Planning Commission

12/12/2024 - Minutes I. Call to Order Members Present: Mike O’Brien, Chair; Abby Bleything, Vice Chair; John Baker; Sarah Van Ryckevorsel City Staff Present: Ravi Venkataraman Guests Present: Michael Alvanos; Tim Mack; Kristine Lott, Mayer; Ruth Steinmetz Call to Order by: Mike O’Brien Meeting Start Time: 6:31 pm Minutes Recorded by: Ravi Venkataraman II. Changes to the Agenda None III. Public Comment Michael Alvanos and Tim Mack (41-47 West Center St.) brought forward development constraints they are facing when reviewing redevelopment opportunities. Alvanos requested amendments to the zoning regulations that would remove density limits, similar to development allowances on East Allen Street and Main Street. Alvanos will send to staff his review for the Planning Commission to consider. Mack said that currently the property has 10 units. Mack overviewed the mixed use development he hopes to see on the property. John Baker asked about the development potential. Alvanos said that the potential currently would be about 13 units on the property. John and Sarah expressed interested in having further discussions on possible rezoning and the development potential in this location. Mike O’Brien (30 West Allen Street) said that he is facing development constraints on his property, that he is not allowed to add a single unit to the property, and that he would like the commission to consider discussions on changes to the zoning regulations. Sarah said that this would be a good conversation to have at a future Planning Commission meeting. IV. Approve Previous Meeting Minutes Decision: Unanimous Motion by: John Second: Abby Minutes: Commissioners discussed the usage of last names instead of first names in the minutes V. Discussion: Debrief of November 19, 2024 Joint Planning and Housing Commission Meeting (Developers Roundtable) Mike asked about takeaways. Sarah asked about the stabilization of rents and asked if the  minutes V. Discussion: Debrief of November 19, 2024 Joint Planning and Housing Commission Meeting (Developers Roundtable) Mike asked about takeaways. Sarah asked about the stabilization of rents and asked if the market is saturated. Mike noted the countywide vacancy rates, and that we will learn more about vacancy rates later this month from CCRPC. Ravi noted national trends with housing supply and demand, as well as other intangibles that may be playing a role. Sarah said that it is notable that the developers said that they have vacancies. Baker said that the developers may not be building to the building types and floor layouts people want. Baker referred to Austin, Texas’s variation on missing middle, and that we could take elements from this. Mike noted people’s desires changing over time, and the increase in house sizes over the decades. Abby discussed her house, and said that she has heard of others leaving Winooski because they haven’t found housing types they’ve desired. Abby asked about tax abatement possibilities. Ravi reviewed tax abatement allowances per statute, and said that it was limited. Sarah asked about Jazmine Hurley’s memo in the meeting materials. Ravi said that he has included as reference. John noted that the developers recommended modifications to parking requirements. Sarah said that a conversation about parking may be warranted at a future meeting. VI. Discussion: Unified Land Use and Development Regulations (ULUDR) Sections 4.1 and 5.16 (Related to Replacement Units) Ravi provided an introduction to the topic, and his reservations about the draft regulations based on the lack of data about the housing stock as a whole, the lack of information about housing demand for larger units, and the novelty of the draft regulation. Ravi suggested that the commission return to this item after staff has more data from the Equitable Housing Needs Assessment work. Sarah appreciated the rigorous review from staff. Mike suggested looking at the assessment data to get bedroom counts for units. John said that having this type of data publicly available could help people determine development potential. Mike asked if the responsibility of meeting this priority falls upon CHT and affordable housing development. Abby noted that the community has a need for affordable larger units, and that she would’ve liked to have heard from nonprofit developers. Mike said that based on the developers roundtable, it seemed that CHT agreed with the for-profit developers on the zoning recommendations, and that they are facing similar development challenges as the for-profit developers. Commissioners agreed to table this item for now. Abby noted that based on the developers roundtable, there’s an understanding that there’s no demand for three-bedroom market-rate rentals. Mike and Kristine noted that there’s definitely demand for affordable three-bedroom rentals. Kristine added that the community does not know how much demand there is, that working with CHT to meet this need is critical, and that the city needs to provide larger incentives than what is currently offered in the draft regulations to offset the costs. Mike identified the developers’ general suggestions to remove parking requirements. Ravi said that a broader conversation on the topic is needed. VII. City Updates Mayor Kristine Lott said that City Council discussed the Certified Local Government and the draft budget during their last meeting. Mayor Lott went into further detail on the budget.  that a broader conversation on the topic is needed. VII. City Updates Mayor Kristine Lott said that City Council discussed the Certified Local Government and the draft budget during their last meeting. Mayor Lott went into further detail on the budget. Ruth Steinmetz said that the Inclusion and Belonging Committee has had more regular meetings recently and that they are looking into working with community members who work in the city and regularly are in the city, but not living in the city. Ravi provided background on the Certified Local Government, City Council’s review of the proposed zoning changes related to Act 181, and the upcoming DRB meeting. VIII. Other Business N/A IX. Adjourn Motion by: Abby Second: Sarah Meeting End Time: 8:05 pm