This transcript appears to be from a Planning Commission meeting rather than a City Council meeting, as it involves a roll call of commissioners and public hearings for Conditional Use Permits (CUPs). Based on the roll call and the context of the dialogue, I have identified the speakers as follows: * **Chair Pearson**: The presiding officer. * **Luke McClanahan**: Planning Manager (Staff). * **Erin (Consultant/Staff)**: Presenting the Glen Brook Small Area Plan. * **Commissioner Willenbring (Lee)**: Identified by the Councilman as "Lee" during the snow plow discussion. * **Commissioner McCoy**: Asked specific technical questions regarding square footage. * **Councilman Inkersonson**: The Council liaison (Note: This name appears in the transcript but not in your provided list; he is likely a liaison or the name was transcribed phonetically). *** [00:00:00] **Chair Pearson**: You catch a good day. Call to order for the planning commission, April 6th, 2023. First order of business is the pledge of allegiance. To the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Luke, if you could do the roll call for us. [00:00:25] **Luke McClanahan**: Yes. Pearson here. Willenbring here. Solarski here. Campbell present. Tyata absent. And McCoy here. [00:00:35] **Chair Pearson**: Next order of business is the approval of minutes. Anyone have any corrections or changes to make to the minutes from last meeting? None from me? No. Uh ask ask for a motion to approve as presented. [00:00:45] **Commissioner Willenbring**: So moved. [00:00:47] **Commissioner Campbell**: Second. [00:00:48] **Chair Pearson**: All those in favor? [00:00:50] **Commissioners**: I. [00:00:51] **Chair Pearson**: Any opposed? Okay. Uh, old business is none. So, the new business, the first public hearing of Dave Kersner at 6238 50th Street North, a conditional use permit for an oversized accessory structure. Luke report. [00:01:05] **Luke McClanahan**: Thank you. And the location of this request, it's on the north side of 50th Street uh northeast of its uh where merges with Georgia Boulevard. Um should have a map here on on the screen here in just a moment. This the size of the property is just under half an acre and the conditional use permit or CUP as I'll refer refer to it throughout the uh the presentation here is for an oversized accessory structure and this is a garden shed. Uh the zoning for the site is R2. Um, and per the R2 zoning districts, uh, accessory structures are limited to 170 square ft and the proposed garden shed is 484 square ft. So, exceptions to the size limit are allowed through the cup approval process. And just for reference, cups uh, they run with the land and versus running with the the property owner. [00:01:55] **Luke McClanahan**: Here is a look at the applicant site plan. The uh proposed garden shed is on the west side of the house closer to that gateway trail. And the again the shed is approximately 480 uh 84 square ft. Here is a an image of the the rendering. Um to just to be clear, this is a proposed rendering here of the garden. It's actually a pretty good image here. the house is existing that the garden shed is proposed. Um so it has not been built yet. [00:02:25] **Luke McClanahan**: Uh cups are subject to certain review criteria that is found in the city's ordinance. And here's just a a quick summary of the review criteria that we must use in our evaluation. So compliance with the comp plan, compatibility of use with the zoning, uh no nuisances generated, no traffic congestion or parking issues created. The use must be adequately served by public services. No excessive costs incurred for public services or infrastructure. Minimal impacts to the environment and natural features. And then there's additional uh review criteria for oversized accessory structures and there's just four of those. The lot cannot be further subdivided with the building on site. No pullb barn building construction. No door is to exceed 10 ft in height. and no commercial or industrial uses are to occur within the structure. [00:03:15] **Luke McClanahan**: So staff finds that the cup uh meets the review criteria of the ordinance as detailed in the staff report on file. So staff recommends approval of the request subject to the following conditions and there's just two of them here. The accessory structure shall meet setback and height requirements and then number two is the applicant obtain a building permit for the use. So, a reminder that this is a public hearing and the applicant is here in attendance and I'd be happy to answer any questions. Thank you. [00:03:45] **Chair Pearson**: Does anyone else have any questions before I open the public hearing? [00:03:48] **Commissioner Willenbring**: Confused. You kept on saying proposed. Yes. So, if we um There we go. Thank you. So, the the garden shed is is proposed just this image is it looks really good. you know, it almost looks like it's that's what I'm You had me there. I'm sorry, but just Okay, that's fine. Nice job. [00:04:10] **Luke McClanahan**: So, yes, uh it it has not been built at this time. [00:04:13] **Chair Pearson**: So, all right. Any other questions before I open the public hearing? Nope. I open the public hearing now on the the conditional use permit for 6238 50th Street. Does anyone in the audience have any questions? Anyone have any questions of the applicant? Uh, just to be clear, we Any qu any other questions for people in the audience? I close the public hearing. Bring it back here. And I guess at that point, I look for a motion. [00:04:40] **Commissioner Campbell**: I'll make the motion to recommend approval of the cup for an oversized accessory structure at 6238 50th Street. [00:04:45] **Commissioner Solarski**: Second. [00:04:46] **Chair Pearson**: All those in favor? [00:04:48] **Commissioners**: I. [00:04:49] **Chair Pearson**: Any opposed? Thank you very much. Motion passes. Uh, next is a public hearing for Mark Sodley at 1117 Greystone Avenue North. The conditional use permit for an oversized accessory structure. Luke. [00:05:05] **Luke McClanahan**: Yes, thank you. So, the location of this site is on the east side of Greystone Avenue just north of 11th Street. Uh, this is a similar request to the last one. It's a a cup for an oversized accessory structure. And in this case, it is for a replacement garage. The zoning of this site is R2. And uh per the zoning code, detached garages are allowed to be up to 1,000 square ft, whereas the applicant here is requesting uh to replace the garage with a 1,232 ft garage that is also approximately 3 ft taller than the dwelling. Um and uh there is an ordinance requirement that uh the the garage cannot be taller than the than the dwelling. Um but similar to the last request, exceptions to the size limits are allowed through the cup process. [00:05:55] **Luke McClanahan**: Here's a look at the garage renderings. Uh the garage will again assume the same footprint as the existing garage. It will extend a little bit further back into the rear of the property. UM, CUPs are subject to certain review criteria of the ordinance and I I had mentioned those for the previous request and those are the same review criteria that we use here for this request. So staff finds that the cup review criteria of the ordinance has been satisfied for this request as detailed in the staff report on file and staff recommends approval of this request subject to the following conditions. Number one, the accessory structure shall meet setback requirements. And then number two, the applicant obtain a building permit for the use. The applicant is here in attendance. And um otherwise, I'd be happy to answer any questions. Thank you. [00:06:45] **Chair Pearson**: Okay. Anyone have any questions first before we open the meeting? [00:06:48] **Commissioner McCoy**: I do have a quick question. So when we're looking at square footage, we're just looking at the footprint of the building, not total occupiable square footage. [00:06:55] **Luke McClanahan**: That's right. [00:06:56] **Commissioner McCoy**: Okay. Any other questions? First. [00:06:58] **Chair Pearson**: Okay. I open the public hearing for uh the Mark Sley 1117 Greystone Avenue North conditional use permit. Does anyone in the audience have any questions or input? Would the Would Mark or representative like to make any comments? Seeing none, I'll do it once more. Anyone in the audience have any any questions or input? Seeing none, I close the public hearing. Bring it back. Any final thoughts or questions from anyone? Then I look for a motion. [00:07:30] **Commissioner McCoy**: I will make a motion to recommend approval of the conditional use permit for an oversized accessory structure at 1117 Greystone Avenue, New York. [00:07:38] **Commissioner Willenbring**: Second. [00:07:39] **Chair Pearson**: All those in favor? [00:07:40] **Commissioners**: I. [00:07:41] **Chair Pearson**: Any opposed? Motion passes. Thank you. Uh, next on the agenda is Glenbook's small area plan. Uh, Luke, I take it that Erin's going to do the presentation. [00:07:53] **Luke McClanahan**: Yes. [00:07:54] **Chair Pearson**: Okay. [00:07:55] **Erin**: Erin, hi. Nice to see you all. Uh, if we could get the presentation up on the screen, that would be helpful. The one from over here. Oh, let me see if I need a Let's try that. There we go. There we go. Wonderful. Uh, yeah. So, I'm here to give you an update on uh the Glen Brook small area plan and also discuss uh the three alternatives that we've developed um that we're going to be taking out for public input. We would like to get your input on those as well. [00:08:25] **Erin**: First of all, just a quick reminder of where we are in the process. Uh we've done our background research. Um our initial stakeholders interviews and engagement. Um we developed some goals and met with uh the city council to uh review those goals for the uh for the study. And now we're in phase three, which is developing alternatives and reviewing them with a lot of different groups. And you are one of the first that we are talking to uh tonight. Despite the fact that you're listed low on the list, uh we haven't um done engagement on these alternatives yet. So engagement with the public that will be coming up. [00:09:05] **Erin**: Uh okay. So I believe you have all of these in your packet, correct? No. No. Okay. It was emailed out. We did I did not print it myself. So, okay. But you got it. You got it in your email. And we'll I I can keep these on the screen as long as possible. This is just a depiction of what's going on right now in the neighborhood. Uh and a recap of the issues that we heard from our first um our first neighborhood meeting. Uh basically the the biggest issue uh is truck traffic and that's shown on that big uh black line there. Um truck traffic conflicting with residential uses... [00:09:50] **Erin**: Folks love to walk there and so one of their concerns uh that they brought up frequently was um the fact that the truck traffic creates unsafe situations for pedestrians. Uh they also uh mentioned that there a lot of the destinations where they go um parks and trails and whatnot uh require crossing either 120 or uh going south and crossing 36 to get to the gateway trail and there aren't safe ways to do that on foot. Um and so uh those are some of the things we heard when we initially started talking to people. [00:10:25] **Erin**: And so when we uh began developing a set of alternatives... One way is to change the land uses of some of the parcels so that um truck traffic isn't traveling through residential areas... or we change the way truck traffic flows. Uh, and so the alternatives I'm going to show you uh kind of take a few different angles on that. Okay. So the first one... is basically the option where we leave the street network as it is. We don't propose to construct any new streets. [00:11:05] **Erin**: Before I move on to the next alternative, I want to stop and um get some of your thoughts on this alternative. Um, so I have a couple of of targeted questions, but we could just open it up and... [00:11:15] **Chair Pearson**: Well, first question I've got is I know there's an apartment building up there. What where is it in the purple that the apartment building is? [00:11:22] **Erin**: The apartment building is in the dark brown. Uh, so yeah, I know you're not looking at that right now, but it's right the apartment building is right on upper 51st. Yeah, my uh it's that L-shaped building up there in the dark brown. [00:11:35] **Chair Pearson**: Okay. Yep. So it's in the south side of 50 correct first. Yep. That's Eastgate Apartments. [00:11:42] **Erin**: So, one thing I'm going to ask is... how do you feel about leaving the road network the way it is at this point? [00:11:48] **Commissioner Willenbring**: Why why is it that the trucker I understand some convenience issues, but why is it the truckers don't go up through the roundabouts? [00:11:55] **Erin**: That's a very good question. You know, we uh during the first phase, we went out and talked to all of the businesses in the neighborhood... they all say that they tell their vehicles not to drive that way. They also tell their deliveries not to come that way, but people still do. [00:12:15] **Commissioner Willenbring**: I'm thinking when all that happened, when they changed the signage was when they put the roundabouts in there. Oh, that could be. And so, they had actually routed it kind of up and around and and through the neighborhood and by lumber and all through there. So that's probably then they got used to doing that. [00:12:35] **Luke McClanahan**: My recollection from the meeting was that people were saying it was during the resurfacing of the road up there. But I'm not again I'm not positive. That's yeah typical. Yeah. [00:12:45] **Commissioner McCoy**: Do we have a sense of kind of frequency and size of trucks because is it is it a perceived issue or is it a true issue? you know, are these semis that are coming through here is, you know, 10 times a day or is it a box truck twice a week, right? [00:13:00] **Erin**: That's a good question. We haven't done any observations or counts or anything like that. Mainly what we heard was that uh you know box trucks people weren't concerned with but there are semitrs going through there. [00:13:15] **Commissioner Willenbring**: I mean I absolutely understand why they're going that route if it's semis and flatbeds because to get through those three roundabouts to get back on to 36 it's one of them is hard enough to do three is they don't they'd actually only have to do two because the one is up by Fleet Farm. So unless they're going north they wouldn't hit that one. But they are those are very tight nasty ones for a big truck. [00:13:40] **Commissioner Campbell**: I guess my general thoughts on this one, I am not a fan of this kind of forced reasoning on property owners and affecting their property rights. If you want to change or if we want to change the comp plan and guide it to commercial, I have absolutely no problems with that. But I don't think we should be in a position where we come in and tell residential land owners, hey, we're going to reszone your land to commercial, and guess what? When you sell that, you're out of luck. [00:14:05] **Erin**: Right. And I don't think um we haven't discussed doing any proactive reasoning. So it would just be a change to the comp plan. Um yeah. So other thoughts on whether changing the land uses uh is something that um you'd be supportive of? [00:14:20] **Commissioner Willenbring**: If if the c if the truckers are refusing to go the direct the way the companies say they're directing it, I don't see that ch you know reszoning it is other than saying you're allowed to go there is going to make any difference. [00:14:35] **Commissioner Campbell**: I agree with you, Dallas. I think it's a it's good long term, but you're not seeing any results for 20 years. [00:14:42] **Erin**: Yeah. other thoughts on this one? So, in general, I'm hearing that um if you know, if this is the way that truckers are going to go without any changes to the road network, then um changing the future land use designation isn't really a problem or you'd be okay with it. Or is that what I'm hearing? [00:15:00] **Commissioner Willenbring**: No. No, you heard the opposite from from him. Well, agreement. [00:15:05] **Commissioner Campbell**: I think she was saying though just to change the comp plan, but I think what we're what we're saying is I mean I don't have a problem changing the comp plan, but I don't think it does anything. We don't see any results from that for decades because it's going to take that long for that that neighborhood to gentrify into a commercial use from the current residential. [00:15:25] **Commissioner Willenbring**: If they're running semis down their road, do we have a weight restriction on our roads there? [00:15:30] **Luke McClanahan**: Uh, that is a good question. I'm not Do you know it's just nine tons and I mean I think that's standard throughout the city. So Okay. Okay. [00:15:40] **Erin**: So, is everybody kind of in general agreement with what Chris was saying? Very good. [Presentation continues through Alternate B and Hybrid Solutions] [00:16:00] **Erin**: ...Curious about um what your thoughts are on creating a new frontage road and the idea that we would the city would need new rightway. [00:16:10] **Commissioner Willenbring**: Yeah. Uh, this one in my opinion is clearly a no-go because until you've resolved what happens at that interchange, 50th Street in most of the scenarios goes away in terms of access to to Century 120, whatever it is up there because that's that's they're going to put in the bridge in theory. You got four four jurisdictions that have to agree on all that yet. But all the scenarios I've seen, access from 50th or 250th is gone. [00:16:40] **Erin**: We've um had some been looking at some of the alternatives... but we will obviously anything we propose is going to have to work with that. What do you think of this alternative? What type of businesses would we be re acquiring right away from? [00:17:00] **Luke McClanahan**: So the the green parcels there right now are vacant... the owner has been looking to develop it for quite some time. Yep. So this what we're talking about is 6138 Highway 36 Boulevard North... I because it's not it's a a green space piece right now. It's it's a lot easier to acquire right away as opposed to, you know, a a business that's operating there. [00:17:45] **Commissioner Campbell**: I would reserve my judgment until we know more about how this impacts 6211. You know, how much rightaway is being taken? What's it do to their off- streetet parking requirements? How does that affect their business? [00:18:00] **Erin**: And we will be talking to them. Um, so yeah, when we come back next, we'll have an answer to that. [00:18:05] **Commissioner Willenbring**: I do know that those the businesses that are along that park coming down 50th Street uh quite often there are people parked on the street in front of the stores. So that on street parking on 50th. Yeah. Which given what you're planning on doing, I don't know that there'd be room for any of that anymore. [00:18:25] **Erin**: All right. Very good. And uh okay, so the last one... a little bit of a of a hybrid solution... north south, basically an extension of Gershwin using some existing rightaway that the the city already owns... thoughts or concerns, questions about this idea? [00:19:00] **Commissioner Willenbring**: In your prior maps, the the the dashed section was a gray and there's also on your map now, there's still a gray section that goes between just to the south of the apartments. What is that gray area? [00:19:15] **Erin**: Yeah, that's right away also. We did explore um using that right of way as a means to for a truck route... what we learned was that that rightway is not large enough. [00:19:35] **Commissioner McCoy**: I'd be curious to know how much traffic to those businesses to the northeast there come through this neighborhood... is there an opportunity to just close that road? So you've got a a dead end and and you just are forcing trucks to use Hadley. [00:20:00] **Commissioner Willenbring**: Could you point out where the the lumber yard and the landscaping gravel area? [00:20:05] **Erin**: Yeah, that's up in that in that red triangle patio world is up there. East of Glenbrook, north of 36, the lumber yard is too lumberyard. I don't want that would be great. [00:20:25] **Commissioner McCoy**: I would still I think reiterate that I think we need to do more to validate how much traffic we're talking about here. [00:20:45] **Commissioner Campbell**: If they do consider one of those physical barriers to just stop the trucks going, what's that do to fire response time in that area? Does that affect it at all? [00:21:00] **Erin**: Yeah, we would have to we would have to check on that and see. Yeah, good question. Okay. All right. Well, this was really helpful. I'll just show you what we're doing next. [Erin details timeline and next steps] [00:22:30] **Commissioner Campbell**: One final thought... reposting a weight limit that's at a more reasonable level for the neighborhood use and at that point depending on police going patrolling and ticketing which often gives a huge deterrent. [00:22:45] **Luke McClanahan**: Yeah, I I will say from the staff perspective we we've kicked around that idea quite a bit. It is quite the administrative burden on you know enforcement... and then there's also concerns about just um a lot of residents will need they might need a large truck you know if they're moving. [00:23:10] **Erin**: All right. Well, thanks for thanks for the conversation. I'll take all of this um under advisement and research some of these issues and ideas a little bit further. Thank you. [00:23:25] **Chair Pearson**: Next on the agenda is a plan and development update. Luke, yep. [00:23:30] **Luke McClanahan**: Just um a quick update about next month. I I anticipate that we'll have a meeting uh possibly two applications. And that's all I have. Thank you. [00:23:45] **Chair Pearson**: Councilman Inkersonson, got anything for us? [00:23:50] **Councilman Inkersonson**: I have nothing. Thank you. [00:23:53] **Chair Pearson**: Makes it brief. We appreciate you sticking around for that update. [00:24:00] **Commissioner Willenbring**: Well, I would like to h have a conversation I'd like to have with you with all the snow that we've been having and everything and the snow plows only going three feet from the curb. I think maybe we should rethink that instead... Could we compromise and go maybe one foot? [00:24:25] **Councilman Inkersonson**: Well, it's my there were a lot of factors that went into how things were plowed during this last major storm. [00:24:32] **Commissioner Willenbring**: First of all, this is this is an all winter thing. [00:24:35] **Councilman Inkersonson**: Oh okay. Gotcha. I will I will respectfully disagree with you. I think the plows have been pretty good all winter. [00:24:45] **Commissioner Willenbring**: I will agree though that this last they just changed this to three feet from the curb and I think they really need to rethink that... And I do know that there's been a few issues uh with mailboxes that have been damaged. [00:25:05] **Councilman Inkersonson**: I've lived here 20 years and this is the first year they went three feet is it was it made the roads really miserable. Yeah. There's going to be different areas because ours was done the same as all previous years up until this last one. [00:25:20] **Chair Pearson**: Mine was as ours has been three feet from the curb. Yeah. And and Lee [Willenbring], this might be one this is one of those situations that as an elected official, it's like competing interests... Go closer to the mailbox. Hey, you wrecked my mailbox. [00:25:40] **Commissioner Willenbring**: I mean, you know what I mean? It's it's it's and it's hard... I don't and sometimes I don't know what the correct solution there is... They could go one foot because we didn't get our mail half the time because the mail lady couldn't ma couldn't deliver. [00:25:55] **Councilman Inkersonson**: Yeah. No, no, that that's that's an that's definitely an issue. That's you know, that's something I heard about a lot on my street up Seventh Street. [00:26:05] **Commissioner Willenbring**: See, I live on Glen Brook Glenn Brook Avenue over by— [00:26:08] **Councilman Inkersonson**: Well, and can you email me and— [00:26:10] **Commissioner Willenbring**: Yeah. And I'll I'll I'll make sure it gets forwarded on... All the people up on even on Seventh Street, we all bought really expensive snow removal things... $20,000 John Deere tractors trying to get rid of the snow that the city is leaving three feet of. [00:26:35] **Councilman Inkersonson**: Now, I will tell you this, Lee, that if them not plowing close to my mailbox means I'd get the okay at home to go buy a $20,000 John Deere tractor— [00:26:45] **Commissioner Willenbring**: I saw our neighbors. I saw a lot of the neighbors there. Yeah. No. John Deere tractors and we I mean, you know, our our our lots are not that— [00:27:00] **Councilman Inkersonson**: All joking aside, no. If you if you're Yeah. If the mail's not getting delivered, that's an issue. Yes. I'm surprised if the mail hasn't Yeah. And I wish issue with that. Yeah. And I I wish you' let me know to let sooner. [00:27:15] **Commissioner Willenbring**: Well, it's over now. Hopefully. It's over now. [00:27:20] **Councilman Inkersonson**: Just Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And And I don't know. Um, I don't know their exact specifications as far as how they do it. If that's just on your street, I I I don't know. I I I can't speak to it at all. [00:27:35] **Commissioner Willenbring**: Well, I I as some of the conversations I've seen on Facebook and whatever it's that's how it has come down is they're saying it's three feet now. Okay. [00:27:45] **Councilman Inkersonson**: And I don't I don't know if that's the case or not, but email me and I will get you an answer straight from public works. Sure. [00:27:55] **Commissioner McCoy**: I have one other question. Can you give us a quick update on the public works and police department expansion if you have anything? [00:28:05] **Councilman Inkersonson**: Well, there isn't much right now. I haven't se I haven't read the email yet, but I did I did get one today about uh some of the very specific like the exterior texture... but I will tell you that we want to get going as quickly as possible. UM, I do know that uh you know 3M is donating the land for the public works... and there are some remediation things that need to be done there. And Luke, can you speak to this at all? [00:28:40] **Luke McClanahan**: I could just a little bit. UM, I believe that public works is getting pretty close to looking for a u a general contractor, a project manager for the site. UM, the plan is to actually bring the public works building... as the first project through the like the approval process. So, you'll actually see them at some point and possibly some public input engagement from the the community. [00:29:15] **Chair Pearson**: Thanks, Luke. I, you know, I I knew things were moving along on public works, but I wasn't sure exactly where we were in the process. So, sounds good. Anything else? I see nothing. Thank you, Jake. Thank you. Uh I ask for move to adjourn. [00:29:30] **Commissioner Campbell**: So move. [00:29:32] **Commissioner Solarski**: Second. [00:29:33] **Chair Pearson**: All those in favor. [00:29:34] **Commissioners**: I. [00:29:35] **Chair Pearson**: Any opposed? We are ajourned.