The Planning Commission met last week with a bare quorum of four for the second straight month. In September, the absence of three members meant one commissioner could scuttle the Sonic Drive-in application. It also meant that commissioner Katie Hendrickson could not advance her application for a unit of tourist lodging because her recusal would leave the commission without the requisite four votes needed for passage.
Hendrickson said the delay has not posed a great problem for her, but she would like to proceed with obtaining a Conditional Use Permit for one unit of tourist lodging at 4 College St. Commissioners will try to schedule a special meeting so she does not have to wait another month.
The meeting began with the Board of Zoning Adjustment considering a variance at 320 Spring St. Teresa DeVito has bought three lots there and consolidated them into one house site. Her site layout creates a buffer between her house and the spring. Last week, she asked for a variance on off-street parking.
DeVito explained that one home will be built on two lots across the street from her, but otherwise there are few houses in that area. Her 120 ft. of frontage provides plenty of parking area. “People don’t want to see gouging into the hillside for a parking place,” she said.
Commissioners immediately expressed concerns about creating a precedent. Ann Tandy-Sallee said the city is still experiencing growth and parking is already a problem, “and it’s only going to get worse.”
Commissioner Tom Buford read a statement noting that the commission had recently eased setback requirements to create more off-street parking. He agreed that this particular section of Spring Street had lower demand for parking, but the property across the street might make the same request for no off-street parking.
DeVito modified her request and said one flat area might serve for off-street parking. Buford said he would have preferred two spots, but he and other commissioners accepted the compromise.
Kevin Reuhle wants to build at 153 Passion Play Rd. His initial application for a tree cut was turned down, and he appealed the decision of the Building Inspector. Buford said he had walked the site and agreed that Reuhle had done everything possible to position his building to save as many trees as possible. Buford also noted that most of the trees inside the building footprint were small. The other commissioners also agreed.
Commissioners also extended a variance to allow him to use metal on part of the exterior without cladding. Reuhle said he wants to build something which will not require a lot of exterior maintenance. He said he planned a design including windows on the front facade, to improve the appearance of the building.
Commission can share full-sized drawings
The meeting ended with a brief discussion of the permitting process for new commercial construction. Buford said he has struggled to read notes on some submitted plans. The present application calls for a scale drawing but does not specify the scale. Buford said the commission should receive at least one set of full-sized plans for a project.
City Historic Preservation Officer Glenna Booth said a commercial application would ordinarily come with two sets of full-sized plans, one for her office and one for the fire marshal. Rather than impose additional requirements, she asked if commissioners could share those plans if they had questions about a project, and they agreed that would satisfy most situations.