SHCC Meeting Minutes January 8, 2014

08 Jan SHCC Meeting Minutes January 8, 2014

Sugar House Community Council Board of Trustees Meeting
Meeting Minutes – January 8, 2014

Trustees Present:  Sally Barraclough, Amy Barry, Robin Bastar, Laurie Bray, Ed Dieringer, Deb Henry, Topher Horman, Michael G. Kavanagh, Benny Keele, Matt Kirkegaard, Joedy Lister, Larry Migliaccio, David Mulder, Sheila O’Driscoll, Judi Short,  Carole Straughn, Christopher Thomas, Rawlins Young

Excused Absences:  Scott Kisling, Steve Lester, Maggie Shaw

Trustees Absent: Russ Callister, Jack Perry

Meeting called to order at 7:07 by Judi Short 1st Vice Chair SHCC
Maggie Shaw, SHCC Chair was excused for the meeting.  Judi Short chaired the meeting.

Chair Report: Judi Short
Maggie wanted to remind the public that the city transit pass will be available soon.  Go to website  www.slcgov.com/transitpass for more information.

Judi has put together the schedule of SHCC meetings for the year and reserved the room at the Sprague Library for the meetings.  She has e-mailed it to trustees.  They are also listed on the SHCC web site.

The Sugar House Community Council  meeting will continue to be the first Wednesday of each month with the exception of tonight’s meeting due to the January 1st holiday.  The subcommittee meetings are the third Monday of each month with the exception of January and February because of holidays.  The January subcommittee meetings will be on the 13th and February subcommittee meetings will be on the 10th.  There is 3 hrs reserved for the subcommittee meetings. The POST meeting is from 5pm-6pm, Land Use meeting is from 6pm-7pm, and Transportation meeting is from 7pm-8pm.

A motion was made to correct the minutes from Dec 4, 2013 by Michael G.  The spelling of our Sister City in Ireland was corrected to be Thurles.  Minutes were corrected and approved.

Secretary Report: Sally Barraclough
Dave Mulder was reminded that his petition needs to be renewed by Feb 1st.
Scott Kisling submitted his petition for renewal.  Christopher Thomas moved to approve the petition.  Amy Berry seconded.  The motion was approved.

Treasurers Report: Robin Bastar
There were six donations from trustees in the past month totaling $375.00.  After deduction website domain expenses there was a balance in the account is $4465.40 before the donation to the Sugar House Merchants to adopt the Christmas light pole.

Fire Department Report: Captain Brent Key (?)
Calls have been pretty steady for the year, averaging about 6 calls a day out of SH Station 3.  They had 2111 calls for the year, averaging 2 fire calls and 3-4 medical calls per day.  The busiest station is Station 1 downtown which has about 16 calls per day.  Over the whole city there were approximately 22,000 runs made by the fire department.

They have started a “Tip of the Week” on their website, www.slcfire.com. This week’s tip: Pull to the right when you hear lights and sirens behind you.  Many motorists fail to due this basic safety maneuver when a fire truck is approaching.
Amy asked what to do about pulling to the right when you are stuck in a left turn lane.  It is best to stay stopped in the left turn lane so the fire truck can move around

The Salt Lake City fire department will be taking applications for new fire fighters.  Testing will be in the summer.  Go to the website for more information. There is also a fire department newsletter on the website.

Police Report: Detective Scott Mourtgos
Crime statistics comparing Dec 2012 to Dec 2013 have remained pretty steady.  There were two areas that improved, theft from a motor vehicle, and robberies.  Theft from vehicles was down dramatically due to people taking valuables out of their cars.  There has been an increase in bank robberies throughout the city but a decrease of those robberies in Sugar House.  Auto thefts have stayed about the same but of the 10 cars stolen in Sugar House only one was due to the car left idling to warm it in the morning.  This is a significant improvement.  Three of the stolen vehicle reports were trailers.  People do not know the VIN #’s on their trailers which makes it very difficult to return them if they are recovered.  If you have a trailer, please document that number and keep it in your records.

At last month’s meeting there was concern expressed about left hand turns and traffic pulling out of businesses on 2100 South, between 13th and 8th east.  The Motor Division was out last month ticketing violators.  There were 23 documented stops not counting warning tickets.  They also had a DUI on one of the stops.

The department is working on getting the crime map back on the website.    The map has been generated but it is not on the website yet.  He is not sure when that will happen, but it should be in the near future.

Detective Mourtgos asked the public to be on the look out for a suspect by the name of  Natalie Bluehouse.  He distributed a flier with her photo and information regarding a homicide that she may have been involved with.  He requested that you contact the police department if you see her.

Christopher thanked Detective Mourtgos for working on the map.

A member of the audience asked Detective Mourtgos if the website www.crimereports.com was going to be continued by the city.  He responded that they are having discussions about it.  There is a free program that the department is looking at that would allow the public to go on line to look at crime reports in their neighborhoods.  It is currently being used in other parts of the valley.  Salt Lake City has not yet made a decision but he expects something soon and will keep us informed.

Public Comments for Items not on the agenda:
A member of the audience asked about camera monitoring of motorists at intersections.  She feels there has been a dramatic increase in the number of people running red lights.  Detective Mourtos stated that this type of monitoring has been ruled unconstitutional by the State of Utah.  We were urged to contact the police department if we see a consistent problem at a particular intersection.  The motorcycle squad does the primary traffic enforcement and they will follow up on all complaints.

Judi pointed out that last years enhanced enforcement of crosswalk/vehicle violations was very helpful but that it is probably time to do it again.  She also reminded us that the City Council takes public comments in their meeting and that it might be helpful to ask them for more enforcement. Deb pointed out that enforcement of traffic laws can vary from state to state and that in some states if you are in the intersection and turn left after the light is red you will be ticketed.  It is generally accepted that in Salt Lake they are more lenient about this.

Committee Reports:
Land Use and Zoning: Judi Short
They had a short meeting because their agenda item was cancelled.  There was an open house at the Boys and Girls Club on Friday, January 3rd for the surrounding neighborhood. regarding the tennis courts and development of the property.   Approximately 25 people attended including 5 trustees.

There will be an open house on Thursday, January 16th 4:30-6:00pm on the first floor of the City and County building, concerning a hotel being planned for the Cowboy Grub Restaurant property.  If you know anyone who lives in the area around the property located west of Foothill Dr. and north of Parley’s way, encourage them to attend the meeting.

On February 10th the Land Use Committee will have several agenda items including:

• Wilmington Gardens parking garage

• Brickyard Plaza expansion of a gym facility that would close an existing walkway between two of the buildings.

• The RDA came to the merchants meeting today to talk about a kiosk that they want to place on the Monument Plaza.

Parks and Open Space: Sally Barraclough
Did not meet.
Sally announced that there will be a public meeting at the Forest Dale Golf Course Clubhouse January 15th at 6:30pm to discuss design plans for the Imperial Neighborhood Park. The public is invited to attend.

Transportation: Deb Henry
Did not meet.
There were some announcements were made by Deb.

• The S-line is currently being underutilized, with only 26% of UTA’s expected ridership.

• The City Council is working on the Transit Master Plan.  Luke Garrett has requested that land use be included in the Transit Master Plan so has complicated the process and will increase the expense. It is being put out to bid as soon as the City Council approves the resolution. Lisa Adams, Council District 7 asked what the money would be used for.  There was discussion about the different zoning areas and impact on those areas.  Erin Mendenhall District 5 requested that we not only get transportation corridors to downtown but also include neighborhood areas like 15th and 15th, and 21st and 21st.

• The bicycle and pedestrian plan is still being addressed.  This is separate from the Transit Master Plan.

• Starting in March, there will be a residents pass for UTA transit systems for Salt Lake City residents. The cost is $30.00 per month.

• The Transportation Committee is going to start meeting at 7:00pm starting in March so that members can attend both the Land Use and Transportation meetings.

Deb stated that the Journal of Urban Affairs reports that crime rates are lower within a half mile of transportation stations.

Amy asked about the funding for the bicycle racks.  Deb reported that the bicycle rack funding required a matching fund of $5,000 so the deadline passed before funding could be secured.
Judi stated that Robin Hucheson, SLC Transportation Director hopes to have the Sugar House Circulation Plan finalized today.  Judi will send a copy to all trustees when it becomes available.

A member of the audience asked about the possibility of providing a pedestrian crosswalk at the end of the streetcar line on McClelland.  While this is not meant to be a major pedestrian walkway, during construction and especially at night it is dangerous.  Deb stated that pedestrian safety is a major concern for UTA and she will mention this area to them and ask for at least a temporary crosswalk while we look for a more permanent resolution.
Amy commented on the greenway portion of the trail will be constructed and maintained by SL County. Hopefully the project will be completed this summer.

Sheila asked about pedestrian safety and snow removal along the temporary walkway along the south side of the Granite warehouse.  Deb volunteered to call for snow removal.

Judi announced that out of the $380,000 Community Grant program, there was a $10,000 grant awarded to the neighborhood at 21st and 21st to build a parklet.  She is not sure who asked for the funding or exactly where it will be built.  Deb stated that they did get community input for the design and that they have been working on it for some time.

Judi secured $2000 from the Community Grant program for  Gilgal Gardens for plants.

Carole asked about progress on the Hawk Light on 21st.  Amy will follow up with Robin Hutchison and report back to us.

Communications and Outreach Committee: Christopher Thomas
This is a new committee.  They did not have a meeting last month but were active, giving a presentation to the Executive Committee that included mockups of new web designs, and ideas to increase community outreach.    Christopher spent time developing a new web site based on wordpress.  He is looking for volunteers to join the committee.
There will be a meeting this month but the time and place will be decided after looking at committee members’ schedules.

Arts and Cultural: Laurie Bray
Just under 600 families came to the Santa Shack this year.  That was about 140 more than last year.  Laurie reminded us that the Shack  was donated to Sugar House by the architects and builders working in the business district.  Estimated cost $20,000.  Many of the families that visited this year came because they saw the new structure and wanted to continue a tradition that they themselves had while growing up in Sugar House.  Some traveled from outside the area because of these good memories.  She has asked the Sugar House Chamber of Commerce to provide bags with information about Sugar House to hand out next year.  This could include information about the Community Council.

February issue of Sunset Magazine will have an article featuring Sugar House.  They were here in October and interviewed Laurie Bray and Benny Keele among others.  They came because of the new streetcar opening and the walkability of Sugar House, so we’re getting national attention.

The Sugar House Art Walk will start again in February on the second Friday of every month.  You can get more information on their Facebook page and website.

Michael asked how long the Santa Shack will be sitting on the Monument Plaza.  Laurie stated that they can’t store the new one until we get rid of the old one, currently kept on the back of the Sterling Furniture parking lot.  It will cost over $400 to move it, so it is for sale in hopes that someone will buy it and move it.  Sale price: $200.

Community Groups and Projects:

SL Community Network:
No report

Sugar House Chamber of Commerce:
No Report

Community Presentations:
Western States Lodging
Home 2  Suites by Hilton
Gary Griffths, Dan VanZebin (?), Frank Corbett, Michael Christensen
This would be an extended stay residential hotel, for visitors who are in the city for work staying anywhere from 3-4 days and up to a month. There will be 98 rooms in a 4 story building.    The building will be slightly west of the existing the Cowboy Grub building which will be demolished.  The existing coffee shop on Foothill will be retained. The  zoning ordinance for the area restricts the building height to 30 ft plus a 5 ft adjustment that is allowed by ordinance.

Renderings of the project were presented followed by a question and answer period.

• Benny asked about the access points.  They will remain where they are now.  The main entrance will be off of Foothill Dr.

• Larry asked about signage.  The signage is standard Hilton required signage.  One sign will be on the Northeast side of the building itself, facing Stringham and Foothill Dr.  They are also proposing a monument style sign on Foothill Dr.

• Joedy wanted clarification on the driveways into and out of the site.   The coffee shop on Foothill will remain just south of the entrance to the hotel.

• Deb asked about Hilton Headquarters location.  It is located in Memphis Tennessee.   The hotel will be locally owned and operated as a franchise of Hilton Hotels.  She also inquired about the need for more extended stay hotels when as there are two others in the area. She asked for them to speak about the economic need.  There was a market feasibility study performed by an independent analyst.  It came back very positive showing a need for even more than the 98 rooms being proposed.  The hotel will employ between 30-35 full and part time employees. Wages for housekeepers are based on a piece rate.  A good housekeeper will earn $14-$15 per hour.  Desk clerks start at $9-$10 per hour.  The general manager will make approximately  $50,000 to $60,000 per year.
  

• Amy asked about the demolition of the old building and if they would be using LEED construction processes.  Hilton requires the use of some materials that are LEED standard materials in the construction of their buildings but the project will not be seeking a LEED designation.  

• Sheila inquired about what would happen to the businesses that will be displaced by demolishing the existing building.  The Cowboy Grub has had a month-to-month lease since the building was purchased 8 ½ yrs ago.  The building is old and inefficient, and too large for the restaurant’s volume of business.  Hopefully they will relocate, especially the bakery portion of the business.  Windmere is moving to the Redman Building. Foothill Fitness has indicated that they want to move to the south part of the valley.  H&R Block will relocate somewhere nearby.  Breeze Ski Rental wants to move closer to the canyons.  Spidellies wants to relocate to Sugar House.  Amy reminded them that the base floor of the Woodman Building on 13th East is still vacant.  Joedy said that the 21st and 21st area is also looking for new businesses.

• Joedy complimented the project and asked that they do their best to implement nice signage and landscaping.  

• Benny asked about the time-line for construction.  The best case would be for construction to start in the late spring and be completed by the end of 2014.

There will be an open house regarding the project Thursday Jan 16th 4:30-6:00 at the City and County Building.  Judi will be submitting public comments to the Planning Commission by the 24th of January.   You can email her at www.judi.short@gmail.com.

Sugar House Boys and Girls Club Site Development
Rinaldo Hunt
This project is a redevelopment of the tennis court property and the Boys and Girls Club located on Sugarmont Drive.  Renderings were presented that showed a mixed use building and a refurbished Boys and Girls Club building.  The Boys and Girls Club currently leases the ground on which their building sits and the accompanying parking lot. The project would involve a lease modification to include the tennis court property.  The new building would extend from the west of the B&GC building, across the old tennis courts to 9th East.  It would include townhomes, with a shared public parking structure, some live/work studios, and commercial space on the corner of 9th East and Sugarmont.  Community gardens would be incorporated on the roof of the parking structure.  The Boys and Girls Club would be remodeled with some additional space added on the south side of the building.  The hope is to also incorporate the green bike program into the project.

Rinaldo stated that he received valuable feedback during last weeks open house from the neighbors who live on Simpson Avenue directly south of the project.  Their main concerns included the height of the building, the pedestrian walkway planned for the south side of the building and security lighting.

• Rawlins asked about the width of Sugarmont and how the access to and from the building would affect street traffic .  Rinaldo said he would be addressing that with the Transportation Department.  

• Larry complimented the project including how this would help the B&GC, but expressed concern that we would be losing the tennis courts.  Rinaldo said there is money set aside in his budget to assist the city with the relocation of the tennis courts.

• Amy asked who they are working with at the city level to approve the lease modification.  Rinaldo said that they have spoken to several people within city government but that they would ultimately be working with the chair of the city council to move the project forward.  Once the zoning is approved, the city council would have to approve the lease modification for the project to move forward.  Amy pointed out that the city council has earmarked funds to investigate the relocation and design of the tennis courts, but the money to build them would have to come from the sale of the land on which they are now located, because the open space ordinance dictates that the revenue collected from the sale of open space must be spent on more open space.  

• A community member from Simpson Ave pointed out that a building of this size is out of place in an open space and neighborhood housing area. He urged the SHCC to not support this project.  Rinaldo pointed out that the building is in scale for the zoning that is currently being considered by the city.   He stated that the original zone would have allowed for a 110 ft tall building which he admitted would not be appropriate.

• A community  member asked about the number of units. There will be 90 units that will all be for lease.

• Sheila asked about Rinaldo Hunt’s relationship to the project ownership.  It was confirmed that the city owns the property and Rinaldo Hunt would be the developer and owner of the new building.  Sheila asked if the parking structure would be paid parking.  As of now, the city does not have a parking authority but this project may move the city forward to establish a parking authority.  In the future, the city may manage the parking structure.  Sheila also asked how many neighbors on Simpson Ave approve of the project.  There wasn’t a vote taken at the public meeting on Friday.

• A community member from Simpson Avenue complained about the short notice for the public meeting.  He felt there was a poor turn out because of this.  He is not in favor of the project.

• Topher lives on Simpson Ave and commended Rinaldo for the creativity of the building and for trying to incorporate some of the current and future needs of Sugar House. He pointed out that this isn’t just a Simpson Ave issue and that there were others  from Elm, Wilmington, and other neighborhoods in the surrounding area represented at the Friday public meeting.  He express his firm belief that open space should never be surrendered in order to build an apartment building. He also stated his concern for the traffic flow and congestion on 9th East and Sugarmont. He also feels if this project is allowed to go forward, it sets a precedent for the neighborhoods surrounding the future streetcar lines throughout the city.

• A member of the community spoke to the shortage of rental units in the area.  He spoke of  the improvement that was seen when the Sugar House Bungalows were demolished and 21st and View was built.   Judi pointed out for the record that this is the same developer.

• A community member commented the charm of Sugar House.  She addressed the history of Simpson Avenue, and expressed concern that we are losing what Sugar House has always been.

Judi asked that public comments be sent to her at her email address judi.short@gmail.com. She also asked those in the audience to sign up for our email on the signup sheet at the back of the room.

Joedy requested that if there is any extra time, we should allow any other members of the public to have time to make comments.  Lisa Adams District 7 SLC Council, yielded her time for more public comments.

 

• A community member gave a negative comment about the walkway between the project and the Simpson Ave backyards. They have had problems in the past.

• Another neighbor supports the B&GC but is not happy with the loss of open space by losing the tennis courts.  He strongly opposes a 47 ft building in his backyard and resents the intimidation being used to convince the neighborhood that they need to go along with the proposal.  Rinaldo apologized if people felt intimidated, and confirmed that the project has not been approved by the city, but that he is trying to provide the community with assets while improving the B&GC.  

• A former trustee of the SHCC reminded the board that in our June 2013 minutes it was recorded that the board voted to oppose the removal of the tennis courts from the open space inventory.  We also opposed the rezone of the property fronting Sugarmont.

• A community member questioned the need for more housing in Sugar House when there is already so much new housing being built,  1000 new units so far.

• Matt said that this is the exact kind of transit oriented development that Sugar House needs and that we need to get away from the “not in my backyard”  attitude.

• A community member stated that “Sugar House belongs to the city”.  It is not just ours to say what happens.  He feels we need to do what is good for the city, not just a few community members who live near the project.

• A community member wanted to know how the developer would mitigate the impact of construction on the B&GC and how they were going to handle the fumes from the parking structure.  Rinaldo stated that construction should take 12-14 months and that they would have a construction mitigation plan. The emissions would be addressed by enforcing non-idling laws and placing screens over the open south side of the parking structure.  

• A community member from Simpson Ave strongly supports the retention of the open space.                 

City Presentations:
City Council Update: Lisa  Adams District 7
Lisa yielded her time for continuing the discussion and comments from Simpson Avenue            citizens.

Business Spotlight: Michael G. Kavanagh
Zaniac
Tom Gilbert
1045 East, 2100 South
www.zaniaclearning.com
Educational programs for children from kindergarten through 8th grade.
Founded in 2012 by a professor and entrepreneur because of his concern that kids are not being inspired in the sciences and technology.  He developed programs to get kids involved in math, engineering, computers. Zaniac offers multiple classes including computer programing, engineering problem solving and team building.  They also teach strategy and confidence using the game of chess.   They offer drop-in homework help, and focus classes in all the subjects.   You can go online

 

• Laurie asked about how the fee schedule.  They offer a variety of pay choices including subscriptions, flat rate classes, and individual homework hour pricing.

• Deb asked if they have any programs for low-income families.  As of now no, but they are working with the city to get funding.  

 

Library Events: Dolly Ragh
We were encouraged to take a events pamphlet from the back table.  The check out times at the library are changing and they are listed in the pamphlet.

Report from the Mayor’s Office:  Shawn McDonough
Shawn sent an email stating that the Mayor’s Office staffing has changed so she will be attending the SHCC meeting every other month.

Meeting adjourned at 9:00pm