Minutes of the regular meeting of the Georgetown Township Planning Commission, held Wednesday, November 1, 2006

 

Meeting called to order by Chairman Honderd at 7:30 p.m.

 

Present:            Honderd, Pearson, Poskey, DeGood, South, Stasiak, Huizinga

Absent: none

 

#061101-01 - Agenda for November 1, 2006

 

Moved by Poskey, seconded by South, to approve the agenda for November 1, 2006, as presented.

 

MOTION CARRIED.

 

#061101-02 - Minutes of the October 18, 2006 regular meeting

 

Moved by Stasiak, seconded by DeGood, to approve the minutes of the October 18, 2006 meeting, as submitted.

 

MOTION CARRIED.

 

#061101-03 - Unfinished Business Preliminary Plat of Crosswinds

 

The zoning administrator presented a review as follows.  No new information or plans have been submitted.  The request was left tabled at the last meeting. 

 

SUMMARY

At the September 6, 2006 meeting the item was tabled and the following issues remained:

·        Township Board denied dry sewer at the September 25, 2006 meeting; therefore, the plat can not be approved as presented since Chapter 24 footnote (d) states that lots not served by sanitary sewer (or dry sewer) shall have a minimum size of 13,300 square feet and a minimum width of 95 feet.  The plan as presented does not meet these ordinance requirements.

·        Fire Dept. issues remained, including: the 8 inch water main located on the west side of Berens Lane would have to be located on the east side per Township Water Department specifications; fire hydrant placements were designated; the proposed street with the name of Brzezinski Ct. should be renamed because Ottawa County Road Commission specifications state that named roads utilizing the word “Court” are for permanent dead-end roads. 

·        The Planning Commission directed that a stub street be provided to the property at the northwest of the site to provide interior access and limit access on 48th Ave. and Baldwin.

·        At the October 4, 2006 meeting, the applicants indicated that there were discussions with the Director of the DPW Department regarding the installation of dry sewer.  Since the Board denied the dry sewer, the Board would have to take action to approve any location of dry sewer and at this point it has not happened.

 

The zoning administrator stated that the issue of dry sewer for the plat would have to be reversed by the Township Board in order for dry sewer to be installed since the Board already denied the request.  The consensus of the Planning Commission was to leave the item tabled to give the applicant time to work out the remaining issues.

 

#061101-04 - Rezoning (REZ0607) To change from (HDR) High Density Residential to (LDR) Low

Density Residential a parcel of land described as P.P. # 70-14-26-300-004, located at 1245 Parsons, Georgetown Township, Ottawa County, Michigan.

 

The zoning administrator presented a review as follows.

 

SUMMARY

 

The Township Board initiated the rezoning of 1245 Parsons from HDR to LDR at the October 9, 2006 meeting for the reasons that it was in the best interest of the Township and the property owner since the property was adjacent to other single family homes and a single family home currently exists on the property, and single family homes were not permitted in the HDR district.

 

The request has been evaluated according to the three C’s as follows:

 

1.      Consistency: is the proposed zoning and all of its permitted uses consistent with the recommendations of the township land use plan?

 

The proposed zoning designation and all of its permitted uses are consistent with the land use plan.  The Future Land Use Map designates this property as LDR and the site is adjacent to LDR property to the east.  A single family home currently exits on the property.   

 

2.      Compatibility: is the proposed district and all of its allowed uses compatible with the surrounding area? 

 

The proposed zoning designation and all of its permitted uses are compatible with the surrounding area.  The proposed district (LDR) allows the following permitted uses: detached single family dwellings, parks, family daycare homes, adult foster care family homes, foster family homes and state licensed residential family facilities.  Special uses include: Churches, municipal buildings, public utilities, group daycare homes, private non-commercial recreation, golf courses, non-commercial schools, cemeteries, commercial soil removal, bed and breakfast establishments, daycare centers, commercial wireless communication towers and adult foster care homes.  To the east are single family homes and lots in the LDR district.  To the north and west the property is zoned HDR and is part of the Glen Eagle development.  To the south the property is zoned RR; however, the parcels were split years ago (inconsistent with the size requirements in the Zoning Ordinance for RR lots) into small sized lots where single family homes exist.

 

3.      Capability: is the property capable of being used for a use permitted within the existing zoning district? 

 

The property is capable of being used for the uses permitted in the LDR district.  Water is available to be brought to the site; however, sewer is not available on Parsons.  The Zoning Ordinance states that lots in the LDR district not serviced by public water and sanitary sewer shall be a minimum of 13,300 square feet in area and 95 feet wide.  This parcel exceeds those minimum requirements.

 

4.      Other considerations: will the rezoning require an inordinate expenditure of public funds (road improvements, utility extension, etc.) to make the development feasible? 

 

No public funds would be required.

 

5.      Will the rezoning cause development to “leap frog” other undeveloped areas in the same zoning district and necessitate premature extensions of services to rural areas of the township? 

 

The property and surrounding property is already developed.  Single family homes already exit on the subject property, as well as the property to the south and east.  To the north and west the property is already developed into condos. 

 

6.      Is there sufficient vacant land already zoned in a specific category (e.g., industrial, multifamily, commercial)? 

 

Although there is amply land already zoned LDR, this rezoning will continue the LDR district to the west.

 

The chairman opened the public hearing. 

 

Harold Bolt, 1239 Gleneagle Trail, asked what “leap frog” meant.

 

Honderd explained that the Township looked to see that zoning districts were contiguous or were buffered such as a commercial district adjacent to a higher density residential district, which would in turn be a buffer for a lower density residential district.

 

Loren Bolhuis, 1245 Parsons, said that they were the property owners and they wanted to split the property to construct another single family home.  They asked if the split would be approved.

 

The zoning administrator explained that a Land Split application and fee would have to be submitted to the Township, along with a survey that showed dimensions of the existing structures to the proposed property lines.  She said that all elements would have to meet the requirements of the ordinance in order for the split to be approved and that was not a part of this application.

 

Karen Bolhuis, 1245 Parsons, asked when the property had been zoned HDR.

 

The zoning administrator said that she had sent them a copy of an assessing card that noted that the property was zoned HDR in 1973; therefore, it would have had to have been zoned HDR sometime prior to that time, but no records were available at the Township Office.

 

Tom Sjoerdsma, 5963 Gleneagle Trail, asked if there would be an access through this property to the Gleneagle development.

 

Honderd said that to have changes to the Gleneagle Planned Unit Development, the owners would have to go through the whole PUD process.

 

Loren Bolhuis said that he had no intention of using his property to access the Gleneagle Developent.

 

The chairman closed the public hearing.

 

A letter from Geneviere Pickett, 1353 Gleneagle Pl., was read.

 

Moved by Poskey, seconded by DeGood, to recommend to the Township Board to approve Rezoning (REZ0607) To change from (HDR) High Density Residential to (LDR) Low Density Residential a parcel of land described as P.P. # 70-14-26-300-004, located at 1245 Parsons, Georgetown Township, Ottawa County, Michigan, based on the findings that the LDR zoning district is consistent with the Master Plan and Future Land Use Map, compatible with the surrounding area and the property is capable of sustaining the uses allowed in the LDR district.

 

MOTION CARRIED.

 

#061101-05 – Other Business

 

Nancy Hoekstra, 5960 Gleneagle Dr., asked about the closing of the Gleneagle Golf Course. 

 

The zoning administrator explained that Gleneagle had been developed as a Planned Unit Development and a site plan had been approved for the site.  She said that if the site is to be changed from the approved plan, the property owners would have to go through the whole approval process again and that would include the publishing of a notice and sending property notices.

 

#061101-06 – Adjournment

 

The chairman adjourned the meeting at 7:55 p.m.