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HomeMy Public PortalAbout2007_11_13 Council Work Session November 26, 2007 Council Chambers, 25 West Market Street, 7:30 p.m. Mayor Umstattd presiding. Councilmembers Present: Kelly Burk, Kathryn Sheldon Hammier, Susan Horne, Kevin Wright and Mayor Kristen Umstattd Councilmembers Absent: Council Members Martinez and Reid Staff Present: Town Manager John Wells, Deputy Town Attorney Jeanette Irby, Assistant to the Town Manager Kathy Leidich, Director of Planning Zoning and Development Susan Swift, Director of Economic Development Betsy Fields, Director of Engineering and Public Works Tom Mason, Director of Parks and Recreation Kaj Dentler, Assistant Director for Parks Bill Ference, Chief of Engineering Bill Ackman, Zoning Administrator Brian Boucher, Zoning Planner Wade Burkholder, Zoning Planner Chris Murphy, Engineer Nathaniel Ogedegbe, Senior Engineer Anne Geiger, Recreation Programs Manager Kate Trask, Recreation Supervisor Rachael Goodwin, Tourism & Marketing Manager Marantha Edwards, and Deputy Clerk of Council Debi Parry AGENDA ITEMS 1. Questions on Tuesday Agenda Items Council Meeting of November 27, 2007 a. TLSE-2007-0004 - North Street Senior Center Council Member Hammier stated the importance of walkability in the Downtown and stressed the need for sidewalks to connect the Senior Center to the Downtown. Council Member Wright stated Condition 6, regarding the frontage improvements was modified at the Planning Commission level; however, it has not been amended in the staff report. Mr. Burkholder stated the County has indicated they will file for a variation of the frontage improvements. Vice Mayor Horne asked if the County is paying for the waterline expansion. Mr. Burkholder stated the applicant is proposing a 400 foot line that would connect to Old Waterford Road, run through their property and connect to the Wirt Street line. He stated if the applicant were to connect a line from North Street to the entrance of the property on Wirt Street the Town would finish that connection from Wirt Street to the point where it is already upgraded to an eight inch line, which is already in the Capital Improvement Program (CIP). Mayor Umstattd stated it is her impression there are existing sidewalks; however, the main issue is widening them. She stated staff is recommending the walkway from the sidewalk at the intersection of North Street and Liberty Street be widened to five feet. Further, she asked if this will affect any homeowners. Town Council Work Session of November 26. 2007 Page 2 Mr. Burkholder stated it would affect the frontage on Old Waterford Road and will not affect any homes. He stated there are telephone poles in the sidewalk, which makes it difficult for wheelchairs. Further, he stated the five foot width will comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. b. TLHP-2007-0030 - Loudoun Street Fire Station There was Council discussion regarding the procedure for the public hearing. Annie McDonald stated Dieter Meyer and Ned Kiley will address Council on behalf of the Board of Architectural Review (BAR). Mayor Umstattd thanked Ms. McDonald for her report stating it was superbly detailed. c. TLZM-2006-0022 - PMW Farms Vice Mayor Horne verified this application fulfills the Town Plan's designation for this property. Council Member Wright stated the Planning Commission recommended against waiving the school proffers in favor of other road improvements. Council Member Hammier asked if there is a gap between the school proffer amount and the amount required for the road proffers. Chris Murphy stated the school proffer is $4.7 million; however, the cost of the road improvements has not been determined yet. Supervisor Sally Kurtz, Loudoun County Board of Supervisors, Catoctin District, requested Council consider amending the proffer language to allow the school proffers to be used for road improvements on Riverside Parkway. She stated there are existing proffers for these improvements; however, they do not cover the total amount. Further, she stated capital intensity funds have been used for important road improvements in the past and the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors has never slighted the school system. Council Member Burk stated she had spoken with Supervisor Kurtz regarding this request. She expressed concern that the capital intensity fund requirements had only recently been put in place and now we are being asked to take money out. Vice Mayor Horne verified the County is short approximately one-half of the funds needed for the road improvements. Council Member Hammier echoed Council Member Burk's concerns. She stated it is predicted that any children who may be living in that area will be sent to Catoctin Elementary School. Council Member Wright thanked Supervisor Kurtz for her comments. Supervisor Lori Waters, Loudoun County Board of Supervisors, Broad Run District, stated given the development in the area there will be no future Town Council Work Session of November 26. 2007 Paqe 3 opportunities for proffer funding. She stated she and Supervisor Kurtz have drafted proffer language to allow flexibility. Further, she stated the Board of Supervisors will take care of the school needs. Mayor Umstattd thanked Supervisors Waters and Kurtz for addressing Council and congratulated them both on their recent re-election to the Board. d. Town Code Amendment - Chapter 21 (Stormwater Management) Bill Ackman stated Chapter 21 gives the Town the authority to monitor and create additional regulations as required by the State for storm water management and illicit discharge. Further, he introduced David Bulova who has been working with the Town as a consultant on this issue. Council Member Hammier asked why it took five years to bring these amendments forward. Mr. Ackman stated staff has been working with the State through numerous drafts. Council Member Wright stated he reviewed the State Code regulations, which required the State to create a draft for localities to work from. Mr. Ackman stated the State never provided staff with a draft. He stated they provided targets and asked each jurisdictions to craft their ordinance in accordance to their situations. David Bulova, AMEC Earth & Environmental, Inc. stated the citation is confusing and a model ordinance was never created. He stated the State has approved the proposed ordinance. Mayor Umstattd stated the biggest storm water complaints she receives are from existing homeowners who have new construction adjacent to their property. She asked how this ordinance would pertain to that issue. Mr. Ackman stated this ordinance will allow staff to add regulations to the Design and Construction Standards Manual (DCSM). He stated staff has worked with the private sector and the Environmental Advisory Commission. e. Naming of Park Site - Morven Meadows Park There was no Council discussion of this item. f. Form based code consultant and budget approval Vice Mayor Horne verified staff recommends hiring LSL Planning who will partner with three other firms. Council Member Hammier thanked Ms. Swift for her leadership on this issue. She stated we should look at partnerships for significant changes, similar to the partnership Rockville, MD established with Federal Realty. Ms. Swift stated public involvement in this process will generate interest with various parties. She stated toward the end of this effort we will Town Council Work Session of November 26. 2007 Paqe 4 be looking at capital projects for items the Town would like to work on and items the Town can offer as incentives. Council Member Wright stated there are only two or three undeveloped properties in the H-2 District outside the Route 7/15 Bypass. He asked who would serve on the Form Based Code Steering Committee. Ms. Swift stated staff is looking for advice from Council regarding the members and function of the steering committee. She stated staff anticipates the majority of the members will be from the private sector. Vice Mayor Horne stated the staff report mentions taking a property and using it as a test case for the form based code. She asked if staff has identified such a property. Ms. Swift stated staff has some ideas; however, we would need to look at project timing and it may be beneficial to do more than one test. g. Authorizing an agreement and approving a performance guarantee and water and sewer extension permits for Russell Branch Parkway West There was no Council discussion of this item. 2. Work Session Items for Discussion a. Economic Development Commission Improvements This report was deferred to the January 7, 2008 Council Work Session. Ara Bagdasarian stated Vice Mayor Horne requested an update on the First Floor Retail Task Force. He stated the final report will be provided in January. Further, he stated the Leesburg Downtown Business Association (LDBA) and Downtown Improvement Association (OlA) have provided input. b. Update of Morven Meadows Park Vice Mayor Horne verified the total park is 28-acres and one-fourth of the property will be used for an off-leash area. Bill Ference stated this has been a joint effort between the Town and the Westmorland Davis Foundation to offer space for an off-leash dog area. He addressed the site, improvements that will be made and communications with the community. Further, he stated we are fortunate to have an active friends group who are working with the staff on this project. Kaj Dentler stated in October the Town and County Parks and Recreation Commissions met and agreed discussions should be held regarding a partnership. He stated we are hopeful the County will match our financial contribution of $50,000 and provide operational support. Council Member Hammier asked why staff is requesting $50,000 and what is the anticipated source for the other funds. Mr. Dentler stated we are trying to get the County to at least match the Town's financial contribution. Further, he stated we are also attempting to get the County to partner with the Town on the operation of the park. Town Council Work Session of November 26. 2007 PaqeS Council Member Burk stated it was her understanding the majority of the funds will come from the friends group. Mr. Ference stated staff is working with the friends group to raise funds; however, they will most likely not be able to raise all of the funds needed to complete the project. Council Member Hammier asked about establishing user or membership fees to generate funds. Mr. Dentler stated some facilities around the country charge a nominal fee; however, most are either free or request a small contribution to a friends group that then raises money. Council Member Hammier asked when staff will meet with the residents of Old Waterford Knoll again. Mr. Ference stated the next meeting is scheduled for November 29, 7:00 pm at Loudoun County High School. c. Approval of pole-mounted signs for special event signs Council Member Burk asked that this issue be voted on tomorrow night. Vice Mayor Horne stated the poles will be a wonderful festive addition to the Town. Council Member Hammier stated the intersection of Edwards Ferry Road and the Route 7/15 Bypass would be a wonderful location for these signs. Council Member Wright expressed concern with the cost of the banners to the Town and to the organizers who wish to promote their special events. Further, he stated it seems we have not maintained our current signs and stated the need to maintain the banners. It was the consensus of Council to vote on this item tomorrow night. d. Court and Market Days after action report Marantha Edwards stated approximately 3,000 people attended the event and a representative from Harrisonburg, VA came to study the event as they may create something similar. She stated in 2006 Council gave staff three years to make this work and we are off to a good start. Kate Trask stated the event was held on October 20th and was free to the public. She stated the event featured many forms of entertainment and activities. She stated in-kind donations for the event totaled $15,086 not including volunteer hours. Ms. Trask stated staff received favorable comments from the LDBA, DIA, Loudoun County Courts and various vendors. Further, she stated the Town Council Work Session of November 26. 2007 Page 6 2008 Court and Market Days program is scheduled for October 18 and will include a celebration of Leesburg's 250th anniversary. Council Member Burk stated the only complaint she heard was the food merchants felt there was a lot of competition from the food vendors on the street. She stated it was a great event and she was very impressed. Vice Mayor Horne congratulated staff on their success stating it takes three years to really build an event. Council Member Hammier congratulated everyone involved in the event. She asked if staff anticipates reaching out to key partners of the Town such as Verizon and Comcast to close the gap on recovered expenses versus the costs of the event. Ms. Trask stated now is the time for outreach to build off the success of the event. Council Member Wright congratulated staff on a successful event. Mayor Umstattd congratulated staff on their efforts stating she was pleasantly surprised with how well it was done. 3. For information only: Preview Topics for December 10, 2007: There was no Council discussion of the following items: a. Leesburg Watershed Committee Report b. Downtown Market Study Consultant Report New Business Mr. Wells stated the Loudoun County Public Hearing on the government center is scheduled for 7:00 tomorrow evening. He asked Council Members to let him know if they are interested in speaking. Council Member Hammier suggested designating Mayor Umstattd as the spokesperson for the Council. She stated with the new Board coming in it may be appropriate to ask them if they really feel another building is needed. Council Member Burk stated she had already asked that question and was told the new government center is needed. Adjournment On a motion by Council Member Wright, seconded by Vi meeting adjourned at 8:50 p.m. 2007 _tcwsmin 1126