Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

This meeting is called to order. All rise for the flag salute. Pledge allegiance to the flag of America to the republic stands. One nation under God, indivisible, liberty and justice for all. All right. Now to roll call. Um, when I call your name, please state that you are here. If you are, Commissioner Girtz, present. Commissioner Strader, present. Commissioner Turnis, present. Commissioner Zaro, here.

Vice Chair Johnson is not here. I did not hear from her that I'm aware of. Okay. And also, Commissioner Whan is not here. And she did ask to be excused. She's asked to be excused. Do we have a motion to excuse Commissioner Whan? I'll give it a shot. I make a motion to excuse Commissioner Whan. Do we have a second? I'll second that. All in favor? I I All right. Um, for Commissioner Johnson, shall we wait to see if she I would say we just move forward and if she shows up, we'll mark that she was late. And if not, yeah, it's unusual. So, I'll check with her tomorrow.

Unusual. Okay, let us move on then. Are there any additions, deletions, correct or corrections to the agenda? Hearing nothing. Do I have a motion to approve the agenda? You don't need that. I don't. Okay, the agenda is approved.

Um, and now we will open public participation if there was anybody here to participate and immediately close it since there will be none with nobody in the room. I guess it's approval of minutes that we need to do. So, um, now we're moving on to approval of minutes for the April 8 meeting. Are there any corrections, additions, deletions to the minutes for April 8th? Seeing none, um do we have a motion to approve the minutes? I'll make a motion to approve the April 8 minutes. Do we have a second? I'll second that.

All right. Motion moved and seconded to approve the minutes. All in favor? I I any none opposed then we have approved the minutes. Now we'll move on to our regular agenda um A which is all right. So yeah comprehensive.

So this is just um kind of we don't usually have just information but this is sort of an information only um to let you know what's coming at the next month. So, um, every year we're allowed to do one comprehensive plan update. That's by state law. The idea is that you don't want to be drastically changing your big planning document. Um, we did, um, receive one private application. And so, um, that is for parcel 042004141052801 Redwood Street. Basically, they own two parcels and they want to make them the same. Um so I and that will also require zoning map amendment that will run concurrently. So I will be bringing so next month we will bringing the kind of the packet of the comprehensive plan changes. So it'll be this private one. Um it will also be usually we try to just keep the six-year capital improvement plan. So every year um the public works utilities update the water plan, the transportation plan, the power plan and so if and these are for capital improvements. So if they've added anything that they want to do the next year out because it's sort of this rolling six-year plan, we try to put it in the comp plan because a lot of times grants will say is it in your comp plan? So we'll make sure that does. And then there was I think some leftover comments that we had received either from some of the state agencies or Puget Sound Regional Council um about our comp plan that haven't been rolled in yet. So I'm going to take a look at those. So should be pretty basic. you um basically we introduce it to every to the planning commission next month. Um I think we will hold the public hearing the month after. Um if it feels I mean there's a good chance we could hold the public hearing and recommend it because I don't think there's a lot here. Um but we will that's kind of the rough schedule as here and then it would get to council. So that was just for information

and like I said I will have the full kind of packet next month. Um, any discussion, questions, clarifications this time? Anyone? I am curious. This parcel is kind of behind the Billy Bob's Off-Road and the Vet, right? Yeah. So, they own one on on Taylor and that one behind that one's behind. It's got her uh Uptown mixed use on this side. It's got the manu or the multif family on this you on the side. They kind of want to make it the uptown

and it's it's adjacent directly adjacent to the uptown anyway. And just just for clarification for everybody's edification, what's the main difference there? In this case, um they actually are looking at multif and they will be here next month to answer any questions, but they are wanting to do multifamily and it it actually has a higher multifamily number under the uptown than it does under our multif family.

Got it. So, so they will be here and I will have sort of a packet of information. I was supposed to I'm supposed to provide kind of a schedule to the planning commission. So, this kind of checks off that box. Okay. So then the the next item is just um so when the council at the um adopted they actually did it I think in January of 2025 um it was the packet of of stuff from the 2024 which was the comprehensive plan and the related um massive kind of zoning code update that we did. There was a couple things in the zoning code use table that have a footnote that says see chapter 17.44 for general use regulations. So there's the standards that go with it. Currently these three items don't have anything in that. So, it sort of is a free-for-all. And it was one of these where we looked at it and I know the planning commission was, you know, cuz we were like, "Okay, we need this." But then we're we felt like we were rushing, which I understand. And so, it was like, "Okay, we're going to defer this." But then we got we we deferred several things. And so, we were doing other stuff. And I realized as I've had a couple people now ask about things that might fall into this category that I really would like to get us um have those regulations. And so, um, again, this was introduced, but I think obviously there's quite a few new members of the planning commission. Um, so depending on how everyone is comfortable, um, I will schedule the public hearing for next month. Again, if everyone's feeling like, yep, this is pretty straightforward, you could make the recommendation next month or you could carry it the following month if if there was a feeling that there was more things that needed to be looked at. But basically we're looking at one, two, three, I guess four things. Um the first so we're on page nine is the idea of

outdoor storage and oh I I should have included I will do that for next um month. I should have included the actual table of uses so you could see what zones allow it. But basically outdoor storage is only allowed I believe in the manu manufacturing I believe in the public for like the um community development. So like for the public work shared might be allowed in business. Um that's one I'm not 100% sure on but the idea is that if you you know if you're a manufacturer you might have some outdoor storage. If you're a contractor you might have some outdoor storage. Um and so the requirements that we were looking at and this is the draft is that it would be to the rear or side of the principal structure. Um it can't be in the landscaping setback areas has to have a surface that is not going to be dust. Um and that it can't be any more than 40%. The idea that the again the idea is that it's an accessory kind of a secondary use to whatever's the primary function. We don't just want a huge oh we're putting up a fence and putting a bunch of junk in it. So it has to be tied to whatever's that principal structure and that principal business. There's fencing and screening requirements. Um obvious and it prohibits anything that if leaked into the ground would pose a water quality threat. Um question.

Yes. So since that's an accessory use for outdoor storage, that would be outdoor storage for the business itself. It would only be an accessory use for like storage like they wouldn't rent out storage spaces. No, it would be for their business. Okay. Yeah.

Um, yeah. And we don't allow I will bring it up here real quick. We don't allow just outdoor storage as a primary use in any zone. So, this would just be if it's um, like I said, a secondary accessory use to something that had a business. So, we would allow it in, let me pop it down here. Um outdoor storage is only Yeah, it's only allowed in the um multi sorry light industrial and community facilities. So

it's a pretty rare so yeah and even that it it would be more just the I think the thinking at the time was idea that you know public works yard or something might need some of that but that's the only zone it's allowed in. So um it's pretty limited but even if it's there these are the guidelines that they would have if they wanted it. So, um, any questions, thoughts, comments of things that usually with these again, it was LA, it was a year ago probably at least that I originally grabbed these, but um, these would have been taken from other cities in our area is usually what I look at things in Pierce County, similar size, similar take. Um,

any discussion questions? I I have a minor thing on the next I have one question as well. Um why do we not allow gravel as an acceptable surface? So gravel is considered well one it is the biggest thing is it can create dust. Okay. And so the idea is that you are um you want a dustless surface. gravel could be yeah it creates dust if and it and it is impervious even though people you know so it does get um it does pack

and so it doesn't drain so you do you'd want something that's the dustless so that's sort of across the board in our code um and that comes I think from storm water and the engineers historically have said that any sort of parking storage surface needs to not have gravel it just needs to be either asphalt pavement car key, something to that effect. So, the Milton Parks yard currently is in gravel. Their parking lot might be. I don't know if all of it is, which if it was done now, I wouldn't be allowed to be that way.

I saw just a minor issue and it's in the next it's on the next page. It's just a little typo. It's um in in in four I believe that should say outdoor sales area. Thank you. Yes. Tell I copied stuff.

So if there's nothing right now on the outdoor storage then we can look at the outdoor sales. Um similar kind I mean certain things I grab. But outdoor sales is things like it could be a car lot, it could be um greenhouse, you know, you're you're doing plants and trees. Um it could be I we had you know someone was looking at they wanted to sell um storage sheds that kind of stuff. So there's a little bit of difference. Um so it's allowed and and again in here you'll see there's sort of two kinds. There's the permanent outdoor sales um temporary sidewalk

and then at the bottom there sort of temporary sidewalk sales. And so it's um outdoor sales can be in our um uptown mixed use, town center, mixed use, business, neighborhood commercial, and light manufacturing. Um, but it does have specific language that says, um, like if you're in our mixed use zones, your outdoor sales need to be to the rear and the side. Um, and again, there has to be it's it's a much we're limiting it to number five says we're limiting it to 20% of the lot. So, obviously, in our uptown districts, the the vision with the uptown design codes and everything is more pedestrian business focused. And so, um, where if it's you're in the business district of the light manufacturing district, then maybe you are selling cars or you're selling, um, RVs or you're selling sheds and then it's not as big a deal. Um, it does again require to have a principal structure. That's number two. Um, that numbering is off though. That should be that first one should be a and then it should be one through seven down. Sometimes it changes it on me automatically and it's really annoying. Um, so again, the idea that they have to have at least some sort of actual structure. It just can't be that the product. Um, but there's a little more that's allowed in a few more zones. And then number eight is the idea of temporary um sales. That would actually be B. So this is, you know, your Safeway, your drugstore. They have their flowers out front. They have their pumpkins out front. as long as they're not blocking the sidewalks and as long as it's not everything and there's sort of a seasonalness to it. Um, those are allowed without any issue. So, I if

there's any questions on outdoor sales, how many outdoor retail sales businesses do we have now? We don't have that many if any. If you count cars and RVs and stuff, there's Okay, the Airstream. Yeah, there's Airstream and then on the business um 99 I'm sure there's a bunch. Yeah, that's true. But yeah, there's not a lot of other stuff. Not since we lost the earns. Why do we require principal structures to have a minimum of 1,00 square feet?

So numbers are not magical most of the time. Um so I was looking at the idea is that there should be the feeling is that there should be some sort of principal structure. Um I was looking um go. Was it Edgewood? One of the cities I was I want to say it must Edgewood. They they were requiring I think it was like 500 for like you know if you were having like a coffee shop. So I was sort of kind of thinking well if you're doing this you're doing a little bit more. And so I was trying to figure out what would be the size of maybe an office kind of thing for them to actually do their

Okay. What's the con of having a smaller building? I think it's just do you want that emphasis? And I don't know. I like I said, I sort of was just it felt like there should be a principal structure on there because if you're just selling cars, you're going to need something or if you're doing trailers, something. And so trying to figure out is there that just seemed like a pretty small number but at least provided something which they would probably want anyways. Yeah. Okay.

So any other thoughts to that one right now?

So then that just the the final one would be and then the animal one is a slightly different reason it's in here. Drive-through facilities. Um, again, right now we really don't have um any criteria. We do our our code does say we do allow drive-throughs just um in all of our commercial districts and in our manufacturing. So, it just sort of addresses some things about making sure requiring and some of this I do already, but it would be maybe nice to have in code is that they have to do a stacking study to make sure that they have adequate they're not going to back up into a street when they're stacking their cars. Um it defines what that stacking space is. You know, we're this is what we're assuming it's going to take for a car. Um again, not adjacent to if it's a residential or outdoor amenity area. Um we're looking at trying to minimize noise pollutions that can be caused. Um they need to use landscaping and fencing to buffer. Um yes, st uh separate stacking lanes from parking areas using landscaping deer pavement. again, um trying to kind of make it real clear but also keep it again that kind of ties into the next is protecting pedestrians and other vehicles. Um if there's two drive-throughs, separating the stocking lanes. Um and then limiting uh sound from the out ordering board speakers and other speakers that are no is not audible from residential use properties or detrimental to occupants of others. So you know if it's in the middle of a commercial area, no big deal. if it's on the edge where there's um residents residential properties or something else that might be um making sure that those their those order boards are designed in a way that they're going to be, you know, maybe putting the audio away from the residential neighborhoods as well as keeping the it down. Um stacking spaces don't count for parking.

And I think I'm missing one thing because I was there's also um there's also a I wanted a requirement and I'm going to need to put it back in, but I'll basically um just put it in here now. is the idea that if um if a stacking lane basically allowing an escape route because sometimes people get in a if it is, you know, kind of like landscaped and then you realize this line is not moving and I just want out. If it's a little short drive-thru, not a big deal, but if it's one of those long ones, um they can create little like escape routes where people can get out without going over. So, um I think because I had this one was really long and I went through and I thought this is too much for us. Um but I think I missed that one. So basically escape.

So any other thoughts, things to think about with drive-th through facilities. Has anybody ever complained about anything like that that I have quite a few drive-thru things here. So So yeah, most of our drive-throughs are pretty much in commercial. I do get complaints occasion for like the one car wash. Um pink the is it the when they open pink elephant? the elephant one that got bought that one because it's kind of open air um and it's right next to the apartments. It's not quite this idea, but it's still an idea that there's outdoor kind of stuff. So, just making sure that those things are thought through.

I noticed issues with that coffee stand that's now the pizza place. It's such a small parking lot and there would never be any customers there because they'd only fit like two or three cars in line and then it it was also one entrance and exit. Yeah.

So, And then the last one's actually we currently have this language. We we currently did adopt the animal shelter and our pet shops thing, but it was referencing Sumner. Well, um the council um at the um request pitch of the um police chief, we are actually bringing um animal services into Milton. We're no longer going to contract with um Sumar. So um the police officers are going to do the actual animal control and the Tacoma Pierce County Humane Society. We've contracted with them for if we need to shelter animals. So in that case, this basically said followers code. Well, since we're not using them, basically we adopt we we for the most part adopted most of Sumers with a few changes in our code. So this just changes it from instead of looking at Sumar's code, you actually look at our code. So that one's a pretty straightforward.

Then total minor minor typo in a there's two commas after you got it already. Just saw that. Awesome. So any I guess that tonight is I figure after what we've been doing, we all needed a little break. Treat. Yeah. Any other questions or discussion on the these items from from the commissioners? Hearing nothing by consensus, let's move on to staff report.

Okay. I will bring the we'll this public hearing um at the next meeting. Um yeah, so I don't know how many people paid attention to council. Um so we did pres I did present the tree ordinance two meetings ago. Um and they had some questions and a little bit of conversation, not a lot. Um and then at the study session, some more conversation. Um the the short is that there was some concern about the regulating trees on our um existing residential homeowner properties.

Um some with because of the fines, some with the tree replacement. Um some were just telling people what to do kind of thinking. So um there was a consensus to sort of remove some of that. Um so I after kind of anyway what I what will be presented to council on um next Monday I did talk to the mayor and so what we're presenting to them is um because they actually the the consensus was sort of to remove this one section but then looking at that that section removed basically any regulation including on vacant lots and that was definitely not what I don't think they wanted to do and we wanted to do. So, um I'm leave I'm rewarding it to say basically that what we were doing for all property with that was not that was removing a tree not because of development will only be not because of development on vacant lots. And then we are going to suggest um that even tree that the trees maybe there's not conditions or restrictions of removing trees on property that already has some sort of structure but that they still need to get a permit and because that was sort of discussed and several of them were feeling like that would be helpful because we don't know how many trees that was sort of the question a lot of well how many trees are even coming down is this really an issue and then a couple of the council members had issue had concerns over you who is taking these trees down, are they licensed and bonded? So, the version that will be going back to council um will say if you are a developed lot and that's in any zone. So, basically you already have a structure on it um unless you you may take down the tree, but we are we did put in that they would have to get a permit. So, we'll see if how that goes. Um and again, two those two reasons. One to make sure the contractors are legit because they are supposed to be licensed and bonded with the state. And then two that that helps

us start keeping track of how many trees are coming down. And then we reworked just a little bit. I reworked the section that um does you know kind of limit how many trees can you know can be taken down um if it's a vacant lot. And then the everything else with the development stayed. So if you're developing they were comfortable with putting in trees and credits and everything. It's that little piece in the middle. Um I I feel like I will continue to try to because it is a new council and so they don't always I don't know that all of them understand the process. There were things said that I don't think were accurate or maybe quite fair to what the process was. The idea that it did go through the planning commission and what that means. um there was sort of these statements like it was just sort of pulled out of the air. And so I will continue to work with educating the council on the role of this body and what they do and and why you guys do what you do. I don't want to feel like and again the the city council has the prerogative to to adopt, deny, modify as they feel, but I just want to make sure that they're understanding the full process when they make those decisions. So, other than that, I um my new permit tech started. She is fabulous. Um I think I might try to talk her into coming I don't know coming to this meeting so she can run the board and I won't miss doing it right anymore. But we'll see what she says. Other than that, I think um just on a weird side note, um the starting next week, they're replacing carpet in both the finance department and the community development department, which means all of us in those two buildings are going to be in here

while they do carpet. So, we will have they're bringing in all of our computers, all of our desks, all kinds copers, everything. So, if you have business with the city, maybe wait till like June. But if not, it might be a fun experience for all of us. So anyway, that's the end of my ramblings tonight. All right. Do we have commissioner reports? Commissioner Girtz, no report. Commissioner Strader, no report. Commissioner Zaro, nothing for me. Commissioner Turnis, nothing. And nor do I have a report. All right. Our next regular meeting is June 10th, 2026. And with that let us adjourn