CHAIRMAN AND COMMISSIONERS: The meeting was called to order at 05:30 p.m. All present included Chairman John Reed, Commissioner Jeffrey Loris, Commissioner Adel Murphy, and Commissioner Mike Scott.
STAFF: City Manager Judy Gubler, City Attorney Dale Coulam, Building and Zoning Administrator Kevin Rudd, and Deputy City Recorder Martha Wilson
AUDIENCE: Claudette Larsen, Marc & Crystal Deshowitz, Lisa Rutherford, and Mayor Hart
A. Acknowledgement of Quorum Chairman Reed acknowledged there was a quorum. Commissioner Benson was excused.
B. Flag Salute Commissioner Scott led the Flag Salute.
C. Invocation Commissioner Murphy led the Invocation.
D. Disclosures There were no disclosures or conflict of interests with this meeting's agenda.
A. Sensitive Lands Committee Report - Chuck Gillette Chuck Gillette reported that the Sensitive Lands Committee does not have any formal applications but they have been discussing an informal application on the Layton property that is located next to Tuacahn. The committee has also been discussing ways to make the Sensitive Lands Ordinance better. The presentation (copy available at Ivins City office) is the result of some of their discussions. The ordinance was adopted in 2005 to provide protection of streams and flood plains, wetlands, slopes, ridgelines, habitat and lava fields & rock outcroppings, and geologic hazard areas. The Sensitive Lands Map shows the locations of the sensitive lands. He discussed the ordinance requirements for Slope Protections, Limits of Disturbance, Maximum Building Heights, Grading Restrictions, and examples of Modified Street Cross Sections. The committee reviews any concept plans that fall within sensitive lands. The meat of the ordinance is protecting the slopes and how the slopes are developed.
Some slope limitations within the ordinance include: the maximum disturbance allowed is 45% based on 8% to less than 9%, maximum building height is eighteen (18) feet, fill height limits is to three vertical feet, and there are no retaining walls on fill slopes except when cutting into the hill.
The ordinance was written for conventional residential subdivisions with low densities. The current ordinance does not address commercial development within sensitive lands. There are five challenges: Commercial Lots, Transition Areas, Non Traditional Subdivisions and Condominiums with Common Space, Hidden Slopes and Slope Evaluation. One problem with commercial lots is the amount of disturbance. The ordinance allows a maximum of 45% but a typical commercial lot disturbance is closer to 100%.
Commercial lots recommendations:
1. Do not zone properties commercial in slope related sensitive lands, or
2. Change Land Use Plan to place commercial areas away from slopes, or
3. Adapt the sensitive lands ordinance with a different set of slope protection criteria for commercial properties.
Transition Areas recommendation:
1. Create a transition area based on building height.
Examples were shown on building height transitions, the issues with non traditional subdivisions, the non visible slopes and the method of slope evaluation.
There are some issues with the land use planning but the committee did not want to get into how things should be planned but the committee is willing to identify some ordinance language.
Chairman Reed commented that when the ordinance was enacted there wasn’t much consideration of commercial areas which is reflected in the ordinance. It needs some fleshing out. With the commercial ordinance clarification and streamlining, it might help but he felt it should not be a reinvention of the wheel.
Chuck Gillette asked if the Commission wanted the Sensitive Lands Committee to draft a proposed amendment to the ordinance.
Chairman Reed commented that it is a complex ordinance and the Commission welcomes any suggestions. He expressed that he has been very impressed with the work of the Sensitive Lands Committee. The Commission members have not worked with this ordinance that much but he was familiar with it. The areas called "hidden pockets" are good examples of where certain types of developments should be placed that need to be hidden or not see as much. The view shed needs to be protected. As the Commission approaches this review, he would be interested in listening to anyone who has had development experience on commercial property on sensitive lands.
Commissioner Murphy asked if the committee was of the opinion at this point that it makes more sense to look at the Sensitive Lands Ordinance rather than changing the Land Use Plan.
Chuck Gillette commented that we need to change the ordinance or the Land Use Plan or it could be that both need to be tweaked. He noted that the Sensitive Lands Committee members are Lisa Rutherford, Marc Deshowitz, Chris Blake, Jim Craig, Chuck Gillette, and Kevin Rudd.
A. Continue discussion of the Ivins City Zoning Ordinance and review Chapter 19, Design Guidelines. Chairman Reed presented an overview on Sedona’s Design Review Manual and indicated that Sedona, Arizona is similar in landscape and has some of the same challenges as Ivins. The Commission reviewed some of Sedona’s architectural designs, proportions and scales, and discourage and encouraged vertical elements. All of these criteria take place in their Design Review Manual rather than the ordinance. He felt the Ivins’ design review portion should be a separate process but it also has its challenges. A copy of the overview of Sedona’s Design Review manual will be emailed to the Commissioners to review. Also, Chairman Reed will try to obtain a current pdf copy of Sedona’s Design Review manual.
The Commissioners discussed how they should proceed with the revision of Chapter 19. It was felt that the Commissioner’s comments in the side margin of the document were getting confusing and that they should start replacing the text with the suggested changes and then, delete the comments.
Chairman Reed suggested projecting the document on the screen and connecting everyone to the network so that they could work on the document at the same time. If unable to connect, it will be revised by the paper method. They briefly discussed the technical aspects of how to connect using Microsoft Word.
Commissioner Scott felt the Sedona materials would be helpful. He was in favor of how Chairman Reed outlined the revision of Chapter 19 in a logical way and working together to make the changes.
Commissioner Murphy suggested that the Commission should plan on spending a long meeting when they start on the revisions.
Commissioner Loris will email the standards for commercial parking lots and parking stalls to Chairman Reed so that he can draw some examples. He felt the Sedona information would be helpful.
Chairman Reed mentioned that commercial property owners want maximum flexibility but believed it is easier to take the directions from the General Plan and make it very iron clad without flexibility. That protects the rights of the property owner who is not developing, and it protects the rights of the property owner who’s next to the developer’s property. Both of those rights are equal and should be protected. The challenge in Ivins is to create an ordinance that preserves what we want in Ivins, that gives us the type of design for the City for commercial areas but allows maximum flexibility for the individual and the developer. Also, a way to create a walkable community that does not bring all the buildings out to the sidewalk and doesn’t have the build to lines that don’t allow any parking in between the sidewalk but still gives us a walkable entrance. In addition, giving somebody the flexibility to take an area on Center Street, give it the functionality of a strip mall but not look like a strip mall. As a Commission we need to think outside the normal box. The Sedona ordinance may help because they have accomplished that in some areas.
B. Consider approval of the Ivins City Planning Commission minutes for October 18, 2011. MOTION: Commissioner Adel Murphy moved to approve the Ivins City Planning Commission minutes for October 18, 2011.
SECOND: Commissioner Jeffrey Loris
VOTE: The motion carried unanimously.
Chairman John Reed AYE Commissioner Jeffrey Loris AYE Commissioner Adel Murphy AYE Commissioner Mike Scott AYE Commissioner Todd Benson ABSENT
A. Planning Commission (none)
B. Chairman (None)
C. Building & Zoning Administrator, Kevin Rudd (None)
D. City Attorney, Dale Coulam (None)
E. Items to be placed on future agendas
SECOND: Commissioner Adel Murphy
VOTE: The motion carried unanimously.
Chairman John Reed AYE Commissioner Jeffrey Loris AYE Commissioner Adel Murphy AYE Commissioner Mike Scott AYE Commissioner Todd Benson ABSENT
The meeting adjourned at 6:36 P.M.
Respectfully submitted,
Martha Wilson, CMC
Deputy City Recorder