[Vision2020] P&Z meeting

[Tom Hansen]

http://www.tomandrodna.com/comprehensive_plan/

Take care.

Tom hansen


>From: "Bruce and Jean Livingston" <jeanlivingston at turbonet.com>
>To: "Vision 2020" <vision2020 at moscow.com>
>Subject: Re: [Vision2020] P&Z meeting
>Date: Thu, 23 Feb 2006 13:24:15 -0800
>
>My understanding is that the Moscow Comprehensive Plan was amended last 
>June to change the designation of this property from "low density 
>residential" to "extensive commercial," by a 3-3 vote with Mayor Comstock 
>breaking the tie.  I could be wrong though, as I am unclear on the 
>difference between passage of the "proposed reasoned statement" as 
>described above, and an immediately preceding 5-1 vote to approve a 
>resolution amending the Comp Plan.  I thought maybe the minutes were wrong 
>and the 5-1 vote was to cut off debate on whether to approve the Comp Plan 
>resolution.  Perhaps City Staff or one of the Council members could explain 
>what happened at the June 6, 2005 meeting. BDL
>
>The minutes of City Council's June 6, 2005 meeting reflect the following:
>
>3. Public Hearing Thompson Annexation & Comp Plan Amendment - Joel Plaskon
>
>The Thompson family has requested annexation of 90 acres of their property 
>on the southeast edge of the city. The property is bound by SR 8 to the 
>north, S. Palouse River Dr. to the south, and S. Mountain View Road to the 
>west. The application also requests amending the Comprehensive Plan Map for 
>78 acres of the subject property, including 3.8 acres on the west side of 
>S. Mountain View within the city limits. The existing land use designation 
>is Low Density Residential (LR) and the request is to change to Extensive 
>Commercial (EC). The Planning and Zoning Commission conducted a public 
>hearing and recommended approval of both requests.
>
>ACTION: 1) Approve Annexation Ordinance under suspension of the rules 
>requiring three complete and separate readings and that it be read by title 
>only; or reject Ordinance; or take such other action deemed appropriate. 2) 
>Approve Comp Plan amendment; or reject Comp Plan amendment; or take such 
>other action deemed appropriate.
>
>Plaskon presented the issue as written above and explained the zoning of 
>adjacent lands. There is a six month window where the P&Z Commission can 
>forward a recommendation to Council. He said there is very little 
>undeveloped land in the City to accommodate EC. He displayed pictures of 
>the subject property and said staff recommendation is to approve the 
>annexation and Comp Plan Map amendment.  The P&Z also recommended approval. 
>Mack disclosed that she has a family member that owns property adjacent to 
>this area but it will have no bearing on her decision. Plaskon said 
>approval of ITD would be required if access from Hwy 8 was requested.
>
>Mayor Comstock explained how the public hearing would be conducted and 
>opened it at 9:01 p.m.
>
>Shelley Bennett, 2279 Moser Court, representing the Thompson family, said 
>the comunity is always in a state of change. She said the Thompson family 
>owns most of the property surrounding this proposal and the parcel from an 
>annexation standpoint makes sense. The Comp Plan states that there is a 
>need for Extensive Commercial and can be located near Hwy 8 and Hwy 95. 
>This site's infrastructure allows for division from other areas and is 
>bordered on three sides by arterials. Palouse River Drive currently acts as 
>a bypass for the area. All City services are at the property or not far 
>away. The City of Moscow has many concerns regarding water and a comparison 
>of a five acre parcel in Residential Zoning has more water use versus a 
>Commercial Zone. It has been years since Moscow added any commercial 
>property.  Whitman County has been working to increase their tax base by 
>encouraging development in the corridor so the City of Moscow needs to 
>provide areas for existing and new businesses to thrive.
>
>Ted Thompson, 1024 Pine Crest Road, said his family has been involved in 
>farming in the area since the 1930s. The development that the family has 
>worked on has been a result of the needs of the City of Moscow. It is close 
>to other commercial venues and a good place for this type of development.
>
>Evan Holmes, 125 N. Garfield St., said this type of development makes sense 
>and is probably overdue. There won't be commercial development on both 
>sides of Highway 8 and it doesn't contribute to the east-west traffic 
>development. The cost of maintenance will be shared by the State. This will 
>help Alturas as well which will help tax payers.
>
>Sarah Rawl, 2448 Blaine Road in Moscow, said she is not against 
>development. However, she is wondering about the EC designation and if it 
>could be a lower designation because the bike path goes through the 
>development and she worries about safety in the area. She thinks this type 
>of development is more appropriate on the other side of town.
>
>Kelly Moore, 1025 S. Logan, said there is already a big box store sitting 
>there empty. Businesses change often in the Mall and the malls are not 
>full. Businesses don't care if they leave a big empty box. He said the City 
>shouldn't bring this type of thing as a single unit and one decision rather 
>than separating the items. He would like to look at it in a more organized 
>fashion, annexing the land and then looking at the designation.
>
>Aaron Ament, 523 Veatch, agrees with the annexation but doesn't agree that 
>the City needs space for commercial development. The rest of Alturas will 
>be going in and Tidyman's is open and the old Sears building in the Mall 
>has never been filled.
>
>Evan Holmes, 125 N Garfield St., said we do need to sustain development 
>through leakage from other places. Pullman has done a wonderful job in the 
>last three years plugging that leakage, as they plug leakage, they hurt 
>Moscow. The benefit we have received from previous leakage is disappearing.
>
>In rebuttal, Shelley Bennett, said the Eastside Marketplace did a survey 
>and the leakage situation is correct. She said additionally, Palouse River 
>Drive would have to be improved with this project. She said the retail of 
>today are box stores that are much larger because the public wants discount 
>retailing. The only designation that makes sense based on the land and 
>district is the EC. There are 20,000 cars on the intersection per day. 
>There are approximately 4000 cars per day coming in from rural areas. 
>Moscow lacks density of a certain kind of retail to get other types of 
>stores such as Old Navy and TJ Maxx. Dickinson asked about renting space 
>that needs to be remodeled. Mayor Comstock said the focus needs to be on 
>the annexation and Comp Plan not on development.
>
>Pall asked about having EC behind Tidyman's rather than this area. Bennett 
>said residential is more appropriate for that area.
>
>The public hearing closed at 9:25 p.m.
>
>Mack said the infrastructure is there and any development would include 
>development of the arterials. Mack moved and Hamlett seconded approval of 
>the annexation Ordinance under suspension of the rules requiring three 
>complete and separate readings and that it be read by title only. Roll Call 
>Vote: Ayes: Unanimous. Nays: None. Abstentions: None. Motion carried. Mayor 
>Comstock read Ordinance 2005-17 by title only.
>
>Pall said she has concerns about this because the area was zoned low 
>density residential to prevent strip development on State Hwy 8. The 
>development of the Latah Trail came about and there was a reason why the 
>Extensive Commercial was not put in. She is not convinced that the plan 
>should change. This is going to be a Commercial zone. She would like this 
>to come back in about a year. She sees this in conjunction with the 
>University's proposal. She would like to reopen the public hearing on this 
>matter on the 5th of July and continue the conversation at that time. The 
>motion died for lack of a second.
>
>Mack said the issues are not the same as with the University. It fits every 
>criteria and although we may not have seen EC in this area, it does make 
>sense and it is one of the few relatively flat areas. It could be some 
>other business besides retail that go in here. It is up to the Council to 
>approve the development plan. Mack moved and Kimberling seconded to approve 
>the Resolution 2005-04 amending the Comp Plan Map. As this property is 
>developed, some feasibility studies will be done, this will not go flying 
>up, it will take time. There was similar discussion about multi-family 
>housing.
>
>Dickinson said the Comp Plan Map amendment changes from Low Density 
>Residential to Extensive Commercial which seems like a large change. This 
>is a large amount of land to convert to a completely different use and will 
>be incompatible with the low density uses. There are arterials but one 
>would require ITD approval for access. He said it is a mis-statement to say 
>there will be easy access on all sides. He is concerned that it will be 
>land for large stores to go in which is another issue.
>
>Chaney said the wave of the future is larger stores. There is a need for 
>inviting business to the community and it makes sense to invite it 
>somewhere. We are in the process of rewriting the Comp Plan. She said on 
>the citizen survey, 64% of the population thought growth was a problem and 
>41% said business and retail growth were too slow and others thought the 
>City didn't plan well for growth. This zoning is for something major to go 
>in this area. The land owner is currently using the land for farming. The 
>Committees are beginning to address the issue of box store development 
>standards. This is probably an appropriate use for this property but she 
>won't support it at this time.
>
>Pall said the Thompson family has been a good developer within the City of 
>Moscow. The desire for further discussion about this is nil so she is 
>recognizing the inevitability of it and would like to have discussions 
>about development standards in the area.
>
>Chaney said this is premature until the Comp Plan has been done and she is 
>concerned about the EC amendment without big box development standards in 
>place.
>
>Roll Call Vote: Ayes: 5. Nays: Chaney. Abstentions: None. Motion carried.
>
>Mack read her proposed Reasoned Statement and moved to adopt it. Hamlett 
>seconded the motion.
>
>Roll Call Vote: Ayes: Mack, Kimberling, Hamlett. Nays: Pall, Chaney, 
>Dickinson. Abstentions:
>
>None. Mayor Comstock voted Aye to pass the motion.
>
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>
>   From: Art Deco
>   To: Vision 2020
>   Sent: Thursday, February 23, 2006 11:30 AM
>   Subject: Re: [Vision2020] P&Z meeting
>
>
>   What does the Moscow Comprehensive Plan Map say about the parcel at 
>issue?
>
>   W.
>   ----- Original Message -----
>   From: Bruce and Jean Livingston
>   To: vision2020 at moscow.com
>   Sent: Thursday, February 23, 2006 11:15 AM
>   Subject: [Vision2020] P&Z meeting
>
>
>   So what happened after press deadline?  BDL
>
>   From today's Lewiston Morning Tribune:
>
>   Moscow rezone finds few friends
>
>
>   By DAVID JOHNSON
>   of the Tribune
>
>
>   MOSCOW -- Nobody mentioned Wal-Mart. But a steady stream of people 
>voiced their opposition Wednesday night to a proposed zone change that 
>could open the door for the world's largest retailer to build a super 
>center here.
>
>   One man warned that "the nose of the camel is in the tent" and urged 
>members of the Moscow Planning and Zoning Commission to recommend denial of 
>an application to rezone 77 acres on the southeast corner of town to motor 
>business.
>
>   Four people spoke in favor of the rezone.
>
>   By press time, commissioners were still listening to opposition 
>testimony at the public hearing and it remained unclear whether a decision 
>would be reached.
>
>   "This is our home and we want to defend it," Chris Norton of Moscow 
>said, testifying against the proposed zone change.
>
>   "This location for a motor business zone makes sense," said resident 
>Shelley Bennett, a local Realtor.
>
>   The land is owned by the Gene Thompson family and is currently being 
>farmed. It's located directly across from the Moscow City Cemetery adjacent 
>to State Highway 8 and was annexed last June as an extensive commercial 
>site.
>
>   Shortly after, Wal-Mart announced intentions to build a super center on 
>the site. A conceptual plan filed with the city shows, in addition to the 
>Wal-Mart Supercenter, the potential for two additional big box retailers 
>and upward of a dozen smaller retail stores on the site.
>
>   Jim Demeerleer, whose Furniture West business lost it's retail site on 
>the west side of town amid expansion of Tri-State, said he welcomed a new 
>place for motor business. "Give businesses an opportunity to expand," he 
>urged the commissioners.
>
>   But Bill Parks, a downtown businessman, said a large motor business 
>complex on the east side of Moscow would all but kill the central business 
>sector. He likened Moscow's downtown to a garden dependent on a steady flow 
>of vehicle traffic that would be siphoned away by a large scale retail 
>development.
>
>   More than 100 people crammed their way into the hearing, held in the 
>Moscow City Council chamber. Many people sat on the floor, or stood in the 
>hallway as testimony was heard. Chairman Jerry Schutz pounded his gavel a 
>number of times to quiet the crowd or admonish them to not react to 
>testimony.
>
>   Schutz also let it be known that the business at hand had everything to 
>do with a proposed zone change, and nothing to do with the possible arrival 
>of any big box retailers. The commission will forward its decision to the 
>city council for final consideration.
>
>   John C. McCullough, a Seattle attorney representing Spokane-based CLC 
>Associates, spoke on behalf of the Thompson family. He's the same attorney 
>who -- through CLC -- represents Wal-Mart's attempts to build super centers 
>in neighboring Pullman and in Spokane.
>
>   McCullough told the commissioners that the proposed zone change is in 
>accordance with the city's comprehensive plan. "This is not an application 
>for any particular development or use," said McCullough. "It's ideally 
>located for a motor business zone."
>
>   Joel Plaskon, the city's community development director, recommended 
>that the commissioners approve the motor business zone change, at least for 
>part of the 77 acres.
>
>   Members of a group called No Super Wal-Mart have vowed to fight 
>construction of a super center not just at the zoning level, but throughout 
>any development proposal. Unlike neighboring Pullman, Moscow has a 
>so-called big box store ordinance that would require conditional use 
>permits for any new retail store over 45,000 square feet.
>
>   Wal-Mart Supercenters usually surpass 200,000 square feet. Moscow Mayor 
>Nancy Chaney has said the city council may also consider the question of 
>placing a size cap on big box stores. All retail stores currently in town 
>are under 100,000 square feet, according to officials.
>
>
>
>
>
>------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>   _____________________________________________________
>    List services made available by First Step Internet,
>    serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
>                  http://www.fsr.net
>             mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
>   /////////////////////////////////////////////////////
>
>
>
>------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>   _____________________________________________________
>    List services made available by First Step Internet,
>    serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
>                  http://www.fsr.net
>             mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
>   /////////////////////////////////////////////////////


>_____________________________________________________
>  List services made available by First Step Internet,
>  serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
>                http://www.fsr.net
>           mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
>¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯