Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting

Cedar Falls Planning and Zoning Commission Regular Meeting May 10, 2023 Cedar Falls, Iowa MINUTES The Cedar Falls Planning and Zoning Commission met in regular session on May 10, 2023 at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall. The following Commission members were present: Crisman, Grybovych, Hartley, Larson and Moser. Leeper and Lynch were absent. Karen Howard, Planning and Community Services Manager and Jaydevsinh Atodaria, Planner I, were also present. 1.) Acting Chair Hartley noted the Minutes from the April 26, 2023 regular meeting are presented. Ms. Crisman made a motion to approve the Minutes as presented. Ms. Moser seconded the motion. The motion was approved unanimously with 5 ayes (Crisman, Grybovych, Hartley, Larson and Moser), and 0 nays. 2.) The first item of business was Land Use Map Amendment (LUMA) and Rezoning from C-1 to PC-2 for property at 702 LeClair Street and LUMA from “Low Density Residential” to “Neighborhood Commercial and Mixed Use.” Acting Chair Hartley introduced the item and Mr. Atodaria provided background information. He explained that the property is located on West 4th Street and has access from LeClair Street. It is proposed to amend the Future Land Use Map to reflect commercial use of the property and to rezone the property from C-1 Commercial to PC-2 Planned Commercial District. He provided the background of the uses of the property from 1950 until the present day. He explained that the existing storage building on the site exceeds the limit and the property owner is requesting to rezone the property to allow continued ongoing business and growth on the property. He also discussed the Master Plan for the property and the uses allowed in that area. The submittal provides for limited truck traffic and staff feels that the use is reasonable. Renderings were displayed to give an idea of the scale of the building and its proportion to the existing site and its surroundings. Site plan details, including building design, architectural characteristics, landscaping plan, etc. will be reviewed when a site plan for the proposed building is submitted. Mr. Atodaria discussed the need for compliance with the Comprehensive Plan and Future Land Use Map, explaining that the entire area would need to be amended to “Neighborhood Commercial/Mixed Use to align with the C-1 and PC-2 zoning. The amendment will make the current and proposed zoning of these properties consistent with the Future Land Use Map. He also noted that there is access to public services on the site as well as access to an adequate street network. At the time of rezoning, a development agreement will be required that will spell out any condition or agreement about the proposed master plan and the anticipated land use. Staff recommends adding language to restrict the uses to only those allowed in the C-1 District plus the wholesale use with associated warehouse space. The development agreement will need to be finalized prior to the public hearing at City Council. He explained that all site plans in the PC-2 district require approval by the Planning and Zoning Commission and City Council and the applicant will need to submit a site plan application that is consistent with the submitted master plan and PC-2 district regulations. Staff recommends setting a date of public hearing for May 24, 2023 to discuss amending the Future Land Use Map to Neighborhood Commercial and Mixed Use as noted in the staff report, and to rezone the property at 702 LeClair Street from C-1 Commercial District to PC-2 Planned Commercial District. 1  Brad Best, Peters Construction and Randy Howe, 2314 Sunset Boulevard came forward to speak regarding the project and make themselves available for any questions. Ms. Moser commended the applicant for holding a neighborhood meeting and feels that was very helpful. Mr. Larson asked why it was decided to rezone to PC-2 instead of C-3. Ms. Howard explained that C-3 is a specific zone for a downtown setting. This is not in a downtown setting and would not be appropriate right next to low density residential neighborhood. The PC-2 Zoning would provide the flexibility the applicant is seeking to continue his existing operation on this site, but at a scale that is appropriate to the adjacency to R-1 neighborhood. Mr. Larson made a motion to set a public hearing for the items. Ms. Crisman seconded the motion. The motion was approved unanimously with 5 ayes (Crisman, Grybovych, Hartley, Larson and Moser), and 0 nays. 3.) The next item for consideration by the Commission was a Zoning Code Text Amendment regarding vinyl siding allowance in CD-DT. Acting Chair Hartley introduced the item and Ms. Howard provided background information. She explained that the City Council has petitioned the Planning and Zoning Commission to consider allowing vinyl siding on any new single unit dwelling and to consider allowing vinyl siding for new construction of other small residential buildings with six or fewer dwelling units (duplexes, townhomes, small apartment buildings, etc.). As most of the Commissioners were not on the Commission when this was originally brought for consideration, Ms. Howard gave background on what was discussed previously by the Planning and Zoning Commission and the decisions that were made with regard to vinyl siding. She provided a map of the Downtown Character District Regulating Plan and discussed the neighborhood areas that the proposed changes would apply to, including the Neighborhood Small and Neighborhood Medium areas. She noted that the 2021 Decision Matrix that was used by the Commission when the decision was made was included in the packet, which list the pros and cons of vinyl siding considered at the time. Mr. Larson feels that the suggestions from Council are clear and make sense to him, and this change doesn’t affect anything as far as architectural compliance or compatibility set up in the zoning code. He feels that vinyl siding provides an affordable option in the housing market today. Ms. Grybovych asked if it was worthwhile for Commissioners to go back and view the video of the previous conversations with regard to this matter. Ms. Howard stated that staff could find the dates of the discussions so that the conversation would be available. Acting Chair Hartley stated that he supports the change. Ms. Crisman asked if there have been any applicants that have come forward that fall into this category of change. Ms. Howard stated that the only new construction that has come through has been the Cottage Court project. Ms. Crisman feels that environmental concerns should be kept in mind. Mr. Larson made a motion to set a public hearing for the item. Ms. Crisman seconded the motion. The motion was approved unanimously with 5 ayes (Crisman, Grybovych, Hartley, Larson and Moser), and 0 nays. 4.) Mr. Atodaria provided an update to the Commission regarding the walking tour being hosted by the Historic Preservation Commission in the Seerley Park neighborhood scheduled for May 25 at 6:00 p.m. 2 5.) As there were no further comments, Ms. Crisman made a motion to adjourn. Ms. Grybovych seconded the motion. The motion was approved unanimously with 5 ayes (Crisman, Grybovych, Hartley, Larson and Moser), and 0 nays. The meeting adjourned at 6:05 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Karen Howard Joanne Goodrich Community Services Manager Administrative Assistant 3