CITY OF EAU CLAIRE
PLAN COMMISSION MINUTES

Meeting of January 16, 2012

City Hall, North Conference Room, 7:00 p.m.

Members Present: Messrs. Kayser, Larson, Hibbard, Weld, Klinkhammer, Strobel, FitzGerald, Duax

Staff Present:  Messrs. Tufte, Noel, Ivory, Genskow, Spitz

The meeting was chaired by Mr. Kayser.

1. REZONING (Z-1496-12) – TR-1 to R-1, Statz Avenue

 Mr. Tufte presented a rezoning request from Temporary R-1 to R-1 on the west side of Statz Avenue, at Declaration Drive.  The property contains two lots and the applicant desires to build a single-family home on each lot.  City sewer and water lines are available in the street.  The proposal is consistent with the City’s Comprehensive Plan for single-family housing in the area.

 There was no opposition to the project.

Mr. FitzGerald moved to recommend approval of the rezoning.  Mr. Hibbard seconded and the motion carried. 

2. SITE PLAN (SP-1203) – Church Parking Lot, 125 Illinois Street

 Mr. Tufte presented a request to approve a site plan for a new parking lot for a church.  Seven (7) new stalls are proposed for the parking lot, and will be located in back where a playground once existed.  There are two stalls in the front for a total of the nine (9) stalls.  Staff has concern about the lack of green space on the small lot. The Plan Commission could grant a parking variance because many parishioners will park on the street. The other option could be to use an off-site lot, such as one south of the property and about one block away. 

David Christen, pastor for Baptist Evangelical Fellowship, stated the church is small and they will move once more space is needed.  They will put in the parking if so required.

Mr. Hibbard moved to approve a parking variance for the site plan, and included the conditions of the staff report.  Mr. Klinkhammer seconded and the motion carried. 

3.  DISCUSSION/DIRECTION

A. Bicycle Parking Standards

Mr. Ivory presented a proposed bicycling parking ordinance developed the City’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission (BPAC).  Consideration of this ordinance is a recommendation in the City’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan and was discussed at the March 14, 2011, Plan Commission meeting.  The purpose of the ordinance is to encourage bicycling in the community and make destination locations more bicycle friendly. 

BPAC researched other cities’ ordinances in developing the draft standards.  The ordinance would be administered through site plan review and apply to new additions and developments.  The provisions include requirements relating to general design and placement of bicycle parking facilities, as well as requirements for the number of spaces that would be required for the development. 

Commissioners discussed the proposed ordinance, including: the number of required bicycle parking for different types of development, design of the racks, standards for placement of the facilities, there should be some uniformity of design in special districts such as downtown, incentives for encouraging bicycling, and the language for #10 that provides flexibility for the Plan Commission in the determination of the required number of parking spaces.  

Bob Eierman, 3007 Coltman Lane, stated the City needs an ordinance so that secure bicycle parking is available at the end of the destinations, whether conducting errands or commuting to work. He described the importance of racks that have two points of contact, so bikes can be locked-up effectively. He said the University will be putting in covered bicycling stalls this spring.

Derek Parr, 1609 14th Street, stated the four (4) bicycle minimum standard was used to accommodate a commuter, a customer, overflow parking, and sufficient space.

Commission members thanked BPAC for their work on drafting the provisions and directed staff to make changes to #10 in providing additional criteria for determining possible adjustments to the parking standards, encourage uniformity of bicycle rack design in special districts, and provide greater flexibility in the placement of the bicycle parking facilities.

B. Wall Sign in-lieu-of Ground Sign

The Commission reviewed a draft amendment to the Sign Code in response to a letter from SignArt Company requesting the City to allow one additional general advertising wall sign in lieu of erecting a permitted ground sign.  The Commission initially discussed the request at their meeting on November 14, 2011, at which time they directed staff to draft an amendment for further discussion.

Currently, the in-lieu-of provision only allows an extra directory or identification sign for shopping centers.  The proposed ordinance would require a sign plan showing the additional wall sign. The Plan Commission would make the determination if an additional sign would be allowed based on considering building, property, and other factors. 

The Plan Commission discussed the draft and indicated that the wording should be added to clarify the intent of the sign located at the entrance of a shopping center.  They directed staff to set up a public hearing for the amendment with the one suggested change.

C. Wall Signs Above Roof Line

The Commission reviewed a draft amendment to the Sign Code in response to a request from the McDonald’s Corporation to allow wall signs to extend above the roofline of a building.  The current Sign Code does not allow for signage or associated decorative signage above the roof line or cornice of a building.  The Plan Commission initially discussed the request at their September 6, 2011, meeting and directed staff to contact other communities regarding their standards and then draft an amendment for discussion.

The Commission discussed the draft that would allow decorative signage features that extend above the roof line if a conditional use is granted based on several review criteria.  It was the consensus of a majority of the Commissioners that the current ordinance is acceptable and to not move forward with the draft.

D. Draft Waterways Plan

Mr. Tufte presented the draft Waterways Plan and gave a progress update. The initial draft of the plan has been completed up to the Parks and Trails, Land Use, and Urban Design chapters. 

Commissioners discussed selective clearing of vegetation to open up views and vistas to waterways.  Any redundancies in the text should be eliminated.

Mr. Tufte noted opportunity exists to provide vistas off dead-end street right of ways.  All proposed improvements will be outlined in a work plan.

E. Code Enforcement Items

Mr. Duax stated there is a limousine parked on the grass in a front yard home off Melby Street. Sleep Express and Adams Automotive may not be following the City’s Outdoor Lighting Code.

F. Future Agenda Items

 None.

4. MINUTES

The minutes of the meeting of January 3, 2012, were approved.

_________________________________
Thomas Pearson, Secretary