Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency Commission

A G E N D A Tuesday, January 21, 2020 - 4:00 p.m. HQ, 119 W. Main Street Farmington, NM 1. Call to Order 2. Approval of the November 19, 2019 Minutes 3. Discussion regarding design guidelines for small cell wireless deployment in the Farmington Historic District – Beth Escobar 4. Comp Plan Update and Upcoming TED Talk – Beth Escobar 5. Introduction of draft Animas District questionnaire for businesses and property owners – Beth McNally 6. Discussion of MRA funds and early discussion of Senior Care Center proposals – Warren Unsicker 7. Main Street Complete Streets Update – Sherry Roach & Warren Unsicker 8. Downtown Farmington Update – Michael Bulloch 9. Business From: a. Floor b. Chair c. Members d. Staff 10. Adjournment ATTENTION PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES: The meeting room and facilities are fully accessible to persons with mobility disabilities. If you plan to attend a meeting and need an auxiliary aid or service, please contact the City Clerk's office at 599-1101 or 599-1106, prior to the meeting so arrangements can be made City of Farmington Planning Division Memorandum To: Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency From: Beth Escobar, Planning Manager Subject: Design Guidelines for Small Cell Wireless installation in the Historic District Date: January 16, 2020 The New Mexico Wireless Consumer Advanced Infrastructure regulations became effective February 2018. The bill allows for installation of small cell wireless communication equipment on public right-of-way and on public equipment. The Farmington Electric Utility System is currently developing a licensing process to permit installation of small cell wireless on utility and light poles. This will be a Joint Use Agreement and will require submittal of all relative engineering information to FEUS. Small cell wireless equipment is radio equipment placed on streetlights, sides of buildings and utility poles. They are signal boosters that support wireless communication towers. To be effective, they need to be located every one hundred feet. The equipment is about the size of a pizza box. Occasionally, supporting cabinets the size of a refrigerator are placed on the ground. Small cell wireless networks are especially effective in urban areas and tourist centers that have a concentrated population and a high demand for mobile data. Subject to Subsection E of Section 4 of the Wireless Consumer Advanced Infrastructure Act, an authority may require, as they pertain to small wireless facilities located in historic districts, reasonable, technically feasible, non-discriminatory and technologically neutral design or concealment measures and reasonable measures for conforming to the design aesthetics of historic districts. With the ongoing City investment in the downtown area it would seem prudent to adopt some design guidelines for small cell deployment within the Historic District. Staff is asking direction from the MRA in drafting these guidelines. Permits for a small cell installation must be issued within ninety days. FEUS will need time to review the engineering documents required to accompany the permit application. A process will need to be developed to identify applications situated in the Historic District and forward them to the Community Works Department for review. If a permit application is not responded to within the ninety day window it is considered to be approved. Because of this short review window, it is staff’s opinion that approval of small cell installation in the historic district should remain an administrative function. However, staff is looking for guidance from the MRA on design standards for equipment installed in the Historic District. Some suggestions for guidelines include: a. A Joint Use Agreement from the Farmington Electric Utility Services shall be obtained prior to placement of small cell wireless equipment on City infrastructure. b. Equipment shall be designed to blend in with the surrounding streetscape with minimal visual impact. c. Equipment shall complement the existing and future furnishings along Main Street. d. Equipment shall be non-reflective and have a matte finish. e. If individual monopoles are installed they shall match the streetlight poles within the City of Farmington’s Historic District as closely as possible. f. Individual monopoles shall not exceed the standard streetlight height. g. Ground based equipment shall not interfere with pedestrian walkways. Ground based equipment shall be fully sealed so as not to leak or rust onto adjacent hardscape. h. All wiring shall be contained within the equipment box or painted to match the finish of the infrastructure to which it is attached. i. Equipment shall not be placed on directional or place making signage. Staff is asking for input on these proposed guidelines. After this discussion, staff will bring forward guidelines for adoption at the February 18th MRA meeting. The guidelines will then be incorporated into the updates to the Unified Development Code scheduled to be adopted by City Council in May. Attached, for reference, with this report is a print out of the PowerPoint slide collage of Main Street furnishings included in the presentation to Council. Here is a link to some general information about small cell wireless facilities: Small Cell Wireless Technology in Cities 2  DRAFT ANIMAS AREA SURVEY/QUESTIONNAIRE FOR PROPERTY AND BUSINESS OWNERS 1/8/20 Cover Page: The Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency (MRA) is interested sharing and gathering information from business and property owner/operators located in the Animas Area of the MRA district. An updated version of the MRA plan was developed and accepted February 2019 that expresses a vision for the Animas Area within the City of Farmington. 1. Purpose Statement (people will probably want to know why we are doing this, what the objectives are, and who will have access to this information): • Engage with and develop interactive relationships between the MRA and the business/property owners of the Animas Area. • Gain a clear understanding of existing situations and conditions as experienced by the occupants of the area. • Gain a clear understanding of perceived opportunities for the future of the area and how those perceptions pertain to the MRA Plan. • Increase awareness of plans related to the improvement and redevelopment of the Animas Area. • Organize the information and data collected in this survey/questionnaire in a ‘transparent’ database that is maintained by the City of Farmington to be used toward the improvement and redevelopment of the Animas Area. 2. Contact Info: a. Include names, telephone numbers and email addresses of designated contacts. MRA members, if included, should not be using their personal email addresses. b. MRA web page information. 3. Info on where information will be stored & who will have access. 4. Estimated time to completed interview and questionnaire is approximately 1 hour.  Interview/Questionnaire: 1. Initial Interview, Introduction, Information a. Introductions b. Information on MRA Update and the Animas District – flash drive with plan or hard copy for those without easy access to internet. c. Invite to MRA meetings, Downtown Business outreach opportunities, City Planning & Zoning, Weekly Tuesday morning info meetings for project planning, etc. 2. Questionnaire a. Basic Business Information i. Name and address of business/property ii. Business/property classification: industrial, commercial, professional, residential. iii. SIC/NAICS code, if known. iv. Primary property owner and/or renter contact information and business website, if available v. Is property owned or leased? Is lease/rent reasonable for what they are getting? vi. How long in this location? vii. How long has business been in operation? b. Facility Features/Infrastructure i. Estimate of square footage of building(s). ii. Utilities available at property: Electric (3-phase), water, sanitary sewer, storm sewer, cable/fiber optic, telephone, natural gas, solar. iii. What utilities does your business/property use? Electric, water, sanitary sewer, storm sewer, cable/fiber optic, telephone, natural gas, solar. iv. Warehouse or storage available? v. Bay doors? vi. What road access to your business/property is most frequently used? Is it adequate? vii. What changes or improvements to facility/building/property would be helpful? c. Facility/Property Environmental Condition i. Are you aware of or concerned about possible contamination from hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants? ii. If so, are you concerned about the expense to remediate the contamination or the impact it may have on the value of your property or the ability to sell it?  d. Economic/Financial Information i. Interest in funding or financial options for business or property development? ii. Optional: Estimate of yearly business revenues from this location - <500k; 500k to 1.5 million; 1.5 to 3 million; >3 million (or some representative brackets). e. Safety concerns? Vandalism? Theft? Property Damage? f. Future Planning i. What is short term vision for business/property – 1 to 5 years? ii. What is long term vision for business/property -5 to 10 years? iii. Will business continue to be located in this area? iv. Ideas on future development and/or use of Animas Area? v. Invitation to participate in planning meetings. 3. Follow-up by City of Farmington MRA, Planning Department, Downtown Association, etc.  MINUTES Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency Board of Commissioners – November 19, 2019 Commissioners Present John McNeill, D.D.S. – Chair Elizabeth McNally Greg Mills Commissioners Absent Doug Dykeman Jill Tanis Staff Present Julie Baird Michael Bulloch Beth Escobar Sherry Roach Karen Walker Warren Unsicker Others Present Guy Mrez 1. Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 4:00 p.m. by Chair John McNeill, and there being a quorum, the following proceedings were duly had and taken. 2. Approval of the October 15, 2019 Minutes A motion was made by Commissioner Mills and seconded by Commissioner McNally to approve the minutes of the October 15, 2019 meeting. The motion passed unanimously 3-0. 3. Discussion and approval to cancel the December 17, 2019 MRA meeting A motion was made by Chair McNeill to cancel the December 17, 2019 MRA meeting. Commissioner McNally seconded the motion. The motion passed 3-0. 4. Update on the Comprehensive Plan Update – Beth Escobar Beth Escobar reviewed the summary of Phase 1 on the Comprehensive Plan Update. Phase 1 involved foundation and visioning, and included public outreach. The TAC, Technical Advisory Committee, met. This committee includes mostly staff members who provide technical advice as the update moves forward. The Steering Committee also met. This committee includes people invited by the City Council. 1 Ms. Escobar noted a pie graph on page 2 of the MRA Agenda Book. This graph denotes the segment of the City that has responded to the Comprehensive Plan Update. Ms. Escobar said the City had a booth at a downtown event where a survey was distributed. The online results that begin on page 7 of the MRA Agenda Book demonstrate key objects that people love about Farmington and key concerns for the future. Transportation and jobs were some of the key concerns. A frequent comment was to keep youth in the area after graduation. Ms. Escobar encouraged the Commissioners to take the online survey and contribute their input to the Comprehensive Plan Update. There will be TED ‘type’ talks at the Civic Center on either January 23, 2019 or January 30, 2019 from 5:30-8:00 p.m. concerning the Comprehensive Plan Update. The actual date should be confirmed within the next week. Commissioner McNally asked if there are any other types of outreach to reach the younger generation. Ms. Escobar said the City is considering an event in the spring at San Juan College. Ms. McNally suggested a booth at an already scheduled San Juan College event such as spring registration to take advantage of the people who may already be on campus. 5. Main Street Complete Streets Update – Sherry Roach Sherry Roach provided a handout on the Downtown Farmington Variance Report concerning downtown crime. She said the report would be done approximately every 6-12 months. Ms. Roach pointed out an 8.2% decrease in police calls for downtown. She stated that she has passed this information on to business owners in the downtown area. A bid was submitted for the Complete Streets Project and is currently under review. Results will be presented to City Council. 6. Downtown Farmington Updates – Michael Bulloch Michael Bulloch updated the Commissioners on the progress of the Breezeway Plaza, the Hidden Garden, and the Art in the Alley projects. Mr. Bulloch mentioned the New Mexico MainStreet Capital Outlay request was submitted for just under $360,000. Directional signage during the Complete Streets Construction was discussed with staff members. The signage is intended to help direct people to parking and business entrances during construction. Small Business Saturday is November 30. Miracle on Main Street and the Holiday Art Walk will also be that Saturday. Santa, carolers, contests, and prizes will be included. 2 Facebook followers for the Downtown Farmington Newsletter have increased to 4,000 followers. Mr. Bulloch stated that he is starting a Thankful Thursday campaign event on Facebook that will encourage people to write positive reviews for their favorite downtown businesses. 7. Business from: a. Floor – Warren Unsicker said he continues to talk to prospective business owners for the downtown area. The CLG, Certified Local Government program may be included as part of the Comprehensive Plan. b. Chair – Chair McNeill inquired about the amount of funds available in the MRA account. Mr. Unsicker said he would let Dr. McNeill know the funds available for MRA projects. c. Members –There was no business from the Members. d. Staff – There was no business from Staff. 8. Adjournment: A motion was made by Commissioner McNally and seconded by Commissioner Mills to adjourn. The Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency Board of Commissioners meeting was adjourned at 4:23 p.m. ___________________________________ ____________________________________ John McNeill, Chair Karen Walker, Administrative Assistant 3