Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Planning Commission Meeting

Tonight's Planning Commission meeting took about half an hour. There was a huge sign up front detailing the steps in the hearing process but it didn't do much good as Commissoner Naveet Kang had to keep explaining what happen when to those waiting to testify.

The main item on the agenda was Donna Reese's request to get a special use exemption for the long closed Family Tree Gift Shop and Garden Supply on S. Illinois she's in the process of purchasing. She plans on starting up a business, maybe used furniture, she's not sure, in the smaller of the property's buildings and turning the old gift shop back into a rental home to help defray the start up costs of the business. Commissioner Barke abstained while the other four members voted to approve and send the request onto the next city council meeting.

Other stuff covered were the report from the housing study commmittee and a text amanedment regarding porch construction. The housing study committee report had several recommendations:

--make it easier to remove non-conforming mobile homes and trailers (i.e. really old ones)
--revisit the housing grant program to encourage building on empty parcels within the city (infills)
--encourage downzoning of areas of the city from high density residental (rentals) to lower density (single family homes)

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