Planning and Zoning Commission

Jim Harris, Chairman Lake Havasu City Suzannah Ballard Police Facility David Diaz 2360 McCulloch Blvd North Joan Dzuro Lake Havasu City, Arizona Paul Lehr 86403 Gabriele Medley www.lhcaz.gov Tiffany Wilson Matthew Mitchell, Alternate Lonnie Stevenson, Alternate JP Thornton, Alternate Planning and Zoning Commission Regular Meeting Minutes - Final Wednesday, August 2, 2023 9:00 AM 1. CALL TO ORDER Vice Chairman Diaz called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Vice Chairman Diaz led the Pledge of Allegiance. 3. ROLL CALL Present: 8- Matthew Mitchell, Gabriele Medley, David Diaz, Joan Dzuro, Paul Lehr, Tiffany Wilson, Lonnie Stevenson and JP Thornton Absent: 2- Jim Harris and Suzannah Ballard Alternate members, Commissioners Stevenson and Thornton, were seated. 4. CORRESPONDENCE AND ANNOUNCEMENTS Planning Division Manager Luke Morris provided an update on the actions taken by City Council at the July 25, 2023 Regular Meeting, noting they approved the Planned Development/Rezone on Kiowa Blvd with the Commission's recommendations. City Council also discussed multiple-family parking and provided direction to Staff. Possible Development Code revisions will be on a future agenda for the Commission. He concluded the Staff Announcements. 5. MINUTES Approval of the minutes from the July 19, 2023 Regular Meeting. Commissioner Dzuro made a motion to approve the Regular Meeting Minutes from July 19, 2023, seconded by Commissioner Wilson. The motion carried by the following vote: Aye: 7 - Medley, Diaz, Dzuro, Lehr, Wilson, Stevenson and Thornton Absent: 2 - Harris and Ballard Lake Havasu City Page 1 Printed on 8/16/2023 Planning and Zoning Commission Minutes - Final August 2, 2023 6. PUBLIC HEARING Vice Chairman Diaz provided an overview of the Public Hearing Process. ID 23-3891 Request for a Planned Development Rezone Amending the Approved Development Plan of PD-19-1222 for 3180 McCulloch Boulevard N., Tract 125, Parcel H and Tract 123, Block 8, Lot 1, in the Single-Family Residential/Planned Development (R-1/PD) District to Allow Four Accessory Buildings with a 16-foot Building Height in Addition to the Previously Approved 30-foot Main Sanctuary Building (Trevor Kearns.) City Planner Trevor Kearns provided an overview of the Staff Report [Displayed PowerPoint] beginning with the site plan, zoning, and property history. Key points included: • The 5.26-acre subject property consists of two properties located on McCulloch Boulevard N., east of Bermuda Avenue with two buildings and a play area. • Abutting properties are all zoned Single Family Residential (R-1) and are developed with homes that back to the church property. • In 2019, the property was zoned R-1 and was rezoned to Residential Single-Family/Planned Development (R-1/PD) allowing a 30-foot-tall sanctuary building and a total of three 15-foot-tall accessory buildings on the site. • The main sanctuary building has an approved 30-foot building height from the approved max grade of 115.5, but the accessory buildings are limited to 15-feet from the graded pad. Mr. Kearns explained that Hilltop Church would like to amend the approved Planned Development to allow a total of five buildings, with the four accessory buildings having a 16-foot building height from the graded pad elevation. The Planned Development Amendment is required because the Staff Report from the 2019 Rezone stated that the site is limited to the church and three accessory buildings with a maximum height of 15-feet from the pad elevation. Mr. Kearns reviewed the site plan, showing the proposed sanctuary, education buildings, and office building. He noted the interim sanctuary building will hold church services until the proposed sanctuary building is completed, then it will be used as an education building. Mr. Kearns highlighted additional project considerations, including: • Parking and landscaping will be reviewed during Design Review and all Standard Development Code requirements will apply. • The applicant has been in contact with the utility companies regarding required abandonment and dedication of the Public Utility Easement (PUE), which will need to be completed prior to Design Review approval. • The allowances and conditions of the previous Planned Development/Rezone will apply, including a building height of up to 30-feet for the main church building. Lake Havasu City Page 2 Printed on 8/16/2023 Planning and Zoning Commission Minutes - Final August 2, 2023 Mr. Kearns reviewed Staff’s recommendations [Displayed Staff Recommendations]: 1. The development shall substantially match the Development Plan provided with the request, 2. The site is limited to those buildings shown on the Development Plan, unless additional public hearings are held and public notice given, 3. The two properties in the planned development shall be combined into one property, 4. The sanctuary building shall be no taller than 30 feet from the maximum grade established for the property, 5. Except for the proposed sanctuary building, all other buildings will be limited to a 16-foot building height from the pad elevations as shown on the development plan, and 6. Design Review for compliance with the Development Code and the conditions of this approval shall be required for the project prior to building permit issuance. He concluded Staff’s presentation, noting the applicant is present. Vice Chairman Diaz asked if there were any questions from the Commission. Commissioner Lehr inquired as to how the existing grade was defined and asked for confirmation that it had been established and would not need an exception. Mr. Kearns confirmed the grade was established at 115.5, explaining that a height adjustment with a conceptual grading plan was approved. Commissioner Stevenson asked if the existing building was built at a 115.5 elevation point. Mr. Kearns deferred to the applicant. Vice Chairman Diaz requested Mr. Kearns provide additional details for Condition 3. Mr. Kearns explained the proposal is compromised of two separate parcels. On the east is a small parcel that hasn’t been combined with the main parcel. The two would need to be combined prior to plans being submitted for Design Review. As there were no further questions for Staff, Vice Chairman Diaz invited the applicant to make a presentation. Mr. Rob Sampson from Selberg Associates thanked the Commission for their time. He stated there is an anomaly in the agenda packet. The letter shown in the packet as being sent to the adjacent homeowners is incorrect and the accessory building height limit of 16-feet referenced in the Conditions is also incorrect. He explained the attached letter was sent to Staff for preliminary review. After discussion with Staff, it was recommended to revise the letter to request a maximum height of 25-feet for the assessory buildings to avoid limiting future designs. He noted they have one building in the design phase with a Lake Havasu City Page 3 Printed on 8/16/2023 Planning and Zoning Commission Minutes - Final August 2, 2023 proposed height of about 17-feet. While that is the only one in the near future, they want to ensure they aren’t limited for future buildings. Mr. Sampson stated he is unsure how the Commission would like to proceed, but they are happy to table the item and come back when they are able to discuss the revised request of 25-feet. Referencing the site plan, Mr. Sampson stated the letter they sent out to the adjacent homeowners requested 25-feet for the three buildings on the left of the plan, based on the 88-foot height elevation. The proposed sanctuary is on the far right and the educational building is below that, which would work with a 16-foot height. They had only two homeowners attend the Neighborhood Meeting, both of whom are in attendance and had no objections. Mr. Sampson stated they did not receive the packet until this morning, so he was unaware that this was an issue. This is not the application that he would ask the Commission to judge the project on, as they feel a 16-foot height limit would be too limiting. He is happy to answer questions and listen to any feedback. Mr. Sampson noted that in response to Commissioner Stevenson's question about the pad elevation of the existing building, the height is based on the existing elevation, so they would not be proposing to go any higher. With no questions for the applicant from the Commission, Vice Chairman Diaz asked Staff for their recommendation on how to proceed. Mr. Morris stated that when Staff received the original request, the understanding was that it was for 16-foot max height for all accessory buildings and since 16-feet compared to 25-feet is a significant change, he would recommend tabling the item so a revised Staff Report can be presented. City Attorney Kelly Garry agreed, stating that with such a significant change it should be readvertised and Staff should complete all of the necessary steps to ensure the appropriate notification process is followed. Mr. Morris recommended the Public Hearing be opened, in case there are members of the public who wish to speak, with the understanding that there will not be a motion to make a recommendation on this item today. Vice Chairman Diaz opened the Public Hearing. Lake Havasu City Page 4 Printed on 8/16/2023 Planning and Zoning Commission Minutes - Final August 2, 2023 Mr. Emiliano Torres, resident, stated that the City has a code and should adhere to the code. With no further comments, Vice Chairman Diaz closed the Public Hearing. He asked for clarification on how to proceed from Staff. Ms. Garry stated that this item will go back to Staff and will come back as a new item, so the item can be tabled. No further discussion was had on the item and no action was taken. 7. CALL TO PUBLIC Vice Chairman Diaz explained that members of the public have an opportunity to address the Commission. He opened Call to Public. Seeing no comments, he closed Call to Public. 8. FUTURE MEETING Mr. Morris stated the next regular meeting of the Planning & Zoning Commission will be August 16, 2023. The annual election of the Chair and Vice Chair will be held at that meeting. 9. ADJOURNMENT Vice Chairman Diaz adjourned the meeting at 9:17a.m. _________________________________________ Jim Harris, Chairman _________________________________________ Shelby Hennigan, Recording Secretary Lake Havasu City Page 5 Printed on 8/16/2023