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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-21-19City of ]��Wh6a-tRi�oge PLANNING COMMISSION Minutes of Meeting March2l, 2019 1. CALL THE MEETING TO ORDER The meeting was called to order by Chair OHM at 7:03 p.m. in the City Council Chambers of the Municipal Building, 7500 West 29`h Avenue, Wheat Ridge, Colorado. 2. ROLL CALL OF MEMBERS Commission Members Present: Melissa Antol Daniel Larson Janet Leo Scott Ohm Richard Peterson Jahi Simbai Vivian Vos Commission Members Absent: None Staff Members Present: Ken Johnstone, Community Development Director Lauren Mikulak, Planning Manager Tammy Odean, Recording Secretary 3. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 4. APPROVE ORDER OF THE AGENDA It was moved by Commissioner PETERSON and seconded by Commissioner LEO to approve the order of the agenda. Motion carried 7-0. 5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES — February 7, 2019 It was moved by Commissioner LEO and seconded by Commissioner LARSON to approve the minutes of February 7, 2019, as written. Motion carried 5-0-2 with Commissioners ANTOL and SIMBAI abstaining. 6. CITIZEN COMMENT ON AGENDA ITEMS (Public comments may be limited to 3 minutes) Planning Commission Minutes March 21, 2019 No one wished to speak at this time. 7. OLD BUSINESS 8. NEW BUSINESS A. NRS ( Neighborhood Revitalization Strategy) Study Session Ms. Mikulak gave a brief description of the NRS document and introductions of the Staff, PC Commissioners and NRS Committee. The NRS study session began with comments and perspectives on the process from the three Co-chairs: Rachel Hultin, Kathleen Martell and Corey Stites. Ms. Hultin explained the process of the Steering Committee and the importance of the participation and engagement of the community. She also mentioned how lucky they are to be working with the staff from czb consultants. Ms. Martell talked about the 27 members of the steering committee and how they are a good representation of the City and the demographics are very diverse. The committee broke into groups and held meetings throughout the City with businesses or in coffee shops to talk with members of the community. Ms. Martell explained that after these meetings a survey was created and there was also an open house to reach even more members of the Wheat Ridge Community. Mr. Stites spoke about the community outreach and the different demographic groups which included families, new residents, long-term residents, renters, seniors and business owners. He commented on the survey, saying 1053 people participated and there were 120 attendees at the December 2018 open house and about 95 at the February open houses. Ms. Hultin said the final phase of the process is now being entered into and it has been nice to see all the involved citizens who have taken part of this process. Eric Ameigh and Thomas Eddington, consultants with czb, then spoke about the emerging NRS direction. They talked about the process update and the different phases of the timeline which included some problem solving and talking with the community through small meetings, the survey and open houses then convening again with the steering committee to discuss the pulse of the community. They found that overall Wheat Ridge is satisfied with how things are going and not much change is needed; except for a couple of items. Mr. Ameigh explained there is a desire for neighborhoods to self -manage change at the neighborhood level and there is a desire for improved corridors around the City. Planning Commission Minutes -2— March 2— March 21, 2019 In response to a question from Commissioner ANTOL, czb confirmed the strategy will include the next steps and address resources need. Mr. Johnstone added that the 2005 document served as a roadmap and the 2019 NRS document update will inform work programs for the Community Development department for the next 5 to 10 years. Commissioner VOS commended the steering committee, noting that the extent of public participation is a testament to their hard work. Mr. Ameigh and Mr. Eddington agreed and commended the level of commitment of the steering committee is incredible and the effort the community has put forth has been amazing. Mr. Ameigh noted that it's hard to replicate and sustain that level of commitment and engagement. Commissioner VOS noted it would be good to keep the Steering Committee involved in some way after the adoption of the NRS document. Mr. Eddington addressed a question from Commissioner VOS and defined a node as a center of activity, usually a cluster of activity, and explained that usually a cluster of activity can be retail or restaurants. In response to a question from Commissioner PETERSON, there was discussion on how to manage the outside influence of the metro area. Both Mr. Eddington and Mr. Ameigh explained it would be difficult to isolate the City of Wheat Ridge but the City's vision can be preserved with the right tools. Mr. Johnstone and Ms. Mikulak added the City of Wheat Ridge has identified itself as a quirky City. There was discussion of managing density, character, and quirkiness within the realities of the regional market. There was discussion of how demographics affect the types of businesses that the community wants to see. Managing change and growth is different in every community and the values of that community need to be defined. In response to a question from Commissioner LARSON, about what has been accomplished since 2005; Mr. Johnstone listed a variety of accomplishments, including adoption of a new Comprehensive Plan in 2009, adoption of several subarea plans, work on Wadsworth Boulevard and 38th Avenue, and many zoning code amendments. Ms. Mikulak added that there were 10 strategies that were discrete action items with focus on strengthening both residential and commercial markets. Commissioner PETERSON observed that people sometimes get defensive in the face of change and asked if there will be an education component to this document and an education on what is about to happen. Planning Commission Minutes -3— March 3— March 21, 2019 Ms. Hultin explained the average citizen is not aware how the processes move through the City, but there are others who are the stewards of our heritage and this document is not just the what, but the how and that will elevate civic engagement. Ms. Martell added that people are aware change is coming and they are excited about creating neighborhood identity and a feel of agency in their own neighborhoods. Mr. Ameigh said there are some people who are naive in the community and some who are change agents so it is hard to generalize. Ms. Hultin added there are communication infrastructure issues in the City of Wheat Ridge, for example not everyone gets the same utility bill and we need to get a communication channel in place. Commissioner LEO thanked the hard work of the Steering Committee and said she has been impressed with the change that has happened in the City of Wheat Ridge. She knows that people can be afraid of change. Commissioner LEO mentioned that people may want growth, but they want to go home to their street and still fell the same because the neighborhoods have distinct characteristics; she is not surprised by what she read that people are generally happy with the City. Commissioner PETERSON asked about rental housing and renter's rights and questioned the impact of short and long term rentals on neighborhood engagement, stability and the housing market. He also mentioned the City should look at Code Enforcement. Ms. Mikulak acknowledged that the public input has been different from what staff and czb expected, particularly related to rentals and code enforcement. B. Election of Officers Commissioner OHM was elected Chair and Commissioner LARSON was elected Vice Chair. 9. OLD BUSINESS 10. ADJOURNMENT It was moved by Commissioner VOS and seconded by Commissioner LEO to adjourn the meet g at 9:18 p.m. Motion carried 7-0. Tammy Odeatr;- ecording Secretary Planning Commission Minutes -4— March 4— March 21, 2019