A - Town Council Meetings

SPECIAL TOWN COUNCIL MEETING Tuesday, July 11, 2023, 5:00 p.m. Municipal Complex, Council Chambers 100 Ann Edwards Lane Mount Pleasant, SC 29464 MINUTES 1. Call to Order Mayor Haynie called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m. Brenda Corley, Howard Chapman, Laura Hyatt, Gary Santos, Jake Rambo, John Iacofano, Guang Ming Whitley and Carl Ritchie were all present. 2. Public Comment Michelle Stress, Belle Hall resident, stated she is here to represent a growing group of individuals concerned about the proposed development of both Hamlin Park and Faison Road. She said more time is needed to perform formal impact studies about how further development will affect wildlife, wetlands and flooding. She said additional time is also needed for public input and negotiations. 3. Review and selection of design options for Town owned property on Faison Road Mr. Matt Brady gave the following presentation. Mr. DeMoura presented the following: Page 2 of 10 Mr. Brady reviewed the original three concepts for the property. Page 3 of 10 Page 4 of 10 Mr. Nathan Schutte with McMillan, Pazdan, Smith presented two new concepts for the property. Mr. Iacofano moved to approve Scheme B with the integration of a senior center using either building A, B, C, D or E, no additional building, seconded by Mr. Santos. Mayor Haynie asked for clarification if it will be run by the Town or the private sector. Mr. Iacofano said it would be Town run unless staff thinks they are able to make private work. Mr. DeMoura said it must be affordable for seniors and we will need to drive the development of that. He said it has been discussed in the past that if there were a senior center on that side of town, it would look a Page 5 of 10 little differently than the one on Von Kolnitz. Perhaps Town driven, but with one of our local healthcare centers offering a facility in a different manner. Ms. Corley said she thinks we are missing a wonderful opportunity to show the residents that we are committed to protecting green space. She said she does not like the way we are talking about return on investment. She said that area of town is growing organically, and she does not know who is asking for us to build this project on Faison Road. Mr. Ritchie said before he was elected to Council, he was constantly hearing talk about workforce housing, for our healthcare professionals, teachers and first responders, and we talk but we do not act. He said this is an opportunity to finally get some type of attainable or workforce housing for those folks who may work and live in that area. He said that would still leave approximately 27 acres of undeveloped green space. Ms. Hyatt asked about the public parking for the park. Mr. Schutte said there is parking reserved for visitors to the park, and there is a turnaround area for drop-off at the trailhead as well. Ms. Corley said ensuring the people who move into these units actually work in Mount Pleasant seems to be a very large role for the Town to take on. Mayor asked if these units would be rentals or owned. Mr. Jason Ward, President of Landmark Enterprises said they would be leased, but there are many variations of this type of housing, and they all have different rules and regulations. Mr. Rambo asked if we are allowed to put conditions on those living in these units. Mr. Pagliarini said there are ways we can do that without discriminating. Ms. Hyatt said she is more inclined with going with Scheme A because it stays within the parameters of what Council originally requested. She said with respect to another senior center, she is not sure that the one we have is full, and she would be more in favor of a civic center. Mayor asked if anything about a senior center had come before the Recreation Committee, such as square footage, capital sources of funding, and operations. He said he was doing some research to see what was out in the digital world about this area. At one time this was being touted as possibly being a performing arts center, and there was even a place to sign up to be on the steering committee to build it. He Page 6 of 10 said at the June 30th committee meetings, it was economic development, attainable housing and preserved wetlands, and now on July 11th, we are talking about a senior center. He said he is not going to vote on something as costly as a senior center when we are already spending $10 million across the road from this place, and $50 million on a referendum in which Council decided not to include a senior center. Mr. Iacofano said his motion was to integrate more citizen use of the property, and there have been plenty of seniors asking for a senior center on that side of town, and the attainable housing is increasing to 30 units. He said it was his way to put more civic engagement into the property and hopefully fulfill a need. Mayor Haynie said we do not know the size, scope, cost, and how it will be run operationally. Mr. Iacofano said at some point we have to come up with a concept and move forward with it to be able to get the return on investment. Ms. Whitley said she is supportive of the move to develop 11 acres, and she likes the suggestion to broaden the senior center to civic uses as well, and she would ask Mr. Iacofano to broaden his motion. Mayor said we do not know if making this change will work for Landmark if this passes, and we do not know the size. He said there are very large private sector senior amenities on that side of town and he does not know why we need to use private dollars to compete with that. Mr. Iacofano said he is happy to change his motion to senior and civic center, and again he cannot say how many people on that end of town talk about the need for a civic/senior center. He said there is a senior center on this end of town, as well as civic uses, and this is an opportunity to add to that side of town. Ms. Whitley said because this is still at the conceptual stage and how it will be structured, there is a lot of opportunity for negotiation as to whether we are selling or leasing and she would like to call for the question. Mr. Rambo said he likes the ideas presented today and he would like to see more of how this could potentially be developed and the financial arrangements. He asked if this is to move forward with conceptual discussion. Mr. DeMoura stated Council is selecting the scheme and the next time Council would have this before them is when there is a Page 7 of 10 financial agreement for consideration. He said we cannot get there until a scheme is determined. Mr. Rambo asked Mr. Iacofano if he would be willing to amend the motion to be contingent upon Council approving a pro forma. Mr. Iacofano said either we like the scheme or not at this point, and a decision needs to be made. Ms. Whitley moved to call for the question to end debate, seconded by Mr. Santos. Mayor Haynie called for a roll call vote and said a yes vote would end debate. Ms. Corley, Mr. Iacofano, Mr. Rambo, Mr. Ritchie, Mr. Santos, Ms. Whitley, and Mr. Chapman voted in favor, with Ms. Hyatt and Mayor Haynie voting opposed. The motion carried 7-2. Mayor Haynie asked the Clerk to restate the motion. Ms. Barrett stated Mr. Iacofano moved to approve Scheme B and from one of the existing buildings to integrate a senior center. Mayor Haynie called for a roll call vote. Ms. Hyatt, Mr. Rambo, Mr. Chapman, Ms. Corley and Mayor Haynie voted opposed with Mr. Iacofano, Mr. Ritchie, Mr. Santos and Ms. Whitley voting in favor. The motion failed with a 5-4 vote. Ms. Whitley moved to approve Scheme B with inclusion of square footage for a senior/civic center for the community, seconded by Mr. Chapman. Ms. Corley asked if we are moving from five acres to eleven acres and Ms. Whitley stated it is going from eight acres to eleven acres. Mr. Chapman stated he attends the senior center almost every day and he asked Mr. DeMoura to get some numbers in terms of how much attendance has increased since Covid. He said attendance was down during Covid when it was reviewed as part of the referendum. Mr. DeMoura stated it dropped dramatically during Covid and attendance is approaching 1700. Mayor asked the members of the Economic Development Committee if there was any discussion to include a civic/senior center at the Friday, June 30 meeting and Ms. Hyatt responded in the negative. Page 8 of 10  Mayor Haynie asked, if there is such demand for it, why not let it go through committee and be vetted. He said we are not making an informed vote. Mr. Chapman stated on the program under Economic Development there is something entitled sports training and medicine. He said the reason he goes to the senior center almost every day is because of sports training and medicine. He said sports training is not necessarily limited to high school or college athletes or police officers. Ms. Hyatt said the idea for sports training would be in line with leasing it for private use for rehabilitation, cardiac rehabilitation or sports medicine, not really a town facility, but there could be a way that it could be worked in. There might be a private company that would be willing to sell memberships, but the idea was for it to be a leased building for private business. Mayor Haynie asked the Clerk to restate the motion. Ms. Barrett stated the motion was to approve Scheme B with the inclusion of a civic/senior center. Mayor Haynie called for a roll call vote. Mr. Iacofano, Mr. Rambo, Mr. Ritchie, Mr. Santos, Ms. Whitley, Mr. Chapman, Ms. Hyatt voted in favor with Ms. Corley and Mayor Haynie voting opposed. The motion carried with a 7-2 vote. 4. Executive Session Consideration of applications to serve on boards and commissions Council did not go into executive session. [Mr. Santos left the meeting at 5:50 p.m.] 5. Post Executive Session Committee may take action on any item, including any subsection of any section, listed on an executive session agenda or discussed in an executive session during a properly noticed meeting. Ms. Whitley moved to reappoint Joseph Belton to the Commercial Design Review Board, seconded by Mr. Chapman. All present voted in favor (Mr. Santos was not present for the vote). Page 9 of 10 6. Adjourn There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 5:51 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Christine Barrett Clerk of Council July 11, 2023 Page 10 of 10