HomeMy WebLinkAboutMIN 03.25.2014 CC-WNotice of Meeting of the
Governing Body of the
City of Georgeto o, "Texas
Tuesday, March 25,2014
The Georgetown City Council will meet on Tuesday, March 25, 2014 at 2:00 PM at the Council Chambers, at 101
E. 7`h 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 8th
Street for additional information; TTY users route through Relay Texas at 711.
Policy Development/ evieiv Workshop — Call to order at 2:00 I'
A Presentation of Hillwood Communities proposals for future development of Wolf Ranch -- Paul E. Brandenburg,
City Manager
Eason, Brainard absent.
Brandenburg provided a brief history of this development. He said the City is excited to participate with such a
well-known company as well as the landowners on this exciting project.
Brainard arrived at the dais.
Brandenburg spoke about the related items on the agenda. Brian Carlock, Senior Vice President of Hillwood,
introduced himself, spoke about Hillwood as a company, the project itself and things to consider moving
forward. He said it has been a pleasure working with staff and noted staff does a very good job at protecting its
interest.
Eason arrived at the dais.
He showed Council a map of Hillwood's projects across the country. He spoke about their product diversity and
showed Council a picture of the entries and amenities of their developments. He said most of their master
planned communities are 15-20 year projects. He played a video for the Council talking about their collaborative
process. He introduced the Hillwood team to everyone and provided the Council with the progress of the project
to date. He spoke in great detail about the Hillwood Innovation Workshop and what occurs during those
sessions. He introduced Chris Crawford, who spoke about the land plan, showed Council a map of the location
and described the tracts in detail. He showed Council a map of how the development will relate to the
surrounding area as well as the regional context. He showed the Council a master plan of the development,
including land uses, residential uses and commercial uses and said there are also amenity centers planned for
the projects. He said there will also be numerous parks and trails. He showed the Council the parks and trails
plan along with a corresponding map of the plan. Carlock spoke about the lifestyle aspect of the development.
He spoke about connecting the development to the various activities in the community. He showed them more
slides on the visioning of the development and listed the approval process and the agreements needing to be
approved moving forward. He spoke about the upcoming Council meetings where the approvals of these
agreements are scheduled. He introduced Steve Robinson, who spoke about the creation of the MUD.
Robinson spoke about the proposed MUD and its two main functions. He continued to speak about the
reasoning behind wanting an out of City MUD in the ETJ. He said it is important to consider the fact that this is
mainly a residential project. He said this development needs to be looked at as a long term growth tool and land
that will eventually be annexed into the City. He spoke about how the City will still be able to levy the sales tax
as well as water and sewer revenues from this project. He continued to speak about the various MUD benefits
to the City. Carlock spoke about the bypass project and how there would be a cost sharing plan if this
development were to be approved. He showed Council the expected schedule moving forward and said the
goal is to have the first homeowners in place between March and June 2016. Robinson said the item on
consent is for the council to agree to a special financing district within the city limits. He said it is subject to the
development and financing agreements. He said they have about 8 months through the TCEQ to create this
district and added they are asking to move forward with the consent resolution.
Fought thanked Curlock and spoke about environmental stewardship, water conservation, xeriscaping, native
plants and other methods to save water as it relates to the development. He asked about those design features
and asked if there is anything the City can do to assist with this process. Curlock said they have not identified
anything in the City policy that does not allow them to move forward with those conservation plans. He spoke
about how they will have their own self-imposed conservation policy. Hesser said his only question is about the
agreement on the consent agend. Hesser asked and Robinson said they would not be able to move forward
without approval of the agreement. There was much discussion about the agreement. Brainard said he
appreciates the collaborative approach to planning and development and he said he would like to echo what
Fought said about water conservation. He asked about the expected life of the MUD as well as how the project
would assist the City in the development of the bypass project. Curlock showed Council a map of the project
and said they would pay for the red portion of the project. Brainard asked and Curlok said this will probably be
two MUDs. Brainard asked and Curlock said the development for this project will occur in phases. Eason said
she thinks it is a fabulous project and she hopes it will lead the way for others to follow suit. She thanked the
Wolf family for waiting for something like this to come along and noted it is a real tribute to the legacy of their
parents. Hammerlun said this is an exciting process. He asked and Brandenburg spoke about the utility benefits
to the City. There was discussion about the communication and the participation with the school district.
Hammerlun asked about the significant big issues that are still outstanding. Curlock said there are some
technical matters they are working on regarding utility issues. He said the biggest point is the concept of the
MUD fee and to end up with a rate that is economically feasible. Jonrowe thanked them for their presentation.
She said this is a very exciting project and they will receive unanimous agreement on that fact. She said a lot of
her questions have already been answered but she asked about the open space. Curlock said there is going to
be 35% open space. Jonrowe asked and they spoke about how the city's tree ordinance motivates them to
preserve. Jonrowe asked and Curlock spoke about the environmental requirements they place on their
developers. Jonrowe asked about the elementary school and whether it will be limited to the students residing in
the development. Jonrowe asked and Curlock said affordability of the homes in the development is definitely a
concern of his. Eason spoke about the importance of diversity in pricing. Curlock spoke about how the MUD will
make this happen. There was much discussion.
B Presentation and update on the Americans with Disabilities Transition Plan — Dave Hall, Building Official and
Wesley Wright, Systems Engineering Director
Eason left the dais.
Chapman introduced the item. Hall said he took some pictures around town to show where the City stands in
terms of compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. He said the pictures show that the City has
accessibility due to the ramps in front of the buildings and the elevators, which brings a public facility into
compliance.
Eason returned to the dais.
Chapman spoke about the ADA and said it was designed to ensure that a person of all abilities have equal
opportunity, economic self-sufficiency, full participation in American life and independent living. She noted the
act applies to both physical and mental impairments. She said Title II of the act lists the requirements for the
state and local governments. She said it requires state and local governments to make programs and services
accessible to persons with disabilities. She said it includes not only physical access but also policy changes and
effective communication of the programs. She spoke about the plan elements and said the city first adopted its
policy in 1992. She said, in 2011, the City appointed a task force to look at these issues. She also spoke about
the staff members who have been working with this project. She spoke about the elements of the proposed
transition plan including sidewalks, curb ramps, intersections and streets. She noted all new construction,
repairs and alterations are done with applicable ADA standards in mind. She provided examples of why we
need this transition plan to be approved and move forward. She spoke about the sidewalk study that was
approved in 2011 and the current and planned sidewalk improvements. She said the 2014 sidewalk study is
planned and will identify sidewalk conditions not in compliance with Title 11. Hall showed Council pictures of
accessibility issues regarding parking and streets. Chapman said the next element of the plan is related to
public buildings and parking lots. She said staff is recommending a feasibility study that will identify public facility
and public parking conditions not in compliance with Title Il. Hall showed Council some of the recent public
projects that brought the City into compliance. Chapman said the next element is parks and recreation facilities
and said the Parks and Rec department CIP identifies renovations needed for compliance with Title II. She
listed the current ADA projects as well as future projects related to parks facilities. She said the last elements
said that the City should ensure "effective communication" accessible for all members of the public. She said the
City will be doing the website redesign and endeavor to make the webpage totally ADA compliant. She said this
includes a website policy which will require that all website vendors are also ADA compliant. She reviewed the
recommendations from the ADA Task Force. She said the first is to conduct a feasibility study to obtain an
analysis and evaluation or proposed projects.
She said the other recommendations are to establish a formal ADA Advisory Committee, collect and organize
stat to be included in the City's Asset Management System or other database and to develop and maintain the
City's ADA webpage as a meaningful resource for City residents and those with disability. She concluded and
said there is an item on the regular agenda to adopt this plan.
Brainard asked if the City is under a time restriction to complete these measures. Chapman said the City needs
to implement the transition plan in order to move forward with the improvements. Brainard asked and Chapman
said the Act requires a transition plan and the Council directed staff to convene the Task Force. Brainard asked
and Chapman said the government constantly changes the ADA laws. Brainard asked and Chapman confirmed
this is the next step of a process that began in 2011. Fought said he likes the idea of the committee but he
would like to know the composition of the committee in detail. He spoke about the importance of having
members with disabilities on this committee. He said he would like to see each Council member appoint
someone, not unlike the Ethics Commission. He also addressed the issue of sidewalks needing to be
addressed with regards to ADA compliance. Hammerlun said it seems the City is substantially behind the curve
on this process. Hammerlun said he is shocked and noted we need to get going on this immediately. Jonrowe
said she is pretty flabbergasted herself. Jonrowe asked and Miller spoke about the sidewalk study and how it
relates to ADA compliance. Jonrowe asked and Hutchinson explained how a website can be changed to be
ADA compliant. Gonzalez asked that Council forward any members they would like to appoint to the ADA
Committee to the City Manager's office. There was much discussion.
C Discussion and possible direction to consider updating multifamily development standards -- Andrew Spurgin,
AICP, Planning Director; Jordan J. Maddox, AICP, Principal Planner; and Jennifer C. Bills, AICP, LEED AP,
Housing Coordinator
Brainard left the dais.
Spurgin described the item and said this is a continuation of an item they had last fall. He said, at that meeting,
Council directed staff to explore amendments to the Unified Development Code that would provide additional
guidance for locations of multifamily developments. He reviewed the land use plan for the City of Georgetown.
He showed Council pie charts of the zoning districts and spoke about possible amendments to the land use
plan. He said, right now, only 2% of the City is zoned multi -family.
Brainard returned to the dais.
He showed Council the proposed updates to the land use plan. He spoke about multi -family entitlements and
said many rezoning approvals are speculative. He said one issue is that utility entitlements may permit multi-
family to absorb sewer capacity in an area stifling the ability of commercial to develop. He spoke about the
recent multi -family approvals and how there have not been many in recent years. He provided some options for
amendments for Council consideration. He said Multi -Family (MF) is permitted by right in the C-1 and C-3
districts. He said one option is to integrate a special use permit when someone requests multi -family housing in
these zones. He said, when there is a multi -family case, they would like to incorporate a high density residential
map. He said there is only one multi -family zoning district and said it allows 24 units and up to 60 feet in height.
He said an option is to consider the creation of two districts: MF -1 and MF -2 that differ based on density and or
scale. He spoke about the UDC amendment process and said amendments to the Code will go to the Unified
Development Code Advisory Board prior to going to the City Council for consideration. He said Council can
also request immediate action on any proposed amendments to the UDC. He said he would like to know from
Council whether to send these amendments through the normal process or to address it right now.
Jonrowe said she likes the idea of enhancing the annual report information. She noted, with regards to changes
to the multi -family zoning, she is leaning more towards moving quicker. Brainard said he is in agreement with
what Jonrowe said. Eason said the City should definitely speed up the process to address this issue. Gonzalez
agreed and said he likes the idea of multi-level multi -family housing zoning districts. Brandenburg spoke about
why staff would like to remove the MF zoning and making it a special use permit process. There was much
discussion about how the City needs to address this quickly.
Meeting recessed to Executive Session under Sections 551.071, 551.072 and 551.087 of the LGC — 4:23PM
Meeting returned to Open Session and adjourned — 6:10PM
Executive Sessi€ ti
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.
D 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
- LCRA Update — Expanded Professional Service Proposal
- CTSUD Update — Expanded Professional Service Proposal
- Airport Update and Discussion of Legal Issues
Sec 551.072 - Deliberation Regarding Real Property
-Discussion on the possible purchase of real property (Parcel 225) related to the TxDOT FM1460 Improvement Project —Terri
Glasby Calhoun, SRIWA, RNV -NAC, Real Estate Services Coordinator and Edward G. Polasek, AICP, Transportation Services
Director
Sec. 551.087: Deliberation Regarding Economic Development Negotiations
- Project Five Star
Adjournment -- 6:19PM
Certificate of hosting
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`h 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 G4Ker, Mayor
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Atte t: City Secretary