HomeMy WebLinkAbout02/12/2018 Work Session Citryof Springfield
Work Session Meeting
MINUTES OF THE WORK SESSION MEETFNG OF
THE SPRINGFIELD CITY COLTNCIL HELD
MONDAY.FEBRUARY 12. '_018
The Cots of Springfield Council met in a work session in the Jesse Maine Meeting Room,22S Fifth
Sired, Springfield, Oregon, on Monday, February 12, 2018 at 6 03 p.m , w ith Mat or Lundberg
presiding.
ATTENDANCE
Present were Mayor Lundberg and Councilors VanGordon.Wylie, Moore, Stoehr, Woodrow, and
Pishioneri Also present were Acting Cit) Manager Niel Laudah,City Attorney Mary Bridget Smith.
City Recorder Amy Sow,and members of the staff.
1. ALICE (Alert. Lockdown. Inform, Counter, Evacuate)Active Shooter Civilian Response
Training
Richard Lewis, Chief of Police, introduced Officer Darren Vetter from the Police Department.Officer
Vetter is currently a School Resource Officer at Thurston High School and an ALICE training expert.
Officer Darin Vetter presented information on what the ALICE program is and oho has been trained.
including the Springfield School District and other school districts.
Councilor Woodrow asked about the difference between training for public and private entities
Officer Vetter explained.
Councilor WN lie asked what the training involved.
Officer Vetter said the online version takes about 1 Y_to 2 hours, followed by the physical aspects of
the training He explained further Mam people oho take the course say they feel empowered after the
training.
Councilor Moore asked about the funding for this training.
Officer Vetter said they partner with the City of Eugene and Lane County Sheriffs Office The School
District also has trained staff.
Councilor Moore asked if it would be beneficial for the Council to be trained.
Chief Lee is said if the Council would like.then could tailor a training for the Council.
Councilor Woodrow said this training provides people options for having an active role in their
survival,rather than hiding.
Officer Vetter said that was correct He reviewed some of the steps the schools know to take in those
situations
Cih of Springfield
Council Work Session Minutes
February 1'. '_018
Page '_
Councilor W�lie said she knows the Police Chiefs role is to protect the Council during public
meetings. She would like to know what the Council members should be doing in those situations.
Officer Vetter said the best course would be to get the person out of the room and locked out,then
barricade the door to preN ent them from getting back into the room
Chief Lewis said he and one other officer are always at the Council meetings. The best course is to go
the apposite way from the problem, or lock the doors to prohibit the person from returning to the
room. During a training,they could walk through the Jesse Maine Room and the Council Chambers
and discuss some options
Councilor Pishioneri said there have been several discussions about safety in the Council Chambers,
although none have come to fruition. He would like to see that discussion brought back to the
forefront Ihere is a certain amount of exposure of the Council. The Chief has been good about
handling situations that have occurred. He asked Officer Vetter if amone has contacted other
academic institutions such as Pacific Pioneer College.
Officer Vetter said they did provide a training at Pacific Pioneer College
Councilor Pishioneri asked if it could be offered to businesses with a large number of emploNees using
private funding.
Chief Lewis said then had been approached by businesses and churches for this training or at least
some guidance In what to do in those situations It can get expensive with the number of officers and
the overtime, etc We have to decide how to balance that with the cost
Council asked staff to reach out to see if others (Springfield Chamber, priN ate businesses, etc I would
help sponsor trainings for businesses or churches.
Councilor Pishioneri asked if the increase of concealed weapon permits has increased concern.
Officer Vetter said it has not been an issue
Councilor Pishioneri asked if they had educated those w ith a concealed weapons permit in how thet
should behave during an active shooter event when officers arrive so they are not mistakenly identified
as the threat
Officer Vetter said the Sheriff s office may have that discussion when issuing the permit
Councilor Stoehr asked if we have hostage negotiators and mental health resources.
Officer Vetter said we have both.
Mawr Lundberg asked about interest from the Council for a training.
Council agreed they would like some information on what they could do,and also walk through the
meeting rooms used by Council getting suggestions and ideas of how they can respond.
Chief Lewis said they could do that in 30 minutes.
City of Springfield
Council Work Session Minute,
February 12, 2018
Page 3
Councilor Wylie said she would like to discuss some of the safeqissues that Councilor Pishionert
discussed
That topic could be part of the work session with the w alk through
'_. Amend the Springfield Development Code to make it Laster to Add an Assessors Dwelling Unit,
Journal
4811-17-000057-1 YP4
Councilor Pishioneri noted that he is considering building an ADU, so he announced he has a potential
conflict of interest and recused himself from this discussion.
Sand, Belson, Comprehensne Planning Manager, presented the staffreport on this item. The
proposed code amendments were first developed based on Council direction, staff input, and public
comments The Planning Commission then held a public hearing on the proposed amendments and
forwarded its Order and Recommendation. The City Council held a public hearing on December 4 to
hear comments regarding the Planning Commission.s recommendation. The Council left the record
open for written comments through December 18. The Council began review of these comments in
work session on January 16 and continued its re%iew on Februar3 5. Council will continue its review
in work session on February 12.
Ms. Be]wn said during the last work session, Council had some questions that were addressed in the
Council packet. She asked if those answers adequately addressed those questions
Councilor Wylie said years ago she learned about pervious surfaces She said she didn't know if that
wa,more expensive or not.but would like to look at that option
Ms Belson said there are two aspects to the cost, including installation and maintenance. That option
is being added to the code to allow pervious surfaces.
Discussion was held regarding options for pervious surfaces. Ms Belson said language was being
added to make it clear about pervious surface, for all driveways cit)w ide.
Those with existing gravel driveways do not need to put in pavement unless lheN put to some h'pe of
development that required such.
Mr Donovan said adding a bedroom or a second sung could be enough to require adding a paved
driveway to their homes. There are different triggers, depending on several factors.
Councilor Moore said that raises concerns for her because there are many houses on two sidewalks
that do not have paved drivewa3 s
Councilor VanGordon asked if an existing homeowner who was adding on to their house, but not as an
ADU, could also use the on-street parking proN cion rather than pas ing their driveway.
Mr. Donovan said under ADLI provisions. if on-street parking can be provided. they would not be
required to add paved parking.
Ms. Belson said this is a broader issue of parking and may be more appropriate to look at this in the
transportation plan discussion.
CuN of Springfield
Council Rork Session Minutes
February 1'_, '018
Page 3
Mayor Lundberg said she agrees they need to have that discussion on a broader scale. There are so
manyvariations in terns of the types of streets in the City, and NN are to ing not to make oursety es
more restrictive. She asked if the Council could look at this particular issue in another context. She
doesn't want to prevent someone building an ADU at this time based on current rules
Ma Belson said by the time someone builds their ADU,the Council would have made their decisions
on the transportation plan If someone applies in the meantime, they would apply under the current
code. If the Council set more strict requirements later,they could not impose those on people who
apply prior to those new requirements
Further discussion was held regarding current requirements for parking The amendment is to allow it
not to be paved all the way for ADUs if they have an 18 foot access
slayer Lundberg said she doesn't want to restrict someone from building an ADU now.
Councilor VanGorcb n said he doesn't w ant to sit on these amendments, and would like to haN e the
broader discussion later People with on-street parking should be fine. He would strongly encourage
staff to pmv ide that adt ice to those apply ing to build an ADU.
Mavor Lundberg suggested putting that information in a clear way so people know'what to expect.
Councilor Woodrow said there is never a perfect time to do things because there is always something.
She asked if there was a wav to alert people that discussion of drit eways is still underway.
Ms. Belson said the next topic is Short Term Rentals and Bed and Breakfasts in the Washbume
Historic District Currently.Bed and Breakfasts are required to be owner occupied per the
development code. Short term rentals are not considered commercial and do not require home
occupancy
Councilor VanGordun said he doesn't see short term rentals as a commercial business
Councilor Moore said this is a larger issue that needs to be discussed ciNor tde People have bought
homes and turned them into Air BnBs or short term rentals Some cities have addressed that by
requiring them to be owner occupied. Short term rentals have an impact on long term rentals to the
City and she wants to look at that impact
Councilor Wylie said she agrees this needs attention It is complicating the ADU issue. so they should
look at this issue later
Councilor Stoehr felt it should be an overall policy, not separate for Washburne.
Council supported the language recommended by the Planning Commission.
Ms. Belson noted other considerations for the Council, including allow ing ADUs on duplex lots.
Councilor VanGordon said he would be open to having ADU's going in with a duplex,but was
curious how much of a change that would be in the code
Citi'of Springfield
Council Work Session Minutes
February_ 1'_, '_018
Page 5
Ms Belson said if there are three dwelling units in one structure, it kicks in the multi-design standards
and different levels of buddine code. Hao ing three units gets into a commercial level and makes
things more complicated for the budding code and development code. If the ADU was unattached
from a duplex. it would not be considered commercial, but the definition of an ADU would need to be
changed in the Ciq's code to allow that.
Council would like to be able to allow ADl Is on duplex lots as long as the} are detached
Councilor VanGordon asked about the curb cuts in W ashbume
Ms. Belson explained and answered further questions about curb cuts. It would only be allowed as a
last resort for parking if no other option was available.
Council supported the language recommended by the Planning Commission
Ms. Belson referred to the other building code issues/questions
A question was raised regarding the definition of ADU in a separate section. bis. Belson noted that the
definitions are not generally repeated throughout the document, but are ax ailable for people to
reference
Councilor VanGordon referred to a comment about everADU having a separate sanitars sewer.
An ADU has to be hooked into the ss stem, and not have a stand-alone ss stem
Ms. Belson said the only change based on Council comments is in relation to duplexes. The ordinance
can be ready for Council consideration in March.
3. Tax Exemption for Housing Diversih.
Sandv Belson, Comprehensive Planning Manager, presented the staff report on this item. She
recognized Neil Obringer and Liz Butterfield who had been assisting w rth this report. During previous
Council meetings,there had been discussion about the idea of a multi-unit properhr tax exemption
(Tax Exemption for I lousing). Fhis would mean some multi-unit properties could be eligible for
property tax exemptions for up to 10 y ears if they meet the Citt's criteria Council had discussed
some areas in the Cir this might work for public policy purposes and where multi-family housing is
allowed Staff looked at those areas in more detail and maps were pro%ided "fhe areas under
consideration are,
• Q Street
• Marcola Meadows
• Mohawk
• Main Street A, B and C
Nis. Belson noted that refinement plans had been referenced to make sure this would not preclude the
refinement plans. Multi-family residential is not normally allowed in commercial, but is allowed in
some of the refinement plans. She noted this on a larger map.
Councilor Moore said it seemed like this is a large area for exemptions. She asked if they would limit
the number of housing developments per area.
City of Springfield
Council Wort.Session Minutes
Pebruary 1'_, '_018
Page 6
Planning Supen isor Jim Donovan said the master plan included single family and multi-family
residential for a total of about 650 mitts.A cap could possibt'be put into place.
Council expressed interest in seeing something occur on the Marcola Meadows property.
Councilor Wylie said there needs to be a balance between how much property could be exempted
throughout the Citwhile being respectful of cur budget.
Mayor Lundberg said the} mat be able to set some parameters around the budget piece before
deciding how much property to include in this program
Councilor Pishioneri said he is skeptical of tax exemptions due to budgetap concerns and their
responsibdit'to citizens He is not in favor of going out 10 Nears, and would not be supportive of
anything over 5 years. He does not want to build multi-family units along Main Street,but is fine with
them in the neighborhoods He doesn't want anwthing right on Main Street(no zero lot lines along
Main Street). He noted the w etiands issue south of Main Street.
Councilor Woodrow said she looked at the maps and agreed that housing should not be right on Main
Street. There is a lot of land im'ohred in these areas. She wondered if we could allow only a percentage
of each area to become multi-family residential She also agrees with the five Near limit and would
want it re-ew aluated to see if the public benefit still existed.
Councilor Stoehr said he also had reservations. The main shortage of housing is affordable housing,
and there is no cap on multi-familv units. He agreed with the shorter exemption period and the re-
evaluation of the program.
Councilor Moore said she is interested in the zoning in the Mohawk area since most of it is
commercial. She asked if it allowed multifamily residential.
Staff replied that it was allowed
Councilor Moore said there is a large area that needs to be redeveloped She agreed with the five Near
time period She asked if they could apply longer exemption periods for specific areas
Ms. Belson said the} could develop a program that applies to all areas, or separate programs per area
Councilor Moore said Q Street was already zoned MDR and there were alreadv some multi-family
units there. If we had an exemption, it could encourage development in that area.
Councilor VanGordon agreed with the 5 pear limit and would like to have a check-in point at that 5
year mark to evaluate the benefits He referred to the concern about high rent and noted that we need
housing in general at all levels He is comfortable with the Q Street area. as well as Mohawk. He
would prefer to get the master plan of Marcola Meadows worked out, and then look at allowing a tax
exemption later. We want businesses along Main Street and it is currently a patchwork of uses. The
further east on Main Street was confusing. He would suggest removing the C map. but keeping the B
map. He could also support the eastern portion of the A map.
Councilor Wylie said she wants to know how many units we are willing to give tax breaks and how
that w ill affect our budget before moving forty and w ith the tax exemption program. She agreed w ith
Cty of Springfield
C ouneil Work Session Minutes
February 12,3018
Page 7
the five-year period, but does not agree with rent control They need to match deN elopment w ith each
area
Councilor Pishionen agreed.
Mallor Lundberg said her theme for this year is how to build fle\ib]hly in what we do to make things
easier for development.
Discussion was held regarding Marcola Meadows and zoning throughout the City in general.
Mavor Lundberg felt they should look at what they are to mg to accomplish and the cost, and then
determine how many units are appropriate. She recently did an AARP walk through the Q Street
neighborhood which is a very livable neighborhood with transit, medical offices, stores,professional
offices,etc She wants to also consider urbanized areas where people can get around w ithout a car
Transportation is a consideration as it could impact the streets.
Councilor Pishioneri said they are trying to be less restrictive and deN elopers are going to be tied
through trip counts, so it mat be self-regulating.
MaN or Lundberg said we have the whole city to consider
Councilor Moore said she appreciated the maps showing what Council had suggested in the fall. It was
a lot of work by staff and helped envision the different areas.
Nis Belson clarified the following
• Main Street
i Remove Area C from consideration
i Remove west portion of Area A (farthest west) leaN mg the area that is covered by the
East Main Refinement Plan area.
i No residential along Main Street unless on top of commercial Ino residential on
ground Floor)
• Marcola Meadows
Remove for now. Wait for the owners to fix the master plan,and provide Council
w ith status updates on Marcola Meadows in a Communication Packet memo or on
Status Report.
• Caps
i Staff will come back with scenarios and limits in terms of putting caps on this
program
• Look at this like a grant program. The Cit\ needs to know how much the city will be losing in
lost property taxes. Provide some general information
City Attorney Mary Bridget Smith referred to the discussion regarding ADUs on duplex lot She said
allow ing an ADU on a lot w ith a duplex might be beNond what was noticed for the ADU code
amendment if the-N want to move forward with that they may need to re-notice that to allow public
comment because it would change the ordinance title. Council could also break that piece out and
handle it separately.
Councilor VanGordon asked how much time would be added if thev re-noticed the w hole thing
City of Springfield
Council Work Session Minutes
February 1'_,'018
Page 8
Ms Belson said thev would not need to go back to the Planning Commission, but would need to come
back for a public hearing with the Council
Ms. Smith said it would delay this about 2-1 months due to notice requirements.
After discussion,Council supported mos ing forward %w ith the other amendments and breaking out the
duplex section and %working on it later.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 7.35 p in
Minutes Recorder—Am% Sown
✓y/i� e `ri/i—r(iY
Christine L Lundberg /UI
Mayor
Attest:
Amy So
Ci(v Recorder