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Home My WebLink Aboutpc_05 18 1993IXTTLE ROCK P~IWG CGMMXSSIGW PLANHIHQ NEARING SUMMARY AWD MINUTE RECORD MAY 18,1993 12:30 P.M. x.Rol.l.call and Finding of a Quorum A Quorum was present being eight (Sj in numbex.. XX.Approwal of the Minutes of the Apxil 6,1993 meeting. The Minutes of the previous Meeting wexe appxowedasmailed. III.Member's Pxesent:Bxad Waljter,Chai.rmanJexilynWicholsonBillPutnam Kathleen Gieson Emmett Willis,J'x'. Joe Eirsch Selz Jim VonTungeln Diane Chachexe Members Absent:Ronald Woods Ramsey Ball John McDanxel City AttorneY:Stephen Giles LXTTLE ROCK PLANNXNQ COMMISSION PLANNINQ HEAR1NG AGENDA M'AY 18,1993 D IT 1.Report on Planning and ZOning Divisions"Activities (Central HighCaseStudy) 2.Report on Historic Preservation Activities (Central High Case Study) 3.Report on Special Revitalization Projects."Neighborhood AlertCenters;Pai.nt Your Heart Out;Fighting Back;LISC (Central HighCaseStudy) 4.Report on of the Code Enforcement Activities (central High CaseStudy) 5.Report on Communxty Oriented Policing 6.Report on Housing and cDBG Division Activities Model Bl.ock; Housing Rehabilitation Prolects;CHEER Home (central High Case Studiy) 7.Other Activities P I A (MAY 18„1993) Ron Newman,plannixxg Manager,opened the meeting by stating thattoday's presentation in a response to the Commission's Questions about how the City was revitalizing older neighbor'Ihoods.To address thisissue,he presented speakers from various programs both witlhin theNeighborhoodsandplanningDepaxtmentandfromassociatedprograms. He stated that the presentation would focus on the Central Highneighborhoodbecausethatareahadallprogramsinplace.The firstaxesaddressedwasplanningandzoning. I E X T VXT Walter Mal.one,Pl.armer II,stated the Planning and Zoning effortisthepartwhichtheCommissiondoessee.The process startswithareQuestfromaneighborhoodtolookattheirax'ea (for ovex-zoning,etc.).The staff begins by looking at the zoningyattexn,existing land use and future land use.Anydiscxepanciesandchangestoaddx'ess the neighborhood concernsarethenidentified.land Use Plan Amendments and/ax zonecihangesaxedevelopedtoaddresstheneighbaxlhoodconcerns and/axdiscrepancies. For any x'ezOned parcel,a property owner is identified andnotifi.ed.The owner is given a veto of the change.lf the vetoi.s not used,then the sane change is presented to the Cammissian.Throughout the process,staff keeys the neighborhood informed byeithermeetingwiththeassaciationox'ts executi.ve committee.ance the final package of plan amendments and/or zone changes iscomplete.it is submitted ta the ful.l Commission for review andappx'oval,and on to the Hoax'd of pirectors. Mx.Hewman addiressed other planning activities.Staff pro~idestechnicalassi.stance ta neighbox'hoods including maps andstatistics.In addition,if reguested,staff will help with theformationofanoxganizatian—definition af area,newsletters,ibylaws,etc.In the past„start-up grants wexe available andhopefullyintheneaxfuture,the City will be able ta do thisagain.The deyartment also publishes two newsletters to keepassocia'tes informed ~ 2)I F (Related to Bepartment) Alert Centers/Fighti.ng Back Rick Colclasure provided cammissioners with informatian packetsantheFightingBackpx'agxam.Fighting Back is a five year,$23millionprogramtofightsubstanceabuse.Little Rock was ane offifteencitiesacrossthecountrytoreceivetwoyearplanninggrants,to develop new and innovative programs to addresssubstanceabuseproblems.The City became one of nine cities toreceivefullfunding.The Fighting Back pxagram has 12initiativeswhichwereoutlinedinthehandouts.one af thebiggestimpx'avements are the Alext Centers.They hav'e madeservicesmareaccessibleanddevelopedcoordinationandcooperativeeffoxtsbetweencitizens,churches and the publicsector.Two alert Centers ax'e in the Central High Area. In response to a guestion about the insurance of little Rackschoolchildren,Mr.colclasuxe confirmed that the funding to paypremiumsisstilluncertain(for payments after August 1993), Paint Youx Heaxt Out Tim polk,Assistant pirector of Neighboxhaads and planning,presented some slides of the Paint Ycur Heart Gut program.Thisisanefforttopainthomesofindlividualswhocauldnatathexwiseaffoxd,to have thai.r homes painted.The painting 2 includes minor repairs to windows and doors.The program is ajointpubl.ic and private effort with volunteex'abor.Beside thebenefitstotheneighboxhoodandownersinimprovedappearance,the volunteex's,who are often from well off paxts of the citY,see the condiitions in other parts of the city,Commissionerssuggestedmox'e slides of structures after completion. Local Initiatives Buypoxt Corporation Richard Harrera,local Director of LIBC,intxoduced theCommissiontoLIBC(Local Initiativ'es Support Corpoxation).IISCisbasedoutofHewYorkandiscuxxentlYoperatedin30cities.Instead of the public sector or developers taking tihe lead,theneighborhoodmustlead,It is up to the local CDC (CommunitYDevelopmentCoxporation)to tax'get what is needed for the city tosuyyox't tlhese targeted projects,CurrentlY,LlBC is working insixneighborihoodsingreaterLittleiRock.This includes one inWorthIittleRockandoneincollegeBtation.LIsc yxov'ides communitY organizers and a team of technical advisors (RamsaYHai3.of the Commission is one).However,it is up to the nei.ghboxhood to do it.with that,,Hr.Barrera introduced DenetaWrighttogivetheneighborhood's side. Ms.wright stated she woxked at the wright Avenue Alex't center andi hoped the commissioners would stop by to see how the centerswork.As for the CDC,in September of 1992 a group got togethertcbegindiscussionsaboutneighborhood.needs.Housing issuesapyeaxeditobeakeY,so in January the group held a town meetingtodiscussandgetideas(and members).Aftex this meeting thegxoupselectedWright.Avenue between Bchillex and Park to targetefforts.The gx'oup formed legal,financial and marketingcommittees.The gxoup meets the second TuesdaY of the month andLarrvRodgersistheChairman In xesponse to a cpxestion,Ms.Wright identified the pximarYproblemstobeviolence,drugs and prostitution.The gxoup isformingBlockClubswhichprovidesocialactivitiesaswellas toaddresswaYtosolveidentifiedpxolblemsandtoaddresslocalizedproblems. Donaghey Project for Urban Studies and Design George Wittenburg,Dixectcx of'onaghey Prcject,exp'.ained to thecommissi.on what the Donaghey project was and what it hopes to doforthecity.Some of the yxojects Donaghey has and is involvedwitharetheHousingHandbook(Architectural and Urban Design),PankeY Comprehensive Plan (facilitatox'),Post Office on HastCapitol(facilitator —helped sides identifY issues and reachconsensus)andi Central High,The Central High yx'oject involv'ed UALR Urban Studies and UA of Fayetteville Architecture Btudents. I The pximary focus was the area north of 12th Stxeet.and west ofArkansasChildxen's Hospital.Four proposals were developed fornewhousing.Aftex'hursday night mox'e detail can be given.(Atthattime,the pxoposals wi13.be sent to the neighboxhood.)Inx'esponse to a guestion,Mr.Wittenburg stated students areencouraged,to keep economic considerations in mind. COPP Program Due to unexpected circumstances,the Police Department could.notbepresenttodiscussCOpp(community Oriented po3.icing program).However.Mr,Newman showed a map of the copP Areas which includebicycle,foot and horse mounted patrols.The progxam is anefforttobemorecommunityox'iented and get the police out ofcars(return to beats).Most,if not all of the COPP areas,ax'ebasedoutofAlertCentex's. 3)RI R V Molly Satterfield,Preservation Administrator„presented effox'tsintheCentralHighNeighborhood.Due to the laxge area and amount of time it was taking,the ax'ea was divided into twophases(sections)to inventory.Aftex'hree yeaxs,the City hastwelvevolumesofinformationonstructuresintheneighbox'hood(north of Wxight.Avenue).The Central High ax'ea is made up offouxteenadditions,with the 3.argest being Centennial.Each oftheseadditionshavebeenorwillbesurveyedtodocumentasarchitectuxalstyle„use,materials,age,condition and changes.With the ()uapaw (3uarter Association's help,the survey should becompletedbyyearend. Currently.the City is in the research stage.However,the cityandstatehopetohaveanationalregisternominationinby1994or1995.Ms,Satterfield reviewed the reguirements for nationalregisterdesignation.In x'espouse to questions,Ms.SatterfieldstatedCentralHighistheoneandonlynationalhi.story site inLittleRock.A3.so,thex'e was discussion about the differencebetweenaNationalDistxictanda3ocalDistrict. Housing Handbook Tim polk stated the purpose of the handbook is to give guidancefornewconstructioninhistoricneighborhoods.Examples wil3.begivenofcommonax'chitectural elements which should be includedinnewconstructiontoassurecontinuity.Mx .Polk showed aseriesofslidesonhowtheCitywasusingthesetechni(3ues withnewconstruction. 4 4)B R Jim Bathcack,Manager of Meighboxhood Programs,addressed thecodeenforcementissues.(The eight Alert Centezs axe waxkingwellandlhelytheenforcemexxteffort.)Starting in 1992„theCitybeganidentifyingareasfarintensivecodeenforcement.Aspartafthis,housing and premise inspectors duties werecombined.Xn the target axeas,inspectors would proactively lookfox'zabl.erne as well as to respond to citizen comylaints.Sevenafthesetax'get areas have been faxmedI based on concentratians ofcomplaints. The rental ixxspection program would have to be citywidIe,not'tar'gated to need ~Ths.r'ental.inspection program would cast$1 million with 66'4 of apartments in west little Rack —nat thepxablemaxes.Intensive code enfcxcement,allows far tax'geting taneedanddoesnatlimittorentalonly.Bowewex'n ordex to work(revitalize the neigihborhood)a collectiwe effart framneighbarhaods,public and private souxces is necessary .Note inthefirstQuarterof1993,104 complaints wex'e x'eceived inCentralBighcomparedto151in1992(an intensive code area), 5)Y T Madel Black Tim polk presented slides af two madel blacks in the City —oneinCentxalBigh.The Madel Black idea started about.two yeaz'sagaandinapublic/private yax'tnexship.The idea is to yrovideaphysicalexampletathexxeighborhoadofwhatneedstohappen.Ths neighborhood is zewitslised s black st.a time.The fixstmodelblackwas17thStreetanddonelax.gely at the pxamptixxg oftheDowntownMeiglhborhoodAssociation. CDBQ and Bausing Progx'ams Rd Stanfield,CDBQ Managex,ixxfoxmed the Cammissian that CDBQ isafederalyragzamthatusestheCitytogetmoneytalawandmader'ate income ax'eas.Qn July 1.the City'ill begin its 19thyearofCDBQ.The money is used fax housing,streets,drainage,public sexvice (health care etc.)The government reguires that70%of CDBQ funds go directly ta benefit low and moderate incamefamiliesandinTittleRock95%does.A law and moderate familyisdefined,as 80'k of the area median income (family af faux withanaverageincomeof829,100;single person with avex'age incomeof$20,400). Bousi.ng progx'arne include an awner grant yx'ogram af 8600,000(8156,600 gzants)for low and maderate income;a fizst time homebuyerprogramwheretheCitypayshalfoftheclosingcostsand 5 down payment (103 helped);a progx'sm where the City buys a house,rehabilitates it and sells it at a loss to save housing stock andhelplowandmodex'ate income families. ln Central High,an additional 8100,006 has set aside to helpownersfixupexteriorsincludingroofs.The average grant was86.400.Central is one of the areas whexe the City isconcentratinghousingmoney-forgivable loans up to $15,600leveragedloans,etc.The leverage loans buys down the interestxatesothecitizenonlypays1'4 on a 15 yeax note.other areasofthecityhavecomplained,so some of these programs have beenmadecitywide,However,the City will continue to concentrateadditionalmoneyandlargerfoxgivableloanstoModelslacks ox.CDC targeted areas. ~~MLS. Mr.Newman stated he hoped that the pxesentations helped theCommissionget.a more complete pictux'e of activities thedepartmenthasongoingtohelptherevitalixeneighborhoods. 6 PLANNlNG COMMISSION VOTE RECORD DATE V CI IQ )973 gm ee~u~Z.rre'A5 MEMBER Z Q + BALL,RAMSEY A CHACHERE,DIANE WILLIS,EMMETT MCDANIEL,JOHN A NICHOLSGN,JERILYN .GLESGN,KATHLEEN VONTUNGEI.N,JIM PUTNAM,BILL WOODS,RONALD SELZ,JQE H. WALKER,BRAD TIME IN AND TIME QUT BALlL,RAMSEY CHACHERE,DIANE WILLIS,EMMETT MCDANIEL,JOHN NICHOLSON,JERILYN 'QLESON,KATHLEEN VONTUNGELN,JIM PUTNAM,BILL WOODS,RONALD SELZ,JOE H, WALKER,BRAD FAYE 4 NAYlE ~ABSENT ~ABSTAIN +-QLITSIDE PPA.CN @FTHM May 18,1993 PKdLSHXMG HEARIMQ There being no further business before the Commission,themeetingwasadjournedat2:30 y.m. Bat.e: Chairma 8 cr t.arz