Planning & Zoning Commission

MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION OF THE TOWN OF PINETOP-LAKESIDE, ARIZONA, HELD THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 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 Errol Heslop X Rob Ingels X Adam Staley X Richard Smith X STAFF PRESENT: Paul Esparza, Community Development Director and Evelyn Racette, Town Manager. ITEM NO. 3, CALL TO THE PUBLIC: There were no requests from the public to address the Commission at this time. ITEM NO. 4, INFORMATION/DISCUSSION/LEGAL ACTION RE: SPR 15-257 SITE PLAN/DESIGN REVIEW APPROVAL FOR WHITE MOUNTAIN COMMUNICATIONS 150’ TELECOMMUNICATIONS TOWER WITH EQUIPMENT BUILDING AND ENCLOSURE FENCING: Mr. Esparza said a site plan from White Mountain Communications had been submitted. He said at the last Planning and Zoning meeting issues regarding design review had been discussed and said the discussion was to help White Mountain Communications prepare the submittal. He said the site plan and supplemental information had been submitted. He said included in the submittal was the equipment building and what it would look like. He said staff had reviewed the plans. He said the property is Zoned C1, and said the property had been properly zoned for the existing business. He said the business had been in existence since 1982. Mr. Esparza said the Town Council did grant a variance from Town Code Section 17.104.070C on May 21, 2015 to permit a one hundred and fifty foot communications tower to be built on the property. He said White Mountain Communications did submit the site plan to Pinetop Fire Department, and said an approved site plan had been received from Pinetop Fire Department. He said the construction plans would be reviewed by Town Staff and Pinetop Fire Department. He said the site improvements would not require a drainage report. He said existing parking had been identified, and said there would be no additional parking. He said the site would be accessed from Spruce Lane, and said there is a driveway access between lot three and lot four. Mr. Esparza said the proposed structure is subject to Chapter 17.88 design review. He said the structure would be self-supporting galvanized steel, and said the equipment building would be painted a tan or earth tone color. He said a color from the approved design theme board would be chosen. He said the fencing around the structure would be vinyl coated. He said the proposed landscaping includes twenty-one five foot blue spruce trees surrounding the fencing. He said this would satisfy the requirements for a commercial development. He said the exterior lighting would be a small light at the entrance to the equipment building. He said there would not be additional signage, and said no signage would be permitted on the communications tower. He said a sixty foot tower would require an additional twenty-one feet of setback, and said a taller tower would fall under the variance. He said staff recommends approving the site plan. He said there are a couple of stipulations, and said he included them as follows: the Pinetop Fire Department comments would be addressed prior to issuing the building permit, no signs or Christmas lighting would be permitted on the 1 communications tower, all proposed landscaping be planted as shown on the landscape plan, green vinyl coated fencing would be used, the equipment building would be painted an earth tone color as submitted and the existing tower would be retired when the equipment can be transferred to the new tower. He said staff asks for the Commission’s approval of the site plan with the stipulations. Commissioner Staley said he would prefer the equipment building to be brown in color. Richard Wise said because of the green vinyl on the fence he thought green paint would be preferred since it would match the fencing around the building. He said the tan is an approved color, but said he thought it would contrast more than painting the building green. Commissioner Ingels said he would agree with green because of the green vinyl fencing and the spruce trees surrounding the fence. He said the tan paint would be more of a commercial appearance than the green color. Mr. Wise said he appreciates the Commissions time regarding the communications tower. Commissioner Ingels said he was concerned with the staff recommendation that said no signs or Christmas lights would be permitted on the communications tower. He said since the minutes are not available from the previous Planning and Zoning meeting to refer to, but said he recalled no lighting would be allowed. He said he proposes to stipulate “no advertising signage, lighting or holiday decorations would be permitted on the Telecommunication’s Tower.” He said when the four foot diameter round discs are installed on the tower he does not want to see product names on the discs, and said he does not want to see holiday lighting. He said a variance was granted through the Board of Adjustments for the tower height, which is triple of the allowed height, and said he would want to discourage a reason to be looking up. He would want the tower to blend in with the sky line. He said these additions are important to him as a Commissioner and as a Design Review Board member. Mr. Wise said he agrees there would not be holiday lighting on the tower, and said he does not plan on having advertising on the tower. He said he agrees with Commissioner Ingels statements. Commissioner Williams asked Mr. Wise if there would be a ladder going up the tower. Mr. Wise said there would be ladder going up the tower, and said headlamps are worn if works need to be done on the tower at night. Chairman Jarchow asked if the drums have names on the side. Mr. Wise said they do not have names. Ms. Racette said the language would be no advertising signs, no lighting and no holiday decorations on the communications tower. Commissioner Ingels said he agrees with Ms. Racette’s wording. Commissioner Staley asked after the new tower is built how long would the transfer would take from the existing tower to the new tower. Mr. Wise said the transfer would take no longer than three months. Commissioner Williams asked how long it would take to install the new tower. Mr. Wise said after approvals it would take approximately five weeks. He said it would take a crane to install the tower, and said he would have to bring a crane from Phoenix for the installation. He said the tower would be built in sections on site. COMMISSIONER WILLIAMS MOVED TO APPROVE SPR 15-257 SITE PLAN/DESIGN REVIEW AS PRESENTED WITH THE FOLLOWING AMENDED LANGUAGE: TWENTY-ONE BLUE SPRUCE TREES WOULD BE PLANTED AROUND THE FENCING, GREEN VINYL COATED FENCING WOULD BE USED, THE EQUIPMENT BUILDING WOULD BE PAINTED GREEN, THERE WOULD NOT BE LIGHTING ON THE TOWER, ADVERTISING SIGNAGE WOULD NOT BE ALLOWED ON THE TOWER AND HOLIDAY DECORATING WOULD NOT BE ALLOWED. VICE CHAIRMAN SNITZER SECONDED THE MOTION AND IT CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. ITEM NO. 5, STAFF REPORTS: Mr. Esparza said the Villas at Pinetop preliminary plat is being worked on. He said the main issue is drainage. He said a drainage report would be submitted to the Town engineer. He said the owner is considering three 2 car garages, and said he does not know if this would affect the drainage. Chairman Jarchow said three car garages would add four hundred square feet for each of the forty-two units. Mr. Esparza said units would be lost if three car garages were added. Ms. Racette said the discussion was becoming too specific for a staff report, and said this item would be presented to the Commission in the future. Ms. Racette said the joint meeting with the Town Council and the Planning and Zoning Commission was well received by the Councilmembers and the Commissioners. She said the Open Space would be moved on quickly and was well received. Chairman Jarchow said one of the implementation measures from the General Plan is being sited in regards to the Forest Lane work. Ms. Racette said that is correct, and said it is implementation measure number five regarding circulation. She said this is using traffic calming devices, and said this would be on the October 1, 2015 Town Council meeting agenda. Chairman Jarchow said there would not be a meeting on October 8, 2015. Chairman Jarchow said the Town Manager said there would be a joint meeting with the Town Council on November 12, 2015 regarding the pedestrian study. Ms. Racette said that would be correct. She said there would be a public meeting first followed by the joint meeting. She said the public meeting would be at 4:00 p.m. and the joint meeting would begin at 6:00 p.m. Chairman Jarchow asked with the reorganization of the of the Community Development department how would the Planning and Zoning Commission work and asked would the Town Manager inform the Commission at some point. Ms. Racette said she realizes this is new territory for the Planning and Zoning Commission, and said she and staff would be in attendance at the meetings, and said she would make sure the Commission is taken care of during the transition. Chairman Jarchow said in the Planning and Zoning Code it references the Community Development Director and said it seems that the Commission would have to go ahead and look at changing the wording. He said it is his understanding there would not be that position any longer at the Town. Ms. Racette said that is correct, and said there would be a Planning and Engineering Manager. She said there would be a staff member dedicated to the Planning and Zoning Commission. ITEM NO. 6, FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS: Commissioner Ingels said he and Mr. Jerry Smith and the PVC members would like a future agenda item regarding evaluating the Zoning Code on the preferred locations in Town for residential care facilities. Ms. Racette said this would be an agenda item at the October 1, 2015 Town Council meeting, and said it would be a discussion/information item on the agenda. She said staff and legal counsel do not recommend changing the Ordinance due to Fair Housing laws. She said the Town is currently within compliance with state and federal laws. She said there are CC&R’s in the subdivision which can legally be worked through. She said if the Town were to change the ordinance regarding Fair Housing the Town would lose funding opportunities currently in place. She said she would not recommend making any changes, and said this would be at a Council level on October 1, 2105. Commissioner Ingels said the definitions in the Zoning Code for single family residential and multi-family residential and commercial are contradictory, and said the Federal Government seems to override a purchase of a single family home based on the definition of family. He said there is a discomfort in the community for the residents, and said they have shared their opinions with him. He said he is a commercial property owner in Navajo County and owns multiple residential properties within the Town of Pinetop-Lakeside, and said he is discomforted that single family in residential zoning can allow a residential care facility without encouraging them to be in a multi-family zoning area. Ms. Racette said the appropriate place for this discussion would be at the Town Council meeting. She said this is a very complicated issue, and said the Town Code is in compliance with the State and Federal regulations. Chairman Jarchow asked if the Commission would be able to look at a specific portion of the Zoning Code for discussion and information. Ms. 3 Racette said yes, but said if the higher body of the Town Council is discussing this she would advise the Commission not to discuss the topic unless directed by Town Council. The meeting adjourned at 6:35 p.m. Dated this 5th day of October 2015. PINETOP-LAKESIDE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION _____________________________________________ Jill Akins, Assistant to the Town Clerk 4