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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-10-22_Planning MIN Planning CommissionMinutes Note: Anyone wishing to speak at any Planning Commission meeting is encouraged to do so. If you wish to speak, please rise and, after you have been recognized by the Chair, give your name and complete address for the record. You will then be allowed to speak. Please note the public testimony may be limited by the Chair. October 22, 2024 STUDY SESSION Minutes I.CALL TO ORDER: Vice-Chair Knauer called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. at the Civic Center Council Chambers, 1175 E. Main Street. Commissioner Perkinson attended the meeting via Zoom. Commissioners Present: Staff Present: Doug Knauer Brandon Goldman, Community Development Director Kerry KenCairn Derek Severson, Planning Manager Susan MacCracken Jain Aaron Anderson, Senior Planner Gregory Perkinson Michael Sullivan, Executive Assistant Russell Phillips Eric Herron Absent Members: Council Liaison: Lisa Verner Paula Hyatt II.ANNOUNCEMENTS 1.Staff Announcements Community Development Director Brandon Goldman made the following announcement: The City Council will hold its annual Commission/Committee workplan presentations on December 16, 2024. This event will also be held to show the City’s appreciation for these volunteer groups. 2.Advisory Committee Liaison Reports Commissioner MacCracken Jain gave the following announcements regarding the Public Arts Advisory Committee (PAAC): The first plaque of the Playwrights Walk was installed in front of the Chamber of Commerce. The remaining donated plaques are under development and will be installed in the near future. The project to paint and beautify Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) boxes has begun. One was completed at the corner of Beach Street and Siskiyou Boulevard, and a second was completed at the corner of Walker Avenue and Siskiyou Boulevard. The former was painted by the Ashland High School, though it was recently vandalized and is undergoing renovation. Page 1 of 5 In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, please email planning@ashland.or.us. Notification 72 hours prior to the meeting will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to the meeting (28 CFR 35.102-35.104 ADA Title 1). Planning CommissionMinutes III.CONSENT AGENDA 1.Approval of Minutes a.October 8, 2024 Regular Meeting Commissioners Herron/MacCracken Jain m/s to approve the consent agenda as presented. Voice Vote: All AYES. Motion passed 6-0. IV.PUBLIC FORUM – None V.UNFINISHED BUSINESS A. Approval of Findings for PA-T2-2024-00050, 113 Pine Street Senior Planner Aaron Anderson noted that a non-substantive grammatical change was made to page 1 of the Findings. A correction was also made to section 3.1 of the Findings to accurately refer to the development as being “for a 3-unit performance standards subdivision” since the open space lot had been removed from the proposal. Commissioner MacCracken Jain noted that there appeared to be an incomplete sentence in section 2.7.1 of the Findings. Mr. Anderson responded that a period had been omitted from the end of the sentence and that this would be corrected in the final draft. Commissioners Perkinson/MacCracken Jain m/s to approve the Findings with the amendments suggested by staff and the correction made by Commissioner MacCracken Jain. Roll Call Vote: All AYES. Motion passed 6-0. VI.OTHER BUSINESS A.Climate Friendly Areas Adoption – Public Engagement Summery & Next Steps Mr. Goldman related how three consulting firms to assist with the development of the City’s Climate Friendly Areas (CFAs), and explained that the purpose of CFAs is to maximize development within established walkable areas. He explained that this work was initially due by December, 2024, but that the City requested and received a 6-month extension from the Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD). Page 2 of 5 In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, please email planning@ashland.or.us. Notification 72 hours prior to the meeting will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to the meeting (28 CFR 35.102-35.104 ADA Title 1). Planning CommissionMinutes Vice-Chair Knauer asked if the Commission should keep certain issues in mind during the presentation in order to assist the development process more effectively. Planning Manager Derek Severson responded that the following topics should be kept in mind during the presentation: whether to recommend that certain regulations be adopted through an overlay; the option of allowing additional height for projects with deed restricted affordable housing; whether the Transit Triangle Overlay should be eliminated; and the adoption of the Railroad Property and the Transit Triangle as CFAs. Consultant Team Presentation Scott Fregonese of 3J Consulting introduced market feedback specialists Becky Hewitt and Mackenzie Visser of ECOnorthwest, and Elizabeth Decker of Jet Planning who specializes in zoning code analysis. Mr. Fregonese provided a brief background on CFAs, noting their similarities to downtown and neighborhood centers, with a focus on walkable areas with a mix of residential, office, retail, and public uses, and an emphasis on multi-model transportation options. He described how CFAs could be developed, or be placed on currently developed areas, with a total residential capacity of 30% or more of a cities projected housing need. He added that cities can have more than one CFA. Mr. Fregonese stated that the areas chosen for consideration were the Transit Triangle, the Railroad Property, and the Croman Mill Site. He added that the Downtown area was briefly considered but was rejected due to its highly developed nature and lack of vacant land available, as well as its status as a Historic District on the National Register. He stated that CFAs are part of the state’s Climate Friendly and Equitable Communities (CFEC) program, which also included parking reform and updates to cities’ Transportation System Plan (TSP). Mr. Fregonese described the project overview, which would build on the Phase I CFA study, and include a code analysis, a market study, community engagement initiatives, and culminate with code adoption by June of 2025. Ms. Decker related how the three CFA candidates were reviewed through a code audit and market study, and the consultants concluded by recommending that the City focus on the Railroad Property and portions of the Transit Triangle. The team also developed code updates that would bring these proposed areas into CFA compliance, help inform the TSP, and align with the City’s long-term goals. Ms. Decker outlined the key CFA requirements that eligible cities must adopt: Allow multifamily residential (apartments or mixed-use) Allow townhouses Allow commercial, office, and civic uses Allow at least 50-foot building height Require at least a minimum density of 15 dwelling units per acre Apply no maximum density Page 3 of 5 In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, please email planning@ashland.or.us. Notification 72 hours prior to the meeting will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to the meeting (28 CFR 35.102-35.104 ADA Title 1). Planning CommissionMinutes Ms. Decker reiterated that not all potential sites chosen for study need to be designated CFAs. The consultant team described the types of development and redevelopment that the Croman Mill Site, Railroad Property, and Transit Triangle could accommodate with the necessary code changes (see attachment #1). They outlined the public engagement process that the team has undertaken, which included presenting before various City Advisory Committees, hosting a public Open House on September 17, 2024, and concluding with a presentation to the Council on November 4, 2024. The team also conducted a survey to gauge public support for the designation of the selected sites as potential CFAs, and found that the public is in general favor of all sites. The consultant team offered the following preliminary and implementation recommendations: Move forward with designation of: Railroad Property: Near downtown, existing mix of development, significant gap o between existing zoning and potential development, further study height impacts Commercial portion of Transit Triangle: Aligns with intent for area, near SOU, need to o update existing overlay, limit changes within residential areas Address development goals for Croman Mill through master plan process in negotiation with applicant Do not include the Downtown as a CFA as it is largely developed and gains no benefit from CFA status Develop CFA Overlay zone to apply to selected areas: Repeal/replace existing Transit Triangle Overlay o Replace existing Residential Overlay in Railroad Property o Explore applicability of solar setbacks o Explore height bonuses for deed-restricted affordable housing in CFAs: Existing height and density bonuses to be allowed outright o Mostly superseded by bonuses in state statute o Discussion Vice-Chair Knauer introduced the following discussion items to help guide the conversation: Should the City adopt CFA regulations as a zone overlay or should new zones be created? The Commission agreed that the CFA changes should be adopted as an overlay in o order to have greater flexibility regarding land use. Should the City allow additional height allowances (five stories or more) for deed- restricted affordable housing? Vice-Chair Knauer noted that the City could explore state allowances for potential o adoption. There was agreement by the Commission that bonus height allowances in the existing code could have unintended consequences when combined with CFA guidelines. Page 4 of 5 In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, please email planning@ashland.or.us. Notification 72 hours prior to the meeting will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to the meeting (28 CFR 35.102-35.104 ADA Title 1). Planning CommissionMinutes Should the Transit Triangle overlay be eliminated if the Transit Triangle is selected as a CFA? The Commission agreed that the Transit Triangle overlay should be retained as some o portions of it would not be encompassed by the proposed CFA overlay. Should the Railroad Property and the Commercial areas of the Transit Triangle be designated as CFAs? The Commission recommended that the Railroad Property and the Commercial areas o of the Transit Triangle be designated as CFAs. The Commission discussed the omission of Downtown from CFA status and recommended that further study be done to determine its feasibility as one, provided that more funding can be obtained from DLCD to conduct said study. The Commission accepted the consultant team’s recommendation to exclude the Croman Mill Site at this time. VII.OPEN DISCUSSION Mr. Goldman reminded the Commission that the annual retreat would be taking place on November 7, 2024. The Commission will have lunch at the Phoodery in Phoenix before moving on to site visits. Commissioner MacCracken Jain requested that the Commission receive more information regarding the New Spirit Village development in the near future. Mr. Goldman described it as a new housing development done with the support of Proud Ground, which is an affordable housing land trust model being applied to the property. He stated that the City could ask Proud Ground to provide a presentation for the Commission and that the City could ask other land trusts about their current projects. VIII.ADJOURNMENT Meeting adjourned at 9:02 p.m. Submitted by, Michael Sullivan, Executive Assistant Page 5 of 5 In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, please email planning@ashland.or.us. Notification 72 hours prior to the meeting will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to the meeting (28 CFR 35.102-35.104 ADA Title 1). Climate and Environment Policy Advisory Committee Social Equity and Racial Justice Advisory Committee 0912 5:30 P.M. 1003 4:00 P.M. -- 20242024