Commissioner Fergie Stewart closed last week’s meeting of the Planning Commission by thanking the merchants who stayed open during the pandemic. He noted the 25 percent rise in revenues, and said, “Those numbers a result of a lot of businesses that decided to open.”
Earlier in the meeting, commissioners discussed a workshop on tourist lodging they had held before the regular meeting. Commissioner Mickey Schneider said the session represented the best of Eureka traditions. “The whole point of a workshop in Eureka is, you get to sound off,” she said. The workshop took most of an hour, and Schneider and Chair Ann Tandy-Sallee both thanked all who attended.
Commissioners would like to hold a workshop on parking issues and another on tourist lodging. They had questions about the calendar, however, and could not set a date at the meeting. They encouraged the public to watch the website for announcements concerning the workshops, which may come later in August.
In new business, commissioners approved a covered patio at 105 E. Van Buren for Ann Kavanagh. The commissioners noted that this former location of Legends Saloon had ample parking.
Jeff and Heather Carter received straighforward approval to add a storage building and permanent camping units in the Walden Addition on Passion Play Road. “That’s going to be a remarkable area you have there,” Stewart said.
At 38 Prospect Ave., Byron and Marilyn McKimmey asked for and received a Conditional Use Permit to use the property for conference and luncheon space. The McKimmeys may later ask to extend their CUP for overnight lodging. A letter had come in objecting to the CUP, but that letter came from a resident in an adjacent small pocket of R-1 zoning.
Commissioner Tom Buford said the commission had approved a series of applications for the Pine Mountain complex in early 2020. Those approvals have since expired, and the plans will have to come back before the committee if work proceeds.