SUTTONS BAY TOWNSHIP

PLANNING COMMISSION

Wednesday, March 1, 2006 6:00 p.m.

Suttons Bay Township Office

 

 

CALL TO ORDER:  Meeting called to order at 6:30p.m.

 

 

ROLL CALL:  Vice Chair:  Tom Nixon; Commissioners: Jeff Corbin, Doug Periard, Cristal Guinan, Shirley Wall (was absent from 7:00-7:35p.m.), Jon Walter and Don Gregory. Quorum established.  Absent:  Jerry Bergman and Ron Send.

Staff Present:  Rochelle Rollenhagen and Steve Patmore.

Guests Present:  Kevin Endres, Vincent Bertram, Kris Send, Ray & Jan Pezzi, Pauline Walters, Dave Jacobsen.

 

APPROVAL OF AGENDA

Consensus to approve the revised agenda as presented.

 

PUBLIC HEARING – Rezone request submitted by Vincent Bertram 06-003

Zoning Administrator

Steve Patmore informed the Commission that the applicant desires to change the said parcel from agricultural to residential zoning.  The parcel is approximately 30 acres located at the end of Stone House Rd.; a private road.  There is agricultural zoned property to the north, west, and south; residential to the east.  Notices were sent out to property owners within 300ft.  The applicant is asking for a conditional rezoning that would allow up to 20 units in the Residential District as an alternative to the 30 lots possible under Residential zoning.  The existing road must be brought up to Township standards for private roads when developed.


Applicant

Kevin Endres, engineer from Gosling-Czubak representing Bertram, stated the applicant would like to rezone to residential and develop the 30 acre parcel located off Stone House Road.  With the high slopes and layout of the land Bertram would like to develop a maximum of 20 units, with a conditional rezoning.  A lot of time went into designing the road on the main ridge to lessen the amount earthwork and dirt removed.

 

Vincent Bertram stated he would like to keep with the natural topography as much as possible.

 

Enders mentioned the slopes fall within the ordinance and the property has never been used for agricultural purposes that he is aware of.

 

Zoning Administrator

Patmore discussed the parcel’s consistency with the Master Plan, the density being a top issue, the parcel being adjacent to residential property, that the parcel is not likely to be used for agricultural purposes, and that Stone House Rd. is a private road currently shared and will have to be brought up to the current standards.  Suttons Bay Village owns property to the south of the said parcel and it is currently being used for the piling of stumps and brush; it is not a licensed dump and would not be used for anything but tree-like matter.  Patmore stated the property used to be a dumping ground.

 

Planner

Rollenhagen added that even though the Master Plan specifies the ridgeline that runs through the acreage as prime farm land, residential zoning may be applicable for this area.  It is designated as Rural Residential in the Master Plan and could be considered consistent.  Rollenhagen stated that she consulted with Village Clerk Dorothy Petroskey about the adjacent land owned by the Village, and historically, it has been a dumping ground accessible from Herman Rd.

 

Public Comment

A letter was received from a Ralph A. Steimel, 695 W. Broadway, Suttons Bay,

in opposition to the project. 

 

Guest Kris Send of 657 Stone House Rd. stated although she is not an original property owner she spoke with a neighbor who was and they stated that they assumed the road would not extend any further.  She stated her concerns for traffic issues regarding the number of additional houses.

 

Ray Pezzi of Lakeview Road currently owns a parcel on Stone House Rd.  He stated his concerns with the very steep slopes on the said parcel and the poor shape of the current road.

 

Jan Pezzi, wife of Ray, stated her concerns for the standards of rezoning.

 

The Commission discussed standards and property owners meeting them; there have only been three rezoned parcels in the past six years.  The Thorntree Project does adjoin to the Bertram property.

 

Endres discussed that most of the development will be on the other side of the ridge, away from the current neighbors, and mentioned about 12,000 yards of dirt will have to be removed from the parcel.

 

Public Hearing closed at 7:14p.m.

 

Commissioner’s Comments

The Commission discussed the time frame of the project, the accurate amount of units, conditional zoning, how the conditional zoning will run with the parcel, the access of the land, cluster unit development, the contortion of lots and uniqueness of the land, the use of the private road, and traffic issues.

 

Bertram stated he was not interested in clustering at this time.

 

There was a consensus to table this discussion until next month’s regular meeting so that the members of the Commission may review this project.

 

PUBLIC COMMENT

None

 

REPORTS

Zoning Administrator Report

Patmore stated there have been no land use permits issued and 2 land divisions in process.

 

It was discovered in January that a tiny sliver of property within the Narrows Project is on Township property.  The developer came to the Township for advice on the issue.  It is currently zoned agricultural and is allotted one dock which it currently has.  Patmore will look further into this issue.

 

Motion for the Township Office to further explorer whether or not the DEQ was supposed to notify Suttons Bay Twp. for the public hearing that allowed the permit to be approved, and if so that Suttons Bay Twp. send a letter to the DEQ requesting another public hearing on this issue.  Move by Corbin support by Gregory.  Ayes-7, Nays-0, Abstaining-0, Absent-2.

 

Patmore and Rollenhagen will look into clustering and how it applies to residential and agricultural zoned areas.

 

Planner Report

March 15, 2006 the Annual Joint Meeting at Horticultural Office.

 

Zoning Ordinance Committee Report

Discussed below

 

Township Board Representative Report

Tom Nixon updated the Commission on TWP business including the process of acquiring the 45th Parallel Park Project and the Herman Park Project.

 

Chairman’s Perspective

None, absent

 

 

OLD BUSINESS

  1. Attorney Comments on Office Transition District

The TWP attorney found a few minor areas of concern, most are administrative comments.  The Attorney also stated the Commission should designate property for rezoning to Office Transition.

 

(Walter left at 8:10p.m.)

 

The Commission discussed the minor issues; the Planner and the Zoning Administrator will look into this for the next regular meeting.

 

  1. Draft Language Section 12.6 Landscape, Greenbelts, Buffers, Screens and Fences–Discussion

 

There was a consensus to discuss this issue at a later date.

 

 

NEW BUSINESS

  1. Minutes

Approval of minutes for the January 4, 2006 regular meeting.  Move by Gregory support by Guinan.  Ayes-6, Nays-0, Abstaining-0, Absent-3.

 

  1. Committee Assignments 

Motion to keep the Committee Assignments as it currently is.  Move by Guinan support by Periard.  Ayes-6, Nays-0, Abstaining-0, Absent-3.

 

  1. Planning Commission Priorities-OTD.

 

 

COMMISSIONERS’ COMMENTS

Consensus to amend Article X Open Space Residential Land Development to include the Residential Zoning District and set a public hearing for the April 2006 regular meeting.

 

 

ADJOURNMENT was at 8:34p.m.

Motion to adjourn.  Move by Periard support by Wall.  Ayes-6, Nays-0, Abstaining-0, Absent-3.

 

 

Minutes submitted by:  Shelly Routzahn