District 2 Advisory Board

Page |1 District II Advisory Board Minutes November 13, 2017 www.wichita.gov The District II Advisory Board meeting was held at 6:30 p.m. at Fire Station #20, 2255 S. Greenwich Rd, Wichita KS, 67207. Nine board members, Councilman Meitzner and seven staff were present. ATTENDANCE Members Present Staff Present David Babich Officer, Aaron Stark, WPD Dale Carter Paul Gunzelman, Assistant City Engineer Debbie Goseland Shawn Mellies, Special Projects Engineer Nick Howell Mark Stanberry, Community Investments Mgr. Nazir Jesri Kristi McEarchen, Library Crystal McDonald Jon Sidwell, Park & Rec Chris Mullin Laura Rainwater, Community Services Becky Tuttle Guests Members Absent David Streb Angela Clark Tommy Evans Mike Heldstab Lindsay Long Terri Hutton George Laham Councilman Meitzner Clayton Person Tim Buchanan Michael Binkley Sharon Turner Rowena Underwood ORDER OF BUSINESS Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by Dale Carter at 6:31 p.m. Approval of Agenda for November 13, 2017: Added MAPD zoning case ZON2017-00049 & CUP2017- 00045. Approved 8-0 Approval of Minutes from October 9, 2017: Approved 7-0-1 (abstention due to absence) Public Agenda 1. Scheduled Items: None 2. Off-Agenda Items: None Staff Reports 3. Community Police Report: Officer Aaron Stark, reported.  39 Beat Community Police Officer  Larceny to autos a problem city-wide  21st & Webb Rd area being hit hard  Stealing garage door openers to gain access to house  Up 45% over last year  Auto thefts – cold weather – don’t leave car running unattended  Christmas shopping season – hide packages and lock your cars  Juvenile burglars apprehended after citizen call to report suspicious behavior  Page |2 4. Fire Department Report: No report. 5. Park and Recreation Department: Jon Sidwell, Boston Rec Center, reported.  Fall classes on-going  Night with Santa event at century II on Dec. 7, 6:30-8:30  Winter session begins in January. Activities Guide will be available online Dec. 12 6. Wichita Public Library Report: Kristi McEachern, Customer Service Manager, Wichita public Library, reported.  Nov. 15 – Cable and Cable Alternatives at Rockwell  Dec. 5 – Winter Wonderland  Dec. 11 - Book Club: Nora Bonesteel's Christmas Past by Sharyn McCrumb  November is Kansas Read to Preschoolers month  National Novel Writing month activities  Nov. 30 & Dec. 1 – Used Book Sale at Main Library  New librarian has been hired for Rockwell Branch. Savannah Ball starts Nov. 20 7. Public Works Report: Shawn Mellies, Special Project Engineer, reported.  Kellogg & Webb/Greenwich update  143rd – Kellogg to Central – Utility work has started  127th – 13th to 21st – will bid Jan. 2018 and construction will begin in February  Greenwich – Pawnee to Harry – ROW acquisition to begin soon. Construction to begin in Spring 2018 Action Taken: Receive and file all Staff reports. APPROVED 8-0 New Business 8. ZON2017-00049 and CUP2017-00045: Brian Lindebak, MKEC, presented a request by Mark Myers, et al (Mark Myers), owners and unknown Contract Purchaser / MKEC (Brian Lindebak), AGENT, for City zone change from SF-2 Single Family Residential to GC General Commercial on 19.38 of land generally located South of North 13th Street North, one-half mile east of East Webb Road. George Laham, Developer, was present at the meeting. The DAB heard the request so that adjacent property owners and Wichita residents had an opportunity to express their concerns. After presentation by Lindebak, there were no questions or concerns from DAB II Board Members, adjacent property owners or citizens. Action Taken: Motion made by Tuttle to APPROVE the application subject to the following conditions: 1. The Development Guidelines shall be modified to read in accordance with the attached recommendation.  Page |3 2. The site shall be developed in substantial conformance with the revised development guidelines and general provisions of the approved CUP. 3. The applicant shall submit four copies of the approved CUP within 60 days of final approval to the Metropolitan Area Planning Department or the amendment shall be deemed null and void. Seconded by Howell. MOTION PASSED 8-0 9. Redbud Multi-Use Path Shawn Mellies, Special Projects Engineer, presented a plan for improvements to the Redbud Multi-Use Path from K-96 to 159th Street East. The proposed improvements include a 14-foot wide path for the length of the project and the installation of a new waterline and sewer main between 127th Street and K- 96.  Old railbed – contaminated soil must be mitigated  Adjacent property owners don’t like what Andover did east of 159th St. They don’t want trees to be ripped out  Number of different users – bikes and pedestrians  Oct. 23 – Open House meeting held for adjacent neighborhoods to receive input on design  Nov. 8 - Meeting with Reeds Cove to discuss design elements  14’ wide path  Extension of water line and gravity sewer from K96 to 127th  Citizens don’t want to lose tree canopy  After public meetings and engagement with citizens the final recommendation is:  9’ concrete path  1’ gravel on one side of concrete and 4’ gravel on the other side  Upgrade drainage structures to be pedestrian friendly by adding rails  Current budget is $1.6 million  Bike & Pedestrian Advisory Board voted to approve recommended design  Clay Pearson, 1442 N. Coolidge: Bike rider. Gravel is a problem for road bikes. Redbud isn’t safe as it is now. With new design, it becomes user-friendly. Demand and use will increase  Mike Binkley, 625 N. Topeka, Apt. 20: Bike rider. Doesn’t want to lose the “natural” feel of the path, but would like the recommended improvements  Robert Kiser, 1630 N. 143rd: Problems with users parking in his driveway and along 143rd. Sees four-wheelers frequently and less wildlife. Why is City involved when portions of Redbud aren’t in the city limits? Worried about safety at his property  Tim Buchanan, 1871 N. 159th E.: Appreciative to City Staff for working with citizens and using public input to formulate design. Trees and canopy are the most important. Wants City Staff to mark trees that are to be removed and trimmed and prohibit contractor from removing or trimming any unmarked trees. Further comments attached at end of Minutes  Jack Murphy, 5616 E. 10th: Very appreciative of improvements. Makes it much more biker- friendly. Wants to save as many trees as possible. This will be a huge health and community benefit  Sharon Turner, 304 Cactus Ct.: From Andover Park Board. The connectivity to K96 will be a huge benefit for Andover citizens  Mullen: Concern over lack of users. $1.6 million is a lot of money to spend for the benefit of a few people  Murphy: There is data that is showing significant increase in users over the last few years  Page |4 Action Taken: Motion made by Tuttle to APPROVE Staff recommended design. Seconded by Jesri. MOTION PASSED 8-0. Meeting adjourned at 8:07 p.m. Next Meeting: The next meeting for District Advisory Board II will be at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, January 9, 2018, at Rockwell Branch Library, 5939 E. 9th St. Wichita, KS 67208. Tim Buchanan Redbud Multi-Use Path memo: District Advisory Board Members, My name is Tim Buchanan. I own a 7 acre parcel of land at 1871 N 159th Street east, directly adjacent to the trail and I am building a new home there in the Province neighborhood developed by Ritchie Associates. I currently develop and operate Senior Living residences across the country. Prior to operating Senior Living I was a residential developer and home builder in Wichita and am a lifelong resident here. During grade school years I lived adjacent to and played on this very rail line in the Ken-Mar neighborhood. Thank you for serving the community and for taking this evening to consider the public input on Redbud Trail. The Redbud Trail system is a great component of Wichita’s walking and biking path system. I appreciate the time staff has taken considering potential options for the path design. Over all I think most people would agree Wichita lacks a forest and lacks a significant number of areas where people can enjoy a more forest or “outdoor wilderness” experience. Offering as many of these areas as possible is important to having a variety of experiences that together add to the overall quality of life in Wichita. Trees take generations to mature however we have been handed a 100 year old treasure of trees and outdoor experience. For all of these reasons preservation of the habitat and natural setting should be the number one design goal. The City has the unique opportunity with the Redbud Trail to preserve such a valuable asset. Removing trees and natural undercover that creates this treasure would be unfortunate, when options exist with just a small amount of extra design and construction. I appreciate staff’s concern for this with their approach to higher grades, combination of materials, etc. Careful consideration should continue to be taken in trying to strike the right balance of trail and drainage improvements vs destroying a natural habitat. Specific steps should be taken and instructions given that ensure preservation will be a priority through construction. Some parts of the trail will be destroyed where the sanitary sewer is extended using the trail right of way which was set aside for trail usage. Other parts of the trail are already wide open and provide opportunity for tree planting, and some areas are more narrow providing terrific opportunity for preservation and creating a meandering trail of variety, expanding the quality experience. It would in fact add interest to the trail if it were narrower in some sections than others. Some sections could be11-12 ft wide and some 14 ft. This would add to the meandering feel of the trail, minimize the width of straight through site lines, and still provide full vehicle access when needed. Sometimes things just get lost in the translation with construction projects. Specific language should be inserted in the bid documents stating that; 1) trees will be marked for trimming or for removal before contractors are mobilized, no unmarked trees should be disturbed, 2) all limbs to be trimmed shall be marked prior to mobilization, 3) contractors must use only chain saws and tree cutters to trim trees and the use of back hoes or other equipment for trimming is prohibited, 4) all tree markings should be photographed prior to mobilization. This is common practice on many projects in Wichita and reduces the “surprise” factor of finding trees unnecessarily removed or damaged because a particular machine  Page |5 operator was unaware of the need to save them. Making trees and natural areas a design priority must be carried through to construction specification documents to ensure total design outcomes. Consideration should be given to replacement of structures. Replacing drainage structures is a very invasive process destroying many trees and natural habitat. These structures have withstood steam and diesel locomotive train traffic for 70 plus years and may be in need of repair. It is difficult to imagine they would not support foot traffic and cannot be repaired to stem erosion and provide proper drainage. Spending dollars to repair may be less expensive, accomplish equal result, and should be given priority. Thank you for considering all the issues related to the Redbud Trail. Adding a similar natural tree covered setting to the trail system would take us 50 years to grow. Please place priority on preserving this wonderful asset Wichita has to create increased quality of life. Tim Buchanan 1871 -1875 N. 159th Street East Wichita, KS