It’s somewhat of a mystery to many how we managed to make this meeting last until 10:00. Instead of making a snarky comment about how it happened, I’ll let you figure it out as I explain, tho it loses something if you weren’t there to experience it. Here’s what we did. (Sorry, no links, looks like a city server is down again.)
Mayor Dave, Ald Kerr, Alder Pham-Remmele and Alder Solomon were all missing from the meeting. Solomon and Pham-Remmele were expected, Mayor Dave and Ald. Kerr were both sick. So, with Verveer in the chair and Bruer making the motions, we started the meeting about 5 minutes late.
1. We declared next week Community Development Week.
We went to the consent agenda, passing everything except the public hearing agenda items 3 – 10 and items 27, 28, 32, 33 and 60.
27. Since it wasn’t 6:45 yet, we couldn’t do public hearings, so item 27 – the Habitat for Humanity project in Larry Palm’s district that was a controversy during budget time. Alder Compton brought up the issue, claiming that we didn’t have enough information about what Habitat’s plan was for the site. After many words, a few questions for staff and adding a few co-sponsors, the item passed, despite Alder Compton’s objecitons.
3. It being 7:00 now, we went on to the public hearings. The first item being the demolition ordinance. Only one person was there to testify, neither in support or opposed was Carole Schaeffer from Smart Growth Madison.
a. The first issue we discussed was changing Alder Compton wanting to change 1946 to 1940 for which buildings needed 60 days notice to the neighborhoods when doing a demolition. Since not much was built during WWII I’m not sure it made a difference, and it was accepted unanimously.
b. The second issue we discussed was Alder Rummel making a motion precluding demolition by fire. This sparked (sorry) quite a bit of discussion. After questions of the Fire and Health Department about the effects of the first on surrounding neighbors, and then more “questions” of the Fire Department from Alder Compton and lots of talking, Alder Gruber made a motion to not burn on Clean Air Action Days. Since those days are about ozone issues, not particulate issues we tabled the issue to come up with some appropriate language to properly address the issue.
5 – 7. The next issues were about resurfacing Eastwood and E Gorham. Eastwood was a bit of a controversy as the neighbors would like to see it closed permanently. There was one question about the E Gorham assessments and a little bit of discomfort and laughter as I announced that E Gorham from Butler to where E Johnson and Gorham split at Baldwin will be closed all summer. There was an acknowledgment that while right now people are concerned about potholes, this summer people are going to be wondering how to get from here to there with the near East Side on again, presenting an extra bit of a challenge.
10. We approved moving the Conklin House to 101-109 N Franklin/500 Block of E Mifflin. There was one property owner there in opposition, but we passed the motion without comment. Keep your eye open for a house moving down the street this Sunday.
28. After a few brief questions, we approved double-filling the Department of Civil Rights Director position until Lucia Nunez returns to work.
32. We approved giving a potential homeowner in the Bassett TIF area additional money beyond the program rules because there was a mistake in the brochure. They say there are only two loans that have this problem and we won’t have to do this again. There was much concern about the program in general. Giving $60,000 to a homeowner to convert a home from rental to owner-occupied seemed inappropriate to many. It only passed 12 – 5 with Sanborn, Schumacher, Skidmore, Claussius and Konkel voting no. Rhodes-Conway, Rummel, Verveer, Webber, Compton, Cnare, Brandon, Bruer, Clear, Gruber, Judge and Palm voting aye, despite several of them, including Alder Compton expressing concerns about the mistake as well as the program.
33. Fixed some contracting that didn’t comply with Best Value Contracting in number 33.
60. Alder Compton had more issues with Habitat for Humanity. This time on the northside. Same objections, same result. We still approved the funding.
It was now about 9:00 and we took a break.
About 9:15 we went back to the tabled demolition ordinance.
c. After some more discussion about demolition by fire. We approved the Gruber amendment restricting burns to days when there isn’t a Air Quality Warning or Watch issued by the DNR. Alder Rummel then made another amendment extending the area where people get notice of the burn from 500 to 1000 feet and requiring the developer to pay for the notice. That, after some more bizarre comments from Alder Compton, passed. I attempted to say that you couldn’t burn if there were other houses within 500 feet of the proposed burn. That failed.
d. Schumacher then made an amendment, which appeared to be a brokered deal between “the boys” specifically Brandon and Gruber, without talking to me at all. Which I found rather insulting. The amendment allegedly was designed to all more dense urban infill. The amendment was about the proposed future use of the property. The first part said that the proposed future use had to be consistent with the Comprehensive Plan, the neighborhood plan OR (instead of AND) a neighborhood conservation district plan. Theoretically the neighborhood plan and neighborhood conservation district are consistent with the Comp Plan so I’m not sure this did a whole lot. They also changed shall to should. Also, not sure what the legal impact of that was, but probably not much.
The second part of the amendment was to eliminate the sentence that said if no neighborhood plan existed the proposed use had to be “compatible” with the neighborhood character, massing and density. The stated purpose, as I said, was to provide for more urban infill. Unfortunately, what the boys failed to understand is that the plan commission found that Nolen Shores was compatible with the Bassett neighborhood. So, I’m not sure that was even a necessary sentence after we said that the proposed project had to be compatible with the intent of the zoning classification and the Comprehensive Plan. It seemed to be a huge victory to them when I agreed it could be a friendly amendment, but I’m not sure it will have any real impact.
e. Then, Alder Compton wanted to change the 60 day notice to neighbors and the interested parties register required for buildings built before 1940 to 30 days. After Alder Cnare explained why that notice helped to make the process smoother at the Plan Commission, her amendment failed.
I quickly thanked the Plan Commission subcommittee, most of whom are no longer on the plan commission (myself, Kelly Thompson-Frater and Brian Ohm are all gone, Nan Fey and Jim Boll remain) and staff (Tim Parks and Matt Tucker primarily as well as Ed Ruckreigel from Fire and George Dreckmann from Streets) and explained that the ordinance fixed several issues the plan commission had to deal with including putting teeth into the reuse and recycling plan, allowing some demolitions when we don’t know what the proposed use is, allowing demolitions for public safety hazards, better notice to neighbors and other interested parties, clarifying that the ordinance applies to moving houses as well as demolitions, puts the City under the same rules as developers and essentially giving the plan commission better guidelines and the developers more predictability overall. The ordinance passed unanimously and mercifully, the meeting was over and we all needed a drink!
After the meeting, we went the Local Tavern. Joining us were Gruber, Schumacher, Clausius, Clear, Bruer, Rummel, Rhodes-Conway, Webber and . . . drumroll please . . . both Judge and Verveer sans attachments. It’s the first time most of us talked to Mike Verveer after the meeting in a very, very long time. Several people ended up doing a food run to the Argus since we missed the menu because our meeting went so long. For entertainment, we made up mixed drinks that described the personalities of our fellow council members. Best not to repeat them here.
