City Council Planning Sessions

MEMORANDUM TO: Record FROM: Susan Bishel, Public Relations Coordinator SUBJECT: June 13, 2016 City Council Planning Session Minutes DATE: June 14, 2016 CC: Mayor and City Council, City Manager, City Clerk, Department Heads The Planning Session took place in the Council Chambers, Wheaton City Hall, 303 W. Wesley St., Wheaton, Illinois. Those attending the Planning Session included: Mayor Gresk, Councilwoman Fitch, Councilman Prendiville, Councilman Rutledge, Councilman Saline, Councilman Scalzo and Councilman Suess. Also in attendance were City Manager Dzugan, Assistant City Manager Duguay, Director of Planning & Economic Development Kozik, Director of Public Works Laoang, Director of Engineering Redman and Public Relations Coordinator Bishel. The session began at 7:00 p.m. and concluded at 8:34 p.m. The following items were discussed: I. Call to Order The Wheaton City Council Planning Session was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Mayor Gresk. II. Approval of May 9, 2016 Planning Session Minutes The Council approved the May 9, 2016 Planning Session Minutes. III. Public Comment There were no public comments. IV. Downtown Streetscape Concepts/Information and Data Update Director of Planning & Economic Development Kozik stated the City held a meeting soliciting community feedback on Design Workshop’s downtown streetscape improvement ideas. Design Workshop presented concepts that represented “good,” “better” and “best” levels of improvements. After initial cost estimates totaled $70 million, $89 million and $115 million for the good, better and best levels, City staff met to redefine the metrics that plans should meet in order to reduce costs. Director of Planning & Economic Development Kozik introduced representatives from Design Workshop, who reviewed a revised plan with estimated costs of $46 million, $58 million and $88 million for the good, better and best concepts and discussed community feedback they gathered. Representatives from Design Workshop stated that more than 600 people took an online survey about the draft concepts. The community expressed similar preferences as a study completed in 2013, preferring a traditional color palette and mostly traditional designs. Survey takers prioritized French Market improvements, followed by the creation of a plaza along Liberty Street. Design Workshop representatives reviewed the four categories of streets and the possible treatments for each type at the good/better/best levels. For festival streets, the better and best levels would have increasing amounts of pavers and increased overhead string lighting. For pedestrian streets, the concepts in the better and best levels would have increasing levels of special paving, different materials in parking bays, and rain gardens. The higher-level concepts would also have larger trees. In the plaza category, Design Workshop representatives stated there were three different concepts, but not necessarily good/better/best classifications, as the design could add or take away elements to meet a set budget. For the category of other streets, the main differences among the good/better/best categories would be the amount of trees planted and whether street lighting would be replaced in their current location or relocated and increased. In response to Council questions about current lighting, Design Workshop representatives stated that while in some locations the level of lighting is appropriate, other areas are underlit. The plan would also make all of the lights LED fixtures, which save energy and reduce maintenance. Design Workshop representatives stated they have not completed a study on the condition of the electrical supply. Director of Engineering Redman answered a Council question about pavement conditions by stating all of the street conditions have been graded along with all other City streets, so the City would also look at which streets in the “other streets” category could be candidates for the annual road program work. In response to a Council question, Design Workshop representatives stated there is not a significant difference in the estimated life expectancy of materials in the good/better/best categories, as all are using high-quality products. To address a Council question regarding whether selecting the community’s preferences of various elements would result in an overall design that is not cohesive, Design Workshop representatives stated the selections they presented to the community are all of the same high quality and designed to work together. Design Workshop representatives reviewed some options for projected lighting, holiday lighting and French Market concepts. The French Market’s estimated cost of $3.8 million would include significant work to address stormwater management and grading. In response to Council questions about what it would cost to replace aging streets and other infrastructure in the downtown with the same materials currently used, Design Workshop representatives stated the costs would be comparable to the figures estimated in the “good” category concepts. In response to Council questions about the different options for tree planting, Design Workshop representatives stated the cost difference is in the size of trees planted and the volume of soil in the underground planting areas. 6/13/16 Planning Session 2 Design Workshop representatives answered a Council question about sidewalks by stating the average width of sidewalks would be increasing from about 8 feet currently to more than 12 feet. In regard to questions about parking, Design Workshop representatives stated their goal would be to not lose any parking spaces. Some streets could be reconfigured and multiple access points to businesses could be reduced to create more parking. City Manager Dzugan stated City staff suggests looking at the scope of the project and seeing what can be accomplished within the revenue structure. The Council expressed interest in having a discussion at a future meeting about financing this project and the timeline for work. V. City Council/Staff Comments There were no City Council/Staff comments. VI. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 8:34 p.m. 6/13/16 Planning Session 3