City Council

CITY OF FREDERICKSBURG, VIRGINIA HON. MARY KATHERINE GREENLAW, MAYOR HON. WILLIAM C. WITHERS, JR., VICE -MAYOR, WARD TWO CITY COUNCIL HON. KERRY P. DEVINE, AT-LARGE HON. MATTHEW J. KELLY, AT-LARGE HON. JASON N. GRAHAM, WARD ONE HON. DR. TIMOTHY P. DUFFY, WARD THREE Council Chambers, 715 Princess Anne Street HON. CHARLIE L. FRYE, JR., WARD FOUR Fredericksburg, Virginia 22401 Council Work Session September 17, 2019 NG911 Update Potential Idlewild Bicycle Lanes Small Area Plan Update Infill Development Update The Council of the City of Fredericksburg, Virginia held a work session on Tuesday, September 17, 2019, beginning at 7:00 p.m. in the City Hall, Large Conference Room. Council Present. Mayor Mary Katherine Greenlaw Presiding. Vice-Mayor William C. Withers, Jr., Councilors Kerry P. Devine, Timothy P. Duffy, Charlie L. Frye, Jr. and Jason N. Graham.. Council Absent. Matthew J. Kelly, working. Also Present. City Manager Timothy J. Baroody, Assistant City Manager Mark Whitley, Assistant City Manager Doug Fawcett, City Attorney Kathleen A. Dooley, Community Planning and Building Services Director Charles Johnston, Zoning Administrator James Newman, Chief Information Officer Suzanne Tills, GIS Analyst Gregory Baugher, Transportation Administrator Erik Nelson and Clerk of Council Tonya B. Lacey. NG911 Update. Mr. Baugher presented a PowerPoint presentation and gave an overview of the NG911 system and he stated that this was a modernization of 911 services. This was a mandatory upgrade for all Virginia localities and it was being enforced by the State. Vita 911 Services Board was helping localities to pay for the transition and it would be covered 100% by State funding. Fredericksburg was awarded $1.26 million for the transition costs. The increase in reoccurring monthly cost would be paid for by the State for twenty-four months. In Fiscal Year 2023 the City would be responsible for all monthly recurring costs approximately $5,436 per month. Mr. Baugher also reviewed the redundant connection vs. diverse connection, the transition process and the next steps which include the review and negotiation of the contract, signing the contract and beginning the implementation. Mr. Baugher said the residents would not notice any difference except they would be able to text for help and it would also allow responders to get geographical 1 information from a cell phone and it can help locate people faster. Refer to Attachment I for more information. Potential Idlewild Bicycle Lanes. Mr. Nelson presented a PowerPoint and in his presentation he covered the background, scope of intern study, key design criterial, design elements, Section A, Section A before and after, alternative design to provide a wider buffer, the first roundabout, Sections B&C, before and after for B&C, exception between Farris Drive and Eliza Way, second roundabout, third roundabout, third roundabout to the Community Center, overall project extends to Route 3, from the Community Center to State Route 3, consideration of extending on street bicycle lanes and next steps. Please refer to Attachment II for more information. Councilor Graham asked if the bike lane could be closer to the curb and a floating parking lane because of children and Mr. Nelson said it was possible but those areas tend to accumulate debris that are dangerous to bicyclists and there is also the concern of doors opening in the bike lane as well as motorist not wanting their cars in the street. Vice-Mayor Withers asked about funding and Mr. Nelson explained that he had some funding in his budget for the engineering and to get a striping plan done. City Manager Baroody explained that this was a product of the updated pathways plan that was adopted earlier in the year and as a result they included some money for this as a near term priority. Mr. Nelson stated that Transportation Alternative funding could potentially be used for this project. Small Area Plan Update. Assistant City Manager Whitley stated that he was presenting a budget amendment for the Small Area Plan project. He said they would like to advance Area 10 based on neighborhood concerns but Areas 5 and 8 were similar to 10 and staff recommends advancing findings for all three areas to procure consulting assistance during the current fiscal year. Staff plans to defer Areas 4 and 9 until 2023. The cost to advance would be $300,000. Infill Development Update. Mr. Johnston presented a PowerPoint presentation the map in the presentation shows a sample of residential lot grading plans and substantial additions between 2016 and June 2019. There were approximately 38 infill calculations over a two year period and only one variance from the infill calculations filed in that time. Mr. Johnston gave an extensive discussion on the infill calculation and development patterns. He said most of the areas on the map with green stars were the sideyard setbacks of the interior lots and they were also applied to the corner lots. He said this pattern was a common 2 pattern of development and going forward they should reflect that pattern because too much of this pattern was existing and he said they should be respectful of that. Mr. Johnston asked Council for direction on how they wanted him to proceed because there were a variety of changes that needed to take place on the infill lots he wanted to know whether he should put them all in one package or separately. Mr. Johnston also gave a lengthy explanation of the Braehead Woods development and the varied pattern of development. Councilor Duffy asked how many homes in the Braehead Subdivision was sub-dividable under current regulations and Mr. Johnston said about a dozen under the current R-4 zoning. Councilor Duffy said he would like to see language that gets rid of the notion that the new lots don’t have the same rules as the old ones. Vice-Mayor Withers asked if the setbacks could go by blocks instead of the whole subdivision and Mr. Johnston explained that the calculations were by block. Vice-Mayor Withers asked if a lot were subdivided could it be required to line up with the existing homes and Mr. Johnston said that is what they were trying to achieve. Mayor Greenlaw said the desire was to maintain the character of the neighborhood that is why the setbacks were important. She also noted that the topography played a part in some areas and there should be some way to incorporate that in some way. Councilor Duffy added that the issue was how to stop subdivision of lots that skirt around the integrity of some of the neighborhoods. He noted this happens throughout the City and he would like to find a way to get rid of developers getting around the setbacks. Councilor Graham asked outside of Braehead Woods were there any challenges and he asked Mr. Johnston about the garages in the alleyways. Mr. Johnston said they have challenges with corner lots and how to address the setbacks on those lots. He also explained that they would like to tweak the setback regulations for garages in the rear to allow more rear yard. Vice-Mayor Withers stated the importance of keeping the rear yard intact to keep the neighborhood the way they were intended to be and to be able to be used by the families. Mr. Johnston said they also have the issue where people were filling up the rear yard with additions on their homes as well and he wanted to ensure that space was not filled with more house. Councilor Duffy said there was an urgency to get this done and he would hate to see it go until December. Adjournment. There being no further business to come before the Council at this time. Mayor Greenlaw declared the session officially adjourned at 8:14 p.m. 3 _Tonya B. Lacey _______ Tonya B. Lacey Clerk of Council City of Fredericksburg 4