Minutes for ZALU meeting of February 11, 2015

Minutes for February 11, 2015 meeting of Old Louisville Zoning and Land Use Committee [ZALU].

(Approved for publication on March 11, 2015)

Regular public meetings are held on second Wednesday of each month.

Location: Old Louisville Information Center, Central Park.
Attending ZALU Committee members: Chuck Anderson, ZALU chair; Leah Stewart; Bob Bajandas;            

                             Christopher White; Lira Johnson, Erinn Lee;

Absent: Joe Impellizzeri; Stephen Peterson; Mary Martin.              Guests: None            Other attendees: None

Quorum: Yes

Called to order at 7:05 p.m.

Summary of two motions: Approval of minutes; Approval to direct Bajandas on letter points for Weyland Group.

I    Meeting minutes

A.   January 2015 minutes submitted for review. MSV. Approved unaninmously without changes.   [1’42”]

B.   Handling of minutes after approval. Anderson leads discussion. Upon ZALU approval, a PDF of the minutes are sent to David Williams, administrator of the OL Information Center for distribution to the OLNC chairman and association representatives. ZALU recommends that the minutes also be posted on OLNC/OLIC website. Since  ZALU’s process delays making minutes available until after approval in the following month, concern was raised about such delay and its implications for OLNC actions; all agreed that such a process was normal and that any motions, as well as a business summary from ZALU or PIC to the OLNC could still be expedited with or without minutes at hand. [6’45”]

II. Old Business

A.   Edison Center project: Rehabilitation of LG&E & CSX property at 1228 S. 7th St., by Bill Weyland group.

Developer is seeking a zoning change from M1 to EZ1 and has asked for a letter of support from OLNC.

Bajandas reviewed the topic and has drafted a letter.  Letter points discussed.

Issue 1, Adult entertainment: it is already prohibited so it is unneccesary for ZALU to address.

Issue 2, Potentially hazardous and nuisance uses -fire, explosion, noise, vibration, dust, etc.,- [KY Bldg. Code]  are permitted in M3, C2, & EZ1 zoning: Shall ZALU put a condition of use on hazardous materials in its letter or could the concern of ZALU be expressed without the language of conditional use? With the Mayor’s committment to the property for 15 years there is not likely a problem in the near future; but what happens after that, a different mayor, a different economy?

Issue 3, Landscaping in the future, after contamination abatement: our letter could convey our preference for some above ground landscaping (not involving trees) in the short term and, too, that at a point in the future after abatement is complete that landscaping be upgraded to meet Metro tree canopy requirements.

MSV that letter to Weyland Group make two suggestions (issues 2 & 3) for voluntary improvements, not binding elements, in the developer’s plan . Motion passes: 4-1.  [15 min.]

B.   Property cases
1.   Case Z-14-05: 109 W. Ormsby Ave. Enlargement of nonconforming use. White gives update.

      Owner’s lawyer appeared in Circuit Court on 1/28/15 and successfully forced Metro to refile the charge(s)

      against the property owner on technical grounds. ZALU will continue to track and update as action happens.
2.     1608 S. 2nd St. White reports. Rooming house was sold as a triplex. May or may not turn out to be

      zoning case; Metro Codes and Regulations has begun an investigation of the property. White will report again.
3.    1230 S. 3rd St. Anderson reports. History: house used as barber college then child care center, now vacant.
       Property should be watched. Sign indicates that property is for sale. Not a zoning issue at this point.
4.  504 W. Oak St. Anderson reports for Mary Martin (absent) on property. Issue: 2120 sqft area of living space and the
      advertised development potential as duplex conflicts with Neighborhood General requirements for 2250 sqft area in 
      primary unit.
5.   932 S. 5th St. Anderson reports for Stephen Peterson (absent) on property in SoBro district. History: quonset hut 
      structure formerly a Greek Orthodox church; currently used by another church congregation.
     No action by ZALU warranted at this time. [12’ 40”]

C.   Informational letter to Realtors of new listings. Anderson reports. Shall ZALU vet the realtor listings and decide who should/should not get a letter. General agreement: not all realtors nor all properties require a letter. Of concern are listings with incorrect development claims (single-family to triplex, basement units, etc.).

      More complete listing data is needed for ZALU to vet the listings. Suggestion that some realtors who frequently give incorrect information in listings may be uninformed of TNZD requirements and ought to be invited to meet with ZALU. Stewart prompts discussion of ZALU offering a realtor continuing education class for credit on TNZD matters. White and Johnson suggest ZALU develop a podcast or Powerpoint for posting online. [8’45”]

D.   OLNC participation as a party in a lawsuit against Metro Planning Commission. See ZALU motion of 1/14/15.

1.     Anderson will present the ZALU (1/14/15) motion to the OLNC at its February meeting.

2.     Anderson reports that OLNC executive officers say that they have filed the 501(h) election form. [2 min.]

III    Adjourned at 7:52 p.m.                                                                      Minutes recorded by CTWhite