Committee of the Whole

200 South Hamilton Road City of Gahanna Gahanna, Ohio 43230 Meeting Minutes Committee of the Whole Nancy R. McGregor, Chair Brian D. Larick Karen J. Angelou Merisa Bowers Jamie Leeseberg Stephen A. Renner Michael Schnetzer Krystal Gonchar, MPA, Clerk of Council Monday, November 22, 2021 7:00 PM Council Chambers A. CALL TO ORDER. Vice President of Council Nancy McGregor called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. B. GIRL SCOUTS OF ROCKY FORK SERVICE UNIT #897 - TEDDY BEAR DONATION. Safety Director Keith Winn introduced Lois Beckman, leader of the Girl Scout troop from St. Matthew Parish. Mayor Jadwin thanked the troop for their donation to the police department of over 100 teddy bears, meant to provide comfort to children in need. C. ITEMS FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING: ORD-0074-2021 AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND THE CITY OF GAHANNA BUILDING AND ZONING FEE SCHEDULE. Director of Planning Michael Blackford provided a summary of the attached Report to Council. An example of the changes to the fee schedule: the 2019 fee schedule would have cost property owners at The Parc Apartments on Hamilton Rd. approximately $9,500 and now would cost $900; Creekside property owners would have been charged approximately $4,300 and would now be $700. Regarding the Property Appeals Board, the fee to appeal for single-family is $50, which aligns with appeals to BZBA for single-family. Recommendation: Introduce/First Reading on 12/6/21; Consent Agenda on 12/20/21. D. ITEMS FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF PARKS & RECREATION: RES-0037-2021 A RESOLUTION OF AUTHORIZATION: LAND AND WATER City of Gahanna Page 1 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes November 22, 2021 CONSERVATION FUND FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR RENOVATION OF THE PRICE ROAD HOUSE PROJECT- GAHANNA EXPLORATION CENTER. Director of Parks & Recreation Stephanie Ferrell provided a summary of the attached Report to Council. Recommendation: Consent Agenda on 12/6/21. ORD-0075-2021 AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND CHAPTER 563, PARK CONDUCT, OF THE CODIFIED ORDINANCES OF THE CITY OF GAHANNA. This item was pulled from the agenda at the request of the Administration the evening of the meeting; no discussion. ORD-0076-2021 AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND CHAPTER 153, PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD, OF THE CODIFIED ORDINANCES OF THE CITY OF GAHANNA. Ferrell provided a summary of the attached Report to Council. Recommendation: Introduce/First Reading on 12/6/21; Consent Agenda on 12/20/21. 2021-0255 Parks & Recreation Department Update. Ferrell presented the attached update for the Department of Parks & Recreation, on items of note for the year 2021 so far; discussed staffing, camps, recreation activities, community events, and park improvements. Bowers asked about the recovery percentage, is it just operations or is it also capital and maintenance. Ferrell said it is only operational and staffing and does not include capital. McGregor asked if the splash pad had been completed. Ferrell stated that it has not, but the Ohio Department of Health had approved inspections; expects it to be complete by end of year. E. ITEMS FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SERVICE & ENGINEERING: ORD-0078-2021 AN ORDINANCE AUTH O R I Z I N G A SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATION - Damage to City Property. Director of Public Service & Engineering Grant Crawford stated that the first three items are standard quarterly supplemental requests. Recommendation: Introduce/First Reading on 12/6/21; Consent Agenda on 12/20/21. ORD-0079-2021 AN ORDINANCE AUTH O R I Z I N G A SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATION - Sale of Assets. Recommendation: Introduce/First Reading on 12/6/21; Consent Agenda on 12/20/21. City of Gahanna Page 2 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes November 22, 2021 ORD-0080-2021 AN ORDINANCE AUTH O R I Z I N G A SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATION - Water Meter Fees. Recommendation: Introduce/First Reading on 12/6/21; Consent Agenda on 12/20/21. ORD-0081-2021 AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO ENTER INTO CONTRACT WITH FISHBECK FOR PHASE ONE OF THE CREEKSIDE FLOOD IMPACT MITIGATION PROJECT. City Attorney John Moorehead summarized the attached Report to Council; stated this project has been ongoing since late 2019; began coordinating with FEMA for flood protection; DLZ was engaged to do the analysis for the facility; have been working on a corrective action plan since then; in July we sought proposals to plan for the construction; Fishbeck was the consultant with the best qualifications; they have experience with flood proofing. Phase One of a multi-phase process will begin evaluating the facility and what next steps can be taken to achieve flood protections that meet FEMA requirements. Larick asked about grants or other funding opportunities that may be available through FEMA or Army Corps of Engineers. Moorehead confirmed; is one of the services requested of the team moving forward with the project. McGregor asked for clarification that this contract is for designing how to fix the issue, not the actual fix. Moorehead said this would lay out options for what is available to fix it, but not actual preliminary design of those options until we have assessed them and selected the route that we think is the best choice. McGregor asked if this company would do that design. Moorehead confirmed. Bowers asked about the expected timeline for the deliverable. Moorehead said they estimate four months; expects feedback by second quarter of 2022. Bowers asked if that would be shared with Council though workshop. Moorehead stated that they planned to. Recommendation: Introduce/First Reading on 12/6/21; Regular Agenda on 12/20/21. - Department Update Crawford stated that they have received questions about the former yard waste drop off at the Service Complex. The site has been challenging due to security issues, hazardous waste contamination, traffic issues, to name a few. There are numerous other sites outside of the city but nearby. There's also yard-waste pick up right from the curb of each residence, and it is unlimited. We checked with other neighboring municipalities and no others except for Worthington offer yard-waste dump. They discovered that other municipalities do offer seasonal clean up days, which we are exploring. Bowers asked about having the vacuum trucks come back. Crawford said that is a very expensive venture and City of Gahanna Page 3 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes November 22, 2021 includes additional staff time and equipment. Angelou said they had that option for a few years, but it became overwhelming. McGregor said it would be good if the leaves all fell at the same time, but they don't. Larick stated that he heard from residents that the science has changed on best practice as far as environmental benefits go; there's a lot of energy and resources required for removing the leaves versus allowing for a more natural process. Bowers asked if there's any kind of public media plan to get information out about not using the facility for yard waste drop off. Crawford said the website has been updated and information about other sites has been readily available for inquiring residents; will work more on getting the message out. F. ITEMS FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: ORD-0083-2021 AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO ENTER INTO A GRANT AGREEMENT WITH OHIO DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION FOR THE EXTENSION OF TECH CENTER DRIVE. Director of Economic Development Nate Strum stated that the first two items were related to Project Gaul; provided a summary of the attached Report to Council; was first brought forward to Council several weeks ago; have successfully secured funding through the State. For ORD-0084-2021, the agreement is an electronic document and not able to be attached. Based off the procurement process, those dollars can be assigned to a developer or contractor; suggests that Council assign those dollars along with the procurement policy, to the developer in question, then would be required to go through public bidding process. After speaking with Moorehead this morning, publicly advertised, no domestic steel, prevailing wage, all would be tied to this project long-term. Recommendation: Introduce/First Reading on 12/6/21; Consent Agenda on 12/20/21. ORD-0084-2021 AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO ENTER INTO A GRANT AGREEMENT WITH OHIO DEPARTMENT OF DEVELOPMENT FOR PROJECT GAUL. Recommendation: Introduce/First Reading on 12/6/21; Consent Agenda on 12/20/21. ORD-0085-2021 AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE HOUSING OFFICER TO ENTER INTO COMMUNITY REINVESTMENT AREA (CRA) AGREEMENT FOR THE EXPANSION OF OHIO EXTERIORS. Strum stated that the updated language to the Report to Council was provided today; the property is located within a pre-1994 CRA; this is a remodel of their existing building; they are entitled to a 12-year 100% City of Gahanna Page 4 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes November 22, 2021 abatement on the new improved values; included ROI numbers in the attached document; but assessor determines the value. McGregor asked if Strum is the Housing Officer. Strum confirmed; is a term used for CRAs. McGregor said she knows the company has grown quickly. Bowers asked about the school compensation aspect. Strum said it is calculated on a 12-year basis; the new increment based off the remodel is what is counted, not the previous build; TIF revenues are included on the attached document. Recommendation: Introduce/First Reading on 12/6/21; Regular Agenda on 12/20/21. ORD-0086-2021 AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE EXECUTION OF A DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT WITH METROPOLITAN HOLDINGS FOR THE MILL STREET APARTMENTS. Strum stated that this process has been going on for approximately three years; the former proposal was on both sides of Mill Street; this proposal is for one side of the street only, on the east side; vacation of North Street is requested; will be a five story building; would need to account for larger trucks turning around; request is to widen Wilson Alley due to traffic; former study showed 37 vehicles during peak traffic, which could be rerouted; city will not be responsible for relocating the utilities. McGregor asked about the number of parking spaces. Strum said there are 74 units and would go back to review, but there are no anticipated variances to parking; would have three dedicated sites for parking lots; apartments will have their own covered parking spaces as well; Doug Maddy's property next door will have three spaces deeded for the project. Schnetzer asked for key bullet points to this agreement. Strum said the two asks are for pre-1994 CRA;15 years at 100%; and the vacation of North Street; have also asked for timelines to be put into play; the developer is requesting to put in art installations in lieu of land. Schnetzer asked about the CRA, is it true that anything that goes in qualifies. Strum confirmed; is still a gap in the funding, but the city is not anticipating covering any of those costs. Bowers asked about the school compensation losses; appears to be $4.4M. Strum said in the ROI, 50% of abated valuation in addition to 50% of net new wages; when factoring in other things, there is a perceived improvement based on improvement of the building itself, based off data points. Work from home wages are real, as 35% of the workforce currently works from home, the city would see revenue from residents here. Strum stated that a valuation of a $20-25M apartment building is going to be assessed in 15 years as $10-12M; ROI would lower by 10% but that is still a successful return. Spoke with Creekside District Alliance on density, and having people support the businesses down there; this would make for a substantial impact. City of Gahanna Page 5 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes November 22, 2021 Bowers stated that these are being targeted for market rate apartments. Strum confirmed. Bowers asked if there are any set asides for attainable housing or capped percentage for workforce housing. Strum stated that none are planned at this time, based on the financial gap the developer is already experiencing. Bowers asked if there are any environmental or LEEDS certifications being pursued. Strum said the Sustainability Committee is taking that under advisement; do not have those standards in place currently. Jadwin asked if they had discussed PACE financing. Strum confirmed; is still costly from a financial standpoint; looking in the magnet fund with Franklin County about utility relocation options. McGregor asked about the setback of the building; how far from the sidewalk will it be. Strum said he did not have specifics. Blackford stated that the site plan is conceptual at this point, that it would need to go to Planning Commission, but would expect four feet from the right of way. Moorehead said based off the site plan, the building would sit six feet off the sidewalk. Strum stated that Blackford provided the number of parking spaces, set at 74 required spaces. Schnetzer asked what type of control Council would have after entering into the agreement, over how this moves forward, as we have heard that everything is preliminary at this point. Strum said this would begin with Planning Commission. Blackford said this project has not had submittals in over 18 months; site plan, design and variances do not go to Council after Planning Commission. Strum said that Council has the robust capacity to add contingency language. Bowers asked about that inclusion of retail, such as a cafe. Strum said that was discussed with the developer but after looking at costs, and the suggestion that the City take on a master lease, administration declined that option. Jadwin stated that foot traffic is needed in the area to contribute to retail. Angelou stated that she was part of a development tour and it was nice to see the options, and what can come of this; there will be filling in on the other side of the street if this comes about. Strum stated that there would be a blend of more modern facades mixed with more traditional ones; is nice to have that contrast. McGregor asked where the public art would go. Strum said it would be onsite, either as part of landscaping in front or wall murals. There was discussion on how best to move forward, and it was determined that an extra Committee of the Whole would be held on the Dec. 6, with the ability to allow for public comment. Recommendation: Introduce/First Reading on 12/6/21; Discussion at Committee of the Whole on 12/6/21immediatly following Regular Council Meeting. G. ITEMS FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES: City of Gahanna Page 6 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes November 22, 2021 ORD-0087-2021 AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO SIGN AN EXTENSION AGREEMENT FOR THE FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE (FOP) COLLECTIVE BARGAINING UNIT, LODGE 9 CONTRACT; WAIVE SECOND READING; AND TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY. Director of Administrative Services Miranda Vollmer summarized the attached Report to Council; requesting for emergency/waiver so that they can continue negotiating with the unions. Recommendation: Regular Agenda on 12/6/21. ORD-0088-2021 AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO SIGN AN EXTENSION AGREEMENT FOR THE FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE (FOP) - OHIO LABOR COUNCIL(OLC) COLLECTIVE BARGAINING UNIT CONTRACT; WAIVE SECOND READING; AND TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY. Recommendation: Regular Agenda on 12/6/21. H. ITEMS FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE: ORD-0082-2021 SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS - CRESCENT TIF FUNDS. Director of Finance Joann Bury summarized the attached Report to Council; the schools are owed more due to the Crescent TIF producing more money than expected. Recommendation: Introduce/First Reading on 12/6/21; Consent Agenda on 12/20/21. - Department Update Bury stated that the procurement policy would be updated since it was not previously in line with uniform guidance required for spending federal dollars; received a draft back from the consultant that incorporated new guidelines; now going through an internal review; will have that brought to Council after the first of the new year. Additionally, the new Finance Manager has been going through training. I. ADJOURNMENT. Meeting adjourned at 8:21 p.m. City of Gahanna Page 7