Segment: Why I voted the way I did - The Stephens Property

This past week the council voted on a parcel that has had a lot of intereston from to public on the agenda; a rezone request from Agriculture to Commercial Highway. Want the short version? Skip to the bottom. 🙂

A public hearing on this parcel to hear from the public was done at the planning commission level in June. There were no comments about this item and the PC recommended unanimously to the council for approval. This also passed the council unanimously. You can watch this agenda item unfold for both the planning commission and city council on our YouTube channel. I will link them below.

Alright, let’s dive in. As I stated this passed the council with a favorable vote, which of course means I voted yes. Here’s why:

•this property received an overwhelming support during the general plan feedback to be commercial Highway. The developer has approached the council and planning commission numerous times in the past, each time with a High density residential component. Each of these presentations failed because of the desires of the community to not have more HDH developments and mixed use. The developer decided to come back and ask for exactly what we were projecting it to be, commercial highway. This is in line with the general plan and also in line with the feedback of the general plan survey. I know because I had just read all 4,500 comments again just a few months earlier.

•Another item of note was the uses within our CH zone. During the survey of the general plan, we realized a lot of the uses we allowed did not conform to the desires of the residents. Thus the code committee immediately got to work and revamped all the uses. The general plan feedback was highly considered and utilized while updating to better align with what the citizens would like by way of commercial. When we were finished, the uses went before the Planning Commission for a public hearing to get further from the public with how we did. The planning commission recommended the updated uses to the city council who passed the ordinance change unanimously. Why does this matter? Because at the time we were allowing a lot of uses we soon realized the public did not want; truck stops, RV parks and such. Better aligning our code with the desires of the community meant that we would attract only what we want and would not have our hands tied to accept something we didn’t want. As a member of the code committee, I felt we worked hard to use the feedback from the citizens to shape our new uses. The public feedback we did receive mostly included to remove a truck stop to which we had already done.

•Some caveats:

This did not come forward with a concept plan as the developer is hoping the zoning being CH will allow for more committtment. Having come to the table in the past and unable to proceed forward created a loss of confidence from potential buyers. Because of this, the developer does not have a presentation at this time, but will be allowed the uses within the zone and will be required to meet all the standards of the zone.

•This area is set to be master planned. In a previous meeting I stated that I wanted to have a code for master planning completed so that when these properties come to us (those that have hatch marks on the general plan) we can have greater control with what comes to that area and other upgrades or things they need to do to create a uniform and complete feel. While this idea was not denied, it also did not receive a lot of support. The code committee has been overwhelmed at many other projects that also need to be addressed ASAP and the priority of developing a code for master planning has been moved to work on other very needed items. However, codifying a master plan arrangement still remains a high priority for me and I will work hard to make sure it is given the attention it needs as soon as we are feasibly able.

•Too long/didn’t read (TLDR): In summary, I voted yes to this rezone because I felt it followed the general plan and because we had updated our uses to better align with the vision of the citizens. The public was given the ability and time to review this revisions and were updated just in time before this development came before us (phew!). Because of this, I favored this rezone request, but still believe more work is needed within our code to guarantee the best development for this property.

Planning Commission meeting

City Council meeting

Segment: Why I voted the way I did - Poll Property

 Happy Thursday South Weber!

I wanted to take a moment and address the vote the council had before us on Tuesday evening regarding the rezone request for the development on the property west of Highmark Charter School. It was my intention at the time of the vote to give numerous reasons for my “no” vote, but when the time came I only mentioned one. Here are my other reasons as well:

•I have serious concerns about the traffic/congestion of this development in an area where we already have a great deal of traffic. 2100 E continues to have increased traffic and close calls at that intersection. While a traffic study will be required when a concept plan is going under approvals, it will only tell us if the road can physically handle the traffic (which it can) but won’t clearly relay information about how that traffic will impact residents. In short, it is something we will have to work with, rather than prevent.

•While the concept plan presented isn’t tied to the development and will still need to go through the approval process and it is likely some changes will be made, it concerned me to have 2 story townhomes looking directly into the playing/recess field of Highmark. A lower density on this project would’ve meant a greater buffer distance between this field and a higher likelihood of single level homes, where one wouldn’t be able to see into the playing field from an upstairs room, which I find unsettling.

•This parcel of 10 acres was slated to be all commercial. I do agree that it would be difficult for South Weber to fulfill that much commercial and I will admit I was in favor of lowering the percentage of commercial **if** it lowered the overall density of this development. The acreage of commercial went down, but the residential portion still requested the highest amount of density available to them on the majority of the parcel. What the final proposal ended up being is residential with some commercial, instead of commercial with some residential. Had the residential portion been on less acreage or a lower zoning density, I would’ve been more open to the plan.

•I have concerns approving this development will set a precedent for other properties that have cross hatchmarks. What is stop them from presenting to us 20% commercial in exchange for 80% HDH residential on a property we are hoping to have as mostly commercial? Nothing. When we have done it for one property, it will be difficult to argue no to another property.

•And finally, for the reasons I stated at this meeting, I do feel this went against the feedback we received on our General Plan. The general plan is shaped by the feedback of the residents - it is their right and privilege to weigh in on how their future city will be developed. It was abundantly clear that majority of the city did not favor adding anymore multi-family zoning other than what was already built or zoned. I understand that sometimes in city matters, compromising is key. However, in my opinion this didn’t compromise enough when they chose the highest zone they had available to them on 80% of the property. A patio home zone, which would’ve been closer to 40 homes instead of 62 would’ve been far more enticing to me to work with.

This rezone request passed 3-2. As the approval process begins, I promise to ensure all aspects of our code have been met and will address some of these concerns at that time as a plea to the developer to consider. Sometimes developers are willing to work with a project even though they have a right to do more. Thank you for being involved. Difficult decisions aren’t easy to make, but I appreciate hearing from my constituents how they feel and helps me know how best to represent them.

If you desire, below is the meeting. Every council member weighed in on why they voted the way they did in case you would like to hear it straight from them.

Recap! May city council meetings

 How is it the end of May already?  Time sure is flying.  I think May is when South Weber is the absolute prettiest.  Love this cute, little city of ours!

Below is the recap for the meetings of May 11th and May 25th as well as a special hearing that took place on May 16th.  For May 11th, you can find the packet here, May 18th's agenda is here and May 25th's meeting is here, here and here.  You can also watch these meetings on the city's YouTube channel here.  It is worth noting that the May 18th meeting was not streamed to YouTube, but the recording of the meeting is available to listen to here. 

Alright, let's dive in!

 

•RV PARK AGREEMENT AMENDMENT: The owner of the future RV Park requested changes to his landscaping plan to save on water.  These changes include using a more drought resistance grass, fewer shrubs and plants and other minor changes to the type of gravel rock and bark.  You can see his proposal in the packet linked below.  The council all agreed to the changes of grass and other minor changes, but the vote was split 3-2 in favor of a 15% reduction of plants and shrubs.  The motion passed to have the agreement modified.  

 

•2021-2022 TENATIVE BUDGET: The tentative budget was passed unanimously by the council.  The public will 3 weeks to review the budget before the next public hearing to pass the budget.  This is expected to happen the June 8^th meeting.  I would recommend everyone looking over.  Pages 5-11 are particularly informative, but if you are short on time or attention J pages 13-16 have a simplified breakdown of what changes will be taking place, where funds have been distributed and for what purposes.

 

•ELECTIONS: There are three seats up for re-election, 2 council member positions and the mayor position.  The time to file for candidacy begins June 1-4 and the 7^th at city hall. 

 

•LOFTS AT DEER RUN: The final approval for the Lofts development came before the council on May 25^th.  The council reviewed the recommendation from the planning commission both the preliminary approval that took place in December of 2020 and the final approval which took place last month.  Two commissioners were present and gave comment about the final approval because it was a 2-2 split vote and therefore no recommendation was given to help give the council perspective.   After asking questions and reviewing the plans, the council passed the motion unanimously.  

 

•COBBLESTONE SHORT TERM RENTAL HEARING: The council had the unique responsibility to act as the appeal authority in response to staff denying a business license for Cobblestone Resort, a short-term rental within the city limits.  This was set up much like a court where the council listened to both the arguments both for and against overturning this decision from their legal attorneys.  The council unanimously agreed to uphold the city’s decision to deny the business license.  Cobblestone Resort is also appealing the judicial court case regarding their need of a business license – that process will be ongoing.  

 

•CITY CODE CHANGES: The council reviewed code changes to the CH zone as well as updated definitions.  The code committee, comprising of the mayor, city manager, 2 planning commissioners and 2 city council members, made these changes which updated the specific uses that will be able to come to the commercial highway zones and beefing up the definitions to better align with the city’s desires for development following the feedback of the general plan survey results.  The was recommended to the council from the planning commission.  The council passed this motion unanimously.

 

•CANYON MEADOWS PARK WEST: Due to the rising costs of material, the plan for Canyon Meadows Park has had to be altered to fit within the budget, but still lacked the needed funds to complete a portion of the project.  It was requested of the council to allow a transfer of $182,194 which will be earmarked to pay back into impact fees to allow the project to start moving forward.  While 4 pickleball courts were budgeted, the Pickleball Community has successfully raised enough money to put in 4 more pickle ball courts for a total of 8.  After a lengthy discussion, the council passed this motion unanimously.

 

•REPORTS: Mayor Jo relayed the new digital screen for the city’s sign has been a huge update for staff as far as looks and functionality.   She also reported she met with our new Region 1 director for UDOT and discussed the I84/89 corridor, the box culvert, and the potential of future bike lanes on SWD.   She also said the LPC met and discussed the ARPA funds from the federal government.    

•Councilman Halverson stated the RAB met and OU16 will have a new ROD, new technology and better ways to test all types of contamination.

•Councilwoman Alberts reported the PR committee is working on ensuring all data has been successfully migrated from the old website to the new website, but it is slow progress.    

•Councilman Soderquist relayed the Admin and Finance committee continue to work through the budget and finalizing all the details.  He also reported our sales tax revenue for this quarter hit a new all-time high, which is good.  

•Councilwoman Petty reported they will meet with the contractor for Canyon Meadows and to get started on the work for Canyon Meadows West. 

•Councilman Winsor reported all 52 streetlights city owned streetlights now have power (after giving the rep for Rocky Mountain Power at the ULCT conference a run for his money J).  He requested information on an annual water report from staff and reported the Municipal Utility committee is working on bringing forth all high-speed internet options for citizens and council to review. He also reported the mosquito abatement is hiring for drivers if anyone is interested (at least 17 years old preferred).  Code committee is finishing up new code for internal ADU’s and moving on to cleaning up our conditional use code. 

•City Manager David Larsen reported the dog park grand opening will sadly need to be postponed due to issues with the grass not taking to root well.  He also reported information on use of the ARP funds from the feds will be presented to the council at the June 8^th meeting.  

And that’s a wrap!  You deserve a candy bar and a drink for reading this all!  

Recap! City Council 3.23.21

 Trying something new this recap, live video!  Feel free to watch the full meeting down below.  Check out the minutes and the packet for more information. 

 City Council Recap! 3.23.21

•Canyon Meadow Park Contract

•Grocery Study Results

•Cross Hatch Properties on General Plan

•Council Reports

Recap! City Council 3.9.21

Here is the recap for city council meeting for March 9th of 2021!  You can watch the entire meeting by clicking below. If you need more information, be sure to check out the packet and the minutes.

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•YCC Logo: The YCC has created a logo for the Youth City Council. To date, the YCC has never had their own independent logo and felt they needed to be able to stand out and decipher themselves apart. They created their own logo and brought it forth to the council for approval, which passed unanimously.

•Poll Property Proposal: I have gotten a lot of questions, texts and phone calls on this property so I want to take a little more time with this. I will also attach a picture of the proposal below. This proposal came before the planning commission late last year and the council last month and is coming back again after further feedback. They are proposing approximately 15,000 sq ft of commercial space fronting South Weber Drive with 100 townhomes in the back/south part of the property – removing the apartments that were previously presented and lowering the units from 172 to 100. They are presenting three phases with both residential and commercial. This property requires a development agreement because it is cross hatched on the general plan, which indicates the property must be master planned -meaning the whole property must be developed in one uniformed piece rather than in pieces to ensure uniformity. Because there is no code or ordinances, the council is to create a development agreement that will address many items usually within a zone such as density allowed, percentage of commercial and others. Staff will work with the council to create a development agreement which will then move to the planning commission to review for a recommendation. The council in this instance has the ability to legislate what this area will look like with regards to many items that are typically within the zone. The council deliberated at length regarding the amount of commercial and specifically residential that should be allowed. The council had difficulty as roughly 2 acres of the parcel are not developable due to the slope and deliberated if acreage on undevelopable land should be included in the density calculation. After much deliberation, 3 council members agreed to allowing 100% of the parcel being included to calculate for an R7 zone (75 units). Two council members felt that only the portion that is residential should be included in the calculation of R7 and the percentage of residential needed to be addressed. Councilwoman Alberts requested that the development agreement be worked on without developers present and with staff only for all future meetings. The development agreement will be tied to the concept plan. The next steps in this process is for the committee members (Councilwoman Petty and Councilman Halverson) to work with staff to create a development agreement that includes among other things; the amount of allowed residential, the amount of property allowed to calculate residential, the amount of commercial and other standards. Once that step is completed, it will come to the council for review and vote. If the development agreement passes, the process will then begin again in Planning Commission for a recommendation, using the development agreement and concept plan as a reference point. Staff is currently working on when the most appropriate time for public hearings would be. At this time, it is anticipated one will happen when/if the development agreement comes for a vote before the council and then again at the planning commission preliminary plan. I will keep you all posted of course. 

 •Paramedic Interlocal Agreement: This agreement has been in the workings for a couple of years now and was finally able to be signed by all communities in Davis County. This will transfer the paramedic license from the county to South Weber City. This agreement will mean a truth in taxation will happen at the city level August of 2021, but it *will not* mean an increase of taxes for our citizens. It will allow the funds that currently go to the county for paramedic services to come to the city instead. Ken Letham with Davis County praised the work of all the communities involved and everyone is looking forward to an easy transition. The city will also be actively working to receive grants to help us with this process. 

 •RV Park Development Agreement Amendment: The owner of the RV park came before the council requesting to amend the original development agreement on 2 fronts. One was regarding the cable wire fencing we required of the park along I-84. UDOT informed the owner that the cable wire would not be required. The owner is requesting to instead install an 8’ solid concrete wall in its place. The owner also requested changes to the landscaping plan of the park to make it more water efficient and to save money on water as they are hooked up to culinary only. The council disagreed with the changes as it would lower the quality of the park when so much grass is replaced with gravel. The council was in agreement of the solid wall. 

•Digital Sign Update: The public safety committee was tasked to review the safety and measure of the city’s digital sign on the east side of town. The city has the ability to use CARES funds to replace the screen in the sign but the committee determined there was not enough time to use CARES funds to move the sign. The committee recommended that the city utilize the CARES funds to replace the screen which can be removed if the sign is to be moved. The public safety committee will continue to review the options available regarding moving the sign and the details and bring back to the council their findings. The committee also recommended dropping the speed limit in the area of Highmark to the Interstate to 35 mph as speeding and the amount of traffic has become concerning. The council agreed the best option was to have UDOT perform a speed study on the road and report their findings for the council to take direction from. 

New Business: 

Staff will be actively working to ensure all applicable items that passed the legislature will be addressed and accommodated and any changes or processes that need to be changed will be done. 

Reports:

•Mayor Jo:  Councilwomen Petty and Alberts were able to attend a meeting with the Wasatch Regional Front Council in regard to removing the connection to Layton from the WFRC map. The process will be to submit an amendment to the WFRC. The letter signed by the council was also sent to the representatives of the WFRC regarding this removal. 

Councilwoman Petty: Reported that the Parks and Rec requested funds from the budget to be allocated for maintenance of trails. They also met with WFRC regarding the trailhead on Cottonwood Drive. WFRC was optimistic about widening the shoulder of the road and creating a parking lot for the traffic of the trail. 

Councilmen Soderquist: Met with the gravel pits and reported they donated $80,000 this year in funds to the rec programs as part of their agreement with the city. All committees budget proposals are being reviewed as well as moving sales tax revenues to certain budgets that currently do not get any. 

Councilman Winsor: The code committee is forwarding definitions on to the Planning Commission which will begin to review them in smaller bites. The committee is in the process of making plans for the future regarding getting information to the public.

Recap! City Council January 2021

 anuary 2021 City Council Recap!

•The city had a review from Keddington & Christensen as part of an independent audit. They came back with minimal feedback for things the city can change. You can see this information in the Jan 12th packet.

•The city officially welcomed our new city planner Shari Phippen on board! I have been able to work with Shari on the code committee and she has been a great resource to us already. She brings in new fresh ideas and thoughts on processes. We are excited to have her join us.

•There was a public hearing for the sale of land to Ron and Karen Anderson in Canyon Meadows. This was a unique sliver of property that was part of Canyon Meadows Park. The Anderson family offered to purchase this small piece of property. The city felt that this was a good arrangement as it helped line up the property better both within in the park and adjacent neighbors. You can see more about this action item, including the parcel and agreement, in the Jan 12 packet.

•The city also agreed to a contract for property for a new public works building. This property is on the west side of the city, directly north of the soccer complex. The decision to buy property for a future public works building was made approximately 3 years ago. In that time, staff has looked into many properties throughout the city. The council felt this property met all the required items that were determined for a future public works building. This decision was only for the contract of sale – the sale is not yet finalized. There was a lot of questions about this property during public comment and hopefully we as a council were able to address them all. I am happy to answer any further questions. You can see the council answer a lot of questions during the meeting, which I will link below.

•Davis County Sherriff’s Department presented to the council at the January 26ths meeting for their quarterly report. Sergeant Pope took the time to review a number of interesting calls we have had in South Weber as well as stats for South Weber services. We are so appreciative of DSCO serving and protecting our community! You can see his review at the beginning of the January 26th meeting, linked below.

•An opening on the Planning Commission was made available after Taylor Walton’s 5 year term ended. Mayor Jo appoints a new member to the Planning Commission with the advice and consent of the council. The council was divided on this issue, and the motion to re-appoint Taylor Walton failed on a 3-2 vote. The mayor will need to recommend a new name to the council to fill that role. You can watch the discussion and action on this item during the January 26th meeting.

•The city has some additional CARES act money we can use. After reviewing some other potential expenditures that would qualify under the CARES act, the city opted to use the funds towards 3 potential items. One item is for a new screen to the electronic sign at Maverick. We would be able to use CARES act funds to replace it to an LED screen. The council addressed the complaints about the position of the sign and the safety concerns that have been brought up. The public safety committee was directed to discuss what could be done. In order for CARES act to be approved, the item must be implemented by June 30, 2021. Given the possibility the sign’s location may not have a solution that soon, the motion opted for the following regarding the CARES funds: 6 new radios for the fire department (current ones are over 10 years old, some as old as 20 and were previously used), and a replacement for a new sign at Maverick. If the sign can not be completed in time, the remaining funds will go towards the fire department salaries and benefits for 2021.

New Business:

Councilman Wayne Winsor brought up the need for the city to relate updates to legislative bills. Futhermore the ULCT allows for 3 votes to be a part of the Legislative Policy Committee (LPC). A new agenda item regarding Legislative Review will continue throughout the legislative session and Dave Larson, Jo Sjoblom and Wayne Winsor were chosen for this committee.

Painted lines at the intersection of the frontage road and South Weber Drive for turning left or right are fading and difficult to see - Mayor Jo directed Public Works to go see what needs to be done to fix.

There will be coming an upcoming TUF review of all the funds received and what they went towards. There was some talk of possibly adjusting the TUF regarding tax exempted entities.

Reports:

•Mayor Jo: The YCC put on a mock city council and it was fun too watch and support. The council will have a retreat the last weekend of January.

•Councilman Winsor: City Code committee worked through the holiday break and have completed the definitions for title 10. This will be going to the PC for their recommendations. The code committee will now start going through the uses of each zone.

•Councilwoman Petty: Brandon Jones has been working hard on getting bids for all the projects for Canyon Meadows. The Parks and Rec Committee will be meeting to go over those bids in early February.

•Councilman Soderquist: The admin and finance committee have been working on getting prepared for the audit and the upcoming budget for FY 2021-2022. Many of these items will be discussed in detail at the retreat.

•Councilwoman Alberts: Migration of content is now underway for the city's website. There have been some hiccups but things are continuing forward. The Council Corner section of the newsletter will be transitioning to a new resident spotlight put on by our Youth City Council.

•Councilman Halverson: Planning Commission met and the Loft's will will have their final site plan and approval coming up soon. The final plans for the salon on South Weber Drive were approved in PC.

•City Manager David Larsen: The grocery study for the Stephen's property will be completed by the end of the month. There is a developer looking into the Poll property next to Highmark. Mayor Jo created a committee comprising of Angie Petty and Blair Halverson to sit and discuss with the developers the process as this particular parcel requires a master plan and development agreement.

And that is all! If you made it this far, you may bring me a coke and a chocolate bar, some hot cocoa and an ice cream sundae. I will most likely share.

Packet for January 12th meeting: http://southwebercity.com/.../0-CC-2021-01-12-Packet-1.pdf

Packet for January 26th meeting: http://southwebercity.com/.../11/0-CC-2021-01-26-Packet.pdf

Recap! City Council November 2020

 City Council Recap: November!

•General Plan 2020: {insert celebration!!}. The General Plan was officially and finally approved by the city council. There were only a few changes from the recommendation that came from the Planning Commission. That included changing the zoning on the area south of the carwash to commercial highway with the option of adding patio homes (single family units) as a buffer, as well as adding more verbiage in the narrative regarding the history and decision of removing the connection to Layton. There was a discussion concerning the uses included in the commercial recreation which was decided to have the code committee review. I want to thank everyone who participated in the general plan feedback one final time! That plan underwent a great deal of evolving to get from what was presented to what was approved, and it wouldn’t have happened without you!

•The Fire Department has a rehab truck that was given to them from Region 1. This rehab truck was in need of replacement of the trailer, truck and supplies. All these items will be covered by funds from Region 1, *not* the city. However, it will be stationed and managed by the South Weber Fire Department. The council approved the supplies requested.

•The contract renewal of our city manager, David Larson, was approved by the council. I think I can speak for all our council members that we feel very grateful to have been able to renew this with Dave and he is a great asset to our city!

•The parks and rec committee brought forward their recommended master plans for Canyon Meadows Park. This includes pickle ball courts, basketball courts and pavilions. The Petersen Family has donated to the city a barn on their property that is over 100 years old. This donation was also discussed in council. This beautiful barn will not be able to be renovated as we had hoped, but the family would like to have a pavilion designed with barnlike elements put in its place as a way to commemorate and memorialize the barn. After discussing costs associated with this, it was determined that a pavilion can certainly take its place but additional design and elements above that may need to be received via donations as the budget for the park is already very limited.

•Blue Ox Development approached the city about paying for a market study for the Stephen’s property – which is just off 84 on the west end. They related a possible grocery store was interested in this location but wanted the city to pay for the market study to see if it was financially feasible. The council decided that while we are not opposed to discussion of a shared cost for the study, we were not comfortable with paying for the full cost of the study.

•Also presented to the city was a concept plan for the Poll property which is just west of Highmark Charter School. This plan included multiple businesses, townhomes and apartments. Some of the commercial, including Aggie Ice Cream and Dutch Brothers, had level of interest agreements. Other commercial ideas were an anytime fitness and another large area for future commercial building. The council felt the plan was a good plan – particularly the commercial aspects – but had concerns over the amount of density of the housing on both the apartments and the townhomes. The developers listened to feedback from the council as well as the planning commission to test the waters and will go from there.

•The Public Safety Committee has been working on applying for a BRIC grant from FEMA to develop a hazard mitigation plan for the city. The application requires the city to match any grant funds received at a ratio of 25:75% meaning the city would be responsible for 25% with FEMA covering the remaining 75%. The council approved budgeting $15,000 in anticipation of a nearly $50,000 grant from FEMA. This grant will apply to natural disasters so anything relating to wildfires, flooding, hurricanes, earthquakes and such. This plan will identify potential risks of natural disasters so as a city we can work on and plan for mitigation of those risks.

Reports:

Mayor Jo: The landfill will be transferring a substantial amount of waste to the new landfill which will help with the odors. The next stage of cover will begin August of 2021 for the landfill that is closest to South Weber. The life of the landfill is approximately 10-12 years, however the transfer station will continue to be in use. She also attended a channel opening on the Weber River. This was done to create channels for the Bluehead Sucker which is a threatened species. The hope is these channels will help these species to move off the main channel and provide an area where they can begin to thrive.

Councilman Blair Halverson: HAFB RAB met on the 29th of October. There is a new ORC contract put in place for the next 10 years. 2 of their objectives is to evaluate and recommend alternative solutions for OU1 and OU2 (both located in South Weber) and doing ROD amendments for OU1, OU2 and OU6. OU4 (down towards Riverdale) is not really progressing so they will be focusing on new tactics for that site. The Public Safety Committee is continuing the discussion of the paramedic service transition from a county sheriff’s department level to a city level. The CERT program citizens met and laid out the team captains and discussed the layout of a plan. Resident Brandyn Bodily has been working diligently alongside Chief Tolman on this and the city appreciates their efforts and work! This is a great asset to the city!

Councilman Wayne Winsor: Code committee is making headway though it is a bit of an extensive process. They are now meeting once a week instead of 2 times a month. They are reviewing all the uses and their definitions. The municipal utility committee had a presentation from Utopia as well as Connext. They are also reviewing other options for high-speed internet and will work with the PR Committee to get all information out to the residents. There is some concern about 5G and some health issues that Wayne will be focusing on researching further. Mosquito abatement may be losing a financial partner as far as ariel services – they are looking into other options to increase revenue to compensate for these areas though possible solutions are premature at this time.

Councilwoman Angie Petty: The YCC had a leadership retreat that was planned for November that was postponed due to Covid restrictions. They have been working very diligently in their gratitude challenge for South Weber and lighting up the city with gratitude. The parks and rec committee will take the feedback from the council on the master planning of the park and look into different options.

Councilman Quin Soderquist: Everything was discussed and he had nothing further to report.

Councilwoman Hayley Alberts: PR committee met and discussed website updates. We had budgeted $25,000 to redesign the city’s website but we were able to find other options that allows us more customization and flexibility and at a lower cost. This will be a bit of a slower process to migrate all information over, but we are excited for the upcoming abilities.

City Manager David Larson: The court hearing for short term rental Cobblestone Manor happened this month and we were successful in arguing our case that the short-term rental (STR) is operating without a business license. The city was granted a preliminary injunction which requires the STR to stop any and all short-term renting until they have obtained a business license. This is great news! We will continue to work on things on our end. The council agrees we need to look further into our code regarding STR’s in general and areas where they are and are not allowed. Our code on short term rentals was very helpful in proving our case.

That is all! Hope your November was wonderful. I want to thank all those who participated in the #LightupSouthWeber campaign. We are still counting and so continue to watch the trees at city hall. Have a great Saturday everyone!

Recap! City Council 8.25.2020

City Council Recap! 8.25.2020

 

•Covid Report:  South Weber has a total of 35 cases, with one active case – we remain the lowest number in the county.  The hospital capacity is down to 46%, transmission rate is .78, Davis County is .77.  There appears to be a stabilizing trend right now.   Davis County is monitoring the sewer system to track cases.  

 

•The city introduced to new Public Works employees, Jacob Anderson and Jared Clark. 

 

•The city also honored the Country Fair Days committee Holly Williams, Tani Lynch and Victoria Christensen and commended them on an amazing job well done for Country Fair Days!

•Harvest Park Phase 3 final approval:  The council had some questions regarding the water table and basement and a land drain.  While it was stated in the planning commission meeting that there will not be a land drain place in now, but will be later if needed, it was determined that was false and phase 3 does have a land drain included.  There was a lengthy discussion on the dog park.  The council expressed frustrations that the dog park is not yet finished and it has been a year later.  After some discussion, it was decided the development agreement will be amended to show the dog park, including the fencing, the path, sod and sprinkling system will be completed by November 1^st.  This passed unanamiously.  

 

•The budget needed to be amended for a few items, one of which was $50,000 from CARES act to put in touchless features in all city owned buildings and parks.  This also passed unanimously.  

Reports:

•Mayor Jo reported that they had their final meeting with Horrock’s for their feasibility study.  The city paid $3,500 for this study to take place while Wasatch Front paid the remaining $46,500.  This study included a recommended alignment, 2 trailheads at each end and parking lots.  This is for the trail head that will be extending east from the Cottonwood Drive trailhead, following the river to Highway 89.  

 

•Councilmember Winsor asked about when the new upgrades for the city’s online streaming will be ready. All parts have been ordered and most of them are have arrived.  As soon as everything is available installation will be started.

•Councilmember Alberts asked about Fiber options and if any further discussion has taken place since the Town Hall Meeting back in July.  It was reported that the utlitities committee had spoken with Utopia regarding pricing.  It was also mentioned that during last week’s legisislation, $25 million was set aside for cities in central and northern Utah to use for high speed internet ability.  Staff will look into it and see if it is something we can utilize.

 

•Councilmember Petty announced that the Youth City Council application is now online.  We are very excited to get started on this an encourage any youth 14 or older to apply!

 

•Councilman Halverson announced that plans for the waterline for Cottonwood drive will be finished by the end of year and the East Bench Job Corp project is underway.  The city will be looking into maintaining the streetlights from Rocky Mountain power until we are able to purchase our own.  

•Councilman Winsor announced the Code Committee met and reviewed chapter 2 of title 10 and will be amending the roles and responsibilities of all those who work within land use.  

•Staff announced we should be receiving our second allotement of the CARES act fund next week, $250,000.  The rec center will be offering pickleball clinics soon to any youth interested.  

Recap! City Council 7.22.2020

City Council Recap! 7.21.2020

You can watch the full video of this council meeting here or by watching below.

I'm trying to simplify these recaps to make the shorter and easier to digest. If you have any specific questions about a topic, feel free to ask in the comments!

One of the most popular items on the agenda last night was that for Morty's Car Wash. This is for the property just south of Maverik. This came before the council in 4 different action items, a rezone from commercial highway to commercial, final plat approval for the subdivision, final site and improvement approval for the carwash building and a conditional use permit. As this was a lot to discuss, the council opted to be able to discuss all the items at the beginning and take action after the discussion. The council spent roughly 3 hours discussing many different aspects of the carwash in full. The first 3 items passed unanimously. The Conditional Use Permit was altered from what was recommended from the Planning Commission. I feel like I have a lot to say here but I am also feel like I should just keep it simple. The below restrictions came about as a way to be able to protect homes near the car wash from noise and sound. It is the car wash's responsibility to make sure their business runs within these parameters. Below is the new Conditional Use Permit:

• Operation hours will be from 6am from 10pm (modified from 5am-11pm) for automatic bays and vacuums, 24/7 for self serve bays.
• No more than 3 automatic bays and 4 self serve bays.
  Review of conditional use permit by the city council with recommendation of the planning commission within 6 months from the date of opening
• Performance specifications: During the quiet hours, 95% of the time sound tests shall not be 5db above ambient sound, not to exceed 55 db, at the property line. During business hours, 95% of the time, from 6 am to 10 pm, sound tests shall not be 10db above the ambient sound, not to exceed 70 db, at the property line. All these measurements will be done on 3 sections of the southern property and take an average.
• Ambient light not exceed more than 30 feet from the building.
• The south entrance be maintained as an ingress and egress.
• The Condition Use Permit passed 3-2. 2 members of the council voted against this on the basis of the 24/7 hours.
  
  

A public hearing took place to amend the budget to allow for more funds to be used as CARES act funds. This includes an upgrade to the audio and visual for live streaming at city hall. The council also passed the bid to Webb designs for this upgrade. In short, new mics, speakers, audio system, multiple camera angels and other needed upgrades to live streaming are coming soon. Yay!

Other items discussed were a gurney purchase for the fire department (using CARES act funds), paramedic servicing license (a future process in the works) and changes to our code for nuisance calls for pets due to changes at the state level.

Reports included an update on the wetlands restoration project, instructions to look into a timeline for the dog park, mosquito abatement information and some information about the Country Fair Days parade.

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