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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-18-241. 2. 3 4. 5. 6. - ,j� � City Of Wheat�idge PLANNING COMMISSION Minutes of Meeting January 18, 2024 CALL THE MEETING TO ORDER The meeting was called to order by Chair DITULLIO at 6:30 p.m. This meeting was held in person and virtually, using Zoom video -teleconferencing technology. ROLL CALL OF MEMBERS Commission Members Present Commission Members Absent Staff Members Present: PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Jerry DiTullio Daniel Graeve Will Kerns Patrick Quinn Jonathan Schelke Kristine Disney Janet Leo Jana Easley, Planning Manager Scott Cutler, Senior Planner Tammy Odean, Recording Secretary APPROVE ORDER OF THE AGENDA It was moved by consensus to approve the order of the agenda. APPROVAL OF MINUTES — December 7, 2023 It was moved by Commissioner QUINN and seconded by Commissioner GRAEVE to approve the minutes of December 7, 2023, as written. Motion carried 3-0-2 with Commissioners KERNS and SCHELKE abstaining. PUBLIC FORUM (This is the time for any person to speak on any subject not appearing on the agenda.) No one wished to speak at this time. Planning Commission Minutes January 18, 2024 -1— 7. PUBLIC HEARING A. Case No. ZOA-24-01: An ordinance amending Chapter 26 of the Wheat Ridge Code of Laws, concerning Electric Vehicle (EV) charging and parking requirements, and making conforming amendments therewith. Chair DITULLIO opened the public hearing. Mr. Cutler gave a short presentation regarding the ordinance and the House Bill that passed in June 2023 stating that multi -unit buildings are required to provide EV parking as of March 1, 2024, state-wide. Public Input Betsy Coppock, resident 25 Skyline Dr. Ms. Coppock mentioned she is an EV owner and is a member of Sustainable Wheat Ridge. She mentioned it is important to have EV charging and parking at the multi -residential level as not all residents can afford to purchase single-family homes but want to be sustainable for the community and not have to use a level 3 charger away from their home which can be expensive. Ms. Coppock also mentioned that bike storage is important as well. Chair DITULLIO closed the public input. Commissioner SCHELKE asked if it was per building code to put a 240-volt outlet in a garage. Mr. Cutler said he couldn't speak per the building code, but said it is normal for that to be added and could be a requirement of the building code in the future. In response to a question from Commissioner QUINN, Mr. Cutler said the house bill requires multi -unit buildings to have an EV charging station and it depends on the size of the development as to how many stations are required. Commissioner QUINN also inquired how this ordinance affects parking in affordable housing developments. Mr. Cutler stated the overall quantity of EV stations will be lower because the number of spaces for affordable housing developments will be lower as well. Mr. Quinn asked what happens to someone if they park in an EV parking space but do not have an EV. Planning Commission Minutes - 2 — January 18, 2024 Mr. Cutler mentioned that per the house bill, Cities or property owners can enforce if signage is in place. There was discussion about shared parking which Mr. Cutler gave an explanation about. Commissioner DITULLIO asked if the affordable housing development at 441h Avenue and Wadsworth Boulevard will be required to install EV charging stations. Mr. Cutler stated yes for future phases so that the development complies with State laws. He added that Wheat Ridge is one of the last communities in the state to have an EV ordinance related to EV parking and acknowledged it will possibly add a bit of a cost to developers. It was explained by Mr. Cutler and Ms. Easley the difference between Level 2 & 3 charging stations at Commercial sites as compared to 240-volt outlets at residential units. Commissioner DITULLIO stated he still had concerns about taking parking spaces away from residents in affordable housing developments for EV parking spaces. Chair DITULLIO closed the public hearing. It was moved by Commissioner KERNS and seconded by Commissioner QUINN to recommend approval of the proposed ordinance amending Chapter 26 of the Wheat Ridge Code of Laws concerning electric vehicle (EV) charging and parking requirements and making conforming amendments therewith. Motion carried 5-0. B. Case No. ZOA-24-02 An ordinance amending Articles V and XI of Chapter 26 of the Wheat Ridge Code of Laws, concerning bicycle parking and storage requirements, and making conforming amendments therewith. Chair DITULLIO opened the public hearing. Mr. Cutler gave a short presentation regarding the ordinance. In response to a question from Commissioner Kerns, Mr. Cutler explained that parking requirements can be lowered for businesses if bike parking/storage is offered and the incentives are usually seen at large business complexes which Wheat Ridge does not have a lot of, but maybe will in the future when the Lutheran Campus is redeveloped. Commissioner GRAEVE asked for a summary of the component of bicycle charging infrastructure that is related to this ordinance change. Planning Commission Minutes - 3 — January 18, 2024 Mr. Cutler state the demand for indoor storage for electric bikes has increased due to both the cost of the bikes and charging them. He added this ordinance has not changed the difference between bike parking for electric or non -electric. Ms. Easley added that bike storage would alleviate tenants in apartments taking bikes up to their units. Commissioner SCHELKE stated he thinks this is a great ordinance for the city and those that commute to work. Chair DITULLIO closed the public hearing. It was moved by Commissioner SCHELKE and seconded by Commissioner KERNS to recommend approval of the proposed ordinance amending Articles V and XI of the Wheat Ridge Code of Laws concerning bicycle parking and storage requirements and making conforming amendments therewith. Motion carried 5-0. 8. OLD BUSINESS 9. NEW BUSINESS A. Upcoming Dates Ms. Easley stated that the appointment of the new Planning Commissioner will take place on January 22. She added there will not be a Planning Commission meeting on February 1, but most likely there will be a meeting held on February 15. B. Project and Development Updates Ms. Easley mentioned that Tabor Lake Apartments received their CO. She also told the Commissioners that the City Plan is open for accepting City Plan Champions and currently has 38 champions and 168 subscribers and added the kickoff date will be held on January 31 between the City and czb consultants. C. Commissioner Updates Commissioner GRAEVE thanked City Council and staff for meeting the EV State law and making the City more efficient in the future because it is important to make these changes. Commissioner QUINN reiterated that he likes the Property and Project map and appreciates the public interest. Planning Commission Minutes - 4 — January 18, 2024 Commissioner SCHELKE noted that he hopes the price of EVs will drop in the future. 10. ADJOURNMENT It was moved by Commissioner QUINN and seconded by Commissioner GRAEVE to adjourn the meeting at 7:27 p.m. Motion carried 5-0. e., --- Tammy Odean,4kcording Secretary Planning Commission Minutes - 5 — January 18, 2024