PLANNING COMMISSION OF THE WORKSHOP MEETING OF THE GALVESTON PLANNING COMMISSION TO ORDER.
[00:00:05]
WE'VE ALL TAKEN A ROLE, AND WE DO HAVE. THERE'S NO ACTION TODAY.[4.A. Review of Urban Neighborhood (UN) lot sizes, setback requirements, and permitted uses, as directed by City Council.]
AND I'M GOING TO TURN THAT ALL OVER TO.THINGS COMING TO THE TABLE. ARE YOU.
OKAY. SO BACK IN FEBRUARY, CITY COUNCIL HAD AN ITEM ON THEIR WORKSHOP ABOUT THE URBAN NEIGHBORHOOD, UN ZONING DISTRICT, SPECIFICALLY ABOUT NEW DEVELOPMENT THAT WE'RE SEEING AND HOW IT RELATES TO LOT SIZES, SETBACKS AND OTHER ISSUES. THEY HAD SOME CONCERNS THAT THEY EXPRESSED DURING THE WORKSHOP DISCUSSION.
THERE'S A LINK TO IT THERE. I SENT OUT A LINK.
HOPEFULLY YOU GOT A CHANCE TO LISTEN TO THEIR DISCUSSION.
SO WHAT WE'VE DONE TODAY IS JUST DONE A BROAD OVERVIEW REVIEW OF THE URBAN NEIGHBORHOOD DISTRICT, WHAT IT IS AND WHAT IT DOES. AND THEN WE CAN TALK ABOUT ANY ISSUES THAT YOU ALL ARE SEEING AND ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU ALL HAVE.
AND WELCOME TO DONNA. AND YOU DID MENTION IT WAS ON FOR CITY COUNCIL THIS THURSDAY, RIGHT? AND IT'S ALSO ON CITY COUNCIL ON THIS THURSDAY SO WE WILL BE ABLE TO REPORT TO THE COUNCIL THAT WE'VE KICKED OFF THE PROCESS AND BE ABLE TO GIVE THEM AN UPDATE.
OKAY. OKAY. SO WE WILL CONTINUE ON URBAN NEIGHBORHOOD.
URBAN NEIGHBORHOOD IS A ZONING DISTRICT. IT'S INTENDED TO ACCOMMODATE THE RANGE AND PATTERN OF RESIDENTIAL USES FOUND IN THE CITY'S OLDEST ESTABLISHED URBAN CORE NEIGHBORHOODS, TOGETHER WITH LIMITED NONRESIDENTIAL USES, SUCH AS CORNER STORES THAT BENEFIT NEARBY RESIDENTS IN A NEIGHBORHOOD SETTING CONDUCIVE TO WALKING AND BIKING AS MUCH AS VEHICULAR CIRCULATION.
SO IT IS A ZONING DISTRICT THAT, LIKE ITS PURPOSE STATEMENT, SAYS, I JUST WANT TO JUMP HERE AND WE CAN SEE GEOGRAPHICALLY WHERE IS URBAN NEIGHBORHOOD, SO THIS IS AN AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH WITH URBAN NEIGHBORHOOD ZONING DISTRICT SUPERIMPOSED ON TOP OF IT.
SO THIS IS WHERE URBAN NEIGHBORHOOD EXISTS. WE HAVE OTHERS THOUGH.
THIS IS IT. THIS IS THE0 THAT'S THE ONLY AREA? YES. THIS IS ALL OF URBAN NEIGHBORHOOD. THERE'S NO UN OUT WEST.
THERE'S NO UN OUT WEST. THE FURTHEST WESTERN EXTENT OF UN IS.
OH THAT'S RIGHT. WHAT STREET IS THAT? THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.
I WAS JUST THINKING THAT. 53RD. RIGHT. BECAUSE THAT'S ALAMO.
OKAY. SO THAT'S 53RD. SO URBAN NEIGHBORHOOD IS USED IN TWO MAJOR WAYS.
AND WE'LL SEE THAT HERE ON THE MAP. SO QUESTION.
YEAH. WE SEE IT'S KIND OF CARVED UP NOW ARE THOSE CHANGES MADE BECAUSE THE RESIDENTS REQUESTED A CHANGE TO COME OUT OF URBAN NEIGHBORHOOD? NO.
YEAH. SO. WELL, LET'S, WE'LL GO OVER WHERE URBAN NEIGHBORHOOD IS AND WHAT IT'S DOING.
THIS 25TH STREET IS COMING ALONG RIGHT ABOUT HERE.
SO IT IS URBAN, THE NEIGHBORHOOD, THE RESIDENTIAL PART OF NORTH OF BROADWAY, WEST OF 25TH STREET.
AND THEN IT ALSO TAKES IN AND IS USED SOMETIMES FOR COMMERCIAL CORRIDORS.
SO THIS IS 14TH STREET IN THE EAST END. SO THIS IS WHERE MOSQUITO WAS, WHERE SUNFLOWER IS, WHERE THE ORIGINAL IS. SO THAT'S THIS CORRIDOR.
AND THEN THIS BIG CHUNK SOUTH OF BROADWAY. THIS IS THE SAN JACINTO NEIGHBORHOOD HERE. THIS AREA IS EAST OF THE EAST END.
SO THIS IS BETWEEN WHERE THE EAST END HISTORIC DISTRICT STOPS AND ABOUT SIXTH STREET.
AND THEN WE'VE GOT A BIG CHUNK HERE, WHICH IS IN LASKER PARK.
CARVER PARK AND KEMPNER PARK. THIS IS ALL RESIDENTIAL AREAS.
THEN YOU'LL SEE, I THINK THIS IS WHAT STAN WAS ASKING ABOUT.
A BUNCH OF THESE LITTLE BITTY GUYS KIND OF SCATTERED AROUND HERE.
SO WHAT THIS IS, IS AN AREA THAT'S THE BASE ZONE.
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HERE IS OUR ONE SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL R-1 AND THEN THE NEIGHBORHOOD IDENTIFIED EXISTING COMMERCIAL USES THAT THEY WANTED TO RETAIN. SO THE LITTLE INSTANCES OF URBAN NEIGHBORHOOD THAT YOU SEE HERE ARE EITHER FOR A COMMERCIAL CORRIDOR OR FOR INDIVIDUAL COMMERCIAL USES. AND THEN YOU'LL SEE A LITTLE BIT OF THAT EXTENDING EAST OF ABOUT 39TH STREET, WHICH IS WHERE THE BULK OF THIS URBAN NEIGHBORHOOD ENDS, AND THEN TRANSITIONS TO R-1.SO MOST OF ALL OF THIS IS R-1. SO THIS DOESN'T SIT ON TOP OF R-1S.
IT'S DISTINCT FROM R-1 AND R-2. YES. IT'S ITS OWN BASE ZONING DISTRICT.
THAT'S WHAT WHAT'S CONFUSING TO ME WHEN I WAS LOOKING AT THE. SO.
DIBELLA'S. IS THAT DIBELLA'S RIGHT IN THERE? DIBELLA'S IS ONE OF THESE LITTLE GUYS.
AND DIDN'T WE HAVE THAT COME BEFORE US WITH THE DIBELLA BUILDING? IT CAME BEFORE US A COUPLE OF, GOSH, PROBABLY A YEAR OR MORE AGO.
YEAH, YEAH. AND WHAT DO WE DO? WE CHANGED IT TO FROM URBAN TO RESIDENTIAL OR.
CATHERINE, CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG. A LOT OF THE, THE LITTLE BITS OF URBAN NEIGHBORHOOD, THOSE ARE WOULD PROBABLY BE LIKE HISTORIC CORNER STORES, RIGHT? YES. YEAH. MOST OF WHAT WE SEE IN THIS PART IS GOING TO BE HISTORIC CORNER STORES, EXISTING CORNER STORES, EXISTING CORNER STORES.
NEIGHBORHOOD SPECIFICALLY CALLS OUT THESE HISTORIC CORNER STORES AS A, AN AREA THAT YOU COULD HAVE COMMERCIAL ACTIVITY, RIGHT? SO BEFORE WE HAD URBAN NEIGHBORHOOD. SO BEFORE THE LDR WAS ESTABLISHED IN 2015, WE WERE ON A SET OF ZONING. IT'S CALLED THE ZONING STANDARDS, A SET OF ZONING REGULATIONS THAT DATED FROM THE 1960S FOR THE BULK OF IT.
AND A LOT OF THIS WAS ZONED RESIDENTIAL. A LOT OF THIS AREA WAS JUST REGULAR OLD RESIDENTIAL GR GENERAL RESIDENTS INCLUDING THESE CORNER STORE LOCATIONS. AND SO ANYTIME SOMEBODY WAS COMING TO REDEVELOP A CORNER STORE, THEY'D HAVE TO START WITH A CHANGE OF ZONING, A LONG, LABORIOUS PROCESS. ONE OF THE INTENTIONS OF URBAN NEIGHBORHOOD IS TO ALLOW FOR EASY REDEVELOPMENT OF COMMERCIAL CORNER STORE PROPERTIES. SO THAT IS WE CAN SEE THAT IN THE PURPOSE STATEMENT THAT IT ALLOWS FOR LIMITED NON RESIDENTIAL USES SUCH AS CORNER STORES.
OKAY, SO THE UN ZONE WAS CREATED WITH THE LDR IN 2015?16? RIGHT. WE DIDN'T HAVE IT BEFORE 2015 WITH THE ADOPTION OF LDR.
OKAY. SO THE ONES ON THE MAP THAT ARE THAT AREN'T THERE NOW THAT ARE THE BUILDINGS ARE STILL THERE.
BUT LIKE, FOR EXAMPLE, WHERE IT USED TO BE ON 16TH AND CHURCH AND WHERE MISS DEAN WAS USED TO BE ON 16TH AND WINNIE, I DON'T SEE THE RED DOTS THERE. SO THOSE ARE IN A TOTALLY DIFFERENT ZONING DISTRICT.
SO THOSE, THOSE ARE IN R-3, WHICH IS A RESIDENTIAL ZONING DISTRICT FOR THE HISTORIC DISTRICTS.
SO THEN THOSE ARE THOSE R-3 RULES WOULD APPLY TO THOSE STRUCTURES.
OKAY. AS OF 2015. THIS IS AS OF TODAY, ESTABLISHED IN 2020, ESTABLISHED IN 2015.
DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY OF THOSE ARE PUT RELATED IN ANY ZONING CHANGES GOING TO PUD OVERLAY? IN URBAN NEIGHBORHOOD THE USE OF PUDS IS SUPER UNUSUAL.
I CAN'T THINK OF ANY PUDS THAT HAVE OCCURRED IN URBAN NEIGHBORHOODS THAT MAY BE ONE OF ONE OF THE CONCERNS WITH DEVIATIONS, BUT THANK YOU FOR THAT ANSWER. WELL, I THOUGHT ABOUT THAT WHEN I WAS LOOKING AT WATCHING THE VIDEO.
BUT THEN YOU'RE RIGHT, YOU DON'T SEE TOO MANY OF THEM INSIDE THE CITY CORE.
THAT WAS THAT WAS URBAN NEIGHBORHOOD. THAT'S A GOOD POINT. YEAH. SO THAT'S IN THIS AREA HERE, WHICH IS MOSTLY THOSE MOODY COMPRESS BUILDINGS.
SO WE DID HAVE THAT THIS, YEAH, THIS PUBLIC HOUSING HERE IS A DIFFERENT ZONING DISTRICT.
I THINK IT'S R-2, WHICH ALLOWS FOR DUPLEXES AND TOWNHOUSES BECAUSE THAT'S THE, I THINK THIS IS THE SINGLE FAMILY PORTION HERE. AND THEN THIS IS THOSE DUPLEXES, WHICH I THINK ARE FOR SENIOR LIVING.
YEAH. OKAY. OKAY. I HAVE A QUESTION FOR YOU. SO IF YOU HAVE A URBAN NEIGHBORHOOD BUILDING AND
[00:10:06]
SOMEONE WANTS TO JUST CONVERT IT TO A HOUSE, CAN THEY DO THAT? ABSOLUTELY. YEAH. SO THEN THEY WOULD HAVE NO SETBACKS.NO. OKAY. SO THIS IS HERE IS A SNIPPET OF WHAT THE DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS FOR YOU, NR.
YOU WILL FIND THEY ARE VERY PERMISSIBLE. SO THE MINIMUM LOT SIZE IS 2500FT².
THERE IS NO REQUIRED WIDTH AND THERE IS NO REQUIRED DEPTH.
SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO. WE HAVE OTHER ZONING DISTRICTS THAT HAVE A WIDTH AND A DEPTH.
WE ONLY HAVE THE AREA REQUIREMENT. SO HOWEVER YOU AS THE DEVELOPER PROPERTY OWNER, WOULD LIKE TO ORIENT YOUR 2500FT². THAT'S UP TO YOU. THERE ARE ALSO THERE ARE NO SETBACK REQUIREMENTS.
THERE'S NO SIDE AND THERE'S NO REAR. SO HOW DOES HOW DOES THAT WORK IN PRACTICE? HOW CAN YOU ALLOW A LOT OWNER TO GO SIDE TO SIDE, FRONT TO FRONT, FRONT TO BACK AND IMPACT THE PROPERTIES THAT ARE ON EITHER SIDE? BECAUSE THEN THEY IN TURN CAN'T DO THAT? THAT'S A GOOD POINT.
TRUE. THAT IS A GOOD POINT. THEY'RE NEXT TO RESIDENTIAL.
ABSOLUTELY TRUE. SO THE THERE'S A LOT AT PLAY IN DEVELOPMENT AS YOU ALL KNOW.
SO THIS IS ONE REGULATION THAT DRIVES DEVELOPMENT.
SO FIRE SEPARATION IS ALSO LIKE A SETBACK REQUIREMENT.
SO IF YOU'RE AT ZERO FEET YOU CAN'T HAVE ANY OPENINGS AND IT ALL HAS TO BE FIRE RATED.
SO IT'S THREE FEET. YOU NOT THREE FEET. IT GETS TO FIVE IS WHERE YOU GET FIVE IS WHERE IT STOPS.
SO ACCORDING TO YOUR ZONING REGULATIONS, YOU COULD GO TO ZERO FEET.
BUT THERE ARE OTHER PRACTICALITIES AND OTHER REGULATIONS THAT WOULD THAT YOU AS THE DEVELOPER MIGHT CHOOSE NOT TO, NOT TO GO TO THE ZERO FEET. BUT DOESN'T CHANGE HIS POINT.
IT DOESN'T CHANGE YOUR POINT. NO IT DOESN'T. BUT JUST IN REALITY, THERE ARE.
JUST BECAUSE IT SAYS ZERO. NOT EVERYBODY DOES ZERO.
BUT YOU'RE ENTITLED TO. YES, I FIND SOMETHING INTERESTING.
THE LODGING. ONE SPACE PER UNIT. NOW SOME OF THESE HAVE GARAGE APARTMENTS, ETC.
SO ARE THEY. ARE YOU IN CAN HAVE A GARAGE APARTMENT? YES. AND THAT'S CONSIDERED ONE SPACE FOR THAT UNIT.
SO LET'S SO THESE ARE THE SETBACK REQUIREMENTS.
THERE'S A BUILDING HEIGHT REQUIREMENT OF 50FT.
THAT'S STANDARD FOR ALL OF OUR RESIDENTIAL ZONING DISTRICTS.
AND THEN WE CAN GET INTO PARKING. SO LODGING IS HOTELS.
RESIDENTIAL IS OKAY FOR PARKING. IT'S FOR YEAH TERM.
RIGHT. SO THESE ARE THE TWO THREE DIFFERENT KINDS OF LAND USES THAT YOU CAN HAVE IN URBAN NEIGHBORHOOD AND THE PARKING REQUIREMENTS THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THOSE. SO RESIDENTIAL THERE IS NONE REQUIRED, SO YOU DO NOT HAVE TO.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO PROVIDE PARKING. IF YOU DO.
YOU CAN'T PROVIDE MORE THAN 1.5 SPACES PER UNIT.
WHAT WE LIKE. WE JUST WENT OVER THE PURPOSE OF URBAN NEIGHBORHOOD, AND IT'S TO RESPOND TO WHAT IS ALREADY THERE IN OUR MOST DENSELY DEVELOPED OLDEST NEIGHBORHOODS. AND SO THEN YOUR THESE HOUSES WERE BUILT WITHOUT PARKING.
AND SO WE DON'T WANT TO REQUIRE SO MUCH PARKING THAT IT'S CHANGING THE CHARACTER OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND SUPPOSED TO BE WALKING AND BIKING AND ETC.. RIGHT. YEAH. YOU HAVE MORE OPTIONS THAT IT'S NOT JUST A STANDARD SUBURBAN KIND OF DEVELOPMENT WHERE YOU HAVE TO DRIVE EVERYWHERE IN THESE NEIGHBORHOODS, YOU CAN WALK, YOU CAN RIDE YOUR BIKE.
THERE ARE OTHER OPTIONS FOR TRANSPORTATION. BRIAN HAD BROUGHT UP IN THAT DISCUSSION A CONDITION WHERE DURING OR AFTER I, THERE WERE HASTY DECISIONS MADE FOR CONSTRUCTION OR THEY ACTUALLY ELIMINATED EVEN THE SECOND EXIT OR EGRESS INGRESS.
AND SO IT WAS RELEGATED TO JUST A SINGLE ENTRY AND PUSHING THE LOT LINE OR BUILD LINE ALL THE WAY.
THERE'S NO SPACE TO DO THE SECOND ENTRY OR SECOND EXIT, WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL IT, INGRESS, EGRESS. AND IT SEEMS LIKE WHAT WOULD BE, RATHER THAN TALK ABOUT FOOTAGE, TALK ABOUT WHAT WANTS TO BE IN THERE FIRST AND THEN WHATEVER'S LEFT.
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BECAUSE IF YOU COMPROMISE HAVING THE TWO INGRESS OR THE EGRESS, THOSE WE SHOULD ON THE SIDE OF SAFETY, I WOULD THINK. BUT TO BECAUSE TO BUILD TO THE LINE AND NOT HAVE A SECOND EXIT DOESN'T MAKE A WHOLE LOT OF SENSE.I THINK IT'S GETTING COMPROMISED. SO IF WE ESTABLISH THAT YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE THE ENTRANCE AND THE EXIT, CALL IT IN THE SETBACK, I WAS LOOKING AT A LOT OF THE NEIGHBORHOODS THAT HAVE THE STAIRWAYS IN EIGHT FEET.
YOU COULD BUILD THAT SECOND STAIRWAY AND WITH 1000 FOOT FOOTPRINT, EVEN IN A 2500 SQUARE FOOT LOT, AND STILL HAVE A DECENT PLACE. BUT TO NOT HAVE THAT SECOND EXIT DOESN'T MAKE A WHOLE LOT OF SENSE WHEN YOU'RE LOCKING SOMEBODY INTO A SINGLE ENTRY.
IT'S PRETTY PRIMARY. SO THE ENTRY REQUIREMENTS DON'T COME FROM ZONING.
IT COMES FROM BUILDING CODE REQUIREMENTS. YEAH.
I THINK PART OF THAT CONVERSATION, BECAUSE I'VE BEEN HERE FOR SO LONG, BUT PART OF THAT CONVERSATION WAS HOW TO DEAL WITH PROPERTIES THAT WERE ALREADY THERE, THAT COULDN'T MEET THAT TWO INGRESS EGRESS BECAUSE THERE JUST WASN'T ENOUGH SPACE.
AND I REALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT THE BUILDING CODES SAY NOW, BUT HAVING THOSE TWO FORMS OF EGRESS, BUT IT WASN'T A HASTY DECISION. TRUST AND BELIEVE.
I'M JUST USING HIS WORDS. YEAH, YEAH, YEAH. BECAUSE THE BUILDING BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT AND APPEALS HAD TO WORK ON THAT AND HAD TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS BEST FOR PARTICULAR SITUATIONS. BUT IT'S DEFINITELY A VERY GOOD POINT IN TERMS OF NEW CONSTRUCTION.
ET CETERA. RIGHT. GOING FORWARD. ABSOLUTELY. SO THE WAY I UNDERSTAND IT, THE THE ISSUE IS REGARDING NEW CONSTRUCTION AND WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH THE SMALLER BOXY HOUSES, THE SHOTGUN HOUSES RIGHT. SO THAT'S THE ISSUE THAT IS COMING UP.
IT'S NOT THE OLD HOUSES THAT ARE THERE. IT'S THE NEW STUFF.
WELL, I THINK WHAT COUNCIL WAS TALKING ABOUT WAS NEW CONSTRUCTION. RIGHT.
WELL, I MEAN, I THINK WE ALSO HAVE TO CONSIDER THE, YOU KNOW, AFTER A HURRICANE, IF THERE'S, YOU KNOW, A REBUILDING EFFORT, YOU KNOW, THAT'S ALL PART OF THAT.
WHAT WAS AN OLD BUILDING COULD BECOME A NEW BUILDING. DO WE WANT TO, YOU KNOW, UNDER NEW CONSTRAINTS? YEAH. DO WE WANT TO LOOK AT THE WHAT THE CONSTRAINTS ARE ON THAT AND THEN HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE HISTORIC CHARACTER OF OUR NEIGHBORHOODS, YOU KNOW? SO A LOT OF STUFF TO BALANCE.
YEAH. OKAY. SO THESE ARE YEAH, WE'VE GONE OVER WHAT THE STANDARDS ARE.
SO BEFORE 2015, WAS IT 2500FT²? I DON'T REMEMBER.
GENERAL RESIDENCE WAS PROBABLY 3000, 4000. I COULDN'T, I COULDN'T TELL YOU OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD.
OKAY. SO I DID A COUPLE OF MAPS THAT SHOW US THIS MAP IS SHOWING US THE LAND USES IN URBAN NEIGHBORHOOD. IT'S INTENDED TO BE A MIXED ZONE.
SO IT'S INTENDED TO HAVE COMMERCIAL AND RESIDENTIAL USES TOGETHER.
THE YELLOW IS RESIDENTIAL AND THE RED IS COMMERCIAL.
IT DOESN'T BREAK IT OUT INTO A NUMBER OF UNITS.
SO THE YELLOW IS JUST GENERALLY RESIDENTIAL. IT DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN IT'S SINGLE FAMILY.
IT COULD BE MORE UNITS THAN THAT. AND THEN THE RED IS COMMERCIAL.
SO UP HERE YOU CAN SEE SOME OF THESE RIGHT OF WAYS, RIGHTS OF WAY THAT ARE INCORPORATED INTO THAT'S MOSTLY MOODY, COMPLEX. DO YOU HAVE ANY EXAMPLES OF WHAT. THE THESE HOMES THAT THAT ALLEGEDLY OPEN DIRECTLY ONTO AN ALLEY? BECAUSE I WAS BORN AND RAISED IN THE EAST END AND I KNOW OLDER PLACES, THERE ARE A LOT OF YOUR ENTRANCE IS ON THE ALLEY AND THAT'S ALL RIGHT.
SOME OF THE OLDER PLACES. BUT BUT FROM WHAT I FROM WHAT I HEARD IN THE VIDEO WAS THAT THERE'S SOME OF THE NEW CONSTRUCTION WAS DOING THE SAME THING AND I DON'T KNOW IF THAT WAS. THEY WERE NON-CONFORMING. THEY JUST DID IT ANYWAY.
BUT THAT'S WHAT I HEARD. I HEARD THAT STATEMENT TOO, THAT THERE'S AREAS WHERE A DOOR OPENS INTO THE ALLEY AND THEN BLOCKS ACCESS IN THE ALLEY, I DON'T KNOW. I DON'T KNOW WHERE THAT IS. AND, YOU KNOW, ALL THE CONSTRUCTION HAS TO BE ON PRIVATE PROPERTY AND RAISED TO MEET FLOODPLAIN REQUIREMENTS. THE OLD STUFF IS I MEAN, THERE'S A LOT OF OLD ONES LIKE THAT WHERE YOUR DOOR IS RIGHT THERE ON THE ALLEY AND PEOPLE STILL LIVE IN THOSE STRUCTURES.
[00:20:03]
SO YEAH, I DON'T KNOW WHERE THAT CLEAR ON WHAT THE WHAT THE MAIN ISSUE IS.COUNCIL IS CHARGING US WITH WHAT THE NEW AROUND THE NEW CONSTRUCTION.
AND THOSE RULES AND REGULATIONS, LIKE YOU SAY, IF THERE'S ONE THING ABOUT THE LOT SIZE, BUT THEN THEIR BUILDING CODES THAT COME INTO PLAY THAT ALSO CHANGE THINGS AND PUT OTHER RESTRICTIONS ON THE, ON THE, ON THE OWNER.
I DIDN'T HEAR COMPLAINTS ABOUT EXISTING BUILDINGS.
I HEARD I HEARD CONCERNS ABOUT NEW CONSTRUCTION.
OKAY, WELL, CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG. IS THERE A WHOLE LOT WE CAN DO ABOUT OLD CONSTRUCTION? I MEAN, UNLESS SOMEBODY WANTS TO DO SOMETHING AND NEEDS A PERMIT. RIGHT? RIGHT. YEAH. THE ONLY WAY THAT YOU CAN ADDRESS NEW EXISTING CONSTRUCTION IS IF SOMEBODY CHOOSES TO MAKE A CHANGE. SO IF THEY'RE NOT CHOOSING TO MAKE ANY CHANGES, THEN IT.
JUST IS BASED ON THE PERCENTAGE OF REMODELING LIKE 50% OF THE STRUCTURE.
I THINK 50, YEAH, 50% IS A GENERAL RULE OF THUMB THAT, YEAH, ONCE YOU GET TO 50%, THEN YOU HAVE TO COME INTO CONFORMANCE WITH THE NEW REGULATIONS. OKAY. AND SO THEN THE OTHER PIECE THAT I HEARD WAS ABOUT THE, DOES IT FIT INTO THE TRADITIONAL LOOK OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD? AND SO THESE, YOU KNOW, THESE BOXY SHOTGUN THINGS ARE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT FROM ANYTHING WE HAVE IN THE EAST END.
YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. YEAH. THEY'RE INTERESTING. BUT I DON'T KNOW AGAIN, ARE WE RESTRICTED BY WHAT IS THE CITY RESTRICTED BY WHAT IT CAN SAY IS LIKE WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE. WE CAN DO THERE CAN BE DESIGN STANDARDS AND WE HAVE AREAS OF TOWN IN WHICH WE HAVE DESIGN STANDARDS.
SEE, SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I THINK BOB BROWN HAD BROUGHT UP IS THAT THERE'S A STATE LAW LIMITING WHAT WE CAN KIND OF REGULATE AS FAR AS ARCHITECTURAL OR DESIGN PIECE LOOK FROM THE STREET. A STATE LAW THAT REGULATES DOES NOT ALLOW CITIES TO REGULATE BUILDING MATERIALS.
OKAY. BUT OTHER THAN THAT, WE CAN REGULATE WHAT WHAT BUILDINGS LOOK LIKE.
AND DEFINITELY THE STATEWIDE TREND IS TO SMALLER LOT SIZES RATHER THAN TO BIGGER.
BUT THAT HASN'T PASSED YET. BUT AS FAR AS THE ESTHETICS OF A BUILDING, I KIND OF LOOKED INTO IT, BUT I WASN'T. I'M NOT A LAWYER, SO I COULDN'T.
THANK YOU. OKAY, SO I ALSO DID A MAP THAT SHOWS US THE EXISTING LOT SIZES.
AND ONCE I SEND THIS OUT, THEN YOU ALL CAN ZOOM IN AND LOOK AT IT A LITTLE BIT MORE CLOSELY.
THERE'S A KEY DOWN HERE. IT'S PRACTICALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO READ.
BUT THE LIGHTEST COLOR ON THIS MAP IS, THANK YOU MARY JAN, 2500 AND BELOW.
I THINK THE NEXT ONE IS 2501 TO 5000, THEN 5000 TO 10,000.
WHAT'S THE NEXT ONE. ONE ACRE. OKAY. AND THEN OVER AN ACRE.
SO THERE ARE PLENTY OF LOTS EXISTING, LOTS THAT ARE SMALLER THAN 2500FT².
THERE ARE ABOUT ABOUT 900 OF THEM. THERE ARE ABOUT 4500 LOTS IN THIS URBAN NEIGHBORHOOD AREA.
AND A BIG CHUNK OF THEM ARE ALREADY SMALLER THAN 2500, OR BETWEEN 25 AND 5000.
4500. YEAH, I WAS SURPRISED THAT ARE THAT SMALL THAT ARE THAT THERE ARE THAT MANY LINES.
YOU MEAN IN TOTALITY? OH, WHAT DID YOU SAY? 900 OR LESS THAN 2500.
900. YEAH. THAT'S INTERESTING. I CAN'T IMAGINE.
YEAH. I WAS SURPRISED THAT THERE WERE THAT MANY LOTS TO BEGIN WITH.
LOTS. WOW. YEAH. THAT IS OKAY. AND THEN SO HERE'S SOME EXAMPLES OF THE NEW CONSTRUCTION.
SO I THINK THAT WHEN COUNCIL WAS TALKING THEY WERE TALKING A LOT ABOUT THESE.
YOU SEE THEM IN URBAN NEIGHBORHOOD PARTS OF TOWN.
THEY ARE. FOR THE MOST PART, APARTMENT BUILDINGS.
THEY ARE BOXY. AND THIS DEVELOPER LIKES TO DO THESE MURALS ON THE SIDE OF THEM.
TO JAZZ THEM UP A LITTLE BIT. SO THEY'RE GENERALLY.
APARTMENT BUILDINGS, THEY MAX OUT THEIR SETBACK REQUIREMENTS.
THEY ARE PRETTY MUCH BUILT FROM PROPERTY LINE TO PROPERTY LINE.
AND THEY ARE GENERALLY EIGHT UNITS EACH AND ALL OF THAT IS ALLOWED.
SO THESE ARE ONES THAT ARE UNDER CONSTRUCTION RIGHT HERE IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD AT 29TH AND CHURCH.
AND THE LOTS THAT THESE ARE SITTING ON, THEY'RE EACH ON THEIR OWN LOTS.
THIS IS ON ITS OWN LOT, AS IS THIS ONE, AS IS THIS ONE.
[00:25:03]
AND THEY'RE OVER 2500, BUT JUST A LITTLE BIT.SO THEY'RE ABOUT 2600FT² PER LOT. GOT TO GIVE THE GUY A LITTLE CREDIT.
WOW. THAT'S CREATIVE. YOU'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO THIS SINCE 2015.
WE HAVE IN GENERAL SEEN A LOT OF INTEREST IN INFILL DEVELOPMENT IN THE URBAN NEIGHBORHOOD AND THE R-1 PARTS OF THE OLDER PARTS OF TOWN. THESE ARE A LITTLE BIT MORE TRADITIONALLY DESIGNED.
SO YOU CAN SEE THAT THIS IS THESE ARE THE SAME HOUSES BUILT A COUPLE OF TIMES.
THESE ARE ON INDIVIDUAL LOTS. THEY'RE A LITTLE BIT LARGER LOTS.
THESE ARE 3500FT² FOR THIS HOUSE. AND THIS HOUSE ARE ON SEPARATE LOTS.
THESE ARE BUILT TOGETHER ON ONE LOT WHICH IS ALLOWED.
WHAT ARE THE ONES THAT ARE OVER THERE BY THE. THERE'S SOME THAT ARE OVER KIND OF BY THE COLLEGE.
OH, THAT'S STUDENT HOUSING. THAT'S STUDENT HOUSING. YEAH.
SO THOSE LOOK LIKE SINGLE FAMILY DWELLINGS. THEY'RE CLASSIFIED AS.
YEAH. BECAUSE I KNOW THEY HAVE ACCESS AND THE ALLEYS.
AND THEN THERE'S SOME THAT ARE JUST NORTH OF MARKET.
WHAT'S THAT STREET THAT'S NORTH OF MARKET. THE NEXT STREET NORTH OF MARKET IS MECHANIC.
YEAH. OKAY. NOW MECHANIC BECAUSE WE GO FROM ALLEY DOWN 14TH STREET.
THERE'S A BUNCH BEFORE YOU GET TO 21ST STREET DOWN.
THOSE ARE PROBABLY IN CENTRAL BUSINESS ZONING DISTRICT.
YEAH. THEY'RE NOT IN THE EAST. THEY'RE NOT IN A HISTORIC DISTRICT. THEY'RE ON THE VERY END OF THE CB, AREN'T THEY? PROBABLY. YEAH. SO THESE ARE SOME MORE EXAMPLES.
LIKE I SAID, MORE TRADITIONAL BUILDING PATTERNS.
AND THEN ALSO THIS DEVELOPMENT, THIS IS AT 32ND AND AVENUE M.
SO DO ALL OF THESE BECAUSE THIS, I REMEMBER WHEN THESE CAME UP AND 30TH AND M 32ND AND M.
DO ALL OF THESE. THERE'S NO ALLEY BEHIND THESE HOUSES, RIGHT? THESE ARE GOING NORTH SOUTH. THOSE ARE YEAH. THESE FACE ONTO, THIS IS 32ND STREET RIGHT HERE.
BECAUSE THERE WAS AN ISSUE ABOUT HOW THE, THE BACK HOUSES, HOW YOU WERE GOING TO GET TO YOUR.
ARE THERE SOME OF THEM THAT HAVE A SECOND STRUCTURE IN THE BACK? THEY MAY.
I DON'T THINK THESE DO. I REMEMBER JOHN BROUGHT THIS UP.
SO THIS ONE, I THINK IT'S JUST ONE HOUSE ON EACH LOT.
THEY'RE ALL 2553FT². BUT THEN THEY HAVE A MORE TRADITIONAL SORT OF DEVELOPMENT PATTERN.
AND THESE ARE SINGLE FAMILY, WHEREAS THESE ARE MULTIFAMILY.
SO KEVIN, R, R-3 ZONE SEEMS TO BE AWFUL CLOSE TO URBAN NEIGHBORHOOD.
WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE? R3 IS USED IN THE HISTORIC DISTRICTS AND SINGLE FAMILY ONLY.
IS IT? I COULDN'T FIND THAT. YEAH, IT'S MOSTLY SINGLE FAMILY.
BUT COULD YOU PUT A MULTI UNIT ON IT AND AN R-3? I DON'T THINK YOU CAN. I DON'T THINK YOU CAN DO MULTIFAMILY IN AN R.
YEAH. BECAUSE IT HAS ALL THE SAME RESTRICTIONS EXCEPT FOR THE DIFFERENCE THAT YOU LIMIT, RIGHT? MAYBE YOU TRY AND PUT SOME LIMITATIONS ON THE MULTIFAMILY, RIGHT, RIGHT, RIGHT PORTION OF THIS.
AND THAT MIGHT FIX SOME OF THE PROBLEM. CATHERINE, DO YOU KNOW HOW TALL THESE ARE? GOOD POINT. I'M SORRY. DO YOU KNOW HOW TALL THESE ARE? DO THEY GO TO THE 50? I DON'T KNOW OFFHAND HOW TALL THEY ARE, BUT THEY HAVE.
THEY HAVE TO MEET THE 50. SO THEY'RE. THEY'RE UP.
OH, YEAH. THEY'RE DEFINITELY UP THERE. YEAH. 50 IS AWFULLY TALL.
YEAH. AND THAT'S WHAT I'VE THOUGHT TOO. OF POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS OR POSSIBLE, YOU KNOW, RECOMMENDATIONS THAT THE COMMISSION CAN GIVE TO COUNCIL IS MAYBE EIGHT UNITS IS TOO MANY. SO YEAH, ON A 2500 SQUARE FOOT LOT, YOU CAN DO, IT'S LEGAL TO DO EIGHT UNITS.
IS THAT TOO MANY? YEAH. THE ANSWER TO THAT MIGHT BE YEAH.
JUST THINKING THAT THAT WOULD BE A QUICK FIX THAT PUT A STOP TO THAT.
WELL RIGHT. BUT I YEAH, WE'LL LOOK TO SEE WHAT NUMBER OF UNITS DO WE THINK IS APPROPRIATE.
YEAH. OKAY. IF IT'S NOT EIGHT WHAT IS THE NEXT NUMBER.
I DON'T WANT TO GET IN A SITUATION WHERE WE'VE GOT A FLY SWATTER.
WE'RE JUST TRYING TO SWAT FLIES. YOU KNOW, LIKE IF IF WE'RE GOING TO FIGURE OUT, YOU KNOW,
[00:30:04]
HOW TO FIX YOU IN ACCORDING TO, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE DECIDE IS THE ISSUES.I THINK WE GOT TO FIGURE OUT WHAT ARE THE ISSUES. YOU KNOW, IS IT EIGHT UNITS? IS IT THE SETBACKS? IS IT THE BUILDING CODES? IS IT THE FIRE SAFETY? YOU KNOW, BECAUSE IF WE SAY EIGHT UNITS, WELL, THAT DOESN'T REALLY SOLVE THE EGRESS INGRESS PROBLEM, RIGHT? YOU KNOW, FIX THE BALL. YEAH. SO I WANT TO BE SURE WHATEVER WE RECOMMEND OVER THERE, YOU KNOW, WE FIGURE OUT WHAT ARE THE PROBLEMS, WHAT DO WE NEED TO FIX, AND THEN WE FIGURE OUT THE LEAST INTRUSIVE WAY TO FIX IT.
ANOTHER CONCERN THAT I WOULD HAVE IS IF, IF A PERSON, DEVELOPER, WHOEVER WOULD HAVE HAVE ALREADY PURCHASED PROPERTY UNDER THESE PARTICULAR CONSTRAINTS WHERE THEY'RE ANTICIPATING DOING THIS, HOW DO YOU CHANGE THAT IN THE MIDDLE WITHOUT CAUSING SOME SORT OF CONFLICT? I DON'T THINK YOU CAN. CAN YOU? AREN'T THEY GRANDFATHER? IF THEY IF THEY'VE YOU CAN YOU CAN.
IF PERMITS HAVE ALREADY BEEN PULLED FOR A CERTAIN TYPE OF STYLE, DESIGN, WHATEVER.
THEN THEY'RE VESTED IN THAT. DEPENDS ON THE STAGE.
YEAH, IT ALL DEPENDS ON THE STAGE. I MEAN, IF IT'S CONCEPTUAL AND THEY'RE JUST COMING TO AS AN EXAMPLE TO DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, JUST TO TALK ABOUT IT UNTIL THEY'VE ACTUALLY PULLED A PERMIT OR REPLANT OR A PLAT OR SOMETHING MORE DEFINITIVE.
THAT'S WHAT THE LAW SAYS. STATE LAW SAYS IF THERE'S A DEFINITIVE PERMIT, SAYING, THIS IS WHAT I'M GOING TO PUT IN PLACE ON THIS CERTAIN DATE UP THERE, I WON'T USE THE WORD GRANDFATHERED IF THERE'S ACTIVE PROGRESS.
SO MOST OF OUR ORDINANCES NOW SAY CATHERINE CONFIRMED THIS WITH ME THAT IF YOU DON'T HAVE ACTIVE PROGRESS ON THE PROJECT, THEN IT WHAT IS THE WORD? WHAT IS THE WORD? IF THEY DON'T, IT BECOMES DORMANT.
BUT I DO LIKE YOUR POINT BECAUSE IN TERMS OF A RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL, STATE LAW REALLY REQUIRES THAT STUFF NOT BE ARBITRARY AND CAPRICIOUS. SO JUST SAYING EIGHT UNITS IS REALLY AN ARBITRARY, CAPRICIOUS NUMBER.
AND IF YOU CAN PUT SOME BACKING BEHIND THAT, THAT WOULD BE EXCELLENT.
THAT'D BE EXCELLENT. YOU JUST ELIMINATE DENSITY FOR AREAS.
I DON'T KNOW, I'M NOT A DEVELOPER. YOU GUYS THERE AREN'T ANY DENSITY REQUIREMENTS.
SO THE DENSITY IS EIGHT UNITS FOR EACH LOT. AND THE LOT CAN BE 2500FT².
HOW MUCH MULTIFAMILY IS THERE IN UN? THAT'S AN INTERESTING QUESTION.
SO THIS SLIDE IS INFORMATION THAT TOM SENT IN THAT HE'D LIKE TO KNOW TO HELP DEFINE WHAT IS THE PROBLEM AND WHAT OUR RECOMMENDATION IS. SO WE COULD ADD TO THE LIST HOW MANY UNITS, YOU KNOW, UNIT COUNTS, HOW MANY MULTIFAMILY EXIST ALREADY IN UN. WE CAN BALLPARK THAT. WE'LL NEVER BE ABLE TO GET TO A NUMBER.
WE DON'T TRACK THAT WELL TO BE ABLE TO KNOW. BUT WE CAN GIVE YOU A BETTER IDEA.
IT'S NOT A HUGE, HUGE NUMBER, ONE ON EVERY BLOCK.
SO THAT WE'VE SEEN THAT. I WOULD SAY THE MOST DEVELOPMENT THAT WE'VE SEEN HAVE BEEN THOSE.
SO IF WE'RE TRYING TO SEE REDEVELOPMENT IN OUR INSIDE THE IN A DENSE AREA.
WHERE, WHERE WE WHERE WE'RE HAVING THAT. I GUESS WHAT I'M LOOKING AT IS BECAUSE WE DO HAVE A PROBLEM IN THE CITY AND THAT THERE'S ONLY SO MUCH OF IT. WE, WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO HAVE SOME AREAS THAT HAVE SOME DENSITY.
I MEAN, THERE'S JUST WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO DO IT.
IT WOULD BE SINGLE FAMILY. IT'S ONE PERSON. YOU COULD HAVE PEOPLE THAT OWN IT INSTEAD OF RENTING IT.
AND YOU HAVE CREATES COMMUNITY THAT WAY. AND I'M NOT BASHING THE MULTIFAMILY FOLKS, BUT I'M JUST THINKING IF WE WANT AS A CITY, I THINK WE WOULD WANT MORE OF THAT. ARE THERE AREAS WHERE WE CAN TAKE LOTS LIKE THERE'S HOUSES THAT HAVE AND YOU HAD THAT ON THAT MAP WHERE IT'S LIKE A 5000 SQUARE FOOT LOT, AND NOW WE CAN HAVE TWO 2500.
AND SO WE COULD KIND OF GET MORE DENSITY IN THE NUMBER OF STRUCTURES.
SO I'M LOOKING AT THIS AND GOING, JUST MY THOUGHT, THIS CAN BE A FUN PROJECT, BUT.
[00:35:06]
THAT'S, THAT'S MY QUICK LOOK AT THAT AND GOING, I LOOK AT THIS AND GO, MULTIFAMILY IS A PROBLEM.MAYBE YOU NEED TO FIGURE THAT OUT FIRST AND MAKE SURE THAT YOU DON'T GO PUT RESTRICTIONS THAT ARE GOING TO PREVENT SINGLE FAMILY STUFF FROM BEING DONE, BECAUSE WE NEED THAT. SURE. ABSOLUTELY. SO I DON'T THAT'S THAT.
I THINK THAT'S GOING TO BE THE BIG CHALLENGE.
SO. IN THIS. SO CATHERINE, I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS TO TO LOOK AT IS CAN WE ARE WE BOUND BY LAW.
BUT TO PUT IN SETBACK REQUIREMENTS, IF IT'S GOING TO STAY AT 2500FT², THEN PUT IN SETBACK REQUIREMENTS ON THE SIDES AND THE FRONT AND THE BACK? YEAH. REGARDLESS OF WHAT IT IS, REGARDLESS OF WHAT IT IS. AND IF THE PROPERTY IS AGAINST UP AGAINST AN ALLEY, THEN WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THAT? THEY'RE REALLY, REALLY FIRM UP THOSE REQUIREMENTS FOR ACCESS.
IF YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TWO STRUCTURES ON ONE LOT BECAUSE CAN YOU PUT TWO STRUCTURES ON 2500.
YEAH. OKAY. SO ONE WOULD HAVE TO BE SUPERIOR TO THE OTHER.
BUT I THINK JUST BECAUSE AGAIN, GOING BACK TO WHAT I HEARD IN THE IN THE COUNCIL DISCUSSION, THAT WAS A BIG ISSUE WAS JUST GOING TO THE ZERO LOT LINE.
YEAH. YOU LOOK AT THAT GUY. HE'S NOT HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THAT.
WELL HE'S IMPACTING HIS NEIGHBOR. YEAH IT IS.
I MEAN DO YOU WANT TO BLEND MULTIFAMILY INTO SINGLE FAMILY DWELLING INTO THAT PARTICULAR AREA THAT YOU DID? SO I MEAN, BECAUSE IT AFFECTS THE WHOLE DESIGN AND FLOW AND OPERATION, EVERYTHING.
SO IN MY OPINION, YOU KNOW, IF YOU LOOK AT THESE NEIGHBORHOODS, YOU KNOW, THIS KIND OF URBAN CORE OF THE ISLAND, THAT'S PART OF THE DEVELOPMENT PATTERN, IS THAT MIXED USE RIGHT? NOW I DON'T THINK WE NEED TO HAVE AN APARTMENT, YOU KNOW, AN APARTMENT BLOCK ON ONE ENTIRE BLOCK OR SOMETHING, RIGHT? BUT THIS DOESN'T SEEM TOO CRAZY. IT ISN'T CRAZY.
IT IS. BUT WHAT I'M LOOKING AT, THINK ABOUT THIS.
IF YOU HAVE 3 OR 4 OF THOSE UNITS ADJACENT TO EACH OTHER, THAT'S POTENTIALLY EIGHT CARS IN EACH ONE.
THAT'S 32 UNITS. THAT'S A LOT OF PARKING. HOW IS THAT BEING ADDRESSED? THERE IS NO PARKING REQUIRED, SO IT'S UP TO THE DEVELOPER TO CHOOSE TO PROVIDE PARKING.
BUT IT HAS TO BE AN ISSUE, AT LEAST A CONCERN OR CONSIDERATION.
SOMEBODY HAS TO THINK STREET PARKING. GOOD LUCK TO THE RESIDENTIAL STREET PARKING.
THERE'S NO THERE'S NO SPACE BETWEEN RESIDENTS.
THERE IS NO OPEN AREA WITHOUT BLOCKING A DRIVE.
WELL, BUT I MEAN, I THINK TO SOME DEGREE THE PARKING IS A BIT OF A FUNCTION OF THE MARKET.
RIGHT. EXACTLY. CAN'T DISAGREE. IF YOU DON'T HAVE HE'S GOING TO GO RENT A UNIT DOESN'T HAVE PARKING.
YEAH. BUT YOU KNOW, AND THEN ON TOP OF THAT, LET'S SAY THAT YOU DO RENT A UNIT THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU DON'T. YOU HAVE A CAR YOU CAN'T FIND ANYWHERE TO PARK IT.
YOU'RE NOT GOING TO TAKE THE BUS. YEAH. YOU GET A BIKE.
SURE. MAYBE THEY DON'T DRIVE. SURE. MAYBE THEY WALK.
MAYBE THEY RIDE THEIR BIKES. MAYBE THEY TAKE THE BUS. IT WOULD HAVE TO BE UNIQUE. THAT'S ALL WORKFORCE HOUSING. YEAH, RIGHT. THEY'RE SERVING THE WORKFORCE. AND THERE'S DEFINITELY A MARKET FOR THIS OR WE WOULDN'T KEEP SEEING IT.
THERE'S A MARKET FOR IT. SO BUT I HAD MOVED BACK TO THIS PAGE.
ANTHONY WAS ASKING CAN WE ESTABLISH SETBACKS.
YES. SO ANYTHING THAT'S ON THIS PAGE IS A FUNCTION OF ZONING, WHICH IS CONTROLLED BY THE COUNCIL WITH YOUR RECOMMENDATION, SO YOU CAN MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS TO CHANGE ANYTHING THAT ARE THE DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS ASSOCIATED WITH ANY ZONING DISTRICT YOU'VE BEEN ASKED TO LOOK AT URBAN NEIGHBORHOOD.
SO IT'S CERTAINLY WITHIN THE COMMISSION'S RIGHT TO IMPORTANT. IF THAT'S THE BIG CONCERN THAT'S BEEN BROUGHT UP TO THE SETBACKS, I WOULD THINK YOU WOULD WANT.
I AGREE. I MEAN, DEFINITELY SOME FRONTS AND SOME FEET.
YEAH. THREE FEET IS PRETTY UNINTRUSIVE WHILE ALSO ALLOWING KIND OF DEALING WITH SOME OF THE ISSUES THAT THE COUNCIL POINTED OUT. THE ACCESS, MAINTENANCE, FIRE. AND THE BUILDABILITY IS AN IMPACT.
I MEAN, IT'S A DRIVING FACTOR EVEN IN ACQUIRING A LOT TO START WITH, RIGHT? SO YOU GOT TO LOOK AT THE BUILDABILITY.
[00:41:16]
ONE, BUT THERE'S LIKE ONE OF THESE SHOTGUN HOUSES I WANT TO SAY ON SEVENTH AND WINNIE, AND I MEAN, THERE MIGHT BE THIS MUCH ROOM BETWEEN THAT NEW STRUCTURE AND THE EXISTING HOUSE, AND IT'S TIGHT.THAT ZONE IS ACTUALLY COMMERCIAL. I'VE HAD A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK IT'S URBAN NEIGHBORHOOD. I WENT AND LOOKED IT UP. THAT'S ACTUALLY THOSE TWO THERE. AND THERE'S TWO ACROSS THE STREET. YEAH, YEAH. YEAH. WELL, I THINK TOM HAD THE RIGHT IDEA AS FAR AS THE APPROACH.
AND THAT IS TO IDENTIFY, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST PROBLEMS THAT WE'RE SEEING.
AND FOR ME, YOU KNOW, JUST GO BACK TO THE BASIC THAT WHAT ONE BUILDER OR DEVELOPER OR OWNER DOES WITH HIS LOT SHOULD NOT HAVE AN IMPACT ON MY LOT NEXT DOOR. THAT'S, THAT'S A PROPERTY RIGHTS ISSUE THAT I THINK IS FUNDAMENTAL AND IMPORTANT.
AND WE SHOULD MAKE SURE THAT WE ADOPT THE SETBACKS THAT WOULD PREVENT THAT FROM HAPPENING.
YEAH. BECAUSE I WOULD HAVE TO HAVE THREE. SO YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE A SIX FOOT.
SOMEBODY HAS A FOOT. YEAH. I MEAN, I LIVE IN A PRETTY OLD HOUSE.
YOU KNOW, WE DON'T WE MIGHT HAVE SIX FEET BETWEEN US.
YOU KNOW, I COULD DEFINITELY REACH OUT, YOU KNOW, TOUCH MY NEIGHBORS AT LEAST THIS ROOFLINE.
SO. WELL, THIS IS THE INFORMATION THAT TOM SUGGESTED THAT WE START TO DEVELOP SO THAT THE COMMISSION CAN GET, YOU KNOW, A BROAD UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT WE'RE SEEING.
SO RECENT UN DEVELOPMENTS WILL BE ABLE TO GIVE PROVIDE PERMITS THAT WE'VE BEEN ISSUING IN THE URBAN NEIGHBORHOOD ZONING DISTRICT UNIT COUNCIL TRY TO GET SOME BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT KIND OF UNIT COUNTS WE'RE SEEING PRICE POINTS.
TOM, MAYBE YOU CAN GIVE A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT WITH PRICE POINTS.
WELL, YOU KNOW, ONE THING I THINK WOULD BE REALLY INTERESTING IS TO KNOW KIND OF WHO THE MARKET IS FOR LIKE THE MULTIFAMILY IN URBAN NEIGHBORHOOD, MAYBE BETWEEN, YOU KNOW, OLDER AND NEWER DEVELOPMENTS. AND THEN THE OTHER PIECE WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, IF WE TAKE A, YOU KNOW, 2500 SQUARE FOOT LOT AND WE SAY YOU CAN BUILD A HOUSE ON IT.
AND THEN TOMORROW WE SAY, WELL, NO, ACTUALLY 5000FT².
THAT'S ABOUT 2500FT². THEY'VE HAD IT ON THE MARKET FOR A WHILE, ADMITTEDLY FOR ABOUT 130 GRAND, PROBABLY WAY TOO MUCH. BUT I MEAN, YOU START DOING YOUR MATH LIKE YOU COULD EASILY ADD 80 TO $100,000 TO THE PRICE OF A HOUSE JUST BY GOING, ALL RIGHT, NOW YOU GOT TO HAVE TWICE AS MUCH SPACE TO FOR THE SAME HOUSE.
SO THAT'S A GOOD POINT. WHEN WE LOOK AT UNIT COUNT, IS THERE A WAY TO ANALYZE SPECIFIC AREAS? WHAT'S CONDUCIVE TO THAT AREA.
LIKE IT'S ALREADY THE DENSITY IS ALREADY SO HIGH IN THAT AREA THAT AN EIGHT UNIT MIGHT BE TOO MUCH.
WE'RE IN OTHER AREAS THAT I DON'T KNOW. I'M JUST THINKING THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT ARE MORE CONDUCIVE TO HAVING MORE UNITS IN OTHER AREAS THAT ARE ALREADY SO TIGHT AREN'T SO I DON'T KNOW. THERE ARE SOME PARTS OF UN THAT ARE MORE DEVELOPED THAN OTHERS.
YOU KNOW, ONCE YOU GET INTO I'M NOT SURE IF THIS WILL SHOW US.
I THINK IT WAS THE VACANCY. YEAH. THIS IS LOT SIZES.
YEAH WE CAN, WE CAN LOOK TO SEE LIKE DEVELOPMENT POTENTIAL.
SO WE CAN KIND OF FIND GRAIN, LOOK AT THIS WITH A FINER GRAIN AND SEE IF WE CAN REALLY LOOK TO SEE WHERE THE MOST DEVELOPMENT PRESSURE OR OPPORTUNITIES ARE RIGHT NOW. SO WHERE ARE THE VACANT LOTS CURRENTLY? CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, SOME OF THE RED UP THERE TOO IS LIKE CRUISE PARKING, YOU KNOW? YEAH, THAT MIGHT BE THE CORNER.
[00:45:07]
ARE THESE BOUNDARIES CHANGEABLE? I MEAN, SURE, ANYTHING'S CHANGEABLE.AS FOR CHANGING ZONING. DON'T LAUGH. WHAT ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT? MAKING MORE URBAN NEIGHBORHOOD OR LESS URBAN NEIGHBORHOOD? WELL, MY GUT INSTINCT WOULD SAY LESS, BUT IT WOULD BE AFTER WE LOOK AT ALL THIS INFORMATION AND WHAT'S WHAT'S OUT THERE, HOW MUCH OF IT IS OF THAT RATE IS CRUISE PARKING, HOW MUCH OF IT IS ACTUALLY VIABLE LAND THAT COULD BE DEVELOPED? THOSE KINDS OF THINGS. I'M NOT SURE HOW PRODUCTIVE THAT EXERCISE IS GOING TO BE, THOUGH, BECAUSE IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S MARKET DRIVEN, RIGHT? I MEAN, YOU'RE RIGHT.
IF IT'S NOT, IT'S GOING TO STAY LIKE IT IS. SO.
OKAY. LET'S GO BACK TO THAT LIST. OKAY. PRICE POINTS.
AND THE BULK OF THEM ARE OVER 2500FT². BOTH OF THEM ARE PERMIT TRENDS.
THAT GOES IN RELATES TO RECENT UN DEVELOPMENTS TO LOOK AT THAT AND THEN STATE PREEMPTION.
SO RIGHT NOW IT'S JUST THE BUILDING MATERIALS.
AND THERE IS THE PLATTING. SO PLATTING IS NOT, AS YOU ALL KNOW, A DISCRETIONARY DECISION.
IT IS IF IT MEETS IT, IT MEETS IT. SO THAT IS A STATE REQUIREMENT THAT YOU DON'T HAVE DISCRETION IN.
IS THIS AN APPROPRIATE DIVISION OF LAND. IT'S JUST IT DOESN'T MEET THE NUMBERS.
IS IT WORTH DISCUSSING WITHIN A CERTAIN PROXIMITY TO CALL IT A BLOCK, WHETHER IT BE HOW DENSE IT CAN BE WITH MULTIFAMILY OR SINGLE FAMILY? OR IS THAT NOT WORTH EVEN HAVING A DISCUSSION? YEAH, THAT'S KIND OF I THINK THAT GOES TO WHAT MARY WAS SAYING.
YEAH, WE CAN LOOK TO SEE WHERE TO RESTRICT IT.
YOU KNOW, LIKE NOT ALL NEIGHBORHOODS CAN ACCOMMODATE, RIGHT, 32 UNITS.
YOU KNOW, WE DON'T NEED EVERY SINGLE LOT UNIT.
IS THERE A WAY TO GOVERN THAT? BUT THEN IT KIND OF GOES BACK TO WHAT JOHN SAID TO, YOU KNOW, THE PROPERTY RIGHTS OF THE OWNER NEXT DOOR. YOU KNOW, YOU DON'T WANT WHAT HAPPENS NEXT DOOR TO YOU TO DESTROY YOUR PROPERTY VALUES.
SO THAT COULD BE IN THAT IN THAT DISCUSSION AND SPECIFIC AREAS OF STANDARDS.
WHEN WE LOOK AT FOR ASSESSING MULTIFAMILY, LIKE THE APPROPRIATENESS OF SAY, UNITS OR FOUR UNITS, DO WE HAVE ANY IDEA LIKE. AGAIN, THAT'S MARKET DRIVEN BECAUSE IF SOMEBODY WANTS 400FT VERSUS 800FT OR WHATEVER, THAT'S KIND OF OPEN BECAUSE MOST OF THESE UNITS ARE WHAT, LIKE ONE BEDROOMS OR STUDIOS, STUDIOS, ONE BEDROOMS, THEY CAN BE UP TO TWO BEDROOMS SOMETIMES.
IT'S STILL POSSIBLE. I MEAN, IT'S POSSIBLE. YEAH.
THEY'RE OCCUPIED. I MEAN, GRANTED. SO IS THERE ANY MORE INFORMATION THAT THE COMMISSION IS INTERESTED IN SEEING THAT WE CAN PUT TOGETHER BEFORE OUR NEXT CONVERSATION? WHEN TALKING ABOUT STATE PREEMPTION IN PARTICULAR, I'D LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE THE ESTHETIC PIECE, THE BUILDING MATERIALS. I MEAN, MAYBE THE ANSWER IS THAT IT'S JUST NOT EVEN WORTH US CONSIDERING BECAUSE IT'S NOT RELEVANT.
BUT I'D JUST LIKE TO KNOW TO WHAT EXTENT WE COULD REGULATE, YOU KNOW, THE FACADE OF A BUILDING OR SOMETHING OR SAY, HEY, LOOK, IF YOU'RE GOING TO BUILD A NEW APARTMENT COMPLEX, IT'S GOT TO FIT THIS VICTORIAN LOOK, YOU KNOW? YEAH, WE CAN DO DESIGN STANDARDS. WE JUST CAN'T SAY IT HAS TO BE MADE OUT OF BRICK.
OKAY. GOTCHA. BUT IF IT'S SO CLOSE, IT NEEDS TO BE SOMETHING THAT'S NON-FLAMMABLE.
YEAH. AND THAT'S COVERED BY THE BUILDING CODE. AND, YOU KNOW, MOST PEOPLE BUILD OUT OF HARDY AND HARDY IS RIGHT, WHICH IS NON FLAMMABLE MATERIAL. BUT YOU COULD REQUIRE GABLED FRONTS.
AND THEN THERE'S THIS ONE WHICH IS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT. THIS ONE HAS PORCHES.
SO YOU KNOW, DEVELOPMENT DESIGN STANDARD THAT SAYS YOU HAVE TO DO A GABLED ROOF OUTSIDE VERSUS INSIDE, SOMETHING LIKE THAT. HOW DO THEY ENTER THOSE? THERE'S STAIRCASES UNDERNEATH.
YOU CAN SEE STAIRS OVER ON THE RIGHT. YEAH. YEAH.
STAIRCASE. YEAH. WHICH IS ALSO THEY GET AROUND SOME OF THE FIRE STUFF TOO.
YOU'VE GOT AN OPEN STAIRCASE. I THINK THE DESIGN STANDARDS IS SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE REALLY, REALLY GOOD TO LOOK AT. RIGHT. I THINK THAT THAT CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
[00:50:04]
LIVE OR, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER, YOU KNOW, THESE NEIGHBORHOODS ARE PART OF WHAT THEY WANT.YOU KNOW, THIS IS HISTORY. YEAH. THIS IS PART OF WHAT MAKES GALVESTON GALVESTON.
NOT TO SAY THAT THESE BUILDINGS ARE, YOU KNOW WHAT WE SHOULD HAVE POPPING UP EVERYWHERE, BUT, YOU KNOW, A LITTLE BIT OF DENSITY, RIGHT? YOU KNOW, LIKE SORT OF A, YOU KNOW, A LITTLE BIT OF COHESIVENESS SO THAT, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU WALK OUT, THERE'S YOUR NEIGHBOR ON THE PORCH. HEY, HOW'S IT GOING? YOU KNOW, WALK DOWN THE STREET TO THE LITTLE CORNER STORE AND PICK UP THE NEWSPAPER AND BE A PART OF YOUR COMMUNITY. YOU KNOW, I KNOW WHEN I LIVED IN SUGAR LAND JUST TO KIND OF EDITORIALIZE HERE, BUT, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE LIVED UP IN THE SUBURBS, I MEAN, I PEOPLE DRIVE INTO THEIR, THEIR GARAGE, GARAGE DOOR WOULD CLOSE. YOU'D NEVER SEE THEM. YOU KNOW, IF I, WE LIVED IN A HOUSE FOR THREE YEARS. IF I SAW MY NEIGHBORS HALF A DOZEN TIMES, I'D BE SURPRISED. YOU KNOW, I COULD SEE ALL OF MY NEIGHBORS.
IT'S A LIFESTYLE. IT'S A LIFESTYLE. I HOLLER AT THE ONE ON THE BACK.
PORCH PARTY ACROSS THE STREET. I KNOW WHEN MY NEIGHBOR GETS UP TO SMOKE A CIGARETTE IN THE MORNING.
AND WHEN HURRICANE HITS, YOU KNOW, THERE'S THERE'S THE GUY NEXT DOOR TO ME BARBECUING FOR EVERYBODY, MAKING SURE THAT EVERYBODY, YOU KNOW, ALL THE LITTLE OLD LADIES DOWN THE STREET HAVE, YOU KNOW, SOME FOOD TO EAT. IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S A COMMUNITY.
SO I THINK THIS IS PART OF IT. ABSOLUTELY. OKAY.
WELL, THIS WAS INTENDED TO BE AN INTRODUCTION TO GET OUR FEET WET.
WE HAVE SOMEONE IN THE AUDIENCE THAT WOULD LIKE TO.
THERE WAS A GENTLEMAN WHO WAS INTERESTED IN MAKING A COMMENT. RUSTY, IT'S UP TO YOU IF YOU'D LIKE TO HAVE A COMMENT NOW, OR HE CAN DO PUBLIC COMMENT AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MEETING OR THE REGULAR MEETING.
I'LL JUST GO FOR IT. YEAH, I JUST SAY WE'VE GOT TIME LEFT.
GOT A LITTLE TIME. SO I'D SAY, YEAH. YOU GUYS GOOD WITH THAT? YEAH, SURE. COME UP SIR. SO THE MIC CAN PICK YOU UP.
WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO? IF YOU STAND RIGHT AT THE EDGE OF THAT TABLE, THE MIC WILL HEAR YOU.
HOW ARE Y'ALL DOING THIS AFTERNOON? GOOD, GOOD.
SET MY TIMER HERE FOR THREE MINUTES. THERE YOU GO.
MY NAME IS TOM. I'M WITH TOM PROPERTIES INTERNATIONAL.
WE ARE THE CULPRITS. OKAY. SO. AND I HEARD YOU LOUD AND CLEAR.
WE'VE BEEN HEARING WHAT THE COMMUNITY HAS BEEN SAYING. AND THERE'S DOUBLE STANDARDS HERE.
THERE'S PEOPLE THAT ARE HIGHLY SUPPORTING WHAT WE'RE DOING.
THAT FACEBOOK PAGE THAT WAS CREATED PURELY FOR US, AGAINST US.
AND THERE'S PEOPLE WHO ARE AGAINST IT. MOST CITIES TODAY, WHEN YOU GO AND LISTEN TO THEIR COMPREHENSIVE PLANS, THAT WAS AT ONE IN BEAUMONT IN FEBRUARY. THEY ARE TRYING TO FIND A WAY FOR THESE VACANT LOTS IN THESE NEIGHBORHOODS TO BE FILLED, BECAUSE PROPERTIES ARE TAX DOLLARS THAT WILL BE GENERATED, THAT THE EXISTING CITIZENS WHO HAVE BEEN HERE FOR 50 YEARS DON'T HAVE TO INCREASE THEIR TAXES TO PAY THE BILLS, WHICH THEY ALWAYS GO UP.
AND ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS THEY'RE DOING IS THAT MIXED USE PROPERTIES WHERE THEY ARE ALLOWING CONDOS, BUNGALOWS, EIGHT UNIT APARTMENTS INSIDE THESE RESIDENTIAL UNITS.
GALVESTON IS ACTUALLY PROACTIVE ON THAT BECAUSE THEY'VE BEEN ALLOWING THIS FOR A LONG TIME.
THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR A LONG, LONG TIME.
YOU HAVE 50 PLUS PERCENT OF THE PEOPLE WORKING IN GALVESTON COMMUTING EVERY DAY.
OUR RENTS START AT AROUND $1,000 A MONTH. THE NEXT SIMILAR IS ALMOST DOUBLE BRAND NEW UNITS, WASHER DRYERS, CERAMIC BATHROOMS, BUILT UP SHOWERS.
I MEAN, EVERYTHING ON THE INSIDE IS BEAUTIFUL ON THESE BUILDINGS AND PEOPLE ARE LOVING IT.
WE ARE ACCOMMODATING THE STUDENTS, THE CITY WORKERS, THE ELECTRICIAN, THE TEACHER, THE FIREMEN, PEOPLE THAT WOULD LOVE TO LIVE IN THE CITY THEY WORK AT, BUT THEY CANNOT AFFORD A PLACE TO STAY.
THIS IS WHY WE'RE FILLING THESE PROPERTIES UP LIKE THIS.
THIS IS WHY WHEN ONE GOES UP, IT'S SELLING LIKE THIS.
I UNDERSTAND THE ISSUE OF THE LOOKS. I REALLY, REALLY DO.
AND LIKE THEY SAY, BEAUTY IS IN THE EYES OF THE BEHOLDER.
BUT WE TRY TO BEAUTIFY THESE THINGS A LITTLE BIT WITH THE MURALS THAT COST 5000 TO $10,000 EACH.
AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE ONE ON THE RIGHT. LOOK AT THE DIFFERENCE ON THE ONE ON THE LEFT.
[00:55:05]
BECAUSE WE'RE TRYING TO ACCOMMODATE A BETTER LOOK.THE NEXT BUILDING THAT'S ALREADY BEEN PERMITTED, THAT'S GOING UP.
AND IT'S ALSO GOING TO HAVE CROWN MOLDING ALL AROUND THE TOP.
REMOVING THE BUILDINGS ON TOP. SO WE ARE ADJUSTING THE LOOK TO ACCOMMODATE THOSE WHO DON'T LIKE THIS STYLE, SO THAT WE CAN BLEND BETTER INTO THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
AND IT WILL REALLY BE, I MEAN TO US, WE JUST BOUGHT THIS COTTAGE IN.
YOU'LL SEE ALL THE RENOVATIONS GOING ON AT THE SCOTTISH END.
WE'RE TURNING IT INTO 48 STUDIOS, BRAND NEW. EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE BEAUTIFUL.
DOCK PARK. IT'S GOING TO BE A BEAUTIFUL FACILITY AND WE CAN GO DO THAT ANYWHERE ELSE.
WE ENJOY WORKING IN GALVESTON. WE LOVE WORKING IN GALVESTON.
AND BELIEVE ME, THE CITY STAFF THAT YOU HAVE IS AN AMAZING STAFF.
SO LISTEN APPRECIATE YOU YOUR TIME AND I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR COMMENTS.
MY COMMENT TO YOU IS, SOUNDS LIKE YOU'RE GETTING THE MESSAGE THAT YOU NEED TO KNOW IF WHAT YOU'RE DOING IS IN A WORKSHOP AND PLANNING COMMISSION, YOU GUYS NEED TO SERIOUSLY RETHINK SOME OF WHAT'S GOING ON.
SO, YOU KNOW, HEY, I THINK IT'S GREAT. WE NEED IT.
NOBODY'S GOING TO ARGUE WITH THAT. WE JUST GOT TO FIND THE HAPPY MEDIUM.
THAT'S WHY WE CHANGE. AND YOU GET AND YOU GET YOUR THREE MORE MINUTES OVER THERE. SO BUT THANK YOU.
APPRECIATE IT. ALL RIGHT. ANYTHING ELSE? NOPE.
WE'LL BE ADJOURNED. OKAY. THANK YOU.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.