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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-03-2015 regular meeting City Council of Peachtree City Meeting Minutes September 3, 2015 7:00 p.m. The Peachtree City Mayor and Council met in regular session on Thursday, September 3, 2015. Mayor Vanessa Fleisch called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Others attending: Eric lmker, Mike King, and Kim Learnard. Terry Ernst was out of town Announcements, Awards, Special Recognition Mayor Fleisch proclaimed the week of September 7 - 11 as National Payroll Week in Peachtree City. Dolly Moses, Verla Kelley, and Eraina Amill from the Atlanta chapter of the American Payroll Association accepted the proclamation. Fayette County Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Carlotta Ungaro distributed copies of The Source, the Chamber's annual publication. Minutes August 4, 2015, Workshop Minutes August 4, 2015, Special Called Meeting Minutes August 20, 2015, Regular Meeting Minutes King moved to approve the August 4, 2015, workshop minutes and the August 4, 2015, special called meeting minutes as written. Learnard seconded. Motion carried unanimously. King moved to approve the August 20, 2015, regular meeting minutes as written. lmker seconded. Motion carried 3-0-1 (Learnard). Consent Agenda 1. Consider Request to Surplus Seized and Abandoned Property 2. Consider Alcohol License- NEW -J-Mart, 2820 SR 54 West(MacDuff Plaza) 3. Consider Bid for F-750 Dump Truck-Allan Vigil Ford-Morrow 4. Consider Bid for Hybrid Beacon at Rockaway Road Path Crossing- R.J. Haynie 5. Consider Budget Amendment- FY 2015 6. Consider Acceptance of GEMA Grant for CERT Program 7. Consider Letter of Promulgation- Emergency Operations Plan Learnard moved to approve Consent Agenda items 1 - 7. King seconded. Motion carried unanimously. Fleisch said she had received a request regarding Consent Agenda item 4, asking for more information on the installation of the hybrid beacon. City Engineer Dave Borkowski said the hybrid beacon was essentially a mini-traffic signal. People coming up on the crossing would push the button to activate the beacons so they would start flashing before turning completely red to stop traffic on Rockaway Road, so those on the paths could cross the road safely. There would be advance warning signage with golf cart symbols alerting motorists. Learnard asked if this was a new type of device. Borkowski said it had been in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) since 2009. The beacon would be the first one to be installed on the south side of metro Atlanta. Fleisch asked how long it would take to install the hybrid beacon. Borkowski said there was a 12- to 14-week lead time on the poles. Work would start right away on what could be done during that time. Interim City Manager Jon Rorie noted that Somerby of Peachtree City had funded this project. City Council Minutes September 3, 2015 Page 2 Old Agenda Items 08-15-09 Public Hearing-Variance Requests, Sigvaris, 1119 S SR 74 Senior Planner David Rast noted Sigvaris was asking for three variances for the property. The tract was first developed in 1997 and included over 34,000 square feet of office, production, and warehouse space, as well as parking for 75 vehicles. The site schematic submission from 1997 included an eventual expansion of both the building and parking that was basically the plan Sigvaris was now trying to implement. A parking expansion had been approved a few years ago for 30 spaces. Staff had been working with representatives from Sigvaris and their design team for several months on the proposed expansion, which would include an additional 40,000 square feet of office, production, and warehouse space, as well as an additional 34 parking spaces. A number of variances would be needed to develop the property, according to Rast. The first variance was from Section 1008.4(d) of the General Industrial (GI) zoning ordinance to permit two sets of emergency exit stairs to encroach into the 20-foot side building setback. The second variance was from Section 1008.4(g) of the GI zoning ordinance to permit automobile parking within the front 50-foot setback depth. The third variance application was for Section 723.1 of the Land Development Ordinance to permit the removal of the tree save and landscape buffer requirements adjacent to SR 74. Jonathan Leonard of Sigvaris said they were trying to maximize the facility. Business was good, and they were growing, and this addition was part of a 10-year plan to grow the property out. The variances were not out of the norm and were important to growing the business on this property. Fleisch opened the public hearing. No one spoke in favor of the variance. John Dufresne said he opposed the variance requests because the proper paperwork had not been submitted for review and action by Council, and he did not believe all six of the variance criteria had been met. He continued that only one application form had been submitted, and it was for Section 723.1 of the Land Development Ordinance. It was the only application in the Council meeting packet. There were no applications for the encroachment into the side set back or the front setback. He continued that Section 1208 of the zoning ordinance and Section 1304 of the land development ordinance stated, "Any communication relative to a variance request will be regarded as information only until a proper application is made in the form required." No forms were submitted, so there was not a formal request for consideration. Dufresne continued that the plan seemed to be designed to "not fit" within the buildable lines of the tract as required by ordinances. He did not see any special circumstances applicable to the property. All the properties in the corridor were affected in the same by the GI zoning requirements. Dufresne said he had spoken with former Planning Commissioner Wes Saunders, who served on the board during the Sigvaris' initial approval and served as the Planning Commission representative on the project. During an e-mail discussion, Saunders said the impending widening was taken into consideration when reviewing any property in the SR 74 South corridor. He referred the staff memo, noting there was a contradiction regarding the SR 74 widening in the memo. In one instance, the memo said the widening of the highway was anticipated, and in another, the memo said the widening was not anticipated. He asked Council to disapprove the variance request. Fleisch closed the public hearing. City Council Minutes September 3, 2015 Page 3 Imker asked if the paperwork had been properly submitted. Rast said the variance application had been submitted, and the three variances had been identified in the legal ad and in the narrative provided by the applicant. Rast said the requirements were met. Learnard asked to see Rast's presentation, with the graphics. Rast said the final site plan for the original development had been submitted the Planning Commission in 1996 and was approved. At that time, the ordinances did not allow parking or service drives in the front setback. Sigvaris also submitted a buildout plan at that time that had shown parking expansions, with sufficient room. There was no record of approval of the plan. Rast continued that the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) acquired the right-of- way for the widening of SR 74 in 2001, and 50 feet was taken from the front of the Sigvaris property, which shifted the initial property line. When the 50-foot front setback was imposed from the new property line, it covered a good portion of the existing parking. One of the proposed variances was to permit two sets of emergency exit stairs into the side setback, Rast said. The building was designed to sit on the side setback line. The stairwells were required by the Fire Marshal and the Building Official and were located off the second floor office and warehouse areas. The area north of this was the Viega tract, and it was heavily wooded. Viega had supplied a letter of support of the encroachment into the side setback. A portion of the building's drive extended into the re-established 50-foot building setback line. The third variance was for the tree save and landscape buffer along SR 74. Rast said the ordinance required a 60-foot tree save and landscape buffer that could be reduced to 40 feet. There was a caveat that, if it was a developed lot, the buffer could be reduced to 20 feet if there was a major impact to the property. Rast said staff considered the expansion to be a major impact. When the highway was widened, approximately one dozen trees were left. There was also a water main on that side of the property, and most of the trees were removed. Sigvaris wanted to build a retaining wall off the edge of the parking area, so the parking lot would sit lower than the road. One of staff's proposed conditions addressed screening the parking lot and planting at the top of the retaining wall. Rast said Sigvaris was talking to GDOT about adding plantings in the right-of-way to re-establish the vegetation in front of the building, which they could do with an encroachment permit from GDOT. Learnard clarified that Sigvaris was asking GDOT for an easement to plant in front of the retaining wall. Rast said that was correct. Learnard asked where that would be. Rast said they did not want to get close to the waterline, and the edge of the parking was 10 feet from the property line. The retaining wall would be five feet or so from the property line. There was another 20 feet or so in the GDOT right-of-way that could be used for planting. The limited encroachment permit would be between GDOT and Sigvaris, and Sigvaris would be responsible for maintaining that area. lmker asked if there was a way to specifically define the vegetation that would be added. Rast said part of the condition was to submit a landscape plan up front when the conceptual site plan was submitted to the Planning Commission for approval. Learnard asked what would require Sigvaris to add vegetation to an extent that had not yet been defined. Rast explained it was one of the conditions that would be reviewed by the Planning Commission. City Attorney Ted Meeker added the ordinance required replacement of the vegetation. Rast said that the 40,000 square-foot expansion and new impervious surface would determine the size and number of trees that had to be planted. City Council Minutes September 3,2015 Page 4 Imker asked how many other businesses along SR 74 were in similar situations and could ask for a variance. Rast said there were quite a few, noting Gerresheimer had already been granted a variance. Wilden Plastics had been part of that expansion. He added most of the plans had been approved in the 1980s and 1990s. The City knew the road-widening would happen, but did not have any final right-of-way specifications until the road plans were developed. The tree save and landscape development requirements were adopted after Sigvaris was approved, which was how the original area between the parking lot and the property line was designated as a "tree save" area. When GDOT acquired the property, it was wiped out as it had been for other tracts. Imker said he had no problem with the stairwells, saying there were safety regulations that determined their placement. The Planning Commission would ensure the plans followed the conditions of the variance. His concern was with the variance for the additional parking. The intent had always been to expand the business, and GDOT had taken land that would be used. He did not want to penalize Sigvaris for that or deny the opportunity for the business to expand. No one else would be impacted. There were no negatives with the requests other than the paperwork. He was prepared to approve the variances. King said he was prepared to approve the requests, too. The company had been in the City since 1997 and had 130 employees. The frontage space was lost due to the road-widening, and King said Council could not say no. Fleisch added it was also an opportunity to re-establish some of the buffer that was lost along the corridor. Rast clarified that Sigvaris would have a separate permit and agreement with GDOT for planting in the right-of-way area. The conditions staff recommended for the variance were: 1. The exit stairs shall encroach no more than eight feet into the 20-foot side building setback as shown on the preliminary site plan (last revised 08-04-15). 2. Evergreen plant material (minimum eight feet in height) shall be planted in such a manner to assist in screening views of the exit stairs from Highway 74 and from the side property line. 3. The new parking area in front of the building shall encroach no more than 40 feet into the front setback depth as shown on the preliminary site plan (last revised 08-14-15). 4. A minimum of 10 canopy trees (minimum three-inch caliper) shall be planted at 25 feet on the center with the 10-foot planting strip between the top of the retaining wall and the front property line. In addition, a double row of evergreen shrubs (minimum 36 inches high at the time of planting) shall be planted on a staggered row (maximum four feet on center) to assist in screening views of the parking lot. 5. In lieu of providing a tree save and landscape buffer, the Applicant shall prepare a detailed landscape plan identifying how the tree replacement requirements will be met in accordance with the City's landscape ordinance. This plan shall be reviewed and approved by the Planning Commission as part of the conceptual site plan approval process. The Applicant shall coordinate with City staff and the GDOT District Office to secure a Limited Encroachment Permit which will allow the installation of trees and other vegetation within the GDOT right-of-way in front of the property, with the intent of re- establishing a vegetated buffer between the property and Highway 74. It is understood City Council Minutes September 3, 2015 Page 5 the Applicant or their successors shall be responsible for maintaining this plant material in perpetuity as part of the routine landscape maintenance of the overall site. Dufresne said for the buffer reduction to be less than 20 feet, the property had to be less than an acre in size or the depth of the lot had to be between 200 and 220 feet. The lot did not meet those requirements. King moved to approve the variance request for Sigvaris, 1 1 19 S. SR 74, subject to the conditions presented. Imker seconded. Motion carried unanimously. 08-15-10 Consider Options Regarding Vegetation in Lake Peachtree City Engineer Dave Borkowski addressed Council, saying staff recommended using Estate Management Services (EMS) as a brand name vendor for an amount not to exceed $50,000. The proposal had been discussed at the August 20 meeting. The company would use a rotary cutter to cut the vegetation on 100 acres of the lake bed, and then would hand cut around and underneath the dock posts. Once the lake started to fill, the company would come back and remove the vegetation that had floated to the top. The cutting would take approximately two weeks. It would take three working days to remove the vegetation, and those days would be spaced out at varying times while the lake was filling. The contractor was flexible on start dates, needing three to four weeks' notice. Borkowski said that there were several areas where money had been saved that could be used for funding the vegetation removal. Rorie continued that the reason a funding source had not been specified was due to how staff worked to identify cost savings during the budget year. Those savings in Public Works were usually around $50,000. Funding would be provided by line item transfers within the Public Works budget totaling $32,000, with the additional $18,000 coming from General Fund cash reserves. He believed the total amount would be handled by Public Works, but a funding source had to be identified to issue the contract. Imker noted the date for completion of the dredging had been moved to October 19. He asked if the company would be ready to start a week before the scheduled date. Rorie said a scoping meeting had been held with the company, and they had been asked to be ready to go the second week of October. Imker said he would like to follow-up on comments he made at the August 20 meeting regarding Fayette County. He had been unaware of who would be helping the City with the lake after the dredging was done, including restocking the fish and other items. The County was helping with that. Rorie said the County had provided $28,000 for dredging the Pinecrest dock area and $10,000 to restock the lake. lmker said he had to withdraw the comments he made about the County now that he knew the County would help bring the lake back. Learnard moved to enter into a contract with EMS for a not-to-exceed amount of $50,000, with the funds to come from line item transfers in Public Works and General Fund cash reserves. Imker seconded. Imker noted the lake was a stormwater basin for the City, asking if it was possible to fund the work from the Stormwater budget. Rorie said it was possible, and staff had discussed it, possibly considering it for any additional dredging. Motion carried unanimously. City Council Minutes September 3, 2015 Page 6 New Agenda Items 09-15-01 Consider Approval of FY 2016 Budget for CVB Peachtree City Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) Chairman Wende Blumberg noted it had been a strong year for the City's hotels, and they expected the trend to continue. The room rate growth in the City had grown by double digits, which meant that through July, occupancy rate had grown 10%, while the average daily rate had increased more than 3.5%. The revenue per occupied room for the past 12 months had grown over 14%. New hotels were coming online by spring of 2016. The hotel/motel tax revenues were directly impacted by the trends. The CVB board had recently approved a commitment of $45,000 to build a pavilion at Drake Field. The board felt that would be a positive influence for people coming to the City for retreats and family reunions. CVB Executive Director Nancy Price gave an overview of the achievements for 2015, which included producing Peachtree City Digital Magazine, increasing social media presence by adding a social media dashboard to www.visitoeachtreecity.com and Instagram, developing a 360-degree tour of Peachtree City sites and hotels to be added to website, creating a signature state Geo-Tour with accompanying geocaching collateral, hosting Meeting Planner and Visitor Information Center familiarization trips, co-hosting the International Festival and Rotary Dragon Boat Races, and developing a new creative marketing campaign - "Peachtree City-Just What You Unexpected," which received the Georgia Association CVB Best Idea Award for Print Advertising. In addition, the City was named one of the 2015 Best Golf Destinations by Convention South, and five new events were held in the City [a Cornhole regional tournament, the Peak Performance Girls Youth Basketball of American (YBOA) Tournament, Wheelchair Tennis Tournament, the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Tennis Tournament, and a Spikeball tournament]. Business Manager Mary Camburn announced the CVB had a new source of income, which was renting out the Amphitheater basement. The new source was budgeted at $5,000 for FY 2016. Other sources of income included hotel/motel tax (96% of budget, $788,574), Southern Hollywood Film Tour fees (1%, $7,500), registration fees for the International Festival (0%, $3,000), rental fees (1%, $5,000), and merchandise sales (2%, $13,500),which totaled $817,824. lmker noted that the $788,574 in hotel/motel tax for the CVB essentially meant the City would collect $1.6 million from visitors to the City. The City received half of the hotel/motel tax and the CVB received half. The City would also get another $200,000 back from the CVB to help reimburse the City for tourism activities held on City fields and facilities. It was a great system. Fleisch asked if the CVB was ready for the Divas event. Price reported that the Divas Half- Marathon scheduled September 12 would bring approximately 4,000 participants to the City. Last year, the event had an economic impact of $1.6 million. She added that only 57 rooms were left in the City for Friday night (September 11) as of September 2. Learnard said the expo held at Kedron Fieldhouse by the event organizers was fantastic. Learnard moved to approve the FY 2016 CVB budget. King seconded. Motion carried unanimously. 09-15-02 Consider Budget Amendment for Right-of-Way Mowing- FY 2016 Public Works Superintendent Scott Hicks noted that TruGreen (now called LandCare) had been awarded the contract for right-of-way mowing for state highways, primary and secondary streets, and ancillary areas in 2012. There was $260,000 budgeted, but the proposal was for $274,000. He asked Council to consider a $14,000 budget amendment. City Council Minutes September 3, 2015 Page 7 Learnard said she was surprised to see the upcharge. Rorie said staff was also asking for an extension on the number of years of the contract, which was originally a one-year contract, with two extensions. If approved, the contract extension would expire on September 30, 2016. King moved to approve New Agenda item 09-15-02 Consider Budget Amendment for Right-of- Way Mowing-FY 2016. Imker seconded. Motion carried unanimously. Council/Staff Topics Hicks gave an update on Public Works projects, noting that there were 171 subdivision entrance signs in the City, and Public Works had put their hands on 67 of them during the last year. Work included pressure washing, painting, and/or replacement. Six signs were scheduled for replacement currently (Wickerhill, Everhill, The Terraces, Wedgewood, Braelinn Green, and one of the placards at Calgary Place). Several homeowners associations or resident groups had taken over the landscaping maintenance at their entrance signs, which had reduced the burden on City staff. Hicks continued that 25,347 linear feet (4.8 miles) of golf cart paths had been paved, including the paths to Somerby and the connection to the tunnel under SR 74 at Rite Aid. Currently, staff had 1,904 linear feet of path open, with the asphalt removed. The remainder of the six miles designated for 2015 would be finished during the next week. Fleisch said Flat Creek Road looked good, and the subdivisions signs looked good. She thanked Public Works for their efforts. Rorie noted that Somerby of Peachtree City had funded the beacon for the Rockaway Road crossing. Staffs had completed the paths to the tunnel under SR 74, and were able to do it cheaper than through outsourcing, which left $225,000 that could be used for other projects. He complimented staff on a job well done. Rorie said a pre-construction meeting for the Green-T on SR 54 had been held. They would mobilize on September 8, with construction beginning on September 15. Baldwin Paving would be the contractor. Information would be forward to the Police Department and Public Information Officer/City Clerk Betsy Tyler to get the word out to the community. Learnard moved to convene in executive session at 8:15 p.m. to discuss the potential sale or acquisition of real estate and personnel. King seconded. Motion carried unanimously. King moved to reconvene in regular session at 8:34 p.m. Learnard seconded. Motion carried unanimously. There being no further business, King moved to adjourn -arnard seconded. Motion carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 8:35 p.m. &Leg, - .: C 111 Pamela Dufresne, C Ierk Vanessa Fleisch, Mayor