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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Minutes 2013-03-18 Special I 03/18/13 4098 I STATE OF TEXAS CITY OF FRIENDSWOOD X COUNTIES OF GALVESTON/HARRIS X MARCH 18, 2013 X MINUTES OF A SPECIAL MEETING OF THE FRIENDSWOOD CITY COUNCIL THAT WAS HELD ON MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2013,AT 6:00 PM AT FRIENDSWOOD CITY HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS, 910 S. FRIENDSWOOD DRIVE, FRIENDSWOOD, TEXAS, WITH THE FOLLOWING PRESENT CONSTITUTING A QUORUM: MAYOR KEVIN HOLLAND MAYOR PRO-TEM JIM HILL COUNCILMEMER STEVE ROCKEY COUNCILMEMBER BILLY ENOCHS COUNCILMEMBER PAT MCGINNIS COUNCILMEMBER DEIRDRE BROWN CITYATTORNEY ARNOLD POLANCO CITY MANAGER ROGER ROECKER CITY SECRETARY MELINDA WELSH Councilmember Scott was absent from the meeting. SPECIAL SESSION I Mayor Holland called the meeting to order. Mayor Holland asked Public Works Director Kaz Hamidian to do the invocation, and Councilmember ' Brown made a Point of Order, the invocation was not listed on the agenda. Mayor Holland asked Council to sit down. Mayor Holland stated he called the meeting, should have given adequate time for communication from all affected citizens and departments, feels strongly about safe neighborhoods, feels a mistake has been made allowing the item to go forward. Councilmember Brown made a Point of Order, nothing related to any speeches on the agenda. Mayor Holland stated it is not a speech, is explaining why the special meeting was called. Councilmember Brown stated there is nothing about that on the agenda. "Mayor Holland asked for a vote of Council to continue with his explanation of why the special meeting was called. The vote for the Mayor to continue with his explanation was upheld with a vote of 5-1 with Councilmember Brown opposed. Councilmember Brown made a Point of Information to the City Attorney, if statements are made when there is not a provision and were preplanned, can the statement continue. City Attorney Arnold Polanco answered if the statement was in a general concept of procedures of the meeting is okay to continue. Mayor Holland apologized for how the meeting was moving forward. ' COMMUNICATION FROM THE PUBLIC Greg Evans, Friendswood resident, addressed Council and stated he has lived here almost 20 years, is 03/18/13 4099 at the meeting as a citizen and landowner, the Friendswood Parkway project, to be built to connect FM 528 and League City Parkway. ' Councilmember Brown made a Point of Order. Councilmember Rockey stated Mr. Evans was speaking on Agenda Item 3, Discussion and possible action regarding the submission of eligible drainage and/or road projects within Friendswood for Galveston County funds, including but not limited to Community Development Block Grant dollars. Mr. Evans continued speaking on the expansion of the project, he is one of four landowners willing to donate land to connect the two venues, will embrace new home sales, values would satisfy need to cover costs of municipal services, is needed for traffic relief, and requests Council vote for this project. Councilmember Brown apologized, and stated she thought Mr. Evans was talking about traffic issues. Tom Goodwin, Friendswood resident, addressed Council and stated he was asking for a positive vote with the county to develop Friendswood Parkway, speaking as the Parks and Recreation Board Chairman, expansion of parkway would help open Lake Friendswood and would open more green space. David Montz, Friendswood resident, addressed Council and stated he is on the Parks and Recreation Board, Friendswood Parkway would be a great project, would help with the development of the lake. Mayor Holland asked Keith Drake if he was the person asking for more time, and Mr. Drake stated yes. With concurrence from Council, Mayor Holland allowed Mr. Drake additional time. Keith Drake, Friendswood resident, addressed Council and stated he is speaking on behalf of the Forest ' of Friendswood Homeowner's Association (HOA) Board, is not speaking for or against, gave history of the item, gave explanation of survey presented to Northfield Estates residents, highest option ranked by Northfield Estate residents was closing Westward Lane, only received 38% votes and not the required 2/3 threshold defined by the HOA, provided Council with a copy of the results from the survey. Other steps HOA has taken to resolve the issue is published quarterly newsletters, highlighted in the monthly electronic newsletters encouraging residents not to drive through Northfield Estates, addressed the issue at several monthly board meetings, and replied to numerous emails from residents. This is a complex issue that needs cooperation from all involved for a solution that works for everyone. Troy Elmore, Friendswood resident, addressed Council and stated he would like to thank Council for bringing this to light, thanked everyone on both sides of the fence, gave a history on actions taken so far, is in favor of closing Westward Lane. K.T. Sunn, Friendswood resident, addressed Council and stated she lives at 601 Northfield Drive, is opposed to temporary closure of the street, what data will be used after six months to determine whether to keep closure, suggested setting up a counter of through traffic at Westward Lane, if closed Northfield Estates would be cut off from the Forest of Friendswood, would Northfield Estates still be considered part of Forest of Friendswood HOA and deed restrictions, should table Westward Lane closure and do a traffic survey with further discussion from both sides in a public forum. Wayne Birkenmeier, Friendswood resident, addressed Council and stated he lives at the end of Northview Drive, is in favor of closing Westward Lane, obvious there are traffic issues and needs a solution, is more than willing to drive out of neighborhood and take an extra minute for the safety of kids. Steve Buending, Friendswood resident, addressed Council regarding the submission of drainage and road projects agenda item, and stated he is the President of Falcon Ridge Community Association which ' is Falcon Ridge One, have 133 homes in Falcon Ridge One, over 700 homes in area neighborhoods, have increased traffic on Falcon Ridge Drive, home values have plummeted, many have become rentals, traffic and safety issues for children, have park users that walk in the neighborhood in strollers, cannot get 03/18/13 4100 ' out of the driveway, developing Friendswood Parkway would make it safer for children, and increase the property values as well. 1 Tom Ferazzi, Friendswood resident, addressed Council and stated he does not believe there is a need for a traffic study, just need to sit in front yards, traffic is extremely heavy, does not believe Northview Drive or Mary's Creek Lane were intended to be collector streets, is in favor of closing Westward Lane, please uphold Council's previous decision. Bobbie Jones, Friendswood resident, addressed Council and stated Council might want to reconsidelr closing Forest of Friendswood, provided Council with a handout, defined collector streets, and read from her handout. Kaye Post, Friendswood resident, addressed Council and stated she has lived in Friendswood for 37 years, lives in Forest of Friendswood, when she purchased her home gave considerable thought before buying in this neighborhood, was surprised at the high volume of traffic and had to be hyper-vigilant with her children, did not occur to her to petition the City, please revisit decision before closing a public street based on the desire and needs of a few residents. I Alisha Pate, Friendswood resident, addressed Council and stated she lives in Northfield Estates, when she moved there several attempts were made to ease traffic, has significantly reduced over the years, empathizes with those that want it closed off but to make the best decision use a data counter to see how many are Northfield Estates residents that are using the road, closing it might not solve the problem. Tina Kurtz, Friendswood resident, addressed Council and stated she lives in the Forest of Friendswood, has speeding problems on her street, concern with not having options out of the neighborhood, people need to slow down, closing an emergency exit is not the way to do it. ' ' Phil Bossert, Friendswood resident, addressed Council and stated he is on the board of directors for the Forest of Friendswood Homeowner's Association. The board asked him to speak about the ordinance code and look at larger safety issue, as you revisit please look carefully at Appendix B, Section 3, there are 715 homes in the Forest of Friendswood and of those 76 are in Northfield Estates, is liaison with safety and security on the committee, traffic safety are issues in neighborhoods and City, thanked Friendswood Police Chief Bob Wieners and Officer Kevin Crouch for all they have done to help, thanked Council for their service. James Clark, Friendswood resident, addressed Council and stated he lives in the Forest of Friendswood, currently have two ways out of the neighborhood, street should be left open, problem is not traffic flow but too many traffic violators, need more traffic enforcement, people just slow down at stop signs, have gas pipelines in the neighborhood, need to not close the way out of the neighborhood, is opposed to closing the street. Millie Battenfield, Friendswood resident, addressed Council and stated she lives in the Forest of Friendswood, chose a quiet cul-de-sac and still sees traffic violators on her street. When Northfield Estates opened they were all driving through, there has been no change in traffic flow since the street first opened, big mistake to close off one of the main exits to satisfy a few people, is opposed to closing the street. Theodore Slafka, Friendswood resident, addressed Council and stated he lives in Northfield Estates and was told when he moved in this street would be open, two ways in and out is important, no one asked them how they felt about closing the street temporarily, usually becomes permanent, is opposed to closing the street, has medical issues and closing this street could make it a life and death matter for himi Jon Kitchel, Friendswood resident, addressed Council and stated he lives in Section 7, is opposed to blocking off Westward Lane, need multiple exits. Joy Blair, Friendswood resident, addressed Council and stated she lives in Northfield Estates, directly 03/18/13 4101 affects her home, does not believe there is a 1,000 cars that pass daily, is a stay at home mom and uses this road often, does believe there is a speeding problem and HOA has done a lot to curb this issue, need ' to create more awareness, if it was a safety crusade would be analyzing all streets in the City of Friendswood. Councilmember Brown stated Ms. Blair had supported a gate before in an e-mail in 2011, and Ms. Blair stated she did not. Matt Wilber, Friendswood resident, addressed Council and stated he has a Prius, loves Northfield Estates, everyone should drive safely, is opposed to a gate blocking the street. Councilmember Brown briefly left Council Chambers at this time. Kelly Kramer, Friendswood resident, addressed Council and stated she resides in Northfield Estates, thanked Council for making the decision to close Westward Lane, offers support to keep Westward Lane closed, heard Fire Department/Emergency Medical Service (EMS) and pipeline safety, knows Police Department does not have the time to monitor them all the time, wants to ride bikes without worrying about the flow of traffic. Justin Lacombe, Friendswood resident, addressed Council and stated he is in favor of closing Westward Lane, safety of children is more important than convenience, street should have been wider if designed as a thoroughfare, need a solution to the identified problem. Councilmember Brown briefly left Council Chambers at this time. Stephanie Lacombe, Friendswood resident, addressed Council and stated she lives in Northfield Estates and used to live in the Forest of Friendswood, submitted a petition of 141 signatures that support the ' closing of Westward Lane, only a few homes did not support. Kyle Channing, Friendswood resident, addressed Council and stated he lives in the neighborhood, is a single father, up to parents to educate children, is not against but would like more education regarding speeding, worked with Phil Bossert on safety, can educate and watch out, is opposed to separating the two neighborhoods. Kenneth Kruse, Friendswood resident, addressed Council and stated he was the chairman of the safety and security committee for the subdivision for a few years, started out as a speeding and running stop sign issue and did many things to alleviate, discussed a barrier but was immediately voiced against, is not one subdivision against another because they are all part of one, is concerned that this could be used in any part of the City to set up a cutoff gate. Councilmember Brown briefly left Council Chambers at this time. Marcy Zmarzley, Friendswood resident, addressed Council and stated she lives on Meadowglen Road adjacent to Northfield Estates, should be experiencing same thru traffic as Northfield Estates if coming from Melody Lane would come directly in front of her house, would love to see a study done to see if there are truly 1,000 cars and contends it is not, stays at home and does not see it, is opposed to closing the street, volume of traffic occurs during rush hour, if set a precedent of closing a road between neighborhoods what about other areas. Andre Stokes, Friendswood resident, addressed Council and stated he lives in the Forest of Friendswood, have to practice self-preservation for your children and yourself, have backyards and driveways, if you know there is a danger then remove them, streets are made for cars, sidewalks are for pedestrians, is opposed. ' Laura Worrell Friendswood resident, addressed Council and stated she lives on a busy street and would like her street cut off, is a City street and safety of her children lies with her, start a conversation but come 03/18/13 410 I to an amicable agreement, if close off the street then close at Melody Lane, put speed bumps in, putt Police Department out there, write tickets, City Engineer stated study was good, will affect things such as mail and emergency services, solve in a manner can all live with, opposes closing the street. David Disiere, Friendswood resident, addressed Council and stated his wife is from Friendswood and they moved to Friendswood in 2000, heard about traffic and if there are 1,000 cars on that road then diverting them is divisive, lives in Timbers and has friends and neighbors that live in this area, concern is diverting this many cars a day will be someone else's problem, people need to slow down, need to build bridges and not road blocks, is opposed to blocking off Westward Lane. Mary Gillespie, Friendswood resident, addressed Council and stated she teaches Math at Friendswood High School, and lives in the Forest of Friendswood. When the developer of Northfield Estates approached the Forest of Friendswood HOA for use in retention ponds it was the additional egress that Northfield Estates would provide for the Forest of Friendswood residents, needs to remember is a community and be considerate of each other, enforce the speed limit and stop signs, no need to close entrance. Brian Swientonioski, Friendswood resident, addressed Council and stated he lives in the Forest of Friendswood, has been involved in risk analysis for many years, worked in the chemical industry for many years, area sits on many pipelines and is a tremendous volume of chemicals and hazardous materials, need access out of the neighborhood and Westward Lane is one of them. Laurel Isaak, Friendswood resident, addressed Council and stated she is a stay at home mom, is not as concerned about kids getting hit by cars as she is worried about getting hit when in her car, lives by stop sign and no one stops, is in favor of a 911 gate, sometimes Council has to make decisions that are not popular. I Katie Larson, Friendswood resident, addressed Council and stated she lives in Meadowglen Subdivisio by Northfield Estates, grew up on Sunset Drive and her parents never thought of coming to the City to block the street, is here today because her parents told her not to play in the street, police were recently called to Northfield Estates and needed Westward Lane to get to the people they were looking for. Lori Ferazzi, Friendswood resident, addressed Council and stated she started talking to City officials and HOA in 2010 when she bought her home, did traffic calming solutions and has not helped her neighborhood, discussed 30 percent increase of traffic on her street, if a study was done now it would be more, have called police on several occasions and were only there for four minutes, Police Department has said there is no place for them to park their vehicles, have rented out radar guns, have petition signed by neighbors, feels like it is in their best interest to close Westward Lane and hopes Council upholds their decision. Karen Ferazzi, Friendswood resident, addressed Council and stated she has lived in the Forest of Friendswood for 11 years, supports those in favor of reducing the traffic flow and closing the road, no longer uses it as a cut through, uses Melody Lane and is faster. Glen Grayban, Friendswood resident, addressed Council and stated he is discussing the submission of drainage and road projects agenda item, have 280 homes in Friendswood Lakes and has looked forward to opening Friendswood Parkway, would give more traffic control and an easier way to get to the City of Friendswood for shopping and would reduce traffic on FM 528 and FM 518. Mike Stuart, Friendswood resident, addressed Council and stated he is a resident of Northfield Estates, thanked Council for the open forum, have lived in other cities and states and appreciates transparency they do not have, thanked HOA board for all their work on efforts to a traffic solution, as a father of three ' he believes 135 kids safety is more important than 1,000 cars convenience, can the City take the risk of not closing the road. Travis Elam, Friendswood resident, addressed Council and stated he came on March 4, 2013, and asked 03/18/13 4103 Council for help, did not come to divide a neighborhood, speaking on 911 gate, lives in Northfield Estates and spoke to the Fire Marshal's office and stated they would not cut through their neighborhood in ' emergency, only reason they came was for safety of children, came to figure out a solution and eliminate. Councilmember Enochs briefly left Council Chambers at this time. Clark Carroll, Friendswood resident, addressed Council and stated he lives in the Forest of Friendswood near Westward Lane, moved there four years ago and the access to that side was considered, his street is busy and has put signs out, feels it is ironic that people chose this neighborhood, he did his due diligence before buying, and now want to close, is afraid the flood of people that are now going to be asking throughout the City and gave examples, is concerned where line will be drawn, Northfield Estates residents have done well making it a convenience versus a safety issue, look through City ordinance and look for other alternate ways. Carol Stuart, Friendswood resident, addressed Council and stated she lives in Northfield Estates and has almost gotten hit, has seen a kid get hit by a car when she was younger, worries about her child playing outside, has taken video of speeding cars, wants children to be children, will take inconvenience over safety, please put up a 911 gate. Mike Shavlan, Friendswood resident, addressed Council and stated he lives in Northfield Estates and built on a cul-de-sac, chose this lot for safety of children, grew up in the Galleria area and knows about traffic, as far as the traffic study done by the City, was done during construction of Highway 45, Dixie Farm, and FM 2351, placing a temporary barrier might deter traffic but it will be temporary, uses Westward Lane and only diverts traffic, is exclusionary, closures weaken civic ties. Lisa Mayo, Friendswood resident, addressed Council and stated she lives in Northfield Estates and has lived there 18 months. The reason she moved to the City of Friendswood was because of all the ' wonderful things people stated about the City of Friendswood and the Forest of Friendswood, Melody Lane was under construction when she moved but traffic has increased since opened, is concerned about property value, other things besides safety to consider. Matt Ondler, Friendswood resident, addressed Council and stated he lives in Northfield Estates, has become an issue of perception, if you listen to data it sounds like there has been 12 traffic studies since all have different numbers, most professional man in the room says do not need, is on a slippery slope, if close this street what about others, decided to have cars in our society and built streets for those cars, everyone in this room believes in safety of children, not an issue of safety versus convenience, are not mowing down children in their neighborhood, his child's safety is his responsibility. Carl Gustafson, Friendswood resident, addressed Council and stated he lives in the Forest of Friendswood, has driven through during busy hours just to see what issue was about, invited by Northfield Estates residents to sit in their driveways to see traffic, sat for 20 minutes and they do have a point, do not know what the volume of traffic is but do have speeders and violators that need to be addressed, roads are narrow, compliance issue, Mayor Pro Tern Hill had a good idea about speed humps at the last meeting, should be put back on the table, if put in a 911 gate just close during peak hours. John Quigley, Friendswood resident, addressed Council and stated he lives on Northview Drive in Northfield Estates, overall safety does trump convenience, everyone wants access for hurricanes and pipelines and that is a one in 20 year event, when moved in thought it was designed well with wide roads, coming off Melody Lane is narrow roads, other roads are not designed that way, works in refining business, is in favor of shutting down Westward Lane. Mayor Holland recessed the meeting at 8:12 PM and reconvened the meeting at 8:19 PM. With concurrence of Council, Mayor Holland moved to Agenda Item 4, Discussion and possible action ' regarding traffic issues in Northfield Estates. 03/18/13 4104 ' ACTION ITEMS **Councilmember McGinnis moved for reconsideration of decision from March 4, 2013, meeting regarding barriers in Northfield Estates. Seconded by Councilmember Enochs. The motion was approved 6-0. Mayor, Council, and Staff held a lengthy discussion regarding the fact that the traffic issue has become an emotional issue for both sides, a plan needs to be established with stop gap measures, a process needs to be followed to get a solution that will work for everyone involved, HOA's survey and petitions An explanation and discussion of the City's Thoroughfare Plan, difference between collector streets, boulevards, and thoroughfare. A suggestion was made to establish an Ad-Hoc Committee with residents from Northfields Estates and the Forest of Friendswood. **Councilmember Hill moved to suspend the Traffic Calming Policy and temporarily place speed humps on Mary Ann Drive and Northfield Drive. **Councilmember Brown moved to rescind the Traffic Calming Policy as it relates to Northfield Estates. Seconded by Councilmember Hill. Mayor, Council, and Staff held a lengthy discussion regarding if there was a need to rescind the Traffic Calming Policy and the effects of rescinding the policy, adequate studies need to be done before any, action is taken, possibly forming an Ad-Hoc Committee, traffic calming should be tried before consideration of a road closure. Councilmember Hill withdrew his second. ' **Councilmember Hill moved to temporarily suspend the Traffic Calming Policy and install speed humps on Mary's Creek Lane and Northfield Drive for six months and reevaluate. Seconded by Councilmember Rockey. Mayor and Council held a discussion regarding the need for a set of metrics to access the results in six months. ***Councilmember Hill moved to amend the main motion to temporarily suspend the Traffic Calming Policy and install speed humps on Mary's Creek Land and Northfield Drive for six months, and that the City Engineer's office comes up with a set of metrics to use to access the results in six months. Seconded by Councilmember Rockey. The amended main motion was approved 6-0. **Councilmember Brown moved to form an Ad-Hoc Committee for Northfield Estates traffic issues. Seconded by Councilmember McGinnis. ***Councilmember Brown moved to table forming Ad-Hoc Committee for Northfield Estates traffic issues until the April meeting. Seconded by Councilmember Rockey. The motion to table was approve 6-0. With concurrence of Council, Mayor Holland moved to Agenda Item 3, discussion and possible action regarding the submission of eligible drainage and/or road projects within Friendswood for Galveston' County funds, including but not limited to Community Development Block Grant dollars **Councilmember Hill moved to submit a list of projects to Galveston County in response to their call for projects. Seconded by Councilmember Rockey. The motion was approved 6-0. ' Mayor, Council, and Staff held a discussion regarding the Wegner Ditch project and Friendswood Parkway project being submitted to Galveston County for grant funding, project must be shovel ready and completed by August 2014. 03/18/13 4105 The meeting was adjourned at 9:33 PM. ' Mayor Kevin HolIr Attest: •' Ft1ENp �XX JW�-GI:/�� /�Y� v • o Melinda Welsh, TRMC City Secretary •y: o •°•�TEof ��• 1