WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP ZONING COMMISSION MINUTES

February 21, 2006

The Washington Township Zoning Commission met in regular session on February 21, 2006 in the Meeting Room of Washington Township Government Center. Members of the Commission present were Mr. Rogers, Mrs. Zobrist, and Mr. Anderson. Mr. Drain and Mrs. Winwood were excused.

Call to order at 7:00 p.m.

The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.

MOTION – Mrs. Zobrist moved the minutes of January 17, 2006 be approved as submitted.

Motion seconded by Mr. Anderson.

VOTE - Mr. Rogers, yes; Mrs. Zobrist, yes; Mr. Anderson, yes.

All in attendance were duly sworn in.

CASE Z-568B – Versant Group, LLC (Maderas Creek)

Request is for a Planned Development Residential (PD-R) second stage and final plan approval to change previously approved site and elevation plans to allow for construction of 10 new condominiums for a total of 20 dwelling units on 6.842 acres of land located along the east side of Paragon Road between Alexandersville-Bellbrook Pike and I-675.

Greg DeLong , Senior Planner, presented the changes that have been made since the January 17, 2006 meeting where the Commission tabled the case.

Applicant represented by Herold Williams, 75 Holiday Drive, Englewood; and Kara Burkhardt, Burkhardt Engineering, 195 Byers Road, Miamisburg.

Mr. Williams discussed the changes made to the plans which include modifications to the elevations, floor plans, site plans and he also addressed the reduction in density and the addition of off-street parking which were also requests of the Commission and the neighbors.

Mrs. Zobrist – What were the distances between buildings previously versus present?

Mr. Williams – Distances between buildings remained the same at twenty feet (20’), but the buildings are setting back farther from the road.

Mr. Anderson – Is the stucco on the buildings real stucco or dryvit?

Mr. Williams – It is real stucco.

Mr. Anderson – Questioned how will they control the growth of the crown vetch, which tends to grow wild?

Mr. Williams – He will discuss this with their landscaper.

Mr. Rogers – Did you meet with the residents of The Bluffs?

Mr. Williams – Yes, we did have a meeting with the residents from The Bluffs. At the meeting we presented a plan with 22 units and since then, we removed one additional building, which was the closest to them so now we are down to the 20 units.

Mr. Rogers – What is the price range of the units?

Mr. Williams – They will be around $325,000.

Mr. Anderson – Asked if they will be able to meet staff comments in regards to landscaping?

Mr. Williams – Yes, we are and we are eliminating the ash trees as requested and will replace them with oak trees.

Mr. Anderson – Asked about the possibility of adding a weir system into the creek to slow down the flow of water since the creek will be straightened out?

Ms. Burkhardt – They will work with the EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers because slowing down the creek will create other issues with water quality. Natural boulders could be used instead of a man-made system, such as the weir system.

Citizens voicing concerns, questions and comments included:

Mike Ahalt, 314 Trebor Lane – Mr. Ahalt is the president of The Bluffs condominium association. He stated that the developer has addressed most of the concerns of The Bluffs residents and thanked the developer for doing so.

Joe Harmon, 531 Willowhurst – Feels the changes made is an improvement and congratulated the developer for taking all the comments from the last meeting into consideration. Would like to see natural landscaping utilized instead of what is required.

Cheryl Dietrich, 310 Trebor Lane – Had some questions for the developer, which she addressed to the Commission, including the cul-de-sac’s turning radius and building elevations. (The developer responded to her questions.)

Public hearing closed.

Commission remarks, concerns and comments included:

Mrs. Zobrist – Commended the developer for all the changes made and thanked him for working with the Commission and the neighbors. Stated she liked the original plans which had limestone instead of stucco on the upper levels but understands why the changes were made.

Mr. Anderson – Echoed Mrs. Zobrist’s comments and added that he really likes the new floor plans as well.

Mr. Rogers – Agreed with all the previous comments and added that he appreciated the developer working with the residents.

MOTION - Mr. Rogers moved in Case Z-568B to approve applicant’s request for a Planned Development Residential (PD-R) second stage and final plan approval to change previously approved site and elevation plans to allow for construction of 10 new condominiums for a total of 20 dwelling units on 6.842 acres of land, subject to: 1) staff comments, excluding comment #3 from Senior Planner, Greg DeLong; 2) compliance with regulatory agencies in regards to relocation of the creek; and 3) maintain natural areas and be considerate to the natural landscape during construction.

Motion seconded by Mr. Anderson.

VOTE - Mr. Rogers, yes; Mrs. Zobrist, yes; Mr. Anderson, yes.

Case Z-568B approved with modifications.

In other business:

The meeting continued with a staff and Commission discussion about policies and procedures.

Meeting adjourned. A tape recording of this proceeding is on file in the Zoning Office.

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Richard Rogers, Acting Chairman

Washington Township Zoning Commission

ZC\Minutes\February 21, 2006