Recap! Joint City Council/ Planning Commission Meeting - General Plan

Recap!

Due to the pandemic and all the other crazy stuff this past week, this meeting was done virtually through Zoom and live streamed to YouTube.    You can view this meeting by going to the South Weber City's YouTube Channel or see below.  

This was our final meeting before sending the general plan back out to the public for round 2 of public comment.  A few more items were discussed.

•Mixed Use.  As some of you may know, when the first general plan draft was released early fall last year, mixed use was something that was added but not yet defined (mixed use being some form of adding commercial with residential).  Starting at the new year, a committee comprising of two council members and two planning commissioners, along with the mayor and staff were tasked with defining what mixed use for our city would be.  After much contemplation, the committee returned to the council with a proposal to actually *not* offer any mixed use.  There are two main properties that were discussed with mixed us.  One is just off 475 E and Old Fort Road on the west end of town, the other is just west of Highmark Charter School off South Weber Drive on the east side of town.  The committee felt that a residential component would be far larger for these parcels of land and felt that keeping it commercial only would be the most beneficial for our city.  Both of these properties would require a development agreement and a design plan for the entire property.   The council and commission agreed with the committee's proposal and will go forward onto the general plan for further public comment. This discussion takes place about minutes 5:00-25:50.

•Annexation on the South Slopes:  In the first general plan draft, the south slopes were zoned Business Commerce.  However, the first round of the public comment indicated hesitation and safety concerns when developing these slopes.  This section has now been moved back to open lands.   There was some additional edits made to the general plan narrative to further indicate that annexation is meant to protect the slopes, not develop them.  You can hear this discussion on minutes 32:00-1:00:00.  If you would better like to understand annexation, you can read more about it on my blog post here.

•Land Use on West Side: There was some concerns discussed about the land use on our far west side, currently zoned Commercial Rec with some opportunities for Light Industrial.  The concern was the buffer zone between the commercial side to the nearest residential zone, which is low-moderate.   This discussion takes place approximately minute 1:01:00 - 1:13:00.

•Capital Facility Plan (CFP):  This conversation discussed not only the land use but also population buildout.  Our CFP is looked at after every general plan and helps us plan for future infrastructure and costs to the city due to growth, called impact fees.  By removing mixed use from the plan, our population decreased from 13,500 of the previous plan to 12,800.  Minutes for this discussion happens about minutes 1:14-1:38.

•HAFB & Contamination:  Concerns about the plume maps and the exact location of contamination was discussed and the city's responsibility when it comes to developing properties near the plumes or on potentially contaminated lands.  In the end it was felt this needed to be discussed further at another meeting and a committee will be meeting to review information to bring back to the council for a discussion in the future.  Minutes 1:42:00-2:00:00.

Future Timeline
The rest of the meeting talked about the next steps.  There are a few important things for the public to note.
 *In light of the recent events with the Coronavirus, this is subject to change.*

1.  The city is currently requesting for volunteers to beta-test the survey between now and the end of the month (5 days).  I encourage all who have the time and ability to volunteer.  You can do it online or on paper.  This will just help ensure the survey is easy to use and understandable.

2.  In the meeting it was mentioned the public houses would be cancelled in light of the quarantine.  Since then, the council and mayor have decided to discuss this at our meeting on Tuesday how we could do an open house and when.

3. Public Comment Period will start April 13th and end April 30th.  A joint meeting held with the CC/PC will again take place May 12th to review.  At that time we will decide if we need to do another round of drafts, or if we feel we are at a place where the plan can be approved.

This is all discussed minutes 2:00:00-2:05:00.

Phew!!  Ya'll still with me?  I know that is a lot of information.  I hope you will all take the time to participate in the general plan.  As citizens, the general plan is the most powerful tool you have in shaping your vision of the future of our city because it relies heavily on the public's feedback!  Thank you thank you for taking time to get involved and participate.

  It IS making a difference!

#getinvolved #stayinvolved

Live Video: Tuesday March 24th Meeting and City Ordinances for Dogs

Live Video: Upcoming Agenda Item Regarding Property Tax

While this meeting was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this will still be something to discuss for the future of the city at a later time.  I hope that this is informative and helpful to you to better understand the way we should structure the property tax for our city.  

#getinvolved #stayinvolved 

Planning Commission Meeting: Discussion of R7 and Commercial Recreation Zones

The Planning Commission's Agenda is available for this Thursday at 6:00. They will be reviewing the R7 zone (our high density zone) as well as commercial recreation. I encourage everyone to review these two zones as they currently stand and if you have specific feedback or suggestions to let the commission/council know.

Our R7 zone was recently changed from 13 units/acre down to 7. There are additional changes that need to happen with the change in density. This includes setbacks in height, distances, minimum acreage, restrictions and others.

The commercial rec zone is being proposed on our current land use general plan proposal. This is the light blue section that is mostly on the south-west side of the city. As most in the city are keenly aware, if a proposal fits the zoning, then it is hard to be able to deny it. We need to review our CR zone to ensure we are attracting the types of developments to the city we want. Below is a link to each of the codes. If there is anything in the permitted or conditional uses section you feel should be removed or included or any other changes, please make sure to make your voice is heard.

To review the R7/HDH zoning code click here.

To review the Commercial Recreation code click here. 

Recap! City Council Meeting 3.10.2020

City Council Recap 3.10.2020

As always, a huge thanks to Jeff Judkins who is volunteering time away from his family to come and live stream these meetings.  Also, a special thanks to those who came out to the meeting or tuned in otherwise.

•Presentation of Stephen’s property located at 475 E and Old Fort Road:  This development presentation included a hotel, a gas station, a strip mall of commercial, storage units and 200 apartments in one building.  The concept to the plan will be linked below as well as the information that was given to the council and shown at the meeting.  There was concerns brought up both by public comment and with the council concerning the apartments.  The developers responded that the residential aspect was needed financially in order to ensure the commercial.  There was also concerns brought up about the height of the hotel being 4 stories.  The developer mentioned that if a restaurant or some greater commercial would commit to coming in it would possibly bump the hotel or other aspect.  This is very early in the planning.  The council gave a few additional concerns.  Ultimately this will depend on what comes back with the definition of mixed use that is being determined by the council and planning commission currently.  Just a reminder that this was *only* a presentation.  Nothing has been finalized or even started at this point.  

•Waterline on Cottonwood Drive:  Uintah has met with South Weber staff and is on board with the latest agreement.   It was explained why this was a 12 inch line vs. the 10 inch line South Weber was previously looking into.  There is benefits to both cities to do the 12 inch line.   The council approved unanimously to approve this agreement.  This process will begin soon with the repavement of Cottonwood Drive coming shortly after.  

•Final Approval for Alpha Coffee:  Alpha Coffee is a coffee shop that will be just west of Little Caesar’s.  You can see the final renditions for this establishment in the packet.  

•Another item that was discussed was utilizing a company that will review any development plans to our code. This will not be a cost to the city but will rather be passed on to developer fees.  This will be an added measure to ensure that all plans meet every part of our code.  Currently we will use a pool of companies that best fit our needs and then will possibly slim down to one company if we feel it best fits our needs.

•Legislative Review:  HB273 which deals with public officials being held personally liable in the event that they refuse to develop land after being advised to do so but a state ombudsman passed the house as well as HB357 that deals with public education funds.   SJR9 that distributes tax revenue of income tax to children and the disabled and SB39 that is a continuation of affordable housing and SB34 passed the Senate.  There was also an update to the TUF – the words “or tax” have been removed from the definition. This will likely mean that the TUF as it is instated will continue without any foreseeable problems.  

•New Business: The council recommended that the Planning Commission review the commercial recreation zone.   The time of the meeting on the 24^th will likely be adjusted due to the caucus being that same night.  More details will be coming soon.  

•Reports: Mayor Jo reported there are citizens who are interested in raising funds to get a removable cover for the pickleball courts.  Councilmember Soderquist said that he has met with the Gravel Pits and were informed of their processes and daily plans as well as when they shut down operations and how they mitigate the dust.    Councilmember Petty reminded everyone about the Easter Egg Hunt that will take place April 6^th at Canyon Meadows park.  It will start at 5:30 on the dot.  Afterwards the train will be operational until 7:00.  Food trucks will be available as well.  Old Fort road will be starting repaving again starting about April 15^th but could be sooner weather permitting.  Another fun item for our city is we are now on the JustServe app for any service or volunteer opportunities within the city.  

And that’s a wrap! I hope I got everything that I felt you would want to know.  Thanks again for all those who are staying involved and for the comments coming in that are helping to shape South Weber to the best that we can be!

#getinvolved #stayinvolved