Council Subcommittee

MINUTES OF THE GILBERT COUNCIL SUBCOMMITTEE ON LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE, AUGUST 26, 2019, AT 7:00 A.M., ROOM 100, 90 EAST CIVIC CENTER DRIVE, GILBERT, ARIZONA COUNCIL PRESENT: Chair Brigette Peterson, Vice Mayor Eddie Cook and Councilmember Jordan Ray COUNCIL ABSENT: None STAFF PRESENT: Town Clerk Lisa Maxwell, Planning Manager Eva Cutro, Senior Planner Amy Temes, Principal Planner Catherine Lorbeer, Assistant Town Attorney Nancy Davidson, Inspections Supervisor Lorrie DeOrio and Development Services Engineer Tom Condit CALL TO ORDER Chair Peterson called the meeting to order at 7:02 a.m. AGENDA ITEMS 1. Approval of the minutes of the August 7, 2019 meeting. A MOTION was made by Vice Mayor Cook, seconded by Councilmember Ray, to approve the minutes of the August 7, 2019 meeting. Motion carried 3-0. 2. Review of previous discussions. None 4. Review and Discussion of Land Development Code Division 4 Article 4.3. The definitions of Urban Space and Open Space often cross. Senior Planner Temes will write better definitions. 4.303 General Provisions: Senior Planner Temes will add cross references to the Zoning District Design Guidelines 4.303.C. Minimum Area Requirements: Senior Planner Temes said this section is redundant. 4.303.D Street Frontage and Perimeter Landscape Requirements: Senior Planner Temes said this is included in base regulations. She will add open space calculations. 4.303.F Undeveloped Areas in Approve Design Review Plans: Senior Planner Temes is going to change “inorganic material” to “dust control.” 4.303.H Pavement Edge and Planter Protections: There have been requests for flush ribbon curbs but that is not an alternative in this section for a six inch curb. Development Services Engineer Condit Tom said there is an engineering standard for an agrarian street which does allow for ribbon curbs. He is fine with adding language here to allow those type of curbs. Senior Planner Temes said other curbs could be a tripping hazard and flexibility in high traffic areas would be helpful. She will double check Maricopa Area Government (MAG) Standards. 4.303.L Inorganic Ground Cover: This will be combined with section 4.303.F. 4.303.M Arterial and Collector Street Right-of-Way and Landscape Area Planting Standards: Senior Planner Temes is going to condense this section and combine with 4.303.N and 4.303.O. 4.303.M.1 Minimum Tree Size: 25 feet between trees is too close. Senior Planner Temes would rather have 30 feet. She looked at the Town tree map and she noted the good and bad points of each tree. She used this information to revise the street tree theme map. If trees were switched they were replaced with something that had the same aesthetic. Permeable pavement helps with tree roots spreading. 4.303.M.5 Shrubs: Senior Planner Temes will refer to Engineering Standards. 4.303.M.6 Street Trees: Senior Planner Temes will refer to the Arizona Department of Water Resources Low Water Use/Drought Tolerant Plant List 4.303.M.7 Streetscape: This section is repetitious. 4.303.M.8 Stormwater Retention: Senior Planner Temes will look at the Engineering Standards and see where this is a better fit. 4.303.M.9 Utility Easements: Senior Planner Temes said this section is hard to enforce. Plants cannot cross over onto a utility’s easement. She would like some flexible added that would help when a developer has a project that is against a utility easement. Now a developer has to duplicate the landscape requirements on the other side of the utility easement. Senior Amy will rewrite this section and bring it back. This might mean write up something. Maybe a developer will only have to develop half the normal area. Places where there is currently no landscape are areas the Town would like to see enhanced. 4.303.N Raised Median Planting Standards: Senior Planner Temes will combine this section with 4.303.M. She will create a table for part of this section and include a list of plants that can be in median. 4.303.O Traffic Circles, Roundabouts, and Cul-de-Sac Islands: This will be combined with 4.303.M. 4.303.P Side and Rear Perimeter Landscape Areas: Senior Planner Temes said a landscape planter is required to break up a string of parking spaces. She may move to the section on parking. Table 4.303 Side and Rear Perimeter Landscape Area Requirements: Senior Planner Temes is going to change ”evergreen” to “non-deciduous.” The plants in this table are too dense and two plants per 1000 feet is plenty. 4.303.P.4 Perimeter Landscape: This section is repetitious. 4.303.R Retention Basins: Senior Planner Temes is going to refer back to the Engineering Standards. 4.303.S Heritage District Redevelopment Area Landscape Standards: Senior Planner Temes is going to redirect this to the Heritage District section. 4.303.T General Plan Gateway Character Area Landscape Standards: Senior Planner Temes said this section is contradictory. She would like to add flexibility to street trees. There was discussion about why standards are needed if all the infrastructure is complete. Vice Mayor Cook asked about housing on Williams Field Road and what vegetation would work there? Senior Planner Temes said nobody wants to put in tree wells. Developers are open to trees but not ones that are tall enough to block the view from third floor. Developers like color and texture in the plantings and this encourages the developers to build something street friendly and pedestrian friendly. Senior Planner Temes will add a section. 4.304.A.1 Gateway Entry: Senior Planner Temes said there should be a feature on any inbound corner coming into Town that has a “Welcome to Gilbert” sign. There was discussion about the various roads coming into signs and which had signs. There was also discussion about the requirements for the signs. Senior Planner Temes said the developer can pick the lettering, colors, and style of the sign. She will create a map and not which corners do not have a sign. If the area is redeveloped a sign can be required then. 4.304.C.9.a Entry Signs: Senior Planner Temes will change this to require an administrative review instead of Design Review Board approval. 4.305.C Alternative Theme Trees: Senior Planner Temes will change this to also the Planning Manager approve alternate trees. 4.306 Landscape Maintenance and Enforcement: Senior Planner Temes will combine sections A, B and C. 4.306.C.1 Maintenance – cross reference in muni code and don’t repeat here. Can add section to municode if something is missing. Amy and Tom will work on this. At the next meeting Division 4 Article 4.5 will be discussed. The next meeting will be on September 9, 2019 at 7:00 a.m. in Municipal Center II, Room 100. ADJOURN Chair Peterson adjourned the meeting at 8:00 a.m. ATTEST: ___________________________ ___________________________________ Chair Brigette Peterson Lisa Maxwell, MMC, Town Clerk