think is a valid point. But as far
as the floor area even though it is specified on the plat the new
regulations that have come in are more restrictive and have made it
non-conforming. It is considered non-conforming even though the sub-
division plat identified how big those units can be.
Vann: I disagree. The only one that is non-conforming is Mr.
Beckwith's unit. There is an approval here that says the size of these
units can be 2,285 square feet. So there is legal units. If that, in
fact, was an FAR it was approved as part of this project. Now Mr.
Beckwi th if in fact his garage was enclosed incorrectly is now over the
2,285 which half of the total that shows on the plat, then he did
become non-conforming. But we do have the ability to apply for the
establishment of an FAR for all of these units. In fact the intent of
this was to clear up any confusion for the future so that if someone
wanted to make a minor change to his unit it would be a matter of
record as to what he could do.
If we were to come in today there is an argument under PUD that says
we could have taken into account all of this land in the calculation
of FAR.
Everyone from the staff came up in arms on this statement.
Vann: I will show you a provision in the code that allows you when you
have a public open space on single family lots the size of the FAR in
this case, and I will grant you they are not single family lots. It
is a 1 lot with clustered units on it. So had there been an FAR at
the time this thing was approved, there is an argument that says the
size of the parcel and the park that is being given could have been
taken into consideration because it was certainly taken into
consideration in the density issue.
Lackner: One thing, Sara, I did talk with our Assistant City Attorney
on this issue and although the plat specifies the size of those units
because __?__ makes it more restrictive than it's non-conforming.
Sunny is right--you can ask that that floor area be higher or lower
through this plat amendment process which you are in right now.
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Leslie: However it is the City Attorney's position that at the time
they used the park and they used the whole thing as part of their
entire PUD plan, that PUD plan was approved, that PUD plan was
perfected, the development occurred based upon the variety of actions
that occurred because of the PUD plan at the time. The park was
created. Another lot across the river was created. So to assume that
we could go back in today and pull the park in again--it is John
Worcester's opinion that that was done--that PUD plan was done. And
we do not have to go back into the PUD and manipulate it however which
way we want to manipulate it.
Vann: That wasn't my point. I said" If you were approving the proj ect
today under the PUD regulations from scratch". I am not asking P&Z to
go back and add parking.
Leslie: I would point out one thing. Sunny is asking to divide the
property into 4 separate pieces and use the FAR as if you had 4
separate lots which in our pre-application conference I agreed to.
I was also the staff person that approved Mr. Beckwith's garage and
Stream Margin exemption by mistake. I had been here about 2 months.
However, Sunny wants to use the single family lot floor area
calculations for thi s proj ect. However if you look at the lot area and
we were to say "OK, let's create 4 single family parcels on this
property, they are non-conforming. But if you look at this lot area
and you said "We want to have 2 duplex parcels", it is conforming.
So Sunny wants to do single family floor area calculations to make
these buildings conforming. Yet if you look at single family lot area
and the amount of area that you have, it is non-conforming.
Roger: What year did we adopt the PUD regs?
Vann: They are in Ord. #11 for 1977. And there was a PUD regulation
in there. In fact the PUD regs talked about the ability to approve
more than 2 units in a non multi-family zone. And that is how the P&Z
said "Well, I want you to do this as a 4-plex" even though it was zoned
at the time R-15. So there were regs in effect.
Bruce: When I first read the memo I thought "Sure, deny this thing".
But after listening to Sunny and the more I think about it I am really
puzzled as to why this couldn't have been dealt with as an
insubstantial PUD amendment. It matters not to me- -all this technical
stuff about whether it is single family FAR, duplex FAR. It seems to
me the fact is this is a PUD. The purpose of a PUD is to allow
clustering--allow you to do special things with special land
situations. And the question 1 have for Sunny is whether part of this
application is to have the P&Z buy into any of these philosophies of
the FAR or whether this application is just for a PUD amendment to
allow Mr. Beckwith to add the 110 square feet. If that is all we are
doing I don't have a problem with the 110 square feet as long as I am
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not also granting additional FAR automatically by virtue of this PUD
amendment.
Beckwith: I will answer for Sunny. You are not.
Leslie: Yes you are. The way the application was submitted and the
way Sunny and I originally talked in the pre-application conference is
if you recall, Sunny and I started pre-apping this right after we did
the Clarendon condominiums. And the Clarendon - -this one person came
in in one unit and said "I just want to add a little bit here". And
we said "No because if we say yes to you then the next person comes in
and the next person". First off we want to know how much additional
floor area is there in this proj ect that the entire proj ect can use" .
Secondly if everybody uses all the floor area that they have left over,
what is this project going to look like? Is it going to be a
completely different proj ect than what was originally approved?" .
We decided about 3 years ago on PUD not to piecemeal PUDs unit by unit
by unit. We wanted to establish an overall floor area bank that people
could use. Say this is how you could use it. So nobody ever had to
come back in again. They could just pull their building permit based
upon the amended PUD plan. That is how Sunny and I started this.
What we did with the Clarendon--it is a row house configuration. It
is in the R-6 zone district. So I took the land area tried to figure
out what the floor area would be and what the density would be. Sunny
points out on his application that if you say it was all single family
lots, the Clarendon would not be conforming. But if you did it as
duplex, there was enough land area to support the density. So that is
where Sunny and I started down this road.
What this application is asking to establish is what additional floor
area would there be. If we go with Sunny's tack, there is 2,900 square
feet extra floor area that can be added to this proj ect. As a
compromise to our concern about 2,900 extra square feet that could be
added to this project overall, Sunny, Mr. Beckwith and the rest of the
property owners agreed that they would only add 500 per unit. That is
2,000 additional floor area that can be added to this project.
Bruce: Within the same footprint.
Leslie: Albeit, it is within the same footprint by enclosing the
garage. Mr. Beckwith's proposal is not within the same footprint.
What you are being asked to approve is 500 square feet onto each
additional unit. It is not just Mr. Beckwith's unit.
Vann: All I want to do is amend the PUD to allow the owners to enclose
their decks and allow them to enclose their garage should it come up.
Leslie: And enlarge the master bedroom.
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Vann: The issue was how much FAR is there, how much would be added.
The net result would be 500 square feet if the other owners were to
enclose their garage. They would have approximately 100 to 200 square
feet left over to play with on their decks subject to Stream Margin
Review approval. But within the existing footprint. This deck is
already there. It is in the footprint.
My point is if the substance of the request was not a problem. You
found a way under the PUD process to approve the Clarendon. In the
case of the Clarendon it was to interpret density on a duplex basis
even though they were all attached row houses.
In this particular case if the FAR is not a problem we are asking you
to make it work. And the way you make it work in this case is to
calculate the FAR based on a single family. It is a unique case-by-
case application. And what it demonstrates was working with the
Clarendon was an attempt to solve a real problem--not argue about how
we got there. In the Planning Office memo it says "If we had
calculated it as individual single family, it is non-conforming. If
we calculated it as multi-family, it is non-conforming. If we
calculate it as duplex, it is OK".
Leslie: But FAR was never an issue on the Clarendon.
Vann: Right. This one is FAR. That one was density.
Leslie: This one is both, Sunny. This one is--if you calculate it
single family--4 single family lots then you have your FAR. But then
you are non-conforming because you don't have the land area.
Vann: What difference does it make? What possible difference does it
make? The issue here is--is this request a reasonable request under
the guise of PUD? And it is a reasonable request. I don't think that
having a 2,700 square foot unit on this site with a resulting FAR of
.33, when there is absolutely nothing around it except multi-family
projects of 1 to 1, is unreasonable request.
Lackner: Sunny's request is not a big deal in terms of square footage
especially with Mr. Beckwith's 110 feet. What the issue is--is there
a land use regulation that say on this size lot there is this floor
area and that is what it is. And if you go over that you are a non-
conforming building. Say the property allows you 1,000 square feet.
It may be 100 feet to that 1,000 square foot building. It is not a big
deal but the regulations say 1,000 square feet. That is where we are
at. If the applicant is at that end. He is at his maximum and in fact
the way he calculates floor for a duplex, he is over what he is allowed
on this property in the R-6 zone district. That is why when we say 110
square feet, you can't 60 it--it is the Planning Office interpretation
because you are non-conforming. You are already non-conforming. You
can't make it more non-conforming by adding square footage.
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What the applicant wants is to have these what we are calling duplex
units considered detached single family. That would allow them to add
square footage to them because single family allows more bulk. That
is where this whole definition of duplex/single family is.
Bruce: But isn't it true that they are not when we use the language
"non-conforming" it may be that they are non-conforming with the
underlying zoning. But because of the PUD, they are conforming.
Leslie: PUD does not allow you to vary floor area.
Vann: The only request that you are being asked to make here that
solves this problem is that this is 4 units that are clustered in 2
structures. That is the only thing you have to decide. And then the
FAR is a non-issue. If you insist on calling it 2 duplexes and support
using the duplex FAR which didn't exist in 1977 then there is an
argument that can be made that they are non-conforming.
Leslie: Sunny is correct in saying that it is an interpretation
question. But the reason why interpretation is important is because
you cannot just say "Well, it doesn't matter how you interpret. We
will just use PUD to vary the floor area". PUD does not allow you to
vary floor area anymore. You can vary all other dimensional
requirements in PUD. But you cannot vary floor area.
Bruce: That is dumb. I have fought it.
Leslie: If that was the situation we would not have this problem. The
question is--the Planning Dept is interpreting it one way, Sunny is
interpreting it the other way. Albeit, Sunny is interpreting it based
upon a history of working with me in a pre-application conference.
However I remind you pre-application conference does not give someone
the ability to go ahead and pull a building permit and build.
Vann: I agree.
Leslie: At the pre-application conference, I didn't know the size of
the parcel.
Jasmine: I don't really want to get involved into the definition
question of duplex/non-duplex. I know this is probably really
important and I think I am probably in the minority on P&Z when I just
have to say I don't really like people enclosing decks. And to me that
is not insignificant. When we talk about bulk and 2 stories.
Enclosing a carport may not be as serious or enclosing a garage.
When you have an open deck and you enclose it up 2 stories, to me,
although it is only theoretically 110 square feet, that is significant.
I don't approve of merging lots in order to increase floor area
availability--especiallyin this current attitude of the fact that
buildings are too big. That may not be true of these buildings but
I don't like this process either. I would have less trouble with
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enclosing carports than I do with enclosing decks. But I really don't
want to see all these decks being enclosed anyway. I think that
despite the fact that there was no FAR at the time, there were specific
numbers indicated as building footprints which meant that even in this
pre-history of planning regulations, there was concern about the size
of the buildings--sufficient concern that specific footprints were
established and specific numbers given.
I am really uncomfortable with this application.
Sara: I want to second Jasmine on enclosing decks. I was going to
bring this up later. And I didn't know it was part of Stream Margin.
I know this building well. And I believe that the possibility of all
of those 4 buildings enclosing and creating a wall would be a real
change in experience for that part of that building. And it is like
a canyon against the river. A real block of walls there.
Beckwith: Not all the units have decks on the river. It is a question
of whether the wall is 5 feet this way or 3 feet that way.
Aesthetically really it doesn't have the impact that you are concerned
about. I don't consider it to be an aesthetic impact.
Sara: I do. And I disagree with the architect on that. I think that
it's density and mass is a real concern with what is happening with
this building.
Beckwith: If there is concern about the mass as going 2 stories high,
then I am perfectly willing to take it 1 story.
Sara: I also agree w:.th Jasmine--it is too much manipulating and
tweeking and screwing around in order to--I agree, Sunny and Mr.
Beckwith, it seems insubstantial but I think it is hot within what
exists now as far as regulations and codes and I don't want to
compromise it that much. I would really be compromising to go along
with this.
Sunny: You realize that this is going to become an increasing problem
because what we are trying to do, we are taking projects and forcing
through regulations and demolitions that we have designed to regulate
basically new development. You are going to have people who have needs
changes. And you find yourself in situations like this where you are
trying to figure out how to deal with the FAR.
To me it is not a question of manipulation. It is a question of
looking at the proposal as to whether or not it works and then trying
to adapt our regulations to approve or deny projects. It isn't about
trying to make the regulations prevail.
Sara: I am not in love with the code. But I don't want to take a
square to push it through a round hole. I think then we need to change
things instead of keeping adapting and amending, we need to change code
and regulations.
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Roger: What little light I can shed on this is the building floor
areas I think was an absolute negotiated process. It had nothing to
do with zoning originally. It was a negotiated process that said
"Well, in view of all this, this much can be put here". I don't know
if that sheds any light on it because for example in that process the
fact that there was going to be the park area--all that was taken into
consideration that OK this little piece of land was where something
could be done in the way of residences. And so this whole process
ended up as a negotiation process.
My problem is I want to support the new codes yet I would like the
Clarendon or the Gant and all of those at that time-frame these were
negotiated rather than conforming to any existing land use code,
really. That is getting back to the old ordinance #10 days. Or close
to it as I recall.
I certainly don't consider the 100 square feet of deck next to the
dining room terribly significant. I don't know about running it all
the way up to the next floor. That may become significant. But if the
process was a negotiation process at that time under whatever
rudimentary PUD process we had, why cannot we, in effect, negotiate the
same thing now? Now that may include having to deal what are the
possibilities in the other units. And, like the Clarendon, determine
what maximum can be gone out with in the other units?
It seems to me we should be able to do something under the process.
Vann: We are not trying to maximize the FAR. The units are basically
identical with the exception of some nuances on the decks. So what we
did is we said "First of all everyone could enclose their garage".
This would make them identical to Mr. Beckwith at the moment. That
is a certain amount of additional FAR. And that no person would be
able to do more than Mr. Beckwith with respect to his deck. The total
number worked out to be about 500 square feet. And there was no place
to use that other than the existing footprint.
In my opinion there is a way to interpret this such that we can approve
it with conditions. And those conditions would be within the footprint
and that any other land owner who wanted to do anything would be
subject to the same Stream Margin Review process to make sure that
they didn't come out and do something that was problematic.
The only other alternative would be to try to rezone the property.
Bruce: It appears to me, Sunny, that we are probably at an impasse.
And that almost any motion that were to be made tonight would probably
end up in a 2/2 tie.
Vann: The staff and we both concluded that in this case the impact is
negligible. It is the same as the Clarendon I believe that face Ute
Avenue. I think most people would agree that the end result did not
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impinge the quality of the overall PUD. And that is what we are asking
you to decide here today. We are not asking you to say that all deck
enclosures are good. We are trying to get you to say that in this
particular case this PUD amendment is all right. I think the only
other thing that is not on the record is that while this may have been
a negotiated issue, Roger, having reviewed all of the minutes, all of
the Planning & Zoning Commission memos, there is not a single
discussion anywhere that I could find that talks about limiting the
size of the building. It just appears as a number on the plat. The
only thing I can think of is there were some plans that they showed the
Council when this was approved. And they had a certain size. And
those numbers were put on here.
The buildings were revised however after the final plat was done. And
it did not go back to City Councilor Planning & Zoning Commission.
It was, I believe, handled in house by the staff and the buildings were
limited to that original number.
But if it was a major issue of concern it is not reflected in any of
the conditions of approval. It is not reflected in the minutes and it
is certainly is not reflected in any of the Planning Office memorandums
regarding the project. The issue was single family lots vs clustered
development, the preservation of the Oklahoma Flats area and the only
other issue was the trails. There was a big brew-ha about bringing
the trail through Oklahoma Flats and across the river.
I think we have a reasonable request. We think there is a reasonable
way to interpret the regulations. It is not precedential.
Sara: I think that is an unreasonable interpretation to consider it
single family units. I don't think it is an unreasonable request. But
the way you are going about it is just too compromising for me.
Mary: This Commission is recommending action to City Council. So a
2/2 vote here--we can't take that to City Council.
Leslie: The problem is, as we have realized before, our single family
zone districts--R-6, R-15, R-30 do not contemplate anything other than
the conditional ?
Roger: Exactly. That is why I say this thing was negotiated. Now
we may not have any records of saying "Well, you can have this size
building or that size building". But I know that in the process of
coming back with the plan for this whole property that that was part
of the process. It looks like that area could support so much
development. And I don't think it had much to do with the underlying
zoning. The whole idea here was that the park are was R-6 I think.
Vann: It was R-15. And this is R-30. I can't find where this was
rezoned from R-15 to R-6. But it doesn't work under R-15. It is still
short. So I am trying to prove it is really R-15 instead of R-6. It
doesn't make any difference because the FAR scale is the same in R-
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6 and the R-15 zone district.
Leslie: Roger, you are techr.ically right because there were no FARs
at the time this happened.
Roger: Yes. It was based upon a negotiation. My problem is it is
a PUD and under the present sense--why can we not, because of the
history of this and it is certainly a unique history, because it was
originally a trailer park, Riverside trailer park, if it was negotiated
at that time, why can we not re-negotiate in effect the PUD and come
up with some minimal amount to support this 500 square feet per unit?
That sounds like an awful lot to me. But a couple of hundred square
feet per unit I could support something in that area.
Beckwith: Could you support allowing the other owners to enclose their
carports and then a very limited amount in addition to that?
Roger: Let's say carports plus 200 square feet. That is something I
could support.
Beckwith: Fine.
Vann: That's us.
Leslie: The subtlety with this is you want to call it 4 single family
for FAR. But if you call it 4 single family, you are non-conforming
with lot area. So you call it a duplex, you are conforming with lot
area but you are not conforming with FAR. There is no 2 that match up.
At least with Clarendon it didn't matter what you called it, FAR was
still OK.
Vann: But you still had to stretch your code to accommodate what
appeared to be a reasonable request.
Leslie: I agree.
Vann: Which is all that we have asked to do here.
Bruce: It would appear to me that we can either have a motion
recommending denial to Council with a 2/2 vote. Or a motion doing
something like Roger has talked about with a 2/2 vote. Or the 3rd
possibility would be to table to some date certain where other members
of this body are here and the applicant takes his chances with wherever
the votes may fall at that point.
Vann requested a 2 minute break.
Bruce then closed the public portion of this hearing.
WEST END TRAFFIC STUDY
Roger stepped down from this agenda item.
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Bob Gish, City Engineer: Staff recommends that P&Z amend the Meadows
Traffic Mitigation Plan for 4th Street as a primary bus route with the
exception that 1 bus will exit on 5th Street. I would like to make
this on a 1-year experimental basis for the duration of this summer and
come back to you in the Fall if we are to make changes to it.
This is the plan we brought to you several weeks ago. The only thing
we will adjust is on 4th Street is rotate a couple of stop signs. We
are holding a meeting tomorrow from 10 to 12: 00 in this room to
finalize the stop signs and the signs and the alignment of the signs.
I think we basically are in agreement with everybody on all of the
signage, speed bumps, accenting the walkway experience. I don't think
it is a major thing. It is just that use of 4th Street for buses.
PUBLIC COMMENT
John Doremus: I have attended a great many of these sessions. I did
not attend the session where this decision was made. I think there are
just as many people who believe it is a bad plan as those who believe
it is a good plan- -mixing buses with walkers is just very questionable.
The way to get it handled and off dead center is, OK, try it and we
will all watch it.
Bruce: I think that is true and I think that is probably the feeling
of this Commission as well. There was a majority of us that liked the
plan the way it was. And you understand the politics of what has
happened.
MOTION
Sara: I move to amend the Meadows Traffic Mitigation Plan adopted in
April 1994 so that 4th Street is the primary bus exit route after
concerts with the exception that 1 bus will exit on 5th Street.
Jasmine: I will second it if you make that language about this being
reviewed after 1 year more specific.
Sara: With the understanding that within the year this amendment will
be reviewed.
Jasmine seconded the nLotion.
To me that is the important part because I don't think this is going
to be the answer to the question. And I really don't want to go on
record as expressing my support for this particular plan because I
don't. But I think it is worthwhile to get a plan in action that we
can monitor and as long as it is going to be checked again after a year
then I think it is fine.
Sara: And I hope no one gets run over.
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Everyone then voted in favor of the motion.
Bruce: We will now re-convene on Creektree Subdivision and Ire-open
the public hearing.
Vann: As much as I don't want to go this again it is significant to
my client and we ask that you table action. I would also like to have
the opportunity to discuss it further with the Planning Office to see
if we can find a way t':l deal \~ith this.
MOTION
Roger: At the applicant's request I move to table action on the
Creektree Subdivision PUD amendment to the regular meeting of July 5,
1994. Included in this motion is continuation of the public hearing.
Sara seconded the motion with all in favor.
TAKAH SUSHI SPECIAL REVIEW FOR OPEN SPACE
Leslie, Planning: Made presentation as attached in record.
After discussion 3-top vs 4-top tables--
MOTION
Leslie: Condition #l--The use of the open space is for outdoor dining
within 120 square feet with approximately 4 3-top tables.
Roger: I move to approve the review for restaurant activity in the
required open space at 420 East Hyman Avenue with the conditions as
amended outlined on Planning Office memo dated June 7, 1994. (attached
in record)
Sara seconded the motion with all in favor.
WEST END TRAFFIC STUDY
Jan Collins: We want to follow the SPA. We want to continue to follow
the SPA Traffic Mitigation Plan. Jack Reid's recommendation that the
street is not adequate- -that street has City ROWand it is time for the
City to reclaim their ROW on that street like they do on every other
street. The neighbors have encroached into that ROWand there is the
space there if they want to as far as 4th Street. So we would like
them to go back and reclaim their ROW.
The biggest issue is we don't want in the final recommendation--staff
recommends that P&Z amend the Meadows Traffic Mitigation Plan. We
don't want it amended.
Bruce: We amended it only to the extent that 4th Street will be used
as an exit for the buses after the concerts except for 1 bus that will
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exit on 5th Street. The rest of the SPA Traffic Mitigation Plan stays
in effect.
?: That was my concern that one bus--the ones that come in 3rd will
then go out 5th. And I am willing to try that for the summer but just
knowing from experience 1 bus will turn into 2 buses and then to 4
buses because of all the concerts. I don't know that much is going
to change on 5th Street. That is why I was opposed to actually
amending the SPA at this point until we try it and see how the thing
flushes out during the summer.
What I would like to see at some point in the future is buses that come
on 3rd and still exit on 4th. That may mean picking up passengers on
Gillespie at the new path. I really don't want to see this thing
getting cast in cement about the buses.
Bruce: Our motion took the form of amending it only to the extent
that the memo talks about again using 4th Street after the concerts-
-1 bus on 5th with also the proviso that this is a temporary situation.
It will be reviewed after the end of the season- -not in the sense that
the SPA Plan requires the bi-annual review. We are not changing that
at all. All we are saying is that we are going to review this plan
that we are going to try this summer, after this summer is over.
Jan Collins: We want you to know that we are compromising along the
way here. And we feel like we are working together with the MAA as it
was intended. And that now the City staff, for the first time, is
working also to implement what the SPA called for. So we did want you
to know that.
Robert Harth: Those are positive comments!!!
POPPIES BISTRO CAFE REZONING AND GMOS EXEMPTION
Mary Lackner, Planning: Made presentation as attached in record.
Sunny Vann: The unit goes to the back of the building. We are going
to historically designate this. It is a notable structure. And it
will be an asset which allows us to maintain this building and to
provide housing. It is a very modest addition. The whole issue is
FAR. It is 200 square feet at this time. It is the difference between
a 1-bedroom unit and a 2-bedroom.
The conditions recommended by the Planning Office are fine with the
exception of a minor amendment to Condition #3.
Discussion regarding vacation of alley followed.
Vann: There is sufficient parking available on site to accommodate 2
cars for the unit. There is no official parking now. We could create
2 parking spaces in that side yard setback because on-street parking
is used for the restaurant. If we can't do it there, we can do it in
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the alley.
Hull: We do have 2 spaces for cars.
Roger: If you had the alley vacated that would provide you the space
for on-site parking.
Bruce: We are taking this application for re-zoning. And we have a
non-conforming use in the existing zoning. We also have a non-
conforming use in the new zone.
Lackner: No.
It is a conditional use.
Bruce: But we don't have the conditional use approval in here.
Vann: The position th; Planning O~fice took in the pre-application
conference was that Slnce there lS no expansion of the existing
resident use, the code talks about conditional use review if you are
expanding, enlarging or changing the conditional use. The restaurant
remains completely unchanged. So it will become a defacto approved
conditional use as a result of the re-zoning.
Sara: In the request the way it is stated in the first page of the
memorandum is to a tenement GMQS exemption for a free market dwelling
unit. Later in the memo it says that it is voluntarily deed restricted
to RO.
Vann: The code says that a historic landmark you may construct one
free market unit exempt from growth management. That is the ? that
allows us to construct the unit. On the application to Council we were
asking for a favorable interpretation. And as an inducement to that
interpretation we said we will deed restrict this to RO. When Council
said "We would just as soon re-zone it", it was no longer necessary to
impose that restriction. Michael's feeling on it is "I know what I am
going to use it for and I don't want any more regulations on it than
I have to". There is no requirement on it to be an RO unit under this
exemption provision. So that is why we did not voluntarily ask to
continue as RO.
Sara: To think about what we might be approving in the case that
Poppies is sold we could have offices downstairs and a $90,000
penthouse apartment upstairs sold to somebody who lives in Chicago.
Vann: Technically you could condominiumize it and will an 800 square
foot unit off to someone on the free market and say it will be a free
market unit.
Sara: I want to see a deed restriction on it.
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MOTION
Roger: I move to recommend a re-zoning of the Poppies Bistro property
to R-6 to O-Office subject to the Planning Office conditions in the
memo dated June 7, 1994 with the exception that #3 shall be changed to
indicate that it would be either a Board of Adjustment variance, an HPC
variance or preferably an alley vacation.
By this change of zoning the restaurant does become a defacto
conditional use and will be subject to all conditional use regulations
assuming this progresses.
Sara seconded the motion.
Bruce asked if there were any public comments. There were none and he
closed the public hearing.
Everyone then voted in favor of the motion.
There being no further business meeting was adjourned.
Time was 6:55 P.M.
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