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HomeMy WebLinkAbout_2007 02 05 City Commission Workshop Minutes (1) CITY OF WINTER SPRINGS, FLORIDA MINUTES CITY COMMISSION WORKSHOP (1) FEBRUARY 5, 2007 CALL TO ORDER The Workshop (1) of Monday, February 5, 2007 of the City Commission was called to Order by Mayor John F. Bush at 5:15 p.m. in the Commission Chambers of the Municipal Building (City Hall, 1126 East State Road 434, Winter Springs, Florida 32708). Roll Call: Mayor John F. Bush, present Deputy Mayor Sally McGinnis, absent Commissioner Robert S. Miller, present Commissioner Rick Brown, present Commissioner Donald A. Gilmore, present Commissioner Joanne M. Krebs, present City Manager Ronald W. McLemore, arrived at 5:16 p.m. City Attorney Anthony A. Garganese, arrived at 5:37 p.m. After a Moment of Silence was held, the Pledge of Allegiance followed. City Manager Ronald W McLemore arrived at 5:16 p.m. REGULAR AGENDA REGULAR 300. Community Development Department - Planning Division Requests That The City Commission And Local Planning Agency Identify A Draft List Of Planning Issues Important To Winter Springs, Related To The Comprehensive Plan And To Be Addressed In The Evaluation And Appraisal Report (EAR). These Issues Will Then Be Used As The Basis For Discussion At The Upcoming February 28 [2007] Public Workshop. Mr. Randy Stevenson, ASLA, Director, Community Development Department introduced the discussion. Ms. Eloise Sahlstrom, AICP, ASLA, Senior Planner, Community Development Department also addressed the City Commission; and introduced the Members of the Local Planning Agency. CITY OF WINTER SPRINGS, FLORIDA MINUTES CITY COMMISSION WORKSHOP (I) - FEBRUARY 5, 2007 PAGE20F6 City Attorney Anthony A. Garganese arrived at 5:37 p.m. Discussion. Tape 1/Side B As to what should be included in the Evaluation and Appraisal Report (EAR), Mayor Bush remarked, "I think you should include the development of the [State Road] 417/[State Road] 434 corridor - the GreeneWay Interchange [District]." Ms. Sahlstrom stated, "Okay." Commissioner Joanne M. Krebs mentioned moving forward on this, and stated, "Yes to lower density, but even having the density is how we build it, how we house it." Further discussion. Manager McLemore remarked, "The thought process was, if we're going to have seventy-five percent (75%) of Land Use for white collar office type development, these people have got to have some place to live. And without that, then we're again creating long, long trips - traffic generation between where people live and where they work, so why not build it in. That was - the Mixed-Use component of that thought process." Manager McLemore then asked, "Do we really want to retain that twenty-five percent (25%) for residential, and the other thing is to be successful as an Office Park generator, is a necessity." Manager McLemore added, "I suspect part of that answer is if there is Housing opportunities within a reasonably close-by proximity, in other areas, then maybe we don't need to worry about it. If there is not, then maybe we do need to worry about it. So, I think that is something we need to explore and explore that relatively quickly." With further comments, Commissioner Rick Brown stated, "Again, if you look at Lake Mary, and I am not holding them to be the perfect example, they have areas of very high income housing, they have medium density housing; they've got a good income, a good area of low impact housing. And then they also have retail and they also have white collar commercial that all kind of fit together, in a much smaller environment than what we have to work with. So I think it's doable." Manager McLemore said, "I think we need to definitely look at the question and I agree that there are resources out there that we need to go to." Mr. Tom Brown, 717 Adidas Road, Winter Springs, Florida: as a Member of the Planning and Zoning Board/Local Planning Agency, Mr. Brown mentioned issues that Members of the Planning and Zoning Board/Local Planning Agency had each covered. Mr. Bill Poe, 639 Marlin Road, Winter Springs, Florida: as a Member of the Planning and Zoning Board/Local Planning Agency, Mr. Poe spoke on Affordable Housing. CITY OF WINTER SPRINGS, FLORIDA MINUTES CITY COMMISSION WORKSHOP (I) - FEBRUARY 5, 2007 PAGE30F6 Mr. (Tom) Brown said that he had been working on Parks issues and mentioned that this Board's Report, along with others are available for review. Ms. Denise Ryser, 1707 Littleton Court, Winter Springs, Florida: also as a member of the Planning and Zoning Board/Local Planning Agency, Ms. Ryser mentioned her concern with the tax base, and spoke of extending the Town Center District. Ms. Linda Tillis, 1102 Erie Court, Winter Springs, Florida: as another Member of the Planning and Zoning Board/Local Planning Agency, Ms. Tillis addressed the City Commission on whether data was still relevant, and spoke of growth in communities. Ms. Rosanne Karr, 1323 Augusta National Boulevard, Winter Springs, Florida: also as a Member of the Planning and Zoning Board/Local Planning Agency, Ms. Karr addressed school issues and the need for Affordable Housing. Much discussion. Mayor Bush commented, "I think that we need to look very hard at the [State Road] 417/[State Road] 434 - that is a golden opportunity for us to develop our commercial with high-end, high wage jobs. It meets the kind of the people who would work there, are the people who live here. We are right in between two (2) airports; we are just north of the University. The University's Research Park is almost built-out. They are now looking at other places in Orange County. They need to look in Seminole County. The Seminole Chamber of Commerce has a committee going right now; I am on it." Mayor Bush added, "Colonial Properties believes that this is the next development area in Seminole County. And they think that what's happening in their part of the world is that their rents are going to go up high enough, it is going to force some of the businesses out over there and they are going to move over here because these rents would be less. But they are still going to be good businesses; the kind of businesses I think we want. If you have been to Colonial Town Park, that is what we want to see out there. And I think that is what we need to work very hard to do. And this is going to take more than just us. It is going to take collaboration with the City of Oviedo, the City of Sanford, and the County. It is going to be a joint thing because businesses don't look to come to a city; they come to look to a region. And they don't care whether it is in Winter Springs or Oviedo or Sanford or in the County. All they care about is - this is where they want to build it for the reasons they want to build it there. With the new Med school coming in, again, it gives us a great opportunity to have some businesses out here that would cater to the med school and the doctors and the lawyers and the labs and everything that's going to come with them. So, I am hoping that is something you will factor in because I think it agrees with what you've been saying. CITY OF WINTER SPRINGS, FLORIDA MINUTES CITY COMMISSION WORKSHOP (I) - FEBRUARY 5, 2007 PAGE40F6 And what the Manager is saying is that we have looked at that area and made sure it doesn't turn into residential - and even though it's mixed-use right now; I think we've got to - we need to see this as our Colonial Town Park, if you want to make an analogy. That is the way I see it. So I would like to see - you consider that in studies." Mayor Bush then suggested, "If you look at the Innovation Way concept in Orange County. What the Chamber is calling this is the [State Road] 417 Corridor study - but it is really an extension of the Orange County's Innovation Way, is what it is, into Seminole County. We have got the County Commissioners who are involved in this - we've got the City of Oviedo involved. So it is going to be a joint effort and I am hoping Winter Springs will really grasp this and - go with it. Because I think it gives us a great opportunity to address the tax base, cut down on the number of residential units and also I think it would keep the value of some of our homes up. Because a lot of these people who work in those places would want single home family homes as well, so it is a good combination." Commissioner Krebs said, "I actually was doing research on city sustainability; and you're right. You know, every City needs a niche. And I really think that's our golden opportunity right now. And the sooner we realize that - so, I really would like you to look at that - really carefully. I don't necessarily think that housing is necessary over there as much as turning it into this special place that - and it is going to help sustain our City in the future." Continuing, Commissioner Krebs remarked, "My other was, up there, I didn't see anything for, and I'm going to say youth facility. I see senior services and facilities. And the youth that I'm talking about right now are that - the age group that we're a little neglected on. And that's our teenage age. I do hear that from the community. There's nothing for teenagers to do here. So I - maybe there is something we could - look at there." Discussion ensued on density, Affordable Housing, restaurants, and green space. Mayor Bush said, "Actually you can get on the [www.]myregion.org-Ibelievethere.sa link to it right now to take the survey to [www.]myregion.org.Ihavealreadytakenit.so I encourage you to do it." Tape 2/Side A Commissioner Donald A. Gilmore spoke about commercial property and said, "I think the City Staff has to really sit and look at that - it can be office buildings - and that is an ideal fit for [State Road] 417, fits in with the Research Park, Innovation Way. In fact, we are better off because we have got some land out there right next to [State Road] 417 and it would be an ideal thing, but it is going to be large office buildings of some nature." Commissioner Gilmore added, "I think it is extremely important to define what 'Commercial' really means." CITY OF WINTER SPRINGS, FLORIDA MINUTES CITY COMMISSION WORKSHOP (I) - FEBRUARY 5, 2007 PAGE50F6 With discussion, Commissioner Brown commented on "The need for building a business tax base - 1 think it is continuity - I think you are absolutely right on the Comp[rehensive] Plan. We have got to make sure that the Comp[rehensive] Plan shows continuity between the direction that we are heading and what we want to build." Commissioner Brown added, "That whole series on [www. ]myregion.org is now available on demand, on Time Warner. You can watch the entire thing all over again." Additionally, Commissioner Brown remarked on the need for living facilities for older citizens and stated, "The point is, they can't stay in their home - they can't stay home in Winter Springs. And 1 think it is very crucially important that we try to resolve that. We have a very needy population in that sense that we don't provide and haven't been able to find a partner to come in and provide the facilities in concert with us, to care for these folks without having to escort them out of the City to find a place for the care they want." "Communities for a Lifetime" was mentioned next and "when Developers are first presented with the idea of providing handrails and wider doors and ramp access and wheelchair and walker accessible bedrooms and in bathrooms, the cost of doing that up front is a lot higher, but when they realized that with our aged population, where we have aging parents, that we are going to care for - at some point, and that we will bring to live with us, that they can demand a premium for those homes and they get it, and in the communities that have adopted that, they are actually getting those premiums for their homes and the Developers are happier in the long run, the community has made them provide that level of service to the senior community - so 1 think it is something that we need to look at. It may not be the right solution, but 1 don't know that it is one that we have looked at really hard, on making it a part of our Building Code." Commissioner Robert S. Miller remarked, "If we are going to focus on 'Commercial' business in the next eight-ten (8-10) years, we really need to focus on the Town Center as a primary target." Discussion. Next, Commissioner Miller mentioned, "Right now, I think we have six (6) Banks between [US Highway] 1 7/92 and the Greene Way; so you might want to look at that next time an Applicant comes in." Further discussion. Ms. Karr said, "I want to compliment the City for bringing up more of these Events and making the Town Center a ~lace where people want to come on Saturday night; which is what's happening on the 1 i [of February]. 1 think that's a great thing." CITY OF WINTER SPRINGS, FLORIDA MINUTES CITY COMMISSION WORKSHOP (I) - FEBRUARY 5, 2007 PAGE 6 OF 6 ADJOURNMENT Mayor Bush adjourned this Workshop at 7:05 p.m. RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED: DANIELLE HARKER, ASSISTANT TO THE CITY CLERK AND r " AN A LORENZO-LUACES, CMC CITY CLERK APPROVED: /) 7~ tf;u~H M YOR NOTE: These Minutes were approved at the February 26, 2007 Regular City Commission Meeting.