The City Council met in Work Session on Tuesday, January 6, 2015, at 2:11 p.m. in Room 326, Committee Room, City County Building, 451 South State Street.
In Attendance: Council Members James Rogers, Luke Garrott, Erin Mendenhall, Lisa Adams, Charlie Luke, Kyle LaMalfa, and Stan Penfold.
Staff in Attendance: Cindy Gust-Jenson, Executive Council Director; Jennifer Bruno, Executive Council Deputy Director; Margaret Plane, City Attorney; David Everitt, Mayor’s Chief of Staff; Boyd Ferguson, Senior City Attorney; Mary DeLaMare-Schaefer, Acting Community & Economic Development Director; Rick Graham, Public Services Director; Michaela Oktay, Planning Manager; Nick Tarbet, Council Policy Analyst; Lehua Weaver, Council Senior Public Policy Analyst; Nick Norris, Planning Manager; Sean Murphy, Council Public Policy Analyst; Michael Maloy, Senior Planner; Cheri Coffey, Assistant Planning Director; Lex Traughber, Senior Planner; Nicole Smedley, Assistant City Recorder; Ben Luedtke, Council Liaison/Policy Analyst; Lisa Shaffer, Administrative Services Division Director; Christina Judd, Special Events Permit Manager; Nora Shepard, Planning Director; Nole Walkingshaw, Institutional Engagement Manager; Robyn Stanczyk, Civic Engagement Program Specialist; and Cindi Mansell, City Recorder.
Others in Attendance: Len Simon, Salt Lake City National Legislative Advisor and Michael Allred, Petitioner (Item 4)
Councilmember Luke presided at and conducted the meeting.
The meeting was called to order at 2:11 p.m.
AGENDA ITEMS
#1. 2:10:58 PM NOMINATION OF COUNCIL CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR FOR CALENDAR YEAR 2015. View Attachments
Councilmember Luke Garrott was nominated for Council Chairperson and Councilmember James Rogers was nominated for Council Vice-Chairperson.
#2. 2:23:06 PM BRIEFING ON THE CITY’S NATIONAL LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES FROM SALT LAKE CITY ADVISOR LEN SIMON.
Len Simon briefed the Council on the City’s National Legislative Priorities.
#3. 3:13:22 PM BRIEFING FROM THE CITY ATTORNEY’S OFFICE ON THE UTAH OPEN MEETINGS LAW. View Attachments
Boyd Ferguson briefed the Council with attachments. He said yearly training on the Open Meetings Law was required by the State of Utah.
Inquiry was raised regarding the ability to consider and/or take action on Council Announcements included within the weekly packet. Ms. Gust-Jenson said Announcements were included in the Council Packet for public information and typically requested Council direction or consensus on various internal or scheduling items. Discussion followed regarding direction, process, and timing for item placement on the agenda.
#4. 3:24:48 PM BRIEFING ON PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE CITY’S BUILDING HEIGHT STANDARDS IN THE FB-UN2 FORM BASED URBAN NEIGHBORHOOD DISTRICT PURSUANT TO PETITION NO. PLNPCM2014-00085. The proposal would enable a developer to build a multi-family residential building up to five stories with a maximum height of 65 feet on property located on the northwest corner of 200 West Fayette Avenue (975 South). Currently, regulations limit building height to four stories with a maximum height of 50 feet. (Item H1) View Attachments
Nick Tarbet, Michael Maloy, and Nick Norris briefed the Council with attachments. Mr. Tarbet said the petitioner was under the impression that his property was included in the list of corners permitted for increased height under the Form-Based Zoning Regulations. He further reviewed the design standards outlined to ensure that the ground level parking would not create a blank wall on the street. He said the Ball Park Community Council held a public meeting to consider the proposal and Planning received a written response from the Community Council Chair noting that 2/3 of the attendees opposed the request for additional height. Mr. Tarbet said the Planning Commission passed a unanimous motion in favor of recommendation to the City Council.
Inquiry was raised as to why this parcel was not included, with Mr. Maloy stating it was never part of the strategy to include properties that far south. Mr. Norris provided background information as to Redevelopment Agency direction when developing the West Temple/Gateway Project and the following creation of Form-Based Zoning. Discussion followed regarding the number of units, parking/shared parking within transit-oriented development, etc. Mr. Maloy explained form-based zoning did not entail a minimum parking requirement; he said there were limitations based on the layer of requirements including zoning, building, fire, etc. Councilmember Mendenhall expressed concern with the petition; she said she felt there was good public process and reasoning involved with the original area inclusion and did not see this area as becoming a node. She said the height allowance would entail apartments overlooking the freeway, and expressed further concern relative to noise, design, and parking/rear-alley parking.
Michael Allred, Petitioner, said he had owned the property for 25 years and was anxious to do something constructive with it. He said the City’s direction was transit-oriented development and there was critical reasoning for the height. He said resident/business employees already lived and worked in the area and there was not adequate parking. He said in reading the form-based zoning he was under the impression additional height would be allowed on corner parcels. He said his proposal entailed 65 units, four floors, and parking on the main level. He said a developer could not finance a building without including parking and no ability existed to provide underground parking at this location.
Inquiry was raised regarding whether a percentage of the 65 units would be affordable housing, with Mr. Allred stating he wanted to see market rate units. He said without the extra building height, the development would be reduced to 25 units and result in an entirely different concept. Discussion followed whether the corner ground level would require mixed use, with Mr. Maloy stating street level design was required to have a physical storefront appearance. He said the petitioner had preliminary drawings representing an architectural façade for the parking level. He said elevators, stairways, and entrance lobby were presented to the street and the remaining aspect of the parking garage would be dressed up. The Council discussed future potential to re-examine not only this area, but the Form-Based Zoning ordinance to consider other/adjacent areas.
Mr. Tarbet said a public hearing would be scheduled on February 3, 2015.
#5. 3:56:00 PM RECEIVE A BRIEFING ABOUT SIX PROPOSED LOCAL HISTORIC DISTRICTS. Local Historic Districts are designed to maintain the historic character of a neighborhood by protecting historic features and preventing out-of-character alterations. View Attachments
Staff and Council welcomed the new Planning Director, Nora Shepard.
Nick Tarbet, Michaela Oktay, and Cheri Coffee briefed the Council with attachments. Ms. Oktay discussed process and identification of key issues; she said having gone through the public ballot process, five petitions were now ready for Council consideration.
Proposed LHDs with a Majority Support expressed by the Public Ballot
•Yalecrest – Normandie Circle, which includes 10 homes on Normandie Circle and two homes adjacent to Normandie Circle on Harvard Ave. Petitioner, Patricia Callahan, Petition No. PLNHLC2014-00247. (Item H2)
•Yalecrest – Princeton Park, which includes 27 homes generally located on Princeton Avenue between 1700 East and 1800 East. Petitioner, Jon Dewey, Petition No. PLNHLC2013-00861. (Item H3)
•Yalecrest – Upper Harvard and Yale Park Plat A, which includes 60 homes on the north and south sides of Harvard Avenue (approx. 1120 South) between 1500 East and 1700 East. Petitioner, Vena Childs, Petition No. PLNHLC2014-00111. (Item H4)
Proposed LHDs with a Majority Opposition expressed by the Public Ballot
•Yalecrest - Upper Yale 2nd Addition, which includes 30 homes generally located on Herbert Avenue (1055 South) between 1700 East and 1800 East. Petitioner, Tracey Harty, Petition No. PLNHLC2013-00862. (Item H5) 18 opposition/11 support
•Yalecrest – Upper Yale which includes 28 homes generally located on the north and south sides of Yale Avenue (1100 South) between 1700 East and 1800 East. Petitioner, Sonja Chesley, Petition No. PLNHLC2014-00013. (Item H6) 14 opposition/12 support
City Initiated Petition
City Creek Canyon/Memory Grove, which includes the area of City Creek Canyon between the entrance gate of Memory Grove on the south and bordered on all other sides by Bonneville Boulevard. Petitioner, Mayor Ralph Becker, Petition No. PLNHLC2010-00224. (Item H7) Since the number of ballots received in support exceeds the number of ballots received in opposition, the City Council may designate this proposed Local Historic District by a simple majority vote. View Attachments
Discussion followed regarding analysis of local historic district pros and cons, whether this designation would impact the market, improve or reduce the ability for sale, maintain or increase property value, etc. Ms. Coffee said the designation typically helped stabilize a neighborhood and that many people wanted to own homes in historic districts. She said the general idea of the Preservation Plan was these districts were important to economic, tourism, housing units, neighborhood quality of life and characteristics.
Councilmember Adams said she was disappointed two areas did not receive votes in support of district creation. The Council discussed their desire to honor the process yet remain supportive of district creation. Councilmember Penfold said although he appreciated private property owner concerns, he was comfortable with the Council moving forward based on the minimal percentages not in favor. He said the Council had a specific role with regard to neighborhood preservation and this process would force the Council to provide greater consideration to an area that did not have consensus or majority of votes returned.
Councilmember Mendenhall inquired if there was a gap point percentage that was considered too large. Councilmember Penfold said he bought a home specifically because it was in a historic district and could see the designation bringing incredible stability and increased property values to the neighborhood. The Council thanked Staff for the labor intensive process, and would further address these petitions during the January 20, 2015 public hearing.
#6. 4:24:02 PM RECEIVE A BRIEFING ABOUT THE PLANNING DIRECTOR’S REPORT TO CONSIDER ESTABLISHING THE YALECREST – UINTAH HEIGHTS LOCAL HISTORIC DISTRICT PURSUANT TO PETITION NO. PLNHLC2014-00807. Local Historic Districts are designed to maintain the historic character of a neighborhood by protecting historic features and preventing out-of-character alterations. The proposed boundaries of the Local Historic District include homes on the north side of 1300 South and along both sides of Laird Avenue from 1300 East to 1500 East – including all the homes on Laird Circle and Uintah Circle. If the Council finds the report complete, the Planning Division will continue with the local historic designation process which includes community outreach, public hearings before the Historic Landmark and Planning commissions, and an evaluation of property owners’ support. Once those steps have taken place, the proposal will come back to the Council for final consideration. (Petitioners, Jill Greenwood and Libby Peterson) View Attachments
Nick Tarbet, Michaela Oktay, and Lex Traughber briefed the Council with attachments. Mr. Traughber said the Planning Division’s initial review indicates the proposed district meets the necessary criteria.
The Council conducted a unanimous Straw Poll to accept the report to allow Planning to continue to move forward and begin the public process.
#7. 4:45:58 PM RECEIVE A BRIEFING ABOUT PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE CITY’S SPECIAL EVENTS PERMITTING PROCESS. The proposal would make the City’s regulations more succinct; provide clarity about what constitutes small and large events; and creates a category for grandfathered events. The Council will also discuss insurance requirement options for special events, including a master City policy that would cover all events, or individual insurance policies event organizers would obtain on their own.
Ben Luedtke, Christina Judd, Lisa Shaffer, Margaret Plane, and Boyd Ferguson briefed the Council with attachments.
Councilmember Penfold said the proposed changes were the result of Council concerns previously raised regarding insurance and the cumbersome City’s special event application process, with the goal of making that process shorter and easier.
Councilmember LaMalfa said he felt there was still a great deal of burden on residents or those that wanted to hold a street party. Ms. Judd said the multiple department sign-off process continued to be refined to increase efficiency. She said Staff was managing over 500 events a year and there was need to educate the public how to fill out the paperwork that involved internal communication and coordination. Inquiry was raised as to feedback or satisfaction measurement tools. Ms. Judd said Staff conducted annual customer satisfaction surveys and would continue to utilize that mechanism. She said events with 50 people or less did not require City staff, permits, or insurance. She said the proposed amendments were intended to be shorter and clearer with the understanding the Council wanted more neighborhood parties and removal of system barriers.
Mr. Ferguson said insurance was a huge issue and was now user-friendly. Discussion followed regarding the Tenant User Liability Insurance Program (TULIP) and Citywide master policy needs. Ms. Plane said the TULIP policy was different in that the City (as the owner of the facility/venue) provided information to insurers to help them understand what they were insuring. She said this streamlines the process which had typically been complicated in the past and would now assist smaller events in obtaining insurance more quickly. The Council discussed the need to move forward prior to the upcoming Special Events permit season.
#8. 5:24:44 PM RECEIVE A BRIEFING FROM THE ADMINISTRATION ON THE CIVIC ENGAGEMENT IN SALT LAKE CITY DISCOVERY REPORT. View Attachments
Nole Walkingshaw, Robyn Stanczyk, and Mary DeLeMare-Schaefer briefed the Council with attachments. Mr. Walkingshaw discussed existing tools such as Open City Hall, press releases, email services and newsletters. He said staff was working to develop an online civic engagement site. He outlined various new applications under development to assist in the overall civic engagement process such as the mobile City source or request for service application, agenda management, web service community platform, and the State of Utah’s new Open Data Portal. He said the intent was for a partnership or micro site with the State to send/receive data within the Open Data Portal (www.opendata.utah.gov).
Ms. Stanczyk reviewed recommendations relative to the Action Plan included in the attachments.
Ms. DeLeMare-Schaefer addressed the process to recruit people with technical expertise and community skills. She said the intent was to facilitate learning and education. Councilmember LaMalfa discussed digital engagement and inquired as to soft-tech or new tools that did not entail a computer or cell phone. Mr. Walkingshaw said the Civic Engagement template should identify stakeholders early in the process and explain the (whether staff knocks on doors, prepares mailings, conducts open houses, etc.). He said the intent was to create a list of workshop activities for public participation, budget methods, and having a clear process to enable Staff to be clear about necessary resources.
Councilmember Rogers inquired as to the civic engagement application and how the internal process would work. Ms. DeLaMare-Schaefer said all staff members had to get on board, undergo training to accept and address complaints, and compile them into a process where they could be measured. She said in response to Council initiation, the Civic Engagement Team had moved ahead in this regard with the previously-stalled project. Councilmember Penfold said some projects require more than a single project manager and inquired who would be responsible for large picture outreach on large citywide projects. Ms. DeLaMare-Schaefer said Staff hoped to learn a lot from the Transit Plan process; there was not just one answer; and Staff would continue to work towards multiple solutions.
#9. HOLD A FOLLOW-UP DISCUSSION ABOUT THE STATUS OF THE 2014 PRIORITY PROJECTS THAT WERE IDENTIFIED AT THE COUNCIL’S FEBRUARY RETREAT. The priority projects include: improving the City’s urban trail network, collaborating on air quality, and tracking park expenses. The Council also plans to work with the Administration on planning for needed upkeep at the City Cemetery, improving sidewalk snow removal policies, and reviewing corporate campaign finance contributions. View Attachments
Lehua Weaver, Sean Murphy, and Nick Tarbet briefed the Council with attachments. Mr. Tarbet said the goal was to identify upcoming or new priority projects for the upcoming Council Retreat. Discussion followed regarding the Farmer’s Market Outreach and whether it was well-received. Mr. Tarbet said staff was interested in continuing and had received exciting feedback listings of people wanting to be involved, etc. He said staff distributed information such as Council Updates and bike maps. The Council expressed the need to measure feedback or to evaluate success.
Councilmember Penfold addressed clean air and the potential to explore additional resources to continue that type of advocacy work. Ms. Gust-Jenson said the Communication Workgroup could make that a discussion point. She said the Agenda Management System should also have tool to contribute in this area.
Councilmember LaMalfa said in looking at the success and outcomes, the Council should be proud of all it accomplished this year. He said he would like to see the next quarterly report framed more aspiring – such as outcome-oriented rather than checklist-oriented.
Further topics of discussion included funding the ball for the “EVE Celebration” as a great way to keep pollutants from the air, production of an Air Quality Video, taking advantage of the UTAIR Partnership in weekly promotion of partner activities relative to television, video, social media, newsletters, and e-mail listings. Councilmember Mendenhall said she wanted to do something about air quality in a different kind of approach. The Council discussed success measurement tools. Mr. Murphy said it was appropriate for the Council to set expectations for measurement at the beginning of the year for the end. He said how they measure would remain a critical component for successful involvement in the broader issue.
Ms. Weaver said staff would need a strong follow-up with the Council following the more-detailed retreat discussion. She said some measurements would be clearer, some less tangible, and said it was exciting to think through the process. She encouraged them to also consider the “End Of” report or communications story this year for social media and the potential to include it as part of the budget moving forward. The Council discussed consideration of new items, consolidating, and removing accomplished items.
#10. INTERVIEW KENTON PETERS PRIOR TO CONSIDERATION OF HIS APPOINTMENT TO THE HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION.
Item not held.
#11. 6:26:39 PM REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, INCLUDING A REVIEW OF COUNCIL INFORMATION ITEMS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS. The Council may give feedback or staff direction on any item related to City Council business.
See file M 15-5 for Announcements.
#12. REPORT OF THE CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR.
No discussion was held.
#13. 6:53:24 PM CONSIDER A MOTION TO ENTER INTO CLOSED SESSION, IN KEEPING WITH UTAH CODE § 52-4-205 (1) (f), RELATIVE TO DEPLOYMENT OF SECURITY PERSONNEL, DEVICES, OR SYSTEMS. (CLOSED SESSION HELD IN ROOM 326)
Councilmember Garrott moved and Councilmember Mendenhall seconded to enter into Closed Session to discuss 52-4-205 (1) (f), relative to deployment of security personnel, devices, or systems pursuant to Utah Open and Public Meetings Law. A roll call vote was taken. Council Members Rogers, Adams, Mendenhall, Luke, Garrott, LaMalfa, and Penfold voted aye. See File M 15-2 for Sworn Statement.
In Attendance: Council Members Rogers, LaMalfa, Garrott, Mendenhall, Luke, Adams, and Penfold.
Others in Attendance: Cindy Gust-Jenson; Allison Rowland; David Everitt; Margaret Plane; Nicole Smedley; Jeff Bedard; and Cindi Mansell.
The Closed Session adjourned at 7:22 p.m.
The meeting adjourned at 7:22 p.m.
This document is not intended to serve as a full transcript as other items may have been discussed; please refer to the audio or video for entire content.
This document along with the digital recording constitute the official minutes of the City Council Work Session meeting held January 6, 2015.
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