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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1996-05-22 Community and Economic Development Committee Minutes � COMMUNITY&ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE Wednesday, lVlay 22, 1996 @5:00 PM MINUTES COMMITTEE PRESENT: Councilor Chris Popper, Chair Councilor Gerard Baldacci STAFF PRESENT: Councilor Pat Blanchette Councilor James Tyler Councilor David Leen Edward A. Barrett, City Manager Rodney G. McKay, Director of Community&Economic Development T.J. Martzial, C.D. Housing Resources Coordinator John Lord, Planning Officer Dan Wellington, Code Enforcement Officer Mary Ann Chalila, Director of Health& Welfare Norm Heitmann, Asst. City Solicitor OTHERS PRESENT: Roxanne Saucier, BDN • Local Radio Station The meeting was called to order by Committee Chair, Councilor Chris Popper, at 5:05 PM. Councilor Leen sat in for Councilor Charles Sullivan due to his absence. AGENDA ITEM#1 - C.O. 96-51, Amending Land Development Code - Chapter VIII, Part II, Article 3, Section 2 and Part III, Article 14, Section 6 -Nightclub Use in the Downtown Development District Planning Officer John Lord briefed the Committee on the status of Council Order amendment(#96-51) with regard to nightclub use in the Downtown Development District. He stated that the current feeling of the Planning Board is that the amendment language in the fifth conditional use criteria relating to provision of maintaining adequate safety and control of the - maximum use of the building was reasonably vague and difficult to administer. Also, due to the fact that there are other related types of uses on a smaller scale in the downtown, it seems impractical to ban such use altogether. Staff asked the Committee for their suggestions for other alternatives they may want to pursue. � After some discussion, it was the consensus of the Committee to have Staff clarify the aforementioned language as discussed and forward it back to the Planning Board for discussion after which time it will come back to the C&ED Committee. . 2/ . AGENDA ITEM#2 -Bangor House Parking-Request for Lease of an Additional Five Parking Spaces Rod McKay presented to the Committee a request from Bangor House Propriety for five additional parking spaces behind their location on Main Street in addition to the 20 parking spaces they currently lease from the City. The current monthly fee is $33 per space per month. The tErm of the lease is extended automatically each year unless terminated by either party. This request will not impact parking in this lot as there are a total of 60 spaces. Staff recommended approval. In addition to this issue, Councilor Leen asked if there's any intent on refiguring the current traffic problems at the front entrance of the Bangor House. John Lord responded stating that the recent amendment brought before this Committee at their May 8th meeting to allow the Bangor House to have a loading zone on Union Street may be a partial answer to his concern. Gary Jewell, Parking Supervisor, has also indicated to John that besides the Meals For Me program using the loading zone it can be used for other deliveries to the Bangor House. A motion was made and seconded to recommend this item as presented for approval to the full City Council. So voted. AGENDA ITEM#3 - C.O. 96-221, Amending the Floodplain Management Ordinance - • Chapter XIII, Article V,B;Article VI,J; Article VI,I; Article VI, new Section 1; Article VIII,B; Article IX,D,1; Article IX,F,3; Article X,B; and Article XIII Code Enforcement Officer, Dan Wellington presented amendments to Bangor's Floodplain Management Ordinance. This ordinance enables local citizens to take advantage of a national response program. Every 3-5 years, FEMA comes to a participating community and reviews their ordinance as well as their program and offers assistance known as the Community Assistance Visit. Recently FEMA visited the City's Code Enforcement office in just such a visit. Their findings showed that Bangor's subject ordinance needs to be updated as the terminology was not correct with current usage. A number of City Staff attended this meeting with FEMA and the State Floodplain Coordinator. The recommended changes have been incorporated into the City's Floodplain Management Ordinance. The area in the vicinity of the Penjajawoc Stream (Bangor Mall area)will be necessitated due to the intense growth in that area. The City has made a request to FEMA and they have tentatively agreed to remap this stream as well as funding the project. This was originally done in 1997 before the development began. The City will have to provide them with preliminary information which pertains to changes around the Bangor Dam, the effect of the dam being pulled out and the changes the Bangor Water District made to their transmission lines. The remapping,which shows the floodway boundary and the 100 year floodplain boundary, is basically updating the base maps since they were last done in 1977. It is hoped that this project will be completed between mid-1997 and early 1998. • A motion was made and seconded to recommend approval on this item as presented for approval to the full City Council. So voted. - . 3/ • AGENDA ITEM#4 -Authorization to Execute and File an Application for Federal Continuum of Care Assistance funds as Provided for in the McKinney , Homeless Assistance Act and National Affordable Housing Act Mary Anne Chalila, Director of Health and Welfare, reviewed for the Committee a consolidated application for Shelter Plus Care funds which will be used to fund services and facilities for qualified homeless persons who are receiving support services. This is the third year that the City of Bangor, with cooperation of local Homeless Service Providers, has submitted an application. The approximate funds which are being requested are in the range of $1.3 to $1.5 million for a 3-year period of funding. This year's approximate total is $600,000. The application filing deadline is June 12, 1996. The grant will be administered by the City through the Health and Welfare/Community and Economic Development Departments. This item will be back to the C&ED Committee at their June Sth meeting and on the June l Oth City Council agenda. AGENDA ITEM#5 -Amending Chapter VIII, Article II of the Laws and Ordinances of the City of Bangor- Off Street Parking Rod McKay reviewed the subject amendment for the Committee. A provision in the • Land Development Code when it was adopted in 1991 requires a$1,500 waiver fee be required for anybody who could not meet the parking requirements of the ordinance. At the same time, there was another provision of$750 for each parking space not provided which was required for when vacant space was rehabilitated. This provision was later deleted by the Council as it was considered to inhibit development of the downtown. The $1,500 fee has been used only twice ' since 1991. The United Bank building has an option agreement on part of their parcel that requires them to build another 15,000 sq. ft. within ten years (8 years left at this time). They will have to either pay the waiver or find parking someplace else. More recently,the Merrill- Merchants Bank received a waiver for 15 spaces; they're considering buying property across from their location on Main Street for a parking lot. The original intent by the City for having these provisions was to build up a parking fund reserve for future public parking expansion. In the time that has passed since the origination of this fund, most of the vacant parcels in the downtown have been developed and the property owners have found other means to provide their parking needs such as Merrill-Merchants is considering. These particular businesses are not using City parking (permits for lots) so revenues are not being built up as anticipated and this provision has been found to be a disincentive to the downtown. Staff requested Committee's suggestions before it is placed on the City Council agenda for consideration. A motion was made and seconded to recommend this item be placed on the Council • agenda for first reading. So voted. 4/ • AGENDA ITEM#6 -Planning/Code Enforcement Update No items to report for Planning. Councilor Leen asked John Lord if Mary Snow school (with respect to their new playground)was aware of the proposed changes for the reconfiguration of French Street, Medi- Maine Health Associates project, traffic lights, etc. John responded that the school department has been keeping up with this from the beginning; the playground location will not be impacted. Code Enforcement reported that residential activities are slow but commercial, industrial and institutional activity is up. Councilor Leen asked the status of the condemned struciure at the corner of York and Newbury Streets. Dan replied that a letter was sent to the owner of the property requesting that he set up a meeting with Code Enforcement to discuss his plans for the structure. Dan has not heard from the owner as of this date. AGENDA ITEM#7 - Community Development Residential Rehab Loan- 322 Grove, Single Family T.J. Martzial, C.D. Housing Resources Coordinator, presented to the Committee a loan • request for the property at 322 Grove Street. A motion was made and seconded to approve this request as presented. So voted. With no further business at hand,the meeting was adjourned at 6:44 PM. � �