Special City Council Meeting

CITY OF GRAND PRAIRIE SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING CITY HALL - COUNCIL CHAMBERS, 300 W. MAIN STREET TUESDAY, JULY 20, 2021 AT 5:00 PM MINUTES CALL TO ORDER Mayor Jensen called the meeting to order at 5:01 p.m. EXECUTIVE SESSION None. PRESENTATIONS 1. Legislative Update by Focused Advocacy Assistant to the City Manager / Manager of Legislative Affairs Andrew Fortune introduced Brandon Aghamalian of Focused Advocacy. Mr. Aghamalian discussed the key session drivers of the legislative session including a new speaker of the house, the COVID-19 Pandemic, George Floyd death and related protests, the presidential election results and related protests, winter storm Uri and the aligned/not aligned priorities of leadership. He reviewed Governor Abbott’s, Speaker Phelan's and Lieutenant Governor Patrick’s priority items and noted seven thousand bills were introduced. Mr. Aghamalian said city related bills numbered more than twenty-two hundred, and he the reviewed the municipal bills which moved through the process but did not pass. Mayor Jensen and Deputy City Manager Cheryl DeLeon discussed sales tax sourcing. Mr. Aghamalian thanked City Manager Tom Hart, Deputy City Manager Steve Dye, Mr. Fortune, City Attorney Megan Mahan and other city staff. He reviewed a number of bills which did pass including House Bill 1869 pertaining to local government debt and exemptions; House Bill 2127 regarding the open container zone which authorizes city council to designate a “zone” on city owned land where open containers are allowed. Mr. Aghamalian noted Summer Special Sessions would be announced on July 8, 2021, and would last thirty days. He reviewed the special session agenda, noting there have been 350 bills filed for the special session, and he said a second special session is planned for September to October regarding redistricting and for COVID-19 recovery of federal funds. Mr. Hart noted Focused Advocacy has represented the city very well for the past twelve years. Council Member Lopez inquired about building materials. Mr. Aghamalian said the building materials bill indicates state law will regulate enforcing materials for residential building construction and explained it was an attempt to make a uniform set of rules to construct buildings. Council Member Lopez discussed landowner rights and the limited power the city has. He also asked what the property tax relief bill would have done. Mr. Aghamalian said the property tax bill is majority school district so the state could buy down some of that school district tax. Mr. Aghamalian thanked State Representative Chris Turner and Senator Brian Birdwell for their work with the amendment of the incentives in reference to access Grand Prairie can have at Joe Pool Lake. Special City Council Meeting – July 20, 2021 Page 1 of 4  Presented 2. Southgate 360 Corridor Comprehensive Plan Update Planning Director Rashad Jackson introduced David Jones with Freese and Nichols who presented the Southgate 360 Corridor Comprehensive Plan. Deputy City Manager / Chief Operating Officer Steve Dye introduced Jason Claunch who assisted Mr. Jones with this presentation. Mr. Jones reviewed project boundaries from Ragland Road to the Extra- Territorial Jurisdiction (ETJ) South of US Highway 287, analyzing the undeveloped land and reviewing the north and south study area. He said almost twelve thousand acres in the south are undeveloped and noted that the area encompasses twenty-one square miles. Mr. Jones stated that the purpose of the plan is to align physical opportunities, market opportunities and community aspirations, to establish community consensus, political support and market- supported decision-making. He reviewed the market demand and reviewed a map with development opportunities including mixed density housing, a grocery anchor with retail/commercial/office, specialty food and restaurants. Mr. Jones advised the area is almost twenty miles from City Hall. He reviewed a proposed urban village design and noted the 2010 Comprehensive Plan had a similar vision but for a slightly different location. Mr. Jones reviewed public use anchors including possible trail extensions and lake connections on the south sector, the use of stream corridors and parks as part of the transportation network, public signature elements and planning for a landscape parkway for a new local urban street system. He discussed development anchors at Highways 360 and 287 to attract target industries such as next level office, industrial and high quality housing with connection to greenways and some non-residential design creating a multi-generational destination. Mr. Jones provided an overview of corridor recommendations and reviewed some financial strategies including creating a Tax Increment Financing District (TIRZ), adopt-a-fee in lieu of impact fees and a park development mechanism to finance park improvements and maintenance. Mr. Claunch reviewed the north area fiscal impact. He reviewed the Grand Prairie north study area summary for 20 years, for 10 years and the South Area Fiscal Impact information. Mr. Dye advised this is a starting point for South Gate and said there is a feasibility analysis being considered, and he then requested Council input. Council Member Johnson said he supports the development down south and asked how the development would impact residents who are there now and those who would be moving in. Deputy City Manger Bill Hills said a master plan would be prepared. Council Member Johnson asked how office space would be managed when many are going to teleworks and online shopping. Mr. Claunch advised one-on-one interviews were conducted with those in the area and said as it relates to retail, mixed use is desired as that is where the market seems to be going. Council Member Lopez asked if page seventy-seven of the report is national or local and asked if the target of residents are those who earn over one hundred thousand dollars as noted in the report. Mr. Claunch noted it is a national firm, and Mr. Jones said no regarding targeting the forementioned residents. Council Member Lopez said it needs to be inclusive adding that those who live south of Interstate 20 have asked for libraries, recreation centers and other city services. Mr. Jones said they were very careful to note land uses on the map, and said current residences are also shown as future residential areas. Council Member Clemson asked for clarification on additional population projection on south area fiscal impact. Mr. Jones and Mr. Claunch reviewed the information and projections for the planned build out. Mayor Pro Tem Del Bosque asked what communication is planned to inform the public to avoid misinformed negative discussions within the community. Mr. Dye said this is this first stage to having a comprehensive master plan and said communication with residents and business Special City Council Meeting – July 20, 2021 Page 2 of 4  owners in an organized manner is key for full transparency. Mayor Jensen noted development is far into the future, and Mr. Hart said there would be opposition years from now even if the master plan is communicated properly. Mr. Hart explained the best thing to do is to have and follow a master plan and publish it to get information out to the public timely. Council Member Lopez said electricity is a big factor and planning for it is important. Mr. Dye said infrastructure is a part of the study. Mayor Jensen said the State of Texas agrees there will be continued growth, and Oncor is on notice. He also asked how much of the proposed plan is in the ETJ and if there a timeline on annexing the ETJ. Mr. Jones said on a percentage, most of the property is in the ETJ and added there is no timeline. Mayor Jensen asked if there is a time limit on the TIRZ. Mr. Hart clarified it was approved prior to limitations. Mr. Jackson said this is a guideline for developers and staff and said the 2018 map would be amended. Mayor Pro Tem Del Bosque asked when it would be reviewed by the City Council Development Committee. Mr. Hills noted the plan would be reviewed by the City Council Development Committee, then presented to full Council, to the Planning and Zoning Commission and finally to Council again for consideration and adoption. Council Member Clemson said there are concerns that investing in a project would take away from quality of life of citizens. She said by planning ahead, we are controlling that destiny and asked what the downside of this development would be. Mr. Dye said developers already have desires to develop this area, and the city is being proactive in controlling the destiny of that development. He also noted there are plans for adding Fire and Police services there. 3. Housing Analysis Presentation Mr. Jones presented the Housing Analysis project, outlining its purposes, which include studying needs, updating the land use policy and making recommendations on changes to the Future Land Use Map to optimize distribution of housing. He discussed the process which includes a review of current conditions, social factors, principles and best practices leading to policy decisions. Mr. Jones reviewed city-wide housing numbers including density of developed compared to undeveloped residential, and presented multi-family and single family housing numbers. He also provided a demographic summary and an economic summary. Mr. Claunch discussed trends at the national and state level, reviewing the macro-economics of the national homeowner and renter vacancy rates. He discussed building permits issued for single family and multifamily residences and noted the change in population density. Council Member Del Bosque requested data on the average age of renters. Mr. Claunch said he would provide it at a later date and said the projected population is approximately three hundred forty-six thousand. He also said home values are consistent in Grand Prairie and discussed the qualifying incomes driving the market, demand for owner occupied housing by age and income, and demand for renter occupied housing. Mr. Jones discussed the virtuous versus vicious neighborhood cycle summarizing neighborhood appreciation, stability, complacency, decline, renewal and development. He discussed high quality housing types and reviewed various resident types living in Grand Prairie. Mr. Jones reviewed quality housing strategies, housing principles and housing diversification information. He presented some universal recommendations and sector recommendations. Mr. Claunch and Mr. Jones discussed various action items and indicated they are working with staff to review the Future Land Use Map to identify opportunity sites. Council Member Clemson requested a copy of the universal recommendations which was not in her packet for review. Council Member Lopez stated he does not want the north side of town to be overlooked and asked for consideration of the Hensley field area and a connection to residents during planning. Mr. Jones made note. Mr. Special City Council Meeting – July 20, 2021 Page 3 of 4  Jackson said proximity to grocery and other essential uses are carefully considered and said creating overlays is ideal. Mr. Hills thanked Chief City Planner Savannah Ware, Mr. Jackson, Mr. Jones and Mr. Claunch for their work in putting this information together. CONSENT AGENDA 4. Building Advisory and Appeals Board Appointment City Secretary Mona Lisa Galicia presented the application for board appointment received from Janie Mendez-Adhikari. Mayor Pro Tem Del Bosque moved, seconded by Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Humphreys, to approve the item. The motion carried unanimously. ITEMS FOR INDIVIDUAL CONSIDERATION None. CITIZEN COMMENTS There were no citizen comments. ADJOURNMENT Mayor Jensen adjourned the meeting at 7:55 p.m. The foregoing minutes were approved at the August 17, 2021, City Council meeting. _______________________________ Mona Lisa Galicia, City Secretary Special City Council Meeting – July 20, 2021 Page 4 of 4