Jan 27, 2022 Zoning Board of Appeals

[1. CALL TO ORDER]

[00:00:03]

OF APPEAL MEETING.

UM, WE CALLED THIS MEETING TO ORDER THE TIME NOW IS FIVE O'CLOCK.

UM, IT IS ALL CUSTOM THAT WE BEGIN OUR MEETING BY.

WE COULD ALL STAND FACE THE FLAG.

I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH THE SAYINGS ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE WITH LIBERTY.

THANK YOU.

REPEATING.

WHAT ELSE IS, IS, IS, IS GOING TO BE, UH, THERE ARE GOING TO BE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT.

IF WE WANT TO SPEAK, IF YOU WOULDN'T FEEL THIS FORMAT AND PLEASE PRINT TO YOUR NAME, THAT WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED.

UM, NOTIFICATIONS WE GET ON NOTIFICATIONS, UH, ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA,

[4. ADOPTION OF AGENDA]

SECOND, ALL THE FAVOR AND ADOPTED, UH, IT'S BEEN ADOPTED APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES,

[5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – December 16, 2021]

WE HAD A CHANCE TO LOOK THOSE MINUTES OVER ANY PROGRESSIONS, AT LEAST FOR APPROVAL.

SECOND, YOU MADE A SECOND ALL IN FAVOR, THE DECEMBER 16 MINUTES, THAT HAS BEEN, UH, ITEM NUMBER SIX,

[6. Mr. Graham Trask is requesting a Special Use Permit to construct a Drive-thru Restaurant in the T4 Neighborhood Center Zoning District. Drive-thru Restaurants are allowed in the zoning district as a Special Use. Property is located at 131 Sea Island Parkway and is zoned T4 Neighborhood Center (T4NC). (CONTINUED FROM DECEMBER’S MEETING)]

IT'S NOT YOUR FIRST RODEO.

SO COME ON UP.

SOUNDS GOOD TO SEE EVERYBODY AGAIN.

UM, I JUST LIKE TO RECAP WHERE WE ARE.

UM, THIS IS FOR A SPECIAL USE PERMIT OR A DRIVE THROUGH RESTAURANT, UM, IN YOUR DECEMBER, THE SRT FAVORABLE, FAVORABLE RECOMMENDATION TO TO APPROVE A SPECIAL USE PERMIT WITH THREE CONDITIONS.

UM, AT THAT MEETING, THE CVOE DECIDED TO DEFER A DECISION ON THE SPECIAL USE PERMIT BASED REALLY SOLELY ON TRAFFIC AND CONGESTION CONCERNS, WHICH WERE, WOULD BE ADDRESSED IN THE TIA TODAY.

AND THE BENEFIT OF THE VINYL CIA, THE SRC HAS, OR WILL AGAIN, HAS ALREADY MADE A FAVORABLE RECOMMENDATION FOR A SPECIAL USE, FOUND THAT WITH THE SAME THREE CONDITIONS, WHICH WERE INCORPORATE THE TIA RECOMMENDATIONS, THE STAFF DRV, UH, ARCHITECTURAL ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW AND ON THE STORM WATER REQUIREMENT, UH, THE FINAL TIA CONCLUDED, UM, THAT AS WE ALREADY KNOW, WE ALREADY KNEW THAT THE S C D O OT CONTROLS THE ROAD AND THE CURB, THE S C D O T DOES NOT REQUIRE ANY EXTERNAL TRAFFIC MITIGATION, MEANING THERE'S NO NEED FOR A LEFT TURN LANE.

THERE'S NO NEED FOR A RIGHT TERMINAL.

UM, THEY HAVE ALSO APPROVED THE FULL ACCESS PER CUT.

UH, THERE WAS A RECOMMENDATION IN THE TIA OR A TWO LANE EGRESS TO ALLOW FOR A DEDICATED RIGHT TURN OUT AND THEN A STRAIGHT OR LEFT TURN.

UH, THE COUNTY'S OWN TRAFFIC ENGINEER, WHO I BELIEVE IS HERE, UM, HAS HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK AT THE DRAFT TIA AS WELL AS THE FINAL TIA.

UM, AND SHE ALSO HIGHLIGHTED THAT THE TIA RECOMMENDS A TWO LANE EGRESS AND AS THE DEVELOPER, UH, I AGREE TO THAT.

SO I WILL AGREE TO A TWO LANE INGRESS, RIGHT TURN LANE, A LEFT STRAIGHT AS RECOMMENDED.

THERE WAS ALSO A CONCERN, A SEVEN CAR EGRESS HEWING.

UM, UH, IT WAS BLOCKED SOME OF THE PARKING.

I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE IN MY, UM, MY TRAFFIC ENGINEER IS ALSO ON DAY, UM, THAT, THAT, UH, SEVEN CAR REGRESS, UH, QUEUE WAS FOUR.

WELL, THAT'S THE 95TH PERCENTILE.

THE AVERAGE HERE IS THREE DURING THE, UM, THAT'S WHAT THE TIA SAID.

UM, AND SO THAT MEANS THE 95TH PERCENTILE

[00:05:01]

UM, AND WE CAN, WE CAN TALK ABOUT THAT.

UM, I BELIEVE THAT WE'VE MET ALL THE OBJECTIVE CODE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE SPECIAL USE PERMIT.

UM, THE SRT RECOMMENDS THE APPROVAL OF THE SPECIAL USE COMMENT.

UM, I BELIEVE THAT I'VE ADDRESSED ALL THE PARKING, ALL THE TRAFFIC, UH, ISSUES THROUGH THE TIA AND THEN THROUGH FEEDBACK FROM THE COUNTY.

AND I RESPECTFULLY REQUESTS THAT BASED ON THOSE, THAT OBJECTIVE DATA THAT, UM, DOES THE VOA ISSUES, THE SPECIAL PERMIT, UM, THIS SPECIAL USE PERMIT, SO THAT I CAN MOVE QUESTIONS FOR ME OFF THE BAT.

AND YOU SAID YOU, UH, WHEN I WAS TRYING TO CONFIRM IN THIS TRAFFIC STUDY, SO THE LEFT TERM EXITING THE PROPERTY AND DIRECTOR, AND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT YOU AGREED TO DO, NOT THE, THE TRAFFIC.

I MEAN, THE T THE TRAFFIC ENGINEER TRAFFIC STUDY RECOMMENDED THAT, AND THE ORIGINAL SITE PLAN WAS JUST ONE EGRESS LANE, BUT I'M A MARINE TO PUT TWO, AND I'M THE DEVELOPER.

SO I'M AGREEING WITH THE TIA, WHICH WAS A RECOMMENDATION, A REQUIREMENT FROM THE TEAM.

SO IN OTHER WORDS, KEVIN, I'VE GOT TO COME UP WITH A NEW SITE PLAN TO EXIT.

AND WHAT ELSE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, WHEN CAN WE EXPECT YOU THAT UPDATED SAY FLAT? WELL, UH, I IT'S IN THE WORKS, WHAT I WOULD SUGGEST THAT, UH, THE ZOA APPROVES IT BASED ON A TWO LANE EGRESS AND THAT EVERYTHING THEN GOES TO THE, UM, I'M RELUCTANT TO, TO APPROVE A SPECIAL EXCEPTION USE WITHOUT A FINAL SITE PLAN THAT I KNOW WHAT'S GOING IN THERE.

OKAY.

UH, I MEAN, YOU, YOU CAN'T ACCEPT THAT A TWO LANE, I DON'T KNOW WHAT OTHER EFFECTS THAT'S GOING TO HAVE ON THE SITE PLANNING NOW.

I MEAN, MY, MY COLLEAGUES MAY DISAGREE WITH ME, SO YEAH, I'M HAPPY TO COME BACK.

AND ANOTHER ONE WITH, UH, A NEW SITE PLAN, IF YOU DON'T TRUST THE SRT TO, IT'S NOT AN ISSUE OF TRUST MR. TASK, AND I DIDN'T SAY IT WAS, UM, SO I'M HAPPY TO COME BACK WITH ANOTHER SITE PLAN, IF THAT'S A REQUIREMENT OF , UM, SHOWING A RIGHT TURN LANE OUT AND THEN A STRAIGHT AND ELECTRON THAT'S FINE.

YEAH.

AND IT'S JUST GOOD TO HAVE ALL YOUR PAPERWORKS BEFORE THIS BOARD WOULD, YOU KNOW, SO THAT WE CAN HAVE EVERYTHING BEFORE IS THAT WE AVOIDING ON.

I MEAN, I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING AND YOU PUTTING THE TRUST INTO THE A S I T TO DO WHAT THEY NEED TO DO, BUT JUST TO HAVE ALL OF THE PAPERWORK BEFORE IS THAT WAY WE CAN SEE EXACTLY WHAT WE WERE VOTING ON, AND I'M MUCH MORE COMFORTABLE THAT WAY.

AND I WOULD, I WOULD SUGGEST THAT YOU'RE MUCH BETTER OFF THAT WAY ALSO.

OKAY.

SO IS THAT OKAY? ANYTHING ELSE? YES, SIR.

I HAVE ONE QUESTION.

UH, YOU SAID THERE MAXIMUM WOULD BE THREE VEHICLES IN THE QUEUE.

THAT'S THE AVERAGE CUTE HOUR.

WHAT, WHAT DID YOU SAY WOULD BE AT PEAK HOURS? THIS IS THE PEAK ALLEN.

UH, THE PEAK HOUR IS THE MORNING HOUR, BUT IN THIS LITTLE, UH, REVIEW, WE GOT, IT SAYS, UH, NINE VEHICLES ON PROJECT PROJECTED QUEUING.

IT WOULD BE NINE VEHICLES.

UM, WHAT I HAVE IN FRONT OF ME IS AVERAGE QUEUE PEAK HOUR IS BRIEF.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT, WHAT ARE YOU ON THE SECOND PAGE STUART YOU ON? I AM ON, UM, I THINK THAT THE, THE REFERENCE TO NINE WAS A PREVIOUS VERSION OF IT, MAYBE MISQUOTED,

[00:10:01]

AND THE AVERAGE QUEUE IS THIS WAS IN STANTEC'S MEMOS.

WHAT'S THAT BASED ON THE AVERAGE DUNKIN DONUTS LINE, OR CAN YOU REPEAT THE QUESTION? WHAT IS THAT, UH, AVERAGE THREE, BASED ON THE AVERAGE FOR EVERY DUNKIN DONUT OR THAT LOCATION THAT'S FOR THIS SPECIFIC SITE AND THE TRAFFIC COUNTS THAT WERE COLLECTED FOR THE TRAFFIC ON THE MAIN LINE, THE GAPS THAT WOULD BE AVAILABLE BASED ON THE MODELING, THE AVERAGE DEPARTURE RATE, UM, YOU KNOW, FOR THIS STUDY SORT OF STATE OF THE INDUSTRY BASED ON ANALYSIS FOR THAT ROAD.

OKAY.

SO THEN WHAT I'M READING IS INACCURATE, IS THAT CORRECT? IT SOUNDS LIKE, IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU'VE GOT AN OLD VERSION.

I DON'T, UH, DECEMBER 22ND, 2021, DECEMBER THE 22ND, 2021, JOHN, THE MOST RECENT IS JANUARY 25TH, 2022.

THERE'S A MEMO FROM STUART DAY TO MR. MERCHANT.

OH, OKAY.

SO THIS WAS ONE IN THE PACKAGE.

IT WAS.

THANK YOU.

SO I SEE THAT NOW.

THANK YOU.

SORRY.

NO PROBLEM.

ANY MORE QUESTIONS FOR MR TRACKS? THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN.

THIS IS NOT A NEED DEAL WE NEED HERE FROM THE COUNTY.

OKAY, WELL, UM, I THINK THE WHOLE REASON THAT THIS PROJECT IS BEFORE THAT'S ALL BEEN SUMMARIZED.

UM, SO BASICALLY WE RECEIVED A TIA FROM, YOU KNOW, PREPARED BY STANTEC ON BEHALF OF, UH, GRANT AND TRASK.

AND SO WE HIRED, UH, ELL ENGINEERING TO REVIEW THE TIA.

AND SO YOU RECEIVED THAT LETTER, WHICH WAS HER REVIEW.

AND I WANTED TO CLARIFY A FEW THINGS.

ONE IS THAT THAT TIAA IS BASED ON THERE BEING TWO EXIT LANES.

SO, YOU KNOW, THAT THIS REALLY NEEDS TO BE UPDATED BECAUSE TIA IS NOT BASED ON THE PLAN THAT YOU'VE SEEN.

IT'S BASED ON A REVISED PLAN THAT WE HAVEN'T SEEN THAT WOULD HAVE TO EXIT LANES.

SO THAT QUEUING YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT LEASING THE SITE WOULD BE ONCE THEY DO HAVE SIBLINGS.

UM, AND SO OUR CONCERN IS STAFF, YOU KNOW, WOULD BE THAT THIS PLAN DID, THAT CAN BE DONE.

THAT THERE'S ENOUGH ROOM ON THE SITE TO SHOW THE EXIT LANES.

AND THEN ALSO IF THE QUEUING THAT IS NECESSARY TO LEAVE THE SITE, WOULD THERE BE ENOUGH LENGTH IN BOTH OF THOSE LANES TO HAVE THAT QUEUING AND THEN ALSO HOW THAT WOULD IMPACT PARKING? SO OUR RECOMMENDATION THAT I'D ALSO, I THINK JENNIFER CAN SPEAK A LITTLE BIT TO SOME OF THE DETAILS, BUT I WOULD JUST SAY IN SUMMARY THAT OUR RECOMMENDATION WOULD BE THAT THIS REVISED PLAN, WHETHER IT GOES TO THE SRT, OR IT COMES BACK TO THE CPLA, WHICH SHOW KIND OF HOW THOSE CARS WOULD CUE LEAVING THE SITE AND HOW THAT WOULD IMPACT THE PARKING, THE CHAIR DEVELOPMENT, BECAUSE THERE'S THIS CONCERN THAT MAYBE DURING THESE PEAK HOURS, THERE MIGHT BE SOME INTERNAL CONGESTION AND WE'RE CONCERNED THAT THAT MIGHT HAVE AN IMPACT OFFSITE.

SO WE JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE THINGS ARE RESOLVED WITH THE PLANTERS.

UM, AND JENNIFER, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANT TO SPEAK TO THIS ISSUE OF WEE 50TH PERCENTILE VERSUS 95TH.

AND THIS HAS TO DO WITH THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WHETHER IT'S SEVEN CARS OR THREE CARS, BECAUSE, UM, ALL RIGHT.

HI, CAN YOU REVEAL WHAT THE ENGINEERING ROB AND MR. TRASK CAN KIND OF SUMMARIZE AND SORT OF SUMMARIZE SOME OF THE ITEMS, UM, THE, THE, THE 50TH PERCENTILE 95TH PERCENTILE THAT HAVE BEEN QUOTED THE 50TH PERCENTILE AVERAGE.

SO OVER, OVER THE PEAK HOUR, WE, IN THIS CASE IS THAT WE CAN GO INTO MORE DETAIL ON THE DETAILS ON THAT, BUT THE AVERAGE IS BASICALLY WHAT ON DURING THAT PEAK HOUR.

SO IT COULD BE, IS GOING TO BE LESS, IT'S GOING TO BE MORE, IT AVERAGES OUT TO THREE.

WHAT THE MAXIMUM QUEUE IS, IS, IS AS PER SOMETIME DURING THE PEAK HOUR,

[00:15:01]

AND SO WHAT THE, WHAT ROD WAS MENTIONING WAS, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT SEVEN VEHICLE Q WILL HAPPEN AT SOME POINT.

UM, AND THEN HOW DOES THAT AFFECT THE INTERNAL CONGESTION OF THE SITE? UM, YOU KNOW, HOW DOES IT WORK WITH FOLKS ENTERING AND THE PARKING AND EVERYTHING, AND THAT, THAT'S THE CONCERN FROM THE COUNTY STANDPOINT, AND THEN LAYING THAT OUT ON THE NEW SITE PLAN ON JUST SO THAT YOU CAN GET VISUAL OF WHAT THAT COULD POTENTIALLY LOOK LIKE ON AN AVERAGE CONDITION, AND THEN THIS MAXIMUM CONDITION AS WELL.

WE HAVE A QUESTION, A CONCERN THAT I HAVE IS TURNING LEFT FROM THERE.

THAT, THAT JUST SEEMS DIFFICULT TO ME AND HAVE NO, ONE'S REALLY MENTIONED THAT AT ALL.

AND THEY DISCUSSED THE, IF THAT'S GOING TO BE A BACKUP OR A DIFFICULTY OR STUART, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN ANSWER RELATED TO YOUR ANALYSIS? SORRY, I CAN'T REALLY HEAR JENNIFER, IF YOU WERE ASKING ME A QUESTION, SHE, UH, SHE HAD ASKED WHAT WE, UH, THE CONCERN THAT SHE HAS IS RELATED TO THE LEFT TURNS OUT OF THE SITE.

AND, UM, CAN YOU SPEAK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW THAT WAS HANDLED IN THE ANALYSIS AND HOW THAT, HOW THE LEVEL OF SERVICING HMM, THE WAY THE PAMPERS AND THE ANALYSIS IS? WE JUST DID IT AS A STANDARD LEFT TURN.

WE DID NOT DO ANY SORT OF TWO-STAGE GAP ACCEPTANCE FOR VEHICLES FORGE IN THE MEDIA.

AND SO THEY WOULD HAVE TO HAVE A GAP FOR BOTH DIRECTIONS AND TRAVEL, AND THAT'S WHY THAT CUE EXISTS FOR THE LEFT TERM.

UM, THAT'S, THAT'S LONGER THAN THE AM.

COULD YOU JUST USED THEM TWO LANES OUT IN THE, SO, SO THE ANALYSIS IS THE LEFT SIDE.

I UNDERSTAND THAT HAVING A SEPARATE ONE, BUT I MEAN, HOW LONG IS IT GOING TO TAKE EACH CAR TO HAVE THAT CLEARANCE FROM BOTH LANES? UM, I'D HAVE TO GO INTO THE DEEP END OF THE REPORT IN THE APPENDIX TO FIND THAT ANSWER.

UM, I GUESS, I MEAN THAT THAT'S GOING TO BE A SIGNIFICANT DELAY TURNING LEFT, UM, AND THAT'S WHY WE PROJECTED MORE CARS TURNING, RIGHT.

IS HE STILL LOOKING FOR INFORMATION WHILE HE'S DOING THAT? MAY I RESPOND, UM, EVERY SINGLE, UH, TRACK SIZE ALONG ALONG THAT PLEASE, EVERY SINGLE ENTERPRISE ALONG THAT ROAD, WE'RE A LEFT TURNOUT.

SO, UM, I APPRECIATE THE CONCERN ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR SITE AND IT IS GETTING A LOT OF SCRUTINY, UM, BUT EVERY SINGLE ENTERPRISE ALONG THAT ROAD, INCLUDING JUST OPPOSITE, UM, HAS THE SAME SITUATION.

SO I, I APPRECIATE THE QUESTION, BUT I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS PARTICULARLY UNIQUE TO THIS SITE.

IT'S NOT EVERY SINGLE ENTERPRISE HAS THAT ISSUE.

UM, I'M SORRY, I HAVEN'T GOT THAT.

IT WOULD BE OVER 300 SECONDS.

UM, MAY I ALSO JUST ADD ONE MORE THING? I'M SORRY.

THE S C D O T OF COURSE HAS EVALUATED THIS.

UM, SO THEY ARE, UM, I THINK THE OTHER POINT ABOUT THE IMPACT THAT THE INTERNAL, UM, UH, UH, TRAFFIC OR INTERNAL PARKING WOULD HAVE ON THE EXTERNAL, UH, ROAD IS, IS RED HERRING.

THE S C D O T HAS ALREADY ADDRESSED THAT AND SAID THAT THERE'S NO NEED FOR ANY EXTERNAL MITIGATION.

SO IT REALLY BECOMES AN ISSUE OF WANTING TO OPTIMIZE THE INTERNAL FLOW.

AND I WILL SAY THAT ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE, BUT IF YOU BUILD EVERYTHING TO THE 99TH PERCENTILE, WHICH LASTS FOR THREE MINUTES IN A DAY, UM, YOU'RE BASICALLY, UH, TARMACKING OVER THE ENTIRE LOT TO ALLOW FOR ALL THESE THINGS.

SO THE MORE YOU ASK FOR THE BIGGER IT GETS AND THE BIGGER IT GETS AND THE BIGGER IT GETS JUST TO KEEP IN MIND,

[00:20:09]

YEAH.

UH, I THINK HE WAS RETRIEVING SOME INFORMATION FOR US.

YES.

I SAID THE DELAY FOR THE LEFT TURTLE WOULD BE OVER 300 SECONDS.

I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND 300 SECONDS.

I THINK HE SAID FIVE MINUTES.

ALRIGHT.

SO ANY MORE QUESTIONS FOR ANYONE? UH, YES, SIR.

HAVE A QUESTION FOR THE COUNTY.

IF I MAY, I UNDERSTAND THE CONCERN ON THIS LEFT TURN LANE, BUT AGAIN, I HAVE TO ASK WHEN THAT ROAD IS REDONE, IS IT GOING TO BE LIKE A LOT OF THE ROADS IN BOOPER WHERE WE'VE ELIMINATED? LEFT-HAND TURNS THAT YOU ONLY CAN MAKE A RIGHT TURN, THEN YOU GOT TO GO UP AND MAKE A U-TURN TO COME BACK.

YOU DON'T KNOW THAT YET FOR SEATTLE AND PARKWAY, YOU KNOW, THAT STUDY, THAT WORK HAS NOT YET BEEN DONE FOR THAT AREA.

ANYONE ELSE? THANK YOU.

ALL RIGHT.

WELL, LET'S CLOSE THIS PART OF THE MEETING.

WE'RE GOING TO OPEN UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENTS.

UM, MR. MIKE, THERE YOU GO.

OH, HE'S NOT SIX AND SEVEN.

YEAH.

UH, I SPOKE AT THE LAST MEETING REGARDING THE, UH, UH, THE USE OF THIS PROPERTY.

AND WE WERE WAITING ON THIS TRAFFIC IMPACT ANALYSIS, I GUESS W WHAT I HAVE HEARD TONIGHT ABOUT THESE ANALYSIS THAT WAS DONE IS ALL SPECULATIVE.

YOU KNOW, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT PERCENTILES, UH, SPEED TIMING AT DIFFERENT TIMES AND ALL, AND WE REALLY DO NOT NEED TO SPECULATE BECAUSE WE HAVE THE SAME EXACT USE.

THE SPEEDING PROPOSED THERE JUST A FEW MILES DOWN THE ROAD ON THE SAME, ON THE SAME ROAD, HIGHWAY 21, A DUNKIN DONUTS.

AND AS I MENTIONED, LAST TIME, WE CAN ALL DO OUR OWN PRIVATE TRAFFIC IMPACT ANALYSIS, NOTHING SPECULATIVE.

THIS IS WHAT IS HAPPENING NOW IN OUR CITY WITH THE SAME BUSINESS ON THE SAME ROAD, THE ONLY DIFFERENCE BEING THE ONE, THE, THE, THE EXISTING, UH, DUNKIN DONUTS IS ON HIGHWAY 21, WHERE IT HAS TWO LANES GOING EACH DIRECTION.

A TOTAL OF FOUR LANES.

THIS PROPOSED UNIT IS GOING TO BE WHERE THERE'S ONLY ONE LANE OF TRAFFIC GOING EACH WAY.

ALL ANYBODY HAS TO DO WITH NO SPECULATION IS TO GO AT ANYTIME 7 30, 8 O'CLOCK AT ANY TIME DURING THE WEEK, AND SEE THE IMPACT THAT IS HAVING ON THE SAME ROAD WITH THE SAME BUSINESS IN THE SAME TOWN.

IT'S BACKED UP THE TRAFFIC ON ONE OF THE LANES GOING WEST.

WHEN THERE'S TWO LANES GOING WEST ON THE PROPOSED, IT'S GOING TO BE ONE LANE GOING WEST.

AND IT'S GOING TO BACKTRACK UP ON THAT.

THIS IS NO SPECULATION.

WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT PERCENTILES AND TIMING AND ALL THAT.

WE HAVEN'T ALREADY JUST, PLEASE GO LOOK AT THAT.

IT'S YOU CAN SEE WHAT A NIGHTMARE IT IS CREATED THERE.

HAVE ANY OF YOU DONE THAT SINCE I WAS HERE LAST TIME, WE'VE LOOKED AT IT.

YOU RETRACT, WE TRAVELED THROUGH THE ROAD.

WHEN I'M TALKING ABOUT ME, I TRAVELED TO THE ROAD.

SO AM I EXAGGERATING? WE HEAR YOU USED DURING THE PUBLIC COMMENT.

WE HEAR WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.

WE TAKE NOTES OFF, UH, WITH YOU, YOUR COMMENT THAT WE MADE, BUT I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.

I HEAR WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.

OKAY.

WELL, I'M GLAD TO HEAR THAT SOME OF Y'ALL DID LOOK AT THAT BECAUSE AGAIN, THESE TRAFFIC IMPACT ANALYSIS, THIS IS ALL SPECULATIVE.

WHAT WE'RE SEEING WITH OUR OWN EYES IS NOT SPECULATIVE.

THIS ONE OUT WORK IS GOING TO BE, IT'S GOING TO BE TWICE.

THE IMPACT IS GOING TO BE TWICE AS NEGATIVE ON THE PROPOSED SITE, THAT IT IS ON THE EXISTING SITE WHERE THE EXISTING DUNKIN DONUTS

[00:25:01]

I MEAN, HOW CAN YOU REASONABLY EVEN QUESTION THAT? THANK YOU, SIR.

AND IS THERE ANY QUESTIONS? YES, SIR.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.

UM, AND IT BAKES BAKERS.

HELLO, AND THANK YOU.

MY NAME IS ANNETTE BAKER.

UH, WE'RE NEW HERE IN BUFORD.

WE'RE LIVING AT 4,200 SAGE DRIVE IN OYSTER BLUFF.

WHILE WE BUILD OUR HOME IN CELADON, WE CAME HERE BECAUSE WE WERE TAKEN BY THE CHARM OF BEEF AND THE LOW COUNTRY IT'S FRIENDLY.

PEOPLE B ALSO CAME HERE TO ESCAPE TRAFFIC.

I AM OPPOSED TO THE SPECIAL USE PERMIT REQUEST FOR THE DRIVE-THROUGH FAST FOOD, ITS UNIQUE SETUP.

AND, UH, HERE'S WHY I WANTED TO LEARN ABOUT OUR AREA.

SO I READ THE 2018 LADY'S ISLAND PLAN AND NOTED ITS GOALS OF CREATING A WALKABLE, UH, ISLAND VILLAGE CENTER, STRENGTHENING OUR NEIGHBORHOODS, MANAGING CONGESTION AND IMPROVING BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN SYSTEMS AMONG MANY OTHERS.

THESE ARE VERY DESIRABLE COMMUNITY ATTRIBUTES.

AND THEN SO GLAD I'M HERE BECAUSE TO FOLLOW THROUGH ON THESE, THIS BOARD HAS THE POWER AND THE RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE THESE GOALS A REALITY.

AND I THINK THAT DRY, THAT VOTING FOR THIS FAST FOOD DRIVE THROUGH AND ITS UNIQUE FORMAT FOR SPECIAL USE PERMIT DOES NOT PROMOTE THESE GOALS.

I ALSO REVIEWED THE AUGUST, 2017 LONG LADIES ISLAND CORRIDOR STUDY THE TRAFFIC STUDY AND ON PAGE 10, IN FIGURE 2.4, THERE A PHOTO OF THE EXACT INTERSECTION WHERE BILL'S LIQUOR AND GRAY CO ENTRANCES, THAT WILL BE RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET FROM THIS NEW PROPOSED UNIT THAT IS ACTUALLY DEPICTING RIGHT ANGLE CO UH, COLLISIONS NOTED AS THE SECOND MOST FREQUENT TYPE OF CRUSHES.

THE REPORT SPECIFICALLY NOTES AT DRIVEWAY LOCATIONS AND UNSAFE ANALYZED INTERSECTION ANGLED COLLISIONS ARE EXPERIENCED MORE FREQUENTLY BECAUSE OF THE TURNING VEHICLES ALONG HIGH VOLUME ROADS.

I THINK THIS IS A REALLY IMPORTANT ITEM TO NOTE IN THE FOLLOWUP STUDY, LADIES ISLAND, TRAFFIC STUDY, 2021, THEY UPDATE THE COLLISION DATA TO INCLUDE 2012 THROUGH 2019, NOTING 376 ANGLE COLLISIONS WITHIN THOSE PROJECT LIMITS.

THAT'S 376 REAL PEOPLE HAVING A REALLY BAD DAY WE'RE IMPACTING REAL LIVES.

IT SEEMS TO ME THAT ADDING A FAST-FOOD UNIQUE FORMAT THROUGH WITH ONE ENTRY AND EXIT POSSIBLY TO BE REVISED, COULD REALLY EXACERBATE A CURRENT PROBLEM AND WOULDN'T HELP SOLVE A PROBLEM.

IT CERTAINLY WON'T IMPROVE THE WALKABILITY GOALS OR HELP CREATE THE VILLAGE FEEL.

AND I WOULD MUCH RATHER ATTEND, UH, AND SOLICIT AND, UH, UH, PARTICIPATE IN A LOCAL BUSINESS AT A COFFEE SHOP WHERE I CAN SIT AND TALK TO MY FRIENDS.

THAT'S MUCH MORE ENJOYABLE THAN RUNNING THROUGH AND GRABBING SOMETHING AND MOVING ON.

THAT'S HOW I HOPE TO MEET MORE OF MY NEW NEIGHBORS.

THIS BOARD HAS RESPONSIBILITY TO LOOK AT THE LADY'S ISLAND COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AND APPLY ALL THE CRITERIA WHEN REVIEWING ONE SPECIFIC SPECIAL USE PERMIT.

THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO CONTROL, TO NOT CONTRIBUTE TO CONGESTION AND POTENTIAL TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS WILL BE INTERESTING TO SEE THE REVISED PLAN AND SEE IF IT HAS THAT MUCH IMPACT.

UH, I THINK IT'S A PRETTY UNIQUE FORMAT FOR A FAST FOOD DRIVE-THROUGH WITH IT'S FIGURE EIGHT CONFIGURATION IN THE BACK, NOT EVEN GOING TO ADDRESS THE POTENTIAL CONCERNS WITHIN THEIR OWN PROPERTY, BUT WITH THESE CONCERNS, I WOULD URGE THE BOARD TO AT A MINIMUM POSTPONE THIS EVENT AND, UH, IDEALLY OPPOSE THE SPECIAL USE PERMIT ALTOGETHER.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.

THANK YOU.

UM, BEFORE WE MOVE FORWARD, I'D JUST LIKE TO SAY THIS.

I MAY NOT HAVE SAID IT IN THE BEGINNING, BUT UH, THOSE WHO WANT TO SPEAK, YOU HAVE UP TO THREE MINUTES.

I JUST WANTED TO LET YOU GUYS KNOW THAT, UM, MS. VICKY, UH, MA BECKY BY, IS SHE HERE? I THINK SHE IS GERMAN.

I THINK,

[00:30:11]

SO WOULD HE BE ABLE TO COME FIRST BEFORE ME? YES.

OH, WAIT.

OKAY.

MY NAME IS VICKI MCGEE AND I LIVE IN NEW POINT AND I HAVE LIVED IN BUFORD COUNTY FOR ONE YEAR.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LETTING ME SPEAK.

YOU SOMETIMES HEAR THAT EVERYTHING IN LIFE GOES BACK TO THE BASICS.

ESSENTIALLY AT SOME TIME WE ALL WANT TO GO BACK TO THE FUNDAMENTALS TO RE-EXAMINE.

HOW DO WE GET TO A CERTAIN POINT? YOU'VE ALL DISCUSSED THE SPECIAL USE PERMIT REQUEST, AND SOME WERE READY TO TURN THIS REQUEST DOWN LAST MONTH, BUT YET WE ARE STILL HERE WITH LITTLE ADDITIONAL NEW INFORMATION AND NO REAL CHANGES TO THE INITIAL 2021 PROPOSAL.

SO NOW WE NEED TO ASK OURSELVES, ISN'T IT JUST SIMPLER AND CLEARER TO GET BACK TO THE BASICS.

THE BASICS INCLUDE THE STRAIGHTFORWARD SPECIAL USE PERMIT REGULATION.

IT STATES THE APPLICANT MUST DEMONSTRATE THAT THEIR DEVELOPMENT IS DESIGNED TO MINIMIZE ADVERSE IMPACTS ON THE ENVIRONMENT, TRAFFIC AND CONGESTION.

BUT WE KNOW CLEARLY THIS IS NOT THE CASE FOR THIS DEVELOPMENT.

THE TRAFFIC STUDY STATES AT SEA ISLAND PARKWAY IN SAM'S POINT ROAD ALREADY EXPERIENCED UNDESIRABLE DELAYS.

AND WE KNOW THE ESTABLISHMENT IS GOING TO BRING IN MORE TRAFFIC, A 2016 STUDY BY THE QUICK SERVICE AND CASUAL RESTAURANT NEWS FOUND THAT SALES, SALES VOLUME AND DUNKIN DONUTS WITH DRIVE-THRU SKYROCKET.

THERE IS NO MENTION THAT IT'S SLIGHTLY INCREASED TRAFFIC.

IT IS NO MENTION THAT MAYBE YOU SHOULD DO A DRIVE-THROUGH BECAUSE IT WILL POSSIBLY HELP YOUR BUSINESS.

NO, THEY USE THE WORD SKYROCKET.

IT ALSO STATES THAT DUNKIN DONUTS WITH DRIVE HAVE 23% HIGHER SALES VOLUMES THAN OTHER TRADITIONAL LOCATIONS AND THE SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS FOR DUNKIN STATED THAT IT WAS MOST IMPORTANT TO THEM.

NOT EVEN THE MENU ITEMS DISTURB THEIR SPEED OF SERVICE AT THE DRIVE-THROUGH.

SO THE BOTTOM LINE IS THEIR GOAL IS TO GET AS MANY CUSTOMERS IN AND QUICKLY OUT AS POSSIBLE.

THE TRAFFIC STUDY ALSO STATES THAT CARS GOING WESTBOUND ON CLM PARKWAY OR ACTIVELY TRANSITIONING FROM TWO LANES TO ONE LANE DIRECTLY AT THE ENTRANCE AND THE EXIT DRIVEWAY.

AND AT THIS RIGHT LANE, WE'LL BE COMING TO THE FACTO TURN LANE FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT YET.

OFTENTIMES DRIVERS STILL NEED THAT ENTIRE WESTBOUND LANE TO TRANSITION TO ONE LANE.

SO IF WE GET BACK TO THE BASICS, WE HAVE TO ASK OURSELVES, WHY WOULD THE ZONING BOARD CONSIDER AN ESTABLISHMENT, WHICH DOES NOT COMPLY WITH THE SPECIAL USE PERMIT REGULATIONS? THE PROPOSAL DOES NOT COMPLY WITH THE LADY'S ISLAND PLAN OF 2018.

EITHER THAT PLAN IS TO CREATE A WALKABLE LADY'S ISLAND CENTER, STRENGTHEN NEIGHBORHOODS, MANAGE TRAFFIC CONGESTION AND IMPROVE BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN SYSTEM.

IT ALSO DOES NOT COMPLY WITH THE NEWLY FOUNDED BEAUTIFUL BUFORD ALLIANCE THAT IS DEDICATED TO PRESERVING AND HONORING THE UNIQUENESS OF BUFORD.

ONE OF THE FUNERAL REMAINING TOWNS ALONG THE COAST THAT HAS NOT BEEN DESTROYED BY RAMPANT DEVELOPMENT.

ONE OF THE FOUNDING MEMBERS OF THIS MUCH NEEDED ORGANIZATION IS GRAHAM TRASK.

ONE OF THEIR KEY ISSUES IS TO ENSURE THAT NO MORE TRAFFIC IS DUMPED ON WOODS MEMORIAL BRIDGE ONTO CARTERET AND BAY STREET, BUT WITH INCREASED TRAFFIC FOR THIS ESTABLISHMENT, IT'S GOING TO RESULT IN MORE TRAFFIC BEING DUMPED ON BAY STREET.

IN CLOSING, I'D LIKE TO USE VERY SIMILAR LANGUAGE AS YOU USED BY GRAHAM TRASK AND HIS PAID ADVERTISEMENT IN THE BUFORD PAPER.

THIS PROPOSAL COMES TO FRUITION WITH THE PASSAGE OF TIME.

LADIES ISLAND WILL BECOME FILLED WITH NATIONAL CHAIN STORES AS REPLACEMENTS TO LOCAL OWNERSHIP.

PLEASE USE THE POWERS OF THE ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS TO STOP THIS PROJECT AND PRESERVE THE UNIQUE TREASURE THAT IS LADY'S ISLAND, OR SIMPLY PUT IT'S TIME TO GET BACK TO THE BASICS.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

ANY QUESTIONS, CHUCK NEWTON? YOU LET US KNOW WHEN YOU'RE TIRED OF SEEING THIS BY THE WAY.

UM, THANK YOU.

UM, I JUST WANT TO UNDERSCORE THE FACT THAT WHILE THIS DISCUSSION IS LARGELY ABOUT TRAFFIC, THIS TIME, THERE ARE FOUR STANDARDS THAT HAVE TO BE MET IN THE, UH, IN THE CODE WHO, UM, PERMIT A SPECIAL USE PERMIT, THE APPROVAL OF THE SPECIAL USE PERMIT.

WE SHOULDN'T LOSE SIGHT OF THAT.

THAT BEING SAID, UM, UH, WE ARE DEALING WITH TRAFFIC AND MAC ON DECEMBER 16TH WHEN THIS GROUP MET PREVIOUSLY, UH, THERE WERE THREE OF YOU, THREE OF THE GROUP AT THAT TIME, VOTED TO DENY A SPECIAL USE PERMIT REQUESTED AN APPLICATION.

[00:35:01]

JOINING SATISFACTORY TRAFFIC ANALYSIS HAD BEEN PREPARED AND SUBMITTED.

THIS ANALYSIS IS NOW IN HAND, AND IT'S BEEN REVIEWED BY AN INDEPENDENT ENGINEERING CONSULT.

IT CHANGES NOTHING.

THIS 40 PAGE DOCUMENT HOLDS PAGES AND PAGES OF TRAFFIC COUNTS AND THE LIKE, BUT IT FUNDAMENTALLY CONCLUDES A TRAFFIC CONGESTION ALONG THE CLN PARKWAY IS BAD AND NOT GETTING ANY BETTER IN A STRETCH OF SALEM PARKWAY THAT HAS FIVE SIGNIFICANT INTERSECTIONS.

FOUR ARE CURRENTLY RATED DE LOS OF SERVICE AND TWO OF THOSE LOSS OF SERVICE F BUT AS THE REPORT SAID, AND I QUOTE, WE SHOULD, WELL, WE SHOULD BE COMFORTED BY THIS NEW DRIVE IN RESTAURANTS DEPENDENT ENTIRELY ON VEHICLE.

TRAFFIC WILL NOT MAKE MATTERS WORSE.

THIS IS THE SAME TIME WE'RE SPENDING $30 MILLION TRYING TO IMPROVE TRAFFIC ON LADY'S ISLAND, NOT MAKE IT WORSE.

THE REPORT SUMMARY SUMMARY RELATES TO TWO INTERSECTIONS, ANALYZED TWO OF THE FIVE CURRENTLY EXPERIENCE AND IS PROJECTED TO CONTINUE TO EXPERIENCE UNDESIRABLE DELAY IN THE AM PEAK HOUR WITH OR WITHOUT 1 31 SEATTLE AND PARKWAY DEVELOPMENT IN ONE BREATH, IT RECOMMENDS NO IMPROVEMENT TO MITIGATE THIS DELAY.

AND IN THE OTHER BREATH, IT RECOMMENDS A DEDICATED LEFT TURN LANE SHARED THROUGH SLASH RIGHT TURN LANE AT THE APPROACH AND AN EXCLUSIVE EASTBOUND TURN LANE ONTO THE PARKWAY FROM THE PROJECT ALSO BENEFIT A SINGLE BUSINESS AND QUALIFY THIS APPLICATION FOR A SPECIAL USE PERMIT MAKES LITTLE SENSE.

FURTHERMORE, THE ANALYSIS IS COMPLETE BASED ON PLANS NOW UNDER DESIGNED BY THE COUNTY, UH, THEY LOOKED AT A, AT A, UH, POST BUILD TIMELINE, 2024 ON THIS, THERE ARE GOING TO BE CHANGES TO THE PARKWAY.

UM, MANY OF WHICH WE EXPECT TO SEE STARTED BY 2024.

ONE IMPORTANT CHANGE THAT THE STUDY DID NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT IS THE LIKELY RELOCATION OF THE TRAFFIC SIGNAL BUFORD HIGH SCHOOL TO YEOMANS DRIVE 200 FEET WEST OF WHERE THIS PROJECT IS SO PROPOSED.

BY THE TIME THE RESTAURANT OPENS EXISTING WESTBOUND TRAFFIC WILL ENTER THE PARKWAY AND BE FORCED TO CLIMB INTO THE QUEUE AT A NEW TRAFFIC LIGHT IN THE LOBBY ALONE.

BUT ACCORDING TO THIS TRAFFIC STUDY, THERE'LL BE ACCOMPANIED BY ANOTHER 1054 VEHICLES HOURLY AT THE AM PEAK, CREATING ADDITIONAL CONGESTION AND CONTRIBUTING TO AN ALREADY DIFFICULT TRAFFIC SITUATION.

THIS ISSUE HAS NEVER CONSIDERED THIS ANALYSIS, BUT SHOULD HAVE BEEN LOOKED AT AS A POSSIBLE 2024 BUILDING CONDITION.

SO IT'S USEFUL TO HAVE A TRAFFIC ANALYSIS, BUT AS I SAID, IT CHANGES NOTHING.

THIS NEW DRIVE SHOE COFFEE SHOP WILL CREATE ADDITIONAL TRAFFIC PROBLEMS, BUT THAT IS NOT THE ONLY BASIS FOR THE DENIAL BE APPLICATION ONE OF THE FOUR STANDARDS FOR A SPECIAL USE PERMIT, WHICH THE ZBA HAS TASKED WITH ENFORCING IS MINIMIZATION OF ADVERSE IMPACTS ON TRAFFIC AND CONGESTION JUST DESCRIBED AS APPLICATION CLEARLY FAILS.

IN FACT, THE DRIVE-THROUGH BUSINESS IS BUILT AROUND INCREASING TRAFFIC.

THE FACILITY IS BUILT AROUND, UH, INCREASING TRAFFIC TO THE POINT THAT 70% OF ITS REVENUE COMES THROUGH THE DRIVE-THROUGH WINDOW.

THIS IS NOT A NORMAL RETAIL ESTABLISHMENT.

THERE IS NO MINIMIZATION OF ADVERSE TRAFFIC IMPACTS AND CONGESTION HERE, BUT JUST THE OPPOSITE.

THESE ARE GROUNDS FOR DENIAL.

THE CBO IS FURTHER EMPOWERED TO SET CONDITIONS FOR APPROVAL OF A SPECIAL USE PERMIT.

ONE OF THEM BEING THE, UH, TO ENSURE THE PROVISIONS OF THE COMP PLAN, UH, AND THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CODE ARE MET, GIVEN THE FOCUS ON TRAFFIC MINIMIZATION AND TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT AND CREATION OF A WALKABLE PEDESTRIAN ENVIRONMENT IN THE LADY'S ISLAND PLAN, WHICH IS PART OF THE COMP PLAN.

THIS APPLICATION FAILS THIS TEST AS WELL, GROUNDS FOR DENIAL, A FIFTH CONDITION PREVENTION OF MINT OR MINIMIZATION OF ADVERSE EFFECTS ON THE PUBLIC HEALTH.

SAFETY AND WELFARE ALSO CANNOT BE MET IN A RECENT THREE-YEAR PERIOD.

THERE WERE 541 VEHICLE ACCIDENTS ALONG THIS PORTION OF THE SEATTLE AND PARKWAY, 78% OF WHICH WERE REAR END ANGLED COLLISIONS.

THAT'S ABOUT IF YOU DO THE MEN, ROUGHLY DOING THE MATH AND THAT'S ABOUT ONE EVERY THREE DAYS, THIS NUMBER IS LIKELY TO INCREASE WITH THE APPROVAL OF A DRIVE-THROUGH RESTAURANT.

AND IN NO WAY, IS THIS CONTRIBUTING TO COMMUNITY HEALTH, SAFETY, OR WELFARE, JUST THE OPPOSITE GROUNDS FOR DENIAL.

WE DON'T OPPOSE DRIVE-THRUS GENERALLY, AND WE HAVE NO IMITATE IMITATE OR DUNKIN DONUTS BY ANY MEANS, BUT NO REASONABLE PERSON COULD CONCLUDE THAT THIS PROJECT AS PROPOSED WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE BETTERMENT OF LADY'S ISLAND.

THIS IS JUST THE WRONG LOCATION FOR THIS TYPE OF ESTABLISHMENT.

AND IT

[00:40:01]

I HOPE YOU AGREE.

AND WHEN THE TIME COMES, I HOPE YOU AGREE TO VOTE, TO DENY THE SPECIAL USE PERMIT.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

ANY QUESTIONS? UH, DO YOU, DO YOU HAVE PLANS ABOUT HOW THE, THE ROADWAY IS GOING TO BE CONFIGURED IN 2024? WE HAVE A GENERAL IDEA AS WELL, BUT HOW DO YOU EXPECT THE TRAFFIC ENGINEERS TO GUESS ABOUT WHAT THOSE CONDITIONS ARE GOING TO BE AND EXPECT HIM TO GUESS? I EXPECT THEM TO SORT OF TAKE IT INTO ACCOUNT BECAUSE I HAVE THEIR OWN PLANS TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT.

ARE THERE, UM, THERE ARE ROUGH DESIGN PLANS THAT HAVE BEEN GENERALIZED.

THERE ARE SEVERAL, SEVERAL OPTIONS.

THE ONES THAT ARE BEING LOOKED AT THAT MAY OR MAY NOT EVER COME TO PASS.

CORRECT? CORRECT.

SO WHAT YOU WOULD, IT SEEMS TO BE YOU'RE ASKING IS THAT THE TRAFFIC ENGINEERS TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THINGS THAT MAY NEVER COME TO PASS.

IF WE MADE EVERY DECISION BASED ON THE SITUATION TODAY, WE WOULD FALL BEHIND THE WHEEL EVERY TIME THE COAT, WHICH IS WHAT THE CODE REQUIRES THAT YOU MAKE DECISIONS BASED ON WHAT THERE IS TODAY.

WELL, AS I SAID, I DON'T THINK IT'S JUST SIMPLY A TRAFFIC.

I MEAN, YOUR, YOUR, THE, THE PLANS HAVE NOT BEEN FULLY DELINEATED DECISIONS ARE YET TO BE MADE.

UM, AND WE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY HOW THEY'RE GOING TO END UP, BUT AS I SAID, TROPICS, ONLY ONE OF FIVE OR SIX DIFFERENT ISSUES THAT NEED TO BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT BY THIS BOARD.

ANY MORE QUESTIONS, MR. MURRAY, THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN MEMBERS OF THE ZBA.

THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO BE HEARD TONIGHT AND THANK YOU FOR THE SERVICE OF IMPORTANT TO DEMOCRACY AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT.

I'M THE MAYOR OF THE CITY OF BUFORD.

UH, BUT I DO WANT TO DISCLAIM THAT MY COMMENTS TONIGHT ARE MY OWN PERSONAL OPINIONS ARE NOT THE FORMAL POSITION IN THE CITY OF BUFORD OR BUFORD CITY COUNCIL.

UM, I PARTICIPATED HEAVILY IN LADY'S ISLAND IMPLEMENTATION PLAN COMMITTEE, UH, SPENT A LOT OF TIME THINKING ABOUT LADY'S ISLAND, UH, AND HOW WE REORGANIZE.

UH, WHAT I BELIEVE IS 10 POUNDS OF DEVELOPMENT IN A FIVE POUND BUCKET, ESPECIALLY ALONG THAT, ALONG THAT CORRIDOR.

UM, I AM GENERALLY SUPPORTIVE OF MORE RETAIL AND RESTAURANT AND COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT ALONG THE CORRIDOR FOR TWO REASONS.

ONE, BECAUSE IT HELPS LADIES ON RESIDENTS NOT HAVE TO CROSS A BRIDGE IN ORDER TO GET THEIR DAILY SERVICES.

AND ANYONE WHO TRAVELS THROUGH THOSE CORRIDORS ON A REGULAR BASIS UNDERSTANDS THAT BOTH THE MATURE BRIDGE AND ESPECIALLY THE WOODS MEMORIAL BRIDGE DOWNTOWN, UH, IS UNDER STRAIN AT CERTAIN PEAK HOURS OF THE DAY.

UH, ADDING ANOTHER BRIDGE IS A VERY COSTLY, UH, BOTH IN TERMS OF DOLLARS AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT AND SOMETHING WE WILL PROBABLY HAVE TO LOOK AT IN THE FUTURE.

UH, BUT AT THIS TIME THERE ARE NO PLANTS.

UH, I ALSO SELFISHLY AS A GUY WHO LIVES DOWNTOWN BUFORD AND MY BUSINESSES ARE IN BURTON DRIVE THE 21 CORRIDOR.

AND AS SEVERAL OTHER SPEAKERS HAVE INDICATED TONIGHT, WE ARE DEALING WITH TWO, UH, NATIONAL COFFEE FRANCHISES AND ONE CHICKEN FRANCHISE, UH, THAT ROUTINELY HAVE MORE THAN 20 CARS STACKED IN THEIR DRIVE-THROUGHS THAT HAVE IMPACTS OF CARS, UH, QUEUING ON HIGHWAY 21.

I PERSONALLY CALL POLICE DISPATCH ON DISPATCH ABOUT ONCE A MONTH, UH, TO HAVE OUR OFFICERS COME OUT AND DISCOURAGE FOLKS FROM BLOCKING TRAFFIC, BECAUSE IT IS A SAFETY HAZARD.

I RESPECT THE TRAFFIC ENGINEER'S OPINION OF SEVEN CARS.

UM, BUT AS AGAIN, AS SOME OF THE OTHER SPEAKERS HAVE POINTED OUT, I'D ASKED THAT MAYBE YOU AT PEAK HOURS SIT BY OUR COUPLE OF EXAMPLES ON THE 21 CORRIDOR.

AND FRANKLY, I'M NOT SURE HOW WE'RE GOING TO FIX IT.

UH, WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH THE BUSINESS OWNERS TO TRY TO ENCOURAGE THEM TO EITHER QUEUE FOLKS FASTER OR COME UP WITH OTHER IDEAS.

WE'VE USED LAW ENFORCEMENT, WHICH NOBODY LIKES TO WASTE THEIR TIME, UH, OR INCONVENIENCE THE DRIVERS.

UH, AND SO WE'RE IN KIND OF A PREDICAMENT ON THIS SIDE.

UM, I BELIEVE IF YOU APPROVE THIS SPECIAL USE REQUEST, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE THE SAME ISSUE ON LADY'S ISLAND.

UH, NOT ONLY THAT THE SAME ISSUE, BUT I THINK IT WILL BE A MUCH MORE DANGEROUS ISSUE GIVEN A COUPLE OF CONDITIONS.

ONE, IF YOU FREQUENT REIKO SHOPPING CENTER OR BILL'S LIQUORS, UH, MAKING A LEFT OR RIGHT TURN OUT OF THAT INTERSECTION NOW, ESPECIALLY AT PEAK HOURS OF THE DAY, YOU TAKE YOUR LIFE INTO YOUR OWN HANDS AND WE ARE SEEING SIGNIFICANT ACCIDENTS IN THAT CORRIDOR.

ALSO, IF YOU'RE COMING OFF OF ST.

HELENA ISLAND HEADED INTO DOWNTOWN BUFORD, THAT IS RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MERGE FROM TWO LANES DOWN TO ONE.

SO NOW TAKE, UH, A COFFEE QUEUE STANDING OUT INTO 21.

AND SO YOU'RE GONNA HAVE FOLKS RACING FROM THE SEATTLE PARKWAY LIGHT, TRYING TO GET TO THE WOODS BRIDGE, UH, MAYBE HITTING FOLKS, TRYING TO TURN INTO A COFFEE SPOT, WHICH I THINK IS PRONE FOR AN ACCIDENT, OR YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE FOLKS TURNING OUT OF, UH, THE CHAIN TRYING TO MAKE A LEFT TO GO BACK TOWARDS ST.

HELENA ISLAND OR OTHER PARTS OF LADY'S ISLAND.

I THINK THAT ALSO IS A RECIPE FOR DISASTER.

UM, SO I ASKED SINCERELY, WOULD YOU PLEASE DON'T CREATE THE CONDITION THAT WE WORKING VERY DILIGENTLY TO TRY TO FIX WITH NO REAL SOLUTIONS.

UH, AND I THINK IF YOU APPROVE THE SPECIAL REQUEST, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE THE SAME ISSUE AND WONDER HOW THAT HAPPENED.

AND IT WILL HAPPEN BECAUSE YOU GUYS PROVE THE SPECIAL REQUESTS.

I THINK THERE'S A PLACE ON LADY'S ISLAND FOR THIS FRANCHISE.

I THINK IT WILL

[00:45:01]

AND I THINK IT WILL BE HEAVILY, UH, USED.

UM, I JUST THINK THIS PARTICULAR SITE IS TRYING TO PUT A SQUARE PEG IN A ROUND HOLE.

I APPRECIATE THE HOURS OF DEBATE THAT YOU'VE SPENT ON THIS PROJECT.

I ALSO APPRECIATE THAT COUNTY STAFF HAS WORKED VERY DILIGENTLY, I THINK, WITH THE APPLICANT TO TRY TO FIGURE IT OUT, UH, AND TO SUPPORT, UH, PRIVATE SECTOR AND THE PROPERTY OWNER'S RIGHTS.

MR. WILLIAMS, AS A PRIVATE PROPERTY OWNER, I WILL SAY, I, UH, SINCERELY APPRECIATE YOUR OBVIOUS BIAS TOWARDS PRIVATE PROPERTY OWNERS AND TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE IS AN INVESTMENT IN OUR COMMUNITIES.

UM, BUT AGAIN, RESPECTFULLY ASK THAT YOU DENY THE SPECIAL EXCEPTION BECAUSE THIS IS JUST A PROBLEM WITH NO SOLUTION.

IF YOU DO APPROVE IT AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO SPEAK AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE TO BE FOR COUNTY BIGGEST, SIR.

OKAY.

IS THERE ANYONE ELSE FOR PUBLIC COMMENT FOR THIS, UH, ITEM NUMBER SIX, THIS TIME WE CLOSED OUR PUBLIC COMMENTS FOR THIS ITEM, NUMBER SIX? UM, I THINK WE, UH, REQUESTING MORE INFORMATION, SO WE WILL BE MOVING THIS OVER TO OUR NEXT MEETING.

UM, RIGHT NOW I WOULD LIKE TO SAY SOMETHING, UM, AS I MENTIONED LAST MONTH, THAT I'VE AGREED WITH, UM, SEVERAL OF THE SPEAKERS THAT THIS IS NOT IN KEEPING WITH THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.

AND PARTICULARLY IF YOU LOOK AT THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN ON PAGE ONE 15, IT TALKS ABOUT THE LADY'S ISLAND.

THE VILLAGE CENTER IS A FOCUS PLANNING AREA, AND THERE'S FIVE PRINCIPLES IN THE FOCUS PLANNING AREA.

AND NUMBER TWO IS WE BELIEVE IN ALLOWING LOCAL COMMUNITIES TO DETERMINE THEIR VISION AND TO DEFINE THEIR GROWTH.

AND AS WE'VE HEARD TODAY, AND LAST MONTH, THE LOCAL COMMUNITY IS OPPOSED TO THIS USE THIS SPECIAL USE, AND THEY HAVE THE ACCORDING TO OUR COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, WE SHOULD BE LISTENING TO THE LOCAL COMMUNITY FOR THEIR VISION FOR LADY'S ISLAND.

THANK YOU.

ANYTHING ELSE TO SAY? I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION.

SO WE ARE, WE GOT REQUESTING MORE INFORMATION AND OKAY.

WHATEVER YOU WANT TO DO FOR NEXT MONTH MEETING.

OKAY.

SO, I MEAN, YOU WANT TO MAKE A MOTION TO MOVE TO START NEXT MONTH MEETING.

NO, I WAS GOING TO MAKE A MOTION TO DENY IT THAT WAY.

HE WOULDN'T HAVE TO GO TO THE TROUBLE TO, UM, BUT WE CAN WAIT TILL NEXT MONTH.

WHAT'D YOU PLEASURE MR. CHAIRMAN? I THINK MS. FRASER IS CERTAINLY ENTITLED TO MAKE HER EMOTIONS.

SHE WANTS TO MAKE THEM, I MEAN, YOU CAN MAKE YOUR MOTION.

OKAY.

I WOULD LIKE THEM TO DENY, MAKE A MOTION TO DENY THE SPECIAL USE PERMIT BASED ON OUR COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.

AND THAT ALLOWS OUR LOCAL COMMUNITIES TO DETERMINE THEIR VISION AND TO DIVINE DEFINE THEIR GROWTH.

OKAY.

AND THERE IS A MOTION ON THE FLOOR, UH, AND IT IS SECOND.

SO THIS MOTION IS TO DENY THE SPECIAL USE PERMIT FOR THE DUNKIN DONUT.

SO ALL IN FAVOR, IF I MAY, MR. CHAIRMAN GOOGLE DISCUSSION HERE AT FIRST, UM, I APPRECIATE MS. FREDERICK'S POSITION, BUT WE CERTAINLY HAVEN'T HEARD FROM EVERYBODY ON LADY'S ISLAND ABOUT THIS WE'VE HEARD FROM A HANDFUL AND WHILE THEY MAY REPRESENT A MAJORITY, I DON'T KNOW THAT, UH, I DON'T KNOW THAT I'M WILLING TO ACCEPT THE, THE POSITION OF THREE OR FOUR OR FIVE OR SIX LADIES ISLAND RESIDENTS OR PEOPLE WHO AREN'T EVEN LADIES ISLANDS RESIDENTS ABOUT WHAT THEY THINK OUGHT TO GO WITH THIS PROPERTY.

UM, RESPOND TO THAT.

UM, OUR LADY'S ISLAND PLAN, WHICH WAS WORKED ON OVER NUMEROUS MONTHS, HAD A LARGE INPUT OF LADY ISLAND RESIDENTS.

AND THEY SAID, THERE'S NO DUNKIN DONUTS ANYMORE.

THEY SAY THE AREA BEENING VILLAGE CENTER OF LADIES ISLAND, WHICH IS WHERE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IS THE FOCAL POINT OF LADY'S ISLAND.

AND NO ONE WANTS TO SEE IT END UP BEING A GENERIC AUTOMOBILE DEPENDENT, SUBURBAN COMMERCIAL STRIP.

AND THAT IS IN THE LADY'S ISLAND PLAN.

AND THAT IS THE VISION OF THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE ON LADY'S ISLAND.

WE HAD SOME HERE TODAY THAT SPOKE TO THAT, BUT THIS IS THE PLAN THAT CAME OUT OF THE PUBLIC MEETINGS ON LADY'S ISLAND.

LET'S SAY SOMETHING, MR. CHAIRMAN.

YES, SIR.

YOU KNOW, I RESPECT EVERYBODY'S OPINION AND I LIVED IN BUFORD SINCE 1970 ON AND OFF,

[00:50:01]

I'M NOT A BEEN HERE.

I THINK THE ONLY PERSON ON HIS BOARD IT'S BEEN HERE IS THE CHAIRMAN.

AND I WOULD THINK MOST PEOPLE IN THAT AUDIENCE ARE COME HERE AND NOT BEEN HERE.

I'M NOT HEARING A LOT OF THE BIN HERE IS COMPLAINING ABOUT THIS.

ONE OF THE PEOPLE THAT MOVED HERE, THAT'S ALL I GOT TO SAY.

OKAY, THANK YOU, SIR.

I WOULD LIKE TO ADD THAT WE'VE NOT HEARD FROM ANYONE WHO'S FOR IT.

IF THOSE PEOPLE NEED TO COME OUT, YOU SHOULD OPEN THE FLOOR BACK UP.

WELL, THE MOTION IS ON THE FLOOR AND WE HAVE ALREADY, YOU KNOW, CLOSE THAT, YOU KNOW, IF YOU WANTED TO SAY SOMETHING THAT WAS THE TIME TO SPEAK IN A PUBLIC COMMENT, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S A MOTION ON THE FLOOR, UH, AND IT'S BEEN SECOND.

SO, UH, I GUESS WE DRAW THE QUESTION ALL IN FAVOR OF DENYING THE SPECIAL USE PERMIT.

COULD YOU SIGNIFY IT BY JUST RAISING YOUR RIGHT HAND, THOSE TWO TO DENY AND THREE THAT'S FOUR.

SO THEREFORE THE SPECIAL USE HAS BEEN GRANTED.

IT'S NOT THE CASE THAT MOTION JUST DIES BECAUSE, AND WE TAKE NO ACTION THERE.

IF, IF THE VOTE IS TWO IN FAVOR THREE AGAINST, THEN THE MOTION FAILED, CORRECT? CORRECT.

SO THAT MOTION IS CONSIDERED THE FAILED MOTION.

MR. CHAIRMAN, I MOVE THAT.

WE CARRY THIS MATTER OVER TO OUR NEXT MEETING SO THAT WE HAVE IN FRONT OF US AN ACCURATE SITE PLAN THAT REFLECTS WHAT THE TRAFFIC IMPACT ANALYSIS IS BASED ON.

ALL RIGHT.

SO WE NOW MOVING TO ITEM,

[8. Mr. Shane Olsen is requesting a Special Use Permit to operate a Short Term Rental Use in the T3 Edge Zoning District. Short Term Rentals are allowed in the zoning district as a Special Use. Property is located at 977 Edith Lane and is zoned T3 Edge (T3E).]

MY NAME IS SHANNON WAS THE LAST TWO YEARS.

I HAVE OPERATED A SHORT-TERM ROOM AT MY RESIDENCE.

I HAVEN'T GUESSED THAT FOR TWO YEARS.

I PAID ALL MY ACCOMMODATIONS TAX.

I'VE DONE EVERYTHING ABOVE BOARD AND ALL THE LAW AS IT WAS WRITTEN.

UM, AS IT WAS INFORMED OF ME, THE LAW WAS CHANGED THIS YEAR, AND YOU'RE GOING TO SEE A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE SHORT TERM RENTAL STANDING IN FRONT OF YOU IS THE APPROACH NOW IS TO BRING THAT BEFORE THE ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS, UM, IN THE TWO YEARS THAT WE'VE HAD AND OPERATED OUR SHORT TERM RENTAL, UM, WE HAVE NEVER HAD AN INCIDENT WHERE THE POLICE WERE CALLED.

WE'VE NEVER HAD A PUBLIC COMPLAINT.

UM, WE'VE NEVER HAD ANY ISSUES.

WE ACCOMMODATE PARKING UP TO THREE SPOTS.

UM, WE'VE NEVER HAD ANYONE HAVE TO PARK ON THE STREET.

IT'S NEVER BEEN AN EMPLOYEE.

IT STAR NEIGHBORS, UM, THAT I'M AWARE OF AT LEAST, UM, MATTER OF FACT, ONE NEIGHBOR, UH, LIVED.