HomeMy WebLinkAbout040108 Planning Board MinutesMINUTES
CITY OF BOZEMAN PLANNING BOARD,
TUESDAY, APRIL 1, 2008
ITEM 1. CALL TO ORDER AND ATTENDANCE
President JP Pomnichowski called the regular meeting of the Planning Board to order at 8:50 p.m. and directed the secretary to take attendance.
Members Present:
JP Pomnichowski, President
Randy Carpenter
Erik Henyon
Brian Caldwell
William Quinn
Chris Mehl
Cathy Costakis
Sean Becker
Donna Swarthout
Staff Present:
Courtney Kramer, Associate Planner
Allyson Bristor, Associate Planner
Chris Saunders, Assistant Director of Planning
Shoni Dykstra, Planning Secretary
Members Absent:
Guests Present:
Mark Hufstetler, Chair of the BHPAB
Bonnie Martin
Ed Ugorowski
Ed Sypinski
Anne Sherwood
Richard Brown
Trever McSpadden
Brendan Henry
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, President Pomnichowski closed this portion of the meeting.
ITEM 3. MINUTES OF MARCH 18, 2008
Bill Quinn noted his absence had been excused. Seeing no other changes, additions or corrections to the minutes, President Pomnichowski stated that the minutes from March 18, 2008 would
stand as amended.
ITEM 4. PROJECT REVIEW
1. Subdivision Preliminary Plat Application #P-08001 (SSA MiSub) - A Minor Subdivision Preliminary Plat Application on behalf of the owner, Bozeman SSA,
LLC, the applicant, SDA, Inc., and the representative, C & H Engineering and Surveying, Inc, to allow the subdivision of approximately 1.39 acres into two residential lots for R-O (Residential
Office District) development. The property is legally described as Lot 2, Block 2, Cattail Creek Subdivision, Phase 1, City of Bozeman, Gallatin County, Montana. (Bristor)
Staff Report:
Allyson Bristor, Associate Planner, presented the staff report for the Bozeman SSA minor subdivision preliminary plat application. She noted the application was to subdivide 1.39 acres
into two residential lots. She noted the property is zoned R-O and is in an area with a nonresidential designation. She noted the primary use would be nonresidential. She stated no public
comment had been received to date. She noted Staff is recommending approval. She stated the City Commission will be reviewing the application on April 14.
Questions for Staff:
Randy Carpenter sought clarification on the first condition. Planner Bristor noted the condition was to provide landscape buffering for the residential occupants in the area. Chris Mehl
noted the application noted the 2020 designation was Industrial. Planner Bristor noted a recent growth policy amendment had changed the property from Industrial to Neighborhood Commercial.
Mr. Mehl sought clarification on how the site plan review would be implemented. Planner Bristor noted the site plan review would be reviewed by the Development Review Committee before
being reviewed by the Planning Director for a final approval. Erik Henyon sought clarification on what the primary principal uses were in the area. Planner Bristor noted residential
uses would be considered accessory in nature. Brian Caldwell noted it could not be more than 49% Residential.
President Pomnichowski sought clarification on the classification of North 27th Avenue. Planner Bristor responded it was a collector street. President Pomnichowski noted the new lot
line bisected the current drive. Planner Bristor noted an easement was in place to guarantee access to both lots. Donna Swarthout sought clarification on the condition relating to covenants.
Planner Bristor noted the property was within the Cattail Creek Subdivision and would need to comply with the overarching HOA. Chris Saunders noted that commercial condominiums also
had covenants which would need to integrate with the covenants of the subdivision. Mr. Quinn sought clarification on what uses a new building would be able to have. Planner Bristor noted
the percent of commercial to residential would be considered on each separate lot and the uses would be proposed during the site plan review.
Applicant Presentation:
Brandon from C& H Engineering noted he was willing to address any questions or concerns the Board may have regarding the property.
Questions for Applicant
There were no questions for the applicant.
Public Comment
Seeing there was none, President Pomnichowski closed this portion of the hearing.
Motion and Vote
It was moved by Mr. Caldwell, seconded by Mr. Henyon, to recommend approval of the SSA Minor Subdivision #P-08001 to the City Commission as conditioned by Staff. Those voting Aye being
Mr. Caldwell, Mr. Henyon, Ms. Swarthout, Mr. Mehl, Mr. Carpernter, Cathy Costakis, Seam Becker, and President Pomnichowski. Those voting No being none. The motion carried 9-0.
ITEM 5. BOZEMAN COMMUNITY PLAN UPDATE
Review and discussion of the analysis and the issues with the current/new chapters of the Bozeman Community Plan as related to Historic Preservation.
Courtney Kramer, Associate Planner, presented a PowerPoint presentation regarding Historic Preservation. She noted the vision and mission statements Historic Preservation and the Bozeman
Historic Preservation Advisory Board. She noted one of the goals for the growth policy update would be to present the “big picture” of the conservation plan. She noted Bozeman reserves
to responsibly manage the City for future generations along with preserving the City’s historic resources. She stated historic preservation is an economic stimulus as preserved communities
draw tourism. She noted preservation also supports sustainability and fosters community.
Planner Kramer noted historic preservation began in Bozeman the late 1970s. She noted how the cultural resource inventory had led to the creation of different historic districts and
the neighborhood conservation overly. She noted the certificate of appropriateness level of review through the Planning Department and the protection and guidelines through the UDO.
She also noted the Design Guidelines for the overlay which were adopted by the City Commission in 2006.
Planner Kramer noted the three goals the BHPAB were working towards. She noted an ordinance to prevent “demolition by neglect”, updating the historic inventory, and establishing a preservation
plan as a part of the Growth Policy Update.
Planner Saunders noted the Clarion Analysis the City had commissioned to review the 2020 Plan. He noted the analysis recommended a chapter specifically addressing historic preservation.
He noted the information pertaining to historic preservation had been included in the community character chapter previously.
Mr. Mehl noted the goals and work plan which were in the 2020 Plan. He noted that the goals had not been met and wondered if the BHPAB needed more resources. Mark Hufstetler noted the
research design exists in draft form, but it requires action by the City Commission at this point to complete the goal. He noted the current inventory is inadequate. Ed Sypinski noted
that the inventory was a comprehensive and collaborative look at the buildings in the area at the time of the inventory. He noted an updated inventory would give staff and the BHPAB
a chance to develop review criteria which included economic feasibility components. Mr. Mehl sought clarification on what criteria was currently being use. Mr. Sypinski noted the ranking
and delineation between buildings was done on a project by project basis rather than having a current inventory to base decisions on. Mr. Caldwell noted the FY08 budget had included
funding for the project. Planner Saunders noted the budget included funding for the first two steps in a three step process for updating the historic inventory.
Mr. Caldwell noted every era had good and bad examples. He noted clarification should be included in the Update on the balance between preserving the integrity of the neighborhoods and
allowing for evolution and reworking of poor examples. President Pomnichowski noted the vision and big ideas for the chapter could be incorporated from Planner Kramer’s presentation.
She noted Community History and Identity, Conservation and Preservation, Economic Stimulus, Culture and Sense of Place, and Consideration of Structures should be included in the goals
and big ideas for the chapter. She sought clarification on the possible contradiction between historic buildings outside of the overlay districts and the relocation of boundaries. Mr.
Hufstetler noted the “current” inventory was taken in 1983. Planner Bristor noted an updated inventory could spark the creating of new districts and the relocation of boundaries for
current districts. She noted the inventory would cover 5,000 to 6,000 structures and would raise questions about expansion of the Neighborhood Conservation Overlay or the addition of
a secondary overlay district. She noted issues such as workloads and application types would also need to be addressed. President Pomnichowski sought clarification on how historic sites
were referenced as only structures are at this point. Planner Bristor noted there is potential for documenting those resources as well.
Mr. Caldwell noted his concern about new projects needing to look like the present examples and the presentation of projects that do not have the same image as what was presented in
the PowerPoint. Mr. Carpenter sought clarification on how Bozeman was doing in comparison with other cities. Anne Sherwood noted her concern about holding home owners to a higher standard
than businesses. Mr. Sypinksi noted that the BHPAB has proposed having a representative on the DRB to become a part of the larger process. He noted the Update could also provide the
opportunity for interactions with other advisory boards. Mr. Hufstetler noted economic impacts should be incorporated in the chapter. Planner Bristor added economic impact should also
be defined in the context of the chapter. She noted studies on the affects of the COAs and the Conservation Overlay on property values could be included. She noted the growth pressure
in the overlay and people who are buying lots with houses with the intention of building something new. She noted Bozeman was one of the first communities in Montana to implement preservation
at the local level, and now Bozeman is trying to catch up with cities like Billings. She noted the importance of an updated inventory, as planners now are reviewing not only individual
properties, but those properties in regard to the neighborhood and surrounding
properties. Planner Kramer noted once the inventory was complete, structures needing protection would be revealed along with the structures which could be sacrificed. Planner Saunders
noted the number of COAs issued compromise the effectiveness of the current inventory since there is not a way to record additions, changes, maintenance in the inventory. He noted historic
preservation was highly dependent on context.
Mr. Mehl sought clarification from the BHPAB members as to the modifications they would like to see to the current 2020 Plan. Bonnie Martin noted that it was important to preserve the
history of Bozeman and the districts for the sense of community they provide. She noted the need for flexibility and practicality in the preservation process. She stated the vision in
the Plan is good, but some updating did need to take place. Mr. Henyon noted an accurate inventory of historical, residences, landmarks, sites and areas should be conducted. He also
noted the creation of conservation districts based solely on age was ludicrous. He noted the community needed to create criteria which would establish how a building or area would be
chosen to be historically protected. Mr. Carpenter sought further clarification from the BHPAB on any issues that were unresolved or unarticulated in the current Plan. Mr. Hufstetler
noted history is not a specific time, but it is a moving target. He noted the Willson School did not have the same value 50 years ago as it does now. He noted that as any site ages it
becomes a part of the collective past and the City needs to recognize that history will evolve.
Ms. Sherwood noted an updated inventory would also be beneficial for prospective property owners. She noted the inventory would not be looked at as a rigid guideline, but a tool to be
utilized. Planner Bristor noted an updated inventory would provide a foundation. She noted she would not recommend getting rid of the overlay district, but noted it could be changed.
She noted that the creation of an Architectural Review Committee would also benefit historic preservation. Mr. Sypinski noted historic preservation and planning sometimes have competing
interests and creating an ARC would take some of the pressure off of the planners. Mr. Caldwell noted the threshold for projects requiring review by the DRB could be changed to transfer
the burden.
President Pomnichowski noted that the existing premises and main ideas need to be broad enough to accommodate the needs of future history. She noted she would like to see Mark Hufstetler’s
quote, “As something ages it becomes a part of our collective past” incorporated verbatim in the chapter. She noted the Growth Policy is a vision document and the actual inventory did
not need to be incorporated in the document. Planner Kramer noted collective pasts also included “preserving ugly” and would require disregarding the change in taste. President Pomnichowski
noted she really appreciated the discussion and the BHPAB members being present. President Pomnichowski noted ideas for further consideration could be emailed or sent to Planner Saunders.
ITEM 6. NEW BUSINESS
President Pomnichowski noted the need to solicit interaction from the public. She noted she was going to be sending a press release and wondered if the members of the Planning Board
would be willing to enthusiastically share in various ways. Ms. Swarthout noted the Chronicle would probably be open to the idea. Mr. Mehl noted members could possibly share a brief
biography
about their interaction with the update. Planner Saunders noted an email list was also available to share with those interested in the update process.
ITEM 7. ADJOURNMENT
Seeing there were no further issues before the Board, President Pomnichowski adjourned the meeting at 10: 32 p.m.
__________________________________ __________________________________
JP Pomnichowski, President Chris Saunders, Assistant Director
Planning Board Planning & Community Development
City of Bozeman City of Bozeman