SALT LAKE CITY PLANNING COMMISSION
451 South State Street Room 126
Present from the Planning Commission were Chairperson Ralph Becker, Diana Kirk, Jim McRea, Kimball Young, Aria Funk, Gilbert Iker, Max Smith and Fred Fife. Judi Short was excused.
Present from the Planning Staff were Planning Director William T. Wright, Brent Wilde, Doug Wheelwright, Ray McCandless, Cheri Coffey and Margaret Pahl.
A roll is being kept with the minutes of all who attended the Planning Commission meeting. The meeting was called to order at 5:00p.m. by Mr. Becker. The minutes are presented in agenda order, not necessarily as cases were heard by the Planning Commission. Tapes of the meeting will be retained in the Planning Office for a period of one year after which they will be erased.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
The secretary explained that the motions relative to Petition No. 41 0-234 and 41 0-235 had been left off the minutes which had been delivered to the Planning Commission with their packet materials. She explained that corrected copies had been provided at this meeting.
Ms. Kirk moved to approve the corrected minutes of the meeting from Thursday, September 19, 1996. Mr. Fife seconded the motion. Mr. Fife, Ms. Funk, Mr. Young, Ms. Kirk, Mr. McRea, Mr. Smith and Mr. Iker voted “Aye”. " Ms. Short was not present. Mr. Becker, as Chair, did not vote. The motion passed.
PETITIONS
PUBLIC HEARING - Petition No. 41 0-241 by Renaissance Housing requesting a conditional use for a residential planned development consisting of 116 units in two buildings located at 340 South 200 West in Downtown “D-2" and “D-3" zoning districts.
Ms. Margaret Pahl presented the staff report outlining the major issues of the case,
the findings of fact and the staff recommendation, a copy of which is filed with the
minutes.
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Mr. Ken Holman, representing the petitioner, was present for this portion of the
Planning Commission meeting and stated that the first floor of the project would be
close to grade, depending on the water level and how far underground the parking
structure could be placed.
Mr. Smith asked if the main level would consist of residential units. Mr. Holman
responded in the affirmative. Mr. Smith said he thought the main floor had to
include some retail uses. Mr. Wright explained that earlier plans for this area had
called for mixed use within buildings but those plans had been modified over the
past few years and the desire to create a mixed use component now encompassed
blocks and portions of an area, not just buildings. Mr. Holman stated that they
would be including a day care project in this planned development which would
contribute to the mixed use component for this block.
Mr. Becker opened the hearing to the public and asked if anyone wished to address
the Planning Commission. Upon receiving no response, he closed the hearing to
the public and opened it for Planning Commission discussion.
Ms. Kirk moved to approve Petition No. 41 0-241 , based on the findings of fact and
subject to the conditions listed in the staff report. Mr. Young seconded the motion.
Mr. Fife, Ms. Funk, Mr. Young, Ms. Kirk, Mr. McRea, Mr. Smith and Mr. Iker voted
JJAye." Ms. Short was not present. Mr. Becker, as Chair, did not vote. The
motion passed.
PUBLIC HEARING - Petition No. 41 0-222 by Sprint Spectrum requesting a
conditional use to construct an 80' high telecommunications tower at 1 525 North
Beck Street in an Industrial JJM-1 " zoning district.
Mr. Ray McCandless presented the staff report outlining the major issues of the
case, the findings of fact and the staff recommendation, a copy of which is filed
with the minutes.
Mr. Tim Soffe, representing the petitioner, stated that they were in agreement with
the staff report. Mr. Soffe said they had originally wanted a 1 00 foot tower but
had reduced the height to 80 feet and added that they had worked hard to place
these towers as sensitively as possible. Mr. Soffe stated that he had shared the
Planning Commission's concerns with the petitioner relative to possible future pole
abandonment. He stated that Sprint Spectrum was willing to remove any
abandoned poles/towers at their own cost within a six month period if a pole/tower
was no longer used.
Mr. Soffe said they would like to be included in the subcommittee process when
the subcommittee met again to discuss telecommunications issues. Mr. Soffe
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stated that they were trying to bring an entire system on-line on a nation-wide basis
and they needed to keep moving in order to accomplish that task. He requested
they be allowed to continue bringing these requests to the Planning Commission,
provided they used sensitivity in the locations chosen for their towers. He
explained that colocation was starting to work well and added that Sprint would
only build towers that were colocatable. Mr. Soffe explained that more than half of
their proposals were for wall-mount or roof top placement.
Mr. Becker opened the hearing to the public and asked if anyone wished to address
the Planning Commission. Upon receiving no response, he closed the hearing to
the public and opened it for Planning Commission discussion.
Mr. McRea stated that the telecommunications subcommittee had met on
September 26th and would meet again on October 9th to discuss these kinds of
issues and to determine the best way for the City to proceed on these requests.
Mr. McRea said the subcommittee had suggested the City continue to accept
permitted use requests. Mr. McRea suggested that rather than requesting a
moratorium on additional conditional use requests for telecommunication monopoles
or towers, as discussed at their last meeting, that the Planning Commission request
the City Staff to not process any further requests until the complex issues in this
matter could be carefully studied by the subcommittee.
Mr. McRea said they hoped to be able to provide some kind of overlay map
demonstrating every location proposed for a tower or a monopole by the entire
industry so the impacts could be fully addressed as a whole issue. Mr. McRea
stated that Mr. Wilde was in the process of checking with the City Attorney's
Office on the legality of accepting confidential information from the industry under
a public format to create this kind of overlay which would make this study possible.
Mr. McRea said their October 9th meeting would focus on design alternatives, City
development policy issues, Planning Commission issues, abandonment concerns
and towers for microwave infrastructure development.
Mr. McRea stated that since the two requests on this agenda had been placed on
the agenda prior to the previous meeting when the Planning Commission had
expressed a desire to establish a moratorium on telecommunication towers, and
since the community council supported this request, Mr. McRea moved to approve
Petition No. 41 0-222, based on the findings of fact and subject to the conditions
listed in the staff report, with an added condition that a removal clause, as offered
by the petitioner, be incorporated in the agreement. Mr. Fife seconded the motion.
Mr. Fife, Ms. Funk, Mr. Young, Ms. Kirk, Mr. McRea, Mr. Smith and Mr. Iker voted
“Aye”. Ms. Short was not present. Mr. Becker, as Chair, did not vote. The
motion passed.
PC MEETING- 10/03/96 Page 4
PUBLIC HEARING - Petition No. 41 0-221 by Sprint Spectrum reguestjng a
conditional use to construct an 80' high telecommunications tower at 1 020 South
700 West in an Industrial ''M-1" zoning district.
Mr. Ray McCandless presented the staff report outlining the major issues of the
case, the findings of fact and the staff recommendation, a copy of which is filed
with the minutes.
Mr. Tim Soffe, representing the petitioner, stated that they were in agreement with
the staff report. Mr. Soffe asked if the Planning Commission had a time frame for
the ''gentlemen's agreement" with the industry to hold off on their requests for
conditional use approvals. Mr. McRea said he thought the issues could be studied
and dealt with during a one month to six week period.
Mr. Becker opened the hearing to the public and asked if anyone wished to address
the Planning Commission. Upon receiving no response, he closed the hearing to
the public and opened it for Planning Commission discussion.
Mr. McRea moved to approve Petition No. 410-221, based on the findings of fact
and subject to the conditions listed in the staff report, with an added condition that
a removal clause, as offered by the petitioner, be incorporated in the agreement.
Mr. Fife seconded the motion. Mr. Fife, Ms. Funk, Mr. Young, Ms. Kirk, Mr.
McRea, Mr. Smith and Mr. Iker voted ''Aye." Ms. Short was not present. Mr.
Becker, as Chair, did not vote. The motion passed.
HEARING .. Petition No. 400-96-79 by the Vietnamese Unified Buddhist Church
requesting Salt Lake City to rezone the old Rose Park Library property at 1185
West 1 000 North from a Public Lands “PL" to a Residential ''R-1/7000" zoning
district. The petitioner is also requesting approval of Petition No. 41 0-242 for a
conditional use to use the former Library as a place of worship.
Ms. Cheri Coffey presented the staff report outlining the major issues of the case,
the findings of fact and the staff recommendation, a copy of which is filed with the
minutes.
Mr. Thaun Van Tran, the petitioner, was present for this portion of the Planning
Commission and stated that they were in agreement with the staff report.
Mr. Becker opened the hearing to the public and asked if anyone wished to address
the Planning Commission.
Mr. John McKonkie, a resident of the area, stated that he was in support of this
project. Mr. McKonkie said he believed this project would be an asset to the
community and added that his only concern was a lack of parking in the area. Ms.
PC MEETING - 1 0/03/96
Coffey explained that the church only expected about 25 members in the
immediate future and there was parking for about 1 20 members.
Page 5
Mr. Carlton Christensen, a member of the West Salt Lake Community Council,
stated that they were in support of this project and requested the Planning
Commission approve this request. Mr. Christensen stated that he did not know of
any church that did not experience parking problems on Sundays.
Upon receiving no further requests to address the Planning Commission, Mr. Becker
closed the hearing to the public and opened it for Planning Commission discussion.
Ms. Kirk moved to transmit a favorable recommendation to the City Council to
amend the Northwest Community Master Plan and to amend the Northwest
Community Zoning Map at 1185 West 1 000 North from Public Lands JJPL" to
Residential “R-1/7000", based on the findings of fact and the public comments
received at this meeting. Ms. Kirk further moved to approve Conditional Use
No. 41 0-242, based on the findings of fact and subject to the condition listed in
the staff report. Mr. Young seconded the motions. Mr. Fife, Ms. Funk, Mr. Young,
Ms. Kirk, Mr. McRea, Mr. Smith and Mr. Iker voted “Aye”. Ms. Short was not
present. Mr. Becker, as Chair, did not vote. The motion passed.
Mr. Wright explained that the City Council hearing on this matter would be held on
October 15, 1996.
OTHER BUSINESS
Reguest from the Salt Lake City Council for clarification of findings of fact on the
approval of Conditional Use No. 41 0-224 by Salt Lake City Housing Services
requesting a conditional use for a planned development to construct a 36 unit
multiple family housing development at approximately 322 East 300 South in a
Residential Mixed Use zoning district.
Mr. Becker stated that this was not a hearing for public comment, but rather, for
the Planning Commission to clarify their findings of fact relative to Petition
No. 410-224 by Salt Lake City Housing Services heard on June 20, 1996.
Mr. Wright stated that as part of an appeal filed on the above decision by Mr. Steve
Harmsen, the City Council had requested the Planning Commission clarify their
findings of fact. Mr. Wright stated that one of the findings, pertaining to internal
circulation, contained in the staff report had been located in the analysis section of
the staff report rather than with the other findings. He added that several
typographical errors had been discovered in the staff report which had now been
corrected pertaining to the numbering of the findings. Mr. Wright explained that
the City Attorney had requested the findings all be listed together under a ''Findings
PC MEETING - 1 0/03/96 Page 6
of Fact" heading and stated that Standard #D had now been relocated from the
II Analysis" section of the original staff report and placed under II Findings of Fact of
Conditional Use Standards." Mr. Wright said this was merely a process to review
the findings, and explained that the Planning Commission was not adding additional
evidence to the case.
Mr. Wright stated that some of the issues included in Mr. Harmsen's appeal were
typically administrative issues such as fencing and fire sprinkling. Mr. Wright
stated that he wanted to make sure the Planning Commission was in agreement
with his intentions relative to those administrative decisions. He explained that the
fencing would be wrought iron and showed a picture of the type of wrought iron
fencing planned for this project.
Mr. Wright stated that the adjoining property owners were requesting they not be
required to provide an easement for emergency access to this mid-block project in
the future. Mr. Wright said he had received a letter from Mr. Thomas J. Tallon,
Chief of the Fire Department, stating that the fire sprinkling system for this project,
which was required by the Fire Department, would exceed the City's requirements
and that the adjoining properties would not be required to provide fire access to this
site.
Mr. Wright stated that the landscaping plan would be made a part of the record and
would be discussed with the adjoining property owners to ensure they were in
agreement with it. Mr. Wright said he was also consulting with the adjoining
property owners relative to building materials.
Mr. Becker stated that the Planning Commission did not usually get involved with
this level of detail. Mr. Wright said he was consulting with the Planning
Commission about these details to make sure they became part of the official
record and to provide a level of comfort for Mr. Harmsen.
Mr. Smith moved to approve the clarification on the amended findings of fact for
Petition No. 41 0-224 as proposed, and that the 'final approvals relative to fire
sprinkling and fire access, fencing, building materials and landscaping be delegated
to the Planning Director. Ms. Funk seconded the motion. Mr. Fife, Ms. Funk, Mr.
Young, Ms. Kirk, Mr. McRea, Mr. Smith and Mr. Iker voted “Aye." Ms. Short was
not present. Mr. Becker, as Chair, did not vote. The motion passed.
Update on Telecommunications Issues.
Mr. McRea informed the Planning Commission that the Telecommunications
Subcommittee was working to try and obtain information on the total number of
locations that would be needed to meet the needs of the telecommunication
industry, in a manner that could be kept confidential, in order to protect the
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proprietary interests of the various companies involved, as well as to provide the
information necessary for the Planning Commission to make well informed
decisions.
Mr. McRea said the subcommittee had suggested the Planning Commission
consider continuing to accept and process conditional use applications for wallmount
antennae and requested feedback from the Planning Commission on this. He
added that the subcommittee agreed with the Planning Commission's desire to not
accept and process any more conditional use applications for monopoles until the
impacts from the industry as a whole could be studied.
Ms. Kirk expressed concern about the potential size and designs of wall-mount
antennae, as well as the number that might be placed on buildings. Mr. Wilde
stated that the design of wall-mounts was regulated by the ordinance relative to
size.
Mr. McRea stated that there was somewhat of an inequity between the already
established companies and those just starting in the industry. He asked if the
Planning Commission wanted to hold off on every conditional use or if they would
be willing to accept applications and process conditional use approvals for the wallmount
units. Mr. Wright stated that allowing wall-mount units might act as a
“Carrot" to encourage the industry to move in that direction rather than
concentrating on the monopoles.
A short discussion followed on the details and requirements of wall-mount units
including allowed heights relative to parapets, directional lines-of-sight required for
the units to function properly, architectural camouflage concepts, federal
regulations of the industry, the limitations of co located units, the need to consider
abandonment options relative to the ordinance, and the need for the City to
establish controls early in the process.
Mr. Wilde stated that most of the location sites were leased by the industry and
many of the lease agreements called for removal within a certain number of days of
the lease expiration. Mr. Wilde stated that the City Administration had organized a
committee of City staff to investigate financial opportunities for the City including
franchise fees, fees in lieu of franchise fees, City involvement in infrastructure
placement and the use of City properties such as parks and golf courses for
telecommunication towers.
Mr. McRea said the subcommittee would be broadening their scope to study the
microwave towers in the telecommunication corridor near Ensign Peak. Mr. McRea
suggested the idea of hiring a technical consultant be studied to assist with the
many complex issues involved in this field.
PC MEETING - 10/03/96 Page 8
Update on Shoreline Trail Issues.
Mr. Doug Wheelwright gave an update on the Bonneville Shoreline Trail issues and
stated that the staff had had a difficult time organizing the subcommittee meetings
due to the busy schedules of the forest service representatives who were busy
fighting fires and coordinating schedules between residents of the various
geographical areas and the Planning Commission members. Mr. Wheelwright
stated that in the future, they would concentrate on the schedules of the Planning
Commission members rather than the residents of the area because they were not
having any success with the resident's schedules.
Mr. Wheelwright stated that they had conducted a field trip on September 24th
consisting of about 25-30 people and they had walked the area around Terrace Hills
Drive. He added that another field trip was scheduled for October 8th at 2:45 p.m.
and invited anyone interested in attending the field trip to join them. Mr.
Wheelwright said their next field trip would be for the area east of the Terrace Hills
Drive area which included the Lime Kiln area. He promised to provide more
information relative to where to meet as soon as the information was available.
Mr. Wheelwright stated that the staff planned to video tape the entire hike for
those who would not be able to make one of the field trips. He added that the
video tape could also be used to document the actual location of the trail to avoid
misunderstandings of the trail's location.
Mr. Wheelwright used a briefing board to demonstrate the possible trail alignments,
the areas that were in dispute relative to land ownership, the portions of land that
would need to be acquired by the City, the funding necessary to acquire parcels not
currently owned by the City, and the areas in proximity to surrounding residential
uses which were causing concern to the residents of those areas and possible
solutions to those problems.
A short discussion followed including comments that one of the objectives of the
trail was that it should be an urban interface, not a trail located in a total
wilderness; the possibility of two separate trails, rather than just one; the need to
resolve some of the parking problems; and that when the Planning Commission had
approved the North Cove Subdivision, one of the conditions of approval had been
that trail access must be provided completely around the subdivision, including the
Hogs Back area.
Mark and Kathleen Stoddard, Co-Chairs of the Shoreline Trail Committee, were
present for this portion of the Planning Commission meeting and stated that they
would like to see both the upper and the lower trails developed.
PC MEETING- 10/03/96 Page 9
Homeless Shelter Overflow Hearing from Previous Meeting
Mr. Iker complimented Mr. Becker on his skillful handling of the hearing on the
conditional use request made by Travelers Aid at the previous Planning Commission
meeting. Mr. Iker stated that the hearing had been very emotional and he felt Mr.
Becker had done an excellent job of conducting the hearing.
Update on Light Rail Downtown Design Issues.
Mr. Wright stated that the Design Review Committee had been working diligently
on the Main Street design issues including platform station locations, general design
standards, and track locations. Mr. Wright presented a scale model representing
the light rail tracks and station locations. He stated that stations would be
configured between the two crosswalk systems at mid-block and the intersections
and added that there would only be one designated vehicular travel lane in each
direction on the station blocks.
Mr. Wright explained that the Mayor had informed the Utah Transit Authority that
there would not be a curb separation between the track travel lane and the
automobile travel lane. He stated that the track lanes would have rumble strips to
alert drivers who might cross over the line that they were not supposed to be there.
Mr. Wright added that the elimination of the curb would allow cars to pull across
the rumble strips in the event the vehicle in front of them became stalled since
there would only be one vehicular travel lane.
A short discussion followed on pedestrian safety, station design, station location,
station landscaping, and the possible use of sandset pavers in the pedestrian and
vehicular travel lanes.
Planning Commission Elections
Mr. Becker reminded everyone that Planning Commission elections would take place
at the October 17th meeting for the next year's Chairperson and Vice Chairperson.
He requested anyone with a desire to fill either position or to nominate someone for
either position to contact him during the next two weeks.
There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 8:20 p.m.