What's Up? - 21 March 2016

What Was Up? 

Council Work Meeting

12:00 PM, Tuesday, March 15, City Conference Room, 351 West Center

1. A follow-up discussion regarding the Community Development fees identified for review from the Consolidated Fee Schedule. (15-118) George Stewart made a motion to prepare a draft ordinance changing the Consolidated Fee Schedule representing the fees in Column H, rounding them off to the nearest $50 and not to exceed the City of Orem. A comparison with Orem City will also be presented at the April 12, 2016 Work Meeting. Approved 7:0. Despite the Herald's assertion about my hope, I am still torn on this issue. Good development brings such long term benefits to the City and poor development can bring such long term problems. Focusing on cost recovery through fees may make sense in the short term, but I worry about the long-term unintended consequences that these decisions may have. With that said, our fees appear to be on the low end of what is being charged by surrounding cities, and bringing our fees up to the level that the Administration estimated would recover full costs for servicing basic projects would keep them inline with other cities.
2. A follow-up discussion on the mission statement created for the Ad Hoc Housing Committee. (16-018) Council Member David Knecht moved to add #3 to the Ad Hoc Housing Committee Mission Statement. Seconded by Council Member George Stewart. Approved 7:0. With the addition of the third bullet point, the Mission statement now reads,
   
   The purpose of the Ad Hoc Housing Committee is to research best practices and make recommendations for:
   1. Understanding what characteristics meet the tenets of a balanced and healthy neighborhood that promote owner occupancy and long-term residency;
   2. How best to proactively address housing issues county-wide by engaging surrounding cities, the school board, housing advocates, and other experts; and
   3. Determining the current and near-term market demand for housing, and the best types, distribution, and location of housing to meet the demand.
   
   I want to thank Mr. Sewell for working with me on this and I thank the Committee and Council for considering our suggestion.
3. A discussion by Community Development on the Southwest Neighborhood Plan, by Engineering on traffic-related issues, and by David Harding regarding the West Side. (Council Priority-West Side) (16-015) This discussion will continue with a presentation by Dave Decker at the April 12, 2016 Work Meeting. The visuals for my presentation can be found here.
4. A follow-up discussion on an ordinance adding to the duties of the Executive Director regarding the responsibility for oversight and review of the General Plan and Chapter 13, annually. (16-035) Council Member David Sewell made a motion to move this back to the Rules Committee. Seconded by Council Member David Knecht. Approved 7:0. The Rules Committee will try to work out the wrinkles and propose some clear language.
5. A discussion on Pocket Neighborhoods. (16-039) Report Only. The City is working on a draft for a "Pocket Neighborhood" for a piece of ground it owns near 400 W and 1500 S. Ross Chapin has been retained as a consultant.
6. A discussion and overview of the Provo City Five-Year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) Budget.(16-038) Report Only. If you are interested in what Provo is up to and what might be on the horizon, I highly recommend looking through this plan. The format is a bit dry, but as far as information and the importance of the projects, it is a treasure trove.
7. Closed Meeting A closed meeting was held.

Council Meeting

5:30 PM, Tuesday, March 15, Municipal Council Chambers, 351 West Center

1. A resolution approving a Power Plant Property Lease Agreement between Provo City and Utah Municipal Power Agency. (16-024) Continued. The agreement is still not ready, and there is no longer the urgency there once was. We may not see this for a few more months.
2. A resolution of the Governing Board of the Redevelopment Agency of Provo City Corporation authorizing the preparation of a Draft Downtown Redevelopment Community Development Area Plan for new development located within the area from 100 West to 200 West and from 100 North to 400 North in Provo, Utah. (16-036) Approved 7:0. This is our approval for the RDA Staff to prepare a draft.