PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION

CITY HALL, 100 LOCKVILLE ROAD

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2007

 

REGULAR MEETING

7:30 P.M.

 

1.         ROLL CALL.  Mr. Blake called the meeting to order at 7:30 P.M. with roll call as follows: Mr. Nicholas, Mr. Harmon, Mr. Bosch and Mr. Sauer were present. Mr. Binkley, Mr. Hackworth and Mr. Blake were absent.  Mr. Hackworth was absent due to attending a City Council work session and Mr. Blake had a family commitment. Others present were:  Lance Schultz, Joe Henderson, Steve Smith, Stacey Bashore, Lee Gray, John Oney, Kevin Nowlin Andy Walther and others.

 

2.         APPROVAL OF MNUTES OF October 9, 2007, Regular Meeting- Mr. Sauer moved to approve; Mr. Harmon seconded the motion. Roll call was taken with Mr. Bosch, Mr. Sauer, Mr. Nicholas, and Mr. Harmon voting "Yea."  Motion passed, 4-0.

 

 3.        SCHEDULED MATTERS:

           

            A.        Review and request for a motion to approve Commercial Design Guidelines Certificate of Appropriateness for an Outdoor Patio for VIP Lounge at 1751 Hill Road North (TABLED 6/12/07)  Mr. Bosch stated this item would remain on the table.

             

            B.         Review and request for a motion to approve a Comprehensive Sign Plan for Ground Signage for Volunteer Energy at 790 Windmiller Drive (TABLED 9/11/07) Mr. Bosch stated this item would remain on the table.

           

            C.        Review and request for a motion to approve a Conditional Use Permit for an outdoor patio and volleyball courts for Strike City located on the south side of Windmiller Drive between Diley Road and Gray Drive.  (TABLED 10/9/07) Mr. Bosch stated this item would remain on the table.

 

            D.        Review and request for a motion to approve a Conditional Use Permit for an Outdoor Patio for Happy Endings Pub located 1128 Hill Road North.  Mr. Henderson reviewed the report as presented to the Commission and stated that staff supports with the following nine conditions:

 

            1.         That the railing shall be black

            2.         That the outdoor furniture shall be black metal table and chairs.

            3.         That no music speakers or any other type of sound devices shall be located in the patio.

            4.         That the awning material shall be canvas.

            5.         That the sign color and graphics on the canvas shall be as submitted.

            6.         That the lights shall be gooseneck style similar to others in that shopping center.

            7.         That the engineering issues shall be addressed prior to zoning certificate approval.

            8.         That the City's architectural consultant issues shall be addressed prior to zoning certificate approval.

            9.         That the Violet Township Fire Department issues shall be addressed prior to zoning certificate approval.

 

Mr. John Oney introduced himself and stated that they are in agreement with staff conditions and reviewed the color boards with the Commission. Mr. Harmon asked for clarification on food service and Mr. Oney stated there would be no on site preparation or cooking.  Mr. Harmon asked for clarification on the nearest residential area and Mr. Henderson stated the nearest housing would be the Brookview Condominiums which are 370 feet to the rear of the building.  Mr. Nicholas clarified that the light fixture would be black with a gooseneck style that is more decorative.  Mr. Harmon clarified there were no other options for the canopy.  Mr. Sauer moved to approve with staff recommendations; Mr. Harmon seconded the motion.   Roll call was taken with Mr. Bosch, Mr. Nicholas, Mr. Sauer and Mr. Harmon voting "Yea." Motion passed, 4-0.

 

            E.         A Public Hearing and review and request for a motion to approve a Preliminary Development Plan for approximately 8.55 acres for Anchor 204 Business Park located on the north side SR 204 between Freedom Way and Holiday Inn Express.  Mr. Henderson reviewed the report as presented to the Commission and stated that staff supports with the following 23 conditions:

 

            1.         That a traffic impact study shall be prepared by the applicant and approved by the City Engineer.

            2.         That the southern most curb cut on Freedom Way shall be located a minimum 250-ft from SR 204 or per the traffic impact study.

            3.         That the southern most curb cut to the restaurant shall be eliminated.

            4.         That the access drive and width of curb cut to the gas station shall be located and constructed per the traffic impact study.

            5.         The engineering details pertaining to roadway width, right-of-way, turn lane locations, deceleration lanes, traffic appurtenances, etc., would need to be reviewed and approved by the City Engineer.

            6.         That a sidewalk shall be installed along SR 204.

            7.         That the site plan shall be in compliance with the City Engineer's requirements.

            8.         That the proposed plan shall comply with the required building, parking setback and buffering requirements.

            9.         That the proposed development shall meet all other City development requirements.

            10.       That the five parking spaces located on the access drive near the intersection of Freedom Way and the access road shall be eliminated.

            11.       That the two parking spaces located on the access road near the large parking lot shall be eliminated.

            12.       That the three parking spaces located on the western edge of the retail building parking lot shall be eliminated.

            13.       That a 3-4 ft high undulating mound with continuous landscaping shall be installed along SR 204.

            14.       That a 2-3 ft high undulating mound with continuous landscaping shall be installed along Freedom Way.

            15.       That 10% of the impervious surface of the parking lot shall be comprised of landscaping with trees and shrubs.

            16.       That the dumpsters should be located outside the site triangle.

            17.       That the proposed retaining walls shall match the primary building material of the subject building.

            18.       That the volleyball courts shall not be located in the front yard building setback.

            19.       That the site plan shall be in compliance with the Violet Township Fire Department requirements.

            20.       That the site plan shall be in compliance with the tree preservation ordinance.

            21.       That a final grading plan shall be reviewed by the City prior to Final Development Plan submittal.

            22.       That two off premise directional signs for Holiday Inn Express shall be permitted at the SR 204/Freedom Way intersection and at the Freedom Way/access road intersection to enhance access management in the corridor.

            23.       That the 122 space parking lot on 3.02 acres shall not be located on a separate parcel.

 

Mr. Henderson clarified that the directional signage for Holiday Inn Express would be to direct people to come off of S.R. 256 and S.R. 204.  Mr. Bosch asked if the access for Holiday Inn Express would be removed from S.R. 256.  Mr. Schultz stated that we have had initial discussions with Holiday Inn and the applicant of the site is dedicating the easement and Holiday Inn may construct the connection.  He stated that we have not addressed that issue with them yet.  Mr. Bosch stated it was a condition that when they gain access from S.R. 204 that right in/right out access is removed and that was a condition put on them by ODOT. 

 

Mr. Andy Walther introduced himself and stated he was representing the applicant.  He reviewed the plan with the Commission.  Mr. Walther stated that there is a connection that is being proposed from Freedom Way to the Holiday Inn Express that they would be building through to the parking lot area.  He stated it would be built to public standards, but it would be a private cross easement between the two.  Mr. Walther stated the restaurant would have an overflow parking across the creek area with a large pedestrian path.  He stated they are working through a traffic impact study. 

 

Mr. Bosch opened the public hearing at 7:54 and closed the public hearing at 7:55.

 

Mr. Bosch asked for clarification on the overflow lot and Mr. Schultz stated that we did not want the parking lot to be separate from the structures.  Mr. Nicholas clarified that the applicant was in agreement with staff recommendations and Mr. Walther stated we are working through the issues and they will work with staff to accommodate those issues.  Mr. Schultz stated that the traffic impact study may revise the site plan and as we move through the process the impact study may reflect issues that we haven't addressed.  Mr. Bosch asked if there were any pedestrian accommodations and Mr. Walther stated we are required to put a sidewalk on S.R. 204 and there is existing sidewalk on Freedom Way.  Mr. Bosch asked about pedestrians walking through the parking lot to the restaurant and Mr. Walther stated they would look into that. Mr. Bosch stated that they would also have to make sure that the sidewalks and access between the sites would be ADA compliant. Mr. Schultz stated that he would have the engineer's review it. 

Mr. Nicholas moved to approve with staff recommendations and that the applicant would work with staff to resolve any traffic impact issues; Mr. Harmon seconded the motion.  Roll call was taken with Mr. Harmon, Mr. Nicholas, Mr. Bosch and Mr. Sauer voting "Yea."  Motion passed, 4-0.

 

            F.         Review and request for a motion to approve an amended Comprehensive Sign Plan for Ground and Wall signage for Sonic Drive In located just south of Picktown Carry Out.  Mr. Henderson reviewed the report as presented to the Commission and stated that at this time staff does not support the amended Comprehensive sign Plan.         

Mr. Kevin Nowlin introduced himself and stated that the reason for the amended sign plan was to make the entrance and exit obvious to customers.  Mr. Henderson stated that staff would consider non descriptive directional signage because it has a one way drive thru with specific curb cuts.  He stated they would consider a non-descript exit and enter sign.   Mr. Nowlin stated he believed Sonic would be willing to go with generic enter and exit signs to facilitate movement around the facility.  Mr. Sauer clarified that the signage would not be lit.  Mr. Schultz stated we would like them to be like a typical road sign with a reflective material.  Mr. Schultz asked about the LED sign on the canopy and Mr. Nowlin stated that one of the concerns is because the entrance is off the road they were hoping to have some means of getting the information out there.  Mr. Schultz stated that staff's perspective is because it is a drive thru facility and the lights would be on while it is open and additional light and signage would not be necessary.  Mr. Bosch stated that historically we have not allowed other restaurants to advertise outside.  Mr. Nicholas moved to approve non-descript enter and exit signage with a reflective background; including pavement markings and to not allow the proposed LED signage on the canopy facing S.R 256; Mr. Sauer seconded the motion.  Roll call was taken with Mr. Sauer, Mr. Harmon, Mr. Bosch, and Mr. Nicholas voting "Yea."  Motion passed, 4-0.

 

4.         REPORTS:

 

            A.        Planning and Zoning Director

 

                        (1)        BZA Report-  Mr. Schultz reported that there were no cases for November and December because building was likely slowing down for winter.

 

                        (2)        FCRPC -   Mr. Henderson stated there were two extensions granted in Violet Township.  He stated there was also an extension granted in Liberty Township, but it is in Pickerington School District.

 

5.         OTHER BUSINESS:

 

            A.        Tree Commission - No discussion

 

            B.         Commission Discussion- No discussion

 

            C.        Planning Reports - Mr. Schultz stated the third draft was submitted in packets and there were several issues he would like to discuss. He stated his goal is to address the issues and get it to a public hearing in December.  Mr. Schultz stated the first issue is with small scale vs. large scale commercial buildings.  He stated 15,000 square feet would be considered small scale and anything larger than that would be considered as large scale.  Mr. Schultz indicated a table was created that is similar to the residential design guidelines and it defines the materials permitted for large small scale retail, hotels and gas station canopies, etc.  Mr. Schultz asked about standing seam metal roofs and Mr. Bosch stated he didn't want to see every building with standing seam, but for limited basis and as an option it should be kept in.  The Commission agreed to keep standing seam roof in on a limited basis.  Mr. Schultz asked about windows on industrial buildings and stated we are requesting elimination of this requirement to reduce the costs.  He stated that if we require the industrial buildings to look a certain way we could price them out, so it was out of economic consideration. Mr. Schultz stated the next issues would be on lighting and we are going to allow high pressure sodium and metal halides.  He stated we are also requiring the gooseneck feature on all light fixtures throughout the City.  Mr. Schultz stated the only exception would be when the lighting is next to approved lighting that is not a gooseneck style to allow for flexibility.  He stated we showed examples of what we would be looking for.  Mr. Bosch suggested more flexibility with the examples of gooseneck style. Mr. Sauer asked if this type of lighting would be a cost deterrent to industrial areas.  Mr. Bosch stated that if it was a dedicated industrial park we would need to allow different options for lighting.  Mr. Schultz stated that was a good point and we would look into putting that into the guidelines.  Mr. Bosch suggested putting in examples of colors for the poles and whether they should be fluted.  Mr. Schultz stated the City talked about requiring fluted poles and we decided to leave it up to the developer. Mr. Bosch suggested a clamshell base for the poles.  Mr. Schultz clarified that the fluted poles would be left up to the developer.  Mr. Schultz stated we more specifically defined buffering and mounding.   Mr. Bosch asked for the buffering plans to come forward when the application is made so the Commission can review it.  Mr. Bosch asked about the parking code and Mr. Schultz stated we will look at that at a later time.  Mr. Schultz asked Commission to review the guidelines and return any revisions by the end of the month.  He stated that Council could also make changes.

 

Mr. Schultz asked when there are a lot of conditions for an application should they be read.  Mr. Smith stated that they should be read into the record because what is reflected on paper ahead of time may change and we make sure everyone is on the same page. Mr. Nicholas suggested putting conditions that were over and above be put in bold text or related items be grouped together.

 

6.         ADJOURNMENT.  There being nothing further, Mr. Nicholas moved to adjourn; Mr. Sauer seconded the motion.  Mr. Nicholas, Mr. Sauer, Mr. Bosch and Mr. Harmon voted "Aye." Motion carried 4-0.  The Planning and Zoning Commission adjourned at 9:02 P.M. on November 13, 2007.

 

 

RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED:

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                               

Stacey L. Bashore                                                        Lance A. Schultz

Deputy Municipal Clerk                                                Director, Planning & Zoning