Planning Commission - Special Meeting

the order with the gavl and say you're going to say a few words. Yeah. Or I was just gonna

I'll just say this and then Yeah, we're not going to slam the gavl and call a Hurry up. Sit down.

All right, you may begin.

Good evening everyone. Uh, welcome to the city planning commission meeting. Uh, Chairman Fudge uh has a note here that he'd asked us to read. So, uh, he requested that the, um, chairman Fudge requests that the planning commission members be informed that he was advised by the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission not to vote or participate in tonight's meeting uh, or this evening's meeting due to a potential conflict of interest. And as this is the only item on the agenda, he was advised to just go ahead and skip the meeting. So, uh, you also notice that, um, our vice chair, Nelson Jet, is not present. Uh, and so, um, because both the chair and vice chair are not present, uh, then we need someone to make a motion to elect one of the members that are present to run the meeting. It's called the chairman prom. So, if we we'd entertain a motion for one of the members to nominate someone to run tonight's meeting. I will motion for Jeff Bane to run our meeting this evening.

Second. Um, we also need I I guess under Robert's rules, we just need somebody to also open the meeting since we haven't officially done that. So, somebody wants to do that, then we can take up the motion. We need a motion to open the meeting. We don't need a motion to open it. We just need somebody to say, "Let's open the meeting." Open the meeting. I declare the meeting open. Let's go. We'll open the planning commission meeting for tonight since there's been a motion by Forbes and a second by who's Davies take up that motion

yes we ready discussion on the motion Okay. How do you vote? Oh, me? Yeah. We're not using the We're not using clickers. We are, but you missed it. He got a little too quick. So, did you vote in favor? Okay. Perfect. I was fooling around looking at

Okay, perfect. Okay. So, Jeff Jeff will run uh the meeting this evening. Um so, if you want to start with item number one, we will start with roll call. Mun here. Matthews here. Bane here. Fudge Jet. Forbes here. Worl here. Vanson here. And Davies here. A quorum is present. The current copy of the Open Meeting Act of Nebraska is posting at posted at the back of the council chambers. Feel free to refer to that if you need to.

And just since uh since Jeff mentions the Open Meetings Act, um I was also asked to just read this as well. Uh notice of this meeting was given in advance by posting in at least three places in the city as follows. the North Plat Public Library, the Lincoln County Courthouse, and City Hall offices. Notice of the meeting was also given to the chairman and all members of the planning commission. Availability of the agenda was communicated in advance notice and to the chairman and members of the planning commission. This particular public hearing notice was also published in accordance to Nebraska's Open Meetings Act in the North Plat Telegraph, which is a newspaper of general circulation within the city of North Plat. Uh that was all done 10 days in advance of the public hearing specifically on July 26th of 2025. Additionally, notice was provided to neighboring property owners within 300 ft of the subject property by service uh service by first class mail which was postmarked on July 25th of 2025.

Notice to the public hearing. The planning commission values your input and wants to hear from the audience. During public hearings, anyone wishing to speak must first be recognized by the chair. Once recognized, please approach the podium. State your name and address. Please keep your comments to less than three minutes. Repetitive and excessively long testimony may be ended at the discretion of the chair. With that, the public going to read this one.

Public hearing file number CU25-00004. Discuss and consider action on an application trucks and tiaras in inter intergenerational academy for a conditional use permit to allow daycare center to be located at 491495 west state farm road in an A1 transitional agricultural district on property described as part of the southwest quarter southwest quarter of section 16 township 13 north range 30 west of the six principal meridian Lincoln County, Nebraska.

Okay. And with that, um, you should have all received a copy of the review comments. Um, attached to that is some information regarding the, um, trucks and tiaras itself. As far as um, operating hours and then a location, a couple of location maps. As stated, the applicant is requesting to occupy a portion of Osgood Elementary School building to be used for a child care center. Replacing a child care center that occupied the space for from approximately 2020 to 2023. It will not require a new structure should not have a detrimental effect on the surrounding property owners. The child care center typically has no more than 5 to seven cars in the parking lot at any one time. Benefits of allowing this child care center will be to maintain the existing 100 child care spots and add an additional 40 to 60 child care spots, increasing the number of available child care spots for the community. Planning staff has no objections to the conditional use permit application. The property has been the location of an elementary school for decades. As the community changed, the use changed and the school became home to a preschool and daycare facility until recently. Placing replacing the use with another daycare child care facility will not be a detriment to the surrounding property owners. Um, the applicants are here if you have any questions for them and I am happy to answer any additional questions you may have.

Otherwise, the public hearing is open. So, Come on up. State your name and address, please.

Uh Ryan Pury. Uh R Y N P U RD Y. Uh 334 West Weaver Heights Road is my personal address, North Plat College address, 601 West State Farm Road. Um as I said, I'm the president of Midplains Community College, and I just wanted to clarify some assumptions and and some misinformation that has spread regarding the purchase of Ozgood. Uh the college has discussed the possibility of an early childhood education center on campus for many years and long before I was in my current role. The cost of a suitable facility and the revenue shortfall that was being experienced with a Mcook child care center were the major deterrence at that point. At MPCC, we continuously look for ways to attract and retain more local students to stay in our service area and be physically present. We know that nearly 90% of our students from our local service area uh are our students are from the local service area and about 90% of those students stay within the service area. Programs and activities that provide these opportunities will be considered. When Ozgood was listed for auction, its location, size, condition, and design fit well within the items noted above. We had no intent on soliciting tenants when we bid on the facility. I had talked to a few people regarding our desire to expand our early childhood education offerings, but nothing beyond that. Our intent was to take the next 18 to 24 months to plan for more permanent use the facility while watching the population shifts in our area to provide needed workforce skills to fill the new jobs that came with these population changes. There was already a tenant in the building and it was noted in the bid documents that the new owner would assume the lease. It was our intent and was shared that we would work with the tenant and allow them to stay through June 30th, 2026 with some modifications in the agreement. Trucks and TRS was informed of the current tenant and it was asked if collocation would provide any conflicts for the child development center and they answered no. Shortly thereafter, the current tenants position changed and they informed us they would not be honoring the current lease would not be paying rent. So Midplains Community College asked them to vacate the property. The college did not solicit trucks and Tias and the first introduction of the parties was June 11th, just two days before the college closed on the property. The college had no information regarding the the lease status. At that point in time, the plan was to leave the building mainly vacant,

except for the current tenant while we took the time to plan the future. New academic programs require extensive planning and research and also require approval from the Nebraska Coordinating Commission for Post-Scary Education and the Higher Learning Commission accrediting body. New athletic programs require approval of both region 9, our competing region, and the National Junior College Athletic Association. These requirements, intents and governing board approvals can take more than a year in most cases. Midplains already has an early approved early childhood education program in Makook. An expansion of that program that utilizes the partnership does not take additional approvals. We have no plans to solicit additional tenants of the space. We're working closely with trucks and TRS on practicum space for our students and the education classes. While the children center may not be college age, the ability of our education students to have the space on campus is a perfect example of why this makes sense for the partic for the partial use of the former uh elementary school for the next two years while we plan for its long-term future. The arrangement with trucks and TRS will require the payment of utilities and property taxes assessed on that portion of the building as they are not exempt from property tax. This arrangement is educational. Ozgood was built for education and it will be continued to be used for education. Thank you for your time. Good evening. I'm Colton Ventyer, 112 North Dwey. Uh I'm an attorney uh primarily based out of Goththingberg. I I practice once a week here in Northplat. Have done so for the last year. Um I need to make a clarification based on a report from this weekend. I don't represent uh Chucks and Tiaras or Holly Hill in any legal capacity. Um, so how do I get involved in this conversation? About eight years ago, I became involved in child care discussions in my community. Uh, since that time, I've consulted with uh dozens of communities across the state of Nebraska and spoken multiple times uh across the state and federal level on

the importance of highquality early childhood education. Uh I have done so um as a way to uh indicate the the downstream economic importance of child care in our smalltown communities and to highlight the the extreme need that we show in rural Nebraska especially. So when we look at this particular application I want to talk about numbers real quick. So census data shows the Nebraska Children and Families Foundation through their Communities for Kids initiative has identified that North Platt has 1,099 children under the age of six who have all available parents working. Those are the kids that we would typically think need to have child care. If both parents are in the workforce, they need someone to look after them. But as a community, you have 811 licensed child care spots. I say licensed because those are the only child cares that are uh that are eligible under Nebraska law to operate child care facilities. Unlicensed providers are not permitted to do so. So when we look at that 1,099 and take off the 811, we identify we have a gap of 288 kids who have all available parents in the workforce who need child care. So when we look at this application, Trucks and TRS currently serves 100 children or that's what they're licensed for. if they were to lose their space, which they are under threat to do, that would be a drop of over 12% of your license capacity spots in North Plat. Now, this is a discussion that came up midmay, well after the auction took place on May 1st. Trucks and Tiaras was notified by their their current landlord that they were going to terminate the lease at the end of August to no fault of Chucks and Tiaras. They did what any business, small business should do. They tried to find another place to locate. They reached out to the community college and have worked to create a public private partnership that is ultimately going to benefit this community because they will not only be able to serve the 100 kids that they're currently licensed for, but

they will actually be licensed for 180. You will see an increase in childcare capacity of over 10% in the community. At the same time, the community college through its educational program will be able to have its its students uh earn their practicum hours at a location on site. But the flip side of that is you have children who will use this facility who will get to benefit from being educated by individuals who are moving forward to the professionalization of the workforce. Uh the second piece is as a community college we certainly have a student population that are go that is going to need child care and this will serve this serve that care um in a location close to those students. And the last piece when it comes to child care a lot of question a lot of times I get the question why do we have such a problem? The reality is is the business model is broken. Providers cannot charge what it costs for them to provide highquality child care. So when we have conversations about overhead and and items like rent, they had to be very careful when working with the community college. If the college came in as a private commercial property landlord and asked for an exorbitant rent based on their return on investment, this would not have worked for this childare facility. But through this partnership, they are covering just their cost to the community college. And as a result, they're improving access. Uh they're improving your capacity spots by over 10%. I'm going to turn it over to Holly Hill as well, and she has some things to share. Thank you.

Hi, I'm Paulie Hill. I'm the owner and director at Trucks and Tiara's Intergenerational Academy. Uh it's 521 East 9inth Street. Um I have a couple letters from some parents that um wanted their voices heard but weren't able to be here. If you guys want to pass out, you guys have any questions for me? I'd be happy to answer them. Okay, thank you.

Hi, I'm Val Hyde. Um, I'm a resident of North Plat. I live at 721 West 8th Street. I'm also the coordinator for Communities for Kids Lincoln County. Um I just wanted to speak briefly on the mostly the numbers that um they spoke about just briefly. I think he he took most of of the data that I was going to share, but I just wanted to share that really focus on that um that gap number and that's provided by the Nebraska and Children's Family Foundation. Um I have copies of a few copies of that if anybody wants to see that report. Um so just focusing on that number. Um and that's really how our nonprofit started many years ago was when um another child care center went under. Um we know how difficult it was for our community then. Um so I just think this would help everyone in the community um to pass this. Um and if you have any more questions um just about capacity numbers and um any data about child care, you can reach out to communities for kids county.

Thank you.

Good evening. Uh my name is Jordan Boston, local resident, address 4315 West Phip Avenue. Um, I'm a proud North Plat resident, small business owner, and a parent of two children directly impacted by your decision tonight. Uh, I'm here to urge you to approve the conditional use permit for Trucks and Tiier's Daycare to operate in the Ozgood school building. Uh, this is more than a zoning matter. It's a pressing need. Uh, this if this permit is denied, 85 families, 100 children will lose child care in this city where it is already hard to find. Um, the solution is right in front of us. Ozgood was built for learning and designed for kids. Uh, yes vote allows trucks and tiers to keep doing what this space was meant to do. Caring for children, supporting children, and supporting working parents. Uh, preventing this child care crisis for dozens of local families. Thank you.

Should I read these, Bill? Should I read these? Hello. Um, I'm Julie Peterson. Um, 402 West State Farm Road is my work address. I'm the interim director at UNL's Research Extension and Education Center. Uh, the direct across the street neighbors from the Ozgood building. Um we have about 50 full-time faculty staff um there at our center and we have about 30 to 40 um more seasonal and temporary students who come in and work with us and mo many of them live uh there at the center right across the street. We've had um two of our married graduate students who've had kids um when it was Ladybugs um at Ozgood. My own kids um go to Ladybugs and were at Ozgood. Um I'm also one of the statistics, right? Two working um adults in the family. We we experienced the closure of Kids Academy looking for a spot in town. We're really lucky to be picked up at Ladybugs and be literally across the street from where my kids were um when they were at Ladybugs there at Ozgood. So just a lot of value for the university's research and extension center right across the street as as neighbors to Ozgood um and neighbors to Midplains there. Hi there. Uh, my name is Bryce Harvey, uh, 2618 Pawnie Avenue in North Plat. I am a 24year-old, uh, single, soon to be a dad through the miracle of adoption. I'm adopting a little girl out of foster care in Lincoln County. Um, I run a marketing agency and serve North Plat full-time. I love this community and its commitment to quality child care and education. Uh my mother serves education. Um we have deep roots in our area. As a single foster dad on the road

to adoption, Trucks and Tiaras has been incredible. Um and it's been a great source of support for me as I travel and I'm often between North Plat and Carney. Trucks and Tier's current lease ends on August 31st, 2025 and they need to move. They have a perfect opportunity to expand into the current Osgood Elementary building. This move would be a huge win for the community, allowing them to care for more than 60 children and create new jobs. We all know that early childhood education and care is a pillar of our community. I'm very grateful for Holly and uh just for the care they provide because they don't give you a manual when it comes to this. I'm learning and as going into this uh being single and adopting a little 5-year-old is is terrifying. And so it's encouraging to have uh have Holly and a daycare that I know that I can trust and um I can get behind. Thank you.

Thank you.

Good evening. My name is Antonet Madden. I reside at 402 West William here in North Plat, Nebraska. Um, starting off on a a more personal level, I was raised anti-public school. I was homeschooled. I have 14 siblings and I was anti-daycare. I am a single mom of two. I have a three almost four-year-old boy and a one-year-old girl. They were being taken care of by family. And when I found out that my that the family was placing them in a dangerous situation constantly, I reached out to Holly very late on a Thursday night, not even knowing anything about her. She was suggested from someone. And I said, "Hey, like I need care. What's the She's like, "Hey, why don't we meet? Let's meet up. Let's see if Trucks is a good fit for you, a good fit for the kids." The next Monday, they were enrolled. They've been there since March. So, it's only been about six months. However, they have had amazing experiences. They come home and my three-year-old is so excited every day. He goes, "Mr. Ryan taught me a song. We played outside. He colors. He's very independent. He's grown a lot. He has learned friendship and values in a he's young, but his mind is absorbent. We have um currently trucks has the opportunity to move into Osgood. As parents, any of us that are parents, grandparents, or just around children in any sense of care, you know how important it is for your children to feel safe and comfortable with their care providers. My children feel that way. They feel that way. And it is extensively important to me. Excuse me. Um, we have the opportunity to help trucks and tiara's intergenerational academy, sorry. Um, not just survive but thrive in our community. I've only lived in North Plat for just over three years and

the experiences through the child care is amazing. The experiences that the kids have had. I work for the public school system and that is a point that if you told me a year ago I would be there, I'd say no way because that's a scam. But it's not. the care that they receive, the learning they receive. It starts at a young age. It's not just high school, middle school, college. It starts when they're newborn, one-year-old. My one-year-old daughter will pick up her toys. She's learned to speak from Trucks and Tiara. She's learned so many things as a young child. This is our chance to support Trucks and Tiara's intergenerational academy as they grow. The move would allow them to care for about 80 more children. That's up to 80 more families who will have access to high quality care. It also means they will be able to hire more staff, providing valuable jobs to our community. By approving this move, you're providing a seamless transition for an organization we all value, and we're investing directly in our community's future. Thank you for your consideration.

Thank you. Good evening. My name is Patrick Jacobson, 805 Stewart Avenue. Um, this daycare isn't just choosing to move. It has to move because their lease was up. Stopping this relocation affects 100 families or no 100 kids and 80 families and dozen of working parents who depend on daycare every day. So, this isn't just about politics or property. It's about keeping child care available for our community. Thanks for your concern.

Thank you. Gary Pearson, president, North Platinary Chamber Development Corporation, 502 South Dwey. I guess I'm just going to state the obvious. Um we uh deal with existing employers and recruiting new employers to the community um u every day and uh it's a reoccurring theme. We hear uh from employers that uh child care is a a huge issue. Uh it is a community responsibility to deal with it. I'm also involved with uh one Nebraska, six regions as is Emily and uh this is a common theme we hear all across the state of Nebraska is a concern over child care and and so uh it's an issue as a community we definitely need to address and u this seems like a a good fit in a facility that was meant to for education. Anybody else?

Uh, my name is Megan Schroeder and I live in 702 Amazon Avenue in Well Fleet. Um, I'm a parent of three children attending Trucks and Terara's Daycare and have for the last five years. My children, as well as myself, uh, will be directly impacted by the decision before you tonight. I'm here to emphasize the importance of the approval of the conditional use permit for Trucks and Terrace Daycare to operate in the old Osgood Elementary School building. This is not merely a zoning consideration. It's a matter of community need and continuity of care. As a working parent, I require the approval of um the conditional use permit because access to dependable and secure child care is vital for me to effectively support my family and fulfill my professional responsibilities. In a region already experiencing a shortage of child care options, this would place significant strain on families and employers alike. Approving this permit means supporting working families like mine, helping us balance our responsibilities while ensuring our children have a positive and secure place to grow. I respectfully ask that you vote in favor of this permit, ensuring that Osgood continues to serve its community and support working families in a meaningful way. Thank you.

Thank you. We still have letters up here. Um, Miss Hill, I was just going to mention that if if you if you want to have these letters from the parents that you handed around here, if you want them read in for the public hearing, you can read them in as part of the public hearing if you'd like to. Mr. Chairman, I move we close the open the hearing. We

have a motion to close the public hearing. A second. Okay, the public hearing is closed and so now you guys have the right to discuss amongst yourselves and I'll try to answer any questions if you have any.

Think it's a no-brainer.

I I move that we find the request for a conditional use permit to allow a daycare center to be located at 491-495 West State Farm Road in an elementary school building meets the minimum standard stated in the North Plac code of ordinances section 156.322 and approve and a grant that and grant the conditional use permit requested with the condition that all elements of the application are complied with based on the following factual findings. One, the use shall conform to all applicable ordinances, laws, and regulations of any governmental jurisdiction. The use shall have adequate water, sewer, and drainage facilities. Ingress and egress shall be so designated as to minimize traffic congestion in the public streets. The use shall in all other respects conform to the applicable regulations of the district in which it is located. and the you shall be in harmony with the character of the area and the most appropriate use of land.

Second. We have a motion to approve and a second. Okay. And this will move on to the city council with a positive recommendation. City council meeting will be held at 6:00 right here um following this meeting

and all you have to do is motion to adjurnn. Motion to adjurnn. Just adjourn. Thank you everybody for coming.