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12-10-91 Planning BoardKALISPELL CITY -COUNTY PLANNING'BOARD AND ZONING COMMISSION MINUTES OF MEETING DECEMIER 10, 1991 CALL TO ORDER President Therese Hash called the meeting to order at 7:07 p.m. Board members AND ROLL CALL present were Therese Hash, Charles Manning, James Stephens, Virginia Sloan, Pamela Kennedy, and ]Bill Gould. Board members absent (all excused)were Robert Lopp, Larry Dominick and Mike Fraser. Lisa Rice, Senior Planner, represented Flathead Regional Development Office. There were approximately 30 members of the public in attendance. APPROVAL OF Hash called for approval of the minutes of November 14,1991. Sloan so moved and MINUTES Kennedy seconded; all members present voted aye. REQUEST FOR Hash introduced the request by William Goodman to amend the Official Zoning ZONE CHANGE Map of Kalispell by changing the zoning of Assessor's Tracts 6BQ, 6BI, 6BH and FROM R-3 TO 6BG from Residential R-3 to Residential Apartment RA-1. The subject property RA-1- is located on the east side of Meridian Road, north of Liberty Street. WM. GOODMAN Rice gave the staff report stating that the subject property has one single-family dwelling on Tract 6BH, with the other three tracts being vacant. Rice stated that the adjoining property to the south is zoned RA-1, and the requested zone change would be an extension of that existing RA-1 classification. Rice reviewed each of the statutory criteria, stating that the property lies in a transitional area between high density residential and urban residential land use designations and the zone change request to and RA-1 zone classification would be in substantial conformance with the City -County Master Plan. Rice said the zone change would allow for additional development in a transitional area, which would be subject to review by the Zoning Administration and the Montana State Department of Health and Environmental Sciences and be subject to subdivision review. Rice stated the zone change request is recommended for approval. Rice noted for the record that she has received a letter from Ross Plambeck of the Kalispell Planning, Economic and Community Development, requesting that the Flathead Regional Development Office begin a study, the North Meridian Neighborhood Plan, which is to start in April of 1991, and that any new zoning decisions wait until the study has been completed. Public Hearing Hash opened the public hearing calling for proponents of the zone change. Bill Goodman of 738 2nd Avenue East, Kalispell, spoke in favor of the zone change. Goodman stated that the whole area around is property is awkwardly zoned, He said when he bought the property a. year and a half ago, discussions with the Planners of the had hoped to have it rezoned by the end of that year but it had nothappened. Goodman said he is paying approximately $4000 a year on basically vacant land, and that the zone change would improve the uses of the property. Will Carson of 885 Riverside road stated he owns three (3) acres adjacent to the subject property and that he plans to putfour-plexes on his property. He said the area is convenient to town and would be a nice place to live. He also stated that there are commercial uses on both ends of Meridian and that the subject property would be put to better uses if the zone change request was granted. Hash called for other proponents; there being none, she called for opponents of the zone change. Sis Edwardson of 540 West Arizona said she was not sure if she was opposed to the .request and asked if the requested zone change would allow mobile home parks. Rice replied that mobile home parks were a conditional use only, and that a Conditional Use Permit would have to be applied for and would have to go through subdivision review. Edwardson expressed her concern that the City would open up West Arizona Street to service the property. Rice stated that the City has no immediate plans to open up West Arizona Street. Edwardson then stated that if a mobile home park is put on the property which would mean West Arizona Street being opened, then she is totally against the zone change request. Gary Baldwin of 602 West Arizona stated that one of the criteria was that adequate police protection be provided and that the City does not provide the street with adequate protection at the present. He said that it is a deadend street and people speed down the street and use it for a turnaround which he has reported to the police. Baldwin stated that there is a lot of children who play on the street and he is totally opposed to any development going in that would cause the street to be opened. Susie Marquardt of 621 West Arizona. expressed her concerns aboutthe street being opened up and the traffic increased traffic it would cause. Marquardt submitted a \l letter to the Board from David and Melanie Lowitz which stated they were unable J to attend the meeting but were strongly opposed to the zone change request. 2 /11 Jeri Robinns of 637 Underhill Court expressed her concerns regarding the zone change request because of the traffic problem which would result, and if a mobile home park was established the properties of the neighborhood would be devalued. Warren Dobler of 609 West Arizona stated he bought his home six (6) months before because it was a quiet neighborhood and the street was a deadend, and is concerned that instead of property values increasing they would decrease if an apartment or mobile home park was established and wants to be on record as opposing the zone change Eva Baer of 533 West Arizona stated she is opposed to any change in the residential zone classification and does not want. a mobile home park in the neighborhood. Joan Latimer of 635 Underhill Court said multiple -family dwelling units or a mobile home park would only attract transient -type people, would increase the traffic and spoil the quietness and looks of the neighborhood. Marsha Brown of 532 West Arizona and Mrs. Buckman of 1080 North Meridian expressed their concerns thatwitli the increased density that an apartment or mobile home park the schools and services would not be adequate. Mildred Thompson of 1037 North Meridian stated that if trailers or apartments were allowed the property values would be decreased, and is opposed to the zone change. Glen Thompson of 1037 North Meridian expressed his concern about adequate room for any more streets. He stated that a few years ago the City hadtold them that there was not enough space on their property for fire trucks. There was Board discussion on tabling the public hearing until the Neighborhood Plan is in effect. There being no other opponents, Hash closed the hearing to publieinput and turned the matter over to the Board for discussion. Board Discussion Sloan stated that she did notfeel the Neighborhood Flan would be affected greatly by the zone change, and that staff had recommended approval. She said that from what she had heard this evening, a lot of the opposition was based only on rumor, and she was not comfortable with tabling the public hearing. Kennedy asked if the Neighborhood Flan would bring more conformity to the zoning, and if there was a possibility that the area would become more B-1 uses rather than residential. Rice said that there might be more B-1 uses. 3 Kennedyaskedwhether, after the request from Ross Plambeckregarding theNorth Meridian Neighborhood, staff still felt the zone change request was appropriate. Rice replied she did, and pointed out once more to the public that there was an R-4 zoning district just to the south of the R-3 zoning district and that mobile home parks are allowed as a conditional use R-4 zoning districts. Gould asked why this zone change to an RA-1 was appropriate. Rice replied that the property adjoins an existing RA-1 zoning classification. Gould asked Rice if the FRDO knew of any major changes planned in regards to the Neighborhood Plan. Rice said that the City had not made any indication of what their plans were, but had asked the FRDO to develop a study of this neighborhood in April. Gould asked Rice if she felt it was appropriate to rezone this property before the Plan was started. Rice said she did. Stephens stated that he had driven out to the neighborhood that day and he could see some major traffic problems in the whole Meridian area., and the area needs to be looked at both in regards to traffic and land use. Manning asked Goodman whether, if the Board did decide to go with the Neighborhood Plan recommendation, his plans for development would be in jeopardy. Goodman replied that if the Board recommended. approval of the zone change then he can begin the review process for any development he plans. Motion Gould moved to adopt the findings of FRDO Report #KZC-91-2 and recommend to_the_City_Council_that-the-zone changefromResidential R-3 to Residential Apartment RA-1 be granted. Kennedy seconded. Stephens called for the question. On a roll call vote, Manning, Gould, Sloan, and Kennedy voted aye, Hash and Stephens voted no. The motion was carried. KALISPELL AIR- Hash asked Rice to give the Board an update on the City of Kalispell Airport PORT NEIGHBOR Neighborhood Plan. HOOD PLAN Rice explained that the first survey in the Board's packet was of the 30 adjoining landowners, of which 19 responded; the second was a random survey of people from the City of Kalispell, of which 31 responded; and the thud was of the Rotary Club, ofwhich 52 responded. Rice stated that ofthe people who responded to the survey, the majority did feel that the airport was needed, it was a fifty/fifty split on whether the airport should be sold/leased or operated privately, and approximately same on whether the City should own and operate the airport. 4 Rice said that she and David Greer would be continue working on the plan and try to find a way in which to make the airport profitable. OLD BUSINESS There was no old business. NEW BUSINESS Charles Manning gave the Board his letter of. resignation. Rice stated that the terms of Gould, Fraser and Lopp would be up in December,1991 and that a letter should be written to the Commissioner's regarding their reappointment if interested. ADJOURNMENT Sloan moved for adjournment at 8:47 p.m. Kennedy seconded. r Therese Fox Hash, President Sandie Mueller, Recording Secretary APPROVED: 5