UAC Meeting Minutes - Jan 16, 2008
University Area Commission
16 January 2008
Meeting Summary
Call to order, First Vice President Catherine Girves called the meeting to order at 6:32 PM at the Community Room, Northwood and High, 2231 North High.
Members present: Richard Allen, Grayson Atha, Robert Caldwell (6:42), Sean Cunningham, Catherine Girves, Seth Golding (6:38), Bill Graver, David Hegley, Joyce Hughes (6:45), Ron Hupman, Amhed Ebady, Joaquin Serantes, Richard Talbott (6:40), Lisabeth Warncke (6:40), Tom Wildman, Sharon Young. The following members had excused absenses: Elan Daniel, Emily Foster, Ian MacConnell.
Minutes/corrections, Doreen Uhas Sauer: December 2007 minutes should reflect correct spelling of Elan Daniel (not Daniels).
Treasurer’s report, Seth Golding: Balance to-date $805.69. Motion to approve both Minutes and Treasurer’s Report (Wildman/ sec.Graver). Motion approved unanimously; 1 abs. (Girves)
Reports:
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City of Columbus, Police Report, Officer Carl Johnson: Officer Johnson not present.
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City of Columbus, Code Enforcement, Deborah Van Dyke: Andy Bauman from Code Enforcement present. Written report submitted includes updates on Columbus Coated Fabrics (complete); upholstered furniture statistics 487 inspected; 353 have complied); 1328-30 North 4th (new orders issued); 215 King Avenue (court charges filed); new graffiti legislation (no new info); 2498 Medary (possible probate action, pending); 39-45 West Dodridge (no new info); 1179-81 N. Grant (secured, sheriff’s sale 2/28/08); 2400-2 Findley (work underway with building permit revised); 14-24 East Hudson (property being maintained by Stillwater); 2210 Summit (court hearing 1/16/08 for outdoor seating; additional orders for rehab for front); Sales One Reality (foreclosing on properties); 2619 N. High (monitoring illegal rear patio)
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City of Columbus, Neighborhood Liaison, Steve Soble: Explanation of area commission training sessions. These required opportunities are repeated except for May 22 meeting; excellent attendance from the UAC at dinner earlier in the month with Mayor Coleman; report on paint ball activities in Glen Echo park 6 weeks earlier (not permitted—considered “discharging” in city of Columbus); City of Columbus budget and amendments to budget coming in early February; will report later with more details on street repairs planned for northern part of district; meetings scheduled on Jan 30 with Mid Ohio Regional Planning on Operation Safewalk. “Do It, Dream It” 2012 Summit on January 29th at Convention Center and all citizens are invited and encouraged to attend.
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Campus Partners, Steve Sterrett: Written report on University Area Safety Committee. No significant problems after game. Oral history project between University District Organization/Ohio Historical Society Archives going well. Event planned for January 29th to collect stories from University District residents. The Archives project committee continues to develop materials and guidelines; Commissioner Richard Talbott acknowledged as a major benefactor for project.
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Public Comments and Announcements: no public comments or announcements
Committee Highlight Reports:
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Zoning Committee, Ron Hupman: Brief remarks on 35-37 West Oakland where a request was made for a parking lot. Zoning Committee recommends disapproval and request on hold. The parking in area of Norwich/Northwood is complex, much illegal parking. Zoning will meet again on issue. Called attention to development on High and Weber which will have residential condos (C4) and parking on the 1st floor in C3 where garages are permitted. City attorney has said it meets code. BZA will hear it on January 22nd; case is one which could affect University area development. Regarding city’s work on clarification of Urban Commercial Overlay. Motion (Hupman, sec. Wildman): The University Area Commission offers the following recommendation in regard to proposed changes to the Urban Commercial Overlay: Recognizing that there are often multiple uses of widely varying intensity within a building, (1) percentage reductions to required parking based on ranges of square feet should be applied to the area of a particular use rather than to the area of a building (2) 2,001-10,000–a 50% reduction in required parking except for restaurant/bar and assembly (including churches) which uses where the reduction shall be 25%. (3) greater than 10,000 square feet—parking shall be provided as required by Chapter 3342 but shall not exceed those requirements. (4) recommended for the University Area, if not elsewhere—the parking provided for any use category shall not exceed the parking required by Chapter 3342. In addition, (5) it is strongly recommended that all administrative parking waivers be eliminated and (6) that requests for any parking reductions, without regard to magnitude, be handled through the standard variance processes. (7) Construction of outdoor seating areas, even when a parking variance is not required, should require a special permit issued by the Board of Zoning Adjustment that will assure a public review process that will include recommendations from the cognizant area commission/civic association. Proposed Amendment: (8) if a use expands into adjacent space, the required parking for the expanded use shall be determined on the basis of the total area of the original use plus the area of the expansion. Motion approved unanimously (yes: Allen, Caldwell, Cunningham, Ebady, Girves, Golding, Graver, Hegley, Hughes, Hupman, Serantes, Talbott, Warncke, Uhas Sauer, Wildman, Young) 16-0, 0 abs.
Discussion on motion—50% reduction in parking across the board is not the issue but the square feet issue is. Important in University Area that parking is related to uses not just size of building. Motion offers language to city version to make it clearer. Amendment (see above) to insert language in previous motion to reflect that parking should be based on full square footage not incremental expansions (Hupman/sec. Wildman).
Motion for amended language approved unanimously (yes: Allen, Caldwell, Cunningham, Ebady, Girves, Golding, Graver, Hegley, Hughes, Hupman, Serantes, Talbott, Warncke, Uhas Sauer, Wildman, Young) 16-0, 0 abs.
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Planning Committee, Elan Daniel: Ron Hupman gave the report for Elan Daniel. Request for Planning Committee to look at parking issues, especially with regard to conversion of houses to churches or religious gatherings. Use of a house to an institutional use as a “home church” can adversely affect neighborhood parking by adding significant increase of cars; in addition, other building code issues (fire exits, etc.) could also be negatively impacted.
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Community Relations Committee, Richard Allen: Finding more information about a possible OSU conference function in the follow in which UAC might be involved to suggest a track for Liveable University Communities. Chairman Allen will be following up. No new information on media letter or website.
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Code and Environment Committee, Tom Wildman: Request to send two letters—one to support Old North Columbus Block Watch and one to ZLB Plasma to inquire why concerns have not been addressed. Girves reminded commissioners that motions, including letters, should be written and submitted as part of agenda to speed up process. Motion to send a letter of support to Old North Columbus Block Watch (Wildman, sec. Allen) Motion passed unanimously (yes: Allen, Atha, Caldwell, Cunningham, Girves, Golding, Graver, Hegley, Hughes, Hupman, Serantes, Talbott, Warncke, Uhas Sauer, Young) 15-0, 1 abs. Wildman. Motion to send a letter to ZBL inquiring as to why they have not responded to previous request, though they are obligated to do so, and more than 90 days have passed (Wildman, sec. Allen). Discussion centered on whether ZBL has attempted to respond to President MacConnell and others who met with them; whether they have indeed responded to some issues such as dumpsters, smokers, site plan, and have expressed desire to be receptive; how much can respond to from site and how much needs to come from corporate. Recommendation from President MacConnell to wait on sending the letter. Frustration was expressed about getting a letter out of committee. Discussion continued– Could letter be premature if not all commissions are informed? What is role of responsibility for UAC in backing neighborhood? Could letter come from Old North Columbus? Motion was tabled (Wildman) Question from Commissioner Atha whether a motion, once made before the whole body, can be pulled from the table since it is now the house’s motion. Motion to put motion back on floor for decision by all commissioners—to send letter to ZBL inquiring as to why they have not responded to previous request, though they are obligated to do so, and more than 30 days have passed (Wildman/ sec. Atha). Motion defeated, 1-16, 0 abs. (yes–Caldwell;no—Allen, Atha, Cunningham, Ebady, Girves, Golding, Graver, Hegley, Hughes, Hupman, Serantes, Talbott, Warncke, Uhas Sauer, Wildman, Young) Question from Commissioner Atha—Can one be absent in body and present in voice? A recommendation from President MacConnell, when absent, (or anyone else) does not allow an exchange of ideas. Does putting a recommendation from a non-present commissioner bend Sunshine Laws? Can a person who is not present vote electronically (cell phone)? Would that mean that one can be present electronically? Questions directed to Governance Committee.
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Governance Committee, David Hegley. Written report sent—agenda items which Governance will be dealing with: attendance, training for poll workers, orientation for new commissioners.
Special Report
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City Attorney clarification on Good Neighbor Agreements: Area commissions can enter into Good Neighbor Agreements since they are non-binding agreements.
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Reminder about meetings on Green Plan on January 30 and 31.
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Thank you from commissioners to President MacConnell for tasteful name place signs.
Adjournment
Motion to adjourn (Talbott/sec. Golding).
Motion approved unanimously by voice vote.
Meeting adjourned at 9:45 PM.
Respectfully submitted,Doreen Uhas Sauer, Secretary