Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-21-07 Planning Board Minutes.doc ** MINUTES ** CITY OF BOZEMAN PLANNING BOARD, COMMISSION MEETING ROOM, CITY HALL 411 EAST MAIN STREET WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 21st, 2007 7:15 P.M. ITEM 1. CALL TO ORDER AND ATTENDANCE Vice President Dave Jarrett called the meeting to order at 7:39PM and directed the secretary to record the attendance. Members Present: Members Absent: Dave Jarrett, Acting Chair JP Pomnichowski Brian Caldwell Steve Kirchhoff, Commissioner Randy Carpenter Caren Roberty Ed Sypinski Erik Henyon William Quinn Staff Present: Chris Saunders, Assistant Director of Planning Kimberly Kenney-Lyden, Recording Secretary Sean Becker, Commission Liaison Guests Present: Ray Heagney Steve Domreis Katryn Mitchell Charles Day Christine Yearley Ted Newman Harley Huestis Jeanne Wesley-Weise Jon Carpenter Arnie Duncan Nicole Buckley Caitlin Magbee Tom Noble Pat Estes Molly Budinsky Bridget Cavanaugh Toni Oberry Chaucer Silverson Pete Oliver Ron Gompertz Chandler Dayton Jami Morris Stewart Mitchell Joshua Brandner Heidi Lasher Dan Caveny Dan Googenheim Erik Semesh ITEM 2. PUBLIC COMMENT (0-15 MINUTES) {Limited to any public matter within the jurisdiction of the Planning Board and not scheduled on this agenda. Three-minute time limit per speaker.} Seeing there was none, Dave Jarrett closed this portion of the meeting. ITEM 3. MINUTES OF FEBRUARY 6TH, 2007 Seeing there were no changes, additions or corrections, Dave Jarrett called for a motion to approve the minutes of February 6th. Ed Sypisnki moved to approve the minutes, seconded by Brian Caldwell. All in favor. Motion passed 7-0. ITEM 4. PROJECT REVIEW Growth Policy Amendment Application, #P-06070 (Story Mill Center) - A Growth Policy Amendment Application requested by the owner, Blue Sky Development Inc., and applicant, GoBuild Inc., and representative, GBD Architects and Hyalite Engineers, to request changes to the existing growth policy designations to “Neighborhood Commercial” on 6.814 acres, “Community Commercial” on 3.471 acres, “Residential” on 87.915 acres, “Industrial” on 5.177 acres, and 6.206 acres of dedicated parks/open space/ and recreation land. The legal description of this property varies, please see attached application. (Saunders) 0:01:55 [19:40:02] Staff Presentation Assistant Director Chris Saunders gave the staff report. He noted this application is to amend the growth policy land use to approximately 90 acres of property. There are two property owners; Blue Sky Development and Wake Up Inc. The property is located in the northeast quadrant of town. Mr. Saunders stated this overlays the Story Mill spur trail. The proposal is to change the growth policy designation to neighborhood commercial, community commercial, residential, and parks/recreation/and open space. Some areas to the north have not yet been annexed. The change would be from three planned uses of industrial business park and suburban residential to neighborhood and community commercial. The bulk of this property is industrial zoned. Neighborhood commercial is intended for small scale activity based businesses that have size limits on the buildings. The Community commercial does not have that. Mr. Chris Saunders noted that applying a community commercial in an area that already has the 100 foot Story Mill seems logical. Parks & open space recreation can be used for recreational purposes and the portion which is zoned this designation is not intended to be developed. The industrial section in this proposal is a heavy use designation such as manufacturing and storage. This area has also seen a mix of uses over a period of time just like the NEHMU district. Mr. Saunders stated the stockyard can no longer function and the slaughterhouse is closed. He added this entire area is surrounded by existing City water/sewer services. There is a considerable amount of water in the area, a large wetland coverage and watercourse due to Bozeman and Rocky Creek. Mr. Saunders stated this plan covers a large area of land in a variety of zones. Therefore, the City has to balance a wide variety of interests. This plan will need to address the needs of the community. City Staff wants people to recognize this as a 'sense of place'. We realize this is not New York City, but this project needs to apply a reasonable balance of community. Mr. Saunders stated that as far as the criteria for this growth policy amendment, staff has found that this proposal is an improvement to the original plan because it provides for a commercial center and a park area. There is a lot of water, and residential requirements are more stringent in dealing with wetlands, much better than an industrial zone would. There are existing water/sewer services as well as existing transportation services. Chris Saunders noted the City of Bozeman has begun an update to the growth policy and transportation plan. The city has improved the street function of the areas and plans on putting a signal at Rouse and Oak and at Griffin and Rouse. This proposal will need to make significant improvements to this property before any development can occur and the City will be watching this project closely. Mr. Saunders commented that the applicant will need to address the substantial traffic issues and submit material for the wetlands delineation. At the time the staff report was prepared, Mr. Saunders noted there was no public comment. Since then, there have been several comments forwarded to the Planning Department. Staff has received 17 letters of support, and 6 of opposition. He closed his presentation by noting Planning Staff is recommending conditional approval. 0:31:50 [19:40:18] Applicant Presentation Joby Sabol, legal counsel for the applicant noted this is the beginning of a large scale project. He understands the natural concern coming from the neighborhood because this is going to be developed and there is a lack of certainty coming from the neighbors. We understand and appreciate the neighbor’s frustrations and welcome the public comment because this results in a better project and ensures that the end result is a better community. Mr. Sabol commended Mr. Saunders on his thorough presentation and closed by stating he and the design team will be taking everyone’s concerns into consideration. Cory Raavnas, representing Hyalite engineers at 2066 Stadium Drive noted he has little to add since Planner Saunders completed such a detailed presentation. He stated that because of the wetlands in the area, there is a lack of support for an industrial development and more appropriate for a residential development. There is a need for trail connections in the area and this is what supports the change from industrial to residential. The only change from the informal application that went before the board in November 2006 is the drop (25-30%) in commercial development in that area. Mr. Raavnas commented there are a lot of people who are concerned with the traffic and 45% of the traffic comes from a neighborhood commercial unit which is why we reduced the amount of commercial area in this development. Because of the watercourse setback, we experience a decrease in 22 acres of usable property. After you take into consideration the road right of way, it takes another 6 acres of usable property. Mr. Raavnas stated they will have significant parkland requirements, 14 acres, and that only leaves approximately 50+ acres of buildable property. 0:42:46 [19:40:43] Questions for Staff Erik Henyon asked how many acres of neighborhood commercial were removed by Golf Course Partners from the original plan. Mr. Raavnas responded they removed 7 acres, but there is a gain of commercial overall right in the middle of this project and serves a bigger area. Mr. Henyon stated this is not really a net loss, but it is just about the same. He added he would have liked to see the commercial node stay a little bigger. Bill Quinn stated he had no questions for the applicant or staff at this time. Ed Sypinski asked Mr. Raavnas how they intend to address the workforce housing and affordable housing issue. He noted that if parkland is an issue, they can offset the requirement with affordable housing. Mr. Raavnas stated they hired an affordable housing expert from Portland to look at this project, but responded they do not know what the City's affordable housing plan will be by the time a formal application for a subdivision is submitted. He added they are going to do their best to not take a reduction in the parkland requirement. They plan on going above and beyond the basic requirements from the City. Brian Caldwell noted to Mr. Saunders that the 2020 plan has specific thresholds for Growth Policy Amendments and it seems these thresholds have been met which make this application a valid request. Chris Saunders replied that at this point, we have not seen any of those thresholds met as of yet, but have seen significant growth. We have not hit the 15% trigger. He noted the City is in the process of updating its land use inventory and is underway with an overall update to the plan. He closed by stating he does not believe these issues are relevant to this application. Acting Chair, Dave Jarrett asked what the status is of the railroad that comes through this property and wondered if it was still active and feeding to the old mill. Cory Raavnas answered the railroad tracks stop at the East Gallatin River, just northeast of the pedestrian bridge. He added they purposely left if off the application because they do not own it. Mr. Jarrett asked if that right of way is owned by the Department of Transportation. Chris Saunders responded there are portions north of that that have been abandoned and the City owns some of it. He noted that some is being used as a trail. The tracks were there for the industrial uses during that time. The change from industrial to residential would probably make the tracks unusable. Dave Jarrett noted there was discussion about extending Oak Street and wanted to know if there has been any further dialogue on that matter. Mr. Saunders responded the light at Oak and Rouse that the City is funding should be present at the end of 2007 and costs about $375,000. He added there are a multitude of routes that are planned off of Birch. Mr. Jarrett asked what the time frame looked liked for this project to be completed and Mr. Saunders replied that 7 1/2 million dollars will be committed in the next 3-4 years for this. Randy Carpenter asked Mr. Saunders if he was concerned with the designation of Community Commercial being established at the Story Mill site allowable uses and if it would be balanced with the scale of the buildings that are in existence there. Mr. Saunders responded that the range of uses within the B1 district are quite extensive and between the physical characteristics and the legal review that would have to occur prior to development at that site, the concerns will be addressed. Mr. Carpenter noted that the specific location not being on an arterial could be a problem and asked if that Community Commercial is even possible. Mr. Saunders stated the small portion of Community Commercial within this large scale project was felt to be a good balance. Mr. Chris Saunders stated that the public comment the City has received has been forwarded to all members of the Planning Board and will be handed to the City Commission. Ed Sypinski asked if the historical significance of the buildings will change. Mr. Saunders replied this is not a regulatory change and the likelihood that it could be reused for a commercial purpose is better. Erik Henyon wanted to know about contamination issues and asked if there were concerns about abestos. Cory Raavnas replied the contaminants are at the Story Mill site and it consists of dead pigeons and their fecal matter up to two feet tall. Before anyone can do any work in any of those buildings, there needs to be an extensive clean up of that area. To the south of the property is the Idaho Pole Super Fun site, and a phase two investigation was done by Dr. Nicklan and they were given a clean bill of health, however the property is included in the controlled ground water area that is around that plume. Mr. Raavnas stated he wrote to the DEQ, DNRC, and EPA and their only concern is that there is no dewatering as utilities are going in that area. He closed by noting the stockyards were covered by concrete slabs and anything left over has been washed into the creek. 0:58:06 [19:40:44] Public Comment Arnold Duncan lives at 5331 Sourdough Road. He stated he is in favor of this project because during his adult life, this property has been non-functioning. He does not like an industrial area being the gateway to our amazing Bridger Canyon. This project puts urban dwellings in an area that does not consume our viable, fertile agricultural land we have in this valley. Heidi Lasher lives at 410 North Willson. She stated she lives in the northeast neighborhood and is in support of this Growth Policy Amendment. This application is an opportunity to take advantage of urban infill and an alternative to sprawl and further farmland degredation. She closed by stating this is a responsible alternative to the wetlands and reuse of the historic buildings. Ron Gompertz lives at 4434 White Eagle Circle. He wanted to voice his support for this project and was impressed that the developers are trying to achieve LEED certification. This is the same certification that the new Library achieved. Mr. Gompertz stated his mother lives about a block and a half away from here and would love to walk to work, live in a historic neighborhood, shop close to home, and not having to use a car to get a cup of coffee. He is hoping he can move his business, Eco Auto to this location because the downtown area is expensive and is in favor of this proposal. John Carpenter lives at 1380 Story Mill Road. He noted that with the growth just north of Bridger Canyon, he feels this development makes a lot of sense for the people in this area. They have an opportunity to walk to a local store without having to drive out to 19th Avenue to the commercial malls. He closed by stating he is in favor of this and added it's a great idea. Stewart Mitchell lives at 705 South Tracy. He stated this represents an opportunity to create an area that other people are drawn to. In the county, they are getting into sprawl development style mistakes the rest of the country is going through. The sprawl development did not generate enough tax revenue to cover the cost of services, but a high density development will. Mr. Mitchell closed by noting this is an exciting opportunity to create another 'downtown Bozeman'. Changing this Growth Policy is a step in the good direction and he closed by stating he is in favor of it. Tom Noble lives at 401 North Church. He stated his concern in the northeast neighborhood is the dramatic increase in traffic on North Wallace, on Broadway, and on North Church. Although there are plans to make improvements that would help, they are years down the road from happening. If the city plans on putting an extension onto L Street, Mr. Noble stated the City should put a condition on the developer that they do another traffic study after L Street is paved. Dan Caveny lives at 630 East Davis. He commented he likes this development and there are good ideas with this project. The neighborhood has important concerns with the traffic because it does not seem the traffic studies done on this are adequate especially considering how many homes are being proposed here and up Bridger Canyon. Mr. Caveny noted he does not think the City should approve the change in the plan until the traffic issue is addressed. Molly Budinsky lives at 1925 West Dickerson, #5. She stated she is a recent graduate from MSU and cannot afford to live in Bozeman right now because of the rising home prices. Ms. Budinsky noted that Story Mill would give her an opportunity to buy a home and bike to work or even walk to the store instead of driving. She is hoping the board will approve this so students who graduate and want to live in Bozeman, can. Dan Googenheim lives at 418 North Wallace. He noted he agrees with most of the comments regarding traffic concerns and likes the development. As the neighborhood representative for the traffic calming project on North Wallace for the past three years, he noted there should be some traffic mitigation with this plan and will continue to work with the developers of this to reach a positive outcome. Erik Semesh lives at 622 North Grand Avenue. He stated he really likes this project trust the design group. As this project proceeds, he is hoping there is some way they can assure the public they will stay on course and the land use plan is followed through so their vision is captured. Chandler Dayton lives at 716 East Peach and stated she not so sure that there is any way to ensure this project will follow through as designed. She feels the City is putting the cart before the horse in putting this application first before the traffic issues are addressed. Jeanne Wesley-Weise lives at 707 North Wallace. Her concerns are the traffic. I do agree with most that there should be some kind of contingency to get this traffic addressed on Wallace. Wallace is not legally wide enough to be a collector and Ms. Wesley-Weise stated she would like consideration as to how the traffic will impact their neighborhood. 1:15:24 [19:40:47] Discussion Chris Saunders stated there is no mechanism at this stage of review to ensure a development follows through as planned. Dave Jarrett noted that until the growth policy change comes, there can be no further development, residential or anything else. Mr. Saunders added the residential designation consists of a variety of residential zones and without a design, one cannot get the specificity needed to address these impacts. There are standards for the level of service that must be satisfied otherwise the applicant cannot move forward. He stated this project is in the very early stages of development and is not at this stage of discussion. Mr. Saunders added a zoning designation is not a development entitlement. He closed by stating there are many issues that need to be addressed before development commences. Erik Henyon noted that last summer, there were some neighborhood trip generation studies that the City did. He asked where the people were going in this study. Mr. Saunders responded this study was not looking at the destinations, they were looking at how many trips were being generated and participation was voluntary. Mr. Henyon asked if this included trips from the Bridger Creek Neighborhood and Mr. Saunders confirmed the study did include that neighborhood. Caren Roberty asked Mr. Saunders if there was anything the City could to do to enforce the vision of this project. He replied the City cannot delegate approval authority to a third party. There are some standards in the City and with LEED that are similar, like reusing storm water and encouraging wetlands. Even though The City cannot specify this to be a LEED project, we can however put some stringent requirements as to what can happen on this land because there is some historical property here too. Caren Roberty noted she was glad to see the neighborhood come forward with their comments. She noted the neighborhood would rather have residential around the wetlands instead of commercial. Bill Quinn likes the project and feels this is what Bozeman needs to make it more livable. This encourages infill and noted it gives us another use for the elevators that are not in use. Mr. Quinn closed by stating he is in favor of this application. Ed Sypinski stated he appreciates the neighbors’ comments about traffic, but noted this is not what is being presented tonight. This developer is utilizing as much city processes that can be provided. Mr. Sypinski commented this application meets the review criteria. This will be a distinct type of neighborhood. He added this infill development is appropriate and feels this accomplishes urban density. It will be a complimentary approach and closed by stating he will be in support of this application. Brian Caldwell noted the City has made a substantial amount of funds to fix these traffic issues with L Street so it will be compatible. The cart before the horse comment is not accurate because without these application processes, these issues cannot be addressed, therefore this application is appropriate. Mr. Caldwell asked all present to look at what Oserman's warehouse did with the wetlands, then stated this project will most certainly move the community forward to becoming a amore livable community. He closed by stating he will be supportive of this project and is recommending approval. Randy Carpenter noted he was in agreement with most everything said by the board and noted this application meets the criteria needed in judging the application. This application has widespread support overall because it provides for a more compact community, a walk-able community, and allows us to preserve open space. He noted his is hopeful this action will lead to a great neighborhood. Mr. Carpenter stated he is confident that the process exists to ensure that a good project happens down the road. He added it will increase traffic, this is inevitable. Mitigating traffic impacts, impacts to the wet lands, and character of the area are going to be looked closely at by the City. Erik Henyon noted he finds that this amendment balances a variety of needs. He is in support of it. He stated his problem with this application is that if we are trying to make this a more walk-able, livable community, maybe adjust the numbers more towards the neighborhood commercial and add a variety of services. He added he would like to see that. Dave Jarrett commended the public for coming forward in giving their comments. He encouraged them to continue to make their voices be heard. He also thanked the board for tremendous examination of this application and all their suggestions. Mr. Jarrett stated this is a tremendous project and it is a good project. He noted there will be hurtles, but these can be overcome. He closed by stating he will be supporting this application. 1:33:32 [20:10:47] Motion and Vote Ed Sypinski moved to recommend approval of Growth Policy Amendment #P-06070 with the contingency, seconded by Brian Caldwell. All in favor, motion passed 7-0. ITEM 5. NEW BUSINESS Dave Jarrett stated that the meeting on March 6th he and Erik Henyon will not be able to attend. He moved to appoint Randy Carpenter as Acting Chair for that meeting, seconded by Ed Sypinski. All in favor, motion passed 7-0. ITEM 6. ADJOURNMENT Mr. Dave Jarrett adjourned the meeting at 9:14PM. ___________________________________ _________________________________ Dave Jarrett, Vice President & Acting Chair Chris Saunders, Assistant Director Planning Board Planning & Community Development City of Bozeman City of Bozeman *City of Bozeman Planning Board meetings are open to all members of the public. If you have a special need or disability, please contact our ADA Coordinator, Ron Brey, at 582-2306 (voice) or 582-2301 (TDD).