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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010-08-18 CEAC MINUTES• • • I. II . CITY OF ENGLEWOOD CODE ENFORCEMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE Minutes from the Special Meeting of August 18, 2010 CALL TO ORDER A Special Meeting of the Englewood Code Enforcement Advisory Comm ittee was called to o rder at 6:29 p.m. by Chair Mosman . Roll Call Present: Chair Mosman, Members Becker, Berger, Hinger, Wilson, and Alternate Member Skinner. Ab sent/Excused: Members Bayless and Hart. A quorum of the Committee was present. Ex-Officio Members Present: Council Liaisons Gillit and Mccaslin, and Staff Liaisons Flaherty and Sergeant Englert. Ex-Officio Members Absent/Excused: None. PRELIMINARY COMMENTS Comments made by Staff Liaison Flaherty. Ill. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A motion was made by Member Becker and seconded by Member Mosman to approve the minutes of the July 21, 2010 meeting. There being no changes, the minutes were approved as submitted. IV. PUBLIC OPEN FORUM a. City of Englewood Mayor Jim Woodward provided backgrounq information on RV regulation in Englewood. He mentioned that Englewood has diverse types of neighborhoods, and one regulation doesn't necessarily apply to all areas. He suggests now is the time to get outside of the box and think of other solutions. One of the outcomes for Englewood is a clean and attractive looking city. b . Chris Hoagland agrees that we think outside the box. He wants th e Committee to consider an Ordinance for licensin g use of the public right-of-way. Many property owners have encroached on the right-of-way with fences or vegetation which restricts sight lines , public use of sidewalks, and is a misappropriation of public property for private use . 1 c. Jay Peters spoke on a concrete contractor problem, over grown weeds, over-weight trash vehicles, trash pickup on street versus alleys, and inconsistent or selective co de enforcement. d . Beverly Howe stated RVs should be parked in backyards, not front yards. She discussed City easements stating that private fences have been built too close to public sidewalks. e. Marvin Fulton is concerned about reduced sight lines at street corners because of right-of-way obstructions. He brought in a Petition with signatures of 65 citizens who want Council to consider th e ir concerns in making decisions regarding RVs, boats, and trailers . f. Sherry Scaggiari pointed out there are different interpretations of what enhances property and what enhances life; everyone has their own perspective. She has no alley access in the 4800 block of South Delaware, but she and her husband moved into neighborhood because there were no covenanfs and they could park a work truck and recreational equipment on their property. They look past the choices of other people; why can't others look past their choices? g. Sandy Kerlagon said that everyone has a perception of what is attractive on their property and around town, and this varies between neighborhoods. "One size does not fit all". We need to think outside of the box. An RV parked at her neighbor's house is out of code (35' long, 11' tall, 8.6' wide, and weighs about 12,000 pounds) . It belongs to the neighbor's granddaughter and is parked there because the City of La,kewood would not allow the granddaughter to keep it at her house in Lakewood. Ms . Kerlagon proposes a neighborhood plan: "A policy document that provides guidance to city officials, citizens and staff regarding decisions in a neighborhood that serves as a tool to enhance the character and quality of the neighborhood." h. Gary Selby pointed out that people complain because they don't have alley access, but this assessment should have been made before they purchased the property. As long as a person is in compliance, there is . nothing anyone can do. People need to be more forgiving. Questions to ask: Who is generating change? Why is change being generated? What is final intent? Is the change for the good of the City? i. Joel Olson is concerned about parking RVs and boats in front of homes for several reasons: 1. Public Safety -There are lots of children in his area and he wants clear lines of sight to see children who may dart out. 2. Parking lot. He doesn't want his street to look like a parking lot because this affects property values. 3 . Likes to be able to see. RVs, fences, etc. are barriers and limit access to other people and to developing relationships. 4. City has complete control over setback in terms of public interest in that area. Each neighborhood is different, and it will be very difficult to come up with one policy that fits every neighborhood. He suggests the RV issue be approached like zoning: Different neighborhoods have citizens with different values, and different policies should be written. 2 • • • • • • j. Kurt Suppes wants to live in a clean and attractive city and ordinances were established so the City is a place where we can all live and enjoy life. He sees some serious inconsistencies in the application of code enforcement rules. Also, safety is a huge issue; it is dangerous for children to cross the street when sight lines are blocked by RVs parked on the street. He said these situations do affect property values. Home buyers knew what they were buying when they moved in. He is in favor of setting different rules for the different neighborhoods. Discussion ensued. Du ring a short break, citizens who did not wish to stay for the balance of the meeting left the room. V. UNFINISHED BUSINESS a. Off-Road Vehicles/Recreational Vehicles/Trailers: Regulations and Enforcement The Code Enforcement Advisory Committee Chair and Members continued their discussion as follows. • Inconsistent Code enforcement. • Neighborhood plans for different a reas of the City. • Being mindful of the va rious points of view . • "Other" storage options. • Safety issues. • Work vehicles parked on residential property. VI. MONTHLY CODE ENFORCEMENT REPORT Sergeant Englert provided the monthly Code Enforcement report. A brief discussion followed. VII. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:19 p.m. The next meeting will be September 15, 2010. Submitted by Susan Werntz, Recording Secretary 3