MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE MIDLAND CITY PLANNING COMMISSION

WHICH TOOK PLACE ON TUESDAY,

APRIL 23, 2013, 7:00 P.M.,

COUNCIL CHAMBERS, CITY HALL, MIDLAND, MICHIGAN

1. Roll Call

PRESENT: Hanna, Heying, McLaughlin, Mead, Pnacek, Senesac, Stewart and Tanzini

ABSENT: Young

OTHERS PRESENT: Brad Kaye, Director of Planning and Community Development, Jeff Burdick, Community Development Planner and one (1) other.

2. Approval of Minutes

Moved by Hanna and seconded by Pnacek to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of April 9, 2013. Motion passed unanimously.

3. Public Hearings

a. Zoning Petition No. 585 – initiated by A-1 Storage to zone portions of the property located at 4120 Isabella Street.

Brad Kaye provided an overview of the zoning petition request. The proposed portion to be rezoned is on the east side of the parcel. The existing RA-1 zoned portion of the site would be expanded 30-feet to the south into an area of the parcel currently zoned OS. Part of the existing OS zoned portion of the site would be expanded 50-feet to the west into an area currently zoned CC. The property’s future land use designation is high density residential per the City of Midland Master Plan.

Kaye went through the general evaluation criteria for zoning map amendments and noted that this request does not meet many of these criteria as its current zoning is inconsistent with the site’s future land use designation as high density residential. He added that this request essentially alters the boundaries of existing zoning districts. Staff would not support a request that included new zoning designations that didn’t support the site’s future land use designation. However, this request is reasonable since it amounts to a slight change of the site’s existing zoning designations and expands the RA-1 zone to create a buildable single-family lot.

Kaye stated that the request has yielded only one public comment, which supported this request. He also noted that staff received one phone call from a neighbor inquiring about the nature of the request.

Heying inquired as to the history related to the RA-1 zoned portion of this lot. Kaye replied that this RA-1 designation appears in many older iterations of the zoning map but he did not determine when the property was first zoned this way. McLaughlin asked if the lot would be subdivided upon rezoning. Kaye stated that he understands that the owner wishes to do so.

The applicant was not present and no members of the public were present to comment on the proposal. The public hearing portion of the meeting was closed.

A motion was made by Hanna to waive the procedural requirements for a second meeting. The motion was seconded by Senesac and approved unanimously.

Senesac noted that he would not favor this request if these zoning districts did not already exist on the site, but that this request to alter the existing zoning districts seems reasonable. Pnacek stated that this proposal creates a good transition between the RA-1 and CC districts. Hanna stated she would like to see the pond on the eastern end of the OS portion of the site be fenced for safety. Kaye stated that this could not be required through this rezoning request, but staff could speak to the applicant about this concern. McLaughlin asked if the high density residential designation of this site in the future master plan is appropriate. Kaye stated that staff have this same concern and that the high density residential designation in this area should be reviewed in future examinations of the Master Plan.

Motion by Hanna and seconded by Stewart to recommend to City Council the approval of Zoning Petition No. 585 initiated by A-1 Storage Move to zone portions of the property located at 4120 Isabella Street to Residential A-1 Single Family Residential (RA-1) and Office Service (OS)..

Vote:

YEAS: Hanna, Heying, McLaughlin, Mead, Pnacek, Senesac, Stewart, Tanzini

NAYS: None

ABSENT: Young

4. Old Business

None

5. Public Comments

None

6. New Business

None

7. Communications

Brad Kaye informed the Planning Commission that he and Pat Gillespie would be presenting at a meeting of the Urban Land Institute regarding public/private partnership behind the East End development. This presentation is to take place in Lansing on Thursday, April 25.

Gayle Hanna stated that the Non-Motorized Transportation Committed would be meeting during the morning of Thursday, April 25 to discuss their concerns with the pedestrian and other non-motorized accessibility issues in and around the Midland Mall area.

8. Report of the Chairperson

None

9. Report of the Planning Director

None

10. Items for Next Agenda – May 14, 2013

Brad Kaye informed the Commission that two site plan applications may appear before the Planning Commission at their May 14 meeting. These include the proposed Ashman Street Townhouses and a new downtown office development.

11. Adjourn

Motion by Senesac, seconded by Hanna to adjourn at 7:29 pm.

Respectfully submitted,

C. Bradley Kaye, AICP, CFM

Director of Planning and Community Development

MINUTES ARE NOT FINAL UNTIL APPROVED BY THE PLANNING COMMISSION