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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPZ 04-10-1990 MINUTES OF THE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION MEETING HELD ON TUESDAY, APRIL 10, 1990 The regular meeting of the Planning and Zoning Commission was called to order at 7:45 p.m. after the Commission took a short recess after the Workshop session. PRESENT: Chairman Sims; Vice Chairman Linebarier; Commission members Swickerath, Weeks, Switzer, and Shiver; Alternate Commission members Carroll and Rhodus; Planning Director Behrens, and Deputy Clerk Resnik. ABSENT: Commission member Bond. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Vice Chairman Linebarier moved to approve the March 13, 1990 Planning and Zoning Commission meeting minutes, Commission member Switzer seconded, and approval was unanimous. ‘ NEW BUSINESS Commission member Swickerath suggested that the Commission discuss the Community Redevelopment Agency item first, since the representatives for West Orange Hospital had not yet arrived. Formation of a Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) - City of Ocoee Director of Planning Behrens read the staff report and said the City Manager had asked him to find out if the Planning and Zoning Commission thought a CRA was a good idea for Ocoee. Chairman Sims asked Director Behrens for an example of what the agency would do. Director Behrens said the "old downtown" did not currently have sewer and that the cost for someone to develop there was not economically feasible because of this. Director Behrens said the City had more critical needs than addressing this situation and therefore putting sewer lines down McKey Street was not in the City's Capital Improvement Plan. Director Behrens said if the City created a CRA, money could be raised to put in sewer in this area and make it more appealing for the developers. Director Behrens said, for example, that the Ocoee Restaurant was limited to 40 seats and are unable to consider an expansion of the restaurant because they are not on sewer. Chairman Sims asked if the CRA could only make public improvements or if it could also spend money to help someone put a new roof on a private building. Director Behrens said he was unsure but that he knew that a CRA could purchase land and convey sites. Page 2 Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting April 10, 1990 Commission member Swickerath asked who defines "blighted areas" that are mentioned in the staff report material and Director Behrens said that was one of the responsibilities of the CRA. Chairman Sims asked for clarification on whether the CRA was to be used as a means of paving dirt streets, putting in sewer, and other improvements, and if the money that came afterwards from the increase in tax money was what was supposed to pay for it. Commission member Swickerath asked whether a special taxing district was created for those areas designated as "blighted" and whether or not existing property owners in the district had to agree to the extra tax. Commission member Swickerath and others expressed that although the CRA may be a good idea, they did not know enough about it and needed someone to address the Planning and Zoning Commission who could explain the process and answer their questions. Vice Chairman Linebarier suggested that the City Commission and Planning and Zoning Commission hold a joint workshop to discuss the concept of a CRA and to have someone at the meeting who could explain it more thoroughly. Director of Planning Behrens said he would ask Rick Bernhardt, Planning Director in Orlando, if he would be willing to explain what a Community Redevelopment Agency does and what its purposes are. Director Behrens said the City Manager was looking for direction from the Planning and Zoning Commission as to whether it thought the concept of a Community Redevelopment Agency was something the City should pursue. Chairman Sims said the Planning and Zoning Commission agreed to the concept but also agreed that they need more information before they can provide any opinion. Chairman Sims directed staff to place the item on the May agenda and to put it under "Other Business" at the end of the meeting so they could get everything else taken care of and not have to work under any time constraints. Preliminary Plan Approval for West Orange Hospital Director of Planning Behrens read the staff report and noted that Bill Phillips of West Orange Hospital was in the audience along with the architects on the project if the Planning and Zoning Commission had any questions. R.P. Mohnacky, 1820 Prairie Lake Boulevard, asked about adjacent ice,, residential property owners and whether or not the proposed parking lot would interfere with the residential neighborhood. Mr. Page 3 L.., Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting April 10, 1990 Mohnacky said he remembered this being an early issue with talk of the hospital moving to Ocoee. Mr. Phillips, Facilities Director for West Orange Hospital, said there were some initial concerns about this but that they had all been addressed through buffering requirements. Chairman Sims asked about the emergency vehicle entrance and Mr. Phillips pointed it out on the preliminary site plan. Commission member Swickerath said he saw at least three locations where an accident could take place the way the onsite traffic circulation was proposed and expressed concern over a speeding ambulance confronting another vehicle at one of these access points. Mr. Phillips explained that the staff parking and service access areas were separate from the main traffic area. Commission member Shiver explained that there was very little need for excessive speed by the time the ambulance arrives at the hospital, especially because the ambulance attendants are performing a lot of the same medical treatment that would be done in the hospital setting anyway. Bill Phillips explained that the outparcels shown on the plan were sites for future health care facilities (doctors offices, etc.) and would not be developed until a later time. Commission member Swickerath asked whether these outparcels would still be owned by the hospital after they were developed and Mr. Phillips said that West Orange Hospital would maintain ownership of the land and that the outparcels may contain a professional office building or an expansion of the hospital itself. Commission member Swickerath asked how many floors of beds there would be in the tower and Bill Phillips said there would be four (4) floors of patient beds and the rest would be "patient- related ". Mr. Phillips reminded the Planning and Zoning Commission members that they would have an opportunity to review the actual building itself when it comes before them for Preliminary Plan approval later. Chairman Sims asked Mr. Phillips how the medical waste would be disposed of and whether there would be any on -site facilities to handle this. Mr. Phillips said the medical waste would be transported at first, since the hospital would not have an incinerator on site when the hospital first opens. Bill Phillips said the dotted lines on the plans indicate the planned expansions that are to take place in different stages and that these stages may change. '`r Page 4 Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting April 10, 1990 Mr. Mohnacky asked whether the height of the building would interfere with the nearby multi - family or if the architecture of the building would fit in with surrounding buildings. Mr. Phillips said the height of the building would not interfere since it will be some distance away from any neighboring buildings. He also said that although there were no buildings in the immediate area, the architecture would make a statement as well as conform to industry standards. Commission member Swickerath said the architectural firm handling the project, H.K.S. of Dallas, was very reputable. Director of Planning Behrens noted that a few of the firm's members were in attendance and they introduced themselves. Commission member Switzer asked about a parking lot surface he had heard about that allowed water to penetrate it and go right back into the ground. Bill Phillips said he was aware of the material that Commission member Switzer was referring to but that the hospital was not considering using it. Commission member Shiver said he was very impressed with the hospital's plans to date. Commission member Swickerath said although there were no written regulations prohibiting it, he would encourage the hospital to reexamine the retention pond placement so close to State Road 50 and to allow for more of a buffer between the highway and the pond. Bill Phillips asked why Commission member Swickerath wanted to narrow the retention area. Commission member Shiver said he did not think it was necessary to narrow the scope of the pond, but he agreed that the more buffer between road and parking lot, the better. Commission member Shiver also said he would personally prefer some vegetation for the buffer instead of just grass. Commission member Swickerath said he realized that this plan was not a landscaping plan, but that he would like to see more trees in the parking lot than are shown. Vice Chairman Linebarier agreed that he would like to see more landscaping. Bill Phillips explained that the Planning and Zoning Commission would see the detailed landscaping plan at a later date. Alternate Commission member Carroll said he would have to abstain from voting on the hospital plan due to a conflict of interest. Commission member Swickerath moved to approve the Preliminary Plan on West Orange Hospital, Commission member Shiver seconded, and approval was unanimous, with the exception of Alternate Commission member Carroll who abstained from voting due to a conflict of *Oliftr Page 5 kimy Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting April 10, 1990 RECESS: 8:30 p.m. CALL TO ORDER: 8:40 p.m. OLD BUSINESS West Highway 50 Corridor Discussion Chairman Sims suggested the Planning and Zoning Commission present a resolution to the City Commission outlining its recommendations on the six (6) week moratorium along State Road 50; the relationship of the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Development Review Committee; and the specific proposals for amending curb cuts and buffering requirements. Commission member Shiver said he would like to see the City limit the instances of asphalt to asphalt or asphalt to sidewalk with only a short strip of grass in between. He said a certain amount of landscaping and berming should be required. Commission member Shiver also said he would like to see a limited number of curb cuts and signs. He said he would like to see blooming shrubs and other berming and that it could be the responsibility of a property owners' association to maintain these areas. Vice Chairman Linebarier said that Section 2 (Design) on Page 46 addressed many of the concerns of the Planning and Zoning Commission and that it was discussed at length amongst the Planning and Zoning Commission and staff, and with Orange County. Chairman Sims asked the Planning and Zoning Commission if this section of the study outlined what they wanted to see along this corridor. He said if the Planning and Zoning Commission members all agreed, then this language could be used to draft the resolution to the City Commission. Commission member Swickerath said that the requirements outlined in this part of the study were not included in the City's current landscape regulations so that the resolution should say that the Planning and Zoning Commission recommends that all development along the Highway 50 corridor follow the landscape regulations outlined in the West State Road 50 Area Study. Chairman Sims clarified that this would mean that the City was requiring more of the developers along this corridor than it was for other developers in the City. Commission member Swickerath said they would have to specify what land was to be included in the Highway 50 corridor area and specify the landscaping requirements that went along with „► it. Page 6 Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting April 10, 1990 Commission member Shiver said he would like to include all property along State Road 50 that was in the City limits because that way the City could bring those areas into compliance that applied for redevelopment in the future. Commission member Swickerath suggested that the Planning and Zoning Commission recommend an amendment to the landscape regulations to provide for more than the current five (5) foot buffer and that this regulation should be for all future development along all arterial roads. Chairman Sims said the study proposed 25 feet on all major roadways. Alternate Commission member Carroll said with a 25 foot buffer and the other required setbacks, the property owners may find it hard to develop. Commission member Swickerath said 25 feet may be too much but that the current five (5) foot buffer was not enough. Alternate Commission member Carroll said that the developer sometimes gets around the buffer requirement by using this space for drainage. Commission member Swickerath said the hospital plans they had just approved had the retention pond by the roadway. Chairman Sims explained, though, that the hospital's intention was to have a wet pond with a "lake" affect. Director of Planning Behrens asked the Planning and Zoning Commission if they wanted staff to study all this from a Planning Department standpoint and then report back with recommendations of new landscaping guidelines. Commission member Swickerath said he thought the City did too much studying and that he wanted to vote to recommend guidelines tonight. Director Behrens suggested that if the Planning and Zoning Commission was in agreement with what the West State Road 50 Study said, that they could recommend to the City Commission that it consider adopting the study. Vice Chairman Linebarier said they had already done that once. Commission member Shiver asked if the West State Road 50 Area Study had been adopted by the Orange County Commission and Director of Planning Behrens said it had not, that it had been studied but not adopted. Commission member Shiver asked Director Behrens why the Orange County Planning staff would not recommend this study be adopted by the Orange County Commission. Director of Planning Behrens said he would ask the County staff to recommend it to the County Commissioners. R.P. Mohnacky asked whether the study took into consideration the fact that the state planned to widen the road to six (6) lanes in the future. He said if not, then the buffers being discussed would not matter since they would all have to be destroyed to widen the roadway. Page 7 Planning and Zoning Meeting Minutes April 10, 1990 Commission member Shiver said the hospital plan called for 150 -160 feet of right -of -way along State Road 50, therefore the future six - laning was taken into consideration. Chairman Sims thanked Mr. Mohnacky for raising this point. Vice Chairman Linebarier said that Section F on Page 48 of the West State Road 50 Area Study addressed access points and said they should be group, when possible, and have certain distances between them. Commission member Swickerath moved to recommend to the City Commission that they approve the West State Road 50 Area Study and the map presented to them tonight that was prepared some time ago by the Planning and Zoning Commission and former members of the Planning staff, and to use the two as planning tools for the State Road 50 corridor, and for the City Commission to formally request that the Orange County Commission also adopt the study. Alternate Commission member Carroll seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Director of Planning Behrens suggested that the Planning and Zoning Commission attend the City Commission meeting to convey this recommendation. Chairman Sims said he would draft a resolution and ask that it be placed on the next City Commission meeting agenda (April 17th). Chairman Sims said if the City Commission can adopt this study at the April 17 meeting, then there will no longer be a need for the six week moratorium that the Planning and Zoning Commission is also requesting for any development along State Road 50; but if there needs to be a public hearing and there would be a delay in voting due to advertising requirements, then there would need to be a moratorium proposed, unless the development met with the requirements outlined in the study. Chairman Sims said he would make a verbal request for a six week moratorium if the circumstances called for it. Commission member Weeks moved to adjourn the meeting, Commission member Switzer seconded, and approval was unanimous. ADJOURNMENT: 9:15 p.m. Page 8 Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting April 10, 1990 1 41. La/2•‘ CHAIRMAN SIMS ATTEST: rl . •� �_ ■.Ll—.. PUTY CLERK RESNIK , 1100 Sher