Agenda - 11-05-2013 - 6c - Laserfiche WebLink

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33 1 Michael Harvey reviewed the attachments to the abstract. He said the potential 2 development of a fire department substation off Neville Road has caused some concern for 3 local residents. He said staff was directed to initiate a text amendment to require a 4 neighborhood information meeting prior to the approval of any site plans proposing the 5 development of government use. 6 He said this requires the applicant to hold this meeting so that property owners within 7 500 feet can attend the meeting to gather information and offer feedback. 8 He said the applicant has to respond to concerns or suggestions offered at the meeting, 9 and the public must be informed by certified mail of the date and time of the meeting. 10 He noted that this amendment does not alter the current review process for government 11 uses. He said this does not require the Board to hold additional public hearings with respect to 12 the decision to purchase or act on the purchase of property. He said this also does not require 13 County agencies that engage in long range planning project planning to duplicate efforts by 14 holding informational meetings about projects that have already been reviewed and discussed 15 at the public level. He gave the example of a recent park planning project. 16 He said if this is adopted any time a government use is defined, the table of permitted 17 uses will be developed, neighborhood meetings will held, and planning staff will encourage the 18 applicant to address as many concerns as he /she sees fit. 19 He noted that the purpose of this is to insure that local residents are aware of what is 20 happening in the vicinity with regard to government facilities. 21 He said Ordinance Review Committee comments were positive with a few noted 22 changes and input from other departments. 23 He reviewed the staff recommendations as outlined in the abstract. 24 Pete Hallenbeck asked for questions 25 Commissioner Gordon said she wanted to point out the background on the first page, 26 which outlines the fact that a permitted use only requires staff review and action. She said 27 neither the County nor the applicant is required to notify adjacent property owners. She said 28 this is a fire station, which is for the public good. She said that neighbors still had concerns, and 29 she feels that neighborhood meetings and outreach are a good idea. 30 Commissioner Pelissier asked why staff selected that a meeting would not be required 31 unless the expansion was 50% or larger. 32 Michael Harvey said staff tried to use existing standards from the UDO regarding what 33 constitutes expansion. He said staff did not want smaller expansions to have to undergo a 34 formal site plan review process for just a couple of parking spaces. He said that larger re- 35 development of a site changes the nature of the project and demands a planning review. He 36 also wanted to treat the parks the same way. 37 Commissioner Pelissier asked if facilities include parking spaces or just building. 38 Michael Harvey said it includes both. 39 Chair Jacobs said he feels the neighbors in the area of the White Cross substation were 40 taken aback that something had appeared in their neighborhood without any awareness of the 41 process or the impact. He said this is a good way to address that concern. He feels it is 42 important to know and have a say about what is going on in your neighborhood, while balancing 43 the fact that government use has a certain priority. He noted that the White Cross Fire Station 44 is holding a neighborhood information meeting tomorrow night. He said this is a good precedent 45 moving forward. 46 Commissioner McKee said some of the neighbors that he talked to were not upset over 47 the fire station, but were simply upset about the lack of notification. 48 Commissioner Price clarified that if this goes into effect then a volunteer fire department 49 would have to hold an information meeting. She asked if state law supersedes this. 50 Michael Harvey said he is not aware of anything in state law that gives a fire department 51 preferential treatment from compliance with local land use regulations. 52 Commissioner Price said she thought that state law said that the fire stations are 53 permitted by right.