Crystal Lake Park

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Minutes

of the City of Crystal Lake Park, Missouri

Regular Meeting of the Planning & Zoning Commission and Board of Adjustment

Thursday, August 9, 2007

Chairman David Evans called the meeting of the Planning & Zoning Commission and Board of Adjustment to order and announced a quorum of the P&Z Commission.

ROLL CALL:

Present:  David Evans (Chairperson), Rita Brinkman, Barry Larson, Martin Long (a late arrival), Marianne Stuart, Amy Goellner and Alderman Jim Leonard, as well as Board of Adjustment member Sue Glarner.  Also attending were new City Attorney Howard Paperner and interim Building Commissioner (BC) Dave Littlefield.  Absent:  Chris Kerckhoff, Mary Jane Cusumano, Caili Balcer and Jim Gehringer.  

NEW BUSINESS:

A.     Chairman Evans announced that as a result of scheduling conflicts of the new City Attorney and interim Building Commissioner, the regular meeting of the Planning & Zoning Commission would be permanently moved to the second Thursday of each month.

B.     Chairman Evans then informed the Commission that two of its members, Brooke Hager and Jessica Kerckhoff, had resigned their positions due to scheduling and other conflicts. 

C.     Grandview Drive.  Chairman Evans said that Stephan Cooke, owner of the property on Grandview Drive, had made the requisite change to his building plan as required by City ordinance and had reduced the proposed square footage of his new home to 2,200 square feet.  Evans reminded Commission members that they had approved Cook’s request for a permit to build the home at the last meeting, contingent only upon the required reduction of square footage to conform to building requirements.  Interim BC John Littlefield confirmed that the new plans reflected the changes.  However, he added that in reviewing the revised plans he believed that the room sizes dictated by the reduction were now extremely small and would not be very marketable.  Cooke, in attendance at the meeting, concurred and asked if he could get a variance allowing the home to have 2400 square feet.  Attorney Howard Paperner noted that this was not the forum for such a request, nor is it the purview of the Commission to discuss, nor approve, a variance.  He indicated that the BC was responsible for approving the plans or suggesting relevant changes.  A discussion ensued and it was agreed that Cooke would meet with the BC to determine the next step in the process.  Commission members then voted unanimously to approve the revised plans as submitted at 2200 square feet.

D.     2324 Cleek Court Sunroom Building Permit.  BC Littlefield stated that the owners of the home at 2324 Cleek Court had submitted plans to build a four season room that would replace an existing three season room.  He noted that the new room would be the same size and structure as the prior one.  A Motion was made to vote to approve the plans and the project was unanimously approved by the Commission.

E.      2224 Cleek Court Deck Building Permit.  David and Helena Service, owners of the home at 2224 Cleek Court, had submitted plans to build a deck on the back of their home.  BC Littlefield said that he had reviewed the deck plans and that based on that review, recommended the plans be approved.  However, he noted that he would need to obtain and review a site plan from the owners, to ascertain the specific dimensions of the project.  A Motion was made to approve the plan, pending submittal of the site plan.  Commission members then voted unanimously, with one abstention from Long, to approve the plan. 

F.      2146 Lakeview Drive Arbor Building Permit.  Chairman Evans noted that he would like to erect an arbor at his home and stated that to avoid any conflict of interest, he would abstain from any voting on the issue.  BC Littlefield said he had reviewed the plan for the arbor and that it was in compliance with regulations.  He said he would need to review a site plan before final approval, however.   Sue Glarner asked if a permit was required to build an arbor as she was also considering building one.  BC Littlefield replied yes, explaining that it is large enough to be considered a structure.   City Attorney Paperner noted that the issue of erecting an arbor is not for discussion by the Planning & Zoning Commission.  He indicated that the BC is required to review the plans and approve or deny the plans without input from the Commission.  A Motion was then made to approve the plans for building the arbor, pending review of the site plan.  The Commission unanimously approved the plans with Chairman Evans abstaining from the vote. 

G.     Address District D Ordinances.  Chairman Evans stated that the City was faced with difficult decisions regarding the building of new homes and square footage requirements, in particular those in District D.  He noted that Commission member Stuart had reviewed codes in the City of Olivette, a municipality with various lot sizes like Crystal Lake Park and one facing similar issues relating to new construction.  He stated that Commission members would also be reviewing codes in the cities of Clayton and Ladue, as well.  Long said that Clayton’s code was similar to those in most other cities.  City Attorney Paperner stated that most city codes were based upon lot size and percentage of land that a new home could utilize, not the home’s square footage.  Brinkman noted that District D was the only district in Crystal Lake Park that addressed square footage and garages (two car requirement).  Further discussion ensued regarding the City’s Comprehensive Plan, other cities’ zoning codes, and District D codes.  Chairman Evans suggested that each member of the Planning & Zoning Commission review the current zoning codes of the City and come to the next meeting having compared them to those of other cities.  A discussion would then ensue regarding the recommendations of Commission members as to potential changes to the City’s code. 

Residents David and Helena Servis then said that they were experiencing water runoff issues in their back yard due to the construction of a new addition, pool and concrete patio at the home directly behind their home.  They stated that they had called the City of Frontenac to see if they had been monitoring the project as a result of their contract with our City, but were told that was not one of the items specified in the contract between the two cities.  BC Littlefield agreed to review the City’s contract with Frontenac relative to the matter.  City Attorney Paperner reminded Commission members that the issue was not one which should be discussed at a Planning & Zoning Commission meeting.

NEXT MEETING:

The next meeting of the Commission and Board of Adjustment will be held on Thursday, September 13, 2007 at 7:00 p.m. at Frontenac City Hall.  

VOTE TO CLOSE MEETING

There being no further business, a Motion was made to close the meeting, seconded and unanimously approved.  The meeting was adjourned at 8:50 p.m.

City Clerk, Lois LaDriere

Chairman, David Evans