Planning Commission Meeting   3/8/2022

I'll say hi back.

How are you?

But I'm not supposed to be here yet.

Indeed, I was questioning your existence.

It's, you know, this way I'm actually, I don't forget and not show up on time.

It makes sense to me.

I can listen and hear what y'all are discussing about stuff.

It does happen.

It does, you know, I'm relying on y'all quite significantly, actually.

I was watching a YouTube video where you said smart things.

John School?

I'd like to see that.

So I was wondering, I thought maybe they just lost it.

Hmm.

How are you, Lyle?

Teaching is starting to slow down at spring break, so I'm catching a breath.

So your little one is, what, three years old now?

Just turned three.

Full of fire.

Wow.

That's amazing.

It is.

How's she doing?

just, you know, wants to run and climb and jump.

Oh, wonderful.

I was sitting down reading quietly.

Behaving.

Yes, yes.

Yeah, building blocks or digging in the earth in the backyard.

Sounds all right.

coming in filthy.

I had a bow and arrow.

Oh, that's pretty good.

To counteract the, whoa, wonderful, I lived in a three-room cabin with no running water or electricity either.

Fair.

20 Acre Wood.

You know, this whole Walden 2 thing was written in it.

That's the real money.

I became a city councilor after growing up in a 500-acre... But we did have TV.

So I had to like schedule my TV to make it last a week.

This is a story.

Got into the food in the kitchen tent.

Wow.

Thank you for sharing that.

I'm embarrassed about my little white suburban childhood.

Similar, very similar.

Ooh, nail gun.

We had foundations that people had started and then broke up, and so you had this foundation sitting there for like 20 years.

Artifacts.

I see five?

Oh, yeah.

There are some changes.

So, yeah.

Who is this a report from?

The Tree Commission.

Good.

So that is scheduled and it'll be either that earlier time or a little bit later after the hearing.

Thank you.

I'll turn it back over to you for questions and such.

There was some new content, but not much, mostly, but the comprehensive plan updated, I believe.

Jody, you're muted.

There was the staff analysis based upon the most recent comprehensive plan instead of the 03 or 08, whatever we've been working off of.

I have a question, I guess.

So I get why we're doing this hearing again, but we had a hearing prior to our October hearing, and I don't remember why we had to have another hearing again in October.

So that's why it was deferred and then October.

Do we always have a public hearing after we defer or is that just because the changes were substituted?

Guy Coward, Yeah, thanks.

Guy Coward, Any more questions on the public hearing Guy Coward, Okay.

So I guess, can we hear about that during regular matters for the public, not on the formal agenda, if that's what they're looking to do?

Am I on the right track there?

So that's good feedback to provide for our audience.

Any other questions on tonight's agenda?

I suggest let's take a break and come back at 530 for the regular meeting.

All right.

I'd like to start with Commissioner reports.

I do not have anything to report today.

We look forward to giving you an update next month.

Kareem, please.

Jody Lyle Hendra?

Thank you.

Liz Russell.

Thanks.

And Roy Stolzenberg.

We do have an NPO tech meeting coming up next Tuesday, the 15th at 10 a.m.

Can we please hear from University of Virginia, Mr. Bill Palmer.

So beyond that, nothing to report at this time.

for work or shopping, etc.

Switching gears.

Mr. Friess, can you help us out?

On the entire city?

All of it, please.

So that is all of my updates.

James?

Yeah, sorry.

I just jumped right in with a question.

Yeah, absolutely.

What's the target audience for the Zoning 101 document?

That's what we're aiming for.

Thank you.

Absolutely.

Turn it back to you, Chair.

Did you have an update for us?

I do not.

Thank you very much.

Thanks.

This would be the time tonight to talk about that project.

Mr. Chair, we have no hands raised at this time.

Russell, did you have thoughts on that?

Yes, I move to approve the consent agenda as presented.

I believe that passes unanimously.

So something to think about.

That being the case, yes?

Or do we want to have an unbroken focus?

I'd be interested in the thoughts of the tree commission on this topic.

I think Peggy and I are both here.

Yes.

Thank you.

Mr. Trail will bring up the report in a sec.

Thank you.

How much later would that be, Lyle?

Perhaps 7.30, perhaps 7, something like that.

It's hard to say, but OK, great.

I'll proceed.

It might be helpful if we can look at this in presentation mode as well.

Yeah, someone else could share.

Well, Jeff, should I bring it up?

I can do that.

You want to do it?

I think staff will have to enable screen sharing.

Yeah.

I should have it shared in a second.

You should have screen sharing ability now.

Thank you.

So thank you.

Mr. Offley, can you please take us in?

Commissioner?

Do we have to call the council to order or were they already called to order?

That's reasonable.

We can do that now.

Mr. Offaly, please.

Staff is available for questions, and the applicant has also prepared a short presentation.

Any questions from Council?

Is the only reason we're doing this because of the difficulty with the notice, or is there anything substantively different?

But everything else is the same.

All right.

Nothing yet.

You're muted right now, Justin.

Mr. Trail, are you able to bring up that presentation?

You're unmuted, Justin, but we still can't hear you.

You've gone to mute.

That might work, too.

Thank you.

Do you hear me now?

You sound perfect, please.

But again, happy to revisit anything that you'd like to.

Questions for the applicant from the Planning Commission?

Is that right?

And the stream work happens on our parcel of land.

Additional questions from Planning Commission?

Only question I have, and I'm sure it's already been addressed, but just as a refresher, is can you speak to how this project is harmonious with the existing neighborhood?

more scale, they're larger, but certainly I think closer to scale with what's there than we had started with.

From Council.

Is it a formula or something?

That's the origin is from the city's formula.

What is what?

which somebody in the planning commission will know better than I exactly, but it's something like a 65% AMI or the lower Rory.

It's like 59 depending on how many bedrooms.

So folks that a unit renting for that price are eligible to use a housing voucher for it.

Okay.

Will full-time university students be eligible for those units?

And I believe the answer is yes.

Okay, does restrict.

It's just that they will be in the affordability range of a section voucher.

Sorry, sir, please.

No, there's no other restriction about the who or the why, necessarily.

So I just have one other comment, and what would be great for me is that as you're driving down, I guess, is that Cherry Avenue that intersects with it, Valley Road, that as you're kind of driving and walking past there to get an idea, and I'm sure that it has some software, something to kind of give you a nice visual of what it would look like with, you know, maybe anticipated colors of the building.

Sure, you certainly would not see the buildings from Cherry Avenue.

It's further down the road.

Okay.

I'll need to go by there and take a look to see what's going on there.

I think it would be very important, Mr. Wade, that you go by there and see what the conditions of that site is.

I used to live in one of the complexes down towards the back.

Oh, mm-hmm.

OK.

You better hurry up because it's going to be covered with kudzu soon.

It already is.

Yeah.

So thank you.

Last call.

You're still intending to do that?

I think we'd try to make the proffer sufficiently vague that it could be used where in that neighborhood it made sense.

Thanks.

Additional questions for the applicant?

I saw the notes from the October meeting and there was a question about the other uses associated with R3.

Let me look and see some of our notes here.

My note says, you know, the following uses would be right beat by right bed and breakfast, townhome, family day home, public health clinic, daycare facility, etc.

And I don't remember, Matt, is it not prop, even as the prop or not the choir sort of construction in accordance with the plan?

I think it would be very improbable based on the materials in front of you.

Any additional questions for the applicant?

Please.

Can you hear us?

I'm unmuted now.

Yes.

I'm just looking at whether or not any analysis was done on that.

We can't answer questions at this time.

Okay, sorry.

Do we have any additional colors?

If anyone else would like to speak, please click raise hand or star nine if you're joining us via telephone.

There are no additional hands raised.

Could you please say what you've typed?

So a little under three per minute.

And it would also be okay to raise a motion at this time.

I was just wondering if we could get a little bit more background I meant to ask this earlier from staff as to why they chose to recommend denial of the rezoning.

Mr. Ruffoli, could you help us?

So those are the two biggest concerns staff had with the proposal.

Additional comments, questions, or motions?

which are a bunch of very large duplexes that are relatively new on the opposite of the street.

Additional comments, questions, possible motions?

Like, help me understand.

So at the very least, I would imagine that would have to be two extra, but certainly we'll obviously define it more later when we get to the zoning rewrite.

Mr. Hibab, I saw your hand up.

And you're, I mean, arguably adding canopy to a site that doesn't have any right now, I find reading, you know, the drawings correctly, there aren't any impact on trees, so it's, I just wanted to say those, and thanks.

Additional comments, questions, or motion?

Councilman Wade pointed out the $48,000 isn't going to isn't going to provide sidewalks in this on this on Valley extended and it is really narrow.

I guess.

And I know safety and pedestrian safety is definitely high on our list, but what other adverse effects are we seeing that this project may have on the neighborhoods?

It's really the traffic along the road that I think is a real, like legitimate concern, which again, per the ITE estimates, which are a bit buggy, but are on page 94, it's about three in that, in that PM peak hour, like rush hour, it's going to be three a minute, or sorry, one every three minutes.

And in that case, the proffer spoke to that need.

So I'm just wondering, is there something else we can do to balance this out?

Also, you know, I mentioned that like tripling was 170 units, so over six times as much traffic as this.

And larger units too, mostly townhouse.

Additional comments, questions, or a motion?

I move to recommend approval of this application to rezone the subject property from R2 to R3 on the basis that the proposal would service the interests of the general public and good zoning practice.

Do I hear a second?

Second.

Chrissy, would you please call the roll?

Mr. LeHindra?

Aye.

Mr. Stolzenberg?

Aye.

Mr. Habab?

Aye.

And Mr. Solyates?

Aye.

That would pass for three.

I think that was the time for that.

I believe that's appropriate, please.

modifications of yard requirements to front yard 25 feet north side yard five feet south side yard 14 feet rear yard 25 feet.

Do I hear a second?

Second.

Chrissy, would you please call the roll?

Mr. Alejandro?

Aye.

Dow?

No.

Mr. Mitchell?

No.

Mr. Stolzenberg?

Aye.

Mr. Habab?

Aye.

Mr. Solla-Yates?

Aye.

Passes 4-3.

All right, and then the critical slope waiver.

Second.

Chrissy, would you please call the roll?

Mr. LeHindra?

Aye.

Dow?

No.

Mr. Mitchell?

Yes.

Mr. Stolzenberg?

Aye.

Mr. Habab?

Aye.

And Mr. Solla-Yates.

Aye.

Passes five to two.

Members of the public, thank you for your attention.

We'll see you next time.

We're a little bit earlier.

Michael Koch, Rory Stolz, Rory Stolz, Rory Stolz, Rory Stolz, Rory Stolz, Rory Stolz, Rory Stolz, Rory Stolz, Rory Stolz, Rory Stolz, Rory Stolz, Rory Stolz, Rory Stolz, Rory Stolz, Rory Stolz, Rory Stolz, Rory Stolz, Rory Stolz, Rory Stolz, Rory Stolz, Rory Stolz, Rory Stolz, Rory Stolz, Rory Stolz, Rory Stolz, Rory Stolz, Rory Stolz, Rory Stolz, Rory Stolz, Rory Stolz, Rory Stolz, Rory Stolz, Rory Stolz, Rory Stolz, Rory Stolz, Rory Stolz, Rory Stolz

Jeff?

But we are seeing losses elsewhere in the city relative to new development.

Thank you.

Have you guys been talking to the homeowners there, landowners there, and are they receptive to us coming in and putting trees into their properties?

So it takes a while, you know, to be successful.

What's the big reason that's driving a lost canopy?

I'm sorry.

Do you have a plan to replace those ash trees?

Of course, the ash trees are big trees and they're going to come down and we're going to be able to plant 10 to 12 foot trees so it doesn't compensate for the loss of canopy.

Oh, no, no.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

So what do we replace them with?

Well, I hope that we can replace them with shade trees.

What type of shade trees?

So we'd like to replace them with large trees, but it takes a while for them to grow, you know, Jeff?

Or is this, are we doing this for our kids?

So that's part of our program is to help people who can't afford it to be able to preserve their existing trees.

and help ameliorate some of those issues that we've had with the urban heat island effects that we've talked about.

Would you like to ask your question?

So in the ash tree removal line item, is that just for removal or does that cover any amount of replacement as well?

So that's really just for removal.

So I definitely have questions about that, but I don't want to be premature.

So the tree commission had some recommendations that were not in contradiction to those recommendations that were coming out of the report, but we just had questions about how they arrived at various recommendations.

Creasy so that Lyle and Missy can tee you guys up to do that again.

You can actually change some of those site plans for the better, and then ultimately get some money for the city to be able to replace trees.

Additional questions?

Not only, you know, we're not just about trees, we're about all kinds, you know, all natural resources, how we can, you know, have a denser city and have a healthier city.

So something to keep in mind as we go into the code, the ordinance rewrite.

Can you come back again in return?

You're deputized.

Mr. Habab, please.

I don't know, I mean, if that works or not, but that way we're not constricting via setback maybe, but we're saying we want X amount of street trees per, like, lot frontage on a street or something like that, and there's more room for creativity, maybe.

Thoughts on that one?

We could do it again.

Sorry, Bill.

Additional questions on this topic?

and could we potentially even save money that way because we're we have volunteers doing it and get more planted or are we are we worried about like liability issues or utility conflicts in the right of way with volunteer things like the trees.

I mean, the city just does not plant trees on private property.

So it was a big effort, including everybody.

Yeah, and the city provided some mulch and some equipment.

So, yeah, it was a great, it was a party.

Yeah.

You missed it, Rory.

Three party.

How does that relationship work?

So if you'd like, I'll send you a picture from Burgundy, France of their tree park.

That would be cool if you could, please.

That is cool.

Mr. Robob, please.

Yeah.

That was my bad.

I'll accept no as an answer, if that's the answer.

Is that a question for me, Lyle, or is that a general question?

You might have some insight.

It's a model for the city and for any other organization.

That goes citywide.

and what a great idea for developers at the city to have to put in an amount into a landscape fund that goes into trees and improving the landscapes around the city.

No councilors are on it anymore, but that's a great idea.

Maybe it's time to plant some trees and rename it to woods.

I'd be surprised how many trees are on the lawn, too.

Don't be miserable about lawns.

I would entertain a motion at this time.

What motion are you looking for?

Oh, okay.

I like what you guys are doing.

Thank you.

Thank you, Jeff and Peggy.

Yeah, thank you.

Thank you all.

Yeah.

Good night.

Bye.

So with that, I make a motion that we adjourn until the second Tuesday in April.

I second that motion.

Thank you all.

Do we have a work session this month?

We do not.

I just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing anything.

It's going to get busy.

Y'all have a good night.

Bye-bye.