Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout02/20/2007 MINUTESMinutes for City of Bremerton Planning Commission Regular Meeting February 20, 2007 I. Call to Order The meeting was called to order by Chairman Cockburn at 5:31 p.m. U. Roll Call Those present were: Chairman Cockburn, Commissioner Friedberg -Nerf, Commissioner Hoell, Commissioner Kennedy, Commissioner Mosiman, and Commissioner Streissguth. Commissioner Kosusko was excused. Quorum certified. Also present: Andrea Spencer, Nicole Ward, and Pam Ransier (DCD staff). III. Approval of Agenda Chairman Cockburn introduced the agenda. It was agreed by general consensus to approve the agenda as presented. IV. Approval of Minutes The minutes of the Regular Meeting held on January 16, 2007 were presented for approval by Commissioner Cockburn. A motion was made by Commissioner Kennedy and seconded by Commissioner Streissguth to approve the Regular Meeting Minutes of .January 16, 2007, as presented. Called for a vote: Commissioner Friedberg -Nerf: Yes; Commissioner Hoell: Abstain; Commissioner Kennedy: Yes; Commissioner Mosiman: Yes; Commissioner Streissguth: Yes; Chairman Cockburn: Yes. The motion carried. VI. Public Meeting A. Call To The Public (public comments on any item not on tonight's agenda). Commissioner Cockburn asked if there were any comments from citizens. Seeing none, he closed this portion of the meeting. B. Public Hearin E. Nicole Ward, City Planner, presented eight proposed amendments to the zoning code. Chairman Cockburn opened the Public Hearing and asked if there were any comments from citizens. Andy Schoos, 534 .Juniper Street, Bremerton: "Basically, I was here approximately eight, nine months ago talking about garage sizes. I'm kind of unprepared here but it looks like we're Planning Commission Meeting February 20, 2007 Page 1 of 4 heading towards the right area. What was the proposal that's on the table looks very good; it looks Iike it'll [inaudible] a healthy enthusiast. You've seen what's been happening in downtown Bremerton with West Sound Bank and people supporting car activities downtown Bremerton; there's a lot of car people here as well as RVers and campers and stuff like that. I think that we're on the right track. It looks very good to me. It would ft me, it would fit a lot of people that I've talked to — the sizing that we have, that is being proposed, and basically, I'm all for it — I hope you guys are, too. Thanks." Chairman Cockburn asked if there were any further comments from the public. Seeing none, he closed this portion of the Public Hearing and moved on to commission deliberations. Commissioner Hoell asked staff for clarification on what a "complicated fence" was. This was explained as any fence that deviates from the code. Property owners would still be able to discuss fence requirements with staff and determine if a permit is needed. Code Enforcement will continue to deal with fences that don't meet code requirements. Engineering standards have to be met for fences on corner lots that might obstruct a driver's line of sight. Chairman Cockburn asked if the 25% height increase on Accessory Dwelling Units would still have a maximum height of 35 feet. Staff said it would. It was suggested to add language to §20.46,410(f)(3) to clarify the maximum height limit. Commissioner Mosiman wanted to know why the requirement for two off - street parking spaces had been struck from the section regarding Accessory Dwelling Units. Nicole explained that, by requiring two spaces instead of one, it would limit citizen's ability to have an ADU on their property and felt that one required parking space would be sufficient. Commissioner Mosiman expressed concern about the increased size of the garages and ADUs and what kind of visual impact that would have on a neighborhood. Nicole explained that in residential zones there could not be more than 60% lot coverage which includes all structures and impervious surfaces on that lot. Commissioner Hoell asked staff for the thought process behind changing the ADU requirements. Nicole responded that the previous requirements were too focused on size and were restrictive to the point that citizens usually could not put an ADU on their property. Commissioner Friedberg -Nerf expressed concern regarding the potential size of a garage or ADU if the house were 4,000 square feet. Nicole reminded the commissioners that garages and Accessory Dwelling Units are separate issues and have different maximum square footage. Andrea Spencer, Director of Community Development, stressed that staff's view was to ease up on the size issue and focus on the design of the garage and maximum lot coverage to make the code more citizen - friendly. Commissioner Streissguth noted that there were no design standards listed for Accessory Dwelling Units. Nicole referred to the proposed amendment to §20.46.010(f) which states that the appearance of an ADU will be consistent with the primary dwelling. a Chairman Cockburn wanted to know if it was more common in other jurisdictions to have a 60% size limitation or a 40% size limitation for Accessory Dwelling Units. Nicole said that typically other jurisdictions were not as restrictive as Bremerton and they use other calculation methods to determine maximum size, but most were compatible with the 60% maximum size. Planning Commission Meeting February 20, 2007 Page 2 of 4 Commissioner Hoell wanted to know how the proposed amendments would affect the decision making process in Community Development during the permitting process. Staff felt the proposed amendments add clarification to the previous code. Chairman Cockburn expressed concern about garages that may "dwarf' the primary structure and be unsightly regardless of what the design standards are. Nicole explained that the requirement to have the garage use materials similar to the primary structure could, in itself, be a limiter for size as well as making the structure's overall appearance more consistent. Andrea suggested limiting garages to the height of the primary structure. Commissioners Hoell and Kennedy reminded the others that housing recreational vehicles had been part of the decision to allow a garage to be taller than the primary structure. Commissioner Friedberg -Nerf asked for clarification as to why the amendment proposed changing the word "lot" to "development" in §20.70.060. Nicole said it was for consistency throughout the entire code. Commissioners Friedberg -Nerf and Streissguth asked for additional language to clarify the proposed amendment to §20.60.100, Sign Standards to make it easier to use. Commissioner Mosiman expressed concern regarding the deletion of §20.60.060(c)(ii) which included an increased setback for larger structures. Nicole replied that the additional setback was difficult to implement and had little effect on the overall appearance of the structure. Commissioner Streissguth suggested tabling the amendment to the garage requirements and having staff provide "real life" scenarios to better illustrate the proposed changes at the next Planning Commission meeting, and move forward with the other amendments. Andrea reminded the commissioners of the proposed annexations of areas that have very large lots and how a code that is too restrictive could potentially make future annexations more difficult. A motion was made by Commissioner Kennedy and seconded by Commissioner Friedberg - Nerf to recommend the Zoning Code amendments 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, and 8, as identified in Attachment f and amended, for City Council adoption. Called for a vote: Commissioner Friedberg -Nerf: Yes; Commissioner Hoell: Yes; Commissioner Kennedy: Yes; Commissioner Mosiman: Yes; Commissioner Streissguth: Yes; Chairman Cockburn: Yes. The motion carved. Chairman Cockburn closed the Public Meeting. VI. Business Meeting A. Chairman's Report: None. B. Director's Report: Andrea Spencer, Director of Community Development, reported that Art Castle from the Homebuilders Association will be giving a presentation on Low Impact Development at the Marph meeting. Annexations of Navy Yard City and West Hills will commence at the February 21, 2007, City Council meeting. Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) has implemented a neighborhood enhancement program. Planning Commission Meeting February 20, 2007 Page 3 of 4 If the City of Bremerton annexed the South Kitsap Industrial Area (SKIA) it would realize approximately $50,000.00 per year in taxes without NASCAR and approximately $450,000.00 per year in taxes with NASCAR. This does not include additional businesses such as restaurants or retail. Annexation cannot happen without approval from the Port of Bremerton. Staffing: Geoff Wentlandt, Planner I, has been promoted to Planner II; Janet Lunceford has been promoted to Code Enforcement Officer; Pam Ransier has been promoted to Office Assistant Senior Specialist. Three additional positions are still open. Andrea will be giving a presentation on Growth Management — Successes & Challenges to the League of Women Voters on February 21, 2007. A new condominium project is proposed for 600 Washington Avenue. Interviews have been conducted for a consultant for the Downtown Regional Center Sub -area Plan. VIA Architecture out of Vancouver, BC, has been chosen to work with the City of Bremerton on this project. It's hoped to have a preliminary draft plan available by September 2007. Commissioner Friedberg -Nerf asked for an update on the Wheaton Way/Riddell sub -area plan. Andrea said the process has been delayed for a couple months due to the development company working on this project. C. Old Business: Commissioner Friedberg -Nerf suggested having the Planning Commission look for opportunities to work with Public Works on overlapping projects. D. New Business: Marked up copies of the Planning Commission bylaws were distributed in the meeting packet for the commissioners to review and make comments or changes. No action is required at this time. VII. Adjournment Meeting was adjourned at 6:55 p.m. The next Regular Meeting is scheduled for March 20, 2007. submitted by: , Executive Secretary Approved by: t Chairman Planning Commission Meeting February 20, 2007 Page 4 of 4