Transcript

Event transcript
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
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Transcript

Event transcript
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