Planning Commission

CITY AND BOROUGH OF SITKA Minutes - Final Planning Commission Wednesday, November 15, 2023 7:00 PM Harrigan Centennial Hall I. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL Present: Darrell Windsor (Chair), Stacy Mudry, Katie Riley, Amy Ainslie, Kim Davis Excused: Wendy Alderson, Robin Sherman, Thor Christianson (Assembly liaison) Public: J.J. Carlson, Randy Hughey, Annette Evans, Kris Calvin, Christine Harrington Chair Windsor called the meeting to order at 7:17 P.M. II. CONSIDERATION OF THE AGENDA III. CONSIDERATION OF THE MINUTES A PM 23-16 M/Mudry-S/Riley moved to approve the October 19, 2023 meeting minutes. Motion passed 3-0 by voice vote. IV. PERSONS TO BE HEARD V. PLANNING DIRECTOR’S REPORT Ainslie reported the Planning Manager position was vacant and being advertised. The Tourism Task Force town hall had around 250 plus participants and another meeting was scheduled for December 7. Baranof Island Housing Authority was conducting a Sitka Tribal Housing Survey to collect data for housing needs in Sitka. The survey was open to tribal citizens until November 21. The next Sitka Chamber Housing series presentation will be on November 22. VI. REPORTS VII. THE EVENING BUSINESS B P 23- 05 Review of conceptual replat at 1342-1414 Halibut Point Road in the R-2 multifamily residential district. The properties are also known as Lots 1-8 and Lot 10 in the Su's Heeni Shaak Subdivision. The request is filed by the Sitka Community Land Trust. The owner of record is the Sitka Community Land Trust. Ainslie introduced a conceptual review of a re-plat of Su's Heeni Shaak Subdivision from the Sitka Community Land Trust (SCLT). The proposed re-plat included readjusting the boundary between Lots 8 and 10 for the placement of a multifamily CITY AND BOROUGH OF SITKA Page 1 Planning Commission Minutes - Final November 15, 2023 apartment building and parking. The communal space would be relocated to Lot 1 to accommodate parking, this was also the hardest lot to develop due to the topography. Seven parking spaces would be located adjacent to Lot 5, and four would be located on Lot 8 for a total of eleven. This was using the 1.5 parking calculation that was approved during phase one development. Lot 5 was to be subdivided into two lots approximately 2,300 sq. ft. to maintain seven lots as home sites. Setbacks for Lot 5A were requested to be a 5' front, 5' side, and 8' side abutting Halibut Point Road (HPR) and a 5' rear. Setbacks for Lot 5B were requested to be 5' front, 5' side, and 8' side abutting the access easement and a 5' rear. For Lots 6 and 7 the fronts and rears would swap designations, while all other lots would remain the same. The central access and utility easement was to be adjusted with Lots 5B, 6, and 7 having 8' of easement and the uphill lots having 12'. The easement would also be widened in front of Lots 2 and 3 to accommodate an access ramp and stairs. All installed utilities were still contained in the easement. An access easement would be added between the fronts of Lots 5A, 6, and 7 and HPR. A utility easement would be re-designated as access and utilities that run from Mills Street to HPR to accommodate a possible neighborhood connector trail. Staff had no recommendation and as this was a discussion with the commission, no formal action was required. Applicants JJ Carlson and Randy Hughey of SCLT were present. Carlson stated that the topography had changed the way they were able to develop the area, and this was the best fix to keep the 14 houses they had promised the community. They were planning to build a four-plex with 2 bedrooms and may be requesting a parking variance for the apartment building. Public comment from Annette Evans future owner of Lot 2, expressed her support for the process and the SCLT vision for the development. Commissioners discussed the changes to the boundary line adjustment and parking arrangements for Lots 10 & 8 and the subdivision of Lot 5. The relocation of parking spaces and a proposal to reduce the parking requirements for some units were also considered. Applicants were asked to find as many parking spaces as they could manage. Changes to the alignment of the access easement, lot orientations, front, and rear setbacks were also discussed with a final review of the plat at a future meeting. C LM 23-03 Ainslie introduced a request to vacate a portion of Neva Street, an undeveloped city right-of-way (ROW) between Edgecumbe Drive and Davidoff Street, this was adjacent to Lots 6, 7, 1, and 12A of U.S. Survey No. 3303 B, Northwest Addition. This portion of Neva Street was mostly trees, and shrubs, and contained a private driveway with electric utilities to 1409 Edgecumbe Drive. It was platted as a 60’ wide ROW, and the length of the segment was approximately 337’. There were concerns raised by other city departments about the lack of utility corridors for future development. The Commission could consider options such as vacating only a portion of the width of the street or adding a utility easement. The was the potential of sales revenue and property tax revenue but there was the potential to change the character of the neighborhood. This would be brought back to the Commission as a platting action and for a recommendation to the Assembly, no formal action was required. Applicant Kris Calvin was present. The electric poles serving the house had been disconnected and all utility services were connected from Edgecumbe Drive. He stated neighbors in the area were in favor of the vacation. Calvin was in favor of a utility CITY AND BOROUGH OF SITKA Page 2 Planning Commission Minutes - Final November 15, 2023 easement for future CBS infrastructure. Public comment from Christine Harrington had safety concerns with where the proposed driveways would come out on Edgecumbe Drive and the visibility was bad at the top of the road. She was in favor of the vacation before but was not in favor now. Commissioners discussed the possibility of vacating portions of Neva Street. The Commission requested input from the Electric Department to determine the necessary utility easement size. They acknowledged public concerns about the vacation of Neva Street and agreed to assess the safety of the area and explore the possibility of an access easement. The next steps included working with Public Works and engineering to review the ability of vehicles to turn around and conduct a safety assessment for potential driveways. D MISC 23-11 Discussion on changing the time of the Planning Commission regular meetings. The Commission discussed the possibility of changing the time of the Planning Commission meeting from 7 pm to 6 pm, considering the schedules of the members. However, it was pointed out that a change in timing might cause inconvenience to some members and it was decided to continue the discussion when all members are present. E MISC 23-10 Discussion of housing in Sitka and presentation from Planning Director. Ainslie gave her housing in Sitka presentation that was given to the Chamber of Commerce to the Commission. The Commission discussed the challenges of land development, highlighting the lack of available, accessible land and high development costs. They also mentioned the issues of inadequate infrastructure and financing new development. VIII. ADJOURNMENT Chair Windsor adjourned the meeting at 9:31 P.M. CITY AND BOROUGH OF SITKA Page 3