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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07/16/2007 Work Session City of Springfield Work Session Meeting MINUTES OF THE WORK SESSION MEETING OF THE SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL HELD MONDAY, JULY 16, 2007 The City of Springfield Council met in a work session in the Library Meeting Room, 225 Fifth Street, Springfield, Oregon, on Monday, July 16, 2007 at 6:07 p.m., with Mayor Leiken presiding. ATTENDANCE Present were Mayor Leiken and Councilors Lundberg, Wylie, Ballew, Ralston, Woodrow and Pishioneri. Also present were City Manager Gino Grimaldi, Assistant City Manager Jeff Towery, City Attorney Joe Leahy, City Attorney Matt Cox, City Recorder Amy Sowa and members of the staff. " 1. Joint Work Session of the City Council and Historic Commission to Discuss the Role of Historic Preservation in the Revitalization of Downtown. The following members of the Historic Commission were present: John Tuttle, Kuri Gill, Paula Guthrie, Tamara Tomblin and Ted Corbin (arrived at approximately 6:30pm). City Planner and staff liaison to the Historic Commission Kitti Gale presented the staff report on this item. The Historic Commission is dedicated to the mission of protecting the community's downtown historic resources. The Commission's adopted goals serve as a framework to fulfill this mission (Attachment 1). The National Trust for Historic Preservation also offers assistance in fulfilling this mission by providing compressive strategies that assist local communities in identifying resources, protecting them through regulations, restoring them, and promoting compatible infill. With the assistance of a national grant, the Commission has identified 13 historically significant downtown structures that may be eligible (with property owner consent) for individual listings on the City's Historic Landmark Inventory. The Commission believes that pursuing protection of these downtown historic resources is consistent with both the National Trust preservation goals and the City Council goal of "preserving our hometown feel as we grow". The Commission agrees that preservation and protection on the Historic Landmark Inventory is just part of the story. Compatible redevelopment is another important part of preserving our hometown feel. The Commission recommends creating an inviting downtown atmosphere that includes attractive window displays, parking areas, compatible infill, building improvements, street furniture, signs, sidewalks, street lights, and landscaping. As a means toward this goal, the Commission recommends use of specific downtown design elements and design review (Attachment 2) like that described in the National Trust for Historic Preservation Main Street Pro,gram. The national program is designed to help communities restore prosperity and vitality in aging downtowns. The program offers a national network for information, technical assistance, research, and advocacy. The Main Street Pro,gram approach encompasses work in four distinct areas - Design, Economic Restructuring, Promotion, and Organization. The Commission would like to strengthen its role City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes July 16, 2007 Page 2 as an advisory body in the area of downtown design and review by using the Main Street Pro,gram methodology for re-development, which specifically demonstrates how to protect historic resources while bringing a downtown corridor back to life. The Historic Commission has three specific goals for downtown. First, the Commission is pursuing the listing of all 13 historic structures on the Historic Landmark Inventory and some of the owners may wish to apply for National Register nomination, as well. Second, the Commission recommends that all remodeling and infill be subject to at least a minimal design review process in addition to building permits. Third, the Commission recommends specific . standards to implement design elements that will facilitate compatibility with Springfield's historic resources and restore our "hometown feel" as we grow. Ms. Gale presented a power point presentation regarding the Historic Commission goals for this evening's meeting. She noted that Historic Commission member Paula Guthrie had put the presentation together. The goals were as follows: . Support the City Council goals of preserving our hometown feel as we grow and facilitate the redevelopment of Springfield. . Reconfirm the historical importance of 13 downtown structures. . Emphasize the need for design review of downtown remodeling and new construction. . Recommend that all downtown remodeling and new construction be compatible with Springfield's historic resources in order to foster the hometown feel of our downtown. . Briefly describe a tool offered by the National Trust for Historic Preservation that could assist Springfield's approach to revitalizing our downtown commercial district. Historic Commissioner Kuri Gill discussed the Main Street National Trust Center Program which she was involved with. She explained the Program and some of the benefits of the Program, including funding sources. She discussed funding approved by the legislature. Council asked for information where those funds were coming from, how an entity could qualify for those funds and how to apply for those funds. She noted the other cities around Oregon that were involved with this program. The four points of the Main Street approach were design, organization, promotion and economic distribution. Ms. Gill said the Historical Commission wanted to promote the structures, but this program encompassed much more than that. Ms. Gale said it was important to remember that the Commission was 100% in agreement that this was owner participation. The commission saw its role as advisory and their goal was the structures in downtown. The Main Street Program tool would be administered through the Planning Division. The City was currently a member. Ms. Gale said the Historic Commission involvement regarding design would be to preserve historic buildings and ensure compatibility in remodeling and infill. There were currently ten buildings that could qualify on the historic landmark inventory. The fee for a house to get on that inventory was well over $1000 and the Historic Commission hoped that fee could be reduced. She discussed plaques and story plaques that could be purchased and displayed in front of buildings downtown. The Historic Commission could also assist downtown owners in applying for a National Register listing. Ms. Gale showed photos of the buildings that were being considered for the historic landmark inventory and those that were currently on the inventory. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes July 16, 2007 Page 3 She showed examples of plaques and storyboards from other cities. She discussed some of the elements of design standards. Part of the downtown design standards could include lighting, landscape and furniture, etc. Ms. Gale said the Commission wanted to acknowledge the value of all buildings and wanted to be involved in coordinating events with owners. Grants could be available if fees couldn't be reduced. She said the Historic Commission was not proposing that they do the review, but rather the City Council with assistance of the planning department and Planning Commission. The Historic Commission hoped to have open dialogue with the Council, share their goals and go from there. Mayor Leiken welcomed Ted Corbin. Mr. Corbin said because the Washburne District adjoined downtown, he liked to think of downtown as one of the front doors into the community. He would like to encourage people to work on downtown and maintain the continuity of the neighborhood. That could encourage bringing in new businesses. The Historic Commission was another voice with ideas. He noted that new construction didn't follow the same rules as redevelopment. He would like to have things that were compatible to the established fabric of design that was already downtown. The design criteria could be written in broad terms and should be looked at in the sense that it encouraged development and projects, not hindered it because of another layer of administration or process to go through. The Commission wanted to be friendly neighbors for this effort. Mayor Leiken asked Assistant Public Works Director Len Goodwin about the progress on the Mill Race. Mr. Goodwin said the project had been stalled due to difficulties to get the Corps to spend the funding. This year, Mayor Leiken and Bob Keefer, Superintendent from Willamalane Parks, met with the Corps and gave them the information on the projects. As a result, $100,000 was cleared through the Corps headquarters to look at design, removal (and possibly relocate) of one of the bridges downtown and work on other end. The bridge would be removed intact if possible so it could possibly be used by another agency. It was not structurally sound as a rail bridge, but was structurally sound for pedestrian traffic. He explained how the Corps matrixed projects and noted that once we had some of these things accomplished, we would rate even higher on the matrix. There could be some funds to work on the downtown portion of the Mill Race. Councilor Pishioneri said he attended last week's Historic Commission meeting and he appreciated the fact that they accommodated his schedule so he could attend. He felt it was important for the Council to listen to the Commission in their areas of expertise. He liked the way the Commission was headed and thinking about downtown with common sense. It was good to keep the hometown feel going with revitalization and renewal. He wanted to keep the Commission in the queue of the City's projects. . Councilor Ballew said the Historic Commission had a role in what our downtown would look like. The time involved in the review process would be a big issue for developers. She was concerned about how fast the review process could be done. Councilor Pishioneri said it would run concurrent with the rest of the process. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes July 16, 2007 Page 4 Mr. Tuttle said if the ten to twelve buildings discussed earlier did become designated on the inventory, the Historic Commission would oversee any work done on those buildings. They would have to follow historic guidelines. The Historic Commission would just like to be another set of eyes to look at other buildings, not require specific guidelines. The design review would be concurrent with other steps. The Historic Commission would like to contribute to the process. Councilor Ballew asked what the advantage was to a property or business owner to be on the National Register. Ms. Gale said as things got laid in place, there would be grant money, and those businesses would qualify for those funds. It could help to get things moving. Some peopie were willing to preserve the buildings and a number of people took a lot of pride in those buildings. Ms. Toblin said she hoped it was a matter of pride for those owners. Improving the properties could attract more people. Ms. Gill said during the Heritage Conference in May, there was a presentation by Walla Walla, Washington. In their downtown, they started out by forcing certain issues and charged business owners for street lighting and streetscape. Building owners complained, but there were a few that wanted to make their buildings look better. Once a few had set the example, others became motivated and interested in following suit. She confirmed that the Historic Commission would not be the design review body for downtown, but maybe one Historic Commission member could be on the review panel. She said a design review could add another layer, but if the guidelines were clear it could be included in the timeline. Councilor Ralston said Council had been discussing creating an urban renewal district (URD) in downtown. He asked if the design standards would be consistent with building codes. Development Services Director Bill Grile said the development standards would be in the Development Code, and the review would have to be done in the same 120 days as other criteria, unless they were just recommendations. Some URD's made money available for facade improvements in different ways. There were a number of ways the URD and design standards could compliment each other. Mayor Leiken said other communities had torn down their buildings downtown and were trying to look for ways to 'create' a downtown. Springfield already had historic structures and it was important to have design standards in the downtown core. If a developer was interested in coming to downtown, and design standards were already established, they would follow them, especially if they understood they would get a return on their investment. An URD was an added tool to kick this off. He was very happy the Historic Commission was so engaged and involved. He discussed the improvements that Roseburg had made to its downtown. Springfield needed to focus on the opportunities. Councilor Pishioneri said it would be an advantage to include a Historic Commission member on the Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC) for review. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes July 16, 2007 Page 5 The Mayor and Council thanked the Historic Commission members for their involvement. 2. Preliminary Overview of Proposed Changes to Springfield's Industrial Pretreatment Pro,gram. Environmental Services Supervisor Bill Hamann presented the staff report on this item. The Public Works Environmental Services Division manages an Industrial Pretreatment Program in accordance with the Federal Clean Water Act and the wastewater discharge permit issued by the DEQ to Eugene, Springfield and the Metropolitan Wastewater Management Commission (MWMC). The MWMC provides regional oversight of this program in accordance with the MWMC intergovernmental agreemept. Springfield's authority to operate the Industrial Pretreatment Program is contained in the Municipal Code Chapter 4: Utilities, Sections 4.002 - 4.094. The EP A recently changed the federal pretreatment regulations. These changes must be reflected in the MWMC Model Pretreatment Ordinance, and implemented by the Cities through modifications to the Municipal Codes, administrative rules and program procedures. The changes, developed to comply with EP A requirements, are being provided to Council at this time for information purposes (see Attachment A). The DEQ and the MWMC must approve the proposed changes prior to formal review by the City Council. The draft program changes must be submitted to the DEQ by August 30, 2007. Upon DEQ approval of the proposed changes an opportunity for public input will be provided (including direct notice to Springfield Wastewater Discharge Permit holders). A formal public hearing and approval process will then be conducted by MWMC prior to referring resulting proposed Code changes to the Springfield and Eugene City Councils for review. Mr. Hamann said staff from Springfield and Eugene worked together to determine what changes to implement. Staff would be back to Council at a later date to recommend some code changes to reflect the changes implemented. He said Council could read through the changes at their leisure and contact Mr. Hamann with any questions. Mr. Hamann referred to one option as an example of what the staff would be recommending to implement. Councilor Wylie asked about the difference between mass limits and concentration limits. Mr. Hamann explained. He referred to page 6 in the agenda packet which showed the changes Springfield was recommending compared to other cities in Oregon. The changes would be submitted to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) in a packet. Once approved by the DEQ and the MWMC approved, it would be brought to Council for approval. Councilor Ballew coinmended staff for putting this difficult, technical information into an easy to read format. Environmental Services Manager Susie Smith discussed the relationship between the MWMC and the City Council regarding the pretreatment program. The partner jurisdictions gave MWMC overall policy guidance. Tonight's work session was to allow staffto bring this information to Councilors in advance of sending it to the DEQ and getting approval from MWMC. When this City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes July 16, 2007 Page 6 came back to Council, it would be an ordinance with the changes already approved by MWMC. The City would then need to implement those changes. Council could provide Councilor Ballew with any input as she was the City Councilor serving as a commissioner on the MWMC. CoUncilor Ralston asked about item number twelve. There was no current business in that category. He asked why staff was proposing a non-significant category if it was also covered under the pretreatment program. Mr. Hamann said there were now two designations in Oregon: significant and non-discharging industrial category. Oregon was the only state with that designation and it was not defined very clearly. He explained how this designation was used in this situation. Ms. Smith said Eugene and Springfield staff worked hard on this together. They would be posting the recommended changes to the web and sending notice to regulated industries prior to the public meetings. Councilor Ballew noted that Roseburg dIdn't make any changes. Mr. Hamann said each City did not have to choose any of the changes. Ms. Smith noted that Roseburg's pretreatment was run by a private company. Councilor Wylie asked if we would be adopting the changes. Mr. Hamann said some changes were required and some were optional. If industry came forward, staff would work with industry regarding any changes. Staff picked the best package after about fifteen months of study and discussions. Councilor Wylie asked if the overall impact would be positive for our clean water. Mr. Hamann said it wouldn't necessarily be worse or better. Most of the changes were administrative to make things run more smoothly. The positive aspect was that it would give staff more time to deal with some of the other issues that came forward. Mayor Leiken said when EP A set these, they made them more broad. The DEQ worked with each municipality to apply the changes as they fit. He said staff did a good job. He referred to Change 5 and was glad it was included for adoption. Technology needed to be in place forwater conservation programs. Mr. Hamann said this would be submitted to DEQ for approval, but he did not know what their timeline would be for taking action. Once DEQ approved, staff would be back before Council. Councilor Ballew asked if the DEQ had any opinions on the options. Mr. Hamann said he wasn't aware of any opinions by the DEQ on the changes. ADJOURNMENT City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes July 16, 2007 Page 7 The meeting was adjourned at 7:06 pm. Minutes Recorder - Amy Sowa Attest: AmY~ City Recorder