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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1978-03-07 PZC MINUTES• CITY OF ENGLEWOOD PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION March 7, 1978 5:00 P. M. I. CALL TO ORDER. Four members of the City Planning Commission --Mr. Lathrop, Ms. Pierson, Mr. Owens and Mr. McClintock --convened for a meeting at 5:00 P. M. in Conference Room A of Englewood City Hall. Also present were staff members Wanush, Romans and House, and former Commission member Mae Wade. Inasmuch as the meeting could not be formally convened because of a lack of quorum, dinner was served. Mr. Tanguma arrived while dinner was being served. The meeting formally convened at 5;50 P.M. Members present: Members absent: Lathrop, Pierson, Owens, McClintock, Tanguma Smith, Williams, Draper, Parker II. COMPREHENSIVE PLAN. Mr. Owens stated that this meeting was called to begin review of the Comprehensive Plan, and to have an evening of open dis- cussion on this matter. Mr. Wanush stated that the staff would like to determine the general outline and format of the Plan itself, and to discuss the several themes which have evolved from the different com- mittees --what they percieve Englewood to be and what they want it to be. The staff also wants to discuss basic informa- tion on population, the labor force, school enrollment, median income, etc. Mr. Wanush stated that the staff wanted to get the Commission's views on these matters. The review this evening will be centered on the beginning sections of the Plan; later on, the Commission will get into the review of the individual committee's work. Mr. Owens stated that there had been brief discussion about a member of each committee other than the Commission liaison member, presenting the review committee's report to the Com- mission. Mr. Owens emphasized that all members of the com- mittees may attend the meeting, but that there should be one or two members designated as spokesman for each committee. Mrs. Romans stated that the Commission review is approximately two weeks behind schedule at the present time. Mrs. Romans discussed the format of the Comprehensive Plan at such time as it is printed. Mrs.Romans stated that Mr. Smith had indicated that he liked the small brochure-type Plan, but that some other members of the Commission had expressed a preference for a loose-leaf format. Mrs. Romans stated that she would personally . ' -2-. .. ' ' ' i~ prefer a document in loose-leaf notebo,ok to facilitate up- dating. It was the general concensus that a loose-leaf note- book format for the published Plan would be followed. Mrs. Romans discussed an outline of · the 'proposed Plan, which would include an introduction, a list of persons on the City Council and Planning Commission, and also listing all the per- sons who participated on the Review Committees. Mrs. Romans suggested that an explanation be included that this is a re- vision of the 1969 Comprehensive Plan. Mr. Wanush stated that the Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on the revised Comprehensive Plan, which publ:ic , hearing will be advertised. There will also be a public hearing '"before the City Council. Mr. Wanush pointed out that there have been numerous articles pertaining to the revision of the Comprehensive Plan in the ENGLEWCX>D CITIZEN, which newsletter is delivered to e·very Englewood residence. · Mr. Wanush pointed out one or two changes in this revision from the 1969 edition; for instance, the 1969 Comprehensive Plan projected a higher density population than will be pro- jected in the revision. Discussion ensued. Mrs. Romans stated that she has been very pleased with the participation on the seven review committees. The participants ,_., ... •-·"·~·.··.have expressed interest and carried through on the project. Mrs. Romans discussed the summary of the goals of the various committees, which includes: a balance of all sectors of lif~ retaining an activity center concept, population stability, neighborhood stability and improvement, regional cooperation, beautification of waterways, support of m~ss transit, and support of pollution controls. Mrs. Romans noted that the 1969 Comprehensive Plan will be updated and reworded, but it appears that there would not be many significant changes. Mr. Wanush noted that DRCOG has stated that downtown Englewocxi is one of thirteen activity centers in the metro area in addi- tion to Downtown Denver. Any future development in the metro area should be concentrated in these activity centers. The Downtown Review Committee has supported the concept of downtown Englewood being a high density activity center;· the committee has also supported the concept of high-density residential use in the downtown area, which is a change in concept. Mr. Wanush stated that the Downtown Committee has generally supported the concept of high-rise buildings in the downtown area. Mr. Tanguma stated that he felt there is a lot of support for the idea of allowing residential use in the downtown area. The concept of population stabilization was considered. It was pointed out that there is a change from the 1969 Plan, wherein a considerable population growth was projected. It '\, is now realized that while there will be some growth, it will • be limited and will not reach the projected 55,000 as shown in the 1969 Plan by the year 2000. • -3- Neighborhood stability and improvement was discussed. It was pointed out that a survey of the City showed that quite a number of neighborhoods need to be improvedo Mr. Wanush discussed the facets of neighborhood improvement. He reviewed the Rehabilita- tion Loan Program, which is being implemented by the Housing Authority and Housing Division, and reported that in the last three months, they have expended $175,000 in rehabilitation loan monies for the improvement of homes in Englewood. The average loan is between $7,000 and $8,000o However, the majority of the work that is being done is in electrical plumbing, or other interior work and does not make a visible change in the overall appearance of the neighborhood. These rehabilitation improvements make for a safer living environment for the occupant, but there are no funds left over for such things as painting, re-siding, etc. The need to remove some of the more deteriorated structures was mentioned. Mrs. Romans noted the change in concept of the Housing Review Committee after they had surveyed the City. The original recommendation had been to protect the "single-family residential" areas; after the survey, the recommendation was to protect the "residential neighborhoods." . Mr. Tanguma cited instances of a structure on a very small lot, and the inability to expand the structure because of the lack of lot areao He stated that he felt the Special Permit System could work very well in situations like this. Mrs. Wade stated that she felt the Special Permit System had great potential in specific areas of the City. Mr. Wanush stated that the idea of allowing the administration to approve slight modification of the Zoning Ordinance requirements had been discussed briefly. If the proposed development did not exceed the zoning require- ments by more than 5%, they could be approved by the administra- tion; while anything varying over 5% would have to go to the Board of Adjustment and Appeals. The matter of Regional Cooperation was discussed briefly. It was pointed out that participants on these committees do realize that Englewood is part of a "region", and there must be coopera- tion between the separate jurisdictions on matters such as RTD, for instance. Mrs. Romans stated that the Parks and Recreation Review Committee placed heavy emphasis on the development of waterways as open space. The development of bicycle trails along the greenbelts and waterways was also a point that was emphasized by the Re- view Committee. Support of mass transit and pollution controls was discussed. Mr. Wanush stated that he felt one strong theme in all the committees' discussions was the maintenance of Englewood as a full-service community. He asked if the Commission members felt there were other general themes that carried throughout the Comprehensive Plan review? He noted that all proposals ' ,. -4- coming before the Commission should be reviewed to see if they fit · into the general goalso Mr 0 Tanguma asked about the development of neighborhood parks and open space. Mrs. Wade and Mrso Romans agreed that the goals relative to waterways could be expanded to include the development of greenbelts and open spaceo Mrso Romans stated that following the enumeration of the goals in the revised Comprehensive Plan, there would be an explanation of the planning process, and the necessity of change to meet the community needs. This would also include an explanation of the Comprehensive Plan, the Capital Improvement Program, and other planning tools. · Mrs. Romans discussed the History and Character section of the Plan; this section would be expanded to consider the trends that are evolving and an analysis of these trends. The separate sections of the Plan would follow, and the recom- mendations of the different committees would then be presented. It was pointed out that the final recommendation to the City Council will be made by the Planning Commission and that it may or may not be the same as the recommendation of the several committeeso . . The last major section of the proposed Plan would discuss the means of implementation, and the relation of the Capital Im- provement Program to the Comprehensive Plano Mr. Wanush stated that general areas in need of improvement and change would be identified, but the Plan would not get into specifics. Mrs. Romans stated that the Plan could include an explanation of the Special Permit System and the Mixed Use District recom- mended by the Commercial Review Committee. Means of funding could also be discussed, as well as other tools of implementation such as the Subdivision Regulations, and the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance. Mrs. Romans pointed out that the Commercial Review Committee strongly advocated a "search committee," to locate potential new businesses to locate in Englewood. Periodic review of the Comprehensive Plan was also discussed. Mr. Wanush stated that the staff has talked about the possibility of writing a provision into the Plan wherein the Plan would be reviewed every year with a major review and revision every five years, for instance. Mr. Lathrop suggested that possibly there should be a major revision every three years. Mrs. Pierson stated that she felt if there is an annual review, that a major revision every seven years would be sufficient. Discussion ensued. Associate Planner House discussed statistical data pertaining to population projections, construction trends, retail sales and s a les tax revenues, employment and makeup of labor force, • • -5- median age and income, and school enrollment. Mr. Hou se pointed out that Englewood did not grow very rapidly until the 1950's and that the growth tapered off in the 1960's. Mr. House dis- cussed population projections, and noted that the figures pro- jected by DRCOG are for a population of 42,000 by 1990, and . 45,000 by the year 2000. Mr. Wanush noted that these figures are derived from a regional population distribution survey, and are not true population projections. It was noted that the number of households have increased by a little over 1,000 since 1970, but the population has remained stable because the number of persons per household has dropped. It was noted that there will now be a census survey taken every five years rather than the lo-year lapse between surveys. This will maKe it possible for cities to have more current information on which to base their plans. Mr. House discussed population comparison charts for Englewood, Arapahoe County, Denver and the Metro area. These charts in- dicate that Arapahoe County and the Metro area are experiencing rapid growth, while Englewood is relatively stable. Several different projections are shown for the Englewood population on this chart: a straight line projection, the DRCOG projection, and a projection by the CH2M Hill Consulting Company. A straight-line projection estimates 38,000 population by the year 2000, and the CH 2 M Hill projection is approximately 52,000+ by the year 2000. Mr. House discussed the map showing the limited amount of developable vacant land in the City. The City is virtually land-locked and cannot expand its physical boundaries to any great extent. The Larwin site in Northeast Englewood has approximately 32+/-acres which have not yet been developed. This could add an estimated 2,400 to 3,400 to the population if it were to be developed for residential purposes. There is also a large vacant parcel to the east of the former GEM property in the 5400 block of South Broadway, although there has been some preliminary discussion of the withdrawal of this site from the City. Mr. Wanush noted that access to this site is extremely poor, and even if this site were to be developed for park purposes, it would be virtually unusable by Englewood residents because of the restricted access. The age of housing stock in the City was reviewed, and it was stated that forty-seven percent of the houses in Englewood were ·built prior to 1950. A chart showing the Building Permits which have been issued in Englewood for new structures was discussed. Note was made of the fact that there have been no permits issued for the private development of apartment houses in the City since 1974, until the permit was issued for the Cherokee Kiva Development in 1978. Mrs. Pierson inquired as to the reason behind the sudden drop in apartment construction? Mrs. Romans stated that the parking requirements have been increased, and the Zoning Ordinance was revised to require more land for an apartment complex. -6- Retail sales figures were then considered which reflect a considerable amount of industrial and commercial activity. Mr. House noted that the figures for retail sales from 1970 to 1977 have tripled for Englewood, while the retail sales for Denver and Littleton have doubled, and the ·sales for Arapahoe County have tripled for this same period. Mrs. Pierson pointed out that while the total retail sales for Englewood have tripleµ in this seven-year period, the sales tax revenue has not kept pace, and has in fact, not quite doubled.· She asked why this diversity? Discussion ensued. Mr. Wanush pointed out that total retail sales figures are not attributable to Cinderella City alone, that other areas of the City are easily holding their own. Dis- cussion on the sales tax ensued. Mr. Draper entered the meeting. Further discussion on the sales tax revenue ensued. A five minute break was declared. The meeting reconvened at 7:35 P.M. Mrs. Pierson asked what the 4th quarter figures for 1977 were? Mr. House stated that these figures were not available when this information was gathered two weeks ago, and an estimate was used. Mr. House pointed out that Englewood is not a typical suburban community, and noted the increased day-time population and traffic activity through the center of the city. Mr. House pointed out that there were problems that Englewood has to deal with --such as the air pollution, increased traffic through the center of the community, day-time population in- crease, demand for public facilities. Mr. Lathrop asked how much Englewood contributed to the support of Arapahoe County? He noted that two years ago, he understood that Englewood contributed 37% of Arapahoe County's income and support. Mr. Wanush and members of the Commission stated that they felt this was rather high. Mr. House reviewed the employment statistics and the labor force categories. Englewood has the highest rate of employment in the Metro area in 1970 according to the Census, and was a "working class" city. Mr. Owens questioned the accuracy of the figures on the employment and labor force categories? Mr. Wanush stated that he felt these figures were pretty accurate, and that Englewood has relatively low unemployment today. The Median Age and Median Income was then discussed. Englewood's median age was exceeded only by the median age of citizens in Denver in the 1960 Census; in the 1970 Census, the median age of Englewood citizens was 1he highest in the metro area . The • Median Income has decreased proportionately, and Englewoo d now • -7- has the l owest median income of those compared --Denver, the Metro Area, Ara pahoe County, and Englewood. The school enrol lment was also charted for discussion. The peak enrollment wa s in 1961-1962, and has steadily declined since that time. There were over 7,000 students at the peak, and the present school enrollment is 4,229 pupils. Mr. House stated that these figures were from the School Administration and reflected the enrollment of three or four weeks ago. Mr. Tanguma 4uest ioned if this was actual students or student hours being ta ug h t? Mr. Tanguma discussed the kindergarten classes, and no ted that while two half-day students may be served by the schoo l s, they figure the two half-time students as one full-time s t udent. Mr. Mc Clintock asked if the staff had any projections on the median age, income and school enrollment figures? Mr. House stated that 1he sta ff did not; the basic source of information is DRCOG and the En glewood School Administration. Discussion ensued. Mr. Owen s s tated that he felt it was fair to say that the median ag e for En~lewood would be higher and the school enrollment will be lower in the future. Mr. Wanush pointed out that the housing stock Englewood has isn't really suitable for today's family, and it is easier for young families to move out further than it is to remodel a house. Mr. House stated that he felt that this data presented to the Commission shows that Englewood is a unique community; there is a diversity in ag e groups, labor force, and housing stock. There is a good mix o f the land use in Englewood, also. The City is self-governed, and there is a good mix of services provided to the resi dents . Discussion ensued. Mr. Owens differed with Mr. House's conclusion, stating that he felt there is inadequa te res i dential land in the city; he felt there were people who would like to move into Englewood but can't find housing. Mr. Wa nush stated tha t one of the criteria of a stable community is the maintenanc e o f a balance on such things as the data presented; he noted that there seems to be a problem in some areas because we are not maintaining this balance. Mr. Owens stated that he d i d not feel Englewood was stable, and pointed to the declining school enrollment. Mr. Wanush pointed out that the school population decline could also be attributable to the l ow~r birt h rate and the decrease in average family size. Mr. Owe ns asked how this compared to Denver? Mr. Tanguma stated that the Denve r school enrollment is also down, but not quite as much as the Engl ewood enrollment. Mrs. Pierson inqu i red as to the type of purchaser that is buying the homes a v ailable in Englewood, and the type of pur- chaser that could b e anticipated to purchase the homes of older individuals i n the future? She noted that with the in- crease in property costs, these small older homes might be attractive to you n g families. Mr. Owens stated that it is -8- the investor who is purchasing these older homes; he stated there are some younger families purchasing, but primarily it is the investor. Mrs. Wade noted that the younger families • who are purchasing the small, older homes are also buying as an investment. Mr. Owens agreed; the small, older home they initially purchase is a "transition home", until the family can afford the newer, larger home farther out. Mrs. Pierson asked if there are any figures on the percentage of homes that are owner/occupied? Mr. House stated that possibly this in-· formation would be contained in the 1980 Census, but he knew of no source of information on this at the present time. Dis- cussion ensued. Mr. Owens stated that he felt the possibility of higher water rates for single-family homes that are not owner-occupied should be explored. He felt this would encourage owner-occupancy by families. Mr. Tanguma stated that he felt this could lead to governmental rent controls. Mr. Owens stated that he felt if the City wanted to continue as a single- family community, it should be an owner-occupied family com- munity. Discussion ensued. Ways of financing the remodeling of older or small houses was discussed. Mr. Wanush stated that at the next Commission meeting on March 21, 1978, there would be a discussion on the Community Develop- ment funding application. He stated that there were areas in the City where these funds could be used, most particularly in northwest Englewood. The need to make existing housing in the City more attractive was considered further. Mr. Mcclintock stated that he felt this might be a good use for any excess funds that the City has. Mr. Wanush then discussed the Rehabilitation Program in more detail~ He noted that in northwest Englewood there are over 120 buildable lots that could be used if additional access could be obtained, and that the Community Development Block Grant funds could be put to use in this area very easily. He is of the opinion that new construction is needed in addition to the rehabilitation of existing houses. Mr. Wanush stated that the staff will be meeting with contractors to get their ideas on the possibility of new construction. He noted that Savings and Loan Companies have a great deal of money available for programs such as financing new construction. Mr. Lathrop again expressed his concern with higher water rates for single-family homes that are not owner-occupied. Mrs. Wade observed that a great many of the homes coming on the market are sub-standard or deteriorating. She stated that in her opinion, units quite often continue to deteriorate if they are rented, whereas they might be improved if they were owner-occupied. Mr. Wanush stated that we need a balance in this community; there seems to be a trend toward the lower income, small family population. Mr. Wanush stated that he felt the City should consider housing for the more affluent families as well as the low-income family. -9- Mr. Owens stated that he felt if a person purchased a house for his primary residence, that house is cared for and every effort is expended to make it a nice place to live; if, on the other hand, the property is purchased as an investment, the matter of "income" is the primary consideration. Mr. Lathrop stated that he felt the lower income people are the working class of people. Mr. Tanguma pointed out that if property is rented, and major repairs have to be made to bring that unit up to code, the r ent will probably have to be raised in order to do so. Mr. McClintock inquired if the Housing Review Committee had addressed the matter of the loss in school enrollment, and did they enumerate any goals to attempt to stop the downward trend? Mr. Tanguma stated that this matter was discussed; the topic came up more than once, and was discussed in relation to the cost of housing, the type of people we wanted to attract to Englewood, and other factors. The possibility of me.eting with the Englewood School Board was discussed. Tanguma moved: McClintock seconded: The Planning Commission invite the Englewood School Board to meet with the Commission at the meeting of April 4, 1978. AYES: Lathrop, Owens, Pierson, Tanguma, Mcclintock, Draper NAYS: None ABSENT: Parker, Smith, Williams The motion carried. The members continued an informal discussion on the Comprehen- sive Plan revision. The meeting adjourned at 8:23 P. M. Gertrude G. Welty" Recording Secre£ary