Preview of July 3, 2018 P&Z Meeting

This week’s meeting involves a number of minor items. There are two minor approvals for code variances, and approval of the plats and tree plans for two sections of the Heath Golf & Yacht Club. Those plats have such a small number of trees that the plans are basically free of trees, with approximately 50" of trees to be replaced.

The Applicant is seeking to use a cedar wood exterior on the sign area of Heath Hair Salon & Spa on Hubbard Lane in Downtown Heath. This conflicts with the zoning ordinance that requires non-combustible materials to be used.

To meet the fire-code requirements, the applicant has proposed treating the cedar with a fireproofing treatment that needs to be reapplied every three years to sustain the effects of the treatment.

The finished look should be aesthetically fine, especially considering how the property is finished today. If the fire concerns can be met, this should probably be allowed.

The next item is a fence variance to allow a fence taller than the zoned 4 feet for Shawn Marion’s house on the lake.

Basically, the existing fence in front of the house is 6'6" tall, and the applicant is requesting to extend the fence to the edge of the lake. As a policy matter, I don’t like taller fences and gated communities in what should be a crime free city. It encourages under investing in public safety if portions of the city can castle themselves off from perceived harms. than what is allowed. However, in this case, if the fence has already been allowed on other parts of the property, the city should let them run it the entire length of the property perimeter for consistency.

In this item, the applicant is the owner of the small triangled shaped property at the intersection of Terry and Smirl. It is currently zoned agriculure, but is in no way connected to the 40 acre field behind it. The applicant is requesting zoning to SF-15, which is the only zoning that really works for the small size of the property.

SF-15 doesn’t conform with the Comprehensive Plan, but if the City required the re-platting to a larger SF zone, then the property would in effect be undevelopable. Allowing a single house on a piece of property that could otherwise serve no useful purpose seems to be the best solution.

In this item, the Applicant is seeking to combine two lots into one as a result of insistence of a title company.

Combining lots to effectively reduce density should always be allowed. The Applicant just needs to formally merge the lots to meet some title company demands. I have faced similar problems when dealing with title companies during lang purchases. This should be approved.

In this item, the City is reviewing the plat for a portion of the Heath G&YC. The density and location of the homes has already been approved. The two issues to track with this item are the tree ordinance and the trail system.

The submitted plan does not meet the approved trail plan from 2012, as the proper easements have not been provided. That is a little concerning, as is the fact that the developer is not being required to build the trails within its planned development. I haven’t been able to figure that out yet.

In the treescape plan above, it is readily apparent that not much is being done. Only 70" of trees are being planted, so in total, there should be just over 20 tress planted, which is obscenely low, but that is all that is required. Once again, it shows that Heath needs not just a tree preservation ordinance, but a tree planting ordinance, much like what is going to come out of the town overlay revisions. The planning district requires that one tree be planted for each lot, but that will be a tiny, three inch diameter tree that is 20 years from providing any useful shade, and there is no requirement for tree-lined streets to provide shade for pedestrians and frame the development.

On a positive note, the city staff is directing the replacement trees to be planted in a manner that maximizes their effectiveness for providing shade.

I think that is a new development that is very welcomed.

The next item is very similar to the previous item. The Heath G&YC is submitting the plat for another plat within the larger development.

The tree plan calls for 50" of trees to be replaced.

This item is discussion of the next phase of Heath Crossing.

The next phase of the development is heavily treed, with potentially 20,000" of caliper inches of trees that would need to be replaced.

The Applicant and the city staff want to have a discussion on how to meet the tree preservation requirements. The P&Z Board is going to take this on as a discussion, and no final action will be taken tonight.

The downside is the loss of a lot of tree cover that will be hard to replace.