Northwood Planning Commissions Regular Meeting
Date January 12, 2015
Time
Heading
Call to Order:
Roll Call:
Location Council
Chambers
Record of Proceedings for Northwood Planning
Commission – Regular Meeting of January 12, 2015
The regular meeting of the Northwood Planning
Commission was called to order by John Melnyk,
Chairman on Monday, January 12, 2015 at 6:00 p.m. in
the Council Chambers of the Northwood Municipal
Building.
The roll was called by Kimberly Vaculik, Planning,
Zoning & Economic Development Coordinator. Those
in attendance were:
Members: Chairman John Melnyk, Mr. Venzke, Mr.
Burns, Mr. Delventhal, Mr. Kamilaris, City Engineer
Dave Kuhn & Planning, Zoning & Economic
Development Coordinator, Kimberly Vaculik
Mayor Stoner and Mr. Tewers were absent.
Motion to Excuse
the Absent:
Chairman Melnyk made a motion to excuse Mayor
Stoner and Mr. Tewers, second by Mr. Venzke.
Vote: Chairman Melnyk-Yes; Mr. Venzke-Yes; Mr.
Burns-Yes; Mr. Delventhal-Yes; Mr. Kamilaris-Yes
Motion Passed.
Appoint Chairman
for 2015
Mr. Kamilaris made a motion to appoint John
Melnyk as Chairman for the year 2015, second by
Mr. Venzke.
Vote: Mr. Kamilaris-Yes; Mr. Venzke -Yes; Chairman
Melnyk-Abstain; Mr. Burns-Yes; Mr. Delventhal-Yes
Motion Passed.
Approval of
Minutes for
Planning
Commission
Motion to approve the minutes from the regular Planning
Commission meeting of December 8, 2014.
Mr. Burns made a motion to approve the minutes,
second by Mr. Kamilaris.
Vote: Mr. Burns-Yes; Mr. Kamilaris-Yes; Chairman
Melnyk-Yes; Mr. Venzke- Yes; Mr. Delventhal-Abstain
Motion Passed.
New Items for
Review
Peterman Associates, Inc., Todd Jenkins, 3480 N. Main
St., Findlay, Ohio 45840 is requesting Preliminary Site
Plan approval for a proposed unmanned compressed
natural gas fueling station to be located on Lot 1 of
Access Pointe West on Chelsea Dr. at Wales Rd.
Brian Scholz of HP Legacy, 8770 Commerce Pk. Place,
Ste H., Indianapolis, IN came to speak to the
Commission in regards to this project. Mr. Jenkins is our
Engineer for this project. Our company designs
compressed natural gas fueling stations. I've given you
copies of the power point presentation. I'm sure there will
be questions because it is new. I'm here to answer all of
your questions.
Preliminary Site
Plan for a proposed
compressed natural
gas fueling station
on Lot 1 of Access
Pointe West,
Chelsea Dr.
"Why CNG?" This type of fuel is much cleaner than the
diesel emissions you get with using regular gas. The
availability of CNG will also save money for local and
regional businesses. CNG stations are much needed, it
reduces emissions and brings benefits to local economies.
70% of all US petroleum consumption goes to fuel
transportation, CNG is an alternative to that petroleum.
CNG is compressed to 3600 psi. we bring all the moisture
out, we take it right out of the grid. Mr. Scholz stated that
they are going to take it directly from the pipeline and
make the fuel right on site. Using CNG will have a 30%
reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Using CNG now
will help in the future, trucks won't have to be concerned
about meeting the updated emissions controls because it
burns so clean already. There are compelling economic
arguments for using CNG. Since the price of oil and
natural gas de-coupled (2008/9), the price gap has
widened. For vehicles which use a lot of fuel, the payback period for the conversion can be very short (as little
as two years, or less), depending on the miles driven for
large Class A trucks. All predictions are for a
continuation of rising prices for crude/diesel, but with
natural gas prices remaining relatively flat. The good
news is that the adoption of CNG in the trucking industry
is gaining momentum. A respected study (Frost &
Sullivan) determined that by just 2017, 8% of Class 6-8
trucks (>30k lbs) on the road will be fueled by natural
gas. Why hasn't there been a more rapid conversion of
the country's transportation fleets? Basically, it's been the
"chicken & egg" situation. Without an existing base of
CNG fleets, then no one wanted to build the
infrastructure however, if there is no infrastructure then
why would fleets be converted? More trucks are being
converted now, so new fueling stations are needed.
Mr. Scholz stated that Northwood was chosen because of
the location and the access to the interstate system with
the two interstates. There are not many places with two
interstates running through their City. Northwood is a
perfect location for this project. Northwood can be a
leader with CNG, it could be a marketing tool for
Northwood.
Mr. Melnyk asked how many natural gas fueling stations
there are in the Country. Mr. Scholz stated there are
about 1500, half of which are in California.
Mr. Kamilaris stated he noticed there is no delivery? That
is correct, there are no tanks, there is nothing buried in
the ground. We take the natural gas and immediately
make it fuel. We take it from the grid, dry it and
compress it. There are four buffer tanks above ground
that hold about 120 gasoline gallons equivalent of fuel.
Mr. Venzke asked if the pipeline will be constantly
flowing into the tank, Mr. Scholz said yes. This will be a
fast fuel station (not time fill). If you go to a Speedway
you would get 6 and 10 gallons per minutes, this will get
you if you have a 100 gallon tank you will get 10 to 15
gallons per minute. The only difference they will see
when they pull up to the station would be the fueling
nozzle. At this station, the cost will be about $2.00 per
gallon. This is an alternative to diesel so the price for
CNG is still much lower. There are cars available with
the CNG alternative, GM is offering some. The F-150
will be available in 2015 with the CNG offer. You would
be able to fill op at your house with the natural gas you
use to heat your water or house.
The abundance of the natural gas hasn't been available
until recently. They say that there is 125 years worth of
natural gas available in the shale.
Mr. Venzke asked if environmentalists are having
problems with the drilling to get the natural gas. Mr.
Scholz stated there are always people against these types
of things and with drilling. City Engineer stated that the
main problem environmentalists are mad about is the
chemicals which are being used in the fracking process
are contaminating the water, however the water is now
required to be treated.
City Engineer, Dave Kuhn read his comments dated
January 6, 2015.
1. The applicant is proposing to construct an
unmanned compressed Natural Gas Fueling
Facility on Lot 1 of the Access Pointe West
Subdivision located on the southwest corner
of the Wales Road and Chelsea Drive
intersection. The parcel is zoned "C"
Commercial District and is surrounded by
parcels zoned "C" Commercial District to the
east, "M-2" Heavy Industrial to the southwest
and zoned "P" Public Land to the north in
the City of Rossford. The facility meets
the setback requirements of the zoning
district. The use of the facility meets the
requirements of Section
1274.02 (3) (o) of the Northwood City Zoning Code.
2. Comments from the Zoning Inspection
Report shall be included in the final site
plan approval of the Planning Commission.
Ms. Vaculik stated that plans for any proposed
signage shall be submitted for review and a
zoning certificate will need to be filled out and
submitted with the final site plan.
3. A set of final site plans shall be
submitted to the City of Northwood's Fire
Chief to review the location of the hydrants,
fire apparatus access, fire hazards and other
equipment items. Comments from the Fire
Chief shall be included in the final site plan
approval of the Planning Commission.
The fire Chief required a fire suppression
system and also to work with Wood County
Building Inspection for final plan review. Mr.
Scholz said it will be a dry chemical system.
4. A set of final site plans shall be submitted
to the City of Northwood's Police Chief to
review vehicular access and public safety
items. Comments from the Police Chief shall
be included in the final site plan approval of
the Planning Commission.
The Police Chief had no comments.
5. Add on the preliminary site plan the phone
numbers of the owners according to Section 1250.12
(a) (1) of the Northwood City Zoning Code.
6. Show on the preliminary site plan the sidewalk
locations according to Section 1250.12 ( e) (11)
and 1274.09 of the Northwood City Zoning Code.
You can ask for a variance for this, Mr. Scholz stated that
they will be since there are no other sidewalks over there.
7. Show on the final site plan how the storm water
flowing off the facility will be directed away from
the adjacent properties and meet Northwood's
drainage design requirements. Also, since more
than one acre of land will be disturbed, an EPA
NOI Permit will need to be obtained and a SWP3
Plan will need to be submitted for review.
8. Since the site is unmanned, parking will not be
required. However, for service calls a minimum of
two parking spaces is recommended with one being
a handicap space. The parking area shall be paved
with asphalt. Mr. Scholz stated they will have plenty of
room for that.
9. If outside security lighting will be installed at
the site, provide a photometric plan at the final site
plan submittal.
10. Add on the preliminary site plan the preliminary
location of the onsite utilities according to
Section 1250.12 (a) (13) of the Northwood City
Zoning Code.
11. Show on the preliminary site plan the locations of
the parking areas (including locations of the
· natural gas pumps) according to Section 1250.12
(a) (14) of the Northwood City Zoning Code.
12. Show on the preliminary site plan the location of
any dumpster according to Section 1250.12 (15)
of the Northwood City Zoning Code.
Mr. Scholz stated that there will be no dumpster, only
trash receptacles.
13. On the final site plan submittal provide a
landscaping plan.
Dave Kuhn asked who checks the site since it is
unmanned?
The site is monitored 24/7 remotely, all of the equipment
is continually monitored. They can shut things down if
there is a problem. There will be someone there virtually
every day to check the trash, etc. If a truck driver drives
off with the nozzle still in, there is a failsafe built in so it
automatically shuts off.
Ms. Vaculik stated she understands it's going to be used
for truck fleets, is it going to be open for personal use
cars as well? Mr. Scholz stated yes, it will be open for
anyone to use.
Chairman Melnyk said hypothetically, if this thing takes
off from say 5 trucks per day to 100 trucks per day, what
will happen? Will you come back for an expansion?
Mr. Scholz stated that with this station we will be able to
fill 8 trucks simultaneously. This site is approximately 5
acres and we are developing about 2.5 acres so there
would be room for expansion.
Mr. Venzke asked if it would be dangerous to have that
many trucks pulling out on Wales.
Dave Kuhn stated that the trucks are coming off Chelsea
onto Wales so there shouldn't be a problem. There really
isn't that much traffic that goes through there on a daily
basis.
Mr. Burns asked who is responsible for keeping track of
litter, will it be the people who are there every day or
every other day? Mr. Scholz stated that yes, the people
that go to the site will be responsible for the upkeep of
the property.
Chairman Melnyk, I like the idea, we have FedEx who
might be able to use it one day and hopefully the bakery
will get going once again so there are prospects for it.
Ms. Vaculik asked if they have talked to FedEx yet, he
said no one is really interested in talking until they see
dirt moving.
Waste Management uses it a lot, 50% of the trucks Waste
Management buys are CNG trucks.
Are there any economic benefits to the City? Mr. Scholz
said sure, there are State and Federal taxes on the gas, I'm
not sure how the City would get their portion though.
Mr. Kamilaris made a motion to approve the
Preliminary Site Plan for the proposed Compressed
Natural Gas Fueling Station (contingent upon City
Engineer's Comments), second by Mr. Venzke.
Vote: Mr. Kamilaris-Yes; Mr. Venzke-Yes; Chairman
Melnyk-Yes; Mr. Burns-Yes; Mr. Delventhal-Yes.
Motion Passed.
Pending Items:
Nuisance Code ( Property Management)
Next Planning
Commission
February 9, 2015 at 6:00 PM
Chairman's Report:
No report.
City Engineer's
Report:
No report.
Zoning:
No report. Mr. Kamilaris asked if anything else has been
submitted from NWSD? No we haven't received any
further plans. Mr. Kamilaris suggested we get more
information from Oregon to see if we could get them to
be a direct provider. Ms. Vaculik stated she doesn't know
if that would be possible or not, we would have to check
with our City Attorney. Northwood tried at one time to
take over the lines however ultimately ended up losing in
Court but that was numerous years ago.
Adjournment:
There being no further business before the Planning
Commission and all being in favor, the meeting
adjourned at 7:00 p.m.
Attest:
Kimberly Vaculik, Planning, Zoning & Economic
Development Coordinator
Chairman John Melnyk
Approved:
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