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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Minutes - City Council - Meeting Date: 2/16/2016 City of Glendale 5850 West Glendale Avenue Glendale, AZ 85301 r17611 1," 10 4 Meeting Minutes - Final Tuesday, February 16, 2016 1:30 PM Regular Workshop Council Chambers City Council Workshop Mayor Jerry Weiers Vice Mayor lan Hugh Councilmember Jamie Aldama Councilmember Samuel Chavira Councilmember Ray Malnar Councilmember Lauren Tolmachoff Councilmember Bart Turner City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes-Final February 16,2016 CALL TO ORDER Present 7- Mayor Jerry Weiers, Vice Mayor Ian Hugh, Councilmember Jamie Aldama, Councilmember Samuel Chavira, Councilmember Ray Malnar, Councilmember Lauren Tolmachoff, and Councilmember Bart Turner Also present were Kevin Phelps, City Manager; Michael Bailey, City Attorney; and Darcie McCracken, Deputy City Clerk. WORKSHOP SESSION 1. 16-039 GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT GPA16-01 - ENVISION GLENDALE 2040 Staff Contact and Presenter: Jon M. Froke, AICP, Planning Director Guest Presenter: Celeste Werner, AICP, Vice President, Matrix Design Group Guest Presenter: Rick Rust, AICP, Vice President, Matrix Design Group Mr. Froke said this item is a General Plan Update for Envision Glendale 2040. He introduced Celeste Werner, Vice President, Matrix Design Group, and Rick Rusk, Vice President, Matrix Design Group. He also thanked the General Plan Steering Committee for all their help. He explained that the General Plan is a land use and policy guide to assist staff and Council in development and redevelopment of the city. The current General Plan is known as Glendale 2025, adopted by voters in 2002. The General Plan is required by state law and it serves as the official policy statement of the city to guide the public and private development of the community. It also guides new development and redevelopment initiatives. The plan must be updated every 10 years and many cities have completed their General Plan updates or are in the process of doing so. Mr. Froke provided a copy of a land use map that has been updated for the Envision Glendale 2040 plan. Ms. Werner said the General Plan is the basis of all the other planning tools and activities within the community. She said the planning hierarchy includes looking at all items across the board and makes sure the plan is fiscally sound, general in nature and it is long range. Mr. Froke said staff is currently updating the General Plan and the update will reflect current conditions such as the development of employment and transportation corridors of Loop 101, Loop 303 and Northern Parkway. The general plan will recognize existing plans and the Sports & Entertainment District, and it will further Glendale's partnership with Luke Air Force Base. Mr. Froke explained work on the update began in 2013, and with assistance from the Council appointed Steering Committee and the city's consultant, Matrix Design Group. The General Plan requires voter approval and approval from the Planning Commission and the City Council. The Primary Election will be held August 30, 2016. Ms. Werner said both components are very important to the community. She spoke about looking at the type of land uses for undeveloped land and noted the land use plan City of Glendale Page 1 Printed on 3/17/2016 City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes-Final February 16,2016 will be helpful in the western part of the city. She said the General Plan comprises the incorporated and unincorporated areas of the city. The policy documents will guide infill development and preservation of the quality of life of existing neighborhoods. Ms. Werner discussed some changes to the policy document to bring the city's plan up to date. For the land use plan, they focused on the infill area, downtown, and the western side of the city. Six themes were created for the land use, which include growth and development, community preservation and revitalization, economic viability, connectivity, public facilities and sustainability. She said military and aviation was added as an element to focus on the City's airport and Luke Air Force Base. The other elements that were added were neighborhood preservation and energy. Additional elements that were added include urban design, historic preservation, fiscal and economic development. The General Plan was also restructured and is based on goals and policies. They did not change the overall General Plan currently in place, but did make it more user-friendly and created a more modern looking format. Ms. Werner said two new land use categories were added, which included downtown mixed use and regional mixed use. The regional mixed use category will focus on the Loop 303 area. She said they do not recommend residential development in the regional mixed use areas. Ms. Werner spoke about how long this process took and the various steps that were taken throughout the process to draft the updated General Plan. She explained additional public outreach and workshops are scheduled for the community. As part of the Envision Glendale 2040, the General Plan Steering Committee was formed. So far, the steering committee has assisted staff and built capacity for support of this planning endeavor. The committee has met 11 times since 2014 and their input has been invaluable. Mr. Froke said this year the steering committee will continue to work closely with staff and the planning consultant. The remaining schedule includes meetings of the Planning Commission, a Planning Commission public hearing, a City Council voting meeting and the Primary Election August 30th-ballot. Councilmember Turner asked if the Council will receive the draft due to the quick turnaround times for the public meetings. Mr. Froke said Council would receive those documents. Councilmember Tolmachoff asked if the public review period ended at the Planning Commission meeting. Mr. Froke said they are in the mandated 60 day review period, which ends April 9th. He said they are taking any sort of comments from the public right now. They are getting the word out, but haven't gotten many comments so far. Councilmember Tolmachoff said there will be an opportunity for people to speak at the April 23rd and April 25th meetings. Mr. Froke said that is correct. Councilmember Malnar asked how constituents can get more involved in this process. Mr. Froke explained how the public can contact the city regarding this plan update. City of Glendale Page 2 Printed on 3/17/2016 City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes-Final February 16,2016 Councilmember Malnar asked if there was sufficient detail on the plan information provided to the public so the public can see what plans the city has for a specific part of the city. Mr. Froke said there is a map which can be magnified and other exhibits available on the 60 day draft on the website. Councilmember Tolmachoff asked if any changes to the 2025 plan automatically roll into the Envision Glendale 2040 plan unless they are taken out. Mr. Froke said that is correct. Councilmember Turner expressed his concerns about the western part of Glendale. He asked if it is through this process that they can produce the revenues to sustain that new development. He wanted to make sure the development in that area contributes financially. Mr. Froke said that is correct. The proposed land uses in the area of Loop 303 are meant to protect Luke Air Force Base and not compromise it. Councilmember Turner wanted to make sure the mix of land uses in the Loop 303 area are financially sustainable. Mr. Froke said that is the goal. Councilmember Chavira asked about the existing infrastructure that is out in the Loop 303 area. Mr. Froke said the city does not provide water and sewer services west of 115th Avenue. The infrastructure provisions from 115th Avenue to Perryville will be provided by numerous private utility companies. The infrastructure west of Luke Air Force Base is in good shape. He said they work closely with applicants to ensure there is adequate service in all parts of the city. Councilmember Turner said they still have a commitment to residents in the western part of Glendale and he is concerned in case some of these private utility providers go out of business. Mr. Froke said his concerns are duly noted. Councilmember Chavira asked about the stipulations for infrastructure and bandwidth. Mr. Froke said staff looks at all aspects of utilities and said the maps provided during this presentation do not reflect all of the work that has been done. He said they look at police and fire services, water and sewer and all other services provided to residents, and this is all part of the review for any future annexation in this area. Mr. Froke said this is an update to council and they will try and wrap this up in the next few months. 2. 16-027 CENTERLINE DEVELOPMENT TOOLS Staff Contact and Presenter: Jon M. Froke, AICP, Planning Director Staff Contact and Presenter: Jean Moreno, Economic Development City of Glendale Page 3 Printed on 3/17/2016 City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes-Final February 16,2016 Officer Mr. Froke said this item will provide information on Centerline development tools. He said they will discuss some existing tools and proposed tools they would like direction on. He explained this Centerline overview is a continuation of the revitalization efforts in the 1990's. In 2007-2008, the title Centerline was coined and it coincided with the Council goal of a vibrant city center. Mr. Froke provided a map showing the Centerline overlay district which was adopted by Council in 2011. Four character areas were identified as party of this overlay district. Since 2011, 14 property owners have taken advantage of the overlay district. The overlay district allows staff and property owners to come up with specific design standards for certain properties with a simplified process. In a recent upgrade, a property owner was able to get all land uses and a site plan approved within weeks. This supports redevelopment and development opportunities in this area. Mr. Froke said the city also has a visual improvement program that provides a grant program with a 50% match for exterior improvements. This program is funded through CDBG money, and about$200,000 has been awarded since 2011. Ms. Moreno explained there are two programs, GOOD and the overlay program. She explained the infill incentive district. This program allows the city to create an infill incentive district as long as 3 out of 6 criteria are met as required by statute. Staff believes they qualify for the infill incentive district due to the redevelopment issues as provided in the criteria. Creating an infill incentive district allows incentives which include expedited reviews, fee waivers and relief from development standards. This will help expedite development and attract new development in the downtown area. Councilmember Turner asked if they were talking about the downtown area or Centerline. Ms. Moreno said it was Centerline. If Council adopts an infill incentive district, the City would be required to prepare and adopt an infill incentive plan. Council can choose what types of incentives and create a plan that works for this community. When adopting the infill incentive district, alignment with the General Plan and other plans is necessary. The upcoming General Plan update includes an infill incentive district portion. The infill incentive plan would include a purpose, boundaries, goals and objectives, identify incentives offered by the city and can also include information about qualifying project criteria as well as ineligible projects. The benefits of an infill incentive district include establishment of an incentive policy, creation of an attraction tool, targeting specific development types and no budget allocation. Considerations include no increase of fees to pay for the program and departments may not fully recover the cost of providing plan review and permitting services. Ms. Moreno said staff recommends moving forward with the development of a draft infill incentive district and the subsequent adoption of an infill development district, Councilmember Tolmachoff asked how it was determined that a project was ineligible, and if it was based on what CDBG would allow. Ms. Moreno said the goal is to create a plan that can be administered through the City Manager. She said this plan would be completely separate from the VIP program. She said communities differ in how their infill incentive plan is administered. The Economic Development Department wants to create programs that make it easy for people to develop in this community. Councilmember Aldama asked if business owners in the Centerline District are aware of City of Glendale Page 4 Printed on 3/17/2016 City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes-Final February 16,2016 the VIP program. Ms. Moreno said the VIP program is open to any business or tenants in the Centerline District with the permission of business owners. She said staff have sought out participants in this plan. The plan has not been funded for the last 2 fiscal years, although there was money left over which has been allocated for projects currently in progress. If they receive CDBG money for FY17, the plan is to develop more comprehensive marketing materials and blanket the community. She said the challenge with the VIP program is that it is a 50/50 match program. She explained the infill incentive district would be a benefit because the city would waive the community development fees and it allows business owners to move their project forward. Councilmember Aldama thanked staff for expediting planning and zoning cases that come through the city. He said the city does need an incentive plan that allows the departments to move much more quickly and new developers are looking for incentives. Councilmember Turner liked the idea of encouraging business to come to Glendale. He asked if Council needed to set a budget for this program. Ms. Moreno said the goal was to go after those projects that wouldn't otherwise come to Glendale without some sort of an incentive. She said staff would carefully monitor that program to determine what fees were being waived and if it was getting out of scale with what projects were coming to the city. She explained the plan can always be amended if problems arise. Staff recommended carefully monitoring the plan and providing an annual report to Council on the plan's progress. Councilmember Chavira spoke about a new business, the Desert Rose, which was able to expedite the process and open their doors. Ms. Moreno said the Desert Rose project is one of the reasons they are here today talking about the infill incentive program. She explained one of things staff looks at is how the project pencils out and what they bring to the community. She said some of the smaller projects might not bring as much and this program would assist those smaller businesses and development projects that are critical to Centerline. Mr. Froke said the Desert Rose project was approved administratively and the talented staff got creative on plan review and other parts of the project to make it successful. Councilmember Chavira said this tool that makes a great team effort. He said this tool will become a template for the future. Councilmember Aldama added Jennifer Campbell's name to list of those who assisted to make the Desert Rose project successful. He said every Councilmember has the obligation to make the districts better. He said this infill program will bring more storefronts and businesses to the Centerline area. He liked the idea of starting with a 5 year plan. Councilmember Malnar said he was in favor of this type of development. He asked about additional funding within the departments to support this program. • Ms. Moreno said there were no immediate needs for this program at this time. If increased staffing became necessary, the City Manager and budget staff would work to City of Glendale Page 5 Printed on 3/17/2016 City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes-Final February 16,2016 identify those needs. She said she didn't think this program would be the sole cause of having to add staff. Ms. Moreno said staff is looking for consensus to move forward to create a draft infill incentive plan. Mayor Weiers said there was consensus. Mr. Phelps said the Centerline planning document was a great start, but they are seeing a gap in why development is not coming to the Centerline area. He said if they want to see a more accelerated pace of development, work needs to be done to get a strong assessment as to why development is not occurring in this area. He spoke about learning more about retail traffic downtown and getting more jobs in the area to support those local businesses. He said they will show what the return on investment will be to any incentives offered to developers. Councilmember Aldama asked about extension of premises for businesses and asked if businesses could do more business outside to attract customers. He would like to see some of those improvements done on a long term basis. Mayor Weiers asked if staff had what they needed. Ms. Moreno said yes. Mr. Froke said the next item was the Centerline Event Fee Waiver program. Staff would like direction on encouraging community ownership in Centerline/downtown events and allowing the community to define events that will be beneficial. He said it will also enable implementation of smaller-scale events and has the potential to increase the number of events held. This also has the potential to increase visibility and pedestrian activity and eliminates city fees as a barrier to entry and participation. Ms. Moreno said this came about from merchants in the community and the proposal includes eligibility for this program only for events in Centerline and they must be sponsored by the business or property owner. The event must be free to the public and there will be no use of Glendale markings or logos. The event must align with Council's objective to improve business and citizen attraction to the downtown core and Centerline. She said the community development fee waiver includes the application, plan review and permits. The benefits of this program address a community need and makes small-scale/small-budget events feasible, The program addresses the Council priority to attract citizens to the downtown/Centerline area and there is no budget allocation for this program. Some considerations include the City has no control over event quality, regardless of whether fees are waived or not, and street closure requests must be carefully evaluated and monitored. Upon Council approval, staff will establish administrative criteria, guidelines and process and adopt necessary amendments to the Glendale City Code. Councilmember Aldama was glad staff was encouraging the community to participate in these events. He encouraged staff to help businesses and groups be successful in planning and holding events. He asked if an event was being sponsored by a Councilmember or the Mayor,would it be appropriate to use the City logo. Ms. Moreno said if the City participates as a sponsor of the event, the use of city logos City of Glendale Page 6 Printed on 3/17/2016 City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes-Final February 16,2016 would be appropriate. She said staff continues to work with stakeholders and event producers to share best practices that would help their event. Councilmember Aldama said a misconception is that business is done the same on private property as it is on public property. He asked staff to address this in a welcoming way to encourage events within the city. Councilmember Tolmachoff said since the City would have no control over event quality, staff should be careful to make sure events are done tastefully and create good feedback for the City, and when non-City sponsored events don't go well, it still reflects back on the City. Ms. Moreno agreed and said staff will do everything they can to ensure positive events for the City. Councilmember Tolmachoff suggested requiring some sort of a bond even if it is a private event. Ms. Moreno said staff has discussed the use of a license agreement when the event is to be held on public property that would allow a bond and/or insurance. Councilmember Turner asked why this program was limited strictly to the Centerline area. Ms. Moreno said the purpose and goal of this program is specifically to address Council's goal of driving additional events and foot traffic to Centerline. She recommended leaving this program only in Centerline, because it allows them to focus on the Centerline area. She said this area does not have a funding mechanism to support events and they would like to see business owners taking ownership to support these events. She said if Council desired to waive fees citywide, staff can provide analysis of what the impact would be. Councilmember Turner said everyone has an affection for the Centerline and downtown area. He said other areas that came to mind was Camelback Ranch and other business corners or Bell Road corridor. He would like to see some focus on other areas of the city. Ms. Moreno said Camelback Ranch is not within the boundaries of the City of Glendale, so staff has no authority to waive those fees. She said they can look at information and see what the impact would be holding those events in other areas. Councilmember Turner said he would like to check into events in the rest of the city as well. Ms. Moreno asked for consensus to move forward for development of a fee waiver program for just the Centerline and is there consensus to move forward with examining a fee waiver program citywide. Mayor Weiers said there was consensus for both. Mr. Froke said the next item was discussion of the parklet program. He said staff receives comments from the development community that the sidewalks in parts of downtown are too narrow. He said a parklet program is potential conversion of on street City of Glendale Page 7 Printed on 3/17/2016 City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes-Final February 16,2016 parking to some other use, potentially a wider sidewalk, open spaces or gathering spaces, or outdoor dining. This would encourage pedestrian traffic as a means to support local businesses, and it includes public spaces, art and a variety of uses and styles for the space. Ms. Moreno said they want to create a space that encourages walkability where people enjoy coming and staying. These spaces could be permanent public art spaces or permanent café seating. These spaces are unique and allow business owners to be creative. These spaces can be temporary or permanent. She said there are safety issues and design standards to consider. She said some benefits of parklets include model programs already exist, creation of extension of space for businesses, developing a unique character for the area and encouraging a transition to a pedestrian environment. Some considerations include an undetermined community interest and parklets will require intensive regulation on construction and design, license agreements, insurance and risk mitigation. The first stage of this project would focus on the downtown area and not the entire Centerline region. The next steps include business outreach to determine interest for this program as well as a comprehensive,,analysis of best practice programs, impacts, resources needed and budget implications. Mayor Weiers said there were 3 or 4 business in the downtown area that would benefit from getting rid of the parking spaces near their businesses. Many restaurants in this area would benefit from some outside dining. He would like to pursue this idea. Ms. Moreno said staff would study the issue of outside dining, and the impact to overall downtown parking. Councilmember Tolmachoff asked if a consideration of areas disrupted by the light rail would be included in staff studies. Ms. Moreno said that would be taken into consideration. They would be working closely with the Transportation Department on this issue. She said the city would still retain the right of way. Councilmember Tolmachoff was concerned about the construction footprint of the light rail,as well. Councilmember Aldama asked why the city isn't encouraging small events held on city corners, such as small bands or puppeteers, every weekend. He said they need to bring more entertainment to downtown. Ms. Moreno said the focus is not for the city to take on the responsibility of programming additional events in downtown but is trying to make changes so those events happen in partnership with the community. She explained that community development is not solely the city, it also includes businesses and the surrounding communities. She wanted businesses to take ownership of their community to benefit their businesses. They are looking for opportunities to create the avenue for the business community to have ownership of the area. Councilmember Turner said he liked the portable seating space when the weather is so nice, but is flexible enough to be removed when the weather gets too hot or cold. Mayor Weiers said there was consensus to move forward on this program. City of Glendale Page 8 Printed on 3/17/2016 City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes-Final February 16,2016 3. 16-053 CITY CLERK EXECUTIVE SEARCH Staff Contact: Jim Brown, Director, Human Resources and Risk Management Mr. Brown said the purpose of this presentation is for discussion of the selection of the search firm for selection of the City Clerk. He said Council can consider using a search firm, but the Human Resources is capable of conducting the search, as well. Council will work with the recruiter on developing the candidate profile and an advertising campaign and recruitment brochure will be created. After the recruitment, successful candidates will be interviewed and evaluated. Once a candidate is selected, negotiations would occur and a final offer would be made. Depending on the firm selected and process implemented, in general, a recruitment make take 70 to 120 days. He said the current City Clerk will be in the office through the end of June and staff would do their best to have a candidate selected at least by the end of May or beginning of June. Mr. Brown asked some outside firms the same questions previously asked by Council during prior recruitments. He said the three firms that conduct local government candidate searches were Mercer, Waters & Company and CPS. All these firms have a diversity process in place and do place diverse candidates. Mr. Brown explained how many candidates come from advertising or from an established pool. He provided a comparison chart of the three recruitment firms showing their years of experience and whether they have a representative locally within the state of Arizona. The cost for these firms range from $23,500 to$24,500. Mr. Brown said the City's Human Resources Department is also equipped to handle this process. HR's process would be similar and would include profile development, creation of a recruitment brochure and advertising campaign which would include strategy to include minority candidates, candidate screening, interviews and evaluation, referencing of top candidates, recommendations to Council, final interviews and background checks and negotiation. He said the cost for this would be about $2,000 plus candidate expenses. Mr. Brown said he did not anticipate candidate expenses higher than $5,000 for travel or other expenses. Vice Mayor Hugh said he would like to use the HR Department for the search for City Clerk. Mayor Weiers asked if Mr. Brown was comfortable they could handle such a search. Mr. Brown said they would use the same techniques and same processes that an outside firm would use. He said if Council chose to use HR for the recruitment, staff could get started right away. He said if Council is not satisfied with the candidate pool, they could go outside and use a firm to complete the selection and hiring process. Councilmember Turner asked. if HR was capable of providing the same services as a hiring firm. Mr. Brown said they do those now and would vet candidates and check references. Councilmember Turner asked if consideration was given that a firm may have an internal pool of candidates that HR might now have. City of Glendale Page 9 Printed on 3/17/2016 City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes-Final February 16,2016 Mr. Brown said that would be a big difference in bringing in an outside firm to handle the recruitment. He said even though the city does not have an internal pool, they would send their brochures and communications to cities across Arizona and California, to draw in interested candidates. He said the HR department would have as much success as an external firm would have. Councilmember Turner asked about the expense for printing brochures. Mr. Brown said there are some cases where the brochures would be printed and direct mailed to potential candidates. He said they would also reach out electronically. Councilmember Chavira said he had confidence that HR can find a successful candidate. He encouraged Mr. Brown to diversity his search just the same as he would do in any other search for candidates. Councilmember Chavira also had confidence in the HR department. Mayor Weiers said there was consensus for the city to do the City Clerk recruitment. CITY MANAGER'S REPORT City Manager Phelps had nothing to report. CITY ATTORNEY'S REPORT City Attorney Bailey had nothing to report. COUNCIL ITEMS OF SPECIAL INTEREST Councilmember Aldama requested staff look into placement of signs along Grand Avenue, and in the Grand Avenue underpass, that identify downtown, Catlin Court and other historic points of interest in Glendale. Councilmember Chavira reminded everyone to pray for healing for everyone involved in the Independence High School incident. He encouraged everyone to be nice. Councilmember Malnar reminded everyone that service day is this weekend and there were several events going on in the districts. He encouraged everyone to come out and help. Councilmember Turner agreed with Councilmember Malnar and encouraged residents to get involved in city serve day this Saturday. He will also be participating in that event. Vice Mayor Hugh spoke about the 2 hour parking signs. Mayor Weiers reminded everyone not to sand down the benches that the Boy Scouts just did last year. • City of Glendale Page 10 Printed on 3/17/2016 City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes-Final February 16,2016 ADJOURNMENT As there were no Executive Session items to discuss, Mayor Weiers adjourned the meeting at 3:22 p.m. City of Glendale Page 11 Printed on 3/17/2016