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HomeMy Public PortalAboutMIN-CC-2018-10-30MOAB CITY COUNCIL MINUTES SPECIAL JOINT CITY COUNCIL AND COUNTY COUNCIL MEETING AND TOWN HALL MEETING OCTOBER 3o, 2018 Call to Order and Attendance: The Moab City Council and Grand County Council held a special joint Meeting on the above date in the City Council Chambers at the Moab City Center, located at 217 East Center Street, Moab, Utah. A recording of the meeting is archived at hap://www.utah.gov/pmn/index.html. In attendance were Mayor Emily Niehaus, Councilmembers Kalen Jones, Rani Derasary, Mike Duncan and Karen Guzman -Newton. Councilmember Tawny Knuteson-Boyd arrived at 5:39 PM. Also in attendance were City Manager David Everitt, Recorder/Assistant City Manager Rachel Stenta, Assistant City Manager Joel Linares, Senior Project Manager Tracy Dutson, Communication Director Lisa Church, Treasurer Chantel Lindsay, Public Works Director Pat Dean, Assistant City Engineer Eric Johanson and Records Specialist Eve Tallman. Representing Grand County were Council Chair Mary McGann, Jaylyn Hawks, Curtis Wells, Evan Clapper, Greg Halliday, Terry Morse and Rory Paxman. Also in attendance from Grand County were Council Administrator Ruth Dillon and County Clerk Diana Carroll. Meeting called to order: Mayor Niehaus called the meeting to order at 5:04 PM. During this meeting and the following Town Hall assembly, 69 members of the public and media were in attendance. The meeting began with a discussion regarding quality growth. Consultants for the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT), Lynn Jacobs and Jon Nepstad of Fehr and Peers Transportation Consultants, presented their Draft Main Street (US Highway 19i) bypass study. They emphasized the heavy truck impacts on Moab's downtown and noted a bypass could relieve congestion. Jacobs stated 35 percent of traffic on Highway 191 is semi -trucks and only 20 percent of those trucks stop in Moab. The consultants pointed out the noise impacts of the trucks which need to be mitigated to address quality -of -life issues. They briefly presented route options and proposed costs for a tunnel or sound walls. City Manager Everitt continued the meeting on the topic of quality growth by pointing out the number of permanent residents in Moab has stayed about the same for several years and greatly increased tourist visitation impacts residents. He suggested that it is the rate of change and the kind of change that most affects the community, and he asked the councils what they considered to be the role of local government with regard to change and posited it could be encouraging, agnostic, moderating or stopping change. Everitt brought up workforce housing, limits on hotel size, the northern San Juan County master plan, water, a regional transportation plan including a possible bypass, the coordination of land use and building code, and community visioning. Councilmember McGann noted that after the November election, a coordination meeting with San Juan County should be planned. Councilmember Guzman -Newton noted that carrying capacity is a concern, and that local residents are losing purchasing power, especially with regard to housing. She mentioned capping visitation to the Power Dam area, yet was cautious due to local resistance to limiting visits to Arches National Park. She supported responsible and sustainable tourism. Councilmember Morse concurred that the finite resources should be defined including water and infrastructure as it relates to carrying capacity. Councilmember Jones noted there is a well -documented housing shortage. He stated that resiliency is a goal and that economic diversification gets harder with time. He suggested limiting the lodging industry and gave examples of communities that have limited lodging to certain districts. Councilmember Paxman said that tourism is the area's number one income and it is important how visitors are Page 1 5 October 30, 2018 treated so they aren't turned off. He expressed his opinion that a corridor should have been established years ago. Councilmember Wells suggested adoption of a local transportation plan to show prioritization to the state transportation commission. In a show of hands, there was not a majority affirming the notion of a bypass. Councilmember Jones stated there is work to be done. Councilmember Clapper brought up that the local tax rate is one of the lowest in the state, and residents could pitch in to protect quality of life. The Councils then stated their legislative priorities for the upcoming session. The priorities mentioned included off -highway vehicle rules, local control of land use, water, short-term rentals, Transient Room Tax, hate crimes legislation, sale of stronger alcohol in retail stores, Medicaid expansion, workforce housing affordability, local control of schools, local control for smaller municipalities, funding Utah State University Extension for the new campus, travel council membership criteria, City funding of emergency medical services and fire departments, fire policy including taxation across the County and limiting development in expectation of a bypass. Next, Airport Manager Judd Hill gave an update on the growth of Canyonlands Field and described upcoming projects. Councilmember McGann congratulated Hill on his hard work to get the improved airport reopened on -time in May. Town Hall: (1:44 on recording) The following Citizens expressed questions and concerns to the joint Councils: Joe Kingsley spoke about the prospect of passenger rail service and progress with UDOT. He thanked the County and City for their support and noted a five -person committee had been appointed to study the potential train service. He added that he hoped other citizens would support the prospect of getting some of the vehicles off the road. Randy Mason expressed concern about filing a code complaint and the potential six-month wait. Councilmember Jones responded that the code enforcement specialist did respond to Mr. Mason and he shared his concern about the City's ability to enforce code and the specter of a six- month response time and he explained initial response may occur sooner although resolution may drag out depending on merit of complaints and responsiveness of offending parties. Jones asked if City staff could follow up. Mayor Niehaus reiterated City concern for code compliance responsibility and noted the enforcement position was just recently created. Randy Day spoke about affordable housing and expressed the approach was not correct; he disagreed with punishing the lodging sector. He expressed his opinion that new impact fees should be charged proportionately. He also expressed that imposing an overlay on people's property will make people mad. He stated that zoning for affordable housing is hard because people will not want it next door. Councilmember Duncan mentioned the nexus study and commented that hotels will still be built. Mayor Niehaus thanked Mr. Day for his comments and noted that she disagreed with him. Councilmember McGann acknowledged that it is difficult and stated it is the job of the Council to create balanced policies and to protect neighborhoods and provide housing. Councilmember Wells stated Day's words are not lost on him and noted his concern with the assured housing policy. He stated it is an aggressive public -driven approach and the high density overlay is market -driven and will be more effective. Wells appreciates the tourism economy and yet he has grown less sympathetic to the tourist sector, in particular cheap hotels. He mentioned the opportunity to preserve economic development in commercial zoning and stated he weighs this against private property rights and potential of upward mobility for the community's commercial property owners. Councilmember Duncan added the problem Page 2 5 October 30, 2018 concerns building market rate versus assured housing and stated it is tricky. He said we are trying to grow and provide workforce housing at the same time market -rate housing is in high demand and is more profitable for developers. Jim Webster acknowledged he is a member of the board of education and spoke as an individual. He stated the school district is growing and has tremendous issues. He mentioned property tax wealth versus income dearth and tourism that impacts on schools are real. Councilmember Clapper offered that he is interested in hearing about legislative topics of concern to the school district. McGann concurred that coordinating efforts regarding the legislature could be a good idea. Paige Holland referred to the County's general plan and expressed that it didn't appear to inform the future land use plan regarding the high density housing overlay and number of homes per acre. She stated it seems extreme to go from about 3.2 or 3.4 homes per acre to 35. She stated that the rural residential zoning of her neighborhood with one house per acre made her feel like she had a target on her back and she asked if the Council takes these things into consideration. McGann said that she and Councilmember Clapper had attended many Planning Commission meetings and said it was far from a done deal. She said she doesn't support some of the negative impacts. Clapper said he refers to the general plan regularly. He acknowledged the County has changed a lot and the general plan needs to be a living document. He stated the overlay is an incentive plan and he would be amazed if more than three property owners took advantage of the overlay. Wells stated he doesn't agree with McGann and Clapper. He said he is more optimistic and likes the requirement of housing local residents better than deed restrictions. He brought up the disruption of neighborhoods. He said that rarely will you find counties out in front of issues and that governments are reactive not proactive. He brought up blocked views and property values and raised the question of whether developments could be taller than three stories. He mentioned incentivizing development and noted it is hard to increase density and not disrupt neighborhoods. Morse indicated there is serious debate ahead. The November 7 public hearing was announced. Michael Liss mentioned he and others are talking about buses and transit and referred to the high density housing overlay and indicated it could increase the buildout to 78,00o people. He referred to a new urbanism and creating new neighborhoods and striving toward quality growth. He referred to the unfortunate attitude of growth as loss rather than growth as something beautiful. He mentioned the US 191. corridor and the potential for quality growth. Councilmember Jones mentioned the City's participation in the nexus study and the struggle for affordable housing development to pencil out and referred to the economic driver for density. He mentioned project buffering for neighborhoods from high density developments. Mayor Niehaus stated her concern that more lots may just mean more expensive lots. Gerrish Willis spoke about the concept of geopolitical subdivisions defined by watersheds. He stated he was in favor of working with San Juan County to coordinate and plan for growth. Mayor Niehaus stated the City is looking at density and affordability differently than the County and rather than a high density overlay, the City is looking at the Planned Area Development (PAD), ensuring that density comes with affordability. Wells referred to San Juan County and stated discussions are happening and inferred that San Juan County doesn't want to be told what to do. Curtis said that was tough because it is the same valley. He suggested that formalizing discussions would be helpful. He said the UDOT hotspot funding discussions coincide with San Juan discussions regarding access to the highway for development and suggested those discussions could expand to discuss growth. He mentioned that Jerry McNeely, former County councilmember works for San Juan County. McGann stated there would be effort Page 3 of 5 October 30, 2018 made to have open dialog with San Juan County's commissioners. Councilmember Guzman - Newton stated she did not think discussions about buildout should be conducted unless there is real data for water and quality of life. She stated she felt it was a foolish step to discuss density for density's sake without data on water. Mayor Niehaus stated the United States Geological Survey (USGS) would roll out a final water study report. Jim Englebright brought up bunkhouses in neighborhoods and wanted an update. Councilmember Derasary stated there was an upcoming workshop to discuss occupancy. Mayor Niehaus reiterated there is a workshop November 5 regarding PAD, workforce housing, occupancy, code compliance and occupancy implications. Councilmember Duncan spoke about eliminating conditional uses, the family/household debate, and the external impacts of occupancy regarding noise, trash and parking. Mayor Niehaus spoke about the possibility of rental property licensure to address accountability to neighbors. Audrey Graham stated everything is connected and there will be bunkhouses until there is more affordable or dense housing. She indicated this is not ideal and we need to decide where and how to do this. She continued that the water situation is terrifying and suggested water should be saved for people who live here, curbing hotels. She said this takes political will and homes will be worth more. Councilmember Duncan commented on the PAD and said there is no minimum lot size and could make way for very small units and explained details of deed restrictions and suggested neighbors could bend but not break. Bruce Louthan stated he lives next to Walnut Lane and he expected development. He asked about what footprint for a proposed affordable development the City had in mind. He concluded that he was glad the City is thinking globally and acting locally. Mayor Niehaus indicated residents could contact Tracy Dutson, the City's Senior Project Manager, for more information. Vicki Webster asked Council to not forget about commercial use in the R-2 zone. She stated she did not appreciate a prior comment referring to residents moving to get away from the changing nature of neighborhoods. She urged Council to limit density and occupancy. Councilmember Derasary indicated this topic would be discussed on November 5. Jessica O'Leary brought up quality of life and quality of neighborhoods. She stated she has concerns about shifting definitions from families to households and stated her concern with enforcement. She lamented that Cinema Court is not walkable from town. She cited Edwards, Colorado as an example of a walkable town. Councilmember Jones brought up the City's efforts at code enforcement and explained it is a complaint -driven process and noted that complainants' identities are protected unless the complaint goes to court. He also cited the Small Area Plan for the Powerhouse area. Councilmember Clapper brought up the County's proposed new parks department. Councilmember McGann mentioned planned bike paths to Ken's Lake. Councilmember Derasary explained the City's new definition regarding household versus family, and clarified the old definition regarding unrelated persons living together is no longer legal. Mayor Niehaus brought up the former conditional uses that omit bed and breakfasts from residential zones. Solona Sisco brought up not -in -my -backyard attitudes in low -density areas in Seattle and was in favor of dense development with corresponding transit stops and access to bike paths. Sisco also expressed that bunkhouses are good and is in favor of them and the non-nuclear families therein. Councilmember Duncan mentioned that high density housing should be close to the center of town and thanked Councilmember Derasary and Mayor Niehaus for their work on the Walnut Lane property. Page 4 5 October 30, 2018 Kelland Brewer spoke about the plastic bag ban and did not look forward to the resulting potential long lines at City Market. Councilmember McGann talked about adding the bagless notice to the travel council website and noted Kroger planned to ban plastic bags anyway. Councilmember Knuteson-Boyd mentioned shopping in off hours and the impacts on the environment caused by plastic bags. Councilmember Derasary mentioned education efforts. Judy Powers stated her worry about losing neighborhoods. She mentioned nightly rentals in neighborhoods and that the market is driving doctors and dentists to move out of town and indicated she is so sorry about the development called Entrada. She mentioned low income residents have trouble with transportation and stated the need for density. Knuteson-Boyd concurred about Entrada. Jones noted the code that allowed Entrada has since been changed. Tom Moreau referred to the water study and wants to limit use by requiring low -flow showers. Mayor Niehaus brought up Sustainability Director Rosemarie Russo's Green To Gold initiative and her work to promote low -flow fixtures and referred to mandating action versus incentivizing participation. Councilmember Duncan mentioned that low -flow in hotels is important but also mentioned culinary water used for residential outdoor watering. He noted Ken Kolm's forthcoming safe yield report and said water will become more expensive. McGann said we are not mining our aquifer yet. She said the USGS study will show how much water there is. Councilmember Wells said the water special service district has a draft report and monitoring of water is needed. He said there could be disagreement on climate but water quantity is necessary. He said it is not an emergency yet and we should limit unnecessary use. Adam Fleming stated he works in the tourism industry and he wants to be able to stay year- round and noted it is hard to find housing. Mayor Niehaus referred to the bounce effect that happens when workers come to fill a need and they can't find housing. Joe Kingsley noted a teacher commuting from Grand Junction. Mayor Niehaus talked about easing licensure for contractors. Mallory Nassau introduced herself as the school district community coordinator. She brought up the key leader board and the collective impact model. She noted the bike mechanic training program. Jim Webster stated his interest in Nassau's position with an eye toward breaking down barriers to better integrate the school district with city and county councils. He also spoke about the increase in students in the school district, funding mechanisms for schools, intergenerational poverty, building a new middle school, and tax revenues used for education. Carol Mayer spoke about the toxic emissions from the asphalt plant and lamented that her trash has doubled since recycling was suspended. She also brought up USU as a golden cow and asked how many jobs would really be created by a new campus, and what diversity would result. Councilmember McGann stated the recycling center is still open and she listed items still accepted. She agreed that the center is in a transition period. She brought up reducing, reusing, repurposing and refusing materials. Councilmember Jones stated the landfills have about eight to 12 years and mentioned the City is revising its waste hauling contract which will likely integrate recycling. He added that he hoped the international recycling situation will improve. Duncan explained new jobs due to the USU project and the Community Reinvestment Area. Adjournment: Mayor Niehaus adjourned the meeting at 9:oo PM. APPROVED: ATTEST: Emily S. Niehaus, Mayor Rachel E. Stenta, City Recorder Page 5 of 5 October 30, 2018