Kentwood Committees & Boards
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Minutes for 08/11/2009B>APPROVED MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING
OF THE KENTWOOD PLANNING COMMISSION
AUGUST 11, 2009, 7:30 P.M.
COMMISSION CHAMBERS
A. Chair Winczewski called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m.
B. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Commissioner Groce.
C. Roll Call:
Members Present: Maurice Groce, Dan Holtrop, Ed Swanson, Frank Vander Hoff, and Chris Winczewski.
Members Absent: Betsy Artz, Laurie Sheldon, Don Yokom, and Johngerlyn Young
Others Present: City Attorney Jeff Sluggett, Community Development Director Terry Schweitzer, Economic Development Planner Lisa Golder, Planner Joe Pung, Staff Secretary Monique Collier, the press and about 38 residents.
Motion by Commissioner Holtrop, supported by Commissioner Vanderhoff, to excuse Commissioners Artz, Sheldon, Yokom and Young from the August 11, 2009 meeting.
- Motion Carried (5-0) ?
- Artz, Sheldon, Yokom and Young absent -
D. Approval of the Minutes and Findings of Fact
Motion by Commissioner VanderHoff, supported by Commissioner Holtrop, to approve the Minutes of July 28, 2009.
- Motion Carried (5-0) ?
- Artz, Sheldon, Yokom and Young absent -
E. Approval of the Agenda
Motion by Commissioner Holtrop, supported by Commissioner VanderHoff, to approve the agenda for the August 11, 2009 meeting.
- Motion Carried (5-0) ?
- Artz, Sheldon, Yokom and Young absent -
F. Acknowledge visitors wishing to speak to non-agenda items.
There was no public comment.
G. Old Business
Case # 6-09 ? CBS Digital Billboard ? Special Land Use and Site Plan Review for a Dynamic Display Billboard located approximately 4250 Saladin Dr. West side of I96 North of the Forest Hill Avenue Overpass.
Planner Pung introduced the request. He stated the request is for a special land use and site plan review for a dynamic display billboard. He stated the proposed billboard would be located on the west side of I-96 approximately 1,500 feet north west of the Forest Hill Avenue I-96 overpass. He stated the proposed billboard would be 672 square feet in area with a maximum height of 40 feet above the ground. Pung stated the billboard would only have one face which would be oriented to the southeast to be visible to west bound traffic. Pung stated the zoning ordinance restricts the frequency of change of the message /display to no more than once every 5 minutes; video is not permitted. Pung stated the maximum brightness cannot exceed .2 foot candles over ambient light levels measured within 150 feet of the sign.
Planner Pung stated the planning commission tabled action at the last meeting to enable the applicant to: A) provide additional detail/definition of the viewing cone. B) provide detail on the spillage of light beyond the viewing cone and provide comparison between digital and static billboards. C) allow further discussion with neighbors on east side of I-96. and D) work with Sabal Pointe Condominiums to the south. Pung stated Mike Hucul provided a packet of information regarding light spillage, photos of digital billboards in the day and in the evening and information of viewing cone. Pung stated there are also several emails and letters from residents from the surrounding area.
Chair Winczewski stated the public hearing was closed two weeks ago, but he expressed his intent to open the public hearing again.
Mike Hucul was present representing CBS Outdoor. He displayed photos of the digital sign at 131 north of 28th Street at different angles during the day. He displayed a photo that was taken 300 feet away 60 feet to the left and stated it is at ground level and the same grade as the road. He displayed other photos that were: 300 feet away 90 feet to the left, 600 feet away 30 feet to the left; 600 feet away 60 feet to the left; and 600 feet away and 250 feet to the left; and 600 feet away straight on, aligned with a 10 foot high tree 250 feet away. Chair Winczewski stated at the last planning commission meeting we wanted a comparison to a non LED Billboard. Mike Hucul displayed photos of a non LED billboard as well.
Chair Winczewski asked about the viewing cone. Hucul displayed additional photos of the viewing cone angle. Hucul displayed photos that show how much light spillage is coming off signs at different angles.
Chair Winczewski stated at the last meeting Hucul talked about the importance of having visual sight of the sign as you come up from under the bridge, but the data at 1200 feet is saying zero percent luminance Winczewski wondered whether the sign will even be visible from the bridge. Hucul stated they will see it but you may not be able to read it, but you will see that it is there and it will catch your eye.
Chair Wincewski stated when the LED billboard zoning ordinance amendments were looked at one of the concerns was the brightness. He stated that the Outdoor Advertising Association of America recommends to their group a level above ambient that their billboards should be set to avoid making residents upset but also to get the advertising to be something that stands out. He stated their recommendation is .3 foot candles, and when we adopted the ordinance we wanted to be more strict at .2 foot candles above ambient we are 30% less than what this agency recommends their members use. Winczewski stated foot candles is how bright a candle looks from 1 foot away.
Winczweski stated some of the emails/letters that were received had questions about ambient glow and whether this will make the clouds light up. He stated he thinks Mr. Hucul answered that question with one of the photos behind a tree.
Commissioner Swanson stated he would like to know more about the dimming issue. Mr. Hucul stated there is an automatic dimmer that will go down to 4% of its lighting capacity at night and the ambient light conditions is picked up through this automatic dimmer and adjust accordingly. Mike Hucul quoted a report, regarding digital billboards recommendations and comparisons to conventional billboards. Hucul stated in this study the amount of light directly emitted into the atmosphere by the digital billboard is 2260 luminance this compares to the value of 31,535 for conventional uplit billboards. Hucul stated their digital billboard operates at 8% of that conventional billboard.
Commissioner Groce asked if there were any other billboards in the area similar to the proposed. Mike Hucul stated the one that he considers similar is along US131 north of 28th Street on the east side; because the east side is completely railroad it is dark and there are residential homes that are within 250 feet of the billboard.
Chair Winczewski opened the public hearing.
Jim Halstead, 2046 Shiloh Point Dr.; Earl Clements, 1765 Forest Hill Ave; Don Oosterhouse, 4217 Sabal Point Ct; John Allinder, 4311 Woodside Oaks; Deb Droste, 4460 Oakleaf; Debbie Hall-Jansen, 4307 Sabal Point; Mike Schmidt, 4507 Cloverleaf; Jim Zandee, 1818 Whirlaway Ct; Toby McCarthy, 4742 Venetian Dr.; David Raffo, 4452 Burton Forest Ct.; Tim Jasperse, 4419 Cloverleaf; and Sandy Lummen were all in opposition of the Billboard. They had concerns about the lighting and wanted an example of what this billboard is going to be like. They had concerns relating to whether or not there has been an environmental study done. Concerns regarding how much of the billboard will be visible from their backyards. They felt it will not be good for the residences and would like to see some sort of blockage such as trees etc. They feel it will be a hindrance and impairment to the enjoyment to the Sabal Point condominium units and to their value. They feel this will set a precedent and there will be billboards all over. Their concerns were also whether this was a financial incentive for the city. The residents also had concerns as to why this site was selected. They were also concerned because they felt they weren?t properly notified. They stated the photos Mr. Hucul presented are misleading and can?t tell how bright the sign will be. They were also concerned about what is going to happen in the future with the billboard and who is going to monitor it.
Motion by Commissioner VanderHoff, supported by Commissioner Holtrop, to close the public hearing.
- Motion Carried (5-0) ?
- Artz, Sheldon, Yokom and Young absent -
Chair Winczewski stated that with regard to the question regarding a financial incentive for the city, there is no financial incentives to the city. He did state there would be benefit to the city for this type of project in terms of the removal of four already nonconforming billboards within the city.
Mike Hucul stated they chose this site because of the curve in the road and the proximity to the amount of traffic going in and out of the area mainly going into the Grand Rapids and Cascade area. Hucul stated another thought he had was there is cell tower already proximate to the site which is 200 feet tall and it looks like a pretty good use of the land because a cell tower is already being used and they feel they will not encumber too much land with the billboard.
Winczweski asked what is the target base they would like to advertise. Mike Hucul stated they have a policy at CBS Outdoor, they do not advertise adult themes and they don?t advertise certain things around public schools. Hucul stated if they have a property owner that would request certain things not be advertised they meet those agreements as well. Hucul stated their primary advertisers for the area is Lake Michigan Credit Union and Spectrum Health.
Winczewski stated there were questions regarding the zoning ordinance and the number of billboards that might be allowed along the corridor. Schweitzer stated in terms of the zoning ordinance provision, the image that is put on the screen is static, it is set, it does not allow for any moving or revolving parts to it. Schweitzer stated the ordinance does allow the image to change no more frequent than once every five minutes. Schweitzer stated there are limitations on the lighting emanating from the sign what the light conditions are around at any given time. Schweitzer stated in terms of the publication of the meeting notice the ordinance requires that property owners within a 300 foot radius be notified of the request as well as the publication in the paper. Schweitzer stated most of the concerns that the residents have also been expressed by the planning commission as they reviewed the request on behalf of the community. Schweitzer stated regarding spacing the ordinance does require minimum of 4,000 lineal foot spacing between digital billboards within Kentwood. He stated the spacing restrictions may allow one north of the proposed sign in Kentwood, but in no means will there be allowance for one south along the I96 corridor.
Chair Winczewski stated it sounds like there are still concerns regarding light pollution and wanted to know if there is a vertical viewing angle. Hucul stated in a study regarding digital billboards recommendations in comparison to conventional billboards show that horizontally the lights are pointed in a certain direction, it is more limited vertically than it is horizontally.
Commissioner VanderHoff?s concern was why couldn?t he move the billboard a mile or two further south where there is no residential areas. VanderHoff stated if they put tall evergreen trees along the side of the sign it would focus the sign exposure more on the highway instead of the neighbors. Hucul stated they are in agreement to that. Hucul stated they have a 35 foot Douglas Fir they could plant right now.
Commissioner Swanson asked what they are agreeable in putting in as far as the trees. Hucul stated they would put about five or six trees along a 100 foot stretch along the southeasterly part of the sign. Hucul stated right now they are committed to about 40 trees at 10 foot high on the east side of I-96 and if they need to go little bit taller and space them out a little bit further they can do that.
Chair Winczewki asked what the ordinance states for setback from I-96. He wanted to know if it is possible to put trees on the west side of the freeway for the for the benefit of the neighbors on the east side of the freeway. Schweitzer stated the setback specified for this type of billboard is within 100 feet from the I96 right-of-way.
Chair Winczewski stated apparently there was a letter that went out that said CBS had some kind of special exception for the billboards. Winczweski stated CBS Outdoor came to the city of Kentwood as per the ordinance. This was also publicly noticed of the ordinance change. He stated the ordinance was recently changed this year and was handled according to our ordinance.
Chair Winczewski stated that he thinks there has been a lot of new information such as the possibility of 35 or 40 foot trees. He stated he would recommend tabling again for two weeks and allow the applicant to continue discussions with the neighborhoods as well as staff to see if we can come up with some kind of conditional approval based on tree height. He stated he doesn?t feel we are in the position to make decision at this time.
Motion by Commissioner VanderHoff, suported by Commissioner Swanson, to table Case # 6-09 ? CBS Digital Billboard to August 25, 2009.
-Motion Carried (5-0) ?
- Artz, Sheldon, Yokom and Young absent
Commissioner Swanosn stated he thinks we need a drawing where the trees will be when we meet again.
Chair Winczewski stated he would like to see an example whether it be a prop or a small 2x3 billboard. He stated he would like to be confident that .2 foot candles above ambient alleviates a lot these concerns for brightness.
Commissioner VanderHoff suggested CBS come with a landscape plan, draw where the sign will be and then how many trees on either side and the approximate height and where they will be placed.
H. Public Hearing
Case#7-09 ? Zoning Ordinance Text Amendments -Open Air Buffering Regulations
Director Schweitzer introduced the request. He stated the request is for consideration of a zoning ordinance text amendment pertaining to open air buffering regulations. He stated city staff perceives the need to provide the Planning Commission with greater discretion regarding the buffering and screening requirements for various open air businesses. He stated rather than prescribe a specific buffer zone treatment applicable to all variety of open air sales, the draft language would allow the Planning Commission the ability to evaluate the merits of the specific circumstances during the course of special land use and site plan review. He stated he is recommending approval to the city commission.
Chair Winczewski opened the public hearing.
There was no public comment.
Motion by Commmisioner VanderHoff, supported by Commissioner Holtrop, to close the public hearing.
- Motion Carried (5-0) ?
- Artz, Sheldon, Yokom and Young absent -
The Commissioners offered no comment.
Motion by Commissioner Swanson, supported by Commissioner VanderHoff, to recommend to the city commission Case#7-09 ? Zoning Ordinance Text Amendment - approval of an Amendment to the City of Kentwood zoning ordinances pertaining to Open Air business buffering regulations
- Motion Carried (5-0) ?
- Artz, Sheldon, Yokom and Young absent -
I. Work Session
There were no work sessions
J. New Business
Motion by Commissioner Holtrop, supported by Commissioner VanderHoff, Case #8-09 ? Wedgewood Christian Services Counseling Center ? Final Site Plan Review of a PUD Phase located at the southeast corner of 36th Street and Shaffer Avenue 3300 ? 36th Street SE
- Motion Carried (5-0) ?
- Artz, Sheldon, Yokom, and Young absent -
K. Other Business
1. Master Plan
Planner Golder stated the commissioners should think about the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for the city and consider the following:
1. How has the city?s outlook changed since 2005?
Golder stated the economy has changed; the furniture and manufacturing are down, more products are made elsewhere. More energy issues with gas prices, movement towards green buildings, there has been a slow done in housing emphasis on smaller housing. The Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and concerns about retail whether we are over retailed in the area, the impact of the South Belt on the commercial corridors.
Winczewski stated Kentwood has a strong policy stance open for business and we have given out tax abatements. His concern was is there any reason why Kentwood isn?t attracting more of the businesses and is Kentwood living up to the other cities in the area.
Golder stated we are doing well, we contribute to Right Place and they bring us a lot of business, because of our great location. Golder the EDC looks at that and say we have the strength in the airport but don?t take good advantage of it. We have businesses that don?t need to be near the airport, should something be done with zoning to make it an airport business area.
Discussion Ensued.
2. What role should sustainability play in the future?
Golder stated the sustainability questions are things that we deal with all the time, making work closer to home making bike paths so you don?t have to use gas, busing, redevelopment, smaller homes etc.
3. What is Kentwood?s role in the overall Grand Rapids Community?
Are we trying to have that downtown are we satisfied with commercial that serves our local area. Are we making it easy for people to get downtown by the bus rapid transit or other ways. She stated we are going to start talking about the city it has a campus as the gathering place retail component that is close by with the density that we have already.
4. Where will growth occur in the future and what is Kentwood?s response? Think of housing trends, employment trends, demographics.
What will people want in their community and how can we get there. What can we do better than other communities. We have many home options, good location, Woodland Mall, the airport. We are also known for apartments. Traffic has been an issue There is a question whether 28th Street will remain viable..
Winczewski asked would it be good to brand Kentwood is it important when people are driving down 28th Street and you past Patterson; they know they are in Kentwood. Swanson stated it would be nice to have entrance signs at the key entry points
5. What does Kentwood do better than any other community in the area? What are we known for?
Golder wanted to know strengths weaknesses etc. so these issues can enter into our principles and what do we want solved.
Strengths:
Schools, diversity, airport, neighborhoods, location, affordable housing, library, campus set up, city structure
Opportunities
Redevelopment, parks and green space, Sections 13 and 34
Threat:
Crime, code enforcement, economy, West Michigan economy,
Weaknesses:
Losing trees, diversity of income, place to go, devalue of properties; we don?t have downtown need to have things the younger generation what to do on the weekend, some kind of rapid bus line from Kentwood to downtown, sidewalk and bike trail connections
Golder stated she has scheduled meeting with various people and if any one of the commissioners would like to come she will send the list.
2. Commissioners? Comments
Holtrop stated he would like to see the multi page study the Mike Hucul referred to. Holtrop stated to encourage CBS to get as much of their stuff into them before hand so it can be reviewed before sitting down at the meeting. Holtrop asked if we can get the rules for Gaines and Wyoming on their billboards.
Discussion Ensued regarding the billboard and ambient light.
Holtrop stated Kelloggsville is putting something on this weekend.
3. Staff?s Comments
L. Adjournment
Motion by Commissioner VanderHoff, supported by Commissioner VanderHoff, to adjourn the meeting.
- Motion Carried (5-0) ?
- Artz, Sheldon, Yokom, and Young absent -
Meeting adjourned at 9:45p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Don Yokom, Secretary
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