Planning Commission Agenda and Packet 2018 12 13

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Planning Commission Meeting Minutes October 11, 2018 Page 8 of 17 Hoefner thanked everyone for being at the meeting. He stated that he was impressed with the church's outreach and that they had completely restarted their plans after the first neighborhood meaning. He stated that it was a pretty small addition on a large property, it was well -screened, and it would not be accessible outside the church building. He stated that part of reviewing use was reviewing the structure and he found that it was compatible with the surrounding area, since it was on a large property and facing the church. He stated that the church needed to continue to be a good neighbor no matter how the Commission voted. Rice voiced appreciation for the applicants and their neighbors. He stated that the application was for an SRU so there was no expectation that it would have been permitted with respect to the property. Additionally, there were alternative places to build the structure in the city and did not find it to be consistent with the Comprehensive Plan. NH4 reads, "...the character and identity of existing residential neighborhood should be maintained while allowing for evolution and development." His interpretation of that language was that this was a material change in use that was not contemplated in the Plan. He stated that the NH4 language created expectations on the part of the people who lived there. This was in evidence by the fact that there were no other structures like it in the city. Howe stated that he thought it was important to consider the religious roots of Louisville in the decision. His was concerned by the neighbors' dislike of the columbarium, the potential security issues regarding the remains, and the precedent approval could set with other cemeteries in the city. He was not concerned about the increase in traffic. He recommended more efforts between the church and the neighborhood to compromise in any future proposals. Moline summarized his earlier statements by saying that this was the appropriate process for the church to make the request and that it was entirely appropriate and consistent with the character of neighborhoods in Louisville. Brauneis stated that the application touched on personal questions and feelings about ashes and the dead. He echoed one of the members of the public who argued that it was a time for change in how we relate to the dead. He noted that there were already funerals held at the church and therefore did not think traffic would increase. He stated that if it were an office they would not be having this conversation, since the impact would not be a visual one based on the appearance of the columbarium. Williams stated that she was seeing it as a land use issue and she cannot imagine approving this land use in this particular area next to residents. Everything else about the proposal was not a problem, but the land use was the sticking point. Moline asked what would happen if the proposal were for a church. Rice replied that churches were appropriate in neighborhoods, but the question was about a church with a cemetery. Moline stated that he considered a columbarium to be a logical extension of a church. 10