Council Subcommittee

MINUTES OF THE GILBERT COUNCIL SUBCOMMITTEE ON LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE, APRIL 10, 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, Interim Principal Planner Amy Temes, Assistant Town Attorney Nancy Davidson, and Inspections Supervisor Lorrie DeOrio CALL TO ORDER Chair Peterson called the meeting to order at 7:03 a.m. AGENDA ITEMS 1. Approval of the minutes of the March 13, 2019 meeting. A MOTION was made by Vice Mayor Cook, seconded by Councilmember Ray, to approve the minutes of the March 13, 2019 meeting. Motion carried 3-0. 2. Review of previous discussions. None 3. Review and Discussion of Land Development Code Division 2 Article 2.5. Table 2.504 Site Development Regulations – Office Districts: Interim Principal Planner Temes said this table is similar to tables in other sections with regards to restrictions on height and number of floors. It will be discussion about height and floors. Chair Peterson said the vertical overlays will need to be considered. 2.504.A Building Step-back: Inspections Supervisor DeOrio asked about staggered heights for buildings. Interim Principal Planner Temes replied that is not required within a project. 2.505.A Accessory Structures: This is usually only referenced for shade structures for cars 205.5.B Gated Facility Entrances: This is the same as discussed in previous sections. 2.506.A Hours of Operation: Interim Principal Planner Temes said she would like this taken care of with an Administrative Use Permit. Town staff can look at the potential noise and they can talk with concerned neighbors. There was a question about how much remaining land is zoned for Neighborhood Office. There are 49.82 total acres in the Town and 27 of those acres are vacant. Development Services Director Mieras said Neighborhood Office zoning is often used as a buffer between businesses and housing. . 2.506.C Temporary Use of Parking Areas: This section is incorrect as these parking areas can be used for special events. There was discussion about the wording for such a statement. 2.506.E Limited Floor Use: Interim Principal Planner Temes said she would like to remove this section and add it Chapter 1, Article 2.9. Development Services Director Mieras questioned whether a fifteen percentage cap was correct for the listed limited uses. Interim Planning Manager Lorbeer said staff can compare that percentage across the different zoning districts. Development Services Mieras said he would not like to limit something like the Rivulon development. 4. Review and Discussion of Land Development Code Division 2 Article 2.6. Table 2.604 Site Development Regulations – Employment District– Interim Principal Planner Temes said this table has the same issue with the including of height and floor limits. There was some concern that some of the set-backs are a little larger than what is found in other zoning districts. Interim Planning Manager Lorbeer said it may be so landscaping can be used to soften those buildings. Chair Peterson noted there are heavier, more intense uses in this zoning district. 2.604.A Building Step-back: This has the same issue as found in previous sections. 2.604.E Zero Lot Line Landscape Requirements: Interim Principal Planner Temes said staff wants to add per Perimeter Landscape Area requirements. Room is needed for access for maintenance and for plants. 2.605.A Secure Vehicle Access Points: Interim Principal Planner Temes said this section will be revised within the Engineering Standards. Interim Planning Manager Lorbeer said this will be consistent across the different districts. 2.605.B Service Bay Doors: Assistant Town Attorney Davidson asked about canopies and shaded areas for people to use when vacuuming their cars at car washes. Interim Planning Manager Lorbeer said those are parking canopies and not service bays. 2.606.B Employment Uses Adjacent to Residential Districts: Interim Principal Planner Temes said this section is confusing with the different fencings. She would like to limit fences to a maximum of eight feet and move those requirements to a more appropriate section of the LDC. There was discussion about the word “fence”. A fence can be a wall. Councilmember Cook asked about temporary versus permanent fencing. Interim Principal Planner Temes said temporary fencing is usually included with the construction permit. Add 2.605.C Interim Principal Planner Temes said dumpster enclosures are not currently required to be located in loading docks or enclosed screened service yards. Assistant Town Attorney Davidson asked about donation bins. There was discussion about laws regarding those bins. Assistant Town Attorney Davidson said it was important to have objective criteria that does not call out donation bins specifically. Interim Planning Manager Lorbeer said the bin owner needs permission from property owner where they place their bin. Inspections Supervisor DeOrio said updated information is collected from bin owners annually. She said staff does have the ability to remove bins if the owner is non-responsive. 5. Review and Discussion of Land Development Code Division 2 Article 2.7. 2.7 Public Facility/Institutional Districts: Interim Principal Planner Temes said the same issues are in this section as were mentioned in previous sections. She said she has not seen the design for the Strand which will be located at Gilbert Municipal Park. Development Services Director Mieras suggested talking with the Parks and Recreation Department to make sure the plans fit in the rules for the zoning district. 6. Review and Discussion of Land Development Code Division 2 Article 2.8. Table 2.804 Site Development Regulations – Gateway Districts: This table does not contain a minimum story or maximum story height like the other zoning districts. 2.804.A Minimum Building Height: The purpose of the 30 percent limit on lot coverage is to encourage building to go up. Interim Planning Manager said that section needs to be reworded so the goal is clear. 2.804.B Maximum Building Height: Councilmember Cook asked why buildings could not be built taller. On the Mesa side of Power Road there is a ten story building. He would like for the Town to align with that. Chair Peterson noted the differences between the Gateway Village Center (GVC) and Gateway Business Center (GBC). Tall buildings should not be next to houses. Interim Principal Planner Temes said there are no setbacks and single family homes would not be located here. Chair Peterson asked how much land was left to build on in this district and Interim Principal Planner Temes replied there was a lot of land left. 2.804.B.2 GBC: Interim Principal Planner Temes said she believes the massing restriction was added instead of setbacks in this zoning district. Single family development is discouraged from building in this area. 2.804.F Driveway Restrictions: Interim Principal Planner Temes said she would like to added the phrase “unless approved by the Town Engineer.” 2.804.H Pedestrian, Sidewalk and Landscape Tract: Councilmember Cook asked if a business owner could be required to build and maintain the sidewalk in front of their business. Chair Peterson asked about the standards they would follow while maintaining their sidewalk. There was discussion about liability if someone tripped. She asked what other cities and towns do. Interim Principal Planner Temes said most roads in the Twon are built out and the sidewalks would be inconsistent if they were maintained by different parties. Councilmember Cook said there may be some increase in fees required to pay for the maintenance of sidewalks in the Town. 2.805.A Outdoor Storage: Councilmember Cook asked if there was a definition. Interim Principal Planner Temes said it is not in the glossary. The next meeting will be on May 2, 2019 at 7:00 a.m. ADJOURN Chair Peterson adjourned the meeting at 7:53 a.m. ATTEST: ___________________________ ___________________________________ Chair Brigette Peterson Lisa Maxwell, MMC, Town Clerk