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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2001-06-05 PZC MINUTES• • • CITY OF ENGLEWOOD PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION June 5, 200 1 I. CALL TO ORDE R The regular meeting of the City Planning and Zoning Commission was called to order at 7:05 p.m. in the Community Development Conference Room, third floor of the Englewood Civic Center. Chairman Weber presided. Present: Lathram , Mueller, Waggoner, Wi ll is, Weber Absent: Stockwell, Rempel , Welker, Krieger (all with pre vio us notice ) Also p resent: Senior Planner Langon Senior Planner Stitt Assistant City Attorney Nancy Reid II . APPROV AL OF MINUT ES May 8, 2001 Chairman Weber stated that the Minutes of May 8, 2001 were to be considered for ap- proval. Waggoner moved: Mueller seconded: The Minutes of May 8, 2001 be approved as written. AYES : NAYS: ABSTAIN: ABSENT: Mueller, Waggoner, Lathram, Weber None Willis Stockwell, Rempel , Welker, Krieger The motion carried. Ill . PRE-SCHEDULE D VIS ITORS Chris Olson, Director of Safety Services Director Olson was welcomed to the meeting. Mr. Olson expressed his appreciation for being placed very early on the agenda. Mr. Olson stated that as Director of Safety Services , he has the pleasure of presenting awards to citizens who have provided services to their department, or to the citizenry as a whole. Director Olson stated that many of those recognized for their outstanding service volunteer their time and work to the department or community. Mr. Olson stated typ icall y, recognition is given at a 11 volunteer luncheon 11 ; this year, however, one of the people to be recognized could not attend the luncheon. Mr. Olson stated that Mrs. Doroth y Romans , herself a volun teer with Safety Services Department, submitted the name of Mr. Chris Willis for recognition of his volunteer services to the community. Mr. Willis provides snow re- moval services for 1 7 properties in Englewood, and also provides weekly lawn care for sev- eral properties. Several of the property owners who receive this service from Mr. Willis are quite elderly, and in fact, one lady is 101 years old. Mr. Olson stated that the Department of Safety Services is very grateful for the assistance provided by Mr. Willis. Mr. Olson pre- sented Mr. Willis a gold watch on behalf of the Safety Services Department, and reiterated his appreciation for the services provided by Mr. Willis. Members of the Commission and staff applauded Mr. Willis on recognition of his service to the community. Mr. Willis expressed his appreciation to Director of Safety Ser v ices Olson . IV. CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM 2002 -2006 Ms. Langon stated that she had asked Senior Planner Stitt to attend the meeting to di sc u ss the Capital Improvement Program. Mr. Waggoner asked what determination the Commission needs to make this ev ening, and cited the absence of four commissioners. • Mr. Stitt reviewed the Charter provisions requiring that the Commission submit "annuall y to the City Manager, not less than 90 days p ri or to the submission of the budget, a list of recommended capital improvements ... forthcoming five-year period". Mr. Stitt referenced • the budget calendar appended at the end of the CIP information packet, and noted that the budget is projected to be submitted to City Council on September 4 1 ". The Commission has, therefore, already encroached into the 90-da y period cited in the Charter. Mr. Stitt noted that traditionally, the Commission has reviewed new requests for inclusion in the CIP ; however, new submittals are not due to the Revenue and Budget division until the w ee k of Jul y 23 "1 . The only thing the Commission can base a recommendation on is w heth e r the v support funding of items that have been submitted previousl y, and that support impl e m en- tation of the Comprehensive Plan . Mr. Stitt discussed the budget process, and pointed out that the information given the Commission includes projects budgeted for the current y ear, plus five years projected. Staff also included, for the Commission 's information, actual submittals for some of the proje c ts that meet goals and object iv es c ite d i n th e 19 ;-9 Comp rehensive Pbn. Mr. Stitt st ated that staff is requesting the Commission to review the eleven 2001 p rojects that ha v e been cited as supporting implementation of the Comprehensive Plan , ratify whether or not the Commission wants the funding for these projects to continue into 200 7. Thi s action would be submitted to the City Manager. Mr. Stitt stated that, in his opinion, this w ould meet the intent of the City Charter requirement, and that it will be important to the City Manager to know these projects have the support of the Commission. 2 • • • • • Mr. Stitt stated that after August l 3 1 h, staff will bring the list of new projects submitted for funding to the Commission. Mr. Stitt advised that any recommendation the Commission makes on those items will be outside the scope of the budget calendar. Mr. Stitt stated that he must emphasize to the Commission that just because a request or recommendation is made to fund a particular project does not mean that this project ma y not be bumped for some other project deemed more important, or priorities may change. The goals and objectives from the 19 7 9 Comprehensive Plan were also included for the Commission 's perusal. Mr. Stitt stated that these goals and objectives are the stand a r ds against which the staff measured the efficacy of a proposed proj ect. Di d the p roposed p ro- ject lend itself to implementing a goa l or objecti ve ci ted in the Pl an ? M r. Stit t again refer- enced the list of eleven projects staff determined m et the goa l of supp o rtin g the Plan , and clarified the matrix format of the list and the information contained thereon . Ms. Lathram inq uire d about the Parks Infrastructure Stud y, funded for $75 ,000 in 2001. Does this mean , inasmuch as it is on this list, that the project was or was not completed this y ear . Mr. Stitt stated that projects included that show funds in 2001 mean that funds were allocated for those projects in 2001; he d oes not know whether the project has been be- gun or completed. Mr. Willis inquire d about the fun ding fo r Santa Fe landscaping, 5200,000 budgeted each yea r from 2001 to 2006 ; is this to lands ca pe the medians? Mr. Stitt state d that funding was requested to landscape the cloverleaf area. He discussed the Tri-C i ties g roup, and the goals for i mprovement and beautification along Santa Fe Drive . A company from Ft. Collins, ED AW, was hired to develop a landscaping plan, w hich the y did. The Colorado Depart- ment of Transportation (COOT) budgeted monies for landscapin g, but these fun ds go t "w hittled down" b y construction over-runs and other issue s. Th e City of Englewood stepped up and requested funds in o ur b u dget to cove r some of the lands ctiping ne e ds along the co rridor. Mr. Stitt noted th at all thre e ci ti es -En gl ewood, Sheridan , and Litt l eton -participated in the Tri-Citie s program; however, Sher idan has no money to pa y for land- scaping, and Littleton has taken ca re of the landscaping i n their secto r of the corridor. Ms. Lathram asked about landscaping along the east side of the rail tracks ; is there no wa y to get landscaping in this area . Mr. Stitt stated that staff has discussed landscaping of this area with the railroad personnel; the railroad personnel do not wa nt landscaping done that requires a lot of "i rri gation" which the y fear could lead to erosion of the berms and ba nk s. Mr. Stitt stated that at one time, there we re plans to built retainin g wa lls with "plan ting pockets"; ho wever, RTD decided against building the ret aining w alls , so natural v egetati o n is growing along the be rms and banks east of the tracks . Mr. Stitt stated that st aff had also discussed p lacement of so m e sod similar to buffalo grass on the berms ; however, the rail- roads did not want that ei ther. Ms. Reid pointed out that part of the U.S. 285 /South Santa Fe i nt e rsec ti o n is wi thin the City limits of Sheridan. 3 Mr. Willis stated that he really likes the landscaping that Littleton has done at Belleview and Santa Fe Drive. He also pointed out that some types of landscaping can be planted that does not require irrigation systems . Mr. Stitt noted that the sound wall on the west side of Santa Fe north of Dartmouth has some type of vine growing on it; this is attractive, but he didn 't know whether it would be acceptable along the east side of the tracks. Mr. Willis noted that there are trees that are quite narrow when mature; he asked about possible landscaping using this ty pe of tree . Ms . Reid discussed requirements of COOT re- garding landscaping in medians, and "cl earance zones". Mr. Stitt stated that COOT wi ll al- low trees if the y are within a planter, but the y must have something surrounding the tree if the y are placed along the right-of-way. The U.S. 285 /Santa Fe Intersection was further discussed . Ms. Lathram pointed out th at no one thinks about this intersection actually being in Sheridan ; everyo ne think s i t is an "Englewood intersection ". Mr. Stitt reiterated that the Tri-Cities Group made a commitment to do lan dscapi n g along the Santa Fe Drive corridor. He suggested that possibl y a revised lands cap ing plan could be explored, but in his opinion, the goal of landscaping along this co rrid or should be ca r- ried through . • Mr. Stitt stated that if the Commission members have projects the y feel are important, and • would like to have submitted for consideration in the CIP , please let the staff know and we will prepare the forms and put together cost estimates to submit the requests . Mr. Will is asked about bicy cle trails to link the City Center to the tr ail sy stem that seems to end at Kinko's. Mr. Stitt stat ed that th e ac tual route has not been determined, b ut this mis s- ing link will be included in the transportation action plan. Mr. Waggoner asked about the completion date for the Comprehensi v e Plan. Mr. Stitt stated that the Transportation Plan is projected to be done b y the encl of the y ear ; the downtown piece is yet to be done. The Broadway Action Plan, accomplished in 199 7 or 1998, covered the area from Yale to Eastman , Hampden to the south City limits. The Englewood Downtown Development Authority (EDDA ) was working o n a plan fo r th e downtown area , but it was , apparently, never completed. EDDA has since been abolished b y the City Council. There has not been any re v iew of the industrial corridors. The staff and ad hoc committees, chaired b y Planning Commission members, ha ve wo rked on re v i- sions to sections pertaining to Housing, Parks and Open Space , and Busines s and Empl o y- ment. Mr. Stitt stated that one issue , which was addressed, is "li v in g wage " -wha t income must a family have to be able to afford housing in Englewood. Mr. Willis discussed the n eed fo r a diverse eco nomic communitv in Englewood , and th e need to get some high-tech businesses to locate here . He also co mmented that the sub- 4 • • - • • • committee he had wo rked on seemed to have "fallen through the c racks". Mr. Stitt stated that this issue has been moved to the forefront, and will be more activel y addressed. Mr. Weber directed the focus back to the CIP, commenting that one area where the Com- prehensive Plan and the CIP fall short is failure to address improvement along the ri ver frontage . He noted that there is funding for "pocket parks ", but nothing to acquire frontage along the river. Mr. Weber stated that the river is a long-neglected amenity through Engle- wood, and should be specifically targeted for land acquisition and improvements. Mr. Stitt stated that the City will soon be signing a contract with Wenk and Clarion to con- duct a study along the river; the City does wa nt to recover and improve the river frontage . Mr. Stitt advised, in terms of the Comprehensive Plan implementation via the CIP process, that funds not be "throw n at a project unless you know wha t the parameters are." He ad- vocated breaking the funding into phases or steps -conduct a study, acquisition, and then development. Mr. Waggoner asked about the possibility of piggy backing on the urban drainage project along the river . Mr. Stitt agreed this might be a possibility; he noted that man y things are beginning to come together. Ms. Langon stated that "pocket parks " co uld be wherever the City found a site for sa l e th at lent itself to development as a "q uiet area", or a smal l pla y ground for n eighbo rhoo d ch il- dren. The development and maintenance of these pocket parks would impact the Parks & Recreation Department. She acknowledged that it ma y make more sense to reduce sug- gested funding for pocket parks, and increase funding for larger projects such as river front- age acquisition and improvement. Mr. Willis stated that pocket parks in a r eas that are lack- ing in open space amenities do make sense . Ms . Reid asked if the proposed fundin g for pocket parks is for acquisition of si tes , or maintenance. M r. Stitt suggest ed that the idea behind the pocket park issue was to iden tify areas that ar e lackin g in park and ope n space amenities, and to acquire small sites that might become avai lable to develop for open space purposes; he questioned that the $100,000 figure is realistic, however. Mr. Weber asked if the $100,000 is not spent for pocket parks , are those funds used fo r something else. Mr. Stitt stated that funds can be "ca nnibalized " and used for other pro- jects. Mr. Stitt stated that $500,000 would be sufficient fu ndin g to get a co uple of po cke t parks going, but at $100,000 per year, we won't get there. Ms. Lath ram asked how aggres- sive we have been to procure "pocke t parks". M r. Stitt stJted thJt there has been some "i nternal resistance " to the pocket park idea, and the project hasn 't been aggressively pur- sued . Mr. Waggoner noted that Baker Park in northwest Englewood began as a "pocket park " a number of yea rs ago . Mr. Stitt agreed; he did note, however, that man y times a pocket park c reation results in removal of a housing unit. Mr. Willis pointed out that the density of the residential population is increasing with the new development in CityCenter Englewood, and wi th the projected rede ve lopment of the General Iron Works site ; he suggested there is a need for more pocket pa rk s/open space . 5 - Ms. Lathram pointed out that purchasing a site for a pocket park, and removing a housing unit, takes that site off the tax rolls , and would reduce property tax revenue to the city. • Ms. Langon pointed out that the CIP is a "wish list" of projects, and projected funding; this does not mean that the funds have actually been allocated . Ms. Lathram inquired about parking in the area of the Oxford Light Rail Station . She also pointed out that there are no sidewalks in this immediate area. Mr. Stitt ag reed that there are no sidewalks , but that they are in the plan. He stated this issue has been discussed with Public Works Director Ken Ross. Rede v elopment of the Home Base /Office Depot sit e was discussed. Cart's Sporting Goods administrative headquarters will be moving into the Home Base building after it is reno- vated; there is no information available on reuse of the Office De po t building once the y have relocated to the City Center site. Mr. Willis asked about restaurants locating in th e CityCenter, or i n othe r redevel op ment areas. Mr. Stitt stated that there have been severa l good restaurants that have expressed initial i nterest, however, only International House of Pancakes and Qdoba have signed leases in CityCen ter . Miller-Weingarten, master developers of City Center, has been ac ti vel y recruiting restaurant businesses, but to this date only the two aforcited res taurants a re se- cured. Mr. Willis suggested something like the Rock Bottom Brewery would be a nice addi- tion to Englewood. Mr. Stitt stated that Bennigan 's Restaurant had been on the co ntact list; • however, the y had a bad last quarter in revenues , and have drawn back from opening ne w restaurants. The potential exists that Chili 's may be secured for CityCenter development. Ms. Reid com mented that a Transit Oriented Development (TOD ) is so new to this area man y businesses don 't want to get involved until the y know whe ther it is eco nomicall y vi- able. Mr. Willis stated that he felt the Kinko 's site wo uld be an excellent restaurant site . Mr. Stitt stated that the City did negotiate wi th a resta ur ant; howeve r, Kinko 's got their lease si gned wi th the property owner before the restaurant negotiations co uld be com- pleted. Mr. Waggoner inquired about the disposition of the former City Hall at 3400 South Elati Street. Mr. Stitt stated that an RFQ was sent to 210 development companies , and received four responses , but only three submitted proposals . One of the requirements contained in the RFQ was development of a "landmark building" that is pedestrian-oriented as part of the redevelopment effort. Two respondents propose development of commercial and of- fice buildings, and one respondent proposes development of a c ultural art center. Mr. Stitt stated that the big developers aren't interested in rede ve lopment of si te s; it's eas ier and more economical to deve lop "greenfields " than to rede ve lop a site. Mr. Stitt stated that the revie w of the RFQ process will begin next week, continue to June 26 l", and a developer recommended by the development review committee. Mr. Willis discussed the need to develop a good connection between Broadwa y and City- Center, and suggested that development of a theater might be a good choice. He stated that there are independent theater companies that might be interested in locating here. He 6 • .. -, • • • suggested that the City might get involved in redevelopment of the South Elati Street site ; in his opinion, the City has done a good job on CityCenter and there definitel y needs to be some good development to tie Broadway and CityCenter together. Mr. Willis also stated that the city needs to deal with parking issues; people are walking, riding bicy cles , in addi- tion to using motor vehicles, and trails for pedestrians and bicycl ists need to be reflected in our planning efforts. Mr. Stitt agreed, but pointed out that it is still difficult for developers to buy into the "pedes- trian-oriented" concept. Mr. Stitt stated that TOD has worked well in other localities, but the situations are a little different. Ms. Lathram asked about the shuttle service that the City was working on. Staff responded that work on the proposed shuttle service is on-going, and Mr. Stitt pointed out that shuttle service issues will be included in the transportation plan. Ms . Lathram recalled that the in - tent of the first phase was to provide linkage between Swedish Medical Center and Ci ty- Center, but a shuttle could also go up and down Broad way. Mr. Stitt stated that he be- lieves that routes have been identified, and the ne xt phase is getting fin ancing in p lace. Ms. Langon stated that staff can ask Ms. Dannemiller to provide an update on the proposal. Mr. Waggoner commented that a number of y ears ago , the City did ha ve J sh uttl e ser v ice; it was turned over to RTD to manage, and RTD discontinued the program . Mr. Waggoner asked about the putt-putt golf course that wa s to be developed b y the Englewood Golf Course. Mr. Stitt stated he did not know the status , but staff wo uld check into it. Mr. Waggoner asked why pa y ment of interest and bond principal is included in the CIP . Mr. Stitt pointed out that those items are included for payment from the Golf Enterprise Fund ; not from the Public Improvement Fund . Ms. Lathram asked when work would begin on expansion of the recrea ti on ce nter. Ms. Reid stated that this wi ll occur if the bond issue is approved in November. Attention of the Commission was again directed to the CIP program. Mr. Stitt sta te d that if the Commission believes the 11 projects staff has cited should be funded for th e y ears 2003 through 200 7, staff would like a motion or direction from the Commission . Mr. Weber noted that $200,000 per year for landscaping on Santa Fe corridor seems like a lot. Mr. Waggoner suggested that perhaps the funding co uld be used for "ci ty-wide land- scaping" rather than committed to just the Santa Fe Corridor. Discussion ensued . M r. Stitt stated that there is a landscaping plan in existence for the Santa Fe Corridor . Mr. Stitt dis- cussed the possibility of requesting a reallocation of the funds to fund a two-ye ar project, or do the break down process : the study in the first y ear, and acq ui si tion or implementation in future y ears . 7 Mr. Willis asked how a study would be done. Mr. Stitt stated that a study can be by City staff, or a consultant can be engaged . Bicycle routes, and the parks and open space plan Ms. Dannemiller is working on were again addressed briefly. Mr. Willis asked about redevelopment plans for the 3400 block of South Acoma, east side. He suggested that this site could be put to better use than a parking lot. Mr. Stitt stated that an RFQ was to be sent out on this property at the same time the RFQ was mailed for the Elati property. EDDA had been working on a proposal to acquire the property improve it as a parking lot, and deed it back to the City to maintain, but this proposal did not come to fruition . The City needs to determine the parking demands in the downtown area ; until we have a better understand on what the parking needs are, the City is reluctant to put the site out for redevelopment. It was noted that the businesses in the 3400 block of South Broadway have enjoyed 15 years of free parking. The ownership of this site was discussed. The City of Englewood owns approximatel y 50 feet of frontage along South Broadway; the Urban Renewal Authority owns 28 fe e t +i -o f frontage on Broadway, and all of the property fronting on South Acoma Street in the 3400 block. Ms. Reid noted that the EURA is still in a lawsuit regarding bond default, so the property cannot be sold. Discussion ensued. Mr. Stitt stated that one of the points of the EDDA proposal was to im- prove the alley side of the Broadwa y businesses , and provide two points of entrance to the businesses -from the parking lot, and from Broadway. Projected funding for CIP projects wa s again addressed . Ms. Lathram sta te d that she liked the idea of funding in phases -the study in y ear one, acq uisition, and impro ve ment or im- plementation in .subsequent y ears. More discussion ensued. Reallocation of funds from the Santa Fe landscaping proposal was discussed; Mr. Stitt stated that this funding is a commitment made by City Council. Waggoner moved: Lathram seconded: Funding for Pocket Parks be reduced to 525 ,0 00 in 2002; and in- creased to $250,000 for the yea rs 2003 , 2004, an d 2005. Brief discussion of the motion followed. AYES: A YS: ABSTAIN: ABSENT: Waggoner, Willis, Lathram , Mueller, Weber None one Stockwell, Rempel, Welker, Krieger The motion carried. • • A motion on recommending projects for funding in the forthcoming fi ve -y ear period was • discussed . 8 ' • • • Willis moved: Waggoner seconded: The vote was called: The following projects be funded for implementation and de- velopment in the years 2002 -2006. 1. Playground Renovations / Additions 2. Centennial Park Shore Stabilization 3. Parks Infrastructure Study 4. Architectural Services: Recreation Bond Projects 5 . Santa Fe Landscaping 6. South Broadway Action Plan Implementation 7. New Sidewalks 8 . Pocket Parks 9 . South Broadwa y Street Furniture 10. Girard Avenue Improvements 11. Entry Port Monumentation AYES: NAYS: Waggoner, Willis, Lathram , Mueller, Weber None ABSTAIN : None ABSENT : Rempel, Welker, Krieger, Stockwell The motion carried . Ms. Langon asked the Commission if it was of help to them to ha v e the proje c ts that ad- dress goals and objectives cited in the Comprehensive Plan pulled o ut in the matri x format as was done this evening. Commission members agreed that this is helpful to them . V. DIRECTOR'S CHOICE Ms. Langon stated that the next meeting of the Commission is scheduled for June 1 9 '"; however, she will be attending a conference in ew Mexico . There are no cases to be heard at this time . The first meeting in Jul y is on Jul y 3'd, the evening before the holiday . Again, there is noth- ing on the agenda at this time; what is the pleasure of the Commission regarding meeting on this d ate. 1\t\r. 'vVeber st at ed he wi ll be i n Alaska th at week; Ms . LJ.thrJ.m st3ted that sh e will be out of town. Other members of the Commission indicated the y would just as soon not meet that evening if possible. VI. A ITORNEY'S CHOICE Ms. Reid stated that two new employees have been hired in Community Development. Ms. Langon stated that one or both of these emplo y ees may be attending future Commi s- sion meetings . 9 VII COMMISSIONER'S CHOICE Ms. Lathram noted that her last name was misspelled in a memorandum staff prepar ed. Ms. Langon asked the Secretary to correct the spelling on the City Roster, where she got the spelling. Mr. Willis thanked the Commission members and staff for the floral arrangement sent to his wife and him following the birth of their son , Evan. Ms. M ueller asked about the Transportation Plan meetings; she stated that she understo od Comm issioners were to receive a listing of dates, times, and locations of these meetings. Mr. Stitt stated that all Commissioners should have received one copy in a recent packet, as well as a mailing to their home address. The first round of meetings is ove r; the seco n d round of meetings will begin in Jul y. He stated that he will make sure Commi ss i one r s re- ceive a c op y of the proposed meetings. Ms. Reid noted that a "Tent Talk " is scheduled for June 14th ; there w ill also be a cel ebrati o n acknowledging the "first birthday" of the Civic Center -the City relocated from 34 00 South Elati Street on June 9, 10, and 11 of 2000, and opened for business in the Civic Center o n June 12, 2000. • Mr. Stitt reminded Commission members of the Business App r eciation Breakfast to be held on June 7t h, 7 A.M., at Hudson Gardens on South Santa Fe Drive . All Commission m e m - bers we re invited to attend. • There was nothing f urther brought up for discussion . The meeting wa s decla r ed adj o urne d . • 10