Greater Avenues Community Council
March 1, 2006
Steve Mecham conducting
Jaynie Brown taking Minutes

BOARD MEMBERS ATTENDING: John Sittner, Jill VanLangeveld, Jaynie Brown, Kat Kivett, Dave Jonsson, Trish Orlando, Steve Mecham, Jim Jenkin, Phil Carroll, Michael Huighes, Walter Jones, Aileen Olsen, Shane Carlson, Lon Richards, Shane McCarthy, Kelley Stevens, Denton Taylor

WELCOME & Announcements: Steve

REPORTS:

POLICE: Det. Matt Evans. Encourages everyone to have fire extinguishers at home, be familiar with use of fire extinguishers and to have them checked annually.

Crime Stats-Det. Evans taking over the production of those stats so should get trained on that soon. Handed out crime report. Warnings: Kids were reported going along trying all the car doors on the block, trying to see which ones were open to steal. People have reported a few people barging in when the door was opened to use the phone. Don’t open the door of your home if you don’t know who it is. The chain on the door cannot protect you. It is only in a ½ inch screw.

Trespassing Law: If someone is a stranger on your property, you can call us and we can go question them. Cue Cards will be coming next month of how to spot and report a crime. Q?: Any report on how many people got mail stolen? A. Det. Evans will research that info. Many Avenues residents got hit with thefts from mail boxes.

LIBRARIAN: During March many fun things are happening at the Library. Performing Arts card can be picked up at library for free tickets to events. Dr. Seuss’ Birthday is coming and we’ll have a party; all kids invited. March 18th International Film Festival at the Main Library at 6:30. Science Lecture March 28 on Yellowstone Park. Movie Passes for the Main Library are available at the Sweet Library.

CITY: Gwen Springmeyer . St. Patrick’s Day Parade Saturday March 11th. Many other fun events. She handed out a calendar. Some things to note: March 10th Mayor’s Brown Bag Series on Substance Abuse Treatment for kids and parents. At 12:00 noon in the City County Building. Excellent speaker.

March 28 at 7:00 p.m.– Town Hall Meeting on curbing Underage Drinking at the U of U Fine Arts Auditorium. Please attend if you have teens to see new info on how alcohol affects the teen brain, which is a big problem.

Daylight Savings Time begins April 2.

Please contact Gwen if you have questions or problems: gwen.springmeyer@slcgov.com

TRAFFIC: Jim Jenkin: We are concerned about legislation at the National Government level is not acting kindly to support to Amtrak. There is an electronic copy of our concern on the GACC website, which is www.slc-avenues.org

CITY COUNCIL: Eric Jergensen: Complemented John Sittner for being on national TV at the Olympics. Mentioned Salt Lake Tribune City Section: Jill VanLangeveld was featured on the front talking about the Avenues Neighborhood Watch as a way to reduce crime.

Trax station alignment near intermodial hub is a problem. Their plan would make it difficult and would take traffic off 4th West and put it on 3rd West. We offered a couple of good proposals which were voted down. We are now back to the drawing board trying to find solutions to the problems.

How to Scale Development in the City – The temporary Ordinance was about making expansion and remolding possible in a way to balance it against the rights of the persons living next door. We have a temporary ordinance and are waiting for the neighborhoods to come back with their plan. The GACC committee has done great work, and we appreciate you so much. We are close to getting a process that is workable and sensible for both those who want to expand and still benefits their neighbors and create cohesion in the Avenues, for which you are famous. There is still time for plenty of comments. The goal is to not do this in a corner, and we have tried to make this process as open as we could. This is about the entire neighborhood being involved. We will take the vote you intend to make tonight and give it to the planning commission.

Q.? What about bond issue and the public safety building. The existing Public Safety Building is not seismically sound. There has been talk about replacing it with three new buildings (fire station, fire training, Public Safety) in the same location. The $153 million cost may be part of a general obligation bond on the November 2006 election. The additional cost for home with a value of $135,000 would be $90 per year. We don’t have any more information on that at this time. City Council has asked Fire & Police what additional services they will be able to provide to City residents with these new buildings. You may contact me at home at 532-4844 and work: 298-5650. (You may also call my assistant Marge Harvey 535-7626)

MEMORY GROVE: Phil Carroll: Memory grove Clean up – May 13 at 8:00 a.m. until 12:00 and then have a group lunch. If you would like to help please call me at 328-1050. We need to have help to plan it.

OPEN FORUM: Information for the Community Council: Mike Devine at 558-0188. I live at 1177 South Temple (S street and South Temple.) I also have a Home Office there. Now I am told I have to get a Conditional Use Permit. My mother grew up I the home. We acquired the home and have lived there since 1994. We remodeled keeping the historic character. We have a carriage house and about 7 parking stalls; if anyone comes to visit they park there. QUESTION: How many people work there? I only have 2 support staff who work there, and one other person who comes part time. QUESTION: How many visitors come to visit? We only have 5 or fewer people come to visit each week. QUESTION: Who do you work for? The Shoshone Indian Development Corporation. QUESTION: How do your neighbors feel about this? There are only two houses on the block; the other is a doctor who sees patients at her home, and she doesn’t seem to mind.

AGENDA ITEMS:

STREET FAIR: The Street Fair is one day celebration of the Avenues with about 100 booths down each side of the street, and we have great music and entertainment stages set up. We need volunteers. We will have our first meeting April 1st at 9:00 am at Jill Van Langeveld’s home at 807 Northcliff Drive. We will decide the place to hold the fair and the date. Then we will divide the duties. So please come—we need you.

HOUSING CAPABILITY COMMITTEE: We have been meeting for about 8 months, since July. It was brought about because of a need to discuss and find solutions to the Monster buildings that had a negative impact on their neighborhoods. There is a text document of this information. We took a look at the Avenues as a whole and what we found was a great diversity. There are some with 2 story houses 35 feet tall, and a block away the average height is 17feet houses. Big houses between big houses is not a big deal. Big houses between the small ones is a big deal. How could we draw lines in a way that was workable? We decided that we needed to look at the permits. We put together a tiered zoning permit. The first tier could protect the small areas, but not hinder the building in the larger taller areas where the norm was big; etc... The City adopted a tiered process in Dec. 13, 2005. So we were pleased and are working off that. After our vote tonight the Planning Office will hear comments during an Open House, and then go to another committee, and eventually go to the City Council. Temporary restrictions are now in place. It will take about 3 months to get to the City Council. The City wanted this to be Community driven.

The SR-1 areas are narrow, deep, and on a hill. This area covers the lower Avenues, usually below 13th or 14th Avenue (it curves).

The Three Tier Process was discussed and a chart shown of each area of specification: roof height, wall height, set-back, maximum foot print, etc. (All of this is on the Web Site).

- TIER ONE : Over the Counter Permit if you meet all the specifications. Take Average height of the entire block. You can show that you have a certified height measurement from the block face, which is all the properties on the block. If you live on a corner you belong to two block faces. You have to get both measurement. Same as the front set-back.

- TIER TWO: Show plans, ask for routine and uncontested special exceptions. Take their paper to Porperty owners for their signature (or go to an Admistrative Public Hearing), and you get your permit. (In the Historic District it is a little different, and is not yet in correct place.) We are going to meet with the Planning Department so that all Staff understand this.

- TIER THREE: (on the website)

MOTION: made by Jim Jenkin: Pass the work of the Housing Compatibility Committee to the Planning Commission and City, as our recommendation for the SR 1 Overlay, and we empower the Housing Compatibility Committee to negotiate and communicate on our behalf on proposed changes the City may consider, if it is not possible for the HCC to bring the City’s new issues to the GACC.

VOTE TAKEN: 48 in favor, 5 opposed.

Meeting Adjourned 8:45 p.m. by Steve Mecham.