City Council Regular Meeting 5/15/2018

City Council Regular Meeting         15 May 2018        Citizen Minutes

Public Comment

Pam Chadbourne commented on the Citizen’s Guide to Public Meetings.  She has been watching council meetings since 2010 and Littleton.  In 2014 citizens had an opportunity to schedule up to 10 minutes to address council and unscheduled opportunity for up to four minutes.  Then Michael Penny became city manager and the opportunities for the public appearances is gone.  The public comment could only happen at either the beginning or end of the meetings for three minutes.  This is going in the wrong direction.

Chadbourne showed John Fielder’s new book about some of the best places to be in the state of Colorado and Littleton’s South Platte Park ranked first.   Chadbourne would like to preserve the park but she doesn’t see it happening.

Pat Cronenberger commended the council on their decision to go to South Metro.

Tina Witham, a downtown merchant, asked council to amend the Street Closure Ordinance.  How many closures are enough?  She looked at Cherry Creek and they closed the streets one time a year for the Arts Festival.  She knows of three times the streets in downtown are closed and it hurts business.  She asked that street closures be limited to Sundays – no more Saturday closures.  She had the support of several other business owners in downtown.

Tom Witham told council that “The Big Wonderful” set for the 26^thwould hurt their business. Their customers will not be able to get to their parking lot.  He asked for a format for approving special events.  They need to address the impacts this has on business.  One business owner he knows was bullied into signing the approval sheet and was told that if she couldn’t make money with 1,000 people in downtown she did not know how to run a business.  He also wants full disclosure – he doesn’t think a lot of business owners know that there will be seven food trucks, two jewelry vendors, and five clothing vendors in direct competition with the downtown merchants.

Consent Agenda Items

a) Resolution 22-2018 – A resolution approving an Intergovernmental Joint Cooperation Agreement and Home Consortium Agreement Between Arapahoe County and City of Littleton Relating to the Conduct of Community Development Block Grant Program and Home Investment Partnerships Program

b) Resolution 23-2018 – A resolution approving an Intergovernmental Agreement for Collaborative Transportation Forum with City of Aurora, Town of Bennett, Town of Bowmar, City of Centennial, City of Cherry Hills Village, Town of Columbine Valley, Town of Deer Trail, City of Englewood, Town of Foxfield, City of Glendale, City of Greenwood Village, City of Sheridan, and Arapahoe County

c) Resolution 24-2018 – A resolution authorizing the approval of the 2017 Arapahoe County Community Development Block Grant Program Subgrantee Agreement for the Littleton Sidewalk Improvements Program

d) Resolution 25-2018 – A resolution approving a fourth amendment to the agreement for RTD funding of local transportation services

e) ID# 18-168 Attachments – Motion to approve updating the “Protocols and Standards of Conduct”, and adopting the Council’s “Rules of Engagement”

f) ID# 18-155 – Approval of the May 1, 2018 regular meeting minutes

All items passed 7/0.

Ordinances on Second Reading and Public Hearing

21-2018 An ordinance on second reading to amend the Safeway Oakbrook Shopping Center General Planned Development Plan for Lot 7, Block 1

This involves parking auto inventory overnight in a lot belonging to Ford Auto Nation as a permitted use.  Planning Commission approved with ten conditions.  David from Auto Nation talked about the community process and how they learned that the previous owner did not honor some of the commitments they had with neighbors and the new owner is making good on those commitments.

Pam Chadbourne spoke about how this was a missed opportunity.  This is not a good use for the land.  There was a time that Littleton wanted to move away from car dealerships on Broadway and this action is more entrenchment.  They needed to figure out what higher-level development is. Using a PDO has changed downtown forever.  She did commend the Planning Commission for adding the conditions.

Karina Elrod moved and Jerry Valdes seconded.  Carol Fey moved to amend the Ordinance by adding language to require appropriate screening with an appropriate number of plantings along Phillips Avenue.  Valdes seconded.  Peggy Cole amended Fey’s amendment by requiring the plantings be evergreen.  Driscoll seconded and motion failed 1/6 with Cole the only Aye vote.  Fey’s amendment passed 7/0 and the main motion passed 7/0.

20-2018 – An ordinance on second reading to amend Title 10, Chapter 9, Planned Development Overlay, and Chapter 2, Zone Districts

This action updated the Zoning Code by removing the option for a PDO in any of the city’s residential zones, eliminated the option for a reduction in required parking, and eliminated the option to increase density in the CA district.  There was also some clean up language included in the update. Kyle Schlachter moved and Valdes seconded.  Karina Elrod offered an amendment for the R-4 District, specifically for townhomes, a minimum lot size of 3,250 square feet and minimum lot frontage of 30 feet, and a new internal setback of zero feet.  All other existing applicable zoning standards for townhomes in the R-4 District are the same and do not change. The vote on the amendment is 7-0.  Main motion also passed 7/0.

Reports

Steve Kemp provided the council with a write up to citizen comments at the last council meeting.

First – a citizen commented that the council was not prohibited by the Open Meetings Law to respond to citizens that address them at their meetings in public comment.  Kemp wrote that if the council responds to a citizen it may lead to legislation or council discussion defeating the Open Meetings Law which provides public notice be given to the public about what will be discussed at the meeting.  He prefers council to allow staff to respond or add the item to their agenda.

Second – the subject is the limitation to discussion of an item on first reading.  Kemp said it is contrary to the Charter for the discussion of the substance of an ordinance on first reading.

Fey thought the Oakbrook approval was handled very well and the incorporation of the public in the process was lovely.

Brinkman asked for council’s support to bring forward an ordinance to extend the no smoking ban to parks and open space.  She said there was no urgency but thought fall would be a good time.  In the last six months she has had an excess of over a dozen calls about people being uncomfortable entering and exiting Bemis and this may be a way to manage the concern of the homeless hanging out there. And, it leaves debris on the trails and is a fire danger.