Planning Commission

February 25, 2013 The Russellville Planning Commission will hold its Regular Meeting on Monday, February 25, 2013, at 5:30 p.m., in the Council Chambers of City Hall. PLANNING COMMISSION AGENDA Welcome Visitors 1. Review and approve the minutes of the January 28 Regular Meeting. 2. A request to review and recommendation of approval to the City Council to rezone property located at the corner of South Arkansas & East 19th Street. The front property is C-2; (Lots 3, 4, 5), but the back portion is R-2. Mr. Bobby Spickelmier is requesting to rezone the (west 35 feet of Lots 6, 7, and 8, and the south 15.50 feet of the west 25 feet of Lot 9 and south 15.50 feet of Lot 2 all in Block C Henderson-Robbins Addition from R-2 to C-2. (See Property Survey) ZO.13.02.165)  Russellville Planning Commission Minutes February 25, 2013 @ 5:30 p.m. The Russellville Planning Commission met in its regular meeting on Monday, February 25, 2013 at 5:30 p.m. in the Russellville City Hall Council Chambers. Members Present Chairman Dennis Boyd Jimmy Sims Vice-Chair Eric Westcott Jimmy Davenport Nick Patel Secretary Aldona Standridge Richard Perkins Gaylon Smith Richard Harris, Council Liaison Members Absent Herschell Hargus Also present: Mayor Bill Eaton, City Planner David Harris, City Attorney Trey Smith, Jim Lynch/City Corp, Planning Assistant Lequitta A. Jones, Building Official Brian Holstein, Alderman Steuber, Alderman Tripp, Alderman Horton, Brent Preddy, and Price McMillan. WELCOME The First Order of Business was to review and approve the minutes of the January 28, 2013 Regular Meeting. Commissioner Patel made the motion to approve the minutes as written. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Perkins and passed unanimously. The Second Order of Business was a request to review and recommend approval to City Council to rezone property located at the corner of South Arkansas & East 19th Street. Front portion of the property is C-2; (Lots 3, 4, 5), while the rear portion is R-2. Mr. Bobby Spickelmier is requesting to rezone the R-2 portion (west 35 feet of Lots 6, 7, and 8, and south 15.50 feet of the west 25 feet of Lot 9 and south 15.50 feet of Lot 2 all in Block C Henderson-Robbins Addition) to C-2. (ZO.13.02.165) City Planner David Harris presented his staff report. Mr. Harris said this item involves an odd set of circumstances. The block is not a typical rectangle, but has an irregular shape due to curves in Hwy 7 and 19th Street that truncate the south and east sides. Originally the eastern portion of the block (Lots 6-10) was zoned R-2, while the western part (Lots 1-5) was zoned C-2. However, at some point in the past the lots were reconfigured with portions of Lots 6-9 being combined with Lots 2-5. This resulted in split zoning on the property, with approximately 75% designated C-2, and the remaining 25% zoned R-1. Mr. Spickelmier is requesting that the R-2 portion be rezoned to C-2. He has done far more notification than necessary so area property owners should be aware of what is being requested. The primary person affected by this is Ms. Georgia Hindsman who has a residence on the southeast corner of the block. Ms. Hindsman did have concerns about C-2 being directly adjacent to her home, but when advised that the small size of the parcel (roughly 16,500 sf) combined with Zoning Ordinance parking requirements would severely limit the maximum area of any building on the site, she indicated that her concerns were addressed. Mr. Harris said the request to have a single zoning designation on the property seems reasonable and it likely makes more sense to rezone the back part from R-2 to C-2. Ms. Hindsman's home is the only residential use on the block, which fronts on AR7 at a fairly important intersection with 19th Street, which runs all the way to Knoxville Avenue. Mr. Spickelmier said the Salvation Army property abuts Ms. Hindsman's property on the north side, and across 19th Street is Sorrells Body Shop. Mr. Spickelmier said Mr. Holstein (City Building Official) had informed him that the R-2 portion of the property could not be used for parking or driveways, which essentially cuts the lot in half and makes it impossible to utilize for a commercial use. He noted that this corner commercial property is too valuable to be sitting vacant and not generating any income. Mr. Holstein said cars would not be allowed to back out onto 19th Street, but would be required to pull forward into the street from his parking lot. There will be plenty of room for parking and maneuvering for a small antique shop if the back portion of the lot is rezoned to C-2. Commissioner Perkins asked if there were any comments from Lots 6, 7, or 8. Mr. Harris said that Ms. Hindsman's residence occupies those lots, and that he had spoken with her a couple of times. Commissioner Perkins made the motion to approve the request as submitted. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Patel and passed unanimously. Items not on the Agenda: Item #1 Chairman Boyd noted that there was an item not on the February agenda that he wanted to discuss briefly with the commissioners. The City Council has referred the Walmart PUD application back to the Planning Commission for further review. The chairman expressed his desire to address the item during the February meeting; however, after conferring with Mayor Eaton, City Attorney Smith, and City Planner Harris, he was advised to postpone this item until the March Planning Commission meeting. The zoning code requires a 20-day waiting period between the submittal of an application and the Planning Commission’s review. Additionally, the planning staff needs to be able to satisfy their normal notification requirements. The chairman continued by noting that the briefing packets for the March commission meeting will 2 contain detailed information and a draft written response in regard to the City Council’s request. He said he believed the commission could respond to the City Council in 30 days. Item #2 Vice-Chairman Westcott said at the January meeting that commissioners had elected officers for 2013 and that he would like to have nominated Commissioner Patel to be Vice-Chairman, but since Commissioner Patel was absent, he was hesitant to nominate him without first checking with him. Vice-Chairman Westcott also stated that if it was agreeable to the other commissioners, he would like to resign the Vice- Chairmanship and nominate Mr. Patel for the position if Mr. Patel was agreeable. Commissioner Perkins questioned whether Vice-Chairman Westcott would first need to resign formally before action could be taken to elect a new Vice-Chair. In response, Mr. Westcott verbally tendered his resignation as Vice-Chair, and also moved to nominate Commissioner Patel for the office of Vice-Chair. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Perkins and carried unanimously. Commissioner Standridge moved to adjourn. ________________________________________ Chairman Dennis Boyd 3