Westminster Planning & Zoning Commission

PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION MEETING SUMMARY Thursday, April 9, 2020, at 7 PM Virtual Meeting via Zoom and broadcasted live on the City Facebook Page Westminster, Maryland 21157 A meeting of the Westminster Planning and Zoning Commission was held virtually via Zoom and broadcasted live on the City Facebook Page, on April 9, 2020, at 7 PM. Chair Kevin Beaver, Vice-Chair Ross Albers, Commissioner Tom Herb, Commissioner Lyndi McNulty, Commissioner Tiombe Paige, and Councilmember Ben Yingling were present. City staff members Mark Depo, Andrew Gray, and Samantha Schlitzer were also present. The following members of the public signed in: Joe Heisler Chair Beaver opened the meeting at 7:00 PM. Mr. Gray noted that all public comments can be emailed to planning@westgov.com for submission to the Commission. Chair Beaver requested a motion to approve the meeting summary from March 12, 2020. Councilmember Yingling motioned to approve the meeting summary. Vice-Chair Albers seconded. The motion passed 5-0. Chair Beaver stated that New Business Item A – Proposed Site Development Plan for Westminster Mission BBQ has been moved to the May meeting of the Planning and Zoning Commission. Chair Beaver opened New Business Item B – Proposed Signage for Heritage Honda, Case No. 1755 for Property at 580 Baltimore Boulevard with SDAT No. 07-027834. Mr. Gray provided background information and a brief overview of the staff report with a recommendation that the Commission consider approval of one proposed freestanding monument sign, subject to the following Conditions of Approval: 1. Obtain a new address for the subject property and 2. Maintain the design of the freestanding monument sign and reduce the total area by 32.5 square feet, to be approved by the Zoning Administrator. Chair Beaver recognized Mr. Joe Heisler, present on behalf of the applicant, to answer any questions from the Commission. Mr. Heisler stated that the requested sign is 10 feet by 10 feet, and that the bottom white area was a covering for the pole mount. The owners did not feel the bottom area should be considered in the overall total square footage. PZC Meeting Summary of April 9, 2020 Page 1 of 3 Chair Beaver asked how the sign was measured. Mr. Gray replied that due to the Honda branding, the white portion on the bottom surrounding the pole was included, as monument style signage generally has a base of stone or brick. Mr. Depo added that because the overall size of the signage is over 64 square feet, the sign was required to come before the Commission for approval up to 125 square feet. Mr. Heisler added that the building façade is white metal with a panel pattern, and there is neither stone nor brick on the property; therefore, the base of the sign matches the existing building façade. Mr. Depo agreed that if the architectural building material matched the sign base, it could meet the requirements of the Development Design Preferences Manual. Councilmember Yingling asked for clarification on the safety issues for fire and police. Mr. Depo stated that the two Honda facilities are located on two separate parcels but share the same physical address. To avoid confusion if requesting fire or police services, the two parcels should have separate addresses. Vice-Chair Albers asked if Mr. Heisler foresaw any potential problems with obtaining a second address for the other property. Mr. Heisler stated that he was unaware of the process, but the owners were amicable since the address issue predates their ownership of the property. Vice-Chair Albers moved to approve Application for Sign or Awning Case No. 1755 based on the Staff Report and subject to the Conditions of Approval provided at the April 09, 2020, Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, including that staff research the property façade to confirm if the lower portion of the sign could meet the requirements of the Development Design Preferences Manual, thereby allowing staff to approve the application. Councilmember Yingling seconded. The motion passed 5-0. Mr. Depo stated that staff would continue to work with the applicant to confirm if the materials used can act as a monument style sign to match the Development Design Preferences Manual requirements. Chair Beaver opened New Business Item C – Proposed Signage for Heritage Honda, Case No. 1756 for Property at 580 Baltimore Boulevard with SDAT No. 07-003560. Mr. Gray provided background information and a brief overview of the staff report with a recommendation that the Commission consider approval of one proposed wall mounted sign. Vice-Chair Albers moved to approve the Application for Sign or Awning Case No. 1756 based on the Staff Report provided. Commissioner McNulty seconded. The motion passed 5-0. Chair Beaver opened New Business Item D – Carroll County Liaison Report. Mr. Cody Spaid, County Comprehensive Planner, stated that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the County was putting the Annual Report on hold, waiting for the State to announce the new deadline. Most County employees are working regular hours from home. The County has also put on hold the comprehensive rezoning process. Chair Beaver opened Planning Commission and Public Comments. Mr. Depo explained that Item A – Proposed Site Development Plan for Westminster Mission BBQ was removed by the applicant due to the applicants water allocation not taking into account the extra patio seating. The application has enough water for 96 seats. The applicant asked to be removed from the April PZC Meeting Summary of April 9, 2020 Page 2 of 3 agenda in hopes they would come before the Commission in May. Councilmember Yingling noted that the water allocation application had been previously approved, and asked if the additional seats were a new request. Mr. Depo explained that after reviewing related staff notes and the water allocation application, staff determined the applicant was limited to 96 seats. There were no additional records supporting the additional 16 seats. Mr. Gray reminded the Commission about its upcoming election in May for Chair and Vice-Chair. Mr. Gray also provided information for the upcoming Board of Zoning Appeals case related to Valvoline Auto Care at Gorsuch Road and Baltimore Boulevard. Finally, Mr. Gray reminded everyone to complete the 2020 United States Census. Councilmember Yingling moved to adjourn. Commissioner McNulty seconded. The Commission adjourned at 7:38 PM. PZC Meeting Summary of April 9, 2020 Page 3 of 3