HomeMy WebLinkAbout1996-01-29 TOWN OF LANSING
Planning Board
Monday, January 29, 1996; 5 : 30 p. m.
PLANNING BOARD MEMBERS
(* Denotes present)
* Jackie Baker Cheryl Nickel
* Lin Davidson * Larry Sharpsteen, Chair
* Brad Griffin * Robert Todd
* Viola Miller * Al White
Larry Tvaroha, Town Councilman
* George Totman, Zoning and Code Enforcement Officer
Larry Sharpsteen called the meeting to order at 5 : 35 p. m.
Continued Revisions to the Zoning Ordinance
The Planning Board met to continue working on the revisions to the zoning ordinance.
All the district names will be corrected; striking all references to RU, RH, TC, GB, and all mentioning
of Town Center. The thinking behind the Town Center was to have a mixed use of municipal,
residential, and commercial uses. A suggestion was to call it a Municipal Center; but, it was agreed to
just call it the B1 District.
The Planning Board disagreed with the item that specifies that a zoning permit needs to be obtained
albefore a building permit could be issued.
Robert Todd questioned the difference between an area variance and a use variance. Viola Miler
clarified that if the size of a lot is not adequate, then an area variance is considered. If the size of the
lot is adequate, then a use variance is considered. George Totman used the existing Town Hall
building as an example of a use variance. Since the building is in a residential area, for it to be used
as a meeting hall the request would need to go before the Zoning Board of Appeals under a use
variance.
902. 5 Churches - Landscaping There was disagreement that landscaping should be required for
property adjacent to public streets. It was felt that the definition of landscaping should be further
defined, rather than leaving it so open for interpretation. They felt they could further define
landscaping as "sufficient to screen the parking, and dress the front of the structure in keeping with the
neighborhood it is in. " With the further development of the Site Plan Review process, the Planning
Board will have more input into the appearance of the business. As an example, the parking area for
the Lansing Methodist Church could be costly to landscape. It was agreed that the lot wouldn't
necessarily need to be totally screened from the highway, but the view could be softened. It was also
pointed out that along with landscaping also comes a degree of maintenance. Jackie Baker offered to
research and develop an appropriate description to define landscaping. To try to ease this point into
the ordinance, the following wording was suggested to be added: "It is not the intent of this ordinance
to require onerous cost on the part of the developer but to insure that the development or property is
developed in keeping with the rest of the neighborhood. "
9028 Owner-Occupied Business. This section specifies that the use shall be located in an owner-
occupied building. Viola clarified that the business owner has to be the resident of the home, and not
just the owner of the property. An accessory to such a dwelling should be on the same land.
Town of Lansing Planning Board Page 2
Monday, January 29, 1996
90212 and 90213. It was agreed to add the following wording: "Any outside lighting shall be
designed and located so it does not shine directly on or produce glare on adjacent properties and
roads. "
Site Plan Review in Town Center (BI, B2, and commercial uses in Rural Agriculture) - Robert
disagreed with Site Plan Review in the Rural Agriculture District. Viola, Larry, Lin, and Jackie stated
that this had been agreed upon at the last meeting. Both Robert and Al didn't recall the discussion.
Larry stated that if Site Plan Review is required in the RA District, it doesn't mean that commercial
uses will be restricted. It just means that there will be a method for reviewing the use before it goes
into the neighborhoods. Robert recommended that a vote be taken on this issue. It was recalled that
the uses were changed once the Rural Highway District was eliminated, and the Town Board still
wanted a way to control commercial development along the highway. Tom Neiderkom will be
consulted as to how he was planning to revise this section.
Traffic Patterns - Brad suggested adding to the first paragraph something more specific about
including right-angle intersections on public roads. He stated that there are no clear standards as it is
currently written, and suggested that they refer to the existing subdivision regulations for
specifications. For commercial uses, it was agreed that the driveways should come to the road at a 90-
degree angle and not be too close to intersections. Wording suggested to be added was : ". . . including
90 degree angle intersections with roads, and _ spacing from road intersections. " It was pointed out
that if a certain distance from an intersection is determined, it may actually preclude some smaller
parcels in the commercial district from being able to be utilized. The Town Board will be consulted
as to their recommendations on this issue.
Nonconforming Land Uses (Article 11) --- There was discussion on whether to allow a commercial �®
business to expand its business in a residential area. If the special condition specified that the request
go before the Zoning Board of Appeals (IBA), it was thought that this step would be revising the
ordinance if the /BA agreed to the change. It was then suggested that if the requestor had enough
land to expand upon, then the request would be granted. But, if the requestor had to purchase more
land in order to expand, then the request would be denied.
Farming - Al White expressed concern that the farming practices should continue to be allowed.
Concern was raised that a farmer would not be able to continue its previous business if the use was
stopped for over one year. The following wording was suggested to alleviate this problem:
"Agricultural uses are not subject to these restrictions. " It was pointed out that a request for an
extension can be taken to the Zoning Board of Appeals for consideration.
Administration -- It was agreed to use the title of Enforcement Officer instead of Code Enforcement or
Zoning Enforcement Officer.
This meeting was closed at 8:25 p.m.
Submitted by Michelle Eastman
The next meeting is scheduled for Monday, February 5, 1996, at 4:00 p. m.
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