WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP ZONING COMMISSION MINUTES
October 31, 2006
The Washington Township Zoning Commission met in special session on October 31, 2006 in the Meeting Room of Washington Township Government Center. Members of the Commission present were Mr. Rogers, Mr. Drain, Mrs. Zobrist, and Mr. Anderson. Mrs. Winwood was absent.
Call to order at 7:00 p.m.
The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.
MOTION – Mr. Rogers moved the minutes of September 19, 2006 be approved with modifications.
Motion seconded by Mrs. Zobrist.
VOTE - Mr. Rogers, yes; Mr. Drain, yes; Mrs. Zobrist, yes; Mr. Anderson, yes.
There was discussion about a memo received from Township Law Director Bob Surdyk, which addressed that applicants and residents do not need to be sworn in.
CASE Z-682 – Anil & Bharati Kamdar, 7345 Far Hills Avenue
Request is for a change in zoning from the current Special Use (SU) zoning district to Planned Development Office 2 (PD-O2) two stage to allow for a future expansion at an existing medical office building.
Greg DeLong, Senior Planner, presented the case.
Mr. Anderson – Is there shared parking to the rear?
Mr. DeLong – Yes, the parking lot is open and is used by 3 office uses.
Mr. Rogers – Is this a former residence?
Mr. DeLong – Yes, it is a converted single family residence, very typical of what we see on Far Hills Avenue.
Mr. Drain – Is there a detailed plan showing the proposed building elevations?
Mr. DeLong – No, I felt since this is a rezoning only case and the applicant is proposing such a small addition, detailed elevations were not needed at this time, but would be required for the second stage and final plan application. Also, the elevations are not complete at this time and there is no time frame for construction to my knowledge.
Mr. Drain – Would the addition be located in the parking lot or the side yard setback?
Mr. DeLong – No. In discussions with the architect, the addition is very minimal and will not impact the parking lot, or the side yard setback.
Mr. Drain – There will not be any changes to the front of the building?
Mr. DeLong – No, not to my knowledge. The proposed addition will be located to the rear of the building and will be out of sight from Far Hills Avenue.
Mr. Drain – Are there shared drives to the parking lot?
Mr. DeLong – Yes, there are shared drives on both sides of the property.
Applicant represented by Anil Kamdar, 861 Kelsey Court. Mr. Kamdar gave presentation to the Commission.
Mr. Drain – What are the changes you are proposing to make?
Mr. Kamdar – Put a small addition to the rear of the building which will include a waiting area and an exam room. The addition will allow for me to separate ill patients from the rest of my patients.
Mr. Drain – The addition will be in the notch on the southwest corner of the building?
Mr. Kamdar – Yes.
Mr. Drain – The addition will not go into the parking lot?
Mr. Kamdar – You are correct.
Mr. Rogers – There are other doctors in the building. Is the addition just for you?
Mr. Kamdar – Yes, I am also the property owner and the other doctors rent space.
Mr. Drain – Will the natural roofline be extended?
Mr. Kamdar – Yes.
Mr. Drain – How many square feet will you be adding?
Mr. Kamdar – About 200 square feet.
Mr. DeLong – The area is about 24’ x 12’.
Mr. Drain – Reminded applicant to check with the township for the off-street parking requirements when he comes back for the second stage.
Mr. Kamdar – Stated he will do so.
Mr. Anderson – The screening to the west will not be touched except for trimming?
Mr. Kamdar – Yes, we have no plans to mess with the screening.
Mr. Anderson – Do you have a time frame for completion?
Mr. Kamdar – As soon as we can get through all the proper public hearings.
Citizens voicing concerns, questions and comments included: None.
Public hearing closed.
Commission remarks, concerns and comments included:
Mr. Drain - We have always had an interest in getting rid of Special Use zoning when we can and this zoning district proves appropriate for the property.
Mr. Rogers – Stated he has no objection to the request.
Mrs. Zobrist – She also has no objection to the request.
Mr. Anderson – Has no concerns.
Hearing closed.
MOTION - Mr. Rogers moved in Case Z-682 to approve applicant’s request for a change in zoning from the current Special Use (SU) zoning district to Planned Development Office 2 (PD-O2) two stage to allow for a future expansion at an existing medical office building, subject to: 1) staff comments.
Motion seconded by Mrs. Zobrist.
VOTE - Mr. Rogers, yes; Mr. Drain, yes; Mrs. Zobrist, yes; Mr. Anderson, yes.
Case Z-682 approved with modification.
CASE Z-677A – Sandeep & Shraddha Singhvi, 7245 Far Hills Avenue
Request is for a second stage and final plan approval for a new jewelry store to be located in a Planned Development Business 2 (PD-B2) zoning district.
Greg DeLong, Senior Planner, presented the case.
Mr. DeLong – Mentioned how the applicant is going to request changing the exterior building material from cast stone to brick. States how the change in material does not affect the material requirements as stated in the Zoning Resolution.
Mr. Drain – During the first stage application hearing, there was discussion about connection from this property to the property to the south to allow for traffic to use Tranquil Trail.
Mr. DeLong – There was discussion about this, but we also discussed how there is no traffic signal at Tranquil Trail and Far Hills Avenue and for people to get to a light, they would have to drive through the residential area to get to Williamsburg Lane where there is a light at Williamsburg Lane and Far Hills Avenue. Also, I am unaware if there is actually an easement on the property to the south to allow for traffic to cut through the site. You may wish to ask the applicant to verify this for you.
Mr. Rogers – Where is the EFIS located on the building?
Mr. DeLong – It is on the gables.
Mr. Drain – The new building looks much larger than what is presently there. Have we calculated the off-street parking?
Mr. DeLong – Yes, we have calculated it and they are in compliance. They are actually proposing to add a few spaces to the front of the building.
Mr. Drain – Do they have shared parking?
Mr. DeLong – No, the parking lot is separate from the use located to the south.
Mr. Drain – Are the drives shared?
Mr. DeLong – Yes.
Mr. Anderson – Where is the existing shed located in relationship to the off-street parking lot?
Mr. DeLong – It is located to the west of the parking lot and the shed will be removed and will be replaced with the enclosed dumpster.
Applicant represented by Alex Luque, Architect, 1045 E. Centerville Station Road. Mr. Luque stated how the applicant would like to change the exterior building materials from stone to brick. This determination came to fruition within the last week and it is because of financial costs. Mr. Luque also stated how they could use more EFIS on the building as an architectural element by using it as trim and an accent material.
Mr. Anderson – The drawings we have in front of us only shows the EFIS on the gables. As you described your design, it is appearing more elaborate than what we are seeing on the drawings.
Mr. Luque – Yes, you are correct. We are looking at making a statement with the building and with using brick on the building; we can use more EFIS as accents and trim.
Mr. Anderson – What materials will be used on the louver structures?
Mr. Luque – At this point it could be metal, wood and/or EFIS.
Mr. Drain – What you are saying is where EFIS is shown on the drawings will be the only location where it will be?
Mr. Luque – No, we would also like to use it as accents and trim on other areas of the building.
Mr. Drain – So what you are saying, there will be more EFIS than what is shown on the drawings?
Mr. Luque – Yes.
Mr. Drain – Stated at this stage in the process we usually have final plans identifying what the design will actually look like. It appears that you are still trying to figure out the final details.
Mr. Luque – Yes, we are.
Mr. Drain – Usually the drawings that we see at this point are ones we sign off on before they go to the Trustees. I know you have mentioned the change from stone to brick, but when you state that you want to use EFIS in other areas than what is shown on the drawings, that is a concern to me.
Mr. Drain – If the plans are approved tonight and you decide to change the EFIS on the building you will need to come back to us with a change to the plans. Basically what we approve is what should be built.
Mr. Luque – We are only looking at adding additional EFIS as trim work and accents.
Mr. Anderson – I believe what you are saying is that what you want to do the building will be an improvement to the plans. I believe though we need to see this addressed on the plans.
Mr. Anderson – We need to see the details the applicant is talking about tonight shown on the plans that we see.
Mrs. Zobrist – Agreed.
Mr. Drain – How far are you from finalizing the plans?
Mr. Luque – We will need to have a full understanding of the design within two weeks.
Mr. Drain – What color will the canvas awnings be?
Mr. Luque – A dark color, either dark blue or black.
Mr. Anderson – Is the signage out front going to be the same? Not just changing the face panels?
Mr. Luque – We will use the base and the sign itself will be different.
Mr. Drain – You are not going to change the base of the sign?
Mr. Luque – We anticipate that we may need to paint some of the brick on the building so it matches the base of the signage.
Sandeep Singhvi, Applicant, 10865 Waterbury Woods Drive – Stated he is going to investigate the signage allowed in the PD-B2 zoning district.
Mr. DeLong – You will be allowed to have a ground mounted sign and signage on the building.
Mr. Drain – Do you understand why we need to have the plans finalized and complete before we approve them?
Mr. Singhvi – Yes.
Mr. Drain – Will you be willing to allow us to have you come back to the November meeting with the final plans?
Mr. Singhvi – Yes.
Mr. Anderson – Since you will be coming back for the November meeting, I would also like to see the landscaping plan more generic. This will allow for the applicant to have flexibility with the landscaping beds and it will assist the zoning inspectors.
Mr. Drain – That is a very good comment and we have had that discussion with many applicants.
Mr. DeLong – Stated that if this case is tabled, the applicant needs to resubmit for the November meeting and he will need a new set of plans by November 13.
Mr. Singhvi – Do you think the plans are acceptable and you will vote favorably in November?
Mr. Drain – Yes, I like what I am seeing.
Mr. Rogers – We can’t guarantee approval, but I really like what I see.
Mr. Drain - What you are doing here is very attractive and does blend into the existing environment. It is a quality design.
Mr. Drain – The Commission will keep the public portion of this case open for the next meeting.
MOTION - Mr. Anderson moved in Case 677A to table applicant’s request for a second stage and final plan approval for a new jewelry store to be located in a Planned Development Business 2 (PD-B2) zoning district to allow for the applicant to submit drawings and other information as discussed.
Motion seconded by Mrs. Zobrist.
VOTE - Mr. Rogers, yes; Mr. Drain, yes; Mrs. Zobrist, yes; Mr. Anderson, yes.
Case Z-677A tabled.
In other business:
Mr. DeLong – Discussed the Zoning Commission and Trustee calendar and how we need to maintain the schedule as established.
Mr. DeLong – Stated his resignation from the township and thanked the Commission for all of their hard work and assistance in making his time with the township very enjoyable.
Gary Huff, Township Administrator – Discussed the staffing issue for the Zoning Commission and how he and Andy Ehrhart, GIS & Zoning Manager, will be handling the Zoning Commission. Also had a discussion about the organization of Development Services.
Mr. DeLong – Reminded the Commission of the November 8, 2006 Zoning Resolution Rewrite meeting.
Meeting adjourned at 8:30 p.m. A tape recording of this proceeding is on file in the Zoning Office.
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Harry Drain, Chairman
Washington Township Zoning Commission
ZC\Minutes\October 31,2006