Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

How do you feel? We haven't got the stuff set up yet. It is struggling.

[clears throat]

the the screen should be on momentarily.

I think they have their iPads. Okay, I've got a screen. Okay, great. Showtime. Showtime. Yes.

Okay. Welcome everyone to the January meeting of the Columbia City of Columbia Board of Zoning Appeals. I am Katherine Fenner, chair for the board and will be serving as chair for today's meeting. At this time, I would like to introduce the other members of the board. We have um Josh Harding, um Sherard Duval, um Sydney [laughter] Sydney Lam, and Jonathan Bang. I would also like to introduce the staff that assists the board. Andrew Living good, zoning administrator. Erica Hyenne, deputy zoning administrator, and Maline Boen, who is not Oh, there she is over there. Okay. Um, Bowen, um, land use board coordinator. The board is charged with hearing applications for special exceptions, variances, and administrative appeals. All testimony is recorded for the record, and anyone wishing to speak will need to be sworn in and come to the podium to speak. No testimony can be taken from the floor. When you when you come to the podium, state your name and please speak clearly into the microphone because this meeting is being recorded. Applicants with cases before the board are allotted a presentation time of 10 minutes. This time also includes all persons presenting information on behalf of the applicant. This time limit does not include any questions asked by the board or staff regarding the case. Any member of the public may address the board in intervals of three minutes or five minutes if by a spokesperson for an established body or group of three or more. The applicant then has 5 minutes for rebuttal. The board reserves the right to amend these limits on a case-by- case basis. Those of you who plan to speak must be sworn. If you are here as an applicant or here to speak in any case, please stand at this time and raise your right hand. Okay. Do do you affirm or attest that the testimony you will give today is the truth and nothing but the truth? At this time, I will turn the meeting over to Mr. Living Good.

Hi, good afternoon. Um, bear with me a second here. All right, so um, tonight on our consent agenda, the first item we have on the consent agenda is of course the approval of the minutes from the December meeting. And the next item we have on the consent agenda is 6113 David Street, which is a special exception to permit a beauty salon as an accessory use to a single family residence. Um I I will note that um since the agenda was published, a a letter of support was was sent to the board and I just want to note that for the record. Um there was some communication between there was some communication between the North Columbia um community association and and the applicant.

We received that letter I believe. Yes. Yes. Um that's the location. And the next item on the consent agenda is 611 Laurel Street. And this is a variance to the minimum parking standards for a two family residence.

And that concludes our consent agenda. Does a member of the board or the audience wish to have an item removed from the consent agenda and placed on the regular agenda? Seeing none, um, is there a motion to approve the minutes and the consent agenda? I make a motion to approve the minutes and the consent agenda. Is there a second? A second. Second. Okay. All in favor? I I All right. We will now proceed with the regular agenda.

If you are here for another case, you can you're welcome to leave. or you can stay as you wish.

Okay. On the regular agenda, uh we have one item and that is or or one one case and that is 7609 Garner's Fairy Road. And this is a variance to a few few of the landscaping standards for a gas station and convenience store use. And specifically um there's a proposed uh gas station and convenience store and the requests are for a variance to the vehicular surface area interior planting standards and a variance to the storm water retention or detention pond uh standards um or the screening standards thereof. And uh there was a third item that was listed on the application and that is actually being handled as a um as alternative compliance which is a mechanism within our landscaping ordinance um to to otherwise meet the standards. So so we just have those two items before you today and the applicant is present and can present their case.

All right. If the applicant would come forward, please. Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Patrick Monahan. You can speak into the microphone and Yeah.

Yeah. Patrick Monahan. I'm with Foresight Group. We're at 960 Morrison Drive, Sweet 200 Charleston, South Carolina. Um I'm representing the Parker Group for this variance here today. And basically we're looking at three three requests to the board. Um the first is for the shade trees in the front and the rear of the building. And [clears throat] I is it possible to put that up just so that they they could see?

Sure. So if you look at at the building in the front and the rear rear of the building, you'll see those two shaded areas uh or the shaded areas that are surrounding that that particular building. And those represent the shade trees. And what what we're basically asking for in this first request is not to add another shade tree in between the the front and the rear of the building so that we have clear view to the uh gas pumps and also out to the rear of the uh property where the detention pond is. And this is just for safety concerns so that that there's a clear line of vision for for operations. Um the second um request that we made is and I know that this may not appear that that wonderful looking at at the screen. Is is there something clear that that they could see? And if not, I've brought copies here and I I'm not sure what your procedure is, but I I can hand those on out just in the event that it's clear for y'all to see. [snorts]

What are we looking at? Yeah, I'm going to try to walk you through it. I I think it's a little bit So, so may I don't know if y'all have screens here in front, but I'll just kind of point to this. Maybe it we have screens right here.

Okay. Yeah. I didn't know. Basically, what I'm looking at to try to guide you to is this area here on on the plan right here and this area here. And basically in these two locations, all we're asking to do is eliminate a tree in there where we'll plant trees in other locations on the property. We just want to be able to have that clear view into th those two locations. Then the second request that we're asking for is a SC a screening variance on the internal of the property. And that would be right here along the storm water pond. And we are fencing that pond, but it's a chainlink fence. And the reason that we do a chain link fence is so that operations can see into the pond just to make sure for security purposes that no children or anything have jumped. And so if we put that screening into that area, it would prohibit our folks from from seeing that. And then the third item that we're asking for is just a modification basically of what the spacing requirements are for the shade trees that go around the perimeter of the property. And we're asking for that. And if you look up at the top of your your property here, we have these fuel tanks that are right in here. And we're just trying to keep the tree roots and everything away from from basically um impeding those tanks over time. So all we've done is we've basically taken th those exterior trees and we've we've condensed them. Rather than being 40 ft, they're in some cases 25 foot. We did

the same thing right down here along Fountain Road just for clear clarity in our site triangle coming into the property if people are entering and leaving the property and th those are the three items that we're asking for. Uh you know again we we we don't feel that we're impacting any of our neighbors in any way. This is com completely an ask for operations. Our landscape standards for all, you know, the the neighbors are still seeing the same number of trees on the exterior of the property. Um, still maintaining the the tree canopy that's intended by code. We're just asking for for some spacing allocations. And with that being said, I can answer any any questions you all have.

You have any questions?

Any questions? All right. [laughter] If if I may, just for the sake of clarity and and and this this may be a a little bit of a semantic game, but but although it's not. Um the the third item that the applicant had spoken about, which is the trees along the street, um is actually something that in in discussions we we've agreed to accommodate through our alternative compliance mechanism, which is something that does not require variance. So, so they are meeting the spirit and the intent of the landscaping ordinance by by another means. And so it just leaves those two items as a variance to depart from the landscape ordinance.

Okay. And I believe we have the city uh landscaped architect. Okay. Yeah. In uh in discussions with staff, was there any other locations that those trees could be moved to?

Yeah. I first I and I should have said this in the very beginning. I do want to uh compliment the staff. They were wonderful. We made they they walked me through this process and we met several times on uh this particular plan um the last iteration. Um I think we were all very comfortable w with the locations and everything in in the plan as is, but I I of course defer to him. So moving the trees to another location doesn't meet the spirit and intent of that particular requirement [snorts] because it wasn't the quantity of trees on the site that we needed. It was covering those parking spaces. That requirement states that 25% of every parking space be within 40 ft of a tree. And [snorts] by eliminating the two trees that would be in the middle of the run on the front and the back of the building, even if we moved them somewhere else, they're not being covered. So there's no

um there's no other way to cover those. So that's the reason why that a variance would be required. And as far as the storm water detention screening, the way that our code is set up now, you either design it as an amenity to the site, meaning you would put a walking track around it like you would see in an apartment complex. That's not really relevant to a convenience store. So the screening our code, the UDO says that you have to screen it with landscaping and they're choosing to do it with the chain link which we have precedent for. So you don't have a problem with anything but the lack of trees. No, it's the trees not covering the middle of the parking spaces.

The trees where they're not supposed the the in improper location of the trees. Sure. It's just the elimination of two in the middle of the parking and then we're just changing the screening material. It's not really a screening material, the chain link. It's not blocking the view of a storm water detention pond. It's more of a security mechanism to keep people out of the pond. Okay. I'm confused. So the our request for the screening, ma'am, is screening where we'd be planting shrubs and everything in front of that chain lane fence, right?

So we're adding the chainlink fence on our own. We're not required to do that. that that's for our security purposes. We just don't want to plant the shrubs directly in front of that um fence so that we have a clear view into the pond area just to make sure again for safety purposes and what's your take on that thing? Fine. Sure. Sure. Okay. All right. Put your mic on your mic. I would go with some dwarf varieties, but it doesn't sound like there's a any kind of requirement on

So they can they can choose to do both the fence and the screening. They're opting to not have any of the screening, which is why they're here for the variance.

So So the requirement is to have the screening. um and and perhaps there are other ways to achieve the uh security um goals that that applicant is requesting, but this is the request that they are they have before you. Um to to be a little bit to to talk a little bit about the uh the variance to the placement of the trees in the parking area. Um if if it was a matter of perhaps um shifting the trees within that parking bay, then we could have looked at it as as possibly a mechanism for alternative compliance. But to eliminate them, that does require a variance. I see. So that's not something that we as staff can can approve.

I see. Yeah. All right. All right. So moving to board discussion, I guess, at this time. All right. All right. What do you guys where where are you guys on this? I don't see really any issue. I mean, I understand the safety aspect for sure. Um because having that hedro next to a fence would create a little area for people to hang out or you know, you can see people taking a nap back there. I get it. So,

and the two trees again in in the front and back of the building that that's just those trees are going to grow over time and just gives our operations folks clear view to those two areas and that that's why we're requesting it

and I'd [snorts] say it sounds like there was a clear effort to work with staff here with this. So, um I agree. I understand the reasons for the variance. Thank you for explaining that in plain language. that that made that made a whole lot of s helped me out a whole lot. And um I understand the reason for the variance and and I think this I think this uh isn't an impediment on um the property. It isn't isn't an impediment on the neighbors on the other side of the fence. So I think this makes sense. Anybody else? Do I have a motion? Uh, I'd like to make a motion to approve the variance. Um,

subject to staff comments. Subject to staff comments. I'll second. Second. All in favor? I. I. Okay. Motion carries. Thank you very much. All right. Okay. And then the next thing is board elections.

Correct. That is the next item on the agenda which is the 2026 officer elections. And I I believe Meline did distribute some um slips of paper to you.

[laughter]

Three. Doo doo doo doo doo. Parker's popping up. I guess I suppose a good chicken is something I seem to think. Is it okay?

Okay. Little off key there, but okay. Okay. So, um the board has reelected um Miss Venner as the board chair. We do have a tie between Colton Driver and Jonathan Vang as the vice chair. So, we will ask for another round of ballot.

Awkward. All right. Okay. So, so um we will give you some paper and and if you can just write your vote on it and I need to pan again. Oh, wait. So, just I got you.

Okay. Uh [clears throat] Bad key. Then they change it. It goes up. It goes up like a house. [singing] My mom watches Jeopardy every night.

Oh, literally [snorts] religiously. It's not a bad show. It's of all the ones. It's the It's the best one. I think that most of the other stuff is just kind of garbage. She's been watching so long. The guy that's hosting the show now apparently was her father winner like 25 years ago. She remembers when he was on the show. Wow, that's heavy. That's how long she That's heavy. Um after the second round of voting, the vice chair is Mr. Driver is Driver. Yeah, it's Colton Driver. Colton Driver. All right. So congratulations. And

so now do we have a motion to adjurnn? Do we have a motion to adjurnn? I'll make a motion to adjurnn. Okay. Second. Second. All in favor? I meeting is adjourned. Yay.