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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-09-20 City Council Regular Minutes c City of Apache Junction, Arizona Meeting location: a City Council Chambers Z at City Hall Meeting Minutes - 300 E.Superstition Blvd Apache Junction,AZ City Council Meeting 85119 apachejunctionaz.gov Ph:(480)982-8002 Tuesday,September 20,2022 7:00 PM City Council Chambers A. CALL TO ORDER Mayor Wilson called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m B. INVOCATION AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Vice Mayor Rizzi gave the invocation and Councilmember Evans led the meeting attendees in the Pledge of Allegiance. C. ROLL CALL Present: 6- Mayor Wilson Vice Mayor Rizzi Councilmember Evans Councilmember Heck Councilmember Nesser Councilmember Schroeder Excused: 1 - Councilmember Johnson Staff in Attendance: Bryant Powell, City Manager Matt Busby, Assistant City Manager Joel Stern, City Attorney Jennifer Pena, City Clerk Evie McKinney, Deputy City Clerk Michael Pooley, Police Chief Al Bravo, Public Information Officer Rudy Esquivias, Development Services Director Sidney Urias, Interim Planning Manager Nicholas Leftwich,Associate Planner Leslie DeReche, Finance Director Mike Loggins, Water District Director D. CONSENT AGENDA Vice Mayor Rizzi moved,seconded by Councilmember Nesser to approve the Consent Agenda. Yes: 6- Mayor Wilson, Vice Mayor Rizzi, Councilmember Evans, Councilmember Heck, Councilmember Nesser and Councilmember Schroeder No: 0 Excused: 1 - Councilmember Johnson City of Apache Junction,Arizona Page 1 City Council Meeting Meeting Minutes September 20,2022 1. 22-575 Consideration of acceptance of agenda. 2. 22-576 Consideration of approval of minutes of the regular meeting of September 6, 2022. 3. 22-584 Consideration of approval to enter into an agreement with Allied Waste Transportation, Inc.dba Republic Services for PW22-18 Trash and Recycle Material for city owned facilities in the amount of$23,564.04. 4. 22-601 Consideration of rejection of bids for PW 22-26 Bulk Fuel Request for Proposals due to unresponsiveness and respondent submission errors. 5. 22-602 Consideration of approval of the Second Amendment to the City of Apache Junction Bulk Fuel Agreement with Southern Counties Oil, doing business as SC Fuels, increasing the contract payment through December 31, 2022, in an amount not to exceed $360,000.00. E. AWARDS, PRESENTATIONS AND PROCLAMATIONS 6. 22-558 Proclamation designating the month of October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Mayor Wilson presented the proclamation to Dana Martinez and other staff members present from A New Leaf/CAAFA. He thanked them for their dedication and the valuable service they provide to those in need. F. REGIONAL INTERGOVERNMENTAL UPDATES 7. 22-580 Brief summary of intergovernmental updates from mayor and councilmembers. Mayor Wilson and Councilmember Schroeder gave an update on attending the Pinal County Transportation Summit.Topics covered were the ongoing closure of Highway 88 and the thousands of letters and emails the county is receiving to repair and reopen the road. Mayor Wilson urged everyone to keep sending those letters. They mentioned the discussion of future installation of EV charging stations every 50 miles on the interstates; and communities and counties joining together to present joint grants for transportation improvements in their areas. Councilmember Evans reminded everyone about the Make a Difference Day that will take place on October 8th. It lasts approximately 4 hours. If you volunteer, you receive a free t-shirt. There will also be rock painting for children, desert cleanup at some of our city parks, and there is one residence slated for cleanup efforts. G. CITY MANAGER'S REPORT 8. 22-416 Discussion and presentation by Stephen Herring of Republic Services on free dump week and update on Landfill activity. City of Apache Junction,Arizona Page 2 City Council Meeting Meeting Minutes September 20,2022 Stephen Herring, Republic Services provided an update on the expansion of services to be offered: • Disaster relief, oil disposal, and hazardous material intake. • Opening a new polymer facility in Las Vegas to repurpose plastic water bottles to food grade plastics. • Electrification of fleet. • National Neighborhood Promise Program -this is the nonprofit wing of the company and has 2 divisions: Community Grant offers up to$20,000.00 to any 501(c)3 organization. Funding requests can be submitted for projects and/or in-kind work to www.republicservices.com/giving National Neighborhood Promise Grant offers$2 million that is awarded throughout the country,with a maximum of up to$250.000.00 per award.The same process should be followed by logging on to the website as mentioned above. Mr. Herring gave the statistics from the most recent Free Dump Week:4,887 tons of trash collected year to date,which totaled$57,655.00 in disposal fees, of which were absorbed by the company. Bulk pickup requests for July were 218 residents, and in August the number of requests was 162. Up to 6 cubic yards can be called in for pickup request and is offered every Wednesday. Mr. Herring also informed he has been relocated to CA, so took time to thank Mayor Wilson and Councilmembers for the past years of working together. Zack Goetz introduced himself as the new Republic Services contact for Apache Junction. Councilmembers expressed their appreciation to Stephen and gave a hearty welcome to Zack. 9. 22-577 City Manager's Report. City Manager Bryant Powell recognized the longevity of the relationship between the city and Community Alliance Against Family Abuse(CAAFA), over 20 years, as well as appreciation for the efforts and services CAAFA has provided and continues doing so. 10. 22-578 Announcement of current events. Public Information Officer Al Bravo mentioned that a transportation tax, Proposition 469, is slated to be on the November 2022 ballot. Bringing back the tax that was passed in 2017 but was in legal arrears, this has been redrafted for this election cycle.There will be a virtual open house, hosted by the Pinal Regional Transportation Plan,Wednesday, September 21, 2022, from 6:00pm -7:30pm. More information on this topic and event can be found at www.apacheounctionaz.gov Other events Mr. Bravo mentioned: • Fit Families MUD RUN October 22 • Halloween Festival moved to Superstition Shadows Park, 1091 W. Southern Avenue October 29, 2022, 4:O0pm-8:00pm • Pumpkins in the Junction, Earth Heart Park, 625 N. Plaza Drive Oct 28,2022, 5:00pm-7:30 pm City of Apache Junction,Arizona Page 3 City Council Meeting Meeting Minutes September 20,2022 He gave word of warning that Plaza Drive is under construction for fiber optic line installation and to be cautious of congested areas when driving on this street. Mr. Bravo also gave a reminder of the reduced speed limit to 45 mph on Ironwood Dr, from SR 24 to Guadalupe Rd, in anticipation of what is coming with substantial construction. H. PUBLIC HEARINGS 11. 22-573 Presentation, discussion, public hearing and consideration of Ordinance No.1526, case P-22-29-PZ, a proposed rezoning of parcels 101-13-1080 and 101-11-0210 located at the southeast corner of N. Rennick Drive and W. Virginia Street from RS-GR ("General Rural Low Density Single-Family Detached Residential")to RM-2 ("High Density Multiple-Family Residential")for the development of the proposed 124-unit multi-family residential apartment community tentatively known as "The Enclave on Rennick," and the south 76' of Parcel 101-13-1080 to B-2 "Old West Commercial." Vice Mayor Rizzi moved,seconded by Councilmember Schroeder that Ordinance No.1526 be read by title only and the entire reading of the ordinance be waived. Yes: 6-Mayor Wilson,Vice Mayor Rizzi,Councilmember Evans, Councilmember Heck,Councilmember Nesser and Councilmember Schroeder No: 0 Excused: 1 -Councilmember Johnson City Clerk Pena read Ordinance No.1526 by title only. Vice Mayor Rizzi moved,seconded by Councilmember Nesser that the Ordinance No.1526 as read by the city clerk be approved and adopted. Yes:. 6- Mayor Wilson, Vice Mayor Rizzi, Councilmember Evans, Councilmember Heck, Councilmember Nesser and Councilmember Schroeder No: 0 Excused: 1 - Councilmember Johnson City Planner Nicholas Leftwich provided the following summary of the proposal. Summary P-22-29-PZ is a proposed rezoning of parcels 101-13-1080 and 101-11-0210, approximately 7.24 acres currently zoned RS-GR"General Rural Low Density Single-Family Detached Residential,"that has been requested by EcoVista Development, LLC. The southern .54 acres of parcel 101-13-1080 will be rezoned to B-2"Old West Commercial"to allow the existing commercial storage yard use by Arnold Auto Center on that portion of the parcel to be split off and combined with the B-2 commercial parcel 101-13-109C located immediately to the south of the subject site.The remaining 6.7 acres will be rezoned to RM-2 "High Density Multiple-Family Residential"to allow the development of the proposed 124-unit City of Apache Junction,Arizona Page 4 City Council Meeting Meeting Minutes September 20,2022 multi-family residential community tentatively known as"The Enclave on Rennick." P&Z Commission Hearing and Recommendation The Planning and Zoning Commission held a public hearing for P-22-29-PZ on August 9, 2022, at which time they voted 5-1 to recommend approval of P-22-29-PZ. Please see the attached staff report and exhibits presented to the Planning and Zoning Commission. During the meeting the Planning and Zoning Commission discussed the neighborhood traffic, street improvements, density, parking provisions, affordability, water drainage, and the development's impact on the local neighborhood. Several neighbors attended and voiced concerns, primarily regarding the traffic,the density, and the capacity of the streets to support this development.A petition of opposition containing nearby residents' signatures Planning & Zoning- Building&Safety- Revenue Development 300 E. Superstition Boulevard ❑Apache Junction,AZ 85119❑ Ph: (480)474-5083❑ Fax(480) 982-7010 was provided to planning staff at this time and has been included in this report. Questions/comments from council included the following: • Type of housing this would be and whether any units would be set aside for lower income residents • Difference between low income and affordable housing • Public was commended for coming forth and sharing concerns • Appreciation given to the developer for taking existing residents' concerns into consideration • What kind of traffic studies have been performed • Drainage concerns of current residents Mr. Leftwich affirmed all units will be listed at the market rate. These will be rental units, not for sale individually. He also stated that several traffic studies had been completed and were included within the staff report for this agenda item.The Applicant has met all engineering requirements regarding any drainage concerns, and they have also included a retention basin at the south end of the property.This development will not make any drainage issues worse, only improvements will be completed. Mayor Wilson requested the applicant to address council. Cassandra Ayres, Berry Riddell LLC gave a similar presentation as city staff: She explained the units per acre for this development are consistent with the City's General Plan for this area,which is designated as Downtown Mixed Use and is located within the Downtown Redevelopment Area. The General Plan states 10-40 dwelling units per acre, this will have 18 units per acre. She Also compared surrounding units per acre, indicating this project design will fall right in the middle of the approved units per acre. RM-2 allows 22 units per acre and 35' in height. The developer's proposal is 18 units per acre and has limited the height to 30'and 2 stories,which will include 124 units. These units will be various sizes offering 1,2 and 3 bedrooms. She explained how the original rendering had entrances at different locations than what is being presented tonight. After extensive neighborhood outreach, door to door as well as phone contact with residents, the concerns received were regarding increased traffic, blocked views, location of the main entry and too many access points on Rennick Drive. Regarding the views City of Apache Junction,Arizona Page 5 City Council Meeting Meeting Minutes September 20,2022 being blocked-she explained the redesign process they did to create view corridors for existing residences. Buildings were rearranged and oriented to run perpendicular to Rennick vs parallel with the street direction. Also shared were renderings of completed buildings with the color scheme, exterior features and higher quality interior features, such as quartz countertops and stainless-steel appliances. Councilmember Heck brought up concerns with traffic flow when attempting to turn east onto Apache Trail from southbound Rennick. He has the same concerns at the north end of San Marcos when turning west onto Superstition. Ms.Ayers explained a study was performed taking into consideration the number of cars projected for the number of units in the complex, and it was determined there will be a minimal impact on the surrounding streets. She mentioned the applicant is required to widen and improve Rennick and reminded council of the improvement projects slated with the city Public Works department. She feels traffic concerns will be mitigated by these efforts of theirs and Public Works. Mayor Wilson opened the public hearing. George Schroeder, 2444 W.Virginia St.,Apache Junction spoke on the condition of Rennick Dr. and the necessary improvements. Andre Meek, 1327 S. Belair Rd.,Apache Junction commented more housing is needed in Apache Junction, but he doesn't like the rent being market based for this new project. He stated there was not enough affordable housing. Rennick Dr. is in need of major repairs and should be done as one project, not in stages. He expressed concern regarding ingress and egress along Rennick Dr. and concerns with San Marcos Dr. Dave Pete, 325 N. Thunderbird Dr.,Apache Junction expressed concern over the 30' height of the complex, and how it will block his view of the mountain. He stated this type of development is nice initially, but later changes and becomes low income, that is just the nature of apartment complexes. He moved here from Seattle to get away from this kind of"pollution"and would like to see this not developed. Mayor Wilson asked for any further Council discussion. Concerns/comments from council included: • Timeline and applicant responsibilities for street improvements • Height requirements were established years ago through zoning designations • Discussed low income housing needs and the significant and burdensome process involved to develop it and receive Federal funding • Appreciation to applicant for considering existing resident concerns • Council would like the subject property to be developed within 2 years of the rezoning effective date of the ordinance • Discussion on reversion of the zoning if not developed within approved timeframe City Engineer Emile Schmidt explained Public Works will be starting work in 1-2 months, applicant will be responsible for streetlights, concrete curb and gutter and sidewalks that will abut to the pavement. City of Apache Junction,Arizona Page 6 City Council Meeting Meeting Minutes September 20,2022 12. 22-574 Presentation, discussion, public hearing and consideration of proposed Resolution No. 22-33, a Resolution of the Mayor and City Council of the City of Apache Junction, Arizona, declaring as a public record that certain document filed with the City Clerk and entitled "Legal Descriptions and Zoning Conditions of Case No. P-22-29-PZ Authorized under Ordinance No.1526." Vice Mayor Rizzi moved,seconded by Councilmember Evans that the Resolution No.22-33, including a suggested additional condition for Ordinance No.1526 from September 20,2022 be approved and adopted. Yes: 6- Mayor Wilson, Vice Mayor Rizzi, Councilmember Evans, Councilmember Heck, Councilmember Nesser and Councilmember Schroeder No: 0 Excused: 1 - Councilmember Johnson I. OLD BUSINESS J. NEW BUSINESS K. COUNCIL DIRECTION TO STAFF 13. 22-597 Possible council direction to staff to proceed with an Urban Night Sky Place Application with the International Dark-Sky Association. Councilmember Schroeder moved,seconded by Councilmember Evans that staff proceed with submitting an application for Urban Night Sky Place with The International Dark Sky Association, adding education outreach to the public as the process continues. Yes: 6- Mayor Wilson, Vice Mayor Rizzi, Councilmember Evans, Councilmember Heck, Councilmember Nesser and Councilmember Schroeder No: 0 Excused: 1 - Councilmember Johnson City Manager Bryant Powell requested council direction to staff to proceed with an Urban Night Sky Place Application. Council Members had discussion regarding the city already having a Dark Sky Ordinance, and the difference between it and what the designation of"Urban Night Sky" means. L. SELECTION OF MEETING DATES, TIMES, LOCATIONS, AND PURPOSES 14. 22-579 Executive Session at 6:00 P.M. for Monday, October 3, and Tuesday, October 4, 2022, in the city council conference room located at 300 E Superstition Boulevard in Apache Junction, Arizona and other meetings scheduled if necessary. Councilmember Evans moved,seconded by Councilmember Nesser that an executive session at 6:00 p.m.for Monday,October 3,and Tuesday,October 4,2022, be held in the city council conference room located at 300 E.Superstition Boulevard,Apache Junction,Arizona,and other meetings scheduled if necessary. City of Apache Junction,Arizona Page 7 City Council Meeting Meeting Minutes September 20,2022 Yes: 6- Mayor Wilson, Vice Mayor Rizzi, Councilmember Evans, Councilmember Heck, Councilmember Nesser and Councilmember Schroeder No: 0 Excused: 1 - Councilmember Johnson M. CALL TO PUBLIC Brenda McAllister, 724 E Scenic St,Apache Junction submitted and later pulled her request to speak. Elizabeth Foster, 660 E Scenic St,Apache Junction submitted and later withdrew her request to speak. George Schroeder, 2444 W. Virginia St.,Apache Junction commented on the beauty in Gold Canyon with the emphasis they have placed toward dark skies. He expressed the opinion that the City's Police Department and Code Enforcement Officers were being influenced by Management and Council. He stated he did not believe in defunding the city's police department. N. ADJOURNMENT Mayor Wilson adjourned the meeting at 8:36 p.m. ACCEPTED THIS -4/ DAY OF 1�8h)hO-A 2022, BY THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF APACHE JUNCTION,ARIZONA. SIGNED AND ATTESTED TO THIS�_DAY OF , 2022. e � WALTER CHIP"WILSON Mayor ATTEST- ,,,Lc,I)z A JE NI ER PEN City Jerk 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 Rty Council of the City of Apache Junction,Arizona, held on the a 0 day of�=M&r , 2022. I further certify that the meeting was duly called and held and that a quorum was present. Dated this '4/ day of V �49&/L 12022. J N FER PEN City Clerk City of Apache Junction,Arizona Page 8