HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-PDB-1988-09-13 PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT BOARD
MINUTES
SEPTEMBER 13, 1988
Present: Chairperson S. Blumenthal, J. Daley, S. Jackson, M.
Sampson, A. Yale, and P. Mazzarella
Absent: T. Cookingham
The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Blumenthal at
7 :35 p.m.
The first item addressed by the Board was the Theory Center.
The UDC public hearing was held on August 25 at which time the
public came to comment on the project. Chair Blumenthal gave
comments at the public hearing which stated that the current
project design is much better than the original design. Chair
Blumenthal went on to describe some of the comments, both
negative and positive, presented by the public at the UDC public
hearing. Board member Yale commented that the environmental
analysis is very superficial in many respects, and the document
is not a complete, realistic look at the effects the Theory
Center will have.
The Board decided on certain mitigating measures to suggest.
They would like to establish a contract limit line. There needs
to be strong language in the contract to provide for the
protection of plant life in the surrounding area. In addition,
the run-off of water and siltation needs to be controlled during
construction. The language of the contract must specify these
types of protective measures so that contractors can be held
responsible.
The Board also suggested the establishment of a remote
staging area for any equipment associated with construction of
the project so that trucks, etc . will enter and leave the campus
in an organized fashion.
The second issue addressed by the Board was the West Hill
master plan. It was noted that the City may be looking into
hiring a consultant to assist with the West Hill Plan. A plan
must be developed for streets and utilities that works in terms
of good engineering standards . West Hill residents have
commented that they do not want through traffic and they do not
want to generate any traffic . The first step is getting good
information; getting a good base map. A topographical map will
be needed to plan and begin the project. They need to respond to
neighborhood wants and develop a new neighborhood character.
Traffic impacts, pedestrian impacts, etc. , must be addressed.
Right now, the project is at a conceptual stage. The project is
going to require a detailed, well thought out plan which will
have to be presented to the people for their input in its
development.
A Board member voiced concern that the City may "miss the
boat" , and contractors may not want to wait until a new master
plan is completed. Materials have been gathered to begin the
work on the master plan. Consultants may be hired to assist
planning staff in completing the design of the master plan.
Question was raised as to whether or not the West Hill master
plan issue could be raised on the priority list for the Planning
staff so that it could be given more of their time. A West Hill
resident was present in the audience to add comment that the
staff and citizens should work together to lay the groundwork for
a consultant who may be hired. He asked if traffic volume was
being monitored. Paul Mazzarella responded that data about
existing traffic conditions is being gathered and computer
simulations will give possible results . The resident in the
audience wants counts on various streets to be made because
perceptions of traffic volume can be very deceiving.
The Board discussed the fact that the project would be a
two-track process . The first being the development of street
systems in relationship to the subdivisions that are now being
considered. The second track will be the development of new
regional streets and bridges which will serve the community as a
whole more efficiently.
Chair Blumenthal stated that she wants the idea for the West
Hill master plan to be defined, as well as what will be done with
the entire West Hill and Southwest area. The biggest issue in
this project will be that of through streets . The Board could
help to define the role citizen participation is going to play.
To date, the relationship between the City and the neighborhood
has been vague. Board members voiced concern that neighborhood
residents need to be educated concerning cluster housing. Paul
Mazzarella has begun drafting guidelines concerning the
development of cluster housing; they are currently being reviewed
by Common Council.
The Board proceeded to the next agenda item to be covered-
Emergency Planning Priorities . It was noted that the Planning
and Development Committee is working on the Site Plan Review
Ordinance and that they probably will not complete that review
before October.
The proposed R-2 zone was discussed. The Board would like
to see that development density be tied to the number of bedrooms
rather than the number of dwelling units . They also noted that
this concept could also be applied to the other zoning districts
to control density.
The Board discussed mitigating measure which could be used
to lower the impacts of commercial development next to
residential zones, as well as changing the zoning ordinances to
avoid this problem or limiting uses to certain zones .
The discussion of problems with the R-3 zones between C&O
and P&D Committee resulted in the opinion that nearly all R-3
zones need to be redefined so that density is lowered and other
areas need to be redefined and not even be R-3 zones anymore.
Some R-2 and R-3 ' s which touch should be rezoned so there is a
transitional area between them.
Gathering enough data to revise the residential parking
requirements could be a very time consuming job. Household
surveys may be the most effective method of getting information
concerning the number of cars per household. Changes recommended
by Board: change density requirements in R-3 zones (how much
should R-3 density be reduced and by which manipulation of zoning
ordinances) ; having decided density of R-3, which areas that are
now R-3 should be changed to R-2C or lower. The Board added that
the Committee is welcome to bring their own ideas on solving this
matter.
The final matter discussed by the Board was site plan review
criteria. They determined that the developer must understand
that there are certain expectations concerning items such as
landscaping and drainage standards . In looking at the Port
Chester ordinances, the Board felt that just the mention of
certain expectations brought the developer to an awareness that
the city will be looking at those things during site plan review.
Staff recommendation was to have the ordinances adopted and
then, at a later date, implement the specific standards . A
motion was made by Andrew Yale to recommend to Council that the
site plan ordinance be passed without specific site plan
standards but those standards or guidelines be considered after
the ordinance has been in effect for a year. Motion was seconded
by M. Sampson. Vote 2-2 .
The Planning & Development Board meeting was adjourned at
10 : 00 P.M.