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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03/11/2002 Work Session !:' . MINUTES OF THE JOINT WORK SESSION MEETING OF THE SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL HELD ON MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2002 The Springfield City Council met in Joint Work Session on Monday, March 11,2002 at Springfield City Hall, 225 Fifth Street, Springfield, Library Meeting Room, at 5:35 p.m., with Mayor Leiken presiding. ATTENDANCE Present were Mayor Leiken, and Councilors Ballew, Fitch, Hatfield, Lundberg, Ralston, and , Simmons. Also present were City Manager Mike Kelly, Assistant City Manager Gino Grimaldi, City Attorney Joe Leahy, City Recorder Kim Krebs, Police Chief Jerry Smith, ~d members of staff. . Planning Commission members present were Commissioners Beyer, Burford, Carpenter, Malloy, Moe, and Wilson. Mayor Leiken opened the meeting for the Springfield City Council, and welcomed the members , of the Planning Commission, and thanked them, for attending. Commissioner Malloy, Chair, opened the meeting for the Springfield Planning Commission. I. Joint Meeting with the Planning Commission. . Councilor Hatfield said there are a few issues that he would like to discuss at this session. He referred to Attachment I ofthe Agenda Item Summary (AIS) that highlighted the issues that were going to be discussed tonight. He said the first item is regarding the Planning Commission's role in assisting the City Council in accomplishing or attain some of the City Council goals. He said the council is currently in the process of looking at the 10-year financial needs for the city. He said there are some issues the Planning Commission will need to assist with in order to provide a financially sound stable government. Councilor Hatfield referred to Attachment 2 of the Agenda Item Summary (ATS) "City Council Goals 2002-2007". Those include: . Provide financially sound, stable city government. . Utilize resources efficiently and effectively to meet citizen needs. . Expand the, Springfield economy creating family wage jobs. . Continue to make Springfield a safe community. . Deliver quality services. . Participate in a renaissance for Springfield. . Partner with citizens and other public agencies. . Preserve our small town character. . Councilor Hatfield said most of the City Council goals have something to do with economic development. He said economic development depends on having land available, which would allow companies to site and relocate, and preferable land that such companies are looking to site. He said the Gateway area is very active, and with some recent happenings, the downtown area on the Island Park property that the Chambers Trust recently purchased. He said there is still a need to spread that diversity throughout the rest of Springfield including Glenwood, Mid Springfield, and the Mohawk and Thurston areas. He said as soon as the Jasper Road Extension is built, a Spnngfield City Council Joint Work Session Minutes - March 11,2002 Page - 2 . master plan could be developed into Nodal Development with campus industrial, and create a community where people can live, work, play, recreate, and educate, all in one particular area. Councilor Hatfield said the council has been struggling with and working towards taking the land that is best suited for employment areas, and areas that might be better suited for recreation, or public ownership, and not be afraid to re-write the maps if needed in order to provide for these specific goals. He said as we look forward about 10 years, the city budget does not improve, and if nothing changes, the reduction looks to be approximately one half million dollars every year. He said the one thing that can change this is commercial development, as that type of 'development does many things; 1) pays net tax dollars to the treasury, as the cost to providing city services to an employment center is less than the taxes that the property pays; 2) if the right types of companies are brought in, it will improve the quality of life for our citizens by providing them better shops, salaries, working conditions, and benefits. He said the city has done a very good job in bringing Wal-Mart and Jerry's right in the center of Springfield. The key is how we utilize the land that Springfield has, and as these issues come before the Planning Commission, council hopes that the Commissioners take the broad context in mind. Commissioner Moe said an important issue is not to lose sight of encouraging existing Springfield businesses to grow, not to just bring in outside companies. Councilor Ballew said it is also important that both the City Council and Planning Commission members remember that as volunteers to this community, the first duty is to listen to what the citizens say, and be guided by that. Each person deserves their fair time, and each member of the City Council and Planning Commission must dutifully listen to them. . Commissioner Wilson asked how Enterprise Zones affect budgetary goals. City Manager Mike Kelly highlighted the definition of an Enterprise Zone, and the process that must be followed in order to be approved, as well as the financial benefits of locating in an Enterprise Zone. Commissioner Wilson asked where the Enterprise Zones are located in Springfield. Mr. Kelly said they are all over the city, mostly industrial, some commercial, and no residential. Commissioner Wilson said he is concemed about the improper or poor use of commercial development land along Main Street. He emphasized the importance of making good use of our commercial property. . Councilor Hatfield said he would encourage all to keep the City Council goals in their minds as issues are addressed in the future. . Councilor Hatfield said in TransPlan we are required to identify approximately 400 acres of land for Nodal Development. He said those sites have already been identified in Jasper Natron and other parts throughout the city. However, he does want the Planning Commission to review very carefully how we utilize the Mixed-Use Employment, Mixed-Use Commercial, and Mixed-Use Residential overlay zones. He said this is a powerful tool in which to overlay areas that should probably develop over the next 50 years in a more intense fashion. He said throwing just a nodal overlay on a piece of property would be a disaster if the market were not ready to utilize it for that purpose. He said he is personally excited about this concept especially for the Thurston area. Spnngfield City Council, Joint Work Session Minutes - March 11, 2002' Page - 3 . Mayor Leiken said Commissioner Beyer was' a City Councilor at the time TransPlan discussions began. Commissioner Beyer said nodal does have a lot of potential. Encouraging people to build residential development over the top of commercial property, and recognizing that they do it where there are existing services does make sense. He sai,d probably the best opportunities are in the Mohawk, Gateway, and Glenwood area. He said Glenwood is probably the most unique area, although he does share a concern that Commissioner Wilson mentioned earlier, is to utilize commercial property wisely. He said the most recent development in Glenwood for the State motor pool for parking cars, is absolutely the wrong thing that needs to be done there. He said the transit routes would also provide a lot of opportunity that encourage the conversion areas ' much like Main Street. He said commercial land is at a minimum, the land mass is physically constrained, and we are into the redevelopment process. Commissioner Carpenter mentioned that the Jasper Natron Extension might be [mancially constrained by the West Eugene Parkway (WEP). He said the 42nd Street corridor is becoming overloaded, and something rieeds to be done to handle the impact of vehicle traffic coming in from the Southwest. He said because of the funding impact that the WEP has there may not be sufficient resources to implement the necessary transportation needs for this corridor. Commissioner Beyer asked for clarification, as he thought the project was fully funded. . Transportation Manager Nick Amis said yes, the Jasper Road Extension Project is fully funded, and the WEP will not eliminate the Jasper Road Proj ect. Mr. Kelly said the fIrst phase of the Jasper Road Extension Project would begin this summer, and the entire project is due for completion by 2004. There was discussion regarding the process of annexations, and the regulatory power of the City. There was discussion regarding conceptual drawings of proposed development in the Glenwood area, how to recruit developers to invest in the Glenwood area, and whether or not it is prudent to sit and wait until a developer approaches the city, or whether the city should recruit development. There was discussion regarding the options on the property that the city acquired for the Federal Courthouse site being purchased by Carolyn Chambers, and how the proposed new development may impact the riverfront. There was discussion regarding the recent work that has been done in the downtown area, the McKenzie Theatre, the Emerald Arts Center, and the upcoming development of the new Springfield Station. There was discussion regarding the visioning of the Master Plan for the Gateway area, what a valuable tool that ended up being, and how that same type of visioning could hopefully be used in the Jasper Natron area. It is critical to make property desirable. This may be the city's role, but we need to be aggressive and create good partnerships with the private sector as well. ' . Mr. Kelly said annexation is discretionary, and there is no obligation on the council's part to annex a certain piece of property at any certain time. He said the key question of the Boundary Commission is whether we can serve the property with key urban services within five years. In order for us to be supportive in the recent annexation requests, staff worked with the developers Spnngfield City Council " Joint Work Session Minutes - March 11, 2002 Page - 4 '( . to determine what the parameters were regarding how it would be developed in addition to the timing. With that information, it was clear what the developer's obligation was as well as the city's obligation for infrastructure. He said this served as a good model to work out these issues prior to annexation. He said once property is annexed, Dolan then comes into play. He said if agreements are developed prior to annexation with the developer, there is more certainty of what their obligation and cost will be. The council discussed the need to develop some type of Master Plan or visioning for the Jasper N atron area. Councilor Simmons said in the past, the city has typically done reactive planning process. He said when talking to the people who are active in the planning of some of these unique areas such as Glenwood and Jasper Natron, it is necessary to elevate that kind of frequency notion of what is going to happen in the area. The city needs to assist in guiding that, both by public fund and involvement with the existing property owners and the new developers. He said this is the area where the Planning Commission and staff playa tremendous role in helping establish those DNA tracks that set us on the right path. He said unless the planning is laid out well before and direction specified in advance, we may not get that urban village result that some might be looking for. He said the River Bend and Gateway area have been in part reactive as we move further into this century. The Planning Commission and their predecessors' have laid the foundation, and we are now at a planning juncture. He said the members of the Planning Commission, City Council and the citizens have to decide which path we are going to follow, whether it be nodal development, or some other creative fashion in order to guide the development that makes sense. . Mr. Kelly said there is some money designated for sewers for Glenwood, and the project is scheduled to begin next year. He said there will less control on behalf of the city once those sewer lines are in place. He said in that respect, the coordination of planning between the City Council and the Planning Commission in working with the Glenwood residents is to determine within the next year as to what strong influence we would have in Glenwood. Commissioner Moe said the Refinement Plan does reflect existing use of property, but does not reflect the nodal concept that is being encouraged. Commissioner Beyer said Springfield is unique among a few cities in the area, in that it is very constrained in landmass by the geography. He said in order to determine what kind of community we want to guide in the next 30 or 40 years, it may take some decisions that we collectively make, and saying no might be something that needs to be done. Mayor Leiken said one thing that Springfield has built is confidence in the private sector and the development community, and that is a critical piece. As long as we have a plan in place, and developers or the private sector can take a look at the developed plan and work with it, it will work. In order to continue that strong relationship we must not change the rules mid-stream: He said land use planning is going to be very important, and a key to how this community continues to evolve, will depend on the consistency issue. . Councilor Ballew said sureness with a purpose along with continued sureness with the builders and development community makes sense. She said there is a great deal of faith put into nodal development, but we must also be prepared with a fall back plan in the event that type of development planning does not come to fruition. Springfield City Council Joint Work Session Minutes - March 11,2002 Page - 5 . Commissioner Carpenter said along those same lines, especially in the Glenwood area, perhaps the issue of private property rights could be detrimental to securing any major developer to commit to a large-scale development. A developer may be fearful of the property one or two away from his development not being able to be developed, and may not take that risk. He said in order to secure the type of gem we want for a large scale nodal type community development, there may have to be some additional changes in planning to assure that that developer knows from the beginning what he will be able to sell the properties for. He said that is not necessarily what has been done in the past in Springfield, and may be a conflict to what we currently allow. Councilor Fitch said there has been some preliminary work done on the riverfront, and that work is continuing this year. She asked how we bring the property owners to the table and provide them with some of the vision that we are currently seeing. ' Commissioner Moe said he is very sensitive to the residents in Glenwood that do not want to annex to the City of Springfield, but along Franklin Boulevard is primed for redevelopment. He hopes that we can develop some sort of proposed conceptual design or look for that area which could be shown and shared with those folks in order to gain their interest. Hopefully, they would want to share in that vision and be a part of it. Councilor Fitch said as the Councilor of that Ward, she would prefer to have some Master Planning done in that area by the time the sewer lines are installed, and said we might need to parallel and proceed with the nodal development concept. . Commissioner Beyer said there is a lot of speculation, but to a large extent, private interest is waiting for the city to set the tone and some assurance as to what would be the vision for the future. He said he would encourage the City Council to engage in discussions with Lane County regarding the dump site in Glenwood. Mr. Kelly said we are fortunate in that the large vacant parcels are under a Master Plan requirement. He said we have a unique Charter that requires avote of the people regarding the financing method of Urban Renewal. He said Urban renewal could still be done without the unique financing method. It may just be that we put that tool in place sometime in the near future, and use some new techniques. He said urban renewal is a reasonable way to redevelop as long as there is council support and community interest. There was a discussion regarding whether or not Lane County could create an Urban Renewal District,and designate the Springfield City Council as the Renewal Board. Mr. Kelly said yes, if the intent were to look at the powers for an urban renewal agency, one could be created. Mayor Leiken asked the Planning Commission members if they were comfortable with the discussion so far, and whether or not there were other items that they wanted to discussion before the end of the meeting. Commissioner Wilson said he wanted to discuss design standards for commercial buildings, and hoped there could be a brief discussion before the conclusion of the meeting. . Spnngfield City Council Joint Work Session Minutes - March 11,2002 Page - 6 . Councilor Hatfield said design standards are actually part of both nodal and mixed-use overlay districts. In his opinion, if this is something the Planning Commission would like to look at, he would encourage using the higher density design standard as a model as it was very successful. There was discussion regarding the different areas ofthe city having their own unique quality, and important to maintain that unity and theme, and the need to encourage the residents in the Glenwood area to discuss their unique characteristics as well. Councilor Hatfield said he hopes the Planning Commission has a better understanding of what the , council has in mind. He said some of the key issues for the council are economic d~veloping and all that entails as well as making sure what is developed is compatible with the community's values. He said that is often localized because of the unique attributes and personalities. We need to make sure we have development done correctly, remembering that we are leaders of this community, but remembering that without a community following it will be very lonely. He said he sensed by the conversation that there was no immediate desire to change the course that is currently being followed. ' Mayor Leiken thanked the Planning Commissioners present for attending, and said it was a beneficial meeting. Commissioners Beyer, Wilson, and Moe agreed to remain at the table for the next discussion regarding floodplain. Commissioner Malloy closed the work session for the Springfield Planning Commission. . 2. Flood Plain Background and Discussion. City Engineer Al Peroutka and Planning Manager Greg Mott were present for the staff report. Mr. Peroutka said the purpose of this work session is to provide an opportunity for the council to ask questions and discuss issues surrounding development in and adjacent to the flood plain, and to provide an opportunity for further direction to staff. Mr. Peroutka said that Mr. Joe Weber from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was not able to attend the meeting due to a personal conflict, however he will be here at an upcoming work session. He said Mr. Weber provided some written information that will be circulated and discussed later in the meeting. Mr. Peroutka said Wade Stampe, Operations Manager for the Willamette Basin, US Army Corps of Engineers was, present and would be available to discuss dam operation and how that might effect the flooding in the area over the years. He introduced other staff members present who assisted with the Agenda Item Summary (ATS), Ken Vogeney, Ed Black, and Joe Leahy. He said future visits from individuals would include Joe Weber as well as Ann Byer who is the Flood Plain Management Coordinator from the State of Oregon, and works in DLCD. Mr. Peroutka introduced Mr. Stampe. Mr. Stampe highlighted information contained in his handout, which included: . · Willamette Basin Projects, Oregon - I) a listing of project completion dates of the dams built from 1941 to 1969; 2) Multi-Purpose Reservoir Water Control Diagram; 3) Flow Frequency- pre-dam and post dam; and 4) flood eventslflows. Spnngfield City Council Joint Work Session Minutes - March 11,2002 Page - 7 . Mr. Stampe responded to questions of the council. Mr. Peroutka circulated an additional handout from FEMA, which highlighted Flood Insurance Study Chronology of Lane County. He said the basic message is in the first page of this handout, which states that the FEMA maps were last updated in 198} - 1985 time frame. He said the update that occurred in 1999 was a conversion of the maps to a digital format, with some very minor changes. He said the second page of the handout highlights for each of the rivers what was used for the modeling of hydrology and cross sections. He said the hydrology is from 1979 - 1982 studies. The cross sections are different techniques for measuring the cross sections for the model. He said one thing that has been discussed is that on the McKenzie River, the models have not been updated since the 1960's. He said that is based on the fact that the photography that was used for the model and used for the maps in 1985, came from aerial photography that was done in 1962. He said newer information was used for the Willamette River. Mr. Peroutka said this would be the time for council to ask any questions regarding information contained in the packet. He said council might want to discuss what direction they chose to provide to staff on the current projects they are involved in. Councilor Simmons asked a question related to Attachment A page -3 of the FEMA handout that says "Need for Updating Study" ...significant changes in land-use in the watershed - NO... He asked if this was bogus information or whether this was Mr. Weber's assessment of the watershed. . Mr. Peroutka said yes, that is Mr. Weber's assessment of the watershed, and thinks he was probably looking at the McKenzie River for this event. Councilor Simmons said that flies in the face of all of the existing data that is currently available. He said the surface level of streets, the surface level of roads, the surface level of houses, structures, and commercial properties, all have substantially changed since the data was acquired in the mid-1960's. He said admittedly there might have been some updating completed. Mr. Peroutka said he believes Mr. Weber is referring to the flow volumes in the handout under the hydrologic conditions. He said he is discussing the things that have a big impact on the flow volumes that we see coming through this specific area. He is essentially saying there has not been a significant amount of changes that would make us see a volume of flow. Councilor Simmons said he would like a clarification regarding the significant runoff capacity, because it has changed all the way from the 1-5 bridge upstream. He said there have been substantial land use changes in that area, and it is unclear what he is stating in this portion of his handout. Commissioner Wilson asked regarding riprap as mentioned in Attachment A Page 19 and 20. He said it implies in the findings on page 20 that riprap is slowly being added along the McKenzie River, and asked how much is being added. . Mr. Peroutka said he didn't believe that staff was implying that there was additional riprap in place. There was an area that the city added some at the end of Baldy View Lane. He said there is significant revetment and riprap already in the McKenzie, and some of that is being washed away. He said he is not aware of any significant additions. Springfield City Council 'Joint Work Session Minutes - March 11,2002 Page - 8 . Commissioner Wilson asked a question related to Attachment A - Page 3, where it identified 83.5 acres in the Gateway Floodway.' He asked Mr. Peroutka to identify where that property is located, and talk about the issues related to that. Mr. Peroutka identified the flood plain and flood way boundaries on an overhead map, and pointed out the 83.5 acres Commissioner Wilson was referring to. Commissioner Wilson asked with the study that is being proposed, is that an issue that is going to be reviewed to see if that has changed, and what are some of the specific issues, as that is a significant piece of property. Mr. Peroutka said staff is working with developers in this area right now to re-study this issue. He said this information is from the 1985 modeling. If the updated modeling and new cross sectiQns across the river show different conditions, then this could change, depending on the results of the study. He said the flood way is considered underour land use regulations, basically no development in the area. Mr. Peroutka responded to questions related to the flood way highlighted on the overhead map, and how over time the river could shift. The flood way, however, is not necessarily a future flood channel. He said the flood way is an area that has been set aside through the modeling work and discussions with the community that has been set aside in order to pass a 100 year flood without significant impact. . Commissioner Beyer asked how much difference in water capacity was there in 1996. Mr. Peroutka said staff has heard a lot of different versions of what year flood the 1996 flood was. He said gauging information is not completely accurate. He highlighted an overhead map "1996 Flood Events" and pointed out the revetments in the area. Councilor Fitch confIrmed that we do currently build in the flood way. She asked if the acreage is included in the industrial and commercial and MDR studies. Mr. Mott said the flood plain is included in the acreage numbers. Councilor Fitch referred to Attachment A page 17 - "DLCD Water Quality Model Code and Guideboo/C' which states it was developed to assist Oregon's municipalities with amending and updating their land use and development codes. She said with that assistance in mind they are saying "the objective of the recommended code provisions is to protect and enhance water quality, preserve fish and wildlife habitat/refuge and to decrease property damage by better regulating development within the flood plain... " She said it doesn't spell out exactly what they are going to do, and wonders how much limitation they are suggesting. Councilor Fitch referred to Attachment A page 17 - OAR 340-041-0026(1) (a): Antidegradation Policy for Surface Waters, "Both the McKenzie and Willamette Rivers have been listed by the state for not meeting temperature standards". She said based on that what other further limitations does that put on us. . Mr. Peroutka said he has read some of the DLCD guidelines, and different communities are doing different things in the flood plain. It is an issue for a lot of communities. He said some of the Springfield City Council Joint Work Session Minutes - March 11, 2002 Page - 9 . things they are currently doing is balance cut and fill, or trying to set development as far back as possible from the flood way. He said he is not sure whether other communities are absolutely eliminating development in the flood plain. He said there are some other techniques that would further regulate and further prevent damage. Mr. V ogeney said at the Antidegradation Policy essentially states that for drinking water and . other surface waters that whatever the quality 6fthat water is today, we can't take any action that would degrade the quality of the water. He said that effects surface waters with what we do.in the flood plain areas because the development activities in the flood plain can affect the water quality. He said currently the state has not given the staff guidance on how to specifically deal with the flood plain issues under the Antidegradation Policy, other than what is said in the overall purpose and policy oftheir model code book. He said the state has provided staff with some recommendations, however it is up to us to determine whether or not it will really work for Springfield. Councilor Fitch said Attachment A page 15, mentions a scooping meeting for the reconnaissance portion of the Metro Waterway General Investigation Study, and asked what kind of costs are being proposed. Mr. Black said the reconnaissance is 100% funded by the Corps, and without doing the reconnaissance we will not know the scope of the project. He said there is no cost to us until we go beyond the reconnaissance. He said you could go all the way through, and opt out prior to construction if council directed staff to do so. . Councilor Lundberg asked if staff had a copy of the model ordinance that is mentioned in the handout. Mr. Peroutka said he would make a copy available for the next meeting, and highlighted briefly the information contained in the model ordinance. He said this could be used as an added tool. Mr. Peroutka responded to questions related to water temperature, shading, and meandering. Councilor Simmons said there was a study done by the state that talks about meander channels actually decreasing the water temperature. Mr. V ogeney said one ofthe features and functions of the meanders that can actually help to lower the water temperature is that it gives the river more opportunity to intercept the ground water. The ground water is cooler so it brings that water into the river and helps cool down the river. He said when you are in a defined and confined channel, there is less opportunity for the groundwater to get into the river. Councilor Fitch said for the discussion next week she would like to know how much ofthe acreage mentioned in this staff report is mentioned in the different studies as "being accountable and buildable within our 20- Year plan". If we do think we are going to have to take some of that land out, where are we going to enlarge the UGB, or what? She said on one hand, we have a law that says we have to have so much buildable acreage available, and on the other hand we are supposed to be preserving the waterways and the fish. We need to strike a balance, but the question is how do we accomplish that. . Spnngfield City Council Joint Work Session Minutes - March 11,2002 Page - 10 . CouncilorLundberg referred to Attachment A page 28 "Willamette Restoration Initiative (WRI)". She asked about the 27 critical actions that the WRI identified. She asked if we are expected as a city to comply with these initiatives, and do we have to incorporate them somehow. If so, how will that affect us? Mr. Black said there are 27 different actions, however two of the actions were identified in the attachment as they specifically apply or refer to flood plains. He said these are actions that are recommended if there is an interest in restoring the river system, they are not regulations at this point. Mr. Peroutka asked for specific direction to staff for the next meeting. Councilor Hatfield said there is a lot of good information provided in the AIS and attachments. He said in reviewing specific sites, we do want to look at the zoning and metro plan designation maps, maybe overlaying in what we do with flood plain and flood way. He said he would like to see issues having to do with mitigation. For example, what techniques are other communities using to mitigate impact, and also what communities are doing nothing, and why? Councilor Fitch said storm water and discharge, and floodwater issues need to be addressed and discussed. Council Consensus was to have Ann Byer from DLCD attend the next meeting. . Councilor Lundberg said she would like to hear what information we know in terms of anecdotal, specific information on the maps, and what has occurred. All of the components need to be reviewed. In order to make these future decisions, all of this information needs to be presented to the council. Councilor Ralston asked if there are other things that can be done legally to protect areas from the flood plain. Councilor Hatfield asked what other defensive strategies are there that can be built inland that protects the city's interest. He said he knows there are a lot of county residents out there, but at this time he is looking again at protecting the city's interest, which is the urbanizable area. Councilor Simmons said that might become complex because some of the flooding on the Mohawk came from behind some of those protections. Councilor Fitch referred to Attachment A page 9 "tflat other Federal and State agencies are leaning towards reducing reliance on revetments and allowing rivers to meander". What effect if any does that have on past decisions or past history, as well as what responsibility does the city have in this area? Councilor Simmons said that study has already been done; it is essentially a virtual reality trip of the lower portion of the McKenzie. He said that information would be helpful in showing what could happen in the future. . Mayor Leiken thanked Mr. Stampe for attending the meeting and providing this valuable information. . . . Springfield City Council Joint Work Session Minutes - March 11, 2002 Page - 11 ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 7:30 p.m. Minutes Recorder - Kim Krebs t:'