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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2008-07-21 Downtown Task Force_MIN DOWNTOWN TASK FORCE – MEETING #2 JULY 21, 2008 PAGE 1 of 4 DOWNTOWN TASK FORCE MEETING MINUTES JULY 21, 2008 CALL TO ORDER Task Force Chair Pam Hammond called the meeting to order at 2:00 p.m. in the Siskiyou Room, 51 Winburn Way. Members Present: City Staff Present: Pam Hammond, Paddington Station, Chair Martha Bennett, City Administrator John Morrison, Mayor Richard Appicello, City Attorney Renee Compton, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory Bill Molnar, Community Development Director Daniel Greenblatt, Greenleaf Restaurant Adam Hanks, Permit Center Manager Sandra Slattery, Chamber of Commerce Dave Dotterrer, Planning Commission John Stromberg, Planning Commission George Kramer, Citizen at Large Dale Shostrom, Citizen at Large Don Laws, Citizen at Large Absent Members: Dana Bussell, Public Arts Commission STAFF PRESENTATION OF OPTIONS Permit Center Manager Adam Hanks briefly reviewed the nine key issues and options listed in the staff report. PUBLIC COMMENT Ron Roth, Geppetto’s/Shared his concerns over what he felt was an overzealous Code Enforcement Officer and recommended more direct supervision of this City employee. Graham Lewis, United Methodist Church/Noted the church is located on the corner of Laurel and N. Main, but they are only allowed signage on one of the streets. He stated signage on both frontages would be helpful. Steve, Soundpeace/Questioned if he would be permitted to place a prayer flag in the garden in the morning and take it in at night. Regarding the parking situation, he thought this was always voluntary and not necessarily enforced. Julie, Wiley’s World/Stated she does not view her Alfredo statute as a sign, but rather a piece of art; and stated the statue needs to be able to come in at night to avoid potential theft or vandalism. She voiced her support for removing the 3D object prohibition from the Sign Code. Melissa Markell, Chair of the Public Arts Commission/Voiced her support for Option #4 regarding the three dimensional sign issue, which would create an exemption for 2D or 3D public art. Susan, Black Sheep/Submitted signature petitions supporting the placement of the lion statue in front of the Black Sheep’s entrance. She stated if they remove the lion it would result in an unsafe doorway and stated this is a historical building and the entrance cannot be changed. DOWNTOWN TASK FORCE – MEETING #2 JULY 21, 2008 PAGE 2 of 4 Lee, Downtown Employee/Stated she received a ticket a few years ago, without warning, after parking in the same block twice. She stated this is a silly rule and the City should at least put up a sign warning employees. Pam Turner, Ashland Municipal Judge/Noted all parking appeals come to her and voiced her support for repealing or revising the downtown employee parking ban. She stated the ban is very difficult to enforce and felt the language was over broad. Lance Pugh, Ashland Resident/Voiced concern with what he felt was staff running the meeting and directing the focus. Brent Thompson, Ashland Resident/Voiced his support for the option permitting one additional exempt sign. Regarding the parking issue, he suggested diagonal parking could be used to create more spaces in certain downtown areas. Donna, Webster’s/Stated if they change the sign code, they need to make sure it can be universally applied. She commented briefly on the sidewalk issue and noted they are heavily congested in the middle of the season. Mike Morris, Ashland Planning Commissioner/Asked how they would feel if every building had something out in front of it, and questioned where the limits are. Ramona, B Ella/Stated if they are going to enforce the parking ban, it needs to be applied to everyone. COMMITTEE DISCUSSION & DIRECTION TO STAFF Downtown Employee Parking Ban Hammond voiced support for Option #1, which would eliminate the employee parking ban from the Ashland Municipal Code. She stated the City could still send out a letter each year asking the downtown businesses to voluntarily comply with the seasonal parking limitations. The Task Force voiced unanimous consent for this option. Unpaid Parking Tickets City Administrator Martha Bennett explained how the City currently handles unpaid parking citations and stated the City’s current enforcement tools are very weak. She stated booting or towing vehicles that have an excessive amount of unpaid parking violations is one option the group should consider. The group discussed the option presented by staff. Stromberg voiced his concerns with booting vehicles and felt towing was a better alternative. City Attorney Richard Appicello clarified due process would occur before anyone was booted and the individual would receive proper notice before this action occurred. Ms. Bennett listed the outstanding parking citation figures for the group. Laws voiced his support for booting, and stated this type of action is needed if they have people who simply do not care. Greenblatt agreed that this needs to have some “teeth.” Kramer voiced his support for the towing option. Compton agreed, but questioned what the outstanding ticket amount would have to before this action was taken. Hammond recommended they move onto the next issue and look at this option further at their next meeting. DOWNTOWN TASK FORCE – MEETING #2 JULY 21, 2008 PAGE 3 of 4 Amount of Signage Permitted Hammond listed the two options for Issue #1. She stated they could modify the Sign Code to allow for one additional exempt sign or they could choose to modify the Code to allow the existing exempt signs to be a maximum of 3 sq. ft. The group discussed the two options. Shostrom suggested modifying the requirement to allow for two signs at 2 sq. ft. or less, and one additional sign at 3 sq. ft or less. Kramer recommended they not limit this to the C-1-D zone, but permit the additional signage in the entire commercial district. Compton noted that being able to display menus is not only a benefit for the restaurants, but also the pedestrians. Kramer suggested they increase the total amount of signage permitted (based on the linear footage of the building’s frontage) and allow businesses to allocate the space as they choose. Compton suggested they establish two different parameters; one for inside the downtown area and one for outside this area. Mr. Hanks clarified the current provision which allows businesses to use up to 20% of their window space for changeable copy. He also provided a brief explanation of how businesses with no windows or those located on second and third stories are accommodated. Staff was directed to return at the next meeting with information on the new options presented by Shostrom and Kramer. 3-Dimensional Signs/Representations of Merchandise Hammond listed the options for Issue #2 outlined in the staff report. Kramer and Compton voiced their support for Option 2, which would allow 3D representations as a sign type. Laws expressed concern with permitting 3D objects, though supported the ones we currently have. He questioned if there was a way to exempt those that exist today. Slattery voiced her confidence that businesses would do everything possible to make their business attractive and is not concerned that Option 2 would result in a surge of undesirable objects. Hammond conducted a straw vote and the majority of the group supported Option 2. The Task Force agreed to continue with the meeting until 4:30 p.m. Limited Signage Access due to Location Hammond listed the options for Issue #3 outlined in the staff report. Kramer suggested businesses, such as the Blue Giraffe, with no frontage on a public street be allowed one offsite sign as part of their sign allocation; however include a provision that this sign could not be placed on public right of way. The group briefly discussed these options and agreed to come back to this issue at their next meeting. Use of Right-of-Way for Commercial Use Hammond listed the options in the staff report. Laws noted when the Sidewalk Café ordinance was passed, its intent was not to benefit the restaurant specifically, but to enhance the ambiance in town. He felt opening up the use of sidewalks for merchandise was unacceptable and would destroy the Ashland’s appearance. City Attorney Richard Appicello briefly commented on the legal issues surrounding this matter. Slattery commented that sidewalk dining is something the public loves, and suggested they look at other communities and how they deal with this issue. Kramer noted that selling flowers, fruit or vegetables on the sidewalk could also add character. City Administrator Martha Bennett commented on Option 2, which would allow the City to lease sidewalk space to businesses, and questioned how much merchandise that business would need to sell to make this worthwhile to them. Comment was made that this would be for the individual business to decide. Greenblatt noted Greenleaf was the first restaurant to have outdoor seating on the Calle and DOWNTOWN TASK FORCE – MEETING #2 JULY 21, 2008 PAGE 4 of 4 voiced support for allowing the City to rent the public right of way, so long as the parameters are followed. Ms. Bennett clarified the sidewalk space would be only leased to the adjacent business. Hammond conducted a straw vote and the majority of the group were interested in a combination of Options 2 and 3. Ms. Bennett indicated staff would do more flushing out of the details on the input provided by the group. She noted they would pick up where they left off at the next meeting and encouraged interested citizens and business owners to submit their comments and concerns to staff. ADJOURNMENT Meeting adjourned at 4:30 p.m. Respectfully submitted, April Lucas, Administrative Assistant