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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes CC - 06/08/2015 - MINS 06 08 15 WS (Migrated from Optiview)Work Session of the Milton City Council Monday, June 8, 2015 at 6:00 pm Page 1 of22 This summary is provided as a convenience and service to the public, media, and staff It is not the intent to transcribe proceedings verbatim . Any reproduction of this summary must include this notice. Public comments are noted and heard by Council, but not quoted This document includes limited presentation by Council and invited speakers in summary form . This is an official record of the Milton City Council Meeting proceedings. Official Meetings are audio and video recorded The Work Session of the Mayor and Council of the City of Milton was held on June 8, 2015 at 6:00 PM, Mayor Joe Lockwood, presiding. Councilmembers Present: Councilmember Karen Thurman, Councilmember Bill Lusk, Councilmember Matt Kunz, Councilmember Burt Hewitt, Councilmember Joe Longoria and Councilmember Rick Mohrig. Mayor Joe Lockwood: • Work Sessions are an informal setting to update Council on business items. • No votes will be taken during these sessions. • There are four (4) items on our Agenda tonight. • Public comment is allowed that is germane to an Agenda Item. • If y ou wish to speak you are required to fill out a comment card and turn it into the City Clerk staff. • Public comment will be allowed for a total of 1 0 minutes per agenda item and no more than 2 minutes per person. • Public comment will be heard at the beginning of each Item. • Once the item is called, no other comment cards will be accepted. Agenda Item #1 was read. 1. Proclamation Reco gnizing Flag Day Presented to the Daughters of the American Re volution (Martha Stewart Bulloch Chapter) and the Sons of the American Revolution (Piedmont Chapter). (Presented by Councilmember Bill Lusk) Agenda Item #2 was read. 2. Insurance Services Office (ISO) Update. (Robert Edgar, Fire Chief) Work Session of the Milton City Council Monday, June 8, 2015 at 6:00pm Page 2 of22 Bob Edgar, Fire Chief Last week , I was happy to inform you that we received our ISO rating and it was a 2/2X. Last Wednesday , I received the details of that report which are as follows: • Insurance Services Office , Inc. (ISO) is a data clearing house for insurance companies. • Public Protection Classification section rates fire protection services in any given community from 1 0 to 1, based on: o Station distribution and coverage (1.5 and 2.5 miles) and response times. o Hazards in the community (buildings 3+ stories , large loss potential, etc.). o Staffing levels. o Available apparatus and equipment (ladders , service vehicles , engines). o Firefighter Training and Certifications. o Fire Prevention I Community Risk Reduction. o They also consider items provided through Milton by IGA or Service Delivery Strategy : o Communications o Water supply , hydrants , etc. • Milton Fire took over from the county in May 2007. The area previously was rated 5/9. • Milton Fire-Rescue was evaluated in its own right in 2010: o We received a 4 rating. o Staffing levels , needed ladders, and stations were identified as significant areas for improvement. o Our second ISO assessment was conducted in February of 2015 . The new assessment model took a slightly different perspective on firefighting: o Training requirements (e.g . Fire Officer certification, hours , etc.), o Changes in required equipment on apparatus to meet current professional standards; o Emphasis on Community Risk Reduction (certifications/training , public education, new/annual inspections , plan review, building codes). • 2015 Analysis: o Milton has a 2/2X. o 84.69 out of 105.5 possible points . o What does this mean? o Residents within 5 miles of a station and 1000 feet of a hydrant are rated 2. o Outside of those parameters are rated 2X. Work Session of the Milton City Council Monday, June 8, 2015 at 6:00 pm Page 3 of22 • Positives: • Training, • Prevention activities , • Dispatch system, • Automatic aid , and • Records , maintenance , and equipment. • Areas for improvement: • Station distribution, • Ladder trucks to address 3+ story buildings, and • Staffing levels. FSRS Item Emergency R porting 414 . Ctedtt t'or Emergency Reportng 422 Qedit for TelecanrnulliCators 432 Oedit for c rcuts 440. Cred f01 Receiving and Handling F Alarms Fint Department 5 13 . c for Compan' 523. Cred for Reserw Pum rs 532 Credlt for PurnpeJ Ca 549 . Cred for L.addet SeMoe 55J. C for R Ledder and SeN ruckS 561 . for Deploymetlt An lys 57 . Credit for company Personnel 581 c for 1'3101~ 730 . Credit for 0 . tlOnS 590 . Crealt f01 Flro Department ng for Water Supptv D ergence 1050. Community Rl. k Reduction Agenda Item #3 was read. Total Cred med Credit 3 .00 3 .69 1.46 8.15 8.00 0 .50 3.00 1 .58 0 .50 4.41 9.50 8.97 2.00 36. 30.00 3 .. 00 7 .00 40.00 .42 5.50 84.69 Cred Available 3 4 3 10 8 0.5 3 4 0.5 10 15 9 2 50 30 3 T 40 5.50 105.5 3. Discussion ofRZlS-11-To Create the Arnold Mill Form Based Code, Chapter 64 ofthe City Code, Article XXI. (Kathleen Field, Community Development Director) Work Session of the Milton City Council Monday, June 8, 2 015 at 6:00pm Page 4 of22 Kathleen Field, Community Development Director We have completed the visioning study for the Arnold Mill corridor. To implement this vision , we have created the Arnold Mill Form Based Code. Caleb Raseco , our consultant on this project, will give the presentation to you tonight. Arnold Mill Form Based Code A community-based effort • Several public meetings • Over 80 stakeholders participated Focused on : • Land use , development , and design • Transportation • Recreation • Water/sewer Visioning Study: General Goals 1. Preserve unique resources. 2. A void strip development. I Encourage nodal development. 3. Avoid the standard subdivision "pod" model. 4. A void dense townhome and apartment development. 5. Guide new development to one or two small nodes with a design-oriented zoning overlay , reserving the rest of the corridor for rural , agricultural and low density residential use. Visioning Study: Specific Objectives Use Transfer Development Rights (TDR) • Designate certain nodes as "receiving areas " • Designate the rest of the corridor as a TDR "sending area" Implement a Form-Based Code • Designate certain zones as rural • Provide higher density "nodes " similar to the tool used in the Crabapple area, but at a lower density • Reduce lot sizes in nodes Reduce sizes in nodes while maintaining large minimum lot sizes in the rest of the corridor • Continue outreach efforts Enhance education efforts and engagement with property owners to increase the implementation of Conservation Easements in the planned rural sections of the corridor Work Session of the Milton City Council Monday, June 8, 2015 at 6:00 pm Page 5 of 22 A concept•ol view of a uonroodt In o rwol creo tiKJr h ttartlng to develop. Thh hJporhrkal ~xoltple ~r~lrron parts of the SR 140 con1dor. Exltbng Commercial Oeve'opment A conceptual YMtw of another uourood• I• a rural area that Is &tarfi119 to devetop.. Tills hypoftldkal exampae mlrron porn of the SR 140 <on1dor. A conceptvol view of the 1001e <rouroods, developed w"h a hybt1d of vlloge ltOde o11d coruervotiOII tubdfvldon approaches. Coo5ef'Vation SubdiVIsion E XISIJI'Ig Church and Cemetery Con5ef'Vation Subdivision A con t eptvolvlew of tile 1ame <rouroads, dew~oped with o hybrid of village node ond co•nervatiOfl subdlvhlon approaches. ~~-------------------------------------- Work Session of the Milton City Council Monday, June 8, 2015 at 6:00pm Page 6 of22 Rural-Urban Transect (T-Zones) • Most zones allow some mix of uses • Offer a range of buildings , uses, thoroughfares & civic spaces Utilized in Arnold Mill Road Form-Based Code Existing Zoning • Mostly AG-1 • Limited R-2A • Limited C-1 Work Session of the Milton City Counc il Monday, June 8, 2015 at 6 :00pm Page 7 of22 . ~-· • $ 0.125 0.25 Existing Zoning ARNOLD MILL fORM-BASEO COO.: April 14, 20 15 Prepared by TSW __ ,..._ __ ,_., ... OIOW'., _______ ._.,.._ ..,,_.., ______ ._ ___ ......,. ____ __ AG-1 , • Legend Agricul ture (AG-1) Commun ity Business (C-1) Single-Fmaily Dw elfing (R-2a) • Work Session of the Milton City Council Monday, June 8, 2015 at 6:00pm Page 8 of22 The SmartCode • Similar to Crabapple and Deerfield/Highway 9 codes • T2: Rural areas envisioned as staying rural Includes TDR Sending Areas • T3 , T4: Areas where development will occur Includes TDR Receiving Areas Work Session of the Milton City Council Monday, June 8, 2 015 at 6 :00pm Page 9 of 22 Existing Zoning ARNOlD MILL FORM-BASED COOC. Aprlt 14. 2015 Prepared by TSW 'Legend Agriculture (AG-1) Community Business (C-1 ) Single-Fmaily Dwelli ng (R-2a) .. - I Work Session of the Milton City Council Monday, June 8, 2 015 at 6:00 pm Page 10 of 22 Legend T4-0pen T4 T3 T2 -Civic Space Are a where T4 ..Qpen p~ Functions and Uses allowed ~ (200 n of SR 140 oe ntMine) D Suitable for a Civic Space = Exlsllng A-G~d Proposed Thorough fare \ Arnold Mill Regulating Plan -DRAFT V2 ARNOLD MILL FORM-BA SED COO.O May 19.2015 Prepared by TSW ------------------ Work Session of the Milton City Council Monday, June 8, 2015 at 6 :00pm Page II of22 Structure ofthe Form-Based Code • Article 1: General instructions • Article 2: Regulating Plans • Article 3: Public Standards • Article 4: Lot and Building Plans • Article 5: Standards and Tables • Article 6: Definitions of Terms Article 2: Regulating Plans 2.1 Instructions Develop according to Arnold Mill Road Regulating Plan File "rezoning" for an Infill Regulating Plan 2.3 Landscape Buffers Retain current buffer requirements Article 3: Public Standards 3 .1 Instructions New Thoroughfares Per Arnold Mill Regulating Plan Per Infill Regulating Plan On sites 4+ acres in size Thoroughfare design subject to public works director approval Rear alleys or lanes permitted or required in certain T-Zones 3.3 Bicycle Facilities Per Regulating Plans and Milton Trail Plan Min. 30ft future trail easement for Greenways, subject to Warrant Staff can determine specific facilities Article 4: Lot and Building Plans 4.4 Building Placement Minimum lot widths Maximum lot coverage Building Placement types Lot coverage Warrant for setback relief on slopes 4.4 Setbacks Shallow setbacks , but greater than those in Crabapple Density • Customized by T-Zone • Tied to current zoning A void down-zoning Provide slight up-zoning in nodes • Intended to create a strong demand for TDRs "'----------------------------------- Work Session ofthe Milton City Council Monday, June 8, 2015 at 6:00pm Page 12 of22 Proposed T2: Rural • Intended for sites zoned AG-1 that are not in a Visioning Plan node • Density matches current AG-1 Proposed T3: Sub-Urban • Intended to be the standard density for nodes (except where current density is greater) • Base building units: 2 per ac. • By TDR building units: 5 per ac. Proposed T3: Sub-Urban • Intended to be the standard density for nodes (except where current density is greater) • Base building units: 2 per ac. • By TDR building units: 5 per ac. Proposed T4: General Urban • Intended to be applied to nodes with current density higher than T-3 • Base building units: 3 per ac . • By TDR building units: 6 per ac. Proposed T4-0: General Urban • Intended to apply to sites with current commercial zoning • Form is identical to T4 Article 4: Lot and Building Plans • Architectural standards Simplified standards based on staff comments Loosely based on Crabapple 's requirements but with greater emphasis on "rural " styles found along the corridor Public Comment Don Hausford 345 Cox Road, Milton, Georgia 30004 I represent Danny Elkins and Chris Asbell who are the operators of the Georgia Golf Center at Cox Road and State Route 140. I am also a part of a group that owns property comprised of 50.79 acres. We have worked as a group . We have similar interests but I wanted to be clear that I am only here to specifically represent Danny and Chris 's property. The group has owned the property anywhere from 20 to 43 years. Danny and Chris have owned and operated the Georgia Golf Center for 20 years . They live on the property and have kept it very nice over the years . The biggest difference between their property and the other properties listed in this group is that 20 years ago Fulton County classified it as AG-1 with a special use. In most other areas , this type of development would be considered commercial property. About two years ago , we identified the area as an activity node. We then presented to staff what we thought the area should look like and it was enthusiastically accepted because we never pushed the densities. We were excited when the Form Based Code was presented. We never questioned the density. Our product is going to be geared more toward the empty nester. However , we are questioning the permitted right. The permitted right for the other T3 classifications are three dwelling units per acre ; we are at two , which puts us at an economic disadvantage . It costs us more. We are asked to pay for that given right. Also , it is interesting to note that since the TDR program was established three years Work Sess ion of the Milton City Council Monday, June 8, 2015 at 6 :00pm Page 13 of22 ago , not one TDR has been purchased in the Deerfield or Crabapple Form Based Code area. The reason for that is because in the capitalistic world we live in, if a group of developers looked at a Form Based Code and they were told they could increase their density , not one person would do it. It is our opinion that the reason for that is that there is a reasonable economic use under the given right. Also , it is very difficult to determine what the TDR price is. It is based upon whatever the market dictates and if there are people willing to sell their TDR rights . In Danny and Chris 's situation, it puts them in an unfavorable position to have to tell a de veloper that they would have to buy two TDRs to get to the density they would need to build their project. The value of TDRs is a moving target; very fluctuating and never one value on any given day. If Crabapple and Deerfield had a lower permitted right, I think you would have a much different looking Crabapple and Deerfield than you do today. We are trying to build something unique to potential empty nesters. The product would not be attached like a townhome and would not have a yard to upkeep , etc. There is nothing out there like that in the area. Councilmember Lusk With the Arnold Mill Form Based Code , are there any deviations or conflicts with our Comprehensive Land Use Plan? Caleb Raseco Not to my knowledge. Councilmember Thurman Is there a reason you choose the number of units per acre to be different in Crabapple, Deerfield and Arnold Mill? Is it because the areas just happen to be different? Caleb Raseco Part of the reason for that is the Arnold Mill Visioning Plan talks about the usage of a hamlet as well as using TDR 's to gain additional density much more so than Crabapple or Deerfield. We used those numbers because they were less intense and the area is primarily zoned AG-1 so we wanted to codify what was in the Visioning Plan as much as possible. The lots are much bigger than the lots we see in Crabapple (50x100). It was my effort to take what came out ofthe public process and take what came out of current zoning and put it into a plan that would match that area, using a format but customizing it to Arnold Mill Road. Councilmember Thurman So there was a reason for the numbers you came up with through the whole public process ? Caleb Raseco Absolutel y. One other thing that is unique to Arnold Mill Road is this presence ofR-2A. We needed to come up with a way to translate R-2A to aT-Zone by creating the T-4 , which has identical density as a base to what R-2A has . We did not want to down zone them so we came up with a way where there was a one to one relationship between what they had today and what they would get under the base zoning with the new code created. Councilmember Thurman But under the current code they would not be able to get nine units per acre? Work Session of the Milton City Council Monday, June 8, 2015 at 6:00pm Page 14 of22 Caleb Raseco That is correct. The numbers we have purposed were a maximum five per acre with TDR and T-3 and a maximum of six per acre with TDR and T -4. The nine on the handout is not something that came out of my recommendation after reviewing the Visioning Plan. Councilmember Kunz Don , in order to up zone , how many TDR 's would you have to buy in order to get what you think your right should be ? Don Hausford Under the current , we would have to buy two TDR 's. Using the math based on the Crabapple one it would mean about $900 ,000 hit for our density. One TDR to us equates to $409 ,000 . Our recommendation has been since day one was nothing more than four units per acre and we have a great product that will go there. With this current code we cannot get four units per acre. We are staying true to what we said two years ago when we first brought the product to you . Caleb Raseco One of the written comments was about the 70ft. lot width. What he is referring to is in T-3 , we have proposed a minimum 70 ft. lot width which is identical to the lot width in Crabapple with no minimum lot depth. Therefore , you could in fact achieve five units per acre but you would have to make the units shallower. Agenda Item #4 was read. 4. Discussion of Legacy Milton Initiative. (Afayo rJoe Lockwoo d ) Mayor Lockwood The thinking of what protected our land in Milton was the majority of our land was AG-1 zoning , no sewer in over 80 percent of our land and a minimum of one acre lots. Lot of people thought all of that would keep the area looking and feeling very rural for many years . The recession kept growth to a minimum , but in the last couple of years , things have turned around and developing is starting again. Most of the developing is in AG-1 areas , which is all legal zoning. It looks like a lot of developing is happening but it is mostly been pent up over the last five to seven years because of the down turn in the economy. There has been a lot of concern and stride towards the ongoing development. Legacy Milton Initiati ve was started in order to compile what the city , staff, council , mayor, citizens groups and committees have done to preserve Milton. I called it Legacy Milton Initiative because Milton has a different feel as we all know, and 50 years from now we were hoping to keep that feel as well as have an impact on Milton 's legacy. With all of us working together on this initiative, I would hope we could create a positive effect 50 years down the road for the City of Milton. Basically the overall idea of the Milton Legacy is to compile several items (new and existing) that will help conserve , as well as , market the city maintaining the rural feel it always has possessed. This is all done in the spirit of working with existing zoning , existing property owners , trying to come up with win/win solutions where no one loses any of their rights. I am excited to say some of these items on this initiative offer a lot of merit that we Work Session of the Milton City Council Monday, June 8, 2015 at 6:00pm Page 15 of22 can come up with some things that will incentivize people to want to preserve their land or develop it less dense but in a way they are compensated too. What I would like to do is go through the list of ideas on this initiative and get everyone 's feedback. This is not a document I see being an ordinance , per se , but more of a long term plan. Most of the items that are on the list have been accomplished and some may be implemented sooner than later. This initiative is not to take away from other initiatives that the city is working on such as Impact Fees and Conservation Subdivision Ordinances. My wish today is to briefly go over the list and comment if we want to pursue this item, add to the item or table for later. Any questions , before we proceed? Councilmember Lusk What you have listed are various codes and ordinances that are already in effect so what is the mission and/or goal of Legacy Milton? Mayor Lockwood As I said before this initiative is marketing what items we have in place and want to put in place to preserve rural Milton. All these items separately may not mean a lot but complied in one place shows the citizens of Milton that the city is really trying to do something to preserve the rural feel of Milton. Councilmember Lusk How would you define the ultimate goal given all these items? Mayor Lockwood I would define the ultimate goal as to do everything in our power to preserve Milton and keep it the same area that it was that initially drew people to live here. Councilmember Thurman The way that I look at this is these are all tools in our toolbox and we need all these tools , whether big or small , working together in order to accomplish preserving the area. I think we sometimes forget that almost every acre of Milton could be de veloped as one acre lots without ever coming forward to the city council. All the complaints we hear about the development in Milton are not because of what we have zoned but because people own land that have the right to develop based on the current zoning. Personally, I believe if we are reall y going to preserve the land and character of Milton, we are going to have to have funds to do so. We need funds in order to be able to buy land , conservation easements and TDR's. I believe that the Green Space Bond and the Impact Fees are probably the two things that will give us the most funds the fastest , allowing us to buy properties to preserve and offer conservation incentives. I hope if we do put out a bond referendum that the citizens of Milton will feel that it is well worth their money allowing the city to buy land to preserve Milton. In my opinion, this compiled list containing big or small initiatives can help us get to our end goal , which is to preserve the area. Mayor Lockwood I agree with Karen , some of these tools are small and some are big, but compiled all together you end up with a greater impact. I am not taking credit for any of these ideas . These are all things we have accomplished or talked about as a group. I just felt we should compile it all together to paint a picture so people could see that we do have a lot of good options moving forward . And to Karen 's point, I think one of the biggest items that could make a difference is the Green Space Bond. The reason I like the Green Space Bond is we can purchase land , permanently put it in an easement or conservation so all are citizens could enjoy and appreciate it. Another advantage to that is it lets the citizens make the choice if they want to pay more taxes in order to preserve the area. When someone owns AG-1 land and is Work Session of the Milton City Council Monday, June 8, 2015 at 6:00pm Page 16 of22 allowed to develop it as one acre lots , we cannot take that away from them. As Karen, I feel Impact Fees will help offset costs, recoup money for future infrastructure and allow us to buy land. If we could just start with the Green Space Bond, Stacey, you have been talking to bond agents and councilmembers , if you want to address that item and let council decide if that is an item they would like to pursue. Stacey Inglis, Assistant City Manager We spoke with financial advisors last week and they recommended as far as term ofthe bond and what they saw as thresholds. For term the y recommended no more than 20 years term because anything longer than 20 years is going to be larger projects (high schools, sewer infrastructure). After talking with several councilmembers about what they felt the citizens would be willing to pay for in addition to their taxes from Milton and Fulton County to preserve the view shed of Milton, we came up with $100- $200 from a citizen owning an average house costing $450 ,000. Is that in line with what the council as a whole was thinking ? Mayor Lockwood Let 's talk first about what that money would actually be. That would be about $20M with a $150 per $450 ,000 household or $25M with a $200 per $450 ,000 household . If we are going to go through this process we want to have enough funds to make an impact. Stacey Inglis One thought I had was $150 today might be less in the future because as tax digest grows the actual amount we have to bill out for the taxes to pay for the debt service payment would probably go down over time because the digest will be worth a lot more in future years as we bring on more properties and property values increase . Mayor Lockwood Does anyone have a question or comment on possibly doing a bond? Councilmember Lusk We had kicked around this idea before but nothing formally. I think one of the precursors of adopting a Green Space bond is to adopt a green print. We hired a consultant a year ago to develop a green print which I think that has to be adopted before you put a Green Space bond on a referendum. After going through with a consultant and presentation of green print, I don 't believe we adopted it. Kathy Field, Director of Community Development I am not sure we went as far as developing green print. It was more a conservation plan with various tools mentioned that the city had and needed , such a bond referendum. But in terms of actually showing a green print for the area the conservation plan that was developed stopped a little short of that. Mayor Lockwood Let me stop us now and be a little more specific. This is not a conversation about deciding to do a Green Space bond tonight or not it is more a general conversation of whether the council likes the idea of pursuing a Green Space bond. Staff has done a little preliminary work into this area, but do we want to look into more thoroughly or not ? Councilmember Hewitt I do. ------· ----------------------- Work Session of the Milton City Council Monday, June 8, 2015 at 6 :00pm Page 17 of22 Councilmember Thurman I think it is best way to preserve Milton. It allows the voters to make the decision. If this is as important to them as they have said , they will vote in favor of it. Councilmember Kunz I respectfully disagree with that. First I want to thank you Mayor for putting this out and all your effort with this. There are a lot of different pieces to this that I see that are already here such as the habitat designation, TDR's, etc. I think we need to define which one items have the most effectiveness and influence as we continue this discussion. Mayor Lockwood It sounds to me you all would like to pursue the Green Space bond. Jack Lindon, 14810 East Bluff Road, Milton, Georgia 30004 Thank you for the opportunity. I wanted to comment specifically on the Green Space bond issue with respect to the green print. Professor Daniels ' Conservation Plan that he presented specifically talked about a citizens group which would be formed to address issues of what the green print should be like (trail plans, parcels for TDR's, etc). As I recollect, he said that he thought a citizens group could do that following his recommendations. I think it is time for the city to put that into action and actually form a committee. I know there are members of our group of Milton Grows Green that are more than willing to be part of that organization as I am sure there are others as well. Councilmember Thurman I agree with you. We do not want to buy parcels that people necessarily want to sell we want to buy parcels we want to preserve . I think we need the green print to tell us which parcels we want to preserve. Mayor Lockwood That is absolutely true. If we do move forward we need to be careful to get the biggest bang for our buck. There is ob v ious interest with the Green Space bond and council can look into it whether we do something this year or next. Staff will have to look into whether we need the green print to mo ve forward. Also we need to know how much funds are needed to propose and present to the public. As a city we can put the facts out and allow citizen groups to promote it. Councilmember Lusk I am a little concerned with the rush to get it on the ballot in November. Mayor Lockwood There is no rush to get it on the ballot in November unless the public and the council want it to be on the ballot. In my opinion, it would behoove us to get it on the ballot in November because if we wait a year it will not have as much impact. Impact fees , as we know, are already in the process so I don 't know that we really need to discuss it too much but it would be something that would help toward this cause. Conservation easements, we are talking about those as important things and a green space bond can also help promote some of that as well. If some of this discussion has brought up a question, please feel free to speak and you can fill out a public comment card after you speak. Another suggestion was conservation incentives. Things change and back when land was $5 ,000 per acre or $10 ,000 per acre people 's motives are different now. Regarding conservation incentives , if land was going for $10 ,000 ----------------------- Work Session of the Milton City Council Monday, June 8 , 2015 at 6:00pm Page 18 of22 an acre it would be real easy for someone to just buy some land and sit on it , put some cows on it , and it would be easy for the city to give an initiative to say to that landowner, "We are going to cut $3 ,000 off your taxes" and everyone would be happy. However, as property values grow and the dollar amounts are different , people have different perspectives. Councilmember Lusk Could someone explain CUV A? Stacey Inglis I am vaguely familiar with it. CUV A stands for Conservation Use Valuation Assessment and basically what they do is that they go out and put a value on the land based on the use of the land and not what someone would pay for it. So , if you had land that was agricultural or that had trees on it that you want to sell or basically just land that you will not develop. Then , you can put the land in a CUV A which would decrease the value of the land based on use and it is held that way for ten years and if you sell the property and there is development then you have to actually go back and pay back the CUV A evaluation with a penalty. Mayor Lockwood Fulton County offered this incentive to preserve land and it had to be either a ten acre minimum or you had to have some kind of working agricultural use of some type of farm; raise animals or crops or whatever. Basically, as Stacy said , it was a ten year commitment that held your taxes down based on agricultural land at a low value . So , it was a really good incentive to keep your property taxes down. However, if during that ten year period you changed the property or sold it or it went to be developed , you had to pay back the taxes that you would have paid plus a penalty. To my point, in the past, that incentive had a much bigger impact than it does right now because land values have increased exponentially. Now, however, Fulton County has made the CUVA process a lot more stringent and complicated so it is not as lucrative of an incentive as it was in the past. In response to the public's comments about the city hiring outside consultants, etc. The city is not allowed to pay more than $30 ,000 for a consultant without a bidding process. If the costs exceed $30 ,000 then the job has to be bid out. We could possibly hire a full-time or part-time position as a city employee. My thoughts are that we should hire someone and their full-time job would be conservation; to explore every opportunity we have. Essentially , they would be the "conservation face " of the city. They would go around and create interest about these initiatives whether it is TDRs , conservation easements , etc . etc . Councilmember Mohrig We had invested with a consultant and I was interested in seeing the product of that person 's work. We talked about the different tools in the toolbo x and that person actually giving us details of what we could do. We talked about conservation incentives and not just CUVA but all the other conservation avenues that are out there. If we didn 't want to hire a full-time person right now but for a period of time get some of these initiatives that we have been talking about pushed through , how do we go about making that happen? If you are saying that we cannot extend the consultant 's contract, how do we go about getting some action taken on some of these initiatives right now? City Attorney Jarrard The easiest way would be to put together an RFP and establish criteria for an individual or entity and allow people to submit proposals. Work Session of the Milton City Council Monday, June 8, 2015 at 6 :00 pm Page 19 of22 Mayor Lockwood Is the council interested in having our staff put together a job description for a conservation specialist/coordinator/project manager? Councilmember Lusk Given our history in the last 5-6 years , we have hired individual consultants for specialists in different areas; Randall Arndt in Conservation Subdivision Ordinances , Laurel Florio in TDRs , Caleb in Form Based Codes. We have gotten experts in each of those specific distinct areas. I would hesitate to think that there is an y one single expert out there that we could hire that would be an expert in all of those fields. I think we would be better well served by going to a firm and submitting an RFQ. Councilmember Longoria We have hired consultants in the past to bring us and our staff up to speed on a particular area of knowledge. It is unfair to judge a consultant based upon whether we have adopted an end product that they have submitted to us. I think we have staff that has the knowledge and understanding of conservation in Milton and maybe we just need to enhance their position. Councilmember Thurman I don 't think we need to hire someone who is an expert in all these areas because I don't think we are going to find someone who is an expert on everything. However, I do think we need someone , at least on a part-time basis that is the champion of the conservation initiative and will work with all of the different experts to create results. Public Comment Laura Rencher, 1060 Birmingham Road, Milton, Georgia 30004 One of the things that I have really struggled with is that I am not clear about what the city 's mission is. You say you want to preserve rural character and conserve land. I want to know what that means to you. It is not clear to me at all. I really hope that if you are going to develop a plan that you can start with deciding what land conservation means to you. Because what I discovered when I talked to Stace y Inglis is that the definition that you are saying is "land saved from development". That can be your working definition. I don 't know what it is but I hope you can create a mission because I don 't think that hiring a staff member is going to solve the issue . Right now, you are talking about hiring a staff member to come in and coordinate everything but I don 't see a vision. I don't know what your vision is. I know that Laurel Florio did a lot of planning for this and she had a vision and it was related to conservation but I also know that her plan was rejected. I need to understand what the city's vision is if the vision of the conservation consultant that you hired has been rejected. Norman Broadwell, 105 N. Christopher Run, Milton, Georgia 30004 I have a question. I have read the document. It is ambitious and challenging but when you talk about a sense of community I wonder how you de velop that without a sense of history. I would also like you to know that I am a former member of the Milton Historic Preservation Commission. We certainly gave some honest efforts on some things but I think it is time for council and staff to begin to rethink the city 's approach to history. The first year the city was formed , I sat at the fire station with Linda Blow and we put together some things. The first year of council we were able to achieve some things. At Work Session of the Milton City Council Monday, June 8, 2015 at 6:00 pm Page 20 of22 some point , you changed your approach and you accepted what the state does , it killed us. First of all, and Councilmember Lusk can attest to this , we had submitted four things that were vital to the history of the area that was not accepted by the state at all. You get nowhere with that. To be defeated 6-0 on a Historic District says something too. And , I understand that, if I were a Crabapple business owner I would not have accepted it either. But, it is time to rethink the way Milton does history. There are various things that can be identified throughout the area. I sat at the Memorial Service last week. There was a great turnout and it was very inspiring. However, I looked around and wondered how many of the folks sitting there understood that they sat in Webb , Georgia. You go to Crabapple, you go to Friendship Park , how many people know that was the original baseball field for Crabapple? How many know that the Willow Bat Boys were there, the ladies who had the baseball team were there and a community that sent three guys to the major leagues? History has to be the thread that pulls us through to a sense of community. I would encourage you to give some more thought to that. Again , the HPC , it is like putting an overcoat designed for a grown man on a child , to ask them to do the things that they are doing. We can 't identify Fields Cross Roads , we can 't talk about Social Hill , we can 't talk about Daughter 's Chapel and get anything out there unless we have your support. And, we have got to look at different ways to do it. We have a great opportunity coming up Wednesday at the opening of the Thomas Byrd Sr. House , the new Milton Senior Center. Thank goodness you had the foresight to buy a historic piece of property and I congratulate you on that. I am not here to criticize the HPC. Their task is impossible. Councilmember Lusk has submitted three or four different areas that should be identified and all ofthem have been turned down because we can 't get through the study. I am a charter member of the Alpharetta Historical Society . We have taken a different path . It is interesting that half the Alpharetta Historical Society Board lives in Milton. However , we have been able to put 15 identification markers all through the city. We don 't have a central business district so we have to approach it differently but we can do the same thing through cars travelling through the area and identifying the properties . So , please give this some thought. Laurel Florio, 790 Gates Mill Way, Milton, Georgia 30004 In regards to the bond , I wanted to build on what Councilmember Lusk was saying. The decision to establish a conservation plan as opposed to a green print was made by the administration because of the cost of $200 ,000 and the fact that the Trust for Public Land could not even start it until right now, Spring 2015 , that is why we ended up with the product that we have. But, in addition to what Bill was saying, I think there are a lot of other things. As a citizen, if you were to rush and put this bond on the ballot soon , I don 't think you would even get my vote , and you guys know how much I want to protect the land that is left in the city. There is a lot of background work that still needs to be done before we can put that on our taxpayers and before we can expect them to approve and support it. No one is going to spend a dime without really acknowledging and seeing that something is going to come of it. And , every one of those initiatives is wonderful but each is wrought with detail and specific procedures and standards of practice that I am not sure are being adhered to. All of us in this room are business people and I ask you that as we continue to think about those initiatives and the bond , which could be a great thing , we look at them through the lens of a business person and see that the standards and practices and different things are being followed as they need to be to be effective. In terms of a conservation professional , they are out there. I like what Burt said about a Conservation Project Manager. Land Trust Organizations around this country and go vernmental organizations have those type of people in place. They know enough about each individual type of initiative to function as the manager of the whole. The issue is the matter of having cooperation and a desire to have a team oriented approach to those initiati ves. Work Session ofthe Milton City Council Monday, June 8, 2015 at 6:00 pm Page 21 of22 Mayor Lockwood I appreciate everyone 's comments. We have had a lot of thought-provoking conversation tonight which will , hopefully , will lead us in the right direction. Does the council agree that we should ask the staff to gather more information about potentially hiring a Conservation Project Manager? In addition, we are in the middle of looking at conservation subdivisions which is a very important topic right now and there is a lot of work being done on that. Councilmember Kunz I just wanted to tell Noel Carpenter how much we appreciate all the work you have been doing on conservation subdivisions. I know you have done a lot of research and that it is a very intense project initiative that we are trying to take. I want to commend you for all the work you have done getting everyone together and trying to figure it all out. I have been to all the meetings you have had so far. Noel Carpenter, 15230 Highgrove Road, Milton, Georgia 30004 Thank you for your kind comments. I am really the conservation subdivision Project Manager person that you are talking about. Everyone here tonight is motivated to complete this initiative. They all have their special skill set and passion that make it all come together. You really need someone who can identify danger and take your mission where you want to go. The citizens are saying we need to define the mission and we have a vision, even though it is kind of vague. We need to "pin the tail on this donkey" and figure out what we reall y want to accomplish. Then, we need to give someone the authority to go get it done. We 've got the demographics and the resources but we have to take action. Mayor Lockwood Thank you, Noel. We certainly appreciate everything you are doing as well as the efforts of everyone in this room . In addition , there are a lot of individuals that are not here tonight that have been diligentl y working to make our conservation subdivision vision a reality. Kathy , could you please give us an update on TDRs? Kathy Field There is a TDR transaction that is pending and I was recently in contact with both the buyer and the seller. There are just a few de velopment issues that need to be resolved before the transaction can take place. Mayor Lockwood I reall y like to see all the involvement; it builds a sense of community. Would anyone like to make a comment regarding rural viewsheds? Jack Lindon, 14810 East Bluff Road, Milton, Georgia 30004 The rural viewshed zoning is an issue that is probably going to be most difficult to deal with because it is the most likely to cause problems with property rights. One of the things we have been discussing with regard to the conservation subdivision idea is the opportunity to have options with different types of subdivisions to be built. Some subdivisions would have the neutral density amount and others would have less than that amount. One possibility would be the idea of requiring undeveloped buffer zones along major thoroughfares for any development. As long as it is incorporated with all the options ; some of which allow the same density and maybe even a bonus density , it may perhaps stand a better chance of passing the legal test that the state of Georgia would impose on it. Work Session of the Milton City Council Monday, June 8, 2015 at 6 :00pm Page 22 of22 Mayor Lockwood Again , I want to thank everyone for their input tonight. We have had a lot of good discussion. I am confident that we will all be able to work together to ensure Milton has the future that we envision. Date Approved: July 6, 2015 Sudie AM Gordon , Cit;tlerk