Zoning Commission - Regular Meeting

I turned mine. [clears throat] Don't ask

This March 25th, 2026 meeting of the Union Township Zoning Commission is now called to order. Please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance 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. You may be seated.

Mr. Wright, if you would call roll for attendance, please. Yes, sir. One second. Uh, Mr. Woodruff in the video booth, can you give me the thumbs up that we're live, please? Perfect. Thank you. Uh, we call the roll. Um, let me find my roll call sheet. Mr. Campbell? Yes. Mr. Lewis? Yes. Mr. Tooff? Yes. Mr. Wang? Yes. Mr. Beckman? Yes. We have a quorum. Thank you. First item of business on tonight's agenda. Do we have any action on the draft minutes from our February 25th, 2026 meeting? I only had one. It was the spelling of my name, but somebody's already fixed it. [laughter] I only have one too and they fixed that. So, so uh was I have no additions, corrections?

No. Uh I'll now solicit a motion. I move that we uh approve the minutes from the uh February 25th meeting. Second. Have a regularly made and seconded motion. Any discussion on the motion? Mr. Wright, if you would call the question. Roll call. Mr. Lewis? Yes. Mr. Tooff? Yes. Mr. Wang? Yes. Mr. Pacman? Yes. Mr. Campbell? Yes. Motion carries. [clears throat] Do we have any old business before us tonight?

I have no old business before the uh before the commission. Just by way of an update uh on the one of the text amendments, the trustees tabled that we're actually researching some of the legality of the testimony and things that were brought up and we don't know if we're going to bring that back at the April meeting or if we will continue that hearing and pro progress to May. But we needed time to get through some of the the legal issues. Which proposed text? That was the uh short-term rental discussion. Oh, thank you.

Um just as a reminder, anyone wishing to speak tonight, there are testimony sheets at the back of the room. Uh please fill those out. Uh when we open for public comment, you'll be uh will be an opportunity for you to come out and just bring the sheet with you. Um, we have one case tonight which is case number 2-26-Z applicant Brier Hill Development. It's a proposed zone map amendment of 18 parcels totaling 10.39 acres to be reszoned from plan development uh PD R1 single family R2 single family and R3 plan multif family to PD planned development in order to accommodate a mixeduse corridor sub area 1, a commercial/off and retail sub area 2 and a proposed single family detached structure residential development sub area three. Uh the 18 parcels are, [clears throat] and I'll just read out the addresses except where those who do not have addresses, I'll read the parcel number. Uh 4322 Weebold Lane, 4326 Glenestie Wamsville Road. A parcel on Glensty Wamsville, numbered 414220. 4328 Glenestie Wamsville. 4334 Glennest Withemsville 4340 Glennest Withemsville 4344 Glennest Withemsville 4350 Glennest Withemsville 4351 Glenn Estie Wamsville 4355 Gleni Wamsville 4359 Glenestie Withemsville 4363 Glennest Wamsville 4367 Glensty Wamsville 961 Burggoyne Drive parcel on Larma Lane numbered 413104 A220. A parcel on Larma Lane numbered 413104

A221. A parcel on Weebold Lane numbered 413104 A222 and a parcel on Weebold Lane numbered 413 04 A223. [clears throat] Before we uh begin uh vice chairman Tooff, if you would read our uh introduction for conduct during this meeting.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Prior to hearing the cases this evening, I want to provide a brief overview about the process. When a case is called, we will hear from the applicant or the representative first. The commission reserves the rights to question the applicant at any time. After the applicant's presentation, we will open the floor to anyone else who wishes to speak in support of the proposal. Then we will open the floor to those wishing to speak against the proposal. Those wishing to speak must fill out and provide us with a speaker registration form. All speakers must speak at the podium and into the microphone for recording purposes. Each speaker must identify themselves for the record. The commission reserves the rights to ask the questions of the person speaking against the proposal. The expectation is for speakers and observers to maintain the professional decorum of this meeting at all times. We understand that individuals are often passionate regarding their positions and preferences. However, this meeting cannot properly function if it becomes unruly. We ask that all speakers be conscious of the time and that speakers be concise and avoid making repetitive statements. Once those in opposition to the proposal have spoken, the case will be closed for public comment. Discussion at that time is limited to the commission, although the commission may ask questions of the zoning staff, the applicant, or those in opposition. After discussion, I'll call from a motion from the commission. This motion requires a second after which the motion itself opens to a discussion. A vote will be called and action taken at that motion. When a motion receives a majority vote, the commission issues its recommendation to the board of trustees in accordance with the wording of the motion. Our options are to recommend approval of the requested change, approval of the requested change with

some modifications or denial of the requested change. The purpose of this motion is to make a recommendation to the board of trustees regarding the case. The authority to grant an applicant's zoning request or to deny an applicant zoning request rests with the board of trustees. This case will be heard at the next board of trustees meeting which is scheduled for April 14th. That is all. Thank you, Mr. To. [snorts] So, uh, regarding case number two-26-Z, Mr. Wright, do we have a staff report?

Sure. Uh thank you Mr. Campbell. Uh so this request is uh somewhat of a complex request. Involves really three different sub areas of property, three distinct development patterns. Two commercial uh really commercial mixeduse properties and then an exclusively single family [clears throat] residential portion uh uh redeveloping residual lots that sort of came about through some assembly and from the Icults uh connector project. Uh sub area one uh proposes as you indicated uh mixeduse commercial development of varying stories. Sub area 2, commercial office and retail and sub area 3 which is along the southern side of uh Glen Estie with well Glenn Estie at Witherhamsville Icults kind of in between what we call roundabout one and roundabout two uh is single family won't belabor the parcel numbers uh multiple zoning districts R1 R2 PD and R3 consolidating to PD plan development to accommodate the proposed uh redevelopment and uh uh you reassemblage and all of that into the proposed project. Uh the properties are located uh within the Ivy Point commercial corridor uh and uh adjacent to the central retail corridor and the horizon 2030 plan. An analysis of the Horizon 2030 comprehensive plan indicates that the plan uh the plans as submitted align with the recommendations of the comprehensive plan because uh they [clears throat] consist of primarily vacant land acquired for assembly redevelopment of road rights away. Uh the plan recommends east of the Ivy Point Commerce Park mixeduse developments that blend commercial and residential uses shall be the preferred de development strategy. Mixed commercial and resident residential densities that are conducive to alternative transportation and walkability shall be encouraged. We talk about densities density targets of minimum of 12 units per acre, new mixeduse developments, monument style

signage, entertainment uses, smallcale retail, restaurant and lodging uses uh with an eye toward creating synergy. parking oriented toward the rear of the structures to the interior of blocks and maximum parking thresholds should be considered to prevent inefficient land use. Uh in addition there uh and there's a pretty detailed analysis on each sub area and kind of the compliance points in that. Again, there's people here that want to speak. Staff reports been published, but just a couple of high points there. On sub area one, it's approximately four acres, a hotel pad, four retail pads, one restaurant pad, various size and dimensions, common open space, patio, shared parking. Uh contemplated to rise more than one story. uh kind of mirroring, you know, a transition between the main corridor and the four-story block there with Echelon in that. Um, if you also look at shared infrastructure and open space, that's kind of key to that sub area component. You can look here at the zoning. Did I go backwards? Sorry, I'm not. uh sub area one you see here on the left that you see kind of the arrangement of the blocks toward the street and then the interior is where kind of the the infrastructure is located. Block two uh if you look at um block two which is on the east side of Glonasti Wensmsville this is a building very similar to the cove at Ivy Point building that's under construction at the corner of Eastgate Boulevard and kind of that first roundabout there. where it's a two-story mixed commercial structure, retail, restaurant, office type use that blends appropriately kind of and transitions the density and intensity of use down focusing it on the corridor infrastructure located again in the back to foster a streetscape appearance in that sub sub area three 17 single family lots. These are neotraditional lots. The board's familiar with neotraditional lots. We

have good examples of those in Weatherbe Farms successfully executed in that. These have rear alleyways and detached garages. There are two lots that sh that have direct entry off of um Larma and Weebold Lane respectively. And four of the parcels that were located in the amendment are really common open space and pedestrian access easements meant to facilitate pedestrian access from Weeble and Larma to the new pedestrian facilities on Icults and kind of the amenities in that area. Um looking at the plan recommendations, you know, you have side setback for the sub area 3. These are 1700 to 2500 square foot single family residential units. Uh they are in the range of five foot sideyard setbacks, larger rear yard setbacks with detached garages and uh nominal front yard setbacks along the roadway frontages. Uh these all all of these really coordinate with the plan recommendations. Just to put it succinctly, it's about fostering place. It's about fostering, you know, appropriate density where there is density and it's about transitioning density into existing residential areas. So with that, there's also a sub area plan for the Glen SD Withemsville Icults Road revitalization and improvement plan that was adopted some time ago. Uh this really talks about eliminating blight, encouraging a mix of uses and intensity, facilitate the development of new housing and new retail opportunities, establish development standards to guide the development of new structures, and facilitate the redevelopment into an attractive, convenient, and accessible environment for business, residential, and cultural culturally situated uses. So again, they're all in this area. Uh they they comply with that those recommendations and that and the PD district is the most appropriate district to facilitate that use. Uh I've provided the board with a detailed, you know, description of the PD regulations. Again, the board andor the board of

trustees, the commissioner, the board of trustees can wave requirements on that. We recognize and and I'll talk about this in a minute for sub area and sub area sub area one and two they're requesting some flexibility on some of the design details. Sub area 3 there's sufficient detail to roll as is if it is recommended sub subsequently approved and we'll discuss that particularly because it's adjacency to existing residential and the definition that this plan would establish. Uh just by way of background, the properties have been assembled by the township township community improvement corporation. Uh some investment in the area already materialized with completion of Echelon and Gentry East. You have the Icults roundabout projects which I think were a nearly $12 million transportation improvement initiative advanced jointly by the county and the township through the TID. And now we have the emerging mixeduse corridor uh broken into three sub areas. uh the applicant is seeking flexibility to proceed forward with development on a structure by structure basis subject to the PD minor amendment approval process for sub areas one and two. So essentially this is almost like a here's the rule set and then we're going to go by right with sta with extensive staff negotiation recognizing the uh plan for that for sub area 1 and two sub area 3 they're not seeking that flexibility. They would seek uh the ability to do minor amendments to modify lot lines and setbacks in a way that do not result in smaller lots or increased encroachment. So for for basic for basic everybody in here, this is the minimum standard for sub area 3 as proposed. It can be less dense, but it would not but it would have to go through a major amendment subject to the board approval to do more than what's here. Um, looking at this proposal, it as I indicated, it is compliant with the recommendations of the comp plan with the sub area plan. It

facilitates and and and revitalizes the area. It results in uh maximized, you know, land use efficiency and pedestrian access uh in that and it creates synergies that really do not exist currently in this sort of transitional corridor. uh taking advantage of uh you know appropriate densities in that the residential density uh for the subunit 3 is approximately 6.5 units an acre which is actually a transitional density much lower than the high density to the north a little higher than the lower intensity uses to the south. So again whenever we can we try to transition densities with similar lykan type product. um you know looking at the plan again a lot of this is concept level stuff uh particularly for the commercial portions I think what the board's establishing is a framework and development guidelines for the commercial portions in that noting that you know we have a pretty robust review process administrative review and approval through our staff level and working handinhand with the development team to produce the highest quality project that is able to be produced. There are a number of conditions that are provided uh for the board's consideration um in this uh talking through it uh you know minor amendments for modifications to approve partial by partial b uh basis development for area 1 and area 2. Uh looking at compliance with all federal and state local regulatory agencies. Uh looking to follow all planning requirements. Uh again that discussion with the PD major amendment to reduce setbacks reduce to increase density reduce setback for the residential area, minor amendments to reduce density and increase setbacks uh for the residential area. Um detailed lighting plans if additional street lighting is required the applicant may address that. There is some street lighting in the area already. uh cross access easements,

detailed landscaping and buffering plans and the use of high quality brickstone, masonry and architecturally compatible products for all commercial development and for residential developments. Uh residential components, traditional residential construction, you know, what we would see in a new planned development community. Um signage one one caveat uh because it's walkable, there is a provision in our zoning code about blade signage. We're actually encouraging the building mounted blade signage on the building because of the streetscape in this area because that promotes kind of that that that street level activity. So with that, happy to answer any questions that you may have. I know I covered six pages in about five minutes, but uh I'll blow through the uh presentation here. You can kind of see the existing conditions. You can kind of see the conditions there and sort of some photographs of the corridor in that.

Thank you, Mr. Wright. Um, any questions at this point? Not at this time. So, at this time, I will open [clears throat] the floor to the applicant or their representative. Good evening. Uh, my name is David Bis. I state my address. It is on the sheet. Uh yes, please.

Uh two Green Bry Drive, St. Louis, Missouri 63124. Uh thank you, Mr. Wright, and thank you everybody for uh being here this evening. Um I have uh a few slides that I would like to go through uh just to talk a bit about who [snorts] we are. Just a reminder of who we are. Uh my development company is Brier Hill Development. Um but we uh we've been working in the community and with Mr. right for uh six or seven years. Um I do a thumbs up or Yeah, it's good. Just give me the nine.

We can skip that. You did that. I'm not going to spend much time on what Minister Wright talked about because you're able to read about it and he he read it as well. Uh one more click. Um so we're also known as provision living. So a number of years ago we built uh the assisted living community on Buck Buckton. Uh it was really the first development on that on that corridor. uh uh when the high school land uh was sold and it was the eastern part portion of that. Uh we are uh that's been very successful for us. Um and uh it's been open for maybe five or six years. Uh in about a month or two we're going to extend uh continue expansion. If you look at the green uh the green box of the uh of the villas that are part of that uh we also uh uh have land uh that's that roundabout is not there yet but the roundabout is on the way. Uh the woods that are right on Bach Buckston north of us uh that's commercial land. Um and uh uh my partner and I uh own that as well. Uh we will be developing that. So we really my point of doing this is we've been part of the community for a long time. We've been working with the community and really uh believe we understand uh what we're trying to accomplish here and uh and creating a uh community of services and walkability and uh really balancing everything out. And uh at least for Brier Hill, we see this as the the next stage of that. Uh so if you go to the other side um the the area that we're talking about uh just for everybody's sake and and all of our neighbors sake uh that that that's really what the the area they're talking about. There are apartments in between. Uh we we do not own those. Um uh those are those are different developers. And uh what I'd like to do is share a few pictures. I believe they were in our application.

Uh, but I think there are a lot of people here that would uh like to see some of the some of the some of the photos and uh when there are questions um that come up I'm happy to address them with the photos uh with all of you. I'm also I just wanted everybody to know I'm happy to stick around afterwards to answer any questions. I can hear a lot of the questions while we were sitting waiting uh and I would be happy to do that uh directly or or or up here. Um so as Mr. Mr. Wright indicated there's three uh distinct areas. Uh we can move through these uh pretty quickly, Mr. Wright. Um this Let me go back. Um sorry, touchy. That's all right. [laughter]

I'm doing thumbs up. Uh we we talked about this. This is on the left side when you're going north uh of the sub area zone one. Uh that is a hotel, multi-story hotel in the back. We do not know what that hotel is. This is this is very uh early stages of that. And then as well as some commercial and retail uh um in in the front. Uh next slide. These are just inspiration pictures uh pictures of what we have in mind. Uh we don't have final users for it, but we just want to make sure that we're all on the same page as to what we're trying to create here from a a commercial retail restaurant, ice cream, coffee shop that's that's walkable. uh and that that initial picture that I uh pointed out uh with provision living in it and all the apartments there are walking walking paths through there uh just like you've done through the the uh the rest of your community. Um next next slide. Uh these are just typical hotels. We can go to the next slide. Uh this is the other side of the street. Um this would likely look like the Cove building uh that Mr. Wright mentioned. [clears throat] again likely twotory with parking in the back. Uh we have worked uh and then here are some example pictures as well. I think you get the point uh of that. Next one.

Uh this is the area to uh to the uh to the south uh with the single family homes. We've really spent a lot of time um uh thinking about this and creating uh there there are there are a number of different living options in the area and this this just adds the layering to that. So we've got multi-story apartments. Uh there's some great single family homes uh below on the on the two on the two lower areas. Uh and uh and this is really just uh finishing off that corridor that you all maybe started thinking about 10 years ago. and we're looking to uh continue to plug into that and and create um uh create those homes. I think we all remember that those roads used to go through. There used to be a lot of traffic going through there. Uh there's not a lot of traffic going through there. Right now, I would imagine uh many of our neighbors are concerned with the increase in traffic. Think the traffic will never get back to where it was. uh and this was always the plan uh to uh put uh to have access u to um to this section or to to this corridor in these areas. We have a few pictures of two-story homes. Again, these are these are concepts. Um these will be for sale um apartments and I think that's about it. There may be some other after that, Mr. Right.

Uh yeah. So, uh, happy to answer any questions. Uh, really just wanted to be here to let you know that, uh, uh, let you know how much we care about the corridor in this area and working closely with all of you as well as our neighbors, uh, to do that. And I'm happy to answer any question, direct questions you may have um, uh, as the as everything moves forward. Uh, we also have our, uh, my partner John Hanks is here uh, as well as our civil engineers from Choice One. if there are any specific questions that get into the into the detail. Okay. Any questions for the applicant at this time? Not at this time. Nope. Okay. Thank you.

We probably will later. Thank you. Okay. I can count I'll count on it. Okay. Um would anyone else like to speak uh for the applicant for this project? Okay. Not seeing any. Uh I'll now open Oh, yes, ma'am. If you'd come up to the microphone, please.

Good evening. Hi,

I'm Mariana Coppersmith and I'm the president of on the board of commas of Eastgate. For those of you who don't know, Commasgate [clears throat] is 170 condo units. my our licensed property manager Ann Bourjenegal is here too. She is our only paid employee. Um we have 170 units. We are the single access road is Groer. So Groer back uh is parallel to um Glenn Esteeste and our swimming pool is up front. A lot of people pass us every day and they don't know that we have 172 units beyond. [clears throat] The only street in and out is Groer and Groer is owned by the township. The other streets we maintain. We own the other streets that access the condos. We have enjoyed our green environment and relatively quiet and private community. But recently, we have been the center of many changes and challenges to our neighborhood. We gave up part of our frontage to expand Glenn Estee. We endured the dust when you tore down the the old high school. Uh and now the construction of the new apartment buildings next to us. Um, we have had no communication with those developers and those new apartment buildings are inches away from some of our condos. You almost could reach out and touch them and we have had no communication from them at all. [clears throat] Through all this, we've been good neighbors. We're not here to complain. I am simply here to explain how our lives have been affected.

[clears throat] and Brier Hill reached out to us um as a developer and wanted to add to their parking facilities. They wanted to buy some of our common space. We were not allowed legally to sell unless we had 75% approval from our residents and as you know to get 75% from any group is impossible. [laughter] So, we worked with Brier Hill. Um, they were more than ready to talk to us. We met with them a couple of times, answered all our questions. Uh, were exceedingly um interested in our priorities and understood our our what we really wanted.

[clears throat]

And so we've always had complaints from people that use our pool that there's not enough parking and people park along the street on Groveser, people park on the grass and we don't have enough parking. But for us to fund a new parking lot was out of the question. We couldn't afford it. So Brier Hill said, "Well, what if we provide the parking lot and in the summer give you five parking spaces?" Sounded like a good deal to me. And [clears throat] um since we couldn't sell the land, uh it is a leased agreement with between us. Uh we will get money from them. They will be responsible for the upkeep. Um, and um, in any in any respect, uh, this has been a win-win for both of us. And I will say that Brier Hill, both John and Dave have been exceedingly good to work with. Uh, they initially wanted to buy our frontage on Glenn Estee when we couldn't sell that. They said, "Well, what if we take some on Broer on the other on the end of your pool for parking lot?" And that was agreeable to us. Uh we still have green space along the front, but this would provide parking for them and us. [clears throat] I I would I would like to thank the planning board for allowing me to speak and for hearing what I had to say about Commons of Eastgate. Sometimes we feel that we are uh an invisible community and that's why I gave you all the spiel as to what we have put up with with all the construction and I really I really hope that you approve this plan because I think Brier Hill has gone out of their way to hear our concern as residents and

that is uh exceptional in this day and age. So thank you. Thank you. Anyone else we uh wishing to speak for the project? Okay, I will now open the floor for those interested in speaking against. Uh I've got signin sheets for several of you from the be from before we start and I'm going to call them in order. Uh for anyone when we reach the end of this who would still like to say something, please remember to fill in a sheet and you can bring it with you to the podium. Uh, so I've got uh Lucen Bird the second third

Lucian I apologize said my name is Lucian Bird of the 4302 Larma Lane one of those houses that they put up there when they just kind of indicated the two little roads to see how it is now. I have lived in Union Township with the exception of seven years for work that I was transferred and lived in Cleveland and Chicago. I've lived in this township since 1979. I have owned since I've come back. I've owned my own home there on Larma for almost 25 years. I have seen what progress looks like in this county. Occasionally, it's good. Occasionally, they'll fix a road. They'll put in a business that makes sense. They'll put it where it makes sense. I note those exceptions. What I'm seeing here is let's see how much we can destroy the quality of life for the people that live on Marma and we just perhaps as an experiment because right now you put homes that look like that which by the way are beautiful. Nobody questions that. Homes that look like that in Weatherbe Farms. Fine. I graduated from Glenste High School long before going off college. I remember when that was a farm, private property, large area. It's fine. There's a lot of beautiful families and homes there now. Not a problem. Now, you're going to put the homes like that right in front of me. I'm three or four down from where they'll be on Larma. Okay. And I noticed here in the writing that it's going to it's going to serve as a buffer between that area and us. I always thought we needed a buffer. strikes me as you don't really want people to drive by and see what Llama and Weeble look like, but right now they have to. So, I've seen sidewalks to nowhere

constructed here. There's currently one right now because I walk I've hiked a little over 5,000 miles in the last 3 years. I walk everywhere here all the time. Love to do it when I can't because I drive too much. So, I walk when I can't. See, the funny thing is is when I get on the sidewalk there at Icults that you built, it's a beautiful sidewalk. I come to a corner and I have a choice of walking across grass to go to Walmart or Jungle Gyms or I have a choice of continuing on on that sidewalk for about 50 50 more feet, 75 until I'm on walking across some gentleman's front yard apparently. So, because I noticed that the civic center built for the people of this township is the one place you can't get to walking. So, we have a sidewalk to nowhere. It's lovely. I usually use it as an ice point to turn around. I want to know right now, how am I going to get to my park that I love to go walk in when I don't go to the nature center. How am I getting there? All these folks that live in those homes right there, they're going to be thrilled with me just cutting through because that's what I do now on the township owned land that's absolutely maintained beautifully, by the way. I give kudos to that. But I'd like to know what's going to happen. gentleman from St. Louis who continually refers to me as his neighbor, which I feel was quite the redefinition of the term, said that traffic used to be horrible. I I know I raised three young sons to manhood. They're gone now on that street playing basketball. And I taught them the art of the basketball doesn't matter. Please don't die from the cars. So, I'm doing about 50 on my 25 mph street. So finally they deadended it. Built a nice little culde-sac at the end. Guess what? I walk up and down my street. My neighbors walk up and down the street. We're getting to know each other a whole lot better than we ever did before. That's going to come to an end because he was correct that the traffic before was horrific. But he has promised us

it's going to get to a level something below horrific. And I can tell you when I'm shooting for something, the goal I shoot for is just below horrific. And is that what we're shooting for here? I love progress. I love development. You want to come and buy my house? You want to come and buy the rest of ours on Narma? Give me a fair offer. I'm not looking to become rich. I'm looking to become paid for my property. That's it. You want to come do that and you want to build these, then I will come back and celebrate with you what you've done in this area to beautify it. But in the if you don't do something like that, you're pinning us in in homes that you freely admit in here in lovely language that to be perfectly frank, I find insulting the way they describe the property to the south, the more traditional, in other words, the 60 70 year old homes that we want to hide from the street. Well, my property is about a half acre, wooded, fenced, and I personally think lovely. That's why I've stayed for 25 years. That's why I'm still here. I've never come to a meeting of this township before in my life. But right now, we have what I believe to be an Airbnb on my street. We have that and we have now this going on. And by the way, just up the road from me. When we moved in 25 years ago, I told my wife, I know, honey, you're from Chicago, but I'm telling you, if we stay here just long enough, they're going to build a hotel right near us. And I think that's important. [snorts] Okay. I don't think so. I am practically begging you to recommend against this to the trustees. This is the utter destruction of what I moved into. It is not a beautifification as long as they leave it like it is. Again, you want to buy up at least down to that curve that each road has at least to there. Build them along there. Build them to come from this.

Fine. But don't con destroy what I finally had. A little piece on that street. What we finally had. And I heard the term blight used. I've lived here. I walk by all these places. I don't recall any blight. I personally find that insulting. I'm surprised that no one else here does. I simply ask that you vote this down until it is at least more properly thought out. Thank you. Thank you,

Michael.

Hello. Hi. Could you introduce yourself and give your address, please?

My name is Michael Deskins. I live at 4301 Larma Lane. Um, my family has been there since the late 70s. Um, I've enjoyed my time there. I'm worried about the future there. Um, I recently received uh a mailer with a report about the uh sewer system along Marman Lane and Weebo and uh that it was built in the early 60s and I'm concerned about all this construction how that's going to affect the the waterways and the the sewage lines and I the paper made it clear that I would be held accountable if that fails. Uh seems to be an awful lot of building up around there that's going to require waterways, sewage lines, and that's going to compromise the uh the lines that I have currently there. The neighborhood there is uh built up of uh residential families. It's been quite comfortable and I've built my house up there and made improvements through the years and uh enjoy my gardening and watching my birds and but I'm afraid that that's going to be a thing of the past with the buildup that's coming in there. I stand out in my yard now and look around and it's a every side of me is being built up. It's it's kind of claustrophobic. Um, and you're proposing doing more building, adding more different kinds of uh family units. Um,

it's going to the traffic is not only going to be uh affected by cars, but there's going to be people who want to come out from those buildings that you're putting in there. We want to go up and down the roads. Uh, I know a lot of people don't think about it in the future, but that's going to be an increase of people wanting to walk their dogs and of course where are those dogs going to want to do their deposits and stuff in my yard and my neighbors yards. I don't look forward to the confrontations that will come from this. I hope you vote against this. Um, I I just think that there's too much there now. There's so many things around there. The the the apartment buildings, the commons, which when it was originally talked about being there was going to be a senior village. The radio declared a senior village with all the amenities. And even though it was going to be building up, I thought, well, that sounds good. You know, maybe I'll have a place to go later when I'm older. But it turns out that's not exactly what's uh taken place in the commons. It's it's more than a senior village. Um people have a right to do what they want to do, but still it's not what they represented it. I'm afraid what they say is going to be here may not be the told either. So, while I still have at least one corridor where I can see some sky, I'd like to keep it that way and keep the neighborhood in the condition it is where I can go out and enjoy my gardens, my neighbors can enjoy their yards, and uh and I'll echo what he said about the uh the improvement of the traffic on the

road. I do like how you made the one end of the culdeac uh closed off. Uh, and I appreciate the opportunity to oppose this plan and I hope that you do oppose it. Uh, thank you. Thank you,

Tim Gilliam. Tim Gillum. I live on [clears throat] in the Shant Clear subdivision there off of Cloth Park on Wellington Drive. And it I'm I haven't seen anything preliminary as far as uh this information that was presented here today, the layout and stuff. So I'm having a little trouble orientating the slides they showed, you know, [clears throat] zone one, zone two, zone three, and no streets mark, no things. And I'm I guess I'd have to sit down and look at it to get a little more orientated as far as exactly what's where some of the major structures like the big white buildings and stuff or areas I have no idea what that is uh where it's marked. So I can't say a whole lot about it because I I'm having a little trouble this uh [clears throat] is it affecting

tried a few. Okay. So the north south thorough affair you see there the that's Glenasty Withersville. Yeah. The intersection you see at the very top of the picture there's Clean access that's Cleer Lane where it meets Glenn. Yes. Okay. The um down at the bottom there where the dirt is down in the left corner. There's actually a roundabout down there. That's the old triang that's the old 90° of the high. Yes. Yes. And then that's kind of where the bus lot used to be.

And then if you go this way on the left, that's old Glenn Estie, new Wolts. And it's hard to see [clears throat] there's roundabouts shown on that concept sketch. And you can kind of see on the very far side the roundabout in front of the police station under construction.

Okay. It's it's just concerned me that with uh uh Weatherbe Farms, which like I say, they really look nice and stuff, but remember what it used to look like also. And uh then the catastrophe, I think, of the new apartment buildings on the old high school thing, the fourstory apartments and tons of them, tons of them. and uh the the dust and the dirt and stuff that's been going on for three years or so. So now on that and then and it's just continuing that being crammed in there and then the the the little lot that got turned down last month that's right off of Pluff Pike there. The the projected condos where they were getting subdivided into lots that were half a building. Each lot had a half of the building on it and they were so tiny uh on that and I I thank you for for uh turning that down. But this one little area here is just all of a sudden it's just turning into a major uh site for new buildings, new more intense apartments and things like that as opposed to R1 residential uh area that it was totally except for the high school there. and uh all of the things that have developed along 32. I I in favor of that. I like that. I could think that with what's going on in this area rather than just boy, we're really going to pinpoint cramming as much as we can right in that area and ruin people's lives like they're talking

about that have established been a part of this community for 25 I've been here for 28 years [clears throat] now in that area. I was right off of uh Glenn Estie Wamsville uh off of Brookfield back in that subdivision before that for 17 years. So I've been here for 40some years on that and I I remember what this started out as and now what it's turned into. But you've got your areas that that need to be developed. the your your um East Gate shopping area over there. That's nobody know what the hell is happening on that. Yeah. If we could confine our comments to this proposal, please.

Okay. Well, I think this is going to being put in an area that is majorly uh uh residential and they slip a little bit. So, we got apartments there now. So, now we're slowly turning it into something that's not residential. when there are so much open areas, Bogb Buckston and all that that other places that that that should be considered rather than this one little tiny area. It's gone through too much development already. Thank you. Okay. Thank you, Mr. Wright. Uh I'm going to pass down uh a map that we were provided in our materials. If we could bring it up.

Sure. Mr. Lewis has a question he'd like to ask question. Is that in your Yeah. packet? Hang on a second. [clears throat] Give me just a moment. Meanwhile, while we're pulling that up, uh Connie Merrill. [clears throat] Hello.

Hi. I'm Connie Merrill and I live at um 4161 [clears throat] Roland Creek Drive, but we also own a home on Burggoyne, 975 Burggoyne, uh which we rent to our daughter and our grandchildren are growing up there. Um, our home on Burgo's just has one house between our house and um, section two where they're proposing a retail. [clears throat]

My main concerns are from from the Burggoy perspective is um that they're putting a 100 plus parking lot behind the retail and I'm assuming it's going out on Burggo. Is that true?

Right. So yeah, just just for clarification of that question that it was about ingress and egress off of um subdivision two and there are two uh on the map. One is on Burgoy.

Okay. I already suspect that once the bridge opens we're going to have a really hard time turning left out of Burggoyne. Um especially with the traffic circles, there's no natural like pause and the traffic that a light or a stop sign might have, you know, gave us time to get out. And now you're going to add hundred space parking lot cars coming and going coming on trying to get out and [clears throat] also on the other end, but there'll probably be a lot. Um I just don't see that it's going to work out at all. Um, also being so close to the retail, the fact that it's two stories, I don't really look forward to sitting out in my backyard and looking at a twotory back ugly commercial building back. Um, I feel like Burggo's been over the years. We've been there since 1979. And excuse me, I got a frog in my throat and it's hard to talk. Um, and like when they put in they put apartments on one side of Burggo in the past um, in between two R1 single family streets. Then they put the condos in. There's no continuity at all. So now they're putting retail, which I don't think we need more retail in East Skate. I think there's already a lot of vacant vacant retail. Um, I noticed on the 2030 plan that until last month, so for 13 years, those lots weren't even considered as part of the focus, but it just got changed. So, I'm assuming it's because the

developer approached the trustees or you all asking to change that. But I feel like it that should still stay residential and to, you know, give us some other residential, you know, it just goes single family to retail. I don't think that's very harmonious. That's really all I wanted to say. Thank you. Thank you. You had a question.

Mr. Can we get an explanation of how those how the in in section three how those new houses would be accessed where what the access point to those?

So if you look on the plan and it's a little hard to see because of the that light bulb that I need to have them take out. Um uh you have uh rear entry garages uh off of um hang on let me make this is a touch pad. Sorry. You have rear entry garages. The access is all off of uh LMA and Weebold. Um you have single family. You have a single family residential home that actually will access from the front here and here oriented the same direction as uh you know to the street to those streets. And then you'll have access easements here and here. if you can see the pointer um that serve those [clears throat] those garages with some little auxiliary parking areas at the terminus of the culde-sac. There's also a pedestrian access way that goes through these areas that were vacated uh with I believe they're contemplating some public space. They call them sort of pocket park type areas with a pedestrian connection through that. To the gentleman's question about how do I get there? I'm walking across the grass now. They're [clears throat] actually showing a sidewalk

on both of those termini through that uh with some some planned open space in that regarding some of the commentary. And I'll just make a point. When we talk about buffering, we talk about transitioning. We're not and as the commission the commission's worked with me for a very long time in a different capacity. When we talk about buffering, we and we talk about transitioning, we are not casting aspersions on any use pattern or type. What we are talking about or we are talking about across the street from this are 35 units an acre, fourtory units. And we're talking about transitioning densities from [clears throat] 35 units an acre to 2 and a half to three units an acre, which is generally the predominant development pattern south of the corridor. We aren't talking about development types. We're not talking about one story versus twotory, brick or ranch, you know, cottage or bungalow that we're not making distinctions about that in any regard. What we're talking about is buffering high density to lower density and using development to transition that. And that's what that discussion is. So that's that's just a point that I wanted to make clear. And so we're only we're talking about so the eight homes off of Larma and eight homes off of Weeble. We're talking about eight eight only eight additional homes are going to there's are going to be additional traffic on we alarm for eight homes.

Correct. That's and so there's no access to those from Glenn Wville. It's all but so we're still only talking eight homes being added to that point. Yes, basically. Y I thought that was the case. Well that's 16. I think there might be one nine on one eight on the other. I mean, I don't want to mince I don't want to mince words. I mean, we can split hairs over one unit, but yeah, it's Do you have any idea how many houses there are approximately on LMAN Weeble? There's a bunch. Yeah, there's quite a few. There's a bunch. Those are long streets. I can tell you. Long streets. All right. Thank you. That's That's all I needed. You know, if they're a quarter mile long Yeah. So,

and it's going to be It's closed off now. Larma and and Weeble are both closed off. Correct. That was a decision made by the county. I guess there was some So the traffic impact is basically eight and eight and nine is is what we're talking about. Okay. Sir, may I address that? I'm sorry. May I address the comment just sir? Sir sir, you've spoken already. I'm going to allow other people to speak. All right. Thank you. Debbie Spivey, please. [clears throat] Hi. Hi.

I'm Debbie Spy. I live at 4275 Webold Lane. And um I don't have much to say about um Ivy Point in that area, but I would love for you to reconsider um any any houses at all going on the end of Weebold and Larma. We just got our streets um at a dead end and everybody has been enjoying our deadend streets. All the neighbors and everybody. We like the one gentleman said, we do get out, we walk our dogs, we talk to our neighbors. Um we even had a block party um last year or the year whatever year what the first year they shut it off and we enjoyed it so much and we even got to go all of us went and sat on that green space at the end of the culde-sac and watch the fireworks um you know Fourth of July and I really hope that you will consider um not letting them put anything on that green space. You know, we do need a little green space and it does look very nice having that. And we really don't need any more houses built, apartments built right in that area. And um I hope you will consider that.

Thank you. Thank you,

Kenneth Wilson. My name is Kenneth Wilson. I live at 4317 Weebold Lane. I'm the very last house before you get to the culde-sac. Uh your comment about the traffic and it's not going to add. We've got child focus on Weebolt. That's non-stop traffic. You can talk there's only a quarter mile houses nonstop. try to get out on Club Pike rush hour, you're behind buses, cars, they're 10, 12 deep and like they said, there's roundabouts now and it's hard to get through a light. You can tell when the light changes, you finally get a chance to go. Two cars get to go, there's 10 more waiting. So, acting like traffic's not going to be a deal is wrong. Uh, I've got more questions and comments. Uh, we got parking at the end of the culde-sac. How many spots is that going to be?

Four. Four. That's it. Four spots. Yep. How many roads, [clears throat] how many driveways is coming off of that? Are they all coming off cold? Everything as we discussed earlier. Well, there was a lot of stuff discussed and it's hard to remember everything. If if you can stand so we can get it on the record so it can be go into microphone, please.

The uh uh answer to your first question, there's there's four parking spots on the end of each uh and then the uh to access each of the garages, that's half of them are on Weeol and the other half are on Norma. do not access from the from the top the the glasty side. Okay. Right next to my house, you've got a building there. It's a house. Right next to my carport. Yes. Is that a garage? That's a house. That's a house. Them small ones are houses. No, no, that's a garage. That's a garage right there where the cursor is. I may be misunderstood. What's your house? That's a house. You see the little arrow? Yeah, I see the arrow.

That's a house. That's not the correct street. Um, is he on the other side? You got LMA. Yeah. Am I looking at the wrong one? Yeah, I'm looking at Weebolt. All right, hang on.

You could just slide it up. I'm trying. It's stuck right now. Yeah, there you go. There it is. There we go. Okay, [clears throat] that's a detached garage on the very last house on the left. Yep. There's a building right there next to my carport. That's a detached garage. That is that is a garage. Where's the access to that? Right there. Right. When you go over to the the culdeac, so it'll be parallel with your driveway. Where is cursor? What are we going to have? Three of them coming out of the culde-sac. Then the four spots to park.

So it's one, two, three parking access on the other side to the garage. So, [clears throat] how many total driveways are we looking at in the call set? Uh, that particular one, I'm sorry if you can't hear me. That particular one is one, two, three, four. There, there's an access easement here. Correct. Parking. It's likely that these could probably share a driveway access.

There'll be a driveway here. Probably a shared driveway access here. Four parking spots. I'm just telling I've done this for 25 years or 20 I'm sorry 22 years. Uh an access easement and then a front entry garage here. Okay. So that one you've got the arrow next to now that's a house. That's what they're representing. Yes. That's a house. [snorts] So is there a garage that's attached to the house? Attached to the house. Part of the house. Okay. Um, like I said, most of my stuff would be questions for you, and I'm happy to stay afterwards, answer your questions and everybody else's. Well, I got one question here. Is this the only meeting that's going to decide whether this goes or not?

No, sir. And this meeting isn't determinative. U, so the, as was said at the start of the meeting, the Union Township Trustees make the final decision. This commission only makes a recommendation as to what to do. The Union Township of Trustees are free by majority vote to ignore our recommendation or ch or even add additional modifications or to accept our accept our recommendation. We can only recommend uh approval recommend approval with modifications or denial. But the the trustees are not bound by what this commission says. So there will be an opportunity where this case will be heard before the trustee. There'll be another public.

Yes, sir. It will be held on April the April 14th. 14th, trust me, in this room.

Okay. Well, living on Weebold Lane, right next to all this construction, I've dealt with dust, mud, people walking through my yard. Sunday, I had people walking in my backyard. I've got a privacy fence up over three quarters of my yard. Somebody jump into my backyard. I mean, that's what we've brought in with this union comments. There's cops over there three or four times a day. The ambulance is there at least two or three times a day. I watch it all day. I'm retired. I see it. So, acting like this is not I don't know where the blight is. We're supposedly talking about Where's the blight?

Anybody? Well, I I believe the reference in staff's report to blight are these vacant areas on the actual reference was in discussion of a specific corridor plan that was adopted several years ago. And if you remember on Glasti across from the police station, there were several homes that were acquired that were on the border line of falling down. Yeah, I remember those houses.

That was the reference in the plan. Okay. Well, my family and I have lived on Weeble Lane since 1968. I've been around for a while. Um, the oversaturation you're doing to that area is ridiculous. Them other apartments aren't even open yet. And it's nonstop traffic on that road. The overpass isn't open yet. Nonstop traffic on Glenny Wingsville. You tell me when that overpass opens there's not going to be a ton more. I mean, I don't know what we're trying to get to. If you call, let's see, you bought five houses to put 18 17 18 the Weebolds house. The Weebolts gave all that plant, all that all that land to the school for nothing. What' they get out of this deal? What did Weeols get? My buddy Vinnie We'd get their generosity was kicked in their face. They got nothing. This is unfair, oversaturated, and it's a little ridiculous. Green space is a is a blight. There used to be five houses there. Two on each corner of Larma and Weebold and the Weebold's house. There was five houses. I think it's time we slowed down. Let's see what happens when the overpass opens. Let's see what happens when all them other apartments are open. Cuz right now the traffic is nuts. It ain't on our street no more. Thank God. My parents when they lived there, they couldn't even pull out the driveway on a

25 mph street. If the school was in session, they had they couldn't get out of the driveway. I don't want that. And I'm glad it's not happening anymore. But this is serious stuff. This is people's lives. We got people walking through our yards already. What's it going to be when you have uh your drinking? Walk around drinking. That's a good thing. I don't know. Sounds crazy to me. Uh and you're going to have areas coming right by my house with a little walking area. I mean, this is something we need to think hard about. It's just a small little community we mar right here. This is about our lives. We've already been subject to a lot of danger with Union Commons. I don't know whose idea that was. They told my mom and dad it would never be low income or section 8. That's what they were told. That was a lie. So, I need I need you all to think real hard about this. This ain't just a one-way street for these people. They've already got a lot of stuff going on in our area. So, I'd appreciate it if this was voted down. That's all I got.

Thank you. Wait a little bit. Is there anyone else? I'm now out of testimony sheets. Is there anyone else that would wish to speak against this? Yeah, if you bring it to me first and then go back to the podium. Thank you.

My name is uh Charlie Stitler. I live at 4316 Lara Lane. Also go by George first name. So that's why my paperwork looks like that. Um I want to be clear tonight about my focus. The concern specifically that I have is about the sub area 3, the 17 proposed single family homes. I also want to acknowledge that I understand that the plan development zoning gives the township and the developer significant flexibility setbacks uh with setbacks lot sizes and the number of buildings uh per the lots u I'm not arguing those points I'm arguing the grounds my I'm argue my arguments are grounded entirely within the plan development regulations themselves uh the requirement specifically written into article six that plan development does not override Uh my primary point is the 20 foot buffer and mandatory plan development. It is not in this plan. Um I know was mentioned earlier that these are just preliminary drawings, but if these aren't done now, we kind of lose our voice down the road. They get voted in and added in behind closed doors. Um section 684.3 of the zoning resolution requires a mandatory 20- foot landscape buffer yard um along the boundary joining [clears throat] residential zones. This requirement is not found in the general zoning code. It is written directly in the plan development uh plan requirements. Uh critically 687 flexibility clause a provision that makes setbacks and lot sizes variable and plan development specifically carves out one exception. Setbacks are variable except for right away buffer yards. The 20 foot residential buffer is one of the requirements that drafters drafters deliberately protected from plan development flexibility. Um it is not discretionary. It is non-discretionary

and non-waveable. Section 843 or 8 8684.3 further states the buffer yards must be fully landscape fully landscaped and not contain any other uses. This means that detached rear garages shown on the property lines regardless of plan development variable setbacks allowances are not allowed. Um point two is also mentioned by some other members here about traffic and safety. Traffic and safety on cloth pike uh around Larma and Weeble is pretty bad. the the aprons uh leaving Weeble and Larma have uh bad sight lines. Section 682 of the plan development [clears throat] regulations confirm that other applicable provisions of zoning resolutions apply to plan development property. Section 11141 requires that the streets and access systems provide for smooth, safe, convenient, and functional movement of vehicles uh and pedestrians both on and off site. Um 1114.2 requires the circulation minimize the number of vehicular turning movements and points of vehicular conflicts particular at access points. My concerns are not with the culde-sacs themselves. It's with what I mentioned was the um how was with um what happens when the residents of the 17 new homes travel beyond the culde-sacs and onto broader road networks. Llama and Weeble Lane both connect to Club Pike. Club Pike is known as a high volume corridor. The road aprons, the road aprons were uh uh where residents exit onto Club Pike involves sighteline challenges, limited turning radius and merging into busy uh

arterials. Every additional home in sub area 3 adds more daily turning movements at the apron movement that affects the safety of every existing resident of these streets. Uh this these sections allow you guys to uh request a traffic impact study on the grounds of a development. Uh the development is in the vicinity of a street with a history of safety problems and the geometry of existing improvements might cause a safety hazard. I'd also like to note that there are no records in sub area 3 site planning containing storm water detention or drainage infrastructure of any kind. Sub area 3 proposes 17 homes each with preliminary structures and detached rear garages plus shared parking and access easements. all new imperous surfaces which do not have good drainage. Um, storm water runoff from sub area 3 flows south toward neighboring properties causing flooding in people's backyards. Um, in conclusion, I respectfully request that sub area as it is currently submitted be denied or altered with the proposed um conditions that I've laid out. [clears throat]

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Mr. Right. Yes. Uh do you have any comments on u storm water? Yes, please.

Yeah. So, the township doesn't regulate storm water. In fact, as a limited home ruled township, we're specifically excluded from regulating storm water. Uh the county has even more robust storm water regulations than they had 5 years ago. um all the water associated with any development has to be detained at the pre you know to basically not create an adverse condition and my suspicion is based on what I see here would be that the access easements the access drive the shared common access drives would be areas where you would uh probably look to provide some underground detention potentially. Uh the other thing that uh I do know about this is that the primary drainage course, you can't divert water out of a drainage course into another drainage course. I think the engineers have to study the way that this water course goes. I think that some of this property drains to the um to the street this way and some of it drains this way. And so they'll have to be careful about the analysis of the watershed in that because this I believe goes this way and then through the high school site and then the stuff that's going to go that way is going to go back behind Walmart and then out across 32. So it's a pretty, you know, hydraology is a pretty complex thing here. That's why the engineers get paid the big bucks to look at that. And I do know I mean the township has to live by those. I mean, we don't get a pass and they're pretty pretty extensive um in that. So, that I would point to that. As far as the request for traffic impact study, there's there's no planet where eight homes would ever generate a traffic impact study. None. Typically, you're going to see for commercial development, you know, it's going to be a, you know, square footage amount. It's going to be a anticipate trip travel based on the uses. And I have not seen traffic impact studies on projects I think in my

experience is smaller than I think about my time here at a prior position as you know I'm sitting in right now uh in a different chair. Uh and then in other communities smaller communities um you know you're looking at 40 50 60 homes. That's where you would generate a traffic impact. So, a project like this is not going to even trigger that. Um, you know, there's some valid points about the deficiencies of the apron at Weeble and Larma. Um, we get it. We're there from time to time. Uh, I think that as we explore pedestrian improvements in the area, there's opportunities to fix those. Those are not immediate fixes. Uh, there's some pretty significant gas line infrastructure, if everybody knows, down there, that kind of makes things expensive. Duke Duke Energy does not like to move their utilities. Uh but it's something that we can certainly look at over time to try to fix. Um that's really what I heard. I mean just trying to address that regarding the buffer yard. Again, the standards are variable. you know, the the the PD district, you you can vary the standards and and if you know, you look at this and you say, well, the house actually provides, you know, some of the buffer to the other parts that are going this way or whatever, the board, you know, the commission can recommend variances from that. Um, the commission can recommend specific requirements. You could say we want a orange privacy fence, you know, that's whatever. So, I would not recommend that. Um except my son might recommend that he loves the color orange. Uh me personally I would I would not and not to make light of it. I'm just to my point is that the commission can make recommendations. The board of trustees can adopt recommend or adopt the recommendations. They can vary from that um to to meet you know what the objectives are in that. So

thank you Mr. Right. Uh Mr. All right. Um, on the end of the culde-sacs of both of those streets, the parking spaces, are they part of the current street? Are they public parking or they No, they're going to be they're vacated. I mean, they're they're vacated spaces. So, that land in that culde-sac knuckle, those lands were vacated as part of that the disposition of that. So, they become private lands. My suspicion is that these would be dedic HOA. Okay. Where those would be reserved parking spots for those units. That's what I was thinking. Okay. But it will it still will not be a through street at all. Correct.

Correct. Never. Thank you, Mr. Wright. Um, any additional [clears throat] individuals wish to speak? Sir, you've spoken. Sir, if you would bring uh testimony sheet up on a mission. Thank you. [clears throat]

Good evening, gentlemen. My name is Mike Glenn. I live at 991 Burggoyne. I'd like to speak to you, Mr. Wright. You talked about traffic. Um at the end of Burggoyne, I saw that you also have an vision of an hotel right across the street. Um, right now there's 16 houses on Burggoyne. It is easy to get in and out of. It's quiet. You got a 100 space parking lot that you plan on using Burggoyne to enter and out. The bridge is closed, but once that bridge opens and people start driving 45 miles an hour, we're never going to get out of there. Okay? And I know I'm not here to stop progress. You know, I I'd love to have a ice cream shop at the end of my street that I can walk to. Um, but I would like to know that we are looking at the future and what we're going to do to ensure the residents that have been there for a long, long time can get in and out of their street. I also want to bring up to this side. By my best guess, you're going to put five houses on a 200 by 200 square foot lot.

That's not going to look good. That's all I got. Thank you. Anyone else wish to speak? Sir, if you ma'am,

thank you. Hi, my name is Denise Hul. represent 4315 LMA Lane, which is the house at the end of Larma, right across from Charlie's. Um, I have more questions than I have comments. Um I'm wondering why if the um section number three at the end of Larma and Weeble if that is already zoned for residential what is the need to include it with sections one and two? Can can anybody tell me why we're are we changing that so that we can put 17 properties on approximately three acres, replace five houses with 17? [clears throat] Is that the purpose of the zoning change? So, the applicant has asked us to make a zoning change that would change that to planned development, which would increase the number of houses that could be built on that site.

Okay. So, I would also like to recommend that we pause at least and and reconsider what we're doing because we are taking a small area and putting many many residents on it. And like every I don't want to repeat what everybody else here has said, but this will increase the traffic. This will make it more difficult to get out out onto Club from the end of Weeble and Larma, which is already a very difficult maneuver to do. Um, you have to wait for traffic to clear both ways because you got to go out in the other lane to make a turn. Um, so I would really like us to just pause, consider what we're doing. Putting a few houses at the end of Lurman and Weeble makes perfect sense to me. I would also like to recommend that if you commissioners have not already driven to the end of Larma and the end of Weeble and looked at the property in person and surveyed what they're planning on doing on those small spaces that you do so before you vote.

Thank you. Thank you, ma'am. I saw one more hand. Yes, sir. Are we out of papers? Just state their name.

Yeah, if you would come up to the podium and announce your name and your address and just make sure that you turn that into me, please,

at least at the end. Hi, my name is uh Greg Hal and uh my brother and I we moved to 4315 LMA Lane in March of 1957. And so the house has been in our family ever since. Um, one thing, you know, when I cut the grass there, I was wondering if anybody done drainage studies because the little pond develops there between 4315 and a new development which is right next to it. So, I was wondering if anybody's done any drainage studies and can, you know, eliminate that pond that's come that's uh being developed every time you get a good rain.

What's the address? And uh so the your address please 4315. Yeah. 4315.

And like I said, the house has been our family since March of 1957 was built new. So, um, so I just want to bring up drainage issues and, um, because it is get a hard rain, you you get a pond, it goes into that new development area. [clears throat] And, uh, right now it's really nice to see the green space, the culde-sac that you see there, and kids go down there and play. They got a little makeshift basketball hoop down there. you know, now that be replaced with driveways going into these new developments. So, um, I just like to speak against it. I like the green space that we see now. There's so much development that's already have take place. I don't know why you have to go any further than that. And it sure be nice to uh to keep things down close to where they are now. So, that's pretty much what I have to say. And I appreciate it. Thank you very much,

ma'am. Yes. [clears throat] Thank you. Thank you.

My name is Pam Bolan. I live on 4286 LMA Lane. Um, I'd like to speak about the sub area 3. I am with all my neighbors. Um, I don't want to repeat anything everyone said, but I do agree with everything everyone said. Um, no one's mentioned the substation that's going in. I mean, I'm sure that's so that we can provide electricity to all this new development. Uh, health issues. I don't I don't know what's going to come with that in the future. Um, our property values, no one mentioned that. We have been built around monstrosities. We've kind of been, you know, we're little ranch homes on these two small private lanes and we're being built up against. So, you're putting in I don't know what the values of [clears throat] these properties are going to be. I don't think it's going to increase our value. Uh the watershed is a major issue. Uh we don't have any consistency down LMA lane. I have a sump that runs constant when it rains. There's ponding throughout and there's one yard close to club. The whole front yard is a pond. I mean, it's horrible. Union Township should take care of that. Um safety. I had a firefighter, Union Township firefighter, come to my home uh to check an odor. He told me, "You wouldn't believe how many calls we get to that new development where the high school used to be." And that is from your employee. So, you want to just keep piling things in. It's great. It's great. Uh, I'm concerned with safety, you know, and and the um, hold on, let me think.

The scale of the development, it it's so sporadic. I mean, we have these monstrosities over here. We have our little lanes. Now, you want to plow in some homes at the end. I mean, let's have some consistency. Let's make it attractive so we attract more people to our community, not just throw them in there and pile them in. Um the infrastructure we've talked about, you know, traffic safety. We don't even know how I mean I don't know if the studies have been done. I'd love to see the numbers once all those um apartments have been populated. Where's everybody going to go? It's insane. Our new park, you can't even go to the playground anymore. I mean, there are so many people there. I mean, it's already outnumbered. It's already overgrown, outgrown. It's We don't have the space for more development. This is crazy. I hope you vote it down.

Thank you. Thank you. Anyone else? Okay. At this point, uh we'll close the meeting to public comment. Members of the public, you're of course willing to stay. It is a public meeting, but uh discussion about this is going to be confined to the board of commissioners and uh if we wish to speak to the developer or anyone else questions. Okay. So, uh, first thoughts going around the room. Does anyone want to start?

Go ahead. I know you Mr. Loose.

Overall, I like I like the plan that area sub area one is we'd already approved that that that's an area that we had the brewery and the theater and the restaurant and that got changed. I mean, that fell through. Sub area one is is still going to be sub area one. Sub area two to me is is is not a bad fit. There's a lot of parking plus it it there's advantages for the uh development behind it. The sticking point is the is the residential area and I'm not against the what what's been proposed. I think we should, my recommendation would be we possibly lose one house each from Larma and Weebold the parallel one and and restore that 20 foot buffer

and then we can have an access road that runs back, you know, a lane that that feeds all of those houses. 20. It's 20 foot in that that that those two parallel houses go away and then the the garage at the very end gets moved up or up and then there's a a lane just running behind it feeding those garages. Other than that, I I think the uh the transition as Mr. Wright mentioned between what's across the street and there is a reasonable transition. We're talking uh how many units? Uh what's what's there now? 17. 17 to 15. So 15. So it would go down to 15 uh units and I I don't think the impact would be that significant but I I would like to see that

lose Yeah. lose the two put the buffer. Okay. You know, I like um you know, I heard all the concerns and I I what I would be afraid of if I lived over there would be if this were to be turned down, what's going to be there in a year? And I'd be concerned it might be a lot more than uh what you're looking at here. I do like that compromise though with cutting back on one house on each side that perpendicular houses. I think that would help. Um, but there is a walkway to get through. Um, I'd be concerned with what would end up there eventually if we don't density on R1 now.

I'm sorry. What's the density on R1? R1. Oh, two per acre. About two. Two. We're just slightly above that. If we drop the two, we're even closer. Okay. Well, part of the issue is that it is in a [snorts] focus corridor and regarding the density recommended for that focus corridor, it I mean it shoots for a minimum of 12 units per acre in this corridor and this is six and a half units. It'll actually net if you reduce two. It's going to be five units. Two units is significant. Right. Right. We're taking two out.

Okay. And I I don't have a problem with that. Is the these houses the fronts of these houses will they be facing bar and we are they facing the fronts of the house is facing outdoor. Let me go back to Mr. Beos's presentation. I believe the orientation will be to Glenn or I well Glennasti. So they won't be facing into Walmart or we will. No. Okay. Correct. [clears throat] Particularly if you delete the units that were oriented parallel on the back side. Yes. Yeah.

I think the the road improvements that have all been made in that in that on Glenny Whittensville the the traffic circles flow and I think once the bridge opens I I don't think the traffic is is going to be greater. people that need to get to the other side are already driving through there. They're even going down that um uh the road that leads to Bach Buckston or they're they're going left through Sam's and through the Yeah, they're figuring out how to get there.

Jungle Gyms area and going out that way. That will just simply allow them to go straight across, which you know includes me. I I live on the other side of 32. Uh but I think everybody that's traveling there now is going to continue traveling. I now think there's going to be an increase with the bridge traffic, possibly speed, but we can control speed uh with lights and and so forth. And that's that's typically a joint venture with the county. Therefore, the county handles that. So, I'm not I'm not concerned with that.

I would point out also about traffic and people have made reference to the Glasti High School site because it you have to get back in there to see it. The traffic splits on that site 5050. Half of it goes to Buck Bucks directly out the buck books. Half of it goes to the roundabout. So while the visual massing appears that it's all going to come out right there, half of it can't even get there. [clears throat] It's going out the other way. Split that. Yeah. So again, you have to have a hard hat and probably a four-wheel drive vehicle. I've actually walked back in there during when there was no pavement. I ruined a pair of dress shoes um doing it. Um, but you can see it. There's a physical separation there other than the shared use path that connects through that's part of uh that's going to tie into the blockbox and Shaylor roundabout and shared use pathway project at the county and township. I believe the last email I saw that's supposed to start supposed to sell in 27 I believe maybe 28 be in construction that's going to go all the way to the high school and have pedestrian connections and all that. The gentleman talked about the dead end here at Icults. That was an absolute tragedy that the county did not extend that to the civic center. I mean, and and again, I wasn't here during the duration of that project. That absolutely should occurred. The township's actually advancing, I believe, through OKI. Uh, and I made reference to this at the last trustees meeting, pedestrian improvements, uh, to get all the way to Eastgate Boulevard, front pickup at that point along the frontage of the civic center, which should have sidewalks. Nobody's disagreeing. It's a lot of money to build that because it's not just sidewalks, curb, it's storm water, drainage, but all that is in process. all I mean and and and we people just trust the process and we can't we don't have a money tree that we just go shake and just make these things

happen. You have to go out and get federal and state transportation grants to do these things. I mean that otherwise you could do one project every 5 years. So the goal has been you know from from the time that I came back forward is to start loading the cannon with projects so that we can go out and compete for these things. Now do we get them funded all the time? No. not all the time, but we just keep going and we keep trying. But I agree, it was a travesty. It shouldn't have stopped there.

Um, and it probably shouldn't have been built, but you know, again, in 2020, in 2004, I Colts was not what it is today. So, very different. Jungle gyms wasn't here. None of that was here, but we recognize that we hear people. We understand what they want. I hear it every day. Um, so there's that. But I just wanted to address some of those points. Yep.

Very good. Well, and what we find frequently brought up during these meetings, Mr. Wright, as you know, as someone who's sat in on more of these than I've done is u uh everyone complains about storm water uh retention or detention and and storm water issues. And Mr. Lewis, you can speak to this as well because when older neighborhoods were built, there weren't applied standards for that. And so, zero. So if you even had a ditch, they've filled uh over time. And I live in one I my house was built in 1957. So I live in one of those places. My backyard fills up, too.

And that's why when newer construction is built, there are standards for having to deal with that. And I I think we find that newer projects tend to alleviate old storm water issues.

They actually do. They definitely don't contribute to them [clears throat] being worse. And a lot of times with new projects, you're able to intercept and fix kind of little channels and things as far as water goes that sort of take that ancillary, you know, problem off or at least reduces it, you know, incrementally. Maybe not completely, but incrementally in that. And again with sub area 3 with a neotraditional development pattern the most typical place to hi to hide the detention you know most people are saying a lake or a bomb crater you know that they mow the most typical place to hide it is underneath the access drives you build it and you don't see it but there's capacity there [clears throat] interesting fact uh when I spent a brief amount of time in the city of Lelin we actually put the detention for these 10,000 square foot uh fire station that was being built in the culde-sac of the road because there was nowhere else to put it and that's where we were talking about putting it and that's how we solved an area that had I mean this is 1800s an area that had no storm water detention we were able to solve that and decrease and make it better through that and so that's how you do that with these properties and with these projects but it's a complex engineering initiative and as the commission you know, you guys have all served for various times and done different things. You know that this is the end of the I mean, but if this goes through to completion, that's the end of the beginning. That's literally what it is. And then you're six to 14 months before you're turning the spoonful of dirt to get through construction drawings, permitting, the whole nine yards. So,

well, and just to reiterate, uh when it comes to U area three, um they're not asking for flexibility on that. So, any changes to this that they would like to make have to go through a major amendment process. Correct. Now they could that the point is they're making they're asking for if they make it less dense, right,

and increase setbacks. They want the ability to do things, you know, maybe there's a buyer that says, you know what, I really don't want to buy a 31 ft lot, but I'd love to buy a 60ft lot and build a house twice that size because I really like that. They would want that flexibility to be able to do that. But those would be the min these would be the minimum standards in that regard because they can't increase density. They can't increase the density and it's really about what the zoning commission would recommend as far as the total lot yield and then ultimately what the trustees if they were to adopt your recommendation or or pivot from that or whatever

but I think that your approach is very reasonable. If you were to delete lot I can't and I was going to say I'm 40 I'm over the age of 45 now and I swore I didn't need readers and I absolutely probably need to go buy a pair of readers lot one and lot 19 um as it sits. Yes, those are the parallel lots. Those are the parallel lots and those would ultimately result in a 40 foot the restoration of a 40 foot buffer between any anything actually more than that. If you look at where the placement of the the detached garages are

that alone would restore 40 ft of additional buffer space in that. And you know, there's some opportunities there to probably if the developer gets creative in the layout of the garages to probably increase some of the buffer on the the lot here on on this side and maybe on the other side with those detached garages and orient those so that they have a shared driveway and to reduce the the visual, you know, the visual impact of the curb cuts. But I think that, you know, there are ways to sort of blunt the tip of the spear there. And that that would be not that I want to place

because we could move the the detached garages on the east side of um the one that's closest to the to the property that the existing property on Weebold on the west side of Weebold on the east side of Larma. That one that's down that could just slide up to be right next to the one right next to it. And that could be the access along through there to both of those. of those could be lined up. They could all be lined up. You could potentially align those garages with an access drive and have and increase that buffer as well, right? And I honestly I mean I think that there's there's some wiggle room here. I'm not certainly critiquing their plan. I know a lot of thought went into that,

but I there are some efficiencies that could probably occur here uh to clean this up a little bit. You know, recognizing that you're kind of setting a development pattern for a little mini block here. Sure. Um, and you know that that I think you could probably kind of mirror that throughout and I think it would give some visual contiguity to that and maybe have more of the feel that you see up here. And and just so everybody knows that picture right there is Church Street south of 32 in New Town.

Right. Right. And these your literally it's the same development pattern because I drive by it probably once a month. My in-laws live over there. So [clears throat] yeah, I think if we modification is to eliminate those two lots and then say a minimum of 20 foot buffer. If you were to do a 20 foot 20 20 foot buffer, their easement road could be at the end of that and then those detach could be right up

they'd be all parallel that. So the the 20 foot buffer and elimination of those two lots covers that and puts us back I think into the you know help ease the the burden on farm and we both would you uh recommend in the buffer that uh I I'm I'm the least big proponent of fences. Yeah. I think we can do a lot more with landscaping than we can with fencing. Um I believe that the best day a fence goes [clears throat] in is the first day and then the day you take it down to put a new one in. Um but I think that you could do more with screening and plantings and make that very attractive

to find a tree. If I Yeah, if I could make the recommendation board allow us to work on a landscaping and buffering plan as a recommendation with the project team here for administrative review and approval as one of those conditions. That would be the uh so the the modification could read eliminating those two lots and then creating a 20 foot landscape buffer and then you would take care of is that appropriate to state that way? And anybody that's worked with me knows that I am an absolute like landscaping junkie and uh we'll find some nice trees. Yeah, we Yeah, we'll make sure it's buffered. I think that would cover it. That would cover my concerns.

Is the commission uh discussing mandating the shared driver? We uh that was my next question about moving the the garage detached garage proximities away to also Yeah. acquiring a 20ft landscape buffer, they got to move. They would have to figure out how they got move, right? So that right, which is why I'm bringing it up as to is that going to be part of it or is that just I think we could leave that to the uh administration. Yeah. To Cory and his team that administrative control. If you look at this particular one, the blow up of it, these three here, if they just came up even here, you'd have the same thing all the way across.

All the way across the way. It would look a lot. It would look more symmetrical. Yes, it would. The other thing you could do and again significant buffer to with their creativity, I think it's called lot two. That might be an opportunity to do an integrated garage. I mean that potentially or something similar to that, although they would have less open space. They also are right adjacent to some open space next to the police station. So, and again, some of this is about the active open space that's literally I think um about a three minute walk briskly from this location. There's 22 acres right there. Yeah. And and the other point I'll make out, we absolutely know we have a parking problem at the park.

Yeah. The vast majority and we're looking for grants for that. The vast majority of the visitors are not from Union Township. That is a draw regionally. Um especially with the new playground. Correct. Correct. So I think this what Corey was talking about this playground drainage and stuff. So I think all of this that's all it was did this move this down then you leave the 20 25 ft here. Yes. I think that would look that would be much better at the end of those two.

Okay. So um so what I'm gathering is the commission wants uh removal of lots number one and 19 and the addition of a 20 foot uh buffer creating landscape a land a landscape buffer 20 foot landscape minimum 20 foot landscape buffer could be larger than that but a minimum okay so I think we've I think that covers it we've discussed that does anyone have anything to say about areas one and and two. No, that's already fine with one or two. Yeah. Yeah. Well, one is right. Yeah. Okay. And all the modifications, excuse me, all the modifications listed in the staff report.

They already met.

Yep. And the other thing I would point out on areas one and two, and there was a question about traffic and all that. I think they already are. The county has been very aggressive with commercial development on wanting, you know, traffic studies and all that. In fact, they were doing a joint traffic study with the lot at the corner of Cleer and that and so I believe we'll probably have a call. I've seen some there might be a potential for a drive a drop right del kind of combo in that area with shared access. Who knows? I think that as this area continues to emerge, people are going to call for speed control measures. Even though the county wants to convey people at maximum speeds and minimum times, I think there are certain areas where

speed controls might be appropriate. And you know, I tend to like those areas better than places where I drive 45 or 55 miles an hour through. So, I agree.

Okay. Well, unless anyone else uh would like to, I'll start formulating a motion then. Great. uh regarding what the uh commission has discussed. You'd uh bear with me. Okay. Um, case number 2-26-Z applicant for Hill Development, owner, Union Township Board of Trustees in the Union Township, Claremont County, CIC, Inc. The zoning commission finds that the submitted PD application and zone change request is consistent with the Horizon 2030 land use plan, but does not meet all of the plan development application requirements of a PD district plan. Therefore, this commission recommends the submitted plan be approved contingent upon adherence to the noted modifications as specified in this motion. All required supplemental information and plan modifications must be completed and submitted to the planning director no later than one week prior to the trustees hearing of this case. Following findings of fact, the subject properties are located within the Ivy Point mixeduse commercial corridor in the Horizon 2030 Union Township Comprehensive Land Use Plan. This corridor provides that east of the Ivy Point Commerce Park mixeduse developments that blend commercial and residential uses shall be the preferred development strategy. Mixed commercial and residential densities that are conducive to alternative transportation modes should be encouraged. New mixeduse developments should incorporate design strategies aimed at fostering a sense of place. Entertainment uses, small-cale retail, restaurant and lodging and convention type uses shall be encouraged

with an eye towards creating synergy among land uses. subject part properties are located in or adjacent to the Glenesty Wthamsville Icults Road revitalization and improvement plan which proposes blight elimination and encouragement. Uh encourages the uh facilitation of new housing and retail opportunities focusing on developing attractive, convenient and accessible environments and establishing development standards. um following modifications. Um as listed in the zoning staff report uh on pages seven and eight of the staff report items numbered 1 through nine. Modification number two would be the removal of lots numbered one and 19. Modification number three would be the addition of a minimum 20 foot buffer landscape buffer. This concludes my motion.

Mr. Campbell, I wrote down eliminate two lots 20 foot buffer just to help our folks with the minutes. Number one was what? Uh number one was um the modifications as listed in the zoning staff report. Staff report pages seven through eight. Uh items numbered one through nine. Perfect. Thank you. Thank you. So I have a motion. I'll second it. Okay. Go ahead. I'll second that motion. I now have regularly made and seconded motion. That was Mr. Lewis on the second. Um now we can discuss the motion. Is there any discussion as to the content of the motion? No, I'm good with it.

Y I'm fine. Uh hearing no discussion. Uh Mr. Right. If you'd call the question, please. I have Mr. Campbell with the motion. Mr. Lewis with the second. Roll call. Mr. Campbell. Yes. Mr. Lewis? Yes. Mr. Wang? Yes. Mr. Beckman? Yes. I just vapor lock. Mr. Tooff? Yes, sir. Motion carries. Thank you. Um, there's been no additional business come before this commission. Uh, this case will be heard again April the 14th uh in this room before the trustee. Six o'clock. Yes sir. Did you sir wanted to thank you for the consideration and the thoughtful comments. Did you understand what we were talking about the buffer and that?

Yep. I understand. Great. Great. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Uh so there being no further business come before this commission. We are adjourned as of 8:51 p.m. Thank you. If you guys could just click your mics off.