Planning Commission

CITY AND BOROUGH OF SITKA Minutes - Final Planning Commission Wednesday, December 6, 2023 7:00 PM Harrigan Centennial Hall I. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL Present: Darrell Windsor (Chair), Wendy Alderson, Robin Sherman, Katie Riley, Thor Christianson, Amy Ainslie, Kim Davis Excused: Stacy Mudry Public: Meggan Turner, Sheldon Turner, Lance Preston, Alejandra Estrada, Benjamin Espinoza Chair Windsor called the meeting to order at 7:11 PM. II. CONSIDERATION OF THE AGENDA III. CONSIDERATION OF THE MINUTES A PM 23-17 M/Riley-S/Alderson moved to approve the November 15, 2023 meeting minutes. Motion passed 4-0 by voice vote. IV. PERSONS TO BE HEARD V. PLANNING DIRECTOR’S REPORT Ainslie reported the Planning Manager position was being advertised and a Tourism Task Force town hall was being held on Wednesday December 7 from 4-8 PM. The January 3rd regular meeting was canceled, but the December 20th regular meeting was still planned. VI. REPORTS VII. THE EVENING BUSINESS B MISC 23-12 Public hearing and consideration of a modification to CUP 23-01, a conditional use permit for a short-term rental at 109 Sand Dollar Drive in the R-1 single-family, duplex residential district. The property is also known as Lot 1, Sand Dollar Subdivision. The request is filed by Meggan Turner. The owners of record are Meggan and Sheldon Turner. Ainslie introduced a request for a modification to CUP 23-01, a conditional use permit for a short-term rental (STR) at 109 Sand Dollar Drive. This was a duplex with the main dwelling unit about 2,300 sq. ft. with four bedrooms and three bathrooms. The main CITY AND BOROUGH OF SITKA Page 1 Planning Commission Minutes - Final December 6, 2023 house had been approved as an STR at the January 18, 2023 meeting. The apartment was 410 sq. ft., a small studio unit with one bathroom. The applicants were requesting to add the apartment to their permit for use during the summer months. The applicants had proposed a two guest maximum and a one vehicle maximum. There was adequate parking with six spaces. There were good buffers between houses with fencing and mature vegetation. The renter handout needed additional details regarding trash storage and disposal to not attract wildlife. Staff recommend approval. The applicants Meggan and Sheldon Turner were present. They were planning to manage the property themselves unless they were out of town, then a property manager would be hired. They would update the renter handout to store the trash in the garage and update contact information for the renters if they hire a property manager. The commissioners discussed traffic impacts, trash handling, and additional potential noise. Commissioners concluded the concerns were manageable and added a condition of a maximum of 12 guests overall on the property. M/Sherman-S/Alderson moved to amend the conditions of approval, adding a twelve guest maximum for the property, and resetting the start of the activation period for the permit to the date of this approval. Motion passed 4-0 by voice vote. M/Riley-S/Alderson moved to approve the modifications to CUP 23-01 allowing for an additional dwelling unit (Unit B) as a short-term rental at 109 Sand Dollar Drive in the R-1-single-family/duplex residential district subject to the attached conditions of approval. The property was also known as Lot 1, Sand Dollar Subdivision. The request was filed by Meggan Turner. The owners of record were Meggan and Sheldon Turner. Motion passed 4-0 by voice vote. M/Riley-S/Alderson moved to adopt and approve the required findings for conditional use permits as listed in the staff report. Motion passed 4-0 by voice vote. C CUP 23-21 Public hearing and consideration of a conditional use permit for a short-term rental at 2013 Cascade Creek Road in the R-1 single-family and duplex residential district. The property is also known as Lot Three (3), Cascade Creek Subdivision. The request is filed by Lance Preston. The owner of record is Lance Preston. Ainslie introduced a request for a conditional use permit to operate a short-term rental (STR) at 2013 Cascade Creek Road. The home was 1,300 sq. ft. with two bedrooms and two bathrooms and would be used as an STR primarily in the summer while the applicant was fishing. The property was well buffered with trees and had a shared driveway. The applicant was requesting a maximum of four guests and one vehicle. Staff recommend approval. The commission discussed potential traffic impacts and the maintenance of the shared driveway easement. They suggested a providing a backup phone number for emergency situations, in case the applicant was out on the boat. The applicant Lance Preston was present. He agreed to add an additional contact number, noting he would either dispatch someone or go there himself if needed. There was also a suggestion to include more information about road safety in the rental handout. Written public comment from neighbors Andrew Scorzelli and Mary Mills expressed support for the request. M/Riley-S/Alderson moved to approve the conditional use permit for a short-term rental at 2013 Cascade Creek Road in the R-1-single-family/duplex CITY AND BOROUGH OF SITKA Page 2 Planning Commission Minutes - Final December 6, 2023 residential district subject to the attached conditions of approval. The property was also known as a Lot 3 Cascade Creek Subdivision. The request was filed by Lance Preston. The owner of record was Lance Preston. Motion passed 4-0 by voice vote. M/Riley-S/Alderson moved to adopt and approve the required findings for conditional use permits as listed in the staff report. Motion passed 4-0 by voice vote. D CUP 23-22 Public hearing and consideration of a conditional use permit to operate a food truck at 110 Barracks Street in the CBD central business district. The property is also known as a portion of Lot Two (2), Block Four (4), U.S. Survey 1474, Tract A. The request is filed by Alexjandra Estrada Lomeli. The owner of record is Newspaper Properties, LLC. Ainslie introduced a request for a conditional use permit for a food truck. This was a conditional use for food trucks operating on private property in the Central Business District (CBD). The truck was to be located in a private parking lot and there would be space for customers to queue in the lot. The truck would be stationary in the parking lot and moderate pedestrian and vehicle traffic was expected in this area. On-street parking was available and there were no off-street parking requirements in the CBD. The proposed food truck was expected to serve Mexican food, with most of the preparation done off site in a commercial kitchen. There was the potential for noise from a generator but the manufacturer specifications indicated minimal impact. Staff recommended approval. The applicant Alejandra Estrada and Benjamin Espinoza were present. Their plan was to install power to the food truck if the application was approved. They stated food would be prepared off site at a commercial kitchen minimizing odors and trash. Written public comment was from Ashia Lane, owner of the Back Door and manager of Old Harbor Books stated opposition to a food truck in this area. The stated concerns were regarding noise, additional traffic, and trash. The commission discussed a plan for trash management, which involved removing garbage daily and providing a receptacle for customers to dispose of their trash. Concerns were raised about the placement of the food truck and the potential traffic congestion adjacent to nearby business. Commissioners suggested relocating the food truck to the other side of the parking lot, which the applicants said they would discuss with the property owner. A condition was added to the permit requiring a standard 55-gallon trash receptacle to be emptied nightly, as well as an administrative review period in October 2024 to be conducted by the planning department. M/Riley-S/Alderson moved to amend the conditions of approval to add a requirement that the applicant have a standard 55 gallon trash receptacle onsite for customers that be emptied nightly, and added a requirement for an administrative review of the operation and permit compliance be conducted by the Planning Department in October 2024 and submitted to the Commission. Motion passed 4-0 by voice vote. M/Riley-S/Alderson moved to approve the conditional use permit for a food truck at 110 Barracks Street in the central business district, subject to the attached conditions of approval. The property was also known as that portion of Lot Two (2), Block Four (4), and all of Lot 3 (3), Block Four (4), U.S. Survey 1474, Tract A, Sitka Townsite. The request was filed by Alejandra Estrada Lomeli. The owner of record was Newspaper Properties, LLC. Motion passed 4-0 by voice vote. CITY AND BOROUGH OF SITKA Page 3 Planning Commission Minutes - Final December 6, 2023 M/Riley-S/Alderson moved to adopt and approve the required findings for conditional use permits as listed in the staff report. Motion passed 4-0 by voice vote. E MISC 23-11 Discussion on changing the time of the Planning Commission regular meetings. Commissioners discussed a potential meeting time change. Most expressed a preference for the meeting to stay at the current time of 7:00 PM. Christianson found the earlier time to be more convenient but was still able to make 7: 00 PM work. It was decided to keep the meeting time at 7:00 PM. VIII. ADJOURNMENT Seeing no objections, Chair Windsor adjourned the meeting at 8:50 PM. CITY AND BOROUGH OF SITKA Page 4