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Commission updates: zoning and blight cases, Pinewoods site concerns and West Hill solar application scheduling
Summary
Commissioners reviewed multiple ongoing zoning and blight enforcement matters including Dos Amigos and Pinewoods Road gas station, discussed timing for enforcement and potential abandonment findings, and agreed to draft review of the West Hill solar application in May.
At the March 19 meeting commissioners reviewed a range of zoning and blight enforcement updates and discussed scheduling for a forthcoming West Hill solar application.
City planner Jeremy Leifert and commissioners provided status reports on several compliance cases: the restaurant Dos Amigos had no new response; Batchy Brew was given until June 1 to complete required landscaping and citations were paused to allow winter-related delays; a Red Oak property is nearing completion but still has a metal pile to be removed; and a property with a temporary tent structure was described as an ongoing eyesore. "It's an eyesore. It's not at all pretty," Commission Chair Greg Meeley said of the tented storage.
Commissioners discussed the Pinewoods Road gas-station site and the former Marino's property, noting financial issues and the likelihood that enforcement or abandonment procedures will be pursued if the owner does not resume work before permit and statutory timelines lapse. The group said zoning permits had expired for some projects and that site plans and approvals can still be valid while construction is inactive; if the five-year window lapses, staff may treat the properties as abandoned and pursue enforcement.
On broader land-use issues, staff updated the commission that a West Hill solar application had been submitted but the packet is incomplete; commissioners agreed to a draft review in May with a goal of finalizing comments by June and noted the siting council process and state-level review will set the project’s ultimate outcome. The commission encouraged staff to stick to the city Plan of Conservation and Development when evaluating solar siting and to seek mitigation measures such as increased buffers where appropriate.
