Planning Commission

TOWN OF MOUNT PLEASANT, SOUTH CAROLINA PLANNING COMMISSION FEBRUARY 15, 2023 MINUTES (amended per March 22, 2023 Commission meeting) PowerPoint Presentation Present: Kathy Smith, Chair, Garrett Lacy, Brett Bennett, Pam Ireland, Gary Davis, Bill Smyth, George Gates, Bruce Koedding. Absent: Michael McCormick. Staff: Michele Reed, Peter Stone, David Pagliarini, James Ward, Kevin Mitchell, Jane Yager-Baumrind, Marissa Noble, John Farrell, Lynnette Lynes Ms. Smith called the meeting to order at 5:00 pm. 1. Approval of the Agenda Mr. Davis moved for approval of the agenda. Ms. Ireland seconded the motion. Motion passed on a 7 to 1 vote with Mr. Smyth, Mr. Bennett, Mr. Koedding, Mr. Lacy, Mr. Davis, Ms. Smith, and Ms. Ireland in favor; Mr. Gates opposed. 2. Approval of Minutes from January 18th regular meeting and special meeting Mr. Bennett moved for approval of the minutes. Mr. Davis seconded the motion. All in favor with Mr. Koedding abstaining. 3. Update on Planning Commission Recommendations Mr. Stone reviewed Town Council decisions with the Commission. 4. General Correspondence All correspondence was linked to the agenda and distributed to the Commission. 5. General Public Comment There being no comments, Ms. Smith continued with the agenda.  Planning Commission February 15, 2023 Page 2 of 4 6. Requests A. Proposal to amend Sections 156.340 - 156.345 of Chapter 156, Zoning Code, of the Mount Pleasant Code of Ordinances, pertaining to Short Term Rentals. Proposed is to amend the entire ordinance to address several concerns, including but not limited to such things as increasing the parking requirements for STR properties, implementing minimum night rental requirements, increasing the application fees for whole- house rentals, including civil penalties for violations, and limiting the number of permits allowed per property owner. Ms. Reed reviewed staff comments with the Commission. Mr. David O’Reilly, 1368 Founders Way, expressed concern with there being a cap on the number of permits allowed to be issued as it deprives owners from being able to have a short-term rental and benefit from that income. He suggested that the number of permits issued to an individual should be limited. He stated that he is in favor of having minimum rental requirements for STR permit holders. He suggested that having more permits available would bring in more revenue for the Town. Ms. Lori Bauer, 506 Live Oak Dr, stated that she has been a STR operator since 2016. She suggested that the transfer of a permit should not be restricted to immediate family members, but should be allowed to be transferred to a qualified person as deemed by the owner. Mr. David Vernon, 2108 St. James Drive, agreed that there should be a minimum rental period. He suggested that the limiting the number of permits per individual might not be enforceable and should be reviewed. He agreed that there should be civil penalties as well as allowing a permit to be transferred to a family member. Mr. Eric Vincent, 242 6th Avenue, stated that his concerns have been addressed through the proposed changes. He expressed concern that limiting the number of permits issued to an individual might be too restrictive. He thanked the Commission for their work. Mr. Bill Macchio, 1319 Lake Mallard Blvd, suggested that if a transfer fee is assessed, it should be a nominal fee. He agrees with the ability to transfer the permit to family members.  Planning Commission February 15, 2023 Page 3 of 4 There being no further comments, Ms. Smith closed the public hearing. Ms. Smith moved for approval with the addition of an appropriate fee for transfer of a permit to a family member. Mr. Bennett seconded the motion. All in favor. B. SP-01-23, Review of Sketch Plan for 1374 Rifle Range Rd. Request to subdivide an approximately 1.97-acre parcel, to create five lots. Property is currently zoned R-1, Low Density Residential District. Further identified by TMS No. 560-05-00-017. This item was withdrawn by staff. C. SP-02-23, Review of Sketch Plan for Edwards Park Phase 2. Request to subdivide an approximately 1.86 -acre parcel into five single-family residential lots and 1 HOA lot. Property is currently zoned R-2, Low Density Residential District. Further identified by TMS No. 532-10-00- 340 Ms. Noble reviewed staff comments with the Commission. Ms. Smith moved for approval of the sketch plan. Mr. Gates seconded the motion. Ms. Smith moved to amend the motion to include all staff comments and recommendations. Mr. Smyth seconded the amendment. All in favor. Ms. Smith called for a vote on the motion as amended. All in favor. D. SP-03-23, Review of Sketch Plan for Willow Pond Subdivision. Request to subdivide an approximately 11.54 -acre tract of land, to create 13 single-family residential lots. Property is currently zoned CC, Community Conservation District. Identified by TMS Nos. 578-00-00- 060, 578-00-00-061, 578-00-00-319, 578-00-00-318, 578-00-00-057 This item was withdrawn by staff.  Planning Commission February 15, 2023 Page 4 of 4 E. Further discussion on the proposed Mixed Neighborhood Floating Zoning as previously presented at the January 18th Special Planning Commission Meeting Ms. Reed reviewed the request with the Commission. The Commission discussed some of the concerns with having a floating zone. The Commission suggested that the requirements within table 7-2 of the Comprehensive Plan should be used for the floating zone; there should be distance between the hubs and the NM district boundaries; there should be a maximum number of acres for the entire site, a minimum amount of commercial use required, and there should be a maximum number of units allowed in addition to a maximum number of bedrooms allowed. The Commission asked that information on the zoning code rewrite be provided in advance of the meeting so it can be thoroughly reviewed. 8. Other Business a. Board Training Session Mr. Pagliarini provided training for the Commission. b. Adoption of 2023 Rules of Procedure Mr. Pagliarini reviewed the proposed changes with the Commission. He stated that the changes discussed could be made and provided to the Commission for a final vote at the next meeting, if desired. The Commission agreed that this should be discussed and voted on at the next meeting. There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 7:05 pm. Submitted by, L. Lynes PlanComsn02152023