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Planning Commission (View All)

Planning Commission Study Session

Minutes
Tuesday, August 27, 2019

ASHLAND PLANNING COMMISSION
STUDY SESSION
MINUTES
August 27, 2019

Audio Recording

CALL TO ORDER
Chair Roger Pearce called the meeting to order at 7:01 p.m. in the Civic Center Council Chambers, 1175 East Main Street.

Commissioners Present:		Staff Present:
Troy Brown, Jr. Michael Dawkins Alan Harper Melanie Mindlin Haywood Norton Roger Pearce Lynn Thompson		Maria Harris, Planning Manager Dana Smith, Executive Assistant

Absent Members:		Council Liaison:
		Stefani Seffinger, absent

ANNOUNCEMENTS
Planning Manager Maria Harris announced the appeal for the Snowberry Brook Phase II planning action would go before the City Council September 3, 2019.

PUBLIC FORUM
Sharon Bryson/Ashland/Spoke to a house being built next to hers where the deck met her fence line. The tenants would be able to look into her private space. It was very intrusive. She wanted to know options for increasing her fence height.

Ms. Harris explained Ms. Bryson could ask for a variance. Commission suggestions included asking the neighbors to build a fence, planting bamboo, and hiring a lawyer for private land use counsel.

Huelz Gutcheon/Ashland/Spoke to requiring all new construction be EV ready.

DISCUSSION ITEMS

Plaza and Public Space Standards

Planning Manager Maria Harris gave the staff report and provided a presentation (click here). She explained this was an introduction to the topic. Staff would return with a formal request at a future meeting.

Alan Harper arrived at 7:16 p.m.

Barry Thalden/Ashland/Submitted three documents into the record (click here) regarding his concerns and suggestions.

Commission comments thought plaza space should apply to first floor square footage in the downtown area. Suggestions included more benches and undulating sidewalks downtown instead of plaza space.

Draft Amendments to Open Space Standards

Planning Manager Maria Harris gave the staff report and provided a presentation (click here) on suggested changes to the Open Space Standards. The Commission made the following changes to the draft:

Page 1

Open Space (c). Remove the word “common” from the first sentence.
Open Space (b). Add a heading.
Section 3 Open Space. Add a definition and refer to it on page 1 as “defined by Section 3.”
Open Space 1(a). Change the percent of lot area.
Open Space 1(a). Second sentence change “be dedicated as open space” to “be required as open space.”
Open Space 1(c). Strike “permanently” from the second sentence.

Page 2

2 Common Open Space (a) Required Area. Match the language with the Performance Standards chapter or “Based on the density of 10 units…”
2 Common Open Space (a) Required Area. Strike second sentence “The common open space…”
2 Common Open Space (c) Location (ii). Strike (ii).
2 Common Open Space (d) Slope. Change fist sentence “…shall be located on slopes less than five percent….” to “…slopes shall not be located on slopes greater than five percent…” and clarify non usable space.
2 Common Open Space (e) Surfacing. Remove “bark” from the first sentence.
2 Common Open Space (b) Dimensional Standards (i). Change the code reference.
3 Private Open Space (ii). Specify corridor width.

Page 3

3 Private Open Space (b) Ground-Floor Dwelling Units. Remove “shall” from the first sentence.
3 Private Open Space (c) Ground-Floor Dwelling Units. Retain the four-foot minimum for balconies, change the first sentence to read “Private open space can include…”

Page 4

3 Common Open Space Required (a) Required Area (i) Multifamily and Attached Single-Family Housing. Clarify language regarding 8%.

Page 5

3 Common Open Space Required (B)(2)(b)(i) and (ii). Change the word “shall.”
(B) Density Bonus Point Calculations (2)(b). Change language regarding the one percent bonus, “…for one percent in excess of the base requirement…”

Page 6

3 Purpose (a). Clarify “points” as “density bonus points.”
3 Standard (b). Add a condition of approval regarding amenities based on the estimated value shown by the developer prior to the certificate of occupancy.
3 Standard (b). First sentence, add “major” to “recreational facilities.”
Section 3 Definitions. Define Open Space.

The Commission commented on a letter submitted by Mark Knox on open space (click here).

ADJOURNMENT
Meeting adjourned at 8:52 p.m.

Submitted by,
Dana Smith, Executive Assistant