What's Up? - May 6th, 2017

What Was Up?

COUNCIL WORK MEETING

11:30 AM, Tuesday, May 2nd, City Conference Room, 351 West Center

1. A discussion on homelessness in Provo
   Presentation only. Due to the complexity of the topic, the Council has invited the presenters to return and present additional information at the June 20, 2017 Work Meeting.
   This was an important presentation and discussion. Here are some things that I learned:
   • Primary Providers of Homeless Services in Utah County
   • Center for Women & Children in Crisis
   • Community Action Services
   • Food & Care Coalition
   • Golden Spike Outreach
   • LDS Transient Services
   • Mountainland Community Health Center at East Bay
   • Provo City & Utah County Housing Authorities
   • Utah County Substance Abuse (House of Hope)
   • Wasatch Mental Health
   • The various services work together even though they are competing for the same money.
   • It is more costly to society to deal with the consequences of homelessness (ER visits, court costs, etc.) than it is to house the homeless.
   • Provo has about 20% of the population in the County, yet we are host to about 75% of the homeless beds (emergency shelter, transitional housing, rapid re-housing, permanent supportive housing) in the County.
   • Many people are given vouchers for housing, but can't find a place to use them
   • The County and the City are struggling with housing affordability. Much of the housing costs more than many of the residents can comfortably afford. The average 2 bedroom apartment rents for well more than what is considered affordable for the average renter.
   • We have a plan. See the link in the description of item 4. 
   • We will continue this conversation later in June when we will focus on affordable housing.
2. A presentation from the Water Division
   Presentation only. This presentation is part of a series which the Water Division has shared with the Council. 
   This was part 5 in the series. If I understood correction, there will only be one more installment.
   This presentation was all about water rights. Because of the wisdom of past Provo leaders, our City is in a fairly comfortable position in regards to water rights. Because of conservation, our water is stretching further than expected. Other communities around us require developers to bring additional water rights with them when they develop, these are often purchased on the open market and raise the cost of development. Provo could consider doing something similar, or charge developers to access the water rights that we already have. One way to look at this is that our current practice has been "giving" water away to developers. Another way to look at it is that our good water situation allows us not to charge developers for it, making Provo a more attractive place to develop and that this practice can help offset the higher land prices found in Provo, which can help keep our housing more affordable.
3. A presentation and discussion of the Westside Planning Committee's recommendations
   A substitute motion to adopt the recommendations document as a policy statement and to direct Community Development to make recommendations as to how to incorporate this document into the General Plan was Approved 7:0.
   I had the opportunity to present the Westside Planning Committee's recommended policies to the Council. The Council was very supportive of the recommendations. The biggest question was how to best memorialize the policies so that they aren't forgotten over the next few years. The recommendations are now official Council Policy, will be incorporated into the Southwest Area Master Plan, and we are looking to Community Development for recommendations on how to further incorporate the document into the General Plan.
4. A discussion on a resolution approving the substantial amendment to the 2015 Five-Year Consolidated Plan
   Presentation only. This item was already scheduled at the May 2, 2017 Council Meeting, which commenced a 30-day public comment period on the amendment, after which this item is scheduled for the June 6, 2017 Council Meeting for formal action. 
   The "substantial" amendment was just a few lines in a 196-page document, basically adding Lehi City's contact info. But this item gave me a chance to refamiliarize myself with this plan which lays out how the community is organized to address poverty and homelessness in the area. Anyone with interest in this issue should read through the Plan.
5. A discussion on a resolution to place 40 Acres, at the Mouth of Provo Canyon, on the Surplus Property List.
   Presentation only. Several Council members expressed interest in a site visit and Tara Riddle, Property Management Coordinator, will work with Council staff to arrange the site visit. 
   In my estimation, the Council received this proposal with varying levels of concern and uneasiness. What are the potential advantages of selling this land? What are the potential disadvantages? From our questions and discussions, it seemed the potential downsides were far greater than the potential upsides.
6. An update on the status of the Buckley Draw property
   Presentation only.
   The contrast between this item and the last one was stark. My read of the Council was that we are all in favor of the direction this effort is headed.
7. A discussion on an ordinance to amend Section 14.49.020(3) to allow the Low Density Residential (LDR), Medium Density Residential (MDR), and High Density Residential (HDR) Zones to be permitted for the Special Development Plan Overlay Zone. City-Wide Impact.
   Discussion only. This item was already scheduled for the May 16, 2017 Council Meeting. 
8. A discussion on an ordinance amending the General Plan regarding land use for the northeast corner of 3700 North University Avenue to allow retail commercial, professional office, and residential land uses. Riverbottoms Neighborhood.
   Discussion only. This item was already scheduled for the May 16, 2017 Council Meeting. 
9. A discussion on a zone change from A1.5 to Specialty Support Commercial (SSC), Professional Office (PO), and LDR Low Density Residential with a Specific Development Plan (SDP) Overlay for four acres of land located at the northeast corner of 3700 North University Avenue. Riverbottoms Neighborhood.
   Discussion only. This item was already scheduled for the May 16, 2017 Council Meeting. 
   Items 7, 8, and 9 are related. Item 7 just updates a section of code that wasn't updated when the LDR, MDR, and HDR zones were created. Item 8 would update this stretch along University Ave from agricultural to residential. Item 9 would actually rezone the land to accommodate the proposed development and would overlay a specific development plan to tailor the uses on the zones for the proposed development.
   I personally like the style of the townhouses. I think they will look good in this part of the City, but I think they would fit even better in other parts of town. I am interested to hear what the neighbors think of the proposal.
   
10. A discussion on an ordinance amending Provo City Code to change yard requirements in the one-family residential zone.
    Discussion only. This item was already scheduled for the May 2, 2017 Council Meeting.
    We were running behind so we moved through this quickly. Community Development offered a quick explanation of their adjusted proposal and how it addressed what we asked of them when we continued this item two weeks ago. The Council didn't discuss it at all, which I believe lead to the unfocused and drawn out discussion on this item in the evening meeting (see item 5 below).
11. A discussion on sanitation rates and an update on composting
    Discussion only. This item will be continued at the May 16, 2017 Work Meeting. This issue is time-sensitive as it impacts the budget cycle for fiscal year 2018.
    Sanitation fees need to go up to cover the increased costs of disposing of our solid waste, household recycling, and yard waste. The question is how should we structure our fees. With our currently our rate structure, adding a green can costs $18.75 per year, adding a blue can costs $45 per year (assuming that you only have one black can). The silly thing is that the yard waste operation costs the City more than the household recycling operation. Another silly quirk is that "bundling" cans cost residents even more money. If you have a black and a blue can, adding a green can costs $42.75 per year. If you have a black and a green can, adding a blue can costs $69 per year. Sanitation proposed a few different options and asked the Council to give them feedback and suggest other options. One interesting option was to charge all residents one base fee for a can of each color. Because of the economies of scale, the fee would be about the same as for one black can and one colored can. Residents could opt out of having the colored cans, but their sanitation fee would not decrease.
12. Closed Meeting
    A closed meeting was held.

COUNCIL MEETING

5:30 PM, Tuesday, May 2nd, Council Chambers, 351 West Center

1. A presentation for Provology graduation
   Presentation only.
   Congrats
2. A presentation by the Covey Center of "Anne of Green Gables"
   Presentation only.
   I saw this production in a previous season and really enjoyed it.
3. A presentation by Their Story is Our Story regarding the Refugee Crisis
   Presentation only.My description won't do it justice. Check out their website.
   
   Public Comment
4. A public hearing on the substantial amendment to the 2015 Five-Year Consolidated Plan Development to include the City of Lehi as a member of the Utah Valley HOME for Federal Fiscal Years 2017, 2018, and 2019 consortium.
   Public hearing only, which commenced a 30-day public comment period on the amendment, after which this item is scheduled for the June 6, 2017 Council Meeting for formal action.
   See item 1 in the earlier meeting.
5. An ordinance amending Provo City Code to change yard requirements in the one-family residential zone.
   A motion to continue the item, form a committee of three (3) Council members to make one proposal, and bring this proposal to a future work meeting was approved 4:3, with Council Members David Harding, Kay Van Buren, and Gary Winterton opposing.
   I feel that we should have discussed this more in our Work Meeting, but we were low on time. Instead, we had a long, drawn out discussion in the Council Meeting that didn't feel very focused or effective. The proposal would do two things. First, it would fix the way that front setbacks are calculated to account for various property line and sidewalk configurations. I don't believe this is controversial and should be applied City-wide. Second, it would eliminate the 50' combined front and rear set back rule. Currently, front and rear setbacks must be at least 20', but the combination of the two must be at least 50'. As was pointed out in the meeting by one resident, the 50' rule is a proxy for a lot coverage requirement. Provo has a requirement that no more than 40% of a lot can be covered by the house and auxiliary buildings. The 50' rule is redundant and not helpful. Houses can be within 20' of the rear property line, or they can be with 20' of the front property line, so the 50' rule doesn't offer any additional protection to neighbors across the back fence, and doesn't guarantee anymore additional front yard space either.
6. A resolution tentatively adopting a proposed budget for Provo City Corporation for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2017 and ending June 30, 2018.
   A motion to continue the item to the May 16, 2017 Council Meeting was approved 5:2, with Council Members Kay Van Buren and Gary Winterton opposing.
   This happened last year as well. State law requires the Administration to present the proposed budget in the first meeting of May. The State statute directs the Council to review, consider, and tentatively adopt a tentative budget at least 10 days before the final adoption. Since we received the budget shortly before our first meeting began, I felt that I did not have the opportunity to comply with the State statute. The Administration met their requirement. But I feel that I would not have met my requirement if we had tentatively adopted the budget. We will be able to tentatively adopt the budget in two weeks and will meet the letter and spirit of the statute.
7. A resolution tentatively adopting a proposed budget for the Redevelopment Agency of Provo City Corporation for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2017 and ending June 30, 2018.
   A motion to continue the item to the May 16, 2017 Council Meeting was approved 5:2, with Council Members Kay Van Buren and Gary Winterton opposing.
   Same story as item 6.
8. A resolution tentatively adopting a proposed budget for the Provo City Storm Water Special Service District for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2017 and ending June 30, 2018.
   A motion to continue the item to the May 16, 2017 Council Meeting was approved 5:2, with Council Members Kay Van Buren and Gary Winterton opposing.
   Same story as item 6.