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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/26/2004 Study Session MinutesMINUTES OF STUDY SESSION MARANA TO'4~'N HALL, (JCTOBER 2b, 20U4 PLACE AND DATE Marana Town Hall, October 26, 2004 I. CALL TO ORDER By Vice Mayor Kai at 5:30 p.m. All Council Members were present and seated on the dais except for Mayor Sutton who was excused. A. COUNCIL ACTION 1. Presentation: Gladden Farms II Preliminary Concept (Forest City/Dean Wingert) Mr. Reuwsaat introduced the item before the Council. He noted that the project had been very successful in its first phase and that a representative of Forest City, Dean Wingert, would be making the presentation. Mr. Wingert outlined the Gladden Farms II Preliminary Concept. He explained that the property, formerly known as the Pacheco property, was a square mile between Moore Road southerly down to the Tangerine Road alignment. He noted that many meetings with Town staff and consultants, the Marana Unified School District (MUSD), and with Pima County had already taken place regarding the needed public facilities and the planned extension of Tangerine Farms Road from the Tangerine/ I-10 Interchange going westerly across the property and eventually across the Gladden Farms community. He said that the conceptual plan presented to the Council at this meeting was still in process and would need adjustments but that the intent was to be absolutely in conformance with the Northwest Marana Area Plan regarding land uses. He stated that he had taken the Towri s comments to heart in terms of the transportation network and that there would be public facilities in the community as well. He remarked that the water department had indicated the need for an additional well and surface tank for storage capacity. He related that the basic concept of the plan was to continue the Gladden Farms community theme. He said that the same standards for roadway development, landscaping and the use of major green belt paseos and pathways tying in with the Santa Cruz River Park would be utilized in order to make an interconnection between the two properties rather than create two stand apart communities. He pointed out that the plan showed commercial parcels in the northeast portion near the interstate frontage road in conformance with the NW Marana Area Plan and adjacent commercial property to the south on Tangerine Farms Road. MINUTES OF STUDY SESSLCIN ' MARANA TO'~VN HALL ~~ ~ OCTOBER 2b, 2004 He said that he saw the position of that property as being key to the Tangerine Farms Road extension being implemented and that they would theoretically be giving approximately 30 acres of land for right-of-way to the Town for the roadway extension. He added that Forest City would be cooperating with Town efforts to form an improvement district to fund the development of the roadway from the Interstate to Moore Road. He said that, per the Towri s desire for continuous recreational areas throughout the community, they would be proposing a Homeowners Association (HOA)- controlled activity center to include indoor use as well as outdoor green space with perhaps a community swimming pool. He stated that this private recreational facility would be owned and operated by the HOA and not be any burden on the Town. He explained that, in terms of their full cooperation with the Cortaro-Marana Irrigation District (CMID) regarding the two well sites and several interconnecting canals on the property, they would plan around those facilities and any adjustments, alignments or abandonment of the canals would only be with full CMID and Town approval. He said that Forest City was moving forward with the acquisition of this property and intended to file a rezoning case by virtue of a specific plan document within the next few months. He commented that the specific plan would address all of the issues just mentioned in much greater detail. He brought up the fact that the Gladden Farms community had a good initial reception from the public and that the builders were pleased and encouraged at the nature of the sales and in the range of pricing that has been evidenced already at Gladden Farms. He noted that not just entry level first-time home buyers were purchasing residences within Gladden Farms but that a good cross-section of buyers was established in the first phase. He said that they expected this spectrum to expand even further as the community matured and that they intended for the concept to follow on with the adjacent section of land to the east. He introduced several members of the project team who were in the audience. These members included Linda Morales from The Planning Center who would be handling the rezoning process as well as the specific plan preparation and O.K. Rihl, Director of New Development for Forest City. He concluded by saying that they would all be happy to answer any questions that the Council might have at this time. Vice Mayor Kai asked if there would be walkways or paths for the residents of Gladden Farms II to go westbound into the Heritage Park. 2 11~INUTES OF STUD' SESSION ` MARANA'TOWN AAL~, {)C`TQBFR 2fi, 2114 Mr. Wingert replied that the residents could go directly westbound from the community and that there would be connections into Gladden Farms along their mile-long shared boundary line. He said that this included both vehicular and pedestrian/bicyclists connections so that it would not be necessary to travel to Tangerine Farms Road. Council Member Honea asked if the connections would also be transportation roadways that would connect internally. Mr. Wingert answered yes. He noted that one of the infrastructure features the Town requested, a feature that they themselves had come to consider as a true benefit to the Gladden Farms community, was that every parcel had a roadway and sidewalk connection with the adjacent parcel so that it was not necessary to go out onto the main streets to get from one neighborhood to the next. He pointed out that this feature was a benefit to families with kids and that it cut distances and reduced traffic out on the major roadways. He said that the effect was of seamlessly traveling from one neighborhood to the next without going through any major transition. He explained that they were looking at utilizing the same feature between the farm property and Gladden Farms, where there would be adjacent neighborhoods on the common boundary, interconnected by roadways, sidewalks and paseo connections as well as the major connections between the two properties, Tangerine Farms Road on the south and Moore Road a mile to the north. Council Member Honea commented that he had asked the question because of the large number of residents in the two communities at build out and that it would be a benefit if children and families could walk or drive back and forth in the community without having to get onto Moore or Tangerine Roads. Mr. Wingert agreed. Mr. Reuwsaat pointed out that this connectivity would play into the safety factor as both Gladden Farms I and II residents were utilizing the joint-use recreation center. Council Member Honea asked if there would be one or two Homeowners Associations. 3 MINUTES OR STUD' SESSION i!'IARAN:~'Tfl~~N ~~ALL ACT©BER 26, 20U4 Mr. Wingert replied that it was too early to be absolutely certain but that the intent at this time was to have one overall association. Council Member Blake commented that each builder would have their own sub-associations for their specific projects. Mr. Wingert said that at this point with Gladden Farms there had not been any need for sub-associations and that all of the facilities, all of the subdivision parks, and all of the smaller recreational areas, were open to the entire community under one association. Council Member Comerford asked for the final number of homes at build out in Gladden Farms I and how many in Gladden Farms II. Mr. Wingert said there would be approximately 1,800 homes in Gladden Farms I and approximately 1,500 in Gladden Farms II. Council Member Comerford commented on the HOA situation in Continental Ranch. She said that with 4,000 homeowners it was an administrative nightmare. She continued by asking about the planned amenities for Gladden Farms I and if there was a school located there. He said yes and that some of the amenities were already in place. He said that there was a school planned and that several meetings with MUSD had indicated they would be looking for one elementary school site in the second phase as well which would be dedicated to MUSD at no cost. He said that they would also be looking forward, a little more in the future once the purchase of the property was concluded, to applying to the Town for the formation of a community facility district on the farm property as they did with Gladden Farms I. He noted that they wanted to see consistency between the two projects and the two developments and have the district, whether an expansion of the existing district or an entirely separate district, bring the two properties on par with each other. Vice Mayor Kai asked what was foreseen for the three designated commercial areas. 4 M1NUT~SOF 5TUDl' SESSIQN - MAR AN.A 'I`t~~VN HA~.L ~CTfi~~iER z~, 2004 Mr. Wingert replied that Forest City had already seen grocery, restaurant, and small shop interest. He said that he thought the Tangerine Farms Road extension was going to be the key to that development. He stated that the Town had resisted commercial zoning along Moore Road and that Tangerine Farms Road would be vital to any of the commercial development taking shape. He noted that there had been a very clear indication from shopping center developers that a grocery store was being considered and could be the anchor store in an overall neighborhood scale center with restaurants and small shops. He speculated on the development on the northeast portion of the property by saying that the general guess was that the development would be more oriented to the heavier traffic and visibility from I-10. He said that he thought the long term connectivity of Clark Farms Blvd was important to the area as the roadway was planned to interconnect to Tangerine and I-10 as well as run north and west and eventually become an east-west street through the heart of Vanderbilt Farms/Clark Farms. Mr. Reuwsaat commented that the Town also had interest from car dealerships and said that this interest would firm up when the rooftops were in place. He said that there has been interest in putting in a grocery store at the Marana exit where the cotton gin facility was currently located. He added that there was interest in both sides of the Marana interchange. Council Member Honea asked if any senior restricted projects had been considered. Mr. Wingert replied no. Council Member Honea said that Sunflower, Heritage Highlands, and Dove Mountain were the Towri s big senior projects and that that they were in the last phases currently. He said that he thought there was a need for a project like that in this area. Mr. Wingert said that he did not think there was any potential for a golf course oriented adult community but something that's heavily weighted toward other amenities like Sunflower, close to facilities like golf or medical facilities, was something his company would certainly consider. 5 MINUTES OF STUllI' SESSIQN - MAR~,N.A' TQ~?t'N N~ALL ()CTt~~RR 2~, 2004 Council Member Escobedo commented that the concept was good and that he liked the location of the multi-family area. He asked for Forest City's basic area concept of the multi-family, apartments, and condos. Mr. Wingert answered that a factor in the whole equation was the location of the Pima County Sanitary Landfill to the south of the property on its eastern half across the wide right-of-way for Tangerine Farms Road. He said that Forest City had met at length with Pima County and communicated with the Town about that facility. He said that the Tangerine Farms Road extension would have to consider the landfill and access into it. He said that his company was attempting to find compatible land uses with the part of the property that would be the closest to the County facility. He reported that they owned a commercial corner down towards the extreme southeast part of the property and then amulti-family piece. He said those were the two areas closest to the landfill. He remarked that he thought the concept with the multi-family designation would be rental product, low-rise, and with considerable amenities for its residents. He said that, as the area matured, there would be more of a market for a quality rental product. Council Member Escobedo said that there were much potential for that area depending on what Pima County decided to do with the landfill. Mr. Reuwsaat said that ongoing discussions with Pima County were leaning toward finding another site for the landfill and close down the current site as soon as possible. Council Member Escobedo asked if the idea for this project was to have higher densities in the south and lessen the densities as it moved north. Mr. Wingert replied that they had conceptually thought of looking for parts of the property that would have the most amenities, such as along the frontage on a paseo, and look to those for the lower density, higher price point parcels rather than simply being north to south or east to west. He said this would spread the mix throughout the community. Mr. Reuwsaat said that one of the concepts being discussed with the Forest City staff was to wrap some of the multi-family areas around the commercial areas particularly if it was retail. 6 -MINUTES OF STUDY SEBSION NTARANA~ TO~~'N MALL. tICT{~~ER 26, 2004 Council Member Honea stated that this would that be similar to Continental Ranch with the two apartment complexes on Cortaro Farms Road between Silverbell Road and the Santa Cruz River bridge. He said these multi-family units were conveniently located near the grocery stores and other businesses all in the same region. Council Member Blake mentioned that he agreed with his colleagues' comments about exercising caution when dealing with HOA organizations. He said that his HOA in Continental Ranch had been a nightmare especially at the point of developer turnover to the homeowners. He said that the residents thought things would get better but that the situation had become even stricter and presented a considerable problem for the homeowners. He said that he did not think this type of situation would improve with sub-associations in different development areas but that it was something to consider. He suggested that, if Forest City were considering one master association, to set up the HOA as a corporation with no homeowner control. Council Member Comerford, also a Continental Ranch resident, said that the HOA was a management nightmare for the developer as well as the residents. She said it was difficult to be consistent with so many homes. The Council member continued by asking about the acreage at The Springs apartment complex. Mr. Wexler of Continental Ranch Development, L.L.C. replied that the smaller unit was approximately 200 units on about 10 acres and the larger project was 298 units on approximately 15 acres with the density a little less than 18 units per acre. Council Member Comerford commented that Forest City's proposed concept were considerably larger than The Springs. She mentioned that the proposed sizes were 27 and 31 acres. Council Member Honea asked about the phasing of the project. 7 MINUTES OF STUDIO' SESSXON MARANA TOIVN HALL oc~roB~u ~~, 200 Mr. Wingert replied that the intent would be to move through a land use approval rezoning process in the coming year then go through all of the platting and design issues process. He said he expected the development to initiate in late 2006 or 2007 at the earliest and that it would be the best of both worlds if that fit well with the timing of the Tangerine Farms Road Improvement District project. Council Member Honea commented that the Tangerine Farms Loop Road was going to become an absolute necessity far before this project was built out because Moore Road was not going to handle the traffic generated by the inhabitants of a few thousand houses. He pointed out that the road was a chip seal road and that it didri t even have the base for high traffic levels. He voiced his concern about creating another traffic catastrophe similar to Cortaro Farms Road. He said that, even in order to improve Moore Road, Tangerine Farms Loop Road had to go in first so that there was some way for the traffic to get through the developed area. Mr. Reuwsaat said that Forest City had acquired this property and from an improvement district standpoint was in a good position with more than 50 % of the property ownership. He added that this allowed them to move much more rapidly in forming the improvement district. He related that Mr. DeGrood had met with Mr. Palkowitsch who owns the remaining property on both sides of the project and that discussions were also taking place regarding an interest in Granite Construction working with the Town. Council Member Honea said he believed it had been discussed on the original project that the loop road would be completed to Tangerine Road prior to Phase II. Mr. Wingert concluded his presentation by thanking the Council for their time. He pointed out that this project was a work in progress and that it was fairly early in the phasing. He offered to return before Council when a more informative update could be provided and certainly prior to presenting the rezoning case. Council Member Escobedo inquired about the health condition of Mike Etter, an employee with Forest City. 8 ~ZINUTES OT STUDY SESSION MARANA TO«'N FALL C)C"'TOBER 2b, 2004 Mr. Wingert said that Mr. Etter, who was extremely involved with the Gladden Farms community, had brain surgery on October 18~ and was home by Thursday night. He said he was recovering very well and that he either had visited or spoken with Mr. Etter daily. Mr. Wingert added that Mr. Etter was well enough today to be making phone calls and answering email and that he was eager to get back to the job. 2. Presentation: Vanderbilt Farms Final Block Plat (Jaret Barr) Mr. Reuwsaat presented this item before Council and gave a brief progress report on the project. He said that the item would be brought back for Council consideration at the November 3rd meeting. He said that what was proposed today was so broad that it would be presented as a specific plan or a set policy for special planning areas such as Town Center and the employment center. He continued by leading a general discussion about the block plat and its intended uses. Council member Comerford and Honea questioned the suitability and functionality of round abouts being implemented in northwest Marana. Farm Field Five is platted for R-6 The general consensus was that the project was moving along as expected and that there were some questions on Blocks 7 and 8 for the developer. 3. Update: Municipal Complex (D.L. Withers/Marc Thompson) Marc Thompson, D.L. Withers Project Manager, addressed the Council about the Municipal Complex progress. He reported that Buildings B and C would be ready in early January after undergoing systems testing in December. He said that even though furnishings and phone systems would be installed in mid-December, they wanted to take about 30 days to make sure everything was in order before moving in the 911 dispatch. He reported that there was power to the two buildings which allowed testing of the breakers and sub-panels and that framing on the outside of Building A had begun as well as completing the roof. He said that the two month process of placing the stone on the feature wall facing Main Street was underway as well as stucco and framing work inside. He predicted that the work would be complete by Founders' Day. 9 MINUTES OF STUDX .SESSION I1'IARANA TD~'V~ HALL ClCTOBER 26, ?004 Mr. Thompson spoke briefly about Civic Center Drive and Main Street and said that after adjusting several manholes in the roadways that other roadwork could begin. He noted receipt of the final design for the widening of the ramp over the Barnett canal which would have to be pre-cast. He said that this was a four to six weeks wait to get the piece that would form the actual bridge. He mentioned that he was looking forward paving the roads and nearing completion of the roadway projects so work could begin on the lighting and landscaping projects. He predicted that to be completed in late February or early March 2005. He reported on the Grier Road sewer project and said that the CMID canal was being replaced due to severe leaking. He warned the Town staff that the roadway had been made one-way and that angry calls to Town Hall might be forthcoming. He added that crews were working diligently on this project and even continuing work until long after midnight in some instances. He continued by explaining efforts to control the Grier Road storm drainage and on efforts to alleviate flooding by directing the floodwater into the Cortaro-Marana Irrigation District (CMID) canal. He said that this project would be hard on the residents because Grier Road would remain aone-way street until December 15~ when the CMID canal work is completed. Mr. Thompson said that there would be a break for the residents over the holidays with the resumption of roadwork in January after the New Year. He remarked that it would probably take until mid-April to complete the entire project because the main water line was being replaced as well as the remaining residential hookups to the sewer line. Mr. Reuwsaat pointed out the significant differences with the neighborhood in that there would be sidewalks on both sides of the road plus street lighting plus the roadway's re-plaining to divert the storm water drainage. He said that the northwest area needed a master drainage plan to address the storm water issue. Council Member Honea asked if the road would be lowered somewhat so that it would contain a certain amount of the storm water drainage. Morris Reyna, Marana Construction Manager, said that the section of Grier Road between Lon Adams and Sandario Road was lowered from the pre- existing settling drain as well as the salvage being slowed to the south to the crown of the roadway. He pointed out that the average lowering from the original design was three-tenths of a foot throughout most of the process with the west end even deeper. 10 1~1l~UTES Ok BTIIDY SESSION MARANA TORN HALF; OCgTO~ER 2b, 2004 Mr. Reyna stated that the road would actually be able to hold more capacity as there would be catch basins under the road which would drain both sides. He said another plus was that the unattractive concrete ditch on the south side of Grier would be gone. Vice Mayor Kai asked if the CMID ditch on Sandario would be lowered also so that there would not be a pronounced hump in the roadway. Mr. Reyna replied that Sandario Road would be lowered where Grier crossed and that there would be a low point in Grier on the east side where the last catch basins were located. He said that there would be a certain amount of water in a peak storm event that would be held back before it would go over the top of Sandario. He explained that the idea was to allow those flows once they reached certain levels to go over the top of the road and flow freely down the remainder of Grier Road. Mr. Thompson began speaking about the Municipal Complex and said that everything would be ready for the Founders' Day ceremonies and groundbreaking but that the large move in of employees would occur after the celebrations. 4. Presentation: Draft security and access policy for Municipal Complex (Tony Casella) Mr. Casella addressed the Council about the security and access policy for the Municipal Complex. He said that for the last six months a security committee has been discussing the current draft of .the policy. He highlighted the policy and said that it ensured that the IT department would program and maintain the security system in the complex including he card readers, the cameras, and the proximity cards. He explained that the complex would have security cameras throughout with 13 to start, with an approximate 20-30 in the future. He said that the cameras would record upon motion on a digital video recorder (DVR) with a capacity of 15 days f or retrieval purposes. He added that Marana Police Department felt that this was adequate. He went over some of the complex's design features such as the information desk in the lobby of Building A. He said that hiring a security officer for that work station was being considered so that someone would be present to maintain and monitor doors open, alarms false, and any issues related to the door during the day. He said that after 11:00 p.m., the police dispatch in Building B would take over that responsibility although it was not their main function. He explained that they would be able to view the buildings on one of the plasma TVs. 11 MINUT,LS OF~TUAY S~:SSION MARANA TOWN HALL OCTC~~ER 26, 2004 - Mr. Casella said that the employees would have access to their own work floors seven days a week as they currently did and the rules might become stricter as issues warranted. He said that the issue of employees being able to freely roam between first floor and second floor during the working hours had not been addressed as yet. Mr. Reuwsaat commented that he did not think it was an imposition to be buzzed into an area where an employee did not work. Ms. Bronson asked if the front doors to the lobby and the doors to the Council Chambers would be accessible through a prox card or a key. She said that they should be because of the expensive equipment housed in those areas. Mr. Casella answered that he did not think there was a lock on the Chamber door. Council Member Escobedo inquired about access for the Council members into the Town administration areas. Mr. Casella replied that the idea was for everyone to have access to the administration areas. The IT Director said that each department would have access to its own area and that the security committee recommended a check in process for visitors. He said that the process involved signing in and receiving a visitors badge after presenting a driver's license at the front desk. He said that the rules needed to be applied fairly across the board to everyone. A general discussion followed and focused on the various methods that could be used when checking in visitors to the complex and on the areas of access into the new buildings. It was decided that a committee would be formed after the initial move into the new complex and modifications, if necessary, would be made in the security regulations at that time. Mr. Thompson added that there would be conference rooms accessible from the outside of the building but closed off from the rest of the building without a card reader. He said that there would also be documentation from the camera and card readers of who is coming and going into the complex buildings. 12 MINUTES OF STUDY SESSION MARANA ;T{J~3'N HALE OCTOB~~2 ZtS 2004 _ Mr. Bronson noted that there would be signs posted throughout the complex that a security check in was required in the main lobby. 5. Presentation: Draft covered parking policy for Municipal Complex (Mike Reuwsaat/Jocelyn Bronson) Mr. Reuwsaat said that 76 total covered parking spots had to be purchased to cover the cost of the project. He noted that seven or possibly eight spaces would be available for the Council members during the Council meetings and three reserved spaces open throughout the week. He remarked that it was recommended that all staff members pay for the covered spots. A general discussion followed about the number of employees willing to pay for reserved covered parking, when the expense of building the covered parking would be paid off, the location of dedicated Council parking as well as the general covered parking area, and how it would be decided who gets a reserved spot. A brief discussion took place regarding janitorial services for the new complex. It was reported that ongoing negotiations with the current cleaning service were taking place. The Town Manager said he would keep the Council apprised of all negotiating points including those related to building security and cleaning times for sensitive areas such as the police department. Mr. Reuwsaat said that a consultant, Vern Swaback of Swaback and Associates, was scheduled to meet with the Town staff to discuss the Town Center planning options. He related that he would like to set up a two-day trip on December 3rd and 4~ to the Phoenix area to have the Council members see firsthand some of the master planned communities incorporating town center themes. He asked that on Wednesday, November 3rd, the Payson & Vanderbilt projects be put on the agenda with the study session beginning at 5:30 p.m. He explained that any items finalized during study sessions would be brought back before the Council at the next regularly scheduled meeting. He also said that he would like department heads to give a five-minute video overview of their departments. It was decided that these overviews would be given during a study session. 13 MINUTES OF STUDY SL+'SS10N MARANA TOWN HALL OL"l'OBER 26; 20U4 XI. ADJOURNMENT Upon motion by Council Member McGorray, seconded by Council Member Escobedo, unanimous approval of adjournment was given. The time was 7:30 p.m. CERTIFICATION I hereby certify that the foregoing are the true and correct minutes of the study session held on October 26, 2004. I further certify that a quorum was present. J elyn Bro on, Town Clerk .~~~'~a~QF#~%~ ', 1 i ~~ 14 MARANA TOWN COUNCIL MEETING Public Attendees DATE: Name S. Address