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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes__________________________________ Plan Commission Minutes 1 November 15, 2022 PLAN COMMISSION MINUTES November 15, 2022 PRESENT: Margy Davey, Meredith Scheuermann, John Kiefer, Thomas Perry, Kathleen Propp, Michael Ford, Justin Mitchell, Ed Bowen, Mamadou Coulibaly EXCUSED: DJ Nichols, Karl Loewenstein STAFF: Mark Lyons, Planning Services Manager; Steven Gohde, Assistant Director of Public Works; Brian Slusarek, Planner; Jeff Nau, Associate Planner Chairperson Perry called the meeting to order at 4:00 pm. Roll call was taken and a quorum declared present. The minutes of November 1, 2022 were approved as presented. (Kiefer/Davey) I. APPROVE ACCEPTANCE OF A 20’ WATER MAIN EASEMENT EAST OF 2251 OMRO ROAD Site Inspections Report: Mr. Bowen and Ms. Davey reported visiting the site. Staff report accepted as part of the record. The City of Oshkosh is requesting acceptance of three easements forming a 20-foot wide overall water main easement located between Omro Road and State Highway 21, west of Brooks Lane and east of Horicon Bank. Mr. Nau presented the item and reviewed the site and surrounding area as well as the land use and zoning classifications in this area. The easement is 20 feet wide, centered on the existing water main, running north-south approximately 170 feet between the Omro Road and State Highway 21 rights-of-way. The easement will allow the City continued access to maintain, repair or replace the water facilities as needed. The City Attorney’s office has drafted the necessary easement documents. The Department of Public Works does not have concerns with the proposed easement. Public Works has been in contact with the Town of Algoma and the Town is agreeable to the granting of the easements. Staff recommends approval with the findings and conditions as listed in the staff report. Mr. Perry opened up technical questions to staff. Mr. Perry asked for any public comments and asked if the applicant wanted to make any statements. There were no public comments on this item. __________________________________ Plan Commission Minutes 2 November 15, 2022 Mr. Perry closed public comments and asked if the applicant wanted to make any closing statements. There were no closing statements from the applicant. Motion by Propp to adopt the findings and recommendation as stated in the staff report. Seconded by Bowen. Mr. Perry asked if there was any discussion on the motion. Motion carried 9-0. II. PUBLIC HEARING: SOPER ANNEXATION FROM THE TOWN OF OSHKOSH, 3400 JACKSON STREET Site Inspections Report: Ms. Davey reported visiting the site. Staff report accepted as part of the record. The petitioners are requesting direct annexation (by unanimous approval) of approximately 1.843 acres of land currently located at 3400 Jackson Street in the Town of Oshkosh. Mr. Nau presented the item and reviewed the site and surrounding area as well as the land use and zoning classifications in this area. Soper Companies recently acquired the two properties north of the subject site and is being used as a multi-use contractor’s yard which offers several types of services. The owners are currently in the early stages of a Planned Development review for site improvements. Part of the development plan includes the subject site which must be annexed into the City to allow the proposed changes to the site. The Comprehensive Plan designates this area as appropriate for industrial use which is consistent with the proposed HI Zoning District and proposed/existing use. The Department of Public Works has reviewed the request and reported that City sanitary sewer and water main, if needed, were constructed in front of the property in 1984 and 1989, respectively. The Oshkosh Fire and Police Departments have reviewed the annexation request and do not have any concerns with providing services to this property. Staff recommends approval with the findings and conditions as listed in the staff report. Mr. Perry opened up technical questions to staff. Mr. Perry asked for any public comments and asked if the applicant wanted to make any statements. Ethan Engel, 3420 Jackson St; said they are looking to combine the properties because they are out of storm water compliance and they would like to combine them all into a multi-use yard for the contractors use and storage for equipment. __________________________________ Plan Commission Minutes 3 November 15, 2022 There were no public comments on this item. Mr. Perry closed public comments and asked if the applicant wanted to make any closing statements. There were no closing statements from the applicant. Motion by Propp to adopt the findings and recommendation as stated in the staff report. Seconded by Bowen. Mr. Perry asked if there was any discussion on the motion. Mr. Mitchell asked if there was any concern or discussion regarding heavy industrial use next door to residential. Mr. Lyons said in this instance no because of how they are laying it out. The property is being acquired for the storm water pond because the current sites are out of compliance and they need to put in storm water facilities. The development that’s going to be adjacent to it will be storm water related and those properties to the south are also slated for heavy industrial long term. Mr. Mitchell asked if there are any requirements or restrictions given the interest in Jackson Street’s appearance where the storm water retention has to meet some sort of standard for landscaping. Mr. Lyons said that this will be coming back as a Planned Development, but this is the first step before it can be rezoned. When it goes forward with the Planned Development they will work with the applicant. Mr. Mitchell asked if the lot behind 3400 Jackson Street is up for discussion with this item. Mr. Lyons said no because that is in the town of Oshkosh. Mr. Mitchell said it’s too bad the frontage is going to be torn down for nothing while the back lot remains unused. Mr. Lyons said they are currently separate lots. Motion carried 9-0. III. GENERAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN AMENDMENT AND SPECIFIC IMPLEMENTATION PLAN FOR A HOTEL DEVELOPMENT AT NORTH SIDE OF 1700 BLOCK OSHKOSH AVENUE __________________________________ Plan Commission Minutes 4 November 15, 2022 Site Inspections Report: Mr. Mitchell, Mr. Bowen, Ms. Propp, Mr. Kiefer, and Ms. Davey all reported visiting the site. Staff report accepted as part of the record. The petitioner requests approval of a General Development Plan (GDP) amendment and Specific Implementation Plan (SIP) for a hotel development at the north side of 1700 Block Oshkosh Avenue. Mr. Slusarek presented the item and reviewed the site and surrounding area as well as the land use and zoning classifications in this area. The proposed development consists of a four story, 42,663 sq. ft. hotel development. Commercial indoor lodging is a conditional use in the Corporate Business Park District (CBP). The proposed plans were discussed at a Plan Commission workshop on May 3, 2022. Plan Commission voiced support for the proposed use, and recommended cross-access be provided with the neighboring properties to the east and west to improve vehicle circulation through the area and possibly including a patio on the front side of the building. Staff is supportive of the proposed commercial indoor lodging use and General Development Plan (GDP) amendment as it will be compatible with the neighboring commercial land uses. Staff recommends approval with the findings and conditions as listed in the staff report. Mr. Perry opened up technical questions to staff. Mr. Mitchell asked if the required parking is shared. Mr. Slusarek said it is new parking they are providing. Mr. Lyons said it is 96 on site. Mr. Mitchell asked if that number came from one parking stall per unit plus staff and if they allow bicycle parking to offset parking. Mr. Lyons said they have done that in the past with projects located in the urban corridor. Mr. Mitchell asked if it would be possible here. Mr. Lyons said that with the project being a hotel, there isn’t a lot of discussion on bicycle parking and they typically ask for more parking. Ms. Scheuermann asked if the concern about the “Tru” sign was the same concern as the Starbucks sign was. Mr. Lyons said that is correct. When this part of the code was developed they explicitly prohibited cabinet signs in the Corporate Business Park. To date no cabinet sign has been installed there and __________________________________ Plan Commission Minutes 5 November 15, 2022 at this point it’s consistency that with this lot and one other remaining it makes sense to hold true to what other developments have done. They can accomplish the sign with other mechanisms that are not defined as cabinet signs. Mr. Kiefer asked if the other developments in the Corporate Business Park have been allowed to be below the 75% class 1 materials. Mr. Lyons said there have been similar situations where they overall building was over 75% with a single elevation being a little under. Mr. Perry asked for any public comments and asked if the applicant wanted to make any statements. Scott Kintopf (American Architect Group) 3350 South River Rd, West Bend; American Architect Group worked on the hotel across the street in addition to this hotel. He made himself available for questions. There were no public comments on this item. Mr. Perry closed public comments and asked if the applicant wanted to make any closing statements. There were no closing statements from the applicant. Motion by Propp to adopt the findings and recommendation as stated in the staff report. Seconded by Scheuermann. Mr. Perry asked if there was any discussion on the motion. Mr. Bowen asked the applicant the rationale for going below the 75% on the façade. Mr. Kintopf said that it was because of the colors of the materials they have. If they went more masonry on the north elevation, it would be all masonry. They upped the other sides a bit to downside the other side. They are trying to be continuous with the black band going through, which was created on the other side because they’re trying to get a middle section. Ms. Scheuermann wanted to note for the public that Plan Commission did workshop this before and they aren’t just letting a hotel go through without asking questions or feeling confident about what they are voting on. Motion carried 9-0. IV. GENERAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR A HOSPITAL AT NORTHWEST CORNER OF WEST 6TH AVENUE AND OREGON STREET __________________________________ Plan Commission Minutes 6 November 15, 2022 Site Inspections Report: Mr. Bowen, Ms. Propp, Ms. Scheuermann, Mr. Kiefer, Ms. Davey, Mr. Mitchell, and Mr. Perry all reported visiting the site. Staff report accepted as part of the record. The applicant requests approval of General Development Plan for a hospital at northwest corner of West 6th Avenue and Oregon Street. Mr. Slusarek presented the item and reviewed the site and surrounding area as well as the land use and zoning classifications in this area. The applicant is proposing development of a two-story, 58,000 sq. ft. hospital. According to the applicant, ThedaCare, along with Froedtert Health, plans to develop the site to include a hospital and outpatient care services which will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, year-round and will include emergency care and inpatient beds. The site will also include a retail pharmacy, ambulatory surgery center with three operating rooms and onsite medical office for primary care and specialties. The applicant intends to maintain ownership of the remaining land on the western side of the parcel, reserving it for potential future expansion of the campus but will bring the remainder of the site into compliance with city codes. The applicant has noted that the proposed location was chosen to address needs for urgent care within the core areas of Oshkosh. The new hospital will provide local access to acute treatments and expand convenient access to care for those living in the region. Emergency medical calls that occur within the City’s central areas that require transport to emergent health care facility will no longer have to transport patients to the west side of Interstate 41, so emergent patients will receive needed care much quicker. The proposed hospital will be located at the northeast corner of the site, along Oregon Street and the Fox River. The site plan also includes 425 parking stalls located to the south and west of the building. The proposed hospital use is considered an Indoor Institutional land use, which is a Conditional Use within the RMU district. A Plan Commission workshop was held on November 1, 2022, with Plan Commission voicing general support for the plan, while also noting concerns of approving an institutional land use for a riverfront property. Staff is supportive of the proposed land use as it is consistent with 2040 Comprehensive Plan goal of supporting expansion of industry clusters that have high growth potential based on the Oshkosh region’s assets, which includes Healthcare/Medical. The use is also consistent with South Shore West (Center City) subarea desired land uses, which includes medical practices. Health and personal care stores are also listed as a market with unmet demand and development potential for the Center City area within the Imagine Oshkosh plan. The plan is also consistent with the mixed use concept of the South Shore Redevelopment plan, which includes hospital as an allowable use within the plan area. __________________________________ Plan Commission Minutes 7 November 15, 2022 The proposed site design is consistent with design/development guidelines for the South Shore West subarea as parking is located to the rear of the building and accessed by a side street (W. 6th Ave.). The Department of Public Works has noted that the Oregon Street Bridge will be reconstructed in the next 5-7 years and will need some additional right-of-way on the east side of the property. Plans should be modified accordingly to what WisDOT requires for the bridge reconstruction. The applicant has noted that they will be conducting a traffic impact analysis (TIA) to determine if additional access points are needed, how local traffic will be affected, and whether improvements to local streets are warranted to support the new development. Minimum parking for indoor institutional land uses is generally 1 space per 3 expected patrons at maximum capacity, with maximum parking of 1.25 spaces per 3 expected patrons at maximum capacity. However, parking requirements for hospitals may be determined by the Department of Community Development, or designee, based on a parking study. Parking totals and access for the site will be addressed as part of the Specific Implementation Plan (SIP) approval. Staff recommends approval with the findings and conditions as listed in the staff report. Mr. Perry opened up technical questions to staff. Ms. Scheuermann asked how many times this project will come to Plan Commission. Mr. Lyons said this development will come before Plan Commission one more time during the SIP. Any future separate developments on the site would be kicked back to Plan Commission. Council Member Ford asked if the SIP will take into account any changes that are made to due to the bridge. Mr. Lyons said that is correct. The applicant wanted to come in and get at least the base approval to know they are secured to move forward with the rest of the site development. The bridge and other items will be handled over the next few months as they prepare the rest of the site documents. Mr. Coulibaly asked if the riverwalk will be preserved. Mr. Lyons said the riverwalk will be maintained as it is today. Mr. Mitchell asked what guides there are for waterfront developments. Mr. Lyons the RMU and RFO has specific design guidelines and setbacks that are accounted for. Mr. Mitchell asked what is allowed in terms of landscaping for the large parking lot. Mr. Lyons said that code says there will be an island for everyone 20 stalls. Mr. Mitchell asked what the parking requirement is for hospitals. __________________________________ Plan Commission Minutes 8 November 15, 2022 Mr. Lyons said that at this time staff has not overly evaluated the development standards because the goal today is to get base land use approval and sort through those. Mr. Slusarek said that per code general indoor intuitional is one space per three expectant patrons but for hospitals it can be left up to a traffic impact analysis or the discretion of the department of community development. Mr. Mitchell asked if stacked parking would be allowed for this development. Mr. Lyons said that given the contaminated nature of this site the ability to do stacked parking is limited and cost prohibitive. A lot of the parking that is in the general plan is serving as a cap for the DNR to mitigate the fact it is already contaminated property. We will probably see harder surface on this site than staff prefers, but that is also due to the contamination. Mr. Kiefer asked if there is an easement that goes into the site for the riverwalk. Mr. Lyons said the city already has the easement rights for the riverwalk. Mr. Perry asked for any public comments and asked if the applicant wanted to make any statements. Mike Kohlbeck (McMahon Associates) 1445 McMahon Dr., Neenah; He stated that the site design is just conceptual and they are looking just for base approval at this time. He made himself available for any questions. There were no public comments on this item. Mr. Perry closed public comments and asked if the applicant wanted to make any closing statements. There were no closing statements from the applicant. Motion by Propp to adopt the findings and recommendation as stated in the staff report. Seconded by Kiefer. Mr. Perry asked if there was any discussion on the motion. Ms. Propp said that at first she was concerned about this development because of the potential tax exempt status on what she thought was valuable riverfront site. There was discussion about the contamination and how ThedaCare is willing and able to develop on the site where past developers were not able. It is better to have a thriving use of the property than nothing at all. She is now in favor of this. Motion carried 9-0. __________________________________ Plan Commission Minutes 9 November 15, 2022 There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at approximately 4:37 pm. (Kiefer/Propp) Respectfully Submitted, Mark Lyons Planning Services Manager