Planning Commission

MINUTES OF THE MURFREESBORO PLANNING COMMISSION FEBRUARY 20, 2019 1:00 PM CITY HALL Members Present Staff Present Kathy Jones, Vice Chair Donald Anthony, Planning Director Ken Halliburton Matthew Blomeley, Assist. Planning Director Eddie Smotherman Margaret Ann Green, Principal Planner Warren Russell Marina Rush, Planner Jennifer Garland Dianna Tomlin, Principal Planner Austin Cooper, Planner Jafar Ware, Planner Carolyn Jaco, Recording Assistant David Ives, Assistant City Attorney Katie Noel, Project Engineer Matt Fasig, Project Engineer Brad Barbee, Landscape Site Plan Inspector Carl Peas, Fire Marshall Vice Chair Kathy Jones called the meeting to order after determining there was a quorum. The minutes from the January 23, 2019 Planning Commission meeting were approved as submitted. Consent Agenda Vice Chair Kathy Jones read the following items to be considered for approval. The Pentecostals of Murfreesboro [2019-3020] site plan for 27,000 square-foot building addition on 10.16 acres zoned CL and RM-16 located along Lascassas Pike, The Pentecostals of Murfreesboro developer. Bell Commons, Section 1, Phase 1 [2019-2003] final plat for 1 lot on 23.97 acres zoned PRD located along New Salem Highway, Bell Tower Investments developer. Three Rivers Commercial, Lot C5 [2019-1004] preliminary plat for 1 lot on 1.1 acres zoned CH located along New Salem Highway, Wally, LLC developer. 1  MINUTES OF THE MURFREESBORO PLANNING COMMISSION FEBRUARY 20, 2019 Petland [2019-3018] site plan for 8,400 sf2 retail building on 1.1 acres zoned CH located along New Salem Highway, Wally, LLC developer. Veterans Plaza [2019-3011] site plan for 25,311 sf2 commercial center on 3.64 acres zoned CH, located along Veterans Parkway and Franklin Road, Greg Patel developer. 919 & 929 North Maple Street [2018-3130] site plan for three buildings consisting of six multi-family dwelling units on 0.79 acres zoned RM-16 located along North Maple Street, David King developer. Three Rivers Mini-Storage, Phase 2 [2019-3014] site plan for two buildings totaling 16,125 square- feet at existing self-service storage development zoned CF on 7.27 acres located along Cason Lane, WSP ERI Murfreesboro JV1, LLC developer. Mr. Ken Halliburton made a motion to approve the consent agenda, seconded by Mr. Eddie Smotherman. The motion carried by unanimous vote in favor. Gateway Design Overlay Liberty Financial Credit Union [2019-3004 & 2019-6001] final design & site plan review for 6,747 ft2 bank on 2.7 acres zoned MU & GDO-1 located along Medical Center Parkway, Evansville Teachers Federal Credit Union developer. Ms. Margaret Ann Green began by describing the final design and site plan from the staff report, which had been provided to the Planning Commission in the agenda packet. Ms. Green stated that several issues had been brought up during the initial design review meeting by the Planning Commission. There are ongoing items which still need to be addressed such as formal open space, landscaping, site circulation, site design elements, and building elevations. Ms. Green explained that she had been in discussions with the design team earlier and that they were willing to work with staff to address outstanding staff comments. Mr. Russell Fredrick, Mr. Ian Anderson, and Mr. Michael Payne were in attendance to represent the applicant. Mr. Russell Fredrick came forward to explain the improvements they had made to their 2  MINUTES OF THE MURFREESBORO PLANNING COMMISSION FEBRUARY 20, 2019 building including the metal roof being changed to a dark bronze color. In addition, they had improved the north side elevations of their building by adding spindle glass windows. Mr. Michael Payne came forward to make known they would continue working with staff on improving the formal open space. Mr. Eddie Smotherman made a motion to approve subject to all staff comments, seconded by Mr. Ken Halliburton. The motion carried by unanimous vote in favor. The Avenue Best Buy [2019-3016 & 2019-6002] initial design review for 42,226 ft2 retail building on 96.2 acres zoned CH, GDO-1 & PSO located along Medical Center Parkway & Avenue Way, Hines Global REIT developer. Ms. Margaret Ann Green began by describing the initial design review from the staff report, which had been provided to the Planning Commission in the agenda packet. Ms. Green explained the proposed building would include a vehicle garage area for audio installation. The garage area would be located on the side of the building and would include two overhead doors. The purpose of the garage is to install radio systems into vehicles. Ms. Green made known her concerns with the location of the audio installation area being located on a corner lot, which is a highly visible area with a high volume of traffic. Continuing, she expressed concerns that there were no assurances about the overhead doors being left open, loud noises coming from the garage, or vehicles exiting the garage. Mr. Matt Taylor, Mr. Rob Molchan, and Mr. Blake Nelson were in attendance to represent the applicant. Mr. Taylor made known landscaping would be added to screen the audio installation area. Mr. Blake Nelson came forward to explain that the installation bay area would be designed for optimum functionality. The overhead doors would be warehouse-style rolling doors made with pre-metal finish. In addition, the garage side of the building would include decorative sconces to improve the aesthetics beside the overhead doors. Continuing, Mr. Nelson made known that for security concerns, the overhead doors would only be open for the entering and exiting of vehicles. The proposed building materials would be the typical Avenue primary colors and Best Buy’s new prototype composite metal panels and colors. Ms. Kathy Jones voiced her concerns with vehicles entering and exiting the side of the building at the garage area due to being so close to a busy intersection. Mr. Matt Taylor explained there would be four 3  MINUTES OF THE MURFREESBORO PLANNING COMMISSION FEBRUARY 20, 2019 parking spaces located at the garage area. In addition, he agreed to change the two-way intersection into a four-way stop intersection. Ms. Green made known the applicant had requested for the Planning Commission to consider combining the initial design review and final design review during today’s meeting. Mr. Eddie Smotherman made a motion to approve the initial design review and final design review subject to all staff comments, seconded by Ms. Jennifer Garland. The motion carried by unanimous vote in favor. Plats and Plans Northfield-Smith, LLC, Section 1, Lots 1-5 [2019-1002] master plan & preliminary plat for 4 lots on 4.89 acres zoned CF located along East Northfield Boulevard and North Tennessee Boulevard, Northfield-Smith, LLC developer. Mr. Matthew Blomeley began by describing the master plan and preliminary plat from the staff report that had been provided to the Planning Commission in the agenda packet. Mr. Blomeley stated that the master plan and preliminary plat had been revised to increase the number of lots from four to five. Lot 5 would be preserved for future development and would be created as a lot of record if approved by the Planning Commission. Continuing, Mr. Blomeley made known there were outstanding issues with this master plan and preliminary plat. He requested for the applicant’s design team to continue working with Project Engineer, Mr. Matt Fasig, regarding the access easements and drive and all other staff comments. Ms. Kathy Jones expressed her concerns with the access drive being close to an existing curve. Mr. Matt Fasig explained that changes would be made to the access easements when development occurs. This would allow flexibility when the site design occurs for this property. Mr. Blomeley requested that a revised master plan be provided to allow staff to reevaluate the access easements and drive before Lot 5 develops. Mr. Ken Halliburton requested that landscaping not obstruct the sight line of the existing curve along the side of this property. Mr. Warren Russell agreed. Mr. Blomeley requested that the 4  MINUTES OF THE MURFREESBORO PLANNING COMMISSION FEBRUARY 20, 2019 applicant provide a traffic sight distance evaluation with the existing vegetation. Any vegetation affecting sight distance to the curve would have to be removed. Mr. Bill Huddleston was in attendance to represent the applicant. Mr. Ken Halliburton made a motion to approve the master plan and preliminary plat subject to all staff comments, including the following: • Revisions would need to be made to the master plan regarding Lot 5 for the access easements. • The applicant should eliminate any vegetation that is affecting the sight distance to the curve. The motion was seconded Mr. Warren Russell. The motion carried by unanimous vote in favor. Northfield-Smith, LLC, Section 1, Lots 1-4 [2019-2005] final plat for 5 lots on 4.89 acres zoned CF located along East Northfield Boulevard and North Tennessee Boulevard, Northfield-Smith, LLC developer. Mr. Matthew Blomeley began by describing the final plat from the staff report that had been provided in the Planning Commission’s agenda packet. Mr. Blomeley stated that the final plat had been revised to increase the number of lots from four to five. Mr. Blomeley stated all staff comments should be addressed before the signing of the final plat. Mr. Bill Huddleston was in attendance to represent the applicant. Ms. Jennifer Garland made a motion to approve, seconded by Mr. Ken Halliburton. The motion carried by unanimous vote in favor. River Downs Annex, Section 2 [2019-1003] master plan amendment & preliminary plat amendment for 50 lots on 17.41 acres zoned RS-10 located along Firerock Drive, Southern Lifestyle Homes, LLC developer. Mr. Matthew Blomeley began by describing the master plan and preliminary plat from the staff report, which had been provided to the Planning Commission in the agenda packet. Mr. Blomeley made known this amendment request would allow for the relocation of a stub street and 5  MINUTES OF THE MURFREESBORO PLANNING COMMISSION FEBRUARY 20, 2019 the proper handling of drainage on this property. Continuing, Mr. Blomeley said the subdivision would have multiple access points with the removal of the stub street. Also, this amendment would not affect any connectivity between subdivisions. Mr. Nathan Melson was in attendance to represent the applicant. Mr. Ken Halliburton made a motion to approve the master plan amendment and the preliminary plat amendment subject to all staff comments, seconded by Mr. Warren Russell. The motion carried by unanimous vote in favor. Bell Tower Apartments [2019-3012] site plan for 384 apartment units on 22.56 acres zoned PRD located along New Salem Highway, Bell Tower Investments, LLC developer. Ms. Marina Rush began by describing the site plan from the staff report, which had been provided to the Planning Commission in the agenda packet. This plan includes six four-story buildings and six one-story, single- vehicle storage buildings to be located throughout the property. Continuing, Ms. Rush made known she had requested that a color material board be provided for this meeting; however, a material board had not been submitted. For this proposal, the applicant had color renderings, which were consistent with the approved pattern book. Mr. Matt Taylor and Mr. Rob Molchan were in attendance to represent the applicant. Mr. Taylor explained the applicant had attempted to obtain material samples, but they were not able to provide them before the meeting. Mr. Taylor made known a material board would be provided before any building permits were issued. The Planning Commission voiced their concerns not having a material color sample board before the meeting due to the unique size of the development. Mr. Taylor stated that if needed, he would come back before the Planning Commission with a material color sample board. Ms. Jennifer Garland made a motion to approve subject to all staff comments, seconded by Mr. Eddie Smotherman. The motion carried by unanimous vote in favor. 6  MINUTES OF THE MURFREESBORO PLANNING COMMISSION FEBRUARY 20, 2019 River Rock Place [2018-3160] site plan for 4,675 sf2 retail building on 2.5 acres zoned CH located along River Rock Boulevard, Glen Mobley developer. Ms. Marina Rush began by describing the site plan from the staff report, which had been provided to the Planning Commission in the agenda packet. Ms. Rush stated there were several outstanding comments that had not yet been addressed. The comments relate to drainage, grading, landscaping, lighting, and architecture. Due to the outstanding comments, the applicant had provided a letter asking for a deferral at this time. Mr. Chet Rhodes was in attendance to represent the applicant. Mr. Eddie Smotherman made a motion to defer, seconded by Ms. Jennifer Garland. The motion carried by unanimous vote in favor. New Business Zoning application [2019-407] for approximately 1.4 acres located along Mercury Boulevard to be rezoned from PCD to CH, Pradeep Agnihotri applicant. Mr. Matthew Blomeley began by describing the zoning request from the staff report, which had been provided to the Planning Commission in the agenda packet. Mr. Blomeley stated the current PCD zone is not functional for this property and that the CH request would be more consistent with neighboring properties. Mr. John Mifflin was in attendance to represent the applicant. Mr. Warren Russell made a motion to schedule a public hearing for March 6, 2019, seconded by Mr. Eddie Smotherman. The motion carried by unanimous vote in favor. Annexation plan of services and annexation petition [2019-502] for approximately 8,100 linear feet of Interstate 24 right-of-way located between South Church Street (exit 81) and Joe B Jackson Parkway (exit 84), City of Murfreesboro Fire and Rescue Department applicant. Ms. Dianna Tomlin began by describing the annexation request from the staff report. This information had been provided to the Planning Commission in the agenda packet. Ms. Tomlin stated this request is to allow 7  MINUTES OF THE MURFREESBORO PLANNING COMMISSION FEBRUARY 20, 2019 Murfreesboro Fire and Rescue Department (MFRD) to act as the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) during emergencies in this area. In addition, Mr. Matthew Blomeley said the Tennessee Department of Transportation had granted consent to move forward with annexation of this section of I-24. Assistant Chief/Fire Marshall Carl Peas was in attendance to represent the MFRD. Mr. Eddie Smotherman asked if this section of right-of-way included any private property. Assistant Chief Carl Peas answered no private property would be included with this request. Mr. Eddie Smotherman made a motion to schedule a public hearing on March 6, 2019, seconded by Ms. Jennifer Garland. The motion carried by unanimous vote in favor. Annexation plan of services and annexation petition [2019-501] for approximately 123 acres located along Lee Lane and I-24, Pinnacle Bank and Elizabeth Hoover Derryberry applicants. Zoning application [2019-405] for approximately 233.3 acres located along South Rutherford Boulevard, Lee Lane and I-24 to be zoned H-I simultaneous with annexation (123 acres) and to be rezoned from CH to H-I (110.4 acres), Brian Berryman applicant. Mr. Matthew Blomeley began by describing both the annexation request and the companion zoning request from the staff report, which had been provided to the Planning Commission in the agenda packet. Mr. Blomeley said the requests would affect a total of 233.3 acres. There is a potential user for a portion of the property; however, most of the property would be speculative for development. The City’s Comprehensive Plan indicates that this property is appropriate for Light Industrial uses. Continuing, Mr. Blomeley stated that staff has concerns about the request for rezoning to Heavy Industrial (H-I). Staff has recommended the applicants move forward with a Planned Industrial Development (PID) as opposed to rezoning to Heavy Industrial. This recommendation had been made known to the applicants; however, the applicants would like to move forward with their request for H-I zoning. 8  MINUTES OF THE MURFREESBORO PLANNING COMMISSION FEBRUARY 20, 2019 Mr. Ken Halliburton and Ms. Kathy Jones made known they would be abstaining from all discussion and would not vote on these items due to conflicts of interest. Mr. David Ives explained that the Commission would only be voting to schedule public hearings at this time. Mr. Matt Taylor, Mr. John Harney, and Mr. Jeff Reed were in attendance to represent the applicant. Mr. Jeff Reed said that the applicant has agreed to place restrictive covenants on this property to ensure that objectionable uses would not be permitted on this property. The document would state the uses could not be changed over the next 50 years. In addition, discussions have been held with CSX Railroad to allow a railroad spur into the site. Mr. Donald Anthony commented how appreciative he was for the applicant creating potential job opportunities on this property. However, what is being considered at this time is development of only 40 acres out of the entire 233 acres. Staff recommends a Planned Development with zoning restrictions which the City of Murfreesboro could enforce. The Planning Commission discussed the Heavy Industrial zoning and whether or not there was enough information provided to conduct a public hearing. Ms. Jennifer Garland commented there should be conditions provided with this size property before a public hearing is scheduled. Ms. Jones asked whether several different options could be presented with the H-I zoning. If so, this would allow the Planning Commission to vote for or against certain type of uses. Mr. Eddie Smotherman recommended that the Planning Commission schedule a public hearing to hear any public opposition. Mr. Eddie Smotherman made a motion to schedule a public hearing for the annexation plan of services and annexation petition for March 6, 2019, seconded by Mr. Warren Russell. The motion carried by unanimous vote in favor. Mr. Eddie Smotherman made a motion to schedule a public hearing for the zoning request for March 6, 2019, seconded by Mr. Warren Russell. The motion carried by unanimous vote in favor. 9  MINUTES OF THE MURFREESBORO PLANNING COMMISSION FEBRUARY 20, 2019 Zoning application [2019-406] for approximately 90.56 acres located along New Salem Highway to be rezoned from RS-15, CH, OG and RM-16 to RS-6, Vision Development applicant. Ms. Marina Rush began by describing the zoning request from the staff report, which had been provided to the Planning Commission in the agenda packet. Ms. Rush indicated that the request is not consistent with the Comprehensive Plan. Mr. Matt Taylor was in attendance to represent the applicant. Ms. Jennifer Garland made a motion to schedule a public hearing on March 6, 2019, seconded by Mr. Ken Halliburton. The motion carried by unanimous vote in favor. Staff Reports and Other Business Mr. Donald Anthony introduced Mr. Jafar Ware, who is a new Planner with the City of Murfreesboro to the Planning Commission. Mr. Anthony asked the Planning Commission to make plans for dinner on March 6, 2019, at 5:15 p.m., to celebrate Chairman Bob Lamb’s retirement from the Planning Commission. There being no further business the meeting adjourned at 3:05 p.m. ________________________________ Chairman _________________________________ Secretary DA: cj 10