Minutes of the East Central Town Meeting Held October 22, 2022
Minutes of the East Central Town Meeting held October 22, 2022
Planning Commission Members Present: Dave Graf, Chair Jenny Sandau, Vice-Chair Cathy Blaisdell Wesley Boykin Neil Garner Bryan Schade Jessica Stoker
City Council Members Present: Angela Choberka Doug Stephens
Staff Present: Greg Montgomery, Planning Manager Clinton Spencer, Deputy Planning Manager Joseph Simpson, Planner Brooke Olson, Planner Amber Corbridge, Planner Jannette Borklund, Planning Technician Vivian
Others Present: Amelia Alicia Washington Cassandra Backman Don Leer Dr. Robert Ward Johanna Droubair Harmon John Grima MJ Munger Peggy Priscilla Martinez Steve Jones Sara Angel Castillo Julie McIntire Bob Betty Sawyer Susan Bill Cook Willow Yates Marcy
Mr. Spencer called the meeting to order at 6:05pm and announced Spanish translation is available with Vivian providing Spanish translation and asked if any residents in attendance desire translation services. As there was no response, the meeting was continued in English only. He also noted residents had been invited to take a survey on the postcard they received in the mail, and while there has been limited response, information for these surveys can be used to craft the details of the Plan update. Options for taking the survey include electronic using the QR code on the postcard or the East Central Plan website, or physical paper surveys which have been distributed to various locations within the community. He presented some Census information, stating the East Central community is characterized by higher density and diversity, with up to 44% of the community identified as Latino.
Mr. Spencer described what a community plan is, stating it is a vision statement giving direction for the future of the community. It is a section of the General Plan which is a guiding document for future development by identifying the values of the community with objectives and strategies which are then translated to zoning amendments or direction of City budget with Capital Improvement projects.
Mr. Simpson then presented the East Central website and indicated how this can be used by both community members and City administration and Staff. The home page provides a link to the survey, and provides information about the community. The next page gives more detailed data about the community. The intent of the web site is to allow residents to provide feedback to the City and to allow the City to distribute information about the community.
Mr. Spencer described some of the goals and strategies which were identified in the East Central Plan when last adopted in 2009, and described several items which have been accomplished as a result of that Plan. He presented a quote from that Plan, stating living in this neighborhood should come with high expectations due to its unique character. He stated this community has a rich history as it is one of Ogden’s oldest communities. He also identified ongoing issues which have not yet been resolved which were identified in the Plan. He stated while this is not intended to be an overhaul of the 2009 Plan, several other plans affecting this community have since been adopted and this effort is to determine whether these should be included in the Plan. These include the Bus Rapid Transit route which is intended to travel through this community to Harrison Boulevard, and will likely be completed within the next few years, the 9-Rails Creative District which has been identified as 25th Street between Grant Avenue and Monroe Boulevard, and whether or not accessory dwelling units should be allowed in single-family areas within the community. He presented opportunity for those in attendance to respond to survey questions for each of these areas.
Ogden On Board/BRT The Ogden On Board Plan was adopted in 2018 and is anticipated to provide a connection between the downtown to Weber State University and McKay-Dee Hospital. The service will increase the trips per day through the community and will travel in a dedicated bus lane in some areas. It is anticipated the bus lane would introduce transit-oriented development at certain locations within the community which may be increased high-density housing, mixed use buildings with both commercial and residential units and other services in an effort to reduce demand on driving personal vehicles and reduce carbon emissions. He identified stops along the BRT route and suggested development options for these areas may change as a result. Consideration may be given to rezoning some of these areas to accommodate uses created by transit or by developing overlay options where standards can be identified.
Accessory Dwelling Units At the time the 2009 East Central Plan was adopted, the use of accessory dwelling units was limited to areas due to the direction of the City Council at that time that these only be allowed on a petition basis as an overlay area. Since that time, the City Council adopted language which allows accessory dwelling units City-wide so long as the single-family home is owner-occupied. Because the Plan identified areas where these are not allowed, the Ordinance restricts their use in these areas. The Plan is to consider whether to eliminate the language to prohibit Accessory Dwelling Units and thus allow them throughout the community. He reviewed the characteristics of an accessory dwelling unit, in that they must be owner occupied single-family homes, and the second dwelling unit is limited to 40% of the floor area of the home, with a limit of two adults and minor children living in the unit. He contrasted these with the definition of a duplex, which is two dwelling units, where both are allowed to accommodate a family, and a rental, which may be a single-family home which is not owner occupied.
Nine Rails Creative District This area has been identified as a place to encourage creatives to live, work and display their works and to display arts within the public realm. The Plan identifies strategies such as gateway art, art in crosswalks, food truck events, and events at Lester Park. It anticipates traffic calming in the streetscape, wayfinding signs, as well as identifying particular areas where art features can be added including Kiesel Avenue and Butler Way. Implementation of this Plan may result in zoning regulations changes, streetscape changes, or building types and designs to accommodate visual art being visible to the public. The Plan anticipates programs, festivals, events and activities within the boundaries of the Nine Rails District.
At this time the public was invited to comment. Ms. Angel Castillo asked if the meeting were limited to Zoom format. Mr. Jake McIntire expressed concern about planning jargon and whether items are well-defined. Mr. Spencer responded due to the COVID pandemic the Planning Commission is limited to holding meetings via Zoom and that the postcards and website identified the three items for discussion. The postcards directed attention to both the survey and the web page, stating the web page was developed in an effort to provide more information than was available on the postcard.
Mr. Harmon Jensen asked if there is adequate ridership on UTA to warrant the expense of developing the BRT route, stating he often sees full-size buses which appear to be empty. He felt the population of Ogden is smaller than other cities where this type of service is prevalent and the ridership to campus will likely not be the same as those cities. He suggested smaller buses may be more appropriate than the oversized double-bus proposed. It was indicated UTA has researched and feels the service is warranted.
Amelia asked if the Ogden On Board Plan had been adopted. Mr. Spencer responded there had been several open house meetings where input was requested, and in the end the City Council did adopt the plan. He stated the consideration of the East Central Plan would center on development options along the BRT corridor, identifying areas which would be most appropriate as higher density housing, as well as areas where commercial uses such as restaurants or stores are appropriate.
Dr. Robert Ward asked about opportunities for creating low income housing. Mr. Spencer responded stating it is anticipated that residential density will increase due to the location of the bus line and that there is always a demand for higher density housing in the downtown. The trends indicate favor of supporting the transit line. The development of low-income housing is dependent on many factors which the City has no control.
Ms. Angel Castillo asked about the public outreach for this meeting, stating she had only been informed by a newspaper article, stating while she is active in the City’s social media, she had not received any alerts about this meeting. She stated it is important for the voice of the community to be available and due to this being a lower income community the access to internet may not be available. She wanted to be assured residents of the area were informed and invited. Mr. Spencer responded more than 4,000 postcards were mailed to both property owners and tenants within the community, with information in both English and Spanish. In addition, information was disseminated via the City’s marketing staff through social media, the Diversity Committee and OgdenCan groups had been involved in placing posters at various locations around the community and information was sent via the NextDoor app. He stated while the City could invite residents, there is no indication as to whether they want to be involved.
Ms. Amelia stated she is a rider of Bus 603, stating it provides service from the downtown to Weber State and that it is never full. She stated while there may be more interest in improved ridership, the lack of bus services east of Harrison limits users from that area. She agreed the use of smaller buses should be implemented at the onset and then expand to larger buses as needed. It was indicated as part of the Ogden On Board Plan, UTA was responsible to hold public meetings in order to receive Federal funding for the project.
Mr. Travis Pate, while unable to access the meeting via Zoom, had contacted Mr. Montgomery and asked what can be done to prevent mass demolition and land banking within the community anticipating a particular use that may or may not be desirable in this historic community. Mr. Montgomery responded there is no protection except for sites which are on the local historic register.
Ms. Susan Bullough expressed concern about the high price of culinary water to this area, stating most residents do not have connections for lower-priced secondary water and are required to use culinary water for lawns and gardens. She asked if there is any ability to extend secondary water lines to this community. Commissioner Garner stated the secondary water providers are independent of Ogden City and it is up to private citizens to make contact with these providers and pressure them to extend their service areas.
Mr. Spencer stated he would continue to use resources available to promote information about the Plan and outlined the process of the Plan moving forward. The next step is to establish a steering committee with community members and Staff in an effort to identify strategies to implement these items into the Plan. The recommendations of the steering committee will then be presented at a second public meeting where more input will be obtained from citizens and then finally, the Planning Commission will hold a work session after which a public hearing will be scheduled for the adoption of the Plan. The final action will be its adoption by the City Council. It is anticipated the process will last 4-6 months.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:53pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Jannette Borklund, Planning Technician Approved: ______(date)
______Dave Graf, Chair