Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

[Music] Okay. All right. Good evening. At 7 o'clock on June 17th, I will call to order the meeting of the Columbia Burough Planning Commission. May I have a roll call, please? Member Llair here. Member Roach here. Member Hartman, absent. Member Evans here. Secretary Lynn here, vice chairman present, and chair here. You too. Could we please stand for a moment of silence? Pledge to the flag. I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. All right. Do I have a motion concerning adoption approval of the minutes of our May 21st meeting as presented in our packet? Do I have such a motion? I'll make that motion. I have a motion from Tiffany. Do I have a second? Second. I have a second from Justin. Any comments, corrections? All in favor signify by saying I. I. I. Motion carries. Okay. Next on our agenda, there is a scheduled zoning hearing

for the property at 15 North Fourth Street. Paula, was somebody going to be here with regard to this? No. Um, what it basically is is they're asking for a special exception to put Did I say that? Yes. Okay. With it. Okay. Yeah. Um to um turn the bottom into a church. However, however, um hello. There's actually So, I got a email from Joselle this morning. Um there's actually two different things that they're request well zoning says they have to have 20,000 square feet. They do not. That was not listed in the advertisement. So at this point I'm waiting for John to get back in tomorrow and have him um contact these people. And I think either way it's going to be a well it will be a continuence if we even have it. Okay. End up having it next week. Um so it's possible this could be put off into a correct. Okay. We don't amend the application. Okay. Yeah. This property is where the old prudome was across from the post office. It is in the downtown commercial and a place of worship can be located there by special exception. Okay. So we will revisit that next month. Okay. We have no engineers reviews, no

demolition applications. We will or next month have uh the uh property on South 9th Street Burough property confirm the demolition of that as that's taking place. Okay. We have no public to comment. We have no action items at this time. We do have Sean here for discussion regarding the land bank authority properties at 154 156 South Fifth Street and Avenue K. Um, these properties were before us as planning commission on April 18th of 23. In 22, they were before us to submit them to Lamb Bank. Um, the demolition was approved on May 9th by council. I apologize. My my dad is in intensive care and not hospital, but everything's good. Good. Everything's Thank you, Deb. Yeah, thank you. Um, November 19th, there was a presentation again to planning commission prior to going to zoning on November 27th. On May 14th of this year, they were to harvest and on May 27th, their certificate of appropriateness was approved by the Bur Council. So that's basically the timeline for this project. Okay. Now you're up, Sean. Sure. Would you just like a brief overview of the

project as a whole? Would that be helpful? Okay. So yeah, you went over the entire timeline there when we acquired the properties some time ago. Obviously, this is a larger scale project than the land bank has previously taken on the burrow. Um we're very excited to see it move forward. So, what it's going to be on this cleared site here on South Fifth Street and Avenue K, it's going to be two sets of um duplexes. So, one of those duplexes will be fa fronting South Fifth Street. Um and the other one will be uh fronting the back at Church Alley. Um we'll be um allotting some parking in the middle. So, that'll be two spots per unit which will be captured by the entire um parcel space um outlined. I believe those plans should be present somewhere. Um we're planning on give um sending it over to our partner organization. It's within the um umbrella of the Lancaster County Housing and Redevelopment Authorities um the Lancaster County Redevelopment Fund, which is our nonprofit arm, which is just simplifying the holding. So, we're not holding it under our redevelopment authority anymore. and we'll be offering them as affordable rental units um because we saw that as a significant need um in the community based on um rent cost burden and other factors contributing um to difficulty in renting affordable units especially units of this size. Um we feel that this development fits well within the community um the context that we're presenting it. We didn't want to build as rental units a multif family multif family property um in a neighborhood consisting largely of you know attached um single family homes. So instead we decided to go this route providing um what we feel is a significant need um while also meeting the context of the community and fitting in. Um so the plans that we now we went with Tippets Weaver as our architect after a bidding process. Um that's a

clay model there with what we'll be working with. Um the one thing that's a little bit unsure right now um with the elevation or the renderings you see here are that dormer window. Um so we're just not totally certain if the space is necessary on that third floor because it's not that's primarily storage space where that's facing outwards um towards South Fifth Street. Um but this is basically you know the project. These are the units. Um, we at first there was a little design that they had where I'm just I'm getting into details here that I probably don't need to, but um, splitting the first floor and the second floor siding material on the exterior. We felt that didn't fit well within the community. So, we instead decided to go with this cementitious siding um, darkly colored, which we felt um, fit well in the community. We have those large dormer windows in the back that offer a little bit unique and it offers some head space on that third floor um which is intended to be used as you know like a family room. I think one of the um conditions in the uh variance approval was that it it can't be used as a bedroom. So what we planned on was just sort of a family um gathering space of some sort on that third floor. Okay. And these are all documents that were presented as part of your hard presentation. Yes. Okay. I need to ask when are we going to see full plans for this project? Yeah. So, we're currently working with um or Tippets Weaver cont. We have a contract with them. They're subcontracting with an engineering company and they have um preliminary site plans prepared. They don't have the full site plans available yet. So, that's currently what we're working on. Okay. I expect within the next couple of months, you'll be seeing some, you know, draft submissions um that we'll probably go over with staff at the um with burrow and then we'll see a full submission um after that with the including the burrow

engineer. Yes. Okay. Yeah, we worked closely with Derek in the initial planning the project. That was very helpful cuz typically we look to him for any comments or any uh things that are missing from the plans or storm water issues and such. Yes. And he guides our planning as well and you know while working with the architect and engineer. Okay. Um I just took a drive down there this evening. I came off of Fifth Street, went down Avenue K, turned across Church over to Avenue J, and right there at the corner of of Avenue K and Church Avenue, there's a utility pole right there at the corner. Now, I see what you have here is what is in front of these homes where they face Church Avenue. Is that an open space there or what I'm looking at is this render? Do you mind if I take a look at what you're Yeah. Yeah. That pole has a lot What is this area? Yeah. So, this little bit. So, are you just saying was this was primarily like set up as like a curve cut so we would more easily be able to navigate emergency vehicles or something like that? Okay. Because because right here is a a utility pole. Yes. And right smack on the corner. Yeah. Yeah. With lots of wires. It's just not two. It's a lot I was looking up like, "Oh my god." Yeah. I look at it, too. I I made a point of coming down there this evening because I hadn't been back that way. I stopped this morning and was drizzling and did the same thing. Went down K and

parked kind of in the middle of the church uh alley and got out and looked at that pole. There's a pole there. That must be the one. When they're coming up, but behind the fencing there'll be yard Yeah, that looks like it's at the back of the site. Um, back. Yeah, that they're in that lefthand picture. Lefthand bottom picture. The pole right there. That lefthand bottom picture. Oh, yeah. That that it's surrounded by shrubs or something, weeds or what have you. That that is almost right at the corner there. It actually has a light on it. And that's something that will be accounted for in our full site plan when that's presented. And I'm it's something I'm sure that Tibbitz Weaver and our engineer has, you know, worked through at this point. And um I haven't been made aware, but when we present our full site plan, um utilities and the like will be down. Yeah. Because what we have now, the only plan we have now is basically the existing conditions and demolition plan. That's the only thing Yeah. that we have. Yes. I wasn't honestly certain what I what I was um here outside of the hard plans to present because again we don't have the full sight plans available or prepared at this time. So when I was in with Paula week ago, I went through what you had presented to Harb and I pulled some different things out and ask her to have those in our packet so we could see

because we never even saw a proposed site plan, you know. So we were kind of in the dark back with the demolition plan. So So this is kind of just here to give us a bit of an update as to where you stand. And then sometime late summer, that's what I anticipate. Early, fall, September, possibly August, September. I'd say late summer is more likely, but there's a chance always with the workload that architects and engineers have that there. Okay. All right. Just just keep us in uh of course in the loop. And does anyone have anything any concerns? the I really like the renovations, especially the windows in the back, but I'm curious to know why the decision was made to rent instead of sell them as single family homes. Yeah. So, honestly, the cost of new construction generally for the past few years has been it's continued to increase and um this was discussed during our um council meeting, but the cost of these units is around half a million dollars to build and it's it's not feasible to resell them for any and we are able to subsidize some cost when we're selling units as a redevelopment authority, but if we're selling the units for $210,000 and we build them for 500 we can't afford $290,000 in subsidy. So will you be maintaining them and then managing them so that you can recoup? Okay. Yes. So we're going to be subcontracting the um property management obviously um you know we complete the inspections as well as a housing authority. So we're going to ensure that you know they're high quality units and maintained um to our standards. Um great. But yeah, the basically like putting together

feasibility workbooks and performs. This revealed that this was a way we could proceed um with a with a project for new construction despite the high costs. You mentioned uh a nonprofit that is actually holding the ownership of the property. I missed the name again. Yeah. So, it's Lancaster Redevelopment Fund, Inc. It's in our It's under the umbrella if you go on our website. Um it's one of our organizations. Got it. It's just we hold um a number of properties under there after redevelopment is complete if we're going to maintain ownership. Yeah. Thank you. Of course. So these are full basement, first floor, second and third floor. Yes, two full bathrooms. Two full bathrooms. Three bedroom. Yes. with that um space on the again. Yeah, I see that's a family room on the third floor. I see. Will they be accepting section 8 or section 8 vouchers? Yes. So, they're going to be at fair market rate and we are not in the in the place we're going to be denying because of source of income um tenants. So, we'll be accepting because it's at the fair market rate um housing choice vouchers. Any other questions for Sean? Thank you for coming. Of course. Thank you. Sean will be back. So, think of what your questions are going to be when Sean comes back. Okay. Thank you very much. Okay. This is going to be a quick one tonight. Um, we will be having uh a workshop meeting in July and Gwen will be here. Gwen will

be here to do a presentation on the simplified zoning. Um, we contacted Jess about the uh accessory building units, the ADUs there. We had discussed those earlier and uh we were told there was a need for to look at some toward some sort of um zoning legislation regarding those. Um, I had discussion with Paula when we were in doing the agenda and we are going to hold off on this consolidation of zoning districts until such time as all of the proposed changes are made to the zoning ordinance, to the tables, to the text, you know, to us for us to go in there now and try to compare what's there now that may be different especially you go into that light business because one of the with the uh reszoning consolidation one of the uh ideas was to combine the light business light industrial and general industrial into an industrial unit but now that the light business is more geared towards uh the McInness property you know we'll have to see if there's still an ability to do something like that and that's one of the reasons I thought it might be best to wait till all of those changes everything is incorporated. So I another thing we need to look at we need to look at the official map. We kind of got hung up on that. That was a back co county planning was having a workshop to

teach us about it and never happened. So that's another thing we need to look at because there are some things that were brought out in our comp plan that we need to look including in an official map. So at this point it looks like we could be a little busy in July but uh at this point we have a quickie tonight. Does anyone have anything they want to bring up? Tiffany and I were in um Representative Mueller's office to talk to Andrew a couple about a couple of things and we noticed that they have racks of papers and thought that those tribal things that you had completed would be good to go into their office and we asked that they said more than happy to have them there. Oh, our executive summary. Yeah. Yeah. And okay, we also stopped in because we don't have a printer at home to have some things copied at the library and I think we did discuss I did I dropped some off. Yeah. Oh, then they're already gone. Oh, because I asked her if Unless you didn't put them out. Well, she said they have like a reference book or something that she said she would put one of those in so that when you come in and you want to look for something for Columbia, you can pull out because they should have a code book up there as well. Yeah. And she said that that all stays together. Now whether that happens, so it's possible what what they're doing is upon request if somebody instead of just having everyone

off the street come in and grab one, that could be, you know, that they're only making room available to interested parties. Yeah. Which does make because I only had really like what four or five maybe. So that and I don't really do they have an area up there for there's an area by the Yeah, by the front window. I didn't notice that. We were just looking under the new books. Okay. Yeah. In that area. Yeah. I handed it to her and I said, "I don't know if you have reference material or things like that." And she said that they did. They had a book or something. I I really I mean I did it the next day after our last meeting. Okay. Paula, do you look at uh Right Mansion coming back to us in July also with this with these materials? Maybe. I have not spoken to any of them. That came requirement for Okay. Okay. We'll we'll know by the time we put the agenda together. Okay. because it looks like they want to do uh they want to do some consolidation of properties. So, they'll have to come back to us for that. Okay. All right. Having no further business at 7:25, I would entertain a motion to adjourn. Do I have such a motion? From Tiffany. Second. Tiffany and Justin. All in favor? I I Okay, thank you much for talking on the right evening. Thank you for making it this evening.