2006 Minutes
Regular Meeting Minutes: May 18, 2006
By Gaylea Nolander
Jun 1, 2006, 16:56

·        Call to Order/Roll Call – The regular meeting of the Chewelah Planning Commission was called to order by Chairman Tom Bristol on May 18, 2006 at 7:04 P.M.  The following planning commission members were present:  Chairman Tom Bristol, Vice Chairman Daniel Voltz, Kadya Hugus, Irv Schick, Bill Davies, Kevin Herda, and Alice Crowley.  Doug Sassman arrived at 7:21 P.M.  City Staff present:  Chaz Bates, Planner, Studio Cascade, and Gaylea Nolander, Executive Secretary.

·        Agenda Additions, Deletions, and/or Changes – None.

·        Minutes – Irv Schick moved with a second from Kadya Hugus to approve the April 20, 2006 minutes.  All in favor.  Minutes approved.

·        Public Comments

Nancy Blake – Corner of Franklin and 2^nd Street West – Nancy Blake read her letter to the planning commission into the record.  Letter marked as Attachment 1 attached hereto, incorporated herein and made a part of these minutes as though fully set forth.  In summary, Nancy Blake expressed concern that her property located on the corner of Franklin and 2^nd Street West was zoned RB (Retail Business) along with ten other houses from the Middle School down.  She expressed the following concerns: (1) Unable to rebuild if more than 50% of the houses in this zone were destroyed; (2) Impossible to sell if buyer needs institutional financing; (3) Are detached garages and shops considered nonconforming in this zone?; and (4) Unknown if remodeling would be allowed.  She advised that she has single family residences on all four sides of her.  She asked the planning commission how she got in this terrible situation and how can the planning commission help her get out of it. 

Dwayne Colt – Corner of 2^nd and Grant – My house a little over 500 square feet and I have a family of four. I can’t enlarge because of the restrictions that are on that and I need to sell it. I have a buyer, but he can’t buy it because he can’t get the financing because of the restrictions on it.  Can I get something in writing saying that you are going to change the restrictions so that I could sell my place and he can buy it?  I don’t have any room to expand.

Pat Schneider – 101 W. Franklin – I am in the same boat with everyone else here.  He agreed with the prior comments and asked for help in resolving this situation.

Chaz Bates, planner, was aware of the situation because Ron McCoy had submitted a letter earlier expressing similar concerns.  The zoning that you currently have actually has been in place since 1987.  I checked because I recognized that your neighborhood has established single-family units.  The Comprehensive Plan Designation, for the planning commission, looks like it splits where First Street has been vacated. The Comprehensive Plan Designation looks like it is designated single-family west of that line; however, the zoning in fact is RB for that area. It was rezoned in 1987 under Ordinance 524. 

Chairman Bristol – The zoning was different in 1987, so RB was much less restrictive and had all of the rights of a single-family residential at that point in 1987…does that mean they are grandfathered back to their ’87 status or not?

Chaz Bates – It does not. There is nothing in writing that we can give you that would say that it is going to change, it is up to City Council.  Before you leave I can get you an application form, as well as a permit information sheet that shows you the process that you need to go through for a rezone.  If you wait for the Comprehensive Plan updates there would be no charge, and if you decide to wait for the City what I recommend is you write a letter to the Mayor to participate in the comp plan update process and say we want you to pay attention to these lots here as single family units.  The cost if you want to apply for it yourself is $360.00 for a zoning map amendment, a text amendment is more, but you are not asking to change the text of the zoning code you are asking to go to a different zone that allows what you have and the uses that are there.  Any property that you change will need a signature from that property owner saying that they want to change zoning if you are petitioning for it, otherwise if you wait for the City we are going to send out a notice in the paper, we will have hearings, people can come and talk.  There is no approval guarantee, because the City Council has to approve the proposal. 

Spot zoning is not allowed, it must be an area-wide zoning request.  It was estimated that the application process will take 4 to 5 months and the City Comp Plan Update process will be completed in approximately one year.

Nancy Blake commented she plans to wait for the City’s updates. 

Doug Sassman arrived at 7:21 P.M.

Chaz Bates – My understanding is, in the Comp Plan, actually with the scale it is hard to tell, but it looks like the vacated First Street, everything west of that was designated single-family.  It is an established neighborhood of single-family units, and my motivation at this point would be to say it makes more sense to have that as single family since the old comp plan mentioned it, and apparently through the public process it was identified as being single-family, so let’s keep that single family when we update the zoning and make sure the zoning map is consistent with the comp plan…

Pat Schneider asked if they could get a verbal assurance or maybe the council could tell us it is their intent to turn this direction in a year when we get there.

Chairman Bristol – I don’t think they can, that would be breeching the protocol of a legislative action. 

After input from concerned citizens and discussion by Planning Commission and Chaz Bates the following options were suggested:

            (1) Submit a Letter of Request to Mayor Bauman to be considered in the          Comp Plan updates, which does not require a fee; (2) Submit an     application requesting a zoning map amendment, which will require a fee;             and (3) Submit an application for a zoning text amendment, which will    require a fee.

Chaz Bates stated the cleanest and clearest way to do it is through a map amendment.

·        Communications and Announcements

Chaz Bates handed out the AICP Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. Chaz announced that he recently passed tests through APA/AICP and he is now a certified planner.  He commented that the AICP has special rates for planning commission members if anyone is interested in becoming a member. Chaz is secretary for the local board. 

·        Reports from Members and Committees

Kevin Herda reported on the pending sign ordinance.  City Council has changed a few things allowing community organizations to have two signs.  They have pretty much eliminated trying to control private property, so it will just apply to  the public right of way.  It may be passed at the next City Council meeting.   

·        Reports from City Administrator and Staff

Report on Recent Permit Activity – Chaz Bates reported the following permit activity: Two site plan reviews, application for a vacation, Abbotts and neighbors from Pinebrook have inquired about the feasibility of vacating a road, and four inquiries regarding annexing property north of Chewelah.  It has been busy. Expect a couple of public hearings for the next planning commission meeting.  The developer is moving forward on the Meadow Creek Final Plat, and it could be final by this fall.     

OLD BUSINESS

Draft Shoreline Master Plan – Chaz Bates stated the public hearing may take place at the next planning commission meeting.  Chaz will send Gaylea the most recent version of the draft and she will forward it to planning commission and have it available for public review.    

NEW BUSINESS

Comprehensive Plan Update – Chaz Bates referred to his Memo dated May 15, 2006, entitled Comprehensive Plan Update Process and attached hereto as attachment 2 and made a part of these minutes as though fully set forth.  He reviewed the staff report and talked about the following procedures: (1) Grant from CTED; (2) Inventory and Analysis, (3) Community Vision and Issues; (4) Expanded State Environmental Policy Act Scoping; (5) Goals and Policy Development; (6) Solicit Public Comment; (7) Develop Alternatives; (8) Choose Preferred Alternative; and (9) Adoption Process.  He advised that the project approach is divided into three different but overlapping phases.  The first phase is intended to establish the comprehensive plan’s foundation.  The second concentrates on the preparation of the draft documents.  The third phase includes the adoption and hearing process.  The public participation process would run throughout the process.  The outline set forth in the staff report is intended to provide general guidance toward updating the Chewelah Comprehensive Plan.  The process itself may change as we evaluate the City’s existing resources against citizen’s desires. 

Chaz Bates suggested that Planning Commission, as well as the rest of the community, take a look at what the goals are as well as the policy statements that are driving those land use decisions and establish a community vision.

Planning Commission and Chaz discussed annexation and it is doubtful that the urban growth area will be extended because of the population allocations.   

In regard to Comp Plan Update requests, Chaz commented as follows:  I have always asked them to give me a letter and I don’t have any letters from anybody yet, all I have are the verbal things…until somebody gives me something in writing I don’t see it as a commitment.  I can’t emphasize this enough, the requests need to be in writing because it is easier to keep track of and it shows that they are committed to it, they are taking the initiative, and they are serious about changing it.

Kadya Hugus concurred and commented: It gives the process something tangible to work with. 

Chairman Bristol commented he would like a short list including the verbal items.

Chaz Bates stated he will develop a short list with what he has.

Suggestions:

Develop a Short List of Comp Plan Update Requests

Public Survey

Follow Format in the Staff Report (Attachment 2)

Meet more than once per month at least at the technical advisory committee level

Informational Session for Public

Chaz encouraged everyone to get comments to Gaylea or email comments to him.

Planning Commission/City Council Workshop – Chairman Bristol advised there will be a Planning Commission/City Council Workshop on June 15, 2006 from 6:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M.  Chairman Bristol suggested having a facilitator for the visioning portion of the workshop.  Planning Commission suggested the following agenda items for the workshop: (1) Community Goals and Visions; (2) Shoreline Master Plan; and (3) Comprehensive Plan Updates.  Planning Commission emphasized that goals and visions should be the top priority at the workshop. 

Chaz Bates suggested instead of developing goals and visions at the workshop level, develop them at a community level.  He had reservations because he doesn’t want citizens to think the goals and visions have already been developed. 

Planning Commission members wanted to continue to develop the goals and visions at the workshop and have the public review and narrow them down.  

Submit additional workshop agenda items to Gaylea prior to the workshop.

·        Public Comments – None.

·        Adjournment – Doug Sassman moved with a second from Irv Schick to adjourn the meeting.  All in favor.  Meeting adjourned at 8:10 P.M.

Respectfully submitted by:

_____________________________________          ______________________________ 

Gaylea Nolander, Executive Secretary              Thomas Bristol, Chairman

Attachments are available for review at Chewelah City Hall, Room 107