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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPlanning Commission Minutes - March 16, 2010City of Central Point Planning Commission Minutes March 16, 2010 I. MEETING CALLED TO ORDER AT 6:00 P.M. II. ROLL CALL Commissioners Connie Moczygemba, Chuck Piland, Pat Beck, Mike Oliver, Tim Schmeusser, Keith Wangle, and Justin Hurley were present. Also in attendance were: Tom Humphrey, Community Development Director; Don Burt, Planning Manager; Connie Clune, Community Planner; Daue Jacob, Community Planner; and Didi Thomas, Planning Secretary. III. CORRESPONDENCE-None IV. MINUTES Keith Wangle made a motion to approve the minutes of the December 1, 2009 Planning Commission meeting as submitted. Tim Schmeusser seconded the motion. ROLL CALL: Piland, yes; Oliver, yes; Hurley, abstained; Beck, yes; Schmeusser, yes; Wangle; yes. Motion passed. V. PUBLIC APPEARANCES There were no public appearances. VI. BUSINESS A. File No. 09107. A public hearing to consider the proposed Jackson County Plan Amendment regarding the Greater Bear Creek Palley Regional Plan. Applicant: Jackson County Planning Manager Don Burt stated that the purpose of this evening's meeting was to take input on the Greater Bear Creek Regional Plan, with the intent of forwarding a recommendation to the City Council regarding the Plan and its consistency with the draft Plan as referenced in the Participant's Agreement. The Regional Problem Solving Participants Agreement states that the draft Plan shall become the "adopted Plan" upon Planning Commission Minutes March 16, 2010 Page 2 conclusion of Jackson County's comprehensive plan and land use regulation amendment process. Mr. Burt stressed that this was not a land use decision. Jackson County is going through a land use decision and therefore, any comments made by concerned citizens will be forwarded to the Council and to the Jackson County Planning Conunission by staff. In order to obtain "legal" standing in this matter, it is imperative that anyone with concerns go before the Jackson County Planning Commission. Since the City initially reviewed the draft plan, there have been some minor changes made which we will discuss and consequently clear up any concerns that committee members might have. Mr. Burt pointed out that Jackson County would have the ultimate responsibility for finalizing the plan and once it is adopted by the Land Conservation and Development Commission (LCDC), each city involved in the process would be responsible for modifying its comprehensive plan, preparing amendments and forwarding the information along to LCDC who will conduct a review and take action. Mr. Burt stated that the reason for this process is to take a look at long range land needs to accommodate projected increases in population and it is incumbent upon the participants in the process to forward any concerns expressed at the public hearing. Don Burt then presented a slide presentation, recapping the key considerations of the Plan, its goals, implementation of those goals, policies, gross acreage needs and land use distribution in each of the proposed Urban Reserve areas. Don Burt advised committee members that as a result of a Citizens Advisory Committee meeting that was held on March 9, 2010, specific concerns were raised for consideration...the addition of one tax lot to CP-4D. The tax lot is approximately one acre in size, has a residence on it, and is classified as an exception property; clarification of the land use designation for the Little League fields and the Boy Scout headquarters in CP-6B; and a property owner in CP-6A does not wish to be included in the Urban Reserve Area. This property is also approximately one acre in size and has a residence on it. Community Development Director Tom Humphrey explained that this process has been going on for over ten years. Mr. Humphrey said that when a city adjusts its urban growth boundary (UGB), under current State law the addition of new lands would come from urban reserve areas. If there were no urban reserve areas to draw from, the city would then look to exception lands in order to acquire the acreage needed for development. By creating urban reserve areas, we don't have to go into exception lands. It is harder to develop exception lands. Larger parcels can be master planned and the fiscal impact of extending services to properties is minimized. The public portion of the hearing was opened. Planning Commission Minutes March 16, 2010 Page 3 The first citizen to come forward was Duane Mallams with questions to staff regarding the calculation of densities. Don Burt stated that the Plan's proposed density for Central Point ranged between 6.00 and 7.30 units per acre and this would be reflected in the comprehensive plan. Mr. Burt also pointed out the acreage for agricultural buffering would need to come out of the total acreage. Mr. Mallams asked if the acreage calculation would be reduced by the number of existing residents on properties that will be brought in, and Mr. Burt explained to him how that would be calculated. Warren Horton, 2525 Scenic Avenue, came forward in support of the Regional Plan and stated that he wanted to be included. Katie Mallams was the next person to come forward and expressed concerns about resource lands contained in CP-6A, Gibbon/Forest Acres as an area of mutual concern and the proposed urbanization of the Tolo area (CP- 1B). Sheri Sonnen, 2130 Boes Avenue, came forward and stated that she would like to have her property included in an urban reserve area in order to get city water. Larry Martin, 2673 Taylor Road, came forward in support of the Regional Plan. Tim Higinbotham, 2744 Taylor Road, came forward in favor of the Regional Plan, stating that he thought it was remarkable that people had stayed with the process all this time and that fact alone spoke to the integrity of the people involved. Mr. Higinbotham continued that he had an agricultural background in the Rogue Valley, and that it wasn't an area you would go to on purpose for fanning because of the prevalence of hard pan in the soil. He felt that the term "open space" would be more appropriately used to describe a lot of the proposed urban reserve lands. The Planning Commission took a short break from 7:15 p.m. to 7:25 p.m. June Brock, 2815 Taylor Road, came forward to say that she and her husband were very much in favor of the Plan. The public hearing was then closed. Tom Humphrey asked to address some of the issues raised and explained that in the beginning of the process, different land use areas were looked at. The Tolo area was viewed as an area of mutual concern and was projected for future growth. As a result, a water line was extended to that employment base. The County has zoned the area for future development as the City would be better able to manage this area and not the County. There are a lot of unique qualities to the Tolo area, mainly to be utilized as a juncture of transportation facilities. Gibbon Acres is another area considered for expansion but is beyond one-half mile from the existing UGB, would require significant infrastructure improvements, and has many environmental concerns. In response to a question raised by Mike Oliver about the potential for future farming in the valley, Mr. Humphrey said that we will preserve some agricultural land for this purpose but that the most productive areas were Seven Oaks and property along Bear Creek. Planning Commission Minutes March 16, 2010 Page 4 Connie Moczygemba asked staff what needed to be done to fix the designation of lands for Little League and Boy Scout use. Don Burt stated that staff would need to be directed to prepare a resolution to forward to the City Council, subject to any items of concern of the Planning Commission. The Planning Commission then discussed issues raised by residents and were all in agreement about adding the property located at 2130 Boes Avenue to Urban Reserve Area (URA) CP-4D and changing the land use designation of the Little League and Boy Scout properties in URA CP-6B to reflect an institutional land use in order to protect the current use of the property from future development. The Commission then discussed the Mallams property on Heritage Road (CP-6A) and all agreed that there was no justification for creating an island within that URA and all commissioners agreed that they were concerned with the bigger picture. Justin Hurley made a motion to direct staff to prepare a resolution for consideration by the Commission at its next regularly scheduled meeting which reflects the Commission's recommendations on the issues raised. Tim Schmeusser seconded the motion. ROLL CALL: Piland, yes; Oliver, yes; Hurley, yes; Beck, yes; Schmeusser, yes; and Wangle; yes. Motion passed. VII. DISCUSSION Tom Humphrey advised that the City had entered into an Intergovernmental Agreement with the Rail Division and Jackson County for the railroad crossing at Twin Creeks. Pending resolution of a few minor issues, we are waiting to hear on a final order from the railroad. The crossing is slated to be signalized, and construction would buildup the road at Highway 99. Mr. Humphrey said that there had been a slight increase in housing construction in the lower $200,000 range. The Cheese Festival is taking place this weekend at the Rogue Creamery. In addition, the Creamery is talking about expanding its cold storage. VIII. ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEWS IX. MISCELLANEOUS X. ADJOURNMENT Mike Oliver made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Pat Beck seconded the motion. Meeting was adjourned at 8:10 p.m. Planning Commission Minutes March 76, 2070 Page 5 The foregoing minutes of the March 16, 2010 Planning Commission meeting were approved by the Planning Commission at its meeting on the 6'" day of April, 2010. /A//llXj9. ~.~~~ Planni g~~~ Co~nii hair