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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1988-04-19 PZC MINUTES' • • CITY OF ENGLEWOOD PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION APRIL 19, 1988 I. CALL TO ORDER. The regular meeting of the City Planning and Zoning Commission was called to order at 7:00 P.M. by Chairman Hanson. Members Present: Hanson, Schultz, Such, Volkema, Barbre, Carson, Draper, Fish Romans, Ex-officio Members Absent: None Also Present: Senior Planner Susan Hirsch Parks Superintendent James Kavinsky II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES. April 5, 1988 Chairman Hanson stated that the Minutes of April 5, 1988 were to be considered for approval. Carson moved: Schultz seconded: The Minutes of April 5, 1988 be approved as written. AYES: Schultz, None None None Such, Volkema, Barbre, Carson, Draper, Fish, Hanson NAYS: ABSENT: ABSTAIN: The motion carried. III. COMPREHENSIVE PLAN Parks & Recreation Mrs. Romans introduced Mr. Jim Kavinsky, Superintendent of Parks, who will discuss the Parks & Recreation section of the Comprehensive Plan with the Commission. Mr. Kavinsky stated that he is attending the meeting for Parks and Recreation Director Kuhn, who had a conflicting engagement. Mr. Kavinsky stated that the staff has gone through the Parks & Recreation section of the Plan and have hi- 1 ited areas in need of modification. Mr. Kavinsky submitted a copy of a map indicating areas of Parks management within the City of Englewood. Mr. Kavinsky stated that in 1965, the City sold the one large City Park to the developer of Cind erella City, and developed a neighborhood park system. The Parks Department has tried to develop a neighborhood park in every quadrant of the City. There is one quadrant which is still lacking in park facilities, that being the southeast quadrant. Mr. Kavinsky stated that the Parks Depart- ment maintains 156.7 acres of park and recreation facilities, which include 10 -1 - • • • parks; three greenbelt areas; two swimming pools; athletic fields such as soc- cer fields, and baseball fields; the medians in South Broadway; the U.S. 285/ South Broadway intersection green area; grounds around City Hall and the Police/Fire complex; the Malley Center, and the Englewood Recreation Center. Mr. Kavinsky discussed ratios that are established by National Standards for some recreation facilities; for instance the National Standards suggest a ra- tio of 1:2,000 population for tennis courts. The City/School District main- tains 24 tennis courts, and they are filled. Basketball courts have a ratio of 1:500 in population, and the Parks staff feel this ratio is too high. Mr. Kavinsky stated that the nature center at Belleview Park is maintained by the Parks Department . Land to the west of Cushing Park has recently been pur- chased, and should be developed within the next 18 months to two years. Mr . Kavinsky discussed the need to acquire additional land east of Centennial Park. Mr. Kavinsky stated that the lake and wildlife area are maintained in conjunction with the Colorado Division of Wildlife. Mr. Such asked what was being done at the gravel operation. Mr. Kavinsky stated that the County may dredge gravel for as long as they want, and are allowed to dredge up to within 150 feet of West Union Avenue. After dredging operations are terminated, the land will revert to the City. Mr. Kavinsky stated that the Parks staff has contacted the County Commissioners to determine what is going on; if the equipment is being dismantled as it appears may be happening, the land will become part of the park and be developed as such. Mr. Such stated that the softball fields at Centennial Park are some of the finest in the state. Mr. Kavinsky stated that the Parks Department maintains 15 softball fields, and that teams are turned away because the use demand is so heavy. Mr. Kavinsky further stated that the softball fields in Englewood are consistently ranked in the top 10 in the State, and usually in the top 5. The possibility of acquisition of land to the north of Centennial Lake was discussed. Mr . Kavinsky stated that property to the north is owned by a Mr. Kent, and it is extremely doubtful that this gentleman would consider selling his property to the City. Mrs. Romans stated that the Commission had deter- mined some time ago not to pursue annexation of this particular area, and cit- ed the fact that it i s a landfill and there would be a severe problem with methane gas. The use of the Centennial Park area for fireworks displays by the Jaycees was discussed . Mr. Kavinsky suggested that the Jaycees will soon have to find another location because of the increased development around the park and the increased liability if a rocket should misfire or go astray. Mr. Kavinsky stated that there are two creeks which meander through the City: Little Dry Creek through the downtown area, and Big Dry Creek through the south/southwestern section. Both of these creeks tie into the South Platte River. A bicycle path is being developed along Little Dry Creek with the downtown redevelopment project. The improved Dartmouth/South Santa Fe Drive intersection will have a bicycle path that goes under the railway tracks as will Dartmouth itself. Mr. Fish asked if the Parks Department anticipated problems on Little Dry Creek with fences going up thereby inhibiting access. Mr . Kavinsky stated that the staff will have to see how things progress along the Creek. Mr . -2 - • Kavinsky stated that the improvements to Little Dry Creek are still under con- tract, and the City can do nothing along the Creek at this point in time. Mr. Kavinsky discussed the problem with graffiti and vandalism that is already occurring in areas along the Creek. Mr. Such asked if there were plans to address the school children regarding the vandalism problem. Mr. Kavinsky stated that there would be some outreach efforts on the vandalism issue, and discussed the need to keep a balance of use between adults and children of the bicycle paths and areas along Little Dry Creek. Mr. Kavinsky stated that En- glewood paid $3,000 to repair or replace items that were vandalized in the last budget year. Mr. Kavinsky reviewed the Courses of Action, which were set forth in the Com- prehensive Plan. Number 1 pertains to Centennial Park, and Mr. Kavinsky stated that he had already discussed the need to acquire additional land in that area. The second course of action was in regard to Cushing Park; additional land has been acquired to the west of the park, and will be developed within the next two years. Mr. Kavinsky suggested that there is a need for a swimming pool at the Malley Center, and suggested that this become the Number 2 issue. Mr. Kavinsky stated that the senior citizens who frequent the Malley Center have to use the pool at the Englewood Recreation Center, which is already at 100% capacity. Construction of a second pool at the Malley Center would alleviate some of the use on the pool at the recreation center, and be more convenient for the seniors at the Malley Center. The Greenbelt and River Development was then discussed. Mr. Kavinsky stated that the second nine holes of the golf course are completed, and the driving range is scheduled to be lighted. An increase and improvement of the nature area on the west short of the Platte River is also planned. Mr. Such asked if Parks & Recreation are working with the Division of Wild Life on the problem with the beaver. Mr . Kavinsky stated that the staff is working with the Wild Life staff, and are replacing some of the trees that have been destroyed with hardwood trees rather than the Cottonwood and Aspen trees. Mr. Kavinsky also discussed the problem with the geese at Centennial Park; he noted that in the natural migration pattern the geese would normally stay for a short period of time before continuing further south to winter. However, people like to feed the geese, which has encouraged them to winter at the Park . The staff is trying to discourage the feeding of the geese in the hopes that they will re- vert to the natural migration pattern and the problem will be resolved by natural means. Mr. Kavinsky stated that construction of a mini-golf course at the Englewood Golf Course is occurring now, and they hope to have it open by early July. This is a separate entity from the main golf course, but will be in the general area, and comprise four acres in size. Mr. Kavinsky stated that the main golf course is self -sufficient and is not a financial drain on the City. Mr. Kavinsky discussed the southeast quadrant of the City, and noted that the only area used for open space or park purposes are the grounds surrounding the old Duncan School. The building itself is being leased by Swedish Medical Center for their gerontology program. Mr. Kavinsky stated that residents of this quadrant of the City do not have the full range of services from the Parks Department because of the lack of available land to develop a park. Mr. Draper asked if a residential use was put on the market in this immediate -3 - • area, would the City be able to pay the asking price, raze the existing im- provements and develop the site for park or open space purposes. Mr. Kavinsky pointed out the budgetary problems the City is experiencing at the present time . Mrs. Romans asked if consideration had been given to possibly vacating some of the avenue right-of-way, and developing this as green open area. Dis- cussion followed. The northeast quadrant of the City was then considered. Mr. Kavinsky stated that the staff does not feel a need for additional tennis courts. Mr. Hanson asked what type of use was the City getting on Romans Park. Mr. Kavinsky stated that this park is heavily over used, and pointed out that many of the tenants of the Kimberly Woods and/or Kimberly Village developments were told that th i s was 11 the i r park 11 • It i s , i n fact , a City Park , and the La rw i n developers were to provide recreational facilities within the development for their tenants. Development of volley ball courts was discussed. Mr. Draper asked if there is a curfew on park usage. Mr. Kavinsky stated that parks open for public use at 7 A. M. and are closed to public use at 11 P.M. Ms. Hirsch asked if there were any tennis courts in the northwest part of the City. Mr. Kavinsky stated that there are not, and pointed out that this is a heavily industrial section of the City, with a small residential population. Mrs. Romans suggested that some of the employees in the industrial area might want to play tennis after work if the courts were available. Mr. Draper asked if horseshoe courts were available. Mr. Kavinsky stated that there are some horseshoe courts at Cushing Park and at Belleview Park, but there does not seem to be much demand for this activity. The Community Center was discussed. Mr. Kavinsky stated that the Community Center has been constructed since the 1979 Comprehensive Plan was published, and needs to be expanded. The present facilities are being used at 110% capacity. This facility is not paying for itself yet, but is making progress in this direction. Mr. Draper inquired as the use of lottery funds for parks and recreation proj- ects. Mr. Kavinsky stated that the City receives $126,000 per year from the lottery funds, and cited several projects that have been done by using those funds that could not otherwise have been accomplished. Mr. Fish asked about the removal of some playground equipment from Romans Park. Mr. Kavinsky stated that the National Standards dictate a given dis- tance from one piece of playground equipment to another, and they are trying to selectively eliminate some of the equipment to conform to the standards. Mr. Kavinsky stated that the playgrounds are covered with an 18 11 depth of pea gravel, which tends to cushion a child's fall, and also slows the youngsters down --they cannot run as fast in the gravel. The issue of liability on parks and equipment was discussed. Mr. Kavinsky pointed out that the missile in Belleview Park is now fenced off, and is for display only. Children are not allowed to climb or play on this missile as was formerly the case because of the insurance and liability. -4 - Mrs. Romans asked if Mr. Kavinsky knew where the Indian Sculpture by Mr. Scott would be placed. Mr. Kavinsky stated that he understood the Sculpture would be placed just west of Broadway and south of the Key Savings bank in the Lit- tle Dry Creek Area. Mr. Kavinsky questioned the need for an indoor ice skating rink, and the in- door firing range that were listed in the 1979 Comprehensive Plan. The pos- sibility of freezing an outdoor lake to allow ice skating was discussed, and Mr. Kavinsky pointed out the temperature fluctuations were too great to keep an even freeze on the ice on an outdoor lake. Mr. Kavinsky suggested that a survey of Englewood residents be undertaken to try to determine what is wanted in recreational facilities. Mr. Hanson asked how Englewood rated in overall park acreage with the stan- dards Mr. Kavinsky has referred to. Mr. Kavinsky stated that the standards cite a neighborhood park as being between 5 -20 acres in size, and that a community should have 2.5 acres of park land for every 1,000 people. Mr. Kavinsky stated that Englewood meets the standards, but not every quadrant of the City has access to a "neighborhood" park. Mr. Kavinsky addressed the need for "quiet areas", and agreed that such areas are a necessity. Mr. Kavinsky stated that once the Commission and Planning staff have revised the Parks & Recreation section, the Parks staff and Parks Commission would appreciate the opportunity to review and edit the document. Brief discussion ensued. Mr. Hanson expressed the appreciation of the Commis- sion to Mr. Kavinsky for his attendance. · IV. PUBLIC FORUM. No one was present to address the Commission. V. DIRECTOR'S CHOICE. Mrs. Romans stated that the Courts have granted Mr. Dulin of 1109 West Quincy Avenue until May 1 to clean his property. Mrs. Romans gave members of the Commission a copy of the schedule for the South Santa Fe Drive improvements. Mrs. Romans announced that Mr. Richard Wanush will assume the duties of the Director of Community Development on June 6. Mr. Wanush was previously em- ployed by the City in the capacity of Community Development Director and as Assistant City Manager. VI. COMMISSIONER'S CHOICE. Mr. Hanson reported on the meeting of the ad hoc committee on the B-2 Zone District regulations on automotive uses. This meeting was held on April 14, and attended by both Mr. Carson and himself on behalf of the Commission, by Mr. Clayton from the City Council, and representatives of the Chamber of Com- merce and the auto dealers along South Broadway. Mr. Hanson stated that the consensus of this meeting is to delete auto sales lots as conditional uses in -5 - • • the B-2 Zone District and make them a use-by-right with criteria pertaining to those uses which can be imposed administratively. These suggestions will be incorporated into a proposed amendment to the Code, and will be considered by the Commission at a public hearing. Mr. Carson agreed that this was a good meeting. Mrs. Romans stated that the Court decision against the City in the OR case was on the procedure enacting the provisions, not on the provisions themselves. The City will appeal the determination in an attempt to protect the rights of the City as a Home Rule City. Mr. Carson stated that he felt the worst parking lot in the City is that of the Safeway Store on South Logan and U.S. 285 . He stated that the trees have been cut down, and the remainder of the landscaping is not maintained. Ms. Hirsch stated that she had been in contact with the company doing the land- scaping, and they had asked that replacement be deferred until May 1 because of the planting season. Mr. Carson discussed the traffic computer system in the Traffic Engineer's Office. He found the system to be quite interesting, and suggested that the Commission visit this office when they tour the City. Ms. Hirsch stated that there were no development projects to be brought before the Commission at the next meeting of May 3. Mr. Hanson suggested a second study session be scheduled for this date. Mr. Fish stated that he had attended the Urban Renewal Authority meeting of April 6; he stated that he was confused and felt like an "intruder'', and was asked to leave the meeting once. Mr. Hanson asked if the plans for the Linear Project were approved. Mr. Fish stated that he felt the Authority was very close to approving the plans. Mr. Hanson expressed the opinion that these plans do not comply with the minimum standards for landscaping or parking, and does not comply with the Sign Code provisions. Mrs . Romans stated that the plans for Lincor have not been approved to her knowledge, and that at this point in time they are still highly confidential; anyone privileged to any information on this particular phase of the redevelopment should respect the confidentiality of the negotiations and plans. The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 p.m . -6 -