City of Aiken, SC Planning Commission Meetings, 10 Mar 2020

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From YouTube: Planning Commission Meeting March 10, 2020

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Planning Commission Meeting Agenda
March 10, 2020
6:00 p.m.

05:10 Call to Order

05:23 Minutes

New Business
05:45 Application 20-20013 Annexation Request, TMP 104-12-11-004, 857 Lincoln Avenue, by Bessie Funchess.

06:45 Application 20-20010 Annexation Request, TMP 104-12-11-001, 875 Lincoln Avenue, by Lizzie Wakefield.

07:37 Application 20-50002 City Services Request, TMP 138-07-02-002, 1200 Toolebeck Road, by Horse Creek Academy.

09:36 Application 20-22004 Concept Plan Approval, TMP 106-18-014, 508 Grier Court, by Leon C. and Elizabeth L. Green.

24:05 Application 20-23002 Concept Plan Approval, TMP 122-17-08-002, 123-05-02-003, 123-05-02-004, 122-17-08-003 & 004, 122-18-08-004, 122-18-07-002, & 123-06-01-015, 2441 Whiskey Road, by SE Aiken, LLC.

41:19 Recommendation of Capital Improvements Program.

42:25 Adjournment

A

B

Let's call this regular meeting see they can Planning Commission to order Tuesday March the 10th six o'clock, approval of the minutes of the February 11th 2020 work session and regular meeting do I. Have a motion so moved? Second, second, all in favor, hi.

C

I need a person. Okay,.

B

Okay, all right, those meetings are approved in as read nothing in the old business. New business first item is application number two 0 2 0 0 1 3 annexation request at 8, 5 7 Lincoln Avenue by Bessie Funches.

B

Anybody want to speak on behalf of that request.

B

Anybody won't speak in opposition. Okay, you'll have luncheon.

D

Mr. chairman, like Mike motion application, number 2, 0, 2, 0, 0, 1, 3, annexation, request tax parcel number 104, 1, 2 1 1, that's 0 0 for current zoning from residential single-family conservation to residential single-family, recommend that we approve this for City Council approval. Ok,.

B

Second, okay, discussion: okay, all in favor raise your hand close like signs; okay and it's past three item: 3b application, number 2, 0, 2, 0, 0, 1, 0, another annexation request on Lincoln Avenue by Lizzy Wakefield. Anybody won't speak pro or con to this issue.

B

Okay, do I, have a motion.

E

Presentation: number 20, 210 annexation, first tax parcel number 104, 12, 11, 0, 0, 1 residential family conservation, pose residential single-family; there's no possible condition of approval. I recommend that we send it to Council for approval.

B

Great, is there a second okay discussion? Okay, all in favor of approving it raise your hand, pose okay, passed unanimously; okay, see application number two zero day: five: zero, zero, zero! Two: this is a city services request by Horse Creek Academy on property located at 1,200 tool; Beck Road. Anybody won't speak in favor of this.

B

Yes, yes, no, please just a please identify yourself and you address.

F

My name is dr. Ann Marie, Taylor I'm, the principal of Horse Creek Academy, where a pre-k through eighth grade public charter school and we are hoping to add a ninth grade academy next year, but because of that, we need to have some help on the city's end, with city sewer, to free up our land to put additional pieces on our property.

F

So we're asking to spend our own money to attach the city, sewer and I appreciate the service that y'all do I know it's definitely not fun all the time, but I appreciate it and so Horse Creek Academy thanks you for your time. Okay,.

B

Anybody want to speak in opposition to this request.

B

Okay, do I, have a motion then.

C

Mr. Chairman I make a motion that we recommend that we, this to City Council, the Urban Development District four horse Creek Academy, and that the items one two and three for the possible conditions of a crew will be met with such.

B

Okay: okay, second thank.

B

You discussion, Rokon, okay, everybody who is in agreement with a motion raise your hand, is approved with the conditions listed, Varian, ok d: this is a concept plan approval on 508, Grier Court by Leon, C and Elizabeth green. If I want to speak in favor of this, it miss green.

G

This is the same for vid, this, the same conceptual plan that was submitted to the Planning Board and to the City Council two years ago. There were some concerns about the pond, the since that time, the ste heck and the city engineer have they've approved modifications to the pond, which will be the permit, has already been issued and that those that should resolve the issues with the retention pond.

G

B

Also, you reduce the number of units from 8 to 6 right that.

G

Was one of the approvals that you did on.

B

Ryder I think that's better I think that's better. It's it meets the required minimum, but I think it six works a little better than 8 as far as size. Why density goes okay and there's a couple of issues here that you're asking for a waiver on the driveway and a waiver on the garages right.

G

B

All right anybody got any questions here of mr. green. What about mr. green, the the certificate? Do you have any problem with the certificate of occupancy being part of this approval process.

G

We understand that until the pond issues are resolved, the citric certificate of Awesome you will be held. You know.

B

Don't look at more.

G

Interested in getting the resolution to the pond yeah.

B

That we need to, we need to get this thing resolved. We want it resolved too and I know you do. Okay in the questions you my got any questions. Mister grief. Okay, thank you. Anybody want to speak. Anybody else want to speak in favor of it and by want to speak in opposition in your favor, either way. Okay, go ahead. Tell.

H

C100 139, given judge.

B

H

Mr. brink is this is condos now, instead of apartments.

G

B

Are for sale, these are for.

G

G

B

It all right, yes, sir.

I

B

I

What is this, the property owner who owns the property where the stormwater pond is all right? You want.

B

You will not address line yeah.

D

What stage name for the record, sir nice.

I

Yeah, okay, Scott Flickinger, are live at 310 plantations. Okay,.

B

Thanks, okay, you want a dress that want to address this question Ryan. The is.

I

A still fee and B LLC that owns the PAS.

I

Esu's is the way it's in current records, at least they're online right.

J

That's my understanding is that that's what this listed as the owner of the boss, so.

I

Be it'd be obtain this modification.

J

Say mister mister.

G

G

I

Well, I'm just trying to understand the order you get approved for building your townhomes, then that modification gets done. You all are stepping in to make sure that that modification with the pond gets done properly before issuing notice.

B

This is the certificate of occupancy. That's. Why I mention that I'm, sorry, that the certificate of occupancy will be contingent upon the pond getting okay, fixed.

I

Okay, so if I'm understanding that did I summarized it correctly, he gets his plan. His conceptual plan approved then the city's working with the developer to make sure that the pond is modified before his construction commences. That's.

J

At the discretion of the approval, so.

I

It could go the other way right, so he could build first.

J

Or simultaneously or.

I

Simultaneously, okay, so you understand the impacts that are occurring from the pond correct correct to the overflow going through a property in Gem Lakes, and that's going to continue. What is the timing? Are we looking a year out six months? Do we have any idea on the timing when this is going to occur.

G

J

Okay, good I, say.

B

Yeah, mr. green, if you don't mind when you speak, we're adding a little difficulty here, you step up here to the mic, so he can know just now. Are you clear clarified on your questions? I.

I

Think so other than discretion I mean we already have an issue. A my only concern was correct once we start well get to the point of.

I

Which, right now we have a very small, ditch going through somebody start. Ultimately, this discharges to waters of the state, so this water is running through somebody's yard, going to a street which then drains to the ponds and gem lakes, which are waters of the state right. So my concern is coming from proper erosion. Sediment control on his construction part, but we have a current problem with the volume of water, cannot be managed by the properties that are already there.

I

This is where we were a year ago, right and you've come to some agreement, I guess with deaq about that issue or violation. That's correct, Ron, okay, so.

B

If you have a notice.

I

Of consent or what what agreement has been struck between you all and deaq? Where is the record of that.

B

Can you address that Ron I could I'd Johnny yeah come on up, please city engineer: let's see if he can answer.

K

Basically, there was a major modification approved for this project right that occurred.

K

The microphone was to pick me up, so basically, there was a major modification of proof of this project back in June of last year, right.

I

K

Okay, so a lot of the questions you're asking about as far as what agreement, what was struck with DHEC, it was part of that major modification. It wasn't it wasn't, but.

I

That's B & B, or is that none.

K

Of the city is not a party of this, this is just a like. It was with any other developmental project or just a regulator, so we're not developing we're not doing the work. This isn't our project right.

I

But you're the gatekeeper right.

K

That's regulator crying you you're the key. So that's that's that's back to a regulatory! So yes, so we we work with them. We reviewed the stormwater plans to modifications and DHEC issued approval of those modifications as a major modification considering it was a change from a dry pond.

I

I

Construction, that's.

K

Gonna, be that's gonna, be part of the engineered plans that he's um having his construction sequence for the construction of those talents who, with.

I

The city is inspecting the modification to the park, who's gonna over.

K

Okay, so so he's gonna have to have engineer of record certify that the pond meets the criteria of the modified plans at.

I

Some time during the construction process well.

K

As we were earlier prior to the CEO, but it's still not set in Stein.

I

That's why I'm keen on his work, he's using discretion so I'm just trying to understand the sequence of things like okay and you know, what's.

K

A

And and Scott you, you.

K

Are aware, you know most construction sites go through a period where they build a sediment pond right and then that sediment ponds converted over to a detention pond during the time that it's a sediment pond and a detention pond, it's not actually holding back the same amount of water as it would as a detention pond. Sometimes you've changed that riser structure. Okay,.

I

K

A

L

Wouldn't it wouldn't.

K

Be uncommon to have the modifications prior to the sea. Oh, do you see what I'm saying not necessarily prior to commencement of construction? Considering he's already got a fully diluted site and it might actually be.

I

I

K

Miss Susan Yates is our stormwater administrator and she has our ms4 program and she'll be keeping a check on that. Okay. Thank you.

I

B

All right any other questions on this particular item.

B

Okay, do I have a motion on this one.

D

Mr. chairman I'll make the motion application number to 0-2 2 0 0 4 concept plan approval, request a tax parcel number one over six, that's one, eight, that's one: nine, nine zero one, four I'd like to recommend that we approve this concept plan with you got with the conditions, as listed one through four I'd, also like to add an additional condition: number five for the record that the certificate of occupancy be tied to the completion of storm on improvements for the DHEC permit.

D

As I, can this nipple please okay.

B

So the CEO would be tied to the completion of the stormwater.

D

System for the stormwater modifications that were approved by da okay, they will have to complete those before they can occupy any of the new structures.

B

Okay, is there a second that second, okay discussion on that any discussion I mean I, think that's I, think really that's what all we can do. Yeah.

D

I think he's intent on doing.

B

That yeah I did I think mr. green is intent on doing it. It's been beat around back and forth for a long time we need to. We need to resolve it and I think that, as a as a Planning, Commission I think that's all we can do is approve the contingent upon the CEO tie the CEO to the completion for stormwater modifications, as approved by da okay.

B

Any further discussion, all right, all in favor, raise your hand posed you in favor and pose opposed okay, one opposition.

B

Concept plan approval application, number 2, 0, 2, 3, 0 0. This is commonly referred to as the mall for the purposes of discussion tonight we shall refer to it as the mall do you have any the applicant is SCCA Kennelly see you want to make give us up a little bit of a concept: discussion, okay,.

B

We've heard we've heard it, so you can kind of run through it very reasonably briefly. If we got.

M

Any questions we'll ask yes, sir: stop we have to get long-winded. Please will the members Planning Commission. Thank you for hearing here in this plan tonight. My name is Jason long with southeastern development, and this is to turn the current enclosed, akin mall into a mixed-use development. So what the plan that's before you, what this does is?

M

Could you speak up absolutely.

B

M

I've been down, sorry I think the microphone won't come out. So what this plan does? Is it demolishes the interior corridor of the mall so where you currently would walk through the quarter of the mall in and see the shops on either side? That portion of the mall is demolished, as is the Sears box on the far end, as is the larger Dillard's box, the veldt, the larger Belk building, the smaller Dillard's building in the rear and the front JC Penney's building would be the only in.

B

The building is that pink building on the left-hand side. Yes, sir.

M

That's the current Jack Belt building current Belk Building and they stay put and we get a new facade, and so the the three larger pink boxes are all that would stay from the current structure, and so the the other pink structures are. Our new retail and/or. Restaurants that will be built in the middle of the project is a public park. So that's and there's, there's Drive aisles in between where the retail portion is and then there's a large green and the multifamily that is also public park.

M

The the yellow buildings are new class-a multifamily units, approximately 260 units and also shown on the top of the site, is a hotel of approximately I. Believe it's a hundred rooms. Yes, a hundred room host, that's the blue, that's the blue! One up, we'll know up or left yes, sir, that is the blue, and so what this allows is for true mixed-use in an outdoor setting, it's no an enclosed mall. We have the ability for people to live there in the multifamily.

M

We have shopping and the three retail boxes that remain, and then we have restaurants and smaller retail, as well as hotels. It turns it into an outdoor, truenicks juice and finally, we do have a walking trail around the perimeter ring up the mall and that's the red ring around the outside of the drive.

B

All right questions anybody got questions Jason,.

C

Yeah, you guys have obviously read this. You are, you are okay with the possible conditions that are listed.

M

Any specifics that you.

C

I

M

We understand that there's conditions for, as brian has mentioned earlier, that for for the facade to be approved by the city for the retail should any sizes change which could happen. Then we need to come back for a retail that needs to be larger or something like that. Yes do.

H

You have any sort of fencing to differentiate the residential section from the shopping section, both on like the green space itself, to keep out people or and also for the parking you know it is there gonna be like a gated fence there, so you can fill up the parking someone's trying to go home. The can't that's.

M

A very good question, and, and yes, the and from a parking perspective. Yes, that will be kind of with it, with an arm that you're used to seeing and that's really just so when somebody comes home and evening and there may be an event in the park- they're guaranteed a place to park. So, yes, there, the parking will be separated the the public green this around there. We envision that to be open to the public. Obviously, there's a whole is to have fence just for so it will so that they'll be fencing in certain areas.

M

You know just so. People aren't walking through landscape areas and things like that, but the the Central Park will be will be a public feature. Thank you.

B

It would be I mean, there's a clubhouse and a pool it located there in in the area to the county in the center. That's.

M

Right and and it's it's behind that building intentionally because it's just for the residents it's.

B

M

People live there correct.

B

Sir gross at you, and in your you mentioned to us in our work session, what you're trying to do here because you're trying to combine it's a combination of residence like in commercial spaces, it's gonna be a little less. It's going to be less commercial square footage than there is than there was in the original mall. Yes, sir, but you know we. We know where the original mall has now been shrunk too. So dealing with the realities of the situation.

B

We, you think and I hope, you're right, that the the residential area will, you know in a sense, bring in the commercial side better than it is now absolutely.

M

We're hoping to create a reason for more retailers to locate there with having a concentrated density. Great.

B

Of quality residents I know in Columbia there's a couple of these that have that have the residential combined with the shopping and the movie theaters, and all that kind of stuff, so I know.

M

That that's right! It's what a lot of people want today. They want to be able to walk, to walk to a restaurant, walk to entertainment, correct in this and then go home. It's great.

B

Okay, any other questions holding the commission. Yes, sir, what.

E

Plans have you all put in place to ensure the safety of children in this area, so during peak hours that kids won't run out in front of a car when somebody trying to shop and things so late.

M

I would say that's a work in progress that will be a consideration. I think through that that's a very narrow drive, so there's only really two places where you can enter into the into the into the park area. I think those walkways will likely be raised or you know, then it will be thought out so that people can't come flying through there of us.

M

That will be a consideration because we want families to come and be a part of that park and that's a big draw and that's why the retailer's hopefully will be successful, because families come and spend time.

B

Other questions Johnson goodbye. Okay, thank you step. Thank you for yours to keep your seat down here up front now any other questions. Yes, sir.

A

Smith I live on, 508 Heath would drive our main problem. Whiskey Road is traffic. Traffic is bad. His housing development that he's thinking about. If you go down the street from me from Elmwood Park subdivision to Carter House, you have a subdivision going in there. You go down a little bit further down whiskey row and you go downward and they built a new general dollar. You got housing developed, that's going in there now.

A

How is he going to guarantee he's going to fill up his housing when he got all these single houses going up in duplexes going up over there? This is the problem that they're gonna have to face because whiskey Road is gonna, be jammed with traffic, the mall itself, when it was open. So it's not outside I walked inside the mall. It was a good walking mall. It had loved good good things going on in there. When you start over pricing, the people in that mall people are gonna move out.

A

You got which side that deals over there in that area. You've got two or three other housing developments that that likes them all and if he fills them all up right it'd be perfect. They the stores, just moved out because they over priced them self father fit belts were where JCPenney is.

A

You couldn't put a bone nellie in that place, the activities for kids and everything else, and a lot of these stores in that area could be developed into good stores, even though you want to say a discount stores or stuff like that, because we could have used a couple more stores in Sarah and Eaton areas, I, don't mind, you put a SF cafeteria in there or someone else, another Eton store in there and you don't have to develop the whole thing around it and putting his housing develop in there wondering that it's gonna be like the other, gentleman's gonna have townhouses or they gonna be just rental property.

A

If it's rental property, it's gonna be like Chicago, you got high-rise, you got gangs taking it over, and so you got it. You got to look at the situation, work they'd, be more economical and another thing in our area is water. Runoff, my subdivision runs off water from Brookhaven to cross the road to my Elmwood Park floods out three houses all the time they finally had management come over there and read: dig the thing that got read through the piping over there.

A

So the water drains right off whiskey, wrote my yard, sometime floods out two on whiskey row, because the water overflows from there there's no easement pond in there and it's walk area. If it ain't lighted nobody's not working if it's 150 degrees outside nobody's gonna, walk it. It's like over there at the place on whiskey row there that people walk early morning, but when it gets hot in the afternoon, then gonna walk it and.

F

That's the way.

B

A

Thing looks like it looks like about. Maybe a two, maybe three mile walk around there's.

B

A little bit I think it's a little less than a mile, a mile.

A

But still it's got to be well lighted. You got to have police boxes like they do over at the other place in case somebody. It goes wrong with it. I mean who's, gonna, supervise them, walking around the thing, and they to me turned them all. Apart is totally wrong. He needs to fix the inside. So when it's hot us, people that will likes to walk at night can walk inside the mall and shop at the same time. So that's my opinion. You take it as it is. Thank you, sir. Okay, thank you.

B

N

N

B

Stay, please state your name, please. My.

N

Name is Elizabeth Q thrall, so I'm the store manager for Belk, okay,.

B

N

I, live in Woodside and I deal with the traffic and I deal with everything else. That's going on, but I also deal with a lot of complaints from customers about the quality of the the stores and the quality of the merchandise that we carry and on my particular store as well and I think that we we need whether we have a mall or whether we have luxury apartments. You're still gonna have traffic either way.

N

You're still gonna have traffic, so I understand that whiskey Road is a nightmare for me to come down from the mall in order to get here tonight took a little longer than the 2.6 mile or the five minutes that it said from GPS, but I feel like. We have to really think about making sure that our city and our community, and now this city is awesome and it's my home, and it's also my parents home, because I move them from Virginia and it's very important that we think about the future of our city and I.

N

Don't know I, don't want my customers having to go to Augusta and giving Augusta a completely different state. My tax, my taxes, where I could be using those to improve my school system to improve the roads, so I think that we need to be a little bit more open-minded about what we do we're staying, Belka staying. You know you guys have been awesome to us. You've been on you know great, but I think we need to be a little bit open-minded and make sure that these communities work.

N

You know I'm from Virginia, they work and I've seen them have every place out, so I think we need to be. You know we need to think about that right. Okay,.

B

Thank you. Thank you. Anybody else.

B

L

Hi I'm Ella skinnier I live at 251 for spine, throw whit, psych I was reading through this first time. Can you give me the dates of the traffic study that you're utilizing? When was that done so.

J

The traffic study there, it wasn't a traffic study. What it requires at this level is using the ITC, the the traffic engineers manual most recent.

L

Iteration, so you haven't done a recent traffic study because you you make notes you make notes to closing Sears and Dillard's and the reduction in the traffic. So that's based on what study the.

J

Itc traffic manual, so that is right. It's a studies, traffic for like uses across the country and every so often they produce a new one that tells a general traffic generation for different types of uses. So.

L

You haven't done a more, you didn't do a traffic study when they were in existence and looked at the impact. Yes,.

B

Yes, there was a when the wall was built when the mall was built. They used these averages direct from these all these stores that that's that's what the traffic study was it right.

E

B

Going to have let theoretically theater at have less traffic than the stores.

L

Right, okay, so yeah! Well, it's theory just right, so that was I think maybe we need to get get a little deeper in the weeds here. The traffic impact, because I think we can all recognize here that whiskey Road has issues we studied with erode and the issues so I think we need to be assure ourselves and yourselves that we're proceeding, you know coherence, you know manner, recognizing the impact it will have on our traffic. My next comment, which would be to the developer I, know he's proposing apartments.

L

Has he considered making this a mixed group of condos plus apartments and I'm? Looking at that from a more less transient means of you know, once you build into a condo, you have more appreciation and you take care of your property versus an apartment dweller. So that's just something to think about, maybe making it a mixed-use between condo and rental, and it's still a economic solution to this plan.

B

Right: okay, okay, thank you.

B

B

Okay back to the kitchen, you're emotional, miss mr.

C

Chairman in regards to the concept plan, revision request for application number to 0-2, 3 0 0, to read all these posters as listed.

F

C

Recommend that we move this to City Council with the possible conditions, as listed one through six, as it follows our copper to play. Second.

E

B

Okay, discussion: okay, all in favor again pose like sign. Okay fast, you don't like them. Good luck! Well, we hope the City Council will be okay. Our last item on the agenda is item F recommendation of capital improvements program that we have to send this, so we have to approve it and send it to the City Council. Anybody got a motion to be made on this.

D

Budget as listed for a city council, the.

B

Captain won't be programs, that's listed in the priority that they are showing that's correct. I was.

D

Listed in priorities, those listed as there soon, okay.

B

And in second second, second, okay discussion, you might want to delve into the intricate details here: okay, moved and seconded all in favor of approving it, as listed with the details, as shown raise your hand proposed my time. Okay motion to adjourn second.