No Bookmarks Exist.
We're good. 00:00:11
All right. Good evening, everybody. 00:00:14
Good. This kind of feels like church. 00:00:18
We'll do that again. Good evening, everybody. 00:00:22
I like that. We might have to do that on the rig. All right, this is our call to order and a quorum check. We've got everybody 00:00:25
here tonight. And I'd like to start with the Pledge of Allegiance. So let's all stand. 00:00:29
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, 00:00:35
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. 00:00:41
All right, as usual, this meeting is being broadcast simultaneously online with a Suite 1 webcasting public portal. Those who 00:00:55
can't join the meeting in person tonight can access that portal and watch live or watch a recording at a later date. The portal 00:01:00
allows the public to view and listen to the meeting. 00:01:05
And also has the meeting materials available for review. The service also provides closed captioning. 00:01:12
For a live meeting, the user must click on the CC icon in the lower right corner of the video window. When the video from 00:01:17
tonight's meeting is posted online, closed captioning will automatically appear. Interested parties may also view a transcript of 00:01:22
the meeting under the tab titled Transcript. 00:01:27
As a reminder, the notice of the council meeting was posted with the current month's agenda one full week before the meeting to 00:01:33
allow public sufficient time to provide comments and writing to the clerk. 00:01:37
If they are not if they are unable to attend in person. 00:01:42
With that, we'll move on to the approval of the minutes of the previous meeting. Do we have a motion or discussion on the minutes? 00:01:46
I make a motion to approve. Second, we have a motion, we have a second any discussion. 00:01:52
Hearing none all in favor, say aye. Any opposed like sign motion carries 5 O. 00:01:59
We'll move on to the approval of the agenda I would like to request, adding two things. The mayor would request a point of 00:02:05
privilege before administration to discuss a new. 00:02:10
Earth Month related initiative and then I'd also like to add under new business item twenty approval of submittal of the fiscal 00:02:16
year 2024 Georgia Department of Transportation. 00:02:21
Local Rd. Assistant grant application copies were provided to council and placed in the agenda packet on Monday. 00:02:26
Is there any other? 00:02:33
Request to amend the agenda before we get started. 00:02:35
Hearing none, can we do have a motion to add those items? I make a motion to add those items and approve the agenda. 00:02:40
Is there a second second? 00:02:48
Any discussion all in favor, say aye. 00:02:50
Any opposed like sign? 00:02:54
All right. I'm going to come to the microphone and talk a little bit about our April initiative. 00:02:56
Sheraton the camera seat. Be here. Yep. 00:03:12
And make sure it's on there. 00:03:16
On February 25th, a letter was mailed to the mayor, it says. 00:03:23
Dear Mayor Broderick, I think that we have a problem in Watkinsville litter. 00:03:28
Global warming. Do you know what happens when you litter? The litter gets into the water shed by rainfall. 00:03:33
When it gets to the watershed, an animal might mistake it for food. This could cause an animal to die. If animals go extinct then 00:03:39
we can't eat them. Please find a way to stop littering in Watkinsville so it can be a beautiful place. 00:03:45
Sincerely, Amelia Emerson, page 8. She then had a PS said. My mommy told me that I should give you some ideas of what to do about 00:03:51
litter. We could organize a contest for the person who picks up the most litter wins. First place gets a trophy, 2nd place gets a 00:03:58
medal, 3rd place gets a gift card to scoops. Scoops could sponsor it. 00:04:05
To make a composting program or three. Every time a tree is cut down, a tree is planted. Thank you, Amelia. 00:04:12
Amelia and her mom and dad have joined us tonight. Amelia, if you want to stand up. 00:04:19
And Amelia, I'm pleased to say that item number three, we already do. So when a tree gets cut down in Watkinsville, we have a tree 00:04:25
ordinance and people can cut down trees, but they also have to plant new trees whenever they do that. So we have that one. But I 00:04:31
really love the idea for #1 to organize a contest for the person who picks up the most litter. 00:04:37
So I'm excited if you want to come up here to announce tonight that in April we're going to have a litter contest in Watkinsville. 00:04:43
Anywhere in the United States. 00:05:23
And although that was a pretty awesome goal to have, so we're going to work on getting all that ready and announcing it in April. 00:05:25
And I'm excited to say that we're going to bring your contest to life. So I just wanted to say thank you to Amelia for a great 00:05:31
idea. You're a student at Column Ferry, is that right? What grade are you in, Amelia? 00:05:36
Second grades The 2nd grader at Column Ferry Elementary, Amelia Emerson. And so we are going to implement the Watkinsville Queen 00:05:42
City program in April and have a contest to see who can pick up the most litter. And then I'd love for you to come back in May and 00:05:48
maybe help me give those awards out when we know who picked up the most litter. Does that sound good? 00:05:54
OK. Is there anything you want to say to this crowd? 00:06:01
OK. 00:06:04
Can we do a picture with your mom and dad in front of the Watkinsville sign? 00:06:10
I understand right in the middle, and I'll stand by your deaf, OK? 00:06:18
Right now Emerson, Joe are welcome to stay and see all the excitement or if you all want to go home, you can get out of here. 00:06:32
Yeah, Mom did say Amelia has the earliest bedtime. 00:06:39
In the room tonight. 00:06:42
Thank you. 00:06:45
All right, we're going to move on to administration. As I've note, most months we can have comments throughout the meeting when we 00:06:55
are in a formal public hearing. That's at council, mayor and council's discretion. If we do allow those comments, they should be 00:07:02
only directly writing to the agenda items or the item being presented. 00:07:09
If you do want to speak, you'll need to come to the podium. We give you 4 minutes per person, but again, council does have the 00:07:16
discretion to cut that short unless it's a public hearing. We do have several, several public hearings tonight related to new 00:07:22
ordinances, zoning matters and other things like that. So with that, we will move on to administration and to kick us off, we'll 00:07:27
have Manager Dickerson for the monthly financial reports. Thank you, Mayor. 00:07:32
So everyone should have received the balance balance sheet, the general fund revenues and expenses we are tracking. 00:07:38
Very well. On all of our both expenses and revenues. Is there any questions about that? I'm happy to answer those. If not, I'll 00:07:45
just move into the other report. 00:07:49
Public safety vehicles, streetscape items downtown and then our Rd. resurfacing, so there's quite a bit of encumbrances that are 00:08:25
being held until we get those projects completed. 00:08:30
We are. I think it's probably worthwhile to point out this is at a 8.63% rate, which is a little bit different than our teaspoon 00:08:37
rate with the county. As a result, our average income is 83, about $83,000 a month. We only budgeted 65, so that means we're going 00:08:45
to end up with almost at least if we continue at this rate, about half $1,000,000 in the budget at the end of SPLOST. 00:08:53
So you guys have to figure how to spend that night. 00:09:01
Transportation plan is sort of leaving this work. 00:09:42
Leaning into that plan that was approved back in October of 20/19 and trying to actually implement and can make these connections 00:09:45
throughout the community. So that's what those monies are going towards. In this case T slots we only get 7.77%. So you see a 00:09:51
little, a little bit lower about 72,000 a month. We're in the early stages though of of this project, 6 year project. So our 00:09:56
budget we budget 78,000, but we're averaging 72. By the time we get to the end we should be at that or over. That's what we 00:10:02
anticipate. 00:10:07
And then the American Rescue Plan Act, Those are the funds that were a. 00:10:14
Were given to communities to help address some of the issues with the downturn after the Covic crisis, and these monies are 00:10:18
supposed to be spent for transformative projects. The council has used those monies for retention issues, trying to draw in and 00:10:24
retain police officers, public safety officers, and for other big projects. I believe we finished paving or repaid Harden Hill Rd. 00:10:30
And. 00:10:36
And then and then purchased Thomas Farm help use a good chunk of that help purchase Thomas Farm property. There's still some 00:10:44
monies to be left to be programmed, but that will probably something that will be done during the budget process. 00:10:50
Any questions on any of those? 00:10:58
OK. I'll move on to economic development. So our right now we have all the business licenses were due the 15th of this month. We 00:11:01
have this is just through I believe this report is just through February, but we have about 85% clerk said about 85% of people 00:11:06
have responded and completed their UH. 00:11:12
Business licenses and some of them are waiting for some fire inspections and so that's holding up some of the paperwork, but 00:11:19
moving along that's about normal for this time of year. And then we've accepted some, some monies and alcohol applications as 00:11:23
well. 00:11:27
And then on the excise tax, this is for alcohol by the drink and. 00:11:33
Our larger suppliers like distributors and stuff that have to pay that and then our hotel motel tax. So that's what you see the 00:11:39
excise taxes of 28, a little bit more than $28,000. 00:11:44
Has been collected. 00:11:49
And then our building permit side, we had six permits for six different projects. 00:11:51
Plumbing, electrical just sort of that that like. 00:11:56
Type stuff at this point. Any questions? 00:11:58
OK. All right. Thank you. Manager Dickerson, We'll move on to economic. We'll move on to Downtown Development Authority, Mayor Pro 00:12:03
Tem. 00:12:06
Yes. So if you have not heard about the rural zone designation that we have gotten here in Watkinsville, there is lots of 00:12:12
information on the DDA website I. 00:12:17
Essentially, there are some incredible tax incentives for rehabilitation of buildings, purchases of buildings and all centered 00:12:24
around new businesses starting. So it has to create 2 new jobs. And if that happens, then there are some really great tax 00:12:32
incentives. So lots of details on that. Don't want to go into too many tonight, but there's a lot of information on that. If 00:12:40
you're interested in that, please come see me, go to the website, contact our DDA director. 00:12:48
So we have a sidewalk poetry contest coming up. We have currently there are entries apparently from ages 9 to in their 70s. 00:12:58
And we will be judging this. It is all around come connect, create. And this is in partnership with the library that is now at 00:13:09
Wire Park. If you have an inkling to submit a poem, the deadline is March 25th, so it's coming up. 00:13:18
Also we are having a downtown Watkinsville sidewalk sale. It is the weekend of Easter, right before Easter, March 29th and 30th. 00:13:28
And this is an opportunity for our downtown businesses to use more of the space. They have special permission and permitting and 00:13:35
just another great way to support our local businesses. So please I. 00:13:42
Come and see downtown on March 29th and 30th. 00:13:51
And lastly, we are having a BBQ competition and Bake Off block party at Rocket Field May 4th and we are this is a fundraiser for 00:13:55
Bethel Haven. 00:14:01
And we are currently looking for those budding backyard barbecuers who would like to come and participate. It's only $25. 00:14:09
And there is a. 00:14:21
Winners and it'll be a lot of fun so if you like, make a great. 00:14:23
Barbecue, but it's only buts I. 00:14:29
Please please please come see me. Go to the website. We are currently looking for entrance for that and then also mark your 00:14:33
calendar is going to be a lot of fun May 4th. 00:14:37
And also we have a burger week coming up. So DDA is keeping things busy in Watkinsville. So the week of April 22nd, we are doing 00:14:43
our first hopefully annual burger week. And so different restaurants in downtown Watkinsville are going to be offering their own 00:14:50
specialized burger. 00:14:57
And everyone who eats them? They're all going to just be $10.00 for the burger at all different places. Everything from Mama Nings 00:15:04
to Kiki's kitchen to, of course, Chops. 00:15:10
Anyway, we have a lot of Barberitos. 00:15:17
White Tiger, Thank you and Wing House so far, we're still. Oh, and also. 00:15:21
Oh gosh. 00:15:27
So many restaurants. I know there are so many restaurants down in Watkinsville. Isn't it amazing? 00:15:30
And some of them are partnering with some of our other local businesses. So the rumor is that with Blind Pig that the. 00:15:38
I'm going to see how many I can try that have national cardiac awareness, Downtown Cardiac Awareness Week. One of the sponsors is 00:16:21
like the local though Georgia Beef Association. I'm not getting the name right, but so it was like they have to be beef and so 00:16:28
that is that is part of that. But yes, we can balance it out with salads. So yeah, so that's what's going on with EDA. 00:16:35
Wow, that's a lot. It's amazing. 00:16:43
What are we in? 14-15 months into having a DDA is it's amazing how much is happening. Thank you for your work. 00:16:45
To you and to Kate, who leads that Chief GAIL, if you want to provide a Police Department report. 00:16:51
And we'll see the Easter Bunny joining you. But what a day that was on Saturday. Hopefully Give us some details on that, I just 00:16:57
got to say. 00:17:01
I hope everybody ate their dinner, because talking about burgers and honey burgers and all, well, that sounds delicious. 00:17:06
They should come up with a coffee burger and we might be talking. Anyways. The Police Department has been extremely busy with good 00:17:13
stuff going on. I was a fabulous event, hopefully some of the community members in here, so it made it and saw the smiles. It was 00:17:20
incredible. We posted some of the pictures of the Easter egg hunt we did. 00:17:27
You know, hey, we might be outgrowing our space, which kind of stresses me out, but it was fabulous to see the interaction with 00:17:35
everybody. 00:17:39
We've been busy with our traffic enforcement, so we're in. 00:17:43
I want to say this in a good way that we are doing our educational side of the traffic stops where we have issued 34 tickets but 00:17:48
we've also issued 80 warnings. So to say that safety is our priority, that is for sure we're out there, we're making the contacts. 00:17:56
But we're also giving fair warning. 00:18:05
And we have. 00:18:09
So we have cops and bobbers coming up May 4th, so we're trying to get some word out, get people registered for that and that's a 00:18:11
fun event where we, the police officers, partner with some kids and we go fishing at our degree wildlife. 00:18:19
Yeah, there we go. So please if anybody is interested in that, you do have to register on that little link there through Hard 00:18:27
Agree Wildlife and we are thrilled to say that we have. 00:18:35
Give a conditional offer to somebody to fulfill our Lieutenant position. So hopefully that will all go through. Everything looks 00:18:43
good, all the indicators are good for April 15th, so I will be introducing you to him and other than that everything is really 00:18:50
coming along. We had a an excellent so. 00:18:57
There is a service where they bring in driving simulators. 00:19:05
And we had officers go through all that emergency operators training and driving simulating, so I have to say that they made me 00:19:09
take it twice so. 00:19:14
Yeah. But anyways, it was excellent and we are actually in the morning, we are going to be having our neck, well this is the first 00:19:19
of a few training sessions for a new records management system. And that's a very complex situation where you're the the system 00:19:27
that we write our reports in that our citations are all logged in at. The system is having to change over because the current one 00:19:34
that we're using is kind of going out of business. 00:19:42
Or they renamed it so they. 00:19:50
They're in a in a new name and new new software that fun technology thing. So that's what we've got going on. We have signed up 00:19:53
all of our officers from for some training at the the state training center which is basically it's free classes, very minimal 00:20:00
costs when they travel down there to stay if it's overnight class. But we're still waiting to hear if the if the officers are 00:20:07
accepted to that training. But I came in saying that I wanted to get the officers a training. 00:20:14
And we're doing it so. 00:20:22
There are some pictures from the the Easter egg hunt. So again, it was a fabulous event. The officers were wonderful and it looked 00:20:26
like the kids had a lot of fun and I think they recovered probably 9999 of the eggs, but there might have been one leftover. 00:20:35
So that's what we're up to. 00:20:47
Our park is keeping us busy, but it's in a good way. We're we're communicating with management, so. 00:20:50
Always good. 00:20:59
Thank you, Chief. GAIL, any questions from council? 00:21:01
I do want to just commend commend you on the Easter egg hunt. I don't know what year it was maybe three or four when Chief Brock 00:21:05
initiated that we had our first one and it just, it felt tiny and. 00:21:09
And that was fine. And so I kind of came, I'd missed a year or two or maybe we had bad weather for a year or two. So I came out 00:21:14
this year and didn't know what to expect and. 00:21:18
All of a sudden there were. What do you think? Do you think there were 200 kids? I mean, there was maybe more. I mean it was, 00:21:22
yeah, we were talking maybe 300. It was it was a huge crowd and and it was, I think there's an advantage to being the first Easter 00:21:28
egg hunt of the year. Everybody, everybody was excited and had the the kids had their baskets and we're ready to go. Beautiful 00:21:35
weather. We had golden eggs and popcorn, all the things. So, so it was great. And then. 00:21:41
Even better that a lot of the families just marched right over to the playground and and spent their morning wearing out their 00:21:48
children, which which was was a lot of fun. So thank you for doing that. 00:21:53
All right, Next up we have the consent agenda. I'll entertain a motion to approve. 00:21:59
I make a motion to approve the consent agenda. 00:22:05
You have a second Second I need discussion. 00:22:08
If not all in favor, say aye. Any opposed motion carries 5. 00:22:12
O Next up, we'll move into public hearings. First, public hearings. We do have very specific rules for public hearings. We have 10 00:22:20
minutes per side regarding Zoning Procedures Law, Section 226. 00:22:27
Comments will be directed directly related to the agenda item. Speak from the podium, 4 minutes per person, Refrain from debate, 00:22:34
Argument personal attacks are irrelevant. Discussion address only the merits of the pending matter and address remarks directly to 00:22:38
council. 00:22:42
Council can't speak to potential litigation, attorney-client or personnel matters. 00:22:46
So we have. 00:22:50
Three public hearings tonight. 00:22:52
Each of those public hearings will be followed by a vote. Just so everybody knows how this works, we have to do the hearing first, 00:22:55
close the hearing, then we'll do a vote on the matter at hand, where we'll bring it back to council for that conversation. 00:23:01
So the public hearing, the first one that we have is related to the Trove residential subdivision. The second one will be related, 00:23:06
the second two or more administrative that'll be. 00:23:12
Zoning related where we have to have a public hearing regarding the city. 00:23:17
Rezoning the library space that the city owns at Wire Park and the second one will be related to the rezoning of the Thomas farm. 00:23:22
Preserve from residential to conservation. So those will be largely administrative, will probably feel like we're talking to 00:23:30
ourselves on that, but the first one does involve Trove and it Trove. 00:23:35
And I'll let the representative, the builders explain it, but the big idea here is they are want to adjust some of the lots on 00:23:41
their property to be configured in a different way. Trove operates under a development agreement with the city, meaning they've 00:23:47
got to come back for city approval for matters like that. So we will open that public hearing at this point. 00:23:54
As I said, when the applicant comes forward, he or she will have 10 minutes to speak. They and their advocates, anybody opposed, 00:24:01
will also have a total of 10 minutes. But individual speakers are limited to 4 minutes per person typically. Did I get that right? 00:24:05
OK, so we'll start with Mr. Campbell and he'll give us a report on this application, and then we'll have the applicant come 00:24:10
forward. Thank you, Mayor. 00:24:15
So the applicant is a Green River Builders. It's for the the Trove development that's at the corner of Collin Ferry Road and 00:24:21
Morrison St. It's not for the entire development before a portion thereof, some of it has already been developed, but there is a 00:24:27
portion that remains undeveloped. So the proposed request is specifically for the reconfiguration of nine lots and the pedestrian 00:24:33
facilities and the relocation of six of the required landscaping trees. 00:24:39
So to give you an idea, now the tax map is updated, so you see a lot of smaller squares whereas a couple years ago it was, it was 00:24:46
larger squares for the former cotton field there. That's not the totality that just gives you an idea of of kind of one of the 00:24:52
subject 9 lots in the center of the area along what I would call the the northern side of the of the internal private streets 00:24:58
there. And so this is a little bit better highlight of the subject area, if you will. So the area that's outlined in red that 00:25:03
would be the. 00:25:09
The non. 00:25:16
Existing lots that do not currently have any existing homes on them that the applicant has requested to reconfigure. What you see 00:25:18
on the screen now is part of what was the original approved plan. The other point to point out that's not outlined in red, but 00:25:26
this is outlined in green would be existing concrete pedestrian facilities as part of that connectivity only approved plan. 00:25:34
So this is the applicant submittal there with a little bit of colorful help to to show the reconfiguration. 00:25:44
Of those nine lots. So starting on your left on that screen there's a larger flag lot that would be a reduced in frontage. You can 00:25:51
see some red that would reduce that and then allow lots of. 00:25:56
C9C10 and then I think that's D1 and D2, but I'm struggling a little bit to read the screen instead of my paper here. But those 00:26:03
would instead of being oriented towards a courtyard towards each other, those would now be oriented differently and continuing on 00:26:09
down towards Morrison St. One of the things to point out which we can talk through and I'm sure the applicant can address as well 00:26:15
as in the previous slide you saw the green existing concrete pedestrian connectivity there, this relocation of the lots would 00:26:21
require. 00:26:27
The purple that you see that would require an offset for that pedestrian connectivity versus what currently exists for the 00:26:34
subsequent costs that are closer to Morrison St. 00:26:40
And then this is what the applicant submitted regarding the six trees. So it's not 6 trees anywhere at six specific trees. 00:26:49
So I believe the original terminology for the area where there is some benches and a silo and some other things actually called 00:26:58
that a circus and so on the edge of that circus where the six trees you see located with XS and then the proposed tree. 00:27:07
6 relocated trees would be around A. 00:27:16
Multi-purpose field that the the developer has installed there. 00:27:19
So again, here's the overviews of what we just talked about as far as what the request would be. You can see some of the the 00:27:24
details of the changes of the frontages that that are not all exactly the same, they're somewhat variable. And then one of the the 00:27:29
request here which we showed in color, but the applicant shall clarify how the proposed relocated pedestrian access to the West 00:27:35
side of what is a reconfigured parcel D4, how that will connect to the existing access there because it creates approximately 73 00:27:41
feet of separation. 00:27:47
Also the house orientation with some of these lots. A previous plan showed how those houses would be oriented. This shows the 00:27:54
lots, but not specifically the orientation of the houses, how they would face roadways or green spaces, that type of thing. And 00:27:59
then the the. 00:28:05
New trees that were proposed to be relocated. It appears as though they've actually already been planted, but maybe a little bit 00:28:11
more information about the the request for the six that had exes on them that they were not planted, and what specific conflict 00:28:17
those created. So I'm I'm happy to answer any questions that council might have. 00:28:22
All right. At this point, we'll have the applicant come forward to speak. 00:28:32
Sir, you'll just need to state your name and address. 00:28:42
Maybe make sure the microphone's on OK. Hopefully y'all can hear me. 00:28:46
Is the microphone on? 00:28:51
We can hear you OK. I'm Mark Walton. I'm with Patrick and associate surveyors. Our address is 928 Black Lawn Rd. Conyers, GA 30094 00:28:52
and I'm here on behalf of Green River Builders. 00:28:59
We have been doing the staking for the houses and resetting pins out there. We did not do the original development, but since they 00:29:08
have purchased a lot so we've been working with them. 00:29:13
The their marketing team has been. 00:29:20
Showing these lots to potential homeowners and. 00:29:25
They think that there's more interest in reorienting those lots that face the courtyard. 00:29:30
That if they face the main Rd. 00:29:39
A harmony there. 00:29:43
That it would be more appealing and more aesthetic if they all have the same orientation rather than sort of sideways to the rest 00:29:45
of the lots. 00:29:50
So in in the staff recommendation there we will be relocating The Walking path. 00:29:57
And we can work with staff to figure out where to do the best pedestrian crossing to make that cohesive trail. 00:30:04
So that's not a problem and at the time. 00:30:14
They've got certain house plans. 00:30:19
When we figure out which House plan goes on each lot, we will get with staff also and make sure that it meets. 00:30:22
Their, their approval. So both of those conditions that they mentioned are fine. 00:30:30
So I'm sorry, I have some questions. So. 00:30:35
My day job I am a realtor. I've shown multiple clients properties in this development so I'm fairly familiar with it and one of 00:30:40
the appealing things both to actual. 00:30:46
People in the market and then also when we were looking at this development agreement, however many years ago was the sense of 00:30:53
community, the fact that you have the the homes facing each other and then the back roads are kind of the alleys where the garages 00:30:59
are. And so with the original plan, how it stands now? 00:31:06
The the these homes on this side that y'all are asking to change. 00:31:14
Allows that same continuation of that feel, because you still have home space in each other and you have the garages, presumably. 00:31:21
Oriented correctly to city code. And So what I'm hearing from what y'all are wanting to change and lining them all up, you're then 00:31:31
going to have houses facing a bunch of garages because the Harmony Bend those homes that is the the the alley, garage side of the 00:31:40
middle lots. Do you the four lots. Yeah. So you have the. 00:31:49
So, like, right now, these homes. 00:32:00
Face into this courtyard and these are presumably doing the same thing. I know these are still being built. 00:32:04
So if you reorient these. 00:32:12
Then one how are people accessing the garages and where are the fronts? 00:32:16
And two. 00:32:21
Umm, how are they not facing just a bunch of? 00:32:25
A bunch of garages. 00:32:28
Oh, I don't know. I could pull that out. Sorry about that. 00:32:32
The. 00:32:39
Some of the houses along the harmony been there they do. 00:32:40
They do already Orient. 00:32:45
The plan is that they would Orient towards Harmony Bend, so this will just make the. 00:32:48
Lots. 00:32:55
Well, Kurt, I mean, currently we have. 00:32:59
Sir, I'm, I'm sorry. Yeah, we got people listening. So we, yeah, it's recorded. So if you can be near the mic, that'd be helpful. 00:33:02
Thank you. 00:33:05
Currently we do have garage facing garage as you go back around the north side right? Which is which is what should be garages, 00:33:12
should face garages. But what I don't understand is with what y'all are proposing, especially with. 00:33:19
You're asking us to read to chance these lots without any indication of what the house plans are going to be, in which way the 00:33:27
homes are oriented already been predetermined. 00:33:31
There's four house plans that we can do. So the house plans have already been predetermined. So how will they be oriented on these 00:33:35
lots so that you don't have, can you give some? I I don't see. 00:33:41
How you're not going to have some people facing someone elses garage? 00:33:47
With what you're proposing. 00:33:52
It's going to be if I don't have my paying license if you look. 00:33:55
What are those lots? 00:33:59
And you can take the mic out if it's easier to come to want to. 00:34:02
Better now? 00:34:07
So I guess the question, but are you changing the orientation of the homes as well as the lots or is the orientation stay in the 00:34:10
same? 00:34:14
Is what we need to know, and you can look at the one here and move to it or come up here. 00:34:19
So right here we have the garage is right here in these houses. The garage is right here on these. These were just making those 00:34:24
perpendicular with the street as opposed to parallel. 00:34:29
So we'll have garage, we'll have the garages. 00:34:34
The interior, the interior block on both sides, even at the new so so how are the homes so that the new. If this gets changed 00:34:40
you're going to sell the garages so the front of the homes are going to face. 00:34:47
One of the homes will be facing the pond in the lake. OK, so all of those will now be. 00:34:55
OK, so it'll be similar to the rest. 00:35:01
Just like the rest rest of them. Currently we have we have two up top that are always and it just doesn't, it really doesn't look 00:35:06
as good. 00:35:10
We turn them long ways, It'll it'll. 00:35:16
The subdivision. Nothing better. 00:35:18
And just. 00:35:22
OK, so is there is that something? 00:35:23
Because I feel like that's an essential part of the development and not I mean that. That is why we agreed. 00:35:28
To having such small lots and all of that. So it's not going to change any of that. Not at all. OK, And you are going to change. 00:35:35
The IT would if we did approve this, it would be conditional on. 00:35:46
You would, would you change where the current green, where it's green right now? Yeah, we'll work with Mark and we will we will 00:35:51
have that sidewalk where. 00:35:56
You know. 00:36:03
Where it accesses back to the sidewall that's already that's currently there. Whatever we need to rip out, tear out, we'll report. 00:36:06
So we can. 00:36:13
Could the green be moved to the purple or the purple move to the green so they're correctly so they're directly across from each 00:36:16
other? 00:36:19
I'm. I'm looking. I don't think you're on the. 00:36:24
Yeah, we don't. We don't currently. 00:36:28
Own these lots, but that's something that we can work with, with the owners. Oh, with. 00:36:30
Oh, that's different. OK, so another builder owns those lots. Well, they're already sold the original under contract. 00:36:36
So is that. 00:36:45
I guess that's the 11 concern I have. I not positive on the orientation, but just I do think it would be nice for the sidewalk to 00:36:48
line up across from each other. So if you move it to the purple, then is the green to be moved up to where the purple is once you 00:36:55
have possession of those other lots or would it be a stagger like you like it shows there? 00:37:01
In the cloud will be a lot right here. 00:37:09
To be honest. 00:37:13
That's how it looks on the platform, OK. 00:37:16
Well. 00:37:20
And is that mark the The Walking trail the right, yeah that's that's again the pedestrian facilities were part of the development 00:37:24
agreement. I think one of the issues and to answer your question Councilman Campbell is is in the in the subsequent slide. 00:37:31
To move the green up to match the purple that's proposed. That would then require a change in the orientation of the lots and 00:37:40
blocky. 00:37:43
Yeah. 00:37:47
And so and that's the pedestrian trail, the kind of that's correct around the storm water facilities and the around that. OK. 00:37:52
And so. 00:38:00
I'm not sure. 00:38:13
Is there a sidewalk on Morrison right now, or planned on Morrison? Is it on the other side? It's on the other side. 00:38:17
OK, what? 00:38:31
They said there's a sidewalk on the other side of Morrison, sidewalk on the other side of Morrison. 00:38:33
I kind of heard what you were saying, so, but could there be a yeah, because honestly, where the current green one hits, there's 00:38:38
it doesn't go to a trail, does it? 00:38:43
It does. It does. We're just not seeing it. OK, OK. 00:38:49
Yeah, there's some pictures. Keep going. 00:38:55
Yeah, maybe it was in the packet. Yeah. Sorry. No. 00:38:58
Yeah, I don't think we have. 00:39:03
Is it a? 00:39:05
On that, like for example on the Morrison St. 00:39:08
Could you? 00:39:11
I don't know do away with the green. I'm thinking of a walking standpoint. 00:39:13
Currently we have sidewalk from right here to the to the last line that it stops. 00:39:18
Could you do a sidewalk on the other side? Go all the way to Colin Perry? 00:39:23
All the way to column. 00:39:29
The one thing we need to look at is. 00:39:32
These lots to see if we have the room, what we have room for. 00:39:35
So that is the possibility. 00:39:39
So I. 00:39:43
I feel like, I mean, we could, we could definitely put one. 00:39:45
Coming down here and tied into the existing sidewalk, we could we could put it on Morrison St. 00:39:48
Across the road, yeah, currently we have it here. We could move it. I'll check with him to make sure there is room with the houses 00:39:55
because lots are tight, but with the right of ways and everything, we should be OK with it I would think. 00:40:01
Don't you already have the trees on it? Yeah, and we we've already planted. 00:40:07
Trees coming down or actually on both sides as well? 00:40:12
So I am going to have a hard time. 00:40:15
Voting on this. 00:40:20
Without more visuals, I just feel like there needs to be more information. There needs to be some renderings of like what the 00:40:21
homes are going to look like, how it's going to be oriented. Not this well. It'll kind of work like this with the trails like. 00:40:28
My my inclination would be to table this for a month and have y'all come back with. 00:40:37
More information, more details like I am personally not comfortable. 00:40:43
Approving this because I feel like there's just too much that we don't really know. That's kind of up in the air. But at least 00:40:48
this portion, I know it's two different requests and we haven't heard about the trees yet and I'm happy to obviously still hear 00:40:54
about it. I'm just one person sitting here, but I feel like we need more information on how The Walking trails are going to to 00:41:01
fit, what it's going to look like to the homes. We want this development to thrive as much as you do. 00:41:07
And. 00:41:15
So yeah, that's what I'm leaning towards. 00:41:17
OK, council, we've heard from Councilwoman Tucker. Questions or thoughts. 00:41:22
From others. 00:41:28
Tabling it for a month. 00:41:35
We can get a little bit better clarification. 00:41:37
On the trail, the sidewalk and orientation. 00:41:40
Something better Entertain, if that's OK. 00:41:43
Does that put you, are you in a, are you in a financial situation or in a situation, but we got, we're actually really starting to 00:41:46
sell homes out there. 00:41:49
Really ready to build them, yeah. And these real quick on this. 00:41:55
I know what these look like right here. They're all kind of the narrow. 00:42:00
And they had the garages right here. They're all throw. 00:42:03
More or less the same house, yes. I mean, there's four houses. 00:42:07
Basically saying taking these four, the new and sending them like like that here, it's going to be like that style with the garage 00:42:12
right there. It's going to be, it's going to look just like every other house in here except. 00:42:18
These right here, they're going to be turned perpendicular as opposed to that's the perpendicular. 00:42:25
When you when you look at the plan of the house with how the garage is going to be, you know, orientated, it just doesn't. 00:42:32
To me it doesn't look as good. You just got a whole big side of a house. There's not as much character. 00:42:38
It looks like we're true buyers like that plan. 00:42:43
Is very popular exactly and we'll let's turn those lots we can fit more of the larger. 00:42:47
House plans in there, the master on the main. 00:42:52
So there's cottage 1234 and the three and fours are selling really well and one and twos we're still sitting on that we built a 00:42:55
year and a half ago. 00:42:59
There's only two left. Yeah, there's two left now. 00:43:07
Ligonier walk. They party cheap. 00:43:10
They're inexpensive. 00:43:15
But you guys are still, I mean, I understand. 00:43:23
But it sounds like you're still acquiring these other, I mean you have other like a month I'm guessing you have right now we don't 00:43:27
have one more lot we can build on. 00:43:33
Currently until we have this, when are you closing on the other in 20 days? 00:43:40
Yeah, I I'm still, I mean, I just feel like we don't have enough information. 00:43:49
We move it. There's like four more lots here, some more here and then is there. 00:43:54
What was that? Sorry. And 20 days we're going to be closing on four more interior lots. 00:44:01
And then 6X here, which will be for Morrison and then two more. 00:44:06
+3 important. 00:44:11
The the people using purple and green, is that mainly the people in the neighborhood walking or is that people? 00:44:14
Walking down Morrison. 00:44:22
On that path, what is? 00:44:24
Honestly, I've never seen anybody back here. Really. I mean, occasionally you'll see somebody jogging. 00:44:27
But for the most part, they don't even use the trails. Usually they're just walking the streets. I'll see a lot of people, you 00:44:32
know, jogging, pushing their shoulders, walking dogs. 00:44:35
Yeah, that's why I was just trying to get a better understanding who. 00:44:39
If it's more public use then I could see. 00:44:44
Maybe more important to line them up. 00:44:47
I mean there might be somebody occasionally that comes through there, but the majority of majority of it is the people that are 00:44:51
the residents of. 00:44:54
All right, Council, I think there's two ways we can handle it. There's, there's, there's a table, There's a table option we can 00:44:57
look at, which is what's been suggested, or we can do a conditional approval. 00:45:02
Upon. 00:45:07
A resolution to the pedestrian pathways that satisfies. 00:45:10
The engineer and mayor. 00:45:14
Happy to handle it either way. Does not bother me. You know, one way or the other. But but we can, you know. Again, happy to. 00:45:16
Happy to handle either option that y'all prefer. I'm I'm just concerned. My concern is not just the pedestrian. I mean that is I 00:45:21
I. 00:45:26
Do think that can get resolved? It sounds like all parties are amenable to that. But I am actually concerned about the homes and 00:45:32
the orientation and what they're going to look like and the lots and all of that. And we can look at it and walk it and show you 00:45:37
exactly. 00:45:42
What we're going to do with the site plan and I and and that's great but I don't know have that information now and that's where. 00:45:47
Still would like to table it for a month. I mean, y'all y'all been building on this neighborhood for quite a while now and I know 00:45:57
you know you've changed. It develops and you're you're getting, yeah, you're getting and I totally. 00:46:03
I totally understand that. Could it be conditional upon mayor approval and you can go with the mayor to check out the site that 00:46:10
way it can be done more quickly is that? 00:46:14
Reasonable or it's fine with me as long as the council is fine with that. I mean, it's ultimately y'all's vote. I'm not trying to 00:46:19
insert myself into all y'all's y'all's decision making. Yeah, I'd rather I like that because I don't want to hold you up for a 00:46:23
month. Whereas if the the two and. 00:46:28
However, man, yes, I can go out there, meet. They make the decision that these two know more than I do. So I'm good with that. I 00:46:33
mean, I'd be very helpful if we could do that. Thank you. Don't have to do the public hearing. Yeah, we'll do. We'll do, Yeah, 00:46:38
we'll do public hearing. 00:46:42
So we won't, we've got to come back to a vote that's that's one potential solution on that. But at this point let's let you guys 00:46:49
sit down and see if we. 00:46:53
Need to have anybody from the public to come forward and then we'll do y'all Want to talk about the trees though? 00:46:57
Trailers, treasures, isn't it the same one? Yeah, OK, yeah, talk about the trees. So we're proposed to move these six trees and 00:47:02
relay item here. The issue is, is we have a slight chip is just a parking area and if you go out there in the evenings, most of 00:47:08
them are already used. 00:47:14
And we plant these trees, it's really going to, it's going to take away more parking. 00:47:20
You know from. 00:47:25
From the owners. 00:47:29
I guess my question would be if those it's a it's a little late to be transplanting, so if they die are you going to replace? 00:47:31
So I mean we, I mean we can do whatever we need. Are you just going to take out the others? 00:47:38
Because we got all the streets, we planted all the ones along and everywhere else, so we need to just so we can get the tree bond 00:47:47
released, OK? 00:47:51
And I went ahead and planted them hoping them. So you're basically asking not to have to plant the additional 6 at this. No, we 00:47:56
planted. 00:47:59
We Original 6, The original six. We replace them with six others, OK? 00:48:03
OK. All right. Well, we'll vote on it in a second. I guess we can take it all together. Brett, you did you guys review that? 00:48:10
And that the committee approved that. OK. All right. Thank you. All right. Sit tight in case we have other questions. Sorry, any 00:48:16
members of the public? 00:48:20
Want to speak on that? 00:48:26
Any Trove neighbors? Trove residents? I don't see any. 00:48:28
All right. With that, I'll close the public hearing. 00:48:33
And we'll move to a vote. Council, what's your pleasure? 00:48:36
I make a motion to approve it conditionally based on the mayor and Christine meeting with. 00:48:42
Drove, you know, within the next two weeks. 00:48:50
Is that and coming to an agreement of house, site and and also with the engineer on the pedestrian connectivity? 00:48:56
Accept that amendment to your motion, Mr. Campbell. I do all right. So the motion as it stands in is conditional upon approval. 00:49:06
The mayor review and approval, with the mayor, mayor Pro Tem taking a look at pedestrian connectivity house alignment. 00:49:13
That's the motion as it stands. Do we have a second? 00:49:20
I'll second that. All right. We have a motion. We have a second. Now it's time for discussion. Council, is that approach OK? 00:49:22
Yeah, I I like that. I mean, as long as it's legal Beagle with our lawyer, But I I like that much better than holding holding them 00:49:30
up. 00:49:33
Yeah, council. 00:49:40
I think the key here will be. 00:49:44
Giving some element of transparency for the public so that when you go out there, number one, put the date, time, place on the 00:49:47
website, so any citizen who may be here tonight. 00:49:52
For the public hearing or Who's listening online can also be out there present at the same time. 00:49:58
And then in conjunction with that, once this meeting transpires, just a brief narrative summary of what was discussed and what 00:50:04
would the consensus was place that on the website as well of equal prominence. I think as long as you maintain that transparency 00:50:09
that helps for. 00:50:14
OK, everybody good with that. All right. So we'll advertise that and invite the public to join and comment as we have a 00:50:21
conversation. Voters, I hope we may have, we may have three people, you may have 10. We'll see who all shows up. 00:50:26
All right. We have a motion. We have a second. All in favor, say aye. Any opposed? 00:50:32
Motion carries 5 O. We'll move on now. This is the part where we're going to talk to ourselves. We have a public hearing for 1925 00:50:37
Electric Ave. This will be. 00:50:43
To rezone the library building. 00:50:49
From mixed-use office to public institutional. So I'm going to open up a public hearing on that. But first we'll have, before I 00:50:53
open that up, we'll have a report from manager Dickerson and attorney right now. 00:50:58
I don't know that I have a report. We obviously the city owns the The library was donated by a. 00:51:05
Capital. 00:51:12
Yeah. And so it's now officially ours. It is now officially open and we just wanted to make sure our zoning map was was 00:51:15
appropriately identified that it is a public institutional property, not a mixed-use. 00:51:21
All right, attorney Reitman, anything to add? 00:51:28
Other than the fact that this has been advertised in the legal organ and the signage has been placed both on a timely basis, I 00:51:31
don't know if we need to add anything further. This is basically a zoning map cleanup as was alluded to, to sync up the actual 00:51:38
zoning designation with what is on the ground, the library, public, institutional, all right. 00:51:45
At this point, we'll open up the public meeting. If anybody cares to come forward and speak for or against this rezoning, come on 00:51:52
up. 00:51:55
Not everybody all at once. We're going to close the public hearing now. Council comes back here, We're going to vote on this 00:52:00
matter. I won't restate what we just said, the same thing that we just talked about. I'll entertain a motion to approve the 00:52:04
rezone. 00:52:07
I make a motion to approve the rezone. Do we have a second? 00:52:11
Outside, we have a second all in favor. Say aye, aye. 00:52:15
Any opposed motion carries 5 O. We'll move on to Thomas Farm Preserve. 00:52:19
This is at 73 Simonton Bridge Rd. Manager Dickerson and attorney Reitman. Anything to report on this one? Same as what the 00:52:25
attorney said earlier. We've we've advertised for it. It's simply cleaning up the zoning map so we can make sure that it's correct 00:52:31
and accurate. And we've also annexed this in recent months, correct the part that was not in the city. 00:52:38
So, so it says that we're. 00:52:45
Rezoning 80 acres, but would we be rezoning the 400? No, because when you annex the previous you rezoned it at that was reason 00:52:48
just in capture the other 80. 00:52:52
Anything else? Attorney Reitman that covers All right anyone wishing to speak regarding the rezone of the Thomas Farm Preserve. 00:52:58
Come forward, the public hearing is open. 00:53:05
All right, the public hearing is closed. We'll now move on to the vote. We'll bring it back behind the rail. I'll entertain a 00:53:09
motion to rezone the 80 acres of the Thomas Farm Preserve from detached residential to parks, recreation and conservation. 00:53:16
So moved. 00:53:26
Do we have a second? We have a motion. We have a second. Any discussion? 00:53:27
All in favor, Say aye. 00:53:32
Any opposed like sign motion carries 5 O. 00:53:34
All right, that's the end of our public hearings. We'll now move into appearances. After appearances, we'll have old business, 00:53:38
which will be the quarter standards conversation. 00:53:43
Appearances have a 10 minute time limit per state zoning procedures, laws, and the items that we have before us on appearances 00:53:48
will be for. 00:53:52
Budget requests from the Oconee County Fire Department and the Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation Manager Dickerson, Do you want to 00:53:58
introduce our guests and say anything you need to say here? 00:54:02
That's and come forward first. 00:54:45
Welcome back, Chief Paxton. 00:54:47
We're grateful for you and your guys and everything you do for Watkinsville, No county county. And thank God I will support you. 00:54:51
Let's hear what you need. OK. Mayor. What you want? Pleasure to be back. Really. Do thank y'all support for the Fire Rescue part 00:54:55
of our organization. 00:55:00
Last year, few years, we were 14,000 was budgeted and this year I'm asking for 15. 00:55:06
So. 00:55:14
1500 be for travel, 12,750 for equipment and 750 for meals. 00:55:15
So just appreciate your thoughts on that and if you have any questions, I'll be glad to entertain them. 00:55:22
Just give you a few little things that's happened over the past year with the fire services. 00:55:28
We did have an ISO evaluation and. 00:55:33
We maintained and enhanced our Class 4 rating, which is good for homeowners insurance. 00:55:37
And we're still 160 members strong. We have 30 members at station one and of course my office relocated to the new administrative 00:55:43
building, so. 00:55:48
Anyway, I appreciate your support and be glad to answer any questions. 00:55:53
Council questions for Chief Jackson. 00:56:00
Chief, how will we plan? I know from time to time we have capital requests where we support you guys on larger expenses. How do we 00:56:04
do we, do you and Sharon work together to make sure that's accounted for in our capital budget or how do we, how would we 00:56:08
anticipate any of those in the future? 00:56:12
Being handled. 00:56:18
Us we did the splash referendum where we had I think the extrication tools, things like that, but as far as big truck purchases? 00:56:19
There's no plans on the horizon for that. That makes me happy. Yeah. Those were $300,000 surprises and it's a Tony. I remember 00:56:29
those days. 25 year truck. OK, good. Good. All right. All right. Thank you. Thank you. 00:56:35
All right. I think Next up we have Chairman Brock Tool from OCAF, a man who wears the most hats in Oconee County, I think. Welcome 00:56:44
back, Mr. Tool. 00:56:48
We're here today just to something we've done in the past. Y'all been gracious and you know gave us 5 grand a year to help with 00:56:55
our art boards around town and we want to continue that as we have in years past for the same amount. So it's $5000 to replace 6 00:57:01
art panels. 00:57:08
And the money includes stopping to the artist's. 00:57:15
OK. And these, would these be new art boards or would these be replacement, these would be replacements? 00:57:20
OK, so not repairing the old ones, but new we have some in stock and what we'll do is take the best of those, mayor and figure it 00:57:25
out, OK. 00:57:30
All right. We had to take some down not long ago as well. 00:57:35
Questions for Mr. Tool. 00:57:40
Thank you. I appreciate. Y'all. All right. 00:57:45
And just a reminder to everyone so the Mayor and Council aren't voting on this tonight. This will be folded into the capital and 00:57:48
operating budget that Mayor and Council will consider in the over the next month and 1/2. 00:57:54
OK. Thank you. 00:58:01
All right. We'll move on to old business. 00:58:03
Right. And this is the first item up we'll be looking at. It says quarter standards up there, but we don't have standards tonight. 00:58:08
It's the ordinance that we govern that. 00:58:12
So I want to provide a little bit of a statement of purpose here and then attorney Reitman may want to talk a little bit about 00:58:17
exactly what we're approving if we approve. 00:58:21
This month what could be approved and then what would follow necessarily with that? So last month we discussed this for the first 00:58:26
time, Grateful for everyone who came. Then following that we had a public hearing on March 6th or public meeting. 00:58:33
An input meeting, we had good attendance at that. I think maybe around 20 people came to that. Several of you were in the room and 00:58:40
we're grateful for your input. We then went back and revised the ordinance to reflect a fair amount of that input that was given 00:58:45
to us that night. 00:58:49
Including a revised input process early on, utilizing representative architecture and conceptual drawings basically to allow any 00:58:55
applicants who are working in these quarters to intersect and interact with the city sooner and understand the city's perspective 00:59:00
on it. 00:59:04
Being covered in this ordinance or North Main Street, South Main Street, Macon Highway, Barnett Shoals Rd. Simonton Bridge Rd. New 00:59:40
High Shoals Rd. and Column Ferry Road or the OR the quarters that we would see here. 00:59:46
The idea of what we're trying to do is it really creates an opportunity for developers or property owners to engage. 00:59:53
With city and get a feel for the council and Staffs feelings about their plans and what they're going to look like and ensure that 00:59:59
we have quality design in the ordinance that we're looking at tonight. There's a broad set of standards around the quality and 01:00:05
expectations for the architecture and so that's there. What we would potentially be adopting next month would be a more specific 01:00:11
set of standards and a map that would specifically detail which lots would be impacted by that. So tonight it would be an 01:00:17
ordinance that basically governs that. 01:00:23
Then the next month would actually be more specific standards and the lots that would be affected. 01:00:30
By that ordinance and we have to take an extra month there because that's what zoning and procedural law. 01:00:35
Requires. We did pass a moratorium last month that was to last until this meeting. So that moratorium is officially lifted after 01:00:39
tonight's meeting unless anyone makes a motion to extend that. 01:00:45
I think what's important to me and the reason that we're advancing this ordinance is to really. 01:00:52
Establish clear standards and address what properties look like on many of the front doors as you come into Watkinsville and 01:00:59
ensure that that development is 2 things one. 01:01:03
Either aligned with what the existing quarter looks like in terms of home size and home design or if that's something that a 01:01:08
builder doesn't want to do, it allows them to build homes that reflect the historic architecture in Watkinsville of the homes that 01:01:15
have been here for a long time. So with that, I'll stop with my preamble at this point I'll probably allow. 01:01:22
The mayor or manager to add anything that they want and then council may want to say a few words and I think then we even though 01:01:30
this isn't a public hearing, I think we need to have plenty of public comment on this tonight. 01:01:34
Mayor Pro Tem, anything you want to share? 01:01:41
I appreciate the thoughtfulness that's gone into this. 01:01:45
Many discussions trying to. 01:01:52
Not make it too much of A burden, but also really give some guidance to people and to help just. 01:01:55
Umm continue to increase the the beautification and and? 01:02:05
Preserve the history of Watkinsville so. 01:02:13
I appreciate all the work that's gone into this and all of the people who've given input and ideas. 01:02:16
And council members were welcome to hear from you now, but I did. Anybody wants to speak in a preamble sort of way, that's fine. I 01:02:22
would love to hear from the public before we get into debating, you know, whether we want this or not because I know there's some 01:02:27
difference of opinion on that. So but if anybody wants to share anything in the way of. 01:02:31
You know, kind of your thoughts at this point. That's totally fine and then we'll move to public comment. 01:02:37
OK. At this point, if anybody from the public wants to comment, I think we'll limit that to the traditional 4 minutes. But if 01:02:45
anybody wants to come up, you're happy to have you come up, give us your address and your name and we want to hear from you. 01:02:51
I will run, Yes, Sir. 01:03:00
Matt Elder, 1040 Oliver Ridge Rd. 01:03:12
Tonight I'm representing. 01:03:15
Property that me and me and Mr. Britt own. 01:03:18
It is, uh. 01:03:21
180 new high shelves. 01:03:24
Subsequently, we own 6 lots also on that road also. That's going to be affected by. 01:03:28
This new proposal, if it if it comes tonight and we're asking that our. 01:03:34
Our six locks be exempted from this proposal. 01:03:42
We have a contract is supposed to close on the 26 and we've been notified that. 01:03:47
It can't close if this proposal goes forward and our lots are not excluded. 01:03:52
So our lot numbers start with B-0700. 01:03:57
For me, For BA. 01:04:02
For BB. 01:04:06
For AC. 01:04:08
4AA and four AB which is total of. 01:04:10
Six lots of New High Shoals Rd. two of which face. 01:04:15
New High Shells Rd. 01:04:19
And the others are interior lots. 01:04:20
So I'm asking you guys to exempt us from. 01:04:23
The new proposed. 01:04:26
Legislation. Thank you. Can I ask a question based on that comment? Sure. Matter you, I mean, I don't know if I don't you may be 01:04:29
answering her or it might be someone else up here, but so. 01:04:35
With this, I wish I could look at the tax map. Right now. I don't bring my computer anymore, I. 01:04:42
Four of them wouldn't be affected anyway. Is that correct? 01:04:49
Because it's only lots that are directly on the road, I think that would be we would need to exclude those. I mean they kind of 01:04:52
flag down, don't they Matt, they're, you know, they have driveways that come out on the road. 01:04:58
Yeah, but two of them did come out on the road and these have already been, they're like in the tax, they're they're all added, 01:05:06
they're all in the tax. Yeah, it's all administrative. Put them under contract on January the 11th. 01:05:11
OK. So it's way before we need anything about feeding legislation and something that was going to affect our lives. 01:05:16
So you bought them in January? 01:05:25
Thank you, Matt. 01:05:34
All right, Matt, you're done. We'll let Matt sit back down. We may have. I may have you come back up. I have a thought on your 01:05:38
situation. 01:05:41
Just come on up and say your name Julie and and speak to the Julie Crowe and we live at 143 new Households road and need the 01:05:46
whites. And I just didn't know that that property had six lots. 01:05:52
Already set that was. 01:05:58
Part of the whites was already in the white estate. Yeah. When the whitest state, because it was so large, you can subdivide their 01:06:03
legally. You can subdivide it. Administrative Lee Yeah. So it's not big enough to be. 01:06:09
Because it was so large. 01:06:17
So the plan, Matt, You just nodded. If I get this wrong, come back up and correct it. But it's to preserve the White House. 01:06:20
The White Family House. It's not the brick. The brick ranch. And then there would be. 01:06:25
Six lots to the South of that, is that right? 01:06:30
Towards the church, between the church and. 01:06:34
The brick house, right? But they would be only existing driveway, right? 01:06:37
Yes, Sir. 01:06:56
My name is Shane Carson. I'm at 1121 Timber Ridge Rd. In Watkinsville. During the public meeting last time a couple weeks ago, 01:07:02
whenever it was, I brought up to Sharon to address the building standards and what y'all trying to do and instead of putting that 01:07:08
as a city code section that y'all have to review. 01:07:14
And take time to do. Why not put that in when you go to apply for a building permit to build a new residence? 01:07:21
Put that restrictions on getting a building permit so that you have to produce all that information. You know, characteristics of 01:07:28
the house, floor, plans, sizes, styles, all that. 01:07:33
And add what you're trying to do in the ordinance to the building permit process. And I spoke with Sharon about this. 01:07:39
She seemed to agree somewhat, So I guess I got kind of a quench. And I hadn't read through the entire ordinance yet. Has has that 01:07:47
been? 01:07:52
I guess considered at all, Yeah, we did discuss that. The challenge with that is then it applies to every residence in the city. 01:07:57
As opposed to the quarters without establishing the quarter specific standards then it then it would it would just flow back to 01:08:06
every resident, every new build in the whole city zoning guidelines per. 01:08:11
Court corridors. 01:08:17
For certain areas, but not these, not these quarters. So these are outside our normal, Yeah. So these would be almost like an 01:08:21
overlay district is what it would be equivalent to. Yeah, you can't address that during the building permit process if you're 01:08:26
applying for a building permit for this. 01:08:31
You know, overlay corridor, you have to do this, that and the other to get a building permit. You can't add that. 01:08:37
Feel free to respond Joe, and I'll give my perspective too. And I think we certainly see the point and the current draft of the 01:08:45
ordinance at page three halfway down talks about a conceptual design review preliminary prior to the formal application and that's 01:08:52
an opportunity for the builder slash owner slash developer and staff to collaborate, fine tune the plans, ensure that the plans 01:09:00
have a substantial likelihood of approval. 01:09:07
By the mayor and council administering this, and I think it'll further communication between the parties and substantially 01:09:15
increase the likelihood of approval. I'm not sure if that's quite exactly what you were thinking, but it was inserted as an 01:09:21
attempt to be user friendly to get that early communication so that once the time came for formal approval, we'll have worked out 01:09:28
all issues, hopefully in advance. 01:09:35
OK. And that and that can't be done. And like I said, I don't apply for building permits, I don't build houses. 01:09:42
But can that that that can't all be addressed during applying for a building permit. 01:09:50
So that it doesn't have to go through City Council and tie y'all up meeting, discussing, reviewing, looking at things and frees 01:09:56
y'all up to do more city business then. 01:10:01
Worrying about what I'm building on. 01:10:07
One of the laws, well, my hope is I think our shared hope would be more like the urban forest approval process wherein prior to it 01:10:09
even getting in front of the council, Council Member Thomas and his committee have already vetted the urban forest tree plan. By 01:10:16
the time it gets here, the council essentially in reliance upon that generally speaking approve those, approves those almost 100%. 01:10:24
I realize that there's still a get in front of council process. 01:10:31
But the hope is that most of the issues will be resolved before it gets there, so it'll be a quick in and out, hopefully approval 01:10:39
process by the time it gets to council. These are also set up and you may or may not have noted this on a 45 day deadline so that 01:10:46
if the applicant makes a pretty early application. 01:10:52
And has their plans in order. The mayor and council do have to make a decision within 45 days, it says at the top of page 5. 01:10:59
Failure to act. I'm sorry, go ahead to interrupt you with that process you said, in order to get your plans in order. 01:11:07
I am a land surveyor estimate. 01:11:16
Plan to the city, to the county, all the municipalities around yes when you say get an order. 01:11:18
Does that mean approved through City Council or is that just ready to submit? Because I do know. 01:11:23
There's a huge difference between the time I first turned in a plan to the time it gets approved. 01:11:30
And that's 45 days from the date of submission. So my encouragement and again I think our mutual encouragement to you would be to 01:11:36
use the preliminary design review process set forth at page three regarding quote, conceptual design review, collaborate with the 01:11:44
city at the earliest possible date. And then as soon as that is done, which hopefully is a expedited process, it's immediately 01:11:52
turn on. Well, that's the goal is to immediately turn around and file your application after city staff input. 01:12:00
With the expectation that will then be a seamless approval process at the Council level, that is the goal. 01:12:08
OK. Well, I mean, like I said, I mean, I just know with the submittal process, you know, and I'm not. 01:12:16
Saying anything but, you know, through the city of Watkinsville and through Oconee County both. 01:12:22
Getting something in and getting responses back and getting. 01:12:27
Helpful information to me because I read the codes, I said nothing and that's part of my job. Knowing some code so that I'm not 01:12:32
battling back and forth to y'all, I try to get my plan as buttoned up as possible before I submit it. That way it makes it easier 01:12:38
on y'all we can work together and I can make my client happy to get this project approved. 01:12:45
Like I said, sometimes I've asked for clarity and definition on how do you want me to show this and I've gotten a copy and paste 01:12:53
section out of the code book as a response. 01:12:58
Then I can read, I'm educated, I can read. So sometimes that process of going through the review process where I think 01:13:06
everything's addressed. 01:13:11
Some of the code sections are a little ambiguous and I mean basically left up to interpretation. So that's why when I call or when 01:13:18
I e-mail to get a definition. 01:13:23
I don't get one. 01:13:29
And so like I said, that review process can be pretty timely and pretty arduous for, you know, from my standpoint and the client 01:13:31
standpoint and I'm sure from, you know, the reviewers standpoint, God, I got to see this thing again. 01:13:37
So that's what I'm saying. 01:13:43
I hope you're right that we expedite that process and get that taken care of a little bit quicker, but as of right now, that's not 01:13:47
the case. It's pretty difficult. 01:13:50
And I think in some jurisdictions particularly and I'm not targeting Oconee County, but in unincorporated areas generally that 01:13:55
does tend to be an issue because there is more geographic territory, there are more layers, you have larger planning departments. 01:14:01
You'll find. I think I hope that Watkinsville is a smaller user friendly and generally expedited and applicant friendly 01:14:08
environment. 01:14:14
I do want to come back to Shane's main point which is I do think if you know, I think we always anticipated this just given the 01:14:23
high profile nature of the. 01:14:28
Of the locations and things as this coming back to council for discussion you know if we wanted to move it to more of an 01:14:33
administrative review you know then council's welcome to suggest that I think the consensus among the members I've talked to has 01:14:38
been to kind of bring it back here before the rail behind the rail first conversation. So but we did, we did I did ask everybody 01:14:44
about that and I think to to Joe's point of expediting thing I think that is a good I'm, I hadn't thought about that but an 01:14:49
administrative approval. 01:14:55
That could, you know, kind of speed things up because, I mean, they're in the office every day City Council meets. I mean, I 01:15:01
actually don't know, I'm sorry, but once a month or something like that. And so like I said, if anything gets, you know, y'all 01:15:07
come up with an idea, well, we don't really like this. We won't change that. 01:15:13
Then that throws everything off another month, whereas if I'm dealing directly administratively. 01:15:19
They send me a comment. Let's address this. An hour later I got it back in their office. They're looking at it. 01:15:24
So that would help speed things up I think. But. 01:15:29
Thank you. Thank you. 01:16:18
Who's next? 01:16:22
Mr. Britt. 01:16:23
Are you there? I'm Britt, 2591 Snows Mill Rd. Bogart. 01:16:30
I am partnered with Matt on that. The lots he talked about, I just want to read it, reiterate that that. 01:16:34
You know, we do would like to exclude those lots. We started out to, to her point, we started that started out as 3 tracks when we 01:16:42
purchased them back in October 22 I think. And so then we ended up with the six lots that we got engineered and. 01:16:50
Surveying and soul test done and all that. That's how we came about. That needed it was with the six. 01:16:57
We do have them under contract. We're supposed to close here close by, you know, obviously I'd like for that to happen. 01:17:04
So moratorium, the extension of the moratorium would you know. 01:17:11
Would would keep us from doing that. So anyway I our lots are they range from. 01:17:15
6900, right at 7/10 of an acre to about an acre or right actually an acre on those lots. We're between the. 01:17:22
Church and the White House. They are the brick ranch house there, so. 01:17:29
I'd be happy to answer any questions. I don't know if I, you know, got any more information really than. 01:17:34
Has your buyer provided any sort of? 01:17:39
Site plan for how those homes are going to be laid out or on the side at all Darren? No, I think that I think that the two that 01:17:42
face there, you know what would face the the street that the two that actually front own new high shows. 01:17:50
You know, if it were me and it's not. But if it were me, you know I would. 01:17:58
The ones that flag in there I would try to face each other. 01:18:03
You know, instead of the back of the house on the. 01:18:06
On the front but but I don't I don't you're aware of. 01:18:09
I haven't seen a rendering that he's done myself. 01:18:13
No, I'm not aware of any planes right now, but I did convey to him that I've heard from. 01:18:24
The. 01:18:32
The Council, when we had our meeting the other night. 01:18:34
I told him that that the council would like 6 different building plans on those six different lots. 01:18:37
And not have the same house. 01:18:42
Life with a just a carport turned or something to have six different plans. 01:18:45
On those locks and. 01:18:49
I think they will. 01:18:51
Probably represent. 01:18:52
What's there now? The houses in the back that were just built on? 01:18:54
I don't know. What do we call that straight Macon Highway. Yeah, I guess, Yeah, Highway and. 01:18:59
Probably represent the houses that are going down column ferry. 01:19:03
For the first quarter mile on the right and the left. 01:19:06
And do you know, do you anticipate, will he consolidate the driveway so we don't have six different driveways coming out on the 01:19:10
new high schools? Yeah. And I'm sorry we don't have key public pulled up, but if we did. 01:19:15
So the so the driveway is a flat out. 01:19:21
Isn't it? I mean, it's kind of like when. 01:19:25
What I heard was one of the driveways would go back somewhere. The houses on Column ferry where they go back to three houses. 01:19:28
So coming from the church ball field, when you get to the where they are. Yeah, great. OK, Yeah. 01:19:36
Thanks Chair. 01:19:43
Yeah, so these two actually. 01:19:49
Brought the road. This is what I was talking about. It, yeah, if I were living there, you know. 01:19:53
From Brother base each other. 01:19:58
The back of the house, Yeah, but. 01:20:02
To me, only those front thank you for pulling up Q Public. Only those front two really are. 01:20:06
Seeing our scene, I mean. 01:20:12
I would say that like, you know, the back, the back where even though the the driveway is on it, no one. I mean, you're not going 01:20:19
to really see those. 01:20:23
Bounds back there as much I would be. 01:20:27
Yeah, I mean I'm sure our architecture is going to match towards something hot shows of it's so diverse. I mean we have houses on 01:20:31
Concord Dr. and we have a brick ranch that's there now. 01:20:36
And it was built in the 70s and we have a couple cottages across the street. I mean, I think our smallest house on that road is 01:20:42
900 feet. 01:20:45
And our biggest houses is probably Brian's, which is 20, some 100. 01:20:50
So I think that what the builder will build on these lots. 01:20:56
Be representative What's on 441, the three that got built? 01:20:59
And the new ones for the first quarter mile on call Ferry Rd. left and right side. 01:21:04
We'll go try to make them look nashes and like to read. 01:21:11
It's all brick. It's nice. 01:21:17
We may have you all back up any other anybody else from the public want to comment on the ordinance? 01:21:21
Mr. Crow welcome. 01:21:31
It's been a few years since we've seen you at City Hall. Sorry I'm late to the game. My name is Doug Crow. I live at 143 New High 01:21:33
Shoals in Toby's Old House, former mayor. 01:21:38
Julie and I have lived there since 2005. 01:21:43
I'd like to thank the Council mostly for I think. 01:21:48
A really balanced approach to this, I you know. I'm glad that. 01:21:51
People who are going to do the development can feel comfortable coming here and people who are living in the corridor can feel 01:21:56
comfortable here. This could easily devolve into something that would be really ugly, where we could be angry at each other, but 01:22:02
we don't have to be there because I'm confident that you guys are not going to drop. 01:22:08
40,000 Foot Death Stars, right. So you know the thing? I think that I'd like to remind the council at least. 01:22:15
In terms of what might be a concern for those of us in the corridor is. 01:22:25
This concept of compatibility, because you use that term a bunch in this proposed ordinance and I like to see that because the 01:22:31
thing that is going to destroy the character of any of these corridors that we're talking about. 01:22:37
Is when you start to drop large things in a neighborhood that has medium and small size things. And we have seen this first hand 01:22:45
in Nashville where Julie Sister lives. 01:22:50
Beautiful 12 S development. 01:22:55
Classic old houses. And then the first shoe fell about seven or eight years ago. 01:22:58
Right to the lot. Lines 3-4 story tall. 01:23:03
Multifamily things that they changed the zoning for and it has fundamentally shifted character of that part of Nashville. It is no 01:23:08
longer the comfortable neighborhood feel. It now feels like you've fallen out of a plane and landed in Hollywood. It's awful. 01:23:17
So we have to be sensitive to the people that are going to continue to develop and that's great. It looks like you guys are. 01:23:27
In tune with that? And all I would ask is that when you develop this ordinance, you are sensitive to this issue of compatibility, 01:23:35
that we do not permit something to look so fundamentally different. Our house was built in 1931. OK, I'm not saying that every 01:23:42
house subsequent to our house has to look like our house, but it sure doesn't have to look like it would be better on a hillside 01:23:49
on a fjord in Norway. 01:23:56
You know, and just looks so different than everything else and. 01:24:05
As you develop this ordinance in the process where you evaluate. 01:24:09
Development plans Let's try our best to work toward. 01:24:14
That goal. 01:24:18
That's all. Amen. Thank you. And we actually have an on page two, it says home should not be more than 15% smaller than the 01:24:20
smallest home in that corridor in which they're being planned, no more than 15% larger than heated square feet. So yeah. 01:24:29
Anyone else want to comment on the ordinance? 01:24:41
Is it in regards to the six lots, since we're talking about that, the two houses that face S new High Shoals? Excuse me? 01:24:44
That they would be. 01:24:55
According to this ordinance, they would be held to these standards, if you will, but the four in the back. 01:24:57
Potentially would would not and so the difference and tell me if I'm right or wrong. I'm trying to figure it out. The two that 01:25:04
face the street, for example, might have brick. 01:25:08
Foundation. You know, facade. Foundation if you will. And then a stone or brick chimney for example, then maybe the ones in the 01:25:13
back. 01:25:17
Would not have the stone. It might have the Hardy board, whatever that. 01:25:22
Proper term is for the chimney. 01:25:27
So you could do the kind of the plans, but the two up front get upgraded if you will a little bit that. 01:25:30
I think reasonable upgrades are not. 01:25:37
You know, uh? 01:25:40
Not out of line, I don't think is that. 01:25:42
Does that sound reasonable to help? 01:25:44
The appearance of that street in the houses and you wouldn't have to have six different plans. 01:25:49
Would you? I mean, if you don't see four of them. 01:25:55
Well, since we're we're not the builder, we're the owner and the lock seller. 01:26:01
I can't really pigeonhole the builder into exactly what he's going to do there. 01:26:07
I think the houses on the first quarter mile are called Ferry Rd. on the right and left. 01:26:12
Are fine homes and they sold quickly and they sold for more money every time. I think two or three of them don't come for sale 01:26:16
since they built them. They sold for more money than they sold for the first time. 01:26:22
We've got all these lots under contract, so. 01:26:28
Are it's not going to work for us if we carve out the two and say let's do those later, it's. 01:26:33
Yeah, but I'm saying because I said that, because you said the builder will pull out if he has to meet all these standards. 01:26:40
What he is. 01:26:49
Very nervous about IS. 01:26:50
There's no written standard today. 01:26:53
There's no won't be any written standard until you guys do it. 01:26:56
Umm, and we're going to close next Wednesday. 01:27:00
And if there's no written standards, then he doesn't know. What he can do is total ambiguity. And when he put him on a contract 01:27:04
January 11th. 01:27:08
Obviously we had no idea this was coming. 01:27:14
So we are going to lose our contract. 01:27:16
If we don't close next. 01:27:19
Maybe. 01:27:26
Any other comments from the public? 01:27:34
All right, now bring it back behind the rail and let council. 01:27:38
Have a conversation and. 01:27:42
Decide what we want to do. 01:27:43
Right. But I think you know the MAPS formal MAP approval wouldn't be till next month, but I think as it's written, it would govern 01:27:48
the entire quarters in the interim. Is that not correct? So yeah, to that point #1, the formal MAP approval will indeed be next 01:27:54
month. That's right. But right now your third line. 01:27:59
After it says frontage, lots on the second line references New High Shoals Rd. I'm not suggesting one way or another, but an 01:28:05
option. 01:28:10
Again, an option is to add a clause that says accept the 2 elder slash Brit lots identified, which of course would be the two 01:28:15
frontage lots because it's already been pointed out by a couple. Here behind the dyess is that as now references to frontage lots, 01:28:23
and truly only two of the six are frontage lots, so the intent is not to capture the four that are not frontage lots. So that's an 01:28:31
option. Again, I'm not suggesting one way or another, but you do have that as a viable option. 01:28:39
One thing I think the, you know, Mr. Elder and Mr. Britt don't feel like they can close even if those are still included, but 01:28:47
that's that's OK let's you know. 01:28:52
I appreciate their opinion, but at the end of the day our responsibility into a real estate deal, you know so what's what's have a 01:28:57
conversation about the. 01:29:01
The ordinance. 01:29:05
Sure, so I'm probably, I don't know. I have read through I think 3 different versions of this. 01:29:08
And truthfully, I like it less each variation that I've read through it. 01:29:16
And so I wrote a couple of notes down here about, you know, my thoughts. 01:29:22
And so I I, I do agree that we should should be thinking about the corridor and and what what is being built there. I do want to 01:29:29
remind the folks that are currently living on the corridor that this ordinance also is going to your house as well. So if you do 01:29:36
any changes or want to update any of your changes. 01:29:43
This goes to your house too. 01:29:50
So, so with that. 01:29:52
Write down, you know, I'm for personal property rights and and less government and I feel like this is the complete opposite of 01:29:58
that. 01:30:01
Requiring builders and property owners to subscribe to a certain. 01:30:06
Currently undefined, very vague personal opinion of the people behind this council. 01:30:10
Two, I said. 01:30:16
I adamantly disagree with creating an overlay after the fact of creating an ordinance. We should have to tell the all the property 01:30:18
current property owners that their land will be affected prior to passing this new ordinance. 01:30:24
#3 I believe most of this could be and should be added to our currently building code. What is not already in the current building 01:30:31
code should be added to it. 01:30:36
Or could be added to it. 01:30:42
And and there was some stuff about demolition in there of of property we we. 01:30:45
Covered that last month and passing the historical significance. 01:30:51
You know anything that's not currently historical. I don't know that the city should be getting involved in telling a person they 01:30:55
can or cannot tear down a house. 01:30:59
And then 5th. 01:31:05
You know, all currently planned developments should be excluded from this. You know that they're already already working on on 01:31:09
doing it. I think it should be exclusiveness. That's that's kind of what I wrote down. 01:31:15
And my thoughts. 01:31:24
I agree 100% from what you say. 01:31:25
It's fine. 01:31:34
I totally agree 100%. My name is Sherry Carson. I live at 1080 Taylors Drive in Watkinsville. 01:31:38
And I have read this and. 01:31:45
There's so many things in here that I don't like. 01:31:47
It's like you are trying to be little dictators to us. 01:31:52
Everything in here. 01:31:56
Goes back to you all can tell me what I can and cannot do and I don't like that we came to Watkinsville because we like 01:31:58
Watkinsville, we like the city's. 01:32:03
And we've been able. 01:32:11
Most of the stuff is fine. Most of the stuff there. There are some houses here in Watkinsville that might need to have little 01:32:13
stuff done, but like I said at the meeting last month. 01:32:18
If I don't have the money to redo it, what are you going to do? Come in and tell me to tear my house down? 01:32:25
That I've lived in for 40 years, but everything you have said, Brett, I agree 100%. I don't like this. 01:32:30
And if I had a vote, I would not approve any of this. So I spoke my piece. Thank you, Miss Carson. 01:32:38
All right, we're going to close the public portion of this again. Nope, Nope, Nope. We all missed it. Y'all missed it. Miss 01:32:46
Carson. I gave her a little bit of grace, but but we're going to be done with it, all right, Chuck? 01:32:51
Chuck and others I may reopen at the end, but let's finish hearing from council and then if we want to hear from the public again, 01:32:59
we can. 01:33:01
Chuck, you have anything you want to say here, Connie? 01:33:05
I agree with Brett. All right, short and sweet. Anybody else? 01:33:07
So it's in. 01:33:14
I would say that the, the iterations that have been coming through it, it's actually been. 01:33:19
Making it more flexible. So it's interesting your perspective on that. Maybe you're catching different things because I'm like as 01:33:25
they have been written, they have been. 01:33:29
More. 01:33:35
They have been less restrictive, I would say and I think that's intentional. 01:33:38
There's. 01:33:43
And also as like I live on one of the corridors, Jeff does, Brian does, Connie does. 01:33:45
And Chuck? 01:33:52
And so yes, again just like when we're discussing the historic preservation ordinance, I mean I'm thinking of that is all in mind. 01:33:57
I am someone who will be directly affected by this and. 01:34:03
As I said last month with the Historic Preservation Ordinance, I am 100% for a personal property rights as well, but with 01:34:10
everything in government. 01:34:14
There is a balance. There is a balance of looking to the greater good and the community as a whole. And then there's individual 01:34:19
rights. I mean, every law in the land is that way and that it's always that balance and so. 01:34:25
So, so there are things in this that I am very inclined to say yes to. 01:34:33
Because I think they will be helpful for our community as a whole. The things that you are, you were mentioning and sometimes it's 01:34:40
hard to imagine like what could happen to Watkinsville, like what could it be. And so I think Doug your example from Nashville is 01:34:46
really, really important is is sometimes as you're reading about these communities other places or visited communities, others 01:34:53
places, it is frightening what can happen and so. 01:34:59
This is written not so much to try to stop a little development from happening. It's trying to set a standard so that the thing 01:35:07
that Doug. 01:35:12
Talked about doesn't happen here because it could happen here. So that is the point of this. The point of this is not to Nick 01:35:18
Pitt. I mean we don't we don't have time. We don't have the thought that we want to be in complete control of things. It's it is 01:35:23
a. 01:35:28
In my opinion, balanced way to make sure that in 20 years, Watkinsville doesn't look the way that anybody who lives here right now 01:35:33
wants it to look. 01:35:38
Because. 01:35:44
There are, and I'm not saying this is happening currently in our community, but. 01:35:47
We are a phenomenal community. We have great schools, we have great people, we have great organizations. We have things like OCAF 01:35:51
and ESP and I mean, I could go on and on about what we have in this community and that is going to draw more and more and more. 01:35:59
People with more money and developers with deeper pockets. And So what if someday it is the things that Doug is talking about And 01:36:07
so this is setting the tone, setting the standards. So there is an expectation I. 01:36:14
There is part of me that does wonder if we should table this until next month after the legal things have been done, so that we do 01:36:22
have the corridor we do have, you know, we're doing it all at the same time. I do understand. 01:36:28
That point it's different than the historic preservation. Historic preservation has a preserved way, a prescribed way that it has 01:36:35
to go and an order of it that you have to pass it before all of the other things happen. That isn't the case with this. And so 01:36:43
there's part of me that's leaning towards that, which then presumably would if if that is what we did and the moratorium is not 01:36:50
extended, that would in and of itself probably take care of the issue that. 01:36:58
Mr. Brett and Mr. Elder have been concerned about. 01:37:06
So that is to me a way that might be a solution to that to pass it all or have it come all together next month after we have done 01:37:12
you know just we have the the timelines that have to happen but. 01:37:19
I believe not that this is necessarily 100% perfect or maybe couldn't have a little tweak here there, but this has been looked at 01:37:26
and looked at and looked at and I think it is super important for our community to have something like this. 01:37:32
Thank you. Any other council comments? 01:37:40
Yeah, I'll say, I think in. 01:37:44
Response to you kind of My opinion of this in the historic preservation ordinance is. 01:37:47
My thoughts are I think we have as a city have a kind of a responsibility to. 01:37:54
Improve and. 01:38:01
Keep a standard of living in the city, I believe, and maintain the history that's here. 01:38:05
I love it when I see. 01:38:11
New houses that are built, especially in areas that are surrounded by historic homes. 01:38:14
That look like they blend right in. You know the I've mentioned a couple of them before, the Moores house on South Main Street. 01:38:20
You'd have no idea that that house was built in 2000. 01:38:25
468-2000 See I would have Adventure is built in 1915. 01:38:31
I think it's just fantastic and Simonton Bridge. 01:38:37
Next door to Connie's house. I don't know the address, I think it's next door to yours. 01:38:41
Yeah. 01:38:46
You'd have no idea that that house was built in 2008. 01:38:48
So I like the idea that when something new is built, that is amongst historic homes. 01:38:53
That they blend in and that it's not obvious that it just was built yesterday. So that's kind of my opinion of what these things 01:39:00
should do and in the areas of the town where there are not. 01:39:06
Other historic homes, you know, Colin Fair, I guess, might be a decent, decent example. Although we did, there were two older 01:39:13
homes torn down. Those those houses built along there, there's. 01:39:18
8 or 9, something like that, but they're all together, so they look fine because they're all together. 01:39:25
But if you plucked one of those newly built homes and put them in between several houses on Main Street, they would just look out 01:39:30
of place. 01:39:34
So I like the idea of. 01:39:40
The info lots where there's historic areas to just build it to, where it blends in versus I understand building it however you 01:39:42
want since you own the dirt. I I get that, but I think that living in the city it's. 01:39:49
It's a little bit different. It's like living in Christian Lake. You're building those homes to look similar. We're in a city, we 01:39:56
want it to have a seat, a feel of a community. 01:40:00
In my opinion, that's my opinion. So that's what these are trying to do. I don't like the idea of trying to dictate everything. 01:40:05
No, I don't. There's a but there's a. There's got to be a little bit of a balancing act there too. 01:40:11
So I do struggle with it a little bit, personally. 01:40:18
You know, like, you know, we've spoke about those six lots and that location I can see, hey, you could build home similar to 01:40:22
what's 'cause I know. 01:40:26
You know state of New York is looking to buy those that's known. So if it's similar to those homes that are built on Collin Ferry 01:40:31
going in there, boy, I think it would. 01:40:36
Be nice if the two that face meet new high Shoals. Maybe Had a couple of the upgrades that I mentioned earlier, The stone facade, 01:40:41
brick facade at the base and on the chimneys. That's not a big ask. 01:40:46
To make it fit in once behind if he wants to save a couple dollars by leaving that off. 01:40:52
I could live with that. They don't face the the street. I don't think it's the right, right thing to do, but I think the voter 01:40:57
could do that. 01:41:01
So I don't think this. 01:41:05
I don't see how it would kill that deal if you're just asking those minor grades and we're not asking him to build a house that 01:41:08
looks like 1915. 01:41:12
He can build a newer house, but have those upgrades on it. 01:41:15
So that's. 01:41:20
My opinion, but I understand. 01:41:21
Personal property rights, but I also think we have a community that we want to. 01:41:24
We want people to want to live in and when you sell your house, to get more money for when you paid for it. 01:41:30
As a city, if you're not growing, you're dying, so we need to continue to. 01:41:37
Make it a wonderful place to live like that it is and just keep making it better. I know. Sorry that was long winded but. 01:41:41
It's not an easy topic. 01:41:48
And this will be quick, but I want to add to that as you're talking about personal property rights. 01:41:50
The personal property rights are also of all the property owners that already own property it's protecting. 01:41:56
Everybody's property rights. That is the goal of this. It is actually to protect property rights so that we are helping protect. 01:42:03
Everyone sitting here who lives in Watkinsville, the value of your home. 01:42:11
My final comment, maybe? 01:42:19
Yeah, So I we talked about it on the front page here of of the purpose about how how wonderful. 01:42:21
The, the homes are and how great the city's done over the last hundred years or so. But I want to remind everybody that those 01:42:28
wonderful homes were all built without any kind of ordinances, without any kind of. 01:42:33
Any kind of legal ramifications of saying what you can and can't build? The home that was built behind Connie's house and the 01:42:39
homes that you've mentioned were all built by builders who aren't told what to build. 01:42:45
You know, and and they built wonderful homes. 01:42:51
You know some of. 01:42:55
Somebody from 1930s in the Crow's house might not like the 1970s brick ranch that the whites owned across the street. 01:42:56
But it was built and now we adore the 1970s Three two House. We wish we had more. I wish we had more 3 twos in Watkinsville. 01:43:05
But we're sitting, we're fixing to put an ordinance telling people what they can and can't build. And I just adamantly disagree 01:43:16
with that. 01:43:19
Anyone else from the public? 2 minutes. 01:43:29
And we're going to wrap up. 01:43:32
2 minutes apiece. If anybody else wants to say something, you've already gone new new people from the public. 01:43:33
Apologize I had bath time duties. 01:43:38
Welcome back. I don't have anything major, just that I I agree with everything that you said. I love Watkinsville as a community, 01:43:42
but the bottom line is I'm, I'm Kurt Gorman. I live on VFW. 01:43:47
Like I I don't live in the neighborhood. And to me it should be harder to build things in a neighborhood because you're a part of 01:43:54
a smaller community and you have a homeowners association. And I feel like Watkinsville with this ordinance is making it harder. 01:44:01
For people to build things that they want on their land. 01:44:09
That don't live in a neighborhood. The bottom line is, you know, people that don't live in a neighborhood. Some of them don't want 01:44:12
to live in a neighborhood where there's a homeowners association with certain rules. 01:44:18
And this is what that's putting in place and you're. 01:44:25
It's essentially you're writing a blank check for yourselves and and it's subjective like it's it's completely up to whether you 01:44:28
vote and believe that this House matches. 01:44:34
All of these properties and what you want and I think it doesn't discredit the builders like JW York that build very nice houses 01:44:41
that may not be a historical home. And I I think they're very nice houses that look nice for our community and. 01:44:47
Yeah, I'm, I'm, I'm all for the free market. 01:44:55
Your private property rights, I'm not. 01:44:58
In favor of the government telling me what I can do and I I think in history, you know you got it should be a red flag anytime the 01:45:01
government says that they want to protect your property. 01:45:07
That's, that's what that's what the people are for, so. 01:45:14
That's all I got. But this ordinance is not saying you have to build a home. That looks historic. 01:45:19
That's that's the kind of leaving it up to you though, right? 01:45:25
No, I'm saying that. No. Like I said, you could build a JW York home. Since you mentioned that and I mentioned it. You can build 01:45:29
that home. That's perfectly fine, strictly talking about the standards that homes built to, but it doesn't say that it has to 01:45:34
look. 01:45:39
And and I understand that and I just. 01:46:17
I I just think that there should be, you know, a level playing field I. 01:46:20
One thing that would make me feel better about Not rules for thee and not for me is like I researched the the historical trust. A 01:46:24
homeowner can put their private property and take the Georgia Trust for Historical Preservation. The four council members that own 01:46:33
a historical home can individually, voluntarily put their their property into a historical trust. 01:46:41
And that would leave you all, as the homeowner, subjective to the rules and the the requirements, the standards set by the Georgia 01:46:50
Trust for historical preservation, much like what the citizens of Watkinsville are having to do. 01:46:58
In regards to the historical preservation and this ordinance. 01:47:06
It is is making you. 01:47:10
Applied by their rules, just like you're asking the citizens to adhere to your rules. So that's that's one thing that would just 01:47:13
make me feel better as a citizen. Thank you, Mr. Norman. All right. Anyone else? 2 minutes. Anybody else? 01:47:19
Sometimes there's a rule that if everyone is spoken already. 01:47:27
I'm not going to get into that. We're running out of time. And then I'm gonna have everybody back up. Doug, I appreciate that. But 01:47:33
but but I think we're, I don't know that we're changing opinions at this point. 01:47:37
Anybody else on council have anything there? 01:47:44
Want to say? 01:47:47
You know, I think. 01:47:49
It's been an interesting conversation tonight and I want to go back to something, Mr. Dorman said. Which I value. 01:47:51
I value the discourse and the healthy discourse. 01:47:58
That he outlined. That's what our country is really all about and what's so important is the ability to stand up and say what you 01:48:01
believe I. 01:48:05
Without fear. Without fear that your neighbors are going to be angry at you, or it's going to blow up a relationship, or that that 01:48:09
you can or that there's. 01:48:13
You know Gestapo that's going to come get you or anything like that, you know, and that's what makes America special. And and this 01:48:18
is one of those moments, you know, it's a little bit Norman Rockwell esque and. 01:48:22
I love that about our town. I love that about the. 01:48:27
The level of the dialogue here tonight. 01:48:30
I think I circle back on this one really to what's? What's the intent and what's the idea? What makes a? 01:48:32
What makes our community special? I understand what Brett said and I appreciate what Brett said and I don't get a vote, so I'm 01:48:39
just going to talk a little bit and then y'all get the vote and that's that's great. 01:48:43
But I think what's what strikes me is it's not 1965 in Watkinsville, it's not 1985, it's not. 01:48:48
2005 It's 2023-2024. Even a year later than I thought, they fly. 01:48:56
We have the best school system in the state. We have the best small town in the state in a lot of ways. 01:49:03
We are going to see tremendous development pressure. 01:49:08
In the next 20 years. 01:49:11
Tremendous pressure. Pressure like we have never seen. 01:49:13
Our county is going to see it. We're going to see it. 01:49:16
And and there will be people now, now Mr. Brett, Mr. Elder, they they live here. 01:49:20
We know we can find, we can find those guys. 01:49:25
The person they're selling it to, we can probably find him. 01:49:28
But there's going to be a lot of other people who come here and want to build in our community and do stuff, and they're going to 01:49:31
build one house on Main Street. They're going to want to build. 01:49:35
A lot of houses and there's still room to do that. 01:49:38
Not a ton of room in Watkinsville, but there is room. 01:49:42
And if we don't get ahead of it and we don't talk about it and we don't, I don't have the ability frankly to even have a 01:49:45
conversation like the one that Jeff is talking about, the ability to sit down with the builder and say, hey, you know, these are 01:49:49
the standards. This is what we want to do. 01:49:54
Then we're going to wind up with stuff that nobody's going to be happy with, and we're going to spend the rest of our adult lives 01:49:59
driving down these roads saying, hey, I wish I thought a little bit differently about that, or I wish I'd made a different 01:50:03
decision. Because it's not. 01:50:06
Going to be what this community wants. It's going to be what some out of town builder wants and how he's getting a return on his 01:50:10
investment. And for some businessman and capitalist, hey, that's what it's all about. But I've I told these guys at the public 01:50:14
meeting. 01:50:18
Had a great conversation, but ultimately I didn't take an oath. 01:50:22
To help people make money. I didn't take an oath to help developers. I took an oath to protect him protect the city and respect 01:50:25
that and and that's that's what I just challenge everybody to think about is what's the best way to honor that oath that you took 01:50:30
as you do that. But you know everybody here has got a great rationale and a great thought process in terms of how they're they're 01:50:36
approaching this and I appreciate. 01:50:41
The conversation. I appreciate the thoughts. I. 01:50:46
But I think at this point we need to move on. It's ripe for. 01:50:50
Yes or no. A table, you know, for a motion at this point. And so we will. 01:50:53
As a practical matter, I don't know that there's a. 01:50:59
That there's you know that there's really any other option at this point other than those 3. 01:51:03
And so I'd like council to, you know, someone to make a motion one way or the other. 01:51:08
Well, I make a motion to. 01:51:16
Table this to next month when we. 01:51:20
Everything all at once, the standards and the map, and at all and one package. 01:51:23
Thank you for the motion. We have a motion to table. Do we have a second? 01:51:30
I second it. 01:51:37
We have a motion to table. 01:51:39
We have a motion in a second discussion. 01:51:41
What are we going to do about moratorium? 01:51:46
Moratorium officially expires. 01:51:49
As of this meeting, unless someone makes a motion to extend it. 01:51:52
I'm just concerned about. 01:51:55
The comments that were told earlier today. 01:51:58
I'm OK with revisiting this and looking at it. 01:52:02
When we have the maps drawn and we can actually talk to the property owners. 01:52:06
But until we have the maps drawn and talk to the property owners, I'm I'm not OK with this. So. 01:52:11
All right. Any other conversation? 01:52:19
All right. There's a motion to table. All in favor of that motion. Say aye. 01:52:23
Aye. Any opposed motion carries unanimously. 01:52:27
All right. 01:52:34
All right. We will move on to new business proposed fiscal year 2025 capital budget. 01:52:39
Everybody, y'all are welcome to hang around, but you're not going to hurt our feelings if you want to go get your dinner. 01:52:48
Mary, you ready? Yeah, we'll do two. Yeah, we'll go. Yeah, We've got a little ways to go, so. 01:52:56
Forward, we do have some splice money. 01:53:33
That I've recommended that was programmed out a little bit further. I moved it back to sort of cover that and again, we'll talk, 01:53:35
we can talk about this more when you get the budget. I think it'll make a lot more sense. It'll be a narrative about how this 01:53:40
works and the fact that we do have, we have a capital budget, we have a capital. 01:53:46
Bank account basically. And we try to forecast what we're going to need each year, but we also look at the splice monies that have 01:53:52
to be spent in a certain time frame and we don't, we don't want to, we can't hold on to those. We're supposed to be using those to 01:53:58
support, you know, support our needs. So again, right now it looks like the only capital that I'm going to be asking for is for a 01:54:04
police vehicle to replace one that was used that we bought that starting to have some problems. 01:54:10
And just again know that I'm still in the process of trying to pull all the stuff together from staff. And so it could change, but 01:54:17
I'm hoping that some of the other capital needs that we have for like Thomas Farm Preserve or even at Harris Hills Park that we 01:54:24
may find other funding either through SPLOST or through some some grant funds. 01:54:30
Congressional directors, spending accounts, whatever, We continue to look for those things. So again, just wanted to make sure 01:54:38
everybody had it in front of them, not asking for a vote, but if there are questions, I'm happy to take them. 01:54:43
You're not hoping we can read any of that right now. Well, that's why you had it. That's why you got a print out. I mean, 01:54:49
everybody should have gotten to print out in front. I have one here. But yeah, I'm not expecting that. It's. Yeah. 01:54:55
Yeah, it's still hard. I know it's still hard. It is what it is. I don't know how to make any. I mean to get A to get the full 01:55:04
picture, I think it's great. I mean, I personally, I like the visual. I think it's great. You sort of see how things are sort of, 01:55:09
you know, teared out. We don't necessarily. We try not to have everything on one year and again. 01:55:14
It's on good management tool. It's hard to read, but it's good. 01:55:46
You're saying I need a 75 inch screen at home doesn't cut it, but this one does. That it? Thank you. 01:55:56
All right, now we're moving on. I think this is a new item, the local Rd. Assistance Grant Application Manager. 01:56:07
Percent if you want to give us a report on that, OK, So what we're going to ask for you from Y'all tonight is to submit fiscal 01:56:12
year 24G dot LRA, I'm sorry, a local Rd. assistance grant that has come out as a result of the the legislature amending the FY24 01:56:19
budget and they've given us another. 01:56:26
Allocation of money to be used for resurfacing roads. We're going to actually get a little bit more than we did under our Local 01:56:34
Maintenance Improvement Grant I. 01:56:38
Are two roads. 01:57:13
Then then we can get these, you know, we can get these roads paved. We are recommending the city engineer and I talked about this, 01:57:43
but we are recommending that because right now we're waiting. We had issued it. They're doing on the 29th. So next Friday we 01:57:49
issued the RFP, the request for price proposal for the Elmig roads, which are Simmons and Way and School St. little segment of 01:57:55
School St. between Court and Main Street. And we're waiting for that price to come in and what we would recommend in order to keep 01:58:01
things moving. 01:58:07
Road system and if the county goes to pave it, if we get a heads up, we can contribute at that point. 01:58:48
To pave a little small section in the whole neighborhood not. 01:58:53
Be affected. So Niagara Drive, Stone Shoals, industrial drive in Jackson St. and Niagara and Jackson are the cheaper ones because 01:58:57
of the length. Stone Shoals and industrial are are a lot longer and there's still a lot of work going on industrial job because of 01:59:02
the sewer line now that everybody's got access to it. So probably be best to let some of that settle down before we go out and pay 01:59:07
that over. 01:59:12
And this is the list of all the streets I just mentioned. So the Simonton Way, the two Simonton Way ones that are listed, it's 01:59:19
just different the way they listed them. But Simon White and School Street are currently we're waiting on the on the price 01:59:24
proposal for that. You you guys have already approved that. 01:59:29
So again, what we're asking for is what I have listed. 01:59:34
It won't be long before VFW needs to be on there. We got like 5 or 6 cuts in there in there now from the county well, and they're 01:59:37
supposed to be repairing those. We're trying to work with them to fix those. Yeah, we don't want to be messing with PFW. 01:59:44
Question, Sir. Why would you pay just a portion of Jackson St. Yeah, it's just the portion from Dooley to South Main. It's not the 01:59:52
whole. It won't be the whole section. That's my question. Why? 01:59:56
Because that's where it was listed on it. When they did the, when they did the, the technical analysis of the condition of the 02:00:02
road, that's what they that one is listed up. The other part of Jackson could be further down. I'll have the full sheet in front 02:00:07
of me, but it wasn't within two or three of that like you know it was not and we just did, you know, we just did the pipe fork on 02:00:12
that end too. So it would be good to have that. 02:00:18
When you walk Jackson St. there is a. It's almost like you're going to a different Rd. so it makes sense. 02:00:25
Or the one way you have the clarification I would have. I think it's a great question shot too but the the portion that's for 02:00:32
Niagara is not the totality of it either because Concord Drive in Bishops Vineyard does the the horseshoe loop and again the the. 02:00:39
The technical analysis that was done by GMC was just identifying the worst portion, but it it says there it's only from Southland. 02:00:45
So it's only for I think it's the the western portion if I'm remembering correctly there. So it's not even the totality of Niagara 02:00:51
either. So it's kind of trying to identify the worst but. 02:00:56
From a mobilization standpoint, it may it may be a better to do the totality of Niagara. 02:01:02
Depending on the price or the totality, I I don't know anybody recommend the totality of Jackson. The residents on Jackson may 02:01:09
want a few potholes to slow folks down some. We're not trying to do that for traffic calming, but it's a good question because 02:01:15
right now it's not the totality of Jackson based on what was identified. It's only really the the one way section there from South 02:01:21
Main to to Dooley, right where the the drainage improvements have been done. It would be interesting to just see the list. Is it 02:01:27
somewhere the complete list? 02:01:33
Is it really? Is it really long? And then you know, so some are in good shape, but. 02:01:39
Where it makes you start getting nervous is thinking about Bishops Vineyard. Basically, the whole neighborhood is going to need to 02:01:46
be repaid at some point the next 10 or 15 years, and that's massive. 02:01:50
And Rose Lake, VFW. That's why making sure the county comes back and does good patches are so important. 02:01:56
So, yeah, it but it makes you a little nervous in terms of what that total cost is. That's where you're like. Thank you. 02:02:01
Without tea spots, we wouldn't have a prayer. 02:02:07
Sure. Maybe. I mean I don't know if it's worth getting a bid on how that offsets on Jackson versus all the Niagara and just giving 02:02:12
us some choices there. Well, and and I appreciate that. I mean I think that's a good idea I think. 02:02:17
What I've seen and what my experience has been with G dot on these L Meg and I'm not LRA but L Meg projects is if we have to shift 02:02:23
gear like we submit and they say OK, this makes sense. You you're doing, you're going to pay roads, that's what you're supposed to 02:02:29
do and they approve it like almost the minute I turn and then I'm getting approval and we're getting the check. 02:02:35
But like, what happened with Leia Lane, what happened with A? 02:02:42
What we just paved, and I can't think of it, we had to like School St. we got we got L Meg to approve last fiscal year for school 02:02:47
St. and. 02:02:51
Bunny Hop. But when the bids came in we didn't have the money for both and and all I had to do is go back and tell them, hey look 02:02:56
the price of that. So I don't. 02:03:00
I mean, I'd like to get it in because we'll be one of the first ones that's due in June and things are starting to get kind of 02:03:04
nutty anyway with budget coming up and all these other things. I mean, if y'all are comfortable, what I'm willing to do is submit 02:03:08
it, get their approval. 02:03:12
We'll ask in the bid package you give us these two, then give us all night or give us all Jack or yeah, all Nighter and all of 02:03:17
Jackson. 02:03:21
And then we can evaluate, we're going to come back to you anyway for the contract and I can call, I can call, I can call G dot and 02:03:25
say, you know look we're probably going to have to make an amendment and what they'll do is tell them do what they did last time 02:03:30
which is send me an amended project work thing and then we'll you know and they approved it. So again it's they're only approving 02:03:34
to make sure you're using the funds in accordance with the rules, not that they don't like Niagara Drive or the whole thing, you 02:03:39
know so. 02:03:44
To go hey, here's four more you know, options. 02:04:25
Our yeah, four more options. So yeah, yeah. I mean, it's definitely cheaper. The question is, does it need to be done at the same 02:04:28
time? I mean, that's so, so all the Jackson. I mean, I dropped Jackson twice a day, every day, and all of Jackson's terrible. 02:04:35
I walk it and I don't notice that, except for that part. Well, from Jackson Terrace, you could really go to Jackson Terrace back 02:04:42
down, you know, But I mean it's it's noticeably worse, but it's it's not great. But then you do have the neighbors saying. 02:04:49
I mean, I'll let you sell it to Caroline. 02:04:57
I'll pass the school bus every single morning. At 7:28. Every single morning I pass the school bus. 02:05:01
And I we have to get over into either Miss Ivy's yard or the next yard. I'm in their yard. 02:05:06
Because it's not wide enough for two records. You should be going down. New hustle. No. Yeah. We're not. We're not going to be 02:05:14
widening Jack. No. The problem with that is the turn back is terrible because you got AT&T sitting on the corner. It's not safe to 02:05:20
turn at that corner. So anyway, completely different conversation. Can I ask a question? It just reminded me on Morrison St. and 02:05:26
with the trail very is there was something in that agreement to for them to repair the road there and the cracks in the center 02:05:32
have really gotten big. 02:05:38
Well, I guess could potentially appropriate some additional tea spots to pick up, Jason, that's also a possibility you know or 02:07:01
Niagara if we want to do that, you know, so if it was cost effective. 02:07:05
So we're not going to. We're not going to. 02:07:12
Vote on We're just giving you approval to talk right now. We're making a motion well, we are submitting an application to the 02:07:15
state for this money so we can take down. That's the most the state's going to pay us. So if we decide we want to pay extra to 02:07:19
take care of some of these additional problems. 02:07:23
Then that will come back to us and we can work on that. OK, so this is to ask the state for the drawdown. 02:07:29
On the LRA application, OK. 02:07:34
Right. Can we have a motion? I make a motion for that. All right. Second. All right. We have a motion. We have a second. Any 02:07:37
discussion. 02:07:40
All in favor, say aye. Any opposed? 02:07:44
All right, 50 motion carries public comments. We've had the most patient citizen here tonight. 02:07:47
Come on up and give us the name and the address and let's hear from you. 02:07:53
I don't have an audience now, so I feel a little bit better. Hi, my name is Cheetah and Pylon. I'm at 91 Mimosa Dr. Watkinsville. 02:07:57
I've lived in this community for 10 years. My kids have gone to school here. They're almost 20 and 18 now, so we don't have that 02:08:03
anymore. 02:08:08
My concern tonight is a. 02:08:15
Mimosa Drive. 02:08:18
It is used as a cut through. 02:08:20
For the community, if you don't want to go down VFW, run the nice sharp turn corner and everything like that. 02:08:23
What I'm proposing or what I would like to do for you guys to maybe take into consideration is probably putting some speed bumps 02:08:29
the community. 02:08:34
Walks. OK, Let me take that back. The community uses that as well to go to Harris Hills Park to go to ESP. Everybody walks down 02:08:38
Mimosa Drive from Christian Lake all the way down the road was narrowed, what, about 15 years ago to put the sidewalk in? Was it, 02:08:44
has it been that long? Probably. So, you know, when you're, when you're coming down Mimosa Dr. You know, you got your kids, you 02:08:50
got the dogs, you have everything like that. And then you have people trying to cut, you know, come together. One has to move out 02:08:56
of the way. 02:09:02
I'm just kind of concerned that. 02:09:09
That road also is being used as a Speedway or a drag race. I'm not kidding. People fly doing 3040 miles an hour down this road. 02:09:12
There are a lot of children over there and even when my children were children, you know, it was a very big concern. 02:09:22
With the park and with everything that is so wonderful over here now, I'm just afraid something's gonna happen and I would really 02:09:29
like to some try to be proactive. 02:09:33
And try to see something done in this area before somebody does get hurt. 02:09:38
You know, on a daily basis I can. I'll sit on my front porch all day long when I get home from work. I get home at work from 10:00 02:09:43
in the morning. So I get to see everybody walking by and it I mean. 02:09:48
All ages, everything. 02:09:54
And with the, you know, we have the farmers market coming up, all the ESP activities in the summer, I'm just afraid somebody is 02:09:56
going to like lose a child without a grip and something's going to happen. Also propose that maybe we could try to put a crosswalk 02:10:03
here at the end of Mimosa to across VFW to the park for safekeeping. 02:10:11
Kids ride bikes to all day long. 02:10:19
So I think it's just something that maybe you guys can start to consider with all the new projects coming in. 02:10:21
It might be. 02:10:27
Cool. Yeah. 02:10:30
That's all I have. Thank you. 02:10:32
That's a great comment. I mean, that's what we wanted to have happen when we did that sidewalk all those years ago was, you know, 02:10:35
connecting VFW and Christian Lake all down to the park. And now that there's even more reasons to visit the park. 02:10:40
More great things to come. I think that's really a worthy consideration. So. 02:10:46
Chief GAIL, if you could look at that and then let's think about what the, what maybe some good approaches are, whether it's. 02:10:50
Some targeted enforcement in the short term and then maybe we can think a little bit more about in budget if we can afford. 02:10:58
Whether it's the temporary speed bumps, real speed bumps, and. 02:11:04
Of some sort of crosswalk with the reflective beacon. 02:11:07
That's that crosswalk. I know when I pick up litter on that stretch of Rd. I mean it's it's it's nerve wracking, walking back and 02:11:12
forth across it because people come around that corner and. 02:11:16
Crested Hill and they just they're not interested in slowing down, you know, especially if you're coming towards Experiment 02:11:21
station, they're usually hitting the gas and coming fast at that intersection, so. 02:11:27
You have to come back up. 02:11:34
Also coming from coming from VFW down on Cedar to turn left onto Mimosa, the stop sign was moved. 02:11:38
And we need to see if we can move it back and probably get a white line painted because not only do people just don't stop there, 02:11:48
they just kind of keep on coming through. 02:11:52
And with the kids outside playing everything, they're just people aren't watching. I've watched people just, I mean. 02:11:57
I work for UPS. I've seen the UPS trucks. I've seen the FedEx trucks. I've seen the Amazon trucks. Just literally take those that 02:12:03
corner right there. 02:12:07
And I mean it's it's it's kind of scary and with the weather being so nice, I just. 02:12:11
We'll look at it all. I mean, it's a it's a great stretch of road and I've loved seeing it evolve over the past few years too. It 02:12:18
just seems like you. 02:12:21
I just love seeing all the kids. It's it's great. It's great. Yeah. Yeah. 02:12:24
OK. Any other public comment? 02:12:28
Nothing. You want to close this out with Kathleen? 02:12:31
OK. All right. 02:12:35
Come on. Come on. 02:12:37
I would have been really disappointed if you didn't make it a microphone tonight. 02:12:40
All right, all right. Kathleen Mcquiston, 13 S, Barnett Schultz Rd. So I was driving up to Canada with my husband and my cousin 02:12:44
and her husband, and we came across this cop car. I mean, we were going up to. 02:12:50
Through the middle of May. 02:12:57
Border crossing that there's nobody there. There was nobody from miles. There was a cop car about 5 miles away and it it was 02:13:01
empty. But if you were going fast enough, you would know that and you would go down. 02:13:07
The the border guard, you know what was going on. He goes, oh, they park it there to slow people down South. Why don't we take 02:13:15
that car? That doesn't work very well. Stick, move it around town. And you know, if you tip the windows, you can't see if there's 02:13:21
a cop in there anyways. So let's park it up there on Mimosa Drive. People come around. Oh God, there's a cop and it'll slow 02:13:27
everybody down. That's my suggestion. 02:13:33
Might, might have A use for the Crown Victoria. I like it. OK, we'll see. See what happens. OK. All right. 02:13:45
Yep. All right, quick, some quick updates from the mayor and we're going to, we're going to move through these pretty quickly. 02:13:50
Hard to believe that it's already been that long because it's getting such great use, but the library opened up on March 2nd. 02:13:58
If you haven't been there, get there. It's really great. And the level of use, you know, I think most of us were here when we 02:14:04
were. 02:14:08
Working pretty hard to get that done, and I think that vision is really validated in terms of the public. The interaction at Wire 02:14:13
Park is just tremendous. I've talked to James, the head librarian, several times. I said what's really different? He said. The 02:14:17
level of tweens. 02:14:22
And old, you know, kids age, you know, 8 to 13 has really increased, which is just a wonderful thing to see happening at the 02:14:26
library. 02:14:31
Probably creating some programming challenges for him and maybe some other interesting things, but even on a weekday the use in 02:14:36
there and the new facility is tremendous. So congratulations to you Mark and everybody who put that together. It's it's really. 02:14:42
Really been lovely to see and see how that's working as part of wire part moving on down the road. 02:14:48
We've got some folks who deserve our congratulations and our thanks for their service and for running again, and congratulations 02:14:55
to each of you for getting reelected with no opposition. That's that's quite a statement from the community and their trust and 02:14:59
confidence in each of you. 02:15:04
So again, Jeff, Christine and Brett, congratulations and thank you for choosing to offer again. 02:15:09
I'm a blue side guy, but we've got to recognize the kids in the red every now and then. Congratulations to the North Oak County 02:15:16
basketball team. That was a that was a really awesome game and fun to watch the other night and a great moment for the community. 02:15:21
So really proud of our. 02:15:26
Friends at Norfolk County. 02:15:32
Just to update Hair Shoals Paving. 02:15:34
Is set to begin March 25th. 1st will be some tree removal and some grubbing. 02:15:37
Manager told me today that she anticipates most of the actual paving work to occur over the week of spring break. Is that 02:15:42
accurate? 02:15:45
But we'll add about 15 net parking spaces in hair Shoals and if any of you, I don't think any of you were at the Easter egg hunt, 02:15:48
but if. 02:15:51
Down there Saturday, somehow, ESP also had a kickball game coming shortly after the Easter egg hunt. We could have used 30 extra 02:15:55
spaces down there. Thankfully, it's not like that all the time. 02:15:59
But you may get questions about that. We are having to take out one large tree, but it's a sweet gum and I don't think anybody's 02:16:05
gonna weep over a sweet gum. 02:16:08
And the rest of it's going to fit within or extend the existing footprint in addition to the basketball court which will be taken 02:16:12
over. We're not going to do the sidewalks at this time. I really. 02:16:17
Feel like that would cut into some of the green space in a pretty impactful way. So we're not going to do those sidewalks right 02:16:21
now. We'll have to determine if we are. 02:16:25
Their flex and their people and stuff and then find another locations for this next week. 02:16:59
OK, perfect. 02:17:03
Watkinsville Soda staying the Piedmont Garden Tour. 02:17:06
Saturday, October 20th, that's going to be. 02:17:10
A really nice day. We have three locations in Watkinsville and then three in Oconee County. That's always a fun event so I'd 02:17:13
encourage you all to. 02:17:16
Attend if you can, and then the very next day we've got the historic Trust Ramble, also in Oconee County. It's going to be in 02:17:20
Athens on the 19th and the 20th. 02:17:25
And then it'll be an Oconee on the 21st. 02:17:31
I know there's several, several folks that we don't know whose homes are on that on that tour. So those are. 02:17:34
Also going to bring a lot of out of town visitors to Watkinsville. I'm hoping that our litter program is fully engaged by then and 02:17:40
everything's. 02:17:43
Cleaned up and I know our public works department will get the city looking great for those two events. 02:17:47
That's all that the mayor has, so we'll move on to council reports Councilman Garrett will kick it off with you. Nothing for 02:17:52
Councilman Garrett. Councilwoman Massey. 02:17:56
I had the opportunity to observe the driving simulator while it was here and with two of our police officers. That was very 02:18:01
interesting and I'm glad that they are getting to. 02:18:08
Of practice and do things like that to help keep them. 02:18:15
Observant and doing a good job the next day when I headed down to. 02:18:19
Publix I felt like I was going through the driving simulator when I hit all those orange cones and all those guys out there 02:18:28
working. 02:18:31
You're saying you hit, you hit him on the way to Publix from the simulator as soon as I made it into that turn, just like that 02:18:37
simulator. 02:18:41
I wish I'd have been around to try that. I've always wanted to. 02:18:46
Councilman Thomas, What? You got nothing from agency, all right? 02:18:48
Mayor Pro Tem Tucker so the sculptures that we have. 02:18:51
Commissioned would be the right word. 02:18:59
Are almost near completion and so spots have been chosen and is it? 02:19:03
Well, we're going to look at. 02:19:09
The locating them next. 02:19:10
Right. And so that's what we're planning on. So that's something to be looking for. 02:19:49
All right, Councilman Campbell. 02:19:54
On the economic development front, today I met the owner of the cat cafe. She came into our store and bought some pots and plants 02:19:57
to put in the store and they're going to open Sunday. 02:20:02
So nine to seven, Sunday to Friday I believe was the hours. 02:20:08
So I'm intrigued to check it out. 02:20:13
All right, Cat cafe. 02:20:16
The bright blue trim. The bright blue trim. Bright blue trim. 02:20:19
All right. 02:20:25
I'd like to have a brief executive session to discuss real estate and potentially potentially personnel. So if we could. 02:20:26
Have a motion to go into executive session. I make a motion to go into executive session second. 02:20:36
All in favor. 02:20:42
OK. Thank you all for coming. 02:20:44
And I will need signatures. I make a motion to adjourn second, all in favor, say aye. 02:20:47
Link
Start video at
Social
Embed
* you need to log in to manage your favorites
My Favorites List
You haven't added any favorites yet. Click the "Add Favorite" button on any media page, and they'll show up here.
* use Ctrl+F (Cmd+F on Mac) to search in document
Unable to preview the file.
We're good. 00:00:11
All right. Good evening, everybody. 00:00:14
Good. This kind of feels like church. 00:00:18
We'll do that again. Good evening, everybody. 00:00:22
I like that. We might have to do that on the rig. All right, this is our call to order and a quorum check. We've got everybody 00:00:25
here tonight. And I'd like to start with the Pledge of Allegiance. So let's all stand. 00:00:29
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, 00:00:35
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. 00:00:41
All right, as usual, this meeting is being broadcast simultaneously online with a Suite 1 webcasting public portal. Those who 00:00:55
can't join the meeting in person tonight can access that portal and watch live or watch a recording at a later date. The portal 00:01:00
allows the public to view and listen to the meeting. 00:01:05
And also has the meeting materials available for review. The service also provides closed captioning. 00:01:12
For a live meeting, the user must click on the CC icon in the lower right corner of the video window. When the video from 00:01:17
tonight's meeting is posted online, closed captioning will automatically appear. Interested parties may also view a transcript of 00:01:22
the meeting under the tab titled Transcript. 00:01:27
As a reminder, the notice of the council meeting was posted with the current month's agenda one full week before the meeting to 00:01:33
allow public sufficient time to provide comments and writing to the clerk. 00:01:37
If they are not if they are unable to attend in person. 00:01:42
With that, we'll move on to the approval of the minutes of the previous meeting. Do we have a motion or discussion on the minutes? 00:01:46
I make a motion to approve. Second, we have a motion, we have a second any discussion. 00:01:52
Hearing none all in favor, say aye. Any opposed like sign motion carries 5 O. 00:01:59
We'll move on to the approval of the agenda I would like to request, adding two things. The mayor would request a point of 00:02:05
privilege before administration to discuss a new. 00:02:10
Earth Month related initiative and then I'd also like to add under new business item twenty approval of submittal of the fiscal 00:02:16
year 2024 Georgia Department of Transportation. 00:02:21
Local Rd. Assistant grant application copies were provided to council and placed in the agenda packet on Monday. 00:02:26
Is there any other? 00:02:33
Request to amend the agenda before we get started. 00:02:35
Hearing none, can we do have a motion to add those items? I make a motion to add those items and approve the agenda. 00:02:40
Is there a second second? 00:02:48
Any discussion all in favor, say aye. 00:02:50
Any opposed like sign? 00:02:54
All right. I'm going to come to the microphone and talk a little bit about our April initiative. 00:02:56
Sheraton the camera seat. Be here. Yep. 00:03:12
And make sure it's on there. 00:03:16
On February 25th, a letter was mailed to the mayor, it says. 00:03:23
Dear Mayor Broderick, I think that we have a problem in Watkinsville litter. 00:03:28
Global warming. Do you know what happens when you litter? The litter gets into the water shed by rainfall. 00:03:33
When it gets to the watershed, an animal might mistake it for food. This could cause an animal to die. If animals go extinct then 00:03:39
we can't eat them. Please find a way to stop littering in Watkinsville so it can be a beautiful place. 00:03:45
Sincerely, Amelia Emerson, page 8. She then had a PS said. My mommy told me that I should give you some ideas of what to do about 00:03:51
litter. We could organize a contest for the person who picks up the most litter wins. First place gets a trophy, 2nd place gets a 00:03:58
medal, 3rd place gets a gift card to scoops. Scoops could sponsor it. 00:04:05
To make a composting program or three. Every time a tree is cut down, a tree is planted. Thank you, Amelia. 00:04:12
Amelia and her mom and dad have joined us tonight. Amelia, if you want to stand up. 00:04:19
And Amelia, I'm pleased to say that item number three, we already do. So when a tree gets cut down in Watkinsville, we have a tree 00:04:25
ordinance and people can cut down trees, but they also have to plant new trees whenever they do that. So we have that one. But I 00:04:31
really love the idea for #1 to organize a contest for the person who picks up the most litter. 00:04:37
So I'm excited if you want to come up here to announce tonight that in April we're going to have a litter contest in Watkinsville. 00:04:43
Anywhere in the United States. 00:05:23
And although that was a pretty awesome goal to have, so we're going to work on getting all that ready and announcing it in April. 00:05:25
And I'm excited to say that we're going to bring your contest to life. So I just wanted to say thank you to Amelia for a great 00:05:31
idea. You're a student at Column Ferry, is that right? What grade are you in, Amelia? 00:05:36
Second grades The 2nd grader at Column Ferry Elementary, Amelia Emerson. And so we are going to implement the Watkinsville Queen 00:05:42
City program in April and have a contest to see who can pick up the most litter. And then I'd love for you to come back in May and 00:05:48
maybe help me give those awards out when we know who picked up the most litter. Does that sound good? 00:05:54
OK. Is there anything you want to say to this crowd? 00:06:01
OK. 00:06:04
Can we do a picture with your mom and dad in front of the Watkinsville sign? 00:06:10
I understand right in the middle, and I'll stand by your deaf, OK? 00:06:18
Right now Emerson, Joe are welcome to stay and see all the excitement or if you all want to go home, you can get out of here. 00:06:32
Yeah, Mom did say Amelia has the earliest bedtime. 00:06:39
In the room tonight. 00:06:42
Thank you. 00:06:45
All right, we're going to move on to administration. As I've note, most months we can have comments throughout the meeting when we 00:06:55
are in a formal public hearing. That's at council, mayor and council's discretion. If we do allow those comments, they should be 00:07:02
only directly writing to the agenda items or the item being presented. 00:07:09
If you do want to speak, you'll need to come to the podium. We give you 4 minutes per person, but again, council does have the 00:07:16
discretion to cut that short unless it's a public hearing. We do have several, several public hearings tonight related to new 00:07:22
ordinances, zoning matters and other things like that. So with that, we will move on to administration and to kick us off, we'll 00:07:27
have Manager Dickerson for the monthly financial reports. Thank you, Mayor. 00:07:32
So everyone should have received the balance balance sheet, the general fund revenues and expenses we are tracking. 00:07:38
Very well. On all of our both expenses and revenues. Is there any questions about that? I'm happy to answer those. If not, I'll 00:07:45
just move into the other report. 00:07:49
Public safety vehicles, streetscape items downtown and then our Rd. resurfacing, so there's quite a bit of encumbrances that are 00:08:25
being held until we get those projects completed. 00:08:30
We are. I think it's probably worthwhile to point out this is at a 8.63% rate, which is a little bit different than our teaspoon 00:08:37
rate with the county. As a result, our average income is 83, about $83,000 a month. We only budgeted 65, so that means we're going 00:08:45
to end up with almost at least if we continue at this rate, about half $1,000,000 in the budget at the end of SPLOST. 00:08:53
So you guys have to figure how to spend that night. 00:09:01
Transportation plan is sort of leaving this work. 00:09:42
Leaning into that plan that was approved back in October of 20/19 and trying to actually implement and can make these connections 00:09:45
throughout the community. So that's what those monies are going towards. In this case T slots we only get 7.77%. So you see a 00:09:51
little, a little bit lower about 72,000 a month. We're in the early stages though of of this project, 6 year project. So our 00:09:56
budget we budget 78,000, but we're averaging 72. By the time we get to the end we should be at that or over. That's what we 00:10:02