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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02222001 Min . .. . CITY OF PORT TOWNSEND PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES FEBRUARY 22,2001 I. CALL TO ORDER Chair Larry Harbison called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers. II. ROLL CALL Other members answering roll were Jerry Spieckerman, Jim Irvin, and Frank Benskin. Karen Erickson and Bernie Arthur were excused; Christine Ota was unexcused. Also present were BCD staff members Jeff Randall, John McDonagh and Judy Surber. III. ACCEPTANCE OF AGENDA The agenda was changed to the following order: Public Hearings for Proposed Amendments to PTMC Chapter 18, and PTMC Chapter 20.01 followed by Overview of the Comprehensive Plan Update Process. Motion to accept the agenda as changed was made by Mr. Spieckerman and seconded by Mr. Irvin. All were in favor. IV. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Motion to approve the minutes of November 30,2000 as written and amended was made by Mr. Spieckerman and seconded by Mr. Irvin. All were in favor. Motion to approve the minutes of January 25,2001 as written and amended was made by Mr. Irvin and seconded by Mr. Benskin. All were in favor. V. UNFISHED BUSINESS -- There was no unfinished business. VI. NEW BUSINESS A. PUBLIC HEARINGS: PTMC Chanter 18 Mr. Spieckerman questioned the term "substantial" and asked how it is defined. Mr. McDonagh gave circumstances where the term would be used. Mr. Randall explained the term could be defined as "significant," and replied to Mr. Spieckerman's concern regarding notification of neighbors, that there would be public notice. 1 · · · Public Testimonv Mr. Joe Campbell Mr. Campbell introduced his wife and spoke to the issues of their building development. He urged passing the amendments noting they were needed in order to continue our small town processes. He spoke of the difficulty of financing projects without them. Exhibit A Mr. McDonagh read a letter of public testimony from Mr. Ron Stewart, President, Hamilton Heights LLC (a phased development) which was entered into the record as Exhibit A. Mr. Stewart's letter was in support of the proposed amendments. MOTION Mr. Irvin Recommend to City Council approval of the proposed amendments to PTMC Chapter 18 SECOND Mr. Benskin VOTE PASSED Unanimously, 4 in favor BCD was commended for the good work on these amendments. PTMC 20.01 Mr. Harbison asked if there were changes other than those presented at the workshop. Mr. McDonagh stated he thought there were no significant changes from the presentation on January 25th. He discussed impacts to the Planning Commission brought about by changing to a Hearing Examiner. Mr. Randall pointed out for the record that the Hearing Examiner will add some cost to the City, but indicated the cost at this time would not be passed on to the applicant. He stated the City has budgeted for the relatively low costs to the taxpayers, and pointed out that decisions by the Hearing Examiner would be more consistent and more defensible and would benefit the citizens. Discussion followed. MOTION Mr. Spieckerman Recommend to City Council approval of the proposed amendments to PTMC Chapter 20.01 SECOND Mr. Irvin VOTE PASSED Unanimously, 4 in favor BCD was commended for the good work on these amendments. B. OVERVIEW OF COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE PROCESS 2 · · · Ms. Surber presented her Staff Report of January 22od. She discussed the three steps involved in the update process and the flow chart attached to her Staff Report. There was discussion regarding the possibility of revising the ordinance to change to a 5-year review proéess. Ms. Surber asked Commissioners to review their material and come back with any suggested changes to the Comprehensive Plan noting the May 1 st deadline. She stated that BCD has identified some suggested changes to bring forward. Mr. Irvin suggested revisions to the attached flow chart making it more compatible with project management. Commissioners raised some suggested areas of concern from recent issues. Mr. Randall stated they would be appropriate to consider for change. Ms. Surber asked that they bring their comments to a workshop at the March 8th meeting and BC D would assist in formalizing their suggestions. VII. UPCOMING MEETINGS March 8,2001 - Comprehensive Plan Update Workshop VIII. COMMUNICATIONS - There was none. IX. ADJOUIRNMENT Motion to adjourn the meeting was made by Mr. Spieckerman and seconded by Mr. Irvin. All were in favor. The meeting adjourned at 8:20 p.m. ~?v ~ Larry Harbison, Chair ~/ZM Sheila Avis, Minute Taker 3