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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes_UDCUSC_01.30.2025Minutes of the UDC Update Steering Committe City of Georgetown, Texas Thursday, January 30, 2025 The Georgetown UDC Update Steering Committee met on Thursday, January 30, 2025 at 2:00 PM at Community Room in City Hall, 808 Martin Luther King Jr Street. The City of Georgetown is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). If you require assistance in participating at a public meeting due to a disability, as defined under the ADA, reasonable assistance, adaptations, or accommodations will be provided upon request. Please contact the City Secretary's Office, at least three (A) days g �'' �&v.;WAL or City Hall at 808 Martin Luther King, Jr Street for additional information; TTY users route through Relay Texas at 711. The following Members were in attendance - Present were: Brian Birdwell, Stephen F Dickey, Wendy S Cash, Ercel Brashear, Shawn Hood, Josh Schroeder, Brad Smith, Kris Kasper, Patrick J Stevens Public Wishing to Address the Board 9111 A 11 ; d table at the entrance to the meeting room, Clearly print your name and the letter of the item on which you wish to speak and present it to the Board Liaison prior to the start of the meeting. You will be called forward to speak when the Board considers that item. Only persons who have delivered the speaker form prior to the meeting being called to order may speak. Speakers will be allowed up to three minutes to speak. If you wish to speak for six minutes, it is permissible to use another requestor's granted time to speak. No more than six minutes for a speaker may be granted. The requestor granting time to another speaker must also submit a form and be present at the meeting. prior to the day the agenda for this mee ng is posted. Each speaker will be given three minutes to address the Board or Commission members. No action can be taken. 1. Regular Session 1.A Meeting Minutes Consideration and possible action to approve the minutes from the January 16, 2025 Moved by Brad Smith,- seconded by Stephen F Dickey to Approve the minutes. Motion Approved: 9- 0 Voting For: Brian Birdwell, Stephen F Dickey, Wendy S Cash, Ercel Brashear, Shawn Hood, Josh Schroeder, Brad Smith, Kris Kasper, Patrick J Stevens Voting Against: None 1.13 Changes to Chapter 12 Discussion on Chapter 12 developer responsibilities -- Lua Saluone, Transportation AMMEMM= Lua Saluone, Transportation Manager, introduced the item and outlined the Transportation Department's mission, noting that today we are focused on traffic calming, the Future Mobility Plan (FMP) update, and street widths. Saluone noted a frequent problem they have been experiencing is residents removing no parking signs on neighborhood streets, which presents problems for police and fire responding to emergencies when the street is not built to a width that allows parking on both sides an a lane of travel. Speeding is also a problem when they are built too wide, but bulb outs intersections every 500 feet, mid -block pedestrian connections, and traffic circles can gate those issues when applied to residential streets. I TIM Baird, Assistant Planning Director - Current Planning, answered that it is 1500 linear feet. Committee Member Stevens noted that landscaping in bulbs outs at intersections can be an issue because it is not clear who is responsible for the planting and maintenance there. Baird noted that the City has authorized Licenses to Encroach for landscaping to be placed within easements. Committee Member Birdwell noted that he would like staff to keep driveway spacing and lot widths in mind when requiring these elements to avoid conflicts. Mayor Schroeder noted that bulb outs are just one of the options for traffic calming measures. Council Member Hood asked for clarification that the street width would be 36 feet and allow parking on both sides. Saluone confirmed and added that this would alleviate the problem of residents removing no parking signs and creating issues for emergency responders. Saluone moved on to decelerations and left turn lanes, outlining that they are required if a development is adding a driveway or street connections to a major street to limit rear end accidents. There are some roadways where the city does not allow those lanes to be shortened, such as SH 29 and RM 2243, but staff has been working with developers in costly. Saluone moved on to discuss Traffic Impact Analyses (TIAs), noting that they are more applicable to ETJ properties. Staff is considering lowering those from 200 to 100 Additional Daily Trips (AD T) for those calculations. Mayor Schroeder asked if those are comparable to Williamson County (Wilco)s rates. Caleb Fuhrer, Assistant Systems Engineering Director, noted that Travis County and Wilco's rates are about the same. Mayor Schroeder asked if Transportation Impact Fees (TIFs) are put into the general transit fund or reserved for the specific area. Saluone confirmed that they are put into th general fund, but staff tried to direct those funds to be spent in the general area I M# #=313 Discussion on classification of uses in the ETJ and the effect on the TIFs and calculate,4 trips. Discussion on TIA process timelines, TIF fees, and Development Agreements. Saluone noted that TlAs do not expire, and would recommend that we include an expiration date that aligns with Preliminary Plat and Final Plat expiration dates. Discussion on the expiration of applications as laid out in UDC Chapter 3. LC Changes to Multi -Family Residential Subdivision and Design Standards Discussion on Multi -Family Residential Design Standards -- Sofia Nelson, Planning Director, and Ryan Clark, Senior Long -Range Planner Sofia Nelson, Planning Director, reviewed the multi -family development proposed changes and direction from Council from June of 2024. T1=1 T development by right in any zoning district that allows commercial, office, or residential. IT is not yet clear if this bill would override historic district guidelines. Committee member Birdwell asked what the reasoning Is behind requiring a condo plat. Mayor Schroeder answered that it creates an environment for property ownership to be more achievable. The City cannot mandate for sale developments, but a condo plat would create a condition that would make it easier for rental properties to transition to a tenant- ZZES= IF IYI ipmenr-#7177ussion on roa S. Public roads are not required, but private roads would still eb required to eb built to public street standards. Staff will need to check if this would still apply to condo platted properties. Discussion on public vs private road design regulations in relation to fire standards, drainage, parking, and utilities. Discussion on MUD options and enforcement. i an ex-dYnOF it pro�VOS64 a Ter exIsffI7g=ftr- family developments in Georgetown. Committee Member Smith voiced concerns around height allowances to support density atop retail, Committee Member Birdwell asked if each building would be required to have its own parking on its lot. Nelson noted that as of now, we require an Administrative Exception for a parking plan off -site. there is the option to be flexible with that in the future. Discussion *n financing a standardized product. depth, Chance Sparks, Freese & Nichols, noted that developers seek to maximize their products, and so its much more likely that you see a wrapped product with these standards and not something revolutionary. Sparks recommended dropping the units per acre regulation. Mayor Schroeder agreed that he would be in favor of easing up on impervious cover, height, and units per acre standards. Committee Member Birdwell commented that a wrapped multi -family development in the suburbs will not work, and noted that if garden -style apartment developers are trying to fit their product into the box that Georgetown creates with these standards, he believes that will create disjointed developments to avoid going to Council for an SUP. Mayor Schroeder noted that he doesn't think its impossible to create a better product with these standards, and noted that his goal is to get rid of garden style apartments in Georgetown. They are too much of a strain on the City in terms of the cost to serve, transportation system, and school districts. Committee Member Birdwell noted that if the aim is to create predictability in the Code, this sends a clear message that if you want to develop traditional garden style apartments, you will need to get an SUP approved by Council. 7 TFT_( IF* 1711 is 1:7 1­771,pirt �,arwt ne Main ne ranain and offer an incentive to not regulate parking for urban -style multi -family developments under the new standards, The Committee generally agreed with the proposed staff recommendations and for the SUP requirement to allow shared -lot multi -family developments. Presentation and Discussion on the next few months of UDC work -- Sofia Nelson, Planning Director Travis Baird, Assistant Planning Director - Current Planning, reviewed the options for updating an approved Site Development Plan (SDP) and the current issues staff have been encountering. He recommends a minor revision option. Mayor Schroeder noted that he would like a list of items that we would determine to eb within the scope of a minor revision. Committee Member Birdwell noted that the biggest problem he has encountered is when a change is requested by city staff out in the field, which then requires him to get an amendment at project closeout when i t is noted on inspections. He used Electric as an example of a department that often makes changes in the field that may not be reflected on the SDP. Baird noted that those can be record drawings since the subject expert is advising on that change-, he is more concerned with voluntary changes to the site. Staff is proposing laying out those scenarios in the UDC or Development Manual to make it very clear which scenarios can eb done through record drawings, minor revision, or amendments. Mayor Schroeder brought up trees and landscaping through minor revisions and asked that staff work on finding out where trees 4amaged during constriction should land in those processes. Committee Member Birdwell guggested there be an option to provide an arborist's letter for damaged trees that may survive. Mayor Schroeder suggested there be an option to move through MEP inspections While working through Planning or Landscaping issues in the SDP. Baird noted that the hold up at MEPs is by design in our process, Once MEPs are completed, the next logical step is to obtain a temporary Certate of Occupancy, which results in enormous pressure on permit techs in the Permitting Department. Bryan Moore, Steger & Bizzell, spoke up and noted that the Sun City amenity building changed their parking space dimensions and ended up having to go through 3 rounds of review to close out. Submitting an SDP amendment does open up the entirety of the site to review again. Baird noted that that is a problem staff is trying to mitigate with this proposal. The wain the UDC is written now, �hm6-AP--.atmzn-d approved SDP, even if the scope of work changing is minimal. Mayor Schroeder asked Mr. Moore to send a list of categories of items that he would recommend be minor revisions to staff. Nelson noted that the agenda has attachments for the Committee to review, including inter - parcel connectivity and driveways, and asked the Committee to share their feedback once they've looked it over. Discussion on dumpster location regulations. Committee Member Birdwell voiced that he would like to see WilCo, the City, and the school district exempt from the tree ordinance. Nelson noted that she will need Council and the City Manager's Office's direction • that. Adjournment X M.