Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout1989-12-06 PZC MINUTES~ • CITY OF ENGLEWOOD PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION DECEMBER 6, 1989 I. CALL TO ORDER. The joint meeting of the Planning & Zoning Commission and the Board of Adjust- ment & Appeals, hosted by the Board of Adjustment & Appeals, was called to order by Board Chairman Carl Welker at Woody's Club at the Englewood Golf Course. Planning Commission members present: Tobin, Hogue, Gerlick, Becker, Fish, Schultz, Wanush, Ex-officio Planning Commission members absent: Carson Board of Adjustment members present: Welker, George, Seymour, Schaffer Board of Adjustment members absent : Waldman, Lighthall Also present: Staff present: Alan Canter, Instructor in the School of Urban Regional Planning at the University of Colorado/Denver Wade Kloos, Yvonne Seaman, David C. White, Bor-Shyun Chen, Dan Girouard, David Murray, and Ann Weigert, graduate students at UCO. Planning Administrator D. A. Romans Dan Brotzman, Legal Counsel Catherine M. Mahon, Recording Secretary, BOA Gertrude G. Welty, Recording Secretary, Planning Commission Mr. Welker welcomed members of both boards, the graduate students and staff to the dinner meeting. Mr. Welker stated that following dinner, the graduate students wi 11 make a presentation on studies that they have done of the so ut he ast industrial area of t he City, and along the Broadway commercial cor ri do r. * * * * * * * * * * II. PRESENTATION BY UCO STUDENTS Mr. Wanush stated that the graduate students have been working on the studies since September as a "studio assignment" as part of their work toward their Master's Degree in Urban Planning. Mr. Wanush stated that he and Mrs. Romans had attended the presentation made on December 5 by the students as the final for their class, and that it was very informative. Mr. Wanush stated that the information contained in these studies is a good informational database for the City, and raises some issues for further consideration. Mr. Alan Canter, UCO Instructor, stated that students from his class have worked on two separate projects in Englewood, one being a 1 ong the Broadway Corridor, and the second being the southeast industrial sector of the City. Mr. Canter stated that it is his opinion that the study has produced good -1 - basic information for the City to use, and that it was an opportunity for the students to work in and gain a little understanding of political climate. Mr. Canter stated that he plans to do this course at the University again, and suggested the possibility of doing further studies in Englewood. Mr. Canter stated that the first issue to be considered will be that of the Broadway Cor- ridor. Mr. Canter introduced Mr. Wade Kloos, Ms. Yvonne Seaman, and David C. White, the graduate students responsible for this study . Mr. White summarized the Broadway Corridor study, and presented several slides during his narration. Several points that were made during Mr. White's pre- sentation: there is a lack of identity along Broadway as to where Englewood "begins" and where it "ends". There is no distinguishing character to let motorists know when they are entering Englewood. There is insufficient on- street parking, and there is a need for additional signage directing motorists to parking areas off of Broadway. The small lot sizes present problems for businessmen in that they cannot provide on-site parking, and many times busi- ness parking laps over into the residential neighborhoods. There are insuffi- cient sidewalks along a portion of the Broadway corridor, and this area is not "pedestrian friendly." Something needs to be done with Trolley Square. Mr. White stated that there is a 19% to 20% vacancy rate in retail buildings in Englewood; the metro area average is 14% to 15%. Residential use along Broad- way is crowded out, and a great deal of what remains is deteriorated and not well maintained. Mr. White stated that in talking to merchants along Broad- way, pleasure was expressed about the Broadway location, but they want to en- courage the motorists to shop along Broadway. Mr. White discussed the land- scaping along Broadway, noting the need for some of the trees in the downtown area to be trimmed to eliminate visual blockage of signs. Also, the landscap- ing efforts are not uniform, in that some areas along Broadway have no land- scaping whatsoever. Mr. White suggested that the Sign Code should include graphics showing businessmen just what type and size of signs could be in- stall ed. Also, the Sign Code should be written simply so that people under- stand the Code. Mr. Kloos also presented some slides, and made general comments and recommen- dations regarding the South Broadway corridor. Among the comments: par- ticipation of citizen associations (EDDA, Greater Englewood Chamber of Com- merce, South Metro Chamber of Commerce) are critical if revitalization is to take place, and that representatives of these organizations should work toward that goal. Mr. Kloos stated that the City might want to consider a "flexible zoning overlay" for the Broadway corridor, or extend this overlay further than just along Broadway. Several financial methods to encourage and enhance revitalization were mentioned, among them being a business improvement dis- trict, special districts, general improvement districts, special assessment districts, and the use of Federal and State laws. Design guidelines were recommended, and Mr. Kloos stated that Broadway does not have a significant image and suggested that design guidelines should be imposed for the entire 1 ength of Broadway. Other points that Mr. Kloos suggested needed improving are facades, signage, landscaping, and streetscaping. Ms. Yvonne Seaman stated that their study of Broadway extended from Yale Avenue on the north to Rafferty on the south. The street was broken into several basic areas (1) the northern area from Yale to Dartmouth, a service commercial zone, which needs improved signs and streetscaping; the facades also need improvement; (2) Dartmouth to Floyd, a transition zone, which needs to complement the Central Business District; (3) the CBD from Floyd to U.S. 285; there is need for incentives to encourage peop 1 e to rent in Tro 11 ey -2 - • • Square; there is no real focal point for pedestrian traffic; the lighting isn't good; crosswalks need special painting or delineation; the street trees need to be trimmed to prevent visual blockage of the signs; the property owners may want to consider improvement of the rear of their buildings to make them attractive to people who may park in the parking areas on Acoma or Lin- coln; (4) Cherrelyn from U.S. 285 to Radcliff, which is in need of streetscap- ing and signs, and there is a need for "pedestrian areas"; (5) the auto area from Radcliff to the southern City limits. This particular "auto row" has a great image throughout the metro area, and the City should try to capitalize on this image. There are problems with parking, and there are areas where there is need for improved sidewalks to facilitate pedestrian movement. There is a need for signage to identify Englewood. Mr. Fish asked what is wrong with Trolley Square --why is it so difficult to lease? Mr. Kloos stated that the parking is in the rear; people do not want to "go up or down" to shop, and Trolley Square is a two-level complex; the general economic character of the City is a problem, also. Ms. Seaman stated that there is a need for good restaurants in the City of Englewood, and sug- gested that Trolley Square could also be devoted to offices. Mr. Kloos empha- sized that the purpose of their project was not to do a market study, and that before any specific use is proposed, a market study should be done. Mr. White suggested there is also a need for a good motel in Englewood. Mr. Canter pointed out that Englewood is not alone in experiencing difficulty of leasing retail space, and pointed out new shopping areas that have gone under during the last several years. Mr. Canter stated that he felt some of the problem was "timing", noting the general economic decline of the metro area/state as a whole over the last several years. Mr. Wanush commented that while Trolley Square has not met expectations, the Englewood Marketplace is almost fully leased and very successful; and Phar-Mor Plaza is beginning to see more activity. Ms. Becker asked if there are businesses that seem to group together, that complement each other. Mr. Kloos stated that 1 ike businesses do complement each other, and cited the auto row on South Broadway. Antique shops is an- other use where there seems to be a "clustering". Mr. Kloos suggested that the City needs to consider making changes to enhance the importance of the "use" and not the "thoroughfare". Ms. Becker asked for more information on the "flexible zoning". Mr. Kloos stated that this is an overlay zoning wherein any use might be permitted if it met specific criteria which would have to be determined by the City. This area could be expanded to the next street on either side of Broadway, or could encompass the entire City. Mr. Welker pointed out that the expansion of the flex zoning to the streets on either side of Broadway could impact both sides of that street. Mr. Kloos agreed. Mr. Canter emphasized that the flexible zoning would have to meet specific criteria, and this criteria would be deter- mined and enacted by the City. Ms. Becker stated that one of the goals of the City has been the preservation and protection of the residential districts, and to ensure that the commercial uses do not encroach into the residential areas. -3 - Mr. Canter then introduced Ms. Ann Weigert, Bor-Shyun Chen, Dan Girouard and David Murray, who presented their study on the southeastern industrial sector ~ of the City. Ms. Weigert stated that the purpose of the study is to provide the City with a more comprehensive understanding of the economic characteristics of the south- eastern industrial zone and the impact the improvements along Santa Fe will have on the City. Ms. Weigert stated that the study area encompasses the in- dustrially zoned area from U.S. 285 south to Belleview, Santa Fe east to South Elati Street. This industrial area represents only 1/3 of the industrial area of the City, and only 26% of the total area in the City. Ms. Weigert stated that the study inventories the types of businesses in this industrial area, inventories the amount of vacant and under utilized sites, the number of em- ployees in the industrial area, and the length of time the businesses have been in operation. Mr. Bor-Shyun Chen presented some slides, and discussed the vacant and under utilized sites within this industrial district. Forty-four (44) parcels have been identified, 11 of which are vacant, 30 are underutilzed, and 4 "undeter- mined". The minimum size desirable for light industrial development is three to six acres; the size of the vacant and underutilized parcels range in size from 11.31 acres to 1.0 acre. Dan Girouard presented some slides, and discussed the inventory of the in- dustrial area, noting that 219 business locations were identified in this study. The inventory is broken out by name, address, SIC code, the number of employees of the various businesses, and the length of time that those busi- nesses have been in that location, and whether the site is owned or leased by the business. The study has shown a great diversity in the industrial development of this area, but they have identified nine basic categories within the study area: Automotive, Construction, Manufacturing, Metals, Medi- cal Suppliers, Printing, Trucking, Wholesalers, and Mixed Use. Mr. Girouard stated that there are a number of similar businesses, and that a number of the industrial uses have specialized marketing niches. Mr. Girouard noted that there are some resident i a 1 uses interspersed throughout the i ndustri a 1 area. He further noted that South Mariposa Street has a heavy concentration of small bus i ness/i ndustri al uses. Mr. Girouard stated that the City needs to deter- mine what type of businesses and industrial uses we want to attract in the future. David Murray presented the portion of the study pertaining to traffic/ transportation. Mr. Murray noted that improvements to Santa Fe will have an impact on the City of Englewood as a whole, and the industrial area in par- ticular. Mr. Murray reviewed traffic counts for various intersections along Santa Fe Drive. The State plans to widen South Santa Fe to six lanes, and closing points of access at Kenyon Avenue, Quincy Avenue, and Tufts/Union Avenues. Railroad crossings will be grade separations at Dartmouth, U.S. 285, Oxford and Belleview. Work is presently being done on the Dartmouth/Santa Fe Drive intersection. Traffic projections indicate that the intersections of Santa Fe and Oxford and Santa Fe and Dartmouth will be operating at level of service F by the year 2000. Level of service "F" is defined as "indicates a congested, over capaci- ty condition of forced traffic flow, where queued backups from locations down- stream restrict or prevent movement of vehicles out of the approach, creating a storage area during part or all of the peak hour." Source: CDH, 1984. -4 - • If Tufts and Quincy intersections are to be closed, there must be some source of traffic relief in the area between Oxford and Belleview. Mr. Murray stated that their recommendation is that Union Avenue to the west should be extended across Santa Fe to the east and connected with South Navajo Street. Several possible alignments of this connection were displayed on the screen. Ms. Weigert recapped the presentation, noting that the recommendation on Union Avenue are based on the projected levels of service for the intersections of Dartmouth and Oxford. Santa Fe is projected to have a poor level of service into the 21st Century. To keep sales tax revenues and additional jobs from leaving the City, workers and shoppers need to have a means of safe, speedy, and efficient travel. Lack of accessibility can lead to relocation of com- merce and industry to areas of less congestion. Brief discussion on the industrial and transportation study ensued. Mr. Girouard emphasized the need for i nvo 1 vement in the configuration of the Oxford/Navajo/Windermere route, and reiterated that poor access wi 11 deter businesses and commuters from coming into Englewood to do business. Navajo is classified as a truck route, and will be an important access route into the industrial area. Mr. Murray interjected that South Navajo Street would carry both industrial and residential traffic. Mr. Wanush inquired about attitudes of businessmen that were surveyed. Mr. Girouard stated that a lot of the businesses are long-term businesses, with 63% being here 5 years or more, and 76% being here 2 years or more. Business- men are concerned with access, and with the closure of Kenyon, Quincy and Tufts, this will impact the industrial area. Mr. Murray stated that the database should be considered in relation to the expansion of businesses or the attraction of new businesses. Ms. Becker asked how we could help existing businesses stay in Englewood. Mr. Canter stated that this is a marketing decision, and not within the purview of the study. The students were thanked for their work in compiling the studies, and for the presentation. The meeting adjourned at 9:30 P.M. -5 -