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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMIN 01.28.2014 CC-WNotice of Meetinc (if the over nines Body of the .'its of (xeor getownTexas Tttesda y, ,Janna i-y 28, 2014 The Georgetown City Council will meet on Tuesday, January 28, 2014 at 4:00 PM at the Council Chambers, at 101 E. 7"' St., Georgetown, Texas 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 four (4) days prior to the scheduled meeting date, at (512) 930-3652 or City Hall at 113 East 8t' Street for additional information; TTY users route through Relay Texas at 711. f ofic yDevefopni nt/Re iei Wor°ftsi€oir _.. ("all to of -der at 4:00 PM A Downtown Master Plan Update —Laurie Brewer, Assistant City Manager and Matt Synatschk, Historic District Planner Hammerlun absent. Brewer introduced the item to the City Council and spoke about why they are presenting this update. She said this is a planning document that imagines the best possible use of the downtown. She said it has been a guide for new development and infrastructure. She said it has allowed the city to upgrade its sidewalks, enhance the planning for downtown, the light fixtures, etc and are all outlined in the Downtown Master Plan. She spoke about the public investment in this plan. She said there have been numerous private investments and she listed those for the Council. She described the efforts being made to reach the public for the downtown master plan. Synatschk introduced the presentation and said the city has had a lot of success with the plan and staff decided it was time to update it. He said the purpose of the plan is to establish a policy base, set a vision and attract investment. He provided the Council with a timeline of the update of this plan that began in August 2013. He noted it included three public meetings which were incorporated into the final draft. He provided Council with the public meeting highlights. He described the next steps of the process. He said staff will come back to Council on March 11 for final adoption of the plan. He described the plan in detail by summarizing each of the chapters including the plan boundaries, the progress made since 2003, improvements and opportunities with existing downtown conditions, framework strategy, development strategy with zoned areas, pedestrian and bike circulation and streetscapes, auto circulation and parking, gateways, wayfinding and signs, parks, open space and public art and implementation strategies. He described the strategy and the criteria used to prioritize items in the plan. He concluded and said anyone can download the Downtown Master Plan on the City's website. Eason congratulated everyone on this plan and added she was living in Georgetown in the early 70s when most everything was boarded up and covered in stucco. She spoke about when the City was named a Main Street City in the 80s and how that propelled the development forward. She said it is magical for her to see what has happened over the years. She said she thinks it is a great idea to continually revise and update the Master Plan. She asked about lodging for tourists and if it is incorporated into the plan. Synatschk said that is included in Chapter 3 as well as the Signature Destination Plan. He said that is definitely a component of the plan. Brainard said they are here benefitting from the hard work of the people before us. He asked and Synatschk spoke about the TIRZ that is in place, when it was established and how it has helped development in the area. Brewer said the assessed value of the property TIRZ district has gone from $37 million to $77 million in the past ten years. Brainard asked and Brewer said she believes the TIRZ is supposed to be in place for twenty years. Fought said he feels that this is the best planned community he has ever seen in his life. He asked why the City offices have to be downtown and not in another area of the city such as Williams Drive. Synatschk said the challenge is to have the high levels of employment downtown so the people who work in those businesses will shop and eat in the area. He said places where businesses are downtown have a more successful downtown. He said, if the City loses that employment, downtown will lose traffic and revenue and retail sales. Fought spoke about the effort of putting money toward development and businesses that are actually happening versus what the City wants to happen. He spoke about the development and growth occurring along the Williams Drive corridor. Brewer said we have started that process with taking a look at the Gateway overlay at Interstate 35 and Williams Drive. She said the challenge with Williams Drive Is that it is not pedestrian friendly. Fought said he is going to stand for the fact that the City needs to put more of an effort to what is going on along Williams Drive. Jonrowe thanked staff for their hard work on this project. Jonrowe said she has participated at every step in this process. She said she likes that they included neighborhood based services, including daycare. She said she likes the idea of gathering incubator space for new businesses. Gonzalez said this is always a living document. He noted parking is always an issue that needs to be discussed. He noted he views Austin Avenue as their Gateway. He spoke about the parking lot on Austin Avenue and how the City should change that to retail or other types of development. He said he would like to see a bigger commitment from the business owners downtown by staying open later or on the weekends. Brewer agreed and said some of those businesses are opening more hours and she hopes the other businesses in that area will feel the "peer pressure." She said the Main Street Board is working on addressing this issue as well. Eason asked about the lighting downtown and Brewer said they are looking at different fixtures and they hope to address the lighting soon. Hesser said this makes it seem the City wants to put everything downtown instead of spreading things out throughout the area. He noted he agrees with Fought in that respect. He said the City should sit down and figure out ways for stores to be open more hours. There was much discussion. Brewer said there is something about this downtown that makes people want to live in Georgetown. B Presentation and discussion regarding Street Maintenance Program — Mark Miller, Transportation Services Manager, Edward G. Polasek, Transportation Services Director and Wesley Wright, P. E., Systems Engineering Director With a Powerpoint Presentation, Miller reviewed the City's street maintenance program. He said "pavement preservation" treatments done at the right time prolong the service life of the pavement, lessen inconvenience to the citizens and save money. He showed Council a chart demonstrating the pavement condition index and how it is determined. He spoke about preventative treatment versus rehabilitation of pavement and the difference between the two options. He described the City's obligations including 635 lane miles of streets. He described the cost of the various preventative maintenance processes. He spoke about using the right tool at the right time and described each of the preventative maintenance tools in detail. These tools include crack seals, fog seals and micro -surface paving. He spoke about why chip seal is the most cost effective treatment for a preventative maintenance program. He spoke about cape seal and said that it is not something the City has used. He described the pavement rehabilitation processes in great detail, including overlay and cutler process. He summarized the presentation and said success is a team effort on all of these processes and anything can fail for one reason or another. He said process and planning and training sessions will insure proper implementation and satisfactory product results. Gonzalez thanked Miller for a description of these processes. He said this will be very handy when speaking with constituents regarding paving. Jonrowe thanked Miller and said it makes her feel good that he can word things so that anyone can understand. She noted that is a good quality to have when speaking with the public. She asked that, if this is brought forward in the future, that they bring pictures of the treatments as well. Fought thanked Miller and it seems he is knowledgeable. He asked for an electronic copy of the presentation. Brainard asked if it would be possible to get OCIs of the state, surrounding cities and the County. He said he would also like to see some form of grid showing the different in cost between having an 85 or 90 OCI. He noted that would be helpful for Council. Eason said she appreciates the work that has been done in the past and noted her constituents have always felt comfortable contacting Miller for questions and concerns. Garver said the noise from the chip seal is disruptive and he asked if there was a way to reduce the noise level. Hammerlun arrived at the dais. Miller spoke about how chip seal treatment quiets over time as the roads are used. There was much discussion regarding the noise level of this process. Meeting recessed to Executive Session under Section 551.071 — 5:24PM Executive Sessioii In compliance with the Open Meetings Act, Chapter 551, Government Code, Vernon's Texas Codes, Annotated, the items listed below will be discussed in closed session and are subject to action in the regular session. C Sec. 551.071: Consultation with Attorney - Advice from attorney about pending or contemplated litigation and other matters on which the attorney has a duty to advise the City Council, including agenda items - Discussion concerning the City health insurance plan. a djourttttient Meeting returned to Open Session and adjourned — 6:05PM Certificate (A Postilia I, Jessica Brettle, City Secretary for the City of Georgetown, Texas, do hereby certify that this Notice of Meeting was posted at City Hall, 113 E. 8"' Street, a place readily accessible to the general public at all times, on the day of 2014, at and remained so posted for at least 72 hours preceding the scheduled time of said meeting. Jessica Brettle, City Secretary George Gager, May -or At ,t: City Setr-etary