Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

I can still see you. Yep.

Okay, it is 6 o'clock and we will called the U planning and zoning commission meeting of August the 19th, 2025 to order. Um, roll call. Let the record reflect that everyone is present except for Shauna Matthysse. At this time, we need to approve uh the agenda. I will entertain a motion to approve the agenda. Second.

Have a motion and a second. All in favor say I. All oppose have it. minutes from the last uh meeting. Uh it was June the 17, 2025 and we did not have a meeting in July. Has everybody had a opportunity to read the minutes or any changes, deletions? Entertain a motion to accept. Approve. We approve. Second. Move motion and a second. All in favor say I. I. Okay. Minutes are approved. report from Mr. Code officer.

Uh I have nothing to report other than I would like to thank you Mike for uh 25 years of volunteer service to this city for serving on this planning commission. It's 25 years this month that you have given your time and dedication to this city sitting on this commission. Uh 25 years ago I had just started my career in this field. So that is a long time to be giving your personal time to this city. I thought you might have been about 10 years old.

I know I'm old. Uh no, that is a long time, Mike. And I know this city thanks you. I know I thank you in the five years that I've been here serving with you. I sincerely appreciate it. And I know this city does too. That's just for me, the code officer. I do appreciate it, Mom. Thank you very much. Thank you. I appreciate that. I really do. Thank you so much. And and you know, as you and I discussed, I might be at the council meeting next month. Yeah, we'll be there. Abs. Absolutely. Thank you, sir. Thank you very much. I appreciate that. Um Okay. Where were we? Old business. Is there any old business?

Okay. Under new business have a certificate of appropriateness of CDO number 3861 at 250 highway 138 to Tokyo commercial. Mr. Code officer.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. This is a uh request for COA and this is on 250 highway 138 at the Tokyo restaurant. Everyone should be familiar with that location. This is um on the west side of Highway 138 and they are asking to at their existing restaurant location to expand their existing parking lot. Uh behind the restaurant itself, they have basically an area that's prepped up. It's an area to be expanded and they've got a currently they have 72 parking spaces now. They want to add an additional 41. It is necessary because this year they've gone through some preliminary planning with us and we've identified some issues out there they had. So they need to expand their parking and so the total request the total expanded parking at the end of the day will be 113 spaces and they're aware that they do need a special exception variance. We've had discussions with the developer and the owner to that effect and so we're asking that planning commission tonight approve their COA but we're asking that they uh you condition it with understanding they have to go through a special exception variance before we will grant a land disturbance permit. And that's that's all that I have.

Thank you. Um, is there anyone present to speak in for this request? Yes sir. My name is Kian Kim Archite and uh at the same time I'm uh rep representative of the owner. Uh yeah everything is uh bread already uh expressed uh and uh we are actually since the opening date we are really short of parking spaces so uh we just request for the expanded of parking spaces that's it

are there any questions concerning no question thank you very much we'll have to ask at this time if there was anyone present to speak in opposition to this request. Seeing none, I will entertain a motion to approve with the condition. Moved motion and a second. All in favor say I. I. All oppose.

No. Motion passes. Second item is a conditional use number 3904 at 11:08 East Church Street for a selfservice laundromat. Mr. Code officer.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. This is, you know, you just described at 1108 East Church Street. It's next to a gas station out there. Uh I believe not right next to Tall Oaks. So this is uh if you're familiar with the location, there's an existing coin laundry that was there in this little strip shopping center for a number of years. It's currently vacant. The request before you is a conditional use to place the ser self-service corn operated laundromat back in that location. The property being zoned B1, those types of uses, the self-service laundromats, they are conditional in B1. So they have not been there for more than six months operated with a business license with the city. So, they've got to come back and get a conditional use from city from the city. So, that's why they're before you this evening. And got a typical laundromat layout. This is the store layout they provided to us. Shows your washers and dryers and all your typical features and functions of a laundromat. And pretty straightforward stuff. We're recommending approval as submitted without conditions.

Thank you. Is there anyone present to speak for this uh request? Yes, sir. Um, yeah. So, it's very straightforward. Uh, I'll make a couple of additional notes. We are looking to take the old equipment that's approximately 20 plus years old out of that location. So, I don't know how many cycles of ownership uh it was prior to this, but it's been sitting dormant. We believe all the internal utility structures are fine, but we will modernize the location. Um, we've done a good amount of demographic analysis and the area immediately surrounding the location is excellent for self-service. Uh, we also think there's a market potentially for wash, dry, fold pickup and delivery which would be added maybe later some point in the future. Um, important to note too, there's also two other um, coinries within a onem radius. The Spring Street laundry and the uh, Sunshine Laundry. Um, and we've done an analysis of the that shows that there's actually capacity for all three. So, open reopening this laundromat after some number of years should not adversely impact the other two operators in the city. I know they're both locally owned and operated, so that's something that I'm, you know, sensitive to as a resident of Loganville. Um, so other than that, I'll answer any questions you have and uh I spoke uh with with Mr. Calendarer. We're currently having uh I'd say tough lease negotiations in the sense that the owner is also predominantly a developer of of convenience stores. So they have 900 convenience stores nationwide, including the one that's adjacent to the property. And the lease that we've received on the strip mall, it looks like a convenience store lease like references gasoline suppliers and so on. And it also has a very short and in fact a showstopper right to terminate with just 60 days

notice. And so the investment of the equipment into the space being nearly a half million dollars. You can imagine that's not really an acceptable term. So we're trying to figure out a way to navigate through that. I believe this will be a great service for the local community. I've already even just coming and going into the space, you know, encountered residents that are excited about the possibility of it coming back online. So hopefully we'll, you know, get through the barriers and uh be good to go. Good. You have any questions or questions? Is that 60 days both ways?

Yeah, 60 days both ways. Um, when I asked the landlord about that, I mean, I I I wouldn't imagine a scenario where I would request that. Again, a lot of times the equipment is bolted into the concrete floor. So, it's um, in fact, probably probably the reason the former tenant just left all the old equipment dormant in the space which I'll have to pay to remove now. Um but he he mentioned that the reason that they do this again in a convenience store context is in in the unlikely event that they would need to close and tear down the convenience store to rebuild it which can be done very quickly. They they like to have that in there in case they need to rebuild the property. I've asked them to strike it out completely and you know haven't heard back from any other questions.

Thank you. I'll ask at this time if there was anyone present to speak in opposition to this request. Being none, I'll entertain a motion to approve or not approve. It's moved. We'll move to approve and a second. All in favor say I. I.

All opposed? No. The eyes have it. The motion is approved. Thank you very much. Well, that is it. And before we adjourn, I would like to say that I am very proud to have served the time I have on the on this on this commission uh to the city of Monroe. Um like I say, today will be my last meeting and I think the commission has done a vital job uh in Monroe assisting the city council in an advisory type capacity. And I think that we have done a small in some way a small part of of making the city what it is. And you know what it is. It is a it is a great small city. And I think that the cities uh of this size in in the southeastern United States are all envious of what we've done here in Monroe. I really do. I've heard that from a lot of different people. Funny story, my my rheatologist in Athens who I go to asked me about a year ago, he said, "Where do you like to eat?" And I told him the row or maybe the brown pig. And he said, "Yep." Said, "We come over there all the time and eat at both those places." So people from Athens are now coming to Monroe to eat. And we used to have to go to Athens because there was nothing here. So, it's just it's just great and and I'm glad to have served in some small capacity. So, thank you very much.

Thank you, Mike. Thank you. Um, now we'll entertain a motion to adjourn. Motion and a second. All in favor say I. We are journed. Thank you very much.