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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08/23/2005 Study Session Minutes MINUTES OF MARANA STUDY SESSION MARANA MUNICIPAL COMPLEX AUGUST 23, 2005 PLACE AND DATE Marana Municipal Complex, August 23, 2005 A. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL Called to order by Mayor Honea at 7:00 p.m. COUNCIL Ed Honea Herb Kai Bob Allen Jim Blake Patti Comerford Tim Escobedo Carol McGorray Mayor Vice Mayor Council Member Council Member Council Member Council Member Council Member Present Present Present Present Present Present Present STAFF Mike Reuwsaat Gilbert Davidson Jim DeGrood Frank Cassidy Jocelyn Bronson Town Manager Assistant Town Manager Assistant Town Manager Town Attorney Town Clerk Present Present Present Present Present B. PRESENTATIONS 1. Presentation: Relating to the Thornydale Road Improvement Project and the Thornydale Business Assistance Program (Jim DeGrood) Kevin Thornton, Manager, Engineering Division, addressed the Council and gave a brief overview of the Thornydale Project, which extends from Orange Grove Road to the CDO Wash. There will only be striping north of the CDO Wash. The proposed improvements include three lanes in each direction, with a landscaped median and drainage improvements. There will be new signals at Orange Grove, Costco, and Horizon Hills to match the new improvements. The plans are complete. Through the end of this year, staffwill finish right-of-way acquisition and utility relocation. Bids will be advertised in October 2005, with construction following the holiday season. The construction should be completed in November 2006. Jim DeGrood, Assistant Town Manager, addressed the Council and spoke on the impact to the businesses on Thornydale Road. Staff deliberately held back the beginning of the project until after the holiday season. Additionally, staff is looking at a number of methods to accelerate the project, including 'a plus b bidding' and night work in portions of the project where not in residential neighborhoods. Principally, the business assistance program will be consulting services. Mr. DeGrood suggested assistance with inventory control, credit and debt restructuring assistance so businesses can 1 MINUTES OF MARANA STUDY SESSION MARANA MUNICIPAL COMPLEX AUGUST 23, 2005 proactively take steps prior to construction occurring, as well as advertising and promotional elements within the assistance program. Mr. DeGrood clarified that there will not be any kind of cash compensation available for lost business. The Town will offer business effective services to help weather the project more easily than they might otherwise. The goal is to retain as many of the businesses that are along the road project as possible. Vice Mayor Kai encouraged staff to have a good plan in place when the bid contracts are released, including specific completion dates and penalties if the dates are not met, and even rewards if the contractor completes the work in a timely manner. Mr. DeGrood answered that staff is looking at performance incentives as well as liquidated damages in the event that the contractor fails to complete the project on time. Mayor Honea asked about ingress and egress during construction. Mr. DeGrood answered that during daylight hours there will be two lanes open in each travel direction, except during specific staff-authorized periods. Turning would be allowed into all of the commercial driveways. Staff may have to temporarily restrict some commercial driveway entrances, but at this point is not looking at eliminating any of them. Upon motion by Council Member McGorray, seconded by Council Member Blake, staff was unanimously directed to advertise for the statement of qualifications on the Thomydale Business Assistance Program. 2. Presentation: Relating to the Land Development Code Title 05.10.08-.12 Zoning; and Title 8.06 Residential Design (Barbara Berlin) Barbara Berlin, Planning Director, addressed the Council and said that at last year's staff/Council retreat, the Council directed staff that this was a priority item. In March 2005, Vem Swaback had outlined the purpose of the project. The ultimate intent of the residential design standards is to foster a look of community rather than a look of production. She said that parks and open space are addressed, with the focus more on pocket parks within the framework of neighborhoods. Multi-use trails had been addressed in the existing standards. Entry landscaping is an option, though there were standards within the code. One of the proposed changes is to allow for a central landscaped median, as well as to require a separate curb-way between sidewalk and curb. The biggest proposed changes are to require the landscaped curb-way in the plat process as well as to restrict the number of percentage location of the garage-dominant house and encourage greater variety in the street scene. The previous Monday, staffhad met with SAHBA to present the draft ordinance. There were three outstanding issues. The first is the definition of what constitutes four sided architecture. It had been considered to be restrictive; the issue was with multi-story housing in any location, and single story iflocated on a comer or if the rear is visible from the arterial or collector roads. The second issue is whether the models approved for the plats under construction could continue in plats that have not yet applied for models. Ms. Berlin used Gladden Farms as an example. The third remaining issue is when the proposed ordinance will take effect. Ms. Berlin said the proposed standard will allow any plat currently in review to continue; however, they would have a 2 MINUTES OF MARANA STUDY SESSION MARANA MUNICIPAL COMPLEX AUGUST 23, 2005 year from the date of adoption of the ordinance to go to final plat approval. Second, she said that any project that does not yet have a model approved would have to comply with these standards. Ms. Berlin responded to questions and stated that there were 17 preliminary plats and ten final plats in process. Discussion was held regarding the ordinance's effective date. Ms. Berlin clarified that any plat not already submitted for review would have to comply with the standards as of the ordinance's adoption date. Mike Reuwsaat, Town Manager, clarified that plats are one timetable, while models are a second timetable. He explained that the plats currently in review would have a year to complete the final plat before having to go back and comply with the ordinance. The concern is over the models. Currently the ordinance says that once adopted, if the model is not currently under review they would have to adhere to the new standards. He further explained that any plats currently under review would have 90 days to get their models through. Further discussion was held regarding the ordinance's effective date, and Council Member Comerford commended Ms. Berlin on the project. Mayor Honea asked for clarification regarding line 501, where it stated that the porch should appear to be raised. Ms. Berlin responded that it is an error that is being corrected, and read the corrected version. A raised porch raises questions about compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Ms. Berlin stated that the next step would be an advertised public hearing and consideration at that time. Council Member Escobedo moved that staff allow for 90 days. Motion died for a lack of second. Council Member Comerford asked for clarification regarding the effective date. Frank Cassidy, Town Attorney, stated that as written it will come into effect six months after the adoption date. He stated that, if he understood the Council correctly, they wished the ordinance to come into effect within 30 days, but that with respect to subdivisions that are in the pipeline, all of the standards would not go into effect until 90 days after the effective date. Mr. Reuwsaat asked the Council if they were fine with the new definition of four sided architecture. He said that the third alternative takes care of the second one, as it relates to the phasing of projects (the multi-phase issue), because the Council was talking about 90 days for all of the plats that were in. Mayor Honea directed staff to make the corrections as quickly as possible, get it posted as quickly as possible for the public hearing, and bring it back before the Council. There were no objections from the Council Members. C. ADJOURNMENT Upon motion by Council Member Escobedo, seconded by Council Member McGorray, the Council voted unanimously to adjourn. The time was 7:42 p.m. CERTIFICATION 3 MINUTES OF MARANA STUDY SESSION MARANA MUNICIPAL COMPLEX AUGUST 23, 2005 I hereby certify that the foregoing are the true and correct minutes of the Marana Town Council study session held on August 23,2005. I further certify that a quorum was present. """\'''''''''' ~ OF~~ ~ ~~\\""''',,~ ~ S ~~ ~. ;ii! S 12/CORPORATE ~ _ _ OCC> .. ~~J ~,j~ 4