Meeting No. 06-03 March 9, 2006
PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION
A regular meeting of the City of Bondurant Planning & Zoning Commission was held in the Community Room at the Bondurant City Center on March 9, 2006, at 6:00 p.m.
Present: Commission Chair Marvin Skinner
Commission Member John Bein
Commission Member Roland Mark
Commission Member Deborah Baker
Commission Member Ken McConnell
Commission Member David O. Williams
City Planner Dylan Mullenix
City Administrator Mark J. Arentsen
City Council Member Michele Bailey
City Council Member Mike Adams, Sr.
Mayor Marla McCoid
Absent: Commission Member David Higgins
Notice of the meeting was posted at the Bondurant City Center, Casey’s General Store, Legacy Bank and Mobile Food Market on March 3, 2006. All proceedings hereafter shown were taken while the convened meeting was open to the public.
Commission Chair Skinner called the meeting to order at 6:02 p.m. Roll call was taken and a quorum was declared.
Commission Chair Skinner asked that the agenda be amended to include a discussion about meeting times.
Motion made by Commission Member McConnell, seconded by Commission Member Bein, to approve the agenda, as amended. Roll call: Ayes: 6. Nays: 0. Motion carried.
Motion made by Commission Member Mark, seconded by Commission Member Williams, to approve the Planning and Zoning Commission minutes of February 23, 2006. Roll call: Ayes: 6. Nays: 0. Motion carried.
Mr. James Elza, Polk County Planner, 5885 NE 14th Street, Des Moines, Iowa, gave a presentation about the Polk County 2030 Comprehensive Plan update. Mr. Elza said that the process for the update began in June of 2004, and that the final draft is to be printed in the next few weeks. He said that a copy will be made available to anyone who wants one to
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March 9, 2006
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review, and that the plan will go before the Polk County Planning and Zoning Commission on March 27, 2006, and to the Polk County Board of Supervisors on May 9, 2006.
Mr. Elza outlined the plan’s vision and goals, which included: coordinated growth; protecting agricultural land; protecting natural resources; providing trails and parks; managing storm water; promoting economic development by enhancing financial services, logistics and advanced manufacturing, and health care; diversifying housing and re-tooling regulations for affordable housing; matching growth with infrastructure and transportation; and investing in mass transit alternatives and managing access. Mr. Elza said that it is important to plan for the future because Polk County is anticipated to add 150,000 new residents by 2030.
Mr. Elza also gave an overview of each one of the chapters in the plan, which includes land use, infrastructure, environmental quality, agriculture, economic development, housing, and implementation of the plan. He discussed the importance of each one, specifically the relationship between development and infrastructure. He said that during workshops for the plan, most residents wanted a majority of northeastern Polk County to remain agricultural in use. He did say, however, that the workshops supported growth in Bondurant.
Motion made by Commission Member McConnell, seconded by Commission Member Mark, for the approval of Resolution No. PZ-06-03, a Resolution naming Commission Chair Skinner as Commission Chairperson and Commission Member Bein as Vice-Chairperson for calendar year 2006. Roll call: Mark-Yes, Bein-Yes, Williams-Yes, Baker-Yes, McConnell-Yes, Skinner-Yes. Motion carried.
A brief discussion was held regarding Resolution No. PZ-06-04, a Resolution to accept the Action Development Planning Workbook. Commission Member Mark said that he would like a second opinion of the recommendations presented in the Action Development Plan. Commission members agreed that the plan does not necessarily need to be implemented, and that the resolution at hand was to accept the work done by the consultant.
Commission Member McConnell said he would like the resolution amended to state that a transportation infrastructure/corridor study be done before any of the recommendations of the Action Plan are implemented. Motion made by Commission Member Mark, seconded by Commission Member Bein, to approve the amendment. Motion made by Commission Member Mark, seconded by Commission Member Bein, to approve Resolution No. PZ-06-04, as amended. Roll call: Mark-Yes, Bein-Yes, Williams-Yes, Baker-Yes, McConnell-Yes, Skinner-Yes. Motion carried.
City Planner Mullenix gave an update on the Gabus development on the west side of town, stating that a Public Hearing regarding the annexation is scheduled for the next City Council meeting on March 20, 2006, and that after the annexation is approved a rezoning request would be presented to the Commission at the March 23, 2006 meeting.
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City Planner Mullenix also gave an update on the proposed Sign Code that was presented to the Commission at the February 23rd meeting. He said that it has been reviewed by legal council, and will be on the Commission agenda for approval at the March 23, 2006, meeting.
A discussion was held regarding proposed Ordinance 06-200, an ordinance amending the site plan requirements with regards to architectural standards. City Administrator Arentsen informed the Commission that he has discussed this ordinance with a number of local developers, and intends this to be a discussion item to be worked out over a number of meetings. Commission Member Mark suggested taking out a section in the ordinance that encourages windows in garage doors due to safety issues.
Mayor McCoid said that she believes the City needs some architectural guidelines, especially along major streets, but that it might be better to break down the requirements by zoning district. Commission Chair Skinner agreed that it would be good to break down the requirements by zoning district. He also stressed the importance of not over regulating and driving away developments such as the Jerry’s Homes project proposed near Lake Petocka.
Commission Member Baker said that she believes aesthetics are important, and because the City has so much potential for growth that there is a real chance to do something good to ensure pleasant looking developments. Commission Member Bein suggested looking at the guidelines of other cities to get some more ideas. It was agreed that City Planner Mullenix would continue working on the ordinance and update the Commission at the upcoming meetings.
Commission Chair Skinner said that he has a conflict with the meeting time for the first meeting of the month due to another meeting he has to attend that night. It was suggested that the meeting time be moved back to 7:00 p.m. so that both meetings could be attended. It was agreed that all Commission meetings will now begin at 7:00 p.m.
The following items were discussed as part of Commission Members’ comments:
· Commission Member McConnell – Thanked City Administrator Arentsen for writing a letter asking for better delivery of the Press-Citizen newspaper, and that the delivery has improved greatly.
· Commission Member Mark – Asked if the City was going to participate with RAGBRAI this summer and volunteered his services.
· Commission Member Baker – Apologized for missing the last meeting due to illness.
· Commission Member Bein – No Comment.
· Commission Member Williams – No Comment.
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The following items were discussed as part of Commission Chair Skinner’s Comments:
The following items were discussed as part of City Planner Mullenix’s comments:
ü Restated that RAGBRAI would be passing through Bondurant and that more details would be provided after an informational meeting in April.
ü Mentioned to the Commission that a bar and grill restaurant has expressed interest in locating along Brick Street between the Casey’s and Quizno’s buildings and that they can expect a site plan in the near future.
Motion made by Commission Member Mark, seconded by Commission Member Bein, to adjourn the meeting. Roll call: Ayes: 6. Nays: 0. Motion carried. Commission Chair Skinner declared the meeting adjourned at 7:47 p.m.
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Marvin Skinner
Chair
ATTEST:
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Dylan Mullenix
City Planner