ORDER-2017-43 : Establishment of Streetscape Improvement Fund #2887

Transcript (~7 min @ 12:02)

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▶ 11:48 Peter D. Mortimer: a motion to close public participation duly seconded by alderman Boisselle all in favor please say aye aye aye any opposed hearing none public participation is hereby closed we're going to change the order a little bit since the first order i will call should be very brief and simple it is order 2017-43 it is the establishment of streetscape improvement fund number 2887 is there Is there a motion to suspend the rules made by Alderman Tramontozzi? Duly seconded by Alderman Forbes. All in favor of suspension, please say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Hearing none, we're under suspension. Ms. Gaffey, would you come forward and join us, please?

▶ 12:34 Peter D. Mortimer: Ladies and gentlemen, this is our city planner, Denise Gaffey, who's here on this order this evening. Please inform us.

▶ 12:42 Denise Gaffey: Good evening. So the order in front of the board is to accept a streetscape improvement fund, and this fund was created as part of the Real Corridor Overlay District Zoning Amendment that was approved by the city last year, actually in 2014. And it is a mechanism to raise some funding through private developments toward streetscape improvements in the Real Corridor District. So it's written right into the zoning, and I did attach a copy of the zoning to the order so you could be reminded of that. and so we are we are at a point now where we we've gotten our first contribution into the fund and this is by the assisted living development on Essex Street so they were required to contribute according to the requirement in the zoning and we have a check in the amount of $99,000 for to put into the streetscape improvement fund and that particular this particular funding is going to be used to offset the costs related to the Essex Street improvement project and that's pretty much all i have this is modeled on the open space fund that we created when we when we created the smart growth district overlay back in 2006. thank you very much ms gaffey

▶ 14:04 Peter D. Mortimer: are there any aldermen who wish to make comments or ask questions we have a motion to recommend by alderman boisselle second duly seconded by alderman mcintyre margolis on discussion uh president khan beat you by a hair alderman but you were next in queue president khan please proceed

▶ 14:23 Speaker 1: so um are these funds are these funds that are going to be paid into this newly established account going to be subject to appropriation by the board when they're expended no it'll be it'll

▶ 14:34 Denise Gaffey: be it'll act just like the open space fund and back back at that time we did get a determination

▶ 14:43 Speaker 1: that that was not that was not required okay and so will your department make the determination as

▶ 14:49 Denise Gaffey: to how the funds are to be spent um it's usually made in consultation i think with the open space fund it's made in consultation with the mayor about what the the open space needs are i mean at this moment um this is the only contribution we have in the pipeline um but but so that it's anticipated to happen as part of a you know a process that's all i have right now thank you

▶ 15:10 Peter D. Mortimer: Thank you, President Kahn. Alderman McAteer-Margolis, please.

▶ 15:14 Mary Beth McAteer-Margolis: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. So this is the first donation that we've received into this fund. So the other buildings that went in that we, after we did the zoning, some of the condos and all, they did not make any contribution to this fund?

▶ 15:30 Denise Gaffey: They actually came in prior to the establishment of the overlay district. Many of those projects that are in the same vicinity had used a different zoning tool.

▶ 15:39 Mary Beth McAteer-Margolis: because the some of them did some streetscape work as well they did and it

▶ 15:43 Denise Gaffey: I mean it's customary for any project to contribute to you know the streetscape in the in the immediate vicinity of the of the project we we we we thought it would be also it would be nice to establish this fun too so we could broaden that because we were trying to create with that corridor a whole sort

▶ 16:05 Mary Beth McAteer-Margolis: of cohesive streetscape so is it going forward will this be a requirement and if so is there a percentage a designated amount based on the permit fees or

▶ 16:16 Denise Gaffey: anything like that it's a designated amount as written into the zoning it was some one thousand one hundred dollars per unit or or there's a square footage calculation if it's a commercial development but yeah and yes if if there's any development in the corridor that's using the zoning the real quarter overlay district remember the overlay it kind of it's a it's a zoning tool that overlays the underlying zoning so it allows for additional density and other incentives so this is so in order to get those you know in addition to a more rigorous design standards this is another another contribution great thank

▶ 16:53 Mary Beth McAteer-Margolis: you very much and I'm hoping that going forward when you are deciding on how to spend these funds even though we are not going to be responsible for appropriating it we as a board will be kept informed I'm sure through your

▶ 17:11 Peter D. Mortimer: office absolutely good thank you Thank You alderman alderman's work oh please

▶ 17:14 Michael P. Zwirko: Thank You mr. chairman our funds of this nature growing and popular they're becoming more commonplace cities and towns adding these on to certain districts and plans and zoning and improvements within cities I think they are yes I mean so development develop excuse me developers are commonly coming across these types of add-on I guess costs with their development is there any in any way do they kind of stymie development or is it something again because these are increasing in cities and towns that it's just kind of known

▶ 17:52 Denise Gaffey: that in certain areas yeah I think we because we tie it to a zoning tool that allows for you know a little bit more more than relaxation of some of the some of the requirements that they that in turn it ends up working it works out well for them so there's not a lot of pushback okay I think that's all the

▶ 18:12 Peter D. Mortimer: questions I thank you alderman's work Oh seeing no further alderman wishing to be heard we have a motion to recommend this sort of pardon me all the force please

▶ 18:19 Scott M. Forbes: proceed thank you it's just a quick question I think I already know the answer to it um these are all restricted funds for the purpose of the streetscape improvement fund this is not unrestricted cash that can be moved around that the sole purpose is for this specific project right and for

▶ 18:30 Denise Gaffey: streetscape improvements in the in the corner that's the goal okay that's I

▶ 18:34 Scott M. Forbes: thought I just wanted to clarify thank you thank you alderman Forbes a motion

▶ 18:37 Peter D. Mortimer: being made to recommend this order for passage to the full board by alderman Boisselle, duly seconded by Alderman McAteer-Margolis. Seeing no further, Alderman, wishing to be heard, we're ready for the vote. All in favor, please say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Hearing none, this order will be recommended to the full board for passage at our next full board meeting. Thank you very much for coming. Thank you for the information.