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
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