MINUTES
VILLAGE OF ST HELENA
PLANNING BOARD MEETING OF March 1, 2012

Present were Chairman Jimmy English, Gerald Velie, Jim Milam, Teresa Coleman, Melvin James, Katrina Banks, Attorney Bob Hugh Corbett, Village Inspector Louis Hesse, and Chad McEwen.

The meeting was called to order by Jimmy English.

There were no meetings held in January or February.

Chad McEwen and Louis Hesse presented the Planning Board with several items for discussion concerning the UDO.  The first item was Article 24.  The proposed amendment would eliminate requirements concerning Environmental Impact Statements.  These issues are handled at the federal level and therefore would not be a concern which we would normally address.  A motion to accept this amendment was made by Jim Milan, seconded by Melvin James and voted on unanimously.  The second item, concerning Article 22, would eliminate the dedication of facilities, such as schools and recreational areas, as part of the subdivision process.  The subject of recreational areas and open spaces is already addressed in the subdivision section and is therefore redundant.  Also forcing a private entity to dedicate a specific amount of space for things such as schools, is basically unlawful and, therefore, unenforceable.  The motion for a text change amendment was made by Gerald Velie, seconded by Jim Milam, and voted on unanimously.  The third item of discussion concerned Article 23 and Section 21-8(B).  The proposed amendment would consolidate these two sections under Section 21-8(B) and eliminate Article 23.  A motion to accept this amendment was made by Jim Milam, seconded by Melvin James and voted on unanimously.  The fourth item of discussion was concerning the roles and responsibilities of the Village Council, Planning Board, and Board of Adjustment.  It was suggested that the Planning Board would also take on the role and responsibilities of the Board of Adjustment and serve in a dual capacity.  After many questions and much discussion, it was decided to table any action at the present time to give more time for investigating the pros and cons of this action.

The meeting was adjourned.