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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1999-04-06 PZC MINUTES• • • CITY OF ENGLEWOOD PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION April 6, 1999 I. CALL TO ORDER The regular meeting of the City Planning and Zoning Commission was called to order at 7 :00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers of Englewood City Hall, Chairman Welker presiding. Present : Stockwell , Weber, Welker, Willis, Dummer, Hayduk, Rininger Absent : Lathram, Douglas Simpson, Ex-officio Staff Present: Senior Planner Harold J. Stitt Assistant City Attorney Nancy Reid Englewood Environmental President Rick Kahm Chairman Welker stated that a quorum was present. II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES March 2, 1999 Chairman Welker stated that the Minutes of March 2, 1999 were to be considered for ap- proval. Rininger moved : Hayduk seconded: The Minutes of March 2, 1999 be approved as written. AYES: NAYS: ABSTAIN : ABSENT : Weber, Willis, Dummer, Rininger, Stockwell None Hayduk Douglas , Lathram The motion carried. III. RIGHT OF WAY VACATION So. 66 ft . of 500-800 Blocks West Floyd Avenue CASE #V AC-99-01 Mr. Stitt presented the request for vacation of the south 66 feet of the right-of-way along West Floyd Avenue in the 500 -800 blocks . Mr. Stitt stated that all public right-of-way within the City is owned by the City , and , therefore, by the citizens of Englewood. When right-of-way is vacated, the Planning Commission must consider the requested vacation, recommend to the City Council that the right-of-way be vacated, and City Council must then approve an Ordi- 1 - nance vacating the specifically defined right-of-way . The Ordinance becomes final 30 days • after publication . Mr. Stitt stated that the request for vacation of the south 66 feet of right-of-way for West Floyd Avenue is made by the Englewood Environmental Foundation (EEF), a non-profit corporation that has ownership of the redevelopment site. The vacation will encompass the blocks between South Elati Street and South Huron Street, and will not impact the existing , or proposed, grid street system . Mr. Stitt stated that the vacated 66 feet of land will provide a portion of the re- quired square footage to accommodate the proposed Wal-Mart development, as well as provide area for development of new access to the west side of the over-all redevelopment site. Exist- ing right-of-way along West Floyd Avenue is 96 feet in width ; vacation of the south 66 feet leaves 30 feet which will be rebuilt to serve as the access street/frontage road for the residen- tial district north of Floyd Avenue. Traffic proceeding north or south from the redevelopment site will have to use South Elati Street or South Inca Street. North/south streets east of South Elati Street are not restricted and will extend to Englewood Parkway. The south portion of the vacated 66 foot right-of-way that will be redeveloped for street pur- poses will be one of the primary streets within the redevelopment site , and will carry heavy bus traffic to and from the bus turn-around /l ight rail station on the west end of the site. Mr. Stitt pointed out that the EEF will retain control of all right-of-way within the redevelop - ment project; thus , the streets will be "private streets " -not public right-of-way to be main- tained at the expense of the taxpayer. • Mr . Stitt stated that staff requests the Planning Commission to recommend the vacation of the south 66 feet of West Floyd A venue to the City Council. Mr. Stockwell asked if the entire 36 foot right-of-way , as depicted in Attachment No. 6 , would be developed on the north side of this proposed vacation. Mr . Stitt responded affirmatively. Mr. Welker asked for clarification on the length of the proposed vacation -does it go to South Huron Street , or stop at South Galapago Street. Mr. Stitt stated that the vacation encompasses the area between South Elati Street west to South Huron Street. Mr. Weber asked how the proposed right-of-way vacation benefits Wal-Mart. Mr. Stitt stated that the negotiated contract with Wal-Mart cites a specific square footage ; this vacation is needed to comply with the contract. He pointed out that approximately 22 feet of the 66 feet proposed for vacation will actually be used for the Wal-Mart development; the remainder will be used to develop the major street (West Floyd Avenue) which will serve bus traffic to and from the light rail station on the west side of the site . Mr. Hayduk asked why the entire 96 foot right-of-way on existing West Floyd Avenue is not being vacated. Mr. Stitt deferred to Mr. Kahm, Engineering Manager , and President of the Englewood Environmental Foundation. 2 • -' • • • Mr. Kahm addressed the Commission. Mr. Kahm stated that in a typical right-of-way vaca- tion, the vacated land reverts to abutting property owners. Records were searched, and it was determined that the south 66 feet, which is the subject of the vacation request, came from the property abutting on the south, or the old Cinderella City site. The north 30 feet of the right- of-way will still be needed to provide the frontage road circulation to those residential proper- ties abutting on the north, as well as a bicycle path. Mr . Kahm stated that the City Council has, for years, committed to protect the quality of life for those residents north of Floyd Ave- nue, and that commitment has been renewed with this redevelopment project. Mr. Kahm dis- cussed the landscaped buffer and sound wall that are proposed to separate the frontage road and the redeveloped West Floyd Avenue. The redeveloped West Floyd Avenue will have two lanes of traffic, separated by a "push lane " and landscaping on both sides. He estimated that there could be up to 900 bus trips per day into the redevelopment site, and that a vast majority of those bus trips will be on West Floyd A venue . Mr. Kahm discussed the location of the box culvert for Little Dry Creek, which runs under existing east-bound West Floyd Avenue . The portion of West Floyd which is proposed to be vacated is over the box culvert. Mr. Welker inquired about the easement that will have to be retained for utilities. Mr. Kahm stated that the easement will cover the entire 66 foot vacated area. Mr. Weber asked if Wal-Mart will be using the 66 foot vacation for the entire distance from Elati to Huron. Mr. Kahm stated they will not ; however, the EEF decided to request the va- cation for this total distance to make better use of the land and to provide access to the parking area. Mr. Kahm also discussed the fact that the EEF will be removing all of the right-of-way within the redevelopment area, as well as the 30 foot of right-of-way that will not be vacated along West Floyd Avenue, from a "public right-of-way " designation; these streets will become private streets, and will be maintained by contributions of all participants in the redevelopment; the EEF will oversee the maintenance of these private streets. Mr. Rininger asked who will maintain the sound barrier. Mr. Kahm stated that the sound bar- rier will also be maintained by the EEF. Mr. Rininger asked if a six foot barrier would be high enough. Mr. Kahm stated that as he recalled , the height was recently increased to eight feet. Mr. Willis asked if the sound barrier would be patterned concrete. Mr . Kahm stated that the part of the sound barrier that is concrete does have a pattern, and appears to have a wood-slat pattern. There will be breaks in this sound barrier at South Elati, South Fox, and South Ga- lapago. Mr. Dummer asked if these "breaks" will be open breaks , or off-set. Mr. Kahm stated that they will be open breaks. Mr. Kahm stated that at this point, no further right-of-way vacation requests are anticipated . 3 - Mr. Welker asked if the street design will accommodate the heavy traffic that is anticipated. • Mr. Kahm stated that the streets will be designed to accommodate the traffic. Mr. Kahm noted that 110,000 cubic yards of concrete are being recycled, and will be used as part of the street improvements; the proposal is for an 11 inch base of recycled concrete, with a 10 inch overlay of asphalt. The right-of-way accommodating the heavy traffic will be to the north of the Little Dry Creek culvert; there will be landscaping over the box culvert. Mr. Hayduk asked if the residents north of Floyd Avenue have been involved in the redevel- opment discussions and process. Mr. Kahm stated that the residents have been very involved for over four years ; there have been several public meetings to discuss the redevelopment and traffic issues. Mr. Welker asked about fire equipment access to the north neighborhood. Mr. Kahm stated that the Safety Services Department, both police and fire divisions, have also been involved in the planning of the redevelopment site, and provision has been made for emergency access . Mr. Dummer asked about the access point just north of Norwest Bank; will this remain open. Mr. Kahm stated that it will be closed; it is too close to the U.S. 285 intersection and impedes free flow of traffic. He further noted that Norwest Bank should be closing soon; it has been acquired by Wells Fargo and it is unlikely that there would be two branches of the bank in such close proximity . Mr. Dummer asked about the road through Cushing Park . Mr. Kahm stated that this roadway • was developed for use by trucks into the redevelopment site. Mr. Kahm suggested that as the project nears completion, this street, which aligns with Inca Street extended, may be signalized at its intersection with Dartmouth Avenue . Mr. Dummer asked if the location of this street impact the light rail line . Mr. Kahm stated it will not. Mr. Willis requested information regarding the profile in "Attachment Number 6", asking what the 2'6 " designation is for. Mr. Kahm stated that this will accommodate curb and gutter. The landscaping strip is proposed as five feet on both sides of the through lanes . Mr . Kahm suggested the possibility of moving the wall to the north side of the north landscaping strip. Mr. Rininger suggested that the residents should be consulted about this "flip-flop" of the landscaping and wall. Mr. Rininger further inquired about the emergency vehicle access. Mr. Kahm explained the access for emergency vehicles. Mr. Weber asked about the Floyd Avenue frontage from Huron to Inca. Mr. Kahm stated that both sides of Floyd A venue are part of the redevelopment project, and are under the control of the EEF. Mr . Welker asked if there were further questions. 4 • J • • • Stockwell moved: Dummer seconded: The Planning Commission recommend to City Council that the south 66 feet of right-of-way in the 500 -800 blocks of West Floyd Avenue be vacated , with the following provision: AYE: NAY : ABSTAIN: ABSENT: 1) An easement over the vacated portion of the right-of-way must be retained for any existing future utilities. 2) A general utility easement shall be retained which covers the va- cated portion of right-of-way. Willis , Dummer , Hayduk, Rininger, Stockwell, Weber, Welker None None Douglas , Lathram The motion carried. IV. DIRECTOR'S CHOICE Mr. Stitt distributed copies of the 2000 Budget calendar. The City Charter requires that the Planning Commission recommend a list of Capital Improvement Projects to the City Manager for inclusion in each year's budget. The Commission has requested that they be involved in this process early on to provide an opportunity for input on projects rather than just recom- mending projects suggested by various City departments and boards. Mr. Stitt noted that three key dates have been highlighted for the Commission ; it appears that the Commission must make their recommendations to NBD staff for inclusion in the CIP no later than June 7'n. Mr . Stitt urged that all members of the Commission review the Comprehensive Plan , and consider projects which will facilitate implementation of the Comprehensive Plan. Mr. Stitt also pointed out that the Commission need not restrict their recommendations to only projects in relation to the Comprehensive Plan, but to present many ideas for consideration. Mr. Welker asked what the Commission schedule is for the next meeting in April , and for the meetings in May . Mr. Stitt stated that there will be two public hearings scheduled for April 2om, as well as another right-of-way vacation request. At the May 4m meeting , there is a pos- sibility of a public hearing on the group home ordinance . The agenda for May 18 is open at this time . Discussion ensued. Mr. Stitt pointed out that a project may be included in the CIP for funding in a specific year, but because of a change in available funding or priorities , it may be bumped back. Brief discussion ensued. V. ATTORNEY'S CHOICE Ms. Reid suggested that if the Commission members want to bring ideas for the CIP up earlier than May 18 m, they could do so under the "Commission's Choice " section of the agenda . 5 - Ms . Reid stated that the City Attorney's Office is available to offer assistance to all members • of the Commission regarding any issue before the Commission. VI. COMMISSIONER'S CHOICE Mr . Welker asked if staff could prepare a background packet of information on the issues coming up for Public Hearing for Messrs. Stockwell and Willis. He pointed out that other members of the Commission have had the opportunity to sit in on previous discussions on these issues. Mr. Stitt stated that staff would compile this packet and get it to Mr. Stockwell and Mr. Willis. There was no further business brought before the Commission. The meeting was declared ad- journed. Gertrude G . Welty , Recording Secreta \\eng_ch\s ys\dept\nbd\group\boards\plancomm\minutes 99\pcm 04-99a.doc 6 • •