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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2008-07-14 Downtown Task Force_MIN DOWNTOWN TASK FORCE – MEETING #1 JULY 14, 2008 PAGE 1 of 4 DOWNTOWN TASK FORCE MEETING MINUTES JULY 14, 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 Dana Bussell, Public Arts Commission Dave Dotterrer, Planning Commission John Stromberg, Planning Commission George Kramer, Citizen at Large Dale Shostrom, Citizen at Large Don Laws, Citizen at Large WELCOME & INTRODUCTIONS Pam Hammond and Mayor Morrison welcomed the group and each member introduced themselves. PURPOSE & GOALS OF TASK FORCE Mayor Morrison commented briefly on what prompted the creation of this task force and noted issues have been raised regarding the City’s sign code, use of the public right of way, and the downtown employee parking ban. He stated the Downtown Task Force would be meeting for three weeks and encouraged them to focus on addressing the immediate concerns. OVERVIEW OF TASK FORCE SCHEDULE Hammond briefly reviewed the meeting agenda. She indicated their second meeting would include a staff presentation of options and committee discussion; and hopes they can have deliberations and come to a recommendation by their third meeting. OVERVIEW OF THREE ISSUES Community Development Director Bill Molnar presented an overview of the City’s sign code, use of public right-of-way, and downtown employee parking restrictions. Sign Code Mr. Molnar stated the 1966 Central Area Plan called for the development of a sign program and the City’s sign ordinance was officially adopted in 1968. He stated there have been several updates to this section of the code over the years and noted the 1988 Downtown Plan acknowledged the success of the sign code. Mr. Molnar provided the definitions of “signs”, “exempted signs”, and “prohibited signs” and listed the main compliance issues the City deals with. Use of the Public Right of Way Mr. Molnar noted there are many competing interests within the sidewalks and stated the City has regulations regarding the outdoor display of merchandise. He explained the Ashland Municipal Code prohibits using the street or public sidewalk for selling, storing or displaying merchandise or equipment; DOWNTOWN TASK FORCE – MEETING #1 JULY 14, 2008 PAGE 2 of 4 and businesses within the City’s commercial zones are required to obtain a conditional use permit (CUP) for the outdoor storage of merchandise on private property. Mr. Molnar noted the City has a sidewalk café ordinance and it is administered by the Public Works Department. Downtown Employee Parking Ban Mr. Molnar explained the ban was first adopted in 1985 at the request of the Chamber of Commerce and the seasonal restrictions were made permanent in 1986. He explained the ban restricts downtown employee parking in the downtown parking district between 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., May through September; and listed some of the issues that have been raised by the affected businesses and their employees. PUBLIC COMMENT Tom, Pasta Piatti & Tabu/Shared his concerns regarding the newspaper racks. Nola, Renaissance Rose/Noted she had been cited by the City and requested clarification on the ordinance governing the outdoor display of merchandise. She noted the sale of merchandise on Guanajuato Way and asked about the City’s CUP process. Steve, Soundpeace/Asked if there was a way for current businesses to be “grandfathered in” and require anyone new to receive approval for the display of items. He agreed with the concerns expressed by the previous speaker regarding newspaper boxes and suggested there be a maintenance requirement for these. Steve noted the signage in Boulder, Colorado and suggested the Task Force review the Boulder sign code for comparison. He also commented on the employee parking ban and noted employees are being issued tickets when visiting downtown businesses on their days off. Julie, Wiley’s Pasta/Noted her business is not located downtown and stated they use their “Alfredo” statue to show customers that they are open for business. Lenny, CD or not CD/Stated there is a small space in front of his store that he would be interested in obtaining a CUP for. He commented on the height of his sign and suggested they allow businesses to sell merchandise outdoors on weekends only. He stated it is possible to have attractive sandwich signs, newspaper boxes, and neon signs; and suggested the City form a review board to determine what is aesthetically pleasing. Dave, Endless Massage/Noted that his is a newer business and commented on the use of sandwich boards to attract business. He stated his board did obstruct people walking and stated it made a big difference in bringing people into his business. Susan, Pilaf/Questioned why people dressed as the Statue of Liberty or dressed in sandwich boards does not go against the sign code. She stated that parking is one of her major stressors and explained that she often has to come and go several times a day from her business. Kate, Earth Friendly Kids/Stated being unable to put merchandise out in front of her store has made them struggle financially and believes the City is hurting the vitality of the town by making such strict rules. Ramona, B Ella/Noted her store has no back entrance and all of their supplies have to come through the front door. She questioned the fairness of the parking situation and asked if downtown employees who work at night are being ticketing as well. DOWNTOWN TASK FORCE – MEETING #1 JULY 14, 2008 PAGE 3 of 4 Jimmy, Blue Giraffe Spa/Noted their building is set back from Water Street, behind the parking lot and customers cannot see his sign from the street. He stated he receives a lot of complaints from clients because they cannot find his store. He suggested the City have some sort of hearings process to deal with unique situations like his own. He also questioned putting up a small sign similar to Pilaf’s or Iris Inn’s signs. Don, Ashland Springs Hotel & Larks/Stated he was cited for placing the building’s original sandwich board in front of the hotel and noted the challenge of educating guests on what they offer. He stated that inadequate parking in Ashland is a big issue and noted the parking garage is consistently full. Mike Morris, Planning Commissioner/Recommended the sign ordinance be removed from the Land Use section of the Municipal Code and recommended they set criteria for a variance. He suggested different requirements be set for areas outside of downtown (at least until these areas become more populated be pedestrians) and recommended they establish maintenance requirements for newspaper boxes. Pam Turner, Ashland Municipal Judge/Noted that she handles the City’s parking violations and stated the intention of the employee downtown parking ban is not to prohibit employees from visiting businesses on their time off. She encouraged everyone to read this section of the code (AMC 11.30.020). City Administrator Martha Bennett clarified 95% of the businesses have complied with the City’s requirements and stated she would like to continue to work cooperatively with the businesses while this process is going on. City Attorney Richard Appicello commented briefly on the concept of grandfathering. He clarified the City is required to treat everyone equally and does not believe grandfathering is an option. Mayor Morrison clarified that public testimony will be included in this process and encouraged the businesses and members of the public to submit their information to the Task Force. COMMITTEE DISCUSSION City Administrator Martha Bennett indicated staff would be preparing white papers and submitting them to the group within the next few days. She recommended they inform staff if they are in need to additional information or if there are options they are leaning toward. She agreed that parking in Ashland was a valid concern, but recommended they limit their discussion to the employee parking issue. Clarification was requested on the process of obtaining a conditional use permit to display merchandise on private property. Permit Center Manager Adam Hanks stated this is a Type I land use action and the fee is currently $882. He stated the City has seen this type of CUP for larger scale uses, such as the hardware store, but noted the approval criteria are fairly general. Mr. Hanks clarified the Iris Inn’s sign was obtained through ODOT, not the City. Sandra Slattery commented that these requirements were put in place for good reasons; however they need to ensure that Ashland businesses can be successful and stated it is time to look at these regulations with the current view of the community in mind. City Attorney Richard Appicello commented on the issue of placing 3-D objects in front of businesses and clarified they can only limit the time, place, manner and size of these objects, not the content. George Kramer added they could also control the materials they are made of and can require the object to be maintained. DOWNTOWN TASK FORCE – MEETING #1 JULY 14, 2008 PAGE 4 of 4 Ms. Bennett noted the City would be bringing forward options regarding sidewalk cafes, including options for permitting, regulating, and leasing public right of ways. She clarified the vendors along Calle Guanajuato lease this space from the City and stated the Task Force could consider creating a similar provision for individual business to display merchandise in front of their stores. Don Laws requested the City Attorney prepare a memo that cites the court cases and laws that deal with grandfathering and the equality of treatment. He stated he would like to know what is legal and whether the City could make changes. Mr. Laws provided some history of the sign code and stated its intent was to make Ashland businesses more appealing. He commented on how the sign code has contributed to the overall success of businesses in Ashland and recommended they be careful about making changes. Dave Dotterrer suggested the sign code differentiate between private property and public right of way. Ms. Bennett voiced her support for this suggestion. Mr. Appicello clarified the City could permit larger 3- D objects on private property than on public right of way. Dana Bussell commented on the Public Arts Commission’s master plan and noted the plan did speak to some of these issues. She clarified one of the goals of the plan was to change the sign ordinance to allow for murals. She also commented briefly on the public art jury process the commission utilizes, and clarified people affected by the object are represented on the jury. Sandra Slattery noted that there are other communities, such as Carmel, California, that have very pleasing signage and suggested the group take a look at how other communities deal with this issue. Ms. Bennett requested the group clarify which cities’ sign codes they are interested in. Staff was directed to look into the sign codes for Carmel, California and Boulder, Colorado, particularly for small, directional signs. Ms. Slattery noted she would also try to gather information and obtain samples from other communities that are attractive, high visitor destinations. Mayor Morrison requested information on newspaper boxes, including what governs their installation, maintenance, and removal. Additional request was made for how many spaces a publication can have and whether the boxes interfere with pedestrian and vehicle safety. It was also questioned if the City could designate certain areas where the boxes would be permitted. Ms. Bennett indicated staff would gather the information requested by the group and stated materials for the next meeting would be sent out later this week. She noted the next Downtown Task Force meeting is scheduled for next Monday, July 21 at 2 p.m. ADJOURNMENT Meeting adjourned at 4:05 p.m. Respectfully submitted, April Lucas, Administrative Assistant