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6 April 2005 | Approved: 4 May 2005

Chairman John McClelland called the meeting to order at 7:35 p.m. In attendance were Commissioners Darrell Anderson, Peggy Ebner, Bud O’Connor and alternate Jim Leng. Also in attendance were town residents Joe Clark and Carol Uhlendorf and property owners Mel Cakmak and Al Ergul.

Approval of Minutes

The minutes for March were approved unanimously.

Building Permits

The following building permits were discussed and voted on by the Planning Commission: 415 Washington Grove Lane A fence was approved unanimously.

  • 119 Maple Avenue » A deck railing was approved unanimously.
  • 413 Center Street » A fence was denied unanimously pending a reduction to 4 feet for the portion of fence located on the rear lot line. If the permit application is changed accordingly, the fence is approved.
  • 124 Grove Avenue » A deck was approved unanimously.

Deer Fence

Joe Clark, owner of 402 Grove Avenue, asked the Commissioners to discuss the deer problem in Town and possible solutions. Commissioner Leng suggested the possibility of seasonal fencing. The Commissioners agreed that the possibility of residents not taking down the “seasonal” fencing would be too great. Commissioner O’Conner suggested construction of a fence inside the lot lines according to the accessory building schedule of standards so that a ten foot fence would be permitted. Chairman McClelland pointed out that the Town Council appears to have approved a fence that is four feet back from the property line at 103 Grove Avenue and that perhaps the Ordinances should be changed to accurately reflect the Council’s interpretation of the Ordinances. The Commissioners agreed that the deer fence issue should go to the Town Council for clarification and discussion.

352 Ridge Road

Mel Cakmak and Al Ergul, owners of 352 Ridge Road, appeared asking for an exception to the permitting procedures. They requested approval of their building permit for a new home before the completion and submission of the HPC review to the Planning Commission. Chairman McClelland explained that the Planning Commission is not authorized to make exceptions. He also pointed out that they had not provided the additional information requested by the HPC in their letter to the property owner. Mr. Cakmak and Mr. Ergul said that they did not intend to make the changes suggested by the HPC and therefore were not going to provide the additional information. After the owners left, procedural delays resulting from the new HPC guidelines were discussed. The potential delays could result from the thirty day HPC review period being added onto the number of days remaining until the next PC meeting. Commissioner O’Connor pointed out that the permitting process used to take up to 31 days now can take up to 60 days and this can cause costly delays to property owners.

Schedule of Fees Review

Commissioner Anderson presented amendments to the Ordinances proposed by the Town Council regarding the Schedule of Fees (amendments attached to the original in the pc minutes file ). The Commissioners discussed and suggested fees that will be sent back to the Council for approval.

Proposed Ordinance Revisions

Chairman McClelland proposed a revision to the following Ordinances as a result of the Town Council’s subjective enforcement. He proposed adjusting Article VII, Sections 3.326, 3.328, 7.2f and 9 which address the number of allowable cars per residence, carport set back requirements, fence height/location and driving on Avenues to allow for more equitable Ordinance application. Commissioner O’Connor stated that he doesn’t think the Ordinances should be relaxed due to inconsistencies but that the Council needs to be held accountable. It was also pointed out that the Code Enforcement Officer position had been approved and needs to be hired so that the “bad guy” is invisible and enforcement of violations will be easier. Chairman McClelland conceded that the rules shouldn’t be relaxed but that the message to the Council needs to be clear that IF the Ordinances are not enforced, they should be changed. Commissioner Ebner pointed out that it is a waste of her and the other Commissioner’s time to write and support codes that will not be enforced. The Commissioners agreed that the Council needs fulfill their obligations according to Town ordinance.

Missy Yachup – Secretary

The meeting was adjourned at 9:30 p.m.

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