A regular meeting/public hearing of the Planning Commission of Alexandria Township was held on the 28th day of July, 2014 at the Alexandria Township Conference Room, 610 Fillmore Street.
Roll Call: Commission members present were Shad Steinbrecher, Mary Hacker, Larry Steidl, Linda Dokken-McFann and Bill Dropik, Jr. Also present were 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 Steidl at 6:00 p.m.
Agenda: Dokken-McFann, seconded by Hacker, made a motion to approve the agenda as written. Motion carried unanimously.
Minutes: Dropik, seconded by Dokken-McFann, made a motion to approve the minutes of the 06/23/2014 meeting as written. Motion carried unanimously.
Chairman Steidl closed the meeting and opened the public hearing on the Just conditional use application which would allow an existing dwelling to temporarily remain onsite until a replacement dwelling has been completed.
Public Hearing: The applicant, Chris Just, stated he purchased the new house from the Alexandria Technical College and will have it moved to his property at 3009 Berglund Mile. The new house will be located further back on the property to the southeast corner by the field. Once the new house is secured onsite, the electricity and sewer will be disconnected from the old dwelling and the dwelling demolished.
Chairman Steidl asked what timeframe the applicant had in mind to remove the old dwelling once the new one is in place. The applicant stated he anticipates removal of the old dwelling within two months.
Commissioner McFann inquired if a timeframe of 60 days would be sufficient to have the new house placed and the former dwelling destroyed.
Commissioners Steidl, Dokken-McFann and Steinbrecher were in agreement that a 90-day timeframe, from the time the house was positioned onto the basement, was reasonable.
Zoning Administrator Oleson stipulated that the main issue with second dwellings is to have the old dwelling disconnected from the water source.
Commissioner Dropik asked if a timeframe could be set for December 1, 2014. This would eliminate the issue of the commencement of the 90 days; i.e. whether it’s when the house is moved onto the property versus when the house is situated onto the foundation.
Oleson stated that any extensions to this timeframe would need to be reviewed by the town board or the planning commission.
Commissioner Dokken-McFann was in favor of having the applicant present an extension request to the planning commission rather than the town board. It was noted that the applicant did not forsee the need for an extension at this time.
Chairman Steidl opened the hearing to the public. Hearing no comments, he closed the public hearing portion and reconvened the meeting.
Hacker, seconded by Dokken-McFann, made a motion to recommend approval of the Just conditional use permit with the following conditions: 1) that the existing home be demolished or removed by December 1, 2014 and any extension requests be forwarded to the planning commission; and 2) that all water connections to the existing house be disconnected at the time it is connected to the new house. Roll: Dropik, Hacker, Dokken-McFann, Steinbrecher, Steidl – yes. Opposed: none. Motion carried unanimously.
Chairman Steidl closed the meeting to open the public hearing on an amendment to the Zoning Ordinance #126 (temporary second dwellings).
Zoning Administrator Oleson stated that the town board had discussed the proposed recommendations to the zoning ordinance at its meeting on July 7, 2014. They requested the planning commission re-visit language pertaining to Accessory Buildings, specifically as it relates to tri-level homes.
Under J. Accessory Building, the commission chose to change, under 1. General Provisions, letter (e), to read as follows: “The maximum sidewall height of a detached accessory building shall not exceed twelve (12) feet.” On the chart for Accessory Uses, the second single family on a parcel delineation was expanded to two categories; i.e. permanent and temporary, with an interim use permit required for a temporary second single family home.
Chairman Steidl opened the hearing to the public for comment. Hearing none, he closed the hearing and reconvened the meeting.
Dropik, seconded by Steinbrecher, made a motion to recommend the changes as stated above to letter (e) of the General Provisions portion of the Accessory Building section and the expansion to two categories of the second single family home, with the temporary designation requiring an Interim Use Permit under the Accessory Uses chart. Roll: Dropik, Hacker, Dokken-McFann, Steinbrecher, Steidl – yes. Opposed: none. Motion carried unanimously.
New Business: The commission discussed lowering the interim use fee for temporary second dwelling applications. Zoning Administrator Oleson stated the main reason for permitting these types of applications is to ensure a deadline for removal of the second dwelling.
Dokken-McFann asked if this type of application could be considered an OTC (over the counter) permit instead of an interim use. Oleson was asked if an OTC permit could be recorded. There was concern that a future owner of the property would not be made aware of the OTC, thus exposing them to the expense of removal of the second dwelling and possible late fees by the township. Oleson responded that an OTC permit could be recorded just like an IUP.
Ways discussed to reduce the fee would be 1) to eliminate the site visit by the planning commission; and 2) if this were an OTC, the costs for a public hearing would be eliminated.
The commission requested Oleson to bring the following recommendation to the town board for the temporary second dwelling application: 1) to reduce the fee to $200; 2) to eliminate the site visit requirement by the planning commission; and 3) record the decision with the recorder’s office, whether as an OTC or an IUP.
Old Business: The commission will review Section IV. Issues and Trends of the comprehensive plan at the next meeting.
Zoning Administrator’s Report: Update provided.
Adjournment: Being no further business Dokken-McFann, seconded by Hacker, made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Meeting adjourned at 7:38 p.m.
Respectfully submitted…
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Bonnie Fulghum, Deputy Clerk
Approved this ____ day of ___________, 2014
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Larry Steidl, Chairman