Planning Commission Study Meeting

WEST VALLEY CITY PLANNING COMMISSION Study Meeting October 17, 2018 The meeting was called to order at 3:33 p.m. by Chair Meaders at 3600 Constitution Boulevard, West Valley City, Utah. WEST VALLEY CITY PLANNING COMMISSION MEMBERS Brent Fuller, Mathew Lovato, Clover Meaders, Darrick Porter, Martell Winters, Cindy Wood, and Harold Woodruff ABSENT David McEwen WEST VALLEY CITY PLANNING DIVISION STAFF Jody Knapp, Steve Pastorik, and Brenda Turnblom WEST VALLEY CITY ADMINISTRATION Eric Bunderson ZONE TEXT CHANGE APPLICATION ZT-6-2018 PETITION BY WEST VALLEY CITY REQUESTING AN ORDINANCE AMENDMENT TO LIMIT WHERE RECREATIONAL VEHICLES AND BOATS CAN PARK WITHIN YARDS THAT ARE ADJACENT TO STREETS. Discussion: Steve Pastorik said the City requires that solid fencing within 20’ of a curb may not be over 3 feet in height. This is to maintain a clear view for backing up vehicles. He reported that the City Council raised concerns about recreational vehicles often parked in driveways for long periods of time that block the view of traffic. Staff suggested that recreational vehicles (RVs) could be setback 20’ from the back of the curb, the same distance required for fencing. Commissioner Winters mentioned that the height of plants is also limited in the clear view area for the same reasons. Planning Commission Study Session October 17, 2018 Page 2 Steve Pastorik said this zone text change also addresses RVs parked in a front yard. A large RV was parked in front of and parallel to the front of a house, which was technically allowed by code. The proposed ordinance specifies that recreational vehicles or boats may only be parked in front of a garage or carport, off to the side of the house, but not in front of the part of the house that does not have a garage. This is an aesthetics issue. The Council does not want an RV blocking the view of the main part of a home. Steve Pastorik mentioned that we do not often get feedback from residents regarding ordinance changes. However, he has received several emails, both for and against this change. Steve Pastorik said this zone text change will be particularly limiting to those living on smaller lots. Chair Meaders asked if RVs may be parked on the streets. Steve Pastorik answered no. Commissioner Wood asked who will enforce this change. Steve Pastorik answered Code Enforcement. Commissioner Lovato mentioned that RVs are comparable to semi-trucks in size. Steve Pastorik said our code prohibits truck trailers, motor vehicles, or commercial trailers exceeding 12,000 pounds gross weight in residential zones. Commissioner Fuller asked if an RV along the side of the house is against fire code. Steve Pastorik answered no, it is common for people to park an RV along the side of a home. Commissioner Lovato asked if there will be a time limit imposed. He owns an RV that he parks in his driveway during the day or overnight to load it. Steve Pastorik said there is no reference to time the way the text is written now. If Code Enforcement were to visit, a warning would likely be given before a citation. Commissioner Winters said he worries that the 20’ setback for an RV could be too restrictive, however, the zone text change is consistent with prohibiting anything that blocks the view of traffic. Steve Pastorik acknowledged that because clear view enforcement hasn’t applied to RVs, there seem to be many such vehicles parked in driveways now. Commissioner Lovato said there are large catering trucks, box trucks, and work trucks parked in residential driveways that are not considered RVs. Jody Knapp said many contractors bring their work vehicles home. In these situations, the 12,000-pound limit would apply. Commissioner Winters asked about cars parked in driveways. Steve Pastorik said the thought process is that cars tend to be moving in and out throughout the day. RVs tend to be parked for months on end and are much larger than a car. Commissioner Winters stated there is no curb or sidewalk in his neighborhood. Steve Pastorik said in that case the clear view setback would be 20’ from the back of the rolled gutter. Planning Commission Study Session October 17, 2018 Page 3 CONDITIONAL USE APPLICATION C-14-2018 PETITION BY TRUCKPRO, L.C. REQUESTING CONDITIONAL USE APPROVAL FOR AUTO SALES, SERVICE, AND CUSTOMIZATION. THE PROPERTY IS LOCATED AT 5544 WEST 2400 SOUTH ON 3 ACRES AND IS ZONED M (MANUFACTURING). (STAFF - JODY KNAPP AT 801-963- 3497) Discussion: Jody Knapp said a new 2-story building, just under 35,000 sqft, is planned for this vacant parcel inside the Warner Truck Center. The new building will be required to meet Commercial Design Standards. Materials will be stucco with an exposed concrete wainscot, metal panels, and awnings over the windows. Additional design elements are still being negotiated. Two tenants will be housed in the building: Truck Guys will use the facility for in-house detailing and maintenance of their passenger trucks that are sold across the street. Truck Guys will also have a conditioning shop where wheels and accessories will be added. A Sprinter dealership is located to the east of this site and they need more space to store parts and do modifications. Sprinter will use the second tenant space to install things such as roof racks, hitches, and interior finishes. This building will not be open to the public. The front portion of the property will remain undeveloped for future pad sites. Jody Knapp discussed parking. With not being open to the public, this use is considered a manufacturing floor space, not an auto service shop. About 50 parking spaces are needed for the use. Almost 100 parking spaces will be provided. There is a double-loaded parking aisle which requires landscaping islands. The owner does not want tree diamonds in front of the bay doors and would like to relocate the landscaping to somewhere else on the site. There is provision in the code to allow this. 1,485 sqft of landscaping is required and 1,962 sqft of landscaping is being provided. CHESTERFIELD OVERLAY ZONE Discussion: Steve Pastorik reported he shared a presentation regarding the possibility of an overlay zone in the Chesterfield area with the City Council and they are supportive of the idea. He wishes to discuss what types of regulations the Planning Commission recommends in the overlay zone. Steve Pastorik said the area is unique because most of Chesterfield does not have sidewalk, curb, gutter, or storm drainage. Chesterfield is older, with mostly smaller homes. There are limited commercial uses along Redwood Road. The General Plan, zoning, and land use of Chesterfield was discussed. Steve Pastorik said Chesterfield was platted in the late 1800’s with 66-foot wide roads. The actual pavement width of the roads is narrower, with sometimes 20’ Planning Commission Study Session October 17, 2018 Page 4 on either side that remains unused City property covered with gravel. There are older, cobra-style street lights within Chesterfield. There are flood zones in the area with no basements due to the proximity of the Jordan River. Average lot size is about 14,000 sqft in Chesterfield, compared with an average lot size of 11,000 sqft within the City. The average assessed value of Chesterfield properties is about $164,000, compared to a $221,000 average property value in the City. Lower property values are because Chesterfield is older, the homes are smaller, and properties are in poorer condition. The overall rating for the condition of the properties in Chesterfield is between fair and average, a step below the City average, between average and good. 28% of Chesterfield is rental properties compared with 12% for the City. Roughly half of the homes in Chesterfield do not have garages. About half of the garages that do exist are attached to the home and half are detached. Steve Pastorik explained some things that make up the character of a neighborhood. These include how wide the roads are, park strip width, street trees, lighting, parking, how far homes are setback, fencing, what homes look like, and property maintenance. Strong points for Chesterfield are wide right-of-ways, an interesting mix of housing, there are some vacant properties with room for new homes to be built, and larger agricultural areas. It is unique to have horse property within the valley. Challenges to the Chesterfield area include sub-par maintenance of properties when compared to the rest of the City, lower property values, inconsistent improvements (like drainage), higher percentage of rentals, and flood zones. Steve Pastorik asked for Planning Commission feedback on some of the ideas that were discussed with the City Council: • Acknowledge that we don’t require basements in the Chesterfield area due to the flood zone. • City requirements are that if there is no basement, a larger home needs to be built. We want to remove this requirement in the Chesterfield area because we do not want to penalize them for something they cannot do anything about. • This is an area where we will not require curb and gutter. It would be a huge expense for the City to install curb and gutter in places that are already built. Planning Commission Study Session October 17, 2018 Page 5 • Allowing 2-car garages instead of 3-car garages • Design standards by block - There are wide mix of houses in the Chesterfield area. We want to maintain the character of each block. Commissioner Winters asked for further explanation. Steve Pastorik suggested minimum roof pitch or architectural requirements. Commissioner Lovato said we want new construction to be similar to what is already there, so modern homes don’t clash with the old. • Encourage detached garages on 6,000 sqft lots. • More enforcement for property maintenance Other ideas for improvements in the neighborhoods are: • Use the right of way along the roads to create equestrian trails or asphalt walkways • Lighting unique to the neighborhood • A neighborhood park • Street trees • Unique street signs • Parking pockets (formally designate some of the right of way for parking) Steve Pastorik related there are streets about every 300’ along Redwood Road. He suggested every other connection to Redwood Road be closed to create quieter streets that are more desirable. The trade-off is this will push more traffic onto the other streets. Steve Pastorik asked Commissioners how to work through these ideas. Commissioner Woodruff said the design standards should address some of the concerns heard in past public hearings. He feels that two-car garages, no basements, and smaller homes is a good start. Planning Commission Study Session October 17, 2018 Page 6 Steve Pastorik asked Commissioners what their thoughts are regarding design standards. Commissioner Woodruff does not want mansions built next to small homes. Commissioner Winters wants to allow builders the flexibility to not meet current design standards. Commissioner Woodruff suggested that Engineering come up with a simple street edge to keep asphalt from crumbling and to keep it looking better longer. Commissioner Fuller asked what will happen on the adjoining property owned by Salt Lake County. Steve Pastorik said the property will remain a natural open area. There is currently a trail that goes around the perimeter of the property, as well as the Crosstown Trail that follows the light rail tracks and continues out to Decker Lake. Chair Meaders asked if there will be neighborhood meetings to discuss suggestions for the Chesterfield Overlay Zone. Steve Pastorik said he wants to get the input of neighbors. He will prepare for and set up a neighborhood meeting. There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 4:42 p.m. Respectfully submitted, _______________________________________ Brenda Turnblom, Administrative Assistant