Planning & Zoning Commission

MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION OF THE TOWN OF PINETOP-LAKESIDE, ARIZONA, HELD THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2015, TOWN COUNCIL CHAMBERS. Chairman Jarchow called the Regular Meeting to order at 6:06 p.m. Roll call was as follows: ROLL CALL: Present Absent Present Absent John Jarchow X Timothy Williams X James Snitzer X Errol Heslop 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: Jerry Smith said he had a R1 zoning concern. He said the Woodland Hills real estate market is doing very well. He said there are one hundred and fifty-two lots, thirty lots are unbuilt, and said there are one hundred and twenty homes in the subdivision. He said Woodland Hills is a shining light in Pinetop. He said the subdivision is very well maintained and there is a lot of pride in ownership, and said the home values are going up. He said homes are selling fairly quickly. He said one hundred dollars a square foot is good in the current market, and said the house next to him sold for two hundred and twenty dollars a square foot. He said there are a lot of families in the subdivision. He said Pinetop Estates now had a proposed half way house. He said he is on the Homeowners Association Board of Directors for Woodland Hills, and said he is the Vice President and Treasurer since 2009. He said this proposed half way house had caused so much turmoil and emotion in the subdivision. He said he has had many homeowners come to him and ask “how could this happen.” He said everybody buying in to the subdivision has to adhere to the CC&R’s. He said he looked at zoning to help protect neighborhoods. He said to allow this kind of use in a R1 zoning district is not the right thing to do. He said he is familiar with Fair Housing. He said dealing with a zoning entity in a Town can be either really easy or really tough. He said he is a representative of the Homeowners Association, and said he is looking out for property values. He said he had heard some scary stories about what happens to property values when a half- way house comes to the neighborhood. He said he is in the adjacent neighborhood, but said the two neighborhoods are right next to each other with no fences between them. He said he had heard from a homeowner of a specific example. He said the homeowner had a home, not in Pinetop, and said the circumstances were similar and said the property value went down by forty percent. He said the property was finally sold below market value. He said his request to the Commission is for the proposed half-way house to be an agenda item for a future meeting, and said he would like to see the use be restricted to R2 and commercial zones. Mr. Esparza said up to ten residents is residential and ten or more residents is commercial. Mr. Smith said he would like the zoning to be either a R2 or R3, and said in the R1 is all families in the subdivision. He said the kids in the neighborhood are scared to death. Chairman Jarchow said the Commission would look at the Zoning Code provisions. Chairman Jarchow asked Mr. Esparza if this specific case would come before the Planning and Zoning Commission. Mr. Esparza said a conditional use permit, variance or site plan is not required. He said a building permit had been requested, and said certain ADA requirements had been met and sent to the fire department. He said the Town would make sure they had met building code requirements and fire department requirements, and said the Town would make sure a 1 business license had been obtained. Chairman Jarchow said code provisions for potential future projects would be looked into. ITEM NO. 4, CONSENT AGENDA OF REGULAR MEETING MINUTES FOR AUGUST 18, 2015: COMMISSIONER INGELS MOVED TO APPROVE THE REGULAR MEETING MINUTES FROM THE AUGUST 18, 2015. COMMISSIONER SMITH SECONDED THE MOTION AND IT CARRIED 5-0. (CHAIRMAN JARCHOW ABSTAINED BECAUSE HE DID NOT ATTEND THE AUGUST 19, 2015 MEETING.) ITEM NO. 5, INFORMATION/DISCUSSION RE: APPLICATION OF CHAPTER 17.88 DESIGN REVIEW CRITERIA TO TELECOMMUNICATIONS TOWER: Chairman Jarchow said he and Mr. Esparza discussed the building located at the base of the tower. Mr. Esparza said in the future there would be a site plan presented to the Commission. He said the applicant would like some guidance regarding how design review would be applied to the telecommunications tower. Mr. Esparza said in particular the concern is how the design review board would apply to the tower. He said in all of his years with the Town he had never applied design review to a metal telecommunications tower structure. He said in preparation of a pending site plan submittal, which would include the site plan and design review aspects; this would be an opportunity for the applicant to find out what is necessary regarding the tower. Commissioner Williams asked about the color of the tower and would it be painted to match design review color standards. Richard Wise said Payson has a seventy foot tower made as a pinon pine tree and in his opinion it is not cohesive to the neighborhood. He said it does not blend in with the area. Commissioner Williams said in Mr. Wise’s experience instead of painting the tower brown or tan it would be best to the leave the tower gray. Mr. Wise said over time the galvanizing would turn the tower to a darker gray, and said the tower would not be noticed. He said there are examples currently in the community. He said Sky High Retreat has a tower that has been in place for seven years, and said the tower is galvanizing and losing the brightness. Chairman Jarchow said he would like to discuss giving White Mountain Communications some idea of what the Commission would be looking at during design review. He said the Commission would be looking at the landscaping, fencing, equipment shelter and the tower. Commissioner Williams said the landscaping would only affect the people in the immediate area, and said from the highway no one would notice the landscaping. Chairman Jarchow said Blue Spruce had been indicated on the site plan, and said the spruce could get up to thirty feet tall. He said they would be a nice buffering element. Mr. Wise said they would also give density at the base of the tower, and said it would help to hide the chain link fence. He said he does not like razor wire, and said there would not be any on the top of the chain link fence. Vice Chairman Snitzer said he likes the chain link fence that is green coated because it instantly disappears and is not noticeable. He said he would like Mr. Wise to consider the green coated chain link fence. Chairman Jarchow asked Mr. Wise to explain the equipment shelter. Mr. Wise said it is an air force communications shelter. He said it is currently white, but said it can be painted to meet design review standards. Chairman Jarchow asked what is between the equipment shelter and the tower. Mr. Wise said it is a metal structure that goes from the building to the tower and provides protection for the transmission lines that run horizontally. Vice Chairman Snitzer said the buildings need to be painted one of the approved colors. Commissioner Smith agreed with Vice Chairman Snitzer. More discussion ensued regarding the communications tower site plan. Commissioner Ingels asked what the landscaping and trees would entail. Mr. Wise said he would buy twenty-one trees, and said they would be spaced fifteen feet apart. He said they would be twenty-one five foot spruce trees, and said it would cost twenty-eight hundred dollars. Commissioner Ingels said the design review board does not 2 reference lighting on the tower, but said it is his understanding there would not be lighting or advertising on the tower. Mr. Wise said there would be security lighting on his business building adjacent to the tower, but said there would not be lighting on the tower. He said he would have to get FAA approval. He said if the tower was above two hundred feet he would have to light the tower. Commissioner Ingels said the color of the accessory building would have to comply with accessory building in the supplemental provisions. Vice Chairman Snitzer said he would like to have the accessory building painted one of the approved colors. More discussion ensured regarding accessory buildings. Commissioner Smith said to paint the building one of the approved colors, and said he is comfortable with the landscaping. He asked about the possibility of a future utility light, and he asked if it would mount to the tower. Mr. Wise said it would be on an individual pole for illumination if working on the tower at night. He said it would not be lights on the tower. Commissioner Ingels said he hopes Christmas lighting would not be done on the taller tower. He said he is concerned the dishes would stand out on the taller tower. Commissioner Williams said since there would not be razor wire on the top of the fence he would suggest a ten foot fence. He said an eight foot fence is easier to climb over. Commissioner Staley said he is supportive of the plan as presented, and said he supports the provisions made to painting the building. He said he is fine with vinyl clad fencing or not vinyl clad fencing. Mr. Wise said he is trying to provide and meet all of the Commission requirements. He said a complete site plan package would be complete within the next two to three weeks. He said he would provide building elevations, meaning a horizontal view of the building, and utility entrance. He said those two modifications would be made to the plan that had been previously submitted to the Committee. Chairman Jarchow said the Planning and Zoning Commission review is different than the building permit review. Chairman Jarchow said a photo of the building is helpful. Commissioner Ingels said the color of the building should also be shown. ITEM NO. 6, INFORMATION/DISCUSSION RE: PREVIEW OF ADDITION TO SHEPARD OF THE MOUNTAINS LUTHERAN CHURCH LOCATED AT 2035 S. PENROD LANE REGARDING DESIGN REVIEW AND PROPOSED EXTERIOR TREATMENT: Mr. Esparza said he met with Pastor Wayne Morton regarding the addition to the Shepard of the Mountains Lutheran Church. He said Pastor Morton submitted the site plan, the proposed floor plan and elevations. He said there is proposed exterior treatment for the Commission to review and give direction to Pastor Morton. Pastor Morton said the exterior treatment is True Log out of Colorado. He said it is a metal product backed with foam. Pastor Morton said the structure would be a wood framed building. He said there would be split face block along the front, side and wall of the building. He said the roofing material is consistent with the current roof which is raised metal. He said the fascia would be metal like the roof. He said to the right of the front entrance would be a ramp for handicap accessibility. Pastor Morton said the addition would hide the existing thirty year old building, and said the addition fits the residential neighborhood. Commissioner Smith asked if part of the existing building would be removed. Pastor Morton said the existing building would stay, and said a covered porch on the existing building would be removed. Chairman Jarchow asked if the project is funded. Pastor Morton said it is funded, and he said that is a reason the church waited fifteen years. Pastor Morton said the existing restrooms would be removed, and he said this would expand the fellowship hall. He said one of the existing restrooms would be maintained as a janitor’s closet. Commissioner Staley asked if the loss of parking would be compensated for on the east side of the building. Pastor Morton said the loss of parking had been compensated for and would remain the same. Commissioner Ingels asked if there would be any landscaping in the new parking area. Pastor Morton said the landscaping would be consistent with the current landscaping. He said the parking lot currently has small oak trees. Commissioner Smith said he likes the addition. Commissioner Ingels said he approves the materials for the addition. Chairman Jarchow said it 3 would be a great improvement to the building. Chairman Jarchow said people from the church were out cleaning up the highway. Commissioner Williams asked if the church was using a local architect. Pastor Morton said a local architect had been used. Chairman Jarchow said the majority of the front elevation is behind the split face CMU, and said it would be the same visual appearance as a three to four foot wainscot. ITEM NO. 7, STAFF REPORTS: Mr. Esparza said regarding the Villas at Pinetop it appears that the developer had different thoughts on the design of the building, and said this would push the project back. He said the drainage report is being revised. He said the road layout would not change, but said three car garages might be added. Mr. Esparza said he would probably be gone by the time the changes are brought back to the Commission. Chairman Jarchow said can he assume that after Mr. Esparza had left the Town the developer would go to the Town Manager and seek direction. Mr. Esparza said he would leave a list for the Town Manager where the current projects stand. ITEM NO. 8, FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS: Chairman Jarchow said future agenda items would be the Villas at Pinetop subdivision and the communication tower. Mr. Esparza said his last meeting would be on September 24, 2015. Chairman Jarchow said the Zoning Code would have to be changed because it refers repeatedly to the Community Development Director and the Community Development Department. He said he is not sure if there would be a Community Development Department after Mr. Esparza is no longer with the Town. He said this would be an agenda item to discuss in October 2015. Chairman Jarchow said he is not sure what direction and what expectation are from the Town Manager. Chairman Jarchow said a future agenda item would be to ask the Town Manager when she is available to come and tell the Commission how the Commission would work moving forward. Commissioner Williams said or put it back in the Planning and Zoning Commissions hands completely. Chairman Jarchow said his sense is that the Town Manager would tell the Commission how it would work instead of the Commission saying how it would work. Mr. Esparza said it would be a good discussion to have with the Town Manager, and he suggested Chairman Jarchow and Vice Chairman Snitzer meet with the Town Manager regarding this matter. The meeting adjourned at 7:25 p.m. Dated this 22nd day of September 2015. 4 PINETOP-LAKESIDE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION _____________________________________________ Jill Akins, Assistant to the Town Clerk 5