[00:00:04]
WELCOME TO THE METROPOLITAN COUNCIL ZONING MEETING WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 6TH, 2023.UH, THE RULES FOR CONDUCTING SUCH PUBLIC HEARING ARE AS FOLLOWS.
THIS IS A PUBLIC MEETING IN ACCORDANCE WITH TITLE ONE SECTIONS 1.2 C NINE AND 1.7 A OF THE CODE OF ORDINANCES.
ALL ITEMS ON THIS AGENDA ARE OPEN FOR PUBLIC COMMENT.
MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC DESIRING TO SPEAK ON A PARTICULAR ITEM SHOULD REFER TO A MEETING AGENDA AND COMPLETE NECESSARY INFORMATION PRIOR TO THE MEETING, USING ONE OF THE MONITORS OUTSIDE THE METROPOLITAN COUNCIL CHAMBERS, OR BY FILLING OUT A REQUEST TO SPEAK CARD INDICATING WHICH ITEM YOU WISH TO SPEAK ON AND PLACE IT IN THE DESIGNATED LOCATION PRIOR TO THE MEETING.
ONCE THE ITEM IS ANNOUNCED, EACH PERSON'S NAME WHO HAS COMPLETED THE CARD, WILL BE CALLED ON TO SPEAK FOR THE AMOUNT OF TIME, SO DESIGNATED BY THE PRO TEM.
THE PROPONENTS WILL SPEAK FIRST, THEN THE OPPONENTS.
EACH SPEAKER WILL BE ALLOWED NOT MORE THAN THREE MINUTES.
THE SPEAKERS ARE REQUESTED TO LIMIT THEIR REMARKS AND TO AVOID DUPLICATION IN THEIR PRESENTATIONS.
THE PROPONENTS WILL BE ALLOWED THREE MINUTES FOR REBUTTAL.
THE METROPOLITAN COUNCIL MEMBERS MAY ASK QUESTIONS AND MAKE COMMENTS IN ACCORDANCE WITH APPLICABLE LAW, BUT ARE URGED TO COOPERATE IN AN EFFORT TO SPEND NO MORE THAN 30 MINUTES ON ANY ONE ZONING CASE.
[CALL TO ORDER]
WE'LL HAVE OUR CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL.ASHLEY, DO WE HAVE A QUORUM? WE HAVE A QUORUM.
A VIDEO WILL BE SHOWN ON THIS, UH, PRIOR TO THE PUBLIC HEARING.
SO I'LL READ ITEM ONE INTO THE, INTO THE, INTO THE RECORD HERE, AND THEN WE'LL PLAY THE VIDEO.
UH, COUNCILMAN MOE WITH A POINT OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE.
UH, BEFORE WE GET STARTED, UM, SO I'M DOWN HERE FOR A COUPLE DAYS LAST WEEK AND I SEE ALL THIS FESTIVE ACTIVITIES AND ALL THE KIND OF STUFF GOING ON, ON EVERY SINGLE FLOOR.
AND I CAN WALK THROUGH THE COUNCIL CHAMBER AND THERE IS NOTHING.
SO, YOU KNOW, HERE WE ARE TRYING TO GET IN THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT.
I WANTED TO RECOGNIZE SOME PEOPLE BEFORE WE GET STARTED AND, AND EVERYTHING.
BUT, UM, DENNIS AND I SPOKE WITH, UH, MR. JOE AND YOU GOT WITH DENNIS AND, UM, THE BROWNS CREW AND EVERYBODY ELSE.
BUT I WANTED TO THANK Y'ALL FOR THE BEAUTIFUL WORK THAT Y'ALL DID HERE IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBER AND BRINGING THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT AND, AND THE BLESSING OF THE SEASON, UH, TO US AND THE PUBLIC.
SO THANK Y'ALL VERY MUCH FOR YOU AND YOUR OFFICE.
[1. 23-01542 PA-16-23 FUTUREBR Update ( Part 1 of 2 )]
LOOK, ITEM ONE, PA DASH 16 DASH 23, FUTURE BR UPDATE AMENDING THE FUTURE BR THE 20 YEAR COMPREHENSIVE LAND USE AND DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR THE CITY OF BATON ROUGE AND PARISH OF EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH WIDE COMMISSION ACTION.MOTION TO APPROVE CARRIED SEVEN TO ZERO.
WE'LL, UH, PLAY THE VIDEO NOW FROM PLANNING STAFF.
STAFF STARTED THE PROCESS OF UPDATING FUTURE VR FOR THE SECOND FIVE YEAR UPDATE.
STAFF BEGAN MEETING WITH CITY PARISH AGENCIES ON PROGRESS AND GOALS SET FORTH IN THE CURRENT COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.
AND OVER THE PAST FIVE YEARS, STAFF TRACK CHANGES, DEVELOPMENT TRENDS AND PUBLIC COMMENTS.
INITIAL UPDATES TO FUTURE B'S ELEMENTS AND ADJUSTMENTS TO THE FUTURE.
B, LAND USE MAP AND MAJOR STREET PLAN WERE SHARED WITH THE PUBLIC DURING THE INITIAL ROUND OF PUBLIC OUTREACH.
TO ASSIST WITH THIS OUTREACH, THE PLANNING COMMISSION ENLISTED THE SERVICES OF FRANKLIN AND ASSOCIATES FOR FURTHER PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT AND WORKSHOPS.
A TOTAL OF WORKSHOPS WERE CONDUCTED THROUGHOUT THE PARISH.
PRESS RELEASES WERE SHARED TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO SUBMIT COMMENTS AND ATTEND WORKSHOPS.
MULTIPLE TV AND RADIO NEWS OUTLETS PROVIDED COVERAGE.
THE WEBSITE OFFERED AN INTRODUCTORY VIDEO.
A SURVEY PROPOSED CHANGES TO FUTURE VR AND A PLATFORM TO SUBMIT COMMENTS.
CHANGES TO FUTURE HAVE BEEN TRACKED AND POSTED ON THE WEBSITE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, AND ALL COMMENTS RECEIVED HAVE BEEN ADDRESSED.
MAJOR UPDATES TO FUTURE VR IN 2023 SHIFTED THE FOCUS FROM EXPANDING MOTOR VEHICLE CAPACITY TO ENHANCING PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, BIKING, AND WALKING INFRASTRUCTURE.
THE UPDATES ALSO AIM TO INCREASE THE AVAILABILITY OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING, ATTRACT NEW BUSINESSES, GENERATE EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN HIGH GROWTH INDUSTRIES, AND INVEST IN RENEWABLE ENERGY TO IMPROVE EFFICIENCY AND PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT.
THESE CHANGES ARE REFLECTED IN THE NINE ELEMENTS OF FUTURE VR, INCLUDING LAND USE, COMMUNITY DESIGN AND NEIGHBORHOODS, TRANSPORTATION, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, HOUSING ENVIRONMENT AND CONSERVATION, PARKS AND RECREATION, PUBLIC SERVICES AND INFRASTRUCTURE.
EACH ELEMENT'S NARRATIVE WAS UPDATED TO INCLUDE NEW IMAGES, CURRENT CONDITIONS, STATISTICS AND GRAPHS.
IN ADDITION TO THE ELEMENTS, FUTURE BUREAU ENCOMPASSES THREE MAPS THAT CONSIST OF THE FUTURE.
B LAND USE MAP, THE MAJOR STREET PLAN AND CHARACTER AREAS.
THIS UPDATE INCLUDES PROPOSED MODIFICATIONS TO THE FUTURE LAND USE MAP AND MAJOR STREET PLAN, SUCH AS DESIGNATING EAST BATON ROUGE SCHOOL PROPERTIES AS INSTITUTIONAL AND PREP PROPERTIES.
THIS PARK ADDITIONAL CHANGES FROM THE PUBLIC COMMENTS CAN BE FOUND ON THE FUTURE LAND USE MAP AS WELL.
ADJUSTMENTS WERE ALSO MADE TO THE INDUSTRIAL AND EMPLOYMENT CENTER.
[00:05:01]
THE MAJOR STREET PLAN WAS UPDATED TO INCLUDE MOVE BR PROJECTS THAT WERE NOT PART OF THE MAJOR STREET PLAN.THE CHARACTER AREA MAP REMAINED THE SAME, HOWEVER THE DOWNTOWN CHARACTER WAS REVISED TO ENSURE ALLOWANCE OF SINGLE FAMILY HOMES IN THE CORE OF THE CITY.
THIS IS A FIVE-YEAR UPDATE OF FUTURE BR.
AT FIRST, I'D LIKE TO RECOGNIZE OUR PLANNING MANAGER JEFFREY L LUENBERGER.
AS MOST OF Y'ALL KNOW, UH, HE DESERVES A LOT OF THIS CREDIT.
HE AND HIS STAFF, JASMINE THOMAS, CAROLINE MORRIS, AND MARIE HOPKINS.
I'D LIKE TO THANK THEM FOR THEIR HARD WORK IN, IN COORDINATING THIS EFFORT.
UH, WE'VE SPENT MOST OF THIS YEAR AND EVEN GOING BACK INTO PARTS OF LAST YEAR ON THIS FIVE YEAR UPDATE PROCESS, WE'VE HAD NON-COMMUNITY OPEN HOUSE MEETINGS, SEVERAL PRESENTATIONS TO VARIOUS COMMUNITY GROUPS ACROSS THE PARISH.
OVER 125 PEOPLE ATTENDED THESE MEETINGS.
WE'VE RECEIVED 110 COMMENTS, UH, WERE SUBMITTED, AND 410 SURVEY RESULTS WERE ALSO RECEIVED, BRINGING THE TOTAL NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT PARTICIPATED TO THE PLAN, UPDATE TO MORE THAN 500 MORE THAN THE PREVIOUS FIVE YEAR UPDATE.
AN OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF COMMENTS AND FEEDBACK WE RECEIVED RESULTED IN CHANGES TO THIS PLAN.
OTHER CHANGES INVOLVED ELIMINATE, ELIMINATING, DUPLICATE AND OUT OF DATE MATERIAL.
IN ADDITION, STAFF EXAMINED EACH AND EVERY PARCEL OF THE PARISH TO ENSURE THAT APPROPRIATE LAND USE DESIGNATIONS WERE PLACED ON THE FUTURE LAND USE MAP.
THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT AT THIS TIME IS RECOMMENDING APPROVAL BASED UPON SUCCESSFUL PUBLIC OUTREACH AND THE NEED TO UPDATE FUTURE BR TO CHANGING CONDITIONS, ELIMINATING REDUNDANT AND INCONSISTENT PROVISIONS, AND THE EXAMINATION OF LAND USE PATTERNS AT A GREATER LEVEL OF DETAIL.
I ALSO WANT TO NOTE THAT WE'VE RECEIVED COMMENTS AND SUPPORT FROM THE BATON ROUGE NORTH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT AND ALSO FROM THE FEDERATION OF CIVIC ASSOCIATIONS.
I'M HERE AS WELL AS JEFF AND MY ASSISTANT PLANNING DIRECTOR GI WILL BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
I ALSO FAILED TO POINT OUT, I DO NEED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE SUPPORT FROM THE IS DEPARTMENT.
UH, THEY WERE INSTRUMENTAL, ERIC AND, UH, WARREN, WHO HAS PREVIOUSLY RETIRED, WORKED, UH, HARD THROUGHOUT THE YEAR IN PROVIDING UPDATED MAPS, UM, FOR OUR WORKSHOPS AND THOSE PUBLIC MEETINGS.
WE ALSO HAD A DEDICATED WEBSITE PAGE WHERE ALL OF THE INFORMATION, UH, WAS POSTED AND WE DID RECEIVE COMMENTS THROUGH THAT, THAT PAGE AS WELL AS OUT IN THE PUBLIC.
WE'LL OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING FOR ITEM ONE.
ANYONE FROM THE PUBLIC WISHING TO SPEAK ON ITEM ONE? SEE, AND NONE WE'LL CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING AND MOVE TO COUNCIL MEMBERS, UH, COUNCILWOMAN BANKS.
I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE, UM, THE FUTURE BRR PLAN WITH THE ACCEPT AND WITH THE EXCEPTION OF REMOVING THREE ITEMS. AND THEY ARE IN REFERENCE TO THE RAIL STATION MASTER PLAN.
YOU, IF YOU WOULD GO ALONG WITH ME, RYAN, JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT I'M ACCURATE.
AM I REFERENCING THE CORRECT, THE THE FIRST REFERENCE TO THE RAIL MASTER PLAN WAS IN THE COMMUNITY DESIGN AND NEIGHBORHOOD ELEMENT.
THERE'S NOT ELEMENTS OF FUTURE VR.
SO THE FIRST REFERENCE IS IN THE COMMUNITY DESIGN AND NEIGHBORHOOD.
UH, IT REFERENCED THE RAIL STATION MASTER PLAN AS A OTHER ACKNOWLEDGED PLANNING EFFORT INSIDE THE CITY PARISH.
AND THEN THE SECOND REFERENCE IS ON PAGE 11.
UNDER THE TRANSPORTATION ELEMENT, IT ALSO HAS A GRAPHIC OF, UM, A PROPOSED RAILROAD AND TWO POTENTIAL STOPS.
PAGE 11 OF THE TRANSPORTATION ELEMENT.
THERE'S A GRAPHIC THAT REFERENCES THAT.
AND THEN THE THIRD IS, UM, IN THE COMMUNITY DESIGN AND NEIGHBORHOODS ACTION.
ITEM 2.2 0.3, SUPPORT THAT IMPLEMENTATION OF THE RAIL STATION MASTER PLAN TO PROVIDE RELIABLE AND EFFICIENT TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS AND TO CONNECT RESIDENTS TO ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES.
THOSE ARE THE THREE, UM, REFERENCES ALL, UM, FROM THE FIVE YEAR BILL BATON ROUGE PLAN.
AND SO I THINK, UH, IT'S APPROPRIATE, IT'S INAPPROPRIATE FOR THEM TO BE IN THE PLAN AT THIS TIME BECAUSE IT'S REGIONAL AND WITHOUT THE COLLABORATION OF THE OTHER PARISHES.
[00:10:01]
UM, THERE'S A LOT OF WORK BASED ON OUR LAST DISCUSSION AND, UM, THAT WE NEED TO DISCUSS IT.MAKE A MOTION WITH THE ELIMINATION OF THOSE THREE ITEMS. ALL RIGHT.
THERE'S A MOTION FROM COUNCILMAN BANKS.
UH, IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND.
SECOND BY COUNCILMAN DUNN? OBJECTION.
UH, MR. MOOCH, DO YOU HAVE THE FLOOR? WELL, I'VE BEEN PUTTING MY OBJECTION IN.
I, UM, CAN WE, DO WE HAVE THAT, THOSE ITEMS THAT WE COULD PUT UP ON THE SCREEN BY ANY CHANCE? I DIDN'T ASK FOR IT EARLIER 'CAUSE I DIDN'T KNOW, UH, WHICH PART THAT WOULD BE IN.
IT'S REALLY KIND OF DIFFERENT.
IT DOESN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH, I APOLOGIZE.
WHAT'S THAT? I WAS JUST SAYING IT DOESN'T, I REALLY DON'T HAVE TO ACKNOWLEDGE.
NO, SHE, I THOUGHT SHE WAS ADDRESSING ME.
UH, YOU KNOW, MY MIC ALWAYS COUNCILMAN MOOCH HAS THE FLOOR AND IF WE WOULD KEEP THE, LET'S, LET'S KEEP THIS.
NO, I, NO, I DON'T THINK SHE SAID ANYTHING BAD.
I JUST DIDN'T KNOW IF SHE WAS ADDRESSING ME AND I DIDN'T HEAR IT.
UM, I, I DON'T, FRED'S NOT HERE.
DOES THIS AFFECT, BY TAKING THESE ITEMS OUT, DOES IT AFFECT THE, UM, DEFERRAL OR ANYTHING, OR THE PLAN THAT WAS, THAT IS COMING BEFORE US, UM, IN, IN THAT'S COMING UP BEFORE THE COUNCIL MEETING.
ALSO, IF WE LEAVE THIS IN, DOES IT STILL AFFECT THE DECISION THAT WE NEED TO MAKE ON, ON THE OTHER STUFF? OR IT IS JUST A, IT'S JUST A FUTURE BR PLAN.
IT'S NOTHING THAT'S ACTUALLY GOING TO BE ENACTED ON, IS IT RYAN? I MEAN, IT DOESN'T SAY, OKAY.
THE TRAIN STATION IS IN THE FUTURE BR PLAN.
IT'S, IT'S, IT'S PLANNED ON THIS STOP THIS, STOP THIS STOP.
JUST BY BEING IN THIS PLAN DOESN'T MEAN IT'S GONNA BE DONE.
IT'S GENERIC REFERENCES TO THE FUTURE POTENTIAL WORK OF THE, THE RAIL STATION MASTER PLAN.
THERE WAS A DOCUMENT THAT WAS PUT TOGETHER BY BILL BATON ROUGE IN 2019.
UH, THE LAST FIVE YEAR UPDATE OF FUTURE VR WAS DONE IN 2018.
SO AGAIN, THESE THREE REFERENCES WERE SIMPLY UPDATES, UM, REFERENCING AND INCLUDING POTENTIAL PLANNING WORK THAT HAD BEEN DONE IN THE PARISH SINCE 2018.
UH, THE PLAN WOULD STAND ON ITS OWN WITHOUT THESE ITEMS. UM, I DO HAVE SOME POTENTIAL CONCERNS ABOUT POTENTIAL GRANT FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES WITH THE REMOVAL OF THIS, UM,
SO, SO IF WE LEAVE THEM IN JUST AS A REFERENCE, IT, IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT WE HAVE, WE'VE GOTTA GO FORWARD WITH IT, OR THE PUBLIC EXPECTS US TO BUILD A TRAIN STATION NEXT YEAR OR, OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
AND, AND, AND AGAIN, I I TOTALLY SEE WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.
UM, AS FAR AS THE REFERENCE TO IT, AND WHETHER WE MIGHT OR MIGHT NOT DO IT, OR, UM, AND I HOPE IT DOESN'T BY BEING IN THERE AND WHERE IT'S AT, MAYBE YOUR CONCERN IS DOES IT LOCK IT INTO THAT PLACE OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT? NO, I, I'M NOT SURE.
UM, I GUESS I SHOULD, YOU KNOW, I KNOW WE HAD GREAT DISCUSSION ABOUT GOING TO THE AIRPORT AND THINGS LIKE THAT, UM, AND SO ON.
BUT I, I, I HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT TAKING THIS COMPLETELY OUT AND, AND, AND LIKE YOU SAID, WITH DIFFERENT REFERENCES AND STUFF, I WISH FRED WAS HERE THAT COULD ANSWER TO SOME OF THIS ALSO.
SO I WOULD ASK MY FELLOW COUNCIL MEMBERS TO FIRST, YOU KNOW, JUST LET'S BE CAREFUL IN, IN DOING THAT.
AND IF COUNCILWOMAN BANKS WOULD LIKE TO USE THE REST OF MY TIME ON THIS FIVE MINUTES, SHE'S MORE THAN WELCOME TO.
UM, SO I, I DIDN'T GET INTO THE NUTS IN A BOX OF THE REASONING.
UM, BUT FOR ONE THING, I WOULD LIKE TO REFER TO ME SPEAKING WITH RYAN AND HIM INDICATING THAT THIS DOES NOT IMPACT ANYTHING AT ALL, BECAUSE IT'S JUST A STATEMENT, INCLUDING THE GRANT.
ALSO, THE GRANT IS NOT, UM, A LOCKED IN GRANT FOR RAIL STATION.
IT'S FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION.
SO THAT COULD BE CATS, THAT COULD BE A TROLLEY, THAT COULD BE SEVERAL THINGS.
AND OUR DISCUSSION, WHAT WE HAD LAST TIME THERE, IT WAS ONLY A DISCUSSION.
IT WASN'T A ITEM THAT WAS, UM, THAT WE WOULD BE VOTING ON OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
IT ISN'T EVEN SOMETHING THAT HAS COME BEFORE THE PLANNING COMMISSION.
IT WAS, WE'RE, WE'RE VOTING NEXT WEEK.
COUNCILWOMAN, UH, COUNCILWOMAN BANKS HAS THE FLOOR.
BUT AGAIN, UM, IT IS, AS YOU SEE, IT'S, IT'D BE REDUNDANT TO SAY IT MATTERS AND THEN IT DOESN'T.
AND BASED ON WHAT RYAN TOLD ME SEVERAL TIMES AND POINTED OUT THESE TO ME, THAT IT DOES NOT IMPACT.
SO NOW I'LL GET INTO THE NUTS AND BOLTS THAT I WANT.
I WAS, UM, GONNA AVOID WHAT MAKES THIS DIFFERENT.
SO, UM, THERE ARE ONLY THREE SMALL AREA PLANS THAT THE COUNCIL HAS HAVE APPROVED THAT IT'S THE VILLE COMMUNITY STRATEGIC PLAN, THE HEALTH DISTRICT, AND IMAGINE BATON ROUGE, ALL OF THOSE ARE THE ONLY ONES THAT WERE DONE IN 20 11, 20 16, AND 2019.
SO, THEORETICALLY, THOSE ARE THE ONLY PLANS THAT WE ARE OBLIGATED TO DO
[00:15:01]
BASED ON THE COMMUNITY AND THE COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT WERE INVOLVED IN.I HAVEN'T HEARD ANY COUNCIL MEMBERS SAY THAT A RAIL WAS PART OF A CONVERSATION THAT THEY BROUGHT TO THIS BODY IN ANY SHAPE OR FORM.
SO, BASED ON THE COUNCIL, UH, RESOLUTIONS AND THINGS THAT HOLISTICALLY, UH, WOULD IMPACT OUR WHOLE COMMUNITY, THERE IS THE BATON ROUGE LAKES MASTER PLAN.
THE, UH, WHICH IS IN, WITHIN THE REGION OF BATON ROUGE, THE CHOCTAW CORRIDOR INSIDE OF BATON ROUGE DOWNTOWN COUNCILMAN BANKS.
UH, THAT'S THE END OF COUNCILMAN MO'S.
I'M GONNA GIVE YOU A FEW MORE.
SO I'M GONNA GIVE YOU 10 MORE SECONDS OR SO TO FINISH YOUR THOUGHT.
BUT IF IT'S MORE APPROPRIATE FOR YOU TO JUMP BACK IN LINE TO FINISH.
SO WHEN I MADE THE MOTION, I DIDN'T USE ALL MINE BECAUSE I, I, I DON'T KNOW HOW WORKS.
SO WE CAN, SO I COULD JUST ADD MINE OR WHAT? I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WOULD TRY TO FINISH YOUR THOUGHT IN 10, 10, 15 SECONDS.
THEN, UM, THE MELROSE EAST, MID CITY NORTHDALE AND STANDARD HEIGHTS.
OLD, OLD SOUTH BATON ROUGE, NICHOLSON NORTHGATE, ZION CITY, AND GLEN OAKS, ALL OF THOSE ARE COMMUNITY WITHIN THE CITY OF BATON ROUGE THAT EACH ONE OF THESE COUNCIL MEMBERS COULD PUT THEIR FINGER ON.
THE RAIL STATION IS A, IS A REGIONAL PLAN THAT BATON ROUGE ITSELF CANNOT ALONE APPROVE.
IT HAS TO BE BATON ROUGE, IT HAS TO BE ASCENSION, AND IT HAS TO BE NEW ORLEANS.
SO BATON ROUGE CAN'T PUT BATON.
IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE FOR BATON ROUGE TO MENTION A PLAN THAT HAS NOT BEEN VETTED REGIONALLY.
WELL, WE'RE GONNA PUT YOU BACK IN THE, IN THE ROTATION.
DID COUNCILWOMAN ROKA, MR. HOLCOMB, UM, IF YOU DON'T MIND COMING UP, PLEASE.
I JUST HAVE ONE COUPLE SIMPLE QUESTIONS.
IS IT POSSIBLE THAT IF THIS IS TAKEN OUT, THAT IT WILL IMPACT ANY FEDERAL FUNDING OR GRANTS THAT MAY BE AVAILABLE TO US? YOU'RE ON THE RECORD.
I CAN'T SAY FOR CERTAIN IN THE FUTURE IF IT WOULD HAVE AN IMPACT OR NOT.
IS THERE SOMEBODY IN THIS BUILDING THAT CAN, A LOT OF TIMES, UH, FEDERAL AND STATE GRANTS ARE DEPENDENT ON COMPREHENSIVE PLANS AND REFERENCES, UH, TO PLANNING PROJECTS.
SO, I, I CAN'T SAY FOR CERTAIN IF THIS WOULD HAVE A FUTURE IMPACT ON A POTENTIAL GRANT, UH, IN THE NEAR FUTURE OR, OR NOT.
IF IT'S TAKEN OUT, THERE'S STILL GENERIC REFERENCES TO REGIONAL RAIL IN THE PLAN, BUT NOT SPECIFIC TO THE 2019 RAIL STATION MASTER PLAN.
THAT ALSO INCLUDES OTHER PARISHES.
ARE THERE FEDERAL GRANTS AVAILABLE FOR THIS PARTICULAR PROGRAM? I'M SORRY? ARE THERE FEDERAL GRANTS OR GRANT DOLLARS AVAILABLE FOR THIS PARTICULAR PROGRAM? FOR ANY PROGRAM WITH REGARD TO A RAIL THAT MAY OR MAY NOT BE REFERENCED IN THIS PARTICULAR PIECE? I, I'M NOT AWARE OF THE DETAILS THAT WERE DISCUSSED ON THE PREVIOUS AGENDA ITEM AT, AT A, ANOTHER COUNCIL MEETING OF HONOR POINT OF ORDER FROM COUNCILMAN BANKS.
WHAT IS, WHAT IS YOUR POINT OF ORDER? THE POINT OF ORDER IS THAT THIS IS AN ITEM ABOUT, UM, ABOUT A MASTER PLAN.
ALL IF THOSE DELIBERATIONS HAVE NOT BEEN SETTLED, THAT'S AN ISSUE.
BUT I CAN SAY THAT EVERY ONE OF THESE, THEY'RE FEDERAL GRANT AVAILABLE FOR EVERY PROJECT COUNCIL.
THANK I MOVE TO APPROVE THIS ITEM.
THERE'S A MOTION BY COUNCILMAN ROCKA, A SECOND BY COUNCILMAN ADAMS. UH, COUNCILMAN OR COUNCILMAN ROCKA.
YOU'VE FINISHED COUNCILMAN BANKS YOUR SECOND FIVE MINUTES.
THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT, UM, UH, OUR ISSUE, FIRST OF ALL, PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION IS A CIVIL RIGHTS MATTER.
YOU CANNOT DISCRIMINATE IN PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION.
THIS ISN'T, THIS IS A, UM, AN ITEM WHERE IT IS NOT ANYWHERE LISTED, BUT TO START SOMEWHERE DOWNTOWN TO NEW ORLEANS.
AND THAT'S WITHOUT ASCENSION IN NEW ORLEANS.
SO IT, SO IT HAS THE BASIS OF RACIAL, UM, SEGREGATION AND TRANSPORTATION.
AND IT ALSO IS ONE OF THE ONGOING PRACTICES THAT WE HAVE THAT HAS CAUSED RE RACIAL SEGREGATION THAT WE ALREADY HAVE WITH THE NORTH AND THE SOUTH.
SO IF YOU HAVE, UM, UM, UM, A MOBILE TRANSPORTATION THAT STARTS IN MID-CITY TO GO TO NEW ORLEANS, THEN YOU ARE LEAVING OUT IN THE ENTIRE NORTH SIDE OF THE CORRIDOR.
ALSO, THERE'S RESEARCH THAT IN 2019, UM, SO THIS WAS DONE IN 2019, AS YOU ALL KNOW, THE PANDEMIC BEGAN IN 2020 POINT OF ORDER.
A POINT OF ORDER FROM COUNCILMAN MOOCH.
ARE WE DISCUSSING THE ACTUAL BUILDING AND AND LOCATION AS FAR AS THE TRAIN STATION ITSELF? OR ARE WE DISCUSSING OF WHETHER TO LEAVE IT IN OR OUT IN OR THE MASTER PLAN? COUNCILMAN MOGUE.
[00:20:01]
I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT.WELL, WE ON POINT HERE, ARE WE? YES.
HER, HER, HER, SHE IS GERMANE TO THE TOPIC RIGHT NOW.
THAT'S A CONCERN THAT HE COULDN'T SEE THAT.
UM, THE PANDEMIC, SINCE THE PANDEMIC, ALL THE RESEARCH SHOWS THAT SOCIAL DISTANCING MEASUREMENT HAS DRAMATICALLY REDUCED PUBLIC TRANSIT AND RIDERSHIP LEAVING TRANSIT AGENTS WITH MASSIVE REVENUE SHORTAGES.
AND IT'S STILL UNCLEAR HOW LONG IT WOULD TAKE A TRANSIT TO RECOVER AND WHETHER TRANSIT WILL EMERGE FUNDAMENTALLY TRANSFORM FOR BETTER OR WORSE.
SO WHAT THAT SAYS, THAT WE ARE GONNA, WE, IF WE INCLUDE THIS WITHOUT ANYTHING THAT REFERENCES A PLAN OR DATA, REMEMBER, THIS IS 2019 WHERE PEOPLE DON'T EVEN WANT ACCEPT A AIRPLANE, WANNA BE IN ANY COMMUNAL PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION.
IT'S GONNA END UP BEING OUR BILL.
AND AGAIN, IT HAS NOT BEEN VETTED.
THE LAST THING IS, UH, IT DOES NOT ADDRESS THE CHALLENGES FACED.
SO REMEMBER, WE'RE USING THE BILL, UH, BILL BATON ROUGE DATA.
THE FOUND THE CHALLENGES FACED BY SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS AS A CONSEQUENCE OF DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW RAIL STATION ALONG THE CORRIDOR OF THE BATON ROUGE ASCENSION.
NEW ORLEANS BY UNPACKING MECHANISM OF COMMERCIAL DISPLACEMENT, WHO'S GONNA PAY FOR THAT PLAN DOES NOT ADDRESS DISPLACEMENT, RELOCATION, COST, RESPONSIBILITY.
NOR DOES IT PROVIDE A BROADER PERSPECTIVE ON TOPICS NOT FOCUSING NOT ONLY ON THE BUSINESSES WHERE THE, BETWEEN THE STAGE STATIONS, BUT ALSO THOSE ALONG, UM, THAT LINE.
COMMUNITIES THAT ARE NOT IN, THAT ARE WELL DEPENDENT LIKE BATON ROUGE.
IT SAYS THAT, UM, IT THE, WHEN WE READ THE RESEARCH, IT SAYS THAT TRAIN TRAVEL BECOMES MORE EXPENSIVE AND LESS FLEXIBLE.
'CAUSE FOLKS LIKE TO BE ABLE TO STOP AT THE WALMART, PICK UP THE DOG, GET GAS, UH, GRANDPARENTS.
SO IT, IF THEY'RE, THEY'RE SO EVENTUALLY, YES, IT'S GONNA BE SEXY AT FIRST AND FUN, BUT THEN PEOPLE GONNA RETURN TO THEIR COST, TO THEIR COST.
AND THAT MEANS THAT THEY'RE GONNA HAVE TO HAVE COST SHARING MEASURES AT WHICH WILL BE SUBSIDIZED AND THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY, EVENTUALLY LOCAL GOVERNMENT, NOT FEDERAL GRANTS, LOCAL GOVERNMENT, AND TAXES ON THE RESIDENCE IS WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN.
THEN IT SAYS, UM, THIS RAILROAD PLAN REFERRED TO FUTURE BAND WILL INCREASE A CONTINUOUS AND SUSTAINABLE GROWTH PATTERN THAT WILL FURTHER TRIGGER OR ACCELERATE GENTRIFICATION IN LOW INCOME METROPOLITANS SUCH AS OLD SOUTH BATON ROUGE THROUGHOUT HISTORY.
IT IS, IT ACTUALLY IS SO, SO COMMON THAT THERE'S A NAME CALLED TRANSIT INDUCED GENTRIFICATION.
UM, SO THERE ARE, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE THIS METAPHOR ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE TRACKS.
SO WHAT WE'LL HAVE IS BASICALLY HISTORICALLY WHAT WE ALWAYS HAVE DECADES OF DISCRIMINATION POWER, UM, POLICIES AND RACISM, BUT ALSO THE POWER OF INFRASTRUCTURE TO CAUSE ITSELF TO SEGREGATE ITSELF.
LOOK AT THE RACIAL MAPS OF BATON ROUGE TO START BOUNDARIES BETWEEN NEIGHBORHOODS.
BLACK AND WHITE COMMUNITIES FREQUENTLY DENOTE AN IMPASSABLE RAILROAD OR HIGHWAY OR HISTORICALLY UNCROSSABLE, UH, AVENUE INFRASTRUCTURE HAS LONG PLAYED THE ROLE IN REINFORCING UNSPOKEN DIVIDES.
THAT'S WHAT THIS WOULD HAVE WALLING OFF COMMUNITIES CONTAINING THEIR EXPANSION.
SO PEOPLE WOULD MOVE TO THIS OTHER, CONTINUE TO MOVE SOUTH AND NOT SPREAD OUT ALL OVER, INCLUDING CENTRAL, UM, PHYSICALLY ISOLATED FROM SCHOOLS, PARKS, NEIGHBORHOODS.
THE RESEARCH, IN FACT, SUGGESTED AMERICAN CITIES ARE SUBDIVIDED BY RAILROADS IN THE 19TH CENTURY INTO PHYSICALLY DISCREET NEIGHBORHOODS THAT BECOME MORE, MUCH AND MORE, MORE AND MORE SEGREGATED.
AS THE YEARS GO BY, WE WILL BE PAYING FOR, IT'S JUST NOT SOMETHING THAT OUR COMMUNITY HAS EMBRACED.
ONE PERSON, ONE RECORD, AND ONE ONE.
AND BATON ROUGE AREA FOUNDATION, NOT ONE COUNCIL MEMBER.
COUNCILMAN BANKS HAS BEEN A PART OF IT, NOR HAS THE COMMUNITY.
COUNCIL MEMBERS, MY OBJECTION TO THE ITEM AS IT'S PROPOSED IS IN REFERENCE TO THE RAIL STATION MASTER PLAN THAT'S REFERENCED IN IT, AND IN PARTICULAR, THE MAP, AS WE DISCUSSED IN PREVIOUS ITEMS, THE, THE MAP AND THE MASTER PLAN DOES NOT EXTEND TO NORTH BATON ROUGE AND CONNECT TO THE AIRPORT.
IT DOESN'T HAPPEN, AND IT, IT IS NOT DONE IN THIS PLAN.
UH, THERE WAS A COMMITMENT MADE TO HAVE DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THAT AT THE LAST MEETING.
TO MY KNOWLEDGE, THAT HADN'T HAPPENED WITH ME AGAIN.
WHEN YOU LEAD, WHEN YOU GO TO CITIES THAT HAVE ROBUST TRANSPORTATION, YOU CAN GET OFF A AIRPLANE AND ACCESS THE CITY THROUGH RAIL.
[00:25:01]
YOU CAN GET THROUGH ALL THROUGHOUT THE CITY.I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY WE PROPOSE A PLAN IN MY, LIKE THIS, IN MY OPINION.
AGAIN, I THINK THIS CANNIBALIZES, THE BATON ROUGE METRO AIRPORT, THERE NEEDS TO BE AN EXTENSION NORTH, NOT NECESSARILY DIRECTLY TO THE AIRPORT, BUT ADJACENT TO THE AIRPORT, WHERE YOU CAN TAKE A TROLLEY OR SOMETHING FROM THE AIRPORT TO THAT TRAM AND GET ON THAT TRAM OR TRAIN, WHATEVER WE CALL IN THIS THING.
SO FOR THAT REASON, I'M OBJECT OBJECTING TO THIS ITEM.
THERE'S BEEN NO EFFORT TO ADDRESS THAT CONCERN THAT I'VE BROUGHT.
UM, AND THE OTHER THING I'D LIKE TO GET JUST A POINT OF CLARITY FROM, ASHLEY, HOW MANY VOTES DOES THIS TAKE TO GET PASSED TONIGHT? THIS REQUIRES EIGHT VOTES TO BE APPROVED TONIGHT.
SO WE'RE WANTING TO PULL IT BECAUSE IT MAKES REFERENCE TO THE, THE, THE TRAIN MASTER PLAN, THE, THE FUTURE BR UH, OUR, OUR KIND OF GUIDELINE, NOTHING SET IN STONE.
OUR GUIDELINE FOR, FOR MOVING FORWARD AND WHERE THE CITY'S GOING FOR THE NEXT X AMOUNT OF YEARS AND SO ON AND SO FORTH, MAKES A REFERENCE TO A PLAN THAT WE HAVEN'T EVEN APPROVED YET.
IT'S, WOULD IT BE ANY DIFFERENCE IF IT MADE A REFERENCE TO BUILDING A TWINS SPAN, MISSISSIPPI, MISSISSIPPI RIVER BRIDGE NEXT TO THE ONE THAT WE ALREADY HAVE AND EIGHT LANE IN THE INTERSTATE, ALL THE WAY OUT TO HIGHLAND ROAD AND OUT TO O'NEILL LANE? IT'S, IT'S, IT'S A REFERENCE TO POSSIBLE FUTURE BR PROJECTS.
I, I DON'T THINK ANYTHING'S SET IN STONE.
I DON'T THINK I, I AM NOT BY NO MEANS, AND, AND ESPECIALLY I, I AGREE WITH COUNCILMAN DUNN ON THE AIRPORT THING.
DOESN'T MEAN WHETHER I'M GONNA VOTE FOR IT OR AGAINST IT OR WHATEVER ELSE.
AND WE DO HAVE A VOTE COMING UP.
I AM NOT DISAGREEING WITH THE TWO DIFFERENT SIDES OF THE TRACK OR WHATEVER ROUTE THAT WE WENT, UH, WITH THAT WHOLE CONVERSATION.
UM, BUT AGAIN, I HAVE A BIG CONCERN WITH, IF WE PULL A REFERENCE, A LOOK AT OUR FUTURE, A A CRYSTAL BALL THAT WE'RE LOOKING INTO, THAT THIS IS WHAT COULD POSSIBLY BE IN THE FUTURE OF BR AND WE START PULLING REFERENCES THAT THESE, THIS DEPARTMENT HAS WORKED ON, UH, FOR A LONG TIME AND DONE A GREAT JOB WITH THE WHOLE THING.
I'M WORRIED ABOUT WHERE DOES THAT TAKE US WHEN IT COMES TO ACTUALLY DOING, UH, THE PROJECT OR DISCUSSION ABOUT THE PROJECT AND, AND SO ON AND SO FORTH.
UM, I HAVE BEEN CONTACTED BY FRED MULTIPLE TIMES TO GET WITH HIM AND BRING MY CONCERNS TO HIM.
I DON'T KNOW IF HE'S REACHED OUT TO EVERY SINGLE ONE OF Y'ALL.
HE SAID HE WAS GONNA DO THAT AFTER THE LAST COUNCIL MEETING AND, AND GIVE HIM THE HARD REALITY.
I'D LIKE TO PUSH THE, THE AIRPORT THING MYSELF.
UM, BUT WE HAVE HAD OPPORTUNITY TO DO THAT, FOCUSING ON JUST STRICTLY THIS FUTURE B THING.
UM, I WOULD, I, I WOULD ASK US TO GO AHEAD AND MOVE FORWARD WITH WHAT WE HAVE, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, AS THAT CHANGES OR AS WE GO WITH THE TRAIN TRAIN SYSTEM, WHICH IS GONNA BE A BIG DEAL FOR BATON ROUGE AND SURROUNDING AREAS, THEN WE ADJUST FROM THERE.
SO I WOULD, I WOULD ASK FOR SUPPORT TO GO AHEAD AND PASS IT AS IS COUNCILMAN GODDE RYAN? NO, THAT'S FINE.
I SIMPLY JUST WANTED TO, UM, COMMEND THE WORK THAT YOU AND THE TEAM, UH, JEFFREY IN PARTICULAR, AND THAT TEAM DID.
UM, IT'S A LOT OF PUBLIC MEETINGS, A LOT OF PUBLIC INPUT.
I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO ATTEND, UH, TWO IF NOT THREE OF THE PUBLIC MEETINGS.
Y'ALL DID A GREAT JOB PROMOTING THEM.
AND SO THIS IS YEARS, UH, WITH AN S ON THE END OF WORK.
AND SO, UH, KUDOS TO Y'ALL ON HAVING IT CULMINATE WITH THIS.
UH, AND THANKS FOR THE IS REFERENCE.
I'M GLAD THAT'S A GOOD PARTNERSHIP Y'ALL HAVE.
UM, I'LL ECHO THAT AS WELL, RYAN.
I APPRECIATE ALL Y'ALL'S HARD WORK ON THIS, UM, FOR EVERYBODY INVOLVED.
I CERTAINLY APPRECIATE THE, THE ONE-ON-ONE AND REACHING OUT AND, UM, LISTENING TO MY INPUT ON, ON MY AREA AND LISTENING TO MY PEOPLE AND, AND EVEN, UM, UH, COMING TO AN EXTRA MEETING THAT I HAD TO BE ABLE TO, TO SHOWCASE SOME OF THE PLANS TO MY PEOPLE.
SO I, I CERTAINLY APPRECIATE THAT.
UM, WHEN IT COMES TO THE RAIL SITUATION, I, I, UH, I TEND TO THINK BY AND LARGE WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE, THE PLAN, OUR, OUR MASTER PLAN IN FUTURE VR, UM, I, I DON'T THINK IT'S JUST THAT YOU'RE LISTING, UM, A POSSIBILITY OF SOMETHING.
UH, I THINK THIS IS SAYING, THIS IS SOMETHING WE'RE PLANNING ON AND WE'RE WORKING TOWARDS, AND I, I TEND
[00:30:01]
TO, UH, THINK IT ACTUALLY IS PREMATURE BECAUSE I THINK WE'RE IN THE VERY EARLY STAGES, UM, WITH DISCUSSION ON THAT.AND I'VE NOT HAD REALLY IN-DEPTH DISCUSSION AT ALL.
AND I TEND TO THINK OUR CURRENT, UH, PUBLIC TRANSIT IS, IS UNDERUTILIZED.
AND I THINK THIS IS, UH, UM, IN MY MIND SOMETHING WE'RE GONNA BE SUBSIDIZING SOONER RATHER THAN LATER.
AND I'LL, THAT'S HOW I VIEW IT FROM MY STANDPOINT RIGHT NOW.
SO IF, IF, YOU KNOW, IF YOU ASK ME, I THINK IT'S ABSOLUTELY PREMATURE TO SAY, UM, WE STAMP IT AND SAY, THIS IS ABSOLUTELY PART OF OUR PLAN TO HAVE THIS.
BECAUSE IN MY MIND, REPRESENTING DISTRICT ONE, I'M NOT SURE THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE WANT TO START SUBSIDIZING RIGHT AWAY.
AND I FEEL THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE GONNA BE DOING.
SO I'M NOT SURE IT'S APPROPRIATE TO HAVE IT IN OUR, IN OUR PLAN.
IT, IT MAY, IT MAY END UP BEING THAT WAY, AND IT MAY BE SOMETHING WE WANT TO GO AFTER AND, AND, UM, START DOING.
AND I THINK I AGREE, IF WE'RE GONNA DO IT, I, I ABSOLUTELY AGREE IT SHOULD CONNECT TO THE AIRPORT.
I THINK IF YOU'RE GONNA HAVE A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT AVENUES FOR TRANSIT, LET'S CONNECT THEM.
BUT, UH, THE FACT THAT WE'RE EVEN HAVING THAT DISCUSSION AND THAT PART ISN'T IRON OUT TELLS YOU AGAIN, THAT I THINK IT'S A LITTLE BIT PREMATURE TO PUT IT, UM, CONCRETE IN OUR PLAN THAT'S GONNA BE SOLIDIFIED FOR ANOTHER FIVE YEARS TO SAY THAT WE'RE DOING THIS.
AND I, UM, THAT WORD PREMATURE, PREMATURE IS DEFINITELY A WORD THAT, UH, CONCERNS ME.
WHEN WE LEFT OUR MEETING THE LAST TIME WE WERE SUPPOSED TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS, FRED AND OTHERS WERE SUPPOSED TO HAVE GOTTEN WITH US, GOTTEN WITH US TO GIVE US SOME INFORMATION ABOUT THIS TRAIN, UH, THE RAIL STATION MASTER PLAN WHEN IT MENTIONED ABOUT THE TWO PLACES THAT IT WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN.
AND ONE WAS 14TH STREET IN GOVERNMENT AND THE OTHER ONE WAS THE HEALTH DISTRICT.
AND SO WHEN WE LEFT THE LAST TIME AFTER A LOT OF CONVERSATION, THEN WE WERE WAITING TO GET INFORMATION ABOUT THIS RAIL STATION MASTER, THE, THIS RAIL STATION.
WHEN I LEFT THAT MEETING THE FOLLOWING DAY, SEVERAL CONSTITUENTS, UH, CALLED ME AND YOU ALL KNOW WHAT GOVERNMENT IN 14TH STREET IS.
AND SO SEVERAL OF THE CONSTITUENTS CALLED WANTING TO HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT THIS.
BUT I COULD NOT HAVE AN INTELLIGENT CONVERSATION ABOUT THIS BECAUSE I DID NOT HAVE THE INFORMATION THAT I NEEDED TO BE ABLE TO DO SO AND SO, AND I KNOW THAT FRED IS BUSY AND ALL OF THIS.
AND SO I WOULD AGREE WITH, UH, COUNCILMAN NOEL SAYING THAT THIS IS DEFINITELY PREMATURE AND THAT WE MUST CONSIDER, UH, INCLUSION Y'ALL, INCLUSION OF EVERYBODY INVOLVED AND MAKING SURE THAT WE WON'T BE ANGRY WITH OURSELVES, DISAPPOINTED WITH OURSELVES, WITH PASSING THIS.
AND EVEN QUESTIONS WERE ASKED LAST TIME ABOUT IF THIS JEOPARDIZED THE, UM, THE MONEY.
AND SO IT WAS NOT A STRAIGHT YES, BUT FRED DID SAY, IF MEMORY SERVES ME CORRECTLY, THAT HE WOULD GET BACK WITH US AND I WOULD THINK THAT HE WOULD'VE GOTTEN BACK WITH US IF THIS WAS SOMETHING THAT WOULD'VE JEOPARDIZE THE GRANT PROCESS.
COUNCIL COUNCILWOMAN ROCKER, YOUR SECOND FIVE MINUTES.
ALRIGHT, SO WE DON'T KNOW WHETHER OR NOT IT'S GONNA JEOPARDIZE FEDERAL GRANT MONEY.
WE DO KNOW THAT WE WANT THE TRAIN TO GO TO CERTAIN PLACES, BUT WITHOUT THE FEDERAL GRANT MONEY, WE MAY NOT HAVE A TRAIN EVER.
SO ARE WE GOING TO COMPLETELY JEOPARDIZE THE RAIL SYSTEM BECAUSE IT, WE DON'T KNOW WHERE IT'S GONNA GO.
WE DON'T KNOW WHEN IT'S GOING TO GO.
OR ARE WE GONNA JEOPARDIZE THE FEDERAL GRANT MONEY AND SEND IT OVER TO MISSISSIPPI BECAUSE WE CAN'T ALL AGREE OR CAN'T ALL GET ON THE SAME PAGE? UM, FRED RAYFORD IS BUSY.
I THINK THERE'S SEVERAL OF YOU SITTING IN THIS AUDIENCE THAT HAD HIM AT 4:00 AM AT LOOKING AT DRAINAGE INFRASTRUCTURE AND, AND FRED WAS OUT THERE IN THE RAIN.
UM, I HAVE OTHER ISSUES IN MY, IN MY DISTRICT WHERE FRED HAS BEEN PRESENT UNDER OVERPASSES AND EVERYWHERE ELSE.
SO IF FRED DIDN'T GET THIS TO US, IT'S BY NO FAULT OF HIS OWN.
[00:35:01]
I DON'T UNDERSTAND IF, IF WE WANT A RAILWAY, SO THERE'S SO MANY SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT.FIRST I GET SCHOOLS OF, I GET EMAILS SAYING, LET'S NOT HAVE THE TRAIN.
WE DON'T WANT TO HAVE TO PAY FOR THE ONGOING MAINTENANCE OF A TRAIN.
HOW MUCH IS THAT GONNA COST? HOW MUCH IS, IS THAT GONNA COST THE TAXPAYERS? WHAT IF WE DON'T EXPLORE IT AND DON'T HAVE THOSE ANSWERS? WE CAN'T GIVE IT TO YOU.
BUT I CAN TELL YOU WHAT, IT WILL COST US FEDERAL GRANT MONEY IF WE DON'T USE IT.
OKAY? IT COULD BE ALLOCATED OR CONTRIBUTED SOMEWHERE ELSE.
SO TO DO OUR CITIZENS, BOTH IN NORTH BATON ROUGE, SOUTH BATON ROUGE, AND EVERYWHERE IN BETWEEN, TO LOOK AT THOSE FOLKS AND SAY, THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY THAT WE HAVE.
THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY THAT WE CAN EXPLORE TO MAKE OUR CITY MORE MODERNIZED, MORE PROGRESSIVE, AND MOVE FORWARD AS A WHOLE PARISH.
THEN WE OWE IT TO OUR CITIZENS TO GO AHEAD AND EXPLORE ALL THOSE OPTIONS AND HAVE THE ANSWERS AS TO WHETHER OR NOT THE FEDERAL GRANT MONEY IS AVAILABLE, WHETHER OR NOT WE ARE JEOPARDIZING IT WITH OUR ACTIONS TONIGHT.
AND THAT IS OUR DUTY AS COUNCIL MEMBERS TO BE INFORMED BEFORE WE ENTER INTO A VOTE AND KNOW THOSE ANSWERS.
NOW, IF WE, IT'S, IT'S NOT RYAN HOLCOMB'S JOB TO STAND IN FRONT OF US AND TELL US ABOUT FEDERAL, FEDERAL GRANT MONEY.
UM, THE PEOPLE THAT ARE SUPPOSED TO BE DOING THAT ARE NOT HERE TONIGHT.
SO ARE THERE ANY IMPLICATIONS, MR. HOLCOMB, IF WE CONTINUE THIS MATTER UNTIL WE CAN GET THOSE ANSWERS SO WE DON'T JEOPARDIZE, JEOPARDIZE ANY FUNDING THAT MAY BE ABLE TO BE GIVEN TO THIS CITY, THAT IF WE DON'T USE, WE ABSOLUTELY LOSE.
I'D BE HAPPY TO AGREE TO A DEFERRAL IN AN EFFORT TO, TO HAVE FURTHER CONVERSATIONS, TO GET EVERYONE ON THE SAME PAGE AND, AND POTENTIALLY AMEND LANGUAGE THAT MAY BE PROBLEMATIC.
HOW LONG, HOW LONG WOULD BE, UM, YOUR PREFERENCE, SIR? ONE MONTH IF POSSIBLE, TO COUNCIL ZONING.
I, I MOVED TO MAKE A DEFERRAL SO WE CAN MAKE SURE THE TRAIN'S GOING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION TO THE RIGHT NEIGHBORHOODS.
WE HAVE THE MAINTENANCE, WE HAVE THE FEDERAL GRANTS AND EVERYTHING WE NEED TO MAKE EVERYBODY HAPPY AND THAT WE'RE DOING OUR DUE DILIGENCE TO THE TAXPAYERS THAT WE REPRESENT.
SO THERE'S CURRENTLY TWO MOTIONS ON THE FLOOR, SO NO ADDITIONAL MOTIONS CAN BE MADE AT THIS TIME.
I'LL WITHDRAW MY MOTION, MY ORIGINAL MOTION TO, UM, APPROVE AND I'LL MAKE A SUBSTITUTE MOTION TO DEFER, UH, COUNCILMAN ADAMS. DO YOU WITHDRAW YOUR SECOND AND THEN ADD YOUR SECOND? OKAY.
SO, UM, I'M JUST GONNA GET MY QUICK TWO THOUGHTS, UH, 2 CENTS HERE.
UH, I HAVE SOME CONCERNS ABOUT, UH, THE ORIGINAL MOTION.
THE ORIGINAL MOTION IS, UH, TO APPROVE, UH, BUT EXCLUDE THE ITEMS WITH RESPECT TO RAIL STATION MASTER PLAN.
UM, I, I THINK A DEFERRAL IS, IS A MUCH BETTER OPTION VERSUS THAT THAN JUST, JUST NOT HAVE RAIL IN THE MASTER PLAN AT ALL.
UH, I FIND THAT VERY PROBLEMATIC.
NO, I, THAT WOULD BE MY PREFERENCE MOVING FORWARD.
UM, I'LL READ THIS AGAIN AND WE CAN OPEN THE MACHINES FOR VOTING.
UH, COUNCILMAN MOOCH, YOU HAVE SPOKEN TWICE, I BELIEVE.
I JUST HAVE A REFERENCE TO YOU.
I JUST GOT OFF THE PHONE WITH FRED.
HE'S NOT SURE EITHER, WHETHER IT WOULD AFFECT OR NOT.
SO THE ORIGINAL, HE DID ANSWER THAT AT THE LAST MEETING.
I DON'T KNOW IF I CAN SAY IT OR NOT.
SO THE ORIGINAL MOTION IS, UH, TO APPROVE, BUT EXCLUDE THE ITEMS WITH RESPECT TO RAIL STATION MASTER PLAN.
AND THE, UH, COMPROMISE SUBSTITUTE MOTION IS TO DEFER TO JANUARY 17TH, 2024.
UH, BY RACA, SECONDED BY ADAMS. JUST A POINT OF CLARITY.
DO BOTH MOTIONS NEED ANY VOTES? NO.
UM, THE MOTION TO DEFER ONLY REQUIRES SEVEN VOTES.
A MOTION TO APPROVE REQUIRES EIGHT.
UM, COUNCIL MEMBERS, THE MACHINES ARE OPEN ON THE MOTION TO DEFER TO JANUARY 17TH.
MACHINES ARE NOW OPEN ON THE ORIGINAL MOTION TO APPROVE, EXCLUDING THE ITEMS WITH RESPECT TO THE RAIL STATION MASTER PLAN.
WHICH ONE IS THAT? THAT'S YOUR MOTION.
SO, UM, I'M GONNA DO A ROLL CALL VOTE ON THE, UH, COUNCILWOMAN BANK'S MOTION TO APPROVE.
EXCLUDING THE ITEMS WITH RESPECT TO THE RAIL STATION MASTER PLAN.
COUNCILMAN NOLL? UH, VOTE YES OR NO.
[00:40:01]
MS. ROCKA? YES.UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS, I'M GONNA MAKE ANOTHER MOTION FOR US TO DEFER TO JANUARY 17TH.
I REALLY APPRECIATE THE CONVERSATION THAT WE'RE HAVING TONIGHT, UH, AND THE CONVERSATION THAT WE'LL HAVE, UH, AT OUR NEXT COUNCIL MEETING, I BELIEVE WHERE WE DISCUSSED RAIL AGAIN, UM, IT, IT WAS VERY PROBLEMATIC IF WE JUST LET THIS ITEM DIE.
RIGHT? UH, I THINK WE ALL NEED TO RECOGNIZE THAT, UH, GREAT DISCUSSION.
THIS IS A BIG ITEM AND I'M DEFINITELY WILLING TO WORK WITH EVERYONE HERE, UH, TO COME TO AN AMICABLE SOLUTION.
BUT, UH, I WANNA BE VERY CAREFUL THAT WE, UH, DON'T PAINT OURSELVES INTO A VERY BAD POSITION, UM, WITH LETTING THIS ITEM NOT GET SOME KIND OF POSITIVE MOTION FORWARD.
UM, YOU HAVE A POINT OF ORDER OR YEAH.
SO WE VOTE ON, UM, THE TRAIN SITUATION ON THE 13TH.
THAT'S WHAT WE DEFERRED IT TO, CORRECT? I BELIEVE THAT'S CORRECT.
WHETHER WE DEFERRED IT AGAIN OR WE HAVE A POSSIBLE, WE HAVE A VOTE ON THE 13TH.
SO, I MEAN, IF WE DEFER TILL JANUARY ON THIS, WE'LL KNOW, YOU KNOW WHERE IT'S GONNA BE FROM THERE.
SO I WOULD, I WOULD HOPE THAT WE COULD GET THE DEFERRAL APPROVED THIS TIME.
SO, 'CAUSE WE'LL KNOW WHERE AFTER THE 13TH, WHAT WE'RE ACTUALLY DOING WITH THE TRAINING ANYWAY, SO, THANK YOU.
IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND BY MO.
UH, DO YOU HAVE A POINT OF ORDER MICROPHONE PLEASE? OKAY.
WHAT I WANTED TO KNOW IS, UM, WHETHER WE GET, WHO ARE WE GETTING REQUESTING VERIFICATION FROM? BECAUSE FRED WOULD NOT BE THE END RESULT ON THAT ANSWER.
AND BECAUSE IF IT DID, HE ALREADY SAID IN THE LAST MEETING THAT HAS, THERE HAS NOT BEEN A GRANT AND THAT THE GRANT IS FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, NOT NECESSARILY FOR, FOR THE, IT'S ONLY FOR THE BUILDING OF A, UH, WHAT DO YOU CALL IT? STATION IS NOT EVEN FOR THE TRAIN, IT'S JUST FOR THE STATE.
AND IT CAN ONLY BE USED FOR THE BUILDING OF, RIGHT.
SO ALL THOSE ARE ADDITIONAL EXPENSES.
SO THIS DOES NOT IMPACT A GRANT.
THERE IS NO GRANT FOR A RAIL STATION LINE.
YEAH, I THINK THOSE ARE GREAT QUESTIONS THAT WE CAN FOLLOW UP.
NO, THAT'S, THAT'S THE ANSWER.
BUT ANYWAY, SO I THINK WE SHOULD JUST, AND WE CAN'T GET IT FROM FRED.
SO I WOULD LIKE, ON THE RECORD, WHO ARE WE ASKING THAT INFORMATION TO COME FROM? THIS IS A FEDERAL GRANT.
WHAT FEDERAL GRANT PERSON ARE WE ASKING TO? WHAT ARE YOU ASKING ME A QUESTION? I THOUGHT YOU WERE GIVING AN ANSWER.
YEAH, I'M JUST SAYING, WILL WE MAKE THIS MOTION? WHO DO WE, WE GOT, DON'T WE NEED TO SPECIFICALLY SAY NO, IT'S JUST THE MOTION IS SIMPLY TO DEFER UNTIL JANUARY 17TH.
UM, AND YOU CAN, COUNCIL MEMBERS CAN ASK STAFF QUESTIONS HOWEVER THEY'D LIKE.
DO WE HAVE ANOTHER POINT OF ORDER? UH, YEAH.
TO ANSWER COUNCILWOMAN BANK'S QUESTION, IF I MAY.
SO THERE'S A MOTION ON THE FLOOR WITH A SECOND TO MAKE A STATEMENT ON HERS.
I, THERE'S A MOTION ON THE FLOOR WITH A SECOND TO DEFER TO JANUARY 17TH.
WE'LL TAKE ANOTHER ROLL CALL VOTE BECAUSE WE'RE STILL REBOOTING THE SYSTEM HERE.
SO ASHLEY, IF YOU WOULD, MR. NOLL? YEAH.
MS. BANKS, WHAT WE DOING? DEFER.
MOTION TO DEFER TO JANUARY 17TH.
THEY'RE GONNA HAVE TO MOVE ON.
ALRIGHT, WE'LL MOVE ON TO ITEM TWO
[Items 2 & 3]
AND THREE.WE'RE GONNA TAKE THESE TOGETHER.
UH, ITEM TWO, PA DASH 15 DASH 23 7300 GREENWELL STREET TO AMEND THE COMPREHENSIVE LAND USE PLAN FROM PARK TO COMMERCIAL.
LOCATED ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF GREENWELL STREET, WEST OF LORING DRIVE COUNCIL DISTRICT FIVE HEARST COMMISSION ACTION.
MOTION TO APPROVE CARRIED SEVEN TO ZERO.
ITEM THREE CASE 66 DASH 23 7300 GREENWELL STREET.
THERE ZO PROPERTY FROM CINCO FAMILY RESIDENTIAL, A ONE TO LIGHT COMMERCIAL TWO, LOCATED ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF GREENWELL STREET
[00:45:01]
WEST OF LOWERING DRIVE COUNCIL DISTRICT FIVE HEARST COMMISSION ACTION.MOTION TO APPROVE CARRIED SEVEN TO ZERO.
WE'LL OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING FOR ITEMS TWO AND THREE.
ANYONE HERE FROM THE PUBLIC WISHING TO SPEAK, SEEING, AND NONE.
WE WILL CLOSE THE HEARING FOR ITEMS TWO AND THREE AND MOVE TO COUNCIL MEMBERS.
I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW IF ANYBODY ELSE HAVE TALKED TO COUNCIL HURST.
I HAD MOTION TO DEFER FROM COUNCILMAN DUNN TO JANUARY 17TH.
UH, IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND FROM COUNCILWOMAN ROCKA? ANY OPPOSITION? SEEING NONE, THOSE ITEMS HAVE BEEN DEFERRED.
[4. 23-01545 TA-4-23 Chapter 9, Use Regulations]
FOUR DASH 23.USE REGULATIONS UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT CODE AMENDMENT TO REVISE TABLE NINE POINT A AND ADD SECTION 9.42 TO CREATE CONDITIONS FOR COMMERCIAL RECRE RECREATION OUTDOOR USES COMMISSION ACTION.
MOTION TO APPROVE CARRIED SEVEN TO ZERO.
WE'LL OPEN THE FLOOR TO THE PUBLIC HEARING FOR ITEM FOUR.
ANYONE FROM THE PUBLIC WISHING TO SPEAK? YES, SIR.
UH, MR. MICHAEL MCDOWELL, UH, IF YOU WOULD PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME AND, UM, THAT'S ALL YOU NEED TO STATE FOR THE, FOR THE RECORD.
UM, I KNOW THAT THIS ITEM CAME UP BECAUSE OF, UH, AN EARLIER APPROACH TO, UH, SOME RURALLY ZONED LAND.
AND I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND THAT WE MAY WANT TO HAVE, UH, MORE OF A PUBLIC VOTE, MORE OF A PUBLIC INPUT ON HOW RURALLY ZONED LAND IS, UM, IS BEING USED FOR COMMERCIAL OUTDOOR RECREATION.
UM, THE APPROACH THAT WE WERE TAKING EARLIER, UH, IF YOU LOOK AT TABLE FOUR B IN THE UDC, UM, ANYTHING THAT IS COMMERCIAL OUTDOOR RECREATION THAT IS LESS THAN HALF AN ACRE HAS TO GET APPROVED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF DEVELOPMENT.
UM, THIS AMENDMENT WOULD MAKE THAT, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, A CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT REQUIREMENT.
THE, I FULLY SUPPORT MAKING, UH, AN ADDITIONAL PUBLIC REVIEW TO SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
UH, THE THING THAT I JUST WANTED TO SPEAK, I, I'M NOT SPEAKING AS SUPPORTING THE AMENDMENT OR OPPOSED TO THE AMENDMENT.
I JUST WANT US TO THINK ABOUT, UH, ONE OF THE ELEMENTS OF THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT SAYS THAT IT'S REQUIRED THAT THE ACREAGE BE AT LEAST TWO ACRES TO HAVE ANY COMMERCIAL OUTDOOR RECREATION IN A RURAL ZONE.
UM, I KNOW THE ONLY REASON I HEARD ABOUT THIS IS THAT I'VE BEEN IN DISCUSSIONS WITH, UH, THIS BODY AND THE PLANNING COMMISSION AND MY WORRY IS THAT SOMEBODY WOKE UP THIS MORNING WITH THE INTENT TO DO COMMERCIAL OUTDOOR RECREATION AND INSTEAD OF BEING, INSTEAD OF, YOU KNOW, HAVING TO DO A CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT, WHICH I THINK IS THE SPIRIT OF WHAT'S TRYING TO HAPPEN HERE, IF THEY DON'T HAVE TWO ACRES, THERE IS NO PATH FORWARD FOR THEM AT ALL.
SO JUST AS A MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC, I FULLY SUPPORT, YOU KNOW, ADDITIONAL REVIEWS FOR INTENSITY, LOCATION AND DESIGN FOR COMMERCIAL OUTDOOR RECREATION.
YOU KNOW, IF YOU GET, IF YOU REZONE A PROPERTY, THE OWNER OF THE PROPERTY HAS TO BE NOTIFIED, THE SIGN HAS TO GO IN THE YARD.
AND AGAIN, SOMEBODY COULD HAVE WOKEN UP THIS MORNING WITH A PERMITTED USE BY RIGHT OF OWNERSHIP FOR COMMERCIAL OUTDOOR RECREATION.
AND THEN TABLE FOUR B SAYS WHAT THE REVIEW PROCESS IS FOR THAT.
I'M JUST WORRIED THAT THE PROVISION OF THIS AMENDMENT THAT MAKES TWO ACRES, THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENT, UH, IS, I DON'T KNOW IF UNJUST IS THE RIGHT WORD, BUT I UNFAIR MAYBE.
UM, AND SO I THINK THAT THAT PROBABLY STEPS BEYOND THE INTENDED SPIRIT OF THE AMENDMENT.
UH, SO WITH ALL RESPECT, I WOULD PROPOSE THAT THAT BE, I KNOW I CAN'T MAKE A PROPOSITION TO THIS BODY, BUT I WOULD ASK ONE OF YOU TO PROPOSE THAT THAT PARTICULAR ITEM, THAT PARTICULAR ELEMENT OF THE ITEM BE REMOVED.
UM, AND THEN COMMERCIAL OUTDOOR RECREATION IN RURAL ZONED AREAS, SHOULD I AGREE WITH YOU, BE, UH, APPROVED AT THE PLANNING COMMISSION LEVEL, WHICH IS ALREADY REQUIRED BY TABLE FOUR B AT A MINIMUM OF ONE ACRES.
AND IF YOU CAN PROVIDE ANY, UH, ADDITIONAL CONTEXT OR INFORMATION ABOUT WHY TWO ACRES WAS CHOSEN.
UM, I DON'T, I DON'T WANNA SAY THAT WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT THE EARLIER PROPOSAL, MY LARGEST LOT WAS 1.85 ACRES AND IT SEEMS THAT THERE WOULD BE NO PATH FORWARD IN ANY WAY UNLESS YOU HAVE TWO ACRES.
SO I HOPE THAT THAT'S JUST AN OVERSIGHT.
UM, BUT I WOULD RESPECTFULLY ASK THAT THAT BE REMOVED AS PART OF THE AMENDMENT TO THE UDC.
UH, ANYONE ELSE FROM THE PUBLIC WISHING TO SPEAK ON ITEM FOUR? SEE A NONE.
WE'LL CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING AND MOVE ON TO COUNCIL MEMBERS.
[00:50:01]
COULD YOU COME BACK? SO WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IT AMENDED TO? UH, I WOULD HAVE IT JUST TO BE WITHOUT AN ACREAGE REQUIREMENT.UM, AS IT STANDS RIGHT NOW IN TABLE FOUR B, THERE IS A ONE ACRE REQUIREMENT IN TERMS OF HAVING IT REVIEWED BY THE PLANNING COMMISSION, WHICH FOR ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES, IS EFFECTIVELY A CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT.
UM, BUT I THINK THIS OPENS US UP TO SOME EVEN POTENTIAL LEGAL, LEGAL JEOPARDY, LIKE THE NEIGHBORHOOD PIN OAK THAT, UH, IS BEHIND, UH, THE, THE LOT THAT WE'VE HAD DISCUSSIONS ABOUT.
SO I DON'T WANT YOU TO GET TOO FAR IN THE WEEDS.
YOU DON'T WANT, YOU WANT THE ACREAGE REMOVED? YES, SIR.
RYAN, AM I DONE HERE? YOU'RE DONE.
SO YOU GUYS DRAFTED THIS CHANGE, UH, SPEARHEADED THIS WORK, RIGHT? THAT'S CORRECT.
WHAT, WHAT IS YOUR THOUGHTS ON REMOVING THE ACREAGE? WHAT DOES THAT DO TO THE, SO THE ACREAGE REQUIREMENT THAT WAS PROPOSED IN THIS DRAFT ORDINANCE ACTUALLY CAME FROM ESTABLISHED STANDARDS THAT ARE CURRENTLY ALREADY IN THE UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT CODE FOR ACCESSORY BUILDINGS IN RURAL ZONING.
SO THAT'S WHY IT WAS PROPOSED.
IT WAS CARRYING THAT SAME, UM, SIZE REQUIREMENT, UM, TO THIS PROPOSED DRAFT AMENDMENT.
DO YOU AGREE WITH THOSE CONCERNS? UH, IF WE REMOVE THE ACREAGE, DOES IT DOESN'T, DOES IT DO ANY HARM TO THE, TO WHAT YOUR GOALS ARE WITH THIS ITEM? IT COULD POTENTIALLY, UH, LEAD, LEAD TO A SCENARIO WHERE THERE'S AN EXCESS, UH, OF, OF BUILDINGS ON, ON A PIECE OF PROPERTY THAT MAY NOT BE APPROPRIATE.
SO THAT'S WHY WE GOT WHAT ABOUT A COMPROMISE? I THINK HE SAID HIS ACRES WAS 18.5 OR SOMETHING.
IF YOU DID IT AT TWO ACRES, ONE POINT A FIVE, IF YOU DO IT AT TWO ACRES, WOULD THAT BE PROBLEMATIC? I DIDN'T CATCH THE ENTIRE DISCUSSION, BUT WHAT'S BEING PROPOSED ON THIS? THIS IS A TEXT AMENDMENT.
CAN I GIVE A BRIEF SUMMARY OF THIS? SURE.
I I THINK THIS WILL HELP SET THE STAGE FOR, FOR WHAT'S BEING PROPOSED.
THIS ITEM WAS, WAS BROUGHT TO US FROM THE COUNCIL AT A PREVIOUS DATE, UH, DUE TO SOME CONCERNS ABOUT POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL INTENSE COMMERCIAL RECREATION ON, UH, ON LOTS OF A CERTAIN SIZE THAT MAY NOT BE APPROPRIATE.
SO WE LOOKED AT BEST PRACTICES LIKE WE, WE NORMALLY DO IN DRAFTING A TEXT AMENDMENT.
WE TOOK, UH, SECTIONS THAT WERE ALREADY IN THE UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT CODE AND CARRIED THIS INTO THIS DRAFT AMENDMENT.
BUT THIS, WHAT'S BEFORE YOU TODAY IS SIMPLY MODIFYING REGULATIONS IN CHAPTER NINE THAT WOULD APPLY TO FUTURE COMMERCIAL, OUTDOOR RECREATIONAL FACILITIES AND, UH, ENSURES THAT OUTDOOR COMMERCIAL RECREATION USES BEING ALLOWED BY RIGHT IN RURAL ZONING REQUIRE A CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT THAT WOULD HAVE TO GO BEFORE THE PLANNING COMMISSION AT A PUBLIC HEARING.
IT ADDS CONDITIONAL REGULATIONS AGAIN FOR OUTDOOR COMMERCIAL RECREATION FACILITIES IN RURAL RESIDENTIAL ESTATE AGRICULTURE, ONE ZONING AND RESIDENTIAL ESTATE AGRICULTURE, THREE ZONING.
IT REQUIRES THREE THINGS NOT BEING LOCATED WITHIN A RECOGNIZED PLATTED SUBDIVISION.
IT REQUIRES THAT IT BE LOCATED ON PROPERTY WITH A MINIMUM OF TWO ACRES.
AND LIKE I SAID EARLIER, THAT TWO ACRE MINIMUM WAS ALREADY ESTABLISHED IN THE UDC, UM, AND THEN ADDS LIMITATIONS FOR INDOOR ACCESSORY BUILDINGS TO A TOTAL SIZE OF 2,500 SQUARE FEET IN TOTAL.
LEMME JUST GET A POINT OF CLARITY.
COME BACK, SIR, AND CORRECT ME.
SO, SO THIS DOES NOT AFFECT YOU.
DO WE NEED TO EXTEND IT OR REDUCE IT? THE ACREAGE? I WOULD ELIMINATE THE ACREAGE REQUIREMENT.
I UNDERSTAND YOU WANT TO ELIMINATE IT, BUT SO IT DON'T AFFECT YOU WOULD INCREASING THE ACREAGE NOT AFFECT YOU OR REDUCING IT? IT DOESN'T AFFECT A REDUCTION TO ZERO WOULD WOULD BE WHAT I'M ASKING YOU.
I I UNDERSTAND YOU'RE ASKING FOR ZERO, BUT I'M TRYING TO GET INSIDE OF, SO IF, IF I CAN MAYBE COLOR RYAN'S RESPONSE.
17 ACRES SEEMS ARBITRARY WITH ALL RESPECT.
TWO 17 ACRES I WOULD RE 17, 1.7 0.51 ACRE.
I MEAN, WHAT I JUST DON'T WANT, WHAT I'M WORRIED ABOUT, I'M NOT WORRIED ABOUT ME.
I'M WORRIED ABOUT SOMEBODY WHO HAS AN INTENT.
WHAT ACREAGE DOESN'T AFFECT HIM ANYTHING BELOW 0.185.
RYAN, DO YOU HAVE AN OBJECTION TO BRINGING IT SLIGHTLY BELOW WHAT'S PROPOSED SO IT DOESN'T AFFECT HIM? WE DO NOT.
I WOULD JUST MAKE IT, UH, A EASY ROUND NUMBER.
[00:55:01]
AND WHAT WOULD THAT NUMBER YOU PROPOSED THAT SO IT DOESN'T AFFECT YOU TWO IS BEING PROPOSED, BUT I I DON'T HAVE A PREFERENCE.UM, UH, COUNCILMAN MO, YOUR TIME IS UP.
WOULD YOU LIKE YOUR SECOND FIVE MINUTES? YES.
COUNCIL, I WAS LOOKING AT, I WAS LOOKING AT, I KNOW I'M MAKING LIKE COUNCIL UP TONIGHT,
SO IF I UNDERSTAND THE ANSWER, THE, OKAY, THE ACCESSORY STRUCTURE LIMITATION OF SQUARE FOOTAGE OF 2,500 SQUARE FEET IS WHERE IT WAS KIND OF REVERSE ENGINEERED THAT IN THE UDC.
THAT'S WHERE ACCESSORY STRUCTURES ON ACREAGE OF, OF TWO IS KIND OF HOW THAT WAS ARRIVED AT.
AS I UNDERSTAND IT, BASED ON YOUR ANSWER, AND THERE ARE THREE SEPARATE ELEMENTS TO THIS AMENDMENT.
OKAY? ACCESSORY STRUCTURES BEING OF MAXIMUM OF 2,500 SQUARE FEET, THAT'S TOTALLY FINE IN MY VIEW.
IT'S JUST, IT BEING, YOU KNOW, IF YOU HAVE ONE AND A HALF ACRES OR ONE ACRE OR, I MEAN, IT DOESN'T TAKE A LOT OF ACREAGE TO CREATE A COMMERCIAL OUTDOOR RECREATIONAL SPACE.
AND I'M, REGARDLESS OF THE ACCESSORY STRUCTURE, I'M WORRIED THAT SOMEBODY'S GONNA HAVE THEIR PROPERTY RIGHTS REDUCED BY THIS AMENDMENT.
UM, AND AGAIN, I'M ALL FOR CONDITIONAL USE PERMITS, UH, REVIEW, DESIGN, LOCATION AND INTENSITY.
AND I THINK WE SHOULD DO THAT.
BUT IF THERE'S NO PATH FORWARD FOR ANYONE WHO OWNS LESS THAN A ROUND NUMBER OF ACREAGE BASED ON WHAT I VIEW TO BE AN ARBITRARY ASSESSMENT OF THE, UH, SQUARE FOOTAGE OF ACCESSORY STRUCTURES FOR THE USE ITSELF TO BE OUTDOORS IN THE FIRST PLACE.
I DON'T, I DON'T, THAT DOESN'T COMPUTE FOR ME.
I'M SIMPLY TRYING TO ENTERTAIN A, UM, AMENDMENT TO REDUCE IT OR INCREASE IT, WHICHEVER ONE IS NEEDED.
I UNDERSTAND IT'S A REDUCTION SO IT DOESN'T AFFECT YOU.
UM, I THINK THAT NUMBER IS 1.7.
SO I'LL, I'LL, UH, A AMENDMENT TO THE ITEM AT 1.7 IF I'M CORRECT IN MY ESTIMATION THAT THAT DOESN'T AFFECT THIS GENTLEMAN.
THERE IS A MOTION ON THE FLOOR FROM COUNCILMAN DUNN.
UH, IS THERE A SECOND? SEEING NONE, WE'LL MOVE SECOND.
ALRIGHT, SECOND BY COUNCILMAN COLEMAN.
UH, UM, I DON'T, I THINK HE SAID HE IS THE SAME FEW TIMES NONE OF THIS IS AFFECTING HIM DIRECTLY AND, AND WE KNOW WHAT PROJECT HE BROUGHT BEFORE US BEFORE AND SO ON, SO IT'S NOT GONNA AFFECT THAT PROJECT OR ANYTHING.
UM, RYAN, CORRECT ME, YOU STATED THAT RIGHT NOW IT'S AT ONE ACRE FOR THIS
THIS, THIS IS, THIS IS BRAND NEW, A PROPOSED AMENDMENT FOR COMMERCIAL RECREATION IN RURAL A TWO ACRE REQUIREMENT.
UH, WE, WE BORROWED THAT FROM ANOTHER SECTION IN THE CODE FOR TWO ACRES WHERE THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENT IS TWO ACRES.
THAT'S, THAT'S HOW WE CAME UP WITH THAT NUMBER.
AND THIS IS FOR, UH, DEFINE COMMERCIAL RECREATION, OUTDOOR USE.
SO, UH, SOMETHING LIKE THE, UH, WHAT THE OASIS USED TO BE, WOULD THAT BE SOMETHING THAT COULD BE PUT IN THIS TWO ACRES OR ONE ACRES OR 1.75 OR WHATEVER WE APPROVE TONIGHT? IT COULD BE THE OUTDOOR IN THE MIDDLE OF A RURAL AREA.
VOLLEYBALL, IT COULD BE OUTDOOR COM, ANY TYPE OF COMMERCIAL SPORTS RECREATION WITH, UH, IT COULD BE HORSEBACK RIDING WHERE THERE'S A COMMERCIAL ASPECT TO IT.
UH, IT COULD BE BATTING CAGES.
SO THE PROBLEM I I, I'M GUESSING THE PROBLEM CAME ABOUT WITH, WITH NO WHATEVER, EVERY TIME SOMEBODY WANTED TO DO A RECREATIONAL FACILITY WHERE, AND I'M, AND I GUESS THE FIRST THING THAT COMES TO MY MIND IS SOMETHING LIKE THE OASIS WHERE THEY'RE SERVING FOOD AND THEY'RE DOING VOLLEYBALL AND STUFF LIKE THAT, COMMERCIAL RECREATION, AND THEY'RE TRYING TO BUILD IT IN THE MIDDLE OF A, UH, RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD INSTEAD OF ALREADY ZONE COMMERCIAL AREA.
UH, WE'VE DEALT WITH THIS A LOT.
UM, I KNOW THAT THE TWO ACRES SOUND LIKE A LOT, BUT IT, IT'S MORE PROTECTION, UH, FOR THAT, THAT THAT RURAL, UH, RESIDENTIAL AREA.
UM, I KNOW IN MY AREA WE HAVE A LOT OF MORE LARGER, WE HAVE LARGER LOTS.
IT'S NOT THAT THAT HARD OF A DEAL TO DO TWO ACRES OR SO ON.
UM, I GET THE DISCUSSION OF TRYING TO REDUCE IT OR WHATEVER.
UM, BUT I, I GUESS WHAT I'M SEEING HERE IS IF WE HAVE A PROBLEM, UH, WITH, WITH NINE ONE ACRE, 1.5 OR TWO ACRES, UM, THIS IS CONDITIONAL USE, CORRECT? THIS IS PROPOSED AS A FUTURE REQUIRING A FUTURE CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT BEFORE THE PLANNING COMMISSION AT A PUBLIC HEARING FOR CONSIDERATION.
AND THE TWO ACRES CAME FROM JUST
[01:00:01]
OTHER, UM, REGULATIONS THAT WE HAVE AS FAR AS YOU, YOU, YOU TOOK IT FROM THERE.IT WASN'T, UH, THERE'S BEEN, THERE'S BEEN NO, UH, I GUESS I DON'T WANNA SAY STUDY.
THERE'S BEEN NO, UM, HISTORY, UH, HAVE WE LOOKED AT OUR HISTORY OF WHAT PEOPLE HAVE ASKED FOR, OF SOMETHING LIKE THIS, UH, BEFORE THIS REQUIREMENT? AND WHAT KIND OF LAND USE HAVE THEY ASKED FOR? NOW WE DID STUDY THIS, IT, IT, IT CAME TO US FROM THE COUNCIL ASKED US TO STUDY THIS AND PROPOSE A, A TEXT AMENDMENT FOR CONSIDERATION AND WHAT, AND WE CAME UP WITH THE TWO ACRES AS AN APPROPRIATE SIZE OF A PIECE OF PROPERTY TO POTENTIALLY HAVE COMMERCIAL RECREATION USES WHERE IT WOULD NOT HAVE A, A DRASTIC IMPACT ON, ON THE ADJACENT NEIGHBORS.
I'M GONNA GO BACK AND REFERENCE THE, UH, THE PROJECT THAT WE PASSED, UM, A WHILE AGO THAT THE GENTLEMAN WAS NOT SPEAKING ABOUT.
BUT, UM, WOULD THAT HAVE AFFECTED THIS, WOULD THIS ORDINANCE PASSING RIGHT NOW HAVE AFFECTED THAT PREVIOUSLY? I CAN'T, I DON'T REMEMBER THE NAME OF THE ROAD THAT IT WAS APPROVED ON.
DOES ANYBODY COULD HELP ME OUT WITH THAT JEFFERSON HIGHWAY? JEFFERSON HIGHWAY PROJECT? I, I DON'T KNOW THE ACREAGE OF THAT, THAT PROPERTY.
UM, WE ACTUALLY SUBMITTED A, UH, BUILDING PERMIT APPLICATION ON, UH, THERE WAS A ONE ACRE, IT'S, IT'S TWO TRACKS.
THERE WAS A ONE ACRE TRACT AND THEN THE 1.85.
UM, SO THIS TWO ACRES WOULD NOT HAVE AFFECTED YOU.
IT WOULD'VE REQUIRED THAT THAT APPLICATION, THE COUNCIL ADMINISTRATOR IS EXPRESSING SOME CONCERNS ABOUT BEING GERMANE TO THE TOPIC.
UH, THAT'S ALL I HAVE FOR RIGHT NOW.
UM, SO RYAN, UH, SO WHAT NAME, WHAT ARE ALL THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF ACCESSORY STRUCTURE? OR CAN YOU NAME FOUR OR FIVE? SO ACCESSORY STRUCTURES WOULD BE POTENTIALLY A, A GARAGE, A GARAGE APARTMENT, A STORAGE FACILITY, A CONCESSION STAND.
UM, I THINK THAT'S FOUR OR FIVE.
SO, SO WE, SO IF WE CHANGE THIS, WE WOULD BE REQUIRING SOMEONE WHO MAY WANT TO ADD A SNOWBALL SHOP TO THEIR BUSINESS THAT HAS, WE WOULD BE DENYING THEM IF THEY'RE, IF IT'S LESS THAN TWO ACRES, CORRECT? NO, MA'AM.
A, A SNOWBALL STAND IS NOT A COMMERCIAL RECREATION USE.
THAT'S NOT A COMMERCIAL RECREATION USE.
THIS, THIS IS A COMMERCIAL RECREATION FACILITY THAT HAS REQUIREMENTS FOR ACCESSORY STRUCTURES, UH, UNDER, UNDER THE COMMERCIAL USE, REGULATING THE ACCESSORY STRUCTURE TO THE ADDITION TO OF AN ACCESSORY STRUCTURE? NO, AS IT RELATES TO COMMERCIAL RECREATION.
SO, SO WHAT, WHAT MADE ME SAY THE GAZEBO IS BECAUSE THERE'S A, UM, A CHAPEL THAT IS INTERESTED IN ADDING, IT'S A COMMERCIAL CHAPEL, A WAITING CHAPEL OR WHATEVER, AND THEY'RE INTERESTED IN ADDING A GAZEBO TO THE BACK.
AND THE PART, WHAT YOU'LL FIND IS IN AREAS WHERE WE ARE TRYING TO RE, UM, TO, UH, REVITALIZE A LOT OF THE COMMERCIAL STRUCTURES BECAUSE WE DIDN'T HAVE THIS GOOD FUTURE VR AND ZONING.
THEY ARE IN THE MIDST OF, OF REGULAR RE RESIDENTIAL AREAS, BUT A LOT OF THEM ARE NOT ON TWO ACRES OF MATTER.
THIS IS PROBABLY NOT EVEN AN ACRE.
SO WOULD THIS IMPACT THE SMALL WHITE CHAPEL THAT IS INTERESTED IN A GAZEBO? THEY'RE PROBABLY NOT ON A HALF AN ACRE.
THIS WOULD NOT HAVE ANY IMPACT ON A, A CHAPEL WITH A GAZEBO.
SO IS THE CHAPEL, IS THE CHAPEL CONSIDERED COMMERCIAL? NO, A CHAPEL'S NOT CONSIDERED COMMERCIAL RECREATION.
WHY? BECAUSE THERE'S NO COMMERCIAL RECREATION USES.
UH, SO LIKE, IF THEY HAVE, WHAT WOULD BE A RECORD? WEDDINGS, PARTIES, RECEPTIONS AT THE CHAPEL.
THAT'S NOT SO THE, THE PRINCIPAL USE THAT YOU'RE DESCRIBING MM-HMM.
IT IS JUST, IT'S A WEDDING CHAPEL.
LIKE WHEN YOU GO TO VEGAS AND GET MARRIED.
AND THAT WOULD BE A RECEPTION HALL, RIGHT? YEAH.
THAT, THAT, SO WHAT I'M SAYING IS IT IS IT'S UNLESS THAN A ACRE, IT'S NOT EVEN ON AN ACRE AND IT'S NEXT TO A RAILROAD TRACK.
SO THE PERSONS WHO HAVE, WHO ARE INTERESTED IN PURCHASING IT, WHEN THEY TALK TO ME ABOUT THEIR PLANS, THEY'RE INTERESTED
[01:05:01]
IN ADDING A OUTDOOR GAZEBO.WHAT I'M ASKING YOU IS, WOULD THIS IMPACT THEM? NO, IT WOULD NOT.
NOW TELL ME WHY
YEAH, I, I UNDERSTAND IT, BUT OKAY.
THE 'CAUSE I ALL, I'M THINKING ACTIVITIES, ALL THESE ACTIVITIES GO INTO THE CHAPEL, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN IT'S, THAT'S WHAT IT IS.
PLANNING, UH, THE, THE ZONING ON THAT PROPERTY, WE WOULD CONSIDER THAT AS A RELIGIOUS INSTITUTION, AS THE PRINCIPAL USE.
I GOT, THEY WOULD BE ALLOWED TO HAVE ACCESSORY USES THAT ARE, THAT SUPPORT THE PRINCIPAL USE, BUT THEY WOULD NOT BE THE PRINCIPAL USE ON THE PROPERTY.
HOW ABOUT OUR COMMUNITY CENTER? A COMMUNITY CENTER, IF IT'S OWNED BY THE CITY, PARISH AND OPERATED BY THE CITY, PARISH WOULD BE EXEMPT FROM ZONING FROM ALL AND BRE TWO, ALL OF THOSE? THAT'S CORRECT.
ONLY IF IT WAS BY A, HOW ABOUT A NONPROFIT? A NONPROFIT WOULD, UH, WOULD HAVE TO CONFORM TO THE ZONING REQUIREMENTS.
I JUST, I JUST HEAR ALL THESE, UM, PEOPLE WHO ARE COMING TO ME TRYING TO REVITALIZE OUR COMMUNITY, DO GANG ROOMS, AND I'M, THEY, I KNOW THEY'RE NOT EVEN ON AN ACRE, SO I'M CONCERNED, I'M SORRY TO ANNOY YOU, BUT I'M CONCERNED THAT I'M GOING TO BE LIMITING THE ABILITY OF, UM, THESE BUSINESSES TO EXPLORE, BECAUSE IN THE OLDER COMMUNITIES BEFORE THAT WAS PERMITTING AND EVERYTHING.
THEY, THEY, ALL OF THEM ARE IN, IN SUBDIVISIONS.
THEY'RE ALL AROUND COMMUNITY, AND THEY'RE, THERE'S SEVERAL RECREATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN DONE IN CLEA AREA ON YOU HAVE GREENWOOD SPRINGS.
AND THEY ARE ALL RIGHT AROUND SUBDIVISION.
SO THAT'S MY CONCERN, HOW IT'S GONNA LIMIT OUR ABILITY IN THE OLDER COMMUNITIES TO REVITALIZE, BECAUSE WE DON'T MEET THOSE RESTRICTIONS OF WHAT YOU MIGHT SEE IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE PARISH.
SO ANY EXISTING FACILITIES WOULD BE CLASSIFIED AS A, AND, AND I GUESS I'M CLARIFYING THE FACT THAT IT NEEDS TO BE ZERO AND SEEN ON A CASE BY CASE LEVEL.
WE ARE, WE ARE ADDING A JURISDICTION THAT'S GOING TO ELIMINATE A WHOLE, A LOT OF OLDER OWNER.
SO, COUNCILMAN BANKS, DO YOU WANT YOUR SECOND FIVE MINUTES? SO MY, MY, I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION THAT, UM, START AT FIVE MINUTES THAT, UH, WE DENY THIS, UM, JUST BASED ON THE FACT THAT I DON'T THINK WE, I'M CONCERNED ABOUT US ELIMINATING A LOT OF, A LOT OF BUSINESSES IN OLDER COMMUNITIES.
SO THAT'S MY MOTION TO ELIMINATE IT.
THERE'S A SUBSTITUTE MOTION FROM COUNCILMAN BANKS TO YES.
DID COUNCIL COUNCILMAN DUNN HAD A MOTION TO APPROVE ALREADY, RIGHT.
COUNCILMAN DUNN, OR NO? I DID AT 1.75.
UH, SO IS THERE A SECOND FOR COUNCILMAN BANKS' MOTION? I ALRIGHT, SECOND, UH, FROM COUNCILMAN COLEMAN.
CAN SHE COUNT? CAN SHE SECOND TO MOTION? NO HONOR, SHE'S SECONDED.
ALRIGHT, SO NO AND NO SECOND FOR COUNCILMAN BANKS.
IT'S LIKE YOU'RE IN MASS TODAY.
UP AND DOWN, UP AND DOWN AS YOU COME FORWARD.
SIR, MY QUESTION IS SIMPLY, UM, FOR EXISTING STRUCTURES, IS THERE A GRANDFATHER CLAUSE? ARE PEOPLE GRANDFATHERED IN OR IS THIS GOING TO GO, UM, ARE PEOPLE GONNA HAVE TO FORM NEW APPLICATIONS? CAN YOU EXPLAIN US TO US WHAT THAT PROCESS LOOKS LIKE? BECAUSE I KNOW THIS GENTLEMAN CAME BEFORE US MONTHS AGO, SO CAN YOU SHOW, TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT THAT IMPACT LOOKS LIKE? YEAH, A AS ALWAYS, ANY EXISTING FACILITY THAT, THAT EXISTS PRIOR TO ANY NEW REGULATIONS BEING APPROVED AND ON THE BOOKS WOULD BE ALLOWED TO CONTINUE.
IT'D BE CLASSIFIED AS A LEGAL NON-CONFORMING USE.
UM, THIS WOULD ONLY BE FOR NEW FACILITIES, AGAIN, ONLY IN RURAL ZONING, MEETING THESE PROPOSED CRITERIA, WHICH COULD BE MODIFIED OR AMENDED BY THE COUNCIL.
AND SO ANYTIME THE UDC CHANGES, UM, FOR ME, I BELIEVE A RED FLAG GOES UP AND I THINK, UM, THE PROPER TERM IS GOVERNMENTAL TAKING.
UH, AND I THINK WE HAD SOME OF THAT OUT ON PKU WHENEVER PEOPLE WEREN'T PROPERLY NOTIFIED.
UM, ARE THERE ANY WORRIES ABOUT THAT WITH THIS PARTICULAR CHANGE OR ANY EXPOSURE THAT WE MAY HAVE? NO, THIS TEXT AMENDMENT AMENDMENT WAS, UH, PROPERLY NOTICED
[01:10:01]
AND, AND ADVERTISED.SO WHERE WAS IT PROPERLY NOTICED AND ADVERTISED, IF YOU DON'T MIND ME ASKING? IN, IN THE ADVOCATE, UH, AN ADS REQUIRED A TEXT, TEXT AMENDMENT, ADS REQUIRED TO, TO RUN.
UH, ALSO WE'RE REQUIRED TO POST LEGALLY POST OUR AGENDA.
UM, OUR PRELIMINARY AGENDA SINCE, UH, THIS, THIS WAS ON AN AGENDA, IT'S BEEN ON THAT.
SO IF THERE'S SOMEBODY CURRENTLY OPERATING LIKE THAT IN THAT MANNER AND FASHION THAT THIS MAY IMPACT AND THEY DON'T HAVE PROPER PERMITS OR HAVEN'T BEEN ZONED PROPERLY, THEN THAT THEY DEFINITELY WILL BE IMPACTED AND THEY, THEY SHOULD PROBABLY COME TO THE CITY AND GET THEIR STUFF TAKEN CARE OF AND GET PROPERLY ZONE OR APPLY.
IF THIS WERE TO BE APPROVED, THEY COULD APPLY FOR A, A CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT.
MR. HOLCOMB, IF YOU CAN JUST GIVE US A HANDFUL OF, UH, EXAMPLES OF COMMERCIAL RECREATION OUTDOOR USES SO WE CAN MAKE, MAKE SURE WE HAVE SOME CLARITY ABOUT WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT EXACTLY.
WE HAVE, UH, IN THE UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT CODE.
CURRENTLY THE EXISTING DEFINITION OF RECREATION FACILITY IS A FACILITY DESIGNED AND EQUIPPED FOR THE CON CONDUCT OF SPORTS, LEISURE TIME, AND RECREATION ACTIVITIES WHERE FEES ARE COLLECTED LIMITED TO INDOOR OR OUTDOOR CAMPING, HORSEBACK RIDING, NON COMBUSTION ENGINE WATER TOURING BOATS, AND CONTAINED BODIES OF WATER CANOE RENTALS OR NON-MOTORIZED OUTDOOR BIKE TRAILS.
GUESTS ARE LIMITED TO A MAXIMUM STAY OF 14 DAYS.
THEN WE HAVE A DEFINITION THAT EXISTS NOW, RECREATION, FACILITY, COMMERCIAL, ANY ESTABLISHMENT WHOSE MAIN PURPOSE IS TO PROVIDE THE GENERAL PUBLIC WITH AN AMUSING OR ENTERTAINING ACTIVITY WHERE TICKETS ARE SOLD AND FEES ARE COLLECTED FOR THE ACTIVITY INCLUDES, BUT NOT LIMITED TO SKATING RINKS, WATER SLIDES, MINIATURE GOLF ARCADE, BOWLING ALLEY ALLEYS, BILLIARD HALLS, BUT NOT MOVIE THEATERS.
OBVIOUSLY THIS WOULD BE DIRECTED TOWARDS OUTDOOR SIMILAR FACILITIES, BUT OUTDOORS.
BATTING CAGE IF IT WAS OUTDOORS.
SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WHEN IN, IN THIS CONTEXT AND WE'RE TALKING, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT 1.7 TO TWO ACRES IN THAT CONTEXT, THOSE TYPES OF USES.
AND IF THE ACREAGE REQUIREMENT WAS, WAS MODIFIED AS PROPOSED OR EVEN ELIMINATED, IT WOULD STILL STAND ON ITS OWN REQUIRING A CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT IN A PUBLIC HEARING AND ADVERTISEMENT.
IT WOULD STILL PROVIDE AN AVENUE FOR THE ADJACENT NEIGHBORS WHO MAY HAVE CONCERNS OR BE IMPACTED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PUBLIC HEARING PROCESS.
UH, I'LL INTERJECT SOME COMMENTS HERE.
UH, SO A AGAIN, I DO JUST WANNA CLARIFY AND I THANK COUNCILMAN NOEL FOR HELPING ME DO THIS.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE ARE TALKING ABOUT COMMERCIAL, OUTDOOR, AND RECREATIONAL USE.
SO IT HAS TO MEET ALL THREE OF THOSE REQUIREMENTS FOR THIS REGULATION TO TAKE PLACE.
UM, COMING FROM AN AREA THAT IS, UH, CHARACTERIZED BY QUITE A BIT OF RURAL PROPERTIES, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT, THAT IMPACTS MY AREA.
SO IT'S SOMETHING I'VE BECOME PASSIONATE ABOUT.
AND YES, IT WAS, UH, THE IMPETUS FOR IT WAS THE, UM, AURORA PARK THAT KIND OF BROUGHT IT TO MY ATTENTION.
RIGHT? UM, WHAT WE DID AS A COUNCIL, SO THIS IS NOT, UH, COUNCILMAN HUDSON'S DIRECTION, THIS WAS THE DIRECTION OF THE METROPOLITAN COUNCIL AS A BODY, UH, WAS TO ASK OUR PLANNING STAFF TO GO IN AND RE REVIEW THE UDC AND SEE WHAT WAS APPROPRIATE, UH, WHEN IT COMES TO COMMERCIAL OUTDOOR RECREATIONAL USE.
UM, THE EXAMPLE THAT WE HAD WAS PROPOSED USES OF ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE PAINTBALL, 24 HOUR BATING CAGES, THAT KIND OF THING.
UM, CAN BE VERY PROBLEMATIC FOR AREAS THAT ARE ADJACENT TO SUBDIVISIONS, CAN BE VERY PROBLEMATIC FOR, UH, COMMERCIAL NEIGHBORS, ALL SORTS OF THINGS.
UM, MY CONCERN WITH THE PROPOSED, UH, AMENDMENT FROM COUNCILMAN DUNN IS THAT IT'S ARBITRARY IN NATURE, RIGHT? UH, WE'VE JUST SORT OF SET OUT THIS, THIS ONE THING TO ADDRESS ONE ISSUE THAT SOMEONE HAS BROUGHT TO US.
UM, I, I DID NOT ASK PLANNING STAFF TO, TO DO ANY SORT OF PARTICULAR, UM, UH, REQUIREMENT OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
I, I SIMPLY HAD THE IDEA OF REQUIRING THE CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT BECAUSE I FELT IT WAS APPROPRIATE.
WE WERE ALREADY REQUIRING IT FOR, UH, EVENT HALLS AND THAT SORT OF THING.
UH, SO WHY NOT REQUIRE IT FOR THIS? THEY WANTED TO KEEP THE CODE CONSISTENT AS THEY LOOK ACROSS THE CODE, KEEP IT CONSISTENT, UH, AND HAVE THAT TWO ACRE REQUIREMENT.
SO I THINK IT IS, IT WOULD REPRESENT A BEST PRACTICE.
UM, I I WOULD ASK YOU, YOU KNOW, THIS IMPACTS MY AREA QUITE A BIT.
IF YOU HAVE A LOT OF RURAL ON PROPERTY, UH, OUT THERE IN YOUR DISTRICTS, THIS DEFINITELY IMPACTS YOU QUITE A BIT.
[01:15:01]
I THINK, UM, ASHLEY ALSO MENTIONED THE EFFECT THE, THE STANDARD EFFECTIVE DATE AFTER WE PASS AN ORDINANCE IS TWO WEEKS.UH, SO IF ANYONE OUT THERE, REGARDLESS OF WHO IT IS, IF YOU STILL WANT TO GO AND FILE FOR A PERMIT, UH, YOU STILL HAVE TWO WEEKS TO GO OUT THERE AND GET YOUR PERMIT, UH, BEFORE THIS WILL TAKE IMPACT.
UM, SO I THINK IT DOES PRESENT AN OPPORTUNITY IF, IF THIS, IF YOU'RE CONCERNED ABOUT THIS, IF YOU FEEL LIKE, UH, YOUR RIGHTS ARE BEING TAKEN AWAY, YOU DO HAVE A WAY TO ADDRESS IT.
UM, BUT TO BE CLEAR, NOBODY'S RIGHT IS BEING TAKEN AWAY.
YOU ABSOLUTELY CAN STILL DO COMMERCIAL, OUTDOOR RECREATIONAL USE.
UM, YOU JUST HAVE TO APPLY FOR THE CUP.
UM, ASSUMING, ASSUMING THAT YOU ARE ABOVE TWO ACRES.
UH, SO I THINK THAT REPRESENTS A BEST PRACTICE.
UH, AND IT ADDRESSES A LOT OF ISSUES FOR US, UH, WHO HAVE A LOT OF RURAL ON PROPERTY.
I WILL MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE, UH, AS IT'S WRITTEN.
DO WE HAVE A SECOND? SECOND BY COUNCILMAN ADAMS? WE WILL VOTE ON COUNCILMAN NOEL.
DO YOU STILL WANNA SPEAK? OKAY, WE'LL VOTE ON THE SUBSTITUTE MOTION.
I'M COUNCILMAN I'M I'M GONNA PULL MY, UM, ORIGINAL MOTION.
UH, IS THERE ANY OPPOSITION TO THE MOTION TO APPROVE? SEEING NONE.
ITEM FOUR, DO YOU HAVE MS. BANKS? UH, OBJECTION.
FROM COUNCILMAN BANKS, THERE'S ONLY ONE, UH, ITEM CARRIES.
[5. 23-01546 Case 64-23 4041 Government Street]
CASE 64 DASH 23 40 41.ZONE PROPERTY FROM LIGHT COMMERCIAL TO COMMERCIAL ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE RESTAURANT, CAB ONE, LOCATED ON THE NORTH SIDE OF GOVERNMENT STREET, EAST OF RICHLAND AVENUE, COUNCIL, DISTRICT SEVEN COLE COMMISSION ACTION.
MOTION TO APPROVE CARRIED SIX TO ZERO.
WE'LL OPEN THE FLOOR FOR THE PUBLIC HEARING FOR ITEM FIVE.
ANYONE FROM THE PUBLIC WISHING TO SPEAK, SEEING, AND NONE WE'LL CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING.
I'LL MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE.
ANY OPPOSITION SEEING AND NONE? ITEM FIVE CARRIES.
[6. 23-01547 Case 65-23 10255 Mollylea Drive]
BE A MOTION TO DELETE.ITEM SIX, ITEM SIX K 65 DASH 23 1 0 2 5 5.
MOLLY LEE DRIVE TO REZO PROPERTY FROM SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL TO NEIGHBORHOOD COMMERCIAL LOCATED ON THE NORTH SIDE OF MOLLY LEE DRIVE, WEST OF SHARP ROAD COUNCIL.
COUNCIL DISTRICT SIX DUNN COMMISSION ACTION.
WE'LL OPEN THE FLOOR, THE PUBLIC HEARING FOR ITEM SIX.
AGAIN, THIS ITEM WILL BE DELETED.
UH, SEEING NONE WILL CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING.
COUNCILMAN DUNN, MOTION TO DELETE.
ANY OPPOSITION? SEEING NONE, ITEM SIX IS DELETED.
[Items 7 & 8]
AND EIGHT TOGETHER.UH, THESE ITEMS WILL REQUIRE EIGHT VOTES TO APPROVE 'CAUSE IT WAS DENIED AT THE PLANNING COMMISSION.
ITEM SEVEN K 63 DASH 23 2 0 5 KIMBRO DRIVE.
THERES ZONE PROPERTY FROM PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT TO SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL LOCATED ON THE WEST SIDE OF KIMBRO DRIVE, SOUTH OF MENLO DRIVE.
UH, COUNCIL DISTRICT 12 ROCKA COMMISSION ACTION.
MOTION TO DENY CARRIED EIGHT TO ONE ITEM EIGHT PUD ONE DASH TWO THREE BENTON, FORMALLY THE VILLAGE AT MAGNOLIA WOODS CONCEPT CONCEPT PLAN REVISION TO REVISE BOUNDARY LIMITS AND REZONE PROPERTY FROM SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL, A ONE TO PLAN UNIT DEVELOPMENT LOCATED ON THE NORTH SIDE OF HIGHLAND ROAD, EAST OF MAGNOLIA WOOD AVENUE COUNCIL, DISTRICT 12 ROCKA COMMISSION ACTION.
MOTION TO DENY CARRIED EIGHT TO ONE.
WE'LL OPEN THE FLOOR TO THE PUBLIC HEARING FOR ITEM SEVEN AND EIGHT.
ANYONE FROM THE PUBLIC WISHING TO SPEAK? UH, WE HAVE, WE NEED THE PROPONENTS FOR, WE'LL HAVE PROPONENTS FIRST, ARE YOU A PROPONENT? YES, THAT'S RIGHT.
PROPONENT LIST OR DOES IT MATTER? TY, STATE YOUR NAME, NAME FOR THE RECORD, PLEASE.
UM, UH, THANK YOU COUNSEL FOR YOUR TIME, UH, TONIGHT.
I KNOW THAT WE'VE, WE'VE, UH, VISITED WITH THIS ON THIS PROJECT BEFORE.
UH, WE'RE VERY EXCITED ABOUT IT.
UM, WE'VE ENGAGED WITH THE COMMUNITY, UH, SIGNIFICANTLY, UH, THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS.
AND OUR, OUR KNEE JERK IS REALLY TO DIVE INTO ALL THE, THE GOOD THINGS AND POSITIVE THINGS THAT WE'VE DONE.
UH, TONIGHT THOUGH, I'M GONNA STAY ON TASK.
THE, THE ITEM IS APPROVED AS FAR AS THE ORIGINAL ZONING.
UM, AND TONIGHT WHAT WE ARE ASKING FOR IS A, UH, ALTERNATIVE CONNECTION TO, UH, MAGNOLIA WOODS AVENUE.
UM, THERE'S BEEN SOME CITY MEETINGS THE LAST, UH, FEW WEEKS I THINK WE WERE UP FOR VOTE, UM, OR COULD HAVE GONE AT THE LAST COUNCIL MEETING.
AND WE DEFERRED IT, UH, IN ORDER FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD TO, TO HAVE SOME OF THOSE MEETINGS WITH THE CITY.
UH, AND WE'VE AGREED TO FUND, UH, SOME TRAFFIC CALMING MEASURES, UH, IN AN EFFORT, UM, IF, IF THIS MOTION IS APPROVED TONIGHT.
UM, SO THAT'S, THAT'S THE, THE GIST OF IT.
IF THERE'S QUESTIONS, I'LL BE HERE.
UM, AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.
ANYONE ELSE IN, UH, IN SUPPORT? SEE NONE.
[01:20:01]
MY NAME IS MIKE ALLEN AND I LIVE IN 2, 2 3 KIMBRO DRIVE, WHICH IS IN THE LAUREL EAST SUBDIVISION.I'M HERE THIS EVENING TO EXPRESS MY OPPOSITION TO ITEMS NUMBER EIGHT ON THE AGENDA.
AND TO SAY I'M IN, I AM FOUR AND SUPPORT ITEM NUMBER SEVEN.
I DON'T KNOW IF THOSE ITEMS CAN BE SEPARATED.
WE ARE HERE THIS EVENING TO DISCUSS STREET ACCESS TO THE BENTON DEVELOPMENT FROM MAGNOLIA WOOD DRIVE.
I THINK WE CAN ALL AGREE THAT WE WANT OUR STREETS TO BE WHERE FAMILIES AND FRIENDS CAN SAFELY WALK, BICYCLE, EXERCISE, DRIVE, AND SOCIALIZE.
WE WANT TO MAKE OUR STREETS SAFER, MORE LIVABLE, AND MORE ECONOMICALLY VIBRANT.
WE DON'T WANT TO MAKE THEM MORE DANGEROUS, BUT WHEN I LOOK AT THE PLANNING STAFF FINDINGS ON YOUR AGENDA, I SEE I DON'T SEE ANYTHING ABOUT SAFETY.
INSTEAD, IT SAYS, STAFF CERTIFIES THAT THE PROPOSED REQUEST MEETS THE MINIMUM CRITERIA FOR A PLAN UNIT OF DEVELOPMENT BEING COMPATIBLE WITH SURROUNDING USES AND CONFORMING TO THE UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT CODE.
WHERE DOES IT SAY ANYTHING ABOUT SAFETY AND HEALTH OF A NEIGHBORHOOD? DON'T BE A STICKLER FOR THE LAW, BUT LET US CONSIDER ALSO THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF THOSE WHO ARE GOING TO BE USING THESE STREETS.
THE STREETS IN MAGNOLIA WOODS SUBDIVISION, FOR THE MOST PART, HAVE NO SIDEWALKS, AND THE DITCHES ALONG THE EDGE OF THE STREET ARE DEEP AND DANGEROUS.
THERE IS LITTLE TO NO SHOULDER AND THERE WERE DEVELOPED IN THE 1950S AND DO NOT HAVE ADEQUATE SUBSURFACE STRUCTURE TO SUPPORT A HIGH VOLUME OF TRAFFIC WITH THE NUMBER OF SINGLE FAMILY DWELLINGS PLANNED.
77, I BELIEVE IN TOTAL, A REASONABLE, IT IS, IT IS REASONABLE TO CONCLUDE THAT AT LEAST 154 CARS FROM JUST THE RESIDENCE WILL BE ENTERING, EXITING THIS PROPOSED INTERSECTION DAILY.
ADD TO THAT, ALL THE VARIOUS DELIVERY VEHICLES THAT WILL COME INTO THE NEIGHBORHOOD, IT IS NOT UNREASONABLE TO CONCLUDE THAT THIS TOTAL WOULD BE AT LEAST A 250, UH, VEHICLES PER DAY, OR PERHAPS MORE.
THIS IS A LOT OF TRAFFIC TO ADD ON THE TWO, IT'S SMALL OLD STREET, WHICH WAS CONSTRUCTED IN THE 1950S.
THE STREET IS NARROW, ABOUT 18 FEET AND SOME FEW INCHES WIDER IN SOME PLACES.
AND ON GARBAGE COLLECTION DAYS IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE FOR CARS TO PASS.
ALSO, UTILITY VEHICLES AND YARD MAINTENANCE VEHICLES PARK ON THE STREET WHILE THEY WORK.
IT CAN GET VERY FULL AND TIGHT IN MOVING UP AND DOWN THE STREET.
AS I SAID EARLIER, WE WANT TO MAKE OUR STREETS SAFER AND EASIER TO NEGOTIATE AND MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE LAW, NOT MAKE THEM MORE DANGEROUS.
AND I'D LIKE TO REPEAT THAT, NOT MAKE THEM MORE DANGEROUS.
THE PROPOSED NEW INTERSECTION FROM THE DEVELOP ON THE MAG ONTO MAGNOLIA WOOD WILL NOT HELP US ACHIEVE THAT GOAL.
AND BECAUSE OF THESE POINTS, I RECOMMEND TO DENY THE REQUEST FOR ITEM EIGHT AND SUPPORT THE REQUEST FOR ITEM SEVEN.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR ALLOWING ME TO SPEAK AND FOR YOUR TIME.
I, MY NAME IS ANNETTE ABER AND I RESIDE AT THREE 30 MAGNOLIA AVENUE.
IT'S ADJACENT TO THE DEVELOPMENT, THE SUPPORT I'VE SEEN FROM THE CITY THUS FAR IN MAGNOLIA WOODS SINCE 95 IS A SECOND STOP SIGN PUT AT MENLO AND MAGNOLIA WOOD AVENUE WITH THE THANKFUL HELP OF SMOKEY BOURGEOIS, AND IT'S BEEN GREATLY APPRECIATED.
A FEW WEEKS AGO I ASKED TY HOW THE DENSITY PLAN FOR THE DEVELOPMENT WAS PASSED, AND HE SIMPLY SAID IT WAS DEALT WITH IN DECEMBER.
FOR ME AT LEAST, IT BEGS THE QUESTION, WHERE WERE THE FACES THAT YOU SEE HERE BEFORE YOU THIS AFTERNOON? AT THAT TIME, WERE THERE DISCUSSIONS OF HOUSING DENSITY AND THE RESULTING IMPACTS ON OUR SAFETY? WERE WE FAIRLY HONESTLY CONSIDERED REGARDING THE CERTAIN EFFECTS OF THE HUNDREDS OF MORE CARS SPEEDING THROUGH OUR STREETS, OR WE WERE, WE JUST LEFT HOLDING THE BAG? BEGIN WITH THE END IN MIND.
THE SECOND CHAPTER FROM STEPHEN COVEY'S, SEVEN HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE WOULD'VE BEEN A GREAT PLACE TO HAVE STARTED THIS ENTIRE JOURNEY.
IT SEEMS TO ME AT LEAST THAT THERE WAS NO FORETHOUGHT OR CONSIDERATION OF HISTORIC MAGNOLIA WOODS.
HAD THERE BEEN THE HOUSE COUNT ON THE 14 ACRES SET ASIDE FOR HOUSING COULD HAVE BEEN UNDER 30 ON THE ENTIRE ACREAGE OF THE 1.3 MILE STRETCH OF MAGNOLIA WOOD AVENUE.
BETWEEN HIGHLAND AND THE CLUBHOUSE GATES, THERE ARE ROUGHLY 117 HOUSES.
AND WHAT ABOUT THE CODES AND RULES? IT SEEMS THAT IF IT'S SOMETHING THE DEVELOPER WANTS, THE RULES ARE INTERPRETED ONE WAY, BUT IF IT'S SOMETHING WE NEED, WELL, HERE WE ARE AGAIN, FIGHTING FOR OUR VERY LIVES, AND I'M SPEAKING ABOUT THE CHILDREN, THE ELDERLY THAT WALK UP AND DOWN THOSE STREETS, THOSE NARROW STREETS OF MAGNOLIA WOODS.
FOR THOSE SURROUNDING THE DEVELOPMENT SITE, THE DEVASTATION HAS LED TO THE LAST VESTIGES OF MAGNOLIA WOODS.
FOR ME, BEHIND OUR HOMES WERE MY CHURCH, MY SANCTUARY, MY PEACE.
DID YOU KNOW THAT FOREST TREES SEND SUPPORT AND NOURISHMENT TO SURROUNDING SAPLINGS AND STRUGGLING TREES THROUGH INTERCONNECTED ROOT SYSTEMS, HELPING THEM SURVIVE
[01:25:01]
DISEASE AND DROUGHT? WHAT A GREAT GIFT.GOD AND NATURE PROVIDED TO TREES TO HELP ONE ANOTHER WAS TREES.
AFTER THE LAST ABBREVIATED MEETING, I ASKED, I SPOKE TO MR. RAYFORD ABOUT THE SPEEDLIGHTS AND BUMPS AND STOP SIGNS.
AND BASICALLY HE TOLD ME, AND I'M PARAPHRASING, IT STARTS WITH A PETITION, THEN THE PROCESS WILL MOVE FORWARD WITH THE CITY PLANNING, WITH THE CITY PAYING AND TAKING CARE OF IT.
I'VE STUDIED THE PROCESS, BUT I GOT A HEADACHE
SO IT BEGS MY CONCERN OF THE RECENT STATEMENTS OF MS. ROCKA AND MR. GO THAT THEY WOULD FOOT THE BILL FOR THE SPEED BUMP.
STOP SIGNS AND SPEEDLIGHTS ALONG THE LENGTH OF MAGNOLIA WOOD AVENUE COUNCIL MEMBERS, PLEASE.
THERE HAS GOT TO BE MORE TO LIFE THAN JUST GOLD POWER AND HOW MANY HOUSES YOU CAN CRAM ON ONE ACRE.
WE CAN'T FIX THE WORLD, BUT WE, BUT EVERY ONE OF US CAN FOSTER AND HELP WHAT PASSES THROUGH OUR OWN TWO HANDS.
AGAIN, DENY THIS OUTLET TO MAGNOLIA WOOD AVENUE.
I TRULY BELIEVE THE NAME MAGNOLIA WOODS AS ENVISIONED BY THE ORIGINAL OWNERS OF THIS LAND USED IN THE NAME OF THIS SUBDIVISION AS A TRAVESTY, LIVES MATTER HERE.
AND IT BEGS THE QUESTION, WHAT IS A BRIDGE TOO FAR? THANK YOU TO EVERY ONE OF YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND YOUR COMPASSION.
UM, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME TONIGHT.
UM, TODAY TURNED OUT TO BE A PERFECT DAY.
A PERFECT DAY TO HAVE A MEETING THAT ADDRESSES OUR 140 PLUS TRAFFIC AND DRAINAGE SIGNS THAT CAN BE SEEN THROUGHOUT OUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
MY DAY STARTED BY BEING STARTLED FROM MY DOG BARKING EXCESSIVELY.
SHE WAS BARKING AT THE CITY CREW WHO WERE YELLING AT THE PASSING CARS ON THE SIDE OF MY HOUSE.
THE CREW WAS ATTEMPTING TO UNLOAD EQUIPMENT TO CLEAN OUT THE DITCH BEHIND HER HOUSE THAT WAS BACKED UP FROM THE STORMS LAST WEEK.
UM, BEING IN CONSTRUCTION FOR OVER 30 YEARS, I FELT THE CREW DID EVERYTHING CORRECTLY.
TRAFFIC CONES WERE PUT IN PLACE.
PEOPLE WERE DIRECTING TRAFFIC AND PARKING THE TRUCKS AND TRAILER IN A MANNER THAT WOULD LESSEN THE DAMAGE TO MORE EXPENSIVE EQUIPMENT, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, PROTECT HIS PEOPLE FROM BEING HIT BY THE TRAFFIC.
AFTER 15 MINUTES OF ATTEMPTING TO UNLOAD HIS EXCAVATOR, THE CITY EMPLOYEE HAD TO GIVE UP.
THE TOTAL DISREGARD FOR THE WORKERS WAS TOO GREAT.
THEY WERE FORCED TO PICK UP AND UNLOAD ON A SIDE STREET.
LOSING THE PROTECTION OF A TRUCK AND TRAILER THAT WOULD SLOW THE SPEEDING AND OR DISTRACTED DRIVERS FOR THE HARDSHIP WAS TOO GREAT.
I CAN SEE THE CITY EMPLOYEES WERE WELL-TRAINED, TRAINED TO DO THINGS THE SAME, TO DO THINGS THE SAME WAY, THE SAME THING EVERY DAY.
THE PROCESS ESTABLISHES A ROUTINE THAT CREATES A SAFER WORKING ENVIRONMENT FOR ITS EMPLOYEES ALL BY BEING THE SAME.
THE WEBSITE FOR BETTEN SELLS ITSELF AS BEING PART OF A WELL ESTABLISHED NEIGHBORHOOD BEING THE SAME AS OUR MAGNOLIA WOODS, EXCEPT BENTON IS NOT THE SAME.
BENTON WILL HAVE ROADS THAT WIND TO SLOW TRAFFIC SIDEWALKS FOR PEDESTRIANS AND NO DITCHES TO CLEAN.
AND IF ALLOWED A FAST STRAIGHT ROUTE THROUGH MAGNOLIA WOODS TO GET THERE, PLEASE DO NOT CREATE THIS HARDSHIP FOR US.
THE HARDSHIP LIKE THE CITY WORKERS ENCOUNTERED TODAY, PLEASE DON'T ALLOW THIS HARDSHIP OF INCREASED TRAFFIC THROUGH THIS OLD NEIGHBORHOOD.
I DON'T WANNA BE IN THIS SAME POSITION, THIS CITY EMPLOYEES AND HAVE TO PACK UP AND MOVE OUT FOR THE LACK OF SAFETY AND CONCERN FOR ME, MY FAMILY, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY MY NEIGHBORS.
ANYONE ELSE IN OPPOSITION WISHING TO SPEAK? AH, OKAY.
MS. ELLA DIGBY, PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME FOR THE RECORD.
CONNECTIVITY OF NEW DEVELOPMENTS IS BEING CITED AS THE MAIN REASON FOR THIS ADDITIONAL OUTLET.
THE CITY'S TUNNEL VISION APPROACH TO CONNECTIVITY AT ANY COST IS WHAT HAS CREATED THE PROBLEM WE'RE CURRENTLY IN.
PRIORITIZING ANTICIPATED CONCERNS OF NEW NEIGHBORHOODS OVER THE ACTUAL CONCERNS OR PRE-EXISTING ONES IS PUTTING A BANDAID ON A GUSHING WOUND.
SO LET'S TALK ABOUT WHAT'S BLEEDING.
SINCE LIVING ON MY CORNER THE LAST 10 YEARS, THERE HAS BEEN A MARKET INCREASE IN SPEEDING AND CUT THROUGH TRAFFIC IN MAG WOODS.
CUT THROUGH TRAFFIC HAS ALWAYS BEEN MY NUMBER ONE CONCERN, BUT, BUT APPARENTLY NOT THE CITY'S.
I HAVE FIRSTHAND KNOWLEDGE OF THIS WITH MY OWN ATTEMPTS AT SPEED REDUCTION ON MY CORNER OF CASTLE KIRK AND CHANDLER.
ALL THREE OF MY ATTEMPTS AT HAVING IT CONVERTED TO A FOUR-WAY STOP HAD BEEN DENIED.
THE MOST RECENT TWO OCCURRED THIS YEAR.
THE CITY CITED THE INABILITY OF MY STREET TO MEET THEIR METRICS.
SOME OF THOSE METRICS INCLUDED HAVING GREATER THAN 1500 VEHICLES PER DAY, AVERAGE SPEED REACHING ABOVE 31 MILES PER HOUR, AND AN AVERAGE OF 300 VEHICLES DRIVING BY
[01:30:01]
MY HOUSE IN AN EIGHT HOUR WINDOW.WOULD ANY OF YOU LIKE TO LIVE AND RAISE YOUR CHILDREN ON A STREET WHERE THESE METRICS WERE ACTUALLY BEING MET? NO.
BECAUSE YOU WOULD BASICALLY, BY THE STANDARDS OF THE FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION, BE LIVING ON THE EQUIVALENT OF A MAJOR SERVICE STREET, NOT A QUIET SUBURBAN ROAD.
NOWHERE IN THE FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION'S MANUAL DOES IT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT RESIDENTIAL PEDESTRIAN SAFETY.
THE METRICS ARE DESIGNED FROM A TRAFFIC ENGINEERING STANDPOINT ONLY, AND THE CITY USES THAT TERMINOLOGY TO JUSTIFY DENYING ITS CITIZENS ADDITIONAL SAFETY MEASURES.
THE EXPLANATION FROM MY MOST RECENT DENIAL IN JULY STATED, IT DOES NOT MEET THE WARRANTS SO APPROVING IT COULD LEAD TO OTHER LIABILITY ISSUES FOR THE CITY.
WHAT LIABILITY DO THEY STAND TO INCUR BY HELPING A CITIZEN MAKE HER NEIGHBORHOOD A SAFER PLACE TO LIVE FOR HER CHILDREN? I'M ASKING FOR TWO METAL SIGNS TO HELP PROTECT MY KIDS.
THIS KIND OF TWISTED APPROACH BY PLACING THE LIABILITY OF THE CITY OVER THE LIABILITY OF ITS CITIZENS IS UNCONSCIONABLE.
THE DEVELOPER HAS AGREED TO FUND SPEED CONTROL MEASURES IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD TO OFFSET THE IMPACT, BUT WITH WILL THE CITY APPROVE THEIR PLACEMENT IN PREVIOUS MEETINGS WITH CITY OFFICIALS REGARDING SECTION 13.3 OF THE UDC THAT STATES THE STREETS AND ALLEY ARRANGEMENTS MUST ALSO BE SUCH AS TO CAUSE NO HARDSHIP TO OWNERS.
THEY HAVE MADE IT CLEAR THAT THEY DO NOT CONSIDER THE TRAFFIC AND SPEEDING CAUSED FOR THESE OUTLETS AS HARDSHIPS.
IF THE CITY CAN USE THESE BROAD SWEEPING METRICS TO DENY ONE FOUR-WAY STOP AFTER I HAVE SENT A LETTER OF BACKING FROM THE MAGWOOD CIVIC ASSOCIATION, MY OWN TESTIMONY WITH PICTURES OF MY KIDS, AND AN ADDITIONAL TWO PAGES OF SIGNATURES AND SUPPORT.
DO YOU THINK THAT THEY WILL ALLOW SPEED MITIGATION MEASURES THROUGHOUT THE NEIGHBORHOOD? THEY SOLELY AM PROJECTED CONCERNS? I DON'T THINK SO.
THIS OUTLET WILL PLACE UNDUE HARDSHIP ON OUR NEIGHBORHOOD STREETS.
WHEN MAG WOODS WAS BUILT IN 1952, IT WAS NOT DESIGNED TO HANDLE THIS TRAFFIC LOAD.
IT'S TIME FOR THE CITY TO GET ITS PRIORITIES STRAIGHT AND TO START LOOKING OUT FOR THE LITTLE PEOPLE WHO WANT TO RAISE THEIR KIDS AND WALK THEIR DOGS WITHOUT FEAR OF BEING HIT 31 MILES PER HOUR WHEN YOU HAVE YOUR CHILD ON A BIKE IN THE STREET IS A FRIGHTENING SPEED.
MR. DICK BATON ROUGE IS BLEEDING AND IT IS LOSING THE LITTLE PEOPLE DUE TO ITS DISREGARD FOR THEIR SAFETY.
WILL ITS METRO COUNCIL MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE? THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.
UM, LONG LIFETIME RESIDENT OF MAGNE WOODS.
I THINK WE SHOULD START BY GETTING THIS WOMAN A STOP SIGN.
THIS IS A SERIOUS MATTER AND WE NEED TO, WE NEED TO PURSUE THAT OUTSIDE OF HERE.
BUT, UM, AS A POINT OF REFERENCE, I AM IN SUPPORT OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS LAND.
I'M CONVINCED THAT THIS PURSUIT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BE THE VILLAGE SENSOR THAT OUR COMMUNITY HAS BEEN MISSING.
THAT BEING STATED, I'M NOT IN SUPPORT OF ILL THOUGHT PROCESSES OR DETRIMENTAL IMPACT TO OUR COMMUNITIES, INHABITANTS AND PROPERTY.
UH, WE ARE HERE TO ASK YOU TO, TO DO WHAT IS EXPECTED.
UH, WE SAY TRAFFIC AND DRAINAGE, BUT WE ALL KNOW THAT THESE TWO WERE ONLY THE START OF A LITANY OF COMPLAINTS.
THERE ARE CONCERNS DAILY ON OUR STREETS WITH THE LACK OF STOP SIGNS, THE RUNNING OF STOP SIGNS, CELLULAR PHONE DRIVING USAGE, AND DRAG RACING.
ALL OF THESE ARE PROBLEMS THAT WE FACE IN FRONT TO OUR PEACE AND SAFETY DAILY.
YOU JUST NEED TO KNOW THAT WHAT YOU ARE DOING NOW IS FAILING IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
THE COUNCIL SHOULD BE AWARE THAT YOU'RE STARTING AT A DEFICIT WITH WHATEVER YOU DO.
NEIGHBORS SEEM CONCERNED BECAUSE WE ARE CHASING A MOVING TARGET WITH YOU.
WE HEAR OF OUTLETS ON KIMBRO, OUTLETS ON CASTLE KIRK, OUTLETS ON MAGNOLIA WOODS AND OUTLETS ON HIGHLAND.
WHEN THE FIRST INFORMATIONAL MEETING WAS HELD AT THE LIBRARY FOR THIS DEVELOPMENT, THERE WAS TALK OF ONE PEDESTRIAN OUTLET.
THERE'VE BEEN SO MANY CONFIGURATIONS OF ACCESS.
UH, THERE ARE CLAIMS THAT THE IMPROVEMENTS BEING REQUESTED ARE REGULATORILY RE REQUIRED.
HOWEVER, NEIGHBORHOOD INTERPRETERS OF THE UDC UNDERSTAND THE SUGGESTIONS TO BE PREFERRED BUT NOT MANDATED TO THE COUNCIL MEMBERS OUTSIDE OF OUR BUBBLE.
PLEASE ACTUALLY READ THE VERBIAGE THAT'S BEING INTERPRETED, INTERPRETED TO YOU BY YOUR TECHNICAL EXPERTS.
WE SIMPLY REQUEST FOR MORE TIME.
IT SEEMS THAT SOMETHING WILL HAPPEN BEYOND OUR CONTROL.
WE RESPECTFULLY REQUEST A REASONABLE SOLUTION FOR ALL BEFORE FURTHER ACTION IS DONE ON YOUR PART.
AT THIS TIME, THE NECESSITY OF ONE OUTLET HAS NOT BEEN PROVEN TO US.
SOMEONE WILL STAND HERE TODAY AND SAY THAT IT MIGHT BE A NECESSITY FOR FIRETRUCK ACCESS OR SAFETY.
WITH THAT, WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD CYCLE TURNING TOWARDS, UH, THE YOUTH, AGAIN, UH, WE NEED TO DEFINE OUR PRIORITIES.
THE DAILY SAFETY OF OUR CHILDREN AND PEDESTRIANS SHOULD SUPERSEDE THE OCCASIONAL NEED FOR EMERGENCY VEHICLES ON MAGNOLIA WOODS.
EMERGENCY ACCESS BEING, BEING THE CASE IS AN EMERGENCY ACCESS GATE, ALTHOUGH IS NEEDED WHILE
[01:35:01]
NOT A DESIRABLE SOLUTION.IF A FIRETRUCK NEEDS ACCESS, IT WILL GET IT.
WE MAY MAY VERY WELL NEED AN OUTLET, BUT WHEN, WHERE, AND HOW IS IT POSSIBLE THAT OUR STREETS WILL BE EVEN FURTHER COMPROMISED IF THERE IS NO OUTLET? THE POTENTIAL FOR THE WRAPAROUND EFFECT WHERE INPATIENT RESIDENTS EXITING THE DEVELOPMENT SPEED THROUGH THE NEIGHBOR NEIGHBORHOOD TO MAKE UP FOR LOST TIME IS VERY REAL NEIGHBORHOOD.
NEIGHBORHOOD LONG TIMERS WILL SCREAM WHEN THEY HEAR OF SPEED BUMPS.
BUT DO THEY WORK THEIR MULTITUDE OF OTHER TRAFFIC CALMING SOLUTIONS? HAVE THEY BEEN INVESTIGATED? SOME HAVE BEEN DONE TO SUCCESS IN STREETS LIKE GOVERNMENT.
WE ARE AWARE THAT THERE'S NOT ROOM FOR MEDIAN ISLANDS WITH THE CURRENT STREET WIDTH.
HOWEVER, THERE APPEAR TO BE MANY MORE EFFECTIVE SOLUTIONS THAT PROTECT OUR NEIGHBORS AND PRESERVE THE INTEGRITY.
MR. FERRELL, THAT'S YOUR TIME.
I JUST WANNA SAY WE'RE NOT READY FOR THIS DECISION.
APPRECIATE YOU JASON AMATO PROBABLY SCREWED THAT UP.
UH, THANK YOU COUNSEL FOR SEEING US.
UM, WHAT I WOULD SAY IS, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GOING TO, YOU'RE GONNA HEAR THE WORD HARDSHIP ALL OVER AGAIN AND AGAIN FROM EVERYONE THAT COMES UP HERE, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT WE'RE PUT THAT'S BEEN PUT IN FRONT OF US.
I LIVE AT 3 45 MAGNOLIA WOOD AVENUE, UM, ADJACENT TO WHERE THIS PROPOSED ENTRANCE WILL GO.
THERE ARE SIX OTHER HOMES, RIGHT, THAT LEAD UP TO IT, THAT HAVE CHILDREN UNDER EIGHT YEARS OLD.
UH, THEY GO UP AND DOWN THE STREET.
I HAVE TO STAND IN THE STREET WITH THEM AT ALL TIMES BECAUSE THEY'RE SPEEDERS THAT COME DOWN MAG WOODS, UH, TRYING TO BYPASS, UH, HIGHLAND ROAD AT STARRING TO TRY TO GET OVER TO PERKINS.
UH, THE, AS MANY OF MY NEIGHBORS HAVE SAID, THE ROADS AREN'T WIDE ENOUGH.
AND WHEN, AS WE SAID, THE TRASH CANS ARE THERE, A LARGE TRASH PICKUP IS THERE.
THOSE, THOSE ROADS GET EVEN SMALLER AND IT GETS A LITTLE MORE DANGEROUS.
SO, UH, WITH THAT, WE, WE CAN'T HAVE MORE.
AND THEN WITH INCREASED SPEED BUMPS, UH, LIGHTS FLASHING IT, IT'S NOT A SOLUTION THAT WORKS.
IF ANYONE KNOWS OF THE CLOVERDALE RIGHT BY STANFORD, ANYONE CAN CUT THROUGH MORNING GLORY AND SPEED DOWN CLOVERDALE.
DOES THAT WORK? I WOULD, I WOULD ASK ANYONE THAT LIVES ON THAT STREET.
UM, WE JUST SAW, I MEAN, I I GIVE MY OWN TESTIMONIALS.
YOU KNOW, OTHER NEIGHBORS HAVE SAID THAT, YOU KNOW, WE SEE PEOPLE RUNNING STOP SIGNS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
THAT'S ONLY GONNA BE INCREASED AND THAT'S ONLY GONNA INCREASE MORE DANGER IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
UH, WE JUST SAW THE FUTURE OF BATON ROUGE THAT DIDN'T GO THROUGH.
AND NOW WE'RE LOOKING AT JEOPARDIZING ANOTHER MAJOR, A MAJOR, UH, NEIGHBORHOOD IN THE CITY THAT YOU'RE GONNA SEE YOUNG PEOPLE DON'T WANNA STAY IN ANYMORE BECAUSE IT'S GOTTEN TOO DANGEROUS AND THEY'RE GONNA MOVE THEIR, THEIR FAMILIES OUTSIDE OF THE CITY.
IS THAT WHAT WE WANT? THAT'S NOT WHAT I WANT.
I WANNA STAY, I WANNA SEE MY, MY FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS STAY SO THAT, WITH THAT, I THANK YOU.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, COUNCIL MEMBERS, I AM KAY BALLARD.
UH, WE'VE LIVED IN MAGNOLIA WOODS ON CASTLE KIRK FOR 50 YEARS.
MY HUSBAND AND I BUILT TWO HOMES THERE.
OUR CHILDREN ATTENDED SCHOOLS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
IT WAS CONSIDERED A SAFE, FRIENDLY, UH, NEIGHBORHOOD.
WE HAVE MANY NEW YOUNG FAMILIES THAT ARE MOVING IN, AND WE'RE SO GLAD TO SEE IT BECAUSE SOME OF US WILL EVENTUALLY BE OUTTA THERE ONE WAY OR THE OTHER.
AND, UH, I WOULD LIKE TO, UH, ALSO REITERATE BICYCLES GOING TO EACH OTHER'S HOMES TO PLAY, UH, IN THE SUMMER.
UH, MAGNOLIA WOODS POOLS, AGAIN, KIDS ON BICYCLES, VERY FEW SIDEWALKS IN THE AREA.
UH, THE ROADS ARE VERY NARROW ON MAGNOLIA WOODS, VERY NARROW.
UH, PEOPLE, OTHER PEOPLE WALK AND JOGGING, PUSHING STROLLERS.
UH, UH, ON, EXCUSE ME, I'M A LITTLE NERVOUS, BUT THAT'S ALL RIGHT.
UH, OUR NEIGHBORHOOD SHOULD NOT BE SUBJECT TO A DEVELOPMENT OFF OF HIGHLAND ROAD.
MANY LARGER SUBDIVISIONS WITH ONLY ONE WAY OUT, ONE WAY IN ON HIGHLAND ROAD.
UH, OUR STREETS BECOME SPEEDWAYS.
[01:40:01]
AN HOUR.I SEE BUSES AND, UH, SCHOOL BUSES, GOD BLESS YOU, SCHOOL BUSES, TRUCKS, UH, SPEEDING, ZOOMING DOWN THE STREET.
IF THAT WAS THE CAUSE, IF THERE WAS A CAUSE TO STOP, THEY COULDN'T, THEY WOULD HAVE TO HIT SOMEBODY.
AND HOPEFULLY NOT, BUT I COULD SEE THIS HAPPENING.
IN CONCLUSION, I'M VOTING AGAINST THE DEVELOPER, MR. GHOST, FOR PUTTING ANY OUTLETS IN MAGNOLIA WOODS.
I'M VERY AWARE OF THE HUGE INCREASE OF TRAFFIC.
IF THIS, UH, OUTLET IS, UH, ABLE TO BE PUT IN, I WOULD, UH, IT WOULD DRAMATICALLY IN AN ADVERSE WAY AFFECT OUR QUALITY OF LIFE WE HAVE VALUED.
I'M LINDA FOWLER AND SOME PEOPLE BECAUSE I PRACTICED LAW UNDER THAT NAME.
AND, UH, BUT I'M MARRIED TO PAUL KEMP, SO SOMETIMES I'M LINDA KEMP.
HE'S WORKING ON THE DRAINAGE PART.
AND WE HAVE A DEEP CONNECTION TO BATON ROUGE.
I RETIRED FROM THE SOUTHERN LAW SCHOOL EVENING PROGRAM THAT I HELPED START WITH JUDGE PITCHER AND THE NOW CHANCELLOR JOHN PIERRE.
AND I ENJOYED MY TENURE YEARS THERE.
BEFORE THAT, I HAD TAUGHT AT LSU AND I'VE BEEN A PROSECUTOR ANYWAY.
AND MY WHOLE FAMILY, WE HAVE TWO SONS WHO GREW UP IN OUR HOUSE AT 6 3, 3 MAGNO YOU WOOD, AND RODE THEIR BIKES AND WALKED DOWN TO THE POOL AND COULD TAKE THEIR BIKES OVER TO THE LAURA LEE SHOPPING CENTER.
AND, UM, THEY, AND OF COURSE WE WALKED FOR EXERCISE.
AND LIKE EVERYONE HAS SAID, IT IS A VERY NARROW ROAD.
MAGNOLIA WOULD, AND UNDOUBTEDLY WE WILL HAVE PEOPLE CUTTING THROUGH.
IT'S REALLY, IT WOULD BE THE BEST WAY FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE NEW DEVELOPMENT TO GET TO, UM, THROUGH WALDEN.
IT ALSO WOULD BE A GOOD WAY TO GO TO A MAGNOLIA WOOD, TURN ON BOONE OR MENLO, AND GET TO STARRING AND AVOID THAT TRAFFIC LIGHT AT THE CORNER OF HIGHLAND AND STARRING.
ALSO, YOU COULD GO TO KENNELWORTH.
SO, AND, AND EVERYONE HAS TALKED ABOUT HOW PEOPLE ALREADY DON'T OBSERVE THE, UM, TRAFFIC SPEED LIMIT.
AND I HAVE BEEN ON CLOVERDALE AND SEEN PEOPLE, I DON'T KNOW HOW THEY DO IT, BUT THEY IGNORE IT.
I GUESS THEY DON'T MIND THAT THEIR CARS BOUNCE A LITTLE MORE.
MY WHOLE FAMILY NOW LIVES IN MAGNOLIA WOOD.
MY SON, WHO'S WORKING FOR OUR COUNTRY IN JAPAN AT A MILITARY BASE, BOUGHT THE HOUSE TWO DOORS FROM US AND WE OWN A PART OF IT.
AND HE HAS A THREE-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER THAT HE WOULD LIKE TO RAISE, LIKE HE GREW UP WHEN HE COMES BACK IN A COUPLE OF YEARS FROM JAPAN.
HE'S ALSO A CAPTAIN IN THE MARINES RESERVE.
UM, WE CAN'T OVEREMPHASIZE HOW NARROW.
I, I WOULD URGE YOU TO JUST GO DRIVE DOWN MAGNOLIA WOOD FROM HIGHLAND.
AND ON THE WAY HERE, A SCHOOL BUS BUS PASSED ON MAGNOLIA WOOD AND WE HAD TO KIND OF PULL OFF THE ROAD ON THE RIGHT BECAUSE IT WAS SO NARROW.
AND CHILDREN GET OFF THE BUS AND WALK HOME.
MAMA CAN'T OR DADDY CAN'T ALWAYS MEET THEM AT THE BUS, MS. KIM.
SO, YOU KNOW, WE ARE WORRIED ABOUT THE SAFETY.
THANK YOU, MS. KIM AND WE THANKS YOUR TIME.
WE APPRECIATE YOUR TIME AND PLEASE DENY THE SALAD.
MICHAEL NEWMAN, GUYS, I'M MICHAEL NEWMAN.
I'VE LIVED IN MAGNA WOODS FOR OVER 50 YEARS, A LONG TIME RESIDENT.
AND, UM, RIGHT, I GOT INVOLVED WITH THIS CAMPAIGN WITH MR. ALLEN BECAUSE OF WHAT WAS GONNA HAPPEN TO HIM ON, ON KIMBRO.
AND IT REALLY BOTHERED ME BECAUSE HE FELT LIKE HE WAS GONNA BE WALKED OVER BECAUSE OF THE DEEDS OF RESTRICTIONS AND A JUDGMENT THAT HE HAD FROM SAMMY'S, WHICH IS
[01:45:01]
EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM.UM, UH, THE P AND Z AND THE, AND GHOSTS, UH, UH, GAVE HIM THE SPUDS AND PODS AND ALL KINDS OF THINGS THAT, UH, THAT IT WAS REALLY, IT WAS SOMEWHAT FLYING ON OUR RADAR.
WE DIDN'T PICK UP ON IT UNTIL MIKE REALLY LOOKED INTO THE DETAILS.
ONE OF, THERE'S SOME THINGS THAT REALLY BOTHER ME ABOUT THIS THING BECAUSE I LIVE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND BECAUSE I'M A LANDSCAPE CONTRACTOR, I UNDERSTAND MARKETING AND MARKETING OF A PRODUCT.
SO I WENT TO HIS PAGE, BUT I DID NOT GO INTO HIS WEBSITE BECAUSE THE PAGE IN ITSELF REALLY, UH, I THOUGHT IT WAS PRETTY BAD.
IT BOTHERED ME BECAUSE I SEE ASPECTS OF LIES AND DECEIT.
I'VE GOTTA PUSH A PRODUCT, HE'S GOTTA PUSH A PRODUCT.
SO IT'S DESIGNED TO FOSTER A QUALITY OF LIFE AND A SENSE OF COMMUNITY.
WELL, UH, WE IN MAGNA WOODS, WE, UH, WE HAVE EVERYTHING.
WE HAVE, IT'S A 70-YEAR-OLD COMMUNITY AND IT ALREADY HAS IT, THE HEART OF BATON ROUGE, AND THEN THERE'S THIS LIST OF FIVE MINUTES OF EVERYTHING TO EVERYWHERE.
AND HE'S BUILDING ALL OF THIS AT THE EXPENSE OF MAGNOLIA WOODS AND AN OUTLET.
WE HAVE 15 OUTLETS IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD, IN AND OUT OF THIS NEIGHBORHOOD.
NOW, THEY MAY NOT BE EXACTLY WHAT CONNECTIVITY IS, BUT THAT'S 15 OUTLETS INTO OUR NEIGHBORHOOD, IN AND OUT.
AND WITH THAT COMES A LARGE AMOUNT OF TRAFFIC.
AND WITH THAT, BECAUSE IT'S GROWING RIGHT NOW, IS THAT, UM, WE'RE SLOWLY AND SURELY LOSING OUR 70 YEAR QUALITY OF LIFE IN MAGNA WOODS THROUGH TRAFFIC, ESPECIALLY WITH THE ADDITION OF 300 CARS A DAY.
AND THIS WILL SPEED UP THE PROCESS.
WE'RE LOSING OUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
UH, NO DOUBT GHOST IS SHIFTING.
THE HARDSHIP AND CONVENIENCE, INCONVENIENCE, UM, HARDSHIP, NO HARDSHIP OR UNDUE HARDSHIP.
THERE'S ALL THESE TERMS. UH, BUT THE BOTTOM LINE, HE'S SHIFTING THE BURDEN OF TRAFFIC INTO OUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
THE BURDEN IS HIS AND HIS OWN.
SO, YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN TO A LOT OF THESE MEETINGS AND LAST ONE WAS LAST WEDNESDAY.
AND WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE, I WENT INTO THAT MEETING AND I THOUGHT IT WAS VERY INTERESTING BECAUSE I ONLY REQUESTED THREE PEOPLE AND I HAD, I THINK EIGHT PEOPLE FROM THE CITY THERE.
UM, AND SO I FELT LIKE IT WAS, UH, IT WAS, IT WAS PRETTY INTERESTING.
I KINDA LIKED IT, YOU KNOW, I SAID, WELL, THIS IS GONNA BE A CHALLENGE, MEANING THE CITY PLANNERS AND THE ENGINEERS AND RACK OF SUPPORT.
UM, MR. NEWMAN, THAT THAT'S YOUR TIME, IF YOU WOULD PLEASE WRAP IT UP.
WELL, THE UDC IS A GUIDELINE, NOT A LAW, UH, NOR REGULATION, REQUIRED REGULATION AT LAST WENDY'S MEETING RACK UP EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH.
AND THE POWERS THAT BE WERE IN UNISON, LIKE A MOCKINGBIRD SAYING THAT YOU MUST DO THIS, YOU MUST ACCEPT THIS ALSO IN USE WAS, THANK YOU MR. NEWMAN.
THAT'S TRAFFIC IS NOT A HARDSHIP.
UH, DO WE HAVE ANYONE ELSE IN OPPOSITION THAT WISHES TO SPEAK? UH, IF YOU WOULD, I'LL, I'LL COME UP ONE AT A TIME.
PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME FOR THE RECORD.
I LIVE ON, UH, CASTLE CREEK DRIVE WITH MY WIFE, AND WE RAISED FOUR CHILDREN THERE.
UH, BY THE WAY, THIS IS A YARD SIGN.
I THINK THEY'RE 170 OF 'EM, OR 170 PEOPLE IN MAGNOLIA WOODS HAVE PURCHASED THESE SIGNS AND HAVE DISPLAYED THEM FOR MONTHS.
THEY'RE, THEY'RE AGAINST THIS, UH, DEVELOPMENT.
UH, I, I, UH, MY NEIGHBORS HAVE SAID VERY, UH, VERY WELL, A LOT OF THE OBJECTIONS I HAVE TO THE, UH, UH, TO THE DEVELOPMENT AND THE TRAFFIC AND DRAINAGE PROBLEMS. UM, SO I, I JUST WANNA SAY SOMETHING A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAT THIS, THIS DEVELOPMENT IS OUT OF CHARACTER WITH MAGNOLIA WOODS.
I MEAN, WE HAVE, UH, UH, LARGE LOTS, BIG TREES, YOU KNOW, OLD GROWTH TREES, UH, OAKS AND SYCAMORES AND, UH, ALL KINDS OF BIG TREES.
WE, UH, KEEP FALLING DOWN THOUGH BECAUSE THEY'RE GETTING OLD.
UM, BUT HE WANTS TO PACK, WHAT, HOW MANY 75, 79 DIFFERENT HOMES AND LITTLE BITTY LOTS.
UH, ADD EIGHT CONDOS, PUT SOME, UH, FEW LITTLE STORES AND IN THE FRONT, UH, THAT, THAT'S, THAT'S JUST NOT OUR CHARACTER OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
I WOULD'VE NO PROBLEM WITH THIS, UH, DEVELOPMENT IF HE JUST KEPT IT IN THE SAME CHARACTER.
[01:50:01]
TECHNO, TAKE, UH, CASTLE KIRK, CUT IT STRAIGHT THROUGH TO HIGHLAND ROAD AND BILL LIKES SIX OR 12 OR 15 REALLY NICE HOMES AND LARGE LOTS LIKE WE HAVE ALREADY, UH, AND SELL 'EM FOR A MILLION AND A HALF A PIECE.UH, THAT'S, I DUNNO WHAT THEY'RE GOING FOR, BUT THEY, YOU GET A LOT OF MONEY FOR THOSE.
INSTEAD, HE WANTS TO PACK ALL THESE SMALL HOMES ON THESE LITTLE BITTY LOTS, CHARGE PEOPLE A LOT OF MONEY FOR 'EM, AND THEN, UH, MAKE THE REST OF THE, UH, OUR NEIGHBORHOODS SUFFER, UH, FOR THAT.
UH, SO ANYWAY, THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO SAY.
I WANNA THANK, I WANNA THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION AND YOUR TIME TOO.
ANYONE ELSE WISHING TO SPEAK IN OPPOSITION? YES, MA'AM.
IF YOU WOULD, IF YOU WOULD, IF YOU'RE, IF YOU STILL WANNA SPEAK, IF Y'ALL WOULD JUST KIND OF FORM A LINE IN THE BACK OF THE ROOM AND WE'LL GET YOU UP A LITTLE BIT QUICKER.
PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME FOR THE RECORD.
I LIVE AT 3 1 6 MAGNOLIA WOOD.
UM, THIS DEVELOPMENT IS RIGHT BEHIND ME, AND THIS OUTLET'S GONNA COME OUT RIGHT NEXT TO MY HOUSE.
UM, MY MAIN CONCERNS ARE INCREASING TRAFFIC AND DEGRADED SAFETY WITH THE MAGNOLIA WOODS AVENUE OUTLET.
UM, I'M CONCERNED BECAUSE THE PEOPLE ON MAGNOLIA WOODS AVENUE ARE MAJORITY ELDERLY AND YOUNG FAMILIES WITH SMALL CHILDREN.
UH, I PERSONALLY HAVE TWO SMALL CHILDREN, AGES THREE AND ONE.
UM, I KNOW OF AT LEAST FOUR NEIGHBORS JUST ON MY BLOCK FROM MENLO TO HIGHLAND ROAD WITH ELEMENTARY AGED SCHOOL CHILDREN.
UH, THIS OUTLET IS GOING TO DIRECTLY IMPACT MY DAY TO DAY AND MY CHILDREN'S LIVES MORE THAN IT ALREADY HAS.
I STAY HOME WITH MY KIDS AND WE ARE ALWAYS WALKING, TAKING THE DOG OUT.
WE'RE MEMBERS OF THE POOL DOWN THE ROAD, SO WE GO UP AND DOWN A LOT, UH, ON FLOYD BIKE.
UM, I ACTUALLY WENT OUT AND MEASURED THE ROAD IN FRONT OF MY HOME.
IT'S 19 FEET WIDE, UM, 19 FEET WITH NO SIDEWALKS AND DEEP DITCHES ON BOTH SIDES.
UM, UNDER STREETE CLASSIFICATIONS PER B RLA.COM.
UH, IT SAYS, FOR LOCAL STREETS THAT ARE ABOUT LONG WITH A SPEED LIMIT OF 25 MILES PER HOUR, WHICH IS OUR STREET, UM, THAT THE PAVEMENT WIDTH IS LISTED AS 34 FEET, THAT'S A 15 FOOT DIFFERENCE.
UM, YOU KNOW, THAT DOESN'T SOUND SAFE TO ME AT ALL.
MY FAMILY HAS ALMOST BEEN HIT SEVERAL TIMES BY CARS SPEEDING IN THE ALMOST TWO YEARS THAT I'VE LIVED THERE.
UM, WE NEED TO RESPECT THE FACT THAT THESE STREETS ARE 70 PLUS YEARS OLD AND THE INFRASTRUCTURE DOESN'T SUPPORT THIS KIND OF DEVELOPMENT.
SO IF YOU WANNA COME INTO AN EXISTING NEIGHBORHOOD, YOU NEED TO IMPROVE THE NEIGHBORHOOD TO SUPPORT THIS.
THIS OUTLET IS ALSO NOT THE MOST LOGICAL DECISION BECAUSE IT PUTS TRAFFIC RIGHT BACK ONTO HIGHLAND ROAD WHERE THE OTHER TWO OUTLETS ARE.
OR EVEN WORSE, ALL THESE CARS WILL BE COMING THROUGH OUR NEIGHBORHOOD RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY HOUSE.
UH, MAGNOLIA WOODS, I'LL REITERATE IS 15 FEET WIDE WITH NO SIDEWALKS AND DEEP DITCHES.
IT CAN'T SUPPORT THE AMOUNT OF TRAFFIC FROM 70 PLUS HOMES AND SOME BUSINESSES.
I WOULD LOVE TO BE ABLE TO TAKE MY KIDS TO THIS BUSINESS, THE BUSINESSES, AND ENJOY THE GREEN SPACE, BUT WE CANNOT SAFELY GET THERE.
UM, PLEASE CONSIDER THE SAFETY OF MY FAMILY AND THE MANY FAMILIES IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD AND DENY THIS OUTLET AGAIN.
PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME FOR THE RECORD.
I LIVE AT 82 35 MENLO DRIVE, JUST DOWN THE STREET FROM THIS AREA.
AND I OPPOSE ANY STREET OUTLET OR SUPPOSED CONNECTIVITY BETWEEN THIS DEVELOPMENT AND THE REST OF MAGNOLIA WOODS.
UM, THE, THE SUPPOSED REQUIREMENT FOR THIS CONNECTIVITY OF HAVING MULTIPLE OUTLETS, AND THAT'S WHAT THEY REALLY ARE.
IT'S NOT CONNECTIVITY, IT'S A WAY FOR PEOPLE IN THIS SUBDIVISION OR THIS NEW DEVELOPMENT TO GET OUT INTO OUR NEIGHBORHOOD IS IN THE UDC SUPPOSEDLY, UH, IN SECTION 13.3, BUT 13.3 DOESN'T TALK ABOUT CONNECTIVITY AT ALL.
IT TALKS ABOUT CONNECTIONS AND THAT NEW DEVELOPMENTS NEED TO MAKE PROVISIONS FOR THE NIGHT CONNECTIONS.
CONTINUATIONS NEEDS TO MAKE PROVISIONS FOR THE CONTINUATION OF NEW STREETS, UH, WITH EXISTING STREETS.
AND IF YOU LOOK AT MAGNOLIA WOODS AND THE SURROUNDING DEVELOPMENTS ON ALONG HIGHLAND ROAD FROM LSU ALL THE WAY TO THE OTHER SIDE OF STARRING, YOU CAN SEE THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT'S BEEN DONE THROUGHOUT THE HISTORY OF BATON ROUGE.
AS THESE DEVELOPMENTS HAVE BEEN MADE AND SUBDIVISIONS PUT IN PLACE, STREETS HAVE FORMED MOSTLY A GRIDED PATTERN.
AND, AND THESE WEREN'T ALL DONE AT AT THE SAME TIME.
FOR EXAMPLE, MAGNOLIA WOODS ITSELF IS 16 SUBDIVISIONS THAT WERE PUT IN AT DIFFERENT TIMES AND TO GO THROUGH IT, YOU COULDN'T REALLY TELL EXCEPT FOR THE VARYING STYLES OF THE HOUSES.
UM, WHAT WE'RE GETTING IS FORCED CRAMMED DEVELOPMENT NOT IN THE SAME CHARACTER, SAME NATURE, EXCEPTIONAL DENSITY OF POPULATION STUCK IN ONE AREA AND WITH THE SUPPOSED REQUIREMENT TO, UH, HAVE ACCESS AND THROUGHPUT THROUGH ROADS THAT WEREN'T DESIGNED TO HAVE IT.
AND, AND YOU'VE HEARD ALL THE OTHER ARGUMENTS.
I'VE SENT YOU GUYS A COUPLE OF LETTERS
[01:55:01]
THAT EXPLAIN THIS, I THINK PRETTY CLEARLY.I HOPE THAT YOU GUYS HAVE READ 'EM.
UH, AND I, I IMPLORE YOU PLEASE DO NOT APPROVE ANY OF THIS SUPPOSED CONTINUITY OR CONNECTIVITY INTO OUR NEIGHBORHOOD UNTIL THE ISSUES OF DENSITY AND, AND STREET CONNECTIVITY AND CONTINUATION ARE ADDRESSED APPROPRIATELY.
PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME FOR THE RECORD.
I LIKE YOU DON'T KNOW MY NAME.
I'M, UH, A RESIDENT OF MAGNOLIA WOODS AND I'M A PRESIDENT OF THE MAGNOLIA WOODS CIVIC ASSOCIATION.
MYSELF AND SEVERAL OF OUR RESIDENTS AND SEVERAL OF OUR BOARD MEMBERS HAVE WORKED ON THIS PROJECT, UM, FOR PROBABLY TWO YEARS NOW.
AND, UM, I KNOW THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD WHO ARE EXCITED ABOUT WHAT THIS DEVELOPMENT IS GOING TO BRING.
AND I KNOW THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT AT ALL EXCITED ABOUT WHAT THIS DEVELOPMENT IS GONNA BRING.
WHAT I ALSO KNOW IS THAT NO MATTER WHAT SIDE THESE PEOPLE ARE ON, THE RESOUNDING MESSAGE I GET IS THESE STREETS CAN'T HANDLE IT.
I'D LIKE YOU TO DENY IT, BUT I KNOW THE REALITY IS THAT YOU'RE GOING TO APPROVE IT.
I KNOW THAT THAT'S THE WRITING ON THE WALL WE'VE SEEN SINCE THE BEGINNING.
SO WHAT I URGE YOU TO DO, IF YOU'RE GOING TO APPROVE IT, IS PLEASE GET THESE STREETS TO WHERE THEY CAN HANDLE THIS FOR OUR KIDS AND OUR ELDERLY PEOPLE AND OUR ADULTS.
PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME FOR THE RECORD.
I, I WOULD HOPE TO DISAGREE THAT THIS IS A FOREGONE CONCLUSION AND THAT THERE'S ACTUALLY SOME REAL DEBATE GOING ON HERE AND SOME REAL CONSIDERATION COMING FROM THE LISTENING TO THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE COME HERE TONIGHT TO EXPRESS THEIR CONCERN ABOUT THIS.
AND I HOPE PLEASE LOOK AT THEM AND TELL THEM THAT THEY HAVEN'T COME HERE IN VAIN BECAUSE IT'S A FOREGONE CONCLUSION.
NOW, THERE'S A WHOLE LOT OF CON DISCUSSION ABOUT CONNECTIVITY AND GET IT.
I THINK MR. NEWMAN ADDRESSED THAT ISSUE WITH REGARDS TO CONNECTIVITY.
AND I THINK MAGNOLIA WOODS HAS ALREADY DONE ITS DUTY THERE.
THIS IS, UH, THIS DEVELOPMENT I'M SURE IS GONNA TAKE PLACE, BUT THIS CUT THROUGH CREATES AN A HARDSHIP ON MAGNOLIA WOODS AND THERE'S NO DOUBT ABOUT THAT.
I MEAN, WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD ANYBODY TALK ABOUT TRAFFIC CALMING SOLUTIONS? IF THERE'S NOT A PROBLEM, YOU DON'T NEED A SOLUTION.
RIGHT? BUT THERE IS A PROBLEM AND 13 THREE DOESN'T DO ANYTHING TO SAVE THIS PROJECT THAT IS THIS CUT THROUGH TO MAGNOLIA WOODS.
IF IT WANTED, IF THEY WANTED TO HAVE IT THERE AND THEY THOUGHT IT WAS THAT IMPORTANT, WHY NOT DESIGN THAT ORIGINALLY THIS WAY? WHY PROBABLY WOULD'VE GOTTEN THE SAME RESPONSE.
IT MIGHT NOT HAVE EVER GOTTEN OFF THE GROUND.
LET'S GO AHEAD AND GET THE PRO GET THE PROJECT GOING, THEN WE'LL ASK FOR A LITTLE CREEP.
I HOPE THAT Y'ALL WILL GO AHEAD AND DENY IT.
PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME FOR THE RECORD.
MY NAME IS RYAN BETTENCOURT AND I AM, UH, ONE OF THE NEWER RESIDENTS WITH YOUNGER CHILDREN IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
AND WHEN WE, UH, WERE FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO FIND OUR HOME, WE REPLACED A FAMILY THAT HAD BEEN THERE FOR 40 YEARS.
UH, AND BEING OUTDOORS AND SPENDING TIME, UH, IN THE COMMUNITY WAS A HUGE PART OF WHY WE CHOSE MAG WOODS.
WE RIDE TO KENNELWORTH PARK, WE JOIN THE POOL THE FIRST TIME THIS YEAR.
LOTS OF WONDERFUL MEMORIES ALREADY BEGINNING.
I BELIEVE THAT WHEN THIS FIRST CAME BEFORE Y'ALL, UM, MANY OF YOU WERE UNDER THE IMPRESSION THIS WAS WELCOME AND IT WASN'T GONNA BE AN ISSUE.
THAT THIS WAS A CAPSTONE DEVELOPMENT THAT WAS GONNA FLY THROUGH TO BE HAPPY.
MOST OF THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE SPOKEN, UH, AREN'T COMPLETELY AGAINST THE DEVELOPMENT.
THEY'RE AGAINST THE DEVELOPMENT IMPACT ON TRAFFIC AND DRAINAGE.
AND IF THOSE THINGS CAN BE ADDRESSED, MITIGATED, UH, MANY PEOPLE IN THIS ROOM WILL BECOME PREVENTING.
UM, WE KNOW THAT, UH, THESE ARE RECOMMENDATIONS.
WE KNOW THAT YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO MAKE EXCEPTIONS.
UM, WE'RE ASKING THAT YOU DO THAT.
YOU'VE HAD MANY PEOPLE HERE TRY TO FIGURE IT OUT AND GIVE SOLUTIONS, UH, VARIOUS OUTLET TYPES.
I'VE EMAILED Y'ALL ABOUT THAT.
YOU KNOW, HAVING GREEN SPACE AVAILABLE FOR CON FUTURE CONVERSION.
IF THERE WAS A NEED FOR ADDITIONAL, UH, TRAFFIC.
I FEEL LIKE, YOU KNOW, IT SEES, IT SEES EITHER BLACK OR WHITE WITH THIS AND IT'S, ANYTIME IT'S THOSE, THOSE HARD OPTIONS, SOMEBODY'S GONNA LOSE.
THERE HAS TO BE ANOTHER CHOICE.
THERE HAS TO BE ANOTHER WAY FOR THIS COUNCIL AND THE CITY TO WORK WITH THIS DEVELOPER
[02:00:01]
AND WORK WITH THE COMMUNITY SO THAT OUR CHILDREN'S LIVES ARE NOT PUT AT ADDITIONAL JEOPARDY.IT'S COME BY, DRIVE THROUGH THE NEIGHBORHOOD AFTER TRASH DATES.
SO MANY TRASHCANS ARE IN THE DITCH THAT WE HAVE TO PULL OUT.
'CAUSE THEY JUST SET 'EM DOWN.
YOU, WE HAVE A CONSENSUS HERE.
WE HAVE 170 SIGNS OUT WHEN THE COMMUNITY BECAME AWARE OF WHAT WAS COMING AND, AND THAT'S WHEN Y'ALL STARTED GETTING EMAILS AND WE STARTED COMING TO THE MEETINGS.
PLEASE WORK WITH US TO KEEP OUR NEIGHBORHOODS SAFE.
AND AS IT'S BEEN SAID, WE CAN FIGURE THIS OUT.
WE CAN GET THESE ROADS IN SHAPE.
WE CAN ADD THAT OUTLET ANOTHER TIME IF IT'S EVEN NEEDED AND IT MAY NOT BE.
ANYONE ELSE? WISHING TO SPEAK IN OPPOSITION.
SEEING, SEEING NONE, UH, THE APPLICANT HAS A THREE MINUTE REBUTTAL.
THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR TIME.
UM, I'VE, I'VE HEARD A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS, SO I'M GONNA TRY TO COVER THE, UH, SOME OF THOSE QUICKLY.
THERE WERE, UH, ISSUES WITH DENSITY.
UH, THE ORIGINAL ZONING ALLOWED EIGHT MORE UNITS, SIX MORE UNITS THAN WHAT WE HAVE NOW.
UM, THE DRAINAGE, WE ARE SUBSCRIBING TO THE A HUNDRED YEAR DETENTION PLAN VOLUNTARILY.
WE'RE DOING THE A HUNDRED YEAR AND WE'RE ALLOCATING, UH, OVER SIX FIGURES TO IMPROVE THE HIGHLAND ROAD CULVERT.
UH, THAT IS BASED ON OUR DRAINAGE STUDY THAT WE PERFORMED, UH, CAUSING SO MUCH, MUCH OF THE DRAINAGE ISSUES, UH, AROUND OUR DEVELOPMENT.
UM, AS FAR AS TRANSPARENCY, WE'VE HAD DOZENS OF MEETINGS.
WE'VE HAD TWO OR THREE TOWN HALLS, MULTIPLE CIVIL CIVIC ASSOCIATION MEETINGS, AND LOTS OF MEETINGS WITH, WITH YOU ALL IN, IN FRONT YARDS AND, AND KITCHEN TABLES.
UH, TRYING TO MEET ALL THE REQUESTS OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD BECAUSE WE, WE DO CARE.
UH, WE WANT TO ADD VALUE, UM, AND WE WANT TO BE A GOOD NEIGHBOR.
UH, THE T AND D I'VE HEARD A FEW THINGS ABOUT THE SMALLER LOTS.
THE T AND D ASPECT OF THIS ALLOWS FOR THE COMMUNITY SPACE.
IF WE JUST DID A ONE LOTS, THERE'D BE NO ROOM FOR A PARK.
THERE'D BE NO ROOM FOR A GREEN SPACE OUT IN FRONT OF THE RESTAURANT.
THERE'D BE NO ROOM FOR 100 YEAR DETENTION.
SO IT'S A STYLE OF DEVELOPMENT THAT, UH, FACILITATES COMMUNITY IN ADDITION TO ALLOWING FOR SOME OF THE MORE RIGOROUS DESIGN STANDARDS THAT THE CITY HAS TODAY ON, ON DEVELOPMENT.
UM, AND SO IT'S, IT'S, IT'S THERE BY DESIGN.
UH, THE LAST THING THAT I'LL SPEND THE MOST TIME ON IS, IS WITH REGARD TO TRAFFIC BASED ON OUR TRAFFIC STUDY, THE MAJORITY OF TRAFFIC IS TURNING ONTO HIGHLAND ROAD.
UM, THE PEAK HOUR CARS COMING FROM OUR DEVELOPMENT ONTO MAG, MAGNOLIA WOODS WOULD BE SOMEWHERE IN THE RANGE OF SIX, ONE CAR EVERY SIX TO EIGHT MINUTES.
SO WE HAVE DATA TO, TO, TO SHARE AND, UH, IT'S NOT A HUGE INCREASE IN TRAFFIC FOR THAT CONNECTION.
WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO DO IS WORK WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD BECAUSE WE'VE HEARD THAT FOR YEARS THEY'VE TRIED TO HAVE CALL TRAFFIC CALMING MEASURES WITHIN THE DEVELOPMENT.
AND, UH, WE'RE ALLOCATING $20,000, UH, FOUR FLASHING LIGHTS, FOUR STOP SIGNS.
AND THE CITY AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD HAS DISCRETION OF WHERE THOSE ARE LOCATED.
UM, LET'S SEE, ONE MORE THING.
UH, ORIGINALLY THE CONNECTION WAS MENLO, AND THAT WAS MET WITH A LOT MORE NEGATIVE FEEDBACK WITHIN MAGNOLIA WOODS THAN THE, UH, MAGNOLIA WOODS CONNECTION.
IF THIS IS DENIED TONIGHT, THAT'S THE LAST PARCEL THAT WE HAVE FRONTAGE ON.
AND MAG MENLO WILL BE THE NEXT LOCATION THAT WE TRY TO GET, UH, CONNECTIVITY.
UM, WE ARE DESIGNING THIS SO THAT ALL THOSE YOUNG FAMILIES IN MAGNOLIA WOODS CAN COME UTILIZE OUR PARK, COME UTILIZE OUR PLAYGROUND, USE OUR SIDEWALKS, MENLO AND MAGNOLIA WOODS WILL HAVE SIDEWALKS WHERE WE'VE FRONT IT.
AND, UH, WE BELIEVE THAT WE'VE DONE ENOUGH AS DEVELOPERS.
WE BELIEVE THAT WE'VE GONE ABOVE AND BEYOND.
AND, UH, RESPECTFULLY REQUEST THAT THIS IS APPROVED TONIGHT.
UH, COUNCILWOMAN COUNCIL MEMBERS, Y'ALL SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED TWO EMAIL COMMENTS AND OPPOSITION TO ITEM SEVEN AND EIGHT.
MOVE TO COUNCIL MEMBERS COUNCILWOMAN ROCCA.
AND THANK YOU EVERYBODY WHO CAME OUT AND SENT EMAILS AND LETTERS AND ALL THE CORRESPONDENCE THAT WE'VE RECEIVED, UM, TO BOTH THE CIVIC ASSOCIATION P PRESIDENT, AND, UM, SOME OF THE FOLKS THAT HAVE HEADED UP THE EFFORTS FOR PROTECT MAG WOODS.
UM, THANK YOU FOR ALL THE MEETINGS THAT WE'VE HAD.
I KNOW WE'VE HAD SEVERAL, UM, AND I, THERE HAS BEEN SOME INFORMATION THAT'S GONE OUT.
AND BASED UPON THE COMMENTARY THAT I'VE SEEN TONIGHT AT THE PODIUM, I STILL BELIEVE
[02:05:01]
THAT THERE IS A SUFFICIENT AMOUNT OF MISUNDERSTANDING ABOUT WHAT IS HAPPENING TONIGHT AND WHAT WE'RE VOTING ON.UM, BASED UPON THE SUBDIVISION ALREADY BEING APPROVED, WHICH HAPPENED SEVERAL MEETINGS AGO, UM, THIS SUBDIVISION CAME BEFORE US AND WAS APPROVED.
THE SUBDIVISION, UM, THE, THE DEVELOPERS, THE CIVIC ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT, ALL FOLKS WERE INVOLVED.
THEY CAME TO THIS COUNCIL, AND WE DISCUSSED THAT NIGHT AT THAT MEETING THAT DRAINAGE WOULD BE PROVIDED AND IT WOULD BE PREDICATED UPON APPROVAL THAT THEY PROVIDE THE ADDITIONAL DRAINAGE THAT THE CITY REFUSED TO PAY FOR.
UM, THERE'S NO DOUBT THAT WE HAVE ISSUES WITH DRAINAGE AND INFRASTRUCTURE IN OUR CITY, AND THAT THOSE TAX DOLLARS ARE NOT ALWAYS ATTRIBUTED IN THE PLACE WHERE WE NEED TO GET THOSE DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENTS MADE.
SO THE DEVELOPER CAME IN AND PROMISED PRIOR TO US APPROVING THAT DEVELOPMENT THAT THEY WERE GOING TO DO DRAINAGE MAINTENANCE ON HIGHLAND ROAD DRAINAGE MAINTENANCE THAT IS NOT TIED DIRECTLY TO THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD, NOT TIED TO YOURS, BUT IT HAS A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON WHAT'S GOING ON.
SO AS FAR AS DRAINAGE IS CONCERNED, THAT'S BEEN DONE VERY LONG TIME AGO.
UM, NEXT WE HAVE THE TRAFFIC ISSUE, AND MS. DEETS CAME UP AND SAID, UM, I KNOW THAT THIS HAS GOTTA GO A CERTAIN WAY.
THE REASON WHY SHE KNOWS IT GOES A CERTAIN WAY IS BECAUSE SHE'S FAMILIAR WITH THE UDC CODE, AND WE'VE HAD CONVERSATIONS ABOUT WHAT THAT ENTAILS.
IT'S NOT A FOREGONE CONCLUSION.
IN FACT, I'M GONNA HAVE MR. HOLCOMB COME UP AND TELL US EXACTLY WHAT IT MEANS FOR AN OUTLET.
SO, MR. HOLCOMB, SPECIFICALLY, I NEED YOU TO TELL US FIRST AND FOREMOST, WHAT ARE WE VOTING ON TONIGHT, UM, WITH REGARDS TO NUMBER SEVEN AND TO NUMBER EIGHT.
SO ALL OF THE COUNCIL AND ALL OF THE PUBLIC IS ABSOLUTELY CLEAR ON WHAT'S HAPPENING TONIGHT, SIR, SO THERE'S TWO ITEMS ON THE AGENDA.
THE FIRST ITEM IS A REZONING, UM, TAKING A PIECE THAT IS CURRENTLY ZONED PUD, WHERE THAT REQUIRED SECONDARY ACCESS WAS ON THE, THE PREVIOUSLY APPROVED PLAN DEVELOPMENT REZONING THAT FROM PUD BACK TO A ONE AND THE COMPANION CASE, THE SECOND CASE.
WHY IS THERE BEING A REZONING FOR NUMBER SEVEN FROM POD TO A ONE AND A ONE WOULD BE THE CURRENT SIZE LOSS THAT THEY HAVE IN MAGNUS, CORRECT? THAT'S CORRECT.
SO A ONE IS THE CURRENT SIZE LOTS THAT MAGWOOD HAS THROUGHOUT THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD, CORRECT? THAT'S CORRECT.
JUST TO BE CLEAR, WHY ARE WE GOING FROM PUD NOW BACK TO A ONE? MY UNDERSTANDING IS THE, THE REQUIREMENT TO HAVE THAT SECONDARY ACCESS ON ON KIMBRO, WHICH WAS PREVIOUSLY APPROVED, WAS, IS UNAVAILABLE AT THIS TIME.
SO THE KIMBRO EXIT IS REMOVED, CORRECT? THAT'S CORRECT.
SO NOW ACCORDING TO THE UDC AND HOW THE CITY INTERPRETS IT, NOT ME, NOT THE COUNCIL MEMBERS HERE, WHAT THE CITY REQUIRES, TELL US WHAT OUR OPTIONS ARE WITH REGARD TO NOT HAVING ANY EXITS AND JUST GET COMING IN AND GOING OUTTA HIGHLAND ROAD OR HAVING THE REMAINING EXITS, WHICH MY UNDERSTANDING IS MAGWOOD AND MENLO.
IS THAT CORRECT? THAT'S CORRECT.
BECAUSE OF THE, SO TELL ME, TELL ME, IS THERE ANY OPTION, ANY EXCEPTION, BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN OVER THIS SEVERAL TIMES, ANY EXCEPTION TO WHERE WE DON'T HAVE AN EXIT INTO MAGNOLIA WOODS? NO.
SO TELL ME WHY IS THAT? THE UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT CODE REQUIRES A SECONDARY ACCESS AND BASED ON THE SIZE AND THE DEPTH OF THIS DEVELOPMENT, BECAUSE THE DEPTH IS GREATER THAN 0.25 MILES, UH, BECAUSE OF THAT DISTANCE, IT REQUIRES A SECONDARY ACCESS TO ONE OF THOSE PUBLIC STREETS THAT ABUT THAT, THAT DEAD END INTO THIS PROPERTY.
THAT'S, THAT'S UNDER CONSIDERATION.
SO WHEN DID THAT UDC CHANGE? BECAUSE I KNOW THERE'S, UM, WOODGATE AND WOODSTONE AND THERE'S NO ACCESS.
THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS DON'T TOUCH.
SO CAN YOU TELL ME, WHY DON'T THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS THAT ARE ON HIGHLAND ROAD, WHY DON'T THEY HAVE THAT ACCESS THAT YOU'RE NOW REQUIRING FOR ARE, AND NOT YOU, BUT THE CITY IS REQUIRING FOR THIS PARTICULAR SUBDIVISION? THIS REQUIREMENT HAS BEEN IN THE UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT CODE FOR MANY YEARS.
THOSE OTHER REFERENCE SUBDIVISIONS WERE APPROVED AND DEVELOPED MANY YEARS PRIOR TO THE DEVELOPMENT CURRENTLY IN THE CODE AGAIN, THAT THAT CODE REQUIREMENT HAS BEEN IN THERE FOR MANY YEARS.
I KNOW THAT WHENEVER I FIRST CAME ONTO COUNCIL, AND I'VE SPOKE TO PEOPLE ABOUT THIS IN THE PAST, THERE WAS A SANTA ROSA SUBDIVISION OFF STARRING, AND THEY DID NOT WANT THIS CONNECTION, AND THEY FOUGHT THE CONNECTION, BUT THERE WAS NOTHING WE COULD DO ABOUT THAT ONE.
WAS THAT THE SAME UDC CODE THAT WE ARE APPLYING HERE TONIGHT? THAT'S CORRECT.
AND DOES THIS UDC CODE APPLY TO OTHER NEIGHBORHOODS AND OTHER COUNCIL DISTRICTS, AND ARE THERE ANY EXCEPTIONS
[02:10:01]
THAT YOU KNOW OF CURRENTLY THAT WOULD ALLOW THEM TO NOT HAVE THAT CONNECTION OR CONNECTIVITY? NO, THERE'S NO WAIVER QUA, UH, OPTION.IT'S, IT'S A REQUIREMENT THAT WAS PUT IN THERE MANY YEARS AGO DUE TO PUBLIC SAFETY AND HAVING MULTIPLE ACCESSES FOR EMERGENCY SERVICES.
SO IT IS THE CITY'S POSITION IN FRONT OF THIS COUNCIL THAT WE EITHER HAVE TO APPROVE MAGWOOD OR MENLO, CORRECT? THAT'S CORRECT.
AND IF IT FAILS TONIGHT, DOES THAT MEAN THAT THERE'S NO CONNECTION? WHAT HAPPENS IF THIS FAILS TONIGHT AND WE FAIL TO VOTE ON THIS? BECAUSE THAT SECONDARY ACCESS ON KIMBRO IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE.
IT, IT, THIS, THIS ITEM CAN ONLY BE CONSIDERED CONSIDERED WITH THE ACCESS ON MAGNOLIA WOODS.
UM, I KNOW THAT YOU'RE PRESENT IN THESE MEETINGS AND I KNOW THAT IT'S NOT NECESSARILY YOUR SPECIALTY.
UM, BUT I CAN PERSONALLY ATTEST TO A COUPLE THINGS IF YOU JUST WANNA STAY AROUND.
UM, SO WE HAVE DONE TRAFFIC STUDY AFTER TRAFFIC STUDY TO PUT STOP SIGNS TO TRY TO DO ANY TR TRAFFIC MITIGATION MATTERS, UM, FROM THE CITY.
WHAT HAPPENS WHENEVER WE NEED A TRAFFIC MITIGATION MATTER, UM, LIKE THE STOP SIGNS THAT THIS LOVELY COUPLE UP HERE AND WHATEVER OTHER MAT MITIGATION THAT WE COULD POSSIBLY FIND SPEED HUMPS FOR THEM.
WHAT HAPPENS IS THE CITY DOES A TRAFFIC STUDY.
AND SO THE FOLKS WITH THE MAYOR'S OFFICE AND THEIR TRAFFIC DIVISION, THEY SEND PEOPLE OUT, THEY GO AND THEY COLLECT DATA, THEY RUN STRIPS.
MR. FRED RAYFORD SAID HE'S PERSONALLY SAT ON THEIR ROADWAY TO OBSERVE TRAFFIC THAT'S COMING IN AND OUT OF THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD.
AND THEN AFTER THEY DO THAT STUDY, THEY SUBMIT THAT STUDY TO MY OFFICE.
AND TYPICALLY WHAT HAS HAPPENED THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE DISTRICT 12, INCLUDING SWEET BRIAR NEXT TO RUANNE, WHERE WE HAD ANOTHER ONE OF THESE CONNECTIONS THAT DOESN'T REALLY WORK FOR THE NEIGHBORS IS DENIED, UNFORTUNATELY, IT IS DENIED.
SO WHAT WE DO IS WE GO BACK AND WE BEG AND WE PLEAD FOR ANY TYPE OF TRAFFIC MITIGATION STUDY.
AND THEN USUALLY, TYPICALLY THE RESPONSE FROM THE CITY IS MUCH LIKE WHAT WE HAVE WITH OUR DRAINAGE MAINTENANCE.
AND THAT IS THE FUNDS AREN'T AVAILABLE TO PUT YOUR, YOUR TRAFFIC MATTERS IN THAT WE CAN'T, WE CAN'T FUND A STOP SIGN.
SO WE JUMP UP AND DOWN AND WE ASK AND THE MATTER GOES ON AND GOES ON AND GOES ON, AND WE DON'T GET THAT FUNDING.
AND FOLKS LIKE YOU HAVE TRAFFIC THAT GOES IN AND OUT OF YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD, THERE'S NOTHING WE CAN DO ABOUT IT.
SO WHENEVER WE HAVE NEW DEVELOPERS COME IN, AND WHAT I'VE LEARNED A GRAVE LESSON FROM COMING IN AFTER THE DEVELOPMENT OF RUAN AND THAT DEVELOPMENT THAT HAS INTERRUPTED A LOT OF FOLKS' LIVES IN SOUTHBOUND, IS YOU ASK THESE DEVELOPERS FOR THINGS ON THE FRONT END.
SO WHEN YOU'RE TELLING ME, UM, WHAT ARE THESE SPEED HUMPS? WHAT ARE THESE TRAFFIC MITIGATION SIGNS? WHAT ARE THESE THINGS THAT YOU'RE ASKING FOR? WE ARE ASKING FOR THEM TO FUND THAT.
SO WHEN THE CITY SAYS, HEY, WE DON'T HAVE THE MONEY TO PAY FOR THESE THINGS, FOR THESE MEASURES, FOR THE CHILDREN IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, FOR THE FOLKS THAT ARE WALKING, FOR PEOPLE THAT ARE GOING UP AND DOWN MAG WOODS, I USED TO LIVE ON IT, PEOPLE RUNNING UP AND DOWN TO THE POOL HOUSE.
UM, WE'RE ASKING THEM TO BE ABLE TO CALL THEM AND SAY, WE WANT OUR STOP SIGNS.
WE WANT OUR TRAFFIC LIGHTS, WE WANT OUR SPEED HUMPS.
NOW SPEED HUMPS COME AT A PRICE.
AND THAT HAS BEEN HAD A CONVERSATION THAT'S BEEN HAD WITH SEVERAL OF THE FOLKS.
THE SPEED HUMPS COME WITH A PRICE BECAUSE IT'S, IT HALTS SAFETY EFFORTS AND IT LOWERS BOND RATINGS FOR FIRE DEPARTMENTS AND EMS FOR THEM TO BE ABLE TO COME IN AND EXIT FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD IF THERE IS AN EMERGENCY.
UM, SO TO BE ABLE TO GET SPEED HUMPS, THAT'S GONNA BE AN ADDITIONAL EXCEPTION WHERE THE FOLKS THAT WERE HERE TONIGHT THAT LIVE ON MAG WOODS ARE GONNA HAVE TO SIGN A PETITION SAYING THAT THEY'RE IN AGREEMENT TO HAVE SPEED HUMP HUMPS UP AND DOWN MAGNOLIA WOODS.
WE'VE HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH, UM, CIVIC ASSOCIATION AND SOME OF THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE IN THAT AREA AS TO WHERE SPEED HUMPS NEED TO GO AND WHERE THE FLASHING SIGNS NEED TO GO.
WHERE DO THE STOP SIGNS NEED TO GO? WE'VE ATTEMPTED TO DO EVERYTHING THAT WE POSSIBLY CAN TO MAKE SURE THAT WHEN THESE PEOPLE COME IN AND THEY'RE DEVELOPING YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD, THAT THEY'RE BEING GOOD NEIGHBORS.
UM, WHENEVER THEY CAME AND PRESENTED THEIR SUBDIVISION, UH, TO US, WE HAD OTHER FOLKS, REALTORS THAT HAD COME IN AND APPROACHED ME AND SOME OF MY FELLOW COUNCIL MEMBERS WITH APARTMENTS, WITH DUPLEXES, WITH ALL THESE OTHER SORTS OF DEVELOPMENTS, AND THEY WERE ABSOLUTELY NOT.
THESE GUYS CAME AND SEE, WE SAID, YOU KNOW WHAT? GO TALK TO THE PEOPLE IN MAGNOLIA WOODS AND COME BACK TO US.
SO WHENEVER THEY CAME BACK TO US, THEY SAID THAT THEY HAD MOVED ALL OF THE EXTERIOR LOTS.
SO ALL OF THE LOTS THAT TOUCH YOUR SUBDIVISION, ALL OF THE LOTS THAT TOUCH THE LOTS THAT ARE CURRENTLY CONNECTED TO YOUR SUBDIVISION, TO A ONE TO MATCH THE LOTS THAT ARE CURRENTLY IN MAGNOLIA WOODS, IS THAT NOT TRUE? DID THAT NOT WORK OUT? GUYS, IS THAT ACCURATE? PLEASE ANSWER TIME.
COUNCILMAN ROCKA, I'M GONNA GIVE YOU AN ADDITIONAL ONE MY FIVE MINUTES.
UM, YOU KNOW WHAT, IF TIME IS AN ISSUE, I'M GONNA GO AHEAD AND MOVE TO APPROVE THE MAG WOODS EXIT.
[02:15:01]
RIGHT? UM, BECAUSE THE ONLY OTHER OPTION IS MENLO, AND WE'VE HAD A LOT OF FOLKS THAT WERE NOT HAPPY WITH THAT.UH, FOLKS, COUNCILMAN ROCCA HAS THE FLOOR.
WE'RE NOT GONNA HAVE A DISRUPTIVE MEETING WHERE FOLKS ARE HOLLERING OUT.
COUNCILMAN ROKA WOULD ASK YOU NOT TO, TO REACH OUT TO PEOPLE IN THE AUDIENCE UNLESS YOU WANNA CALL 'EM UP.
YEAH, THAT'S WHAT I'M TRYING TO DO.
MY EXTRA FIVE MINUTES AND PLEASE COME UP.
DO YOU, IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION, SAM MARTIN, AGAIN, I DON'T HAVE A QUESTION.
I'M JUST, THE, THE FRAMING OF THE SITUATION THAT YOU'RE PRESENTING IS THAT IT'S EITHER THIS OUTLET OR THIS OUTLET OR THAT OUTLET, BUT THERE'S GONNA BE AN OUTLET.
BUT THE REALITY IS IF WE DENY THE OUTLETS, THE DEVELOPER CAN GO BACK AND COME UP WITH A SOLUTION WITH AN ORIENTATION OF STREETS THAT MEETS THE TWO MILE.
ISSUE WITH APPROPRIATE MR. HOLCOMB, CAN YOU PLEASE COME UP AND STATE WHETHER THAT IS NOT AN ACCURATE DEPICTION? IF THE OUTLETS ARE DENIED, IS THERE A RECONSTRUCTION AND CONFIGURATION BUDS CAN BE CHANGED REGULARLY? WE DEAL WITH IT ALL THE TIME WITH REGARDS TO THE OUTLETS IN THE UDC.
SIR, IF YOU WOULD PLEASE TAKE YOUR SEAT AND SHE CAN CALL YOU BACK UP IF SHE NEEDS TO.
CAN YOU RESTATE THE QUESTION PLEASE? SO IF THE OUTLETS ARE DENIED TONIGHT, IF WE DENY MAG WOODS AND WE DENY MENLO, WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? THIS COUNCIL DOES NOT HAVE THE ABILITY TO APPROVE THIS PLAN WITHOUT THAT SECONDARY ACCESS.
SO WHAT HAPPENS THEN? THE PREVIOUS PLAN WOULD STILL BE VALID AND WOULD HAVE TO BE BUILT WITH A SECONDARY ACCESS.
A SECONDARY ACCESS WHERE TO KIMBRO.
AND IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT CANNOT BE DONE.
SO THEN WHAT HAPPENS? THAT WOULD BE A QUESTION FOR THE DEVELOPER OF THE PROPERTY OWNER.
SO IF THEY REDESIGN, THEN WHAT HAPPENS? THEY HAVE TO REDESIGN WITH AN OUTLET.
THEY WOULD HAVE TO REDESIGN AND COME BACK TO THIS BODY WITH A SECONDARY ACCESS.
AND THE OPTIONS FOR THE SECONDARY ACCESS AS STATED PREVIOUSLY, WOULD BE KIMBRO CASTLE KIRK OR MAGNOLIA WOODS AS AS PROPOSED TONIGHT.
SO MENLO WOULDN'T BE AN OPTION ANY LONGER.
IS THAT MENLO AT CASTLE KIRK? THAT'S WHAT I'M REFERENCING, YES.
SO MENLO AT CASTLE KIRK, CORRECT.
SO EVEN IF WE DENIED A NIGHT, WE JUST RESTART THE PROCESS AND THEY START OVER WITH A SECONDARY ACCESS AND IT'S EITHER MENLO MAG WOODS OR KIMBRO OR THEY COULD EXCEED THE REQUIREMENTS AND CONNECT TO ALL THREE.
THEY COULD EXCEED THE REQUIREMENTS AND CONNECT ALL THREE.
COUNCILMAN ROCCA HAS A MOTION ON THE FLOOR TO APPROVE.
IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND BY COUNCILMAN MOOCH.
COUNCILMAN MOOCH HAS A REQUEST TO SPEAK.
YEAH, SO, SO REITERATING ON THIS AND, AND EVEN WITH THE REDESIGN, DENY, DENY, DENY REDESIGN, IT'S EVERYTHING THAT COMES TO US IS GOING TO HAVE CONNECTIVITY, WHETHER WE GO THROUGH THE REDESIGN AND THEN WE DENY, DENY, DENY, WE GO THROUGH THE REDESIGN AGAIN, THAT, UH, THE ONLY OTHER OPTION IS TO KEEP DENYING UNTIL THE SUBDIVISION GOES AWAY.
AND IF THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GOING FOR, THEN, THEN PLEASE STATE THAT.
JUST SAY, YOU KNOW, WE, WE JUST DON'T WANT THE SUBDIVISION AT ALL.
DENY UNTIL THERE'S NO CONNECT, UH, NOTHING.
AND I, I I DON'T AGREE WITH THAT.
IT'S A TOUGH CHOICE TO MAKE AS FAR AS CONNECTIVITY.
UM, I DO AGREE THAT HOPEFULLY WE CAN HELP MITIGATE SOME OF THESE, UH, TRAFFIC CALMING DEVICES.
I KNOW WE'VE USED THEM OUT IN DIFFERENT AREAS.
UM, I DON'T KNOW WHY A STREET AS LONG AS MAGNOLIA WOODS AVENUE WOULD NOT QUALIFY FOR SOMETHING AS FAR AS A TRAFFIC CALMING DEVICE BECAUSE THAT APPEARS TO BE A ALONG STREET.
IS THERE ANY, IS THERE ANYONE THAT'S BEEN AROUND SINCE MAGNOLIA WOODS? THIS AREA HAS STARTED TO BE DEVELOPED? IS THERE ANYONE IN THE AUDIENCE? LISTEN SIR.
IF COUNCILMAN MO WOULD LIKE TO CALL YOU UP, HE CAN DO THAT.
UH, UM, LET'S SAY MA MAGWOOD AVENUE AND HIGHLAND ROAD, THAT LOOKS LIKE THE BEGINNING OF THE STREET OR DID IT COME DOWN FROM THE OTHER SECTION? OTHER WAY? I I, I'M TRYING TO FIND OUT WHERE I, I'M JUST TRYING TO GET AN IDEA.
WHAT I'M GRASPING AT IS, I'M TRYING TO GET AN IDEA OF WHERE THIS OBVIOUSLY IS NOT ONE NEIGHBORHOOD.
THIS, THIS, I DON'T KNOW IF THIS WAS MAG WOODS IS A LONG STREET.
I DON'T KNOW IF THIS, THIS WHOLE THING WAS JUST BUILT AS ONE BIG DEVELOPMENT.
COUNCILMAN MO, WOULD YOU LIKE TO CALL THIS GENTLEMAN UP TO THE PODIUM? YEAH, SURE.
I WOULD LIKE TO CALL YOU UP IF YOU KNOW ABOUT THE FULL DEVELOPMENT FROM THE BEGINNING.
I DON'T KNOW ALL OF THE SPECIFIC DETAILS, BUT I KNOW THAT MAGNOLIA WOODS IS
[02:20:01]
A SEPARATE FILING.MAGNOLIA WOODS AVENUE STARTS AT HIGHLAND ROAD.
RIGHT? THAT'S WHERE THAT DEVELOPMENT STARTED.
AND IT KEPT ADDING ON AND NEW FOLLOWING THE NEW FOLLOWING WAY.
THE WAY, THE WAY IT WAS ADDED ON IS LIKE, I LIVE ON MENLO DRIVE JUST DOWN THE STREET AND I LIVE IN EAST HIGHLAND PARK.
NO ONE CALLS IT EAST HIGHLAND PARK.
'CAUSE IT'S PART OF 16 SEPARATE FILINGS THAT WERE PUT IN IN SEQUENCE.
I DON'T KNOW THE PARTICULAR ORDER OF THE SEQUENCE.
IF YOU GO TO M WCA.NET, THERE'S A, SO A HISTORY OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD WITH A OKAY MAP TO SHOW YOU ALL THE FILES.
SO YOU, YOU LIVE ON MINLOW DRIVE? YES.
AND THEN THEY CONNECTED CASTLE KIRK TO YOU AND THEN THEY CONNECTED.
UM, SO THAT WAS A CONNECTION INTO YOUR STREET THERE WHENEVER THEY ADDED THAT FILING.
THEY KIMBRO DRIVE AND THAT WAS A FILING THAT WAS PUT IN THERE.
AND YOU GO ON UP, YOU GOT BOONE AVENUE.
YEAH, THAT WAS A ADD-ON TO MAGNOLIA WOODS AVENUE AND CASTLE KIRK AT A DIFFERENT SECTION AND NEW FILING.
I THINK, I THINK THE FILINGS KIND OF GO BETWEEN HIGHLAND AND MENLO AND IN LONG STRIPS, I THINK MAGNOLIA WOODS IS AN EXCEPTION THAT'S A LITTLE LONGER BACK TOWARDS BOONE.
AND THEN THE, YOU HAVE SOME SHORTER ONES LIKE MAXINE.
BUT, BUT THEY JUST WERE, WHAT I'M SAYING IS WE, WE CONNECTED HAS BEEN A GROWING SITUATION YEARS AND YEARS AND YEARS.
AND WE'VE ADDED CONNECTIVITY BY CROSS STREETS AND BY AND GRIDS EXTENDING STREETS AND GRIDING AND CORRECT.
AND EXTENDING STREETS AND EVERYTHING ELSE.
AND WHAT WE HAVE IN THIS SITUATION IS A U INSIDE OF ONE LARGE LOT AND ONE LITTLE STREET SHOOTING OFF THE SIDE TO, TO POP EVERYTHING FROM INSIDE OF THERE TO OUTSIDE.
IT, I AM GONNA GO OUTTA MY WAY AND USE THESE STREETS TO ENTER AND EXIT MY NEIGHBORHOOD JUST TO PROVE A POINT AND, AND DEAL WITH MY OWN PERSONAL AGGRAVATION.
UH, BUT THE, IT IS NOT THE SAME SORT OF CONNECTIVITY THAT WE LIVE WITH NOW WHERE YOU HAVE A GRID AND THE REST OF SOUTH BATON ROUGE ALONG HIGHLAND ROAD IS ON A GRID.
THIS IS NOT A GRID, IT'S A U IT'S COMPLETELY SEPARATE WITH A UTILIZATION ROUTE TO, TO USE OUR STREETS AS, AS HIGHWAYS OR, OR EXITS EFFECTIVELY OUT OF THE AREA AS OPPOSED TO PEOPLE MOVING THROUGH THEIR OWN NEIGHBORHOOD.
DID I HEAR WHAT YOU SAY? THAT WE WERE USING THIS, UH OH, THANK YOU.
UM, ARE WE USING THE SAME SIZE LOT? I ASKED THE DEVELOPER, UM, ARE WE, IF YOU'D LIKE TO COME UP, WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LOT SIZES BETWEEN THE MAGWOOD AND, OR I GUESS WE CONSIDERED THAT NEIGHBORHOOD AND YOUR LOTS? SO THE OLD ZONING WAS A ONE AND ALLOWED 82, UH, 82 LOTS BY RIGHT.
THE FEEDBACK FROM OUR INITIAL TOWN, UH, HALLS WAS THAT THE EXTERIOR LOTS THAT FACE MAGNOLIA WOODS AND FACE MENLO, THOSE WOULD BE, UH, THOSE WOULD BE, IT WOULD BE A GOOD THING IF WE KEPT THEM, UH, A ONE.
SO THOSE LOTS ARE A ONE LOTS ON THE EXTERIOR.
THE INTERIOR LOTS ARE THE VILLAGE LOTS AND THOSE ARE OUR SMALLER LOTS SO THAT WE CAN ACCOMMODATE THE DETENTION.
SO YOU DID SMALLER LOTS ON THE INTERIOR TO ACCOMMODATE THE NEW DETENTION REQUIREMENTS THAT EAST BAT ROUGE PARISH HAS HAD SINCE THE ORIGINAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE REST MAGWOOD OR WHATEVER THE NEIGHBORHOOD HAS BEEN CALLED OVER THE YEARS AND GROWING AND GROWING AND GROWING.
I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANY DETENTION IN MAGNOLIA WOODS.
UH, WE WERE GONNA ADHERE TO THE 25 OR WE WERE REQUIRED TO ADHERE TO, TO THE 25 AND, AND WE VOLUNTARILY DID A HUNDRED.
SO WE, UM, PLACED OURSELVES IN THE NEW, UH, REQUIREMENTS, UH, JUST BECAUSE THAT WAS OUR, OUR PREROGATIVE.
I, SO COUNCILWOMAN ROCK, I, I APPRECIATE THE INFORMATION COUNCIL HAS THE FLOOR FOLKS.
COUNCILMAN NOEL HAS, UH, I'M SORRY, COUNCILMAN MOOCH HAS THE FLOOR.
I THINK I'VE BEEN CALLED EVERYTHING TONIGHT.
UM, I, I APPRECIATE YOU YOUR POINT.
I MEAN BASICALLY, YOU KNOW, ANY, ANY REDESIGN, ANY REDO OF THIS, EVERY TIME WE DENY, EVEN IF DEVELOPER CHOOSES TO GO BACK AND REDESIGN, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO HAVE A CONNECTIVITY.
AM I CORRECT, RYAN, MR. HOLCOMB, NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES WE REDESIGNED THIS, NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES WE RESTRUCTURED THE STREETS ON THE INSIDE, NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES WE GO BACK WITH ADDING OR TAKING AWAY HOMES, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO HAVE A CONNECTING POINT, CORRECT? THAT'S CORRECT.
BASED ON THE, THE SIZE AND SCALE OF THIS PROPERTY AND THE, AND THE CODE REQUIREMENT IS CLEAR.
IT'S, IT'S GREATER, IT'S A DEPTH GREATER THAN 0.25
[02:25:01]
ACRES.IT REQUIRES A SECONDARY ACCESS TO AN ABUTTING PUBLIC STREET.
COUNCILMAN NOEL? THE REAL ONE THIS TIME.
UM, GENTLEMEN ME THIS WAY? YEP.
YOU CAN JUST COME ON UP TO THE PODIUM.
I I JUST, I I I JUST WANTED SOME CLARITY.
IF, AND IF I'M UNDERSTANDING YOU RIGHT, YOU WERE SAYING, SO IT MAKES A U AND IT'S GONNA DUMP OUT ON MAG WOODS.
WOULD, WOULD IT BE PREFERRED TO HAVE IT CONNECTED TO BOTH MENLO AND MAG WOODS TO BE MORE GRITTED LIKE THE WHOLE REST OF IT? IS THAT WHAT YOU WERE STATING? WOULD THAT BE MORE SO, SO THE ISSUE IS NOT THE CONNECTIVITY, THE ISSUE IS THE, THE CONFIGURATION AND THE MISRE MISREPRESENTATION OF THE LOT SIZE CHOICES.
'CAUSE YEAH, THEY COULD PUT A ONE AND THEY COULD PUT MORE HOUSES ON A ONE.
THERE WOULD BE A LOT OF OTHER CONSIDERATIONS WITH THAT'S LIKE, YOU TAKE THE AREA OF THE LOT AND DIVIDE IT BY THE MINIMUM LIGHT.
I THERE'S SOME STATE GOING ON HERE, WHAT YOU CAN DO NOT.
WHAT I, I GOT, I GOT THAT, THAT AND MEET THE DETENTION PONDS AND ALL OF THAT.
BUT WHAT THE CONNECTIVITY AND THE, AND THE THROUGHPUT IS NOT THE, NOT THE ISSUE.
IF HE WERE TO PUT THE SAME SORT OF CONFIGURATION A STRAIGHT THROUGH STREET OR MM-HMM.
OR SOME GRIDDING WITH MAYBE EVEN A LITTLE DENSER HOUSING.
I MEAN, I KNOW THAT'S THE MORE OF THE STYLE NOW.
BUT WHAT WE'RE, WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IS SOMETHING AKIN TO WHAT YOU'RE SEEING ON THE OTHER SIDE OF BURBANK WITH THESE TINY LITTLE BINS AND SURE.
AND HOUSES JAMMED UP RIGHT NEXT TO EACH OTHER.
YOU JUST PUTTING SO MANY PEOPLE IN THIS TINY PLACE ON AN EXTREMELY BUSY STREET IN AN, IN AN EXISTING NEIGHBORHOOD WITH UNSAFE NARROW STREETS THAT ARE, THAT WERE, THEY MET THEIR DESIGN STANDARD FOR THE DAY, BUT THEY DON'T MEET 'EM TODAY.
AND SO WE'RE BURDENING OUR, OUR LARGER SUBDIVISION TO ACCOMMODATE THIS NEW THING THAT DOESN'T EXIST YET.
AND THESE PEOPLE THAT AREN'T THERE YET.
IN ORDER FOR THE DEVELOPER AND THE LANDOWNER TO MAKE MORE MONEY AND WALK AWAY FROM IT, AND WHEN THEY'RE DONE, WE'RE GONNA BE LEFT WITH IT FOREVER.
I, I UNDERSTAND, I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING THERE.
I I GUESS MY QUESTION WAS YEAH.
AND I UNDERSTAND THE CURVATURE OF ROADS, THAT'S A, THAT'S A, YOU'RE SEEING THAT IN DESIGN MORE BECAUSE THAT IN AND OF ITSELF IS TRAFFIC CALMING NOW BECAUSE THAT YEAH.
THAT'S A NATURAL WAY TO CALM TRAFFIC AND MAKE PEOPLE DRIVE SLOWER.
SAME THING WITH THE, THE, THE PLACEMENT OF TREES CLOSE TO THE, UH, IN, IN THE MEDIAN OR CLOSE TO THE ROAD BETWEEN SIDEWALKS.
THAT'S ALL, THESE ARE ALL TRAFFIC CALMING MEASURES.
THAT MAKE PEOPLE FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE SPEEDING.
THAT'S WHY YOU'RE NOT SEEING, UM, WE DON'T HAVE THAT AND, BUT WE'RE GETTING A NEIGHBORHOOD THAT WILL HAVE IT AND THEY'RE GONNA BE COMING OUT OF THAT NEIGHBORHOOD.
BUT YOU MENTIONED ON OUR NEIGHBORHOOD, THAT'S WHAT YOU MENTIONED, THAT U AND EVERYTHING DUMPS RIGHT ON MAGNOLIA WOODS.
SO MY QUESTION WOULD BE WOULD YOU PREFER IT TO, TO CONNECT TO MAGNOLIA WOODS AND MENLO TO BE A LITTLE BIT CLOSER? I WOULD PREFER WITH THEIR, I WOULD.
IT'S NOT SO MUCH THE, WITH THE REST OF IT.
IT'S NOT SO MUCH THE FACT OF THERE BEING A CONNECTION.
IT'S THE QUANTITY OF CARS THAT ARE GONNA USE THE CONNECTION THAT MAKES THAT CONNECTION UNDESIRABLE.
NOT BECAUSE I DON'T WANT CONNECTIONS IN GENERAL, BUT YOU HAVE TO HAVE A CONNECTION.
WOULD YOU PREFER ONE OR TWO? JUST CURIOUS.
IS THERE A TRAP? SO I CAN'T ANSWER
I TAKE THE FIFTH BECAUSE TO ME, TO ME, IF I LIVE RIGHT WHERE THE ONE IS, I WANT TWO.
RIGHT? WELL, TO, SO WHERE I LIVE, BUT IF I LIVE RIGHT WHERE THE SECOND ONE MIGHT BE, WELL, I JUST WANT ONE.
SO, SO, AND THAT'S WHERE THAT I THINK THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GETTING.
BUT I CAN'T SPEAK FAIRLY ON IT FROM THE ASPECT OF WHERE MY HOUSE IS.
I PREFER IT TO BE ON MAGNOLIA WOODS.
IF WE HAD TO HAVE ONE BECAUSE THEY'RE GONNA SHOOT UP AND DOWN MAGNOLIA WOODS AND ENDANGER MY NEIGHBORS.
BUT THEY'RE LESS LIKELY TO DRIVE DOWN MINLOW.
IF THEY DO GO DOWN MINLOW, THEY'RE GONNA GO TO STARRING AWAY FROM MY HOUSE.
SO PERSONALLY THAT'S WHAT I WANT, BUT I DON'T WANT THAT FOR MY NEIGHBORS.
I, I, AND, AND SO I, THAT'S WHY I'M HAVING A HARD TIME ANSWERING YOUR QUESTION.
I, I JUST, I I WANTED SOME CLARITY 'CAUSE YOU, YOU, WHEN, WHEN YOU STATED AND THAT'S, THAT'S, I I DON'T, I DON'T NEED, I DON'T HAVE ANY MORE QUESTIONS FOR YOU.
I WAS JUST TRYING TO GET SOME CLARITY JUST BECAUSE I, I MEAN, I THINK IN, IN A PERFECT WORLD, WE'D ALL WANT TO SEE, UM, I, I AGREE.
I THINK CHARACTER MEANS A LOT AND I THINK GRITTING IT, LOOK AT THE AER ON CASTLE KIRK AND, AND HAVING TO COME OUT BOTH ON MENLO AND, AND MAGNOLIA WOODS WITH THE SAME SIZE.
I I THINK EVERYBODY WOULD LIKE PREFER THAT, BUT YEAH, AGAIN, WE, WE CAN'T NECESSARILY DICTATE YOU CAN'T FORCE THEM TO DO IT.
AND SO I DON'T HAVE ANY MORE QUESTIONS, BUT UM, SIR, IF YOU WOULD PLEASE TAKE YOUR SEAT.
[02:30:01]
ALRIGHT.THERE IS A MOTION ON THE FLOOR, WHICH HAS BEEN PROPERLY SECONDED.
THERE ARE NO OTHER COUNCIL SPEAKERS.
UH, FOLKS, THE PUBLIC HEARING HAS BEEN CLOSED.
I'M SORRY TO KEEP Y'ALL HERE LATE, BUT IT'S IMPORTANT.
UM, THE LADY THAT'S THROWN HER HANDS UP, SHE ALSO RAISED HER HAND.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO COME UP AND SAY SOMETHING? YES.
WOULD LIKE THE DECISION THAT WAS MADE IN DECEMBER WAS MADE WITHOUT ANY KIND OF CONSULTATION WITH ANYBODY THAT LIVES IN MAGNOLIA WOODS.
NOT ONE PERSON I'VE SPOKEN OF, SPOKEN WITH SAID THAT THEY EVEN KNEW ANYTHING ABOUT IT.
Y'ALL CAME IN, YOU MADE YOUR DECISION, YOU APPROVED THE DESIGN.
HE'S TRYING TO PUT HOUSES ON A 10TH OF AN ACRE WHEN MAGNOLIA WOODS HAS BEEN BUILT ON HALF ACRE LOT TRADITIONALLY.
IF YOU WOULD JUST REDUCE THE NUMBER OF HOMES, IT WOULD SUBSTANTIALLY DECREASE THE AMOUNT OF TRAFFIC.
AND THEN WE WOULDN'T BE STANDING HERE HAVING THIS DIATRIBE THAT JUST GOES ON AND ON AND ON AND ON.
I'M NOT THE ONLY PERSON THAT FEELS THAT WAY.
THERE'S CHILDREN THAT LIVE ON MY STREET.
I'VE TOLD YOU ABOUT THE 90 SOMETHING YEAR OLD LADY THAT JUMPED IN THE DITCH IN FRONT OF HER HOUSE TO KEEP FROM GETTING RUN OVER.
SHE WAS ALREADY OUT OF THE DITCH 'CAUSE SHE WAS DEFIANT LIKE WE ARE.
IF YOU DO, THERE WILL BE BLOOD ON YOUR HANDS FOR IT AND YOU NEED TO BACK UP AND THINK OF ANOTHER PLAN.
'CAUSE YOU'VE BIT OFF WAY MORE THAN YOU CAN CHEW.
I'M SORRY, THIS IS THE BAD SIDE OF ME.
OKAY, I THINK, I THINK I'M DONE WITH THE COMMENTS FOR TONIGHT.
UM, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR EVERYONE THAT'S COME OUT.
THERE IS A MOTION ON THE FLOOR BY COUNCILMAN ROCKET.
IT HAS BEEN PROPERLY SECONDED BY COUNCILMAN MOOCH TO APPROVE THE ITEM.
UH, IS THERE ANY OPPOSITION FROM COUNCIL MEMBERS? SEE NONE.
UH, ITEM SEVEN AND EIGHT, CARRIE, THERE'S A MOTION FROM THE CHAIR TO ADJOURN.
UH, SECOND BY COUNCILMAN GODDA.
ANY OPPOSITION? NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO.
[1. 23-01542 PA-16-23 FUTUREBR Update ( Part 2 of 2 )]
I WANT, UH, SEEK TO RECONSIDER ITEM NUMBER ONE.ALRIGHT, THERE'S A MOTION FROM COUNCILMAN GODDE TO RECONSIDER ITEM NUMBER ONE.
IS THERE UNANIMOUS CONSENT NEEDED ON THAT? WHAT WE NEED UNANIMOUS.
DO WE NEED UNANIMOUS CONSENT? NO.
UM, THERE WAS NO FORMAL ACTION TAKEN ON THE ITEM BECAUSE NO VOTE, UH, GOT THE REQUISITE NUM NO MOTION.
GOT THE REQUISITE NUMBER OF VOTES.
YOU NEED SEVEN VOTES TO APPROVE.
SO YOU NEED SEVEN VOTES TO RECONSIDER THE ITEM.
ALRIGHT, SO THERE IS A MOTION ON THE FLOOR TO RECONSIDER, UH, IF OUR MACHINE IS OPENING.
IS THERE ANY OTHER OPPOSITION TO RECONSIDER? I DON'T KNOW WHERE WE'RE GOING.
ALRIGHT, SO WE WILL RECONSIDER ITEM ONE.
WAIT, WAS THERE SECOND TO, UH, COUNCILMAN GOD? I, I OBJECTED.
OH, LET'S VOTE ON THE MACHINES COUNCIL MEMBERS.
WE'RE GONNA, THERE TWO OBJECTIONS.
WE'RE GONNA VOTE ON THE MACHINES.
UM, ON COUNCILMAN GOD'S MOTION TO RECONSIDER ITEM ONE.
WHAT ARE WE VOTING ON? MOTION TO RECONSIDER.
ALRIGHT, THERE'S A MOTION TO ADJOURN FROM THE CHAIR.