City of Casa Grande

AGENDA ITEM ____________
DATE ____________

Regular Meeting
June 3, 2010

MINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING OF THE CASA GRANDE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION HELD ON THURSDAY, JUNE 3, 2010 AT 6:00 P.M. IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS AT CITY HALL, 510 E. FLORENCE BOULEVARD, CASA GRANDE, ARIZONA.
I. Call to Order:

Chairwoman Cramp called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.

II. Roll Call:

Members Present:
Chairwoman Tina Cramp
Member Gordon Nedom
Member Norman Sam
Member Esther Halloran
Member Jeffrey Lavender
Member Mike Henderson

Absent:
Vice-Chairwoman Sandra Hennessey Excused

City Staff Present:
Paul Tice, Planning and Development Director
Keith Newman, Planner
Melanie Podolak, Administrative Assistant
Greg Smith, City Engineer
Paul Zalewski, Fire Marshal
Mark Graffius, Assistant City Attorney

III. Approval of Minutes:
None

Chairwoman Cramp noted cases DSA-10-00021 and DSA-10-00020 have been withdrawn by the applicant. Also noted were cases DSA-10-00034, DSA-10-00036 and DSA-10-00037 are going to be continued to the July 1, 2010 meeting.

Chairwoman Cramp read to the public the case that will be tabled indefinitely; the case read was DSA-10-00030.

IV. Unfinished Business:

NOTE: The two cases below have been withdrawn by the applicant.

A. DSA-10-00021: Request by Tim King, AZ Zipline Adventures L.L.C., 1825 W. Ray Road #2005, Chandler, AZ 85224 for approval of a Major Amendment to a Planned Area Development (PAD) – Casa Grande Mountain Ranch, for the development of a Zip Line Course on approximately 120 acres m.o.l., located within the Casa Grande Mountain Ranch PAD located south of Cornman Road, west of the Cox Road alignment and north of Hanna Road A.K.A. a portion of Section 11, T7S, R6E, G&SRM, Pinal County, Arizona, APN’s 511-31-004, 511-31-006, and 511-31-007.

B. DSA-10-00020: Request by Tim King, AZ Zipline Adventures L.L.C., 1825 W. Ray Road #2005, Chandler, AZ 85224 for a Conditional Use Permit to allow a Zip Line Course on 120 acres, m.o.l., located within the Casa Grande Mountain Ranch PAD located south of Cornman Road, west of the Cox Road alignment and north of Hanna Road A.K.A. a portion of Section 11, T7S, R6E, G&SRM, Pinal County, Arizona, APN’s 511-31-004, 511-31-006, and 511-31-007.

Below is the case that will be tabled indefinitely:

C. DSA-10-00030: Request by Sean B. Lake, Pew & Lake, PLC, 1744 S. Val Vista Drive, Suite 217, Mesa, AZ 85204 for Major Site Plan approval for a Sam’s Club on 17.59 acres, m.o.l., located at the southeast corner of I-10 and Florence Boulevard A.K.A. a portion of Section 25, T6S, R6E, G&SRM, Pinal County, Arizona, APN 505-25-002Y.

NOTE: The case below was continued at the meeting due to a signage posting error.

D. DSA-10-00034: Request by the City of Casa Grande for the Grande Valley No. 3 Zone Changes: Zone Change from Pinal County General Rural (GR) to General Business (B-2) on 40 acres, m.o.l. located at the northwest corner of Val Vista Boulevard and Montgomery Road A.K.A. a portion of Section 20, Township 5 South, Range 5 East of the G&SRM, Pinal County, Arizona, APN 502-32-009D and a Zone Change from Pinal County General Rural (GR) to Urban Ranch (UR) and B-2 (General Business) on 1.82 acres, m.o.l. located along the Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway A.K.A. a portion of Section 25 T5S, R4E , G&SRM, Pinal County, Arizona, APN 502-06-014F.

V. New Business:

Case to be heard:

A. DSA-10-00032: Ward Hollon, Hollon Design Associates, LLC., 5801 S. McClintock Dr. Suite 104, Tempe, AZ, 85283, requests the approval of a Major Site Plan for the Casa Grande Valley Newspapers Warehouse on a 2.38 acre parcel located within the Central Arizona Commerce Park, m.o.l. on the SWC of Industry Way and Central Ave., Casa Grande, AZ, A.K.A. a portion of Section 25, T6S, R5E, G&SRM, Pinal County, Arizona, APN 503-48-101.

STAFF REPORT:
RECOMMENDED MOTION
Move to approve DSA-10-00032, subject to conditions.

APPLICANT/OWNER
Ward Hollon
Hollon Design Associates, LLC.
5801 S. McClintock Dr. Suite 104
Tempe, AZ 85283
P: 480-897-7145
F: 480-897-7105
Email: ward.hollon@hda-az.com Kara Cooper
Casa Grande Valley Newspapers Inc.
P.O. Box 15002
Casa Grande, AZ 85230
P: 520-836-7467
F: 520-836-0343
Email: dmckinley@trivalleycentral.com

HISTORY
September 19, 2005: Ordinance No. 2336 adopted, annexing the subject property into the City of Casa Grande.

March 19, 2007: Ordinance No. 1178.299 adopted, changing the zoning from GR (General Rural) to I-2 (General Industrial).

November 3, 2008: Resolution No. 2825.183 adopted, approving the Final Plat of the Central Arizona Commerce Park.

February 1, 2010: Resolution No. 2825.183.1 adopted, approving the Re-Subdivision Final Plat of the Central Arizona Commerce Park.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Proposed Development I-2 Code Standards
Site Area (net) 2.38 Ac (103,836 Sq. Ft.) N/A
Building Area 7,580 sq. ft. N/A
Building Height 34’ 9” 35’ max.
Landscape Area 25,482 Sq. Ft. / 103,836 Sq. Ft. = 24.5% 7% minimum
Parking 8 Total Provided
1 ADA Accessible 8 Total Required
1 ADA Accessible
Setbacks
Front
Rear
Interior Side
Corner Side
Res. Boundary
256’
70’
36’
N/A
N/A
35’
15’
15’
30’
75’

Site and Surrounding Area Land Use and Zoning

Direction General Plan Designation Existing Zoning Current Uses
Site Manufacturing/ Industry I-2 (General Industrial) Vacant (Central Arizona Commerce Park)
North Manufacturing /Industry I-2 (General Industrial) Vacant (Central Arizona Commerce Park)
East Manufacturing/ Industry I-2 (General Industrial) Vacant (Central Arizona Commerce Park)
South Manufacturing/ Industry I-2 (General Industrial) Vacant (Central Arizona Commerce Park)
West Manufacturing/ Industry I-2 (General Industrial) Vacant (Not a part of Commerce Park)

SITE OVERVIEW
The proposed Major Site Plan is for a 7,580 square foot industrial warehouse building on a 2.38 acre site located within the Central Arizona Commerce Park, Lot 1. The Commerce Park is generally located east of the north east corner of Burris Rd. and Peters Rd.

The proposed warehouse building is to be built for the Casa Grande Valley Newspapers Inc., and will be utilized to store newsprint and other related materials. The proposed site has rail access, needed for approximately 18 rail shipments per year. Daily local deliveries from the warehouse to the printing facility at 200 W. Second St will take place via delivery trucks.

In addition to newsprint storage, a trailer used to transport recycled materials will be stored at one of the truck docks. A machine that shreds and bales cardboard will be located in the warehouse. Bales of cardboard, newsprint, and paper will be stored in the trailer until it is full and the recycling company picks it up and leaves a new one. There are no plans to store hazardous material on the site.

There are currently plans to have two employees stationed at the warehouse. Operating hours will be from 8:00am until 5:00pm. Since these employees also make deliveries and help out in other areas, they may not be at the warehouse all the time.

CONFORMANCE WITH MAJOR SITE PLAN REVIEW CRITERIA
(17.68.070)

In considering applications for Major Site Plan approval, the Planning and Zoning Commission shall consider the following:

Relationship of the plan elements to conditions both on and off the property;

All proposed site plan elements have been planned accordingly in order to properly relate to all existing on-site and off-site conditions. The site is vacant and generally flat in topography, and is designed to have adequate access directly onto existing paved collector road within the Commerce Park.

Conformance to the City's General Plan;

The General Plan 2020 Land Use designation for the site is Manufacturing/Industry. The primary use and existing zoning are listed in the General Plan as appropriate uses and zoning.

Conformance to the City's Zoning Ordinance;

The site is zoned I-2 (General Industrial) for heavy industrial uses. The primary use of the project is warehousing, which is a permitted use in the I-2 Zoning District.

The impact of the plan on the existing and anticipated traffic and parking conditions;

The proposed project meets all City traffic and parking standards (see table), and was reviewed and approved by the City Engineering Staff. A Traffic Impact Analysis was not required, as the impact on the existing street system with in the Commerce Park will be minimal, due to the total vehicle trips per day being less than 100. Traffic will only be generated by a few employees and delivery trucks.

The adequacy of the plan with respect to land use;

The proposed plan is in compliance with the following Manufacturing/Industry Land Use category as set forth in the General Plan 2020:

- Appropriate Land Uses:
o The proposed development complies with the warehousing and distribution, as well as the rail and freight based activities recommended within the general plan for the manufacturing/industry land use category.

- Spatial Form and Design:
o Site setback requirements listed in the I-2 Zone are met (see table).
o Buffering requirements are met by a series of 6 ft tall block walls and chain link fencing on all sides of the site.

Pedestrian and vehicular ingress and egress;

Due to the industrial nature and existing street design with in the Commerce Park there is no pedestrian connectivity to the site. On-site pedestrian ingress/egress will be via sidewalks located adjacent to the proposed parking stalls and building entrance.

The site will be accessed from existing Industry Way via one 40 ft. driveway that will provide sufficient vehicular access. In addition, the site includes a 26 ft. wide on-site drive aisle and a large on-site turn around area located in the vicinity of the loading docks that will aide in the sufficient maneuvering of all City Fire trucks, Refuse vehicles, and all other delivery/large truck traffic that may enter the site.

Building location and height;

The building is centrally located to the rear of the site for convenient access to the rail spur. The proposed building location also allows for future site expansion to the east.

The height of the building is 34 ft. 9 inches and complies with the maximum 35 ft. allowance per I-2 Zoning Requirements.

Landscaping;

The site plan proposes 24.5% of the site to be landscaped, which exceeds the 7% minimum required by code. The site will incorporate a mix of drought-tolerant trees, shrubs, and ground cover. The bulk of the landscaping is located along the street frontage with additional landscaping throughout all proposed and future parking areas, and adjacent to the main retention basin.

The future expansion area adjacent to the right of way will be maintained in a weed free manner until development occurs.

Lighting;

A lighting photometric plan was approved with this request (See provided plan). Freestanding 20 ft light poles will be installed through out the parking area, loading dock area, and adjacent to the onsite driveway.

All lighting will be sufficiently shielded, and will comply with the City’s Light Control Ordinance.

Provisions for utilities;

The site will be serviced by the following known utility providers:

o Sanitation Services (trash & sewer) - City of Casa Grande
o Water- Arizona Water Company
o Electricity- APS

Site drainage;

A preliminary drainage plan for this site has been reviewed and approved by the City Engineering Staff to ensure proper site drainage functionality. (See provided plan)

Open space;

N/A

Loading and unloading areas;

Appropriate loading docks are provided on the site to the west of the building adjacent to the rail spur, and to the north of the building for all truck deliveries and pick ups.

Grading;

A preliminary grading plan for this site has been reviewed and approved by the City Engineering Staff to ensure proper site grading. (See provided plan)

Signage;

No signage is proposed. Any future signage is subject to a separate review and permitting process.

Screening;

The site is surrounded by a 6 ft. tall block wall adjacent to Industry way, and chain link fencing to the north, south, and west.

Setbacks;

All I-2 Zoning setbacks have been exceeded on the site (See above table).

Other related matters;

Refuse

One trash enclosure is located at the north west corner of the site in the loading dock
area. The siting was reviewed and approved by the City Sanitation Department.

Building Elevations

The proposed warehouse building will feature pre-finished metal siding and a grey concrete base that will match the color of the trash enclosure, and block fencing adjacent to Industry Way. Translucent wall panels and prefinished metal roofing make up the rest of the buildings materials. The building will have rollup metals doors for product access and handrails adjacent to all loading dock areas. (See provided elevations)

Materials and Colors

The buildings’ exterior finish is metal with a concrete base/foundation.

The buildings’ color palette will be made up of tan siding and brown for all downspouts and building trim. The roof will be made up of gray metal roof panels.

PUBLIC NOTIFICATION/COMMENTS
Notification

Public hearing notification efforts for this request meet and exceed those requirements set out by City Code. They include:

• A notice of time, date, place, and purpose of the public hearing was published in a newspaper of general circulation, published and circulated in the city at least fifteen days prior to the date of the hearing.
• A similar notice was mailed by the applicant at least fifteen days before the day of the hearing to each owner of property situated within two hundred feet of the subject property. The names and addresses of the owners were provided to the City by applicant. An affidavit confirming this mailing was supplied by the applicant.
• A similar notice was printed on a sign and posted by the applicant on the subject site. An affidavit confirming this posting was also supplied by the applicant.

Inquiries/Comments

Staff has not received any inquires or comments on the proposed project.

STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the Commission approve DSA-10-00032, Major Site Plan for Casa Grande Valley Newspapers Warehouse subject to the following conditions:

1. Landscaping installation and consistency with the approved landscape plan shall be monitored by the project’s Registered Landscape Architect (RLA). Prior to the issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy for this site, the project’s RLA shall review the landscaping for compliance with the approved plan (in addition to City compliance inspections).

2. Vertical curbing not less than six inches in height shall be provided as a barrier to landscaping, retention and building areas.

3. All transformers, back-flow preventers, utility boxes, and other utility-related equipment are to be painted to compliment the building, and where ground-mounted, such equipment shall also be screened with landscaping.

4. Development of the site shall be in accordance with all conditions of approval and the approved Major Site Plan. All improvements are to be provided prior to the issuance of the Certificate of Occupancy.

Exhibits:

1. Site Plan
2. Landscape Plan
3. Building Elevations
4. Preliminary Grading/Drainage Plan
5. Lighting Photometric Plan

Keith Newman, Planner, came forward and presented a brief overview of the case as stated in the Staff Report. Mr. Newman stated the request if for a 7,580 square foot warehouse located on 2.38 acres within the Central Arizona Commerce Park. The warehouse will be used for storage of paper and materials for the Casa Grande Valley Newspaper. Mr. Newman pointed out the remaining area to the east of the warehouse will be used for the future expansion of the newspapers printing operation. Mr. Newman mentioned there will be daily deliveries for the warehouse to the printing facility via truck. The site also has a rail spur to the west and the applicant stated they will use the rail approximately 18 times per year.

Mr. Newman informed the Commission the site has only one entrance where all the traffic will ingress and egress, and it has a large turnaround on site for the large truck traffic. He noted the site will be very well landscaped, they are required to have a minimum of 7% landscaping, but they will have 24% landscaping. He also noted there will be no signage on the site, only the address will be posted and will possibly be located on the building.

Mr. Newman stated the building will be a prefabricated metal building with a block wall directly in front of the site along Industry Way, and the rest of the site perimeter boundary will have chain link fencing. Mr. Newman recited the city code regarding fences and walls, and noted it does not specify the materials that can be used.

Chairwoman Cramp questioned what will happen to the dirt road on the north side of the property.

Mr. Newman reported the road on the north was abandoned when the site was re-platted. The section of road that exists will become a secondary private road for lot 23 and dead end; it will not extend to Central Avenue.

Member Nedom commented the code regarding fences and walls is very generic and general in nature. He is concerned that this is one of the first lots being developed in this industrial park and feels the Commission needs to look at the fencing issue and reevaluate it for this whole area.

Chairwoman Cramp stated we are setting precedence for future pieces in this industrial park. She questioned if the Commission can require certain fencing material for all developments within this industrial park, or do they have to look at the fencing on a case by case basis.

Mr. Newman replied that the fencing will have to be decided on a case by case basis.

Director Paul Tice reviewed for the Commission the actual code fencing requirements. He stated there is a code in the landscape section that reads “all the parking areas must be screened”, which is being accomplished for this site with the proposed block wall along Industrial Way. The other code provision reads that “any outdoor storage must be screened”, but since this site will not have any outdoor storage that provision is not applicable. He then read the code provision that Mr. Newman mentioned, but noted this code indicates that in this zone district they could have barbed wire on top of the chain link fencing.

Director Tice directed the Commissioners question regarding their authority to go beyond the code requirements and impose upgraded screening and fencing to the Assistant City Attorney Mark Graffius.

Assistant City Attorney Graffius stated you can not require more than what is required by the city code. He did note the Commission can deem what they read into the code, but the planning staff feels that the chain link is substantial material.

Chairwoman Cramp remarked their concern is not so much the fence is chain link; their concern is if they approve this project with a chain link fence, then another industry purchases another lot, and they would need to have more screening, then they can say that the Commission allowed the other applicant to use chain link. Chairwoman Cramp stated nicer screening will help with the viewing of the industrial park.

Mr. Newman noted that if there is any outside storage they will be required to have proper screening.

Member Henderson commented that chain link fencing is more vulnerable to the expense of having to clean up all the weeds and garbage that accumulates along the fence. He questioned if the applicant is going to be prepared for the expense of keeping up the area.

Member Halloran questioned if all the fire codes have been met. Her concern is with all the paper that will be stored in the building.

Mr. Newman stated the building is over 5,000 square feet so it must have a sprinkler system.

Paul Zalewski, Fire Marshal, stated the building plans will show the sprinklers, access to the site and the location of the fire hydrant. The applicant will have to meet all the minimum fire codes.

Ward Hollon, applicant with Hollon Design Associates, L.L.C., 5801 S. McClintock Drive, Suite 104, Tempe, came forward to address the Commission. Mr. Hollon addressed the Commissioners concerns; he stated the road to the north of the proposed site is currently gravel and has a street light which will be removed. The road was abandoned during the replatting process and at the same time the property line was moved to the center of the roadway. Also the lot line for lot 23 was moved to the east 200 feet, which allowed more access to the lot from Central Avenue. Mr. Hollon then addressed the chain link fencing, he suggested the Commission look at the screening on a case by case basis; there will be different needs/uses for each development.

Chairwoman Cramp asked Mr. Hollon to address their concerns with the site on the north and south side of the building, and the product type of chain link fencing they will be using.

Mr. Hollon replied the fencing will be a regular chain link with no additional screening. He noted chain link is nice to use when they are separating the rail spurs, and block walls are usually used if you are going to have a lot of outside storage; they will not be having any outside storage at this site.

Chairwoman Cramp and Member Henderson asked Mr. Hollon to address the method they have in place as far as cleaning up the weeds and trash that will collect along the fencing..

Mr. Hollon noted the inside of the lot will be kept weed free, so if there is “stuff” stacking up on the neighbors side of the fencing then it will be the neighbors responsibility to clean up their lot. He commented that if anything such as the trash or weeds are going to gather it will gather regardless of the type of fencing used.

Chairwoman Cramp questioned the number of employees.

Mr. Hollon replied there will be two employees, but theywill not be at the warehouse all the time, they will be delivering the materials to the newspaper.

Member Henderson questioned if there is a fire issue with the truck that will be on-site at all times for the loading of the recycling materials.

Paul Zalewski, Fire Marshal, replied it will not be a problem. The applicant will be required to meet all building and fire codes for whatever they are proposing.

Mr. Hollon stated they have had the sprinkler system and the location of the fire hydrant already reviewed, and have received the fire departments comments.

Member Lavender made a motion to approve case DSA-10-00032 Major Site Plan for Casa Grande Valley Newspapers Warehouse, with the conditions as stated in the Staff Report. Member Sam seconded the motion.

The following roll call vote was recorded:

Member Henderson Aye
Member Lavender Aye
Member Halloran Aye
Member Sam Aye
Member Nedom Aye
Chairwoman Cramp Aye

The motion passed 6 – 0.

NOTE: The two cases below were continued at the meeting due to a signage posting error.

B. DSA-10-00037: Request by Ted Hawkins, Project Manager, City of Casa Grande, 510 E. Florence Boulevard, Casa Grande, AZ 85122, for a Zone Change from R-1 (Single Family Residential) to B-3 (Central Business) for the development of a Municipal Court House on 13.27 acres, m.o.l., located north of Florence Boulevard, west of Morrison Avenue and south of east 9th Street A.K.A. the City Hall Campus a portion of Section 20, T6S, R6E, G&SRM, Pinal County, Arizona, APN’s 506-07-348A, 506-07-348C, 506-07-338A and 506-07-341A.

C. DSA-10-00036: Request by Joseph Salvatore, Architekton, 464 S. Farmer Avenue, Suite 101, Tempe, AZ 85281 for a Major Site Plan for development of a Municipal Court House on 13.27 acres, m.o.l. located north of Florence Boulevard, west of Morrison Avenue and south of east 9th Street A.K.A. the City Hall Campus a portion of Section 20, T6S, R6E, G&SRM, Pinal County, Arizona, APN’s 506-07-348A, 506-07-348C, 506-07-338A and 506-07-341A.

VI. Call to the Public:

There were no comments received from the public.

VII. Reports by Officers:

Chairwoman Cramp asked the Commissioners to keep their supporting documents for the cases that were continued.

Director Tice spoke with the Commission about the sign code revision project. He noted staff has spent a lot of time reviewing the existing sign code and drafting some new sign regulations, which are extensive. Director Tice explained that he has read the proposal and has concluded that he would like to step-back and do a little more stake-holder processing on the proposal. Director Tice will be putting together a stake-holder group, which will be a core group that will meet and staff can run ideas by them and use them as an input avenue for the sign code. The group will consist of members from the Chamber of Commerce, a member from the Planning Commission, the Board of Adjustment, the Historic Preservation Commission and other community groups. The group will meet one to two times a month for the next six months. Director Tice stated eventually the proposal will be brought back to the Planning Commission for a work session, before the sign code is scheduled for a formal public hearings and consideration.

Director Tice questioned if there were any members of the Commission that would like to be part of the stake-holders group.

Assistant Attorney Graffius interjected and stated if any member is interested they can send either Director Tice or Melanie and e-mail. Director Tice will then choose a member.

Director Tice suggested we will add this on to July’s agenda, so we can discuss and choose a member for the sign code stake-holder group.

Director Tice informed the Commission of the potential cases for next months meeting. The cases mentioned were, plat abandonment, conditional use permit and a site plan.

VIII. Adjournment:

Chairwoman Cramp called for adjournment at 6:41 p.m.

Submitted this 8th day of June 2010 by Melanie Podolak, Administrative Assistant to the Casa Grande Planning and Zoning Commission, subject to the Commission’s approval.

Approved this ____ day of _________, 2010, by the Casa Grande Planning & Zoning Commission.

Chairwoman Cramp