[00:00:01]
WE'LL CALL THE MARCH 19TH GALVESTON PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING TO ORDER.
[1. Call Meeting To Order]
AND WE'VE ALL SIGNED IN ON ROLL.ARE THERE ANY CONFLICTS OF INTEREST? SEEING NONE, WE'LL MOVE ON TO THE APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES.
[4. Approval Of Minutes]
WE HAVE THE MARCH 5TH MINUTES FOR APPROVAL.ARE THERE ANY ADDITIONS, DELETIONS TO THE MINUTES.
SEEING NONE, WE WILL APPROVE THOSE.
WE HAVE THE PUBLIC COMMENT SECTION.
THIS IS IF YOU ARE PRESENT AND WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON ANY ITEM, PLEASE DO SO.
SEEING NONE. WE'LL MOVE TO NEW BUSINESS.
[6.A.1. 24P-006 (Adjacent To 2202 Strand / Avenue B) Request For A License To Use In Order To Retain Construction Fencing. Adjacent Property Is Legally Described As M.B. Menard Survey, Lot 8 And East 1/2 Of Lot 9, Block 682, In The City And County Of Galveston, Texas. Applicant: Brax Easterwood, Easterwood Architects Studio Adjacent Property Owner: Col. Bubbies, LLC. Easement Holder: City Of Galveston]
24P-006. 24P-006 THIS IS A REQUEST FOR A LICENSE TO USE IN ORDER TO RETAIN CONSTRUCTION FENCING.THE APPLICANT HAS REQUESTED A DEFERRAL UNTIL THE APRIL 1ST REGULAR MEETING.
AND SO WE'VE PROVIDED A MEMO ACCORDINGLY FOR PLANNING COMMISSION'S CONSIDERATION.
ALSO KNOW THIS IS A FIRST REQUEST DEFERRAL.
THERE ARE NO COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE REQUEST.
OKAY. AND I'LL ALSO NOTE THAT WE GOT WHEN WE GOT OUR PUBLIC COMMENT STUFF EARLIER TODAY WHEN WE GOT THE REPORT, THE COMMENTS WERE IN OPPOSITION, BUT THE COVER PAGE TO THE REPORT SAID THAT IT WAS IN FAVOR.
SO THERE WAS A TYPO, A TYPOGRAPHICAL ERROR THERE.
SO THE COMMENTS THAT WERE RECEIVED WERE THREE IN OPPOSITION IN LIEU OF THREE THAT WERE IN FAVOR.
IN FAVOR AS WRITTEN IN THE SUMMARY.
SO I'LL MAKE A MOTION THAT WE DEFER 24P-0062.
WHAT'S THE DATE OF THAT? THE APRIL 2ND MEETING? I'LL SECOND. SO WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR DEFERRAL.
IS THERE A DISCUSSION ON THAT? NO, THERE CAN BE ANY DISCUSSION.
SEEING NONE. WE'LL TAKE THE VOTE.
THOSE IN FAVOR OF DEFERRAL? THAT'S UNANIMOUS.
SO NOW WE'RE GOING TO MOVE TO OUR DISCUSSION ITEMS OF THE CONDOS IN THE COMMERCIAL ZONING DISTRICTS.
[7. Discussion Items]
AND I HAVE DO WE HAVE A STAFF PRESENTATION ON THAT OR YOU JUST WANT ME TO ASK SOME QUESTIONS OR WHAT? IF YOU JUST WANT TO SORT OF DETAIL THE REASON AS TO, YOU KNOW, WHY THIS IS, YOU KNOW, A DISCUSSION ITEM, THEN WE'LL KIND OF PERFECT. OKAY, I LIKE THAT.SO SO ADRIEL, HERE'S WHEN, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE WE'VE RECENTLY HAD A CONDO PROJECT THAT WAS IN A COMMERCIAL ZONE THAT HAD A HDZ HDDZ OVERLAY ON TOP OF IT.
SO YOU GOT COMMERCIAL WITH HDZ, DDZ ON TOP OF IT.
SO THE COMMERCIAL RULES AND SO JUST AS AN EXAMPLE, IN THE COMMERCIAL ZONING, THE HEIGHT LIMITATION 4A CONDO, WHICH IS AN APPROVED USE IS 50FT.
SO HDDZ THE LAYER ON TOP OF IT WOULD ALLOW THEM TO GO TO HEIGHTS IN EXCESS OF 100FT, ROUGHLY.
IF THEY MEET CERTAIN CRITERIA. IF THEY MEET CERTAIN CRITERIA.
SO WE ALSO HAD IN THE HDDZ ALSO HAS SOME SETBACK REQUIREMENTS.
IT ALSO TALKS ABOUT SCALING WHERE WE HAVE TALL WALLS AND SETBACKS ASSOCIATED WITH CERTAIN DESIGN CRITERIA. SO I GOT TO THINKING AND THIS ALWAYS GETS ME IN TROUBLE.
WHERE WE HAVE COMMERCIAL ZONES THOUGH, THEY'RE LIMITED OUT MUCH FURTHER WEST.
WE DO HAVE COMMERCIAL ZONES WITHIN THE CITY, WITHIN THE I'LL CALL IT THE GRID OF THE CITY FROM SAY, YOU KNOW, 90TH STREET TO THE END OF THE SEAWALL AND BACK LIKE SAY, ON BROADWAY.
SO WE COULD HAVE A COMMERCIAL ZONE THAT HAS THE CORNER CONVENIENCE STORE THAT WOULD BE RAISED AND COULD HAVE CONDOS ON IT, AND THERE'S RESIDENTIAL STRUCTURES ADJACENT TO IT.
SO IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THE SETBACKS IN THAT INSTANCE WOULD BE ZERO ON THE FRONT.
IS THAT CORRECT? YEAH, IT COULD BE. AND WE CAN GET INTO THOSE HERE.
I'VE WE CAN GET INTO THOSE HERE IN A MINUTE.
BUT YEAH, IT COULD BE POTENTIALLY ZERO.
SO I'M SO THEY CAN GO 50FT TALL AND WELL IT'S 50FT ABOVE BASE FLOOD ELEVATION.
[00:05:10]
BE, YOU KNOW 20 OR 30FT TALL.AN THE SIDE SETBACKS ARE THERE'S NOT MUCH IN THE WAY OF SIDE SETBACKS.
I'M A LITTLE CONCERNED ABOUT WHERE YOU'D HAVE TOWERING STRUCTURE NEXT TO RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS WITH MINIMAL SIDE SETBACKS, SO I WANTED TO LOOK AT WHAT WE COULD POSSIBLY DO LIKE IN HD OR IN SOME INSTANCES, THE SETBACKS ARE, YOU KNOW, AND I FORGOT WHAT ZONE THEY'RE IN.
BUT WHEREAS WE HAVE A COMMERCIAL ZONE THAT'S NEXT TO A RESIDENTIAL ZONE.
SO YOU'D HAVE C NEXT TO R1 THAT THE SETBACK IS I THINK FIVE FEET.
SO IT'S PRETTY CLOSE THE SIDE SETBACKS.
SO I'M JUST A LITTLE CONCERNED WE WOULD HAVE THESE TALLER STRUCTURES NEXT TO THESE SMALLER HOUSES IN COMMERCIAL ZONES PRIMARILY WITHIN THE CORE OF THE CITY.
SURE. AND LET'S, JUST KICK IT OFF HERE WITH THE CONDOMINIUM DEFINITION AND ESSENTIALLY MEANS THREE OR MORE DWELLING UNITS IN A MULTI UNIT BUILDING THAT IS SEPARATELY OWNED AND MAY BE COMBINED WITH AN UNDIVIDED INTEREST IN THE COMMON AREAS AND FACILITIES OF THE PROPERTY.
NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. THEN WHERE ARE THOSE ALLOWED? WELL, THEY'RE PERMITTED BY RIGHT IN THE MULTIFAMILY DISTRICT AND THE TNDS COMMERCIAL ZONING DISTRICT, OBVIOUSLY RESORT RECREATION.
AND NOW THEY'RE ALSO PERMITTED BY OR WITH LIMITATIONS OR WITH STANDARDS IN THE UN AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES ZONING DISTRICT, WHICH DOESN'T COME UP VERY OFTEN.
ACTUALLY, WE DON'T HAVE ONE IN THE CITY CURRENTLY AND IN THE CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT.
AND OF COURSE, NEXT WE WOULD LOOK AT THE WHAT THOSE LIMITATIONS ARE OR STANDARDS.
THEN IT'S GOING TO TALK ABOUT MINIMUM SETBACKS FROM THE CONDOS TO A RESIDENTIAL ZONING DISTRICT SUCH AS R1 AND R0.
THEN IT'S GOING TO TALK ABOUT SETBACKS FOR ACCESSORY STRUCTURES WITHIN THAT DEVELOPMENT.
IT'S GOING TO TALK ABOUT A FENCE REQUIREMENT, WHICH IS ESSENTIALLY A PERIMETER, A THREE FOOT PERIMETER DECORATIVE FENCE THAT IS REQUIRING AND THEN THERE'S SETBACKS FOR THE BUILDING ITSELF.
AND IT'S ESSENTIALLY TO CREATE A SORT OF A UNIFORM SETBACK ALONG THE SAME FACE BLOCK THERE.
AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, WE HAVE STREET TREES REQUIRED FOR A CONDO DEVELOPMENT.
AND NEXT WE COULD LOOK AT WHAT CHAIR WALLA WAS REFERRING TO AS FAR AS THE SETBACKS AND THE HEIGHT OF THOSE CONDOS AND THE VARIOUS DISTRICTS IN WHICH THEY ARE ALLOWED.
IN THE MULTIFAMILY DISTRICT THEY CAN BE 100FT PLUS THE BFES AS CHAIR WALLA WAS MENTIONING, THE SETBACKS, THERE WILL BE 20FT IN THE FRONT, THREE ON THE SIDES AND THEN 10 IN THE REAR.
THE THREE ON THE SIDES MAY INCREASE WHEN ABUTTING R1 OR RESIDENTIAL ZONE TO 5 TO 10FT.
THEN IN THE TNDS YOU'RE LOOKING AT ZERO IN THE FRONT, FIVE ON THE SIDES, TEN IN THE REAR.
COMMERCIAL IT'S 50FT AS CHAIR WALLA MENTIONED PLUS THE BFE AND THEN FRONT TO ZERO SIDE IS FIVE FEET AND REAR ZERO. RES REC WE'RE LOOKING AT ZERO, THREE, AND TEN WITH 120FT PLUS BFE OF HEIGHT THAT'S ALLOWED.
AND THE UN, WE'RE LOOKING AT 50FT PLUS BFE.
AND AGAIN, ALL OF THEM ARE, YOU KNOW, ADDING THE BFE AS WELL.
IN THE UN, YOU COULD BE AT ZERO FEET IN THE FRONT, THREE ON THE SIDES AND THEN ZERO IN THE REAR AND THE NS, WHICH WE DON'T HAVE A DISTRICT, THAT DISTRICT YET IN THE CITY THERE'S NO FRONT SETBACK, BUT IT STATES THAT, YOU KNOW, BUILDINGS ESSENTIALLY HAVE TO MEET THE ABUTTING DISTRICT SETBACK REQUIREMENT.
[00:10:01]
AND THEN LAST BUT NOT LEAST, CENTRAL BUSINESS IS ZERO ALL AROUND WITH NO HEIGHT RESTRICTION.AGAIN, THE CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT IS PRIMARILY OUR DOWNTOWN AREA HERE IN OUR CITY.
AND THAT THAT PRETTY MUCH SUMS IT UP.
AS FAR AS ABUTTING PROPERTY AND THEIR HEIGHT RESTRICTIONS, THAT OBVIOUSLY COMES WITH THE BASE ZONING DISTRICT AND THE INSTANCE OF, YOU KNOW, A CONDO BEING ERECTED NEXT TO A SINGLE FAMILY, R1 DISTRICT THEN ALSO HAVE TO KEEP YOU ALSO HAVE TO KEEP IN MIND THAT THE R1 PROPERTY MAY ALSO HAVE 50FT FROM BASE FLOOD ELEVATION.
SO THE R1 LIMITATIONS WOULD ALLOW A SINGLE SINGLE FAMILY DETACHED DWELLING TO BE 50FT HEIGHT, PLUS THE BASE FLOOD ALLOWANCE THERE. QUESTIONS OR DISCUSSION.
HAVE WE EVER SEEN A 50 FOOT TALL BUILDING IN R1? A SINGLE FAMILY 50 FOOT TALL ABOVE BASE FLOOD.
YEAH, WE'VE SEEN A COUPLE AND ACTUALLY IN TOWN THERE ARE A COUPLE OF EXAMPLES.
RIGHT CATHERINE WITH THE ACCESSORY STRUCTURE ABOVE THE HOUSE? OH, MAYBE. I THINK THAT ONE IS PRETTY TALL.
IT WOULDN'T BE HARD TO DO THAT.
OKAY. ESPECIALLY ON BIGGER HOUSES THAT HAVE A WIDER FOOTPRINT WITH A TALLER ROOF.
IF IT'S THREE STORYS WITH A ROOF, IT'S DEFINITELY GOING TO GET THERE.
TWO WITH A ROOF IN A VE, YOU'RE IN THE 40S.
SO AM I RIGHT? OKAY. SO YOU'RE AND SO I'M GATHERING YOUR YOUR COMMENT IS, IS THAT IF YOU HAVE AN R1 NEXT TO A COMMERCIAL ZONE, IF THE R1 CAN GO 50, WHY SHOULDN'T THE GUY BE ABLE TO DO CONDOS ON A COMMERCIAL SIDE AT 50? WELL, THAT'S PART OF THE LOGIC THERE.
YEAH, THAT'S PART OF THE LOGIC.
AND ALSO I MEAN, IT'S WE'VE HAD A FEW MULTIFAMILY BUILDINGS.
I CAN'T THINK OF A, I COULD THINK AT LEAST OF FIVE RIGHT NOW MAYBE.
YEAH, 4 OR 5 AND THAT ARE WITHIN R1 OR RESIDENTIAL ZONES.
AND WE HAVEN'T SEEN ANY MAJOR ISSUES WITH THOSE.
YEAH, PROBABLY ONE OF THE MOST RECENT SORT OF LARGE SCALE MULTIFAMILY DEVELOPMENTS THAT WE'VE HAD IN TOWN WAS PROBABLY WAS IT MIGUEL PRIDA ON BAYOU SHORE.
AND THAT'S ALL WITHIN THE R-1 DISTRICT.
AND AGAIN, NO MAJOR ISSUES WITH THAT ONE.
AGAIN, THERE'S NO ADJACENT BUILDINGS.
WELL TODAY. WELL, MOVING EAST, YOU HAVE AN ENTIRE, YOU KNOW, NEIGHBORHOOD THERE, SO.
RIGHT. BUT IT'S WHERE MY CONCERN IS I'M LOOKING AT THIS ZERO FRONT, ZERO BACK THREE ON THE SIDE.
AT MIGUEL PRIDA DIDN'T HAVE ANYBODY THREE FOOT FROM HIS.
HIS BUILDING IS NOT THREE FOOT FROM HIS NEXT STRUCTURE NEXT TO HIM.
I MEAN, IT IS AN EXAMPLE AND I GET IT.
BUT I MEAN, THOSE ARE WE MAY NOT HAVE THAT, BUT IF THAT HAPPENS WE'RE GOING TO HEAR SOME SQUEALING.
AND IF I'M HONEST, THE MAJORITY OF THE THE MAJORITY OF THE PERMITS THAT I MEAN, I'M REVIEWING, YOU KNOW, AND I'VE REVIEWED FOR THE PAST, YOU KNOW, YEAR OR SO HAVE, AS YOU KNOW, IN REGARDS TO MULTIFAMILY DEVELOPMENT, IT'S BEEN MOSTLY, YOU KNOW, AT THE EIGHT UNIT CAP, YOU KNOW, SORT OF MAX THERE.
YOU KNOW, IN TOWN AND, YOU KNOW, ADJACENT TO UN OR OTHER NEIGHBORHOODS.
ANYBODY ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? OKAY. SO MY QUESTION WOULD BE IS THIS SOMETHING YOU GUYS? I MEAN, I THINK YOU'VE DONE A FINE JOB OF ANSWERING MY QUESTIONS AND I CAN SEE THE COMPARISONS.
AND YOU KNOW, THOUGH I DON'T LIKE THOSE SETBACKS OR I WOULD SAY THIS, IF I OWNED A HOUSE NEXT TO THOSE GUYS, I DEFINITELY WOULD NOT LIKE TO SEE A CONDO BUILT NEXT TO MY HOUSE ZERO FOOT FROM THE PROPERTY LINE.
RIGHT. AND I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS SOMETHING WE WANT TO DISCUSS ANY FURTHER.
AND I GUESS THAT'S THE QUESTION.
SO ARE YOU GUYS GOOD WITH THIS AND WANT TO MOVE ON, OR IS IT SOMETHING THAT WE WANT TO KICK AROUND?
[00:15:02]
AND FOR THE RECORD, HDDZ IS TOTALLY DIFFERENT.AND IT ADDS A CONFUSING, YOU KNOW.
AND I MENTIONED THAT BECAUSE I WAS ASKED THE QUESTION.
WE CAN HAVE OTHER LAYERS BESIDES HDDZ.
SO ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? I HAVE A QUESTION? YES, SIR.
WHY ARE YOU CONCERNED WITH THAT? YOU KNOW WHERE I SAW WHERE THIS BECAME WHERE I SAW THIS WAS WHERE THE RECENT CONDO DEVELOPMENT WE HAD.
AND I'M THINKING, GEEZ, THEY COULD BE THREE FEET.
SO HDDZ PRECLUDES THAT DOESN'T LET THEM DO THAT.
BUT IF IT WAS NOT AN HDDZ, THEN NOW GRANTED, IT WOULDN'T BE 120FT TALL.
SO IT'S JUST WHEN I SAW THE SETBACKS, IT MADE ME JUST GO, HEY, WHAT DOES THAT STUFF REALLY LOOK LIKE? WHAT WOULD IT MATTER IF IT WAS THREE, FIVE, 25? WHAT WOULD THAT. WHAT WOULD THAT DO? WELL, BECAUSE WHAT WOULD BE THE DIFFERENCE IN SOMEBODY BUILDING THAT AS OPPOSED TO SOMEBODY, YOU KNOW.
A FIVE STORY BUILDING OR A TWO STORY BUILDING? AND I TELL YOU WHAT, I DON'T PARTICULARLY HAVE THE PROBLEM SO MUCH WITH THE HEIGHT ELEMENT AS IT IS.
YOU KNOW, MY STRUCTURE IS HERE, MY R-1, SINGLE FAMILY HOUSE IS HERE.
AND NOW I GOT A CONDO HERE VERSUS HAVING IT, AT LEAST YOU KNOW, 10 OR 15 I MEAN, IT COULD BE DONE. THOSE GUYS COULD EASILY DO THEIR PARKING AND MAKE ROOM TO DO THAT KIND OF STUFF.
AND NOW THEY DON'T HAVE TO DO ANYTHING.
SO AND THAT'S ONLY IN SITUATIONS WHERE YOU HAVE ZONING DIFFERENT ZONING CATEGORIES.
SO LET'S JUST JUST TO PICK AN EXAMPLE, LET'S PICK WHERE THE GORDON'S GUYS JUST BUILT THEIR DEAL.
THERE'S RESIDENTIAL HOMES ON TWO SIDES OF THAT.
YOU KNOW, AND IT MAY BE A, THIS MAY BE A MOOT POINT, BUT IT JUST WHEN WE WERE LOOKING AT THE OTHER CASE, YOU KNOW, WE KEPT COMING BACK TO THE SETBACKS AND THESE GUYS WERE, YOU KNOW, RIGHT ON THE LINE.
THREE ON THE SIDE JOHN IS THAT'S THIS COUNTERTOP IS WIDER THAN THREE FEET.
BUT I JUST IN MY MIND WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THAT THREE FOOT AND 5 FOOT OR 10 FOOT? AND I WOULD TELL YOU THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN 3 AND 5 IS NEGLIGIBLE.
I THINK IT WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO BE MORE LIKE 25FT.
IF THEY'RE GOING TO DO CONDOS THERE AND THEY'RE GOING TO DO THEM NEXT TO AN R-1.
IS IT GOING TO MAKE IS IT GOING TO MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD? PROBABLY NOT.
BUT I WOULD TELL YOU THERE'S A HUGE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN 25FT AND ZERO.
AND WHY I MEAN, IF OUR ZONING IS THE WAY IT IS TODAY AND THAT PERSON IN THAT R1 UNDERSTAND ZONING, WHICH MOST PEOPLE DON'T.
I MEAN, THAT IS KIND OF THE RISK THEY TOOK.
AND SO IT'S ALMOST IN MY MIND, I MEAN, I LOOK AT THIS AS ALMOST A TAKING IF YOU ARE REDUCING THE BUILDABLE AREA OF A PIECE OF PROPERTY YOU ARE, YOU'RE TAKING VALUE AWAY FROM THAT PROPERTY.
YEAH. SO WHEN WE DO THAT, I MEAN, I DON'T HAVE A I MEAN, WE DEFINITELY HAVE DONE THAT.
AND THERE ARE CERTAIN SITUATIONS WHERE THAT'S PROBABLY NEEDS TO HAPPEN.
BUT WE GOT TO HAVE SOME REALLY GOOD REASONS TO DO THAT.
AND THAT'S WHY IT'S A DISCUSSION.
YEAH. AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT I SAW WHEN WE WERE DOING THE ONE WE SPENT A LOT OF TIME ON.
[00:20:08]
AND I'M LIKE, BECAUSE THAT ONE'S IN A COMMERCIAL ZONE WITH HDDZ BUT TAKE THE HDDZ OFF NOW.SO IT'S JUST I LOOKED AT THAT AND SAW 030 AND I WENT, WOW.
IT JUST IT JUST CAUGHT MY ATTENTION.
SO I'M NOT SAYING WE NEED TO DO ANYTHING.
IT JUST I JUST WANTED TO HAVE IT AS A DISCUSSION ITEM TO SEE WHAT THE THOUGHTS WERE.
HIS POINT OF, HEY, THE GUY NEXT DOOR CAN BUILD HIS HOUSE THE SAME HEIGHT AND AS CLOSE TO THE PROPERTY LINE, SO HIS STANDARDS AREN'T ANY DIFFERENT, RIGHT? SO. WE'LL LEAVE IT AT THAT.
WE DONE? ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? THANK YOU, ADRIEL.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.