Minutes - Planning Commission - 09/05/2019

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Commissioner Anderson asked for details on the size requested and the amount of land that would remain for future development. Community Development Director Gladhill replied that this is a three-acre site and advised that about half would be development and half would remain. He noted that this is a challenging site for a retailer because of the amount of turns needed to access the site, and therefore he was unsure that there was a real benefit in which parcel would remain. Commissioner Gengler stated that it would seem to make more sense to place the development on the far western portion of the lot. She stated that a restaurant patio would be a good fit for that location with the square lot left for development. Commissioner Anderson commented that he would have the opposite opinion, as placing the hotel next to the academy would.create more of a continued flow of development. He believed that the City could support two hotels, should both projects move forward. Commissioner Woestehoff stated that he would defer to the EDA, as to the more valuable lot for future development. Commissioner Anderson agreed that the input of the EDA will be important. Commissioner VanScoy agreed that the EDA should have input. He noted that in both concepts he sees benefits and concerns and believed that either concept would work fine. He stated that personally he would prefer to see the hotel next to the academy to isolate the hotel a bit from the traffic. He stated that he could also see the benefit of having the hotel on the corner next to Coborn's to have close access to the retail. He believed that this hotel would be a good project and the City should continue to pursue the option. Chairperson Bauer referenced the location of the well and asked if that falls equally on both parcels or more on one parcel. Community Development Director Gladhill identified the location of the well,noting that it only impacts the western site. He stated that paved areas could come close to the well location but noted that the easement identifies an area around the well where a building could not be constructed. Chairperson Bauer stated that one advantage of placing the hotel on the eastern lot would continue the flow of development. He noted that the parking area of the hotel could accommodate the location of the well, but the well location could potentially impact other types of retail that may be interested should the hotel be constructed on the western lot. Commissioner Anderson commented that he would like to see cross access continued through parking areas of the development, similar to what was required of Stone Brook. He explained that the flow of traffic could then continue from Stone Brook onto this site and from this site to the next site. Planning Commission/September 5, 2019 Page 5 of 6