ESTACADA PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2007 – 7:00 PM

CITY HALL

1. CALL TO ORDER

The meeting was called to order at 7:00 pm.

2. ROLL CALL

Present: Cm. Cameron, Cm. James, Cm. Ennis, Cm. Sager, Cm. Hnidey, Cm. Piper, CP Hoelscher, CP McCallister, DCR Hovda.

Absent: Cm. Anderson.

3. APPROVAL OF NOVEMBER 15, 2007 MINUTES

Consensus was to approve the minutes as presented.

4. PUBLIC HEARINGS

A. Alteration of a Variance & Non-Conforming Use application #2007-01. The applicant, Heath Stalcup, is requesting permission to alter a non-conforming use by expanding the existing entry of the building, reduce the front setback from the required 20’ to 11’. The property is zoned C-2 (General Commercial). The proposal is to construct 15 foot x 19 ½ foot addition on the front of the building, which will encroach into the required front setback by 9’. The criteria applicable to this application include Section 16.32, 16.84 and 16.88 of the Estacada Zoning Code. The property is described as 34E, 20DD, tax lot 100 – 209 NE Main Street.

Cm. Cameron opened the public hearing and asked if there was any exparte contact. Cm. Sager stated he has attended the church. Chrm. Cameron read a statement regarding evidence.

CP Hoelscher reviewed the staff report, which recommends denial. He reminded the Commission if they are going to approve this request they must base it on the code.

Danny Scott, 393 Regan Hill Loop, gave a handout that showed how the new entry way will look and also showed before and after pictures from the improvements they have already done. He apologized if he missed some information on the application. He stated the prior tenants had approximately 12 people at any one service. Since this group has opened the doors to share their fellowship there has been from 118-131 people. The building is pretty full and they want to upgrade the building to make it nicer. They feel this request is reasonable. They want to make a safe place for people. They don’t anticipate the attendance ever being much lower – they have a strong following. They don’t advertise. He doesn’t feel this would be a hindrance for traffic and some that attend are neighbors. They have spent approximately $30,000 already on improving this site, which was an eye sore.

Cm. Piper feels there have been incredible improvements so far including windows and it looks awesome. He asked about their other plans to improve the inside of the building.

Heath Stalcup, stated his grandpa was the pastor there 40 years ago and they had over 200 people at that time. He feels it is unsafe for large crowds because of the few exits. The new foyer will have 2 exit doors. By opening up the entrance and moving the interior wall there will be more seating and easier flow for entry and exit. They have money to put into this project.

Cm. Hnidey asked where everyone will park.

Heath Stalcup stated they will park along the street, in the adjacent parking lot and also at Clackamas River Elementary, which they have gotten permission to use for parking. They do plan on improving the walkway between the parking lot and the church entrance to encourage people to use that.

Robbie Foster, stated that multiple entrances helps people who will be parking in the two mentioned lots. It will provide easier access, which currently is very bottle-necked. The foyer will provide an area to come into and get out of the weather, greet each other and proceed into the church.

Cm. James asked if they have given any thought to a different shaped foyer that would stay within the setbacks.

Heath stated that any other shape would interfere with the concrete building. There are bathroom windows on both sides of the front door that would be blocked by a wider foyer. They have put a lot of thought into this and feel this is the only solution.

Jason Guthu, stated the downtown area has been growing and looking very nice. He feels these improvements will help another area of town.

Cm. Piper generally likes what’s been happening and has a list of reasons to approve the application.

Cm. James likes the work they have done but doesn’t want to set precedence for other lots that want to be within the setback area. He feels the church has room for other options.

Chrm. Cameron closed the public hearing and reopened the Planning Commission meeting.

Cm. Piper moved to approve the Alteration of a non-conforming use application #2007-1 because it will improve the property value, eliminate an eye sore in the community, utilize a vacant building, because it’s better than alternative uses that could go into the building, because the improvements they have done so far show they are going to do good quality work, they have provided adequate parking and it improves the safety of exits. Cm. Sager seconded the motion. Roll Call Vote: Cm. James – yes, Cm. Ennis – yes, Cm. Sager – yes, Cm. Hnidey – no, Cm. Piper – yes, Chrm. Cameron – no. Motion passed 4-2.

B. Ordinance Series of 2007, No. 006 – An Ordinance deleting, amending, and adding sections of the Estacada Development Code to bring the code into consistency with the state Transportation Planning Rule (TPR) and other state, county and local Plans.

CP McCallister gave a new handout that gave explanations of the ordinance changes. He reviewed each section and the reason for the change.

Efrom, 20388 SE Hidden Creek Lane – asked if this will affect the current roads. CP stated it will not.

Mike Doolittle, asked questions about the state highway and current properties. CP stated this will only affect future development, remodels, etc.

Cm. Piper moved to recommend approval of the ordinance changes as discussed. Cm. James seconded the motion. Motion passed 6-0.

5. ADJOURNMENT

The meeting was adjourned at 9:15pm.