Planning Commission Regular Meeting

Town of Tyrone Planning Commission Meeting Minutes Thursday Feburary 22, 2018 7:00 PM Present: Chairman Jeff Duncan Commission Member Carl Schouw Commission Member Scott Bousquet Commission Member Dia Hunter Planning and Development Coordinator Phillip Trocquet Town Attorney Patrick Stough Absent: Vice-Chairman David Nebergall Planning Commission Chairman Jeff Duncan called the meeting to order at 7:00pm. Approval of Agenda Commissioner Schouw made a motion to approve the agenda. Commissioner Hunter seconded the motion. Motion was approved 3-0. Approval of Minutes for January 25, 2018 Commissioner Hunter made a motion to approve the minutes from January 25, 2018. Commissioner Schouw seconded the motion. Motion was approved 3-0. Public Hearing: Old Business: New Business: 1. ARC (Atlanta Regional Commission) CPA (Community Planning Institute) training recap and discussion. Phillip Trocquet, Planning & Development Coordinator. 2. Workshop & Training Proposals. Phillip Trocquet, Planning & Development Coordinator. Mr. Trocquet presented the item. He stated that he would combine the first two agenda items into one discussion for Planning Commission. He stated that three of the Town’s Planning Commissioners including, Commissioner Hunter, Commissioner Bousquet, and Commission Chairman Duncan, attended the ARC CPA training in Atlanta which covered a variety of topics pertaining to the Town of Tyrone. Mr. Trocquet stated that Planning Commisison could take any of the covered topics and delve deeper into how they specifically relate to the Town of Tyrone’s Ordinances, Policies, and Procedures through holding workshop/work session meetings. He stated that any recommendations from Planning Commission would be brought to the Town Manager and Town Council for approval. Page 1 of 4 Mr. Trocquet mentioned that stormwater management was a topic that intrigued the Planning Commission members that attended the CPA training. He stated that the ARC ‘Blue Book’ contained the standards and details to implement stormwater management BMP’s (Best Management Practices). These standards could be adopted by the town or compared with the current ordinance to see where Planning Commission would recommend changes. Mr. Trocquet mentioned that the Town was about to undergo an MS4 Stomwater Audit; pairing a workshop with this audit could be prudent. Chairman Duncan stated that retention ponds were a big issue he wanted to address. He stated that they are typically poorly landscaped and usually look unapealling. Mr. Duncan, stated that he would like to see rain gardens and other stormwater BMP’s take the place of poorly landscaped retention ponds. Mr. Duncan stated that he would like to see changes to the ordinance that incentivized these types of Stormwater Management practices. Commissioner Hunter stated that the Serenbe Development in Chattahoochee Hills provided multiple examples of good stormwater management practices that filtered water and provided drainage. Commissioner Hunter said that it was controversial back in 2007 to implement those types of stormwater management practices in Serenbe because they were new, but now they are verified and just as effective. Mr. Trocquet stated that the green infrastructure movment has produced practical standards for implementing stormwater management. Mr. Trocquet stated that some of these practices are even more economical for developers from a land use perspective. Mr. Trocquet stated that the Town could adopt stormwater BMP’s as base standards in the ordinance or the ordinance could incentivize developers and buildiers to implement the BMP’s. Mr. Trocquet stated that incentives could range from density bonuses to a reduction in parking requirements. Commissioner Hunter inquired whether some of these standards could be applied to the new Bethel Church development planned off of Tyrone Road. Mr. Trocquet stated that they could request Bethel Church to adopt and implement some of these standards, but that the church was developing on a proportionally small section of their 40 acre lot which would make their overall stormwater impact relatively small. Mr. Trocquet stated that talking to the Bethel Church developers about their parking lot would be a good place for the Town to start the discussion. Chairman Duncan asked what the procedure would be if the Town were to codify some of the stormwater BMP’s. Mr. Trocquet stated that it would go through the text amendment process. Chairman Duncan asked if it would be a quick process. Mr. Trocquet responded that it would likely not be a quick process as it does require public hearings to be heard by both Planning Commission and Town Council. Chairman Duncan stated that he would like to start the process so that the town can be ready for future development. Mr. Trocquet stated that outside of a text amendment, he will be strongly encouraging developers to implement better stormwater management practices during the administrative review process and due diligence/pre-construction meetings he has with developers. He stated that the best way to pique a developer’s interest in implementing these practices is to show them the tangible economic benefits. Commissioner Bousquet asked if there was any data showing the economic benefit of utilizing stormwater management BMP’s over the standard procedures typically implemented. Mr. Trocquet stated that he did not have that information. Mr. Trocquet stated that the Town may currently have to fight against the ordinance to implement some of these BMP’s as there are requirements for traditional practices. Mr. Trocquet stated that as a result, text ammendments may not be an addition of language, but simply an extraction of an outdated provision. Commissioner Hunter stated that he would like to see the process started and completed before some of the large projects such as any PUD’s in review or Downtown Development get underway. He asked if we have any 303 D river basins or streams we should be monitoring. Mr. Trocquet stated that Brad Konwick, the Town’s Environmental Planning Technician, would likey have more information regarding streams and river basins. Mr. Trocquet stated that Page 2 of 4 he had already talked to Mr. Konwick regarding stormwater management and that he would be an integral part of the process to codify BMP’s. 3. Park Rezoning Updates. Phillip Trocquet, Planning & Development Coordinator. Mr. Trocquet presented the item. He stated that the rezoning of the parks to Open Space (OS) was a discussion he brought to the Town Manager. He stated that all of the parks except Shamrock Park had assumed the surrounding zoning of the general area. Handley Park is zoned AR (Agricultural Residential), Fabon Brown Park is zoned DR (Duplex Residential), Dorthea Redwine Park is zoned R-12 (Residential 1,200 sf. Min.), and Veterans Park is zoned R-18 (Residential 1,800 sf. Min.). Mr. Trocquet stated that the fact the parks are zoned differently doesn’t impede their use as parks, but that it is an inconsistency he believed was beneficial to rectify before the town re-adopted the official zoning map. Commissioner Bousquet asked if the rezoning of the parks helped in terms of obtaining grants. Mr. Trocquet stated that consistent zoning amongst all the parks could only help make the town look more consistent in its land use. He stated that the Planning & Zoning Department was seeking out grants for an ordinance audit and that inconsistent zoning classifications across all town parks may be an item pointed out by auditors as unusual. Chairman Duncan asked if the recently purchased property adjacent to Handley Park was zoned OS (Open Space). Mr. Trocquet stated that land was actually four separate parcels with the two northernmost parcels zoned O-I (Office- Institutional) and the southernmost parcels zoned R-18 (Residential 1,800 sf. Min.). He stated that since the Town was still under contract on those properties, they were not slated to be rezoned. Public Comments: Staff Comments: Mr. Trocquet stated that the Town had applied for the project back in March and had successfully won the service grant. Mr. Trocquet stated the RSVP fellows came to downtown on June 29th to do their assessment. He stated that they identified a number of parcels and areas in the downtown district suitable for infill development and redevelopment. He stated that the focus area was near downtown and included the property adjacent to Town Hall, the property on the corner of Commerce Drive and Senoia Road, The property in front of Tyrone Elementary and the old Fire Station off of Senoia Road. Chairman James asked if there would be renderings. Mr. Trocquet stated there would be renderings and maps of certain parcels. Chairman James asked if the fellows had identified any cons as it pertained to downtown development. Mr. Trocquet stated that they had identified large setbacks and room for improvement regarding connectivity and pedestrian walkability. Mr. Trocquet stated that the concentration of antique stores and parks in the downtown area is a great benefit that the fellows think the Town can capitalize on. Commissioner Hunter stated that he saw the signs up for the Fabon Brown dog park. Mr. Billy Campbell, Tyrone Public Works Supervisor, stated that his guys installed the sign not to long ago. Mr. Trocquet stated that Fabon Brown park was deceivingly large at approximately 4.5 acres. Mr. Campbell stated that there was another Boy Scout who stated that he was going to place park benches at Fabon Brown as part of his Eagle Scout project. Mr. Bousquet inquired as to which boy scout it was. Mr. Campbell said that he believed the boys name was Evan. Mr. Bousquet stated he worked closely with the Boy Scouts and would ask as to the status. Commissioner Hunter asked what it would take to connect water to Fabon Brown. Mr. Campbell stated that it would cost approximately $9,000 to purchase the water meter from the county and bore under Handley Court to provide the park with water. Commissioner Bousquet stated that he had seen dontation boxes at other parks for maintinence Page 3 of 4 purposes. Mr. Trocquet stated that the Town would likely need to pursue a grant for the project if Council was unwilling to spend the money from the general fund. He also stated that a rainwater collection unit for the purposes of supplying non-potable water for pets could be installed at the park. Chairman Duncan asked if the Town had gotten the word out to publicize the opening of the dog park. Mr. Trocquet stated that he believed it went public on the Town’s Facebook page. Commissioner Bousquet asked of there was a press release regarding the Dog Park to the local papers. Mr. Trocquet and Mr. Campbell stated that they did not believe there was a press release. Mr. Campbell stated that Fabon Brown park is rather hidden and that many people do not know where it is located. Mr. Trocquet stated that Fabon Brown operates like a small neighborhood park for the small subdivision in front of it even though it is 4.5 acres. Commission Comments: Commissioner Bousquet stated that he was finding the ARC CPA training very useful and helpful. Mr. Trocquet stated that he was glad it was helping and that he had requested an increased training budget for the Planning & Zoning Department for the next fiscal year to allow Planning Commission to attend more training sessions and conferences. Chairman Duncan stated that he would be relying on Mr. Trocquet to inform Planning Commission of future trainings. Adjournment: Commissioner Schouw made a motion to adjourn. The meeting adjourned at 7:37 pm. ____________________ __________________ Jeff Duncan, Planning Commission Chairman Phillip Trocquet, Planning & Development Coordinator Page 4 of 4