Council Subcommittee

MINUTES OF THE GILBERT COUNCIL SUBCOMMITTEE ON LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE, FEBRUARY 27, 2019, AT 7:00 A.M., ROOM 236, 90 EAST CIVIC CENTER DRIVE, GILBERT, ARIZONA COUNCIL PRESENT: Chair Brigette Peterson, Vice Mayor Eddie Cook and Councilmember Jordan Ray COUNCIL ABSENT: None. STAFF PRESENT: Town Clerk Lisa Maxwell, Development Services Director Kyle Mieras, Interim Planning Manager Catherine Lorbeer, and Interim Principal Planner Amy Temes, Assistant Town Attorney Nancy Davidson, Inspections Supervisor Lorrie DeOrio CALL TO ORDER Chair Peterson called the meeting to order at 7:04 a.m. AGENDA ITEMS 1. Approval of the minutes of the February 7, 2019 meeting. A MOTION was made by Vice Mayor Cook, seconded by Chair Peterson, to approve the minutes of the February 7, 2019 meeting. Motion carried 3-0. 2. Review of previous discussions. None 3. Review and Discussion of Land Development Code Division 2 Article 2.3. 2.304.E Building Setbacks and Landscape Areas: There have been requests to reference easements in this section. Pedestrian paths may not always have an easement. Assistant Town Attorney Davidson referenced the parking lot at the Target on Val Vista and Warner Roads. That lot is not connected. The word vehicular could be removed from this section and connectivity easements could be added. Vice Mayor Cook asked if this was staff’s recommendation. Interim Planning Manager Lorbeer said developers would get a benefit from a smaller setback. There was discussion about changes at a later date. The grantee would be responsible for removing the easement. 2.305.A Accessory Structures: Vice Mayor Cook stated auto yards are stacking cars on racks. He asked if that would be covered in this section and whether there is a height limitation. Interim Principal Planner Temes said there are setbacks and the height of an accessory structure would be bound by the height limit in that zoning area. Interim Principal Planner Temes said the racks should be placed on pads. Development Services Director Mieras said there should have been building permits issued for these structures. 2.305.B Gated Facility Entrances: This section could cover mini storage, outdoor storage, or multi-family storage facilities. The Engineering Standards have these requirements for all arterial streets. The requirements are not necessary for collector streets and it is at the discretion of the Town Engineer whether to add it. This section does not cover all situations. There was discussion about removing this section and referencing the detail in the Engineering Standards. Assistant Town Attorney Davidson asked about Fire Code. Interim Principal Planner Temes said a fire truck could turn around in this area. Vice Mayor Cook asked about lots which are already established. Is a chain strung between two poles considered a gate? Interim Principal Planner Temes said a gate is not defined in the Land Development Code (LDC). Vice Mayor Cook said he would like the definition of gate added. 2.305.C Drive-Through Facilities: Staff asks developers for a full canopy that covers the drive aisle. The design guidelines not very firm on this issue. Vice Mayor Cook said he is not a fan of making that a requirement. Chair Peterson said there are many places she would prefer a canopy but she too is not sure about making it a requirement. There was discussion about what happens to buildings with a drive-through that are later converted to another purpose. 2.305.D.2.a Service Bays: There was discussion about whether the 50 foot distance between residential property and a service bay needs to be increased. Neighbors generally do not want service bays near their property no matter how far away it is located. 2.305.D.2.b. Service Bays: The measurement is taken from the actual residential area and not from the center of the road. Councilmember Ray left the meeting. 2.305.D.3 Commercial Vehicle/Equipment Sales and Rental: Interim Principal Planner Temes said staff would like to add a section c which would limit vehicle rental places to using 20 percent of the total parking whenever the business is sharing parking with other businesses. Sections a and b reference Community Commercial (CC) and Shopping Center (SC) but not Regional Commercial (RC). It will be added in sections a and b and only enforced when there is a complaint. 2.306.A Hours of Operation: Businesses that want extended hours can get those with a Conditional Use Permit (CUP). Interim Planning Manager Lorbeer asked if the intent was to force people to go through an extended process to get extra hours. Chair Peterson suggested using the Administrative Use Permit (AUP) process. 2.306.B Outdoor storage: There was discussion about land use versus outdoor storage. Storage is not where customers are walking and it is usually in locked area. The intent of this section is to limit the size of the area and to block the view and limit the area. The requirements are different for the different types of commercial districts. Section 4.104 deals with Outdoor Businesses and outdoor business property storage is referenced there. There is a precedent for 2.206.B to that section and having a pointer to it in this section. Vice Mayor Cook said he does not like storage behind a chain link fence. Inspections Supervisor DeOrio said the City of Phoenix requires a solid fence and materials cannot be visible above the fence. Industrial and commercial districts are treated the same. Chair Peterson said there are older businesses and they say they are grandfathered in with their fencing. Interim Principal Planner Temes suggested changing the minimum wall height to eight feet with no maximum and requiring a solid wall. Inspections Supervisor DeOrio suggested the materials stored cannot exceed the height of the fence and the materials have to be screened. 4. Review and Discussion of Land Development Code Division 2 Article 2.4. None. 5. Review and Discussion of Land Development Code Division 2 Article 2.5. None. The next meeting will be on March 13, 2019 at 7:00 a.m. ADJOURN Chair Peterson adjourned the meeting at 7:59 a.m. ATTEST: ___________________________ ___________________________________ Chair Brigette Peterson Lisa Maxwell, MMC, Town Clerk