Minutes; Plan: April 2013

City of Evansville Plan Commission Regular Meeting Monday, April 1, 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), Carol Endres, and Jim Brooks. Absent: Matt Eaton. Others present: City Administrator Dan Wietecha, Community Development Director Nicole Sidoff, and Jim Bandt, engineer for the Bluescope expansion project. 3. Approval of Agenda. Braunschweig made a motion, seconded by Brooks, to approve the agenda. Motion approved 5-0. 4. Approval of Minutes. Braunschweig made a motion, seconded by Hammann, to waive the reading of the minutes from the March 4, 2013 regular meeting and approve them as printed. Motion approved 5-0. 5. Civility Reminder. Decker noted the civility reminder. 6. Citizen appearances other than agenda items listed. None. 7. New Business a. Parking lot expansion site plan review for parcel number 6-27-316.84 (Grove Retreat) i. Initial Staff Comments: Sidoff noted the Grove Retreat, which is the new quilters/crafters retreat, needs to expand its parking lot to meet the zoning requirements of one parking spot for each overnight guest. The Retreat can accommodate up to 13 overnight guests, therefore they needed to expand their lot by about 4 spaces. The proposed parking lot site plan included in the packet meets the zoning requirements for a parking lot for a boardinghouse, which is what the Retreat is considered according to City zoning. ii. Plan Commissioner Questions and Comments: Endres asked if the lines for the parking spots would be painted on the lot, and Sidoff confirmed that they would be painted on. Brooks asked where the stormwater runoff from the parking lot would drain to. Wietecha noted that it runs off directly to the stormwater pond east of the property. Hammann arrived at 6:04 p.m. Gishnock asked how many parking spots were currently in the lot. Sidoff noted that the lot currently had about 9 parking spots. iii. Motion Regarding Site Plan Review: Braunschweig made a motion, seconded by Brooks, to approve the site plan for 5 North Water Street, the Grove Retreat, to expand the existing parking lot to accommodate four additional parking spaces. Motion approved 6-0. b. Discussion on location for cabinetry business. Sidoff noted that a cabinetry business that is currently operating out of a home in Albany is looking for a location for a 50% workshop/50% retail operation in Evansville. The City’s zoning code does not currently allow for a mix of 50% light industrial and 50% retail. Sidoff noted that the business owners would likely be attending the next Plan Commission meeting to discuss their business idea with the Commission, and the Commission could discuss where an appropriate place for such a mix of industry and sales would be. Sidoff noted that they indicated a desire for a visible storefront in a more commercially-oriented part of the City. Hammann asked why the part of the operation would be considered retail, and Sidoff noted that it is because they would be selling cabinetry to customers at the site. Decker noted that this item was on the agenda to give Commissioners a heads-up on the topic and encourage them to think about where an appropriate place for this type of business would be in the City. c. City of Evansville Park and Outdoor Recreation Plan Status Update. Sidoff noted that the planning process is underway and public input was being gathered. Over 150 people had responded to the online survey. Sidoff distributed flyers with information on the online survey. She asked Plan Commissioners for suggestions on additional forums for public engagement beyond those she has already identified. Brooks suggested the Energy Fair. Decker noted that the National Parks Service would be hosting on open house on the possible Ice Age Trail expansion through Evansville at Creekside Place on Monday, April 29, 2013 at 5 p.m. d. Building addition site plan review for parcel number 6-27-669 (Bluescope Buildings) i. Initial Staff Comments: Wietecha noted that the expansion would essentially square off an existing hallway, resulting in a 75x75 foot building. This would allow Bluescope to expand its paint operations and add a few jobs. ii. Plan Commissioner Questions and Comments: Brooks noted that this is a pretty straightforward project. Endres asked for clarification on the parking spots resulting from the expansion, and Wietecha clarified that the existing parking spots on the site exceeded the requirements for the total building square footage on the property resulting from the expansion project. iii. Motion Regarding Site Plan Review: Braunschweig made a motion, seconded by Hammann, to approve the site plan for 273 Water Street, Bluescope Buildings. Motion approved 6-0. 8. Monthly Reports b. Report on other permitting activity by Zoning Administrator. Sidoff noted that she did not have anything of significance to report; however, she has had discussions with a few people who will likely have developments to address at the next Plan Commission meeting. c. Report on the Unified Land Development Code Committee. No report. d. Report of the Evansville Historic Preservation Commission. Decker noted that the Historical Society had approved the creation of a disc golf course at Leota Park. e. Report on Common Council actions relating to Plan Commission recommendations. No report. f. Report on Board of Appeals actions relating to zoning matters. The Board of Appeals is scheduled to meet the following night, April 2, at 5 p.m. to address the Landmark Services Cooperative variance application. g. Enforcement Report. No report. 9. Meeting Reminder. The next Plan Commission meeting is Monday, May 6, 2013. 10. Adjournment. Braunschweig made a motion, seconded by Endres, to adjourn at 6:19 p.m. Motion approved 6-0. The minutes are not official until approved by the Plan Commission at their next regular meeting.