Minutes: Feb Plan 2013

City of Evansville Plan Commission Regular Meeting Monday, February 4, 2013, 6:00 p.m. City Hall (Third Floor), 31 South Madison Street MINUTES 1. Call to order. The meeting was called to order at 6:00 p.m. by Mayor Sandy Decker. 2. Roll call. Members present: John Gishnock, Mason Braunschweig, Sandy Decker, Bill Hammann (arrived late), Matt Eaton, Carol Endres, and Jim Brooks. Others present: City Administrator Dan Wietecha and Community Development Director Nicole Sidoff. 3. Approval of agenda. Braunschweig made a motion, seconded by Brooks, to approve the agenda. Motion approved 6-0. 4. Approval of minutes. Brooks made a motion, seconded by Eaton, to waive the reading of the minutes from January 3, 2013 regular meeting and approve them as printed. Motion approved 6-0. 5. Civility reminder. Decker noted that this would be a recurring item on City meeting agendas to encourage the public and committee members to engage with one another in a civil manner. 6. Citizen appearances other than agenda items listed. None. Hammann arrived. 7. New Business A. Public Hearing concerning a proposed amendment of Chapter 130 of the Municipal Code related to agricultural service uses in the Heavy Industrial (I-2) District. Wietecha noted that this was the ordinance amendment that was discussed in a staff memo during last month’s Plan Commission meeting. This is basically a housekeeping item that resulted from property being annexed a few years ago. This amendment addresses agricultural service uses and allows for increased building heights with a conditional use permit. The potential public benefits of the proposed amendment to the outweigh any and all potential adverse impacts of the proposed amendment. Decker opened the public hearing at 6:04 p.m. There were no public comments, and Decker closed the public hearing at 6:05 p.m. Brooks asked if there were any other areas zoned I-2 where this amendment to the zoning could cause an issue. Wietecha noted that there were other areas, such as Varco-Pruden, that were zoned I-2; however, anything being proposed would require a conditional use permit and would come before the Plan Commission for review and approval. Braunschweig made a motion, seconded by Brooks, to recommend to Common Council approval of Ordinance 2013-02, amending Chapter 130 of the Municipal Code related to agricultural service uses in the Heavy Industrial (I-2) District. Motion approved 7-0. B. City of Evansville Park and Outdoor Recreation Plan Update. Sidoff noted that she was beginning work on updating the City’s Park and Outdoor Recreation Plan and would be discussing the planning process timeline with the Park and Recreation Board at their meeting the following Monday. The plan needs to be updated for the City to be eligible for State and Federal grant funding. It is anticipated that the planning process will take about 4-5 months, with the bulk of public input opportunities occurring in March and April. PC members were encouraged to share any ideas for public input opportunities with Sidoff. Wietecha noted that the park plan update would be done in conjunction with the update to the relevant chapter of the Smart Growth Plan and that the park planning process would be somewhat of a trial run for the update to the Smart Growth Plan. C. PlannersWeb and Planning Commissioners Journal Access. Sidoff noted that PlannersWeb is an online resource for citizen planners and professional planners and has a great deal of information on planning techniques and tools that might be useful to the Plan Commission. The City signed up for this service and has eleven total accounts available, including those designated for staff. Articles can only be viewed by those with an account. Plan Commissioners agreed that they would like to have access to PlannersWeb, and Sidoff agreed to register everyone for the service. 8. Monthly Reports A. Report on other permitting activity by City Planner. Sidoff noted that she was meeting with someone from Landmark Services Cooperative the following day regarding their conditional use permit for constructing a grain bin in excess of the height permitted by right in the I-2 district. B. Report on the Unified Land Development Code Committee. No report. C. Report of the Evansville Historic Preservation Commission. No report. D. Report on Common Council actions relating to Plan Commission recommendations. No report. E. Report on Board of Appeals actions relating to zoning matters. No report. F. Enforcement Report. Wietecha noted that he had followed up on a complaint regarding a sign downtown. The City has not yet received the application for the after-the-fact sign permit. Wietecha has also continued to follow up on the lighting requirements at Symdon’s. 9. Meeting Reminder. The next Plan Commission meeting is Monday, March 4, 2013. 10. Adjournment. Braunschweig made a motion, seconded by Hammann, to adjourn at 6:12 p.m. Motion approved 7-0. The minutes are not official until approved by the Plan Commission at their next regular meeting.