Planning and Zoning - Regular Meeting

[Music] [Music] 6:00 and we like to call this public hearing hearing to order. Uh we have three issues to talk about here in the public hearing. The first is a request for conditional use for vacation rental located 304 East Center Street for Jacqueline Clarity. Does anybody here have anything to say about that? Okay, no one's here for that. So, we'll go on to the next one. The second request is a request to reszone property located 501 South Grand Street from residential one to commercial owner of Southwest Baptist University. Is there anybody here that'd like to talk to that? Yes, sir. My name is uh Darren Crowder. I'm the

vice president for regional campuses for Southwest Baptist University. Um I'm from Boliver, Missouri. And so um as you have before you um and I believe we discussed a couple months ago, we are looking to potentially um reszone our our property. Um, we have seen a declining of enrollment over the past few years and we have a desire to stay in the Salem area to provide education in the Salem area um through a couple different opportunities. We've had some interest um in our facility and so um we currently have a um a a contract um in discussions with Compass Health and um and so we are looking to reszone that facility so that it could be used for office space and then out of that they will lease back to us um educational space um and so that we're able to stay in the Salem area and and provide education. So are there any questions or anything I can Yes, sir. What do the neighbors think of resuming? Um, we have not had neighbor feedback, positive or negative, on that. So, have you asked them? Um, we have asked some feedback, but we haven't received any any feedback necessarily. So, the the property itself um is in line with the behavioral health clinic, which is also still R1, and then the former workshop area, which is also R1. So making that strip there um commercial I think falls within line of of what the use is of the property and then um in future Joe and I have looked at it in the future zoning maps that you all are looking at that piece of property is also you know the city's looking at potentially moving it in the future to commercial as well. Yes sir. What amount of space is going to be available for educational purposes? What amount of space? Yeah.

What amount of space? Um, we're still working on what that would what that original uh we're still trying to discuss that and try to figure out what their space needs are and what our space needs are. We know for sure that we will retain the basement area. If you've been in that facility, we have our nursing um lab and nursing education in the basement. Um, we've had conversations. We're going to still need um some office for our office people and then um and then we'll also retain um at least one large area for a classroom and then have access to two or three other areas for classrooms as needed as well. And so I think what we've discussed is really maybe changing where we use it, but as far as the square footage footprint goes is using what we're currently using. We we currently are not using that entire facility. So due to due to lower enrollment. Correct. Yes, sir. Okay. Thank you. So your zoning here, you have a am I under the impression you have a contract to sell the facility to Compass Health? Yes, sir. Yes, we have a contract. Yes, sir. And that contract, I would assume, would be contingent on them receiving commercial designations. That is one of the things that they would like to see in the contract. So or in the property. So it's a school building that's own commercial. I'm sorry. Is the school building presently commercial? No, the the institutional building. So all that property is currently R1. So So the university building itself, the facility itself is currently zoned at at your R1 status. So that's where where we would just like to see it zoned to what to the use that it's that it's being used as. So if I owned one of those houses and

had my life savings in it, I would be I would be uh concerned if that right in my backyard became a uh a nonresidential. Who's going to guarantee that that's going stay an office building all these years. It could become a Burger King right in your backyard or a garage if there's no guarantee. I don't think in your current zoning that it and Jared, you would know better than I would. I don't think in your current zoning it become a garage. Correct. Speaking like an automotive garage or something. He's talking to Burger King, but um Burger King might um would probably be able to be in a commercial zoning without any uh but anything anything more um uh what am I trying to say? Anything more than than downtown commercial or or restaurants or things like that would have to come through planning and zoning for conditional use. the way our codes are right now. After our workshop the other night, uh I think she kind of laid out some of the issues with with that. Um but with it with a commercial designation, um it couldn't be any more um invasive than than downtown shops and uh restaurants, things like that. And and Ben Maneri from Compass Health is here and he could speak to what their use is if you'd like to hear that um of what they actually will use the facility for. I think they their goal is also to do the same thing as we are doing is trying to figure out how to stay long-term in the Salem area. So they're not looking to turn around and and get rid of that property. They actually want to expand um their services and and things that they're doing as well. So you want

to come in and just make promises or predict the future, but I can tell you 14 or so years ago when I first stepped foot in the existing Salem office that we have now, we had one youth provider, one individual and a floating supervisor who saw and provided supervision to individuals in multiple locations. Since that time, we're now up to for our youth services two supervisors and employ two full teams, some of which are in the room this evening. We're committed to Salem. We've grown to the needs of Salem. We have capacity to serve and like where we're at and we're run out of space. This gives us an opportunity to keep meeting the needs of the community, doing the things we're already doing here and hopefully to continue to just do what we can to meet mental health needs in the community. So, nothing that we're not already doing, just different location. Yeah. So, we really see it as a as an opportunity for two organizations to kind of come together and and continue to help Salem thrive. I think that's admirable and I agree with that. If I only want to go home and have something other than another residence or something, I would like I would think that I would want to know more information. So anyway, I would have to say that if residents haven't been contacted personally and that's what I would but I'm not the majority I know that public notice was was placed. Do you know any feedback was given by Well, all total between the two uh this this hearing here and the one that we had previous that's run in the

paper for uh four plus weeks. So I know I know there's been a lot of notice out there. Yeah. So they've had ample opportunity. Well, two weeks ran two weeks uh in the paper the last hearing that we had about the the same request and that is run two weeks prior to this one as well. Question. Thank you. Thank you. Now I guess we have for the request for conditional use for Compass Health to provide counseling services in the residential just what you're the residential zone located 501 South Graham owner Southwest Baptist University. So you're want to change that to for conditional use. Yeah, I think so. So so this was based on our previous meeting and previous conversations. I mean, I think ultimately based on your zoning maps and the plans that the city has, I think our request is to make it a commercial property. Um, and then then but if that is not the desire of this committee, then our next request would be that you grant Compass um conditional use of of the property so that so that they could do that. So that's why that's why you have both of those. Thank you very much. Does anybody else have anything to say about that? Well, I guess we would close the hearing and move to the public meeting. So, I guess we need to have a roll call. Sherman's here. I'm here. Who's absent? Who's absent?

If you're not here, raise your hand. So, I guess it's time for us to discuss. The first thing to discuss would be the acceptance or the rejection of the conditional use for the vacation located 304 East Center Street by owner Jackie Fl. Have you looked at it? Yes, sir. I have uh uh been in contact with uh Jacqueline went over and inspected uh last week. Believe it was last week, week before. Uh everything was in place. The only thing they didn't have at that time was a uh a guest book with information. They've since got that rectified. Um place is newly remodeled. I don't think it's been lived in or used since it uh was remodeled. Nice place. Uh plenty of parking. I would just say and I probably will vote for it here, but I have a concern long term as we see more and more housing taken out of single family dwelling situations and made into seasonal rentals. We're already at a critically low amount of housing in Salem. And so at some point I think either city council members or this planning zoning needs to do some serious thought on how many rentals we will make available for and also having

been former owner of Holiday Express and Crossroads in and suites here um you know suddenly it's it's not an even field that I can turn. So that's that's just my little speech. So but I would hasten to say I I don't think at this point my personal observation is at this point we're probably not overpop populated on seasonal rentals, but I can envision today that that could become a problem. I have a quick question. Do we have a I mean each one of these has to have some kind of conditional use permit, right? Correct. Uh is there a way we can find that out? Uh how many how many vacation rentals or how many conditional uses in this kind of category? Um because I know as we move into more zoning talks because we're talking about redoing the uh and making like a a contingent plan or what was it a comprehensive plan for the city, you know, with zoning being a part of that. I think we can actually find that out, you know, and see if we wanted to set a limit later on. That that's a different conversation than what this one particularly is. But it to answer to answer your question, Mr. ODM, uh so uh maybe to clarify, they they are allowed without a conditional use uh permit in a commercial zone. Uh it's in when they're in a residential zone that they have to have a conditional use permit. U as far as how many uh Tammy would have that on file, they have to have a vacation rental license. Um, and when they're in a residential zone, this is part of that licensing process. Okay. Yeah, it's just some for later. Um, other than that, I I don't really have I would move

to move to approve. I I don't know if we're approving a uh accept the recommendation or how would we Yeah, I would move to accept the request for conditional use for the vacation rental at 304 East Center before that's second. Could I have more discussion? U does having been designated as a vacation rental house, does that change the property taxes? According to Jamie Homer, it does something. Yeah, I don't I don't know anything about taxes. I know that uh that uh they are able to collect the uh tourism tax. That's correct. They will be paying tourism tax on that. Yeah. Enforcement of that item has been rather lax. I would ask you to say on which my observation what collection of of tourism tax again. Yeah, that's not something we have purview over. Right. And that's and the county collector says that's not something I'm I'm here to enforce. No. So, it's it is a problem. I'm not saying we have mass nonolction, but there are ones that are not being collected, and no one seems to want to step forward and be the enforcement officer for that. Did we hear a staff recommendation already? Did I miss that? Do we have a staff recommendation? Oh, I don't think I said, but my recommendation would be to uh uh uh recommend the conditional use. Could I ask you a question? What is the advantage of the owner of the house to to have their house

designated as that over as just a house for rent in say so if you're a house for rent you could rent it out for 30 days if it's your choice could you not or you could rent it out for two weeks you could so you could rent it out for a year if you have a home so with a vacation rental it's limited to 30 days maximum um and I don't have one, but I've heard from people that do. The for them the advantage is um lower maintenance um lower a lot less wear and tear. You don't have people there for extended periods of time, years, um tearing things up. They're they're usually in and out with a deposit and um things are kept pretty pretty clean. there's a little more income for the for the owner, I believe, as opposed to long-term rental. Um, but that's just what I've gathered. I don't I don't personally have any experience with it. So, there is another piece, Dr. Berts. Most of these folks who set their homes up as vacation rentals use a platform such as Airbnb or VBRO or there are several others out there. Using one of those platforms, not only do the folks renting the home get to rate the home and how well the host did, but the hosts can rate the renters. And so it creates its own kind of tracking system and history of how well they've done. Did they tear the previous place up? So, so you kind of get this rating of the renters. I'm familiar with that. Yeah. So, so, so there's a benefit there. You don't get that when you're just normally renting a home. them to pay the $35. Do they have to be a member of a platform like this? There a motion on the floor. We had a mo we had a motion to accept the request.

We're looking for a second. Second. Okay. All in favor of accepting the request? I All right. Okay. 341 against accept recommend the council that they accept. Okay. Now we will go on to the acceptance or the rejection of the request to reszone the property located 501 South Grand Street from R1 commercial to uh to commercial from Southwest Baptist University. What do you have to say about that? Your separate request. The first well I guess yeah the first request is to resone I have a quick question more about like uh the uh process here if we accept it or or does that nullify the next one? You know if we were to accept it and or if the council were to make it a commercial they wouldn't have to worry about the conditional use for Compass Health. Right. Correct. If uh if if it's the pleasure of the board to reszone this property commercial, then we would uh so it would nullify number three. Yeah, we table that indefinitely. Okay, that's what I was just a question for. Okay, let's Does anybody have anything to say about that? If I may, uh just as last time, the recommendation from staff would be to uh reszone this property. Um, it's a large piece of property. Uh, remember how many acres? I don't have that off the top of my head. Was it seven and a half, eight acres? Um, it's a couple of blocks worth

of land. So, it wouldn't necessarily be a a spot zone in in that regard. Um, it joins up to or it's across the street from other property. It's been used as commercial. Uh, the issue with not doing without reszoning this is you've got a a structure on there that without being zoned without being reszone to it another designation other than R1. That structure could only be used as a single family residence um which would very much limit the use of that of that building um and not couldn't be used for its intended purposes. Um it would be a little bit cumbersome to be as a to be used as a one a single family residence. Um anyway, there's if there's more questions, those are those are the the that's the biggest issue that I have with uh keeping the zoning the way it is. Really would tie the owner's hands as to how they recommendation staff recommendation is to re is to reszone. It's already being used as offices already and it has been for the past 15 20 however long it's been there almost 30 years. uh you know because you're going to have educational facilities and classrooms and things but there are offices there already. It's it's not like you know and in the past like yeah a a Burger King or anything hasn't you know has been there about as long and they've moved across the street to where the the highway traffic was. It's not necessarily a highway traffic zone. I don't think we're going to see major any kind of like major traffic. We're not going to see a, you know, a Taco Bell or, you know, Wendy's or anything in there. It'd be a very, very odd place for them to do it. I already know businesses kind of along that strip that are already somewhat struggling with visibility. Uh, I know uh Jet Jet Tire in particular is kind of down that stretch a little ways and they're already having trouble trying to figure out what they're doing with like getting

recognition and viewership. So, I don't think we're going to have a lot of that. Secondarily, as you stated before, one of the recommendations from MRPC was to actually turn that entire section to a neighborhood uh business district. Uh so it's, you know, at this point, you know, we're already somewhat moving towards a different zoning uh categories and different zoning classification system. So I think we're already, you know, it may be a, you know, two years from now or something, this may be a moot point that it's commercial in itself and it may be changed again to a commercial business district as recommended by a planning and zoner uh by trade. Uh those are it's also you know right now Compass Health is I think um behind uh the bank area there. Uh you know it's it's it's it's already in kind of a section that and we haven't seen like a lot of complaints or anything about those those areas being within those neighborhoods already. Moving it from here. It's not really going to change the building aspect. It does have enough parking which is nice. It's got more parking than you probably already do now. um you know, which makes it it's a I think it's probably ADA compliant, you know, being that it's a school zone. You know, it probably has the doors and everything that's more available. I think letting this go to commercial makes a lot more sense than it did. It previously was an industrial zone, you know, at one point that was a the train yard. So, I like the idea. You got two community organizations here that are going together to improve each other and I like that. I think the idea of that is good. I also like the growth of that. You know, we're going to be growing a business here. Compass Health is going to be growing from their smaller office to a larger office, bringing in more jobs as well. So, that's another another

point of contention I'd have. But I don't I don't know why I'm going to call on you or act like it's What's the current zoning for the uh drug treatment center? Uh it is currently zoned residential R1. Residential R1. Yeah. It never So those uh those properties uh along that where the railroad used to be. uh they were never reszoned anything commercial or anything but but those uh the the SPU built there was allowed to build there and the zoning should have been changed at that point uh whenever the the u behavioral health center went in zoning should have changed at that point uh as well or or before any of that stuff happened. So, we're kind of This is a a retroactive kind of request in my opinion. I think the workshop is industrial, actually. Yeah, the workshop and all along that other strip on the other side of the road from you is actually industrial, which makes sense with the railroad there, but the railroads been gone for years and years and years. Any more questions for me? I have a real heartburn here and and it really has nothing to do with with the Darren and I have had friendly but frank discussions at length. Uh money was raised here in Dent County, not a few hundred thousand, millions of dollars to build that facility. very little come from the mother ship. I always like to say out of Oliver. Uh essentially we've been self- sustaining and I see this and really doesn't have this is just a beef that I've I've gotten. I' I've got a chance to have a little stand here and so everybody knows

where I stand. I see SPU quickly going out and all we're going to see is their tail the glow of their tail lights as they leave town. with several million or a million bucks or whatever they're selling the facility for. And it's our money that we put into it. I know personally I've donated. I've spent a lot of hours. I've bush hog their facility for 19 years in a row at no charge. I mean, and there's people that have certainly contributed lots more than I've contributed. uh the gods in particular were big contributors, but there's lots lots and lots and lots of other people that have contributed and suddenly it's gone. He's exactly right. It's I mean it's it's gone and it's, you know, I would appeal to SPU to at least return some of those dollars back to D County. That's just my appeal. But as far as the zoning's concerned, this really has nothing to do with the zoning and I will vote tonight for the zoning. I voted against it the other night, but that's I just need to say my little piece. I appreciate the way you kept I didn't realize you I' drive by Sherman's only people that drive lawnmowers around town. people offers, right? And you know, I was driving by there and you're keeping I really appreciate the way you're keeping that lower portion of that property mowed. That looks nice. The neighbor tells me you're mowing it twice every two weeks there and I appreciate that. That's a bright spot there because there's some stuff there that doesn't look as good and I appreciate that. Can I just address I share with you all please? Sure. So, it it is not SPU's

intent to pack up and leave town. So, we are appreciative of of the Salem community and and and one of my roles as vice president regional campuses is try to get the regional campuses to work. And so, like I shared previously, one of our issues is a declining enrollment. The only thing right now that that is showing growth in enrollment is nursing and outside and right now a lot of the nursing is coming from outside of this area as well. And so this move is actually to try to help sustain us in the Salem area and to stay as long as we can to try to keep things. You know, over 30 years ago there was starting of fundraising and and things done and and SBU has come alongside and put those dollars to use by providing education in the community. And it's our desire to continue to stay and we see this as a plan to to kind of help us do that. Is it true that the birth rate I mean there are going to be less kids in the next few years. Yeah. So up at least till 38 right now we see when you look at traditional students you see a drop off. That's where I actually see the value to the mothership if you will Sherman. Um for regional campuses is that we attract non-traditional students with the regional campuses. And so I think there's opportunities for us to grow that to grow those, but we have to be able to get the the finances rightsided and get get the campus budget to be able to work in the positive way by not having the facilities cost that really helps us um be able to focus solely on what programs will will work and what we can do to kind of drive enrollment. So So our desire is to stay in this community. I think they have a good idea. I think we have compass. It's important and I think you are working together to make each other a little stronger. I appreciate that. All that said, I'm going to move to accept the request to reszone the property located at 501 South Grand from R1 to commercial.

calls me a little bit, but I'll second it. Okay. All in favor? I I concerned for the people with the housing, but I'm going to vote for it. Okay. We will recommend to the council that they reszone that as requested that nullify number three or do we should we still I think the number three then will be withdrawn. Is that correct? Okay. Well, does anybody else have anything to say about anything else? Do we have a motion to adjurnn? I have make a motion we second. All in favor? I. All right.