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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-08-18 PZC MINUTES• • • CITY OF ENGLEWOOD PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING CITY COUNCIL CONFERENCE ROOM AUGUST 18, 2015 6:30 p.m. -Presentation by Slate Communications -Englewood Branding Project Kim N ewcomer, Slate Communications, review ed the branding process with th e Commission and sought feedback on the brand platform and logo co n cepts that have b ee n developed thus far based on community feed back from various eve nts and surveys . [?lJ I. CALL TO ORDER Th e re gul ar m eet in g of th e City Pl annin g and Zonin g Commission was ca ll ed to order at 7:00 p.m. in the City Council Conference of the Englewood Civic Cente r, Ch a ir Fish pres iding. Pres e nt: Abs e nt: Staff: Also Pr ese nt: [?lJ Bl e ile, Brick, Fr ee mire, Kin g, Kinton , Knoth , M ad rid , Townl ey, Fi sh P itti no s (Exc u se d) Harold Stitt, Senior Plann e r Chris N eubecke r, Se nior Pl ann er John Voboril, Planner II, Lon g Ran ge Plannin g Bru ce Meighen, Lo ga n Simpson Desi g n Kristin a Kac hur, Logan Simpson D es ig n Brad Segal , Progr ess ive Urban Mana ge m e nt Asso c i ates Chris Vogelsang, OV Consulting Beth Vogelsang , OV Consulting II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES • Au gust 4, 20 1 5 Minutes Freemire mo ved: Knoth seco nd ed: TO APPROVE THE AUGUST 4 , 2015, MINUTES Chair Fish asked if th e re we re any modifi cat ion s or cor rec ti o n s. Th e re were none. AYES: N AYS: ABS TA IN: ABSE NT : Bri c k, Fr ee mire, King , Kinto n, Knoth , Townl ey, Fish Non e Bl e il e, Madrid Non e • • • Motion ca rri ed . ~ Ill. Findings of Fact: Englewood Light Rail Corridor Next Steps Study 2015-03 Knoth moved; Kinton seconded: To app ro ve the Findin gs of Fact: En g lewood Li ght Rail Corridor Next Steps Study 2015-03 and fo rward to City Counc i I with a favorab le recommendation. AYES: NAYS: ABSTAIN: ABS ENT: Bri ck, Freemire, King , Kinton, Knoth, Tow nl ey, Fi sh Non e Bl e il e, M ad rid Non e Motion ca rri ed . ltll Ill. STUDY SESSION 2013-03 Comprehensive Plan Implementation Strategies Bruce M e ig h a n, Lo ga n Simpson D es ig n, rev iewed th e process of determining impl em e ntation strategies for th e Comprehensive Pl an that is c urre ntl y in development. Mr. M e ighan exp l a in ed that the Comprehensive Pl an will be a flexible, livin g docum ent that ca n be amended as market co ndition s and priorities c h a nge . ltll Th e Comprehensive Pl a n w ill relate to the Priority Ba se d Bud get in g process th at the City is in the process of adopt in g . Pro gress w ill be m eas ured on a reg ul ar basis by key indicators in the fo rm of an a nnu a l Community Pr ofil e and Global Tre nd s Report every five years . The Community Pr ofi le and Global Tre nd s Report w ill tie into the monitoring system. ~ Mr. Segal described th e data co ll ec tion process u sed to develop the indi cato rs. H e stated that the process of updating the data sho uld be re l ative ly simple for staff to maintain as information is read il y ava il ab le throu g h various organizations. Mr. Kinton commented that it is important to have qua I itative as we l I as quantitative analysis of the data. ltll Mr. Bri c k expressed that he i s in favor of th e annual update which wou ld a ll ow the City to respond to micro sit u at ions. Mr. Meighan stated that thi s i s a new app roac h fo r co mpre he nsive planning and feels co nf id e nt that it en co mpasses a broad view of the C ity and acco mmod at es c h anges. Mr. Bri c k feels that it will be eas ie r to m ake decisions bas ed o n the Comprehensive Pl a n. Mr. Bl e il e app rec i ates that the Comprehensive Plan w ill p rov id e opportunity to make data driven decisions. Mr. Meighan stated that this is th e work plan for the next f i ve yea rs but it is a lso dynamic in that new projects a nd objectives ca n be add ed as needed . ltll Mr. Meighan outlined the up co min g sc hed ul e for rev iew of the plan by City Council , the Planning a nd Zonin g Commission and the public. Pl ans includ e a n ope n ho use whe re the • • • draft of the Compre hensive Pl an w ill be ava il ab le to th e publi c prior to the adoption of the p l an by City Council. H e we lco m es input from the Commission regarding strateg ies. ~ Mr. Stitt asked th e Commissioners fo r input rega rdin g strategies for impl ementat io n. Mr. Meighan asked th e Commission to look at the st rateg ies as indi v idu a l projects to m eet the obj ect ives . Chair Fi sh asked about section 2 .2 and 2.1 w ith regards to Hi stor i c Preservation. One ac tion that co uld b e t ake n to ac hi eve the o utlin ed st rateg i es would be active rezo nin g. Th e Commission is not co nf id e nt that design standa rds could be im p leme nted . Mr. Freemire asked abo ut the e lem e nts of th e st ud y that fo rm ed the st rateg ies. Mr. Meighan rep li ed that it was a small gro up of c iti ze ns w ho expressed a desire for some type of regulation rega rdin g preservation of th e ne i g hborhood s. H e stated that it was a co nsi stent th e m e throu g hout the process. Th e goa l of in c reas in g the si ze of ho m es is an objective in the Comprehensive Pl an. Mr. Bri c k su gges ted that perhaps a more extens ive survey on th e topi c wou ld be war ranted . Ms. Townl ey suggested that a comm ittee to fo rmulate id eas w ith regards to ne ig hborhood preservation cou Id be estab li shed to fo rw ard rec ommendati ons to the Commission. ~ Mr. Kinton asked abo ut in c reas in g density and what areas or strategies are recommended. Mr. Meighan rep li ed that th e re will be recommendations for areas to potentially in crease density. ~ Mr. Fr eemire asked that f uture reco mme nd ation s be backed up by information rega rdin g the study and the methodology used to determine the recommendations. ~ IV. STUDY SESSION 2014-02 Walk & Wheel Master Plan Chris Vogelsang a nd Bet h Vogelsang of OV Consulting rev iewed the draft of the Walk & Wheel Study and as ked the Commissioners for feedback on th e various reco mme nd at io n s that we re a res ult of the st ud y. ~ Th e goa ls of th e study in c lud ed : • Improveme nt of pedestrian and cycl ing faci I ities • Community awa re ness • Visibility of wa lkin g and biking as options for transp ortat io n • How to attract res id e nts to Englewood's vibrant eco nom y ~ Millennials are a big factor in today's population and prefer to wa lk a nd bike to nearby locations. Economic v ita lity is an important factor in attrac tin g this demographic. Appea lin g to act ive senio rs is also a priority as th ey a re a grow in g influ e n ce on biking as a means of transportation. ~ Th e st ud y began with an assessment of th e current sta te of pedestrian and bicycle activity . Hi g h act ivity areas were id e ntified with the m ajority of activity nea r the I ig ht ra i I sta ti o n. ' . • • • Dartmouth Avenue and Broadway was identified as a commuter corridor. A high activity area was also noted between Oxford Avenue and the City Center trans it area. ~ High traffic stress a reas where biking and walking is not comfortab le were identified including Hampden and Broadway. Establishing routes with additional paint marking and s1gnage can guide pedestrians and cyclists to adjoining routes that are not along major traffic areas. ~ Ms. Vogelsang reviewed the activities that were used to communicate with the pub I ic. One finding was that there are many organ iz ations in the area that are interested in partnering or supporting walking and bicycl in g. ~ East-west routes are cha ll eng in g. Additiona l pedestrian crossings on Broadway would encourage pedestrian activity. ~ Mr. Voge lsan g reviewed specific recommendations: Walking: • Where possible, install five foot wide sidewa lk s on at least one side of the street to create a "ne ig hborhood feel" and enhance safety . • Broadway between Dartmouth and Hampden exper i ences heavy pedestrian traffic and additiona l safe cross in gs are recommended . • En h ancing crosswalks and intersections wi ll provide visibi li ty to pedestrians. • Mid-block crossings would encourage pedestrians to cross safely and more efficiently. Bicycling options include: ~ • Create bikeways with a vertical elements to create a barrier. • Buffered bike lanes that provide a space between traffic and bicycles . • Bicycle boulevards built with pavement markings on low speed streets that have been optimized for bicycle traffic by discouraging cut-through vehicle traffic. Key improvement areas include: • Oxford Avenue • North-south connect ion s throughout the City • T rai I connections ~ Zuni Street was identified as a potent i al bikeway for the western portion of the City in cooperation with the City of Sheridan. Lowell Boulevard is a commuting route and should be connected to other bikeways. [!] • • • The route between the light rail station and the hospital area can be improved through signage. Mr. Vogelsang described the various trail connections that can also be enhanced through signage. [?] Ms. Townley asked abo ut the route a long Little Dry Creek, which crosses a busy access point from Hampden to the parking lot at Englewood Marketplace. Mr. Vogelsang described the preferred pathway through the shopping area surround in g Civic Center. [?] A key element of the li ght rail bikeway loop is the route a long Oxford Avenue. Oxford Avenue could have a protected bike l ane to complete the route from Broadway to In ca Street. [?] The Commissioners were invited to provide additional feedback on the study v ia e-mail g iv en the time constraints due to the sched ul e for public hearings. [?] Mr. Freemire asked if cyclists are required to rid e in the protected bike lanes; Mr. Vogelsang rep li ed that cyclists will be ab le to c hoos e whether to ride in the traffic lane or the bike lan e . IV. PUBLIC FORUM [?] Cassandra Letkomiller addressed the Commissioners regarding preservation of neighborhoods in Englewood and spoke in favor of curbing out of scale redevelopment by imp lementing design standards and placing greater restrictions on lot coverage, bulk plane height and setbacks. Chair Fish thanked her for attending the meeting. V. ATIORNEY'S CHOICE [?] Deputy City Atto rn ey Comer was not present. VI. STAFF'S CHOICE [?] Ch ri s Neubecker informed the Commissioners that he will be leaving the City of Eng lewood for a new position. He thanked the Commissioners for their serv ice to the commu nity. H e commented on the redevelopment taking place in the City and looks forward to seeing the changes when he visits. The Commissioners expressed their thanks to Mr. Neubecker. Mr. Neubecker updated the Commission on the plans for the Planned Unit Development at the former General Iron Works property. ~ VII. COMMISSIONER'S CHOICE Ms. Townley updated the Commission o n the 100 Poppies art installation on the corner of Englewood Parkway and Broadway; she encouraged the Commissioners to visit the site. . ' • • • Sh e a nd Mr. Kinto n atte nd ed a vo luntee r eve nt fo r W a lk D e nve r -"Re im ag in e Co lfax " w he re th ey ex pe ri e nce d va ri o u s pe d es tri an e nv ironm e nt c h anges. Mr. Bl e il e st at ed th at he find s th e Communi ty D eve lopm e nt M o nthl y Re po rt he l pful , es pec i a ll y th e d at a and c h art s. Mr. Bri c k th anked Mr. N e ubec ke r and comm e nted th at he e nj oyed th e f ie ld trip s th at he arr ange d for th e Co mmi ss ion e rs. Th e m ee tin g adj o urn ed at 9 :2 0 p.m .