Planning and Public Safety Committee

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Planning and Public Safety Committee met on April 14, 2015, at 12:59 p.m., with Mossotti presiding. The committee addressed four agenda items during the session, which included approval of the February 10, 2015 Committee Summary, an informational presentation on the Versailles Road Corridor Study, consideration of a Design Excellence proposal that failed to pass, and a final item on referred matters before the meeting was adjourned. The committee took two votes and heard four public comments during the meeting.

Attendance

Present: Mossotti, Scutchfield, Kay, Stinnett, Akers, Gibbs, Lamb, Farmer, Bledsoe, Henson, and Brown

Absent: Evans and Ford

Late: None

Votes and Decisions

Motion 3 0456-15: Design Excellence Zone Text Amendment

A motion to approve a Design Excellence zone text amendment and refer it to full council for consideration was brought by Steve Kay and seconded by Jake Gibbs. The motion failed on a roll call vote at 1:04:15.

The vote count was 3 ayes and 5 nays.

Members voting in favor: - Jake Gibbs - Steve Kay - Jennifer Mossotti

Members voting against: - Amanda Bledsoe - Bill Farmer, Jr. - Susan Lamb - Jennifer Scutchfield - Kevin Stinnett

Motion 4 0457-15: Adjournment

A motion to adjourn was brought by Amanda Bledsoe and seconded by Jennifer Scutchfield. The motion passed unanimously with 10 ayes and 0 nays.

All members voted in favor: - Amanda Bledsoe - Bill Farmer, Jr. - Jake Gibbs - Peggy Henson - Steve Kay - Susan Lamb - Jennifer Mossotti - Jennifer Scutchfield - Kevin Stinnett - Fred Brown

Budget and Financial Actions

The meeting included two appropriations for economic development and infrastructure initiatives:

• Design Excellence Officer and TIF Application Support: $40,000 was appropriated for funding a Design Excellence Officer position and to support Tax Increment Financing (TIF) applications.

• Bondable Infrastructure Development: $1,000,000 was appropriated to establish a fund for bondable infrastructure development in economic development zones.

Public Comment

Four members of the public provided comments on various aspects of the proposed downtown development initiatives.

Design Excellence Board Structure

Bill Farmer raised concerns about the proliferation of boards in the downtown area 48:05. He suggested merging the Design Excellence Board with the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) to improve efficiency, arguing that business owners would benefit from working with a single entity rather than multiple boards.

Funding and Incentives

Kevin Stinnett questioned the funding approach for downtown development 45:19. He asked why the Design Excellence Officer position was being funded while the Infill Project Manager was not, and expressed doubt about whether the proposed million-dollar fund would be adequate to meet downtown development needs.

Susan Lamb inquired about the administration of incentives and governance standards 38:40. Specifically, she asked how incentives would be distributed and whether the Design Excellence Board would be subject to the same ethics requirements that apply to the Planning Commission and Board of Adjustment.

Intersection Enhancements and Public Art

John Carman provided information about the painted intersection treatments being implemented downtown 14:11. He explained that these treatments are durable and long-lasting, with a typical lifespan of 6 to 8 years, and noted that similar treatments are used in other urban areas. Carman also addressed the use of fences in medians, explaining that they serve as visual deterrents to discourage mid-block pedestrian crossings.

Contested Items

The meeting included two primary areas of disagreement among council members.

Design Excellence Board Structure and Merging with DDA

A split vote occurred regarding the organizational structure of the Design Excellence Board. Councilmember Stinnett questioned whether a separate board was necessary, proposing instead that it could be merged with the DDA to reduce bureaucratic redundancy. Other council members argued for maintaining distinct administrative structures, contending that the Design Excellence Board and DDA serve different functions that would not be effectively combined under a single entity.

Funding for Design Excellence Positions

Disagreement arose over the budget allocation for Design Excellence positions. The mayor's proposed budget included funding for the Design Excellence Officer but not for the Infill Project Manager. Councilmember Stinnett questioned the rationale behind this selective funding approach, challenging why only one position received budgetary support while the other did not.

February 10, 2015 Committee Summary

0:00

The committee reviewed and approved the summary of the February 10, 2015 meeting. Key speakers on this agenda item included Scutchfield and Henson.

The committee approved the summary without dissent. All members were present during the vote, and no opposition to the approval was raised.

Outcome: The February 10, 2015 Committee Summary was approved.

Versailles Road Corridor Study

A study of the 2.5-mile Versailles Road corridor, completed in February 2015, was presented to the committee. The study recommended a comprehensive set of improvements to the corridor, including traffic calming measures, pedestrian and bicycle enhancements, and aesthetic upgrades.

Key Speakers and Discussion

The presentation involved Henson, Brad Frasier, Tom Hatfield, and John Carman. The committee expressed general support for the study's recommendations and engaged in discussion regarding potential funding pathways to implement the proposed improvements.

Outcome

Henson indicated intent to pursue a resolution to support state-level funding for the corridor improvements. The item was presented as informational in nature.

Design Excellence

Vice Mayor Steve Kay presented ordinance 3 0456-15, a Design Excellence zone text amendment proposed to replace the Courthouse Overlay with a new Design Excellence framework. 27:02

The committee discussed several components of the proposed amendment, including the positions to be established under the new framework, the incentives that would be offered, and the administrative structure for implementation. Chris King and Commissioner Paulson participated in the discussion alongside Vice Mayor Kay.

The committee considered the details of how the Design Excellence framework would operate, though specific concerns or objections raised during the discussion were not detailed in the available record.

The motion to refer the amendment to the full council failed, with a vote of 3-5 against referral. This outcome prevented the ordinance from advancing to the full council for further consideration at that time.

Items Referred

No discussion occurred on the Items Referred agenda item (identifier 4 0457-15). The committee adjourned following a motion to adjourn, with Amanda Bledsoe and Jennifer Scutchfield present.