PC 052108 Special Mtg - Laserfiche WebLink

Commissioner O'Connor liked the architecture and believed there was enough variation between them. He noted that each plan had a porch over the garage door and cautioned against having too many of them, perhaps no more than 50 percent. Chair Blank would not want windows in his garage from a security perspective, and he did not believe that windows would prevent anyone from piling things up in their garage. He believed that the overall architecture was generally good; however, he would like to see more articulation. They appeared to him to appear stamped out or tract housing. He indicated that it may be clearer when they have the visuals. Commissioner Narum noted that when the item comes back, she would like to ensure that the Commission was clear on the height. She believed that 39 feet was too tall and would like to see it reduced to a more reasonable height. She inquired whether this item would come back in another workshop or as a hearing item. Ms. Decker replied that would be at the direction of the Planning Commission in terms of what kinds of comments had been received. Commissioner Narum noted that if it did come back for approval, she would like to have some conditions about sound and vibration on the back side of the tracks. With respect to another workshop, Mr. Dolan suggested that it be left to staff's discretion and to determine how close the applicant has come to the Commission's desires. If the applicant was not ready, it would be worth that effort; however, if he is responsive or able to respond, a workshop may not be necessary. Commissioner Narum noted that would be fine with her. Chair Blank noted that in the past, Commissions have been partial to HOAs versus maintenance associations because HOAs could also officially represent the residents of the development, whereas maintenance associations cannot. He did not know whether that would be feasible in such a small environment. Chair Blank did not believe that asingle-story home would be workable here, but if it could be accomplished, that would be fine. Ms. Decker wished to revisit what she heard as consensus: • In general, the Planning Commission feels that the site plan is good and would like increased setbacks. • There is a desire to see greater setbacks at least on the east side, next to the townhomes • The sizes of the homes need to be reduced in order to reduce the FAR. Ms. Decker stated that in terms of the example of a high FAR in the Downtown area, there have been variances up to 56 percent on a 50-foot by 100-foot lot on Second Street, which came before the Zoning Administrator, not the Planning Commission. Chair Blank wished to clarify that the FAR may be reduced by reducing the size of the individual units and maintaining density or by removing units. PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES, May 21, 2008 Page 18 of 26