1. Call to Order and Roll Call: Chair Perry called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. Chair Perry and Commissioners Smolen, Power, Mare and Holland were present. Commissioner Johnston was excused. A quorum was present.
2. Citizen Comments and Concerns: None.
3. Commission Comments and Concerns: Commissioner Holland noted that the Alsea Village construction has dug a trench from the property to the beach, and wondered if this was part of the plan. Mr. Lewis wasn’t sure if this was part of the storm drainage, but will be communicating with them and find out. Commissioner Maré noted that he had spoken at the last meeting about abandoned cars, and he appreciated the City following up on the issue. He indicated that he felt that this should not be complaint-driven, that the City’s employees could identify code violations and enforce them.
4. Minutes: The Commission considered the minutes from the April 22, 2008 meeting. Commissioner Holland moved to accept the minutes as presented. Commissioner Maré seconded. The motion carried unanimously on a voice vote.
5. Correspondence: The Commission considered the letter from the Stuarts, regarding the Crestview Golf Club planned development. No action was necessary.
6. Public Hearing: Chair Perry opened the Public Hearing on Case File 1-SUB-PC-08. He called for any abstentions, ex parte contact, bias or conflicts of interest. Chair Perry noted that he lived in the neighborhood but had no financial interest in the matter. No objections were raised to any member of the Commission participating in the hearing.
    Staff Report: Mr. Lewis reviewed his written report. One letter was included in the packet, expressing concern about traffic noise and mosquito environment. Two additional letters were distributed at the meeting, citing similar concerns with traffic and development. The Fire District had identified issues regarding street widths, water supply and fire hydrant location. Commissioner Power asked about the water retention pond, wondering if the City had parameters for size, depth, fencing, etc. and if there were any provisions for safety. Mr. Lewis responded that the area would be dry through the summer and into the fall, then collect runoff in the winter. This had been reviewed by the Public Works department and the engineer. Mr. Lewis noted that there had been a conversation with the Fire Chief in regard to flag lots #6, 7 and 8, and it had been determined that it would make a lot more sense to have one wide driveway to access the three lots.
    Applicant’s Presentation: Buzz Schulte addressed the Commission and explained that this was a reiteration of his previous application which had expired, due in part to the necessity for acquisition of land to complete Bonnie Drive. He noted that there was nothing in the staff report’s suggested findings that they would have an objection to. He would like to improve the accessway to the north, putting in crushed rock for the pedestrian way. The retention basin would be an energy dissipater for wintertime water volume, to cut down the flow of water to the storm drainage system, and would be built to the City’s standards. The homeowner’s association would be responsible for maintenance of the pond and the park. The covenants, codes and restrictions would dictate that only stickbuilt homes will be allowed, and the minimum size home would be at least 1350 square feet. They did have some concern about the connection of Bonnie Drive to Wedge Drive. They had originally proposed a bulbout, but will concur with staff and Commission recommendations. Commissioner Smolen asked if there was room for a sidewalk on both sides of Bonnie Drive at the connection with Norwood. Mr. Schulte responded that the topography would really allow for only one side there, and Mr. Lewis noted that the recommendation for a sidewalk on one side had come from the Public Works Superintendent.
    Citizen Comments: The following citizens addressed the Commission; Alan Canfield, Howard Uhl, Todd Stewart, Robert Golden, Beth Nicholson, Margaret Howell, Doug Robinson, Donna O’Connell, Ann Watson, Toni Rolph and Tim Mugleston. Concerns expressed included the potential through traffic if the connection between Bonnie Drive and Wedge Drive is completed and the suggestion of a "crash gate" to prevent such problems, the stability of the slopes and effect of new development on existing surrounding properties, disposal of the debris from the land-clearing, the condition of Delores Drive and Norwood Drive and the the impact of additional traffic from the development, and the fact that currently residents of Norwood Heights only have one access point to their property. Applicant’s Response: Mr. Schulte clarified that Delores Drive will have some additional traffic, but the majority would be using Bonnie Drive. Development of the properties below the slopes would be designed to have no impact on the stability of the slope. He would be willing to purchase and install a crash gate at the Bonnie/Wedge Drive intersection if required. The additional traffic on Norwood Drive would be well within the City’s requirements, though adding traffic from the tie-in with Wedge Drive would certainly have an impact. Mr. Schulte stated that his application was in compliance with all the Code standards and staff recommendations, and he would be more than happy to conform to any additional requirements placed by the Planning Commission.
    Chair Perry closed the public hearing and opened the Planning Commission meeting for deliberations. A lengthy discussion ensued regarding the conditions on Norwood Drive, the impact of the additional traffic, and the need for improvements to the street as well as the intersection with Starr and Highway 101. Mr. Lewis stated that the City was budgeting for the intersection improvements in the next fiscal year. The subdivision was scheduled to be completed in five phases, and the final phase was the area with the tie-in between Bonnie Drive and Wedge Drive. Hopefully by the time that happens, the City will have made additional improvements to Norwood Drive, or provided an alternative pedestrian access to the area. Commissioner Power moved to approve the application, with the conditions as stated, the addition of the improvements to the pedestrian pathway adjustments to the flag lot access, allowing for the additional block length, and with the phasing as proposed. Commissioner Maré seconded. Chair Perry noted he was still not comfortable with the final phase, which would open up the access to Wedge Drive. He felt that there needed to be some sort of "trigger" included that would prompt the City to consider improvements to Norwood Drive. Discussion ensued. Commissioner Power amended the motion to include a requirement for the developer to come back before the Commission prior to the development of Phase Five, for approval with regard to traffic conditions. Commissioner Holland seconded. The main motion, as amended, then carried　unanimously on a voice vote.
7. Discussion/Action Items:
    A. Planning Report: Mr. Lewis will provide an updated report at the next meeting.
    B. Planning Commission Land Use Training Session: Mr. Lewis noted that the training will be held on June 25. Following discussion, consensus of the Commission was that an afternoon session would be preferable. Chair Perry noted that he would ask the presenter if there were any publications available, and would forward them as pdf files for distribution to the Commission.
    C. Comprehensive Plan Amendments: Mr. Lewis distributed the table of contents for the Comprehensive Plan, which follows the Statewide Goals. He will take the first "stab" at making some suggested updates and revisions and then present them to the Commission for review. Chair Perry suggested that it might be better to focus on the sections which are of more interest, rather than doing them in numerical order. Following discussion, consensus of the Commission was that transportation was the first section they would like to tackle.
    D. Other Issues: A brief discussion ensued regarding the "Miranda House" project on Mill Street. Mr. Lewis noted that this use was not permitted in the commercial zone, and indicated that a certified letter has been sent to the owner, with a copy provided to the tenant, notifying them that the use must cease immediately, or the City will impose a citation and fine of up to $1000 per day for every day of violation.
    Commissioner Maré noted the lateness of the hour, and asked if it would be possible to schedule the Planning Commission meetings for an afternoon, like the City Council, rather than an evening. Following discussion, consensus of the Commission was to try scheduling the meetings for 2:00 p.m. on the 4^th Tuesday of the month, beginning with the June meeting.
8. Adjournment: At 9:10 p.m., there being no further business to come before the Commission, the meeting was adjourned.

Respectfully submitted,

Reda A. Quinlan
City Clerk

APPROVED by the Planning Commission this 24th day of June, 2008.
SIGNED by the Chair this 24th day of June, 2008.

Dave Perry, Chair

Top of Page

Back to Planning Commission Minutes

Home