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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2003-11-18 City Council Regular MinutesCITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING NOVEMBER 18,2003 The regular meeting of the City Council •of the City of Apache Junction, Arizona,was held on November 18,2003,at the Apache Junction City Council Chambers pursuant to the notice required by law. CALL TO ORDER Mayor Coleman called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. INVOCATION Mayor Coleman gave the Invocation. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Councilmember Sippel led the Pledge of Allegiance. ROLL CALL Councilmembers Present:Mayor Coleman Vice Mayor Eck Councilmember Dietz Councilmember Insalaco Councilmember Milkey Councilmember Sippel Councilmember Waldron Staff Present:City Manager George Hoffman Assistant City Manager Bryant Powell Interim Assistant City Manager/City Clerk Kathleen Connelly City Attorney Joel Stern Public Safety Director Robert Warner City Engineer Ron Grittman Parks & Recreation Director Jeff Bell REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL NOVEMBER 18,2003 PAGE 1 OF 20 Public Works Director Doug Dobson Interim Dev.Services Director Rudy Esquivias Others Present:Associate Planner Steve Abraham City Magistrate David Alexander ACCEPTANCE OF CONSENT AGENDA )Councilmember Dietz MOVED THAT THE CONSENT AGENDA BE ACCEPTED AS PRESENTED:AND THAT OFFICER CINDY ADAMS BE APPOINTED TO THE PUBLIC SAFETY PERSONNEL RETIREMENT BOARD WITH A TERM TO EXPIRE AUGUST 6,2005. Councilmember Waldron SECONDED THE MOTION. VOTE:Unanimous. The motion carried. AWARDS,PRESENTATIONS AND COMMUNICATIONS None. CALL TO THE PUBLIC None. CITY MANAGER'S REPORT None. PUBLIC HEARINGS None. OLD BUSINESS None. NEW BUSINESS REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL NOVEMBER 18,2003 PAGE 2 OF 20 CONSIDERATION OF AWARD OF BID AND RIGHT TO REJECT ALL BIDS FOR CITY HALL/ MAGISTRATE COURT COMPLEX AND THE MULTI- GENERATIONAL/RECREATION CENTER )Assistant City Manager Bryant Powell briefed the council on the item.This is the -final member of the team to build the city hall/court complex and the multi -generational center.All material was presented at last night's work session. Mayor Coleman opened the item to council discussion.There being no discussion,he called for a motion. Vice Mayor Eck MOVED THAT THE AWARD OF BID FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF CITY HALL/MAGISTRATE COURT COMPLEX AND THE MULTI-GENERATIONAL/RECREATION CENTER BE AWARDED TO CORE CONSTRUCTION IN THE AMOUNT OF $10,700.000. Councilmember Dietz SECONDED THE MOTION. VOTE:Unanimous. The motion carried. CONSIDERATION OF APPROVAL OF PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT TO NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE CORPORATION TO BUILD THE SPECIAL SYSTEMS FOR THE CITY HALL/ MAGISTRATE COURT COMPLEX AND MULTI- GENERATIONAL/RECREATION CENTER )Assistant City Manager Bryant Powell briefed the council on -the item.He stated this is another step in building the complex and consists of data,voice,telephone,security networks and those items.This information was also presented at the work session last night. Mayor Coleman opened the item to council discussion.There being no discussion,he called for a motion. REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL NOVEMBER 18,2003 PAGE 3 OF 20 Councilmember Insalaco MOVED THAT APPROVAL:BE GIVEN FOR THE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH NETWORK' INFRASTRUTURE.CORPORATION '(NIC)TO BUILD THE SPECIAL SYSTEMS FOR THE CITY HALL/MAGISTRATE COURT COMPLEX AND MULTI-GENERATIONAL/RECREATION CENTER IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $750,000;AND THAT AUTHORIZATION BE GIVEN FOR THE MAYOR TO SIGN THE AGREEMENT UPON APPROVAL OF THE CONTRACT BY: THE CITY ATTORNEY.. Councilmember Waldron SECONDED THE MOTION. VOTE:Unanimous. The motion carried. PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT FOR MATERIALS TESTING SERVICES WITH RICKER, ATKINSON,AND .MCBEE AND ASSOC.INC. )Assistant City Manager Bryant Powell briefed the council on the item.He stated the information on this item was presented at last night's work session and the amount is within what was budgeted.This is the. next step in.the.process. Mayor Coleman opened the item .to council discussion.There being no discussion,he called for a motion. Councilmember Sippel MOVED THAT APPROVAL BE GIVEN FOR THE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH RICKER, ATKINSON,AND MCBEE AND:ASSOC.INC.FOR MATERIALS TESTING SERVICES IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $50:000;AND THAT AUTHORIZATION BE GIVEN FOR THE MAYOR TO SIGN THE AGREEMENT UPON APPROVAL OF THE CONTRACT BY THE CITY ATTORNEY. Councilmember Dietz SECONDED THE MOTION. VOTE:Unanimous. The motion carried. APPROVAL TO INCREASE THE MAXIMUM CONTRACT OF DICK AND FRITSCHE DESIGN GROUP (DFDG) REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL NOVEMBER 18,2003 PAGE 4 OF 20 FOR THE CITY HALL/MAGISTRATE COURT COMPLEX AND TO INCREASE THE MAXIMUM CONTRACT VALUE OF THE BRECKENRIDGE GROUP FOR THE MULTI- GENERATIONAL/RECREATION CENTER )Assistant City Manager Bryant Powell briefed the council on the item.He stated this item will allow for special structural inspections and the contracts have to be amended to allow for the engineer's estimate to be able to do this work. Mayor Coleman opened the item to council discussion.He commented he is excited to get this started.He thinks both buildings will add a lot to the community.He is glad they were able to do i t at the time the city is celebrating its 25th anniversary. Vice Mayor Eck commented they have not been having any discussion on these items as the council has been working on this for about 5 years.I t has been discussed literally dozens of times, bringing them to where they are now,and the decisions are now easy. Mayor Coleman commented there are several in the audience who were on the council when this project began.He thanked former Vice Mayor Anne Surra and Councilmember Carol Urich for their involvement in the project.He called for any further discussion.There being no further discussion,he called for a motion. Councilmember Milkey MOVED THAT APPROVAL BE GIVEN TO INCREASE BY AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $20.000 THE MAXIMUM CONTRACT OF DICK AND FRITSCHE DESIGN GROUP (DFDG)FOR THE CITY HALL/MAGISTRATE COURT COMPLEX FOR THE PROVISION OF. SPECIAL STRUCTURAL INSPECTION SERVICES;AND TO INCREASE BY AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $15,000 THE MAXIMUM CONTRACT OF THE BRECKENRIDGE GROUP FOR THE MULTI-GENERATIONAL/RECREATION CENTER FOR THE PROVISION OF SPECIAL STRUCTURAL INSPECTION SERVICES. Councilmember Dietz SECONDED THE MOTION, VOTE;Unanimous. The motion carried. REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL NOVEMBER 18,2003 PAGE 5 OF 20 Mayor Coleman stated he appreciated the work that staff has put in on this project. PRESENTATION BY AND DISCUSSION WITH CENTRAL ARIZONA ASSOCIATION OF GOVERNMENTS (CAAG)AND PINAL COUNTY REGARDING REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION PLANNING AND APACHE JUNCTION AND PINAL COUNTY PLANNING ISSUES )- )Pinal County Supervisor Sandie Smith briefed the council on the item.This presentation is on regional transportation.We have to prepare for people to either bypass or come into the town or there will be a bottleneck.The city has been a leader to make sure this will happen and has made other governments aware of what is being done.This presentation was recently given to the Arizona Department of Transportation,the State Land Commission,and some of the state legislators to show them the importance of regional planning and the importance of planning before there is any development in the area.The rights -of -way issues are committed as development comes in without having to redo.They will be doing this all over Pinal County as some of the' plans go down to Interstate 10.Power lines will also have to be planned before others make the decisions for us.She introduced Maxine Lather from the Central Arizona Association of Governments who would give further background on the issue. Ms.Maxine Lather,Central Arizona Association of Governments,addressed the council.She stated this is the final report from the Southeast Maricopa/Northern Pinal County Area Transportation Study.She introduced Bob Davis,the Public Works Director for Pinal County,to give the powerpoint presentation. Pinal County Public Works Director Bob Davis addressed the council.This was presented about a month ago to the Arizona Department of Transportation and several legislators with the intent to provide Pinal County's perspective on the transportation plan.It was a joint plan with Pinal County,Maricopa County,Maricopa Association of Governments,and Arizona Department of Transportation.The results came out for both counties so they extracted the key points particular to Pinal County. He than gave the powerpoint presentation,consisting of a description of Pinal County and its growth,its land status,the current transportation network, transportation funding,the partners that contributed to the study,the REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL NOVEMBER 18,2003 PAGE 6 OF 20 purposes of the study,the area of influence,population figures,northern Pinal County and eastern Maricopa County current transportation network,new arterials needed,existing arterials that need to be widened,state highways that need improvements,US 60 and interstate improvements,future freeway identification,and the Apache Junction/Coolidge corridor. Mayor Coleman commented they would like the top part of that corridor to come more east to State Route 88,not State Route 87. Pinal County Public Works Director Bob Davis stated they have currently stated they would like i t somewhere near the Ironwood alignment.Based on current development,it will have to continue to move.The alignments need to be set before they get developed. It will have to be moved farther east where there is no development.They need a corridor about 300'wide. Councilmember Dietz stated it would be nice if it could be run straight up State Route 88 to the lakes. Pinal County Public Works Director Bob Davis stated there has been discussion that this could be part of the 303 loop in the future,which is the East Valley Corridor running from Interstate 10 to Florence Junction and it would be the outer 303 and come up,or i t could come over and tie into the Apache Junction/Coolidge Corridor and that could be the 303 loop. Vice Mayor Eck asked what the Apache Junction/Coolidge Corridor is. Pinal County Public Works Director Bob Davis stated i t is the yellow one on the slide. Vice Mayor Eck commented he had been told by a former legislator now on the Central Arizona Project Board for Pinal County that they had discussed putting a forty-five degree road directly from Apache Junction to Florence. REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL NOVEMBER 18,2003 PAGE 7 OF 20 Pinal County Public Works Director Bob Davis stated he is not aware of that discussion and i t is probably ancient history. Vice Mayor Eck asked if there was anything to the story. Pinal County Public Works Director Bob Davis stated the results of this study were from coordination,discussion and planning from those partners that were listed earlier. Vice Mayor Eck asked if there was any realism inAhat road directly connecting the two municipalities. Pinal County Public Works Director Bob Davis stated they envision this to be current,although the alignments have not been set.It will be somewhere in the vicinity of Ironwood running south,east to Florence,west to Coolidge,and tying back in to State Route 87 to either Interstate 8 or Interstate 10. Vice Mayor Eck asked if there was reservation area between those. Pinal County Public Works Director Bob Davis stated it would stay east of the reservation.He continued the powerpoint presentation,discussing the Williams Gateway extension,the Maricopa County half -cent road fund,costs associated:the bridges and canals to be improved,the current freeway extension and future freeway costs. Mayor Coleman asked what the time frame was of the study. Pinal County Public Works Director Bob Davis stated the study went over what we needed to have in place in 30 years.He -continued the powerpoint presentation with County excise tax,the regional road funds,city/town partnerships,developer partnerships, the need for funding :forthe rural Council of Governments,the mortality rates on the roads,the maintenance responsibility of the: roads,the average allocation of funding from Central Arizona Association of Governments, and the implementation of the plan.He requested .the Arizona Department of REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL NOVEMBER 18,2003 PAGE 8 OF 20 Transportation to do design concept reports to set the alignments now so that when a developer bUys some state land for development they can then require them to give them the 300'.strip of right-of-way..It will come at no. Cost to the city,county or state;it will cost the developer and future homeowner. The developers canipay for the right-of-way as they develOp. Vice Mayor Eck asked what he thinks the answer is for the large developments that are basically made in the middle of nowhere.:They get the road out to the subdivision,such as at.Mountain and Elliot,but there is only one route in and out made up of single lanes.There are about ..5,000 homes there.There needs to beaccess to the new community, not just the 1,000 feet at the development site. Pinal County Public Works Director.: Bob Davis stated their subdivision regulations state that if there is not a surface road to thesubdivision,then they must:pave one to the county engineer's standards.He requires them to provide a transportation impact study which tells him how many vehicles will be there and how many lanes are needed.The impact study also must state what the impact will be from those extra homes.They will put in whatever is required by the engineer to meet that traffic impact'study.The developer must do,review and approve it,and if the components state a stop light will be required in five years,then there is a stipulation that the developer must contribute to the stop light. A strong council is also needed that will support the transportation staff when.they .say the developer must do this as the government cannot keep up with it.They'need to hold the line on the developers. Vice Mayor Eck asked if he meant higher development fees. Pinal County Public Works Director Bob Davis stated that is not always the case. Pinal County Supervisor Sandie Smith commented,when.Johnson Ranch started coming in,there was'a lot of development along Hunt Highway,Johhson Ranch put in eleven milesof Hunt Highway,built a school,and did a lot of things.there.They then had a lot of other developers come in and state now that there was a road,they would come in. The county told -them -the county built the road,but it would not take care of the traffic they would put on it:they were told the county would not zone REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL NOVEMBER 18,2003 PAGE 9 OF 20 down there and be able to do that.The developers stated they would pay for a study commissioned by the county that would determine how much it would cost per house and they would pay it,including an inflationary factor added to it. They also agreed to pay a certain amount up front,with the remainder paid when they came in for the building permit.I t is currently up to about $960 per house.I t does not matter how far back on Thompson Road,Gary Road or any other road,they all pay the $960 into the Superstition Transportation Fund. That will go for 3 regional roads,those being Ironwood,Hunt Highway and Arizona Farms Road.Everybody pays for the regional,plus money up front before the final plat so that they are a little ahead.They are still a little behind,but without it they would not have been able to punch Ironwood through and do the things they have been able .to do.I t is a voluntary contribution to regional planning.She stated if they are not partners,the county does not need them,because they cannot afford them.Good roads and good schools sell homes.There is no reason why the development community should not be a part of that partnership. City Manager George Hoffman stated they would be back with them in mid -December on development impact fees.The whole marginal cost of a housing unit and its impact on roads is exactly the methodology the county employed to provide for infrastructure. Pinal County Supervisor Sandie Smith stated she agreed with the vice mayor that it will not work if the developer cannot do something.It will not happen.I t is development paying for itself.Her counterparts have not cared for impact fees,so they have voluntary impact fees for roads. Ms.Maxine Lather commented they gave an excellent presentation on.how this will work.She asked them to turn to the page with the new corridors drawn in.The pink line that goes across east to west is primarily in Maricopa County.That is all developed through Chandler,so they believe they will have to move most if not all of that line down so that it will be in Pinal County.The cost of these routes without buying right-of-way would be $12.3 billion to $13.6 billion.No one has that kind of funding.In meetings with all the partners it was suggested that the Central Arizona Association of Governments region do a priority list for these projects and send that letter to the Arizona Department of Transportation. Pinal County has been requested to do the same.The Transportation Technical Advisory Committee,of which Mr.Grittman and Mr.Davis are members.have REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL NOVEMBER 18,2003 PAGE 10 OF 20 prepared a listing of the priorities,starting with the extension of US 60, then the Ap'ache Junction/Coolidge Corridor,the Williams Gateway Freeway,the East Valley Corridor,and then the Price Freeway connection.Tomorrow night the regional council will be voting on this priority,The recommendation of the Transportation Technical Advisory Committee and the management committee has been to follow this priority list.Following the regional council recommendation,Mayor Coleman and others of the regional council will be meeting with elected officials of Maricopa Association of Governments and Pima County to discuss this study and priorities.The Arizona Department of Transportation will be requested to put this priority list in its 20 Year Move Arizona Transportation Plan upon its reception.There are criteria in the plan to determine which roads will be funded first.They believe the amount of traffic and the fatalities in the area will determine that the Apache Junction blue line and gold line will surface to have design concept reports done,and that will allow the right-of-way to be looked at. Mayor Coleman asked if there is a way to take into consideration that land adjacent to the freeway will increase the value of the land near it,or if it would take a law change. Pinal County Supervisor Sandie Smith stated they are working on that now,and it would be called "value-added".I t would have to go to a vote of the people.If a road would add value,that land could be donated as a roadway because the land around it would be worth more money.A section of land would get you as much or more than it would have without the road.I t is a matter of getting the ranchers,schools, preservationists,and land trust folks to agree on the form of this bill.I t would also include some of the lands in the Superstitions. Ms.Maxine Lather stated if that falls,they would at least need a line on the map for whenever the developers bought the land.They could then negotiate.They are hoping one or the other will work to get these.The lines need to be on a map and the study needs to be done. Mayor Coleman thanked them for coming and explaining this to the council.He closed the item and moved on to the next item. PROPOSED ORDINANCE NO.1189,PZ-9-03, REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL NOVEMBER 18,2003 PAGE 11 OF 20 MAJOR PLANNED DEVELOPMENT AMENDMENT REQUEST BY HARISH RAI,ON BEHALF OF APACHE JUNCTION MOTEL PARTNERS, L.L.C.,TO AMEND THE PREVIOUSLY APPROVED SIGN PACKAGE FOR THE SUPER 8 MOTEL DEVELOPMENT SITE )Associate Planner Steve Abraham briefed the council on the item.He stated the site is located at 251 E.29th Avenue,also known as Idaho,Business Park.In 1995 council approved Ordinance No.946 which included a sign package for this development.The applicant is requesting to raise the height of the sign from 35'to 45'and add a second 12 sq.ft.sign beneath the existing signage.He showed a computer -generated graphic of the request.The development is located east of the elevated Idaho Road overpass.The applicant is saying it obstructs the view of their sign. Currently the sign is 22'above the adjacent freeway bridge and 18'above the overpass.The approved sign height for this development site allows the tallest sign height in a subdivision in the community.There are other locations,such as both Burger Kings and Earnhardt's,that have taller signs. Waffle House,next to this development,has a 30'sign,which is less than what is allowed.In addition to the tall signs,the businesses in this development have other sign opportunities than some further inside the city, such as Arizona Department of Transportation signs on the freeway and the detached sign at Idaho and 29th Avenue.This is technically an off -site sign. It was approved as part of the sign package.The tall sign was a result of a compromise between staff's recommendation of 20'and the developer's original request of 40'.Because of the sign's contrasting colors of yellow and black, i t is clearly visible from Ironwood Road and from Goldfield Road.If it is approved,they will have increased sign visibility from the freeway.It will be the second tallest sign in the community,the tallest being Earnhardt's. This request is for the Super 8 site itself,the rest of the sites would still have the 35'limit.I t could promote an atmosphere of competing signs.If it is approved,Waffle House may ask for a higher sign or another developer for one of the other sites may want a higher one.It could prompt taller and bolder signs.Currently,from Mesa Drive to Kings Ranch Road,the only vertical pylon -type sign is in Apache Junction at Earnhardt's;they are being moved away from.There may be older pylon -type signs past Kings Ranch Road in Pinal County for some of the businesses and mobile home parks.The mile strip between Idaho and Tomahawk is shaping up to be an area of major economic and retail,bolstered by the Baseline Industrial Park,Earnhardt's,and Waffle House.Generally the signage in the area is 20'to 35'other than the REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL NOVEMBER 18,2003 PAGE 12 OF 20 Earnhardt sign.The city does not have an adopted policy regarding freeway signage.However,the general plan places a very high priority on the, protection of the view.Pas-Lconcerns about the freeway corridor voiced by the council,commission and community have included insuring that a visually pleasing character be established and maintained around this area.The applicants have identified that their business is suffering due to the inadequate sign.The area has not developed .as originally thought:only 2 businesses have been developed since 1996.This may be the reason vilv the developers are asking for the -increase in signage.With other developments, there .may be more of a need or less of a need for additional signage.Staff recommends that the 12 sq.ft sign with.the AAA logo be approved but the overall sign height be denied.Staff has added additional stipulations in the recommended motion,such as i t remain at its current height,the new sign shall conform to specifications and be -no larger than 12 sq.ft.,and all permits shall be applied for and,approved prior to installation.The planning and zoning commission recommended approval of the box sign but denied the height.The applicants question,why the 12'sign should be approved if the: whole sign cannot be seen.Staff argues that the mass of the sign is -already there,the biggest part is already visible.and i t is a compromise offered to the: owner to advertise that they have a new AM. service. Vice Mayor Eck asked what happened to the freeway corridor plan.They had discussedcoming up with a permanent plan for the freeway.Councilmember Waldron,then a planning and zoning commissioner,had suggested the signs not exceed any height according to the height of the freeway.He thought that was.the best plan. Interim Development Services Director Rudy Esquivias stated Kerry Lyman,a former city economic development specialist,was working on that project.When he left,the project died -out. The freeway corridor signage was then going to be wrapped up into the update of the land development code.That did not happen..He stated it may be_time to resurrect the project:.he t's not sure why.it did not come back. Vice Mayor Eck commented he can see that area as one of the primary areas where they will get this request.He would like to see i t put on the agenda so they do not have to make this decision each time. REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL NOVEMBER 18,2003 PAGE 13 OF 20 Interim Development Services Director Rudy Esquivias stated they could give them a !direction to staff on the issue. -Vice Mayor -Eck commented he knows i t is difficult in that area.He remembers when this was discussed in 1996. Interim Development Services,...• Director Rudy Esquivias stated there were a couple of sign requests on the south side of the highway.One was SunState,- and RSC was also requesting tall signs.RSC went with a bigger sign on the building itself.SunState went with a 25'sign.There was some discussion about what would happen in the industrial park if everyone wanted a large sign!to get freeway visibility. That has not happened yet. Vide Mayor:Eck commented he believes they have a unique area,as there are no signs between -here and Tempe. However,they are not using the freeway the:way Apache Junction is.Here i t is being used as a main street in that strip area:,they,have primarily a block wall with!the commercial buildings behind it.He believes they need to go bacLand create a permanent plan and get a consensus of the council. Councilmember Insalaco asked if the Hyundai dealership will be putting up a sign. Associate Planner Steve Abraham stated they have made it clear in their preliminary plan and development process that they are not going to come back and ask for extended height signage. City Manager GeorgeHoffman stated there was a stipulation when they were granted the Ford sign that it would be the only extended sign. CounciTmember Dietz commented he has not had a problem seeing that sign on the freeway from either direction. MayorColeman commented he has some concern about the signs on the freeway that tell you to exit for Goldfield in 1_5 miles or. 1 mile because they are right on the freeway:The visual impact REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL NOVEMBER 18,2003 PAGE 14 OF 20 is greater by far than some of the larger signs.When he looks at Earnhardt's sign,he has a hard time believing i t is 80'.The impact is not as much as the signs on the freeway.He commented he wished they had a way of looking at the visual impact that i t has rather than the height so much.The freeway does go up and down:a sign at a certain spot on the freeway may not have the visual impact that a sign with the same height would on another part of the freeway.The proximity to the freeway also makes a difference.He has no trouble seeing the Mobil sign in each direction and i t is only 20'. Associate Planner Steve Abraham stated the Mobil sign is actually 18'. Mayor Coleman stated the size of this sign and i t being off the freeway make a difference.That has more to do with the visibility.When he looked at the computer -generated graphic,he did not see that much of a difference between the two sign heights.There is no impact on the view of the mountain.He asked if the other lots were still under the same ownership. Interim Development Services Director Rudy Esquivias stated they are. Mayor Coleman commented they might be able to work something out to eliminate some of those signs.He agrees with the vice mayor in that a policy should be set so that the council is not being challenged on each and every sign. Interim Development Services Director Rudy Esquivias stated this one was a little unique because of the whole planned development there and one of the main issues was the sign height in that development.The south side is straight zoned and they had to go through the conditional use permit process,which would not come to council unless appealing the planning and zoning commission decision. Vice. Mayor Eck commented he would like to see it on the agenda and see'ff there is interestto go with something more permanent.I t should be proactive 'to bring business in here.We want people to see the sign and forjpusiness to stay in the community,but they need something that will still'aesthetically.look gbod yet gets people to stop. REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL NOVEMBER 18,2003 PAGE 15 OF 20 Mayor Coleman asked when this would be coming back to the council. Interim Development Services Director Rudy Esquivias stated it would be back December 2. Mayor Coleman closed the item with no further discussion and moved on to the next item. PROPOSED ORDINANCE NO.1190,PZ-11-03, MAJOR PLANNED DEVELOPMENT AMENDMENT REQUEST PROPOSING AN 8,000 SQ.FT.SITE EXPANSION TO INCLUDE PARKING AND STORAGE AREAS )Associate Planner Steve Abraham briefed the council on the item.He stated the site is located on Coconino Drive just south of 22nd Avenue.The area is C-1/PD.The applicants came to council in 2000 to get a development plan approved under Ordinance No.1128. The plan calls for a 12,000 sq.ft development site with an 1,800 sq.ft. office/warehouse storage building.The applicants are asking to expand their business to the neighboring 2 lots to the south.He described the improvements made with the original development plan.The trash dumpster will be moved from behind the building to the southern area of the development with access through the development instead of the alley.The 3'wall located on Southern will be raised to 6'.An additional 16 parking spaces will be provided in the southeast section of the development.The expansion will be used for parking and available space for future expansion.The applicants currently operate a residential and commercial inking business.They anticipate outdoor storage that will be screened from the street side and adjacent properties.The plan meets the required densities,location for plantings and parking spots. •The original planned development called for the gate on the western -property line to be used for emergency purposes only.The fire district acquired emergency access off of the alley and it will not be used for everyday use:The applicants.will not provide everyday access at that location and therefore will not have to pave the alley.Staff recommends that all of .the parcels be combined prior to permit issuance.The planning and zoning commission recommended that no storage be over 6'in height so that i t is not visible above the wall.The commission recommended unanimous approval of the request as the expansion provides a positive addition to the neighborhood.He mentioned the additional improvements to the area. REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL NOVEMBER 18,2003 PAGE 16 OF 20 Mayor Coleman opened the discussion on the item. COuncilmember Waldron asked if they• are asking for any deviation .fripm anything. Associate Planner Steve Abraham stated they are not. 'There was general discussion as to the exact location of the site.It was determined to be on the east side and the west side is the alley. Vice Mayor Eck asked how much alley is left north and south of the property., Associate Planner Steve Abraham stated there is 60'to the north and the south would be the remainder of the block,or approximately 300'. Vice Mayor Eck commented he is concerned that there are other properties in the area and they may be required to do or not do alley paving.They are doing everything that is requested, but not what was requested in the previous one. Mayor Coleman commented they would have to pave i t if they were using i t for access.The other application was. Vice Mayor Eck asked if they were certain they would not be using i t for access. Associate Planner Steve Abraham stated they have included a stipulation in their plan development approval and the fire district has placed a nox box on the back.He is not sure if the actual owners will be getting a key to that box.He does not believe they do. If they do not,the gate will remain closed and only opened in an emergency. Vice Mayor Eck commented he would hate to see a dirt road,then pavement,then more dirt road.He would like to see pavement to pavement. REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL NOVEMBER 18,2003 PAGE 17 OF 20 Associate Planner Steve Abraham stated a lot of the area,was developed prior to the ordinance. Vice Mayor Eck stated he understood that.He thinks if they combined a number of these smaller lots they would get much better development than trying to build something on an 80'wide lot. Mayor Coleman closed the discussion with no further comments and moved on tO the next item. COUNCIL DIRECTION TO STAFF ON ANY OF THE ABOVE LISTED AGENDA ITEMS Vice Mayor Eck requested an agenda item on the freeway corridor signage at a date convenient for staff. COUNCIL DIRECTION TO STAFF ON OTHER PROPOSED LEGISLATION OR ACTIONS None. SELECTION OF MEETING DATES,TIMES,LOCATIONS,AND PURPOSES Councilmember Dietz MOVED THAT AN EXECUTIVE SESSION AT 6:00 P.M.AND WORK SESSION AT 7:00 P.M.BE HELD ON MONDAY,DECEMBER 1,2003,IN THE CITY CONFERENCE ROOM AND CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS RESPECTIVELY: AND THAT AN EXECUTIVE SESSION AT 6:00 P. -M.BE HELD ON TUESDAY,DECEMBER 2; 2003 IN THE CITY CONFERENCE ROOM. Councilmember Waldron SECONDED THE MOTION. VOTE:Unanimous. The motion carried. INFORMATION AND REPORTS Mayor Coleman reminded everyone that Monday is the city's 25th anniversary and the city.is planning the,groundbreaking.for;the new city hall and multi- REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL NOVEMBER 18,2003 PAGE 18 OF 20 generational center for that date.He invited everyone to come and celebrate with them. Councilmember Waldron commented he participated in the open :space clean-up last Saturday and Bob Mayes did a great job in putting the program together. Roger Hacker and some of his staff were there,as well as the kids. from Project Challenge.They went out in Section 10 and picked up trash. ADJOURNMENT )Mayor Coleman adjourned the meeting at 8:22 p.m. Consent Agenda Items are as follows: 1.Acceptance of Agenda. 2.Acceptance of Minutes of Regular Meeting of September 16,2003. 3.Acceptance of Minutes of Regular Meeting of October 7,2003. 4.Appointment of police department representative to the City Public Safety Personnel Retirement Board. ACCEPTED THIS 16TH DAY OF nECEmBER 2003,BY THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF APACHE JUNCTION,ARIZONA. SIGNED AND ATTESTED TO THIS 16TH DAY OF DECEMBER ,2003. DOUGLAS CVEMAN Mayor ATTEST: KATHLEEN CONNELLY City Clerk REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL NOVEMBER 18,2003 PAGE 19 OF 20 CITY COUNCIL MINUTES CERTIFICATION I hereby certify that the foregoing minutes are a true and correct copy of the minutes of the regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Apache Junction,Arizona,held on the 18th day of November,2003.I further certify that the meeting was duly called and held and that a quorum was present. Dated this 23rd day of November,2003. KATHLEEN CONNELLY City Clerk REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL NOVEMBER 18,2003 PAGE 20 OF 20