2024-08-14 CC Minutes - Approved

Home Browse Search

City of Centerville City Council Meeting Minutes August 14, 2024 Ms. Golden also noted that the information should be fully transparent and accessible to city council members and to all the residents of Centerville, noting that she has asked city council members if they had these answers, and they did not. Ms. Golden questions the pressure to move quickly to enact a piecemeal approach, as the council discusses the possibilities of moratorium number three, adding that over the past 18 years, the downtown district has had little to no economic growth. Ms. Golden asked the city to pause and take the necessary time to align city planning documents so that the growth of our town is intelligent, it's thoughtful, and it's consistent with what residents want. She added that this is not just a matter of growth, but thoughtful and strategic city planning. Ms. Golden urged the city council to enact a resident Task Force to address the inconsistencies within our three planning documents; and she urged the Council to vote yes on a moratorium, noting that the 12-month moratorium is the maximum. Ms. Golden further added that she thinks if residents come together, the council comes together, and planning and zoning and staff come together, this can be done in a much shorter period, and then we can get the right developer and we can get the right growth that Centerville wants, deserves and needs. 7. Heather Carciofini, 1652 Lakeland Circle. Ms. Carciofini said she is here to support a one-year moratorium on planned unit developments in Centerville’s downtown district. Ms. Carciofini added that she is not opposed to development, nor is she afraid of growth or change; she noted that she is in favor of development, if it is strategic, well considered and reflects the wants and needs of the community. Ms. Carciofini said that she believes a moratorium is appropriate at this juncture because of the issues that the proposed LaLonde development brought to light, notably a significant number of inconsistencies and contradictions among the city's planning documents, and a general feeling in Centerville at-large that that kind of high density, multi-story development is not wanted near the elementary school or on top of the lake. Ms. Carciofini added that the current downtown master plan was created 18 years ago, and she thinks we can all agree that it has not performed as promised; She questioned why we are clinging to a failed plan, and asked why not take a pause, take a breath and take the time needed to bring our city planning documents into alignment. She further added why not take the time needed to engage with current residents, gather their input and craft a plan that aligns with their needs, desires and expectations? Ms. Carciofini asked why not take the time to set the right priorities so that we can maintain the small town feel that we all cherish, while continuing to foster growth and opportunity. Ms. Carciofini said that for all these reasons, she is asking the Council to vote yes to a one-year moratorium on PUDs in downtown Centerville. Ms. Carciofini also wanted to address chatter surrounding the issue of property taxes, noting that over the past few months, she has attended several Council and Planning and Zoning meetings, and it's been said many times by many people that the only way to lower property taxes is add development. She said she can only rely on her own anecdotal evidence, and that during the 20 years she has lived in Centerville, the population has nearly doubled, and there's been near constant development, residential, commercial, retail, office, industrial, and she has never seen her property taxes go down. 8. Janice Hackman, 7034 Dupre Road. Ms. Hackman asked two questions: 1. Is it true that the moratorium includes more than Block 7, including St. Genevieve’s, the parish, the rectory and the property that runs along the front of St. Genevieve’s? 2. Did the State mandate high density requirements? Page 5 of 13