Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

Okay, being 516, I take the call Thursday, May 28th. Planning Commission meeting to order. Please stand for the question. Okay, roll call has been taken. Yes. Looking for a motion to...

Atop the agenda and the member with the exception that the presenter unfortunately could not come tonight, though it's our recommendation to take number seven off the floodplain substantial damage and the 50% rule will take that off. Austin will plan on providing that presentation at a later date.

Make a motion to adopt the amendment.

And I'll second it.

A motion to remain by change, seconded by Susie. All in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion's carried. Okay, looking for a motion for the review of the April, February 26th Planning Commission meeting as read in your packet.

I'll make that motion to approve.

All set.

A motion to be made by Susie seconded by day all favor signify by saying aye. All opposed motions carry. Any public comment. Any public comment. Seeing none around number 5. Public hearing a proposed country and to plan amendment. 2026 through. or 2026-03 to change the future land use classification of parcel 33-3069-000 and 33-3069-100 from single family and duplex residential to medium high density residential.

All right, so before we just go into the public hearing part, I'm going to kind of give a recap of what this is all about. So on the screen, you'll see that there's a map. This is the future land use map that's identified in our comprehensive plan. We have a proposal, which we talked about at the last plan commission meeting in February. I'll actually bring that up real quick.

rooms.

Well, after the last February plan commission meeting, we talked about a conceptual design to put townhouses on the parcels that are identified, that Bernie just identified before. And again, to do that, there's a two-step process. First of all, we have to amend the future land use map in our comprehensive plan. That's what we're talking about tonight to do a public hearing. And then the plan commission will talk about adopting a resolution for that. Then... After that step, it'll go to council and we have to do an ordinance amendment to finalize the change in the comprehensive plan. Then beyond that, we have to look at some zoning changes. So that'll be the next step after we start with this comprehensive plan. So again, we're looking at changing the comprehensive plan to allow for change. Those parcels as identified from single family and duplex to medium to high density residential. And at this time, I'd suggest that you open up the public hearing if there's no questions.

Over here, talk about it.

I would still ask and see if anybody's here.

Okay, I guess I'm going to open up for a public hearing. See no one here.

I'm going to... Is there any plan commission members that want to speak on behalf of the public hearing?

Just ask three times. Anybody planning Commission have any questions or concerns about it? Sounds good to me. Hey, this time I'm going to close the public hearing. Moving on to number six, consider approval of the resolution adopting the amendment. 2026-03 the cities. Of New London 2000. 40 comprehensive plan.

So on the screen you can see that the resolution that was included in your packet basically identifies that approves this process and then the further steps would be going on to the City Council to enact the ordinance that I just referenced before. So this would be in consideration of just adopting this resolution and continuing the process. Any questions?

I'm looking for a motion to prove the consideration of adopting this amendment.

I'll make that motion.

I'll even second that. Motion is made by to the second by. All the favor signify by saying aye. Aye. All opposed. Motion is carried. Okay, we're skipping them.

Hold on.

I would abstain from voting since this is my land, so. Okay, there's one abstentions. Okay, moving on to number seven. Austin's not here. So number eight, review upcoming agenda items.

Upcoming agenda items. I don't have anything set for right now. I know Austin has a list of things that potentially come up. We might be at the right track for timing to look at that zoning change for this project as well. But I think he will also, providing he's available, to continue with his plans for the floodplains of substantial damage and the 50% rule presentation. I know he had it all set up ready to go and come, but unfortunately he couldn't make it. So we will put that on the next agenda as well.

Okay, moving on, review next meeting date, tentatively be June 25th, 2026.

I sent to council an email a couple days ago. I know the plan commission, people didn't get it. But we have some timing things that we're looking at for some special meetings coming forward. Specifically, next week at the Board of Public Works meeting, we have our city engineer or our engineer firm for the wastewater treatment plant is going to give a major presentation on what options we have for the wastewater treatment plant. Eventually, the council will decide what aspects of the plan for that wastewater treatment plant or rebuild we are going to be looking at. So that presentation, again, is going to be on June 1st. We need to put notices out after that meeting to allow people the opportunity for notices for a public hearing. The first opportunity for a special council meeting public hearing would be June 25th after the timing for those notices. That's obviously the regular plan commission night. We're not recommending to do two meetings that night because we think that public hearing could be a substantial conversation. So we want to kind of keep that meeting to itself. And so the concept would be number one, potentially moving plan commission up a week and do the plan commission meeting on the 18th to allow the special city council meeting on the 25th or the council could have the meeting, the special city council meeting the week of the 29th. The only reason I don't like that is because it's technically 4th of July week. I don't know if people are going to be gone on vacation for the holiday. Plus, I don't know if it's appropriate if we should have a public hearing on a holiday week if people are gone, so they wouldn't have the opportunity to attend that potential public hearing. So I wanted to kind of throw out the idea of the concept or proposal that maybe we move plan commission up to the 18th and the special council meeting to the 25th. I'll just kind of open it up to your discussions from here.

I'm good with whichever way that it goes personally, but I want to backtrack to that floodplain substantial damage at the potentially being presented at the next meeting. If at all possible, would it be with the ability to put that presentation together and have Austin present it and put it on YouTube ahead of time. There are a lot of people who would like to understand that rule sooner rather than later. They're making decisions. They're getting insurance checks. They're applying for funds, grants, whatever. And the understanding of that is vital for the decisions that they're making in their personal lives. And I think waiting another month seems like a long time to ask.

I could talk to Austin about that. I think this presentation was a little bit more for your information more than anything. I would strongly suggest if anyone has those questions, contact Austin directly. He has had a ton of conversations with people about what that means for their particular property because Every property has a different equalized assessed value. So we have that information, what that is. So that regardless with this presentation or not, that individual conversation has to happen anyway. So if anybody has questions, contact Austin Deeb, our community development director in the office directly, and he can have that information, that conversation with you about your particular property.

Is that is he able to talk to people other than in the city of New London? I mean, I have a friend who is lost pretty much everything on X. And she was going to come tonight, you know, and but is she able to call him and talk to him? Or would that be I mean, she did come to, to the senior center during the storm thing. And they, you know, and they just said, No, you know, you, Can't. So, I mean, I don't want her to go through all of it to think that she's going to get the information from him and then be turned down again, you know, and stuff.

Correct. He can give some general information about it, but in that particular case, I would strongly suggest that that person contacts the county zoning because they are the ones managing in the townships.

So maybe individual little questions or something, she might be able to run by him, but for the whole... big picture, we'll pack a county.

Yeah. Cause, um, that just like I said, every single property has different things going on, equalized value. The county zoning is taking care of that. So have that conversation with that zoning department. Um, and if anybody else in the city has that, and I know Austin and Dave and are contracted, um, building inspectors have done a lot of assessments. They've been going around FEMA wants us to assess every single property that was in the flood zones. And they've been trying to do that as quickly as they can to do these assessments for damage. So like I said, if anybody in the city has any questions about the property, please call Austin and have that conversation with them. He will definitely help you out in your situation.

Is he going to each individual house that's been affected by the flood?

They are trying to, yes. It takes time. There's 300 houses that are in the flood zones on both sides of the city. They've done quite a few. I don't know what number they're up to, but they've been trying to do that. And this is something that we're being expected to do with the DNR and FEMA. They are indicating that we are required to do this, make sure that we're doing it. So they've been going out and doing as many assessments as possible. There's only so much time in a day to get everywhere, but they're working on it.

Now, if you've already had plans to have repairs and my contractor is going to be going for a building permit, so will he just look at that based on what the value of my home is?

Correct. So not to speak on behalf of this presentation and screw something up, but essentially any of the repairs, the homeowner and or contractor, like in in certain situations need to provide what that value of repairs is. Austin will have from our assessor what the equalized value of the properties are, and then they can determine, make sure that number one, is the property below the base flood elevation? There are some properties that are in the floodplain that are above the base flood elevation that the 50% rule may not apply. It's only that if they're non-compliant, if they're below the base of, depending on what that particular house is, Austin will evaluate what the repairs costs are, equalize assessed value and determine if it's hitting that 50% rule.

I think the sooner that we can get that information so that all of us are clear on things to help other people and and to help out a little bit. I mean, I think that keep putting it off isn't the answer. I mean, as long as Austin can do it. I mean, that's the other point there.

That was totally the intention tonight.

Yeah, I know. I know. And I mean, can't help that.

But again, anybody that has repairs that they need to do, they need to contact our department, contact Austin, because we're required to keep track of those costs. That's one of the mandates given to us that we have to do.

Is there any way we could possibly schedule this earlier if Austin is good?

We can try. If you guys would want to schedule it in a week or two, we can do that.

The quicker that we are informed. We have questions that people contact us. Me and Melinda were just talking that week of the 8th is free. We have nothing. It's always our off week. Providing Austin is okay.

that he's available in his schedule. I don't have that for me right now.

I agree with Susie. The sooner the better that this gets out there somehow.

Would you want me to try to target the 11th?

That might be an issue for me, but I mean, if it's everyone else is good, I mean, I don't want to hold it up. I mean.

And we would record it like we normally do with all these meetings. It would be available for anybody to watch. I believe the 11th.

Yeah, for the museum.

Oh, I don't know. What's the ninth even? That better for you, Josie?

Yeah.

Okay.

Eighth or ninth, maybe?

I'm unavailable in ninth already.

I know it's tough, but nice to get that information spread.

I mean, the eighth is two, too.

Does the eighth work out for everyone?

My birthday. Well, we have to do it.

She's bringing cupcakes. That's what I heard.

Should we try the eighth?

Seeing that everybody's nodding their head and I don't see anybody.

Everybody fine with the eighth?

Yes. I will love you.

I'm sure there's a lot of people whose minds are really twisted that would like to at least hear.

Is there a way that we can get that presentation is going to be done that night? I mean, I saw just the two people here. I'm sure, I mean, other than seeing it on my agenda and on the agenda Facebook page, you know, we really didn't, the information wasn't out there. I think that there's a lot of people that questioning everything that's going on. And I think that if we, even if we just put it as a single post on the Facebook page and get the information out, I think that would be a really good thing for our community to get people involved in that.

What about the fourth? Life board? Maybe for the fourth?

Oh, June 4th?

Next Thursday?

Next Thursday?

Yeah, that works.

Providing Austin's okay. Are we still getting a few cupcakes?

Yeah.

On the walk, on the walk.

I think we've given enough ideas because really we're looking at Austin, what his availability is. He needs to take care of himself first and

PB Harmon Zuckerman, It sounded like everything was good that he should be able to come next week back to work so PB Harmon Zuckerman, I used for the fourth. I mean, and then we'll just have this meeting just for that presentation, which is fine. PB Harmon Zuckerman, And then more council members are we going to shoot the 25th for special counsel.

PB Harmon Zuckerman, And then our next planning Commission 18

Oh, we'll meet, we'll plan right now, planning on to meet the fourth. And then we can determine at next, next Thursday, we'll determine if we need to meet on the 18th.

Sorry, John.

And then if the fourth don't work for Austin, just have him pick a date. We'll have to make it work.

Yep. Okay. Next question.

The item on the agenda is adjournment.

I'll make that motion to adjourn.

Okay, motion's been made. Seconded to adjourn a meeting. Meeting's adjourned at 5.35.