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Planning Commission Minutes 03-15-1983 . MINUTES REGULAR MEETING - MONTICELLO PLANNING COMMISSION March 15, 1983 - 7:30 P. M. Members Present: Joyce Dowling, Richard Carlson, Don Cochran, Ed Schaffer. Members Absent: Jim Ridgeway. Acting Chairman: Don Cochran. 2. Approval of Minutes. A motion was made by SChaffer, seconded by Carlson, and unani- mously carried to approve the minutes of the last regular Planning Commission meeting. 4. Consideration of Rezoning and Conditional Use Permit for Multiple Family Apartment Complex - Dale Hunt. . Mr. Dale Hunt of Monticello was present and requested a conditional use permit to allow for the conversion of the former Assembly of God Church into a multiple family apartment complex. The property located on Lots 1, 2, 3, 4, and the south 25 feet of the east half of Lot 9, and the south 25 feet of Lot 10, Block 35, Lower Monticello would require a conditional use permit and rezoning from the current R-2 to R-3 to allow for the proposed 21 unit apartment building. The developer noted that the church would have a second story addition added with each apartment unit having a separate gable type roof to give the appearance of individual type housing. The proposed building would contain 7 units on each level including the basement. Mr. Hunt also noted that he is also requesting a variance from the minimum lot size requirement for 21 apartment units requiring 56,500 square feet to 46,035 as he felt the present structure currently lends itself to a second story addition and thus, 21 units would fit properly within the present building size. Mr. Hunt also noted that he is planning to construct a 10 unit garage facility to meet City requirements on the property which counts towards the 42 parking spaces required. The apartment complex would be a market rent facility and would be available to all types of individuals in- cluding senior citizens. . The public hearing was open to comments from citizens and the following people were heard in response to the request. Duane Rajanen, adjacent property owner presented a petition signed by 29 area residents who are opposing the proposed rezoning and conditional use permit. Mr. Rajanen felt that the City of Monticello has currently enough area zoned for multiple family - 1 - Planning Commission Minutes - 3/15/83 . dwellings and that the planned apartment complex would disrupt an otherwise quiet neighborhood. The next person was Gene Putnam who expressed concerns over the number of children that might possibly be living in the apartment complex and questioned whether the develOp- ment would have a playground and also questioned what type of siding the apartment complex would be built of. Elaine Nelson noted that recently the City adopted a comprehensive plan and a complete set of ordinances regarding proper zoning and uses within those zones and felt that the ordinances should be adhered to. If the ordinances were always amended or variances were always granted, she felt the ordinances are not doing the job they were intended to do. Dr. Clarence McCarty noted that he was not a resident of the affected area but felt that the complex as proposed was well thought out and would upgrade the neighborhood appearance wise. In addition, he felt that the proposed change of the church building to an apartment building would be a good use of the property and would solve the problem of the building possibly deteriorating due to non-use. In addition, he noted that an apartment complex will provide a tax base for the City whereas the current use as a church is tax exempt. . Earl Nordb~pastor of the Assembly of God Church, felt that the property should be put on the tax rolls and that the property lot under this proposal will be paved and have curb and gutter installed to alleviate the current dust problem and that the resulting apartment units would result in less traffic in the area compared to the present church facility and school that is currently on the property. In addition, he felt that there would be less noise in the neighborhood and not as much congestion with the children using the 4th Street playground and streets during the week. Pdditional comments from the citizens were heard expressing similar opposition and also some epxressing approval of the proposed concept. The developer, Dale Hunt, again responded to some of the questions raised by the citizens and noted that a playground area would be incorporated into the plan with possibly some picnic tables, etc. In addition, he noted the exterior of the building will be a wood type siding of high quality in a natural type color of brown. He felt that the rental of the property would be approximately $185.00 per month for an efficiency apartment, $250.00 per month for a one bedroom unit and $325.00 per month for a 2 bedroom unit. . - 2 - Planning Commission Minutes - 3/15/83 . Chairman Cochran entered into the records the petition and letters submitted by abutting property owners, Leo Nelson, Jerry Brooks, Rev. Doug Nicholas and Mrs. Meta Mertz, which basically indicated opposition to the proposed development. Copies of the petition and letters are attached as exhibit #1. Mayor Grimsmo was in attendance at the meeting and noted that the church and school facility has been in its present location for a long time and that the neighborhood residents surrounding the property have been exposed to alot of uses from the church and school during the entire week. Mr. Grimsmo noted that churches are not very marketable and easily sold once a church use is discontinued and that the uses for the property are quite limited but that the citizens in the area should also be concerned that if an apartment complex is not built on this site, others uses of the property could be worse for the neighborhood. Mr. Grimsmo sug- gested that possibly by down sizing the complex to a smaller number of units, that some of the objections from the neighboring property owners might be resolved. . The current secretary for the Assembly of God Church and School noted that fencing around the property under the proposal would stop garbage and paper, etc. from blowing into the neighbor's yards and that the proposed black topping of the parking lot will solve the dust problem that has occurred in the past. In addition, she noted that currently there are some problems with teenagers using the property for hot rodding and that once an apartment complex is built, this would cease. . After hearing all comments from the public, the public hearing was closed and discussion occurred among the commission members. Committee Member Ed Schaffer felt that the developer had some uncertainties and was concerned about the insufficient square footage of the project. Joyce Dowling questioned whether the developer had done enough market studies to see if 21 units could be rented on this site and would be much more in favor of the project being down sized to about 12 units. Committee Member Richard Carlson felt that the City had adopted a com- prehensive plan with enough areas for multiple family dwellings. He noted that other requests in the past have been denied for spot zoning which he felt wasn't desirable as far as the City is concerned. Mr. Don Cochran noted that the building in its current situation is a problem for the neighborhood and will always be a problem unless some type of solution can be resolved. It was his suggestion that the church membership and developers get together with the area neighborhood residents to arrive at a suitable solution for the property that would @~ mutu~lly agreeable to all. This, in turn, would have all parties involved in the possible use of the building either for an apartment complex or other potential uses. - 3 - Planning Commission Minutes - 3/15/83 . After all discussions were closed, a motion was made by Ed Schaffer, seconded by Joyce Dowling and unanimously carried to recommend to the City Council that the rezoning request from R-2 to R-3 and the conditional use permit for the 21 unit apartment be denied. It was noted by Chairman Cochran that this item will be forwarded to the City Council for their action. A motion was by Schaffer, seconded by Carlson and unanimously carried to adjourn the meeting. tk uJp- Rick Wolfstelld Assistant Administrator . - 4 - .