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HomeMy WebLinkAboutNOVEMBER 21, 2016 COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF JEFFERSONVILLE, INDIANA NOVEMBER 21, 2016 WORKSHOP ROLL CALL:The roll call was conducted and those present were: Councilperson White, Councilperson Zastawny, Councilperson Jahn, Councilperson Maples, Councilperson Gill, Council President Owen, Councilperson Hawkins, and Councilperson Rodriquez. Councilperson Samuel was absent. 1. Discussion on Downtown Overlay— Council President Owen called the Council Workshop to order at 5:32 PM. Planning and Zoning Director Nathan Pruitt was present to answer any questions about the proposed Downtown Overlay. A recess was called in order for the Council and the Public to look at the story boards that were provided by the Planning and Zoning Department and allow the Public to speak with the City Officials. The Council Workshop reconvened at 5:48 PM. Laura Renwick—Indiana Landmarks 115 W. Chestnut Street—Overall supportive of the goal of increasing the density downtown, that would be a great thing for Jeffersonville but there are some concerns, particularly the scale and height. There are some portions of Downtown that those would be appropriate; however there are some portions it would not be appropriate. Allowing this greater density in these historic areas would encourage demolition of some of those historic areas and for the higher density living area. They are supportive of the idea but it seems like there needs to be a little more work and input from the stakeholders. Deborah Henderson—222 Meigs Avenue—Several questions, of the 955 acres how many are downtown? What is the largest parcel and what is the smallest? What other barriers are being removed in this overlay? She is not sure the 100 ft tall works with the Comprehensive Plan. Ann Darku—603 E. Maple Street—Wants density for downtown but also be mindful and strategic about where the density is placed. Wants to make sure there is a balance. Case Kuiper—322 W. Market Street—It seems as though there is a lot of conflicting information. Not sure where all of these jobs are coming from. These jobs would need to pay about$22 an hour in order for the rent not to be cost burden. We have to protect our neighborhood and the business that are coming to the area. We only have one shot to do this right. Joe Rafferty—118 Clark St. - He walks the bridge almost daily and he enjoys it. There is a lot of beauty coming into Jeffersonville. That space is too valuable to lock it down with rental real estate or condos either one. All of these people have to be managed. The whole thing should be put on hold and the space should be studied for a long time. This is going too fast and there are some people who really want to see this go through. Walter Carrico—217 W. Market St. - Found the old portion of Jeffersonville to be an extremely beautiful place and decided to relocate here. Homes that are owned by the people are not looking for renters. Hoping that the Council will look at this at a new light. Try to keep the flare of the old Jeffersonville City intact and do piece by piece and look at what is being proposed. Kate Miller—321 Pearl St—Asked which of the Council Members lived in the overlay. She has done research for the last 14 days. In the Highlands, the plans have to go passed the Historic Board, then a board that is construed of home owners, not elected officials. There is something unique about Downtown Jeffersonville and we just want to keep that intact. Dan Christensen—415 Meigs Avenue—Would love to see a lot more housing in Jeffersonville and downtown. We would like to see owner occupied as much as we can. It won't do us any good if people rent the houses and then don't take care of them. He doesn't want to look out and see high rises, let's leave it at 40 feet and instead fill in the empty lots. Melody Carrico—112 Clark Street—She is very concerned about doing a wide sweep of doing this in downtown Jeffersonville. She would like to see this go project by project. We need to be smart;the growth needs to be smart. None of the Council on the Planning and Zoning Board actively live downtown. It may be best for them to step aside. Becka Christensen—415 Meigs Avenue—This is going to obstruct all of the views that we have now. These are not going to fit. We don't have to rush this,talk it through and get all of the information. Pat Barrow—1800 Dutch Lane—Not one of the Rose Hill neighbors. She wants to make sure the neighborhood has a chance to speak their minds.There is growth now. She has seen the results with adding apartments in single home neighborhoods. This doesn't all have to be downtown. Please don't take away their voice, allow them to work with the City on the development. Chris Harrell—808 E. Market Street Louisville, KY—The form and quality of build trumps size for him. The concern about the demo and replacement is a valid one and he would like to see how the Council would prevent that. Jason Sams—ARC is opposed to any buildings that are over 40 feet being built on Colston Park. Has the City adopted a Downtown Comprehensive Plan? If not,then why not? It seems to make more sense that this be looked at on a case by case basis. Beverly Knight—416 W. Riverside Dr. —We are not opposed to change, but we want to make sure it is the correct changes that fit in our neighborhood. We encourage you to research this and think very carefully before you make a decision. When you put up an 8 story building and it doesn't work, it is very difficult to take it down. Glenn Zwanzig—311 Pearl Street. —We need to make sure that all buildings have good materials. It seems like the buildings that are going to be taller are required to have the better material and the normal size buildings will be allowed to have poorer quality of materials. Council President Owen asked Planning and Zoning Director Nathan Pruitt to come forward and respond to some of the concerns that were stated in the Public Comment. Mr. Pruitt pointed out that there's been a lot of talk about smart growth. This is a strategic plan to bring private dollars around public dollars that are already being spent. It defines materials and protects the neighbors. This will be high investments and bring people to the amenities. The local Historic District is protected from a Historic Board. There was another question about density around the City and what the plans were for that. The Planning Department started downtown and will move its way outward. 65%of the Housing units will be proposed outside of downtown. There are dozens of citations in our Comprehensive Plan that shows future need. We are lacking in diversity. We need more than just single family detached homes. The Planning Department does not believe that every new building will be 8 story buildings. The construction cost increases dramatically for anything over 5 stories tall because of the material cost goes up drastically. Density does not devalue single family homes. The views will be staying the same. We are not developing Big 4 Station. We want to add positive new requirements all while maintaining the feel of downtown. This sets us on the path to neighborhood values as well as what we have invested downtown. We want to allow the opportunity sites to develop. Ownership is a great option but we need to provide other options. Quality is the theme here. We want to build off of what we have. We don't have many controls right now. We want to support a Pedestrian environment. Council President Owen asked if we have any current material standards in this area and we do not. ADJOURNMENT: Council President Owen adjourned the Council Workshop at 6:58 PM. APPROVED Matt Kwen, Presient ATTEST: Vicki Conlin, Clerk