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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2000.0412.TCSM.Minutes TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL SESSION OF THE FOUNTAIN HILLS TOWN COUNCIL April 12,2000 Mayor Morgan called the special session of the Town Council to order. ROLL CALL - Present for roll call were the following members of the Fountain Hills Town Council: Mayor Sharon Morgan,and Councilmembers John Wyman,Pen Mower,Al Poma,Marianne Wiggishoff, and Sharon Hutcheson. Vice Mayor Sid Apps was absent. Also present were Town Manager Paul Nordin, Town Attorney Bill Farrell, Director of Administration/Town Clerk Cassie Hansen, Interim Town Engineer Tom Ward, and Director of Community Development Jeff Valder. AGENDA ITEM #1 — DISCUSSION OF THE PROPOSED VIA LINDA EXTENSION WITH POSSIBLE DIRECTION TO STAFF REGARDING FORWARDING A RECOMMENDATION TO THE SCOTTSDALE CITY COUNCIL. Town Manager Paul Nordin reviewed the recent Scottsdale's staff report on the proposed Via Linda Extension. He stated it had been Councilmembers Poma and Mower who had wanted this special meeting. He said after his review it would be up to the Council as to whether or not they would then endorse one of the options, which would be presented to the Scottsdale City Council at their next meeting. He felt the Scottsdale City Council would benefit from input by the Fountain Hills Mayor and Council. He stated the Fountain Hills Council had five separate options: do nothing or chose one of Scottsdale's options and then forward a recommendation to the Scottsdale City Council. He reviewed each option illustrating where the proposed streets would be constructed on the visual map displayed. Option#2—Hidden Hills Emergency Access Option He said this roadway would go straight north ending approximately where the Fountain Hills/Scottsdale borders met. Option#1 —General Plan—Four Lane Super Highway Option He said under the Scottsdale General Plan, as he understood it, Via Linda would continue through as a divided four- lane road up to Eagle Ridge Drive. Option#3—Connector Road Option He said the map also showed a connector road also being considered, labeled#3, which would be a divided two-lane roadway. He illustrated on the overhead where the roadway would end. Option#4—Emergency Access/Bike Path Option He said Scottsdale's staff report talked about this option as possibly being gated. Councilwoman Wiggishoff inquired if the two-lane option would include a bike lane. Mr. Nordin said yes. He said he would pass any Council direction onto the Scottsdale City staff so that they might pass the recommendation along to their Council at their April 18th meeting. Mayor Morgan asked which option would fulfill the Town's obligation under the May '96 development agreement as stated on Page 2 under Item#5. Mr. Nordin asked if that section referred to the required access to the deannexation area. Mayor Morgan said yes. Mr. Nordin noted that the connection to the Hidden Hills option was the only one that reached the deannexed area. Mr. Nordin confirmed the agreement did not contain a time limit or specify a configuration. He acknowledged that the agreement required that the Town allow a connection to the deannexed area. Mayor Morgan asked how the Town would fulfill the development agreement since the land belonged to MCO (Hidden Hills II). Mr. Nordin said that could be accomplished by simply not saying no to any reasonable connection from the Scottsdale side to the deannexed area. He continued that he didn't know how the agreement could be fulfilled with any of the other options unless it was argued that the Town counted Eagle Ridge Drive as it extended part way there. Town Council Special Session 4/12/00 Page 1 of 6 Councilman Mower agreed that technically there was a connection. He said that by following Scottsdale's General Plan#1 and using Connector Road#3 to Eagle Ridge, there was a connection to the deannexed area. Councilwoman Wiggishoff pointed out that the term"direct" was not in the agreement when describing the access to the deannexed $401w area. Mr. Nordin agreed that was correct. Councilman Poma asked which option was to be used for emergency purposes. Mr. Nordin said Option #4. Councilman Mower said that Option #4 would be difficult and unsuitable for emergency vehicles, as it would be very narrow. Councilman Poma pointed out that last year Shea had been closed 136 hours. He felt the Town needed another emergency access. He suggested the Council recommend that some kind of emergency access be permitted. Councilwoman Wiggishoff agreed that Fountain Hills needed another access into Scottsdale. She acknowledged that many residents worked there, shopped there and she hoped that many in Scottsdale would come to Fountain Hills and do the same. She pointed out that there were significant neighborhood concerns. She would not be in favor of urging the Scottsdale council to approve a four-lane divided highway configuration, which was currently in their General Plan. Nor would she urge their support of a bike/emergency connection because that would not allow the municipalities to respond to traffic rerouting due to an accident. She felt they needed to consider the neighborhood concerns. She concurred with the Scottsdale staffs recommendation of Option #3. This would allow a connector road/bike lane combination and would eliminate bikes currently using Shea Boulevard. It would also allow traffic to go both directions and would not an obvious choice for most of the traffic headed for Scottsdale. Councilwoman Wiggishoff stated if she was in a hurry and given the choice between using the proposed connector road (she estimated the speed limit at 35 M.P.H. -utilizing traffic calming devices) and using Shea to get from point A to point B, she would pick Shea. She felt the bike lane and the sidewalk worked for the traffic situations and emergency vehicles as well. She stated if the emergency services were given their choice of roadways, it was her opinion that they would be in favor of an ungated two-lane configuration. She suggested the Council recommend support for Option #3. Councilman Wyman agreed with recommending the Connector Road Option #3 as justified by Councilwoman Wiggishoff. �r Councilman Mower MOVED that staff be directed to send a letter to Scottsdale's Town Council recommending the Council's choice of the Connector Road Option#3 for the extension of Via Linda. Councilman Poma SECONDED the motion. Councilwoman Hutcheson inquired if the Scottsdale City Council had asked for this Council's opinion. Mr. Nordin stated no. Councilwoman Hutcheson confirmed that last year the Fountain Hills staff had been asked for their opinion, which she believed they had given. She then asked if the Fountain Hills' Council was now going to take the position that they offer other city councils their unsolicited recommendation on their issues. Councilwoman Wiggishoff responded yes. She stated that the Fountain Hills Council would be remiss if they did not offer their opinion on other municipalities issues, which also affected the Fountain Hills' community. Mayor Morgan asked if the Council's motion reflected the same opinion as the Town's staffs opinion. Mr. Nordin said staffs opinion had been directed to the contents of the IGA requirements regarding the deannexed area. He said to his knowledge the Town's engineering staff had never been asked to comment on the Via Linda corridor. He confirmed that the Council's opinion,reflected in the motion, would be a new issue and it would not contradict staffs opinion. Councilman Mower agreed with Councilwoman Wiggishoff that the Fountain Hills Town Council should let other municipalities know what the Council's opinion was on issues that would impact the Town. He said he had talked with the Marshals Department, the Sheriffs Department, the Town's Engineering Department, the Scottsdale Police, and Scottsdale's Transportation Planning Group. He expressed that each body contacted stated their preference would be that Via Linda be extended through. Councilman Mower felt based on those opinions he thought the motion was necessary in order to encourage the Scottsdale Council to express how the Fountain Hills Council felt about the issue. r L Town Council Special Session 4/12/00 Page 2 of 6 Councilwoman Wiggishoff said the Council must articulate something to remind Scottsdale that there may be regional transportation issues involved in this question. She wanted to encourage the Scottsdale Council to think regionally regarding this issue. Councilwoman Hutcheson pointed out that the Council would be remiss to suggest that the Scottsdale City Council had not done their homework on this issue. She proposed that the Fountain Hills' Council look at the fact that they had initiated the deletion on Via Linda in their General Plan by a 7 —0 vote. She stated that if it was now to be the position of this Council to offer opinion on other municipalities' matters,that was fine. She only hoped when it came to the mountains that Fountain Hills would solicit their opinions. Councilwoman Wiggishoff recalled that back on July 1 there were plenty of people from Scottsdale offering their opinions. She said she had not heard anyone on the Council characterizing the Scottsdale Council as having made a decision hastily. She pointed out that the Scottsdale Council had not made the decision yet and it would be a difficult one. She expressed her dismay that it was an issue coming up during campaign season as she hoped the question of regional transportation issues would be made outside those perimeters. She stated that the fact was the Scottsdale Council had approved, on a 7 — 0 vote, to initiate the "consideration" of this issue. She reminded everyone that it would be the Scottsdale City Council who would ultimately make the decision and not the Fountain Hills Council. She acknowledged that she was not shy in offering her opinion on issues that would affect her community. Councilman Poma thanked Councilwoman Wiggishoff for her statement and stated he agreed. He confirmed that the Fountain Hills Council was not telling anyone what to do. They were offering Scottsdale's' Council their opinion on behalf of Fountain Hills' citizens. Councilman Wyman asked if the Scottsdale Planning Commission had voted unanimously to extend Via Linda. Mr. Nordin said yes. He understood that the Scottsdale Planning and Zoning Commission had recommended approval of Option#3, which agreed with the Fountain Hills Council's motion. Mayor Morgan asked for public comment. Bill Linder, Scottsdale Cortabella Development He stated there was strong opposition to the proposed Via Linda extension. He said it would impact that subdivision significantly. Mr. Linder said it would bring increased traffic. He explained that 20 of the 80 home sites overlook Eagle Ridge Boulevard and no one had purchased with the idea of having a heavily traveled street behind them. He wanted them to also consider the safety of the future children who would live in the development. Councilwoman Wiggishoff asked if the subdivision was located in Scottsdale. Mr. Linder said yes. She asked how Scottsdale's emergency vehicles would reach the area. Mr. Linder responded that the police would be coming from Scottsdale via Shea Boulevard. He said fire protection would come from either Rural Metro(Fountain Hills)or from the station located on Frank Lloyd Wright at 136th Street. Councilwoman Wiggishoff asked if the extension wouldn't allow for faster service. Mr. Linder agreed it would,but the resident's felt it was a small price to pay in order to have less traffic in the area. Councilman Mower explained that the Scottsdale's report did not anticipate that there would be any increase in the traffic over the approximate 7,000 cars projected to travel on the Via Linda extension. He questioned if potential buyers hadn't also looked at the fact that the subdivision had Palisades to one side, which was a fairly heavily traveled street. Mr. Linder said there were about six residents who had purchased homes adjacent to Palisades. He confirmed that they were aware of what the traffic was like on Palisades when they purchased their homes. He noted that all those who had purchased on the southwest side had not expected Via Linda to break through. Councilwoman Wiggishoff asked if Mr. Linder was aware that the proposed Via Linda extension had been on Scottsdale's General Plan since 1982. Mr. Linder said yes. He knew it had been on their General Plan for quite some time. However, in discussions with the Bob Johnson, City of Scottsdale,Mr. Linder said he had been informed Mr. Johnson was of the opinion that Via Linda extension would not happen in Mr. Linder 's or his lifetime. Mr. Linder pointed out that the Transportation Commission (made up of Scottsdale citizens) had voted 6 — 1 to Town Council Special Session 4/12/00 Page 3 of 6 recommend the deletion of the Via Linda extension to the Scottsdale Council. He said the City Council subsequently had voted unanimously to abandon it on November 16t. Councilman Mower clarified that the Transportation Commission of Scottsdale was recommending that Via Linda be extended. Mr. Linder added there were two groups. He explained that the Transportation Commission was a citizen's group and the Planning Commission worked directly for the City of Scottsdale. Councilwoman Hutcheson explained further that within the City of Scottsdale there was a Transportation Department and then a Transportation Commission as well as a Planning Commission. Councilman Mower said he understood. Dennis Rodregius,President of NESPOA He said he lived in Scottsdale and they were opposed to the extension. He said safety was the key issue as to why they were involved. He said there was more information on their website of NESPOA.com. Kate Parch ,Crystal Hills Drive. She explained she was a Fountain Hills resident in favor of the Via Linda extension. She urged the Council to consider recommending this favorably for everyone's safety. Jerry Graham,Vice President of NESPOA He said he was a Scottsdale resident who was opposed to the extension. He said the Transportation Commission was hand picked by the Transportation Department. He said the Transportation Commission studied the Via Linda extension problems for two years. After two years, the Commission had recommended abandonment (on a vote of 6 — 1). John Rezek, Sunridge Drive (officer of the Save the Mountains coalition) He said their organization was opposed to the connection because of the desert disturbance, the traffic disturbance to the residents, and the safety issues. He said they proposed a compromise of a roadway with controls at each end (gates). Thereby not allowing cut through traffic to enter. John McNeill, 15533 E. Thistle He did not want to confuse an emergency access with an alternative to Shea. He did not think a two-lane would be sufficient to handle the traffic on Shea in the event of an accident. He preferred two options: Eagle Ridge North emergency access or option#4 (Bike Lane). He felt if an unrestricted two-lane roadway were opted for, it would be the mother of all cut through streets. Councilman Poma recounted an accident, which had happened approximately on June 26, 1999 at 7 a.m. on Fountain Hills Boulevard/Shea Boulevard. He said the local Marshals Department and Sheriff's Department saved people a lot of time that day by rerouting them successfully on to a small local street. He said people left town safely and were not quite as late for work as they could have been. Councilwoman Wiggishoff said the idea would not be that the two-lane would become a substitute for Shea due to the concerns of the homeowners. She explained what the Council was trying to address and encourage was a connection that would be useable in an emergency situation when traffic needed to be diverted. She explained that there were traffic calming devices that the City of Scottsdale could implement. She acknowledged they were masters at that. Mr. McNeill said there were two alternatives that would provide emergency access. He felt that there should be a connection that was preserved for emergencies. Councilman Mower said a bicycle lane would not easily allow emergency vehicles, as it wouldn't be wide enough. He continued that if a two-lane road with a bicycle lane were constructed,cars could be pulled over and emergency vehicles could pass. Councilman Mower stated it would not be a cut through street. He referred to the situation on Blackbird as not being comparable because the street was only a block and a half long. Councilman Mower explained that a cut through street would be a quick route through an area. He pointed out that going down the Via Linda Extension at 30 or 35 M.P.H. for 8 — 10 miles would not be Town Council Special Session 4/12/00 Page 4 of 6 driven by those citizens who were in a hurry or anxious to get to Scottsdale. Those people would, for the most part, use Palisades and then Shea. He said the concept of a cut through street being created was bogus. Mayor Morgan noted that better communication between the Scottsdale police and our law enforcement departments could help traffic control on Shea in an emergency. She cited a recent accident at the corner of Palisades and Shea, which had detained her because the traffic had backed up. She noted that had she and the other drivers been informed of the accident in a timely manner, they could have avoided the accident scene and taken another route. She felt part of the problem was due to a lack of communication between the two municipal departments. Captain John Coca, Scottsdale Police(Patrol Commander) He stated that as a police department they would be remiss if they didn't say that they wanted the extension to go through. He said from their point of view the shortest route to the call or the emergency would be what they wanted. He said, although they were sympathetic to everyone's concerns, their preference was for a road that went through. Councilwoman Hutcheson pointed out all the options presented went through. Captain Coca agreed that was true. Councilman Mower asked him which of the options presented would they, as a police department, like to see go through. Captain Coca stated that as a district commander responsible for patrol deployment, his recommendation would be option#2. He explained that as it was currently two lanes, his recommendation would be for two lanes. If the roadway were currently built at four lanes,his recommendation would be four lanes. Councilwoman Wiggishoff asked which option was the Council supporting in the motion on the currently on the floor. She thought that it had been Option#3 and she called for the question. A roll call vote was taken with the following results. Councilwoman Hutcheson - nay Councilman Poma- aye Councilwoman Wiggishoff— aye Mayor Morgan - aye kitw Councilman Wyman— aye Councilman Mower- aye The motion CARRIED on a vote of 5 — 1. AGENDA ITEM#2-CALL TO THE PUBLIC George Williams,North Aspen Drive He thanked the Council for their support in looking out for the Fountain Hills' citizen's safety. He stated it would also help provide for an alternative route. AGENDA ITEM#3-ADJOURNMENT. Councilman Poma MOVED to adjourn the meeting. Councilwoman Wiggishoff SECONDED the motion, which CARRIED unanimously. Mayor Morgan adjourned the meeting at 6:35p.m. Town Council Special Session 4/12/00 Page 5 of 6 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS By. Sharon Morgan,May A TThST: CIA11/14.A.�.YJ Cassie B.Hansen,Town Clerk PREPARED BY: / / Bev Bender,Executive Assistant CERTIFICATION I hereby certify that the foregoing minutes are a true and correct copy of the minutes of the Special Session Meeting held by the Town Council of Fountain Hills on the 12th day of April 2000. I further certify that the meeting was duly called and that a quorum was loom., DATED this 20th day of April 2000. (),441j,lj5 Cassie B.Hansen,Town Clerk Town Council Special Session 4/12/00 Page 6 of 6