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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009-09-09 Croman Advisory_MIN CROMAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES SEPTEMBER 9, 2009 CALL TO ORDER Chair Matt Warshawsky called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m. in the Siskiyou Room, 51 Winburn Way. Committee Members Present: Staff Present: Richard Hendrickson, Airport Commissioner Bill Molnar, Community Development Director Russ Chapman, Conservation Commissioner Maria Harris, Planning Manager Keith Swink, Historic Commissioner Brandon Goldman, Senior Planner Graham Lewis, Housing Commissioner April Lucas, Administrative Assistant Jim Lewis, Parks & Recreation Commissioner Larry Blake, Planning Commissioner David Wilkerson, Public Arts Commissioner Matt Warshawsky, Transportation Commissioner Pam Hammond, Chamber of Commerce Representative Ben Bellinson, Neighborhood Representative Rylan Heyerman, Neighborhood Representative Paul Steinle, SOU Representative Absent Members: Eric Navickas, City Councilor Zane Jones, Tree Commissioner Mary Kay Michelsen, Neighborhood Representative APPROVAL OF JULY 15, 2009 CROMAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES The minutes of July 15, 2009 were approved as presented. REVIEW AND DISCUSSION OF PRELIMINARY CROMAN MILL ZONING DISTRICT CHAPTER AND LAND USE MATRIX Community Development Director Bill Molnar briefly commented on the Advisory Committee’s role in this process. He stated the Mayor and staff formed this Committee with the goal of bringing different perspectives to long range planning efforts. Additionally, the members have been asked to report back to their respective groups and keep them up to date and involved on what it is happening. Mr. Molnar provided the following overview of the Croman materials presented at the last Planning Commission meeting: Draft AMC 18.53 – Croman Mill Mr. Molnar explained this will be a new chapter added to the Land Use Code and will include the following: Purpose, Definitions, General Requirements (including major and minor amendment procedures), Development Standards, and Land Use Matrix. In regards to the “General Requirements” section, Mr. Molnar stated the land use zoning, streets, bikeways, key natural areas and trail connections will be laid out in advance, with the understanding that these may need to be adjusted once surveying and construction begins. The second part of this section addresses major and minor amendments and examples with given for each. Mr. Molnar stated major amendments are fairly significant (such as changes in the employment density or land use overlay) and would be subject to a public hearing before the Planning Commission, while minor amendments (such as a change in street trees) could be approved administratively by staff. Croman Advisory Committee September 9, 2009 Page 1 of 3 Mr. Molnar explained a new chapter for Croman will also be added to the City’s Site Design & Use Standards. This Chapter will include various illustrations and will address plan elements such as water infiltration for parking lots and the use of bioswales. He noted this document is more user friendly than the AMC language and staff will be presenting these initial design standards to the Planning Commission at their September Study Session. Mr. Molnar added staff will be bringing forward more AMC language and the design standards language to the Croman Advisory Committee at their next meeting and will want to gather their feedback at that time. Comment was made questioning what they can require in terms of green building design, and whether they can exceed the requirements in the State Building Code. Mr. Molnar explained the State Building Code sets the requirements, but they have also provided alternate paths for property owners who wish to incorporate “green” elements, such as rainwater catchment systems. He stated there are already a lot of green principles attached to this project, and he expects there to be further discussions as to whether the City will offer incentives to developments who received silver or gold LEED Certification. Comment was made that developments will likely meet LEED certification standards just by following the elements the Croman Plan and Design Standards outline. Land Use Matrix Planning Manager Maria Harris provided a review of the proposed Land Use Matrix. She explained this document was based on the Crandall and Arambula Draft Plan and the matrix will be placed at the end of the AMC Chapter. She stated this is a new format and instead of having numerous pages listing the different uses, this format puts all that information into a single table. Ms. Harris noted the five categories on the matrix and reviewed the uses that staff did not include. She stated in all three zones nightclubs, theatres/bars, and hotels/motels have been left off. She explained the main purpose of this Plan is job creation and the goal is to have 25-60 jobs per acre. Additionally, concerns have been raised with having uses that compete with downtown. Ms. Harris continued that mortuaries/crematoriums, churches, public utilities, and service yards/building material sales yards have also been omitted from the allowed uses. She stated the concern here is that the Plan speaks to not allowing any outdoor storage since this takes space away from buildings where jobs could be created. Swink asked whether music venues (something similar to the Craterian Theatre in Medford) have been considered as an allowed use, specifically in the industrial area that is farther away from the residential neighborhood. He stated Ashland is lacking a place for this type of use and stated if it didn’t work out the land could always be reclaimed for industrial uses. Opposing comment was made that big venues bring their own set of problems and concern was expressed with taking away from the downtown area. A neighbor sitting in the audience also expressed concern with this possibility. Hammond questioned the 10,000 sq. ft. size limit for stores, restaurants, and shops. Staff clarified this figure was taken from the Crandall and Arambula Draft Plan, however at the staff level there has been talk that this may be too much. It was questioned if this size would encourage something like a Cheesecake Factory restaurant. Additional comment was made that this figure would be fine if the building accommodates several businesses. MAP UPDATES Senior Planner Brandon Goldman displayed several maps that outlined the following on the Croman property: 1) Land Use Overlays, 2) Active Edges, 3) Build-to Lines, 4) Pedestrian & Bicycle Framework, 5) Multi-Use Paths, 6) Transit Framework, 7) Required On-Street Parking, and 8) Storm Water Management. Mr. Goldman noted minor street realignments were made in order to create consistent block lengths. He also clarified “actives edges” is a build-to line and these areas would look similar to downtown Ashland where everything is built up to the street. He added these areas would still have sidewalks, bioswales, parkrows and street trees. Hendrickson noted that the Croman property is located within the airport approach zone and stated anything built here will need to be approved by the FAA. Mr. Molnar stated staff has been in communication with the FAA and they fully understand that this needs to meet their standards. He added the FAA does not seem to be opposed to additional height allowances for this area, but as the height increases, stipulations will need to be added to the building (such as lighting requirements). He also clarified that while the Crandall & Arambula plan proposed a much higher building height, staff is considering heights in the 4-6 story range. Warshawsky noted the topography of the site and questioned if the taller buildings should be located at the lower elevations of the property. Croman Advisory Committee September 9, 2009 Page 2 of 3 Hammond questioned how much the parking structure would really be utilized and stated that people don’t like to park that far from their destination. Staff clarified the parking garage was purposefully located next to the office employment area and it is only a 5 minute walk to most locations within the Croman site. Mr. Molnar stated unless they identify placeholders, they will lose the opportunity and while a large parking garage may not be necessary at the beginning, it may be needed in the future. He added they could initially have surface parking in this area, and over time (as need warrants) it could be turned into a parking structure. Hammond asked about moving the office land to the west and locating the industrial land on the east side of the property by the railroad tracks. Mr. Molnar clarified that Plexis has expressed interest in a certain area and there are also topographical issues that played a part in what uses are located where. He stated this type of shift is beyond their scope, and is even beyond the scope of the Planning Commission. He added this is a major change and would have to be approved by the City Council. Comment was made expressing concern that this has been planned around a specific business. Mr. Molnar clarified when this Plan first came forward it was pretty much all office use. Concerns were raised about losing industrial areas in the City, and now the Plan is essentially half industrial use and half office use. He stated the industrial uses may have a lower number of employees, so they would want a higher density of employees in the office areas to balance it out and reach the employment goals of the Plan. REVIEW AND DISCUSSION OF PLANNING COMMISSION DISCUSSION ITEMS FROM AUGUST 25, 2009 STUDY SESSION Ms. Harris noted the minutes from the August 25, 2009 Planning Commission Study Session were included in the meeting packet. She noted the Planning Commission agreed to dedicate their September 29 Study Session to the Croman Plan and they will be discussing questions that have come up during the process, including; the amendment procedure, the Tolman Creek road alignment, street orientation for solar, the balance of land uses, and possible evening uses. REVIEW NEXT STEPS Mr. Harris clarified staff is currently working on the development standards that will go into the Site Design & Use Standards, and are finishing the AMC language. SCHEDULE NEXT MEETING DATE Ms. Harris stated staff would email the group options for their next meeting. It was asked if the Planning Commission would be accepting testimony at their Study Session. Staff clarified the Planning Commission will typically not turn anyone away if they wish to give testimony on a Study Session item. Comment was made questioning if the owners of the Zen Center are aware of what is happening with the Croman plan since it looks as though a lot of the overlays are going through their property. Ms. Harris clarified staff has been in communication with them. Mr. Molnar encouraged the members to notify staff if they have issues they want discussed. He added any emailed comments from the group could be included in the Planning Commission’s Study Session packet. Warshawsky voiced his support for emailing staff their comments, since it gives them a chance to think about what was presented and formulate their comments. ADJOURNMENT Meeting adjourned at 6:30 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, April Lucas, Administrative Assistant Croman Advisory Committee September 9, 2009 Page 3 of 3