District 3 Advisory Board

District III Advisory Board Minutes for Jan. 9, 2013 District III Advisory Board Minutes Jan. 9, 2013 www.wichita.gov The District III Advisory Board meeting was held at 6:30 p.m. at the Wichita Water Center at 101 E Pawnee; eight District Advisory Board members were in attendance; nine City staff and 10 members of the public were present. Members Present Jody Bennett Staff Present Paul Davis Officer Nick Long, Patrol East Elena Ingle Dave Barber, MAPD Danny Johnson Mark Stanberry, Housing and Community Serv Gay Quisenberry Jennea Noel, Park and Rec Wendy Ratliff Brian Hill, Park and Rec David Robbins Lt. Matt Schulte, WFD Connie White Brian Richey, WFD Council Member James Clendenin Jordan Hargadine, WFD Janet Johnson, Neighborhood Services Members Absent Terry Brewster Guests Roger Smith Listed on the last page ORDER OF BUSINESS At 6:30 p.m. Council Member Clendenin called the meeting to order. Minutes from the Nov. 7, 2012, meeting were approved. PUBLIC AGENDA Scheduled items No items Non-Scheduled items No items Action: Receive and file. STAFF REPORTS Community Police Report Officer Nick Long, Beat 34 Patrol East, said they have seen a recent spike in burglaries in the 32, 33 and 35 beat areas. He asked citizens in those areas to be on the lookout for an older model red truck with a dent on the rear driver‟s side. Driver is described as a white male. Paul Davis asked if the newly re-constructed intersections at Pawnee and Broadway and 47th and Broadway still allow for right hand turns after a stop. Officer Long said he wasn‟t extremely familiar with those intersections, but he believed they are. Davis said a large percentage of the cars at 47th and Broadway don‟t stop at the red light before making a right hand turn. Officer Long said he would mention it to the Community Police Officer for that area. 1  District III Advisory Board Minutes for Jan. 9, 2013 Wichita Fire Department Report Lt. Matt Schulte, reminded everyone to change the batteries in their smoke alarms. He said it used to be recommended once a year when the time changed, but now they are suggesting changing them every six months – at the first of the new year and on July 4th. Lt. Schulte reported the Fire Department responded to 799 incidents in District III in 2012:  33 fires  585 EMS/Medical calls  181 service calls He also reminded people who are using extension cords for decorative lights that they should shut those off at night – they aren‟t made to be used 24/7. Lonnie Wright said that police officers go through a special training on how to deal with citizens suffering from mental health issues. He asked if firefighters go through that training. Lt. Schulte said when the Fire Department encounters a situation like this, they contact ComCare. Gerald Henry said he had some renters who kept taking the smoke alarms down because they thought if they could get him in trouble with the City, then they wouldn‟t have to pay their rent. He wanted to know what his options are. Lt. Schulte suggested installing the hard wired alarms. Henry also asked if the fire department responds to an accident on private property, is a report filed? Lt. Schulte said yes, and a copy may be obtained by going to the WFD Office on the 11th floor of City Hall. Action: Receive and file. NEW BUSINESS Request for Resolution of Support for Application for Housing Tax Credits Mark Stanberry, Housing and Community Services, presented a request for the resolution of support for the property located at 3410 E. Funston (old Parallax building). The proposed project involves complete renovation of the existing building, in order to provide for a total of 22 apartment units, including 18 one- bedroom units and four two-bedroom units for senior citizens. All units will feature fully equipped kitchens and in-unit washer and dryer hook-ups. Amenities are to include a courtyard, an interior community room, and a basement safe area. The Planning Department reviewed the proposed project, and expressed support, noting that it would be an improvement to existing land uses in the immediate area, and that it would be consistent with the Wichita-Sedgwick County Comprehensive Plan Functional Land Use Map which designates the subject property for Urban Residential uses. The Office of Central Inspection also reviewed the project and noted that the planned renovations will require installation of a fire sprinkler and alarm system, and that it might be necessary to maintain the existing fire walls for area increase purposes. The parking capacity reflected on the preliminary site plan appears to meet current requirements, but the “compact stalls” are no longer approved for use within the City. The addition of new approaches on Funston Street must be approved by the City Traffic Engineer. OCI staff further noted that the design of the buildings appears to meet the Development Design Guidelines that are a part of the Housing Tax Credit Policy, and that formal plan review for building permit issuance will be required. Housing and Community Services (HCS) believes that the proposed project will provide safe, clean affordable rental housing, and recommends approval of a recommendation for the adoption of a resolution of support by the City Council, with waiver of the market-rate unit requirement. 2  District III Advisory Board Minutes for Jan. 9, 2013 Stanberry pointed out the resolution of support will not constitute final plan or design approval. Dan Giroux and Gavin Moore, two of the investors, were also present to respond to questions and hear comments. Giroux said they are happy to be a part of the neighborhood and they plan on putting over a $1 million in re- modeling the building. He said it won‟t be recognizable when they are done with it. Elena Ingle said the property is located in the Grandview Heights area and Dan and Gavin attended their Neighborhood Association meeting last November. She said the neighborhood is very happy and excited about the project. Jody Bennett asked how much the apartments will rent for; Giroux said they are anticipating $395 for a one bedroom and $445 for a two bedroom. Bennett said with those rents, the place will fill up fast. Giroux said that applying for tax credits is a competitive process and he asked for citizens who support the project to please call the State Office and make their support known. Dave Robbins asked if pets will be allowed; Giroux said they haven‟t decided that yet. Jim Gulick asked when they anticipate starting the project. Giroux said they will find out in May or June if they were awarded the tax credits. If they receive them, they could start construction in October and finish the project the summer of 2014. Gavin Moore reminded everyone that schedule would be contingent on them being awarded the tax credits, but since it‟s a competitive process there is no guarantee. Lonny Wright asked what the “20% market rate” is that was noted in the staff report. Stanberry explained that with subsidized, or low-income apartments, the City has a policy that at least 20% of the units must rent at the “market rate.” This is to ensure the building is home to people of mixed incomes. However, because this project serves a special income (senior citizens) that requirement will be waived. Gay Quisenberry asked if they have spoken with the Department on Aging; Giroux said no, but that was a great idea. Elena Ingle, (White) made a motion that the DAB approve a recommendation for adoption of the resolution of support for the Housing Tax Credit Application, with waiver of the 20% market-rate unit requirement subject to further review, in accordance with the City of Wichita’s Housing Tax Credit Policy. Action: Motion passed 8-0. Sedgwick County Comprehensive Plan and WSU Community Survey Dave Barber, Metropolitan Area Planning Department, reported over the next three years, Wichita- Sedgwick County will be developing a new joint comprehensive plan that will guide public investment in our community‟s public infrastructure and facilities (libraries, police stations, streets, parks, water supply, sanitary and storm sewer, etc.) out to the year 2035. This new comprehensive plan initiative is called the CommunityInvestmentsPlan … a Framework for the Future. The state requires the city and county to have a comprehensive plan to guide spending on public infrastructure and facilities, and to authorize land development approvals. There is a long legacy of comprehensive planning in this community dating back to the 1920‟s. Wichita and Sedgwick County have had a joint comprehensive plan since the 1960‟s. The current Wichita-Sedgwick 3  District III Advisory Board Minutes for Jan. 9, 2013 County Comprehensive Plan was last developed in the early 1990‟s. In the new reality of fiscal constraint, economic uncertainty and diminishing fiscal resources, a new comprehensive plan is needed for our community. The new plan will be focused on „how much‟ and „where best‟ to invest our public funds; getting the best bang for our public dollars spent; and defining future expectations for our public infrastructure assets. A 23 member Plan Steering Committee was appointed to guide the development of the new comprehensive plan for consideration by the Wichita-Sedgwick County Metropolitan Area Planning Commission. The Committee is comprised of seven members of the Wichita-Sedgwick County Metropolitan Area Planning Commission, two members of the Wichita City Council, two members of the Sedgwick County Board of Commissioners, two members from the Sedgwick County Association of Cities, and 10 community-at-large members. Community engagement and DAB involvement will be critical throughout the plan development process. Barber said Wichita State will conduct a random survey of 25,000 registered voters in Wichita and Sedgwick County. The survey addresses various City programs and city/county public assets with a focus on water, sewer, transportation, community and economic development. He said the survey will provide valuable feedback on identifying future public spending priorities; citizens‟ willingness to pay; defining future expectations for public infrastructure/facilities; and developing a new comprehensive plan. Barber encouraged all citizens to visit the website at www.communityinvestmentsplan.org and to provide feedback either through that website or the City of Wichita Facebook page. There were a number of questions and concerns expressed about the survey. Some DAB members and citizens felt the survey should be made available to anyone who wants to take it. They also expressed skepticism on the projected number of responses. Paul Davis wanted to know how much the City is paying for the survey; Barber said $50,000, but explained it‟s part of the exchange/partnership between WSU and the City of Wichita. Action: Receive and file Aquatic Master Plan Brian Hill, Supervisor of Aquatics, Park and Recreation, gave a presentation on the status of the City‟s Aquatic program. He explained that Neighborhood aquatics facilities are aging and in need of repairs and/or replacement. Current facilities are between 30 and 50 years old and offer limited amenities. Additionally, there are new ADA requirements with which the neighborhood aquatic centers must comply. He said due to the advanced age, lack of amenities, and non-compliance with ADA regulations, there is a need to enhance these facilities. Improving facilities to address these concerns would expand the user base by accommodating seniors and individuals with physical disabilities. Enhancing the neighborhood aquatics centers would increase the number of users, which would make the facilities more financially viable. Surveys are being distributed to solicit community feedback and to determine which amenities and features are most important for neighborhood aquatics centers. Additionally, volunteers and participants will be sought from the community to participate in planning meetings and to partner with members of the Parks and Recreation Aquatics Department to increase community education on the benefits of aquatics health and safety programs. Dave Robbins asked what it costs for admission to a City pool and what the hours are; Hill said $2 for children and $3 for adults and the hours are 1:30 to 6 p.m. 4  District III Advisory Board Minutes for Jan. 9, 2013 Jody Bennett said she is very concerned about the financing and asked if the City has considered partnering with the YMCAs to provide this service. Hill said the City approached the Y, but they weren‟t interested because their pools are already operating at capacity. Bennett asked how many people used the pools this summer. Hill said around 80,000, which was up from last year. Dave Robbins asked if they still teach the Red Cross swimming lessons; Hill said they had been, but the Red Cross recently raised the price of their programming so it‟s no longer affordable for the City. Elena Ingle asked if the City aquatics would be open to some special programming such as swimming therapy for people suffering from arthritis. Hill said yes, but one of the challenges with the City‟s old pools is limited accessibility, i.e. only have step entry. Gay Quisenberry asked what a splash pad and lazy river are; Hill said the splash pad is the fountain feature, not a pool, and the lazy river is similar to what you see at the YMCA. Connie Klassen said it might be a pipe dream, but we sure could use a nice water park down around the 47th and Broadway area. Jim Gulick said there was recently a newspaper distributed door to door in his neighborhood that contained a lot of inaccurate information about the City‟s aquatics program; Hill said yes, he wished the author had actually talked to someone and gathered the facts before writing the article, but that they are certainly entitled to their opinion. Jan Hunt said she had heard the City subsidized the YMCA and wanted to know if that was accurate; CM Clendenin said he thought they got some tax breaks as a nonprofit. Josh Blick told Hill that he has been very pleased with the aquatic facility at Aley Park. Jim Gulick asked about the College Hill pool and how that was handled; Hill said the neighborhood came together and agreed to tax themselves and to raise additional funding in order to keep their pool open. Council Member Clendenin said he sees pools as a quality of life enhancement and businesses that are looking to relocate to Wichita consider the availability of those types of amenities. Hill reminded everyone that Watson Park rides re-open on March 16 and he asked that citizens pick up a survey and turn it in. Action: Receive and file UPDATES, ISSUES AND REPORTS Dave Robbins said the new Fabrique Neighborhood marker really looks nice and they had a nice dedication ceremony. Jody Bennett reported an increase in criminal activity in her neighborhood. Elena Ingle and Jim Gulick reported having an interesting meeting at Grandview Heights in November. Gay Quisenberry reported things had been fairly quiet in Hilltop, but there had been an increase in graffiti. Paul Davis said he thinks the new illegal sign volunteer project has had a positive impact on the city and there appears to be fewer signs. 5  District III Advisory Board Minutes for Jan. 9, 2013 Wendy Ratliff said there has been an increase in graffiti in Planeview also. Council Member Clendenin gave updates and commented on a number of items:  He would like to see the sign ordinance tweaked a little, but agreed it has worked the way the community envisioned and there are fewer signs.  The City is looking at the possibilities of drilling for oil on City owned property as a way to generate income. He said if this came to fruition, he would like to see the money spent on specific projects, and not necessarily put into the General Fund.  At the East Mt. Vernon meeting tomorrow night, County representatives will be present to discuss the status of the Battin Apartments. The Council Member said he and County Commissioner Jim Skelton have been keeping a close eye on the status of those apartments and the County was finally able to foreclose on the property. It will be sold at auction in the near future.  The old Honeywell building on S. Hydraulic has been purchased by Lee Engineering and that will have a positive impact on District III.  He is continuing to work with Council Member Meitzner on the passenger rail service. He said if citizens are supportive of it, they should contact their State Representatives – especially those who serve on the Transportation or Appropriations committees.  In the re-districting, District III picked up three additional precincts: 421, 101 and 102. Paul Davis noted that Dale Carter, President of the South Area Business Association, was recently appointed to DAB II. Connie Klassen said Tim Austin will give an update on Southfork at their Association meeting next Monday and she also contacted the medical people about coming. Council Member Clendenin recognized Josh Blick, President of the Southwest Neighborhood Association, part of which is now in District III. Meeting was adjourned. The next meeting for District Advisory Board III will be held at 6:30 p.m., Feb. 6, 2013, at the Water Center at 101 E. Pawnee. Respectfully submitted, Janet Johnson, Neighborhood Assistant – District III Guests Connie Klassen Steven Walters Jim Gulick Jan Hunt Josh Blick Dan Giroux Lonny Wright Gerald Henry Gavin Moore Cruz Navarette 6