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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01/09/2001 Special Council Meeting MinutesMINUTES OF SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING MARANA TOWN HALL JANUARY 9, 2001 PLACE AND DATE Coyote Trails Elementary School, 8000 N. Silverbell Road, January 9, 2001 I. II. III. IV. CALL TO ORDER By Mayor Sutton at 7:05 p.m. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Led by Mayor Sutton INVOCATION/MOMENT OF SILENCE A moment of silence was observed. ROLL CALL COUNCIL Bobby Sutton, Jr. Mayor Present Ed Honea Council Member Present Herb Kai Council Member Present Ora Mae Harn Council Member Present Roxanne Ziegler Council Member Present Jim Blake Council Member Present STAFF Michael Hein Town Manager Michael Reuwsaat Assistant Town Manager Dan Hochuli Town Attorney Jocelyn Entz Town Clerk Jim DeGrood Development Services Administrator Farhad Moghimi Public Works Director/Town Engineer Kevin Sweeney GIS Analyst Lynn Warde Documents Coordinator The list of additional staff and public attendees is attached. 1 MINUTES OF SPECIAL COUNCII: MEETING MARANA TOWN HALL JANUARY 9, 2001 V. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Upon motion by Council Member Harn, seconded by Council Member Ziegler, the agenda was unanimously approved. VI. ACCEPTANCE OF MINUTES Minutes of Regular Meeting -December 19, 2000 Upon motion by Council Member Ziegler, seconded by Council Member Honea, the minutes for December 19, 2000 were unanimously approved. VII. CALL TO THE PUBLIC/ANNOUNCEMENTS Council Member Harn announced that Karl Horvath, longtime resident and community volunteer, was in the hospital. It is unusual to attend any Town Council meeting without seeing Mr. Horvath in attendance. He is highly regarded by staff as well as the community and everyone was concerned. Council Member Harn promised to provide updates on his condition. Mayor Sutton asked for a show of hands from the audience as to who was attending this meeting to learn about the proposed impact fees. Numerous residents in the audience responded. The Mayor explained that these fees were planned for future residential development and would not be imposed on residents already owning homes. Mr. Hein agreed with the Mayor and added that the proposed impact fees paid for the improvements required for new housing starts. Mayor Sutton pointed out that there were no property taxes in Marana and that this fact added to the Towri s uniqueness. He said that the sales tax and steady, controlled growth provided the Town with the necessary operating funds. Mayor Sutton announced that the Tucson Open golf tournament would begin on Wednesday, January 10, 2001, at the Gallery Golf Course in Marana and would run through Friday. The tournament would be finishing at Tucson National. He encouraged everyone to attend. Mayor Sutton introduced Carol McGorray and Tim Escobedo to the audience. They are two of the four candidates running for Town Council in the upcoming Town election. He added that Council Member Kai would also be seeking another term on the Council. Patti Comerford, the fourth candidate, was not present at the meeting. .,.3TIII. STAFF REPORTS There were no questions regarding the staff reports. MINUTES OF SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING MARANA TOWN HALL JANUARY 9, 2001 IX. GENERAL ORDER OF BUSINESS A. CONSENT AGENDA 1. Resolution No. 2001-01: Consideration of recommendation to State Liquor Board for a No. 10 (beer and wine store) liquor license to Kenneth T. Dunlap on behalf of Marana Freeway Chevron, located at 13960 N. Sandario Road, Marana, Arizona (Jocelyn Entz) 2. Resolution No. 2001-03: Canyon Pass Phase IV at Dove Mountain: Request for approval of a 46-lot single family detached home subdivision final plat on 98.15 acres located east of Dove Mountain Boulevard approximately 2.5 miles north of Tangerine Road in a portion of Sections 24 and 19, Township 11 South, Range 12 East. Property Owner/Developer is Cottonwood Properties, Inc., 3567 E. Sunrise Drive, Suite 219, Tucson, Arizona 85718 (Joel Shapiro) 3. Resolution No. 2001-04: Final Plat for Heritage Highlands IV at Dove Mountain: Request for approval of a Final Plat consisting of 125 lots on approximately 37.53 acres within the Dove Mountain Specific Plan area. Identified as Assessor Parcel Numbers 218-40-003F, 218-40-003R, 318-40-0035, 218-40-003T, 218-40-003U, 218-40- 003H, 218-40-008J, 218-40-008K, 218-43-5240, 218-43-5280 and 218-43-5290 located in portions of Sections 24 and 25, Township 11 South, Range 12 East. The applicant is US Home Corporation, 5151 E. Broadway Boulevard, Suite 1100, Tucson, AZ 85711 (Joel Shapiro) 4. Reclassification: Recreation Assistant to Recreation Leader (Jane Howell) Upon motion by Council Member Harn, seconded by Council Member Blake, the consent agenda was unanimously approved. B. COUNCIL ACTION 1. Resolution No. 2001-06: Approving Assignment and Assumption of Lease of Real Property in Continental Ranch for a Community Park (Mike Reuwsaat) Mayor Sutton applauded the staff for their hard work and diligence and stated that the audience would be very pleased with the progressive approach planned for implementation in the parks system. Mr. Hein explained that staff had taken heed of the direction Council had given them in the late fall of 1999. He noted that, at that time, a conflict had existed for the Council 3 MINUTES OF SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING MARANA TOWN HALL JANUARY 9, 2001. between dealing with vested zoning, property rights, new growth and transportation accommodations and the parks and recreational needs of the community as well as the promotion of a higher quality of life for the Marana residents. He remarked that staff appreciated the Council's significant policy steps during the budget cycle for 2000-2001. He said that $9.75M had been allocated from the General Fund in order to focus on parks and recreation and transportation. He thanked the local residents who aided the Council and Town staff with this process. He stated that, after viewing the upcoming presentation and hearing of the innovations being taken relating to the park system within the Continental Ranch area, he hoped that staff, the Council and the community would have a similar appreciation for the innovative plans. The three main areas of focus for parks and recreation included neighborhood recreational alternatives, linear parks and trail systems for the residents, and regional park facilities for a broader area. He continued by saying that later in the meeting a summary would be given of the steps taken to implement the Council direction in transportation and afollow-up on the $6M of general fund money that was budgeted this year to use as leverage for infrastructure improvements. He added that there would be explanations given for how the staff planned to expand Cortaro, Ina, and Silverbell Roads and for the beginning of work on a new interchange. This interchange would facilitate a higher quality of life in a transportation network that would be separate and unequaled in neighboring jurisdictions in Southern Arizona. He commented that Resolution No. 2001-06 was the cornerstone and key step for the Council in renovating the Marana parks system and he asked for their approval. He said that this request was to assume a lease obligation between the homeowners association and the developer fora 16.5-acre tract of land, known as the community park, and that this land was approximately 40% developed. He said that the acceptance by Council of this assignment and assumption would enable the Town to dedicate public monies toward the design and construction. Upon motion by Council Member Blake, seconded by Council Member Honea, Resolution No. 2001-06 was unanimously approved. 2. Presentation on Future Park Sites in the Continental Ranch Area (Mike Reuwsaat) Mike Reuwsaat gave an in-depth presentation regarding the future park sites in the Continental Ranch area. He began by giving a quick overview of the existing park system and followed this with detailed information regarding the proposed expansion and re-development projects. He said that the highest priority was the Continental Ranch neighborhood park and added that this project was roughly 40% completed. He stated that this park would be a first class site with a host amenities including drinking fountains, a major playground complex, paved parking, security lighting, and shuffleboard. Before the meeting began, displays were setup throughout the room. Mr. Reuwsaat invited the public to remain after the meeting to view these renderings. 4 MINUTES OF SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING MARANA TOWN HALL JANUARY, 9, 2001 Next, Mr. Reuwsaat discussed the Santa Cruz River Trail that begins at the Cortaro Road Bridge and ends at the second drainage channel north of Twin Peaks Boulevard. He pointed out that this trail would eventually stretch the entire length of Marana along one or both banks of the Santa Cruz River. He named several of its features such as a walking pedestrian trail from the bank down into the riverbed and an equestrian trail. He emphasized the significance of this trail system and added that the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail was one of 16 recognized desert trails in the country. He reported that staff is working with Pima County to obtain one of six staging areas for the de Anza Trail. This staging area is known as Los Morteros and is located at the far end of Coachline and Silverbell. He added that the Santa Cruz River Trail would provide an important community linkage from the Continental Ranch Area through old Marana and eventually link with the CAP Canal Trail that will link Dove Mountain also. Thirdly, Mr. Reuwsaat talked about the 48.8-acre regional park site located along the Santa Cruz River bordered by Silverbell Road on the west and Cortaro Road on the north. He noted that this park site was gifted to the Town of Marana in two parcels. Firstly, 24.5 acres was donated by Shetland Properties Co., LLC, represented by Doug Kennedy. Secondly, Ranch Holdings, LLC, represented by Greg Wexler, donated approximately 23.5 acres. He thanked both gentlemen. He said that this park was a phase project and that the Town had invested roughly $4-5M from the general fund as well as a $500,000 contribution from Pima County. He pointed out that this would be developed as a phased project due to various issues. He reported that there was a stone foundation hand-hewn from a farm site in the 1930s located at this site and that there were plans to somehow incorporate this into the park. There is an Indian pit house there that archeologists are looking into in order to determine how it can be integrated into the park as well. He said that staff was looking into the possibility of a regional library location here with Pima County. In conclusion, Mr. Reuwsaat spoke about the lack of open space in the Continental area and that staff was developing designs fora 10-acre open space area. This neighborhood park will have benches and tables and will also be the site of intensive field play with additional ball fields and lights for night games. At this time, Mr. Reuwsaat recognized Supervisor Sharon Bronson, Chair of the Pima County Board of Supervisors. Chair Bronson stated she represented the Continental Ranch area and that Pima County had a very real desire to have a library located out in that area. She said that she agreed that there was a need and that funds had been located and earmarked for that purpose. She said that after the archeological issues had been addressed that she would commit for the County to work with the Town to get the library here. She commented that she had recently had a conversation with Council Member Kai as to the importance of libraries in this technological age. She stated that, in fact, libraries are used even more today and are transforming themselves to meet the 5 MINUTES OF SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING MARANA TOWN HALL JANUARY 9, 2001 `°'"" technological challenges of its users. She emphasized that Pima County was committed to this project and had $500,000 in a bond package for the park site. She continued by saying that Pima County would work with Marana on bank protection even though there were limited flood control monies. She said that working together the two entities would find some way to accomplish the bank protection in conjunction with the private sector. She re-stated her commitment for the park site and the regional library. In closing, Mr. Reuwsaat asked that the residents take a questionnaire as they left the meeting. He said that the Town had prepared this questionnaire and that it related to the types of services they wanted at the library. Chair Bronson joined in and reemphasized that it was very important to let the Town Council know what kinds of services they needed in the library. Mayor Sutton said that when all of these projects were completed within the next five years that Marana would have one of the most continuous park systems in the County. He said that it would be one of the best maintained and possibly one of the best parks systems in the United States. He remarked that this would factor into the property values and make it better for the residents when selling their homes. He went on to say that this was part of the quality of life that the Council had committed to bringing to the Town and its residents. He invited the public to contact him anytime as he had an open door policy and was available to them with any questions. 3. Presentation of progress on transportation improvements - future plans in Continental Ranch (Jim DeGrood/Farhad Moghimi) Mr. Hein explained that the next portion of the meeting's presentations would be basically walking the public through what the Town has accomplished to date regarding transportation improvements. He said that they would also learn how the staff planned to implement the Council's policy goals as far as ensuring new development paying for itself while the community meets its obligations by raising the standard of living through some of the other measures. Farhad Moghimi gave an in-depth review of the transportion improvements projects for the Continental Ranch area. Completed projects included a pedestrian crossing at Silverbell and Wade Roads and the signalization of the intersection at Coachline Boulevard and Silverbell Road. He said that, in response to the great concern from the public regarding the transportation issues for the area, the Town had taken an aggressive approach to solving these problems. He continued to list the many roadway improvements being implemented such as spot improvements on Cortaro Road, widening of the Cortaro Road Westbound Off ramp from I-10, and a continuous turn bay improvement East of I-10 on Cortaro Farms Road between Cerius Stravenue and Hartman Lane. Some of the projects will be joint project with the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT). In conclusion, Mr. Moghimi stated that, all in all, the staff's 6 MINUTES OF SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING MARANA TOWN HALL 3ANUARY 9, 2001 '°""" objective was to make the necessary transportation improvements that met the residents needs. Jim DeGrood began the second portion of this presentation. He reiterated that there were three main areas of importance to the residents that the Town had taken away from a series of transportation meetings that had been held in October 1999. Those points were: 1. Investigate ways to improve the quality of the Continental Ranch transportation system by adding interim projects and to investigate more extensive projects for this area in the future. 2. Accelerate the projects that were already begun. 3. Ensure that new development pays its fair share for the transportation improvements that the area requires. He continued by listing some of the interim projects on which substantial work had been completed. These included the Cortaro Farms Road railroad crossing projects. He relayed that the aggregate cost to the community for all of the interim projects was in excess of $1.5M. He added that the Town had also made significant commitments to other more extensive projects such as the major expansion of the Silverbell Road Project and Ina Road improvement projects. He invited the audience to take the time to look at the presentation materials on display that showed the major transportation improvements in progress as well as those planned for the future. He said that the Town had been working with the Pima Association of Governments (PAG) on identifying projects that could be worked on cooperatively. Through the CIP program and with PAG's assistance, the Ina Road project had been added as a new project on the schedule of transportation improvements for the region. He said that the important project for the Continental Ranch area was the Twin Peaks/Linda Vista interchange and that he was pleased to announce that the priority planning committee at ADOT was recommending that this project go before the State Transportation Board for funding of the design elements. He said that a decision by ADOT would be made within several weeks. Mr. DeGrood continued by explaining that, through an update to the Marana Master Transportation Plan by Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB), Curtis Lueck and Associates had performed an analysis on the transportation financing needs of the Town. There were two funding component recommendations made. One was to impose an impact fee on new development and the other recommendation was to consider raising the construction sales tax. He explained that this tax was basically 3% on new housing and that two-thirds of that money was committed to the Towri s transportation fund. He said that one of the next items on tonight's agenda proposed to raise this tax by 1 % and ~- commit three- quarters of that money to the transportation fund. He summarized that this would bring the construction sales tax to 4% and would add a 50% increase to the amount of money going into the fund. He emphasized that it needed to be ensured that MINUTES OF SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING MARANA TOWN HALL JANUARY 9, 2001 ~`~ new development would not be responsible for paying for improvements to existing deficiencies or that they would not be paying a disproportionate share of the funding. He went on to show comparisons with other neighboring jurisdictions' fees. Mr. Hein said that the key point to consider was that the $6M Marana had previously obligated to transportation improvements had been leveraged to $40M in regional funding through PAG to work on Silverbell, Cortaro and Ina Roads projects. These major projects were budgeted in the PAG 5-year transportation plan. He remarked that far exceeded his expectations of where the Town was over a year ago. He said that the determinations of the Lueck & Associates study of the Linda Vista interchange was directly attributable to new development and that was also the source of the impact fee formula. He said that the Town would continue to be aggressive in its approach to address the transportation network to distinguish Marana from neighboring communities. Council Member Ziegler asked for a timeline on the Silverbell, Cortaro to Ina Roads improvement project. Mr. DeGrood replied that the Town would like to initiate that project upon completion of the Cortaro Road project. He said that there were federal permits to obtain for the Silverbell Road project as well as the regional park site. He said that the goal was to start construction in 2002 and that 50 % of the plans were M completed. Council Member Ziegler asked about the fair share contributions from the new development planned for Silverbell and Ina Roads. Mr. DeGrood answered that a draft development agreement was in the process of negotiation at this time. Council Member Ziegler inquired if the Town of Marana would completely take over the intersection of Silverbell and Ina even though some of that area was not within the Marana boundaries. Mr. DeGrood replied that the Town was presently working with ADOT on an intergovernmental agreement and that, eventually, the Town would take over the design of that intersection. He added that the staff wanted to ensure its design consistency with the rest of the area. Mayor Sutton asked Mr. DeGrood to clarify that the agreement with the Kennedy group was not only for intersection improvements but also involved impact fees. Mr. DeGrood said yes and added that the Kennedy parcel had dedicated, at no cost to the Town, substantial rights-of-way for the widening projects. There were no further questions regarding this item. Mayor Sutton stressed the importance to the Council that the residents were to feel clear about the Towri s intentions and again invited residents to ask staff any questions. 8 MINUTES OF SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING MARANA TOWN HALL JANUARY 9, 2001 4. Public Hearing for Transportation Impact Fee for Marana South Transportation Benefit Area (Jim DeGrood) NO ACTION MAY BE TAKEN ON THIS ITEM AT TONIGHT'S MEETING Mr. Hein said that Mr. DeGrood would give a review of the statutory requirements for this item after the Council went into public hearing. A motion to go into public hearing was made by Council Member Blake and seconded by Council Member Harn. The motion was passed unanimously. Mr. DeGrood restated that Curt Lueck & Associates had performed a technical analysis for the Town analyzing the Twin Peaks interchange with the purpose of constructing a development impact fee ordinance. He said that this study determined that if this roadway were in existence today that it would convey more traffic than would Cortaro Road under similar circumstances. He said that the benefits of this interchange would be felt as far south as Orange Grove Road. He said that impact associated with new development will effectively justify half of the cost of the new interchange. He said that 5400 new dwelling units were anticipated for this area and that the Town would also seek additional funding sources to cover 50% the $29M expected cost of the interchange. Regional funding was expected to cover the balance of the construction cost. In addition to the new development benefiting from this improvement, Mr. DeGrood commented that the benefits to the region would be substantial as well as create a greater degree of flexibility to the residents within the area. He gave an overview of the legal requirements of the impact fee process. Alan Lurie, Executive Vice President of the Southern Arizona Homebuilders Association (SAHBA), spoke before the Council about his concerns with the proposed impact fees. He agreed that the Town needed transportation infrastructure improvements and that SAHBA always wanted to pay its fair share. He said that Curt Lueck had addressed SAHBA recently and his concern was that the Town of Marana was not participating at the same level that the building and development community was participating. He continued by reviewing the monetary increase to the price of homes according to his information. He stated that SAHBA would like to see a larger contribution made by Marana. Mayor Sutton said that the Town had 14 days before the Council could even consider an ordinance and that it was important to note that the Town had always had a good working relationship with SAHBA. He said that the impact fee costs were passed on to the consumer and not paid by the developer. Mr. Hein agreed with the Mayor that a continued working relationship with SAHBA was important. He said that the total number shown during the presentation was the 9 MINUTES OF SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING MARANA TOWN HALL JANUARY 9, 2001 " total aggregate with the new fees. He said that the $41M worth of improvements was to assist not only the existing 4500 homes but the future 5400 homes. He added that the impact fee was only attributed for half of the value of the Linda Vista interchange, not the full project. He said that the full project cost would be about $57M. The impact fee would only raise approximately $14M, much less than the total project and half of the interchange value. He said that the staff felt that the community was contributing far more than their fair share when you look at the greater scheme of the project. He said that the Town was very cognizant of not upsetting the homebuilding industry and that it was a partnership for both entities. David Parker, Planning & Zoning Committee, said that the 5-year plan was very important and that he was very encouraged to see the Town moving forward with resolving its transportation issues. He said that ADOT recognized the challenge and added that railroad crossings take time. Lou Turner spoke about his concerns with the impact fee proposal and the indirect costs involved. Upon motion by Council Member Blake, seconded by Council Member Honea, approval to come out of public hearing was unanimous. There was no further discussion regarding this item. 5. Ordinance No. 2001.01, amending Sections 8-416 and 8-417 of the Marana Tax Code to increase the sales tax rate on construction activities from three percent (3%) to four percent (4%), and Resolution No. 2001-08, designating that certain tax receipts be used solely for transportation capital improvements, and providing for a separate account for such funds (Jim DeGrood) Mr. Hein gave a brief history of this item. Upon motion by Council Member Ziegler, seconded by Council Member Blake, Ordinance No. 2001.01 and Resolution No. 2001-08 were unanimously approved. C. Mayor and Council's Report Council Member Ziegler pointed out that the Town Manager and Assistant Town Manager were powerful assets to Marana and asked that the public support them. D. Manager's Report There were no reports at this time. X. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS io MINUTES OF SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING MARANA TOWN HALL JANUARY 9, 2001 There were no items submitted for future agendas. XI. ADJOURNMENT Upon motion by Council Member Blake, seconded by Council Member Honea, adjournment was unanimously approved. The time was 8:31 p.m. CERTIFICATION I hereby certify that the foregoing are the true and correct minutes of the Marana Town Council meeting held on January 9, 2001. I further certify that a quorum was present. - ~~~~r~r~rrr~yi celyn C. ntz, Town Clerk ,~~,~~~~ on ~~i~ ~OoR~r~ ... '~ SEAL ~ .~ j ,9~~uuau~~~`~~` ~~ 's~~~ ~ Ili-~ ~~`` ~1