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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-20-19 Com Dev. Com. MinutesDUBLIN CITY COUNCIL COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE Tuesday, August 20, 2019 Minutes of Meeting Mr. Reiner called the meeting of the Community Development Committee to order at 5:00 p.m. in Council Chambers. Committee members present: Mr. Reiner, Ms. De Rosa, Vice Mayor Amorose Groomes. Staff members present: Mr. McDaniel, Ms. Goss, Ms. Readler, Ms. Rauch, Ms. Noble, Ms. Puranik, Mr. Boggs and Ms. Weisenauer. Approval of Minutes Approval of Minutes of May 8, 2019 Vice Mayor Amorose Groomes moved approval of the minutes. Ms. De Rosa seconded the motion. Vote on the motion: Mr. Reiner, yes; Ms. De Rosa, yes; Vice Mayor Amorose Groomes, yes. Approval of Minutes of May 22, 2019 Vice Mayor Amorose Groomes moved approval of the minutes. Ms. De Rosa seconded the motion. Vote on the motion: Mr. Reiner, yes; Ms. De Rosa, yes; Vice Mayor Amorose Groomes, yes. Historic Dublin Fagade Grant Application — 106 S. High Street Ms. Rauch noted that $100,000 was allocated for these grants for 2019; one request was recently approved by Council for $15,000, leaving $85,000 available for grants. The 106 S. High Street application is for a $15,000 grant. The building, located at the southeast corner of S. High Street and Pinney Hill Lane was built in 1900 and an addition to the rear was built later. Currently, the building is being used as a ReMax office. The proposed improvements have four major components: 1. Site and landscape improvements, including the sides and adding seating along the south elevation. 2. Fagade improvements, cleaning and tuckpointing the stone on the north and east facades to help restore the original stone foundation. 3. Glazing repairs and window replacement of the applicable windows on the back. The windows on the front and side that are part of the historic building will be reglazed and maintained as they are. 4. Exterior painting of the entire building. The total costs of these improvements is about $45,000, and they are requesting a $15,000 grant toward the project. They are required to be reviewed by ARB, and that will occur on August 28. Staff plans to recommend approval of the proposal, as they are in line with City guidelines. The grant recommendation would then go to Council for final approval, pending the Committee's action tonight. Mr. Reiner asked for clarification of the grant eligibility amount. Committee Development Committee Minutes August 20, 2019 Page 2 of 16 Ms. Rauch responded that $5,000 is the minimum grant request and $15,000 is the maximum grant request. Mr. Reiner asked if the owner is present, and Ms. Rauch confirmed he is present. Vice Mayor Amorose Groomes asked about a planting. There is a redbud tree on the south side of the building in the lawn panel. Is there any possibility of making that more of a shade tree area? There have been trees lost along S. High Street and having additional canopy growth in that area would be positive. Is there a reason for an ornamental versus a canopy tree? John Anderson, 5403 Ridge Lane Drive, Hilliard stated that the redbud tree was decorative in purpose. He is not opposed to planting a larger tree as suggested. Vice Mayor Amorose Groomes asked if any of the trees out front are slated for removal by AEP. Ms. Rauch stated she will check on that. Staff can make a condition of changing out that tree when it goes for ARB review. Vice Mayor Amorose Groomes added she would like to see some canopy established in the area, given this fairly wide spot -- perhaps a honey locust or other non-invasive planting. Mr. Reiner asked about the mini -park— is this a lot and a half? It seems the house is off to the left and then there is a mini park. Does he own all of this property? Mr. Anderson responded it is a small seating area where a brick walkway will be extended from the porch to the brick sidewalk along the street. Mr. Reiner wanted to confirm that the lot cannot be subdivided in the future and that this will be a permanent fixture. Mr. Anderson stated this is entirely on their property. Vice Mayor Amorose Groomes stated this will be a wonderful space and the bench will be very well utilized. It is good to see people reinvesting in the Historic District. Does he know what color the building may have been originally? Mr. Anderson stated he does not. There is a photo in the Historic Dublin Guidelines that pictures the building, but it does not have a lot of color as he recalls. Vice Mayor Amorose Groomes stated that the proposed grey with dark green shutters will be attractive. Mr. Reiner asked what the use of the building will be. Mr. Anderson responded the current ReMax tenants are in the first year of a five-year lease extension, so they plan to remain in this property. Ms. De Rosa asked about the stone foundation restoration. Are the repairs generally cosmetic? Mr. Anderson responded a stone mason has reviewed this and believes it is a cosmetic repair, not structural. It is a process of removing the paint and stucco used over the years; hopefully, the stone underneath is worth displaying. Vice Mayor Amorose Groomes asked if there is any stormwater management system in the area to tie their downspouts into. Ms. Rauch responded she is not certain. There are stormwater exemptions for some smaller sites, so she is not certain of any requirement. Mr. Anderson stated they plan to fix the downspout. They believe there is underground drainage that leads to the street and they will try to hook into that. Committee Development Committee Minutes August 20, 2019 Page 3 of 16 Ms. De Rosa stated that this will be a lovely enhancement to the Historic District. Mr. Reiner thanked the applicant for making plans to improve the District. Mr. Anderson thanked Council for having this generous grant program available. Vice Mayor Amorose Groomes moved approval of the grant of $15,000 for 106 S. High Street. Ms. De Rosa seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously. Mr. Reiner stated that this recommendation will be forwarded to City Council, following the ARB review. West Transition Zoning District in Bridge Street District (Downtown Dublin Transition District) Ms. Noble stated that consultant Greg Dale is assisting in managing this case. She will address the following tonight: the background of the project and status; the results of numerous stakeholder meetings with residents and property owners; analysis of what they are seeking input on from the Committee; and next steps. The West Transition Zoning District is the area west of the Dublin Cemetery, extending to Frantz Road, includes the Dublin Schools property and both sides of Bridge Street. This project began with numerous Planning projects before both City Council and the Community Development Committee focused on the area just west of the Historic District. Currently, under the Bridge Street zoning district, the proposals can involve from one to six stories. The massing became a concern in numerous projects, including the Bridge Street Code updates. The Monterey project originally began with the West Bridge Street Framework Plan that dates to September 2006. In that project, staff attempted to address this massing issue to see if there were measures that could be taken to ensure the massing was appropriate and remain in line with the Historic District. At some point, staff concluded this was something that needed to be addressed holistically, bringing this to its current status. In terms of resident input, they originally began with the Monterey site. The residents were involved at the forefront of a project being proposed and were asked for feedback on what they wanted to see on the site. (She shared a slide showing the site location.) Staff had one-on-one interviews with residents and hosted a public information session to obtain this input. The following input was received about the concerns related to development character and uses: • Generally supportive of 2-3 story building heights with lower on Monterey Drive • Support expressed for extending the Dublin Cemetery • Preferred "Old Dublin" character rather than Bridge Park • Concerns about more traffic along W. Bridge Street and need to address how traffic transitions from 270 to the Historic District by narrowing lanes, adding medians, etc. • Walkability and pedestrian movement is important — sidewalks and crosswalks • Generally supportive of neighborhood scale, first floor commercial fronting on West Bridge Street- no bars • Strong opposition to any high structures, including parking structures • Mixed reaction for on -street parking — the residents want parking to be addressed on site and not impact their communities Committee Development Committee Minutes August 20, 2019 Page 4 of 16 Requested signalized intersection at Monterey Drive/Bridge Street One of the residential property owners expressed support for limiting the height to two stories to remain compatible with their use. Buffering and additional landscaping would be desired between commercial and residential land uses. Staff then interviewed the property owners for their input. (Property owners listed on the map as Heartland Bank, CRI Outparcels LLC, Dublin Plaza LP, OhioHealth, Carolyn Nash, West Bridge Street Associates, Realty Income, William Robson, Kevin O'Conner, Merlin Moon, Dublin Development LLC, Dublin City Schools and City of Dublin.) Staff was able to make contact with a majority of the property owners — 10 of 13. The interviews were positive and the following comments were received: Two property owners expressed an immediate interest to develop their properties and acquire additional properties to develop along both sides of West Bridge Street. Other property owners stated they had no initial plans to develop, therefore had no objections to limiting to two stories. Many property owners were more concerned with any potential development standards that would limit their ability to update/expand their sites. Other property owners stated that they would be concerned with use restrictions. In terms of the residential and development community impacts, it is based upon not only building height, but massing. To address this issue, staff divided the corridor into four quadrants to discuss them specifically and receive feedback from the Committee. • The first quadrant is the office complex concentrated on the north side of Bridge Street and is not adjacent to residential development. It is adjacent to the interstate. In this quadrant, there is a significant topography change. There is an existing building of three stories. Would these factors warrant any type of consideration in terms of building height or mass? • The second quadrant is the Dublin City Schools site on the north side of Bridge Street and not adjacent to residential. This is unique, based on the size of the property and the fact it is under single ownership. Redevelopment is easier for these reasons. Does this warrant any type of different considerations for building height? • The third quadrant is the retail plaza east of Frantz Road and generally adjacent to the hotels along Frantz Road. There is close proximity to the interstate. This area is vital in transitioning to the Historic District. Due to the size of this site and its adjacency to the tower structures of the hotels, does it warrant any type of consideration for building height? • The fourth quadrant is the Monterey site and is the most sensitive due to proximity to residential development. There have been several meetings related to the Monterey site. Most of the residential communities have expressed explicit interest in keeping any type of structures to the south to two stories. Staff did discuss what the residents would envision in development along West Bridge Street. Two to three-story buildings were discussed. In meeting with property owners, there was discussion of development projects to the north and south side of Bridge Street. Essentially, limiting the buildings to two stories would render that development project unfeasible. Is this something the Committee Development Committee Minutes August 20, 2019 Page 5 of 16 Committee would like to discuss, specifically the properties that abut West Bridge Street? • As an addendum, the school property is a large component of this particular area. Conversations with the Schools have not occurred to date; there is a proposal to talk with them in September. Currently, the HD dissects this property and the desire is to look at this property in its entirety and either subject the property to the HD under the purview of ARB or the option to position it in this district, subject to the PZC. She asked if the Committee has any input about this, or should this be left to the Schools' discretion? She summarized the topic that staff would like input from the Committee about. Of the four quadrants, does the Committee believe there are any elements that warrant discussion in terms of exceeding the two-story maximum under discussion currently and are there any other considerations the Committee would have? She invited comments about any of the public processes that have taken place. The consultant, Greg Dale, is present tonight. There is also a property owner who has participated in the process who would welcome any feedback from the Committee. Mr. Reiner stated in regard to Quadrants 1 and 2, since they both do not border residential, he had always hoped that a historical two-story look would continue up the street on the frontage. For the rest, this could be another opportunity — especially the school site — for a walkable, wonderful small "city" that would benefit the residents who live in that area. These two quadrants should be open for future development to see what could happen, as it won't impact residents. In regard to Quadrant 3, the retail plaza, he believes it is in the hands of Casto who purchased it from Solove. He had hoped they would reverse the existing development — bringing the new center out to the street with parking behind it. This would provide a continuous street fagade all the way to the cemetery. Perhaps discussion could be held with the owner. Ms. Noble stated that Charlie Frost is the contact for the owner and is an attorney. Mr. Reiner continued that this could be a great addition to the community, having such a continuous fagade along Bridge Street. For the Monterey site (Quadrant 4), he would like to spend more time seeing what impact any development would have on their viewsheds and how they perceive the impacts. He agrees with the comment about abutting zonings being buffered with a stone wall, mounding, or plantings to ensure property values are maintained. This law has been in Dublin's Code for many years. Ms. De Rosa stated she understands why these are broken into quadrants. However, if this is really Dublin's gateway into the community, thinking of them holistically is equally important. There are different elements for each, and therein lies the challenge. For her, coming off the freeway entering Dublin, she would like to feel that this is interesting, this is exciting, and "wow"— one is entering the Historic District. There are the transitions among these and Planning can certainly articulate this in a better manner. For her, in thinking of massing and size, she thinks more about personality. She does not have concerns with three stories if it fits the feel of the community — certainly not eight stories, but part of a transition that feels right. It is more about the character than that, within limits. She respects the input of the neighborhood Committee Development Committee Minutes August 20, 2019 Page 6 of 16 and property owners and it makes sense to limit to two or three stories in some of this. Her fear is by doing this piecemeal versus holistic, we may not obtain the feel that we necessarily desire. She agrees with Mr. Reiner's comments in general that activity along the road frontage is desired and parking in the back — feeling that warmness coming off the freeway, yet the vibrancy as well. This will require some ingenuity. She would want to invite the developers who are interested to bring that character and thought forward, as that will make it most interesting. She cautions not to be too much "pieces and parts" in this approach. Ms. Noble clarified that the area was dissected in order to have a conversation. Staff would view this holistically. Ms. De Rosa responded she is aware of that, and agrees there are certain distinct things going on. But she senses there is a wonderful opportunity, given this is the gateway into the community, to do some interesting and innovative things. The Shawan Falls are in this area and it is most important to protect the falls and make the area around it walkable. The natural layout of this provides wonderful opportunities for a design to connect that flow. How to integrate the falls better, while at the same time preserving the unique, isolated feel in that park is key. Mr. Reiner agrees with the unanimity of the design coming up both sides of Bridge Street on the street fagade. But after that, behind that on the other parcels could be condominiums, walkable, with a mini commercial center in them. But it is important to organize this on both sides all the way down Bridge Street. Ms. Noble stated the Indian Run Park is such a nice pocket within a busy area — a protected and quiet space. It is a hidden treasure. Ms. De Rosa agreed --within a few steps, one feels they are in a different place. So how do you capture that and protect that at the same time? It is an important consideration. Vice Mayor Amorose Groomes stated the following: Quadrant 3 - she read in the documents that the property owner of Quadrant 3 was not interested in having a discussion. She is not certain why the City would want to put zoning on that at this time. It should probably be left in the zoning it was prior to Bridge Street zoning. She noted that this whole exercise came about when an architect did a visual fly -through of the area of what the capacity was for this stretch of Bridge Street. She was horrified by what she saw — with Bridge Park buildings set all the way up on the road. And it was only half a block deep, resulting in an artificial tunnel feel. That is what prompted this exercise about the entryway for the City into the Historic District. And that is why the name "Transition District' came about, as there was need for a transition into the Historic District and to allow the river to transition out of the Historic District. Quadrant 1 - all that being said, she is hopeful -- because of the Indian Run Falls and the sensitive areas there — that the parcel comes in as a PUD. She hopes that someone does something more creative than meets the letter of the Code. It is a special piece of property. Quadrant 2 - she suspects the 1919 Building will always remain, and that building will set the tone for that site. She would like to have some transitional zoning in place to protect it from what was seen in the animation video. Hopefully, someone will bring forward something far more creative with open spaces and engagement with nature. She would prefer to keep the Committee Development Committee Minutes August 20, 2019 Page 7 of 16 heights low and encourages a PUD proposal to demonstrate what can be done versus providing 60 percent lot coverage and two stories on the entire development. That will result in a very unimaginative proposal. For quadrant 4, Monterey, it definitely needs to be transitional into the residential neighborhood. We must be sensitive in this quadrant. Two stories can feel very different — for example, the Mezzo building versus the building housing Jeni's. Size and scale is important, and it must feel human scale. Her goal would be it has to be a size and mass that would be appropriate and sensitive to the adjacent neighboring uses. Three stories overlooking a cemetery is not appropriate. She would not rule out three stories on the portion along Bridge Street, and perhaps it would tier down into the neighborhood — assuming it is of human scale and appropriately done. For quadrant 1, it will be a difficult parcel to develop, given the proximity to Shawan Falls. It is probably the most appropriate of the four quadrants to have a three-story limit. Perhaps the three stories could be in the back on this piece, with the two story buildings on the street — maybe a rooftop garden or patio could help make the transition down to the street. For consideration of three stories, this is the one she would be most interesting in. For the kind of quality architecture that parcel deserves, it might be necessary to have that height to obtain it. She commented she was driving into Westerville yesterday from X Highway off of 270 and that had always been a route into the Historic District of Westerville, kind of an equivalent of the area of tonight's discussion. They have more space than Dublin has, but they have done a fantastic job of improving the aesthetics — beautiful lamp posts with ornate lights, flower baskets and boxes, yet the buildings behind all of this have not changed much — particularly on the west side of the road. If Casto has a 50 -year lease in place for the Plaza where Kroger is located, it will likely remain due to the market demand. In the elements of architecture and height, that is one piece of the puzzle; the other piece is the streetscape. The streetscape in place now is not attractive. If we do great buildings and poor streetscape, that is not adequate. Dublin is a town that deserves a nice welcome mat, and currently that does not exist. She is not vehemently opposed to having some height elements on the north side of Bridge Street, but it must be well done. For the south side, she is more inclined to support two-story elements, but they must be of human scale. Mr. Reiner added for clarification that the Bridge Street Plaza where Kroger is located could certainly be redesigned, with the grocery store along the street frontage. A new fagade could be created, with parking behind it. Vice Mayor Amorose Groomes stated that if other properties along Bridge Street are improved, perhaps the Plaza owner would want to do that as well. If we create a great streetscape and encourage great architecture in this area, perhaps they will reconsider. Mr. Reiner stated it is certainly worthwhile to contact the owner. Ms. Noble added that staff has had multiple conversations with the owner about redesigning that site, given its potential. To date, however, the retail plaza is very successful and the owner has expressed no interest in anything. Vice Mayor Amorose Groomes stated that if the rest of the area were improved, she believes that the plaza would be redesigned as well. Committee Development Committee Minutes August 20, 2019 Page 8 of 16 Ms. De Rosa noted that there are quite a few businesses on the outparcels of that plaza as well. McDonald's is currently being renovated. Ms. Noble stated that the tenants for the most part are long-term. Perhaps pushing change is the direction to move this forward. Mr. Reiner invited public testimony. Cliff Nash, CPA, Nash & Associates, 220 W. Bridge Street testified that his office is located in Quadrant 1 near Shawan Falls. The property behind his office is owned by Dr. Craig Wright who wants to retire and sell his building. Mr. Nash noted he represents the people in Quadrant 4, Monterey, as an adviser. That property is adjacent to the cemetery. There are six plus acres at Monterey and plans have been developed and worked on for four to five years based on heights of three, four and five stories. Three stories will not work financially on Monterey, given the price of the land. He does not believe that is feasible for any of the land along Bridge Street, except for one piece where his office is located. When he first met with Ms. Noble four to five weeks ago and a staff planner, this was discussed. If you want to have an outstanding appearance when coming into the Bridge Street District, Council likely desires to have better development. He believes there is a good opportunity for the City to start the west side of the West Bridge Street corridor in a classy manner. The person they are working with is Yaromir Steiner, a major developer. Brad Daniels and Jeff Rush own the property at Monterey, but they do not live in the area. They want to be on record as interested in doing this development. In terms of Quadrant 1, the building he has is nice but he is at a crossroads in his life. City staff he had met with previously were very supportive of the proposals he and his partners were developing. It is an opportunity for the City to have a group of people who own property that is contiguous. It would be nice to redevelop the gas station site. He would like Council to consider his input when deciding how to proceed. He asked if there is a timetable for a decision. Mr. Reiner responded this is a preliminary hearing to gather some ideas on how these four areas should be developed. The combination of Planning staff and Council will make the final decisions on how to move forward. Mr. Nash noted he is 75, and there are people interested in renovating his building to sell it, if he is interested in doing so. However, he would prefer to work with the City to leave a legacy that introduces the right denominator in the corridor. Vice Mayor Amorose Groomes commented there is nothing that would prevent him from having his proposals reviewed by the Planning and Zoning Commission. It could be brought forward as a PUD. This committee will give recommendation to Council at the conclusion of tonight's meeting, and she assumes Council would review the recommendations thereafter. She encouraged him to make application at any time for development. Presently, the zoning is Bridge Street zoning. Mr. Nash responded that he hopes to have plans completed in the next 30-45 days with Steiner + Associates. The first step will likely be with staff for review. He appreciates the Committee's consideration and wanted to provide his input. Mr. Reiner asked if he has any opinion about the views of the residents for these parcels Committee Development Committee Minutes August 20, 2019 Page 9 of 16 Mr. Nash responded he lives in Waterford Village. When his group purchased the twin singles along Monterey, he became the neighborhood "hero." As to the height of buildings, he did not hear any negativity in response to the plans he has shared. Vice Mayor Amorose Groomes asked what heights were shown to the residents. Mr. Nash responded that most of the buildings were four stories. For his property across the street, three stories will work. But for the Monterey ones, three stories is not financially feasible. There was no further discussion. Status Report on the Dublin Corporate Area Rezoning Project Ms. Puranik provided a brief update on the project implementation. In March of 2019, CDC recommended a phased approach for implementation of the plan. Since that time, staff has engaged with community members and an update is being provided tonight. The DCAP covers three of the major economic development districts within the City — Metro Center, Blazer District and Emerald District. The idea was to create a set of conditions for reinvestment within the area to attract and retain jobs. DCAP is now part of the Community Plan since its adoption in 2018. Staff is now working on the zoning implementation stage. The project goals are to create an environment to revitalize Metro/Blazer area. It also covers the area east of Frantz Road, and that is Phase 1 for implementation. Greg Dale is the consultant assisting with this project, actually writing zoning code and the implementation process. He accompanied staff at community engagement meetings, along with Vice Mayor Amorose Groomes. This update will focus on potential next steps. Greg Dale, Principal, McBride Dale Clarion stated that the DCAP recommends land use categories, which could be easily translated into zoning districts — Mixed Use Regional Districts. (He shared a map of the area.) The very northern edge of the eastern slice shown on the map is actually not in the City, but is in the township. It was accounted for in the Plan, but for tonight's purposes would not be involved. The approach, which came out of the previous discussion with the Committee, was based on a number of options — from doing nothing to a comprehensive rezoning of everything and some variations in between. The Committee recommended a hybrid option, which is to begin with Phase 1, Llewellyn Farms. This was based upon the proximity to the existing residential neighborhoods and the concerns they have raised about land use impacts. The Plan designates this area for office uses only — not like other parts of the DCAP plan where they talk of retail uses or entertainment/restaurant kind of uses. This is for straightforward office uses. It is two stories in height, with exception of the area just south of Tuttle as those are already three-story, fairly new buildings. Augmenting or enhancing buffering standards and other operational standards that might relate to things like lighting on site, etc. to strengthen those standards. This would include both zoning regulations through that district, supplemented by design guidelines to address those kinds of design issues. Phase II is the Metro/Blazer area and the frontage of the rest of Frantz Road. He noted that a lot of the remaining areas are a mix of straight zoning and PUDs from different areas. Staff would work with the consultants on researching those areas, looking at the development Committee Development Committee Minutes August 20, 2019 Page 10 of 16 standards buried in various PUDs and assess with Council whether to continue with a Phase III or IV, or leave those as is. The memo provides an outline of what the Mixed Use Residential District could look like. The only challenging part is that what is proposed is to develop the regulations for the MUR-4 or Phase 1, but at the same time create the framework to be able to fill in future phases as needed. So there may be an overall framework of purpose statements, but only specific land uses would be identified here. The analogy in terms of the zoning regulations is creating the framework for a house, but finishing only one room at this point. When and if Council moves forward with future phases, it would be important not to have to "invent the wheel" each time — but rather creating the structure for all of this to be filled in. Mr. Dale stated that they want to make more effort to connect with other property owners. One property owner attended the meeting at the library and about a dozen residents attended, who had attended other meetings. There is additional effort needed to reach out again to all of the property owners. Then, Phase 1 drafting can proceed — targeting the end of the year. Potentially, Phase II would occur in early 2020, and revisiting possible phases in the future with research in the second half of 2020. Then it would proceed to the public review process. Vice Mayor Amorose Groomes stated she did attend the property owner and resident meeting, and the residents were more than supportive — in fact, encouraging the process. They really like the phasing aspect, and there is not a lot of development or redevelopment pressure at this time. It makes the residents more comfortable with what will occur around them. She is doubtful that a lot of participation from property owners will occur, as there is not a lot of pressure for redevelopment. Mr. Dale stated that there is a plan in place, and any property owner can come in at any time for discussion. Ms. De Rosa clarified that as part of Phase 1 a framework will be established for the entire plan, as well. When it moves forward, the very first step will encapsulate the fundamentals of the rest. As long as that is in place, the development of the pieces and parts will then occur. Mr. Dale stated that future phases/rezonings can follow on that. Ms. De Rosa stated that people could see the overall desire with the framework, and that becomes Code and moves forward, phase by phase. Vice Mayor Amorose Groomes stated these are the things that will be needed up and down Bridge Street. The City will have to supplement the planning vision with some tangible things — beautiful street lights, baskets, etc. - and that will be part of the genesis of what will make the rest occur. Phase 1 of DCAP will be the most challenging one because of the adjacent residential neighbors. So taking on the most challenging one first will make the rest of the plan much smoother. Mr. Dale stated that on page 4 of the memo, it speaks of the purpose statement and then, in bold, it talks about when Phase 1 is done, that the general purpose statements for all of the districts will be drafted. In the District uses and specific use standards, we would only be drafting those for the MUR-4. Ultimately, there is a map amendment involved and we would only do the map amendment for the first phase. Committee Development Committee Minutes August 20, 2019 Page 11 of 16 Ms. De Rosa stated that it creates consistency overall — setting the tone for everything, which is an opportunity not often available. This makes good sense. Mr. Reiner stated he enjoyed seeing the concepts of what Metro/Blazer could look like in the future. Mr. Dale responded that their firm did not prepare the graphics, but it does show good leadership on the City's part to get ahead of that issue. He is working in many communities where they are beginning to look at 20-30 year old office parks and have concerns. Dublin is on the right track to stay ahead of that. Ms. De Rosa asked what cities Dublin should look to that are doing this well. Mr. Dale responded that the Blue Ash, Ohio is also undertaking the same efforts to address the same issues. There are similar issues around the Research Triangle area, which was the classic 1970s/80s/90s suburban campus style office park and it is going through significant retrofitting. They are probably ahead of the curve. Their firm is also working in Henerico County, Virginia in the western part of the county, where they are addressing the same kind of issues. It is not an easy fix, as it involves retrofitting existing uses and will be a heavy lift. Ms. De Rosa added that Dublin's area is still functioning well — there is not an urgency to fix things. Mr. Dale responded that they are hearing from property corners of their concerns — that the kind of places where people want to work is different than it was in the 1980s. Mr. Reiner agreed that he has heard the same. Would it be beneficial for Council to take a field trip to a location where this kind of retrofitting has worked? Visuals are really important. Mr. Dale agreed that field trips are very beneficial. Key would be finding the right place to visit. They could look into that with staff. Or perhaps they could just send some links to information about other places where this is underway. It is an evolving field in the planning profession — retrofitting suburban office parks. Vice Mayor Amorose Groomes commented this one would be easier to retrofit than many, such as the Research Triangle. All of the components of mixed use are already existing in Metro/Blazer. One of the biggest challenges is connecting them and making them feel pedestrian. There are restaurants, ice cream shops, banks, multi -family housing all existing within one half mile radius of that. It is a matter of connecting it and supplementing it. Mr. Dale stated that, as low density of scale as that is, his sense is it is more compact than many suburban office parks. The conditions here are more conducive to this effort. Mr. Reiner noted there is adequate land around the Metro Center to infill with something interesting, given the right developer. Vice Mayor Amorose Groomes noted that having a couple of parking garages could make a difference. Update on Short -Term Rental Ms. Readler stated that Council discussed the potential regulation of short-term rental properties and asked the Committee to explore further potential regulations. The Law Committee Development Committee Minutes August 20, 2019 Page 12 of 16 Department, in consultation with Planning, Code Enforcement, and Police has developed several options for the Committee to consider. Mr. Boggs from Frost Brown Todd will present those options. Mr. Boggs stated a memo was provided in the packet, updating information provided in 2017. Staff has tried to keep abreast of how this has been developing over the past couple of years, as the short-term rental options have generally increased in popularity. There remain only modest numbers of such properties in Dublin, but the market in Columbus and Central Ohio seems to be growing. Today, he found online two properties for rent next weekend in Muirfield Village and two off of Avery Road. These were the only ones listed in the Dublin city limits at this time. Nonetheless, there are concerns that accompany these types of uses. These include parking, noise, littering, and property maintenance issues with an absentee owner who has people coming in and out for rental, plus the potential that an absentee owner would not maintain their property to the neighborhood standards. Columbus, as of the beginning of 2019, implemented a registration requirement for short-term rentals. These can be registered by the property owner or by the occupant of the property. This all became effective January 1, with other portions effective March 1, 2019. Mr. Reiner asked for clarification. He viewed some available in Upper Arlington for weekend rental, and he has heard comments about the properties not being maintained. Who is required to register in Columbus? The owners may register their short-term rental property with the City of Columbus, but they are essentially running a hotel. Are they paying hotel -motel taxes? Mr. Boggs responded there is an excise tax imposed under the hotel tax in Columbus. Mr. Boggs continued. The other end of the spectrum is in Upper Arlington, where they had a one-year moratorium on short-term rentals and followed that with an outright ban in the residential areas of the City — 95 percent of the City. However, looking on AirBNB, there are still postings for short-term rentals in UA. In terms of what UA has been able to do in terms of effective enforcement, staff does not have feedback on that yet. The options that are suggested for the Committee to consider include: 1. Maintaining the status quo and addressing problems as they arise, based on existing provisions of the Code. If there is excessive noise from a party, there is a noise ordinance in the Dublin Code. 2. Another option would be to create a good neighbor type of brochure, identified through the VRBO or AirBNB or other with hostings posted and proactively reach out to them, reminding them that these uses can impact the community and remind them of their responsibility to ensure their guests are being respectful of the neighborhood and greater community. 3. Other options identified include a zoning option — making a conditional use either in all residential districts or in some, but not others. Planning staff could assist with an individualized assessment by areas of the City where a conditional use may be more appropriate versus a permitted use being appropriate. If a conditional use, then it would be reviewed by PZC and a public hearing process would take place. 4. Another option is to simply ban short-term rentals such as Upper Arlington has done, but it is not known how effective that is in terms of how it can be enforced and is it Committee Development Committee Minutes August 20, 2019 Page 13 of 16 something that the community would favor on balance. Staff is seeking feedback tonight on any other ideas the Committee may have for options to address the short-term rental issue. If not, is there an option that the Committee would like staff to move forward with by drafting legislation? Finally, would the Committee want that legislation to be reviewed by this body, or could it simply be forwarded to Council for review? Mr. Reiner asked the Committee members for their input. Vice Mayor Amorose Groomes stated that several years ago, a house on her street was listed on VRBO. Primarily, its use was around the Irish Festival, soccer tournaments, and also daytime entertaining during the Memorial Tournament. For 15-18 weekends per year, that house would be occupied by other than the owners. It was very disruptive to the neighborhood. There were large numbers of guests staying in a house that did not accommodate that number. It caused a lot of neighborhood tension and problems. She is supportive of taking some action. She understands the federal tax law allows one to rent his/her primary residence for up to two weeks per year. But above that period of time, the City should move in the direction of having a registry for short-term rentals. It would likely require enforcement, but there would be something in the Dublin laws to enforce as there is currently not such a law requiring registry. We could monitor the situation and if a rental property is not registered, we could prevent them from offering such a service. She does not believe banning these throughout the City is warranted at this time, but it would be worthwhile to begin collecting data. It would not be a good use of staff time to spend a great deal of time on this, but having a law on the books would provide an additional tool should it be needed. She would support gaining an understanding of what is being used for short-term rentals and having a tool available, should the rentals become problematic and not registered. Ms. De Rosa stated she has had residents contact her to ask what are the rules regarding short- term rentals. There have been some bad experiences with this — many cars on the street, trash after the weekend, etc. She is aware there are enforcement mechanisms in place to address these issues. However, if the City is not aware that short-term rentals exist, it is hard to enforce and the residents do not know what they are able to do or not do about the problems. She is not certain that a good neighbor brochure provided to someone who may or may not be the homeowner is a sufficient step. She also supports a registration approach, which would be different than licensing, as she understands. It is not about collecting tax, but simply registering. Vice Mayor Amorose Groomes stated that during the Tournament, if one plans to have corporate guests in their home, they are required to register that their home will have this activity. Ms. De Rosa stated that registration is the first step, and maybe later a registration fee if a need arises for someone to manage all of this. She does not believe that the City can completely ban this practice, and maybe that is not fair to the residents. But if a registration is put in place, and then, if problems develop over time, legislation may be needed to regulate this. The City needs to begin with a registration program to manage and monitor this, devising some rules. The question for her is how many nights per year of rental would trigger the need to register. Her input from residents is not regarding a week or two of rental per year — it is Committee Development Committee Minutes August 20, 2019 Page 14 of 16 about ongoing businesses of short-term rental. Perhaps a month or less per year of rental would not require registration, but beyond that it would require registration. The homeowner is really operating a business at that point and there should be a registration. Mr. Reiner stated that he agrees with his colleagues that the City should begin a registration program, particularly because sometimes rental properties are not well maintained. He has had rental properties for over 35 years and in the location he chose, it required a license and payment of taxes to the government. In essence, it was a hotel tax and a license for the house to be used for rental. He believes the City should start registering the short-term rentals to understand how many exist in the City. There has been corporate rental in Muirfield for corporate events related to the Tournament, resulting in problems with traffic and neighborhood impact. Mr. Reiner invited public testimony. Frank Fraas, 7735 Kate Brown Drive, President of Brandon Homeowners Association stated there is a short-term rental property in their neighborhood. He does not believe the owners live in the property. The largest concern is the safety aspect. Earlier this year, there was a shooting on the east side of Columbus in an AirBNB and five people were shot. The property owner who rented the property believed it was rented to two people, but five people were shot. The neighbors do not want that kind of activity in the neighborhood. Neighbors have complained about it, especially the parking. To date, they have been fortunate that serious issues have not occurred. He is aware that college athletic teams have rented this property, consisting of 20 or more people arriving in a van. They have had soccer team rentals, as well. The rentals during the Irish Festival were by couples, and there were not issues. The registration requirement would be great, as the neighbors would like to know when the property is being rented. The possibility of notification to the neighbors of some type regarding an upcoming rental of the property, how many people are expected, etc. would be welcomed. They don't believe the good neighbor brochure would be effective. Another question is if this is considered a commercial business. The covenants of the subdivision indicate no commercial businesses are allowed to operate inside Brandon. If that is the case, the HOA will look into what can be done on its own to prevent this. If it is a commercial business, why are they not paying taxes, why is no bed tax imposed, why are there no health inspections? These are concerns expressed by the neighbors. About five houses in Brandon are rentals, and a couple are not being maintained. The Brandon covenants do not enable actions to be taken. Their concern with AirBNB and similar rental companies is safety, as the neighbors don't know who is renting the property. His concern relates to what happened on the east side of Columbus and they want to prevent future problems. Mr. Reiner asked if there is any restriction on short-term rentals in terms of the number of people who can occupy the home. Can this be regulated? Vice Mayor Amorose Groomes stated it is similar to what occurred in her neighborhood when her children were small. It is a safety concern — in a neighborhood, one expects to know their neighbors. It is a security issue and a sense of safety is important in the community. Mr. Fraas agreed. The property in question is at the corner of Windwood and Workingham and the surrounding neighbors have expressed concern, as they have small children. Committee Development Committee Minutes August 20, 2019 Page 15 of 16 Ms. De Rosa asked Legal staff about the commercial use issue Mr. Fraas has raised. Ms. Readler responded that the zoning uses look at what is the use — not at the method of payment. The fact that the property owner is receiving revenue from renting the property would not make it a commercial use. Ms. De Rosa asked her to expand on this. Ms. Readler stated that the analogy is to a hotel — not to a commercial business. We could collect tax on the short-term rental under existing Code. But as long as people are coming in and out, using it as any other resident would use the property, we do not distinguish between a rental property and an owner -occupied property. However, by doing a registration, we will be, in effect, creating distinctions for people who rent for more than a certain period of time with that registration -- making them aware of the obligations they have, perhaps making insurance requirements. The Columbus legislation was provided in the packet materials for reference. Vice Mayor Amorose Groomes asked if City staff could reach out to AirBNB or other organizations to learn what their policy is for reporting. They certainly have had these inquiries from government entities previously. The organizations know where the rentals are located and how frequently they are booked. Perhaps they would be willing to provide some of that data — maybe not address specific, but the number of stays and the revenue that would have been collected. Ms. Readler responded that she believes Columbus had representatives from those entities involved in their process, so staff could check with them and then try to make contact with the entities. In terms of registration, these entities have been cooperative. There has been some litigation involving those entities and that was cited in the memo in the packet. Mr. Reiner stated that in his experience with renting property, a license was required to be purchased, registration done, a hotel license obtained and taxes paid for every rental. Ms. Readler noted that some municipalities require registration of all rental properties -- not just short-term rentals. Mr. Reiner stated that could be the final phase of this review. Starting with registration of the short-term rentals is the first step. These short-term rentals are a source of tax revenue. For all of the events/activities that occur in Dublin, there is a market for this type of product. Vice Mayor Amorose Groomes stated that in looking today, she found one or two short-term rentals in Waterford. Ms. De Rosa noted that it is also important that the City provides information to residents about what this registration means, in the event the neighbors have concerns about safety, traffic, etc. and how they would go about reporting those to the City. There is a communication aspect to this, which may prompt more awareness of what exists in short-term rentals as well as providing tools to address any issues. Mr. Reiner summarized that the consensus of the Committee is for Legal staff to prepare registration materials related to short-term rentals and report back at the next Committee meeting. Committee Development Committee Minutes August 20, 2019 Page 16 of 16 Ms. Readler confirmed that staff will also bring back the necessary draft legislation to the Committee, based on this direction. Vice Mayor Amorose Groomes asked if the Committee wants to review this, or if the draft legislation should go directly to Council. Mr. Reiner stated that he believes the Committee should review this first so they can analyze it for recommendation to Council. Vice Mayor Amorose Groomes noted that the next scheduled Committee meeting is for the operating budget review. Ms. De Rosa added that the Committee members are consistent in what they want in terms of measures to address this. Vice Mayor Amorose Groomes suggested that it can be expedited by taking it directly to Council. She believes the balance of Council will be of like mind. Everyone needs to review the proposed legislation in any case, and this will be a more efficient process. The Committee consensus was that the staff should prepare the legislation to be reviewed by all of Council, based on the input from the Committee tonight. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 6:34 p.m. Deputy Clerk of Council