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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01/23/2001 Special Council Meeting Minutes PLACE AND DATE Marana Town Hall, January 23, 2001 I. CALL TO ORDER By Mayor Sutton at 6:03 p.m. II. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE_ Led by Mayor Sutton III. iNVOCATION/MOMENT OF SILENCE A moment of silence was observed. IV. ROLL CALL COUNCIL Present Bobby Sutton, Jr. Mayor Council Member Present Ed Honea Council Member Present Herb Kai Ora Mae Ham Council Member Excused Roxanne Ziegler Council Member Present Jim Blake Council Member Present STAFF ~iichael Hein Town Manager Michael Reuwsaat Assistant Town Manager Dan Hochuli Town Attorney Jocelyn Entz Town Clerk Jim DeGrood Development Services Administrator The list of public attendees is attached. V. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Upon motion by Council Member Kal, seconded by Council Member Ziegler, the agenda was unanimously approved. VI. CALL TO THE PUBLIC/ANNOUNCEMENTS Pat Fahey, resident, spoke before the Council regarding his views regarding an impending commercial development on the corner of Silverbell and Wade Roads. He said that the owner, Leon Marx, was reportedly planning a Sonic drive-in, a storage facility and a car wash. Mr. Fahey said that he and other concerned residents of Continental Ranch felt that this type of commercial use was out of character for the neighborhood and was better suited for Cortaro or Ina Roads. Mayor Sutton said that he had heard of these plans but had not seen an application for the commercial development. He asked that staff contact Mr. Marx and obtain more of the facts in order to inform the Council better regarding this matter. Daniel Sullivan, resident, continued this discussion by stating that he had spoken to Mr. Marx and that the property owner had confirmed that a Sonic restaurant, a car wash and a storage facility were planned. Mr. Sullivan voiced his opposition to these plans and added that this type of hard commercial development was totally out of place in such an intensely residential area. Fie asked that the Council pay heed to their constituents and deny the application when received. Larry School, resident, commended the Council and Town staff for their dedication and commitment to resolving such controversial issues as sexually-oriented businesses, impact fees and the development of Continental Reserve. He also commented on his concerns with the pending commercial development of the corner of Silverbell and Wade Roads. Mayor Sutton asked the Town Attorney to be prepared to inform the Council of the Town rights when this subject is brought before Council. Mr. FIein commented said that he was unaware of these development plans until this meeting and that he would look into the matter and provide the Council with a status report. Larry Wilson, architect with Larry Wilson & Associates, spoke before the Council and reported that he was working with Leon Marx on this project. He said that he had met with the Planning and Zoning staff a number of times but that plans would not be submitted for at least another month. He added that nothing would be proposed that was not in keeping with the current zoning designations and that no variances would be sought for this development. 2 Mayor Sutton thanked Mr. Wilson for his attendance and information. The Mayor said that Marana had a history of resolving difficult situations to the satisfaction of most and he was confident that this issue would be handled in the same manner. VII. STAFF REPORTS There were no questions regarding the staff reports. VIII. GENERAL ORDER OF BUSINESS A. COUNCIL ACTION 1. Ordinance No. 2001.02: Transportation Impact Fee for Marana South Transportation Benefit Area (Jim DeGrood) Mr. Hein addressed the Council regarding this item and gave a brief synopsis of the ordinance before them. Pat Fahey, resident, expressed his support of the pending transportation impact fee. He believed that this was a positive and helpful trend for the community and would go a long way in easing the traffic congestion in this region. He applauded the Town staff for their hard work on this controversial issue and on the fee structuring. He added that everyone, including the developers, would win if the Council continued to make such smart decisions and building one of the best and most desirable communities in the Tucson metropolitan area. Daniel Sullivan, resident, supported Mr. Fahey's comments and added that the Town Council along with the staff had successfully met their commitment to the residents and development community regarding this impact fee issue. Mayor Sutton noted that tonight was a good moment in Marana's history as a fair and equitable solution to the transportation system's deficiencies was reached. He agreed with Messrs. Fahey and Sullivan that the benefits to all concerned would be realized in the premier community created by these tough decisions. Mike Lee, commercial business resident involved in the construction industry, remarked that he was very much in favor of this impact fee and would support the Town in their efforts to impose such a fee. He urged the Council to make sure that these funds were kept strictly for much needed transportation improvements. He also thanked the Council for the holiday banners and decorations. He stated that these displays showed a sense of community pride and made Marana standout to its visitors. Mayor Sutton thanked Mr. Lee for his community involvement and pointed out that Marana valued its good business partners. Council Member Kai reported that he and Council Member Blake had recently attended a lunch meeting with D.R. Horton and Associates and that concerns were voiced over impact fee costs being 1.5% or higher. He said that the builder was assured by the end of their meeting that these monies would be earmarked for transportation and parks improvements. Mr. Hein commented that Council Members Kal and Blake impressed upon the builder that the amount of investment the Town was undertaking would benefit the community more that one and a half times. He said that this investment created a higher quality of life for the region and that the builders would be able to sell their products much more easily. Council Member Ziegier thanked the residents and business representatives in attendance for their perseverance and patience with the Town during this process. Upon motion by Council Member Ziegler, seconded by Council Member Blake, Ordinance No. 2001.02 was unanimously adopted. IX. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS There were no items submitted for future agendas. At this time, the Mayor asked for comments from Jim DeGrood regarding the approval by the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) Board of the Twin Peaks Interchange for programming. Mr. DeGrood said that a release of funds had been authorized by the ADOT Board for 100% of the design of the interchange. He said that the Town staff would be the project managers and that an intergovernmental agreement stating these terms would be brought before the Council soon. He commented that this was a major milestone in the project's progress. Mayor Sutton commented that, with the approval of the impact fee and the increased sales tax, ADOT would be shown that Marana was raising the funding for it's fair share. 4 XI. ADJOURNMENT Upon motion by Council Member Blake, seconded by Council Member Honea, adjournment was unanimously approved. The time was 6:30 p.m. CERTIFICATION I hereby certify that the foregoing are the true and correct minutes of the Marana Town Council meeting held on January 23, 2001. I further certify that a quorum was present. J