Loading...
Downtown Development Steering Committee Minutes - 08/07/2017 DDSC Minutes 08.07.2017 MINUTES OF THE DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT STEERING COMMITTEE (DDSC) August 7, 2017 PRESENT: Councilor Jesse Brown, Vice Chair § Danny Ahern § Cody Magana § Dave Clark § Rick Hatcher § Scott Poenitzsch § Dusty Potter § Bobby Whiteley § Ripley Tate § Darron Leiker, City Manager § City Staff Jim Dockery, Deputy City Manager § R. Kinley Hegglund, Jr., City Attorney § Jack Murphy, Director, Parks and Recreation § Russell Schreiber, Director, Public Works § Tracy Norr, City Clerk § Blake Jurecek, Director of IT and Facilities § John Burrus, Director of Aviation, Traffic and Transportation § Pat Hoffman, Property Manager § Bobby Teague § Cynthia Laney, Downtown WF Development § Delores Culley, Wichita Co. Heritage Society § ABSENT: Mayor Stephen Santellana, Chair § Absent Councilor DeAndra Chenault § Absent ______________________________________________________________________ 1. Call to Order Vice-Chairman Jesse Brown called the meeting to order at 3:29 p.m. 2. Approval of Minutes of Meetings of June 26, 2017 and July 27, 2017 Motion made by Mr. Poenitzsch to approve the minutes of the June 26, 2017 and July 27, 2017 meetings. Motion seconded by Mr. Tate and carried by the following vote: Ayes: Brown, Ahern, Magana, Clark, Hatcher, Poenitzsch, Potter, Whiteley, Tate Nays: none DDSC – Minutes of August 7, 2017 2 3. Establish Subcommittees of the Downtown Steering Committee and Make Appointments to Those Subcommittees Jim Dockery said that the need for subcommittees was determined at the last meeting. He said Delores Culley had prepared the handout of proposed subcommittees. The recommendations for subcommittees are: Streetscapes (intersections sidewalks, trees/landscape, pedestrian/street lighting, infrastructure, signage, and traffic/streets), Historic Preservation (Depot Square expansion, landmarks, tax credits, Main Street Association, and restoration projects), Arts/Entertainment (art projects, festivals, events, and parades), Regulatory (zoning changes, ordinance revisions, building code review, property maintenance code, and design guidelines), Marketing (branding, promotion, consulting service, and recruiting), and Finance (TIF district, public improvement district, city bond issuance, 4B grants, fundraising, housing finance credits, historic tax credits, and CDBG funding). Motion by Mr. Clark to establish subcommittees and make appointments. Motion seconded by Mr. Hatcher. Scott Poenitzsch asked if the scope of the project falls under the regulatory subcommittee. Mr. Dockery replied he feels it should be u nder streetscapes. Motion amended by Mr. Poenitzsch to modify Streetscapes to include boundary or scope and to add the theme or design. Amendment seconded by Mr. Hatcher and carried by the following vote: Ayes: Brown, Ahern, Magana, Clark, Hatcher, Poenitzsch, Potter, Whiteley, Tate Nays: none Mr. Potter said there is no assemblance of family life downtown. He feels that needs to be added to a subcommittee. Mr. Magana said most of arts/entertainment items are being done by other groups and we don’t want to duplicate efforts. He suggested another subcommittee for lifestyles. Ms. Culley said the subcommittee would come up with ideas for the other groups to implement. She said the whole purpose of the steering committee is for new ideas that do n’t directly relate to a festival. Mr. Ahern the arts/entertainment subcommittee has a lot of other stuff to look at. He noted that other cities have had to regulate street closings for every activity because it can hurt businesses. He agreed with a lifestyle subcommittee. Mr. Magana said he feels like arts and entertainment is a lifestyle or quality of life consideration. He suggested putting arts and entertainment into a lifestyle subcommittee. Mr. Poenitzsch said lifestyle should also include parks. Motion amended by Mr. Potter to rename the subcommittee from “Arts/Entertainment” to “Lifestyles.” Amendment seconded by Mr. Clark and carried by the following vote: Ayes: Brown, Ahern, Magana, Clark, Hatcher, Poenitzsch, Potter, Whiteley, Tate DDSC – Minutes of August 7, 2017 3 Nays: none Mr. Tate said things that get measured get results. He said he would like to see true goals and tracking mechanisms put into place. Mr. Brown said he would like an agenda item for the next meeting to set action item goals. Motion to accept subcommittees as amended carried by the following vote: Ayes: Brown, Ahern, Magana, Clark, Hatcher, Poenitzsch, Potter, Whiteley, Tate Nays: none Mr. Dockery said there are t wo lines of thoughts on the subcommittees: either the chair should be a member of committee or the chair could be from staff or other interested citizens. He said Mayor Santellana did not seem to have strong feelings, but he had some ideas for discussion purposes. He said Mayor Santellana’s recommendations for committee chairs are as follows: Streetscapes: Dusty Potter; Historic Preservation: Delores Culley (ex officio member); Lifestyles: Cynthia Laney (ex officio member); Regulatory: Danny Ahern; Marketing: Janet Schmader ; and Finance: Jim Dockery. Mr. Brown said he feels the chair should be a member of the committee to maintain the structure, but the subcommittee should be inclusive of others. Mr. Ahern said there could be co- chairs. Mr. Dockery said the staff will be available with expertise in their areas. Mr. Whiteley asked if staff should be on each committee. Mr. Dockery replied it is not necessary, but there should probably be staff members on some of the committees. He added that subcommittees should probably be limited to 7-10 members each. Mr. Tate said he feels that all committee members should be on a subcommittee but not necessarily chair it. It was also noted that these subcommittees are advisory and will be making recommendations to the Downtown Development Steering Committee. Mr. Magana agreed that the chair of each subcommittee should be a committee member. They don’t have to be the subject matter expert but will act as a liaison to the committee and report at committee meetings. Mr. Potter said he would be on the streetscapes subcommittee but it is not what he would have chosen. He would like to work on marketing. Committee chair assignments were discussed as follows: Streetscapes: Scott Poenitzsch will serve as chair. Ripley Tate will also serve on this subcommittee. Historic Preservation: Delores Culley will serve as chair, Dave Clark will serve on the subcommittee. Lifestyles: Cody Magana will serve as chair, Rick Hatcher and Cynthia Laney will also serve on the subcommittee. Regulatory: Danny Ahern will serve as chair, Bobby Whiteley and Ripley Tate will also serve on the subcommittee. Marketing: Dusty Potter will serve as chair, Rick Hatcher will also be on the subcommittee. Finance: Dave Clark will serve as chair; Rick Hatcher will serve on the subcommittee if needed. DDSC – Minutes of August 7, 2017 4 Mr. Dockery said the chairs for each subcommittee can address getting members and limiting the numbers. Mr. Ahern asked for a list of staff members and their contact information. Mr. Clark said the makeup of each subcommittee will depend on what you are doing and how you are doing it. Mr. Dockery said three subcommittees will need consultant help. Motion by Mr. Hatcher to appoint chairs and volunteers as listed, with 10 as maximum number of members. Motion seconded by Mr. Clark and carried by the following vote: Ayes: Brown, Ahern, Magana, Clark, Hatcher, Poenitzsch, Potter, Whiteley, Tate Nays: none 4. Determine the Scope of Services for an Urban Planning Consultant to Assist with Elements of the Vision 20/20 Downtown Master Plan Motion to discuss scope of services for an urban planning consultant was made by Mr. Clark. The motion was seconded by Mr. Magana. Jim Dockery stated that there are experts who can help the committee in accomplishing its tasks. He discussed methodology and recommended giving a consultant general parameters and a budget for where we need consulting help, but not define each task. He suggested five broad areas where a consultant could help and proposed a budget of $75,000-$150,000. The areas are: 1) Assist the streetscape subcommittee in identifying the core area. They would define boundaries for the theme and look. 2) Work with the streetscape subcommittee and develop a conceptual design plan. 3) Assist the regulatory subcommittee with specific overlays and district development plans. 4) Assist the regulatory subcommittee in reviewing building and development codes and possible amendments. 5) Assist the finance subcommittee in establishing a public improvement district for the core area to help finance the costs for public space and infrastructure within the core. Mr. Clark asked if using Freese and Nichols as the consultant is pre-determined. Mr. Dockery said they are recommended because it’s a matter of expediency. They have worked with the city and are familiar with us and also the transit -oriented project. Staff thinks they are the logical choice, although other firms could be considered. Mr. Tate asked about the suggested budget. Mr. Dockery replied it came from conversations about the parameters. They would be asked to define their scope of services. Mr. Dockery said he knows it will be at least $75,000. Mr. Poenitzsch expressed concern about slowing the process down by opening it up to other bidders. He asked how long it would take Freese and Nichols to perform and was told we haven’t asked them for a proposal yet. DDSC – Minutes of August 7, 2017 5 Mr. Hatcher said the city has some capable staff members who have already identified most of what we need to do. He asked if we really need a consultant for something we know the answer to. Mr. Dockery said the staff has their regular day to day jobs and this is a project over and above if they are expected to coordinate and lead this. Mr. Leiker added that what you pay for is the luxury that the consultants have done this across the count ry. They can bring best practices to the table. The lack of time is also a factor. Our vision is it will be worth that money. When asked if the consultants will recommend changes on codes, Mr. Leiker said it is possible. Mr. Dockery noted that the scope of work can be reduced if their proposal is too involved. Motion carried the following vote: Ayes: Brown, Ahern, Magana, Clark, Hatcher, Poenitzsch, Potter, Whiteley, Tate Nays: none 5. Set Meeting Date Next Motion made by Mr. Tate to schedule the Committee’s next meeting on Sept 11, due to the holiday on the regular meeting date. Motion seconded by Mr. Potter and carried by the following vote: Ayes: Brown, Ahern, Magana, Clark, Hatcher, Poenitzsch, Potter, Whiteley, Tate Nays: None 6. Other Business Mr. Dockery said he will send out the RFQ for consulting and hopes to have their first response by the next meeting. He said he is willing to give assistance in establishing committees. Mr. Poenitzsch said one thing that was clear from the trolley tour is the trees that are overgrown. There was a suggestion for the services of an arborist. He asked if we could seek some RFQs for an arborist. Kinley Hegglund said that it can be put as an action item on the next agenda. Jack Murphy said the city has tree experts on staff. He suggested consulting with them first. He reviewed the tree program that was implemented by the city to beautify the downtown area. The adjoining property owners committed to take care of the trees. He did agree that maybe some should be removed. Mr. Brown asked the committee chair to come back with recommendations on trees. Mr. Dockery said to keep in mind the maintenance of the trees is the responsibility of the adjacent property owners. The city can give advice, but it is a monetary issue. Pat Hoffman added that the city ordinance says anything in the right of way must be maintained by adjacent property owners. Mr. Ahern said the contract for the trees is vague. Ms. Hoffman replied that may be one ordinance to rework. Pam Hughes said the Leadership Wichita Falls Class of 2017’s goal is to help beautify downtown and Bud Daniels park. She suggested using someone from that class on the subcommittee. Delores Culley expressed concern about losing moment um if we slow the process down by going out to get opinions. DDSC – Minutes of August 7, 2017 6 Trisha Golding said there are no women on the committee and she thinks there should be some involved. She said she would like them to come up with a way to reach out to others on the committ ee. Mr. Magana asked if the application form for boards/commissions could be used to recruit more people. Tracy Norr replied that she would make modifications to the form 7. Adjourn There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 5:08 p.m. ______________________________ Mayor Stephen Santellana, Chair Downtown Development Steering Cmte.