03-08-07 Planning Comm. Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES PLANNING COMMISSION MARCH 8, 2007 need an inventory/distribution of the I-1 buildings and tenants. He felt that more than three tenants in a building was a recipe for a lot of clutter. The City Clerk noted that the Council will be calling for a joint workshop with the Planning Commission to discuss the outdoor storage issue. The Planner indicated that more and more communities are eliminating outdoor storage or are placing greater and greater restrictions on it. Knudsen suggested that the higher the City's standards the better, and that the City should lean toward being more restrictive. Duray suggested that the City Planner put together additional information as discussed this evening for consideration at the joint Council/Planning Commission workshop. The Planner stated that it is difficult to come up with percentage limitations without considering the impact. He noted the 25% restriction of outdoor storage area to building size in the I-P District, and suggested that the question is what would be the right amount for the I-1 District. The Planner suggested that perhaps the maximum outdoor storage would be equal to the size of the building. Knudsen felt that was too high, and stated that he liked the 25% restriction. Duray noted that there are a lot of small buildings in the I-1 District. He asked if current outdoor storage areas would be grandfathered in. The Planner replied that they would if they meet the conditions under which they were issued. The Planner noted that an extensive code enforcement effort is planned for this spring and summer in Ryan Industrial Park. Duray asked if when a property owner proposes an improvement to his property if the property would then have to be brought into compliance with the new code. The Planner replied that this is correct. The Planner continued review of discussion point #4, relating outdoor storage square feet to percentage of building. He suggested that this could be written to prevent one tenant fi•om taking all the outdoor storage space allowed for a building. Discussion point #5 is to set more specific standards for outdoor storage use. The Planner noted that the City could require more rigorous requirements. He also noted that tenants have indicated that too much screening is detrimental to the security of outdoor storage areas. Discussion point #6 is to consider the licensing of outdoor storage, and applying a fee that will cover the City's expenses in regulating this use. The Planner noted that the City spends a great deal of its resources in code enforcement efforts for outdoor storage areas. Knudsen suggested that the City obtain law enforcement's view on the impact intense screening has on crime rates. Knudsen noted the Planner's comment that the City could require security monitoring. -6-