Planning & Zoning Commission

MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION OF THE TOWN OF PINETOP-LAKESIDE, ARIZONA, HELD TUESDAY, JULY 21, 2015, TOWN COUNCIL CHAMBERS. Chairman Jarchow called the Regular Meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Roll call was as follows: ROLL CALL: Present Absent Present Absent John Jarchow X Timothy Williams X James Snitzer X Ken Haught X Rob Ingels X Adam Staley X Richard Smith X STAFF PRESENT: Paul Esparza, Community Development Director and Jill Akins, Assistant to the Town Clerk. ITEM NO. 3, CALL TO THE PUBLIC: There were no requests from the public to address the Commission at this time. ITEM NO. 4, CONSENT AGENDA OF REGULAR MEETING MINUTES FOR JUNE 16, 2015: COMMISSIONER WILLIAMS MOVED TO APPROVE THE REGULAR MEETING MINUTES FROM THE JUNE 16, 2015. VICE CHAIRMAN SNITZER SECONDED THE MOTION AND IT CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. ITEM NO. 5, INFORMATION/DISCUSSION/LEGAL ACTION RE: CHAPTER 17.116 PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION ORGANIZATION AND PROCEDURE. DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON DATE CHANGES FOR REGULAR COMMISSION MEETINGS: Chairman Jarchow said the Commission is considering moving the meeting dates to the second and fourth Thursday of each month. Commissioner Ingels said the fourth Thursday in November would be Thanksgiving and the fourth Thursday in December would be Christmas Eve. He said it tends to be a slower time of year for the Commission, and said the change would work well for him. Commissioner Ingels said this would also avoid conflicts with Tuesday election dates. Chairman Jarchow said it would have to be approved by the Town Council. Commissioner Smith said it would benefit staff to have the Planning and Zoning meetings a different week than the Town Council meeting. COMMISSIONER STALEY MOVED TO AMEND THE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION CODE ORGANIZATION AND PROCEDURE CHAPTER 17.116.050 FOR THE REGULAR MEETINGS OF THE COMMISSION TO BE HELD ON THE SECOND AND FOURTH THURSDAY OF EACH MONTH, INSTEAD OF THE FIRST AND THIRD TUESDAY OF EACH MONTH, PENDING THE APPROVAL OF THE TOWN COUNCIL. VICE CHAIRMAN SNITZER SECONDED THE MOTION AND IT CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. Commissioner Ingels asked if Council approves the change would this take effect for the September meetings. Chairman Jarchow said it would take effect thirty days after Council takes action. Mr. Esparza said this would be presented to the Town Council at the August 6, 2015 meeting. Mr. Esparza said the agenda and packets 1 would be posted and prepared the Friday before the Thursday meeting the following week. Commissioner Williams said in section 17.116.080 Commission packet preparation to remove “if not picked up, the Town will attempt to deliver the packets to the Commission members by 5:00 p.m.” Chairman Jarchow said in section 17.116.010 section A. the last sentence in the paragraph “A filled vacancy for an unexpired term shall not be deemed a full term unless the appointment is for more than one (1) year” would be removed. He said in section 17.116.050 he did not understand any significance between A. and D. and said it seems redundant. ITEM NO. 6, INFORMATION/DISCUSSION RE: REVIEW OF TELECOMMUNICATION REGULATIONS FROM FLAGSTAFF AND SHOW LOW IN CONSIDERATION OF DEVELOPING LOCAL REGULATIONS. THE COMMISSION WILL DISCUSS A PURPOSE AND GOALS FOR NEW REGULATIONS: Mr. Esparza said he looked at the regulations from the City of Flagstaff and the City of Show Low, and said they are both good ordinances. He said he took the best references from each city for the Telecommunications Facilities Purpose. Commissioner Williams asked if either city has an existing tower higher than is what is stated in their codes. Chairman Jarchow said City of Show Low has a tower that required a variance. Chairman Jarchow said in section 17.104.000 number 1. “Avoiding residential corridors in the siting of communications towers and antennas.”, and asked what is a corridor. Mr. Esparza said it would be areas that are exclusively zoned residential. Chairman Jarchow said to eliminate number 1. and said move number 2. “Encouraging the location of towers in non-residential areas.” to number 1. Chairman Jarchow said in number 4 he does not like the term “single-use towers.” A lengthy discussion ensued regarding the wording of number 4. Chairman Jarchow said number 4 would read “Encouraging co-location with existing tower sites first rather than new construction of single-use towers.” Chairman Jarchow said developing local regulations, permitting applicability, general requirements for telecommunications facilities, additional requirements for towers, preferred, neutral and disfavored sites, applications and procedures, time limits and removal of telecommunications facilities would be section items to discuss. Chairman Jarchow said he would not like to see unused or abandoned tower sites. Commissioner Ingels asked if there are unused sites in Town at this time. Chairman Jarchow said no, but said the Town does not have any Telecommunications regulations at this time. He said the Town might have vacant sites in the future. A discussion ensued regarding unused and/or abandoned sites and conditional use permits. Commissioner Ingels said for a sixty foot or less telecommunications tower there would need to be a site plan, design review, landscape plan and supplemental provisions complied with. Chairman Jarchow said the questions is would a tower come before the Planning and Zoning Commission or not, and said those provisions are in the Town Building Code. Commissioner Ingels asked would the provisions apply to a new telecommunication tower. Chairman Jarchow said it is always a question of when anything new comes in should it come before the Planning and Zoning Commission or not, and said a tower would go through the same process. He said even if the structure does not come before the Planning and Zoning Commission there would still be the landscape and design review. Commissioner Ingels said he brought this point up because this is a part of the Pinetop-Lakeside Town Code that pertains to a structure, and said this is a scenario where staff would need to make an applicant aware to be compliant with the Codes. He said the requirements need to be grouped for clarity of the Town Code requirements. Commissioner Williams asked why a tower is being treated different than a building, and asked does the Planning and Zoning Commission want any structure being built brought before the Commission. Chairman Jarchow said Mr. Esparza consults with the Chairman and Vice Chairman of what to bring before the Commission. Chairman Jarchow said a tower is the same as a building. Chairman Jarchow said Mr. Esparza 2 would work on the supplemental provisions and purpose pertaining to telecommunication towers for the Commission to review, discussion and possible action at the next meeting. Commissioner Williams asked if there would be language to enforce the removal of abandoned towers. Vice Chairman Snitzer said a way to enforce this would be with a completion bond. Chairman Jarchow said the issue is does the Commission want an abandoned tower in the community. Commissioner Smith said an abandoned tower is worse than an abandoned building. Chairman Jarchow said he agrees, and said what happens if the tower falls over. He said there would be a greater hazard from a sixty foot high tower falling over than there is to an abandoned building. He said most buildings fall onto themselves. Commissioner Staley said a tower would survive at least one hundred years without falling down. He said how would someone tell if a tower is active and in use or not in use and is abandoned. He said it would not be easy to identify and said it would not be an eyesore. Chairman Jarchow said he would like abandoned or unused tower language in the Code. Commissioner Ingels said he would like staff to research setbacks in supplemental provisions. Chairman Ingels said he would like the telecommunication regulations to be as comprehensive and diligent as possible. He said locations on commercial C1 or C2 zones within the community or on public property are a preferred sites, and said the Commission needs to encourage those sites. Vice Chairman Snitzer said the technology of towers would have to be looked at extensively and said currently the Town has extremely limited access to broad band and internet. He said it would be beneficial to the Commission to invite an expert to a meeting for information and technology. Commissioner Ingels said it would be a smart planning exercise for the Commission and staff as well as economic development for the community. Chairman Jarchow said for Mr. Esparza to have a technical expert attend a meeting for guidance and information. Vice Chairman Snitzer said Mr. Michael Knight has technical expertise, and said he would be a good contact. Chairman Jarchow said for Mr. Esparza to contact the City of Show Low and the City of Flagstaff and use their technical expert for information. Chairman Jarchow said the Commission would need additional discussion before action would be taken on the Telecommunications Tower Code. ITEM NO. 7, STAFF REPORTS: Mr. Esparza said staff would move for the Open Space text changes to the Town Code be presented to the Town Council at the August 6, 2015 meeting. He said he would like to have the support of the Commission at the meeting. Chairman Jarchow said he would be out of Town on August 6 th. Mr. Esparza said August 6th would be on the only Town Council meeting held in August 2015. Commissioner Ingels said he would also be out of Town on August 6th. Chairman Jarchow asked Mr. Esparza to contact Sue Sitko and ask her to attend the meeting. Mr. Esparza said he had been contacted by the architect for the Taco Bell remodel, and said there is a primary Navapache power line that runs parallel to White Mountain Boulevard. He said Taco Bell would not be allowed to have a covered patio due to the primary power line. He said the concrete slab, low profile wall and the furniture for the seating area would still be allowed. He said there would be awnings placed over the entrance door and over the windows. He said there would be no other changes. Commissioner Ingels said he was impressed with Cody Blake, Katherine Nunn and Matt Patterson presentations at the Town Council meeting. 3 ITEM NO. 8, FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS: Chairman Jarchow said there would be a retreat with Town Council, and said the Commission is waiting to receive the date from the Town. He said there would be two items to discuss at the retreat, and said they would be the General Plan Implementation Measures and if it is the will of Mayor and Council for the Commission to be the Design Review board. Chairman Jarchow said the Town Manager told him it would be a day and a half a day retreat, and said a significant portion of the retreat involved the Planning and Zoning Commissioner. Commissioner Williams asked if the Planning and Zoning Commission would be meeting on August 4th and August 18th, 2015. He said in August the Commission would need to reappoint, reelect or change the Vice Chairman and the Chairman. Chairman Jarchow said the Commission possibly would not meet on August 4th, and said the Commission would meet on August 18, 2015. The meeting adjourned at 7:07 p.m. Dated this 24th day of July 2015. PINETOP-LAKESIDE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION _____________________________________________ Jill Akins, Assistant to the Town Clerk 4