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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/07/1999CITY OF WHEAT RIDGE PLANNING COMMISSION Minutes of Meeting ORIGINAL October 7,1999 1. CALL THE MEETING TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order by Chair BRINKMAN at 7:30 p.m. on October 7, 1999, in the Council Chambers of the Municipal Building, 7500 West 29th Avenue, Wheat Ridge, Colorado. 2. ROLL CALL: Commission Members Present: Anne Brinkman Dick Doyle Don MacDougall Nancy Snow Janice Thompson Commission Members Absent: Jerry Collins (excused) Dean Gokey (excused) Staff Members Present: Alan White, Planning Director Meredith Reckert, Senior Planner Barbara Delgadillo, Recording Secretary 3. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE The following is the official set of Planning Commission minutes for the public hearing of October 7, 1999. A set of these minutes is retained both in the office of the City Clerk and in the Department of Planning and Development of the City of Wheat Ridge. 4. APPROVAL OF ORDER OF THE AGENDA It was moved by Commissioner THOMPSON to approve the order of the agenda. Commissioner SNOW requested the addition of Item D, ZOA-99-04, regarding residential uses within commercial districts. Commissioner THOMPSON accepted the amendment to her motion. The motion was seconded by Commissioner SNOW and unanimously carried with Commissioner COLLINS and Vice Chair GOKEY absent. 5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES It was moved by Commissioner SNOW, seconded by Commissioner MacDOUGALL to approve the minutes of September 8, 1999, as submitted. The motion carried with Chair BRINKMAN abstaining and with Commissioner COLLINS and Vice Chair GOKEY absent. Planning Commission October 7. 1999 Commissioner SNOW amended the minutes of September 16, 1999, to correct the spelling of "semi's" to "semis" throughout the document and asked that her reasons for voting NO on Case No. WZ-99-09 be reflected on pages 10 and 12. It was moved by Commissioner MacDOUGALL, seconded by Commissioner SNOW to approve the minutes of September 16, 1999, as amended by Commissioner SNOW. The motion carried with Chair BRINKMAN abstaining and with Commissioner COLLINS and Vice Chair GOKEY absent. 6. PUBLIC FORUM There was no one signed up to speak before the Commission on unscheduled matters. PUBLIC HEARING A. Case No. SUP-99-02: Application by SBA Communications Corp. for a Special Use Permit to place a commercial mobile radio antenna on an existing monopole located behind the Wheat Ridge Market Place shopping center located at 3900 Wadsworth Boulevard. This case was presented by Meredith Reckert. She reviewed the staff report and presented overheads and slides of the subject property. All pertinent documents were entered into the record and Ms. Reckert advised that there was jurisdiction to hear the case. Staff recommended approval of the application with one condition as outlined in the staff report. In response to questions from the Commission, Ms. Reckert informed that the existing monopole could be no higher than 50'. She informed that staff was requesting a condition of approval for a 6' fence to be placed around the cabinets with an access gate. The applicant would have to submit evidence that the existing monopole would be structurally sound prior to issuance of a building permit. There was much discussion regarding whether or not the antennas would interfere with the power or electrical supply to the surrounding neighborhood and business, as well as the brightness and impact to the surrounding neighborhood of the service light. Matt Butler, SBA, Applicant 1720 So. Bellaire STE 202 Discussed their proposal to add a 2'6" Sprint antenna to an existing US West monopole. He informed that the antenna would be just above the roof line in order to clear the existing building. They sought to minimize the bulk and height of the antenna and they are willing to put up the fence. Bollards are placed around the equipment cabinets to make sure the trucks don't hit the fence and equipment. This an attempt of Sprint to improve the coverage in the area. In response to the Commission's questions, Mr. Butler informed that the antenna should not interrupt power or service to the surrounding neighborhood. In addition, he informed that the service light would be just bright enough to illuminate the area. He stated that he would have the current plan amended to specify that the service light reflect on the cabinet and not outside the fence area. Planning Commission Page 2 October 7, 1999 Commissioner MacDOUGALL asked whether or not there was a clearance light at the top of the pole. Mr. Butler informed that no, clearance lights are mandated by FAA at a specific height within flight patterns. Commissioner DOYLE inquired about fire equipment being placed within the fenced area. Mr. Butler responded no since everything is metal and there would be no chance of fire. Ron Davis, Owner 7975 W. 39th Avenue Spoke in favor of the request for an additional antenna, but noted his concerns with the fence being requested by staff. He informed that the shopping center currently has a situation with homeless and juveniles and felt that a fence could hide them and would also encourage vandalism. Mr. Davis noted that a fire hydrant did exist within 30 feet of the monopole. The Commission reviewed the slide showing the visibility of the pole from the west. Commissioner THOMPSON inquired if there was another means of visually softening the effects of the monopole while maintaining security and discouraging the youth and homeless. Ms. Reckert responded that additional landscaping could be required, but that it would cause maintenance and irrigation problems. She informed that the residents on the east side of the monopole currently cannot see the equipment cabinet area, and would not be able to see the requested fence. Robert Makatura 4100 Wadsworth Spoke in opposition to the application. He informed the Commission that he owns the adjacent office building to the north and expressed his concern with the monopole's possible negative impact on the surrounding property values. He stated his concerns with the cell tower and its appearance, and noted that he is questioning whether or not he should build the second office building he had received approval for. He agreed that there are considerable problems with the homeless. Commissioner SNOW asked what offense would increase to Mr. Makatura if the Commission approved the second antenna. Mr. Makatura responded that it would add to the negative views from his existing and proposed office buildings. Commissioner THOMPSON discussed the impacts and benefits of adding an antenna to the existing monopole versus adding a new monopole for the Sprint antenna. She inquired as to whether or not the City could deny a request for a new pole and whether or not Sprint would need to locate a tower in this location if this request was denied. Ms. Reckert said that the City cannot legally deny an application unless the request does not meet criteria established within the Code of Laws. Commissioner THOMPSON noted that the visual impact of an additional antenna would be considerably less than the addition of new monopole. Planning Commission Page 3 October 7. 1999 Mr. Butler responded to questions from the Commission and informed that SBA had already researched other locations for a monopole and spoke with five other property owners. He informed that four decided they did not want antennas on their property or buildings and that Sprint would more than likely request a new monopole across the street. He also informed that the additional antenna would not add to the height of the existing monopole. It was moved by Commissioner THOMPSON, seconded by Commissioner SNOW that Case No. SUP-99-02, a request for approval of a Special Use Permit to allow co-location of CMRS antennas on an existing monopole located at 3900 Wadsworth Blvd., be recommended to the City Council for APPROVAL for the following reasons: 1. A special use permit is required to allow the co-location of CMRS panel antennas on an existing monopole. 2. The co-location could alleviate the need for an additional freestanding facility. 3. The evaluation criteria support approval of this request. With the following conditions: 1. That the service lights be directed away from areas to the east. 2. No additional height be added to the monopole. The motion unanimously carried by a vote of 5-0 with Commissioner COLLINS and Vice Chair GOKEY absent. Commissioner THOMPSON noted that she was purposely not including the need for a 6' fence as originally recommended by staff in her motion. B. Case No. ZOA-99-02: The City of Wheat Ridge is proposing to amend Section 26-30 (N): Access to Public Streets: of the Wheat Ridge Code of Laws regarding vehicle access to a new structure or lot. Planning and Development Director Alan White presented the staff report. All pertinent documents were entered into the record and Mr. White advised that there was jurisdiction to hear the case. Commissioner SNOW noted that the recommended changes to Section 26-30(N): Access to Public Streets were being offered to clarify existing interpretation. It was moved by Commissioner SNOW and seconded by Commissioner DOYLE to recommend to the City Council approval of Case No. ZOA-99-02. The motion unanimously carried by a vote of 5-0 with Commissioner COLLINS and Vice Chair GOKEY absent. The meeting was declared in recess by Chair BRINKMAN at 8:20 p.m. and reconvened at 8:30 p.m. Planning Commission Page 4 October 7, 1999 8. STUDY SESSION C. Case No. ZOA-99-03: Discussion and review of Sections 26-32 (C)(4) and 26-31 (C)(7) of the Wheat Ridge Code of Laws governing sight-distance triangles. Ms. Reckert discussed the staff report and the need to update and clarify our existing regulations. She informed that most other cities seem to have a more sophisticated system or formulas based on speed, height, etc. for determining sight-distance triangles. She noted that while the City may need to develop a more sophisticated system to head off any potential liability issue, she would like to see that the new system not become difficult to apply. Commissioner MacDOUGALL and Chair BRINKMAN stated that of the examples of other cities before them, they prefer the City of Lakewood's which base their sight-triangle distances on speed. Commissioner SNOW recommended that staff check with the City of Lakewood to determine what aspects of their codes they like and areas they have experienced problems. Ms. Reckert commented that currently, street classifications determine the speed of the street and could possibly be used as a means of determining sight-distance areas. She informed that staff would prepare recommendations for the Commission. Chair BRINKMAN discussed existing areas where it has been determined to be a hazard. Ms. Reckert responded that the new standards would be enforced on any existing area determined to be a hazard. Commissioner THOMPSON asked that any proposed system be applied to different areas within the city as test cases to see how they would work. She stated that the new regulations should address areas needing special consideration such as areas with truck stops or deliveries. D. Case No. ZOA-99-04: Review and discussion of the City's existing regulations pertaining to residential development in commercial zones. Ms. Reckert explained the existing issues within our regulations when calculating density in a commercial area when you can have ancillary uses. You could potentially double count an area and possibly have a higher density of residential units within the commercial zones than in the residential zones. She explained the need to amend the regulations to address the issue but not eliminate the ability to have multiple uses within the commercial zone district. Commissioner SNOW discussed page 17 of the City Charter limiting a maximum of 21 residential units per acre and the desire that land not be counted twice in use calculations. She suggested that we limit how much commercial area could be used for residential purposes. Chair BRINKMAN mentioned that the City of Boulder uses multi-use developments to meet its needs for low income housing and suggested researching their regulations. Planning Commission Page 5 October 7, 1999 Commissioner THOMPSON expressed concern with landscaping and parking issues for residential uses within commercial areas since the commercial districts' regulations are more lenient. In addition, parking may need to be addressed if residency included children. She has concern with the environment that may be created, as well as safety issues with delivery trucks. Commissioner SNOW expressed her concern with density and suggested that staff first define primary and secondary uses in terms of percentage of building. Chair BRINKMAN suggested that we clarify the definition of `2' floor' and noted that if the 2nd floor contains four or more units, the Fair Housing Act requires that those units be made handicapped accessible. 9. COMMISSION BUSINESS Commissioner THOMPSON discussed the need for standardizing parking standards and eliminating the compact car spaces. Ms Reckert informed that staff could review our existing standards. Commissioner SNOW asked when a joint meeting with the Board of Adjustment would be held. Ms. Reckert noted that staff would check with the Board. Commissioner SNOW suggested that the Planning Commission meet with the Northwest Fruitdale neighborhood to discuss the circulation plan at the regular Planning Commission meeting of November 4. It was moved by Commissioner THOMPSON and seconded by Commissioner SNOW to have a study session with developers, neighbors, and staff involved with the Northwest Fruitdale Circulation Plan at the regular Planning Commission meeting of November 4 for the following reasons: 1. Under state statutes and the City Code, it is the Planning Commission's duty to prepare master plans, including plans for streets and circulation. 2. The circulation problem in the area involves more than just the one property under consideration for subdivision. 3. It is inappropriate for the property owner to make decisions about right-of-way which may affect other property over which he has no control. 4. It is appropriate for a recommendation from the Planning Commission on the circulation in the area before City Council hears the subdivision project. The motion unanimously carried with Commissioner COLLINS and Vice Chair GOKEY absent. Mr. White will prepare and forward a memo to the City Council informing them of the Commission's action. Planning Commission Page 6 October 7, 1999 10. ADJOURNMENT It was moved by Commissioner SNOW, seconded by Commissioner THOMPSON and unanimously carried with Commissioner COLLINS and Vice Chair GOKEY absent, to adjourn the meeting at 9:30 p.m. ~A-hi L ANN BRINKMAN, Chair K 4 A~a ~yK.L 4 Barbara Delgadillo, Recd ing Secretary Planning Commission Page 7 October 7, 1999