Erie Planning Commission Meeting – September 15, 2021
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Erie Planning Commission Meeting – September 15, 2021
The Erie Planning Commission met virtually on September 15, 2021, at 6:31 PM, with Chair Zuniga presiding. Commissioners Sawusch, Luthi, Hoback, Witt, Vice Chair Fraser, and Chair Zuniga were present; Commissioner Ames was absent and excused. The meeting adjourned at 7:55 PM. Key agenda items included a presentation on land development process metrics and a public hearing for a car wash special review use and site plan.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of Agenda: Motion by Commissioner Witt, seconded by Commissioner Luthi, carried unanimously (6-0).
- Approval of Minutes (September 1, 2021): Motion by Commissioner Witt, seconded by Commissioner Hoback, carried unanimously (6-0).
Public Comments & Testimony
- No public comments were offered, and no attendees were present via the virtual platform.
Discussion Items
- Land Development Process Metrics and Tracking (Item 21-389): Senior Planner Audem Gonzales and Town Engineer David Pasic presented findings from the SOLV process improvement project. Key improvements included reducing referral review times by up to two weeks per round, switching to digital submittals, and streamlining internal meetings. Data showed that average processing times for preliminary plats dropped from 775 days (2017–2019) to 333 days (2020–2021) – a reduction of more than half. Similar reductions were seen for final plats and special review uses. Staff plans to continue tracking, break down staff vs. applicant time, and report biannually starting January 2022. Commissioners praised the effort and suggested exploring commercial and residential permit tracking, benchmarking with other communities (e.g., Louisville, Castle Rock), and using university interns for data analysis.
- Car Wash Special Review Use and Site Plan (Items 21-387 & 21-388): Senior Planner Chris LaRue presented a proposal for a 4,392 sq. ft. car wash on Lot 5, Vista Ridge Filing No. 6 (530 Commons Drive). The facility would include three automatic bays, three self-serve bays, two dog wash stations, six vacuum spaces, and stacking for 29+ vehicles. The site is zoned PD, and since the PD does not list car washes, the use is allowed only by special review under the Community Commercial (CC) zone district. Staff found the proposal consistent with the Comprehensive Plan and UDC criteria. The applicant’s representative, Phil Walz, and applicant Dennis Dreeszen attended. Commissioners asked about traffic circulation, architectural maintenance, water recycling (55% reclaim system), and 24/7 operation. No public comments were received. A typo in Resolution P21-14 (cross-reference corrected from 7-13-C-8 to 7-13-C-9) was noted. Motions to approve both resolutions as amended were made by Commissioner Sawusch, seconded by Commissioner Luthi, and passed unanimously.
Commissioner Reports and Discussion Items
- Commissioner Sawusch raised concerns about the Planning Commission’s role in ensuring orderly growth, particularly regarding concurrent major road construction projects (e.g., County Line Road, 119th Street) and safety impacts. Chair Zuniga suggested organizing neighborhood-based reconnaissance to better understand different areas of Erie and foster community outreach. Commissioners discussed the possibility of in-person meetings post-pandemic and using Zoom to plan future engagement.
Key Outcomes
- Land Development Metrics: Staff will continue tracking and report biannually; commissioners encouraged expanding metrics to commercial and residential permits.
- Car Wash Special Review Use (Resolution P21-14 as amended): Approved unanimously (6-0) for recommendation to the Board of Trustees.
- Car Wash Site Plan (Resolution P21-15 as amended): Approved unanimously (6-0) for recommendation to the Board of Trustees.
- Future Work: Chair Zuniga proposed a neighborhood reconnaissance series to increase community engagement.
Meeting Transcript
I'm calling the meeting to order. Good evening. Welcome to the September 15th meeting of the Planning Commission. Please join me for the Pledge of Allegiance. Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the routine public stands when under God with liberty and justice for all. Commissioner Sawish. Yes. Commissioner Luffy. Here. Commissioner Hoback. Present. Commissioner Witt. Present. Commissioner Ames is absent and excused Vice Chair Fraser. Chair Zinniga. Here. We have a form. Thank you. We have an agenda before us this evening. And Melinda did send out uh an updated version that was changing the order of a couple of things. So hopefully all of you got the most recent version. I noticed on the agenda that there was one of the resolutions was missing. And so I believe they just emailed it to all of us so that we'll have that for review. And that was for the third item of general business. Are there any other changes to the agenda or perhaps a motion to approve it? Wit motion to approve. Luffy, second. We have a motion and a second. Melinda, will you please call roll? Commissioner Sawish. Yes. Commissioner Luffy. Yes. Commissioner Hoback. Yes. Commissioner Witt. Yes. Vice Chair Fraser. Yes. Chair Zuniga. Yes. That is unanimous. This brings us to the approval of the September 1st planning commission meeting minutes. Are there any changes to that? Or perhaps a motion. Wait, move to approve. Oh back second. We have a motion and a second. Melinda, will you call roll, please?
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