06261989 Regular Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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Zoning Board of Adjustment Visited by Ted Hindson in November, 1988 and in February, 1989. Observation: The attendance by members of the board was poor. The chair of the commission was not present at either of the two visits. The vice-chair was not present at the February visit. While some members of the board seemed to be conscientious about their duties, the board as a whole seemed to be far less professional than their counterparts on the Zoning Commission. Staff in legal and planning did a thoroughly professional job in assisting the board in its deliberations. Sunset recommendation: Two observatory recommendations must be made. First, more dedicated board members should be appointed. As the board has quasi-judicial responsibilities, serious thought should be given by the City Council for stringent requirements for membership on the board. Second, the time the board meets should be changed. A 5:30 meeting time is inadequate and inconvenient for both the board and the public. A 7: 30 starting time would be far more suitable. The Council should make attendance by the alternates of the Zoning Board of Adjustments and Appeals mandatory for all their meetings. Zoning Commission Visited by Ted Hindson and Keith Ferguson in September, 1989, and in February, 1989. Observation: The attendance at both meetings by members of the commission was high. Attendance by the public was low. The meetings were lengthy but well-controlled by the chair, Mr. George Von Der Lippe. The morale of the commission seems high. The commission meets once a month on its own and once in joint meeting with the Planning Commission. The staff, from the planning and legal departments, did an excellent job in both assisting the commission on technical problems and in providing professional and competent advice. Observation of the September joint meeting seemed to indicate possible antipathy between the members of the different commissions but this may have changed with new membership on the Planning Commission. Sunset recommendation: The Zoning Commission is extremely important to the City of San Marcos and should be retained. One possible alternative would be merging the Planning and Zoning Commissions into a single commission and the creation of subcommissions for planning and zoning matters. This would cut down the number of weekly meetings and eliminate much of the burden on staff.