Planning and Zoning Commission - Regular Meeting

Okay, first off, we're going to call the meeting to order and consider the approval of the minutes for the May 15, 2025 Planning and Zoning Commission meeting and take any action necessary. I make the motion we approve the minutes. I second. Take a vote. I agree. I I All right. Item two is the public comments. So, we'll open the meeting to that. There are some guidelines. Uh, you can speak for up to two minutes. Uh, planning and zoning commission members are not allowed to respond. Anybody that would like to make comments during this time? Evidently not. We're going to close that and move to uh item number three. Consider request from Primary Primacy Builder LLC for approval of a new final replat for the Tennyson Crossing addition zone PD1 on 3.677 677 acre track for development of 44 town home lot on the north side of Tennyson Road approximately 375 ft east of Jefferson Avenue.

All right. So, we're ready for the first item. You read that one flat. So, because we have a long agenda of five cases, which is pretty unusual, um they are chained together, one behind the other. And so when I get to the end of each case, I'll stop. You can have the vote start up again. Yes, sir. This is item three. It's to consider a request from Primacy Builders LLC for approval of a new final repl for the Tennyson Crossing Edition zoned PD1 on a 3.677 677 acre track for development of 44 town home lots on the north side of Tennyson Road, approximately 375 ft east of Jefferson Avenue. Uh so we're to consider this request uh for this approval. Uh are there any uh comments from staff? Yes, sir. So, um, this is the, um, CA first case. It's a very interesting case, and there may not be too many of you that remember it, but it was already approved as a plat. Um, it was filed at the courthouse. Um, and then when they began to construct this, um, property, it had a site plan, it was a PD, had everything, town homes. the detention pond was on the wrong side of the property and they had already recorded the flats. So that meant that the whole

thing had to come back because in order to move the detention pond, they had to reorder all of the lots and so that caused the they didn't change really any even the site plan was the same except for the fact that the plat changed and so we had to redo it um on the final plat. So, it's on 3.677 acres. Um, and it did require an off-site easement last time. This time it has an off-site easement that'll for sewer that'll be recorded, too. It's slightly different configuration, so it has to be recorded again. there. Okay. So, on the left is what the map looks like right now. Um, as you see, all those lots are already recorded and the detention palms in the on the left hand side. Um, the new reflat is on the right hand side and it does differ um just very slightly which is why it has to come back through the process. It's not something that I can rec you know, approved because it has all those lots. Um, and so it needs to go back through the process so that they can re-record it. And it's a replat because it was flatted the first time. That's all I have. Okay. As I'm seeing in this, the plat meets the requirements of section 154 of a subdivision regulations of the city of Mount Pleasant. Staff has recommended the approval of the final plat with the following condition. That the applicant contain offsite sanitary sewer easement

and that the doc and the document number filed of record with Titus County be included on the plat prior to its filing. previously done last time with the slight revision of this replay that all utility and site construction be completed and accepted prior to any issuance of certificates of occupancy for the town home unit. So then I'm understanding this meets all the guidelines from the city with the exception of these two items and they have to be completed and filed before acceptance. is that well you're actually um the offsite easement um before the plat is actually signed it will be given a number at the county but um typically those it's a it's an easement that just gets signed because it's off to the off the screen on the right hand side is where it comes in and it is given a recording number so on the myar R that gets signed after council approves it, that little number is put in. So we don't do that until it's approved basically. Okay. So upon the acceptance and approval of the council, then it becomes official. Is that correct? And accepted by the city. Yes, sir. Um, and the uh plat or or the I'm sorry, the offsite easement gets recorded um after they approve the plat and the number gets put put in on the myar so that it's actually stamped um so you can they're they're put married together if you will for um anytime somebody pulls it up on the records but we don't do it ahead of time.

Okay. I have only one question other question then and that was perhaps six months ago or so we discussed a plat and and there was a a real sticking point about rear entry for emergency vehicles and that sort of thing. Does this include that or is this have rear entry have any bearing upon that? Are you familiar with the the plant that I'm talking about? The the apartment? I think it was on Tennyson Road and yet it the rear entry was going to be from a uh well almost a dead end street on the back side. Does that That was before I got here. That was not this plat because this one was This one already went through and got completely uh approved. If you'll see, there are very very minor changes between what was actually approved and recorded. Um, primarily the detention pond and the way that the um front of the frontage of the lot was having to be configured. That's really the only difference in this one. This one all the way through. Okay. That maybe I'm thinking well obviously I'm thinking about an earlier plaid, but it was a considerable discussion about the rear entry. There was one that people talk talked to me about on tennis and further down I think that had some issues, but I don't know. I I'm not familiar with that. It's not this one. All right. So, uh I'm assuming we just need a vote. The city staff is recommending the approval and the process to move it on through council. Is that right? Yes, sir. Okay, then let's vote and record that as to the approval.

Uh, yeah, I'm trying to get the number. Oh, RP2025-08. And that's the final repl for Tennyson Crossing edition. So, at this point, I'm call for a motion to uh approve this document for from the city. I make the motion to approve uh on the following conditions. that the applicant obtain an off-site sanitary sewer easement and that the document number filed of record with Titus County be included on the plat prior to its final to its filing and the condition that all utility and site construction be complete and accepted prior to any issuance of certificates of occupancy for the town home units. I second. I second. All right, we're going to call for a vote. Yes. I I I the item is approved by unanimous vote. We're moving on to item four. Consider request from Von Zimmerman, property owner, for the approval of preliminary plat for the Mount for the Pleasant Point Apartments being a 9.04 acre property in the commercial zoning district. described as Mount Pleasant City block 330, lot one track one and lot 3B, block 332 and addressed as 1708 West 16th Street. This um is also an interesting case. We have lots of interesting cases for Allen's first meeting. Um this property was uh approved by city council in late

2023 or so I believe um to uh for council to support that it be a um a Texas Department of Housing um and community affairs tax credit project. Um the city did vote um on it. It then went to the state uh TDHCA where last year it was approved on their according to their criteria um as a live project. And so it is back um and and their site which had been already um picked previously at 1708 West 16th Street. Um and it is already zoned appropriately. It does require a sewer line offsite easement as well. And it will need textile approval um for the uh the um final installations of the utilities and the driveways. Although I believe they may already have their driveway approval. Um but I always put that in as a condition because text does of course have the final say being on 16th Street. So the um the preliminary plat is cocked sideways um but the area map shows its configuration. It's done that way so you can actually see it but the the property as you can see um is is where it is in its current configuration. Um it's uh has it doesn't show it but it does on the preliminary plat. You'll see that line through it. that is a gas line. They have had to design around it um for their entry and also the sighting of their um apartment buildings and has a clubhouse.

Let's see. Um the site plan comes next. So this is a preliminary plat just that this is the configuration of the property that it will have this on it. But there is a site just to kind of clear this up. There's a site plan approval that actually goes into all the elements, the landscaping and and that this is um in more detail of 60 apartment units and in three buildings um with a clubhouse and their attenuated parking, a detention pond in on the property and like I said, they had to design around the gas line. So staff is recommending this is approval as well. I I really have two questions. Number one, exactly give me a location of this. The exact location 1708 West 16th and U McCoy is in is is shown on the map as well. I would like to hear from the gentleman if he's got something to say.

that is uh he's right about the off-site easement. However, it they are re they are responsible for bringing the sewer and constructing the sewer along the rideway. So technically the the completion to the sewer has to be a part of this because sewer is not adjacent without them bringing it and they're bringing it um from uh left to right along 16th. At one point they were trying to get it from the rear of the property but that didn't work. They had another property owner so Let me just go through this so that everybody's on the same page, including me. An application has been submitted by Von Zimmerman on behalf of property owner Pleasant Point LP for approval of preliminary plat of the Pleasant Point Apartments at 1708 West 16th Street and described as Mount Pleasant City block 330, lot one, track 1 and lot 3-BB, block 332. This property was previously approved by the city council per resolution 2023-19 December 19th, 2023 in support of a tax credit affordable rental housing apartment complex application on this property which was subsequently awarded by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs last year. The city agreed to provide a financial contribution in the form of reduced building or development permit fees of $250 for the purpose per for the proposed development when the Texas

Department of Housing and Community Affairs awarded the 9% housing tax credit to the developer. The property is a 9.0 9.04 acre tract of land on 16th Street and is zoned commercial which allows multif family development. The developer pro proposes building a total of 60 units in three buildings comprised of equal number of two and threebedroom apartments on the property along with a clubhouse. A site development plan will also be considered for approval concurrently with the preliminary plat because a public sewer line extension is required to be extended from the current West Ferguson Road termination some 1,000 ft to culminate at the east property line of the property's frontage. The final plat for this project will not be considered until the 8 in sewer line is constructed and accepted by the city. A 6 inch water line is available on 16th Street fronted. The prelim the preliminary plat meets the requirements of section 154 of the subdivision regulations of the city of Mount Pleasant. Staff recommended approval of the final plat with the following condition. These are the conditions that you just discussed about text dot approval uh be received for driveway and infrastructure improvement within their rideway along 16th Street prior to the start of construction. That all civil construction plans be approved by DRC staff prior to the start of construction and a final plan be approved prior to building permit inspection or certificate of occupancy. Any comments? Doesn't seem like the city is asking or their staff is asking for uh an easement paperwork

because it's in the right way now. All right. Any a motion uh to approve? I make the motion to approve. Um the final plat um based on the following conditions recommended by staff that text approval be received for driveway and infrastructure improvements within their ride ofway along 16th Street prior to the start of construction. Condition two, that all civil construction plans be approved by DRC staff prior to the start of construction. And condition three, that a bottle plant be approved prior to building permit inspections or certificate of occupancy issuance. A second vote as required. I I

What I'm seeing is several several diagrams, several pages of illustrations of it. Looks like the layout of the facility, it's accessed um I don't see Are there any requirements on here? Final requirements by text dot. I I thought I saw something at the very end that required that Lynn, has the city or the state already looked at this when they were looking at the sewer line? Have they already looked at approval for the driveway? they've already looked at the infrastructure. So this is a separate case and so the basically they uh it has the same um conditions are just general. So that that they that is that kind of conditions it in other words it's approved but they have to do it and that's just like they're this they're basically the same ones as they were on the preliminary plat. It's the same piece of property. This is a this is a requirement for a site plan approval which is part of the requirement not on the actual property uh configuration which the final plat will follow the preliminary plat but this is a site plan that's required prior to any building permit being issued. So it is for 60 apartment units um and they have uh three buildings that climb a house. It's owned commercial already. We already went over that and kind of the brief um history of what it is. Um it's a little

more complex on what it actually shows as far as the project is concerned because according to our code, the site plan approval process takes in um a lot of elements that the preliminary plat just the the outline of the property and some general alignments. this and uh is is what actually is going to be built on the property and uh because it's multifamily that's when our code says that uh planning gets involved. So we do site plan approvals for commercial development all the time that do not come to plan um only if they are more multiple uses and buildings on a property or multifamily um or multi some sort of a multi-use kind of um so it's hard for you to see but um we have gone through this at the um DRC level at the same time that we did the preliminary plat and the construction plans which you don't have which is a huge and submittal um showing the elements the um width of the pavement the width of the fire line the um distances the curb all of those details were almost impossible for you for anybody to see on the screen or even on a printed without looking at the plans themselves but the DRC has gone through all of this and we Um I think that they are making one one small change in the the actual construction plans are about to be approved but the site plan itself with the configuration of the buildings meets all the codes involved. Um additionally our code as part of the site plan uh discusses landscaping and lighting. And there's a

phototric plan in in that packet, too, which I didn't show on the screen, but um we we asked for a lighting plan because we don't have any photometric requirements. We have but they submitted a lighting plan that I've seen before, lighting plans before and it looks fine even though we don't have any standards for it. their landscaping that they have shown um and they uh you see their code requirements that they've checked off is that uh exceeds what our requirements are um I did not include all the plant lists because they have it's a very extensive plant list for all the trees and shrubs but it meets oh actually exceeds our code so the project meets um all of the uh applicable and codes and and way above on a lot of the things including the landscaping. Okay. So, we're actually reviewing and approving item five, which is an application has been submitted by Von Zimmerland on behalf of property owner Pleasant Point LP for approval of a site plan for the Pleasant Point apartment at 1708 West 16. The site plan approval is required due to it being a multif family project. The property is zoned commercial which allows multif family development. This property was previously approved in 2023 as an affordable tax as an affordable rental tax credit housing apartment complex application has been subsequently awarded by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs last year. It is situated on a 9.04 04 acres on West 16th near the intersection of West Ferguson Road. The developer proposes building a total of 60 units in three buildings comprised of equal numbers of two and threebedroom apartments on the property along the club along with the

clubhouse. This site development plan is considered for approval currently with a preliminary plat. The site plan contains three sheets depicting landscape, photoometric, and building elevation submitted, all of which were reviewed by the city's development review committee and found to meet or exceed requirements for types and arrangement of landscaping, building locations, arrangements, and parking, and materials. There's a gas line that traverses the property, making it challenging to design, but the project fits neatly into the site. site plan meets the requirements of city development staff standards. Staff recommends the approval of the with following condition identical with those on the preliminary. So here you're back to text approve uh to be received for driveway and infrastructure improvements with their rideway along 16th Street Highway 67 prior to the start of construction and all civil construction plans be approved by DRC staff prior to the start of construction that a final plat be approved prior to building permit inspection or certificate of occupy. So this is basically what we just looked at and this is the includes the same restrictions andor not that they're necessarily restrictions but the same approval on the text dot approval has to be done uh civil construction plans approved by the city and the final plat be approved prior to building per inspections or certificate of occupancy. So those are three contingency is that is that correct? Yes, sir. And this is standard language that's put in place just to make sure that everything's clear to the applicant and and when the com uh completion of the entire project that it was clear that these had to

happen before anything's completely final out. Um but the site plan meets and exceeds what the city standards are. um texts already approved and if they have if they've given their final letter I may not have it in the packet but it is forthcoming. So it's those that's just standard language that's been in place with all the cases from prior prior to me coming um just to make sure that everybody's clear particularly when the preliminary plat are together. um if it wasn't for the sewer line that is actually got to be constructed first. Um so the sewer line has to be constructed before the final plaque can be approved. All three of the of these could come forward at the same time because when if you remember we did Christ all three at the same meeting um because the Chris's sewer thing was completely out there. Um and they had one, two, and three. They had preliminary site plan and final plat approval of all of it at one time. This one, because they are having to construct the sewer line and bring it in and have it be completed, it can't that can't start until the preliminary plat has been approved by y'all. And so that's the only difference. And that's why those are conditions. So it kind of makes it clear what comes first, what comes second, what has to happen before it's complete. Okay. I'm looking for a motion to approve SP2025-02 site for the Pleasant Point Apartments with the contingency uh items that are listed as one, two, and three as a final uh would be included in this in the final approval.

I make the motion to approve. I second. I I I I uh with a full majority, the uh item is approved. Moving on to item six. Item six is uh SUP 2025-02. hold a public hearing and consider requests from Anna Castillo, property owner, for the approval of a specific use permit to allow for a church within a single family residential district being a 0.350 acre property described as lots three and four, block 16, Sunrise Edition, and addressed as 136 East 8th Street. hold a public hearing, which is what we're here for, to consider the request from Anna Castillio, property owner, for the approval of the specific use permit. So, this um case was uh came forward before PNZ, before I arrived in Mount Pleasant in April of 2024, I believe. um it has changed some in the plans that the site plan that was submitted. So the existing property 1306 East 8 had a street had a I'm sorry had a church on it um that had been in the neighborhood in this residential neighborhood for some time. Um it subsequently was sold. I think the principles in the church

that have been uh active, you know, became elderly and maybe even um were deceased. But it was sold and it was bought by um Anakio and on behalf of the Oasis of Blessings Church, which is an out of town church um I believe. So they owned the property for some time, but um probably um sometime they they did receive their I'd looked it up their certificate of occupancy at the church in 2016. I did not I was not clear as to whether they were actually holding church in that building or not at the uh time, but I know within a few a couple years prior to it burning in December of 2023, they had been holding services there. Um, our code requires a specific use permit anytime um, a church is located in a single family residential district and it there are a number of conditions that need to be looked at. In other words, um, its impact on the residential area, the quality of life for the residents, um, the traffic, noise and all of those kind of elements need to be considered. And that's why our code requires it to come to plan planning and zoning for your recommendation and then city council um has the final say. Um the previous case came to PNZ and it was voted down and voted not to recommend to PN to city council and then city council um when they uh heard it they also voted it down and um they brought it have brought it back. There's nothing in our code that I could find that says that

you can't bring a case back. I did ask for our legal opinion from our city attorney. We have um the city attorney uh in San Antonio and and so they uh advised that we move forward with this new case. So, I met with them and tried to determine what the issues were the first time um and counseledled them that they needed to come up with conditions that would address those uh issues the second time since it's an older established neighborhood. And then chances were that the same neighbors were going to show back up. and you each have a copy of the um responses we've received in the last day from four of the neighbors who were not here, but they're very elderly and most likely that you know if they're going to show up, they'll come to council, but you have their um their responses. Um that the time for the old case um that the complaints were noise, traffic, and uh parking and and basically neighborliness and the impact uh of the church on their quality of life with loud music, late hours. They did complain a lot about the late hours and those comments that you have. They also refer to what they had ex experienced before the church burned in the couple of years that they were actively meeting. Um so when I met with the applicant they did reduce the size of the building footprint. Um they agreed to limit the hours um and put in put in some other conditions including um some noise uh issue or insulation to dampen

the noise. So, um the area maps on the left um in blue that that was a kind of an older um overhead and I think that you can still see where the church was. I think it's been demolished, but it was still um not sure if it can be completely cleaned up at that time. Um, and you'll see that it's, you know, there's residential street, there is the park is directly behind it, and there's a street that goes into the park, and there's parking um to the left as well. Um, that the city owns the kind of that blue circle on the right hand side is a buffer map. Um, those are the people that live within 200 feet of the subject property. And the red X's mark the four um responses that you're looking at. Now, they can continue to bring in responses from now until council. There's no cut off date, but these are the four that we've received so far. Um on the left is a site plan that they have um brought forward. The street, it does run north to south and so the street access um is at the bottom. Um you you can see that there are uh parking spaces um outlined there are 12 parking spaces on that site. Um the original case that was voted down they had a a bigger footprint for the church than this and the parking was um pretty tight. So I basically told them you got to fit the parking and adjust your building and they did. um made them put in landscaping. Um since it's a complete redo of this uh of the site, um they have so shown their seats and I I

believe there's 46 in that. Um so they're required to have one parking space per four seats per our code. Um which accounts for 12. So that would limit the amount of people they could have. Um, one of the other conditions that you'll see it has to do with if there's overflow parking because we can't really I mean there's extra people that come in cars you can't really regulate that but they are um not be parking on the street. They're they're supposed to be of of the park so that they're not adding to the neighbor uh neighborhood's congestion. Um you'll see there 3,300 square feet of heating and cool cooled area um for a total with the patio of 3628 on that lot. So here are the conditions um that they develop it according to the site planned that they add increased soundproof proofing insulation when it's constructed to minimize any noise because um their music was one of the things that the neighbors complained about that they are not allowed to have any service that extends past 9:00 in the evening. Um, and their regular services are only allowed on Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings with a uh Thursday disciplehip class and then they're only um to have one monthly evening worship service. That is the maximum. Um and you'll see uh my discussion the parking they have to have 12 spaces and that they have to put any overlook parking to be in the city parking lot because there are city lot

it's very oversized. Um uh one additional condition had to do with the food preparation area. Apparently my understanding is uh that the fire likely started in a kitchen. they were actually using that building um from our understanding for people living in that building or sleeping in that building and that's um where the next condition comes from. But we also um wanted to make it clear that if they were going to use um and some churches do have uh kitchens that they have the grease trap this side kitchen and that they have a suppression fire suppression hood in the in the kitchen. They have indicated that they were not going to cook and they took out the kitchen in the site plan, but I left the condition in there just in in case it ever came up. Um, they were not allowed to use it as as any residential or shelter use of people to stay overnight. Um, in the previous case, uh, my predecessor had had some similar conditions, but he mentioned if it they could only have people living there if they, um, met fire, had fire approval, and I just took it out altogether and said no, that it's not appropriate. They cannot use it as a residential area at all. And then the final condition is that they must obtain a building permit before they um obviously that's city regulation. But again um the you'll notice the conditions are some of them are just to make it really clear as to where we are on things. And so that one's in there and the four negative responses you have for you. That's all I have. Um, we're not um there's no recommendation either way on

this. Okay. I'd like to read through part of this and then uh there's a good bit of it that you that are in your stipulations and then I want to make a comment based on our last decision on this item. Uh the applicant Anna Castillo of Church O Church Oasis of Blessings is requesting approval of a specific use permit to allow for the construction of a church within the SF2 single family residential district. This property property is adjacent to RL Journey Park and is addressed as 1306 East 8th Street case number SU 20252. The request was to rebuild the church after it was destroyed by fire in December of 2023 and a 2024 specific use permit case was initiated. According to the Titus County Central Appraisal District, the structure was classified as a church, meaning commercial. Uh the April 2024 SUP case was voted down by both PNZ and city council due to the objections of the neighbors. Following a year-long waiting period, the owners have resubmitted their application to rebuild the church and a similar footprint and have modified the parking lot, the interior details. Additionally, they have agreed to the following conditions to help mitigate the neighborhood complaint. th those following conditions which you just ran through. Uh I concur with that. On June 18th, 2025, staff mailed 10 public notices to all property owners within 200 ft of the subject property. Additionally, the notice was published in the Mount Pleasant Daily Tribune and posted on the city's website as required by state statute. As of the date of this report, staff has not received any notices regarding the applicant's

request. Uh the approval of the specific use permit is a discretionary act and requires approval of a simple majority vote of the city council pending on the recommendation from planning and zoning commission. Staff will be available at the meeting to answer questions. Uh my comments are are basically uh personal in that we discussed this earlier on uh PNZ what a year ago and and we voted it down at that time. Uh it's it's in a bad location. Uh there's a journey park across the street I believe. Now, I don't know what hours or times or what kind of schedule. That's a soccer park, I think, isn't it? Okay. Uh I don't know if there's any conflicts there, but u my my first inclination is we uh we need to not cater to, but we need to bend in favor of the the park area and the use of the park. Um, I I have a a difficulty in approving this. Uh, and I don't want it to be personal, but I I just think the the building's not adequate. The property size in general is not adequate. I don't think they can park enough vehicles and and I don't want to have to go over there and count chairs and car. Uh, these things just don't fit to me. Uh I I would like to encourage them to find another location in Mount Pleasant. There's got to be some property somewhere available. This property uh I'm not sure the value, but uh from what I hear, residential property, residential lots are some degree in demand. Uh

again, I don't know much about this location, but uh I should call for a motion before I say I'm going to vote. Uh so I'd like to have a motion on the Oh, okay. All right. I'm sorry. Sorry, I got ahead of the schedule. We need to open for a public hearing. Anybody here has a comment or a concern at this time? We'd like to hear that. No response. Uh nobody here. So, we're going to close that that public hearing quest and uh we're going to open to a vote to approve or disapprove of this request. So, we're I'm calling for a vote at this time. You I'm I'm Yes, I think you do. Um I'm not I'm not an attorney. We don't have one present, but it makes a mess. We need to send our position to the council. So, I think we have to record a vote. That makes sense. I I make the motion to disapprove. I second that. I I I

the recommendation has been uh rejected and turned down and we would forward our position on to the city council uh as a Oh. All right. Moving on to item number seven. Hold a public hearing and consider request from William Edward Arens property owner and Vincent G. Hubinger on behalf of CTG1 LLC for the approval of a specific use permit to allow for a 100 ft telecommunication tower within the commercial zone district being a 0.73 acre property described as lot 5 Mount Pleasant City block 310D and addressed as 1706 West Ferguson So, so that this concludes the um rather unusual lengthy meeting which is great for Allen because he gets to see a little of everything. The second specific use permit on the agenda um which we don't even do very many of those in a given year, much less two at one meeting. Um, this also our code has um required that PNZ make a recommendation and city council weigh in on whether um a cell tower is needed um and is and to weigh the uh effects on

the neighboring properties um carefully which is what the specific use u process is for. In this case, of course, um, our code is pretty old and cell towers used to be rather controversial. Now, everybody carries one around in their pocket and you can't get good service if you don't have towers. Um, the since uh the early days, um, it but it's still appropriate to consider carefully so you don't have so many cell towers. They're not especially nice to look at all over the place. Um but the um sighting requirements in our code are extensive. They're pages and pages in our um ordinance uh for what they uh are charging the companies to show are necessary. Um and they that is you have a fair fairly substantial um packet that they presented um uh of information. I don't think I had her copy all of it because it's pretty thick. I have it um but they they have done a lot of studies. They they know exactly um what uh cell facilities are available in Mount Pleasant. You'll see a map in a little bit. um they have a lot of information that they also have to provide to the FCC um because that's regulated by the federal government as well. 100 ft is the highest tower that is allowed um in our city and I'm not sure if if it's requirement to be under that for the FCC2. Um it is not anywhere near the airport or anything like that. So, all of the sighting requirements um have been

extensively studied, but I haven't um gone through them with you because uh we'd be here all night. We did um this particular property is uh a commercial. Um so, it's it there are no houses that are it's not impact. It's not near a residential area. It's on a busy street. Um it already has uh a a business, small business on the site and the the tower is tucked back inside the site. Um and it's a going to be a portion of the use on the property. Um but it it isn't the main site. It's kind of hidden as hidden as you can get a cell phone tower. Um so the conditions are that it be constructed for the site plan. You'll see that in a minute. that they have driveways and parking areas paved. Their initial submitt um there is a driveway that goes kind of back into the property um already and it was not shown on their site plan as all of it being paved. Um um but that's a requirement and I've since talked to them they're revising the plans. they'll have the plans for council, but they didn't have them for P&Z, but it's a condition and that they'll put a screening fence up. Um, they agreed to that, but I also wanted some landscaping. Um, so they'll put in some landscape drought tolerant landscaping. You know, some of the grasses and um those kind of higher bushes, sage, that will kind of mitigate the effect of having a um uh kind of a screened. It's a it's a fence that has the um chain link with the slats. It's still of course you can't screen 100 feet, but at least

it'll it'll add an element. Our our code doesn't really require it, but they agree to it. So, we got no responses back. And when you see the map, you'll know you'll see why. It's in the middle of everything else. So there are no people that really care whether there's a cell tone tower there or not. It's where that orange box is and the red X is where it's going. And um I think I can't remember the name of that business is there. Yeah. Yeah. Just see. Yeah. Yeah. It's um and you'll see that the the paved it driveway going straight in is paved and then we're requiring them to pave it all the way in. So this is the site plan and this particular SL. So they even had their own PowerPoint in addition to all the documents that they brought in proving that there is not adequate cell phone coverage in Mount Pleasant and no towers would be available to site any more um towers. Uh in other words, they couldn't get uh water tower coverage or you know a place to put cell phone towers. There's none available. They have all that. I didn't give it to you. Um but they also did their own PowerPoint and I use some of the slides. This is one of them. Um the area with the red circle that's um around where the tower is. And you can see that is this um the square that's in the corner. Um and the additional parking area that they're going to put in that I'm requiring that it be paved. Um it's not shown here. Um all the land uses around it are commercial. Um and they they aren't going to take

out any tree any additional any tree cover um that they are able to put the tower in where that spot was. So I did show this because it's interesting. On the left is Mount Pleasant and it's um tower configurations that provide us our cell phone service. The blue X's um or crosses are the towers and then the green area is the coverage area. Um on the left is where we are. The star is the proposed area for the new tower. On the right is the coverage map that shows what that's going to look like when we have it. If you see there's a gap there and it get fills it. So, um, they're required to prove that there is a need for a tower. And I think that pretty much shows, especially if you live in that area or work in that area and you can't and you keep getting bumped off. That's all I have. Um, staff is recommending this view. The applicants owner William Erenss and CCTG1 LLC are requesting approval of a specific use permit to allow for the construction of a 100 ft telecommunications tower on property along West Ferguson, which is zoned commercial. The city zoning code in chapter 155.50 details how telecommunication towers are to be treated w with evaluation through the specific use permit process to

evaluate safety aesthetics their necessity suitability to the area and applicants are requested submit site detail. The subject property is a commercially zoned district in an uner under un under served area in the city for s tower. It will be set back away from the roadway and is not adjacent to any residential property. Towers are limited no greater than 100 ft in height. Staff is recommending approval with the following condition to be constructed according to the accompanying site plan. All driveways and parking surfaces to be concrete. The screening fence will have landscape buffering facing with street frontage. Building permits are required prior to any construction. On June uh 18, 2025, staff mailed 12 public notices to all property owners within 200 ft of the subject property. Additionally, the notice were published in the Mount Pleasant Daily Tribune and post on city's website as required by state statute. As of the date of this report, staff has not received any notices regarding the applicant's request. The approval of the subject use permit or specific use permit is a discretionary act and requires approval of a simple majority vote of the city council pending a recommendation from the planning and zoning commission. Staff will be available at the meeting to answer questions. Uh I I don't see anybody here to comment publicly. Um so we're just going to open that if there any comments or any discussion. Anybody has the opportunity at this point to do that? No one here. No, no compliment. uh about

it. So, we're going to move past that and close that and ask the commission to vote to approve or disapprove. We just need a motion to vote. I make the motion to approve based on the three conditions as laid out by city staff. I second. I I I I vote was unanimous to approve and to forward to the council for action. At this time, I guess it's a report from the planning director's report. Yes, sir. Um we have been um pretty busy. I don't have any specific um items to bring forward today. Um we have done um we have a number of minor plats um consolidation of lots and splitting off lots that I'm working with the surveyors for and with and we have so far only done one um and I will have a full list of those and their case numbers for you where they are but they are the um and just for Allen's benefit, so the city code allows um uh city and state code allows for plat approvals to occur under certain circumstances as administrative plats. They don't come to P&Z. Um they are very uh limited in scope. So um it has to be no more than four lots that are created and those lots have to front on public

streets and have access and cannot require any um uh dedication of property or uh extension of utilities or anything like that. All of those have to be uh ruled on by PNC. But if somebody has a a piece of property and they want to split it into pieces, if each lot is um uh falls into um the correct size and configuration for the zoning district and is looked at by DRC and has all the elements that it needs. In other words, has water, sewer, and um fire hydrant, all that. Then um then it can be administratively approved by me working with the surveyor to get exactly what we need on it, the language, and then I sign it instead of y'all approving and I just give you a list. And I've done that um periodically. We had one that took a while and it wasn't while we were doing this. I didn't ever get it to you to discuss it. um some of them and that one in particular I I probably will want to um kind of show what it looks like maybe or at least describe it so you have some idea but they happen a lot um on the interior lots people will um kind of move a lot line over and if there's any issue with the development of the property then DRC also hears it. So, just so you know, that's coming. And we have a lot surveyors work with me um and they'll email me back and forth until they get what they want. And then eventually their client comes in and makes an application um for the uh replat, their replats, in other words.

Um and then it moves forward. So, we we do um have a number of those. Um we have um there was uh I guess I don't know if it ever made it here, but there was a up on um kind of in uh sort of the same area as the Pleasant Point apartments a little bit further down um from there. Um there's I think it's a Shell station that they were going to redo. That's uh that's been sitting on the back burner since before I got here. They have reactivated that whole thing to make it a truck stop and and do some more paving. So, that's coming forward. Um we did uh finish with um Anderson Town Crossing. He did um pay for his building permits and he's ready to go on that and got his um he had asked for temporary construction access across city property at the lake so that he could get his dirt pile near Atwoods moved down to the construction site. So he will be u breaking ground on those apartments pretty quickly. Um and so that that's going to be a big project for the city. But we um we continue to have people call. It's been pretty busy in the last month or two with people wanting to do various um even small um uh I I guess you know they they just might want to put a small addition on a business, add some extra parkings, things like that. But we are seeing a lot of uh activity. So I I think things are starting to move on the development sides. So, I'm hoping that it's not a five case meeting every every month for you all, but I I believe we'll probably have more moving forward. I do not have anything in the pipeline that I know of

for August yet. So, you may not have a meeting in August since usually it takes a while to get to you. I haven't had any applicant come in of you, Regina. I don't believe we've gotten anybody that's to the point of bringing in something that will actually make it by August. But um we should have a fair amount of activity moving forward in the next, you know, through the fall. That's all I have. Thank you. I appreciate that and I know the the committee does. I have a couple of questions or just in general comments. A number of people ask me what's going on with the city uh in the in the way of permits andor new construction and and a lot of times I find that I'm inadequate to answer that as the as the code department or the permit issuance. Have they ever thought about once a month publishing something in the newspaper? We've had 30 permit or 40 permits and and I know nobody wants to know city coun city council gets that report and it's possible we could put it on our website. I think that'd be encouraging just to so they'd have an avenue, you know. Now, I I agree. Nobody wants to know about Joe's bathroom or Tom's garage, but uh just a note, you know, that say this is in the works because the in the last year, year and a half, there's been so much discussion about adequate housing permit. Uh Mount Pleasant needs that and and in the last six months, goodness, it looks like we're it's running out our ears. There's just some several big projects that are in the works. I And I

I think people ought to know that not the details, but that there's a lot of activity going on. I like that idea. We already have the um report that we and of course I agree with you. We don't need, like you said, Joe's bathroom on there, but um I it wouldn't take me very long to just summarize in just a few sentences what people might be wanting to hear. were coming and we could um work with AD administration to get us, you know, just even a little block on our or on the our planning and um code and building website that just says, you know, building permit activity or something like X number of housing permits, X number this, you know, just real limited and major projects. to for example Pleasant Point Apartments um because that you know once their building permits are they're they're going to be getting their building permits pretty soon. So they'll be issued they won't be able to occupy and that's why that language was in there and obviously they have to bring the sewer line and construct it before they could have their certificate of occupancy. But people are going to see those apartments going up. That's a good idea. Thank you. Well, I I just uh I hate to make this a personal thing, but I'm so tired of people telling me, "Well, have you gone through Sulphur Springs lately?" And I think, "Yeah, I have." And and and we have kind of been at a disadvantage in that Sulphur Springs has developed an industrial park on I30, which is very visible and it has grown considerably. A lot of our activity has taken place on the south end of town, which you don't see that unless you're going to Pittsburgh, you know, prefort, the trailer manufacturers. There's just a lot of activity that you don't really

see here. It's not it's not as just out in front like that the suffer spring thing. So, I guess uh I'm tired of telling them I don't know. Yeah, we we just need to be a little more out there. I love it. I love the idea and I think that's easy for us to do. We already have the information. I don't mind writing a little blurb every month. Yeah. And and the the information is available because it has to come through the permit has to come through you and uh and you've seen all of them. I just would like to see uh us a little more visible. You know, the other thing uh we discussed last time or maybe two three meetings ago about a code review process or going through our codes. Is anything happened to that? And and I I commented at that time that I wanted that public. I know it's hard to get people to to show up, but I'd also like to be able to say, "Well, we did that. Where were you?" you know, uh, but right now I can't say either one. So, are you are you looking at that or is that it's on it's it's in the works, but there are a couple things that have kind of derailed it. Um, you you may remember me telling you that the city spent um $55,000 on a or so on a consultant before I got here. um under the previous administration and had the zoning code um revamped. And they also add uh part of the um parks um recreation

portion redone to charge um park fees. And they had that that as part of what this consultant was doing um at about the time that they were about finished was when the upheaval happened and the council was replaced. Um and subsequent to that um nothing was brought forward. It's still out there. It's we still have it. And the other the second thing that happened was the state law changed and it I did check with our attorneys to explore if there was any way we could get around the requirement to notify every single property owner in the city whose property might be reszoned or changed in any way their uses. So, if you were going to create a new district, if you're going to change the requirements, for example, um a general retail allows, uh major auto repair right now, and we have a lot of smaller general retail kind of properties where it does not work. And so, in the new zoning ordinance, that was considered. This is I've read it. I wasn't part of it. um to change that so that you had to have a a commercial zone property if you were going to have a major auto repair on it. Um and but any person that had a general retail property in the city or leased it, in other words, you could you could occupy it but not own it or own it. Um has to be notified by certified mail. And so that means every single district if you were going to require that people pave

their driveways to park on it, for example, if you wanted to do a new parking because we don't have that in our current development standards or anything. They have to be notified if they're going to have any use imp that they currently have impacted in the future by a a regulation like a zoning ordinance. they have to be notified and that is very expensive as you if you've ever sent a certified letter. Um that means not just all property owners, it's of all property owners and all occupants. That means all renters too or leies um which becomes an astronomical task to do for staff number one um as but we have to marry the water bills and the ownership and get all those sorted out. You can't just send it to the property owner. Um or or you can't just send it to the property. It has to be both. And it may they may be the same. They may not they may be different. So somebody has to go through and parse all that or we're doubling, you know. Um so it's a very big task. That's the state that's requiring that. And I explored at some length with our legal folks anyway around it. And basically there is So for us to redo um uh because our our zoning ordinance is from ' 89 I believe it's pretty outdated. We have some uses in there that don't even they don't even occur anymore and we have some things that aren't even described. For example, car washes are called autories. And so, you know, I mean, we we just have a lot of updating, but anything that changes the rights that someone has on their property as of the day that

it's going to change, they have to be notified officially by a letter. Um, and that there was no wiggle room. So, that's kind of I was going to do it incrementally, but they it's it becomes so difficult to do that unless it's a very small place. So, I was going to start with downtown at least where it's a fairly small list of people who either own or lease um that we could work on downtown because we don't have a downtown district right now. We have general retail in the area in the main street. We have commercial in the area in the main street. We have um I think there's a little multif family and some neighborhood services, but we don't actually have a downtown district that has distinct development standards of what we want to see. So, that made a good test case and we haven't I gave that whole task to the Main Street folks to come up with some things they wanted to see um downtown, but that even that's going to be a pretty substantial amount of postage uh if we ever get it to that way. So, the answer to your question, Ronnie, is yes. I am still trying to work on ways to get that to happen, but the legislaturator's made it really hard. One thing that I do want to bring up is they changed they actually started playing in the city sandbox this year and as of the 1st of September they are requiring every city in the state um anytime there's a zoning case or even a a specific use permit which is a type of zoning we have to place signs on the subject property noting the case number and when it will be heard. Um, which means we have to order signs to and we either can either

make the applicant do it or we have to do it. Well, if I have to chase the applicants around making sure that they do something that the state says that we're responsible for, we might as well do it. So, um, the state keeps adding more and more requirements on cities. They have to follow and that's that's an example. So is the postage. So, we're trying. Oh, I think you're doing a great job. Uh, I just uh I just want to blow our horn a little bit and and the one thing I tell those people that jump on me about Sulphur Springs, we have something very unique that they don't have and won't have. Our airport is currently going through an expansion. Uh there's a big demand for hanger space. Sulphur Springs airport is very limited. the runway length butts a lake if they're not going to drain that lake and fill that up and and expand that runway. We have a real advantage there. And I constantly tell people if we're searching for, seeking, or trying to make a good impression, the kind of company that comes here, I promise you, you'll pick them up at the airport, not the bus station. And and and and that is just We never sell that. And and there's so many Scott Glover's got a museum out there. It's phenomenal. Truly phenomenal. But but the asset is the the length of the runway and the facility. The our other assets are the expansion that local people are doing in their personal facility. I mean, you and your wife have gone through a year, year and a half of a major expansion. And uh I you know, I don't know. Uh, I guess people don't get tired of listening to me, but I'm proud of those things and they're assets and and they're veteran

sufferers. Um we do uh we have a new Main Street um person who came on board about a month ago and she also is doing some um she some kind of marketing communications social media kind of things and so that and what in my previous um position with the city of Sweetwater I was actually operations director too and the airport was one under my purvey was I found myself as an airport manager not knowing anything about an airport so I had to learn all that and you're absolutely 100% correct about our airport and of course Paul is he's a great front and center person but he's so busy because it is it is a fantastic airport um we do need to probably highlight and he is the number one economic development um driver in the community a lot of but people don't know that because Unless you fly, you don't realize how important it is. But um I I might talk to Candace about uh maybe making some effort to try. And you're right about blowing your own horn because we don't do it. Nobody else is either. And so um that is a very good point. And he is actually working right now on getting all the dirt and everything ready. They're getting more places to build, more hangers. Um, and it, you know, we we could use all the the publicity we can get. So, it's not in my wheelhouse to actually do that because it's not under planning, but I can certainly suggest that we make that kind of a big deal. And I know the city manager is working on that because he had Paul give a presentation a a couple city council meetings ago about the expansion and he used a drone footage

and you know some pictures and and stuff like that to try and show people who are president council but it probably needs to be even more visible because mo I mean most people don't even tune in to the council meetings. Well, we have great facilities. Airport obviously being one. And and I promise you those people that that we want them to invest here, they're going to fly into here. You're not going to pick them up at the Greyhound station. Local people who have made major investments that they need those things to be accented along with their business. It It's all goes together. It all plays together. Okay. They're tired of listening to me. So let's adjourn.