Redevelopment Commission

TOWN OF GILBERT REDEVELOPMENT COMMISSION Minutes of the Study Session July 15, 2020, 6:00 p.m. Municipal Center Building, Council Chambers 50 E. Civic Center Drive, Gilbert, Arizona 85296 COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Peter Sciacca, Chair Tyler Hudgins, Vice Chair Ryan Hamilton, Commissioner Tyler Jones, Commissioner COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: Boe Bigelow, Commissioner STAFF PRESENT: Daniel C. Henderson, CEcD Economic Development Director Amanda Elliott, Heritage District Liaison John Baird, Assistant Town Attorney Amy Temes, Principal Planner Jennifer Graves, Deputy Director, Economic Development Eva Cutro, Planning Division Manager Jocelyn Smith, Executive Support Options are available for the public to attend and/or participate in the meeting through a virtual online meeting platform, telephone conference line, email, or online public comment card, as listed in the agenda. CALL TO ORDER OF THE STUDY SESSION Chair Sciacca called the Study Session of the Redevelopment Commission to order at 6:00 p.m. ROLL CALL Amanda Elliott called the roll and declared that a quorum was present. 1. Z19-01 HERITAGE DISTRICT DESIGN GUIDELINES: Citizen Review and initiation of amendment to the Town of Gilbert Land Development Code, by amending Chapter I Zoning Regulations, Division 2 Land Use Designations, Article 2.4 Heritage Village Center Zoning District, Division, 3 Overlay Zoning District, Article 3.4 Heritage District Overlay Zoning District, and Division 6 Use Definitions; amending Chapter II, Design Standards and Design Guidelines, Article 1.8 Heritage District Design Guidelines; and amending the Glossary of Terms related to development standards within the Heritage Village Center Zoning District. Amanda Elliott, Redevelopment Program Manager, advised that Amy Temes, Principal Planner, has been instrumental in creating the revisions to the Heritage District Design Guidelines. The purpose of the Design Guidelines is to provide recommendations towards good design and practice. The current design guidelines were put in place in 2010 and provide an exceptional foundation for the built environment that is the Heritage District today. In reviewing those 2010 guidelines, there were some areas that could be improved upon. Specific goals for the revised document were to be comprehensive and solve challenges across various departments, to be easy to navigate, utilize more imagery to demonstrate what we are trying to achieve, and to be future-focused. The team reviewed about 20 different sets of design guidelines from across the US.  Gilbert Redevelopment Commission Study Session July 15, 2020 Page 2 Watertown, Massachusetts, and Bethesda, Maryland were two that came across as great examples, being well-organized with clear communication of ideas. A kickoff meeting was held with the Steering Committee that consisted of residents, business owners, property owners, developers, a Redevelopment Commission member, and a member of Council. A kickoff meeting was also held for the Technical Committee, which is comprised of town staff. The feedback from those first kickoff meetings as well as the input from the 2018 Redevelopment Plan process was used to update the Design Guidelines. The Table of Contents shows how the document is laid out. The Introduction explains the objective and use of the Guidelines. The BLEND section focuses on the streets and commercial development projects, the new CONGREGATE section focuses on public spaces, and the DWELL section focuses on residential developments. The CREATE section contains the appendix for items such as art, signage, street frontage, materials, colors, and plant palettes. Each section will include a map, description of the experience, imaging representative of what we are trying to achieve, a street cross-section, bulleted design guidelines, and an axonometric highlighting the key elements. In some sections, the Water Tower was removed from the axonometric to encourage developers to not look at the design guidelines in relation to their project and think they would have to develop that exact drawing. Amanda provided an explanation and highlights for each section in the Design Guidelines. BLEND (Commercial Development) – This section provides a framework for the circulation network, and is organized into four categories: Environment (pedestrian experience), Move (how people move throughout the district), Service (utilities, trash), and Massing (building heights, mechanical equipment, setbacks, stepbacks). The streets shown on the map are a mix of styles based on architectural character and the anticipated development in each section, with common elements that build off the Heritage District character. Ultimately, the goal is to create thoughtfully curated environments. HISTORIC – The Historic street, Gilbert Road, runs north and south. Based on the extensive input received, the desire is to hold onto the historic cultural feeling of the town. Gilbert Road should evoke a 20th century main street feel by utilizing high-quality materials that reinforce the history of Gilbert and building to the zero lot line. It should also enhance the pedestrian experience by providing more climate control and continuing the no standing/stopping/parking on Gilbert Road. Ideally, this street should have two to three stories, although the 55-foot height by right has not been removed. CONNECT – These streets are depicted in green on the map along Ash Street and Vaughn Avenue. and will provide low-speed ventilation off of Gilbert Road to keep traffic flowing in and out of the district. The Redevelopment Plan shows tree islands on the streets. In order to allow for the best flow of traffic, we removed the tree islands and kept the trees along the side of the street with flexible curbs. Flex curbs can be used as commercial loading areas, on-street parking, or pedestrian loading zones during different times of the day. This environment promotes shopping, entertainment, and university uses. Consolidated refuse will be in alleyways. The first floors will be articulated with timeless, durable materials. An update was made for all sections to require internal grease bins for all facilities to address challenges with odors.  Gilbert Redevelopment Commission Study Session July 15, 2020 Page 3 ACTIVE – These streets are located east of Gilbert Road as depicted in yellow on the map in primarily multi-family residential areas with some retail uses to support housing. The streets are highlighted by large tree canopies and residential stoops. The goal is to create walkable neighborhoods reflective of the downtown character. These might feature potted plants, hanging baskets, and historical light poles. Flexible loading zones would accommodate both pedestrians and deliveries. Balconies and terraces would face the street. Non-residential uses would require 75% transparency, while residential uses would require 50% transparency. This will continue the engagement with the pedestrian at the street level. In response to a question, Amanda explained that transparency refers to the openness created by windows or other elements and the ability to see within the building to provide engagement on the street level between the pedestrian and the building. FESTIVAL – These streets, shown in light blue on the map, include Hearn Way, the Commons Park (9.1-acre site), and the Living Room Plaza. Festival streets are curbless and are meant to be dynamic, vibrant, colorful, and artistic. These streets may feature curbside ride-share loading zones, and areas for mobile retail vendors. Balconies and terraces are required to overlook the streets to encourage engagement between people and the buildings with the street. Colorful overhead shade sails can create additional coverage for pedestrians. The intent of this area is to promote retail shopping activities and events. LOCAL – These streets, depicted in purple on the map, are located in single-family neighborhoods and are meant to be picturesque and timeless. The character of these streets should tie into the original plat or history of Gilbert, and would incorporate front stoops, wide sidewalks, tree lawns and low front-yard fencing. The previous design guidelines did not allow for chain-link fencing and that will be continued in the revision. These streets are not intended for through traffic, but we can envision pedestrians meandering through the neighborhoods with houses reminiscent of the time periods. FLEX ALLEY – These are shown in red on the map and are surrounded by commercial or multi- family development. The Flex Alley allows for 360 architecture so that the back of the building is never forgotten. It creates a well-lit shared pedestrian and vehicular environment. In this area, refuse would be picked up at a certain time of day, although it would be more pedestrian-oriented at other times of day. The intent is to encourage secondary entrances, art wraps on utility doors, trash service from the alley, no parking, and encourage all types of artwork. MEWS – Shown in dark blue on the map, these are residential alleyways, which are just as critical to the components of a neighborhood. The focus is on walkability and accessibility to secondary structures or garages that are allowed in residential areas. These alleys should provide a clean and safe pathway for a shared pedestrian environment with low speed and the potential to be themed with art. In neighboring communities with themed art alleyways, they were less likely to have illegal dumping or vandalism. These alleys could feature some type of specialty pavement. Amanda noted that the cross section of the Mews shows a 3-foot buffer apron on private property as a safety setback.  Gilbert Redevelopment Commission Study Session July 15, 2020 Page 4 CONGREGATE (Public Space) – This section focuses on public spaces in the Heritage District. The Design Guidelines for this section are broken into three elements: Environment, Relationships, and Benefits. It is critical to delineate these open spaces within the Design Guidelines so that as development occurs around those spaces, we can ensure a seamless transition and interaction between open space and development. WATER TOWER – The Water Tower will continue to serve as the symbolic heart and cultural center of the community. Balconies and terraces will face the space. We would not encourage bicyclists or micro-mobility within this space as there are many grade changes. We would retain the historical architecture and features, and the water feature would remain. We can imagine activating the space with an outdoor library or bookshare. LIVING ROOM – Located just northwest of the Water Tower area, this space integrates with the heart of the community and provides a predominant hardscape for a flexible event space. We envision concerts, street performers, mobile retail vendors, and a future location for our farmers market. This area is meant to be playful and interactive with public art and furniture that would engage people. COMMONS – Located north of the Western Canal on the 9.1-acre site, this is an urban open space with a large lawn for gatherings, shade trees, splash pad, interactive art features, and flexible seating. The Commons is meant to be an environment that encourages people from the hotel, multi-family, and office to engage with the space, while also pulling in pedestrians, visitors, and residents that interact with the Heritage District. VETERANS - Veterans Park is located just south of the Union Pacific Railroad, and is critical to the Lacy Tract neighborhood, providing a multi-generational experience for the residents. We imagine this area with active and inactive type spaces, ramadas, grills, family games, as well as a connection to the Paseo. Climate control would be provided through a mix of trees, canopies, and misters. The currently vacant triangular parcel at the corner near Gilbert Road could hold a one-story structure that could integrate with the park and provide much needed public restrooms. LEGACY – Legacy Park is located east of Gilbert Road, currently behind the Allstate building. This park provides residents in the active streets with a communal open space. We envision this area to potentially have a dog park with low fencing, passive or planned recreational activities like Tai Chi or yoga, and a small linear fountain. Because it is a classic park design, it would have a central historic feature. PASEO - The Paseo runs north-south and provides a safe, continuous, dedicated pedestrian and bicycle route. It should be as intuitive as following the yellow brick road through the Heritage District. This area could incorporate banners on light poles, distinctive overhead lighting, public restrooms, water stations, and wayfinding to help pedestrians and bicyclists find their way through the Heritage District. We would encourage balconies over the space. WESTERN CANAL – This provides an east-west link to the rest of the town featuring a multi-use pathway that we expect to continue to behave as a park-like amenity. This area will include lawn areas where appropriate, art wraps on power poles, shaded stops with water stations, and could be designed as a water-oriented environment.  Gilbert Redevelopment Commission Study Session July 15, 2020 Page 5 DWELL (Residential) – This section focuses on the Heritage District’s architecturally unique and diverse neighborhoods. It is separated into the same three categories of Environment, Relationships, and Benefits. As it covers a large expanse of the district, it is critical that these neighborhoods retain their character as well. It was noted that the swath in green on the map will be added into Greenhaw Place. LACY TRACT is a traditional neighborhood and predominantly features bungalow, farmhouse and cottage architecture with porches and courtyards. GREENHAW PLACE is a subdivision that was platted in 1949 and features mid-century modern and ranch style homes with large lawns, mature trees, and attached garages and carports. MIXED refers to the neighborhood of stylized apartment buildings, condominiums, or townhomes with active streets, large trees, and potted plants. COMPLEX contains the uniformly constructed neighborhoods such as District Lofts or Arbor Walk. A note has been added to the Design Guidelines that gated walkways, subdivisions and complexes are highly discouraged in the Heritage District. We want the Heritage District to continue to be a walkable environment. Great cities and downtowns are built with great neighborhoods and we want people to be able to experience our great neighborhoods. CREATE (Appendix) – This defines Art, Arcades, Windows, Materials, Landscaping, Street Furniture, and Signage. It was noted that neon is allowed, although the document will largely refer to the Land Development Code for signage needs. The 2010 Guidelines provided a solid foundation for what the Heritage District is today. This revision strives to make the Design Guidelines more intuitive and inspiring. Bullet points were used for requirements, and imagery was added to help people understand the intent of each area. COMMISSION FEEDBACK Chair Sciacca appreciated that nothing was forgotten in the revision such as alleyways, and the backs of the buildings. He felt every side and angle was addressed. He asked for comments or questions from the Commission. Commissioner Jones felt the document was very well put together, clear, and easy to follow. He liked the visual component which will allow people to envision how we see this all developing. He provided specific comments referencing page numbers in the draft document. Page 7 – Under Objectives, there is no mention of parks, trees, or the importance of natural spaces, but the focus is on vertical development, streets, and parking. He felt it important to keep parks and trees as part of this plan. Page 16 – It was mentioned that bicyclists would be discouraged on busy Gilbert Road. He asked how would bicyclists be offloaded onto other streets and how do we envision them flowing through the historic district? Amanda stated in the Redevelopment Plan, bicycle paths are highlighted both through the Paseo which is the north-south connection that starts at the 9.1-acre development, and a bicycle route that runs east-west and  Gilbert Redevelopment Commission Study Session July 15, 2020 Page 6 north-south on Lindsay Road and Neely Road. Those will be the bypasses with the Paseo running through the center. Page 18 – Elm and Palm Streets are predominantly residential today. The plan talks about those becoming more mixed-use with office, retail, and residential. He could understand that occurring for Vaughn and some of the more east-west types of streets throughout the district. Is the plan to convert some of the north-south streets over time to mixed use? He asked if that really fits on those streets that are residential today. Amanda felt that was a great comment and will note that in the Design Guidelines. Chair Sciacca announced that the Study Session will be recessed in order to hold the Regular Meeting. He will reconvene the Study Session afterwards to continue with comments from the Commission and the public. Chair Sciacca recessed the Study Session at 6:30 to hold the Regular Meeting. Chair Sciacca reconvened the Study Session at 6:38 p.m. COMMISSION FEEDBACK Commissioner Jones continued with his comments on the revised Design Guidelines: Page 20 – There may have been some confusion with regard to the meaning of the term transparency and he suggested that be clarified in the document so that people will better understand the intent. Page 23 – In the Connect section on how to move traffic, there are examples on the next page showing a more pedestrian-oriented street as opposed to moving traffic, which he felt did not tie in well. Page 32 – Regarding the intent to restrict the district to single or two-story homes, he asked at what point will that become unrealistic as property values increase and developers look for ways to go vertical to justify the land costs. He felt we would see more pressure toward a vertical development. Page 40 – On the Mews, he did not see anything about safety as we talk about our residential areas, especially with the residential alleyways which were noted as an important component. Lighting or other measures to promote safety will be important here. Page 56 – Veterans Park should include trees as an important component. Page 61 – This section relates to the feedback on Heritage North, which we will see more of in the future. The Commons area is meant as a public amenity, although it is buried back behind commercial uses away from Gilbert Road. His feedback on Heritage North is that it should perhaps be moved more towards the street where the public will have easier access and it would better integrate with the Heritage District. Page 72 – He loved the Canal, although there was no mention of lights as an important safety component. Page 80 – Lacy Tract. We would love to see single-story homes continue here. He asked at what point will this no longer be realistic? He would agree with encouraging single-story, although we may need to be more open-minded over time.  Gilbert Redevelopment Commission Study Session July 15, 2020 Page 7 Amanda Elliott appreciated the incredibly thorough feedback as well as the attention throughout the entire document. She will apply that feedback to the draft. Chair Sciacca noted that the Flex Alley mentions art wraps on doors and the Mews mentions themed alley art walls, possibly murals. He understood that this document is a work in progress. He felt if someone wanted a mural on the back of their building along the flex alley, that would be something they can do by right. Would there be any staff input on the content of the art wraps on doors and what that looks like? Would murals be allowed anywhere, like Zinburger? Amanda noted that murals are allowed on buildings as long as they do not have signage. The word Zinburger is part of their sign package, as opposed to the actual art. The idea behind the art wraps on service doors came from a project in Louisville, Kentucky. Their service doors were wrapped with pictures of local artists’ works to create alley galleries. This is one way to enhance what is typically seen as blight. These are the types of things we would like to encourage. There is the potential to create a program to encourage art wraps with guidelines. Commissioner Hamilton had been involved with the 2010 Design Guidelines and noted this revision is night and day in comparison for the better. This is phenomenal and comprehensive. He asked for a summary of the top two or three comments or requests from the initial Stakeholder meetings. Amanda stated there were two to three items that were really critical to the public, including the stakeholder meetings. The first was to ensure that we retain our historic character and the character of the Heritage District. We have really tried to accomplish that by encouraging Gilbert Road to continue building out with that historical feel and by incorporating our historic light poles in nearly all of the streets, except for flex streets, to continue that feel. There are materials that are outlined within the Create section that are also very much oriented toward the historical feel. The second main concern of residents and business owners in the area was about height, which is currently 55 feet by right for the Heritage Village Center (HVC) zoning. That height has not changed in any way. On Gilbert Road, we would encourage two to three stories looking at the historical vernacular, although by right, owners can currently build up to 55 feet in any HVC zoning. Some developers in the kick-off meeting were concerned with stepbacks and the ability to truly have a building and making it pencil. We did remove the stepbacks in the majority of areas except for where it is adjacent to residential, which requires that the third floor be stepped back as in the current guidelines. These were the three main comments throughout the stakeholder meetings as well as the Redevelopment Plan process. We wanted to address those comments and make sure that the character continues to be what Gilbert is today. With no further comments from the Commission, Chair Sciacca opened the floor for public comment. PUBLIC COMMENT Doralise Machado Liddell, Gilbert resident in the Lacy Tract, noted that on page 50 of the draft, the alley dimensions are depicted as 3 feet, 15 feet, 3 feet. However, the Town currently only owns 15 feet of the alleyway. If the 3 feet would be a safety zone, that would then be taking 3 feet of the property on each side of the alleyway. That would have a detrimental impact to her property as the Town would be taking a portion of her property in order for someone else to have a safety zone. In addition, the properties in this area  Gilbert Redevelopment Commission Study Session July 15, 2020 Page 8 currently have small lots, and if they lose that setback, it would set a building further back. The Lacy Tract was established in 1917, and there are currently established fences and buildings that have been constructed. This would also impact the property rights of the homeowners. There was a question regarding lighting in the alleys and other safety measures. She noted any lighting above the ground there would produce light pollution and affect the livability of the homeowners in the Lacy Tract. With regard to having higher building because of the property values, Lacy Tract properties were purchased as single-family land, and that would take away her property rights just because the land values have increased. If individuals wish to build higher levels, they would have to purchase property in the areas where that is acceptable, which it is acceptable in certain areas of the Heritage District. She did not see mention of rooftop signs in the Design Guidelines. That was one of the areas she had been waiting for the Town to adopt some guidelines. The Town Land Development Code references the Heritage District Design Guidelines with regard to rooftop signs, and the Design Guidelines refer to the Land Development Code. So, there isn't really any guidelines for rooftop signs. That is an issue that needs to be addressed. She heard that stepbacks would be removed for businesses; however, it took years for the residential area to get setbacks decreased in order to provide flexibility. She hoped the Commission would keep in mind that the property rights of the residential homeowners need to be addressed because we are part of the Heritage District and do not want to lose our property rights so that a few people can gain. Chair Sciacca felt Ms. Machado Liddell’s comments were well-received and noted. He understood that living here is different than doing business here, and there are concerns about light pollution in your backyard, setbacks, heights, and stepdowns in stories as it gets closer to residential. He asked staff to consider those comments and either adopt them or get back to Ms. Machado Liddell with answers. Amy Temes, Principal Planner, offered to address a few of the questions that were brought up in the discussion. She appreciated all of the input on the document. In regards to the 3-foot safety setback in the Mews for the alleys and residential tracts, that was really meant to depict a setback that would occur so that a garage could be properly situated to provide a better visual when a vehicle is backing out. Our alley requirement under the Land Development Code (LDC) is a minimum of 3 feet. Staff is considering making the setback for accessory structures and secondary dwelling units adjacent to alleys 3 feet so that it meets the safety requirement and allows the property owners a break on the setback as they do have very small yards. That will also be addressed in the Land Development Code refresh which the Commission will see next month at study session. A Town Council Subcommittee was appointed a year and a half ago and has been working diligently to do a refresh of the entire LDC. Some of these issues are going hand in hand with what Amanda has presented tonight. Changes that needed to occur for the Design Guidelines will be picked up in the Land Development Code refresh. She noted in the Mews, the 15-feet that is there today is considered the absolute minimum that traffic will accept for alleys and it is grandfathered that new alleys are always 24 feet or greater. She would love to fit in bollard lighting or some other kind of lighting, although she is not sure from a dimension standpoint that we can figure out how to add lighting without negatively impacting residential property. We will continue to look at that issue. The LDC Subcommittee did raise the potential of increasing height in various zoning districts throughout the Heritage District. The feedback from Councilmembers on the Subcommittee was that they did not support necessarily increasing any height at this point in time. Height can be increased through a Planned Area Development rezoning and there are applicants who have considered doing such. She believed the 10-acre parcel was considering that for the Living Room area. That is always an option for developers to increase the height, although it is considered  Gilbert Redevelopment Commission Study Session July 15, 2020 Page 9 on a case by case basis. Regarding signage, the LDC has not changed as to the content of the signage, although it has been put in a more usable table format and addresses the standards for all signage allowed in the Heritage District. The LDC was trying to direct an aesthetic standpoint to the guidelines, yet we were a little apprehensive in the Design Guidelines to over-regulate the aesthetic of signs. If there is the desire to see some discussion in the Design Guidelines that speaks more to the aesthetic of signs in downtown to make them more specialized in some way, staff is open for that discussion. At this time, we were going to let the standards in the LDC be the guiding rules. Chair Sciacca appreciated the detailed explanation and hoped that addressed some of the concerns raised by Ms. Machado Liddell. There were no further comments from the public or from the Commission. Amanda Elliott thanked the Redevelopment Commission and Vice Mayor Anderson for all their work through this process. She thanked all of the citizens, business owners, and developers who provided their input. It really takes a tremendous amount of individuals coming together to make our Heritage District great and we are very thankful for that. She appreciated Amy Temes and the exceptional partnership with her, the Planning department, and Economic Development to be able to present this draft tonight. ADJOURN STUDY SESSION Chair Sciacca adjourned the Study Session at 6:58 p.m. ___________________________________ Peter Sciacca, Chair