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HRA Meeting Minutes – Tuesday, November 19, 2013 Page 3 1 Motion: Member Lee moved, seconded by Member Willmus to enter into a 2 Predevelopment Agreement with the Greater Metropolitan Housing Corporation 3 (Attachment A) to further explore the viability of their proposal. 4 5 Ayes: 5 6 Nays: 0 7 Motion carried. 8 9 Chair Maschka, recognizing neighbors of the project area in tonight’s audience, advised that 10 the HRA would continue to work through the process, and all steps would be kept transparent, 11 with the neighborhood kept in the loop. 12 13 Public Comments 14 Rich Lueder, 794 Lovell Avenue 15 While unrelated to this development, Mr. Lueder brought forward a concern that needed 16 recognition anyway, from his perspective: traffic on Lovell and parking concerns in the 17 neighborhood. In his 13 years in the area, Mr. Lueder noted the ongoing and ever-increasing 18 issues with speed and volume of traffic on Lovell, a concern shared by a lot of his neighbors. 19 Mr. Lueder noted that the City had apparently recognized that Lovell was becoming busier and 20 busier; and opined that it would only become more so with added turn lanes on Lovell on the 21 east/west side. Mr. Lueder noted that there were currently no sidewalks on Lovell, forcing all 22 bicycle and pedestrian traffic to use the street; and further noting that Lovell was the only 23 through street out of five between Highway 36 and County Road B-2 running from Victoria to 24 Dale Street. Mr. Lueder noted that this traffic affected both high schools and apartment 25 complexes; with a lot of the traffic not necessarily neighborhood traffic. From his personal 26 research in how a neighborhood could petition for sidewalks on their own, and at their own 27 expense, Mr. Lueder asked that the City waive costs incurred by the neighborhood in this 28 instance, as they were not asking that more housing be brought into the neighborhood. 29 30 Mr. Lueder further noted that, the neighbors were still confused and had remaining questions 31 on the financial aspects of the project; asking that they be more defined for the neighborhood, 32 especially with the recent request to reduce density (e.g. removing 1 – 2 houses from the 33 proposal) to make it less congested. However, Mr. Lueder questioned what the parameters 34 were for this and asked that the neighborhood be better informed on what that meant. 35 36 Chair Maschka thanked Mr. Lueder for his comments, opining that they were both valid. 37 However, Chair Maschka admitted that the HRA had yet to understand the financing picture, 38 which would be more defined as this process continued, and asked for the patience of the 39 neighbors during that process. Chair Maschka noted that he also shared the neighborhood’s 40 concerns with density, thus his request to further reduce that density. Chair Maschka clarified 41 that the original proposal was a concept; and not the details would need to be worked out and 42 firmed up. Chair Maschka committed to making sure the developer and HRA remained 43 cognizant of neighborhood concerns as an appropriate density was determined that would still 44 make the project viable. Chair Maschka reiterated that this was still at its conceptual stage, 45 and tonight’s action would initiate putting things together; with no one being aware of all 46 funding sources or options at this time. 47 48 At the request of Mr. Lueder, Chair Maschka assured him that the community, and 49 neighborhood specifically, would be kept informed of the process and progress throughout; 50 with many opportunities ahead for additional input from them before a final decision is made. 51 52 Ms. Kelsey also noted that the former fire station portion of the property would need to be 53 rezoned; which was a public process with Public Hearings at the Planning Commission and 54 City Council levels; with many parts of the development still pending in both the City Council 55 and HRA realms.