Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

[clears throat] All righty. Good evening. Welcome to the January 21st meeting of the Georgetown Planning Commission. Our first order of business is approval of minutes from December 3rd. Is there a motion to approve? Make a motion to approve the uh December December 3rd, 2025 minutes as presented. Second. We have a motion second. All in favor say I. I. Opposed. Motion carried.

Our next order of business is a public hearing for case number 2025-24, 212 West Market Street. It's a reszone application by WB Georgetown LLC for an official zoning map amendment for a parcel totaling 0.496 plus or minus acres from UR2 medium residential to UB3 professional business properties located at 212 West Market Street. Like to take the podium and Good evening. My name is Eric Balette.

I'm Julie Parker. This is Julie Parker with two dentists down there at used to be Drs. Lauren Wheeler and now it's uh Sussex Dentl. I'm still getting used to that. You have the clicker over there so you can um you can move it. Oh, I was Yeah, I was like, you want to lift that mic a little bit so that Yes, sir. Yeah. How's that? Good. Better.

Okay. So, [snorts] that's our current office. Um, and as you said, we want to become a UB3. That's it on the map where the arrow is indicating. And as you we're we're bookended with um commercial properties. That is the state form agency Hunter Emry's um facing the buildings that would be to our left and then going down the street there's the Lester realy your place that's looking backwards kind of the same thing is that it

oh that's the future land use I guess designating that area to become UB3 three. So, we're just asking that we could speed this process up a little bit hopefully and become a UB3. Now, do you have any immediate plans for the property? We do not have any immediate plans for the property. Uh other than we're building a new office in Georgetown. Okay. We don't know what we're going to do with the building yet. That's the one out by pass Walmart. Correct. Out by No, it's down by Pam.

It's down by Pam. Uh, and we're probably about a couple of months away from moving into that. Um, we just [clears throat] don't have any immediate plans for that building, but we'd like to keep it commercial, maybe even another dental office. We're not sure yet. It just depends. Do you want to add anything? We're pretty new at this, so yeah, you're you're good. Any any question for a nudge here and there is welcome. I have no questions. No questions. I don't think there's anybody online for public comment. I can.

Um, quite honestly, I'm quite surprised that your property is still zoned the way it is. You're probably the first professional property on the street. It's 196 1968. There's there's people that come in there like I've been coming here for 50 years [laughter] and I and I was like, "No, I can't be." And I did the math. I was like, "Oh, you could be have and and they still have teeth." Yeah. Still have [laughter] teeth. Thank goodness we do both. Is there no other questions for the applicant? Is there a motion?

I did want to just mention one thing uh that came in um late yesterday. So, we did receive one um item regarding the application. It was a support letter from the owner of 216 West Market Street. Um Hunter Emory and his um I don't know if I need to read the letter into the record, but the record indicates that a support letter is from that person.

Okay. A motion if you're ready. I make a motion to recommend that the town council approve the proposed amendment to the town of Georgetown official zoning map for one parcel totaling 496 plus or minus acres from the UR medium residential to the UB3 professional business identified as Sussex County Tax Parcel 135-19.08-104.00 00 as presented. We have a motion. Is there a second? Second. And we'll take a roll call vote. Commissioner Briggs, yes.

Commissioner Allen. Or he's not here. Sorry. Commissioner Roach, yes. Commissioner Leates, yes. And I'm a yes as well. Good luck. Look forward to seeing the new building. Thank you. Thank you. Appreciate your time. Okay. Community development department report.

Okay. So, um wanted to mention a few things. We um are uh about to submit our renewal application for the downtown development district. Um that was authorized by town council last meeting on the 12th. Um so we'll be proceeding with that which is great. Um there's also a really good article in Spotlight Delaware. If you ever follow that website, it's um good news website. Uh but they profile Georgetown and the way that we're trying to move the DDD forward. So if you ever There's some positive PR.

Yes, definitely positive. Definitely positive. Um so the next town council meeting which is on Monday they are going to um vote on first the political signs amendment that you saw um a couple meetings ago um regarding the timing for signs uh that are permitted. Uh, and then they will also vote on the remapping or reszoning of 501 and 503 East Market Street, which is um to UR1, which is the the two um little living um properties that were not zoned residential. Um so that is coming up and we're of course reviewing a lot of development applications rolling along. Um we are probably will be seeing um a concept plan for an RPC. Uh uh it will be for the oaks phase three. Um and so phase two is actually pretty close to being to starting um construction uh probably within the month or so. And but phase three uh is a mix of single family and town homes. And so because they're changing a little bit of what phase 3 will look like compared to when it first came through in 2008 um which [clears throat] is still in force. Um the planning commission will review that as an amendment to the RPC designation which is sort of a master planning overlay district. Um so you'll be judging uh whether that application is you know you'll be making some higher level um reviews and design recommendations um and then it will come back later as a preliminary plan that you will approve uh or disapprove or

what or at least review let's say um [clears throat] you will also um uh because it's a subdivision uh which is a little different than we've seen in the past a year or so since I've been here really. So, um so that'll be a couple meetings that will have that on the agenda. So, um anything else? Um no, I guess that's it. Any questions for Brian?

Oh, I'm sorry. One more thing. I wanted to recognize um Ira who completed the um the planning education um certificate for um the UDEL's um institute for public administration. Uh he completed all four classes. I think it was four classes. Yes. So um and of course those classes and any other classes are available to the rest of the planning commission members here who are interested in learning more developing their um skills and learning about any new um laws or case law that has come about that impacts our work here on the planning commission. So just keep that in mind as well. Thank you.

All right, that is our agenda. Is there a motion to adjurnn? Motion to adjurnn. Second. Second. All in favor say I. I. We'rejourned. Thank you everyone. Nice job. [laughter] Okay. [laughter]