Unapproved minutes
Lakewood Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting
Tuesday, June 24, 2008, at 7:00 PM
Lakewood Town Hall
Call to Order: Chair Wolfe called the meeting to order at 7:05 PM.
Present: Chair Bob Wolfe, Inese Holte, Peter Miller, Diane Holliday-Welsh, Angie Dickison Palmer, Zoning Administrator Brennan Mears, and Recorder David Gerhart. All members present were voting members. One citizen was present (Jerome Norick).
Pledge of Allegiance: The Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America was recited by all present.
Approval of minutes from May 27. Motion by Holte, second by Miller to approve the minutes. Carried unanimously.
Selection of representative to Town Board meeting of July 2 – Bob Wolfe.
Public Comment: Jerome Norick inquired about attendance at the CLUP open houses on Saturday June 7 and Tuesday June 10. Apparently both were sparsely attended.
Unfinished Business:
Cell Tower Ordinance: This item is still postponed and awaits guidance from the Town Board.
Signage Ordinance: Holte had emailed two items that resulted from an Internet search, although not all Commission members received this email. One document was from the Town of Bayfield and the second was entitled “Model Sign Ordinance.” She said that she found no documents that permitted signs in residential zones.
Discussion centered on items included in these documents, such as the required separation distance between signs, a requirement for owners’ names on signs, illumination of signs, off-site signs in residential zones, changeable message signs, revolving signs, and abandoned signs.
Wolfe said he first wanted to discuss the permit and application process for signs, currently covered in our Ordinance in Article VI, Sections 17.02 and 17.10. He said that our ordinance should specifically say that each sign requires a permit and should have an ID number.
It was suggested that individuals who currently have legal signs could receive an identification number without going through the permit process.
The following wording changes to the Sign Ordinance were agreed upon:
Section 17.10, A: Change to read as follows: “All off-site signs shall require a sign permit obtained from the Zoning Administrator. A fee will be charged for each permit.”
Section 17.10, B: Delete the last sentence (“The permittee shall also have his name plainly marked on each advertising device.”) of the paragraph.
Section 17.07: Change the first sentence to read as follows: “All on-site signs shall require a sign permit obtained from the Zoning Administrator and conform to the following: No sign shall……(etc.)”
Section 17.07, B: Change “Commercial uses” to “All other zone districts.”
Section 17.07, C: Change “Home Occupations” to “Home Occupations and Home Businesses.”
Section 17.06, C: Change the first sentence to read as follows: “Lighting – Signs shall not be erected or maintained that contain, include, or are illuminated by any flashing lights, changeable message signs, revolving signs, or internally lit signs with a transparent or light background color.”
Section 17.06, C, 1: Add the following to the end of the paragraph: “Lights shall be downward directed and shielded to prevent upward glare.”
Motion by Holte, second by Holliday-Welsh, to approve the wording changes to the Sign Ordinance. Carried unanimously.
Fill Importation Language for Ordinance: Mears stated that there has been no progress on this issue.
Zoning Administrator's Report - Mears: Nine permits were issued since the last meeting. The Mead variance for road centerline setback for an accessory structure was approved by the Board of Adjustment.
New Business:
Town Board Meeting Report: There was no report in Chris Roningen’s absence.
Other agenda items (cartway/driveway issues and nonconforming lots) were postponed.
Announcements: Wolfe said that the new date for the public hearing on the Comprehensive Land Use Plan document is Tuesday, August 5, at 7:00 PM at the Town Hall. The Planning and Zoning Commission will hold this hearing. The date was postponed to give the public more time to review the document. Wolfe emphasized that the hearing is for public comment and is not a debate. Public comments will be relayed to the Town Board. Miller suggested that ground rules be established at the start of the hearing. Mears suggested that Sue Lawson or Dave Miller be invited to the meeting to answer questions about the process that led to the completion of the document.
Motion by Miller to adjourn. Second by Holliday-Welsh. Carried unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at about 9:17 PM.
The next regular Planning and Zoning Commission meeting is July 29, 2008, at 7:00 PM at Lakewood Town hall.
Respectfully submitted,
David Gerhart