MINUTES OF PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION MEETING

July 14, 2005                        

A meeting of the Westminster Planning and Zoning Commission was held at Westminster City Hall, 1838 Emerald Hill Lane, on the evening of July 14, 2005 at 7:00 p.m.  Chairperson Bair; Members Albert, Beaver, Palmer, and Graham; Manager of Planning and Development Davis; Assistant Town Planner Fisher; County Planner Graf; and members of the public were present.

On motion of Mrs. Palmer, seconded by Ms. Graham and duly passed, the minutes of the meeting of June 9, 2005 were approved as amended.

The Sign Permit for Advance Auto Parts was tabled until the next meeting of the Commission due to an unexpected travel delay experienced by the applicant.

Mr. Fisher presented Sign Permit No. 1133 for Rockaway Bedding.  Mr. Joseph Ionni of Ionni Signs, Inc. briefly described the location of the proposed signage within the Westminster Crossing shopping center.  Mr. Ionni also conveyed the desire of the applicant for approval of a sign in the rear of the building, citing visibility concerns for traffic traveling on Woodward Road and Clifton Boulevard.  Mr. Fisher stated that the site is located in the City’s ‘B’ Business zone, and that the proposal meets the requirements of that zone.  Mr. Fisher stated that staff recommends approval, noting that the front sign was a similar size to those approved elsewhere in the shopping center.  Mr. Fisher suggested that the size of the rear sign would set an appropriate precedent for future approvals.  On motion of Mrs. Palmer, seconded by Ms. Graham, Sign Permit No. 1133 for Rockaway Bedding was approved.

Mr. Fisher presented the Final Plat for Frizell’s Final Addition.  Mr. Fisher stated that the plat would create six townhouse lots on a parcel zoned PD-9 at the southeast corner of South Church and Charles Streets.  Mr. Fisher recounted the approval and review history of the project, including the decision of The Mayor and Common Council to remove a planned barricade from the extension of South Church Street.  Mr. Fisher noted that a 16 foot common access easement is shown on the plat at the rear of each lot.  In addition, the plat indicates the dedication of an 85 square-foot parcel of ground at the corner of Charles & South Church Streets to facilitate the completion of the intersection.  Mr. Fisher stated that staff recommends approval of the plat.  On motion of Mrs. Albert, seconded by Ms. Graham, the Final Plat for Frizell’s Final Addition was conditionally approved, subject to agency review and comment.

Mr. Jim Mathias and Mr. Jeff Zielinski of DeMario Design Consultants, and Mr. Andy Brough of Conewago Enterprises gave an informational presentation regarding Lot 2 of the West Branch Trade Center.  Mr. Mathias stated that General Dynamics Robotics Systems is proposing the construction of a 123,000 square foot robotics facility on the site.  Mr. Mathias presented the Commission with a preliminary site plan and architectural details for the building.  He briefly described several site issues that had been identified by staff during the review process.  Mr. Mathias then provided the Commission with a proposal to screen the rear of the property from an adjacent residential parcel.  Mr. Brough described points of conflict between the City’s standard buffer requirement and the security concerns of a military defense contractor.  He suggested that a continuous arborvitae screen installed along the inside of the security fence would meet the needs of both the City and the facility.  In response to a question from Mrs. Bair, Mr. Mathias stated that the security fence would not surround the front façade of the structure.  In response to a question from Mr. Davis, Mr. Mathias stated that little cross-traffic between the existing and proposed General Dynamics facilities is anticipated.  Mrs. Bair asked for an estimate of the number of employees to work in the facility.  Mr. Brough responded that General Dynamics is expecting to accommodate 220 positions in the new facility.  In response to a question from Mrs. Albert, Mr. Brough stated that General Dynamics hopes to occupy the new facility in June of 2006.

Mrs. Palmer expressed her satisfaction with the new streetlights on Pennsylvania Avenue.

Mr. Fisher invited the Commission to the presentation of the Lower Pennsylvania Avenue Streetscape Study at the Mayor & Council meeting of July 25, 2005.

On the motion of Mrs. Albert, seconded by Ms. Graham and duly passed, the meeting was adjourned at 7:34 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

ERIK N. FISHER
SECRETARY