Planning Commission Meeting - August 21, 2025
Planning Commission Meeting - August 21, 2025
The Erie Planning Commission met on August 21, 2025 (transcript date indicates August 20, 2025) to approve the agenda and minutes, discuss the annual report presentation, review goals, and address procedural questions. All actions were unanimous unless noted.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of Agenda: Motion by Chair Hempel, second by Commissioner Burns. Passed unanimously.
- Approval of Minutes: Motion and second, passed unanimously.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No public comments were made.
Discussion Items
- Annual Report Presentation: Chair Hempel presented slides for the commission's upcoming presentation to town council on September 9, 2025. Slides included commission overview, accomplishments (recommendations on development applications and two UDC code amendments), and goals for 2025–2026. Key discussion centered on:
- UDC Updates: Staff is anticipating a major UDC overhaul; planning commission is willing to review. Commissioner Dreckman suggested sub-bullets under UDC: comprehensive plan alignment, revisions for affordable housing by November 2026 (following council's repeal of Ordinance 17-2023), and other code amendments as presented by staff. Chair Hempel will modify the slide accordingly.
- Affordable Housing: Commissioner Sowish cautioned that affordable housing is not explicitly in the planning commission's statutory purview, but UDC updates related to affordable housing are within scope. It was decided to include affordable housing as a sub-bullet under UDC rather than a standalone goal.
- Roles and Responsibilities: Chair Hempel proposed adding a bullet to discuss expanded roles and responsibilities with town council. Commissioner Sowish supported this and suggested making it an agenda item for a future meeting. A discussion item on "Planning Commission Roles and Responsibilities" will be placed on the September 3, 2025 agenda.
- Term Clarification: Commissioner Sowish noted a discrepancy in listed terms on the slide (four members listed with terms through 2028 but resolution 24076 only appointed three to 2028). Staff will research and provide clarification.
- Procedural Questions: Commissioner Burns asked about speaking at other boards as individuals vs. representing the commission. Commissioner Sowish clarified that commissioners speak as residents unless explicitly authorized. Commissioner Dreckman raised a question about the procedural issue with the prior vote on Ordinance 17-2023 (denial with conditions not allowed). Staff explained that conditions amounting to denial cannot be included; a separate recommended amendment would require proper noticing and council direction.
Key Outcomes
- Presentation Modifications: Chair Hempel will update the annual report slides to include:
- Sub-bullets under UDC updates: comprehensive plan alignment, affordable housing revisions by November 2026, and other code amendments.
- A third bullet for "Discussion of Planning Commission Roles and Responsibilities."
- Future Agenda Item: A discussion on roles and responsibilities will be added to the September 3, 2025 meeting agenda.
- Term Research: Staff will clarify term expiration dates for commissioners and update the slide.
- Adjournment: Motion to adjourn carried unanimously at 7:24 PM.
Meeting Transcript
That was a false. Good evening, and welcome to the August twentieth, twenty twenty five meeting of the planning commission. Please join me for the Pledge of Allegiance. Well, the Secretary, please call roll. Commissioner Booth. Here. Commissioner Salbush. Commissioner Dreckman. Commissioner Burns. Here. Commissioner Baham is absent and excused. Vice Chair Brodus? Here. And Chair Hempel. Here. We have a quorum. Thank you. And we have an agenda this evening. Does staff have any changes? Do we have a motion to approve? Motion. Second. We have a motion and a second. All in favor say aye. Aye. All opposed say no. Motion passes unanimously. Motion to approve. Second. Someone claim it. Second Burns. Thank you. All right. Motion and a second. All in favor say aye. Aye. All opposed say no. Passes unanimously. This brings us to public comment portion of the meeting. This is for public comments intended for items not on the agenda. We have we have one person in the virtual waiting room. If you'd like to speak, please raise your hand. Okay. Well, I won't go through the song and dance of how public comment works. Uh put this together earlier the month, and just wanted to go over the presentation, talk about if we want any changes, uh talk about what I'll bring up and we'll go from there. So I guess the I don't have control over this, but the first item is the page, and then the mission, it's pretty much the same as I stole from Tim. So thanks, Tim. Um modified it a little bit just to be more on brand of what we're doing. Uh list of all the commissioners, and then just wanted to add a table of all the staff who's helped throughout the last six months. Just uh recognize that we're not the only people doing this.
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