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Home My WebLink About2025-02-25_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. February 25, 2025 Special Meeting Minutes I.CALL TO ORDER: Chair Verner 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: Lisa Verner Brandon Goldman, Community Development Director Eric Herron Derek Severson, Planning Manager Gregory Perkinson Michael Sullivan, Executive Assistant Russell Phillips Susan MacCracken Jain Kerry KenCairn Absent Members: Council Liaison: John Maher Doug Knauer II.ANNOUNCEMENTS 1.Staff Announcements: Community Development Director Brandon Goldman made the following announcements: The Housing and Human Services Advisory Committee will hold a community resource fair at the Ashland Library on February 26, 2025. The April 22, 2025 Study Session will be a joint meeting with the City Council to review the SOU Masterplan update and the City’s recent Economic Opportunity Analysis. The Council approved a carbon pollution impact fee at its February 18, 2025 meeting, which will go into effect in January, 2026. They also approved Ordinance 3245, which are amendments to Chapter 2.11 and will introduce universal standards for Advisory Committees. An appeal of the Kestrel Park Phase III subdivision will be received by the Council at its March 4, 2025 meeting. Following the recent snow storm, the City has suspended enforcement of the removal of hazard trees if they became damaged during the storm. This suspension will end on April 30, 2025. 2.Advisory Committee Liaison Reports – None Page 1 of 4 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 IV.PUBLIC FORUM – None V.UNFINISHED BUSINESS 1.Approval of Findings for PA-T1-2024-00255, 110 Terrace Street. Ex Parte Contact No ex parte contact was disclosed. Decision Commissioner KenCairn/Phillips m/s to approve the Findings as presented. Roll Call Vote: All AYES. Motion passed 6-0. VI.OTHER BUSINESS 1.Climate-Friendly Areas Code Update Discussion with 3J Consulting & JET Planning Consultant Presentation and Discussion Elizabeth Decker of JET Planning provided an update on the firms’ ongoing code audit and proposed updates to align with the state’s Climate-Friendly and Equitable Communities (CFEC) guidelines, which includes the implementation of Climate-Friendly Areas (CFAs). CFAs, in addition to zoning code updates, parking reform, and an updated Transportation System Plan (TSP), also included the following guidelines that appropriate cities must adopt: Allow multifamily residential (with ground-floor 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 du/ac Apply no maximum density Ms. Decker stated that the two CFAs proposed are in the Railroad Property and the commercial section of the Transit Triangle (see attachment #1), and that the Commission could also consider the following optional code updates: Remove maximum density in C-1 and E-1 zones citywide? The Commission expressed concern about the potential unintended consequences of o removing maximum density in these zones. Companion changes to downtown (C-1-D) zoning for similar CFA-scale development, Page 2 of 4 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 without CFA designation The Commission was generally in favor of increasing building height allowances to o 60ft and removing density maximums. The Commission wanted to discuss this further with the Council. Consider whether to limit other auto-oriented uses The Commission generally agreed to limit, but not eliminate, auto-oriented uses within o CFAs and determined to continue this discussion at a later date. Consider whether to limit large-scale storage uses The Commission generally agreed that this could be permitted in mixed-use o buildings. Consider any changes to industrial and employment uses in E-1 The Commission generally agreed not to limit industrial uses within CFAs as it could o have unintended consequences on small, owner-operated businesses. Consider whether to limit applicability of solar setbacks within CF Overlay The Commission generally agreed that solar and height setbacks should be limited or o removed in CFAs except near residential buildings on the periphery of those CFAs. Consider any specific design goals for the CF Overlay, beyond Detail Site Review Overlay and walkable urban design standards Commissioner MacCracken Jain suggested design standards that promote outdoor o spaces as part of the townhouse, and that there should be intent behind developing whole neighborhoods rather than developing building-by-building. 2.Walkable Design Standards Code Update Discussion with Cascadia Partners Pauline Ruegg provided a brief presentation on the Walkable Design Standards Code Audit her team at Cascadia Partners conducted, stating that this project focused on land use requirements and guidelines from the Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) to support compact, pedestrian friendly, mixed-use land use development patterns. Walkable Design Standard code changes included promoting clear transitions in residential properties to public areas; a higher percentage of ground-floor windows on residential and commercial buildings; and requiring weather protection along a percentage of the ground floor façade of a certain depth to support use of sidewalk in all weather conditions. Ms. Ruegg also provided information regarding areas where the City abides by, exceeds, or falls short of Oregon Administrative Rules (OARs) (see attachment #2). Ms. Ruegg provided the following questions to facilitate the Commission’s discussion: What questions do you have about the CFEC rules and model code? Are there any code concepts that you have major concerns about? What issues related to walkable design are a high priority for you? Page 3 of 4 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 The Commission was generally in favor of the suggestions made by the consultants. Commissioner KenCairn suggested that guidelines regarding street orientation include language for groupings of houses that do not have street frontage. The Commission discussed the difficulty in promoting affordability while enforcing guidelines that increase development costs, and emphasized the need to include clear and objective development standards. VII.OPEN DISCUSSION The Commission expressed interest in reviewing the TSP update in conjunction with the new Walkability Design Standards. Mr. Goldman informed them that the TSP has a two-year development process and would not be completed by the time the Walkability Design Standards are implemented. VIII.ADJOURNMENT Meeting adjourned at 9:12 p.m. Submitted by, Michael Sullivan, Executive Assistant Page 4 of 4 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).