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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03/26/2018 Work Session City of Springfield. Work Session Meeting MINUTES OF THE WORK SESSION MEETING OF THE SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL HELD MONDAY,MARCH.26,2018 The City of Springfield Council met in a work session in the Jesse Maine Meeting Room, 225 Fifth Street,Springfield, Oregon, on Monday,March 26,2018 at 5:30 p.m.,with Mayor Lundberg presiding. ATTENDANCE Present were Mayor Lundberg and Councilors VanGordon, Wylie(by phone),Moore, Woodrow and Pishioneri. Also present were City Manager Gino Grimaldi, City Attorney Mary Bridget Smith, City Recorder Amy Sowa and members of the staff. Councilor Stoehr was absent(excused). 1. Planning Commission Interviews. Greg Mott,Planning Manager,presented the staff report on this item. Two candidates have applied for a Planning Commission vacancy created by the resignation of Commissioner Nick Nelson. The expiration date for this position is July 31, 2021. The Mayor and Council introduced themselves and interviewed Grace Bergen. 1. Why do you want to serve on the Planning Commission? (Mayor Lundberg) 2. The City is experiencing a severe housing shortage;would you support any of these actions to incentivize new housing: waiver of fees and charges;reduce or eliminate plan submittal requirements; increase zoning density to allow more dwellings per lot any others? (Councilor VanGordon) 3. In your opinion is it more important for the City to promote infill and redevelopment to accommodate growth, or expand the urban growth boundary to provide vacant, development- ready sites?(Councilor Pishioneri) 4. Developing within existing neighborhoods can generate strong objections to increased traffic, noise,loss of privacy, etc.As a Commission member you may be called upon to solve these neighborhood impacts;what would you require the developer to do to address these objections?(Councilor Woodrow) 5. Attracting new development to Springfield is a top Council priority; can you think of any ways to entice new development to locate here? (Councilor Moore) Marisa Aieta had not yet arrived so Council went ahead with the second item. 2. Transportation Funding Priorities. Mayor Lundberg noted that she had asked for additional information on the funding sources and other funding options for the projects. Emma Newman, Senior Planner,presented the staff report on this item. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes March 26, 2018 Page 2 Staff is seeking guidance from Council on our application priorities. There is funding received periodically through the Lane Metropolitan Planning Organization(MPO)and it is up to the City and partnering agencies in our metro area to prioritize where to spend those funds. There are several types of funds received by the MPO: Surface Transportation Block Grant—Urban (STBG-U, formerly STP-U),Transportation Alternatives(TA), and Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality(CMAQ)funds. Ms. Newman thanked Mayor Lundberg for her efforts in securing the CMAQ funds for our region. In total,they are looking at about$16.5M available for the region over the three year periods FY 19,FY20 and FY21. Historically,the City of Springfield has received about 20-30% of these funds. 'These funds are split between City of Eugene, City of Springfield, Lane County,City of Coburg,Lane Transit District and Willamalane. Ms. Newman provided a hand out with the MPO Regional Transportation Funding process. She explained the timeline and how tonight's work session fit into the schedule. Once staff receives Council direction on their priorities, regional staff will submit project applications,which are then reviewed and brought forward with recommendations to the Metropolitan Policy Committee(MPC). Subsequently,the Metropolitan Policy Committee(MFC)will make the final decision on regional funding allocations.Mayor Lundberg and Councilor Wylie are the current City of Springfield MPC representatives. Ms.Newman described the different funds available for transportation projects which includes Surface Transportation Block Grant—Urban(STBG-U,formerly STP-U);Transportation Alternatives(TA); and Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality(CMAQ) funds. She thanked Mayor Lundberg for her efforts in securing the CMAQ funds for our region.The funds are split between Lane County,City of Eugene,City of Springfield,City of Coburg, Ms.Newman described the process to determine priorities and get the infonnation and provide input to the MPC. Ms.Newman said there are three components to transportation funding needs: preservation and maintaining the existing system;enhancement to the systems; and preparation to plan and design to leverage key opportunities and provide for future economic growth. The goal it to accommodate the multi-modal transportation system that has been in the policy for the City and region,to snake sure there is coordination with agency partners to address the transportation needs of the whole region. I.n looking through the various different planning documents and programs, staff developed the regional priority brainstorm list. Staff then trade recommendations specific to Springfield: • 286 Street(Main to Olympic)Preservation-$1,500,000 • 14'h Street 1 Mohawk Preservation- $1,800,000 • Marcola Road/ 19`s Street Intersection Design- $200,000 • New Franklin Blvd Continued Design(to east of Henderson)- $750,000 • Pedestrian Bicycle Master Plata.- $250,000 She asked Council for their input on these projects. Councilor Woodrow asked if the 19t"and Marcola Road intersection could be brought into the developer plan rather than as a city project.It might change depending on the type of project. She felt Mill Street should be on the priority list above the 28h Street preservation project.Her four top priorities were Mill Street,Franklin Boulevard Continued Design,Ped/Bike Master Plan and 10' Street/Mohawk Preservation. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes March 26,2018 Page 3 Mayor Lundberg asked about the TA funds and what those could be used to fund. Ms.Newman said because there are three different funding sources,and some flexibility with the different funding sources,the approach they are taking with the region for discussion purposes is to talk about it as one funding source,and then appropriate projects to the appropriate funding mechanisms. Mayor Lundberg said it might not be wise to pick only preservation projects as it might limit our funding from the TA funds. Ms.Newman said they could negotiate with the partnering agencies. Interim.Development and Public Works Director Tom Boyatt referred to the question about the intersection at 1901 and Marcola. Ile said it is an intersection that the public has already built and operates. It has been improved several times over the years. It would be difficult to hinge the need to reconstruct that intersection on a development project. He explained further. Ms.Newman said a portion of the project could be funded with SDCs that have already been collected. Councilor Woodrow asked if the type of development could make a difference based on traffic volume and other factors. Mr. Boyatt said the developer would have to deal with impacts at driveways, etc. It is not something the City has done a lot of in the past. Councilor Moore asked what was meant by failing intersections. Mr. Boyatt said in this particular case, it's mostly the surface,but is also the demand on the facility. When looking at rebuilding the intersection, it is a good time to look at capacity improvements. Councilor Moore said there are a lot of trucks going that way to get onto the freeway. They have been doing a good job of filling pot holes, but the capacity continues to increase. Councilor VanGordon asked why the Mill Street project was removed from the staff list. Ms. Newman said it was based on cost for reconstruction, Councilor VanGordon asked how far the 14th Street preservation would be going. Ms.Newman said it would go to the edge of city limits. Councilor VanGordon said he has a lot of questions on the Willamalane and LTD list. He is comfortable leaving Mill Street off the list.If we don't take care of preservation, we will end up with two more streets on the reconstruction list. Mayor Lundberg asked about other regional funding. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes March 26,2018 Page 4 Mr.Boyatt said Connect Oregon has funding that is earmarked, so is not currently available.The Oregon Department of Transportation(ODOT)have taken a comprehensive look at funding they can expect.With other earmarks,there will be a reduction of funds available in the STIP for enhancement project. The ACTS around the state aren't going to be weighing in much on the next STIP cycle, so there probably won't be open applications.He is not sure where the next Surface Transportation authorization federally will go and what that will mean locally.Things will likely shift and change and there could be funding in the future. Mr. Grimaldi said they can also talk about other options to pay for reconstruction of streets. Mayor Lundberg said the only options left are Transportation Utility Fees(TUT)and bonds. Councilor Pishioneri asked about the$250,000 for the Bicycle/Pedestrian Master Plan. Ms.Newman said it could be prioritized as the Council wished. Councilor Pishioneri asked about the need for the Franklin Boulevard project. Ms.Newman said this funding would be for the design of the next roundabout plus the next segment, which was at 30%right now. Funding for the construction had not been identified. Mr. Boyatt said everything put towards design and right of way will help leverage federal funds. Councilor Pishioneri noted concern spending funds for this project because of the critical meed for the preservation and repair of other streets, some of which are dangerous to drive. He doesn't' want to put funding into a big fancy street when other streets are in disrepair. Mayor Lundberg said the argument is that we have a contract now which would save money. Councilor Pishioneri said he understands the reasoning,but feels we need to take care of what we already have. His priorities are 28"'Street, 14`a'Street, 19''and Mohawk intersection, and sections of Mill Street. Councilor Woodrow agreed. Councilor Wylie said she felt we should continue with the design of Franklin Boulevard. Mill Street is also very important,as is the whole list. Councilor Moore said it would be very sad to see the work on Franklin Boulevard stop. She would like to see us continue. It is such an important part of what they are doing in Glenwood. She would also life to have a discussion regarding a bond. For her, 190'Street and Franklin Boulevard are high priority,and the rest are fine. Councilor VanGordon asked how much is saved if we continue with tl�e Franklin design. Mr. Boyatt said staff could get that figure. Councilor VanGordon asked if it would be harder to get funds for reconstruction of Mill Street,or design funds for Franklin Boulevard. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes March 26,2018 Page 5 Mr.Boyatt said it would likely be easier to get funding for Franklin Boulevard as it is more tied to the region. Mayor Lundberg said she is hearing an interest in discussing a bond measure for streets. It would be easier to get a bond for fixing streets rather than designing streets so she would argue in favor of including the Franklin design in this funding list. She agreed that they need to know how much would be saved by moving forward on.the Franklin design now,and also the costs for Mill Street.They need to do something to finish Franklin. She would like to fix those streets that aren't too bad such as 281i Street and the Mohawk area. She asked about the intersection on Marcola and 191'and would like to know if there is another way to deal with the trucks. The Marcola Meadows development could impact transportation at that intersection. She is fine with 14th and Mohawk,281'Street rehabilitation, and the 1911 Street intersection. Mr. Grimaldi asked if Council would like another work session on this topic. Yes. Councilor VanGordon said he didn't think he could be supportive of using this money for the Springfield Open Streets Program because of the infrastructure needs. He thought the Moe Mountain path design and construction were part of Willamalane's recent bond. Ms.Newman said they are trying to program a little bit of funding to do a feasibility study. There is currently no funding allocated to this project from Willamalane. Councilor VanGordon said he would like more information on that project. He is fine with Safe Routes to School,but feels Point2Point is not necessarily. He would like to get the LTD list down as much as possible,perhaps just down to Safe Routes to School and the Gateway ridership. Councilor Pishioneri agreed. He is hesitant to use this type of funding for staffing positions. Ms.Newman reviewed the request from the region to bring forward the Safe Routes to School regional programming to get the IGAs in place and continue to pay staff as of October 1,201 S.They acknowledged that the Springfield Public Schools would contribute half of the Safe Routes to School staff position.There are also the state infrastructure funds,which is a new funding source.They have been working with the regional staff over the last week,taking the dollar arnount the school district contributes to the staffing position,and requesting the remaining goes into infrastructure, allowing them to leverage those funds at a 1:5 rate. She explained how those funds would increase the amount to Springfield. Councilor Woodrow said she was unclear about the kiosks. She also felt the new resident piece could be incorporated into other things that are currently available. She felt the Gateway ridership was regionally important. She was not supportive of the Bike Fix-it Stations as it feels they are contributing funding to something that is a Willamalane issue. Councilor Pishioneri said he would like more detail on what the New Resident piece would involve. He felt the Gateway ridership should be an LTD project. Councilor VanGordon said the individual marketing plan for Point2Point doesn't make a big impact, and takes a lot of effort. He feels something that reaches a larger group would be better. Councilor Moore asked if the City had any say about whether or not LTD applied for the Point2Point. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes March 26, 2018 Page 6 Ms.Newman said each agency chooses which applications they want to submit. If these applications turn into something more staff can get additional information. It sounded like there was support for Safe Routes to School funding,but not the other Point2Point ideas. The MPC will make the final decision. Mayor Lundberg said she does not support Smart Trips, but would like to put money into the Gateway EmX ridership. She has heard from businesses in Gateway and talked with LTD board members about how they can figure out where the ridership is corning from or not. LTD needs to figure out solutions and she wants to support that. They can call it a Point2Point solution if they are out there talking to people and meeting with businesses about why people aren't riding. She would like the figures on the ridership in Gateway. She supports Safe Routes to Schools as long as it is for infrastructure, connectivity,lighting,etc. She would love to see them do a program where one staff member comes up with a curriculum to share and educate other staff rather than paying for separate coordinators. She is concerned about the connectivity with Moe Mountain so would like them to figure out what the system should be. She would rather wait until they have the full plan instead of paying for one piece. She felt the onus for the Bike Pit-it Stations should be on the bike friendly businesses. M.r. Grimaldi said staff will put these in the order based on Council input and get that information back to the Council. The second Planning Commission applicant arrived so she was brought in for her interview. The Mayor and Council introduced themselves and interviewed Marisa Aieta. 1. Why do you want to serve on the Planning Commission? (Mayor Lundberg) 2. The City is experiencing a severe housing shortage;would you support any of these actions to incentivize new housing: waiver of fees and charges;reduce or eliminate plan submittal requirements; increase zoning density to allow more dwellings per lot any others? (Councilor V anGordon) 3. In your opinion is it more important for the City to promote infill and redevelopment to accommodate growth, or expand the urban growth boundary to provide vacant, development- ready sites?(Councilor Pishioneri) 4. Developing within existing neighborhoods can generate strong objections to increased traffic, noise,loss of privacy, etc.As a Commission member you may be called upon to solve these neighborhood impacts; what would you require the developer to do to address these objections?(Councilor Woodrow) S. Attracting new development to Springfield is atop Council priority; can you think of any ways to entice new development to locate here? (Councilor Moore) Council discussed the qualifications of the two applicants.Both were well qualified and interviewed well.The Council agreed to appoint Grace Bergen to the Planning Commission during the April 2 Council meeting. 3. City Board, Committee and Commission Bylaws and Charges Review. Gino Grimaldi, City Manager presented the staff report on this item. During recent review of some of the City's BCC Bylaws and Charges, it was noted that there is little consistency in the membership requirements, including being a resident of the City of Springfield. Council expressed a desire to make sure that our City BCC's reflect Springfield representation. City of Springfield Council Work Session Minutes March 26, 2018 Page 7 After review of the City BCC Bylaws and Charges,Council may direct staff to make changes to some or all of the BCC Bylaws and Charges. Mayor Lundberg said she would like some general input from the Council on the BCC Bylaws and Charges, and would recommend having a small subcommittee to bring back a recommendation to the full Council. She said she would serve on this subcommittee. Councilor Woodrow provided the following comments: Arts Commission is already done;BPAC needs an updated Charge; and Budget Committee,CDAC and Development Advisory Committee are fine. She asked about the City's and NEDCO's role in the Downtown Advisory Committee. That committee needs a Charge. She asked who was staffing the GRAC.There are state requirements for the Historic Commission,the Library Board is fine,and the Museum Committee needs their Charge recognized. She questioned whether or not they want to allow non-residents to serve on the Planning Commission. The BPAC could remain as it is since it was recently updated. Councilor Pishioneri said because of its complexity,the subcommittee should sit down with the spread sheet and try to standardize as much as possible and bring back to Council with a recommendation.He would like to serve on subcommittee. Council agreed this was a good idea and would like more consistency. Councilor VanGordon said he would also serve.He felt they should also standardize the attendance policy. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 7:05 p.m. Minutes Recorder—Amy Sowa ""r R Christine L. Lundber Mayor Attest- -rS 4N4 (2, Am Sowa City Recorder