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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - City Council - 04/03/2000CITY COUNCIL 3 APRIL 2000 The South Burlington City Council held a regular meeting on Monday, 3 April 2000, at 7:30 p.m., in the Conference Room, City Hall, 575 Dorset Street. Members present: J. Condos, Chair; D. Austin, J. Britt, C. Smith, T. Sheahan Also present: C. Hafter, City Manager; P. Bestenbostel, Asst. City Manager; Joe Weith, Director of Planning & Zoning; Bruce Hoar, Public Works Dept; Anna Johnston, The Other Paper; Maurice Boisvert, Art Rideout, Wesley Eldred, Frank Mazur, Bob Hest, Terrence & Sally Ryan, Lisa Sheltra, Lance Llewellyn, Bob Holdridge, Sonny Audette, Rolf Kielman, David Boehm 1. Comments & questions from the audience not related to agenda items: No issues were raised. 2. Announcements & City Manager's report: Mr. Sheahan updated members on the rewrite of the Regional Plan. There had been concern raised over the lack of public involvement in the first draft. At last week's meeting, the need for an inclusive process was raised again. Mr. Sheahan felt the message was received. There will be task forces formed to work on a rewrite and citizens are encouraged to become part of the process. The Commission is looking for a rough draft early in the summer. Mr. Hafter reported on the following: a. The public hearing on the proposed 2000-2001 city and school budgets will be held on Thursday at 7:30. b. The City received an e-mail today forwarded from engineer Doug Weber authorizing the city to enter the bid phase for the Phase III of the Rec Path, Bids will be out this week and are due back on 26 April. The award will be made on 8 May. Mr. Hafter suggested a quick 7 p.m. meeting on that evening. Construction will begin in May. Sonny Audette will be inspector on the project. c. The City has advertised for a municipal project manager for the Kennedy Drive project. d. Mr. Hafter will attend the CWD meeting tomorrow to ask them to pay a full third of the cost of the election held in March. They say their regulations allow them to pay only $500. Since they were one of 3 outside entities with issues on the ballot and since there were no city issues on that ballot, members felt CWD should pay 1/3 of the election cost. e. Mr. Condos testified last week on the "downtown" bill. The House has, as a result, put "emerging downtowns" into bill H-408. f. Mr. Hafter introduced Bob Hest to report on the golf course membership raffle. Mr. Hest thanked the Council on behalf of the Community Education Fund for the opportunity to raise funds through the raffle. There will be information in The Other Paper and in other community papers in addition to posters all over the area. Tickets are $35.00 each, 3 for $100.00. There have already been 75 tickets sold. Mr. Condos reviewed the history of this raffle, noting that as part of an agreement, the golf course donated an annual membership each year that the city can use to raise funds. This year, the Freeman Foundation will match any amount raised for the Education Fund to help support South Burlington schools. Mr. Hest said the drawing for the membership will take place on 19 May. He noted that this is a family membership that entitles the winner(s) to use all of the Club's facilities during the year. 3. PUBLIC HEARING on three amendments to the Zoning Ordinance: 1) establish new Section 25.118 Exceptions to Yard Setback and Lot Coverage Requirements; 2) establish a new Article XIX, Lakeshore Neighborhood District; and 3) amend the CO District in pre- existing structures in CO District adjacent to Lake Champlain; second reading: Mr. Weith reviewed the history of the amendments, noting that they represent an attempt by the Planning Commission to address the large number of variance requests from these areas. The Commission eventually put together a package that will allow some relief and still not compromise other important aspects of these areas. Section 25.118 includes exceptions to the setbacks and lot coverage requirements. In order to qualify, lots must have been in existence before 2/28/74 and structures must be single family or two-family homes. No structure can come closer than 5 ft. to a property line under any circumstances. The reduced setbacks and coverages are conditional uses and the DRB would have to find that any encroachment will not affect views, safety, parking, etc. For lots between 5,000 and 10,000 sq. ft., there can be 30% building coverage and 50% lot coverage. For lots less than 5000 sq. ft., building coverage can be 40% and total coverage 60%. The Lakeshore Neighborhood District covers most properties by the lakeshore. Existing zoning is R-1 that requires a minimum one acre lot. Most lots in this area are less than one acre, and most structures do not meet setback requirements. The provisions of the new District include the same permitted and conditional uses as the existing district, a 12,000 sq. ft. minimum lot size, 10 ft. minimum side setbacks, 30 ft. rear and 20 ft. front setbacks. There can be a maximum of 3 units per acre. Amendments to the CO District add a new subsection that allows expansion of pre-existing structures, certain water-oriented improvements, and erosion control improvements. These are allowed only for structures in existence on the effective date of the amendment. Expansion cannot make a structure more than 50% larger than the existing structure and cannot make it any closer to the lake. Expansion must also not increase the potential for erosion and should involve only a minimal removal of trees, shrubs, ground cover, etc. It should also not compromise the aesthetic integrity of the lakeshore. Ms. Britt asked if proposed setbacks are representative of what exists today. Mr. Weith said in about 90% of homes they are. Ms. Britt asked if there are any developable parcels at the lakeshore that might use the new regulations to get something that the city doesn't want there. Mr. Weith said there was a potential for 10 to 12 more units with this zoning, but a developer would have to be very creative because of the nature of the lots. Mr. Austin asked why the new zone includes the further-in lots that were not historically built as camps. Mr. Weith said they are just about all under an acre. It is also more logical to draw the line down the middle of the street. Mr. Ryan said they have a camp on Holmes Rd. and asked if they would be able to add 50% more to the footprint. Mr. Weith said yes. Mr. Ryan asked if they could put a deck over the lakeside patio. Mr. Weith said no as that is considered a structure. Residents of the area thanked Mr. Weith and the Planning Commission for listening to the neighbors. Mr. Sheahan moved to close the public hearing. Mr. Smith seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Mr. Austin moved to waive the reading of the proposed amendments and approve them as presented with the spelling of "undo" changed to "undue" in all appropriate places. Mr. Sheahan seconded. Motion passed unanimously. 4. Final Council review of plans for public works facility: Mr. Hafter thanked those who participated in the process of designing the facility. Ms. Sheltra reviewed the site plan. She noted that the school bus shelter will be on the north side of the road and the public works buildings on the south side. The salt shed will remain. There will be no changes to the recycling schedule. All utilities will go underground. The public works facility will include storage space for equipment in winter and 6 maintenance bays (3 drive-through) for equipment. Mr. Holdridge then reviewed the interiors of the buildings. He indicated locations of office space, lunch facilities, meeting facilities, rest room, sign shop, tool storage, etc. There is a second floor over the office area for storage and potential future development. There is a full heating/ventilation/air conditioning system in the office building. It has full handicapped accessibility. Mr. Hafter suggested that in the future the second floor might become a community room with an entirely separate entrance. The vehicle storage building has 10 bays and is not for maintenance use. It is a pre-engineered steel building, 50'x200'. The school bus buildings are pole barns with a total of 24 bays under cover. At the end of the building there is an area for drivers with 2 offices, rest rooms, meeting facilities, etc. Mr. Hafter noted there will be a ballot item to confirm the approval vote due to missing a publishing date. Mr. Audette added that the whole operation can be run by a generator in case there is a loss of power. Mr. Hafter said they anticipate beginning the building in June, finishing in the fall. No issues were raised. Mr. Hafter also noted that the city has gotten a $140,000 grant for storm damage repair. Work should address flooding that continues to occur on Williston Road. He thanked the Public Works Dept. for efforts in obtaining this money. 5. Request from Dorset Park Skating Association for amendment to lease to permit construction of a second rink and approval of bond allocation agreement for VEDA funding for the proposed rink: Mr. Kielman said fundraising has been very successful and they are beginning the permit process. They hope to begin construction this summer and open by the end of the year, if possible. Mr. Boehm added that a minor Act 250 amendment is required. Mr. Kielman said they are still working on the design. The two rinks would be linked by a common entry and look very similar on the outside. Ms. Britt said she would like to see in the lease agreement a statement allowing the excess heat generated by this facility to be made available to the proposed aquatic facility. Mr. Boehm said they are agreeable as long as it is feasible. Mr. Austin asked about public skating time. Mr. Hafter said the city wants increased hours with the new facility based on a regular schedule. Mr. Austin felt the new building should meet more of the public need. Mr. Hafter said the Council can establish its intent to enter into the lease. He said that before the next meeting, he would like to see a more complete plan, including parking. Mr. Audette said he had heard they were planning to move the sewer line to the south side of the building. He felt there was no reason to do this as there is plenty of room on the north side. Moving it to the south would infringe on the proposed aquatic center. Mr. Boehm said they are not thinking of moving it to the south side but there are some issues involved. Mr. Smith asked who coordinates all of this. Mr. Hafter said ultimately the Development Review Board. The public works people and Aquatic Center Committee will work with the DRB as well. Mr. Hafter said the lease will include a prohibition of alcohol service in the facility. Mr. Kielman said they have no problem with this. Mr. Hafter also noted the city must be the party that enters into the VEDA agreement. There would be no liability for the city. Ms. Britt then moved that the Council state its intent to sign the proposed lease and accompanying VEDA agreement at the 15 May meeting. Mr. Sheahan seconded. Motion passed unanimously. 6. Presentation of proposed Fletcher Allen Health Care Ambulatory Care Facility (Renaissance Project): Mr. Demers showed the site plan of the existing campus and the proposed new facility. The Alumni Building and 5 other smaller buildings would come down in favor of the new building. The new structure would include a "day hospital," for procedures and recovery space for people staying less than a day. Beaumont Drive would be rerouted and more green space would be freed up. There would be a subterranean parking garage. Mr. Demers then showed a video about the new facility. It is aimed at having a one check-in patient system. The traffic engineer estimates that the new facility will generate 1800 additional daily trips. It will also add 844 parking spaces. There are currently 1500- 1600 daily out-patient visits and 1250 formal parking spaces. There is also parking for 700 cars at Gutterson and some at Centennial and Fanny Allen. Staff will still be required to park off-site. It is estimated that in the year 2003, there will be a net of 305 new p.m. peak hour trip ends. In 2008, that number will increase to 360. It is anticipated that with the new facility, there will be increased delays and a slightly worse level of service at the jughandle and at the intersection with the Sheraton on Williston Rd. Mitigation for increased traffic will include increasing the cycle length from 75 seconds to 90 seconds at the Sheraton (eventually to 100 seconds). Ms. Britt asked if this will effect intersections further down Williston Rd. The traffic engineer said probably not as most traffic is heading to the Interstate. Mr. Hafter noted that the proposed hospital construction will occur at the same time as the construction on the Williston Rd. bridge. Mr. Condos asked why the hospital is using a traffic counter at the north end of Burlington when the engineers say most of the traffic is coming from the south. The traffic engineer said that there is a counter on I-189, and they know this is already a pretty congested situation. Mr. Hafter asked how the project will be paid for and whether it will increase rates paid at the hospital. Mr. Demers said the project cost is $120,000,000. Debt service will be about $9,000,000 per year. This will mean about a 3% increase in rates, but that will be offset by some "efficiencies" (more care givers, fewer admissions people, etc.). Mr. Smith asked what will happen to the DeGoesbriand building. Mr. Demers said it is owned by UVM. The hospital will vacate most of it. Some will be leased for administration space. Mr. Condos asked if there is any plan to expand outside parking at Gutterson. The traffic engineer said no. Mr. White noted that hospital hopes to file for Act 250 in May. Mr. Demers said he was available to talk with South Burlington at any time. 7. Review of Request for Proposals for Feasibility/Conceptual Study of South Burlington City Hall Government Building: Members had no questions about the specs. Mr. Weith asked about the timeframe. Mr. Hafter said they hope to start in mid-May or June. Ms. Britt agreed to help review proposals. 8. Consideration of Special Events Permit for Magic Hat Brewing Company, Northeast Resource Recovery Association Fundraiser, 13 June 2000: Mr. Hafter said the application was in order. Mr. Sheahan moved to authorize the Chair to sign the special events permit as presented. Ms. Britt seconded. Motion passed unanimously. 9. Accept Resignation of Bonnie Pelkey from Design Review Committee: Ms. Britt moved to accept the resignation of Bonnie Pelkey from the Design Review Committee effective June 30, 2000, and to send a letter of thanks for her service. Mr. Smith seconded. Motion passed unanimously. 10. Review Development Review Board Agenda for 4 April 2000: No issues were raised. 11. Review minutes of 20 March 2000: Mr. Sheahan moved to approve the minutes of 20 March as written. Mr. Smith seconded. Motion passed unanimously. 12. Sign Disbursement Orders: Disbursement Orders were signed. 13. Entertainment License Applications: Mr. Hafter presented entertainment license renewal applications from the Sheraton, Jake's, Windjammer, and the Pour House. He said all were in order. Mr. Austin moved to approve the entertainment license renewals of the Sheraton, Jake's, Windjammer, and the Pour House with the removal of the TV monitor from the Sheraton application. Ms. Britt seconded. Motion passed unanimously. 14. Liquor Control Board: Mr. Smith moved the Council adjourn and reconvene as Liquor Control Board. Ms. Britt seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Mr. Hafter presented liquor license renewal applications from: Gourmet Chinese Cuisine, Grand Union Stores #1167 and 1814, Hannaford Food & Drug, Healthy Living, Interstate Shell, Jake's Bar & Grill, Koto Restaurant, inc., MT Bellies Corp., Net Result, Orchid Restaurant, Inc., Pauline's Restaurant, Rotisserie/Beem Inc., Sheraton Vermont Corp., Waterfront Catering Group, and Windjammer Restaurant. He said all were in order. Ms. Britt moved to approve the liquor license renewals of Gourmet Chinese Cuisine, Grand Union Stores #1167 and 1814, Hannaford Food & Drug, Healthy Living, Interstate Shell, Jake's Bar & Grill, Koto Restaurant, Inc., MT Bellies Corp., Net Result, Orchid Restaurant, Inc., Pauline's Restaurant, Rotisserie/Beem Inc., Sheraton Vermont Corp., Waterfront Catering Group, and Windjammer Restaurant as presented. Mr. Smith seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Executive Session: Mr. Smith moved that the Board adjourn and reconvene as City Council in Executive Session to discuss contract negotiations and to resume regular session only to adjourn. Ms. Britt seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Regular Session: The City Council returned to regular session. Mr. Austin moved to adjourn. Mr. Smith seconded. The motion passed unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 10:30 p.m. Clerk Published by ClerkBase ©2019 by Clerkbase. No Claim to Original Government Works.