Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

Yes.

To order the Sandy Springs Planning Commission meeting for February 18th, 2026. Uh and uh with that, let's turn it over to Sam for roll call and general announcements. Thank you, chair. Good evening, Mr. Chair, vice chair, and members of the planning commission. Today is February the 18th, 2025. Please confirm your I mean, sorry, 26. Let me start over. February the 18th, 2026. Please confirm your attendance as I call your name. Chair Reed Haggard, I am here. Vice Chair Andy Porter, here.

Commissioner Robin Conklin, absent. Commissioner Karen Trolovich here. Commissioner Sheron Clemens here. Commissioner Steven Leeds here.

Commissioner Elizabeth Kelly, absent. Your attendance have been confirmed. Excuse me. Your attendance have been confirmed and will be included in the official meeting minutes. Now I will read the announcements regarding the decorums and the procedures of the planning commission meeting. The planning commission duty is to review and provide recommendations on applications for legislative review including text amendments, comprehensive plan, character area maps, amendments, zoning map amendments, resonings, and conditional use permits. The peti the petition will be heard in the sequence listed on the posted agenda. Following are some of the rules and procedures for this part of the meeting. The applicant and all those speaking in support of the application will be allowed a total of 10 minutes to present the petition. The applicant may choose to save some of the time for rebuttal following the presentation by the o opposition. The opposition will be allowed a total of 10 minutes to present its petition position. Since the burden of proof is upon the applicant, the applicant will be allowed to make closing remarks provided time remain for the original allotted time. Staff will keep track of the time for both sides. Those called to speak will be taken in the order that the public comic cards were received by the planning and zoning clerk prior to the beginning of tonight's meeting. All those uh all speakers will identify themselves by name, address, and if applicable, organization before beginning their presentation. Demonstration of any sort within the chamber is prohibited. So, please refrain from any applause, cheering, booing, outburst, or dialogue when the person is speaking. Please show the same respect to the person speaking that you will expect to receive. The applicant will the applicant shall not submit materials to the planning commission during the meeting. All materials should

be submitted to the community development department at least 30 days prior to the scheduled meeting for inclusion in the normal distribution of packages um to the commission. Thank you, chair. Thank you, Sam. Uh before we get started, I want to extend a a welcome to our newest member, Steve Leads, who unfortunately doesn't have his name there. So, anybody watching at home, that's this is Steve Leads right here. Okay.

Welcome, Steve. Um we have an agenda for tonight that features um one case and some new business. Um, with that, anybody a motion to approve this agenda? I make a motion to approve the meeting agenda for February 18th, 2026. Second. Second. Second. And all in favor? So, move. Uh, one question, Matt, I wanted to ask you though, um, on this. It looks like you're going to bundle everything together. Is that ideally, William, the way that we should vote on it as one empty? is there really kind of three parts, right?

Yeah, at least three parts. And uh feel free though to jot whatever excuse comments that you may have and and anything you might consider you may want to adjust or whatever the uh inclination is and we'll we'll add that as a note for your recommendation. Okay. I'm fine doing it as one. That's good, right? Yeah, we've uh we we we've typically done them this way. I think in the past uh where we have them all referenced and then staff will go through it and u I mean certainly each could be picked out however you vote you can you can do however

okay all right then uh we also have uh meeting minutes from our October 20 that long ago October 22nd meeting um that uh we were I I think Sam sent us to earlier today. As best I can recall from so long ago, these look to me. I don't know if anybody did, but um a motion to approve those minutes from our last meeting. Mr. Chair, I motion the the minutes from our October meeting. Second. Second. All in favor?

All right. So with that, that's approved. Let's bring on the first case. Sam.

Perfect. Thank you, chair. 2026001 TA-26-1-development code edits an ordinance to amend the development code presented by Matthew and Spont a senior planner. Welcome commissioners and our student crowd tonight. So, we've been through this before, but we will run through it again and and I think you'll find um a little additional information. I'll try and cover that. So, just a little bit more cleanup than we had originally seen, but all still very much related to what we've been over in in brief uh previously. So for TA261 we have article six edit. Um right here we have the building placement. As you see, we discussed uh in the briefing that this just really allows for a little more administrative discretion where when you have an HVAC unit or pool equipment especially, not generators, uh that there's oftentimes a need for those uh mechanical equipment to be placed in a position where they can't currently be placed as they're not allowed to go into a setback. This would allow for up to 10 feet of discretion in that versus the current limit of 10% which usually ends up being 2 and 1/2 ft or less. So, uh, in these circumstances, the director would have the ability to allow for mechanical equipment to be placed certain mechanical equipment to be placed within or up to 10 ft of a

setback so long as there's a minimum of 5t remaining between the property line. Article seven, here we have the use table as talked about. We'll see in the O district that one of the civic uses which is promoted in the district attend statement uh is currently shown as just not allowed with that dash through it. We find that to generally be a error of omission that that was not the intent ever to to not have government facilities as civic use to be allowed in that district. So we correct that here with a permitted status for that use. Here we have in section 731 for the multi-unit type development the requirements for commercial the minimum amount of commercial. This is not a material change. This is an order change. So, we're moving 731 G3D out of G3D and into G2B, which is just the section before that. So, uh this reads a little clearer, a little bit more to the intent of what we're doing with the commercial requirements for multi-unit. Article 8 here, we talk about neon signs or or open signs or both. So this is the one extra little edit that we made after we talked with you guys at the briefings. Again, nothing really different here in material from what we told you. Just making it consistent in the section which we referenced previously. So, we referenced section 844, which is signs not requiring a permit in our original edit um in 84 3. And

to match our original edit, we simply put an exposed neon and changed it to or similar LED open sign in quotes versus what was there before, which was window sign stating open, which we thought was a little bit problematic for the intent of the code and probably for what's allowed for sign code limiting speech. Uh so going further to the original edit here we have again under 8422 not 843 the clarifying tubed or LED lighting allowance. So again in C3 you see neon or similar LED and then open signs versus signs stating open problematic are allowed at windows as specified in 844 the section we just talked about and then beyond that a little simpler explanation of what's allowed in terms of neon signs beyond that it it's an any kind of LED or pole sign like that that is Um, it cannot be exposed. It actually has to be behind some sort of face. That's it. After this, it's with council next month. Okay. All right. So, with regard to uh our case with development code edits, we've seen uh that. Um Sam, do we have any comment cards or Well, regardless, I'll open the public hearing portion of this. Is there any uh comment cards?

Nope. Not at this time. Chair. All right. With that, I will close the public hearing and uh ask if someone wants to offer a motion. Um, I will motion to approve um case 2026-00001 EA261 um development code. Okay. And your motion is to approve. All right. We have a second. Second. Second Charles. Any discussion? Anybody have any questions or anything they want to ask? Quick question. Can the Does the open sign have to say open be in a different language?

Well, that that's a good question and that's part of what I was alluding to. I didn't want to limit why how you say open, you know, because in Spanish what a Yeah. Right. It could be a different language. Um there maybe there's a little bit different way of saying the same thing without much of a difference. It's possible, but most of the time, yeah, it's going to say open, right? Conversely closed. I just didn't know if there was changes. Yeah, that's I'm good. Okay. Well, we have a motion for approval from Cher Williams and seconded by Karen. All in favor?

Uh, so moved. All right. Thank you for that. Uh, I don't know about we have ongoing business. We do have a meeting in March, correct? Um, yes, there is a meeting in March, correct? Yes. Yes.

So, um, Lita here saw a small typo in our minutes. Page three. Yeah. Page three.

Derby. Derby. Okay. Well, thank you. I will mark that and initial it. Thank you for that. And all right. Great. Thank you. Uh so our next item is new business for election for chair and vice chair. Mr. Strong. Uh Mr. Chair, I'd like to make a motion to elect reelect Chair Reaggard to be chair again and vice chair Andy Ford. Thank you. I'd be willing to do that. Uh, do we have a second? Second. Second by Mr. Lee. Any discussion?

Chance to bring it out. I would offer the by spot to someone that they so chose. I only stay I only want to be vice chair or or member because I can vote. Yeah. I'm not going to sit against I'm waiting for the big moment. I'm hopeful for this. Haven't had the big moment, but someday maybe the big moment. All right. Well, with that, uh, we have a motion from Aaron and seconded by Steve. Uh, all in favor? So move. Is there anything else? Yes. Yes, Michelle.

So, some announcements. Um, so next meeting, you mentioned that, right? March 18th, we'll have reszoning at Portland. And then on March 19th, I need to mention our design guidelines open house. If you guys are interested, it will be downstairs in the lobby next to the piano. So, it should be a great event, right? I don't know. But, um, that'll be our public open house for the design guidelines on that day. And then, of course, on March 20th, day after that is the BOAP trade. So, busy week for us. Not to mention on March 17th, mayor city council this item. So, Well, as long as Matt is as efficient as he was tonight, then that shouldn't take very long.

I held off while wrapping. I hope that's okay. I think you should save that for a 17. Love it. Yeah. All right. Anything else? More comments for the team. just I know there were a lot of questions I had around the that last item and thank you guys so much for the adjustments that you made. It makes so much more sense to me now and I think it's clear to the public. So, thank you. Yes, I'm glad you brought it up. You know, we're on the inside and we're not seeing how it's seen on the outside and it looks better now. We all agree and it's written out. So, how great probably would have wanted it.

We'll adjust it again next year. It looks good. No, also before we adjourn, I just wanted to um I had hoped to be able to do it while she was here, but since she's not here, but to thank Andrea Settles for her tremendous service on the planning commission as she moves on to her her next challenge. Uh she was a great uh committee member and really contributed quite a bit to the plan. So, that someone to make a motion to adjurnn. Motion to adjurnn. Second. Second. All in favor? So, ajourn.

All right. That was fast. You can still make your pres. Where are you having wine tonight? Where are you having wine? I don't have plans. You want to go have one?