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HomeMy WebLinkAboutJanuary 4, 2005PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING JANUARY 4, 200X ~ 7:00 PM The meeting was called to order at 7:00 pm. Roll Call: Present: Baker, Schmitt, Szurek, & Peterson Absent: Fiorendino ". Also present were Pat Smith (City Planner) and Bobby Williams (Council Liaison). Planner Smith was named Secretary Pro-Tem for the meeting. Motion by Baker, second by Szurek, to approve the minutes from December 7, 2004 as written. All Ayes. MOTION PASSED. PUBLIC HEARINGS None NEW BUSINESS Duplexes in the R-2 Zoning Ordinance Pat Smith gave a presentation on duplexes in the city. The City Council and Planning Commission have expressed concerns regarding the following items: 1. Duplexes located in predominately single-family neighborhoods. 2. The scale or size of duplexes being constructed compared to the character of the surrounding neighborhood. 3. The design of the new duplexes being constructed. 4. The number of duplexes being rented. 5. Utility fees being charged to duplexes. The Planning Commission will look at the first three concerns while the Fire Department and Finance Department will address the last two concerns at a later date. Based on rental licenses, Columbia Heights has 354 duplexes. Of these 59% (209) are located on non-conforming lots, and 18% (63) have been converted fi:om a single-family home into a duplex. In addition, staff surveyed 12 similarly developed cities. Columbia Heights has the highest percentage of dwelling units that are duplexes, 6.7%. The average percentage of duplex units is 2.3%. Columbia Heights has the second smallest minimum lot size for duplexes at 8,400 square feet. The average required lot size for a duplex in a R-2 zoning district is 12,130 square feet. Staff recommends rezoning duplexes that were originally constructed as such to R-2B and the rest of R-2 as R-2A. Duplexes should be permitted in both R-2B and R-2A as conditional uses. Minimum lot size for Duplexes in R-2A should be 12,000 square feet. Minimum lot size for R- 2B duplexes should be 5,100 square feet for lots existing on January 1, 2005, or 12,000 square feet for lots established after January 1, 2005. PLANNING & ZONING PAGE 2 JANUARY 4, 2005 Staff also recommends adding additional conditions for duplexes: 1. Street-facing garage doors must be recessed behind either the front faqade of the living area portion of the dwelling or a Covered porch (measuring at least six feet by eight feet) by at least five feet. 2. If located on a comer lot, each unit of the duplex shall have its address and entrance oriented to a separate street frontage. 3. Vehicle access to a lot must be from an alley if the lot abuts an alley. 4. The length of the garage wall facing the street may be up to 50% of the length of the street-facing building fagade. Commission member Schmitt questioned if these provisions applied to duplexes only, or does it include twin-homes. Smith answered that the new ordinance would apply to both duplexes and twin homes. Schmitt felt an attempt should be made to get homes that fit into the neighborhood. Peterson likes the idea that duplexes are conditional uses. And he agreed that Developers are not designing duplexes that fit the neighborhood. Schmitt stated she likes the idea that duplexes are conditional uses because the more people that look at the plans, the more likely someone will catch something. Baker questioned why we would allow originally constructed duplexes to be conforming? Smith responded that staff thought that.' people who buy an originally constructed duplex should be able to get their investment back. Plus, it's easier to convert a single-family home that's been converted into a duplex back to a single-family home. It's more difficult for an originally- constructed duplex. Szurek thought the proposed ordinance is a good idea. She expressed her frustration with the amount of single-family residences that are being rented. She asked if there was any way of reducing rental property? Smith informed the commission that State law allows people to rent their homes. Peterson thought the best way to reduce the number of rentals is to encourage and force homeowners to maintain and improve their property so that the property values increase. PLAN~NiNG & ZONING COMMISSION MINUTES PAGE 3 JANUARY 4, 2005 2005 Training Schedule Szurek asked if the schedule was set in stone or is flexible. Smith responded that the schedule is supposed to be flexible. We will try to have the training after each regular Planning Commission meeting up until 9:30. Anything that we don't get to will be discussed at the following meeting. MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS Peterson informed the members that the City Council is helping to build the Neighborhood Watch Program and the Civilian Emergency Response Team. People should call the Fire or Police Chiefs if they are interested. Schmitt told the others that there is a subdivision in Stillwater that prohibits the third stall of a three-car garage to face the street. There was some discussion regarding this. Motion by Baker, seconded by Szurek to nominate $zurek as the chair and $chmitt the vice.-chair for 2005. There were no other nominations. All ayes. MOTION PASSED. Smith reminded the members the vice-chair is not an official position until the ordinance is amended to allow the position, but will serve as the back up for running the meeting. The meeting was adjourned. Respectfully sul~nitted,