Planning Commission

Planning Commission Regular Meeting Minutes Tuesday, November 16, 2021 5PM Work Session and 5:45 Regular Meeting Location: Athens City Hall, Council Chambers, 200 Hobbs Street West, Athens, AL Please adhere to COVID safety guidelines and social distancing. The Commissioners, applicants and the public were allowed to participate in-person. Also present: Shane Black (City Attorney), James Rich (Public Works Director), Michael Griffin (City Engineer), Gary Chynoweth (Engineer Consultant) & Lakeisha Johnson (Planner) were also present. CALL TO ORDER @ 5:45PM 1.) Roll Call The following Commissioners were present” Mrs. Gina Garth (Chairwoman) Mrs. Dana Henry (Council) - ABSENT Mr. Rick Johnson (Vice Chairman) - ABSENT Mr. Roderick Herron (Commissioner) Mr. Venard Hendrix (Commissioner Mayor Ronnie Marks Mr. Robert Malone (Commissioner) Mr. Brad Mallette (Commissioner) - ABSENT Chief Allen Hogan (Fire) -Mrs. Garth, explained that Items # 7, 9 & 11 are all Public Hearings which are open for public comments and all other items on the agenda are not open for public hearing. 2.) APPROVAL OF MINUTES  Regular Meeting Minutes – August 17, 2021  Regular Meeting Minutes – September 21, 2021  Motion: Mr. Malone  Seconded: Mr. Herron o Minutes for August 17 & September 21, 2021 approved unanimously. OLD BUSINESS 3.) Resolution. Request of Coffman Land Surveying & Mapping Company for Preliminary and Final Approval of Lindsay Lane Christian Academy, a minor subdivision of +/-36.23 acres, into 3 tracts located at 2388 Hine ST. S., zoned EST – Estate Residential & Agricultural District & R-1-1 - Low Density Single Family Residential district. (Note: this item is a minor AMENDMENT and was approved at the 09/21/2021 PC meeting). Resolution. -Mrs. Garth, restated the request of Coffman Land Surveying & Mapping Company and informed the Commissioners and the public that this item came before the Planning Commissioners on September 21, 2021 and that the request is a minor amendment. - Mr. Griffin, explained that the request is to make a minor correction, staff has reviewed the request and recommends approval. 1  Planning Commission Regular Meeting Minutes Tuesday, November 16, 2021 - Mrs. Garth, asked if she had a member of the Commission to move to approve the request of Coffman Land Surveying & Mapping Company. - Mayor Marks, made the motion to approve the request. “Be it Resolved by The Planning Commission of the City of Athens, Alabama to approve the minor amendment request of Coffman Land Surveying & Mapping Company for Preliminary and Final Approval of Lindsay Lane Christian Academy, a minor subdivision of +/-36.23 acres, into 3 tracts located at 2388 Hine ST. S., zoned EST – Estate Residential & Agricultural District & R-1-1 - Low Density Single Family Residential district. - Mr. Malone, Seconded the motion and the request was approved unanimously by all the voting Commissioners present. 4.) Resolution. Request of James M Newby (by John M Newby Executor) for Layout approval of Liberty Subdivision, a major subdivision of +/- 233 acres into 702 lots, located on Cambridge Lane (directly south of Cambridge Methodist Church), zoned R-1-3 (High Density Single Family Residential District) (Tabled at last month’s Planning Commission Meeting). Resolution. -Mrs. Garth, stated the Resolution of James M Newby (by John M Newby Executor) for Layout approval of Liberty Subdivision, a major subdivision of +/- 233 acres into 702 lots, located on Cambridge Lane (directly south of Cambridge Methodist Church), zoned R-1-3 (High Density Single Family Residential District) (Tabled at last month’s Planning Commission Meeting). -Mr. Griffin, this item was tabled at last month’s meeting, our office received the amended traffic study which reflects some of the improvements on Cambridge Lane due to the proposed development including trip generations which were accounted for. Also, two access points are now included one to the South and the main entrance to the North, the layout does meet our Subdivision Regulations Requirements related to the layout approval and process and staff recommends approval. -Mrs. Garth, verified that the request is for layout approval only and that this will come back before us at the preliminary stage. -Mr. Griffin, yes this will come back before the Planning Commission for approval, a layout is a guide and this is a plan for a 10-year development, layouts can change. You will see the plans including the construction plans at the preliminary stage. -Mrs. Garth, asked if the Commissioners had any questions or concerns, no comments were made from the Commissioners. -Mrs. Garth, asked if she a member to move to approve the request of James M. Newby. - Mr. Hendrix, made the motion to approve the applicants request. “Be it Resolved by The Planning Commission of the City of Athens, Alabama to approve the request of James M Newby (by John M Newby Executor) for Layout approval of Liberty Subdivision, a major subdivision of +/- 233 acres into 702 lots, located on Cambridge Lane (directly south of Cambridge Methodist Church), zoned R-1-3 (High Density Single Family Residential District) (Tabled at last month’s Planning Commission Meeting). -Mr. Herron, seconded the motion and the request was approved unanimously by all Commissioners present. 2  Planning Commission Regular Meeting Minutes Tuesday, November 16, 2021 NEW BUSINESS Subdivision (Minor & Major) 5.) Resolution. Request of Allen Shaw c/o Don Beck for minor plat for Shaw Johnson Farm Subdivision (Phase I), a minor plat of +/- 79.63 acres into 1 lot, located at 403 Cloverleaf Dr., zoned R-1-2 (Medium Density Single Family Residential) & M-1 (Light Industrial District). Resolution. -Mrs. Garth, restated the request of Allen Shaw c/o Don Beck for Layout approval for Shaw Johnson Farm Subdivision (Phase I), a minor subdivision of +/- 79.63 acres into 1 lot, located at 403 Cloverleaf Dr., zoned R-1-2 (Medium Density Single Family Residential) & M-1 (Light Industrial District). -Mr. Griffin, stated this is a minor plat and it meets the character of the existing neighborhood, this is a request to consolidate into 1 lot and Staff has no issues with the minor plat and recommends approval of the request. -Mr. Griffin, stated the request is only to improve the plat and we don’t anticipate any development on the M1 zone noted on the plat and we will ensure that the plat is corrected because it’s actual all R- 1-2 zoning. -Mrs. Garth, asked about the acreage and the potential lots that can exist on the property. -Mayor Marks, wanted to ensure that the request has nothing to do with rezoning, we are only approving the minor plat. -Mrs. Garth, asked if she had a member from the Commission to move to approve the applicants request. -Chief Hogan, made the motion to approve the applicants request. “Be it Resolved by the Planning Commission of the City of Athens, Alabama to approve the request of Allen Shaw c/o Don Beck for Layout approval for Shaw Johnson Farm Subdivision (Phase I), a minor subdivision of +/- 79.63 acres into 1 lot, located at 403 Cloverleaf Dr., zoned R-1-2 (Medium Density Single Family Residential) & M-1 (Light Industrial District). -Mayor Marks, seconded the motion and the request was approved by all Commissioners present. 6.) Resolution. Request of Diltina Development Corp. for Layout Approval of The Villas at Swan Creek, a major subdivision of +/- 52.44 acres, including 150 lots, & 6 common areas located on W Strain RD, zoned R-1-3 High Density Single Family Residential Zoning District. -Mrs. Garth, restated the request of Diltina Development Corp. for Layout Approval of The Villas at Swan Creek, a major subdivision of +/- 52.44 acres, including 150 lots, & 6 common areas located on W Strain RD, zoned R-1-3 High Density Single Family Residential Zoning District. Resolution. Mrs. Garth, restated the resolution for Layout approval of the Villas at Swan Creek. -Mr. Griffin, explained the location of this request, we requested an additional stub to the East and they confirmed today that they will do that, they also met the transitional and buffer requirements. This is just a layout plan which is conceptual in nature and staff has no issues with the request. -Mrs. Garth, had some questions regarding the surrounding zoning districts and asked for clarification on current conditions surrounding the potential development. -Mrs. Garth, asked if she had a member from the Commission to move to approve the applicants 3  Planning Commission Regular Meeting Minutes Tuesday, November 16, 2021 request. -Mr. Herron, made the motion to approve the applicants request. “Be it Resolved by the Planning Commission of the City of Athens, Alabama to approve the request of Diltina Development Corp. for Layout Approval of The Villas at Swan Creek, a major subdivision of +/- 52.44 acres, including 150 lots, & 6 common areas located on W Strain RD, zoned R-1-3 High Density Single Family Residential Zoning District. -Mr. Malone, seconded the motion and the request was approved unanimously by all Commissioners present. 7.) Public Hearing. Request of the City of Athens and Limestone County Commission for Preliminary and Final Approval of Thirty-One Commercial Park Addition No. 3, +/- 3.0 acres into a 1 lot subdivision, located on the south side of Clyde Mabry Drive (West of Limestone County Health Department) approximately 1,000 ft west of the intersection of Clyde Mabry Dr. and US HWY 31 South, zoned M-1 – Light Industrial District. Resolution. -Mrs. Garth, opened a public hearing as required by law to hear the request of the City of Athens and Limestone County Commission for Preliminary and Final Approval of Thirty-One Commercial Park Addition No. 3, +/- 3.0 acres into a 1 lot subdivision, located on the south side of Clyde Mabry Drive (West of Limestone County Health Department) approximately 1,000 ft west of the intersection of Clyde Mabry Dr. and US HWY 31 South, zoned M-1 – Light Industrial District. -Mr. Griffin, stated that this is near the Health Department and they are subdividing the property out to make it more appealing to the potential applicants/buyers, staff recommends approval with no issues. -Mayor Marks, wanted to clarify that at one time this came before us with 3 acres, and another time 2 acres and again this time the request is for 3 acres. -Mrs. Garth, asked if there were any additional questions, comments or concerns. -Mrs. Garth, asked if she had a member from the Planning Commission to move to approve the request. -Mayor Marks, made the motion to approve the applicants request. “Be it Resolved by the Planning Commission of the City of Athens, Alabama to approve the City of Athens and Limestone County Commission for Preliminary and Final Approval of Thirty-One Commercial Park Addition No. 3, +/- 3.0 acres into a 1 lot subdivision, located on the south side of Clyde Mabry Drive (West of Limestone County Health Department) approximately 1,000 ft west of the intersection of Clyde Mabry Dr. and US HWY 31 South, zoned M-1 – Light Industrial District. -Mr. Herron, seconded the motion and the request was approved by all Commissioners present. 8.) Resolution. Request of Maund Family Farm, LLC for Final Approval of Wauchula Farms Subdivision Addition, a major subdivision of +/- 39.95 acres into 10 lots, situated along Wauchula Private Drive off of US HWY 31, zoned EST – Estate Residential Agricultural Zoning District. WITHDRAWN BY APPLICANT ON 11/10/2021 Rezones (2) & Location, Character & Extent 4  Planning Commission Regular Meeting Minutes Tuesday, November 16, 2021 9.) Public Hearing. Consider for recommendation to the City Council the request of Robert Harold Caneer and Rosanna Black Caneer to rezone +/- 10.51 acres of property located at 200 Trade Street from B-2 (General Business District) to R-2 (Multi-Family Residential District) and to adopt the Master Development Plan of Autumn Falls. Resolution. -Mrs. Garth, opened a public hearing to consider for recommendation to the City Council the request of Robert Harold Caneer and Rosanna Black Caneer to rezone +/- 10.51 acres of property located at 200 Trade Street from B-2 (General Business District) to R-2 (Multi-Family Residential District) and to adopt the Master Development Plan of Autumn Falls. -Mr. Griffin, explained the request and stated that Staff recommends approval of the applicants request. -Mrs. Garth, asked if anyone had any questions, comments or concerns. -Mrs. Rosanna Caneer, the applicant of this request and stated that she hoped that the request would pass and she wanted to see more development in Athens, Alabama. -Mrs. Garth, asked if anyone else had any questions, comments or concerns, no additional comments were made. -Mrs. Garth, asked if she had a member from the Commission to move to approve the applicants request to consider for recommendation to the City Council. -Mr. Hendrix, made the motion to approve the applicants request. ““Be it Resolved by the Planning Commission of the City of Athens, Alabama to recommend approval to the City Council to consider for recommendation the request of Robert Harold Caneer and Rosanna Black Caneer to rezone +/- 10.51 acres of property located at 200 Trade Street from B-2 (General Business District) to R-2 (Multi-Family Residential District) and to adopt the Master Development Plan of Autumn Falls. -Mr. Malone, seconded the motion and the request was approved unanimously by all Commissioners present. 10.) Location Character & Extent (Resolution). Request of the City of Athens for Location, Character and Extent of the property located at the NW corner of Pryor Street & Boardwalk Main Street, known as Pryor Park which will consist of a mixed-use development to promote open space, commercial development, housing and community engagement. Resolution. -Mrs. Garth, restated the request. -Mr. Griffin, stated that this request is to approve the location, character and extent, this item was purchased by the city and this will be suitable for a traditional neighborhood, Mr. Mallette who is also on the Planning Commission worked on this project along with Mr. Will Hargrove. -Mrs. Garth, asked was Pryor Park, the final name of the project. -Mayor Marks stated that Pryor Park is not the final name of the park, we will have some type of contest or something like that regarding the name of the park. --Mrs. Garth, asked if she had a member from the Commission to move to approve the applicants request of Location, Character & Extent. -Mr. Herron, made the motion to approve the applicants request. “Be it Resolved by the Planning Commission of the City of Athens, Alabama to approve the request of the City of Athens for Location, Character and Extent of the property located at the NW 5  Planning Commission Regular Meeting Minutes Tuesday, November 16, 2021 corner of Pryor Street & Boardwalk Main Street, known as Pryor Park which will consist of a mixed- use development to promote open space, commercial development, housing and community engagement.” -Mr. Malone, seconded the motion and the request was approved unanimously by all Commissioners present. 11.) Public Hearing. Consider for recommendation to the City Council the request of the City of Athens to rezone +/- 31.7 acres of property located at the NW corner of Pryor Street & Boardwalk Main Street, from TI (Traditional Institutional) & TN-3 (Traditional Neighborhood 3 District) to T- PUD (Traditional Planned Unit Development) and to adopt the Master Development Plan of Pryor Park. Item 10 & 11 are related). Resolution. -Mrs. Garth, opened a public hearing to consider for recommendation to the City Council the request of the City of Athens to rezone +/- 31.7 acres of property located at the NW corner of Pryor Street & Boardwalk Main Street, from TI (Traditional Institutional) & TN-3 (Traditional Neighborhood 3 District) to T-PUD (Traditional Planned Unit Development) and to adopt the Master Development Plan of Pryor Park. -Mr. Griffin, stated this was initially split zoned and believed that this is our first T-PUD in an traditional district that he is aware of and provided additional background on what’s to come, this request meets our zoning requirements and it improves upgrading roadways, landscaping, dog park, walkable, livable environment. -Mrs. Garth, had some questions about the development and would potentially develop the project. -Mayor Marks, stated that this is a very sizable project and we plan to take the project on in phases, get grants and seek other avenues for additional funding. -Mrs. Garth, asked will there be a committee of some sort. -Mayor Marks, this is all in the works and it will be a process, we are in the planning stages and we are open and willing to accept donations, work is being done on Pryor Street, also discussed the stream etc. -Mrs. Garth, asked about the mixed-use retail and office space and wanted to ensure that this will meet the traditional standards. -Mr. Griffin, yes things that are required in a traditional district will be required with this project because this is a T-PUD, we have control of the aesthetics etc. -Mayor Marks, stated that Mr. Hargrove is present to address any comments or concerns. -Mr. Will Hargrove (Project Consultant) at 513 Beaty Street, provided a brief synopsis of the future development and shared that he was there to address any questions or concerns. -Mr. Malone, asked about the orientation of the amphitheater. -Mr. Hargrove, addressed the question and stated that this is a big project and the idea is to get the gateway to the site launched and the playground will be very suitable for the community. -Mr. Hendrix, asked about the number of phases. -Mr. Hargrove, stated approximately 12 phases. -Mr. Hendrix, wanted to ensure that each phase will be presented to the Planning Commission. -Mayor Marks, described the potential phases and that it depends on finances in reference to phasing. -Mr. Hargrove, the phasing plan is flexible. -Mrs. Garth, wanted Mr. Hargrove to explain the retail incubator and the Singing River Trail. 6  Planning Commission Regular Meeting Minutes Tuesday, November 16, 2021 -Mr. Hargrove, explained utilizing the diagrams presented and showed the rendering of a component of the Single River Trail within this development. -Mayor Marks, discussed the cost of the -Mr. Hargrove, stated that Pryor Park will be renamed and they are brainstorming ideas to also receive input from the public. -Mrs. Garth, asked if there were any additional questions, comments or concerns. - Mrs. Adrianna Hayes (Resident) at 17311 Brooklawn Street supports the overall project, would like a copy of the project. -Mr. Hargrove, addressed the parking. -Mrs. Hayes, also asked about the marked price of the residential component. -Mayor Marks, stated we looked at a range of 2,300 sq. ft to 3,200 sf ft, 200 dollars a sq. ft. a rough estimate. -Mr. Hargrove, stated there will be a grading range plan. -Mrs. Hayes, also shared her concerns about the parking and increase in traffic and adequate parking. -Mr. Hargrove, stated that the plan presented provides approximately 550 parking spaces. -Mrs. Hayes stated that she did not support one area of parking however she supports the project. -Mr. Hargrove, stated that the area in question the City does not own. -Mayor Marks, stated he understands the applicants concerns and there will be more information to come. -Mrs. Garth, stated that we are here tonight to address the rezone and this project will come before us several times over time. -Mrs. Garth, asked if there were any additional questions, comments or concerns. -Mrs. Garth, asked if she had a member from the Planning Commission to move to approve the request to consider the rezone to the City Council. -Mr. Herron, made the motion to approve the applicants request. “Be it Resolved by the Planning Commission of the City of Athens, Alabama to recommend approval to the City Council the request of the City of Athens to rezone +/- 31.7 acres of property located at the NW corner of Pryor Street & Boardwalk Main Street, from TI (Traditional Institutional) & TN-3 (Traditional Neighborhood 3 District) to T-PUD (Traditional Planned Unit Development) and to adopt the Master Development Plan of Pryor Park. -Mr. Malone, seconded the motion and the request was approved unanimously by all Commissioners present. Planning Commission Meeting Adjourned @ 6:40PM APPROVED & SIGNED ATTEST: _APPROVED & SIGNED__ Chairwoman (Mrs. Gina Garth) Secretary (Mrs. Lakeisha Johnson 7