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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-07-2012 workshop with Planning Commission MINUTESpF Jplt-JT \VORKS~OP WITH MEMBER~ OF THE CITY .eOUClrOF 'P'EACHTREE CITY AND PLANNING COMMISSION February 7, 2012 A joint workshop with members of the City Council of Peachtree City and the Peachtree City Planning Commission was called to order in the City Council Chambers at 6:30 p.m. on February 7,2012. Those present were May<?r Don Haddix and Council Members Kim Learnard, Vanessa Fleisch, Erik Imker and George Di~nhart; Planning Commission Ch9irman David Conner, Vice Chairman Frank Destadio, and Commissioners Patrick Staples, Lynda Wojcik and Aaron Daily. Also present were Community Services Director Jon Rorie, CitY09~ag~r JirnPennington, City Planner David Rast, Planning Coordinator Anthony Bernard; and Recording Secretary Cinnamon Mack. Rast began by stating the purpose of this meeting was to obtain feedback as well as guidance as to how to proceed with the Comprehensive Plan Update. Rast stated that in previous community meetings it was determined that most residents and businesses did not know what village they lived in. Several residents had commented they felt some form of identification or r~branding was necessary, and this could be helpful with identifying each village as well as marketing. Rast indicated the concept of modifying existing village identification had been presented to Council on three separate occasions from feedback obtained over time. In addition, staff was aware that funding was not available. "..., Rast stated that the Comprehensive Plan was adopted in 1992 and several goals and policies that were initially envisioned had been completed. Staff had hoped that guidance would be provided from the state concerning what the new planning requirements were for the Comprehensive Plan but the process had not yet been released. Staff had identified "ONE Peachtree City" as the name of the Comprehensive Plan campaign and had established a website with additional information. Rast stated that a comprehensive plan was an analysis of what happens in the community and then compiled that data into goals and objectives for where the City wanted to go in future decisions. How can you help? Rast asked thgt if each member would'agree to attend four meetings that would be two hours each, with a kick off meeting scheduled for Sunday, April 15, 2012, from 2 - 4 p.m. An open house would be held the following two Sunday afternoons in the Community Room, which would be referred to as "plan centra!." Rast stated that a media campaign would begin to solicit residents to sign up to be a part of the round table discussions, which would consist of three two-hour meetings. It was envisioned that the meetings would occur at vario\.JS times, even Saturdays, to offer timeframes that would fit in everyone's schedule. He also stated residents who could not commit to the round table schedule could check out a "Planhing Tote" which would provide a more informal setting but would include the information that was being discussed at the round table meetings. These meetings could be held at residents' homes or churches etc. The slogan would be "Your friends, your place, your plan." '8...-";..^..~" City Council/Planning Commission Workshop February 7, 2012 Page 2 Following the round table discussi2~~,~t9fr9D(j " !h13PI9[1[1ingCommission would hold the Community t\l:ademy.. Rast Indicpt13(jthisYV?UI(jp139~ opportunity. fcx City Council,. members of other boards and commissions; and the. public to discuss information gathered during the round table discussions. Rast stated he felt this would be a great opportunity to educate those making decisions about the direction of the City. Once the draft Comprehensive Plan was completed, Community Open Houses would be scheduled to present the findings, oiscuss the goals and objeCtives, and develop a vision for the City. Rast stated that this would be time consuming for staff and volunteers, but would be time well spent. Mayor Haddix stated that citizen participation was vital and asked how many members of each commission or board would be needed. Rast replied that it would depend on how many agreed to participate. He stated that staff was considering letting the round tables be self guided. Destadio stated he felt it was important to have a facilitator to keep the topic on track. Rast stated that when previous open houses were held in the various villages, there was an average of 40-45 people at each, and he was hoping to receive a great response from the community with this effort. ~ Staples stated that he had participated with the original Comprehensive Plan Advisory Board and remembered how the board started off with over 40 members but dwindled down over time. He suggested possibly having a virtual open house but have a targeted time with hot topics and who would be attending. Also consider open email/text of questions or comments. Conner asked if the system was capable to be interactive but Rast responded that he believed that live streaming was what was available with our current system and that our resources were limited. Mary Giles, a resident, asked if staffwas aware that the open house scheduled for April 8 was on Easter. Rast replied that the date would have to be rescheduled. Wojcik asked if the presentation boards would be a part of the open house. Rast replied that the presentations would definitely be there and they had received good feedback on the presentations in the past. Destadio stated that Fulton County Schools used the round table method and they had cards with specific questions on them. He felt that it was a very structured setting. Learnard asked for a short list Of results that had occurred from round tables in other communities. Rast responded that Decatur went through the process of updating their strategic plan every 10 years. They had well over 500 people at their initial kick off. The revitalization of the MARTA Station in the downtown area was an issue several years ago, and the community responded by making density suggestions, reviving the area, and developing design guidelines. In previous discussions, there seemed to be a common theme that there were parts of the City that needed to be redeveloped. Rast questioned if the City should take the initiative on what """,.. we would want to see there or rea.ct to what was presented. If the City has a collective vision it would be easier when a develop~r was looking for property or making suggestions. Facility build-out and new construction wete also issues to be discussed. ,,-. City Council/Planning Commission Workshop February 7, 2012 Page 3 Mayor Haddixstated the key was trot all information or suggestions was "comprehensive". Wojcik suggested that it would. b.e beneficial. to advertise in the upcoming stormwater bills. Another suggestion was to advertise in church bulletins. Rast stated that, before Tony Bernard came forward to discuss signs, there had been several suggestions for the City to look at branding and imaging. For the past six months staff had been trying to find standardization for City facilities in regards to their looks and maintenance as well as landscaping. Rast stated that previously an intern had developed concepts for signage for the various villages. Staff recently went to Mcintosh High School and met with the Visual Arts teacher, Lauren Bozone. Students within h~r Advance Graphics class developed various graphics which were on display. Again this was an effort to rebrand and reenergize the villages as a whole. In addition, Rast stated that staff was working on revising the monument signage for the Industrial Park. He stated the sign at the intersection of SR 74 and Paschall Road was quite dated and not in good condition. Staff had beer"j working with various concepts and had notified NCR of the proposed changes. The existing sign was larger than the ordinance permitted but staff would recommend a variance if a largersign was used to replace the existing sign: He indicated the anticipated cost would be around $15,000 - $18,000. NCR had not committed but had shown interest in participating in reimaging the corner. Staff was also looking into "wayfinding" signage which would be beneficial to direct people to various locations within the City. R(]st indicated 10 - 15 locations had been identified as possible locations and that staff was working with Georgia Departme~tof Tr(]nsp()rtation (GDOT) officials for approval to locate wayfindihg signagewithin their right-of-way. Rast indicated the wayfinding signage would be consistent with the same font ana colOr. Rast stated the "Special Event" signage would be helpful due to the number of special events held in the City. The sign at Shakerag would be replaced with a sign with interchangeable text to display events at the complex. This sort of signage would alsO be beneficial in frontof City Hall or on seasonal banners to add character to the highway. Rast statea the Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) had agreed to cover the cost of the sign at the Shakerag complex. Nancy Price, the CVB executive director, asked if a similar sign could be placed at the intersection of SR 74/SR 54 near the Longhorn Restaurant. Rast responded that they could look into that. He also stated that the changing out of the signs was tedious and hiring a vendor to change out the signs should be considered. Rast stated that the "Village Monyment" signs would be COnsidered also. Some of the signs were in better shape than others, and some more current. He f13alizesthat some long time residents were attached to current signs/logos. Rast stated that changing out the old sign and logo would give each village an identity. Relandscaping of some of the areas would be addressed as well. The Glenloch sign was removed previously and would need to be replaced. Dienhart stated that he and his neighbors would like the Lochness symbol to remain on the signage for the Glenloch area. The Kedron Village was fairly new after being replaced when it was run over. Most of the signs wer~ made of pine or cedar. Mary Giles asked if the words "Peachtree City" could be added to each sign if the City was going to be focusing on tourism. tv1anyore not aware of City boundaries and bringing the City name into the branding might be Qeneficial. Price wondered if including a peach on the signs City Council/Planning Commission Workshop February 7, 2012 Page 4 wOuld be better versus concentrating on the village names. Mayor Haddix stated that a symbol would be better sorted than words. Staples asked how many signs there would be per village and what would the total cost be. Rast responded that he would rather approach the cost as being what sign would be priority. Staples stated that he believed in the value of branding for the City. It was also asked why the City was not using the current logo. Mayor Haddix responded that the logo was over six years old. Rast reiterated the information presented was conceptual, and there was no funding available. . Rast stated that if the current sign at Shakerag was removed, there would be a new sign installed at both entrances. Having two signs would allow for space to show what was in the facility. Rast also stated that staff would go to each park facility obtaining an inventory of what was there including equipment, lar"jdscaping, signage and lighting. This would help to develop a facility plan. Also there were different playground equipment and benches at the different facilities. The same would be donefor the subdivisions. Bernard came forward to discuss the internal park signage. The entrance to the Baseball Soccer Complex (BSC) had various signs that had rules and regulations, the hours of operation, who adopted the park, a speed bump sign, and a water usage sign. There are 13 signs throughout the complex containing that information. All are inconsistent and staff would like to consolidate the signs as well as provide consistency. Bernard presented a new sign that included the following: ",....... . City Logo, . Location, . Park Hours, . Rental Information, . Animal Rules, . Weather Rules, . What was Prohibited, . Facility Map, . Code Enforcement Number, . Pictograms, . Adopt-a-Park Information, and . Ordinance N'umbers &$ummary. The sign would have vinyl stickers that could be replaced versus replacing the entire sign. The signs would be installed at the recreation areas and would be designed in-house and made by Safety Signal which would ensure that the signs were retro reflective and screen printed. Additional services would be provided by Public Works including the painting of the back of the sign and installing posts. Bernard stated that the federal mandate to change street signs was in the works and that the powder-coated break away posts would be added. Wojcik stated that the older posts were more attractive and understood that it would save money, but she would rather pay for the original posts. Pennington stressed that the signs were federally mandated, and the post had to be break away even if not necessarily the post presented. Oaily asked if a smaller version of the way findersign would be installed along the cart paths. Rast responded that the Rotary Club was installing those at key intersections. He also stated that City Council/Planning Commission Workshop February 7, 2012 Page 5 staff would need tostandardize what was maintained, including what was donated totheCity by various org(lniiations such (lsfh~ Eagle Scouts. Leonard stated that the consistency would need to continue with the motto. She had seen Peachtree City Plan to Stay on one sign, and Peachtree City Plan to Play on another. She felt the message needed to be consistent Rast stated that he was in contact with other jurisdictions to inquire on community assistance or sponsorship with the process. Staples responded that local businesses were woven into the community. Rast stated that the Braelinn Shopping Center management as well as Kite Realty, which managed the Kedron Shopping Center, were both willing to extend a hand with signage to lead people to the shopping areas. Staff would need to determine what extent to allow the signage. Staples responded that the ordinances must be enforced. A;Z;;S:20P.m on Haddix/Mayor ~~~r67:l:! _7 David Conner, Planning