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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Minutes - City Code Review Council Committee - Meeting Date: 8/27/2020 (3)MINUTES CITY CODE REVIEW COUNCIL COMMITTEE GLENDALE CIVIC CENTER 5750 WEST GLENN DRIVE GLENDALE, ARIZONA 85301 THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2020 5:00 PM CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at approximately 5 PM. ROLL CALL Committee members present: Vice Mayor Ray Malnar, Councilmember Joyce Clark, Barbara Lentz, Camille Donley, Yvonne Knaack, Ron Short, Rich LeVander, Michael Socaciu, Councilmember Bart Turner, and Warren Wilfong are all present. City staff present: Lisa Collins (Interim Development Services Director), Rick St. John (Deputy City Manager, Public Safety), and Shelli Henson (Council Assistant) were present. Also present: Matt Klyszeiko, Michael Baker International CITIZEN COMMENTS There were no citizen comments made. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES A motion to approve the May meeting minutes was made by Ms. Knaack and seconded by Councilmember Clark. All were in favor, and none opposed. ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION a. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ON PARKING ORDINANCE RECOMMENDATIONS In the previous meeting, the committee went through the recommendations by the code consultant by reviewing each item, and the committee made recommendations on changes in the end. Vice Mayor Malnar hoped to have this document approved by the end of the evening, and the committee's plan was to go through one page at a time. There will be notes for amendments taken throughout, and in the end, the committee would vote. Page 1 discusses special parking requirements. Vice Mayor Malnar asked if there were any adjustments for page 1, and Mr. Wilfong noted that for smaller lots, the term "maneuvering" should not be included because it would be difficult to enforce this with the smaller lots. Mr. Klyszeiko, explained the term "maneuver" was defined and identified as separate from the surrounding ground cover, and in a small lot, there is still a certain percentage of the overall front yard that can be covered by any dust -proof surface; in an effort to avoid verbosity, this explanation was not included. Mr. St. John stated that in order for this code to be enforced, the violation must be observed (rather than assumed) by the code inspector. Mr. Wilfong then added that he would like to amend it and add the word "legal" in front of "driveway" under B -ii and B - iii in both paragraphs. Mr. Short agreed. No further discussion was requested by any other committee members. All were in favor. Page 2 shows the diagrams which correspond with page 1. Mr. Wilfong noted that the shorter driveways should be limited to one parking space outside of the garage. Mr. Klyszeiko recalled that, based on the comments from the previous meeting, everyone had discussed two spaces. The best way to determine what is appropriate for each residence is the percentage of the overall area. Mr. Wilfong added that lot E covers the 30 -foot lot maximum, but the issue is that J is the correct diagram. Mr. St. John noted that the properties are already built, and there shouldn't be an expectation that they're going to create a 3 -foot barrier of some kind that's going to deter the residents from parking more vehicles in the area. Vice Mayor Malnar suggested simply changing diagram E to have only one car on each diagram. Mr. Wilfong made a motion to change diagram E to a 3 -car driveway, and it was seconded by Ms. Knaack. All were in favor, and none were opposed. Councilmember Turner asked to what extent are the new regulations going to impact retroactively. Mr. St. John said that is still a conversation that needs to be had with the committee. Ms. Collins explained that this is going to be a discussion that will be had with the city attorney. On page 3, Mr. Wilfong suggested adding the term "legal" in front of the word "driveway" in both C -ii and C -iii. Vice Mayor Malnar asked to make a motion for this change. Mr. Wilfong made a motion, and it was seconded by Mr. Socaciu. All were in favor, and none opposed. Councilmember Clark reminded everyone that these ordinances and the committee's corresponding recommendations may be altered throughout the lengthy process of approval. Page 4 shows diagrams that correspond with page 3. Councilmember Turner brought up diagrams C and D, and felt it would be counterproductive to discourage front yard parking in Glendale. Councilmember Turner noted that for existing properties facing arterial roads, it makes sense to allow them to maneuver in whatever way is fair and safe, but not necessarily allow them to park on the lot. Councilmember Clark asked if this could be added as a special condition to solve the safety issue. Councilmember Clark made a motion to add additional language which says, "if a lot is facing an arterial road in order to preserve safety, we would allow a circular driveway to be constructed beyond the prescriptive amount of front yard allowable for purposes of maneuvering and not parking." It was seconded by Councilmember Turner. All were in favor, and none were opposed. Page 5 continues with vehicle parking and storage. Mr. Wilfong noted that the storage of vehicles was supposed to be limited to only one vehicle, but the vehicle amount was not noted (in 2C). There was discussion at the last meeting being about limiting recreational vehicles and utilities, but there wasn't a discussion of limiting the number of stored vehicles in the front yard. Mr. St. John added there was a hypothetical question about storing both an RV and a classic vehicle, but remembered that the committee only allotted for one vehicle total of any kind. Vice 2 Mayor Malnar stated that page 7 details vehicle storage, and it outlaws any kind of vehicle storage on the driveway. This answered Mr. Wilfong's concerns, he agreed, and then asked if certain neighborhoods should be allowed to have some sort of permanent shade covering. Ms. Collins said this could be added to the list of items to discuss. Mr. Socaciu suggested adding clear definitions of "parking" versus "storage," to the definitions list. Mr. Klyszeiko noted that "vehicle parking" and "vehicle storage" are listed on page 12 and have definitions. Page 6 provides more diagrams. Mr. Klyszeiko explained that it was easier to describe what is allowed for vehicle parking rather than identifying what is not allowed. Prior to approving page 6, Vice Mayor Malnar asked about certain exceptions, such as large lots in certain neighborhoods who have larger vehicles. Based on the language, it seems that the larger vehicles would not be allowed on the properties, but Ms. Knaack made the point that there are certain properties where exceptions are made. Ms. Collins explained there are large lot zoning ordinances that exist specifically for non-agricultural, larger properties. Ms. Collins explained the different types of SR (Single -Family Residential) and RR (Rural Residential) zoning ordinances. To resolve this issue, it would be best to do this by zoning category (SR -17) or the next highest zone (SR -30). Eventually, Vice Mayor Malnar stated the vehicle being stored must not be visible from either the neighbor's direct fence or from the front. The purpose of this is to be flexible for those who have larger properties, but the property owners will also need to be courteous to their neighbors. Ms. Collins did bring up Code Covenants and Restrictions (CCR) because those also address some of these issues. Ms. Knaack voiced her concerns about allowing people's backyards to be theirs to do with what they wish, and the ability to enforce regulations on backyards is nearly impossible. Councilmember Clark agreed with Ms. Knaack's concerns. Vice Mayor Malnar noted, however, that large lots should have some sort regulation. Mr. LeVander asked if there's historical data detailing property complaints of this kind. Vice Mayor Malnar requested this information, and then made a motion to add language that says, "storing commercial vehicles shall be prohibited for SR -12 or lower districts. SR -17 and above are allowed to be parked and hidden from public view." It was seconded by Councilmember Turner. All but Councilmember Clark were in favor, so the motion carries. Councilmember Turner made a motion to suggest adding the allowance of heavy-duty pickup trucks (up to 14,000 lbs.) on the bottom of page 6. Mr. Wilfong seconded. All were in favor, and none opposed. Motion passed. Page 7 covers driveway parking of recreational vehicles and utility trailer parking. It's explained that driveway parking of these vehicles is prohibited unless there isn't any side or backyard parking for these vehicles. Vice Mayor Malnar noted that this was discussed at length in the previous meeting, and with no additional comments on this page, the page was approved. Page 8 is a continuation of page 7. Vice Mayor Malnar asked if anyone had any concerns. He noted that the definition of "inoperable" vehicle was added since the last meeting. Mr. Wilfong suggested "personal vehicle" be clearly defined as well. There was a question about government service vehicles and their restrictions, and Ms. Collins was not aware of any codes or regulation restrictions for vehicles actively being used for government service. Mr. St. John stated that provided the vehicle was being stored and in violation of the language, then it would be enforceable. The committee continued to the bottom of the page, and Vice Mayor Malnar 3 asked if there are specific items that would be considered "minor parts" for vehicles. Mr. Socaciu suggested creating a time limit of leaving "stored" or "inoperable" vehicles. Mr. Wilfong suggested a 5 -day time limit. Councilmember Turner suggested incorporating the paragraphs mentioned by Mr. St. John that relate to storage and inoperable vehicles. Vice Mayor Malnar made a motion to add these references of storage and inoperable vehicles, and Councilmember Clark seconded. All were in favor, and none opposed. Motion passed. Pages 9 - 13 had no comments or objections, and this concluded the committee's parking regulation section. Mr. Wilfong noted that, with many older neighborhoods, there are only single -car garages, and all the diagrams show double -car garages. Mr. Wilfong wondered about the properties with long driveways and their ability to expand 30 feet. Mr. Wilfong also added that some properties only have that ability to expand on the opposite side of the yard. Vice Mayor Malnar ultimately stated that other diagrams with single -car garages would be added for clarification. b. UPDATES AND PRESENTATIONS There are no updates from the Code Consultant aside from the assurance that the adjustments will be made. COMMITTEE COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS Vice Mayor Malnar mentioned he sent a memo to council with an update on the progress of the code committee. This memo addresses 22 items, and several of them have to do with parking. Other items include abatement program, adopting Prescott's approach to group homes, and where a code compliance officer can view a violation. Vice Mayor Malnar added the 23rd item (adding shade structures on a driveway) and will resend that. Ms. Henson is no longer with the City Council Office, and Shannon Beck will be assisting Vice Mayor Malnar in the interim. Vice Mayor Malnar stated that neighborhood street parking was not discussed. This section is not located under parking in these codes, but they still should be addressed by the committee. The commercial sub -committee will take this on for the next meeting. Vice Mayor Malnar suggested discussing grass, shrubbery, trees as residential landscaping in the next meeting. Mr. Wilfong suggested outdoor lighting needs to be addressed. Mr. Wilfong's committee will cover this one. Review the right-of-way maintenance and bring forward possible solutions. The miscellaneous committee was given this as their assignment. Each sub -committee should plan to discuss one or more items from their assignment in the next meeting. In Councilmember Turner brought up an item of discussion in a previous meeting to eliminate the setback requirement for a property that has a side against an alley. Councilmember Turner would like to see it move to council. Prior to moving it to council, Ms. Collins wanted to discuss it in greater detail. Vice Mayor Malnar suggested adding it as the 4th item going to council. Mr. St. John said they would draft language and take it to council in the second meeting of September. After mentioning the recent loss of his sister-in-law, Mr. Wilfong encouraged everyone to be safe and continue to wear their masks amidst the coronavirus pandemic. Ms. Knaack also added her own words of caution to the committee. NEXT MEETING The next regular meeting of the City Code Review will be held on Thursday, September 24th, at 5 PM. ADJOURNMENT Vice Mayor Malnar made a motion to adjourn the meeting. The meeting adjourned at approximately 7 PM. 5