A regular meeting/public hearing of the Planning Commission of Alexandria Township was held on the 22nd day of February, 2009 at the Alexandria Township Conference Room, 610 Fillmore Street.
Roll Call: Commission members present were John Knowles, Julie Haar, Russ Niskanen, Larry Steidl and Lyle Hammerschmidt. Also present was Bonnie Fulghum, Deputy Clerk, and Ben Oleson, Township Zoning Administrator. As said members formed a quorum and the meeting was called to order by Chairman Knowles at 6:00 p.m.
Agenda: Niskanen, seconded by Steidl, made a motion to approve the agenda as written. Motion carried unanimously.
New Business: Chairman Knowles introduced Julie Haar, who will be fulfilling Julie Feuling’s term on the Planning Commission.
Zoning Administrator Oleson requested that site visits revert to Tuesdays. The consensus of the commission was to change site visits to Tuesdays at 4:30 p.m. for the months of March and April.
Public Hearing: The first item for consideration was the zoning map amendment application presented by Joshua and Renee Sanden. The Sandens are requesting that their parcel be re-zoned from Rural Conservation Residential (RCR) to Rural Residential (RR).
Zoning Administrator Oleson stated that the Sandens own a parcel of land, 26.67 acres, at the NE corner of the intersection between Homestead and Hope Roads. Their property on the east abuts the City of Nelson. At a previous planning commission meeting, the Sandens had proposed splitting their property into two parcels, each parcel potentially containing a dwelling. The two dwelling lots would be the maximum allowed under the RCR district.
Desiring more flexibility, the applicants decided to seek re-zoning of the parcel, which would allow them to split the property into three lots. This would be allowed under the RR designation. If the applicants are successful in their re-zoning application, they plan to submit an application for subdivision of the parcel into three separate parcels.
Oleson also stated that the parcel is in an area shown in the comprehensive plan as Transition Residential, which indicates the area is projected to become more urban over time. Oleson also said that along with potential development is the concern over traffic volume and its impact on Hope, Newman, Homestead and O’Brien Roads.
Oleson outlined three options for consideration: 1) to recommend approval of the proposed re-zoning and perhaps seek limiting the number of lots allowed in any subsequent subdivision application; 2) to recommend denial of the proposed re-zoning based on the finding that the proposed re-zoning would allow the potential for (70) seventy additional vehicle trips per day along Hope Road, noting that said increase would be inconsistent with the goals/policies of the comprehensive plan; and 3) to recommend denial of the proposed re-zoning but indicate that it supports a township policy that calculations of allowable dwelling units in the RCR and RR districts are rounded up.
The applicants stated that they want to have flexibility to sell part of their land, and be able to offer alternatives to a potential buyer.
Chairman Knowles opened the hearing to the public for comment.
Randy Fischer, 710 N Quincy St, Alexandria, asked if the parcels to the south on Hope Road were considered RCR also. Oleson said they were. Mr. Fischer then asked why they were zoned that way and Oleson said it was due to road issues.
Seeing no further comment, Chairman Knowles closed the public portion of the hearing.
Commissioner Niskanen inquired as to upgrading Hope Road. Oleson stated that Engineer Kuhn expressed concern as to the costs associated with an upgrade, since the town bears the brunt of those initial costs.
Commissioner Hammerschmidt asked if the town would be setting a precedent by allowing the re-zoning.
Niskanen, seconded by Steidl, made a motion to recommend to the town board approval of the Sanden re-zoning application from rural conservation residential to rural residential due to the property being located in the transition residential district. Roll: Niskanen, Steidl, Hammerschmidt, Knowles – yes. Opposed: none. Commissioner Haar abstained.
The second item for discussion was amendments to the zoning and subdivision ordinances. Zoning Administrator Oleson presented a list for the commission’s review.
The commission instructed Zoning Administrator Oleson to consult with the township attorney on the possibility of instituting a fine under the “Three Strikes” policy.
The Zoning Subcommittee will be meeting in March, and the commission instructed Oleson to invite Land and Resource Director, Dave Rush, to that meeting for his input on any concerns the county may have on the proposed amendments.
Steidl, seconded by Hammerschmidt, made a motion to table further discussion on the ordinance amendments to allow the county time for comments. Motion carried. Commissioner Haar abstained.
Minutes: Niskanen, seconded by Steidl, made a motion to approve the site visit minutes of 9/22/09 as written. Motion carried. Commissioner Haar abstained.
Hammerschmidt, seconded by Niskanen, made a motion to approve the site visit minutes of 12/22/09 as written. Motion carried. Commissioner Haar abstained.
Steidl, seconded by Niskanen, made a motion to approve the site visit minutes of 1/20/10 with the correction of noting that Commissioner Hammerschmidt was absent. Motion carried. Commissioner Haar abstained.
Hammerschmidt, seconded by Steidl, made a motion to approve the minutes of the 1/25/10 regular meeting as written. Motion carried. Commissioner Haar abstained.
Old Business: none
Zoning Administrator’s Report: none
Adjournment: Being no further business Steidl, seconded by Hammerschmidt, made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Meeting adjourned at 8:12 p.m.
Respectfully submitted…
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Bonnie Fulghum, Deputy Clerk
Approved this ____ day of ___________, 2010
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John B. Knowles, Chairman