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HomeMy WebLinkAbout060308 Planning Board MinutesMINUTES CITY OF BOZEMAN PLANNING BOARD, TUESDAY, JUNE 3, 2008 ITEM 1. CALL TO ORDER AND ATTENDANCE President JP Pomnichowski called the regular meeting of the Planning Board to order at 7:52 p.m. and directed the secretary to take attendance. Members Present: JP Pomnichowski, President Randy Carpenter Erik Henyon Brian Caldwell William Quinn Donna Swarthout Chris Mehl Cathy Costakis Sean Becker Members Absent: Staff Present: Andy Epple, Planning Director Chris Saunders, Assistant Director of Planning Shoni Dykstra, Planning Secretary Guests Present: Erik Nelson Susan Kozub R. Dave Beland Lucille Pope Rob Pertzborn Linda Locke Kathie Callahan David Peck 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 MAY 20, 2008 President Pomnichowski noted she had arrived at 9:30 at the previous meeting. Seeing there were no other changes, additions or corrections to the minutes, President Pomnichowski stated that the minutes from May 20, 2008 would stand as corrected. ITEM 4. 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 Housing and Land Use President Pomnichowski stated the discussion regarding housing would be continued from the previous meeting. She stated the discussions were meant to be inclusive and members of the public should feel free to comment. Brian Caldwell noted he would like to begin the discussion by identifying the Planning Board’s goals for the meeting. He would like to discuss the combining of objective 1 and objective 4 in the housing chapter as they are basically identical. He noted the implementation policies of the two objectives overlapped. Cathy Costakis sought clarification on what the minimum square footage was for housing. Assistant Director of Planning, Chris Saunders, responded it was regulated by building code which allowed a three bedroom house to be 565 square feet. He noted covenants might be more restrictive. President Pomnichowski stated she had discussed “distressed neighborhoods” with realtors and land developers. Mr. Caldwell noted appraisals were affected by the neighborhood in general. He stated the historic neighborhoods provided for a wide variety of uses and development patterns. Ms. Costakis stated the smaller houses on S 5th Avenue add character and value to the neighborhood. She noted that walkability, parks, connectors, and trails were all part of good design and contribute to the value of the neighborhood. Mr. Caldwell stated the design review and submittal requirements which currently only applied to the Neighborhood Conservation Overlay could also apply to the newer neighborhoods. He noted good design increases values, and one goal could supersede the other. Mr. Caldwell noted multifamily units are market driven and having a higher standard would not necessarily equate more expensive rentals. President Pomnichowski noted affordability is affected by the lot, the popularity, the finishes, and a variety of other aspects. President Pomnichowski stated there was support for a variety of housing within districts. President Pomnichowski also noted rentals and renters are an important factor in regard to affordability and a wide variety of housing needs to be available. President Pomnichowski sought clarification on the restrictions within zoning districts. Planner Saunders responded there were more permissive residential districts, and the City could adopt an R district which would not differentiate between different densities. Donna Swarthout noted the objectives under the goal seem comprehensive in regard to affordability. She noted fairness in regard to equity and financing could be included. Erik Henyon noted he had information regarding urban village design and how affordable housing can be implemented with those concepts. He also noted restricted size lots (RSL) were ineffective due to the implementation of the affordable housing ordinance, and he would like to see them removed. Mr. Caldwell responded RSL lots did accomplish having $200,000 houses in neighborhoods ranging from $300,000 to $500,000 which created diversity of housing types even if not meet the original purpose. David Peck sought clarification from President Pomnichowski regarding any examples the realtors had mentioned as problematic. He sought further clarification on information advocating homogenous neighborhoods rather than diversity. President Pomnichowski responded the conversation was unspecific. Mr. Henyon responded his neighborhood had four rental units which often did not maintain the conditions in the covenants. He noted an appraiser had taken points off his appraisal due to having duplexes in his neighborhood. Linda Locke, 2405 W College 313, noted mobile home parks provide an opportunity for a sense of place, ownership, and pride for numerous people in Bozeman. She noted she lives in fear of losing her home because they cannot be moved. She stated they are a form of affordable housing she would like to see the Board remember in their discussions and decisions. President Pomnichowski responded the Board had heard a lot of public comment and discussed some mobile home park policies at the last meeting. Chris Mehl stated he would like to combine objectives 1 and 4 unless Staff had a specific reason for keeping them separate. Planner Saunders responded there was a slightly different nuance but the two objectives could be combined. Randy Carpenter sought clarification from board members and the public regarding goals, objectives, and implementation policies they would like to see changed. Ms. Swarthout responded she would like to see emphasis on downtown and suburban areas. She stated she lived downtown because of the diversity of housing. Mr. Mehl noted existing 2020 Plan has a downtown section which addresses specific characteristics of the district. Ms. Swarthout responded there was an opportunity to modify the statement in this chapter to address housing concerns in the downtown area. Mr. Mehl sought clarification on which objective/goal/implementation policy President Pomnichowski had been referring to with the homogenous neighborhoods. President Pomnichowski noted her comment was not specifically addressing a particular goal, but rather to let Staff know it was a concern so they could properly address it. Ms. Swarthout noted she would like to keep objective 5 in the Plan. Mr. Caldwell noted form-based zoning could be utilized to promote character. He stated he agreed with the recommendations in the Clarion report and the key themes in the chapter but would like to discuss form-based zoning. Mr. Henyon noted he would be interested in a general R zoning coupled with subarea plans to allow for diverse uses within an area. He also noted there are economic implications for land values and housing values. Mr. Henyon responded to Mr. Carpenter’s query regarding additional goals that he would like to include a goal regarding the cost of government regulation and the impact it has on housing. He noted a sub goal would be to lessen the impact and cost of the house due to less stringent regulatory control. President Pomnichowski stated she agreed with part of the statement and would be more comfortable using a statement that the cost of regulation accurately reflected the actual cost of implementation. Sean Becker noted the language could be shaped, but the role of administration should be kept track of. He noted it was absent from the language in the document and there are no “watchdog” goals within the document. Mr. Mehl stated it sounded like a principle rather than a goal, and a goal would be to have a City review of administrative costs as ongoing accountability. Mr. Caldwell noted good planning affects value, and he added covenants, zoning, and planning reviews all add administrative costs to projects. He noted the goal does have merit. He mentioned Wagon Wheel court and the implications of government not getting involved, and he wanted to consider the ramifications. Mr. Peck noted he agreed with Mr. Henyon’s suggestion. He challenged a study of the budget and excessive rules and regulations which require unnecessary hurdles adding cost. Ms. Costakis responded that there are a lot of regulations, but she also believes in planning and knows that good communities take effort. She noted understanding and having clarity about what Bozeman wants, would clarify the steps needed to preserve, encourage, and implement that. She stated informing the public also makes it easier to happen, as it adds predictability and efficiency to the process. President Pomnichowski agreed that good planning adds value and cost as well as predictability. She also stated a notation could be included regarding the cost implications of regulations on value. Mr. Becker noted accountability goals are missing from the entire document and being accountable to meeting the objectives and being responsible fiscally were important. He noted building efficiently results in less road construction, less vehicle miles traveled, less maintenance cost, and it affects quality of life along and has economic implications. He noted the goal is not anti government or anti planning, but does have value. President Pomnichowski challenged Mr. Henyon to come up with language for further discussion. Mr. Caldwell noted more emphasis could be placed on sustainability. He noted encouraging sustainability for existing buildings, as well as new construction, was important. Mr. Henyon noted the vision could be driven with incentives for energy efficient practices such as tax incentives/abatements so there is a financial interest for those who commit to it. Bill Quinn noted the long term benefit of an efficient house with regard to affordability. He noted modular homes in certain areas which meet energy standards would be very affordable. He noted that the land use inventory for residential uses in Bozeman was below the national average while industrial, commercial, and public lands were higher. He would like to address contractors, SWMBIA, realtors, and representatives of MSU housing. He noted developers were not proposing more mobile home parks. Mr. Caldwell added the development standards for mobile home parks are the same as R-1 with regard to setbacks and minimum lot area. He would like Staff to look into a change. Mr. Henyon added he would like to look at mixed-use developments and urban villages and their benefits to the City. Planner Saunders noted state laws supersede city regulations, and some changes discussed would have to be changed at a state level before changes could be made in the 2020 Update. Mr. Carpenter noted the goal to implement an affordable housing strategic plan was met in the Affordable Housing Ordinance. Mr. Henyon noted the ordinance would be reviewed 18 months after the adoption of the ordinance, and the effectiveness of the policy could not be measured yet. Ms. Costakis sought clarification on the strategic plan if it applied only to affordable housing or to a housing plan in general. Planner Saunders noted a general housing plan would cover housing not defined as affordable. Ms. Costakis sought clarification on “gated” communities. Planner Saunders responded they are not an option in the City of Bozeman due to the fact that they would be on public streets and fire access would be restricted. Land Use Chapter Presentation and Discussion Planner Saunders began an overview of land use. He noted the current land use inventory and inventory of floor area ratios in commercial districts were being completed. He noted the planning boundary would be adjusted within the Update to correlate with water/sewer and the PROST Plan. He noted land use is impacted by differences in household composition as well as urban development. He noted the reinvestment the Neighborhood Conservation Overlay District stimulated in the community. He listed topics which relate to land use such as the Business Park Zoning Districts, mixed-use development, the Downtown area, sustainability, and density. He stated addressing mandates versus options would also need to be addressed. He noted Staff would need a general direction rather than concrete statements in order to move forward at this time. Erik Nelson, 1112 Willson, noted he would like to have a baseline established for the goals within the Update in order to measure the effectiveness of the document. He noted this could establish if incentives are enough to reach the goal or if mandates are necessary in certain areas. He would like to see a baseline within the data and the policy itself to demonstrate the reality behind the document. Mr. Becker responded the Climate Action Plan (CAP) had been adopted by the City of Bozeman with the directive to move forward with the community energy consumption plan which includes specific metrics. He noted other facility plans included in the appendixes would include specific metrics. He noted the Clarion Report contained an 11 page summary of the implementation policy status from June 2007 which summed up the 2020 Plan. Mr. Caldwell noted implementation policy 47 which pertains to maximum and minimum densities in residential districts has been successful; while he feels commercial density is behind. The board consensus was to see develop a goal encouraging higher floor area ratios for commercial development. Mr. Carpenter noted he needed to leave. Mr. Mehl stated he would like to hear the top concerns of other members regarding land use. Ms. Costakis noted that along with that form-based zoning and encouragement of mixed-use, she would like to see encouragement of walkable communities through building up to the street. She noted North 19th had a nice path, but it did not access the buildings. President Pomnichowski noted the UDO or other documents might be better able to implement those goals. Planner Saunders noted greater emphasis could be placed on some of the goals. President Pomnichowski noted approachability could be emphasized through considering transit, pedestrian pathways, bicycle routes, and streets. Mr. Quinn noted his top concerns were developing more appropriate projections. He would also like to update the future urban boundary, change business park districts to mixed-use, create a Downtown designation, address neighborhood centers, and begin with some subarea plans. Ms. Costakis noted projecting 50 years out to gain a better understanding of becoming more compact was important to her. She noted form-based zoning with neighborhoods which are supported by mixed-use are concerns. She stated a higher emphasis on quality of life and public health issues through LEED ND principles was also important to her. Mr. Henyon noted childhood obesity was combated through walkable communities which was an important concern. He also noted the European based urban village model and mixed-use development should be utilized to promote community character. He stated he would like to see higher densities within City limits and school centered communities. He stated he would like to see a policy restricting the City from developing land such as the Mandeville site. Mr. Caldwell stated a two story minimum for commercial districts, parking districts, and the creation of two sets of guidelines related to future urban and the other to infill were some of his concerns. He noted higher floor area ratios would tie in with parking districts. He also stated creating a model to encourage infill might utilize the public library land for parkland dedication. Mr. Becker stated he was interested in being a receiving area for transfer of development rights (TDRs). He stated adoption of form-based zoning, and form parameters the board has been discussing. He noted improving the commercial floor area ratio, evaluating B-P and other exclusionary zoning districts needed to be done. He stated the theme of conservation of resources could be better pronounced. He mentioned 6.6.2 and the districting of commercial development within Bozeman as well as the ½ mile idea could be discussed as there has been conflicting feedback of its viability. He noted with the implementation of neighborhood schools the districting of Bozeman would need adjustment to facilitate the policy. He stated review of the future land use map, concerns of public health, the urban village idea, and infill were also important topics of discussion. Planner Saunders noted transit oriented design often require 25-30 or more units per acre to be viable. Ms. Costakis responded examples were necessary to help visualize these ideas and to facilitate future buildings. President Pomnichowski stated being sensitive to the first application and holding it to the highest standard was going to be necessary to set a pattern. She also noted a concern about creating an R designation to replace the respective residential districts which could become a free for all. She noted B-P is one designation, but shaping and keeping the others was important to her. She noted sensitivity to living in Bozeman with its unique view sheds was also important with regard to the floor area ratio. She also mentioned she had been the City representative on the TDR Task Force, she noted the need to allow for creative solutions with sensitivity to the natural environment. Planner Saunders sought clarification on what the Board would like to review specifically for its next meeting. President Pomnichowski stated she would like to see a list to-date of suggestions. Mr. Henyon noted he would like information regarding school districts and locations regarding future schools. Planner Saunders noted a strategic plan for schools is being worked on, but since the location of the future schools was not yet available it was a difficult process. ITEM 5. NEW BUSINESS Mr. Mehl reminded members of the meeting with the Chronicle at the Chronicle office on Thursday, June 5 at 10:30 a.m. President Pomnichowski stated any members who were interested in becoming liaisons to other groups they were already a part of should let her know. Ms. Costakis invited members to the public meeting on complete streets to be held after the workshop on June 12. Mr. Henyon noted he might not be at the next meeting. ITEM 6. ADJOURNMENT Seeing there were no further issues before the Board, President Pomnichowski adjourned the meeting at 10:22 p.m. __________________________________ __________________________________ JP Pomnichowski, President Chris Saunders, Assistant Director Planning Board Planning & Community Development City of Bozeman City of Bozeman