Mayor & Commission Meetings

GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES Thursday, October 21, 2021 Committee Members Present: Committee Members Absent: Commissioner Mike Hamby, Committee Chair Commissioner Patrick Davenport Commissioner Tim Denson Commissioner Russell Edwards Commissioner Melissa Link Staff: Josh Edwards, Assistant Manager Andrew Saunders, Central Services Director Sherrie Hines, Chief Assistant Attorney Gavin Hassemer, Assistant Central Services Director Austin Jackson, Assistant Attorney Angel Helmly, Operations Analyst Committee Chair Hamby called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m. A. Approval of Minutes: Commissioner Link made the motion to approve the Minutes of the September 23, 2021 meeting. Commissioner Denson seconded the motion and it passed by unanimous vote. B. Commission Identified Items of Interest: Consideration of Extension of the Parklet Program (Mayor Girtz assigned to GOC on April 6, 2021) Andrew Saunders gave a brief history of the parklet program. He stated that now that this has been identified as a potential amenity to retain in the community, the question is what changes, if any, does the Committee desire. Staff has looked at other communities and Andrew provided a summary table of parklet programs in these communities. Commissioner Link requested that the Committee discuss allowing low occupancy bars to participate in the parklet program. Commissioner Edwards said that if we open up the program to specific bars, we may invite a lot of controversy and conflict. Commissioner Hamby expressed concern about bars taking up parking spaces during the daytime that could benefit retail businesses. Commissioner Davenport would prefer patrons in bars be outside. Commissioner Denson pointed out that in the summary staff provided, all the cities seem to include bars in their parklet programs. The Committee discussed including limitations on bars as to how many parking spaces they can use or when they can operate. Commissioner Link said she would like to have a conversation with the Police force regarding their concerns. Andrew suggested also including specialty shops in the parklet program. The committee discussed leaving the number of spaces and requirements as they are for restaurants and limit specialty shops and bars to 2 spaces. Commissioner Link requested that the lease term be shortened to quarterly or bi-annually. Allowing alcohol consumption in parklets was discussed. Staff will work with the Attorney’s Office and provide recommendations at the next GOC meeting.  Andrew told the committee that there are two things that need to be addressed in the parklet program. One is ADA access and the other is the safety of the occupants inside the parklets. Commissioner Link stated the parklets should be as minimal and accessible as possible. Commissioner Hamby and Commissioner Denson suggested a ramp could be built at the curb. The Committee discussed if parklets should be seasonal or annual and agreed that they should be year round with one month off for infrastructure maintenance. Commissioner Hamby suggested a sunset clause in a year to see if the program needs to be changed. Commissioner Link suggested that the Committee set a date for staff to come back to the Committee with a report before the end of a year to see if the program needs to be revised. The Committee agreed that landscaping should not be required. Discussion was held regarding setting a cap of the percentage of spaces per block. Sherrie Hines and Austin Jackson will research the issue of setting a density cap and how to equitably provide future opportunities for interested businesses. The Committee agreed to leave the requirement for neighboring business approval if more than 2 parking spaces are requested. The Committee agreed to leave the parklet ordinance the same for items like signage, space heaters and outdoor lighting. More discussion about parklets for bars will be held at the next GOC meeting. Commissioner Hamby requested staff to provide options for fees for discussion at the next meeting. Staff was also requested to send a survey to downtown businesses. The meeting adjourned at 6:00 p.m. Government Operations Committee Meeting Minutes Page 2 10212021