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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1993-03-04 Minutes (2)1 March 4, 1993 stated the City of Fayetteville is not moving forward without a rudder. We have been and will continue to follow these plans. Mayor Hanna stated Planning Management Director Alett Little has Mr. Raby updatingthese plans. She feels a revised version should be ready in a month or so. Mayor Hanna reiterated that the City has been following a general plan for a number of years and has not deviated from the plan. Mayor Hanna stated he has talked with staff, and there are adequate water and sewer lines in the Highway 16 area -to handle the current and proposed growth. In addition, the proposed 8" water line to go down Mt. Comfort Road will be of benefit to -this area. The 36" Beaver water line is expected to be completed in 1994 or 1995 depending on the sales tax.funding. However, water and sewer are only two parts of the infrastructure.needed to handle growth. Traffic is another major'problem.- With each rezoning request, documentation is made of the potentialtincrease of traffic to the area. Staff has been working.•with'the State Highway Department as well. There is insufficient traffic counts to get a light at the intersection of Salem and Hwy 16. However,*ith the increase of traffic in the area, there will be new traffic counts performed, and a light will be installed as soon as possible. The scenario is the same for Shiloh Drive Staff is:looking to extend Shiloh west to.the subdivision that connects into Porter Road. There will be a gravel road, and eventually it will be paved. { Mayor Hanna stated Salem Road will be connected to Mt. Comfort with funds provided by the developers of the area. Alett Little has secured $50,000 toward constructing a bridge across Hamstring Creek. She will be collecting more .as development increases. Mayor Hanna stated he has been working with Bobby Hopper who has stated the State Highway Department is aware of and plans to assist with the widening and improvements to Wedington. • Mayor. Hanna stated all of .these things have been considered with each request to rezone or.add additional dwelling units to this area. He has received many, many calls and 'letters regarding the moratorium, and the feeling has been about a 50-50 split. He then asked each of the aldermen for their comments about the moratorium. Alderman Miller stated he had received 38 contacts of which 36 had been for and 2 against the moratorium. Most of his constituents are environmentally concerned and against growth. He voted for the Moratorium because the City is outgrowing its infrastructure. Highways 45 East and 16 West are about the only places left for the City to grow. He is concerned about fast growth in the areas. He wanted to have an updated Master Plan to assist him in voting about issues in these areas. Alderman Miller stated he also felt the Council voted for the moratorium just to "flex its muscle" so to speak. He felt the March 4, 1993 Council wanted to say they were elected and had the authority to make this type of decision. Alderman Williams stated he supported Alderman Vorsanger's motion for a moratorium because the City was facing piecemeal rezoning requests. There has been talk about the updated master plan, but currently the one the City relies on is 10 years old. He realizes staff has been working diligently and following the plans. He felt the master plan should be the project on the front burner and let the citizens express their views and not just the opinions of City staff. He stated he has received several calls, and most of them are basically in favor of the moratorium He felt the Council will need to consider growth closely for this City and the long range annexation plans as well. He agreed with Alderman Miller that Fayetteville is basically hemmed in from the north and south and toward Farmington. Alderman Odom stated he voted against the moratorium because that was the first he had heard of such a thing. However, he is also shocked with the rapid growth of the City in that area. He felt the Council jumped too quickly and did not fully consider the consequences of such a moratorium The second reason he voted against the moratorium was because the City would be setting themselves up for a lawsuit by acting in an arbitrary and capricious manner in trying to enforce such a moratorium Alderman Bassett stated despite his comments, he certainly respects everyone's right to express their own views and opinions and to represent the City. He is proud of the excellent mayor and the good City Council. Alderman Bassett stated his fundamental decision is to figure out what the citizens expect. He feels they expect the aldermen to plan for growth, controlled growth, and make decisions that keep Fayetteville economically viable and vibrant and protect the environment. One of the greatest places to live and raise a family is Northwest Arkansas. The City has to plan to manage growth in the years to come. He stated he feels the citizens expected the City Council to use common sense and be fair. What bothered him was that this was like a bolt of lightning. The issue came up quickly and a decision was made. He stated he respects Alderman Vorsanger. However, this decision has caused problems because citizens did not have time for any input. Their business and livelihoods were affected. Some people in this area could even lose their jobs because this affects not only developers, but also carpenters, electricians, suppliers, and all sorts of people. He feels the moratorium is unnecessary. Alderman Bassett stated he does not know how long it will take to get a new land use plan in place. Staff is working in that direction. The new plan will draw a lot of public comment and debate, as it should. To impose a moratorium is unfair and wrong. 1 March 4, 1993 ,14 He hopes during the course of this meeting, the Council will find it in themselves to repeal the moratorium. However, he urged Staff to move ahead quickly with the plan. He asked that the Planning Commission be given time to continue to do their jobs. He stated during this interim period, the City Council will continue to judge each rezoning or annexation request on their=merits. He hopes the Council will unite together on lifting this moratorium. • Alderman Vorsanger stated he,agrees with everything that has been said so far. He made the motion to impose a moratorium after about 30 seconds of consideration., He stated there is vast confusion about the direction in which this city is going and about where and what we are building. The Parks -Division -is discussing with the owner of land not even in the city.yet about what the greenspace requirements would be. It`seems.to him that the City has gotten carried away about rules and regulations. ' He asked for the moratorium because he felt there Should be time to stop and get a master plan for City development. He also asked for the moratorium because he honestly feels the infrastructure:in this city such as garbage collection, police and fire protection, etc., is being outgrown. Finally, if he"has not accomplished anything else, at least he has brought this to the attention of the people. He has received many phone calls sand most of them have been for the moratorium. He is not in favor of a "no growth" policy for this City. The moratorium would"affect bankers,.mortgage companies, insurance companies, construction 'jobs, suppliers, etc. The moratorium will hurt most of the citizens living here and paying rent. Alderman Vorsangernstated he has proven a point, and if the Mayor vetoes this resolution, he would not .vote to override the veto. •w - Alderman Edens stated he was shocked as well at the moratorium. He felt it should have been"tabled and considered at a later date. This moratorium was a moratorium against affordable housing being against R-1.5, R-1, and R-2 zonings. Alderman Edens stated it takes about 6 months to complete the process of building. He stated the moratorium would affect all phases of the construction business and all people who make their living from these processes including concrete finishers, carpet layers, brick masons, sheetrockers, etc., as well as the suppliers of all the materials. These people would not be spending money and tax revenues would drop. Unemployment would be increased. August 1993 will be a prime rental season, and on the six month table, many of the rental units that had been planned to be built will not be ready by August, so rental rates for existing units will be increased. Alderman Edens stated he felt this was an unreasonable request of Alett Little to have the master plan ready in two weeks. He stated the Council would be holding the Planning Department hostage by having to hurry up with the plan. This City needs a well thought out plan derived from both Staff and public input. He feels it will take from 10 months to a year to have a final plan ready. He March 4, 1993 stated this City is not zoning in the dark. The City has been using the new master plan for about a year. In addition, the master plan is only a recommendation to the City Council and Planning Commission. Each request will still have to be reviewed individually. He suggested lifting the moratorium and giving the Planning Department until January 1, 1994 to have a master plan. Then, if there is no new plan in place, reconsider a moratorium He stated he has faith in Alett Little and her staff that they can beat this deadline. Alderman Chapman stated she was very grateful for the manner in which the Council discussed, debated, and passed the moratorium They have tabled measures of less importance. She is also grateful the Mayor wanted to hear what the City Council had to say. She stated she respects the minority who voted on the moratorium at Tuesday night's meeting. Alderman Chapman stated the actions by the Council were not a knee jerk reaction. Even though Alderman Vorsanger stated he had the idea for about 30 seconds, he has been pondering on this problem of no new master plan for a long time. She has had concerns about what has been happening ever since she has been in office. This problem was not caused by Alett Little and her staff. Ms. Little is doing her job, but she is faced with a tough job in getting ready a new master plan. Fayetteville has grown and changed a lot in the last 10 years. It would be a violation of logic and common sense to make the assumption that the 1983 master plan anticipated the amount of growth we have experienced. The City has to decide not if we will develop, but how we will develop. In addition to the infrastructure areas that have been mentioned, the City also has to consider traffic problems and more schools for an increasing number of students. Everyone wants the quality of life we can envision for this community. Alderman Chapman stated she does not share with the magnitude of Alderman Edens' predictions. But, she is concerned about workers and developers as well. She sees there are a number of options to be taken: (1) support the moratorium; (2) vote it down; (3) the Mayor can veto it and see if the Council overrides the veto; (4) modify R-2 zoning, 24 units per acre; or (5) put a reasonable timetable on the completion of the master plan. A motion to reconsider the moratorium takes a 2/3 vote of the Council. She hopes all the aldermen will vote to reconsider. Her phone has been ringing for two days, and people are concerned. Alderman Chapman stated she did not want to have divisiveness among the Council members of with the citizens. Alderman Daniel stated she has been feeling the pressure of the rezonings and she is concerned about a direction for the City. She voted for the moratorium because of a lack of a plan. She is not blaming any particular person because Staff has been very good and supportive. She stated she also does not want to single out 1 March 4, 1993 developers or others who would be hurt by a moratorium. She stated she would like to see affordable neighborhoods rather than affordable housing. She will' vote to reconsider the moratorium. Mayor Hanna stated he wanted to emphasize that the City Council is going to have the opportunity to vote ,on -every rezoning and annexation request. The planning process is currently in place. He has spent many years on the Planning' Commission and is well aware of the planning process. He stated he has studied the City's infrastructure these past.twofdays, and he is convinced the City is quite capable of handling growth►in .this area. He stated in Fayetteville he does not believe there are any "aginners" rather there are reasonable people'who can;disagree:: What the Planning Commission, the City Council; and the Mayor -has to do is separate out what is right for the City of Fayetteville from special interest group requests. He stated he -feels the Planning Commission makes good decisions, and he is proud of Fayetteville. Vorsanger, seconded by Chapman, made a motion to reconsider the moratorium. Upon roll call, the motion passed by a vote of 8 to 0. Alderman Williams stated he'was glad theaCouncil was reconsidering. In listening to the other aldermen and after having talked with his mother, he would like to put a timetable- on the master plan completion. He suggested having the proposal and public hearings completed by the end of May..! The Council will be closely looking at every zoning that comes up between now and then, and he is concerned about piecemeal' zoning. Alderman Edens asked if maybe the Council shouldn't ask the people involved in development of the master plan about a logical timetable. Mayor Hanna stated he has discussed this with Ms. Little, and the document is pretty well done. She is sure she will have a draft probably by the date Alderman Williams suggested. Alett Little stated they were close to having a new plan. She appreciates the attention this has focused on the new plan. Al Raby is concerned about the master plan and that it put the City at risk and should be updated. She stated her department would move forward quickly, but the document would not be nearly as clean as it could be. She would like to have a couple more weeks but would abide by the wishes of the Council. Little stated 1966 was the basis year of the current master plan. At that time, 30.7% of the City was residential. In 1992, 23.8% of the City is residential, and there is a lot more population. In 1966, there was 20.84% agricultural compared to 47.6% in 1992. Highway 16 West is designed as an R-2 corridor. That is why the March 4, 1993 • City has extended water and sewer lines into that area. She was surprised about the number of things the City Council does not know about the planning process, and she plans to do her best to educate the Council. Alderman Chapman stated she hopes this educational process will benefit the Council greatly and will open doors about information for citizens as well. She suggested moving ahead with the master plan but put in place a more reasonable time frame for completion. She feels January 1994 is too far away and May 1993 will not allow sufficient time for public input. Chapman made a motion to rescind the moratorium put in plane Tuesday night and set a date for the nem master plan to be ready for the Council no later than the 2nd meeting in September. Williams made a motion to table indefinitely so the Council could take up this issue at any time based on the progress of the new master plan. vorsanger, seconded by Edens, made a motion to rescind the motion he made Tuesday night to impose a moratorium. Mayor Hanna stated a lot of people attended this meeting tonight, and his secretary received at least 62 calls in the last two days. He had about 40 contacts himself. He is glad to see this has made people aware of what we are doing in Fayetteville. Because of the time limits, discussion will be limited to the alderman only, and he hopes this does not disappoint anyone who came to speak on this issue. Alderman Bassett stated he is certainly in favor of rescinding the moratorium Before he votes on this, he stated there can be no doubt by this Council, City Staff, or the Planning commission that all due and deliberate speed is what is expected in completing the master plan. He stated Alett Little and her staff know that. However, there has to be appropriate time for everyone to get involved. Alderman Bassett stated he felt it was unnecessary to set a date for a moratorium to go into effect. Anyone can raise the issue again at any time. He felt a date would make people nervous. Alderman Miller stated he wanted to shake some things up and get attention, and it sure worked. If a master plan is not forthcoming and he begins to see abuses of the system, he will bring back the idea of a moratorium Alderman Williams stated he agrees with Alderman Bassett about not having a date certain. But, he would like to see something to give guidance by May and have more education of the Council. March 4, 1993 Alderman Chapman stated she is not concerned with pressure of having a completion date if it is a reasonable date. She stated everyone needs to know this might come up. again. In addition, there is a difference of opinion in this community. A compromise date would allow for predictability. Upon roll call, the motion to rescind the moratorium passed by a vote of 8 to O. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 6:17 p.m. L' P •