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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Minutes - City Code Review Council Committee - Meeting Date: 5/23/2019017 Glendale A R I Z 0 N A MINUTES CITY CODE REVIEW COUNCIL COMMITTEE CITY HALL, CONFERENCE ROOM B3 5850 W. GLENDALE AVE. GLENDALE, ARIZONA 85301 MAY 23, 2019 5:00 P.M. 1. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 5:00 p.m. 2. ROLL CALL Present: Yvonne Knaack, Member Barbara Lentz, Member Rich LeVander, Assistant Police Chief Ron Short, Member Michael Socaciu, Member Warren Wilfong, Member Mark Lilly, Member Bart Turner, Councilmember Ray Malnar, Councilmember Joyce Clark, Vice Mayor Absent: Francis Sisti, Member Also Present: Chris Anaradian, Assistant City Manager Michael Bailey, City Attorney Tim Boling, Code Compliance Official David Williams, Planning Administrator Deborah Gentry, Administrative Support Specialist Shelli Henson, Council Assistant Officer Charles Buffington, Glendale Police Department 3. CITIZEN COMMENTS John Dick, Glendale resident from the Sahuaro District, recognized the Code Compliance staff for a job well done regarding a complaint and expressed concerns about a specific property in Granada Estates. 4. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES Code Review Council Committee Minutes of April 25, 2019. A motion was made by Vice Mayor Joyce Clark, Member Yvonne Knaack to approve the minutes from the April 25, 2019 meeting. AYE: Member Yvonne Knaack Member Barbara Lentz Assistant Police Chief Rich LeVander Member Ron Short Member Michael Socaciu Member Warren Wilfong Member Mark Lilly Councilmember Bart Turner Councilmember Ray Malnar Vice Mayor Joyce Clark 5. ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION a. NEW 1993 CODE INTERPRETATION OF FRONT YARD PARKING Mr. Anaradian said that a draft has been produced but it still needs to be reviewed by staff and the legal department. He will bring the information to the next meeting. b. SITE PLAN REVIEW PROCESS Mr. Anaradian said that he and Mr. Fitzer. the Development Services Director, are looking at how to incorporate a new site plan review process into the permit system. He stated that the new site plan review process involves an application that would apply to all commercial, industrial and residential properties. This will be a process that extends beyond Building Safety when the grounds around the building or even components to the building itself are being changed or modified. Building Safety looks at things that pertain to the building codes but there are a lot of items that don't pertain to the Building Safety Department, they pertain to Planning and other departments. This is a time to inform the resident of what is allowed on the property. 6. UPDATES a. CHRIS ANARADIAN, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER Mr. Anaradian introduced Tim Boling, Code Compliance Official, to speak on parking updates. Mr. Boling said that he and Mr. Fitzer are looking at parking regulations and zoning ordinances from other cities. He said one thing that is lacking in the City of Glendale is the absence of the maneuvering area and that would help solve some of the parking issues. b. CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE Mr. Bailey distributed a handout of a sample ordinance. He noted that this legislative format should be followed when submitting proposed changes to the ordinance. This will make it easier for the staff and committee members to review. 7. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS AND POSSIBLE ACTION a. RESIDENTIAL SUBCOMMITTEE Vice Chairperson Turner said there would be no report but would give time to speak regarding abatements. Chairperson Malnar introduced Officer Buffington to speak regarding abatements. Officer Buffington distributed a handout titled "Abatement Project". He suggested that the City of Glendale should implement an abatement program that is similar to the City of Phoenix's abatement program. He said this would help to recuperate costs incurred by the City of Glendale for maintenance of abandoned properties. There was a discussion among committee members and City staff regarding the pros and cons of implementing an abatement program. Vice Mayor Clark recommended the Residential Subcommittee look more into this topic. Chairperson Malnar asked the Residential Subcommittee to inquire into the abatement program and submit recommendations to the committee. b. COMMERCIAL SUBCOMMITTEE Committee Member Knaack passed around a photo of a group of utility boxes in a residential neighborhood. She noted that the resident is responsible for the upkeep of the area around the utility boxes. She said that the City should implement an education process to advise the residents that this area is their responsibility to keep the area free of trash and debris and overgrown grass and weeds. Vice Mayor Clark said that a Glendale resident in her district came to her about this and was not aware that it was her responsibility to maintain that area. She suggested that when the public utility is granted the easement, it should be stipulated that the utility company would accept responsibility for the upkeep of that easement. Chairperson Malnar suggested that the Commercial Subcommittee gather more information on this topic and return to the committee with their recommendations. Committee Member LeVander offered to have a member of the Community Action Team contact the utility company regarding this specific property to help get the area cleaned up. Committee Member Knaack said they are looking at what the current codes are for painted surfaces on commercial buildings. She said they would like to have a set of standards for the maintenance and upkeep for commercial buildings. Committee Member Socaciu asked if there would be a way to stipulate that if a building is derelict for a specified amount of time should the building be torn down? He said this is something that should be addressed. Committee Member Knaack said she would like the subcommittee to look into recommending a code that would address the maintenance of a vacant property. C. RENTAL SUBCOMMITTEE Chairperson Malnar suggested that the Rental Subcommittee look at some of the action items that were discussed at the start of this committee and pick out a few items to be discussed. He said this subcommittee may be renamed as well. Committee Member Short said that the finance department is working on the rental sales tax issue. He said the Planning Division is working on an update for the Zoning Code on group homes. Mr. Williams, Planning Administrator, stated that the group home update has been drafted and is under review and advertised for a Planning Commission public hearing at this time. Committee Member Knaack reminded Chairperson Malnar that the signage issue will be addressed by the Business Subcommittee. d. PARKING SUBCOMMITTEE Committee Member Wilfong distributed a handout with recommended changes for the resident parking code. He read aloud the proposed new definition of vehicle. He stated that the definition should be updated because it is too vague. Chairperson Malnar said that starting in July, a consultant, that has been hired by the City, will start the process of reorganizing and improving the codes. He said the purpose of this committee is to bring forth their concerns and these concerns would be used as a starting point for the rewrite of the codes. The consultant will bring the recommendations back to us to review. He asks the committee if they have any questions regarding the proposed new definition of the word vehicle. Committee Member Lilly asked if the consultant is going to come in and dictate what is going to be in the new code? Chairperson Malnar said that the purpose of the committee is to provide input to the consultants, and they will take what the committee says and put it in the proper legal language. Mr. Bailey said to keep in mind that the committee needs to address concepts. The consultant that has been hired will be providing information based on the high-level concepts. Committee Member Wilfong read aloud the proposed new definition of fence. There was a discussion among Committee Members regarding the definition of the word "fence". Vice Mayor Clark suggested that an additional definition should be applied to side yard screening and gating. Committee Member Wilfong agreed and said that he would like to still define the word "fence" as it pertains to the materials used for fencing. It was agreed upon that the Residential Subcommittee will address the fencing code and the Parking Subcommittee will address the screening issue. Committee Member Wilfong said there are no proposed changes to Chapter 25-20 for property maintenance. He read aloud Article 5.312 A — Parking. He proposed that the word "covered" be changed to "under a garage or carport". He said that the purpose of the change is to prevent temporary covers. Chairperson Malnar said the number of covered parking spaces should be addressed. Vice Mayor Clark and Committee Member Knaack both suggested that the word "covered" be taken out of the code. 8. DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING COMMITTEE AGENDA PRIORITIES No comments at this time. 9. STAFF REPORT There were no staff reports. 10. COMMITTEE COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS There were no comments or suggestions. 11. NEXT MEETING The next regular meeting of the Code Review Council Committee will be held on June 27, 2019 at 5:00 p.m., in conference room B3, located at 5850 West Glendale Avenue, Glendale, Arizona, 85301. 12. ADJOURNMENT Chairperson Malnar adjourned the meeting at 6:52 p.m. The City Code Review Committee meeting minutes of May 23, 2019 were submitted and approved this 27th day of June, 2019. Deborah Gentry Administrative Support Specialist