HomeMy WebLinkAboutMIN 11.14.2023 CC-WMinutes of the City Council
City of Georgetown, Texas
Tuesday, November 14, 2023
The Georgetown City Council met on Tuesday, November 14, 2023, at 1:00 PM at City Hall Community
Room - 808 Martin Luther King Jr. Street.
The City of Georgetown is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). If
you require assistance in participating at a public meeting due to a disability, as defined under the ADA,
reasonable assistance, adaptations, or accommodations will be provided upon request. Please contact
the City Secretary's Office, at least three (3) days prior to the scheduled meeting date, at (512) 930-
3652 or City Hall at 808 Martin Luther King, Jr Street for additional information; TTY users route
through Relay Texas at 711.
This is a Work Session the Georgetown City Council to Discuss the Downtown Georgetown Master
Plan Update.
The following Members were in attendance: Josh Schroeder, Amanda Parr, Shawn Hood, Mike Triggs,
Kevin Pitts, Jake French, and Ron Garland.
Agenda Notice
The meeting was moved from the City Hall Community Room to the City Council Chambers to
accommodate public attendance.
1. Regular Session
Mayor Schroeder called the meeting to order at 1:03 p.m.
1.A Downtown Georgetown Master Plan Update Work Session with Council
Discussion and feedback regarding the Downtown Georgetown Master Plan Update —Kim
McAuliffe, Downtown & Tourism Director
McAulliffe introduced the item and turned the presentation over the Chris Geddes with Design
Workshop. Geddes then introduced Robert McHaney with The Goodman Corporation who
reviewed the parking element. McHaney was joined by Boya Dai with The Goodman
Corporation.
McHaney reviewed the purpose and needs of the study. Dia then reviewed parking area;
analysis zones; parking supply; on -street parking; parking supply including County and City
owned lots and garages; private parking; parking demand; and parking surplus and deficit
current and future. McHaney then presented and reviewed minimum off-street parking
requirements; off-street requirements compared to peer cities; and parking strategies for
shared use parking, improved alternative transportation, removing parking, develop a
wayfinding strategy, development scenarios, Unified Development Code (UDC), construct
parking garages/lots, in -lieu of fees, residential permit parking,
Geddes then presented and reviewed existing conditions for height and density; points of
reference; determining height metric; typical square conditions old vs. new; potential building
height controls; setting a height benchmark; heights possible under the courthouse
balustrade; setbacks considered; view from old town; view from University and Austin Avenue;
courthouse view protection; needed feedback for height determinations; existing conditions of
Blue Hole Park; proposed; improvements to Blue Hole Park; and needed feedback for Blue
Hole Park.
General discussion among Council, consultants, and staff, including City Manager David
Morgan, regarding: parking and what all is included in the parking supply count, timing of
parking issues, impacts to parking of employees who can telecommute, ,different funding
possibilities, and no desire to move parking into neighborhoods; building height and how some
other cities addressed height by either specified measure or number of stories in a building,
use of zones for determining building heights, what level of control Council wants to allow for
height going forward, and how other communities do or do not regulate height; and Blue Hole
and how state and federal regulations for what can be done along the water, once plan is
adopted will begin a park design, and how Blue Hole is part of the gateway to downtown.
Mayor Schroeder called for a break at 2:37 p.m. and resumed the meeting at 2:50 p.m.
Once the meeting resumed Mayor Schroeder resumed the meeting and opened the item up
for public comment. Gabrielle Mortensen addressed the Council regarding her concerns for
increasing the building height. Jen Bradac had Billie McCulley yield time to her and addressed
Council regarding the City's continued growth especially since 2020; concerns for proposed
level of density downtown; how density does make sense in other places; dispersing of traffic
and parking; TRG and San Jose overlay plans and concerns with those plans being negatively
impacted; possible problems with parking passes; and how the proposal could ruin downtown
for existing residents. Carlos Bustihos signed up to speak but had to leave and was not able
to address the Council. Larry Olson had Jerry McCulley yield time to him and addressed the
Council regarding concerns will allowing higher buildings; possible height is stories are
allowed instead of numbered heights; and not wanting Georgetown to look like San Marcos.
Alton Martin addressed the Council regarding how he was representing himself and not
preservation Georgetown and he doesn't want it to feel like driving through a tunnel due to
height of buildings; results of decisions will have lasting effects; and how he wished Council
good luck on their decision making. Jason Bice addressed the Council regarding why people
seek Georgetown and how the City can build character without having major increases in
height. Carla Schaefer addressed the Council regarding the concerns noted today are those
of many and how she opposed going higher than 40-feet in height for buildings.
General discussion among Council, consultants, and staff regarding: best strategies and
funding for them; shared use parking agreements; not sure if resident parking permits would
be helpful; emphasis on wayfinding signage plans; employees often use the best downtown
parking spots; councilmember preferences for different height in the 9 blocks of downtown
versus outside of that; review of stories allowed in other cities; using the Courthouse as a
benchmark for development of height; context of future projects; not a lot of developable infill
in downtown; could use a combination of height in feet and number of floors; money that isn't
used to spend on improvements downtown has to come from somewhere; and how to add
additional parking near Blue Hole.
Adjournment
Mayor Schroeder adjo yfned the meeting at 3:53 p.m.
These minutes were//oved at the meeting of Z'51 �v-
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Mayor