HomeMy WebLinkAboutJPC April 25, 2023 MINUTES OF THE
JEFFERSONVILLE PLAN COMMISSION
April 25, 2023
Call to Order
Vice-Chairman Duard Avery calls to order the Plan Commission meeting. It is Tuesday, April 25,
2023, it is 6:00 pm in the City Council Chambers, Jeffersonville City Hall, 500 Quartermaster
Ct., Jeffersonville, Indiana. The meeting was held in person and streamed live on the City's
website and City's Facebook page.
Roll Call
Vice-Chairman Duard Avery and board members Chris Bottorff, Bill Burns, Joe Paris, David
Schmidt, and Steve Webb were present in the City Council Chambers. Also present were
Planning & Zoning Attorney Les Merkley, Planning & Zoning Director Chad Reischl, and
Secretary Zachary Giuffre. Board President Mike McCutcheon was absent.
(Secretary's Note: All plat maps, public letters, photos, etc. presented before the Plan
Commission on this date can be found in the office of Planning & Zoning.)
Approval of Minutes
Approval of the minutes from March 28, 2023. Mr. Burns made a motion to approve the March
28, 2023 minutes, seconded by Mr. Paris. Roll call vote. Motion passed 6-0.
Approval of the Docket
Motion to approve the amended agenda removing PC-23-12 made by Mr. Schmidt, seconded by
Mr. Bottorff. Roll call vote. Motion passed 6-0.
Old Business
None
New Business
PC-23-11 Rezoning
Russell Porras filed a Rezoning application for property at 3910 Charlestown Pike. The current
zoning is R1 (Single-Family Residential: Large-Lot); the proposed zoning is M2 (Multi-Family:
Medium-Scale). The Docket Number is PC-23-11.
Russel Porras stated the following:
• The proposal is to create four upscale multi-family fourplexes with strong maintenance
and security policies.
• We are going to designate the existing house as a management office to oversee the
complex on the property.
Open Public Comment
Michael Young, who lives at 4181 Laverne Way, stated I feel that there should be no
recommendation for this rezoning as most of the surrounding areas are zoned R1 or R3. This
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zone district seems out of place. Apartments would add to the congestion of the area. Houses in
our area are increasing in value with the East End Bridge's recent development.
Peter Temple, who lives at 3813 Willier Drive, stated I want to reinforce everything Michael
Young stated. I am representing the Williams Crossing East HOA. We are nervous about the
residents that would be moving in. From my experience, apartments attract crime, congestion,
and more. We do not want our view to be impeded by this development.
Spencer Hensman, who lives at 4022 Williams Crossing, stated I would like to echo the no
recommendation sentiments already expressed. I do not want our neighborhood to experience
more cut-through traffic.
Matt Owen stated I would like to urge an unfavorable recommendation to the City Council. We
are not against apartments; rather, we have seen apartments as valuable tools to support our
workforce. Small residential infill projects have become very popular around the City. We want
to see more forethought about what infill projects need to look like in the future. I think single-
family would be a better fit here.
Rick Carter, who lives at 4193 Heitz Avenue, stated that I recently read that the Mayor of
Jeffersonville wanted to put a moratorium on multi-family housing because we do not have any
infrastructure to support that housing type. All of our property values will be devalued by having
multi-family properties around us.
Close Public Comment
Letter from Stephen and Hannah Schultz
Letter from Steven and Matthew Payton
Letter from Kevin Oppihle
Russell Porras stated there is a road widening project in the area going on; therefore, the
congestion would be diminished. We will have strong security and maintenance policies for this
upscale development. I am not sure multi-family immediately devalues existing properties.
Chad Reischl stated we have no issue with what is being proposed; rather, we have an issue
with the potential of the rezoning. M2 allows much larger buildings that are 3-story and 24-units
each.
Mr. Bottorff stated we are making a leap from R1 to M2. What would M1 allow?
Chad Reischl stated M1 would allow a single fourplex; however, the applicant would have to do
a subdivision and then build one building on each parcel.
Mr. Paris stated I would like to see a project that fits better with the surrounding area. I am not
for this project.
Mr. Schmidt made a motion for an unfavorable recommendation, seconded by Mr. Paris. Roll
Call vote. Motion passed 6-0.
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ZO-23-01 Text Amendment
The Department of Planning & Zoning submitted a text amendment to the Unified Development
Ordinance for recommendation to the City Council. The proposed amendment is to revise portions
of Articles 7 and 8. The Docket Number is ZO-23-01.
Chad Reischl stated the following:
• The requested changes are mostly based on recent requests by Council Members, Plan
Commission members, and more to look at how we enhance the quality of multi-family
buildings.
• We have made some increases to the amenity standards for multi-family housing.
• We have also made some minor corrections that originate from our recent casework.
• The following are some changes to the design standards for multi-family buildings:
o Windows are required on all facades
o High quality materials are required
o Changes in depth are required
o Changes in material are required
o Entrances must be clearly defined
o Stairwells must be internal to the building
o Roofs must be broken up into different parapets
o Screening of mechanical equipment is required
o We have changed the amenity requirements to encompass smaller projects while
increasing the number of amenity units required for other projects
• The following are changes proposed for Article 7:
o In-ground pools shall not count towards the maximum number of accessory
structures
o Various typos within the entrance/drive standards have been fixed. The entrance
widths for commercial/industrial properties have been adjusted.
o We added some language for driveway widths for single-family attached homes
• We have changed the CD. CN, and CO zone districts to follow the residential
fence and wall standards
o There was inconsistency in our buffer yard landscaping standards. The buffer
yard tree distances from abutting property lines were inconsistent.
o We are adding a parking setback of 7ft for residential districts to prevent
residents from being able to pave the entire front yard of one's home.
o We have changed the standard from 20% of parking being allowed in the front on
a corner lot to 80%.
Mr. Avery stated how will the proposed window design features impact duplexes? Will this
require one window for each bedroom?
Chad Reischl stated that may be something I want to revisit between now and the City Council
meeting.
Mr. Burns asked do we require a permit for a new driveway?
Chad Reischl stated yes we do.
Mr. Burns asked does someone from Drainage or Planning and Zoning visit the site after issuing
the driveway permit?
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Chad Reischl stated no, they do not; rather, we use a drawing to examine the proposed
driveway's compliance with our code.
Chad Reischl stated the amenity standards apply for multi-family buildings with 8 or more units.
We could make the design standards have the same rule. You can issue a favorable
recommendation with that amendment.
Mr. Webb asked can we put deadlines on apartment buildings that have not been constructed to
ensure that they comply with these new design standards?
Chad Reischl stated these apartment units have a three-year window to complete the project.
Open Public Comment
No Comment
Close Public Comment
Mr. Webb made a motion for a favorable recommendation, seconded by Mr. Paris. Roll Call vote.
Motion passed 6-0.
Director's Report
Chad Reischl stated we are getting closer to finishing the Comprehensive Plan. We have another
video that will be released about the final document. We can have a special meeting right before
the next Plan Commission meeting.
Mr. Webb stated we like what you are doing here. I would like to see some type of language in the
code that stipulates that the City Council must review proposed drive-thru restaurants.
Chad Reischl asked can we move the Plan Commission meeting up to 5:30pm instead of 6:00pm
in perpetuity? This could prevent meetings from going on for a long period of time.
Mr. Burns made a motion to change the Plan Commission meeting time in perpetuity from 6:00pm
to 5:30pm, seconded by Mr. Paris. Roll Call vote. Motion passed 6-0.
Adjournment
There being no further business to come before the Plan Commission, the meeting was
adjourned at 6:50 pm.
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lt7 � �Mike McCutcheon, Chair Zachary Giuffre, Secretary
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