01 Mar SHCC Meeting Minutes – March 2000
SUGAR HOUSE COMMUNITY COUNCIL Minutes for March 1, 2000
Trustees: Ty McCartney, Helen Peters, Alice Edvalson, Sheila O’Driscol, Ray Pugsley, Lynne Olson, Dorothy Tuddenham, Gayen Wharton, Dolores Donohoo, Scott Kisling, Su Armitage, Rich Bennett, Rawlins Young, Robert Marsh, Ruth Price, Phillip Carlson (16) Excused: Ruth Robbins, Cheri Carleson, Tiffany Starbuck City/State Representatives: Barry Esham, Kathy Daly, Bill Allauad, Linda Ward, Ron Bruno, Kathy Black, Danny Walz, Gary Burg (&) Others: Rachel White, Rich Hendron, Brent Applonie, Melissa Lichtenstein, Amy Finch, Eric Sabodski, Claudia Pack, Susan Ord, Derek Payne, Brian Meikle, Kern Weaver, Karin Whitlock, Beverly Takos, Kevan Adams, Chris Dayton, Tim Rhodes, Susan Petheram, Monty Thurber, John Sabodski, Steve Graham, Tilly Van Egmond, Stephen Morgan, Vincent Oles, Trent Thatcher, Scott McNeil, Pat McCullough, Kyuhong Cho, (27) Total – 51 Meeting called to order at 7:00 PM by Chair Ty McCartney. Minutes of the February meeting were approved Chair Report: Ty reported that the required criteria are not met for a traffic light and/or cross-walk at 13th East and Stratford Ave. so it appears that, at least for the present, this will not happen. He reported that UTA is working on better parking at the 21st South TRAX parking lot and that bikes on TRAX are to be used on the last car only and there isn’t suppose to be any limit to how many bikes can be put on the last car. Ty also reported that the 24 Hour Fitness is expecting to be completed by the end of May. Reports are that the Lone Star Steak House is about 2 weeks away from opening. They have almost a full staff now. Ty asked if anyone is interested in having a Street Fair sometime this summer. There were several that expressed an interest in this. The city is looking at the possibility of using the internet for the distribution of the minutes and agenda for those-who have access to the internet. Su Armitage distributed copies of the report from the survey that was done earlier in the year.Treasurers Report: There has been no activity leaving a balance of$I,616.81. Public Input: Brian Meikle living at 1912 So. 2500 East spoke regarding a notice that had been received from the city by him and others in his neighborhood (specifically a Frieda Kuhn) regarding illegal parking pads or structures in the front yard. They feel the letter from the city was unacceptable and suggested that this ordinance needs to be re-evaluated and suggested that those who agree with their feelings call the city and express their concerns. Crime Update: Linda Ward and Officer Ron Bruno reported on the crime statistics for the past month. Car Prowls are down but robberies are up. They responded to a question regarding a young girl that was followed by someone near the Boys and Girls Club and also a man that has been trying to talk to little girls near a couple of the schools. They indicated that there is no violation in just talking to the girls, only if there is some force toward the girls. They encouraged persons to continue to report any suspicious activity since anything could be helpful in case of violations. The police are now in their new facility in the lower level of the Sugar House Commons. Mayor’s Office Update: Barry Esham reported that Deeda Seed has been appointed as the new Chief of Staff. He said that the CAT teams are still functioning but are now under the Office of Community Affairs. The city is still working on the easement for the Hidden Hollow. They are still looking at the complaint of trash cans being placed in the bike lanes. There is no city ordinance dealing with this issue. There are still several meetings with the mayor scheduled. They are: March 15 at 5 :30 PM at the Central City Community Center – 615 S. 300 E., March 11 at 10:00 AM at Acoustic Music – 857 E. 400 S., April 8 at 10:00 AM at Sam Wellers Books – 254 S. Main, and April 19 at 5:30 PM at Northwest Community Center· 1300 W. 300 N. Barry reported that there is a meeting on March 8 at 6:30 PM at the Forest Dale Golf Club House regarding the Hollywood Ave. traffic issues. The volunteer effort for the Olympics will be kicked off with a celebration at Symphony Hall on March 10. For information on being a volunteer, call the SLOC office or visit the WEB at WWW.SLC2002.COM. Diane Hesleph is the Olympic coordinator in the Mayor’s office for Distr. 7. She can be reached at 535-7733. There was a question asked regarding the street lighting program. Barry indicated that the mayor is in favor of this, but the budget would limit what can be done. School Board Update: Kathy Black reported for the school board. There will be a SLC school board meeting at the Highland High library on March 7 at 7:00PM and all were invited. The school board-was generally pleased with the action of this year’s legislature but were disappointed in a lack of any long range plans. They did not get the Applied Technology program this session and they lost on the bills for restricting guns in the schools. They are looking at re-aligning the boundaries of the elementary and middle schools. There will be meetings discussing this issue on March 13 at Dillworth, March 15 at Hillside, and March 16 at Clayton. They feel that 500 students is an ideal size for elementary schools and 700 students an ideal size for middle schools. They are asking for public input at these meetings. They are looking at bussing issues because of lack of money for more busses. The school board was sympathetic with the strike by the Granite teachers, but they felt the timing was not right. The BYU did a poll on the attitudes of schools and the average was a B grade. They are talking to Westminster College, Judge Memorial High School, and Sugar House Park in an effort to get more soccer fields. They are also looking at more sharing of school facilities with the community. Strategic Plan Update for RDA: Danny Walz of the RDA presented the 2000-2005 RDA Strategic Plan for the Sugar House Business District. The overall goal of this plan is to assist in improving the visual image of the business district and make it a convenient place for those in the area to want to come to and do business in. The plan describes many areas that are planned for improvement. Anyone interested in reviewing this document or any comments can contact Danny Walz at 535-7254. Granite Block Mini Master Plan Update: A team of U of U students are participating in a community planning workshop and are doing a mini master plan for the Granite Furniture block. The students include Kyuhong Cho who is looking at commercial and economic data, Chris Dayton who is looking at open space and the environment, Susan Petheram looking at historic preservation and urban design, Monty Thurber looking at urban design, land use, and maps, and Kern Weaver looking at transportation and parking. They have included the fire station and Deseret Industries and McClelland St. where the Granite parking is located. They are also looking at the underground canal and are looking for historic structures. Housing and Neighborhood Development/Housing Programs Update: Garry Burg explained the programs that are offered by the city. Their purpose is to help neighborhoods keep houses in good condition. They can offer loans up to $20,000 at 0% – 6% interest. They monitor the home improvement projects including assessment of the condition and value of the home, obtain bids from licensed, bonded and qualified contractors, closing and servicing the loan, and assure a quality job. They offer special incentives to elderly and disabled residents. They can also give assistance in finding qualified persons to do work for you. They also have a special program for first time home buyers. If you have questions on any of these services, call Garry Burg at 535-6229. Planning Dept. Update: Bill Allayaud reported that the Redman development did not get the RDA funding they wanted but he thinks they will come back with another plan. The Mecham development on 13th East was approved by the Planning Commission but there are still issues to be resolved with UDOT and the property to the East. Mr. Mecham is going to be out of the country for 3 years and would like to get a building permit so this could be started before he leaves. They are still working on the Sugar House Master Plan update. They are currently working on the parks and open space portion. The Sugar House area is greatly lacking in park space. The city is considering Sugar House Park more than is reasonable for this area which makes other areas in the Sugar House area with no park space at all. One of the areas that was identified in the 1995 master plan as a possible park site is the Crandall Ave. property. There has still been no effort made by the city to acquire this property. The Sugar House Community Council has been trying to press this issue for some time. A motion was made that we aggressively pursue with the SLC Administration the acquisition of the Crandall Ave. property as a neighborhood park in accordance with the 1995 Sugar House Master Plan. During the discussion, another motion was made that we table this issue until the parks sub committee has had an opportunity to review this. That motion failed with 2 in favor and 13 opposed. The voting on the original motion was 12 in favor and 2 opposed. Helen Peters will work with Bill Allayaud to see what we need to do to work with the city on this issue.Commercial Business to Neighborhood Commercial Zone Changes: Bill Allayaud reported that he is still working on this issue. This has become much more complex that originally thought. It is being recommended that the commercial neighborhood zone be changed to a neighborhood business zone and that a small neighborhood business zone be created. They are also recommending the addition of a legal conforming status. Bill explained some of the requirements for these new recommendations. He had some questions on a few of the businesses in the area and asked for recommendations from the audience. This issue will probably be ready to be presented to the Planning Commission on April 20 or May 4. Any questions regarding this issue can be directed to Bill Allayaud in the Planning Dept. Library Update: Kathy Daly reported that plans have been submitted to the Building Department. The bid was awarded to Hogan contractors. She feels we will be ok to have our April council meeting here at the library but probably not after that. She reported that the Boyer Company and Thackery/Johanson have been very cooperative in joint issues. If you have any questions, contact Kathy at the library. Westminster College North Parking Structure: Steve Morgan presented the plans for the addition to the NW parking structure. This will be a 1.5 million dollar project and is hoped to begin in June with a Jan. 2001 completion. This will need a conditional use permit to add the 3rd level. They held one meeting with the neighbors on Blaine Ave. to discuss the traffic issues and another meeting for the extended neighborhood. There were several issues raised from these meetings. These included a concern with the appearance of the structure, the visual impact of the safety lighting and traffic issues, specifically the speed and volume. He presented their proposed resolution to these issues. The Blaine residents have agreed to try a temporary cul-de-sac at the Blaine/12th East intersection to see the impact of that. The other alternative that was discussed was a pork chop island at that intersection. This island would not necessarily cut down the volume of traffic and was not the desirable alternative. It was noted that the Planning Commission approval of the master plan showed the access to the 3rd level from 17th South. This has been changed to access from the South side because of structural issues. The neighbors generally are favorable to this addition. It was pointed out that homes on this street would be more valuable with the cul-de-sac. After a lengthy discussion, several motions were tried to satisfy those in attendance. The final motion that was agreed upon stated that: We approve the plan as presented to us and described in the document they presented to us titled “Conditional Use Permit for Northwest Parking Structure – Third Level” dated March 1, 2000, with specific attention to: 1) the resolution of the landscape concerns as described in this document, 2) the resolution of the lighting concerns as described in this document, 3) a deed restriction to 3 levels, and 4) that the Planning Commission approve the project only if the appropriate traffic calming measures have been incorporated into the project. The voting on this motion was 8 in favor, 1 opposed, 2 abstaining. It was noted during this discussion that the City will be implementing Impact Fees starting July 1,2000. Meeting adjourned at 10:00 PM
