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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1985-06-10 Minutes• • • MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE FAYETTEVILLE PLANNING COMMISSION A meeting of the Fayetteville Planning Commission was held on Monday, June 10, 1985 at 5:00 P.M. in the Board of Directors' Room of City Hall, 113 W. Mountain Street, Fayetteville, AR. 72701. MEMBERS PRESENT: Newton Hailey, Melanie Stockdell, Ernie Jacks, Fred Hanna, Sue Madison and Joe Tarvin MEMBERS ABSENT - OTHERS PRESENT: Stan Green, Trey Trumbo and Frank Burggraf Consultant Larry Wood, Tom Sager, Mel Milholland, Wade Bishop, Steve Adams, Johnnie Gentry, Mike Dabney, Bobbie Jones, Paula Brandeis, members of the press and others The regularly scheduled meeting of the Planning Commission was called to order by Chairman Hailey and the minutes of the meeting of May 28th, 1985 were considered. MINUTES Commissioner Jacks made the following correction: Page 3, paragraph 3, "...pancake-shaped piece of property..." should be "panhandle". With this correction, the minutes stood approved as distributed. WASHINGTON CO. AMERICAN RED CROSS REZONING PETITION R85-17 MII.LSAP ROAD EAST OF HWY.471 The second item on the agenda was consideration of petition R85-17, a rezoning request submitted by the Washington County Chapter of the American Red Cross for property located on the south side of Millsap approximately 800 ft. east of Hwy. 471. Property zoned R-1; requested is R-0. Consultant Wood reported that R-0 District is recommended for the following reasons: 1. The General Plan recommends R-0 District on the north side of Millsap Road across the street from this property and this request seems to be a logical extension of that suggested land use pattern; IH7 • • • Planning Commission June 10, 1985 Page 2 2. Since it appears that sewer facilities may not be within 300ft. of this property, the Commission may want some assurance from the developer that sewer will be extended into the property. Tom Sager, representative of the American Red. Cross, stated that this organization wishes to have an office more accessible than its present location. He said they have made an offer on subject property contingent upon a favorable result of the rezoning request. Jacks asked how large the building will be and how many staff will occupy. Sager replied that the building will be about 3300 sq.ft. with one full time and two part-time staff and the possibility of employing four staff people in the future. MOTION Jacks moved to recommend approval of this request, seconded by Tarvin. Upon roll call, the motion to recommend approval passed 6-0-0. Chairman Hailey noted that this recommendation will be presented to the Board of Directors. OTHER BUSINESS ITEM 1. Hailey advised that, per an addendum to today's agenda, the City Board of Directors has referred the plat of Quail Creek addition back to the Planning Commission for further consideration, particularly with regards to excessive culs-de-sac and waivers that have been grant- ed. He noted that the Board left the rezoning request for this property on the first reading. Jacks asked if the Commission should address the rezoning and Hailey explained that only the plat was to be reconsidered. Jacks said he wondered if the question was whether or not this was a good use for the land and Madison replied that she thought Director Orton had said that, "if the Board decided it was not possible to get enough ingress and egress for R-2 zoning, it could decide the property should be zoned R-1 to cut down on density." Wood advised that City Manager Grimes had requested that he research planning literature to determine whether any rules exist regulating the number of points of access in a subdivision. He said he found nothing suggesting any requirement but sent Grimes a memo stating that when he has been involved in planning subdivisions, he has tried to provide for access in all four directions and at a minimum, two points of access for safety purposes. Wood recommended that the Commission seek a third access point to the east for this development. He presented a drawing of the plat showing a possible location of a third access. Planning Commission June 10, 1985 Page 3 Milholland, engineer for this development, said he felt the request for a third access to the east was not unreasonable. He said that lining it up with Bishop Drive seemed most practical. Hailey said he had no problems with the way he voted on this plat the first time. He noted that variances of streetlight spacing are often given in favor of practicality. Jacks agreed, noting that the streetlights in this development are proposed at strategic locations. Milholland offered to provide a stub-out for future connection with Bishop Drive to the east and Madison expressed concern that the developer was offering additional access but not addressing the number of culs. Jacks said he felt culs-de-sac were a great way of planning a subdivision except that it limits access. He said he was satisfied with the decision made and noted that access is blocked to the west by Scull Creek. Jacks said he felt that saying there is a standard number of culs-de-sac doesn't make sense and added that, if the Board could guarantee that they would construct a bridge across Scull Creek within a reasonable amount of time, he would consider requesting access to the west. Stockdell advised that Director Johnson has expressed concern over the high cost of City services on culs-de-sac. Madison said she thought the Board was referring to the Township Road extension area where Windwood becomes, by default, the carrier of more traffic than the surrounding streets which end in culs. She compared that situation to that of Bishop's proposal. Hanna Said he felt that the issue of numbers of culs on this plat came about because of the recent controversy regarding the Township Rd. extension and that numbers of culs should apply in this instance. Jacks said he felt that, once the Planning Commission had an understanding of the Township Road extension area, they made the right decision in tying all of the streets into Township. He noted that the City Board undid that decision and made certain guarantees to residents of those streets. Jacks said the Board has implied that the Commission had fouled up the Township situation which simply is not true. Attorney Steve Adams, representative of neighboring property owner Powell, addressed the right-of-way dispute which he stated was a misunderstanding due to the small print on the reduced plat map mailed to Powell. Adams noted for the record that there is no longer any property line dispute. He said the area indicated by Bishop for water line is on Powells property. Stockdell, absent at the previous meeting, asked why a sidewalk waiver had been granted and was told that Lot 10, Block 2 through the south property line of Lot 3, Block 2 bordered the 10 ft. deep drainage IN9 • • • Planning Commission June 10, 1985 Page 4 ditch where a sidewalk would be waiver had been recommended, not MOTION of no purpose. Jacks noted that the granted. Jacks moved to amend the motion of May 28th by adding that access to the east must be provided. Hanna seconded; discussion followed. Stockdell said it appears that Appleby Road is the logical connection to Gregg Street on the west but wondered whether additional r/w could be granted at this time in case the City took an interest in going through to the west. She noted that Lots 40 & 41 are in the flood plain and suggested granting street r/w at that location. Madison suggested stubbing out Ripple Creek Drive to the north or John Wayne Drive to the west to avoid blocking adjacent Martin property. Bishop came forward and stated that he had thought he was approaching the City Board on a routine matter of a rezoning request and was taken aback by the ferocity of the attack launched upon him. He said there were all indications that each Board member had been primed and embittered against this plat by some one or more individuals. Bishop said he had no objections to granting easement for connection to the east but he thought they wanted more than that. He said he has received a letter from a Board member suggesting that a street be added running along the edge of the creek which would be very expensive. Bishop also advised that most of the suitable adjacent Martin property has been developed with perhaps 1 1/2 acres remaining and added that he did not think Mr. Martin would like having a road through his property. Madison asked the total amount of property owned by Martin and Bishop replied there are about six acres, some_of which are on a steep hillside and unsuitable for developing. Bishop said he had expected that the City Board would honor the vote by the Planning Commission on May 28. He said if it was felt that this property should be left as farm land, then he would consider that and added that he was willing to work with the Board. Bishop reminded the Commission that the Board was advised that planning a plat was not in their jurisdiction and he said he felt that keeping his rezoning petition for this property on first reading was an attempt to "shake the plat". He thanked the Commission for their kind words and action taken. Johnnie Gentry, 2381 Windwood Drive, said he was getting the feeling that culs-de-sac were not acceptable to the Commission and advised that he interpreted that attitude as being anti -neighborhood. He said if culs-de-sac were not allowed, the whole nature of this community ) 0 Planning Commission June 10, 1985 Page 5 would change. Gentry said he did not feel that each proposed subdivision should be approached from the number of culs it had but from the overall plan. He agreed that access must be provided for emergency vehicles, sanitation and other services but direct arterial streets should not be provided. Mike Dabney, 2883 Susan Carol Lane, said he is a resident of Bishop Addition and wished to express his concern regarding the street(s) in Quail Creek intersecting with Drake Street. He advised that Drake is not an inviting access to Hwy. 71, making a left turn onto Hwy. 71 nearly impossible. Dabney said he thought residents of the proposed development would try to exit on Appleby Road via Susan Carol, Peg Lane and Sunny Lane, thereby increasing their traffic load. Madison, addressing Gentry, said she thought a balance was needed between culs-de-sac and intersecting streets. She said it would be fine if everyone could live on a cul-de-sac but that it was a selfish attitude of those chosen few who do to burden another street with their traffic. Madison noted that culs were probably the most valuable property on which to live. She said that she was trying to foresee the needs of all the people who might live in Bishops proposed Quail Creek and not just those on the culs-de-sac. Gentry said he thought the nature of the neighborhood would change if Quail Creek were opened up to the east with traffic occurring on the three streets in Bishop Addition. He compared this situation with that of the culs opening onto the Township Road extension. Tarvin pointed out that prospective buyers will have a choice (in Quail Creek) to purchase a lot either on cul-de-sac or on Quail Creek Drive and that as long as they were aware of what they were buying, there should not be any problem. AMENDMENT Jacks amended his motion to include the acceptance of r/w to the west from Whispering Springs Drive. The amendment was accepted. Stockdell said she thought this development lent itself to small park areas or playgrounds with connecting sidewaLks to reduce pedestrian use of streets. Jacks questioned the PRAB requirement and Jones replied that the Board would prefer land but there is not enough available in this development. The question was called and the motion to amend the original approval with access provided to the east and r/w dedicated to the west off Whispering Springs Drive passed 5-1-0, Madison voting "nay". CI Planning Commission June 10, 1985 Page 6 ITEM 2. Hailey asked for the recommendation from the nominating committee for a new Commission secretary and Jacks said that, although the committee had not met, he would offer a nomination from the floor. Hailey accepted and Jacks nominated Fred Hanna, seconded by Tarvin, Hanna was elected unanimously. On behalf of the Commission, Hailey thanked the Planning staff for the shortest agenda in its history. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 6:15 upon a motion from Tarvin and second from Stockdell. • • /52