03-18-1991 Planning Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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''■r j,.-, K' r PLANNING COMtllSSION MEETING HELD MARCH 13, 1991 (#14)PLANNING COMf4ISSION ROLE CONTINUED Planning Commission to have an expandad role. I v/ould like the opportunity to finally get to pjan. I v;ou .d preier i.o see committees developed to discuss issues, because the discussion of major issues get postponed because our agenda is so full. I also need to look at the position of Staff. It is not only the poor v/orking conditions for the Staff that poses a problem. VJe have excellent Staff personnel. It seems to me that they have been forc^?d into a very difficult position r.n the Community. They have been put in a position v;here t’uey m'jst act an the citizens' voice for zoning applications brought befo.-e the Planning Commission and Council. Instead of them being aole to maintain their role and objectivity, they are put on the line and forced to do more v;ork than they should possibly be asked to do i.n this capacity. This is because of the structure of the existing system. If we v/ere to revise that system, there may be a number of applications that would not get beyond Jeanne and Mike. I have been to a lot of Planriing Commission meetings in cities of various sizes. I have never seen anybody that is as well * prepared as our Sr.aff is prepared for these meetings. I think that is asking a lot because I think thc.re is a lot o;: things they should not be asked to do." Kelley asked why it is not necessary for property owners to sign building permits- even if their contractor applies for the permit. He suggested that may be a way for homeowners to be sure that proper permits have been obtained for construction projects, and may reduce the number of after-the-fact Variances. Jabbour indicated that one of the main reasons he wished to be elected to Council, was that he believed something^ had to be done to get the City back on track. He said, "After I \ias elected I set about the task of trying to decide where it v;as that we v/ent wrong. W.ns it the Council, or the Sr.aff, or the Planning Commission, or something else^ I determined that one of the problems we have is that no one has ever really sat do\;n with the Planning Commissi.m or Park Commission, or any other volunteer group, and explained to them what it is they should be doing. Another point is that Staff has been placed in precarious position. They could not tell an applicant that their proposal to exceed hardcover limits in the 0-75' setback zone would be denied, because Council w?.s not consistent in upholding that Ordinance." v/ith regard to Kelley's suggestion about applications v/ith majority votes being reviev/»?d by Planning Commission only, Jabbour stated that Council should review all applications to ke?p informed.. but suggested that thoue v;ith *» Planning Comraission m-ajority vote could be placed on the Consent Agenda. He said, "The Council's intention is to re-focus your function to what it should have been all a.long. Docs the Planning Commission - 2G - Ml 1