Committee of the Whole

200 South Hamilton Road City of Gahanna Gahanna, Ohio 43230 Meeting Minutes Committee of the Whole Trenton I. Weaver, Chair Karen J. Angelou Merisa K. Bowers Nancy R. McGregor Kaylee Padova Stephen A. Renner Michael Schnetzer Jeremy A. VanMeter, Clerk of Council Monday, June 12, 2023 7:00 PM City Hall, Council Chambers A. CALL TO ORDER: Due to technical difficulties the meeting was not live streamed but was uploaded to YouTube after the meeting. Vice President of Council Trenton I. Weaver, Chair, called the meeting to order at 7:08 p.m. The agenda was published on June 9, 2023. Councilmember Schnetzer was absent at the beginning of the meeting but arrived at 7:28 p.m. All other members were present for the meeting. There were no additions or corrections to the agenda. B. ITEMS FROM THE PLANNING COMMISSION: ORD-0045-2023 AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND THE OFFICIAL ZONING MAP OF THE CITY OF GAHANNA ADOPTED BY ORDINANCE 198-96 ON NOVEMBER 19, 1996, AND SUBSEQUENTLY AMENDED; CHANGING THE ZONING DISTRICT OF +/- 16.666 ACRES LOCATED AT 0 HAMILTON ROAD, PARCEL ID 025-013767 FROM LMFRD AND SCPD TO LMFRD; CRESCENT WOODS APARTMENTS, GRIFFIN CALDWELL, APPLICANT Attorney Eric Zartman, Underhill & Hodge, LLC representing the applicant. Mr. Zartman requested that the ordinance be passed with emergency legislation for the benefit of the public health and safety of the residents of Gahanna. The site was previously rezoned to limited manufacturing residential district in 2020. It is generally the same plan as what is being proposed for the current ordinance. The plan was not developed because the north boundary of the previous rezoning boundary was adjusted to make room for a new office tenant parcel. The general master plan for the site is 40 acres. They are requesting rezoning of 16 acres to the multi-family residential district. The remaining acres classified as Select Plan Commercial District are proposed to be developed as an office tenant and some general commercial for future development. Central Ohio is going to experience a population boom until 2050. There is going to be a greater City of Gahanna Page 1 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes June 12, 2023 demographics of seniors and about 20 percent comprised of families with kids. There is going to be new population in Gahanna looking for different types of housing options. The proposed multi-family district is going to be needed to increase the housing stock. The project is tied directly to the proposed office tenant on this site. They did not need to be rezoned and filed their final development plan earlier in June. However, their project is being held up by the course of this rezoning application. These sites are tied together because they are under the same grading plan as their adjacent parcels. That process cannot start until this rezoning is completed. It is also tied to the proposed right-of-way. If this zoning were to be approved with emergency legislation, the whole site could immediately start to be developed. The grading plan, the roads and all those plans can be worked out. The office tenant is under some tight timing parameters and at this point they are very close needing to extend their current lease rather than develop this brand-new building on this site. So, approving this zoning legislation by emergency ordinance will allow the office tenant to be more comfortable to proceed with their plans to develop their property and not have to look at other options. The payroll of this office is about $25 million annually and so the tax dollars will serve to benefit the citizens of Gahanna in a positive manner. Chair Weaver said currently the ordinance is slated for Tuesday, June 20, 2023, on the consent agenda. If it is the will of council to move forward with the emergency the ordinance, it would have to be amended and would need to come off the consent agenda. He requested confirmation from Clerk VanMeter. VanMeter confirmed. Chair Weaver asked Director of Planning Michael Blackford if he had any comments. Director Blackford said the request will go forward on June 20, 2023, to be voted on for a multi-family project just over 16 acres, 290 plus units. That project does affect other developments within the Crescent Project. There is a nine-acre site, sixty thousand square feet of medical office that is in a holding pattern and they cannot begin construction until the rezoning is approved. That property does not have access and will be provided roadway construction through the multi-family project. Blackford said that time kills all deals. A 30-day wait period, when folks are ready to begin construction in this case with a very sensitive timeline, does jeopardize the potential success of that office project. Administration is supportive of the emergency. Blackford added there have been multiple iterations of the requests to be voted on June 20, 2023, dating back to 2020 between the multiple rezoning requests Planning Commission applications and development agreements. It has been discussed in settings such as this 20 plus times. In those 20 plus meetings, there have been very minimal comments from the public and there have not been any comments on the 2023 applications. Administration is supportive of granting of the emergency. Councilmember Bowers directed her comment to Mr. Zartman. As Director Blackford mentioned, they have seen this through the development agreement. They have talked through this Crescent project for quite a long time and it's an exciting project and she is grateful to Mr. Canini for having City of Gahanna Page 2 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes June 12, 2023 worked so diligently on bringing together this project. She wants to make sure that she understood, maybe from the city attorney, the process because they have already had a public hearing and a first reading without the emergency. She wanted to get clarity on the legality of the process and if someone could help her understand why we're doing it at this stage and not a month ago. Mr. Zartman said they filed the request Friday before last. They have bi-weekly meetings with the planning department, and they run through all the issues of logistics and figuring out what one project's doing or another. That’s when they discovered that they were going to have a timing issue. As soon as they discovered they were going to have some issues, that's when they immediately filed the request for emergency legislation. It is only a request for emergency and not a waiver. City Attorney Mularski said that since it is only emergency and not waiver, they can go ahead and do this. Emergency doesn't take away any rights that belong to people. The law goes into effect immediately instead of waiting the 30 days. People still can try to have the law set aside but they just don't have the 30-day time period to file it, perhaps get an injunction or something like that. That is why Council can still go ahead since it is just going to be an emergency and we're not removing any of their rights. Mularski said it is fine. Councilmember Bowers asked Mr. Mularski if this fell under the health, safety, and welfare requirements of an emergency. Mularski said it is up for council to decide. Councilmember Bowers asked Mr. Zartman to speak to it a bit further. Zartman said the part about health, welfare, and safety is ensuring that these jobs do come to Gahanna. The tax dollars that the jobs create are going to flow through the city and improve the public health, safety, and welfare in that way. With the growing population Central Ohio, the residents need to have a lot of options to choose from when they're picking their home. Councilmember Angelou said they have been waiting for this for so many years, not months, not weeks, but years. It is going to be amazing for our community. She advocated for moving forward to get the building done and so that the city can get the housing. She emphasized that it was time to go forward with an emergency so that it can start. Councilmember Bowers wanted to correct a misstatement: the public hearing will occur at the time of the second reading, so there will be a public hearing on June 20, 2023. Chair Weaver said it will go forward not on the consent agenda, but on the regular agenda so that way someone can move to amend to incorporate the emergency request. Recommendation: Second Reading/Adoption on Regular Agenda on 6/20/23; Emergency Declaration Amendment to be considered 6/20/23. C. ITEMS FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF ENGINEERING: MT-0013-2023 A MOTION AUTHORIZING THE DIRECTOR OF ENGINEERING TO City of Gahanna Page 3 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes June 12, 2023 BID CONTRACT FOR GAHANNA WATER TOWER REHABILITATION PROJECT Director of Engineering Tom Komlanc said the motion is requesting to bid for capital maintenance on the water tower. Work includes sandblasting and painting, as well as some improvements to access ladders and hatches. Councilmember McGregor asked when the water tower was built. Komlanc said the last time it was maintained to this magnitude was when he was here before. Chair Weaver asked how frequently these types of repairs should happen. Komlanc said about every 20 years. Weaver asked what the estimated cost is. Komlanc said it is approximately one million dollars. Councilmember Bowers asked if there would be a supplemental. Komlanc said yes there would be, and it will come forward at the time they have an exact figure. Recommendation: Adoption on Consent Agenda on 6/20/23. D. ITEMS FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE: ORD-0049-2023 AN ORDINANCE AUTH O R I Z I N G A SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATION - Central Park TIF and Water Capital Funds for Transfers Out Director of Finance Joann Bury said the first action is kind of a reappropriation. The agreements were changed late December of 2022 as it relates to Tech Center Drive. There were changes in appropriations to transfer dollars, so we could meet the new pledged security agreement. The timing of when that was approved just didn't happen. Unfortunately, those types of appropriations lapse at year end, and they have not completed their obligations under the security. They are asking to reappropriate those dollars so they can get them transferred and meet their obligations under the security agreement. Recommendation: Introduction/First Reading on Regular Agenda on 6/20/23; Second Reading/Adoption on Consent Agenda on 7/10/23. ORD-0050-2023 AN ORDINANCE AUTH O R I Z I N G A SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATION - General Fund for Mayor's Court Contract Services Director Bury said the request is for Mayor’s Court, requesting a supplemental appropriation of fifteen thousand dollars for interpreter services. There has been an increase in the need and the city is required by law to provide those services. The minimum hour requirement has increased from one hour to two hours, increasing the cost and resulting in a need for additional appropriations. Councilmember Bowers asked if the agency the city is contracting with caused this or was it a judiciary decision. Director Bury said it is the agency the city is contracting with. They did shop around to see if there are better rates, but you must have individuals that are certified to provide this type of service under the courts. Consequently, the administration didn't find much City of Gahanna Page 4 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes June 12, 2023 difference in pricing from one agency to the next. City Attorney Mularski said that Mayor's Court is consolidated so that all the Spanish-speaking individuals that require interpreters are every other week. Instead of having the interpreters every week, they come every other week to try to accommodate that two-hour time. Also, they do it in conjunction with New Albany cases. New Albany’s Mayor’s Court is right after Gahanna’s. They move them all to one o'clock in the afternoon, so the interpreter doesn't get there until one o’clock. Councilmember Bowers asked if the cost is shared with New Albany. Bury said this cost will be shared with New Albany. Bowers asked if the interpreter services is already reflected in what they are supplementally appropriating or would the city be reimbursed in the future. Bury said they look at the cost per case from the previous year to set the rates for the next year. The 2024 rates that will be set will include these additional costs as a look back to how much it costs to run the court. Bowers commented for 2023 New Albany wouldn't be responsible for any of these increased costs for the next six months. Bury said they are paying for any additional costs that would have come from 2022. The look back is very similar to how Franklin County runs their courts. The city gets billed early January, or February for the previous year's activity. So, the city took a similar approach looking at a previous full year to determine what is the cost per case and then applying that to how many cases they have. Mayor Jadwin said it is a look back and the city settles up with New Albany. Councilmember McGregor said it is great there are such services available now. Recommendation: Introduction/First Reading on Regular Agenda on 6/20/23; Second Reading/Adoption on Consent Agenda on 7/10/23. E. ITEMS FROM THE COUNCIL OFFICE: RES-0021-2023 A RESOLUTION DESIGNATING JUNE 2023 AS ALZHEIMER'S AWARENESS AND BRAIN HEALTH MONTH Chair Weaver said he asked Clerk VanMeter to update the resolution that was approved last year. This is a very similar item. Recommendation: Introduction/Adoption on Consent Agenda on 6/20/23. F. ADJOURNMENT: With no further business before the Committee of the Whole, the Chair adjourned the meeting at 7:29 p.m. City of Gahanna Page 5 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes June 12, 2023 Jeremy A. VanMeter Clerk of Council APPROVED by the Committee of the Whole, this day of 2023. Trenton I. Weaver Chair City of Gahanna Page 6