Planning & Zoning - Regular Meeting

I'd like to call this meeting of the Republic Planning and Zoning Commission of June 8th, 2026. Sorry. Never mind. Could I call attendance, please?

Commissioner Alexander. Commissioner Means.

Here.

Commissioner Jabrava.

Here.

Commissioner Heider. Commissioner Mann. Here. Commissioner Copeland?

Here.

Commissioner Crosby?

Here.

Chairman Ellis?

With that, now we will move on to the agenda. Do I have any motions for approval?

Motion. Board changes? Second.

We have a motion and a second. Will you call a vote?

Aye.

Next on the agenda is approval of minutes. I'd like to request a motion to table until next meeting.

I request a motion to table. Second.

A motion and a second. Could I get a call?

Commissioner Crosby?

Aye.

Commissioner Means? Aye. Commissioner Njubrava?

Aye.

Commissioner Copeland? Aye.

Okay, next on the agenda is the meeting procedures. Would you please correspond with that?

The planning and zoning committee provide testimony and present evidence to the commission during the public hearing. Speakers are required to conduct themselves in an orderly and respectful manner. Disruptive behavior, including applause, yelling, speaking out of turn, or other inappropriate behaviors will not be tolerated. Additionally, the following applies to any person addressing the commission. Speakers are limited to five minutes unless authorized additional time by the chairperson. Speakers must speak at the podium unless previous arrangements have been made by the chairperson. Speakers must legibly print their name and address on the sign-in sheet at the podium prior to speaking. Speakers must begin by stating their name and address. Speakers should speak clearly and into the microphone. The chairperson will announce the subject of the hearing, followed by the public may not address the commission after the close of the public hearing unless requested by the chairperson. The Planning and Zoning Commission shall base their recommendation and or decision on information and evidence presented during the public hearing. This decision, if required by the application, will be forwarded in writing to the City Council for further consideration.

Thank you very much. We have one public hearing today, PDD 26-003. public hearing and possible vote to recommend the approval of an application to change the zoning classification of approximately 5.25 acres located at 2125 East Hamilton Street from Oak Courts Plan Development District.

Chris Tabor, Principal Planner. Morale Republic LLC has applied to change the zoning classification of approximately 5.25 acres of property located at 2125 East Hamilton Street from Oak Court Plan Development District, PDD, to Morrill Assisted Living Plan Development District, PDD 26-003. The property subject to the rezoning application is comprised of four lots, again, totaling 5.25 acres of land, and is located on the southeast corner of the intersection of North Oakwood Avenue and West Farm Road 174. Specifically, the application includes the properties 1032 North Oakwood Avenue, 1078 North Oakwood Avenue, 2067 East Hamilton Street and 2125 East to establish a memory care assisted living facility. The PDD would allow only for this specialized residential care use that combines multi-family housing characteristics and commercial operations. Such facilities provide long term care for those individuals suffering from cognitive impairments and who are reliant on assistance. These residents would occupy private rooms but rely on a 24 hour professional staff for assistance. The development plan includes 80 total bedrooms and is spread evenly throughout five buildings, 16 units per building, with the density of 15.24 dwelling units per acre. Where the development plan does not, the purpose of the plan development regulation is to allow for mixed use, unconventional or innovative arrangements of land and public facilities, which would be difficult to develop under the conventional land use and development regulations of the city. Plan developments must demonstrate substantial congruence with each of the following conditions. The proposed development plan shall involve the provision of all infrastructure deemed necessary to adequately serve the potential development. The PDD includes provisions to supply the site with municipal water and sewer and a plan for storm water management. The proposed development plan shall involve design elements that promote the city of republic's comprehensive plan and other adopted plans of the city. The City of Republic's comprehensive plan promotes the expansion of commercial and residential development at locations supported by the city's infrastructure to secure safety from fire, panic, and other dangers, to promote health and the general welfare, to provide adequate light and air, to prevent the overcrowding of land, to avoid undue concentration of population, to preserve features of historical significance, to facilitate the adequate provision of transportation, water, sewage, schools, parks, and other public improvements. The PDD is designed to provide a necessary service promoting the health and well-being of individuals requiring special care in this community by providing an option to families to remain close by. The city's comprehensive plan generally encourages the expansion of residential and commercial development throughout proactive rezoning of land that appropriates a plan identifies land use goals and objectives relating to development as follows. Goal to support market conditions to develop a greater variety of residential and commercial options. Objective, to support a variety of housing developments and styles to ensure a range of options are available. Goal to support new development that is well connected to the existing community. Objective, encourage development that improves and expands upon existing infrastructure. Goal, to recognize potential infill sites as opportunities for development while mitigating impacts to adjacent established property. And the objective is to support the development of vacant parcels as opportunities for densification harmonious with the surrounding development. The subject site is surrounded by a range of uses across both developed and undeveloped properties. Court Plan Development District, PDD, which allows for multifamily residential and commercial uses. These parcels are undeveloped. To the west is general commercial C2 and medium density single family residential R1M. The R1M portion referenced is undeveloped and exists as part of a split zone parcel that also includes C2 on the parcel. A portion of the referenced general commercial C2 zone property is occupied by a single family home. The land uses permitted in the applicant's proposal are considered to be generally compatible with the surrounding commercial and residential zone properties and uses in proximity to the subject parcel. The site is currently served by both City of Republic Sanitary Sewer and Water Service. The effluent from the project would flow all the way to the Schuller Creek lift station where it would then be pumped to the wastewater treatment plant. The water system lift stations and the wastewater treatment facility have sufficient capacity to serve the proposed development. The project consists of only private circulation and will utilize an existing shared access along Oakwood Avenue. It will also create two new access points along Hamilton Street. A traffic impact study was not required for this application. Staff determined that by limiting the property to the assisted living use trips by occupants made the amount of trips marginal. Most traffic is expected to come from employees. No additional access will be granted off of Oakwood Avenue and no new access will be permitted off of Farm Road 173 identified sinkholes. All developments must include site design, providing for sufficient emergency vehicle access as well as fire protection facilities. Additional elements of code compliance evaluated at the time of the development proposal which will impact the development of the subject property include but are not limited to the city's zoning regulations, the adopted fire code, and adopted building codes. The next steps in the process of development of the subject parcel upon a favorable rezoning outcome will be the application review of a final plat. Staff considers the proposed zoning map amendment rezoning to plan development district to be generally consistent with the goals and objectives of the comprehensive plan Generally consistent with the trend of development in the vicinity of the site, generally compatible with surrounding land uses, and without the benefit of evidence and testimony of a public hearing, staff is recommending approval of the application.

Thank you. Do we have a representative of the applicant that wishes to speak? Please come forward. If you haven't signed in yet, please do so.

I think really just want to be able to provide any information back to you guys if you have any questions as opposed to speaking on the development. I think, Karen, you're familiar with it, but do you guys have any questions about what we're doing and kind of model?

If we do, that will come up a little bit later once we've heard from all parties.

I conceptualized several years back. It just wasn't in the place and at the time to be able to put focus on it. But the word that stands out to me with this project is dignity. And in the very recent past, A dear, beloved neighbor of ours, who we adopted as a grandpa, was put into a state facility as he was transitioning from his home. And he could no longer care for himself. And where they put him, which is not too far from this very spot, was a 100 to 1 patient ratio. And the last night that he was with us, my wife felt strongly to go visit him. And in this facility, he didn't even have a blanket covering him. I'm local, I live down the street just over on the Nixa side. It was a place that I wanna be able to go visit mom and dad anytime I want, make sure they're okay. And on top of that, these are more like homes, they're not facilities. If you ever walk into one of these, like a big home that you'd wanna come home to, the patient care is one to three. And so for us, it was something that would add tremendous value to the community, but more so the people aspect. Each one of these have lots of light, big windows, comfortable accommodations, and the grounds are going to be like a campus. There's going to be open gardens and places that people can be outside and have their families, more importantly, there to support them and spend time up there. And the biggest thing I wanted to get in this, it is a very meaningful project to us. It's something I'll probably be be on site more than several times a week just to make sure it's running the way I envision it needs to run. My wife, she was active duty Navy. She was nurse for a long time. So we've seen a lot of things like as far as medical facilities and nursing homes and this sort of asset class that's run really well. We've seen the wrong way to do it. And so she just wants to make sure that people like our neighbor and your neighbors and our parents have a place that they can call home and are treated with respect. So that's all I really want to say about it. I really appreciate the opportunity. Thank you.

Well, thank you very much.

Gentlemen, can you both state your name and address for the record, please?

My name is Dane Logan, 535 River Oaks Drive.

Thank you.

Is there anybody here that wants to speak in favor of the application? Is there anyone here that wants to speak in opposition of the application? Hearing none, we will close this hearing and discuss. Does anyone have any questions or motions?

I do have one question just based on experience as well with yours. I mean, is it gonna be a secure facility where they can't perhaps wander out onto Highway 60 or?

Yeah, a great question. So all the memory care and everything are going to be secured facilities. So there will be no ability for them to wander anywhere. And then constantly.

So to add to that too, we're utilizing a lot of technology that's available now with AI and kind of the camera integration. So when they are outside, it's actually monitoring how they're doing outside, making sure they're not a fall hazard, knowing how long they've been out there. So even if somebody doesn't have eyes on them, They're tracking them. We kind of can, basically through data, go, hey, let me go check on them. Like, it's 60 degrees outside in about three hours. Like, let's get them back inside. And so we're just trying to utilize a lot of the technologies available today to, again, it needs to be secure. And it will be, especially in memory care, there will actually be a physical barrier. But we're going to use plants and things like that to kind of to make it not look like they're fenced in so they can still wander around but just make it like you know it's very much like you said a campus is very I mean the landscaping is going to be over the top and part of that is we don't want to feel like they're trapped inside a fence but the reality is they for their safety and others like they need to not be able to wander on the street it's a really good question motion to approve second we have a motion and a second

Please call the vote.

CHRISTIE WOODARD- Commissioner DeBrava? Aye. CHRISTIE WOODARD- Commissioner Copeland? Aye. CHRISTIE WOODARD- Commissioner Means? Aye. CHRISTIE WOODARD- Commissioner Crosby? Aye.

CHRISTIE WOODARD- Well, thank you very much. You are more than welcome to stay for the rest of the meeting if you so wish to do so. Next on the agenda is the citizen participation. If anyone would like to have any matters discussed outside of this hearing. Seeing none, next on the agenda is the community development department update. Chris, is there anything on the agenda?

So tonight we are just doing PNZ 101 for our update. We're gonna start back up with these. We'll do these at every meeting. We're here when we did them last time. We'll provide a short kind of bit of information each meeting and cover a different topic just to kind of familiarize yourselves with the role and then all the different duties, everything that we interact with in this commission. Tonight we're gonna start at the beginning with the commission formation. So the legal authority for the municipal land use and control begins at the state level with Chapter 89 of the Missouri Revised Statutes. This chapter is the one that was passed in order to grant Missouri municipalities the mandate and police power to oversee the function of both planning and zoning duties. In this case, planning is the forward task of preparing for long-term geographic and economic growth in the city. while zoning focuses on the more immediate regulation of land, specifically creating, modifying, and maintaining the zoning ordinance for the city. And although state law technically allows the city to create two separate bodies, one for the planning function and one for the zoning function, it also permits them to be rolled into one if the city so desires. And to formally establish this body, the city council must pass an ordinance of creation taking these powers into the city. So for municipalities that do choose to establish a commission, Missouri state statute imposes strict regulatory guardrails regarding the composition and the terms to ensure oversight. So the state requires that the commission consist of a minimum of seven and a maximum of 15 total seats. Importantly, five of these must be citizen residents who serve as active voting members. So people in the community must be represented by at least five of the members. To maintain institutional knowledge and prevent complete turnover, citizen commissioners serve a staggered four-year term, and state law mandates that they may not receive financial compensation for their services. Additionally, statutory provisions make it optional for the mayor to sit on the commission or for the city council to select a formal liaison to participate in the proceedings. Both the mayor and the liaison our non-voting members. Now we're going to move on to the local application of these laws in the city. So we apply these laws through Chapter 400 of the Republic Municipal Code. This represents our localized framework for community planning here. And this chapter acts as the City of Republic's official legislative acceptance of the responsibilities, duties, and police powers that the state permitted to us. So rather than operating under two different bodies, as the state allows, the Republic Municipal Code utilizes the flexibility given in the statute to go ahead and create one body combining all of those responsibilities into one. So it combines both the long-range planning initiatives and the day-to-day zoning functions into this unified body. This helps to ensure that development decisions align with the goal set forward in the city's comprehensive plan. Locally, the Republic Municipal Code refines the state's guidelines by establishing a 10-seat configuration, which expands to 13 total available seats when accounting for the three designated alternates. The commission consists of seven municipal ward. So in order to create the most equality throughout the commission, we're required to keep at least one member from each ward. What we try and do is kind of space that out as much as possible. And so usually we have two from three of the wards and one from one ward to make up the seven main commissioners. The citizen members are formally appointed by the mayor and are subject to the consent and approval of the city council. Again, you serve four-year terms, and that is unless somebody is removed for cause. Within the commission, leadership positions are self-selected and include a chairperson, a vice chairperson, and a secretary. These are chosen from among the citizen members and cannot be the liaison or the mayor. Non-voting seats are automatically made available to both the mayor and a designated city council liaison, as well as and then we'll continue forward and kind of dive into those each individually. Thank you guys.

Based on that, on one of your lines that had something about non-residents being available to be on PNZ, is that something state statute but available in Republic and how does that work?

So we don't allow, our members all have to be residents. The only possibility for, I guess, a non-resident would be the BUILDS administrator. Wouldn't have to be a resident for here. But all of the citizen members do have to be residents.

All right. Thank you very much. With that, is there anything else that needs to be covered?

That concludes the city.

Commissioner Crosby?

Aye.

Commissioner Dubrava?

Aye.

Commissioner Copeland?

Aye.

So adjourned.