City of Cottage Grove

CITY OF COTTAGE GROVE

PLANNING COMMISSION

Minutes of the Regular Public Hearing

December 21, 2016

CALL TO ORDER

Chair Valley called the meeting to order at approximately 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall.

ROLL CALL

Recording Secretary Cindy Blacksmith called the roll. The following were:

Present:Chair Darby Valley, CommissionersChloe Beckes,George Devine,Bob Ehler, Jeremie Eckstine, Dan Nord,and Alan Widener

Absent:None.

Staff Present:Community Development Director Howard Schesser, City Planner Amanda Ferguson andRecording Secretary Cindy Blacksmith

Staff Absent:None.

News Media Present:Caitlyn May, Cottage Grove Sentinel

Staff advised that this hearing had been advertised and publicized and notices posted as required by law. It was asked that any correspondence received be noted as a part of the item on the agenda.

Items to be Added

None

Ex Parte Contact

None.

MINUTES

IT WAS MOVED BY COMMISSIONER DEVINE AND SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER NORD TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF NOVEMBER 16, 2016 AS PRESENTED.

Vote on the motion was as follows:

OLD BUSINESS

None scheduled.

NEW BUSINESS

Tena/Scully – Conditional Use permit (CUP 5-16) for Cannabis Processing Facility at 125 North Lane Street

The applicant proposes to install a cannabis processing facility inside of the existing industrial building at 125 North Lane Street. This building currently houses a licensed medical marijuana producer (grow) facility. The introduction of processing requires a Conditional Use Permit, as processing is classified as a Light Manufacturing and Production use (1.4.320).

The proposed processing facility is located on North Lane Street, a semi-improved public right-of-way adjacent to the railroad right-of-way to the northeast of the intersection of Main and Hwy 99. The building is setback approximately 20 feet from the asphalt surfaceof North Lane Street, with a man door and roll-up door accessing a sloped asphalt drive in the center, a gravel parking lot behind a 6 foot chain link fence to the left, and an attached accessory residential unit behind a 6 foot chain link fence to the right. There is a small asphalt area to the left/south of the building within the fenced area, which is partially taken up with 3 HVAC units. The rear of the property is accessed off of North Gibbs Street/North 10th Street, with an undeveloped access leading through a sliding chain link gate to a gravel loading yard. There are two elevated roll-up doors on the back of the building into this loading yard.

The applicant proposes to make modest changes to the site to accommodate the increased use. They propose to extend the existing 6 foot high fence along the 50 foot gap in the front to fully enclose the building within fencing. This fence will include an automatic gate. They also proposed to develop 4 parking spaces, one of which will be van accessible ADA, in the yard to the left of the building. An ADA accessible path will lead from the parking space to the front man door facing Lane Street. The concrete threshold at this entrance and the sloped asphalt area will be modified to comply with ADA (as the current slope is too steep and the threshold is not level with the asphalt).

The processing method uses a certified, closed-loop extractor designed for use with hydrocarbon solvents to extract cannabis oil. It is anticipated that 50 to 100 lbs of material will be processed in a week. The building has a ventilation system that was installed by a licensed and bonded mechanical engineer, and consists of a fully enclosed, firewall protected room with explosion proof fans and adequate ventilation. All material will be stored in a locked and secured vault on site. All hydrocarbon solvents will be in gas cylinders stored in a locked cabinet.

There is no additional security lightingproposed for installation. There is one light currently, at the front edge of the property near Lane Street. Proposed hours of operation will be 8 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday. The number of employees will be less than 4 at any time. No signage is present or proposed at this time.

Surrounding properties are zoned C-2P Community Commercial, and include a wood products building to the south on Lane, a gas station/quick market to the west at the intersection of Gibbs/Hwy 99, and a residential single family home to the north. The properties on the other side of the railroad/Lane Street include the Row River Trailhead Park to the southeast and a mini-storage facility to the northeast. Lane Street is blocked to through traffic from Main Street to the south approximately 200 feet to the south of this property, making access to the property from the north on Lane (to the front door) or from Gibbs to the northwest/rear of the building. This 5632 square foot wood framed building has been used for a variety of commercial and industrial uses over its history, including wood products manufacturing and retail sales. There is an apartment incorporated into the right/north side of the building.

OPEN PUBLIC HEARING

No one spoke.

CLOSE PUBLIC HEARING

IT WAS MOVED BY COMMISSIONER DEVINE AND SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER EHLER THAT THE PLANNING COMMISSION APPROVED APPLICATION FILE CUP 5-16 AS PRESENTED BASED UPON THE CRITERIA, FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS STATED IN THE STAFF REPORT.

Vote on the motion was as follows:

South Lane School District – Conditional Use Permit (CUP 6-16) for New Elementary School at 1000 Taylor Avenue

South Lane School District – Site Design Review (SDR 3-16) for New Elementary School at 1000 Taylor Avenue

Applications were made by South Lane School District for a Conditional Use Permit (CUP 6-16) and Site Design Review (SDR 3-16) for the new elementary school to be located at 1000 Taylor Avenue. During the preparation of these two staff reports it was determined that a Class C Variance was required as the proposed design was over the building height permitted in the R-1 Single Family Residential District. The School District was immediately advised and they promptly filed a variance application with the required fee and narrative. The variance could not be considered at this public hearing as the required notice and advertising could not be completed within the timeline required by law.

Staff asked for the Planning Commission to open the hearing for the conditional use permit and site design review and to take any testimony, then continue the public hearing to the January 18, 2017 public hearing. All three applications will be considered at the January 18, 2017 public hearing together.

OPEN PUBLIC HEARING

No one spoke.

IT WAS MOVED BY COMMISSIONER DEVINE AND SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER ECSTINE THAT THE PLANNING COMMISSION CONTINUE APPLICATION FILES CUP 6-16 AND SDR 3-16 TO JANUARY 18, 2017 AT 7 PM.

Vote on the motion was as follows:

Tidrick – Zone Change (ZC 3-16) to Rezone 55 Q Street and 1726 West Main Street to Residential Commercial

This proposal is to amend the Comprehensive Plan Land Use Map to rezone two parcels, a single family home addressed at 1726 West Main Street, known as Map 20-03-28-42, Tax Lot No. 2401, and a commercial horticultural business addressed at 55 Q Street, known as Map 20-03-29-42, Tax Lot No. 2402, from FF20 (Lane Code Chapter 10) and R-1 Single Family Residential (part of 55 Q Street) to RC Residential Commercial (City of Cottage Grove).

The proposed change reflects the applicant’s intent to bring their properties into the City of Cottage Grove so that urban uses may be developed/expanded on the lots. Part of Tax Lot No. 2402 is already within the City so that a horticultural use could be established there (Pam’s Sunnyside). The applicants would like to bring the rest of the property into the City so that this use may be formally expanded. Part of the horticultural use (loading dock) exits through Tax Lot No. 2401 onto Main Street. Both the horticultural business and the single family home at 1726 West Main Street currently have City services. The applicant proposes to apply one zoning to both parcels. The single family dwelling will remain. The proposed zoning of RC Residential Commercial is a mixed-use designation that will allow both existing uses to remain. RC Residential is one of the implementing zones for both M Medium Density Residential and RC Residential Commercial Comprehensive Plan Designations.

The subject parcels are on the western perimeter of the City of Cottage Grove’s city limits. Part of Tax Lot 2402 is already in the City limits. The properties to the north, south and east are zoned R-1 Single Family Residential. The properties to the west are designated on the Comprehensive Land Use Map as Medium Density Residential, with a current zoning of FF20. The property to the southeast at the intersection of Main and Q is designated R-1 with a RC Residential Commercial Comprehensive Plan designation.

OPEN PUBLIC HEARING

No one spoke.

CLOSE PUBLIC HEARING

IT WAS MOVED BY COMMISSIONER ECKSTINE AND SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER WIDENER THAT THE PLANNING COMMISSION RECOMMENDS ADOPTION OF FILE ZC 3-16 TO THE CITY COUNCIL BASED UPON THE CRITERIA, FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS STATED IN THE STAFF REPORT.

Vote on the motion was as follows:

Election of Officers for 2017

Darby Valley was elected as Chair, with Chloe Becks elected as Vice-Chair for 2017.

INFORMATION REPORT FROM STAFF

Director Schesser thanked Commissioner Ehler for his service on the Planning Commission and wished him well in his service on the City Council.

Director Schesser thanked Commissioner Devine for his service on the Planning Commission and presented him with a gift certificate for dinner.

Director Schesser stated that Jim Tidrick(completing Bob Ehler’s term) and Krista Farris had been appointed to the Planning Commission with their terms starting January 1, 2017.

AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION

None.

COMMISSION COMMENTS

None.

ADJOURNMENT

THE MEETING WAS ADJOURNED AT APPROXIMATELY 7:30 p.m.

ATTEST:APPROVED:

Cindy Blacksmith, Recording Secretary Darby Valley, Chair

PLANNING COMMISSION –Regular Public Hearing, November 16, 2016Page 1