HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Minutes - Planning Commission - Meeting Date: 5/7/2015 WORKSHOP MINUTES
PLANNING COMMISSION
GLENDALE CITY HALL
CONFERENCE ROOM 2-A
5850 WEST GLENDALE AVENUE
MAY 7,2015
5:15PM
CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order at approximately 5:15pm.
ROLL CALL
Commissioners Present: Commissioners Dobbelaere, Harper, Hirsch, Gallegos, and
Moreno, Vice Chairperson Lenox, and Chairperson Johnston were present.
Commissioners Absent: None.
City Staff Present: Tabitha Perry, Assistant Planning Director, Deborah Robberson, Chief
Deputy City Attorney, and Diana Figueroa, Recording Secretary.
ITEM:
CITIZEN PARTICIPATION
Tabitha Perry, Assistant Planning Director, provided information on the Neighborhood
Notification Process. She stated that last year the Planning Commission asked staff to review the
citizen participation process as it relates to land use applications. She explained the City of
Glendale created and adopted a Citizen Participation Plan in 1995. She noted this award winning
plan was part of the Zoning Ordinance. The Plan has been lauded by the planning and
development community and was replicated by cities and towns across Arizona.
Ms. Perry stated that the purpose of the Citizen Participation (CP) Plan was to ensure that
applicants pursue early and effective citizen participation in conjunction with their land use
applications, giving them the opportunity to understand and try to mitigate any real or perceived
impacts their application may have on the community. Additionally, this facilitates ongoing
communication between the applicant, interested citizens and property owners, city staff, and
elected officials throughout the application review process.
Currently, the applicant provides the letters and its attachments, envelopes and postage to
planning staff. The applicant is required to have the envelopes addressed, return address
included, city label attached, postage stamp added and envelopes stuffed. She said staff verifies
the contents of the envelope, seals the envelope, and places them in the outgoing mail. She felt
this gives applicants the illusion that staff does not trust them to do proper notification.
Ms. Perry said staff is proposing that notification once again be handled by the applicant.
She explained that on a rare occasion someone will state that they were not informed of a public
hearing and that they did not receive notification letter. Ms. Perry said aside from the
Planning Commission Workshop Minutes
May 7, 2015
notification letter mailed by the applicant, residences within 500 feet of the property receive
notification postcards mailed by city staff, the case is advertised in The Glendale Star, the
property is posted with a large sign explaining the request, date, time and location of public
hearing, and an agenda of the public hearing is posted at a designated location at City Hall
Office.
Ms. Perry said the notification postcards mailed out are returned to the City Planning Division if
they are undeliverable for any reason.
Commissioner Hirsch suggested the envelopes mailed by the applicant could include a label that
reads Notice of Land Use Application as he is unsure that the general public would understand
what Land Use Application means.
Commissioner Gallegos asked if the process is changed, could it be brought before the
Commission in six months to see how the process is going. Ms. Perry said yes.
The Commission agreed to move forward and have applicants handle the CP notification
process.
REPORTS AND COMMENTS
Chairperson Johnston asked if there were any Reports or Comments. There were none.
ADJOURNMENT
With no further business, Commissioner Harper made a motion to adjourn the meeting.
Commissioner Hirsch seconded the motion, which was approved unanimously.
The meeting adjourned at 5:43pm.
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