Absent: None.
Also Present: Mr. Hartmann, City Manager; Mr. Banks, City Attorney; Ms. Evans, Deputy City Manager; Mr. Jinks, Deputy City Manager; Ms. Hamer, Director, Planning and Zoning (P&Z); Ms. Ross, Deputy Director, P&Z; Mr. Johnson, Chief Financial Officer/Director, Office of Management and Budget (OMB); Mr. Gates, Assistant City Manager, City Manager's Office; Ms. Blackford, Communications Officer, Office of Communications and Public Information; Ms. Wright, Division Chief, P&Z; Mr. Catlett, Director, Code Administration; Mr. Wagner, Principal Planner, P&Z; Mr. Baier, Director, Transportation and Environmental Services (T&ES); Mr. Lerner, Deputy Director, T&ES; Ms. Baker, City Engineer, T&ES; Ms. Taylor, Assistant Director, OMB; Ms. Triggs, Director, Finance; Ms. Orr, Director, Human Resources; Mr. Milone, Division Chief, P&Z; Ms. Parker, Urban Planner, P&Z; Deputy Chief Corle, Police; Mr. Roberts, Urban Planner, P&Z; Mr. Martinez, ITS, Ms. McLean, ITS; Police Captain Ogden, and Mr. Lloyd.
Recorded by: Gloria Sitton, Deputy City Clerk and Clerk of Council.
OPENING
1. Calling the Roll. The meeting was called to order by Mayor Euille, and the Deputy City Clerk called the roll; all the members of Council were present. New Business Item #1: Mayor Euille requested that Council observe a moment of silence in honor of those affected by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. 2. Public Discussion Period. The following persons participated in the public discussion period: (a) Bert Ely, 200 South Pitt Street, spoke about concerns with the proposed Waterfront Plan that have not been addressed, including additional design options for the proposed restaurant for Waterfront Park, a hotel use analysis and Master Plan Amendment #2011-0001 and Text Amendment #2011-0005. Mr. Ely requested that Council not proceed with the consideration of the Waterfront Plan until it is scaled back to a more realistic and modest proposal honoring the historic character of Old Town and Alexandria as a whole. Vice Mayor Donley inquired when some of the reports concerning the Waterfront Plan would be available for public review. In response to Vice Mayor Donley, Director of Planning and Zoning Hamer stated that the reports would be available within the next couple of weeks. Ms. Hamer also noted that in addition to the hearing in April, the Planning Commission has a hearing scheduled for May. Ms. Hamer noted that the Commissioners have left the option open to receive additional testimony from the public in May. Councilwoman Hughes requested that the Planning Commission consider, in the interest of fairness, receiving additional testimony from the public in May. (b) Bill Harvey, 2151 Jamieson Avenue, Unit 1809, expressed concerns about the proposed Waterfront Plan, pointing out the environmental hazards the plan creates with its economic development driven vision, the potential for higher design, construction, operations and maintenance costs than the plan proposes, and lack of usage of the natural order of the waterway. Mr. Harvey requested a smaller, less ambitious Waterfront Plan be presented for consideration. Councilman Krupicka requested that Mr. Harvey expound on two statements he made: "tied to history" and "the natural order of the waterway." In response to Councilman Krupicka, Mr. Harvey referenced the picture in Chamber for a historical perspective on the waterfront and noted that the City did not have a protected waterfront. Mr. Harvey stated that he preferred fewer structures protruding into the waterway. Mr. Harvey stated that the natural order of the waterway refers to the configuration of the river as developed by the river itself. (c) David Bouk, 2705 Holly Street, reported that there was an increase in burglaries and crime in the Del Ray neighborhood and he wanted to let Council know about the increase and the concerns of the neighborhood. Mr. Bouk noted that he had been the victim of several burglaries in recent weeks. Mayor Euille reported that the Police have apprehended a few people they believe to be involved in the crimes Mr. Bouk was reporting on. (d) Russell Keller, 520 John Carlyle Street, Unit 230, spoke about the persistent noise from the restaurant below his condominium and throughout the building. Mr. Keller stated that the City Attorney's opinion about the problem should be ignored by Council because it denies the residents property rights. Mr. Keller also requested that the Special Use Permit (SUP) for the restaurant be enforced. Council participated in a discussion about the noise from the restaurant and how it was affecting the residents' quality of life. Council requested that staff contact the owner of the restaurant about the noise and the number of complaints received from the community. Council also stated that if the problem persists, staff may have to conduct nighttime observations and if no solutions are reached, the SUP may have to be reviewed and modified. Council requested that staff be mindful of the types of businesses allowed in mixed use developments, improve coordination of enforcement efforts between the Planning and Zoning Department and the Police Department, and implement building requirements that focus on the types of material used to prevent noise from impacting potential residents. (e) Bob Wood, 711 Potomac Street, expressed concern about some of the aspects of the proposed Waterfront Plan, including the amount of square footage proposed for the Plan and the lack of viable alternative plans being offered for consideration or collaboration. (f) Jack Sullivan, 4300 Ivanhoe Place, requested that Council use caution when expending City funds to institute the Capitol BikeShare program. Mr. Sullivan noted that even though the program would initially be funded by a TIGER Grant from the U. S. Department of Transportation, the City would be committed to a 20% match and would be picking up the cost for the program in the future indefinitely. Mr. Sullivan suggested that the City instead invest in improving the current and potential bike routes in the City, creating less hassle for all riders. (g) Poul Hertel, 1217 Michigan Court, spoke about the cost benefit of instituting the Capitol BikeShare program in the City of Alexandria and gave Council a cost benefit analysis of the program. Mr. Hertel requested that Council of Governments (COG) explore the program further before instituting the program. (h) John Gosling, 208 South Fayette Street, presented Council with the results of a member survey from Old Town Civic Association (OTCA) and noted that there were numerous concerns expressed by the membership, including the unsettling legal issues that could increase costs, no development of alternative plans, too much ambition in the plan creating negative impacts for the commercial development and cannibalization of the existing businesses, the unpopularity of the Waterfront Park building in the community and the lack of the featuring of the historical/cultural amenities and funding mechanisms. Mr. Gosling invited Council to join OTCA in a workshop to develop an alternative planning concept that would give the community ownership of the plan and a more amendable plan. Councilman Smedberg requested background information on the survey OTCA used for its members in order to gain some insight into the results Mr. Gosling gave Council. Mayor Euille read two letters from students from George Mason Elementary School. The letters were from Kendall Rayome and Ben Januez. REPORTS OF BOARDS, COMMISSIONS AND COMMITTEES ACTION CONSENT CALENDAR (3-4) Planning Commission 3. SPECIAL USE PERMIT #2010-0088 101 NORTH UNION STREET #101 RESTAURANT Public Hearing and Consideration of a request to operate a restaurant; zoned KR/King Street Retail. Applicant: Blue Zen VA, Inc., represented by Hanh Tran PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: Recommend Approval 7-0 (A copy of the Planning Commission report dated March 1, 2011, is on file in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked Exhibit No. 1 of Item No. 3; 03/12/11, and is incorporated as part of this record by reference.) 4. SPECIAL USE PERMIT #2010-0089 444 SWANN AVENUE (Parcel Address: 420 Swann Avenue) AUTOMOBILE REPAIR FACILITY Public Hearing and Consideration of a request to operate a general automobile repair facility; zoned I/Industrial. Applicant: Mehrah Noorizadeh PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: Recommend Approval 7-0 (A copy of the Planning Commission report dated March 1, 2011, is on file in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked Exhibit No. 1 of Item No. 4; 03/12/11, and is incorporated as part of this record by reference.) END OF ACTION CONSENT CALENDAR WHEREUPON, upon motion by Vice Mayor Donley, seconded by Councilwoman Pepper and carried unanimously, City Council approved the consent calendar, with the exception of docket item number 3, which was considered under separate motion. The approval was as follows: 4. City Council approved the Planning Commission recommendation. The voting was as follows: Donley "aye" Fannon "aye" Pepper "aye" Hughes "aye" Euille "aye" Krupicka "aye" Smedberg "aye" 3. SPECIAL USE PERMIT #2010-0088 101 NORTH UNION STREET #101 RESTAURANT Public Hearing and Consideration of a request to operate a restaurant; zoned KR/King Street Retail. Applicant: Blue Zen VA, Inc., represented by Hanh Tran PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: Recommend Approval 7-0 (A copy of the Planning Commission report dated March 1, 2011, is on file in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked Exhibit No. 1 of Item No. 3; 03/12/11, and is incorporated as part of this record by reference.) Councilman Smedberg inquired what type of measures would be taken to ensure there would not be an excess of trash on the corner. In response to Councilman Smedberg, Deputy Director of Planning and Zoning Ross noted that there were numerous trash receptacles already on that corner. City Engineer Baker added that Transportation and Environmental Services would work diligently to make sure the receptacles are emptied regularly. WHEREUPON, upon motion by Councilman Smedberg, seconded by Vice Mayor Donley and carried 6-0, City Council approved the Planning Commission recommendation. The voting was as follows: Smedberg "aye" Fannon "aye" Donley "aye" Hughes absent Euille "aye" Krupicka "aye" Pepper "aye" REPORTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE CITY MANAGER None. REPORTS OF BOARDS, COMMISSIONS AND COMMITTEES (continued) Planning Commission (continued) 5. TEXT AMENDMENT #2011-0004 Public Hearing and Consideration of an amendment to Section 6-300 the Zoning Ordinance regarding floodplain regulations. Staff: Department of Transportation and Environmental Services PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: Recommend Approval 7-0 (A copy of the Planning Commission report dated March 1, 2011, is on file in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked Exhibit No. 1 of Item No. 5; 03/12/11, and is incorporated as part of this record by reference.) City Engineer Baker gave a presentation of the amendments and map changes to the floodplain regulations and responded to questions from Council about the changes to the regulations, properties that will be included in the new regulations and the map amendment process for residents. The following person participated in the public hearing for this item: (a) Katy Cannady, 20 East Oak Street, stated that placing homes in the floodplain creates a burden for homeowners, particularly when the flooding could be mitigated by fixing Hoofs Run culvert through engineering solutions. WHEREUPON, upon motion by Councilman Smedberg, seconded by Councilwoman Pepper and carried unanimously, City Council closed the public hearing and approved the Planning Commission recommendation. The voting was as follows: Smedberg "aye" Donley "aye" Pepper "aye" Fannon "aye" Euille "aye" Hughes "aye" Krupicka "aye" 6. DEVELOPMENT SPECIAL USE PERMIT #2010-0004 3100 JEFFERSON DAVIS HIGHWAY MARINO'S RESTAURANT ADDITION Public Hearing and Consideration of a request for a development special use permit, with site plan and modifications, for an addition to an existing building for a new restaurant; zoned CSL/Commercial Service Low. Applicant: Ather Subzwari PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: Recommend Approval 6-1 (A copy of the Planning Commission report is on file in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked Exhibit No. 1 of Item No. 6; 03/12/11, and is incorporated as part of this record by reference.) Urban Planner Roberts gave a presentation on the proposed development special use permit and he and Ms. Wright, Division Chief, Planning and Zoning, responded to questions from Council about the project and how it would affect future development along Route 1. The following person participated in the public hearing for this item: (a) Sean Crumley, 209A East Nelson Avenue, President of the Del Ray Citizens Association, stated that the members of the Association had a number of concerns with the addition to Marino's Restaurant, primarily the perpetuation of the 6 feet setback that violates the zoning requirement of a 25 feet setback. Mr. Crumley noted that the Association also had questions about the layout of the property, particularly the parking lot, and its impact on pedestrian safety and traffic along Route 1. Mr. Crumley reported that the Del Ray Citizens Association voted unanimously to ask Council to deny the request for the addition. WHEREUPON, upon motion by Councilwoman Pepper, seconded by Councilman Krupicka and carried unanimously, City Council closed the public hearing and approved the Planning Commission recommendation. The voting was as follows: Pepper "aye" Donley "aye" Krupicka "aye" Fannon "aye" Euille "aye" Hughes "aye" Smedberg "aye" ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS 7. Introduction and First Reading. Consideration. Passage on First Reading of an Ordinance to Establish the Real Estate and Personal Property Tax Rates for Calendar Year 2011. (A copy of the City Manager's memorandum dated March 8, 2011, is on file in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked Exhibit No. 1 of Item No. 7; 03/12/11, and is incorporated as part of this record by reference. A copy of the informal memorandum explaining the ordinance is on file in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked Exhibit No. 2 of Item No. 7; 03/12/11, and is incorporated as part of this record by reference. A copy of the ordinance referred to in the above item, of which each Member of Council received a copy not less than 24 hours before said introduction, is on file in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked Exhibit No. 3 of Item No. 7; 03/12/11, and is incorporated as part of this record by reference.) WHEREUPON, upon motion by Vice Mayor Donley, seconded by Councilwoman Pepper, City Council: (1) introduced the ordinance and passed it on first reading after establishing the tax rates to be advertised for residential and commercial real property and personal property; and (2) scheduled the ordinance for public hearing on Saturday, April 16, and second reading and final passage on Monday, May 2. The maximum rates authorized by City Council in the ordinance reflect: 1) A base real estate tax rate on residential, commercial and industrial property for calendar year 2011 of $1.00 per one hundred dollars of assessed valuation; 2) An add-on real estate tax rate on non-residential commercial and industrial property for calendar year 2011 to be dedicated for transportation purposes of $0.125 cents per one hundred dollars of valuation; 3) Assumed in this proposed amount is the continued dedication of 0.3% of real estate tax revenues for the Open Space Trust Fund Account to pay debt service costs on prior year borrowing for open space properties, the continued dedication of 0.6 cents for affordable housing, and the continued dedication of 0.5 cents for a stormwater infrastructure trust fund account; 4) A personal property tax rate on vehicles and business tangible property for calendar year 2011 of $4.75 per one hundred dollars of valuation; and 5) Tax rates on other classes of personal property are not proposed to change for calendar year 2011. WHEREUPON, a substitute motion was made by Councilman Fannon, and seconded by Councilwoman Hughes, for City Council: (1) to introduce the ordinance and pass it on first reading after establishing the tax rates to be advertised for residential and commercial real property and personal property; and (2) scheduled the ordinance for public hearing on Saturday, April 16, and second reading and final passage on Monday, May 2. The maximum rates authorized by City Council in the ordinance to reflect: 1) A base real estate tax rate on residential, commercial and industrial property for calendar year 2011 of $.99 per one hundred dollars of assessed valuation; 2) No add-on real estate tax rate on non-residential commercial and industrial property for calendar year 2011 to be dedicated for transportation purposes; 3) Assumed in this proposed amount is the continued dedication of 0.3% of real estate tax revenues for the Open Space Trust Fund Account to pay debt service costs on prior year borrowing for open space properties, the continued dedication of 0.6 cents for affordable housing, and the continued dedication of 0.5 cents for a stormwater infrastructure trust fund account; 4) A personal property tax rate on vehicles and business tangible property for calendar year 2011 of $4.75 per one hundred dollars of valuation; and 5) Tax rates on other classes of personal property are not proposed to change for calendar year 2011. WHEREUPON, an amendment to the substitute motion was made by Councilman Smedberg, for City Council: (1) to introduce the ordinance and pass it on first reading after establishing the tax rates to be advertised for residential and commercial real property and personal property; and (2) scheduled the ordinance for public hearing on Saturday, April 16, and second reading and final passage on Monday, May 2. The maximum rates authorized by City Council in the ordinance to reflect: 1) A base real estate tax rate on residential, commercial and industrial property for calendar year 2011 of $.99 per one hundred dollars of assessed valuation; 2) An add-on real estate tax rate on non-residential commercial and industrial property for calendar year 2011 to be dedicated for transportation purposes of $0.125 cents per one hundred dollars of valuation; 3) Assumed in this proposed amount is the continued dedication of 0.3% of real estate tax revenues for the Open Space Trust Fund Account to pay debt service costs on prior year borrowing for open space properties, the continued dedication of 0.6 cents for affordable housing, and the continued dedication of 0.5 cents for a stormwater infrastructure trust fund account; 4) A personal property tax rate on vehicles and business tangible property for calendar year 2011 of $4.75 per one hundred dollars of valuation; and 5) Tax rates on other classes of personal property are not proposed to change for calendar year 2011. The motion failed for lack of a second. A vote was taken on the substitute motion by Councilman Fannon, seconded by Councilwoman Hughes and failed 1-6. The voting was as follows: Fannon "aye" Donley "no" Hughes "no" Krupicka "no" Euille "no" Pepper "no" Smedberg "no" WHEREUPON, a substitute motion was made by Councilwoman Hughes, for City Council: (1) to introduce the ordinance and pass it on first reading after establishing the tax rates to be advertised for residential and commercial real property and personal property; and (2) scheduled the ordinance for public hearing on Saturday, April 16, and second reading and final passage on Monday, May 2. The maximum rates authorized by City Council in the ordinance to reflect: 1) A base real estate tax rate on residential, commercial and industrial property for calendar year 2011 of $1.00 per one hundred dollars of assessed valuation; 2) An add-on real estate tax rate on non-residential commercial and industrial property for calendar year 2011 to be dedicated for transportation purposes of $0.07 cents per one hundred dollars of valuation; 3) Assumed in this proposed amount is the continued dedication of 0.3% of real estate tax revenues for the Open Space Trust Fund Account to pay debt service costs on prior year borrowing for open space properties, the continued dedication of 0.6 cents for affordable housing, and the continued dedication of 0.5 cents for a stormwater infrastructure trust fund account; 4) A personal property tax rate on vehicles and business tangible property for calendar year 2011 of $4.75 per one hundred dollars of valuation; and 5) Tax rates on other classes of personal property are not proposed to change for calendar year 2011. The motion failed for lack of a second. A vote was taken on the main motion and carried 5-2 with the voting as follows: Donley "aye" Fannon "no" Pepper "aye" Hughes "no" Euille "aye" Krupicka "aye" Smedberg "aye" 8. Introduction and First Reading. Consideration. Passage on First Reading of an Ordinance to Codify the Tier 1 Potomac Yard Metrorail Station Special Services District as a Separate Classification For Real Estate Tax Purposes and to Establish the Tax Rate for Calendar Year 2011. (A copy of the City Manager's memorandum dated March 9, 2011, is on file in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked Exhibit No. 1 of Item No. 8; 03/12/11, and is incorporated as part of this record by reference. A copy of the informal memorandum explaining the ordinance is on file in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked Exhibit No. 2 of Item No. 8; 03/12/11, and is incorporated as part of this record by reference. A copy of the ordinance referred to in the above item, of which each Member of Council received a copy not less than 24 hours before said introduction, is on file in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked Exhibit No. 3 of Item No. 8; 03/12/11, and is incorporated as part of this record by reference.) WHEREUPON, upon motion by Vice Mayor Donley, seconded by Councilwoman Pepper and carried unanimously, City Council approved the ordinance on first reading and scheduled the public hearing for April 16, 2011 and second reading and final passage on May 2, 2011. The voting was as follows: Donley "aye" Fannon "aye" Pepper "aye" Hughes "aye" Euille "aye" Krupicka "aye" Smedberg "aye" 9. Public Hearing, Second Reading and Final Passage of an Ordinance Authorizing the Issuance of General Obligation Bonds to Finance Various City and School Capital Improvement Projects. (#8, 3/08/11) (A copy of the City Manager's memorandum dated March 2, 2011, is on file in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked Exhibit No. 1 of Item No. 9; 03/12/11, and is incorporated as part of this record by reference A copy of the informal memorandum explaining the ordinance is on file in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked Exhibit No. 2 of Item No. 9; 03/12/11, and is incorporated as part of this record by reference. A copy of the ordinance referred to in the above item, of which each Member of Council received a copy not less than 24 hours before said introduction, is on file in the Office of the City Clerk and Clerk of Council, marked Exhibit No. 3 of Item No. 9; 03/12/11, and is incorporated as part of this record by reference.) Councilman Smedberg inquired whether the wording for the affordable housing section has always been part of the bond ordinance and if those requests have come to Council for consideration. In response to Councilman Smedberg, Deputy City Manager Jinks stated that the ability to reallocate funds within a bond ordinance is standard operating procedure for the City and he noted that each specific capital allocation project comes before Council for a vote. Mr. Jinks pointed out that the specific paragraph that Councilman Smedberg was referring to has been a part of at least the last two or three bond ordinances and give Council the ability to reallocate funds when needed. Councilman Smedberg requested a budget memo regarding the $.06 dedicated to affordable housing and the amount that is in the trust fund, as well as how much of the money has been used for Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority (ARHA) projects. Councilman Fannon also requested that the memo include the total amount of loans outstanding to ARHA as well. Mayor Euille requested that the City Manager's memorandum relating to this item from the March 8th legislative meeting be attached to this item. WHEREUPON, upon motion by Councilwoman Hughes, seconded by Vice Mayor Donley and carried unanimously by roll-call vote, City Council closed the public hearing and adopted an ordinance authorizing the issuance of general obligation bonds to finance various City and School Capital Improvement Projects. The voting was as follows: Hughes "aye" Fannon "aye" Donley "aye" Krupicka "aye" Euille "aye" Pepper "aye" Smedberg "aye" The ordinance reads as follows: