Columbus, Georgia

PLANNING ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING



October 16, 2002



A meeting of the Planning Advisory Commission was held Wednesday, October 16,

2002 in the Council Chambers of the Plaza Level of the Government Center.



Commissioners Present: Chairperson Ralph King, Shep Mullin, Derrick Shields,

Berry Henderson, Sharon Jamison, Bradford Dodds, Arline Kitchen, and Rick

McKnight.



Staff Members: Will Johnson, Zoning Administrator, and Tina Trant, Recorder.



Commissioners Absent: Mike Corradino



Others Present: Jeffrey B. Jones, Richard Crow, Bruce Medley, Charles G.

Anderson, Lawrence K. Hughes, Thomas Suber, Robert Alford, Amy J. Allen,

Clifton Bennett, Doraine Bennett, Bracha Pickering, Jim Pickering, Mary Steele,

Margaret Drew, Nancy Jones Priest, Lance Mashburn, R.F. Keeble, Barbara Davis,

Mary Anderson, Marian Herrington, Sam Herrington, Theodore Stratigas, Gladys

Stratigas, Mussette Stratigas, Ralph Cavedo, Bob Walden, and Peggy Anderson.



Chairperson King called the meeting to order at 10:05 a.m. He stated that

Derrick Shields would vote in Mike Corradino?s absence. Chairperson King asked

for a motion for the October 2, 2002 minutes to be accepted. Commissioner

Dodds made a motion to approve the minutes and Commissioner McKnight seconded

the motion. The minutes were approved unanimously. Chairperson King explained

the rezoning process to the audience. He stated that case ZC0209-4 would be

heard first.





I. REZONING CASES



1. ZC0209-4: A request to amend Condition #6 of Ordinance 96-116,

which does not allow access to 2nd Avenue but already has a DOT-approved

driveway. It would be undesirable for traffic to ingress / egress this site

from 42nd Street.



E. Bruce Medley, Applicant



Mr. Will Johnson presented the Planning Division?s Finding of Facts. The

property in question was rezoned with conditions on December 17, 1996 in

Ordinance 96-116. The current request is to amend Condition #6 of Ordinance

96-116, which states: access shall be limited to 42nd Street. This condition

does not allow access from 2nd Avenue, which already has a DOT-approved

driveway. It would be undesirable for traffic to ingress / egress this site

from 42nd Street, which is a local street. 42nd Street has one residence and

serves as a rear entrance to Comer Auditorium. It also rests on a high bank

that overlooks the commercial property that is being developed to its north.

The topography, street layout, and condition of this street are entirely

undesirable for commercial access. Please refer to Ordinance 96-116 and the

map for further information. Mr. Johnson stated that the background shows that

in 1996, according to the Traffic Engineering Division, they meant for this to

say ?access limited to 2nd Avenue only?. He stated that there is no

documentation to support their claim other than their word. It sounds as

though there was a miscommunication in 1996 between the Traffic Engineering

Division and the Planning Division. The Planning Division strongly requests

that this change is made to this condition.



Mr. Dodds asked Mr. Johnson if we were removing this condition entirely.



Mr. Johnson stated that it could be changed to read ?access shall limited to

2nd Avenue?.



Bruce Medley, the applicant, stated that he would make the area look better.

He stated that he is putting in car wash, storage buildings, trees and fences.



After a brief discussion, Chairperson King entertained a motion. Commissioner

Dodds made a motion to amend Condition #6 of Ordinance 96-116 to state: access

shall be limited to 2nd Avenue. Commissioner Shields seconded the motion. The

vote was carried unanimously.



2. ZC0209-2: A request to rezone properties located at 711 and 719 Winall

Drive. The current zoning is R-1A (Low Density Residential) District.

The proposed zoning is R-3 (MediumDensity Residential) District. The

property is to be used for single family residential.



Donald Bowles, Applicant



Mr. Will Johnson presented the Planning Division?s Finding of Facts. He stated

that this case is not consistent with the Comprehensive Plan, P. D. 11, which

shows Low Density Residential for this area. It is consistent with policy

statements, P.D. 11, Residential Development policy statement #2. It is

compatible with existing land uses. It is served by public water, sanitary

sewer and all City services. The property does not lie within the studied

floodplain and floodway area. The Engineering Department will need to approve

a drainage plan prior to issuance of a Site Development permit. The request

does not constitute spot zoning. It will not have a negative impact on the

transportation network. It must meet the Codes and Regulations of the City of

Columbus, Consolidated Government for residential usage. No special conditions

are needed. There are several comments from adjoining property owners.



Donald Bowles, the applicant, stated that he plans to build four homes on four

lots. The homes would be priced in the $80,000 price range. The floor plan

would consist of about 1300 to 1500 SF of heated area. He showed everyone a

tax map which showed all of the 50 feet wide lots in the area.



Bob Walden, 720 Vista Drive, stated that he opposed the case and he had a list

of names of 70 people in the neighborhood who oppose the rezoning.



Lawrence Hughes, 728 Winall Drive, stated that he also opposed the rezoning.

He stated that allowing R-3 to enter the neighborhood would open up the rest of

the area to R-3 zoning districts.



Robert Alford, 821 Wilder Drive, stated that he was opposed to the rezoning and

that previous attempts for smaller lots had been defeated on his street. He

also stated that traffic was a concern and that more houses would create more

traffic problems.



Richard Crow, 712 Winall Drive, stated that he is opposed to the rezoning. He

stated that the map from Mr. Bowles is misleading.



Jeffrey Jones, 5707 Upland Way; Nancy Jones Priest, 712 Parkhill Drive; and

Ralph A. Cavedo, 735 Winall Drive, stated that they opposed the rezoning

because smaller lots would disrupt the neighborhood layout.



Mr. Bowles asked the Commissioners what his options were in regard to

withdrawal, variances, etc. After some discussion, Mr. Bowles decided that he

would proceed with the rezoning.



After a lengthy discussion, Chairman King entertained a motion. Commissioner

Kitchens made a motion to deny the request based on the fact that it was

inconsistent with the Comprehensive Plan. Commissioner Jamison seconded the

motion. The vote was carried by a vote of five (Kitchens, Jamison, Dodds,

Henderson, and McKnight) for denial and one (Shields) for approval.

3. ZC0209-3: A request to rezone the property located at Reese Road

and Cooper Creek. The current zoning is R-1A (Low Density Residential)

District. The proposed zoning is R-3B(Patio Homes / Zero Lot Line Residential)

District. It is to be used as single family residential.

Donald Bowles, Applicant



Mr. Will Johnson presented the Planning Division?s Finding of Facts. He stated

that this case is not consistent with the Comprehensive Plan (P.D. 7). The

Comp Plan shows Low Density Residential for these area. It is consistent with

policy statements, P.D. 7, Residential Development policy statements #2 and

#3. It is compatible with existing land uses. It is served by public water

and sanitary sewer. All City services are provided. The property does not lie

within a studied floodplain or floodway area. Engineering will need to approve

a drainage plan prior to issuance of a Site Development permit. It does not

constitute spot zoning. It will not have a negative impact on the

transportation network. Traffic Engineering states that the layout must meet

the standard set forth for subdivision design, therefore, access to Reese Road

must align with the existing street which is Guinevere Place. No special

conditions are needed. There were several comments from adjoining property

owners. Mr. Johnson stated that he received a letter on Tuesday, October 15,

2002, from Mr. Samuel Herrington on Marie Avenue.



Donald Bowles, the applicant, came to the podium to explain his plans. He

introduced Bill Hart, who would develop the property with Mr. Bowles. He

stated that they planned to build a patio homes development on that property.

He also stated that he anticipated to build about 50 homes. Mr. Bowles stated

that all the trees on the creek would be left standing and all the trees on the

property lines would be left standing.



Mrs. Mary Anderson, 4115 Reese Road, stated that she had no problem with the

new homes. Her concern was the added traffic and possible flooding.



Mr. Jim Pickering, 4501 Bonnie Drive, stated that his concerns were also

drainage and traffic.



Mr. Cliff Bennett, 4213 Bonnie Drive; Mr. Theodore Stratigas, 4124 Pace Drive;

and Mrs. Peggy Underwood, 4040 Reese Road, reiterated the concerns about

traffic and drainage.



Mr. Bowles asked Mr. Johnson about the traffic counts.



Mr. Johnson stated that there were 5,129 cars per day. Reese Road is an

arterial road. He stated that he was not sure, but he believed that Capacity C

was 9,700 per day.



Chairman King entertained a motion. Commissioner McKnight made a motion to

approve the request based on the fact that it is consistent with the policy

statements of the Comprehensive Plan, it is compatible with existing land-uses,

and it will not have a negative impact on the transportation network.

Commissioner Dodds seconded the motion. The vote was carried for approval by a

vote of four (McKnight, Dodds, Henderson, and Shields) to two (Jamison and

Kitchens).



NEW BUSINESS



Commissioner McKnight stated that he had watched the Council meeting held on

October 15, 2001 and he had some questions about it. He stated that he left

phone messages with the City Manager and Deputy City Manager Richard Bishop but

he had not heard back from them.



Richard Bishop, Deputy City Manager, came to the podium. He stated that there

was some discussion at Council about a case that was denied by PAC but was

altered before it went to Council. He stated that from hereon out, cases with

major changes would be remanded back to the PAC.





ADJOURNMENT



Chairperson King adjourned the meeting at 12:05 p.m.







___________________________________ ___________________________________



Ralph King, Chairperson Will Johnson, Zoning Administrator