Redevelopment Commission

TOWN OF GILBERT REDEVELOPMENT COMMISSION MINUTES OF JUNE 20, 2018, 6:30 P.M. MUNICIPAL CENTER BUILDING, COUNCIL CHAMBERS 50 E. CIVIC CENTER DRIVE, GILBERT, ARIZONA 85296 COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Tyler Hudgins, Chair Ryan Hamilton, Vice Chair Tyler Jones, Commissioner Peter Sciacca, Commissioner COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: Boe Bigelow, Commissioner COUNCIL PRESENT: Scott Anderson, Councilmember STAFF PRESENT: Amanda Elliott, Redevelopment Administrator Jennifer Graves, Deputy Director, Economic Development John Baird, Town Attorney Amy Temes, Senior Planner CALL TO ORDER The regular meeting of the Redevelopment Commission was called to order by Chair Hudgins at 6:30 P.M. ROLL CALL Amanda Elliott called the roll and declared that a quorum was present. COMMUNICATION FROM CITIZENS Chair Hudgins opened the floor to the public for any comments or communications on items not on the agenda. The Commission’s response is limited to responding to criticism, asking staff to review a matter commented upon, or asking that a matter be put on a future agenda. There were no communications from Citizens. ADMINISTRATIVE ITEMS 1. Minutes – Consider Approval of the Minutes for the Regular Meeting of May 16, 2018. A MOTION was made by Commissioner Jones to approve the minutes of the Regular Meeting of May 16, 2018; seconded by Vice Chair Hamilton. The Motion carried unanimously. 2. Minutes – Consider Approval of the minutes for the Special Meeting of May 22, 2018. A MOTION was made by Commissioner Jones to approve the minutes of the Special Meeting of May 22, 2018; seconded by Vice Chair Hamilton. The Motion carried unanimously.  Gilbert Redevelopment Commission June 20, 2018 Page 2 of 5 3. Discussion on 2018 Redevelopment Plan Update. Amanda Elliott stated the objective of the 2018 Redevelopment Plan Update is to identify and prioritize short, middle and long-term goals for the next 10 years. A Special Meeting was held on May 22, 2018 with the Redevelopment Commission and the Technical Committee to review and comment on the initial draft. All edits from the Commission are due no later than June 22, and can be forwarded to Amanda. That will meet the 30-day statutory requirement for that document to be open for edits. The Redevelopment Plan Update will be placed on the Redevelopment Commission agenda for July 18, 2018, to consider a recommendation to Council to adopt the Plan. This will go before Town Council on August 16, 2018. The Town appreciates all of the time that the public, stakeholders, the Redevelopment Commission and Technical Committee have put into this document. Questions/Comments from the Commission: Vice Chair Hamilton clarified that there will be an opportunity at the next Redevelopment Commission meeting to make a recommendation to Council. Amanda confirmed that the Plan will come before the Commission on July 18, 2018, to make a recommendation. Commissioner Sciacca complimented staff and the consultants for listening to the feedback and incorporating the concerns. Many folks have spent their evenings going to these meetings over the past six months, and he has seen some pivots and changes throughout the process. He appreciated the team not only paying attention to the feedback, but communicating with the professionals to address the concerns of the stakeholders. CONSENT ITEMS Chair Hudgins introduced the consent item and asked if anyone would like to speak on this item. Commissioner Sciacca requested that this item be pulled from the Consent Agenda for a staff presentation and discussion. MOTION: Commissioner Sciacca moved to remove Item 4, DR17-1205, Hale Theatre Remodel and Expansion, from the Consent agenda for discussion and action by the Commission. Commissioner Jones seconded. Motion passed. Item 4. DR17-1205 was removed from the Consent Agenda. 4. DR17-1205, Hale Theatre Remodel and Expansion: Site plan, landscaping, grading and drainage, building elevations, floor plans, colors and materials, and lighting for approximately 0.8 acres, generally located at 50 West Page Avenue, and zoned Heritage Village Center (HVC). Amy Temes, Senior Planner, reviewed the Hale Theatre location at the corner of Ash and Page Avenues. The request is for a building expansion and remodel of approximately 11,000 square feet of additional space to accommodate a dance studio, rehearsal space, workshop, costume storage, and retail space. A marquee and courtyard will be added for a total of almost 22,000 square feet. Some of the parking will be removed for the expansion, and an Administrative Use Permit is being sought for offsite parking. A Rezoning request will be heard by Council tomorrow, June 21, 2018. This approval is contingent upon rezoning to remove the required 24 parking spaces on the site as well as additional stipulations that are  Gilbert Redevelopment Commission June 20, 2018 Page 3 of 5 out dated, and to rezone to the standard Heritage Village District Zoning. There is a drive aisle easement at the far north side as part of the Development Agreement. That will be a 12-foot easement on this property and a minimum 12-foot easement on Town property to meet fire standards. There is also a sidewalk easement along the east side of the building, to be recorded as part of the Development Agreement. Any off-site improvements will be part of a future project with the Town of Gilbert. The site plan was reviewed in detail. The west elevation features a faux Garage to provide some historical character and to break up the elevations. That area will house the scene production workshop and costume storage. The Dance Studio would be a leasable space and incorporates awnings, tile accents, and storefront windows to add interest. The Workshop and Art Studio are simply aesthetics to create an old-fashioned streetscape with storefronts, and are not considered signage or usable tenant space. The main entrance will feature a large marquee, awnings, and tile work, as well as a courtyard with a planter wall. The retail store is reminiscent of an old-fashioned shop with tile accents, storefront windows and awnings. All of these pieces create an interesting streetscape with vertical and horizontal movement, accentuated with plant materials and dramatic lighting. The design incorporates 16 new lighting types. The alley side of the building will have a public art mural, which will need to meet Municipal Code as to content. Staff does not review art content as long as it meets code and does not reflect a user or tenant in the building. The Rezoning request and Development Agreement will be heard by Town Council on June 21, 2018. Ms. Temes believed all of the conditions regarding the Development Agreement have been resolved. The applicant has made some requested changes that will be approved administratively. Staff recommends a motion of approval. Questions/Comments from the Commission: Commissioner Sciacca felt this was an amazing remodel and a lot of time, money and thought were put into the design. He complimented the applicant and property owner. It reminded him of Disneyland with the uniquely different building faces. He felt the landscaping did a good job of disguising the garage so that people driving down Ash would not think they can drive in. He asked staff if the applicant wanted to make one of the garage doors operational, rather than purely decorative, would that be handled at the administrative level. There could be an opportunity for a glass display behind one of the garage doors for costumes, promotions or seasonal displays. Ms. Temes advised that any minor change to an elevation would go to staff for administrative review and approval. Staff would be fully in support, based on the Heritage Village Design Guidelines, to have any extra store frontage and windows to provide interest. Chair Hudgins asked if there was a reason behind not seeing the artwork before it is approved. His concern would be with the art not meeting the Guidelines or representing something that does not fit with the Downtown. Ms. Temes reported that after several businesses added public art to their buildings, staff held a discussion with Legal about a year ago. It was determined that the Town staff are not art curators and were not to review what would be considered art. It was determined to be best to go with the Municipal Code as to what would be considered decent and acceptable. As  Gilbert Redevelopment Commission June 20, 2018 Page 4 of 5 long as the art meets those requirements, it is not for staff, the Redevelopment Commission or Planning Commission to decide what is art. Chair Hudgins asked if it would make sense to have some expectations in the guidelines as to themes that may be incorporated. Ms. Temes advised that guidelines can be added to modifications currently being done to the Heritage Guidelines through the Master Plan update. She felt it would be worthwhile to have some framework so that downtown businesses will have some parameters to work within. Amada Elliott stated that question will also be run by Legal, as staff has been cautious about determining the content of non-commercial art with regard to constitutional requirements. Commissioner Jones asked if the only public entrances would be at the marquee and the retail store. Ms. Temes stated there are public entrances at the retail store, the marquee/main entrance and the dance studio. There are employee-only entrances on the west and north sides of the building. Predominantly, the public would be entering off of Page Avenue. Commissioner Jones had some concerns with voting on something that states unless otherwise agreed to in a Development Agreement. He asked if there was a reason to approve this now, before that agreement has been approved. Ms. Temes stated the applicant is looking to expedite the process and already has construction documents in review. The Development Agreement has been published online for the last week. Staff has worked quite diligently with Legal and the applicant to make sure that all parties benefited from those decisions. Commissioner Sciacca noted that many of the requirements in the Development Agreement may be outside the scope of the Redevelopment Commission. Ms. Temes stated in some cases that is true. What was within the Commission’s purview regarding the Development Agreement has been in continued discussions, such as the driveway width, and the impact to parking and traffic. The sidewalk did not have a legal description. There was ongoing discussion on alternative materials for the refuse enclosure, as well as discussions on parking and future parking. The decisions on those items are reflected on the plans shown tonight. Chair Hudgins commended the applicant and owner for a fantastic job with this project. As Commission Chair, and as we head into the Redevelopment Plan update, he felt it important to make sure our Downtown is really unique and that we set ourselves apart from other communities in Arizona. He felt with this design, the Theatre will be one of the best buildings in Downtown. He used to work at Liberty Market and remembers people asking what that building was. He felt it will be a gem for the community. There has been some amazing work done in the past on other buildings in the Downtown, and he is excited for what the future holds. MOTION: Commissioner Sciacca moved to approve the findings and approve DR17-1205, Hale Theatre Remodel and Expansion: site plan, landscaping, grading and drainage, building elevations, floor plans, colors and materials, and lighting for approximately 0.8 acres, generally located at 50 West Page Avenue, and zoned Heritage Village Center (HVC), as  Gilbert Redevelopment Commission June 20, 2018 Page 5 of 5 presented, subject to conditions listed in the Staff Report. Commissioner Jones provided a second. Motion carried unanimously. COMMUNICATIONS 5. Report from the CHAIR on current or future events. Chair Hudgins appreciated the Commissioners’ involvement in the Redevelopment Plan Update process, as well as all of staff’s work. He is looking forward to finalizing the document and having it move forward to Town Council. 6. Report from COUNCIL LIAISON on current or future events. Councilmember Anderson echoed Chair Hudgins’ comments. 7. Report from COMMISSIONERS on current or future events. The Commissioners agreed with the prior comments. 8. Report from STAFF LIAISON on current or future events. Amanda Elliott had no further reports. ADJOURN With no further business before the Redevelopment Commission, Chair Hudgins adjourned the meeting at 6:53 P.M. ___________________________________ Tyler Hudgins, Chair