ACTION REQUESTED:
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Approve changes to the composition of the 5th Avenue Steering Committee, as presented, and direct staff to add discussion of the six 5th Avenue Project outstanding issues to the June 18, 2019 City Council agenda.
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DEPARTMENT: Transportation, Engineering and Development
SUBMITTED BY: Amy Emery, AICP, Operations Manager
BOARD/COMMISSION REVIEW:
None
BACKGROUND:
On October 3, 2017, acting on the recommendation of Ryan Companies, City Council directed the creation of the 5th Avenue Steering Committee with the purpose of providing Ryan Companies with community input and direction. Further, Steering Committee members were directed to act in accordance with the Open Meetings Act and serve both as communicators (sharing residents’ concerns with Ryan and explaining progress back to residents) and as an advisory group similar to a peer review committee. The City Council discussed the Committee acting as a sounding board to consider initial issues and differences of opinion.
5th Avenue Steering Committee members were specifically approved by City Council on November 7, 2017 to include:
• 2 City Council members (Councilwoman Obarski and Brodhead appointed)
• 2 City Staff members (Marcie Schatz and Allison Laff appointed)
• 2 Ryan Representatives
• 1 Commuter (self-selected by commuters through open application process facilitated by City Staff)
• 1 Representative of the Senior Task Force (selected by its members)
• 4 Area residents (one from each: Pilgrim’s Addition, WHOA, ECHO, and the Naperville Area Homeowners Confederation) appointed in separate processes defined by these groups (e.g., appointment, election, etc.)
• 2 Park Addition Residents (self-selected by the neighborhood through a process of their own design)
• An At-Large Community Representative (Mayor Emeritus Pradel was appointed)
On August 28 2018, the 5th Avenue Steering Committee completed their initial task of reviewing the Working Group recommendations, sharing their feedback and recommendations, and developing a list of issues that require City Council guidance before the project can move to its next design phase. At this time, the Steering Committee does not need to convene again until the additional work described under “next steps” below is completed.
DISCUSSION:
Dr. Bob Buckman and Jim Hill, members of the 5th Avenue Steering Committee, addressed the City Council on May 7, 2019. Part of their remarks requested City Council action to fill membership vacancies on the 5th Avenue Steering Committee. Following their comments, the City Council directed staff prepare an agenda item to consider membership composition and vacancies on the 5th Avenue Steering Committee.
Since the committee was formed in late 2017, several events have occurred (e.g., City Council Election, passing of Mayor Emeritus Pradel, involvement of the DCM Working Group) necessitating a re-evaluation of the composition of the committee. The following changes are recommended to the 5th Avenue Steering Committee:
• The City Council vacancy be refilled by Councilman Patrick Kelly
• A new neighborhood representative be appointed by Pilgrim Addition
• A representative from the DuPage Children’s Museum (DCM) fill the seat previously occupied by Mayor Emeritus Pradel)
• City Staff and Ryan Companies positions be removed as voting members*
*It should be noted that, while City Staff and Ryan Companies are recommended to be removed from the Steering Committee, Staff will remain in attendance in an advisory capacity at all Steering Committee Meetings, but will not serve as voting members. This will allow staff to remain impartial should the project continue to move forward with respect to zoning and code compliance reviews. Likewise, Ryan Companies will continue to organize and facilitate meetings and provide input and direction for Steering Committee consideration; however, will not cast a vote.
NEXT STEPS:
On September 18, 2018, City Council tabled all efforts related to the 5th Avenue until the following could be provided:
• Guidance from City’s Advocate (provided 12/4/18)
• City Staff recommendation on commuter parking (provided 11/20/18)
• Recommendation from the Fair Housing Advisory Commission (received and approved 4/3/19)
• Recommendations from DCM Working Group (announced 5/17/19)
With all requests completed, staff recommends that the City Council reconvene discussion to provide policy direction needed on the six outstanding issues identified by the public and 5th Avenue Steering Committee relative to the 5th Avenue Redevelopment (see Attachment 1). Given that this discussion may take two meetings, staff recommends that this item be added to the June 18, 2019 City Council meeting (with follow-up discussion occurring on July 16, 2019, if needed). These outstanding issues are:
1. Traffic
• Should the Working Group recommendations for traffic improvements be incorporated into the plan?
o West dual turn lanes and north bound right turn lane at 5th Avenue and Washington Street intersection
o Re-alignment of North Avenue
2. Parking
• Should the overall supply of commuter parking be increased as a result of this project (250-400 spaces as recommended by City Staff)?
• Should kiss-n-ride capacities be expanded to address increased demand for ride-share services?
3. Pedestrian Crossing
• Should there be a new pedestrian crossing?
4. Kroehler Lot
• Stay surface parking or become townhomes?
5. Green Space
• Does Kendall Park need to include district storm water management improvements to address broader detention needs?
• Can Burlington Square Park area be reduced to accommodate kiss-n-ride and bus needs?
• Can Burlington Square Park be modified?
6. Land Use
• Should any of the following be excluded?
o Residential: Apartments, Condominiums, Townhomes
o Retail
o Office
• Maximum height for the development?
o 4-6 stores
o 6-8 stories
The input provided by City Council on the six outstanding issues will guide Ryan Companies in their next design phase which, if authorized by the City Council, will take Ryan Companies approximately four to six weeks to complete. Upon receipt of the baseline concept, City Council can determine the additional items that they would like the Steering Committee to provide feedback on.
FISCAL IMPACT:
None