City Council

City of Durham PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES February 4, 2025 1. CALL TO ORDER. Chair Susan Deeming called the meeting to order at 7:03 PM 2. ROLL CALL. Commissioners Present: Chair Susan Deeming, Vice Chair Matt Winkler, Commissioners Pat Saab, Andrew Mast, and Forrest Boleyn Commissioners Absent: Commissioner Krista Bailey and Cheri Frazell Staff Present: City Administrator Jordan Parente Public: Resident Robert Kroessin 3. APPROVAL OF MEETING MINUTES. Commissioner Saab moved to approve the minutes from the January 7, 2025, meeting. Vice Chair Winkler seconded the motion. The motion passed (5-0). MO 020425-1 4. PUBLIC FORUM. None. 5. SIGN PERMIT 475-25 7585 TAYLOR LANE. The Durham Heights development submitted a temporary sales sign permit request to comply with the City’s sign ordinances. With no representative from the development present to clarify some of the details of the application, the Commissioners made the decision to conditionally approve the sign with the requirement that the City Administrator verify several of their follow-up items as stipulated in the below motion. Vice Chair Winkler moved to approve the sign for a term of one year beginning February 4, 2025, with the conditions of final approval to be verified by the City Administrator: verify sign verbiage; the bottom of the sign being no higher than 1’ off the ground; the signs faces east towards Boones Ferry Road; and lastly, no other signs will be added on the property. Commissioner Mast seconded the motion. The vote passed (5- 0). MO 020425-2 6. TREE REMOVAL PERMITS 779-24, 780-24, 781-24 and 782-24; 7875 SW ELLMAN LANE. Resident Robert Kroessin gave an overview of his 1-acre property and the tree removal applications he has brought before the Commission. Mr. Kroessin is seeking permission to remove four diseased Douglas fir trees from his property, which is surrounded by twelve neighboring homes. While he values tree preservation—having lived on the property since 1990 and maintaining a diverse collection of over 90 trees—he emphasized that safety concerns have prompted this request. The four trees have been identified by multiple tree professionals as suffering from conch, a fungal disease that rots trees internally while their exterior can appear healthy. This condition poses a serious risk of sudden tree failure, which could damage nearby homes. Mr. Kroessin noted that the disease is untreatable and may spread to other trees. A previous storm and a lightning strike highlighted the vulnerability of his trees, leading him to remove a damaged tree last year. However, rising costs of tree removal and arborist reports (up to $1,600 for an evaluation) made obtaining a formal report for the four trees financially prohibitive. Instead, three different tree experts independently confirmed the risk. Mr. Kroessin assured the panel that removal is a last resort. He also maintains his property as a fire barrier, clearing undergrowth to reduce wildfire risk. The Commissioners acknowledged Mr. Kroessin’s longstanding commitment to tree preservation and expressed understanding of his safety concerns and financial challenges. For Permits 779-24, 780-24, 781-24 and 782-24, the Commissioners went through the staff report to determine their Findings. The Commissioners agreed that these are a Type A permit, as the trees are diseased with Douglas fir conk and are a hazard to neighboring properties. These permits have been 1  processed as a Type 2 Process, as the tree removal applications were placed on the Planning Commission agenda and Public Notices were issued as required. The Commissioners agreed that Criteria A, and F are applicable. The Commissioners agreed that Criteria B, C, D, E and G are not applicable. Commissioner Saab moved to approve the tree removal permit requests with no conditions or mitigation required. Vice Chair Winkler seconded. The vote passed (5-0). MO 020425-3 7. COMMISSIONER COMMENTS/REPORTS/STAFF UPDATES. ➢ City Administrator Jordan Parente gave an update on the tree ordinance draft that was submitted for legal review. The lawyer gave their feedback and had some follow-up questions regarding the building code and development codes both being impacted by the draft was submitted. The goal will be to review what the lawyer sent back and to bring the ordinance before the Planning Commission by the next regularly scheduled meeting in March. ➢ The Commissioners discussed the possibility of furthering community outreach and engagement and how the various Committees can partner with the City to make that happen. There were several possibilities discussed such as an annual community get-together at the park or increasing communication via the City’s website, newsletters, or potentially adding a social media account. ➢ Lastly, there is a celebratory get-together in the planning stages for two long-serving City Councilors, Keith Jehnke and Chuck Van Meter, who retired at the end of 2024. Mr. Parente let the group know that a likely date will be scheduled for sometime in March. 8. NEXT REGULARLY SCHEDULED MEETING OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION. ➢ Tuesday, March 4, 2025, Regular Meeting of the Planning Commission at 7:00 PM. 9. ADJOURN. Chair Deeming adjourned the meeting at 8:36 PM. Approved: ________________________________ Susan Deeming, Chair Attest: _____________________________________ Jordan Parente, City Administrator 2