The Lowell Planning Commission met on Monday night to discuss two pieces of business. The first was a proposal to create a 72-unit housing development off Bowes Road, and the other was a proposed ordinance to allow accessory dwelling units.
Commissioners Marty Chambers and David Cadwallader were absent from the meeting which was attended by 10 people in the audience.
PUD for Housing Development
Up first on the agenda was a planned unit development for a three-building apartment complex proposed for land behind the Greenridge Realty office on W. Main St. This complex would accessed off Bowes Road.
The land for the development will be split off from the Greenridge Realty parcel, which is currently zone C-3 for commercial use. While the property is intended to be a PUD, which is its own zoning designation, planning consultant Andy Moore recommended that the Planning Commission first ask Lowell City Council to rezone the property to R-3 before making it a PUD.
Asked after the meeting why the property couldn’t go straight from C-3 to a PUD, Moore told Lowell’s First Look that he thought it would be good to have the “underlying zoning” reflect the property’s expected use. In the event a PUD isn’t approved, changing the zoning to R-3 would also allow a residential development in some form to go forward.
The PUD designation is needed for the higher density of this development. In the R-3 district, multi-family developments are limited to 10 units per acre. However, a PUD doesn’t have a designated limit on density. This project includes approximately 26 units per acre.
Planning commissioners voted unanimously to recommend that Lowell City Council rezone the property R-3.
Two people spoke during a public hearing on the PUD.
Councilmember Jim Salzwedel said he had heard from people who were concerned about an increase in traffic on Bowes Road and West Street. A couple who live on West Street were also in attendance and said their concern was traffic too. They were also worried about screening and the possibility of people cutting across residential property.
Earlier in the meeting, Ryan Wheeler, president of the Wheeler Development Group, said the company often uses a berm and trees to create screening. “Fences can only go up so high,” he said. “Trees can go higher.” Wheeler Development Group is the developer for this project.
However, commissioners felt that trees alone wouldn’t enough along residential boundaries. “Fencing for sure,” said Commissioner Mike Gadula.
As for traffic, Moore said a multi-family development of this size could be expected to create an additional 500 trips per day on local roads. He said that may sound like a lot but wouldn’t necessarily add much traffic volume to the existing numbers.
To address traffic concerns, commissioners discussed the possibility of doing a speed study in the area. City Manager Mike Burns, who was in attendance, said the city wouldn’t do a traffic study on Bowes until probably 2030 or 2031 when the road was scheduled for construction.
Moore said that the commission could require the applicant to pay for the speed study. Wheeler asked about its purpose. “Does that mean we need to cut off 12 units (based on the results)?” he asked. Planning Commission Chair Tony Ellis said the study would just be intended to provide data.
As for utilities, Commissioner Nicki Holst asked about water capacity. “This isn’t what is going to push us over the edge, right?”
Burns said that the development is estimated to require 12,000 gallons of water a day and the current system – which has a maximum capacity of 1.5 million gallons per day – can handle that.
After their discussion, commissioners voted unanimously to recommend – with conditions – that Lowell City Council approve the PUD plan. Those conditions include:
- Sidewalk connections on Bowes
- Pedestrian connection to Main Street
- Submission of a lighting plan
- Addition of 6-foot solid fencing on all borders with residential properties
- Completion of a traffic study
The PUD now goes to Lowell City Council for consideration at a future meeting.
More Discussion on Accessory Dwelling Units
The second piece of business on the agenda was the continuation of a previous discussion on accessory dwelling units. The city currently doesn’t allow these units, which allow for a smaller second home or apartment to be added to a lot.
Resident Steve Doyle spoke in opposition to the proposal, noting that a typical city lot is 66 feet by 132 feet and that accessory buildings only need to be setback three feet from a lot line.
Doyle was concerned there wouldn’t be adequate separation between structures in case of a fire. While the proposed ordinance states that an ADU shall not impact the privacy, light, air or parking for adjacent properties, Doyle said, “I don’t know how you could meet these conditions.”
“That’s language that sounds good, but it requires a case-by-case evaluation,” said Commissioner Colin Plank said later in the meeting.
Doyle was also concerned that ADUs were allowed by right in the proposed ordinance.
“I thought we were going to have them brought to us for the first year,” said Commissioner John Barnett. However, Moore said that the proposed ordinance would allow them by right, meaning that approval is automatically granted by city staff if the ordinance requirements are met.
After further discussion, it appeared most commissioners preferred to require a special land use permit for ADUs. That process would require a review from commissioners before approval and also trigger a notification to neighbors that an ADU was being proposed.
As for the concerns about how to minimize impact on neighboring properties, Moore said he agreed with Doyle to a certain extent.
“We’re not going to know until it’s constructed if it’s going to cause problems,” he said. However, he said having that language in the ordinance would be helpful for enforcement if an ADU became problematic.
Planning commissioners didn’t take any action on the ADU ordinance but asked that the proposed ordinance be changed to require special land use permits. They requested that the revised ordinance be returned to the commission for further discussion in July.
The meeting adjourned at 8:44pm. The next regular meeting of the Lowell Planning Commission will take place on Monday, July 14, at 7pm in Lowell City Hall. Moore said the commission would have a special land use permit before it at that time but did not specify what that permit is for.
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