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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1997.0114.TCJWSM.Minutes TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MINUTES OF THE JOINT WORK/STUDY SESSION OF THE FOUNTAIN HILLS TOWN COUNCIL & PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION JANUARY 14, 1997 A public meeting of the Fountain Hills Town Council was convened and called to order by Mayor Miles at 6:30 P.M., Tuesday, January 14, 1997, in the Fountain Hills Town Hall Council Chambers, located at 16836 E. Palisades Blvd., Building B, Fountain Hills, Arizona. In attendance were: Mayor Miles, Vice Mayor Lawrence, Councilmen Mower, O'Brien (7:25), Apps and Councilwoman Wiggishoff. Also Planning&Zoning Chairman Bruce Hansen,Vice Chairman Leesa Fraverd,Robert Howes,Sharon Hutcheson,Judy Dragiewicz, Rick Jellies and Margaret Gelinas. Town Manager Paul Nordin,Town Clerk Cassie Hansen, Director of Community Development Gary Jeppson, Town Attorney William Farrell, Asst. Town Attorney Andrew McGuire and Jim Leubner, Engineering Dept. were also present. Councilman Poma was absent. AGENDA ITEM #2 - DISCUSSION OF THE FOUNTAIN HILLS GENERAL PLAN UPDATE. Chairman of the Planning & Zoning Commission Bruce Hansen said his group was looking for direction from the Town Council concerning the rezoning of property to bring those parcels into compliance with the General Plan. Commissioner Fraverd called attention to the fact that existing zoning for subdivisions allowed for the construction of certain projects that the P&Z Commission had deemed undesirable, but because the zoning was in order, the Council approved the preliminary and final plats. Mayor Miles pointed out that matters sent to the P&Z for consideration did not necessarily express Council approval. He admitted that the Council should significantly consider all recommendations of the P&Z Commission and predicted the Council would not approve rezoning of parcels against property owners' wishes. He said changes could be made in several developed areas of town where the existing zoning was inconsistent with the General Plan. He also suggested the zoning of undeveloped property should be examined to determine the consistency with the General Plan. Councilwoman Wiggishoff said she was concerned about serious traffic problems in multi-family areas. Commissioner Gelinas said she viewed the General Plan to set the guidelines for future development in the community and asked how often the General Plan should be amended. Mayor Miles predicted that within the next 24-30 months all land in the town would be platted for development. Vice Mayor Lawrence said he thought the previous Council had requested identification of all undeveloped parcels and suggested where inconsistencies occurred with the current zoning and the General Plan that property owners be written to determine a willingness to rezone their parcels. Mr. Jeppson stated that some owners had objected, some parcels had been changed, and pointed out specific undeveloped areas in town that were in conformance with the General Plan but zoned differently. Mayor Miles emphasized the importance of the General Plan in the planning of future transportation corridors and also proposed that the parks system should be reviewed in the General Plan. Mr. Jeppson said if the strategy for the General Plan involved plans for economic development, priorities would need to be established in terms of commercial and/or retail usage of properties considering the development of the Town Center and properties south of Shea Boulevard. Mayor Miles stated that the Economic Development Committee through their discussions had determined that the Town could not promote industrial development due to the availability of acceptable land areas and that a major shopping center such as K-Mart was not feasible for the future. They discussed the focus on the hospitality industry as well as the medical-related fields as areas that would be more compatible for the community. Councilwoman Wiggishoff suggested commercial development be encouraged around the proposed downtown area rather than spread into isolated commercial areas around town. Commissioner Gelinas suggested all aspects regarding future requirements for infrastructure and water usage demands be examined in terms of future population estimates. Town Manager expressed his concern regarding the timing of funding requests for the economic elements. Commissioner Gelinas suggested areas to be considered for the economic plan should be at the Shea corridor, the Town Center, entrances to the town, and a northerly entrance to the town. Hank Lickman, MCO Properties, stated there was a 10+ acre parcel between the Bank of Minutes of the Joint Work/Study of the Town Council& Now Planning&Zoning Commission 01/14/97 Page 1 of 3 America building and the proposed Firerock Country Club that would be developed as the third shopping center in Fountain Hills. This area is currently zoned for industrial usage and would need to be changed to commercial. AGENDA ITEM #3 - DISCUSSION OF THE MONOPOLE REGULATIONS FOR THE TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS. Chairman Hansen said the proposal to limit towers to C-3 zoned districts with a 75' height limit was a reasonable parameter for a special use permit request. Commissioner Jellies approved of the requirement for a special use permit for each tower and said he recognized the need for small towers to be placed at different elevations in Town. Commissioner Dragiewicz suggested monopole regulations be applied to all commercial areas along with a height limit subject to a special use permit request. Councilwoman Wiggishoff said she preferred towers be placed in areas where they were not visible. Mayor Miles suggested using the water tower locations. Chairman Hansen viewed the current usage of towers as temporary until the future usage of satellites increased. Commissioner Hutcheson said she favored looking at each request rather than limit the height restriction to 75 feet. She stated previous applications had requested multiple towers and said she expected problems in determining locations for each request. Vice Mayor Lawrence agreed that the site was the important decision and suggested the minimum allowance for height restrictions be applied at the present time. Chairman Hansen stated an additional consideration to the request for monopoles would include the electrical housing building. Commissioner Jellies pointed out that the special use process would give the Town adequate protection concerning the location and appearance of monopoles. Town Attorney Farrell said he could anticipate pressure from the FCC and the federal government in mandating services to everyone and that adequate sites might become harder to locate. He suggested even the Fire District apply for a special use permit. Councilman O'Brien asked whether a stipulation could be included about when the abandoned use of towers occurred the towers were be eliminated. AGENDA ITEM #4 - DISCUSSION OF THE FOUNTAIN HILLS ZONING ORDINANCE AND THE POSSIBLE NEED TO AMEND, MODIFY OR INTERPRET THE ORDINANCE. Councilwoman Wiggishoff said the permitted uses in the R-5 district should be discussed. Mayor Miles suggested the permitted uses in the industrial and commercially zoned districts be examined. He stated he thought it was more appropriate for the public to appear at initial hearings before the Planning & Zoning Commission as the recommendations made to the Council were based upon input at the public hearing. Vice Mayor Lawrence expressed his appreciation for the information provided to the Council and said he did not feel pressured to approve all P&Z recommendations but would give serious consideration to stipulations, etc. Commissioner Gelinas asked about the timetable for amending the General Plan. Mayor Miles suggested a limit of two years and that the sooner the work was completed, the more useful it would be in planning for the future. AGENDA ITEM#5 -DISCUSSION OF THE FOUNTAIN HILLS SUBDIVISION ORDINANCE AND THE POSSIBLE NEED TO AMEND, MODIFY OR INTERPRET THE ORDINANCE. Planner Jeff Valder asked about how to proceed with Item#10 in his staff report which requested direction whether to conduct meetings at a sub-committee level or involve the Council and the public. Chairman Hansen suggested the entire Commission be involved rather than a sub-committee. Commissioner Jellies suggested a special meeting each month be planned for the purposes of updating the Subdivision Ordinance. AGENDA ITEM #6 - DISCUSSION OF GOALS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE LAND USE PLANNING EFFORTS FOR THE TOWN COUNCIL AND THE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION FOR THE COMING YEAR. Commissioner Gelinas stated the reference to the Area Specific Plan for the Summit Lakes(Firerock Country Club) needed to be reviewed. Mayor Miles added the Eagles Nest Subdivision would also need to be addressed. Councilwoman Wiggishoff said she was interested in environmentally sensitive lands be stipulated on maps rather than included under open space districts. Town Manager Nordin said he had been working with Jack Fraser who Minutes of the Joint Work/Study of the Town Council& Planning&Zoning Commission 01/14/97 Page 2 of 3 was working on a task force to form a consortium with the County and the Indian community regarding preservation of open space areas. Commissioner Gelinas suggested another joint work/study session be scheduled after the General Plan revisions had been drafted. Councilman O'Brien, referring to Sections 2 and 3, said if the Town wanted to keep this area as open space, the Town would have to buy it. AGENDA ITEM #7 - CALL TO THE PUBLIC. (PUBLIC COMMENT IS ENCOURAGED BUT PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT THE COUNCIL HAS NO ABILITY TO RESPOND OR DISCUSS MATTERS BROUGHT UP DURING THE CALL TO THE PUBLIC AS SUCH DISCUSSION IS PROHIBITED BY THE ARIZONA OPEN MEETING LAW.) No one came forward from the public. AGENDA ITEM #8 - ADJOURNMENT. Mayor Miles adjourned the meeting at 8:00 p.m. TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS By: Je Miles, Mayor or iiU?kA-4--) A I hST: t Cassie B. Hansen, Town Clerk PREPARED BY: (�_< Linda D. Lemnken, Administrative Assistant CERTIFICATION I hereby certify that the foregoing minutes are a true and correct copy of the minutes of the Regular Session Meeting held by the Town Council of Fountain Hills on the 14th day of January, 1997. I further certify that the meeting was duly called and that a quorum was present. DATED this 6th day of February, 1997. Cassie B. Hansen, Town Clerk Minutes of the Joint Work/Study of the Town Council& Clwe Planning&Zoning Commission 01/14/97 Page 3 of 3