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ALL RIGHT, LET'S GO AHEAD AND GET STARTED.
THE TIME IS 10:05 AM ON THE 25TH DAY OF JANUARY, 2023.
WE WILL CALL OUR GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE MEETING TO ORDER.
UH, MADAM CLERK, COULD YOU READ THE ROLE COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA IS HERE, VIRTUALLY HERE.
COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE RESIDENT.
ALRIGHT, WE HAVE A FEW ITEMS ON OUR AGENDA.
[Approval of Minutes ]
UH, THE FIRST ITEM THAT WE'LL TAKE UP THOUGH IS OUR COMMITTEE MEETING, MINUTES OF DECEMBER 13TH, AS CORRECTED IN YOUR PACKET.UH, I'LL, I'LL, UH, ENTERTAIN A MOTION FOR THOSE MINUTES.
MOVE TO APPROVAL OF THE MAY 2ND.
ALRIGHT, THERE'S A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF THE GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE MEETING, MINUTES OF DECEMBER 13TH.
HEARING ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES.
[Briefing and Possible Action on ]
OKAY.THE FIRST ITEM, WE'RE GONNA TAKE UP ITEM NUMBER THREE FIRST.
UM, SO LET'S GO AHEAD AND DO THAT.
ITEM NUMBER THREE IS A COUNCIL CONSIDERATION REQUEST BY COUNCIL MEMBER ADRIANA BOCHER GARCIA ON THE CREATION OF A COMPREHENSIVE PUBLIC WORKS PLATFORM AND DASHBOARD.
ALRIGHT, RAZZI, I THINK YOU'VE GOT A PRESENTATION FOR US.
GOOD MORNING, MAYOR AND MEMBER OF THE COMMITTEE.
I'M REZI CEI, DIRECTOR, CITY ENGINEER FOR PUBLIC SPORTS DEPARTMENT IN MAY, 2020 TO COUNCIL GARCIA SUBMITTED TO CITY COUNCIL REQUEST, COMMONLY KNOWN C C R FOR CREATION OF A COMPREHENSIVE DASHBOARD TO INCLUDE ALL CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECT THAT CITY HAS DONE AND WILL DO IN THE FUTURE.
THIS WILL IMPROVE TRANSPARENCY WITH THE PUBLICS REGARDING THE CITY'S INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT THROUGHOUT THE CITY AND WITHIN THEIR RESPECTIVE COMMUNITY.
TO ENSURE TRANSPARENCY SIMILAR TO THOUSAND 12, BOND PUBLIC FORCE CREATED 2017 BOND PROGRAM DASHBOARD AND PROJECT MAP OF THE ALL BOND FUNDED PROJECT ON C'S WEBSITE.
THIS SLIDE SHOWS THE 2017 BOND DASHBOARD PROVIDE EASY ACCESS THROUGHOUT THE C'S WEBSITE, ENABLES USER TO USE TO SEE BOND, PROJECT, BUDGET, HOW MUCH HAS BEEN SPENT TO DATE, SCHEDULE, AND STATUS, ABLE TO SEE REPORTS, DOWNLOAD AND FILTER PROJECT DATA BY COUNCIL DISTRICT.
ADDITIONALLY, WE ALSO HAVE A MAP OF 2017 BOND PROJECT THAT SHOWS THE LOCATION OF, OF EACH PROJECT THROUGHOUT THE, IN OUR COMMUNITY.
WE ARE PLANNING TO IMPLEMENT THIS IN THREE PHASES.
PHASE ONE WILL BE DONE SPRING OF 2023, WHICH IS THIS YEAR, WHICH INCLUDE 2017 AND 2022 BOND PROGRAMS, 2023 INFRASTRUCTURE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM AND 2023 STORM WEATHER PROGRAM.
PHASE TWO WILL BE DONE SUMMER OF THIS YEAR, WHICH INCLUDE NAPP, OTHER CAPITAL FUNDED PROJECT.
AND PHASE THREE FOR OR FINAL PHASE WILL BE DONE EARLY NEXT YEAR.
IT WILL SHOW PREVIOUS YEARS FUNDED PROJECT AND COMPREHENSIVE MAP FEATURE.
THE INITIAL PHASE OF THE CAPITAL PROGRAM DASHBOARD WILL INCLUDE FOR FIRST TIME CENTRALIZED PROJECT INFORMATION FOR SOME CITIES MAJOR INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM SUCH AS 2017 AND 2022, BOND PROGRAM, INFRASTRUCTURE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM, AND THE STORMWATER PROGRAM.
AND WILL INCLUDE MAP OF PROJECT AND THE LINK FOR OTHER RELATED RESOURCES.
DASHBOARD INFORMATION WILL BE PROGRAM BUDGET, TOTALLY SPENT TODAY, PERCENTAGE OF PROGRAM COMPLETED, PROJECT, LOCATION, SCHEDULE, BUDGET AND PHASE PROJECTS BY PROGRAM, PROJECT BY CONSULT DISTRICT, AND OF COURSE PROJECT BY PHASE.
OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER OF LAST YEAR, WE WORKED ON THE WEB-BASED DEVELOPMENT DECEMBER, PLENARY DEVELOPMENT PROTOCOL, JANUARY, FEBRUARY OF THIS YEAR, TESTING AND REFINING.
AND SPRING OF THIS YEAR, WE ARE ANTICIPATING TO COME TO GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE FOR DEMONSTRATION
[00:05:01]
AND LUNCH.THIS IS INAM, MY PRESENTATION, MAYOR AND MEMBER.
I AM HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTION YOU MAY HAVE.
THANK YOU, UH, FOR THE PRESENTATION, RAZZI, THIS WAS A C C R FILE BY COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA.
SO LET ME TURN THE FLOOR TO HER TO GIVE A INTRO.
THANK YOU, UM, MAYOR, AND THANK YOU OZZY FOR THE PRESENTATION.
IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU ALL ARE ALREADY WELL UNDER YOUR WAY, UM, TO DOING THIS.
SO AS YOU, YOU KNOW, RIGHT, THIS WAS FILED LAST YEAR.
UM, AND IT'S BECAUSE LIKE MANY OF THE COUNCIL DISTRICTS, WE HAVE A UNIQUE GEOGRAPHIC SHAPE.
AND SO WE HAVE A LOT OF DISTRICTS, UM, THAT EVEN SHARE ZIP CODES.
AND SO A CHALLENGE THAT I FIND WITH MY STAFF IS TRYING TO KEEP TRACK OF ALL OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE SPENDING AND THE ZIP CODES RELATED TO THOSE PROJECTS.
AND SO I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERY PART OF THE DISTRICT RECEIVED PROJECTS.
AND SO I THINK THAT THIS IS AN EASIER WAY TO TRACK AND THEN ALSO FOR OUR RESIDENTS TO BE ABLE TO TRACK THAT, UM, THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS ARE GETTING A FAIR SHARE, FOR INSTANCE, OF PROJECTS.
AND SO, UM, RIGHT NOW MY STAFF HAS TO GO THROUGH DIFFERENT PUBLIC WORKS PROGRAMS TO TRACK.
THEY HAVE TO COMPILE IN-HOUSE, UH, COMPREHENSIVE PICTURES.
THEY DO PIE CHARTS, EDWARD MIAN.
MY, UH, STAFF DOES AN EXCELLENT JOB OF WORKING WITH YOUR TEAM, BUT IT TAKES A LOT OF EFFORT TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE'RE SPENDING THAT MONEY AND AS WE PLAN FOR THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR AND FOR, UM, SUBSEQUENT FISCAL YEARS, UM, I LIKE TO SEE WHERE THE GAPS ARE.
AND SO I THINK THAT IT, THIS IS DEFINITELY IMPORTANT.
UM, RIGHT NOW THERE'S ONLY TWO MAPS AVAILABLE TO US.
THERE'S ONE PROJECT MAPS AND THERE'S THE I M P MAPS, THE I M P SHOW FOR THE CURRENT FISCAL.
UM, BUT, AND FOR FUTURE FISCAL YEARS, AND THEN THE ONE PREVIOUSLY.
BUT IT MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO KNOW WHERE WE HAVE INVESTED HISTORICALLY.
AND SO I THINK THAT THIS IS DEFINITELY A WAY THAT WE CAN TAKE INTO ACCOUNT WHAT AREAS WE'VE, UM, INVESTED IN AND, AND NOT INVESTED IN.
UM, AND THEN THE CURRENT MAPS DON'T SHOW OUR INDIVIDUAL 2017 PET MOBILITY PROJECTS.
SO I THINK THAT WE, UM, THIS BENEFITS US, RIGHT? BECAUSE THEN WE COULD SEE THAT WE'RE SPREADING OUT, UM, SIDEWALKS ACROSS THE DISTRICT.
UM, AND THEN THE OTHER THING, CURRENTLY THE BOND MAPS ARE SEPARATED.
THEY'RE NOT LISTED ALL TOGETHER, SO, SO MY STAFF HAS TO GO THROUGH MULTIPLE THINGS.
SO IT'S REALLY TIME SAVING, UM, FOR OUR STAFFS.
AND SO I'M JUST HAPPY THAT, UH, THAT YOU ALL ARE WORKING ON IT ALREADY SO THAT WE CAN SEE PAST AND PRE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE PROJECTS AND WE CAN SHOW OUR NEIGHBORHOODS.
UM, WE DON'T MAP OUT NAMP EITHER, SO OUR MILLION DOLLAR CAPITAL PROJECTS ARE NOT ON THERE EITHER.
SO THE $1 MILLION THAT ERIC WALSH HAS, UM, BEEN NICE ENOUGH TO, TO HELP US FIND EVERY YEAR.
UM, SO I THINK THIS IS JUST A ONE PLACE, FIND IT ALL IN ONE PLACE.
SO THANK YOU RAZZI FOR YOUR HELP AND YOUR TEAM.
AND THANK YOU MAYOR FOR TAKING THE ITEM FIRST.
COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE.
THANK YOU, MAYOR RAZZI, I LIKE WHAT YOU'VE LAID OUT.
THE ONLY THING THAT I DIDN'T SEE, AND MAYBE I JUST MISSED IT IN YOUR PRESENTATION, WAS A TIMELINE ON WHEN A PROJECT BEGINS AND WHEN IT'S SUPPOSED TO END.
AND MAYBE THE PERCENTAGE I, I KNOW YOU DO HAVE COMPLETION IN THERE, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, MAYBE ALSO IF THERE ARE DELAYS THAT ARE IN THERE, A LITTLE ASTERISK THAT CAN SEND YOU TO AN EXPLANATION OF WHAT MAJOR DELAY MAY HAVE COME UP.
UH, AS YOU KNOW, I'VE, I'VE TALKED WITH YOU ABOUT PROJECTS THAT HAVE TAKEN AN EXORBITANT AMOUNT OF TIME.
IF PEOPLE BELIEVE IT'S SUPPOSED TO START ON A CERTAIN DATE AND IT DOES, AND IT'S SUPPOSED TO FINISH ON A CERTAIN DATE AND IT DOESN'T, UH, PEOPLE ARE GONNA WANNA UNDERSTAND WHY.
AND SO I'D JUST LIKE TO SEE A LITTLE BIT MORE OF THE STARTING DATE, THE ESTIMATED COMPLETION DATE, AS WELL AS THE PERCENT COMPLETE.
'CAUSE THAT KIND OF GIVES US AN IDEA OF IF WE'RE ON TRACK OR IF WE'RE BEHIND OR, OR WHAT.
SO I, LIKE I SAID, I DIDN'T SEE THAT IN THERE, BUT I'D LIKE TO SEE THAT IN THERE.
AND THANK YOU TO COUNCILWOMAN FOR, UH, FOR WRITING THE C C R.
I'M A BIG FAN OF DASHBOARDS OR EASY TO READ.
UM, QUICK KIND OF A, YOU KNOW, QUICK SNAPSHOT OF WHAT'S GOING ON.
UM, THIS IS, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THIS IS GONNA BE PUBLIC, RIGHT? THIS ISN'T JUST FOR CORRECT.
FOR CITY, DEPARTMENT AND PUBLIC.
SO WE CAN POINT TO, UM, TO THIS DASHBOARD TO WHEN OUR CONSTITUENTS CALL ABOUT A SPECIFIC PROJECT, CORRECT.
ARE, UH, FIBER LAYING, UM, PROJECTS GONNA BE INCLUDED AS WELL? AT THIS TIME? WE WERE NOT PLANNING BECAUSE OKAY, GOOD NUMBER OF THE COMPANY, THEY DON'T REALLY SHARE WITH US THEIR FIBER LOCATION.
I WONDER IF WE CAN TALK MORE ABOUT THAT.
IF THEY, IF THEY DO SHARE IT WITH US OR IF THEY WILL CONSIDER SHARING IT WITH US, BECAUSE THAT'S, UH, A NUMBER OF CALLS WE GET ARE ABOUT, UM, UM, BUSINESSES THAT ARE LAYING FIBER AND, AND PEOPLE CALL AND ASK A LOT ABOUT THOSE PROJECTS.
[00:10:02]
UM, SO ANYWAY, I'D LIKE TO SEE THAT IF WE CAN INCLUDE IT BEFORE WE TAKE IT TO COUNCIL.I THINK IT'S ANOTHER TOOL THAT CAN, IS GONNA BE VERY HELPFUL TO US.
SO MAYOR, CAN I JUMP IN ON THAT? SO RAZZI, MAYBE NOT AS PART OF THIS, BUT CAN'T WE HAVE, 'CAUSE WE'RE THE ONES THAT ISSUE THE, THE PERMITS FOR THAT FIBER WORK, CORRECT? CAN'T WE HAVE A MAP THAT AS WE ISSUE A PERMIT FOR A ESTIMATED DATE, WHERE WE, WHERE WE, WHERE WE DENOTE ON A, ON A RIGHT, ON A, ON A FIBER MAP.
SO, SO WE CAN ALL SEE WORK EITHER HAPPENING OR COMING AND THE NAME OF THE COMPANY, YOU KNOW, THE CONTACT INFORMATION THAT MIGHT 'CAUSE BECAUSE I, WE'VE DEALT WITH THAT A COUPLE OF TIMES IN DIFFERENT AREAS.
WE MAY DO, MAYBE WE SHOULD LOOK AT DOING SOMETHING SEPARATELY AND THAT, THAT, THAT COULD BE AN EASY OVERLAY ON OUR EXISTING MAPPING SYSTEM.
I LOVE THE IDEA OF THE CONTACT INFORMATION IN THE BUSINESS BECAUSE SOME OF THE CALLS WE GET ARE ONCE THEY'RE GONE AND, UH, MAYBE THEY DIDN'T, UM, CLEAN UP, UH, IN A WAY THAT THE NEIGHBORHOODS APPRECIATE.
UH, I WAS GONNA ASK YOU ABOUT THE INTERACTION.
I MEAN, IF THE PUBLIC IS ABLE TO CLICK ON A PROJECT, WILL THEY BE ABLE TO FIND THEIR, THEIR COUNCIL PHONE NUMBER, DISTRICT PHONE NUMBER, UH, THE PUBLIC WORKS PHONE NUMBERS.
IF, IF THEY'RE INTERACTING WITH THE DASHBOARD, MAKE IT EASY FOR THEM TO INTERACT WITH THE STAFF BEHIND THE WORK, UH, SO THAT THEY CAN ASK ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS IF THEY HAVE ANY.
UM, ALSO, I, WITH REGARD TO DASHBOARDS, WE'VE GOT A LOT OF DASHBOARDS ALREADY, UH, FOR A LOT OF DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS, ET CETERA.
IF WE CAN HAVE A, A, A LANDING PAGE ON THE SAN ANTONIO WEBSITE, THAT IS A, ESSENTIALLY A DASHBOARD OF DASHBOARDS THAT WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL.
UM, SO PEOPLE DON'T HAVE TO SEARCH INSIDE EVERY DEPARTMENT TO FIND, UH, THESE LINKS.
AND THEN FINALLY, UM, YOU KNOW, MY PERSPECTIVE IS IF SOMEBODY WALKS OUT OF THEIR, THEIR HOUSE, UH, AND SEES A CONSTRUCTION PROJECT, THE FIRST, THEIR FIRST THOUGHT IS, UM, IS, IS THIS IS A CITY THING.
WE EITHER PERMITTED IT OR WE'RE DOING THE PROJECT.
SO I THINK WE OUGHT TO WORK TOWARDS INTEGRATING, UM, SAWS, MAPS AS WELL AS C P S MAPS IN TERMS OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS THAT THEY'RE DOING AS WELL.
IF SOMEBODY SEES CONSTRUCTION, THEY GO TO THIS MAP, CLICK ON IT, THEY'LL KNOW WHO'S DOING THE WORK, WHEN IT'S GONNA BE COMPLETED, UH, AND WHO TO CONTACT IN THE INTERIM.
SO, UM, ADDITIONAL LAYERS OF, OF WORK, BUT I THINK THIS CAN BE ITERATIVE RAZZIE.
AND I THINK Y'ALL HAVE DONE A GREAT START ALREADY, SO.
UH, DOES THIS REQUIRE ANY ACTION? I WAS GONNA SAY, WILL WE REFER THIS TO ANOTHER COMMITTEE FOR A FINAL VIEW OR SOMETHING HERE? YES.
FIRST EVIDENCE, SO NO ACTION NEEDS TO BE TAKEN OUT.
REFER BACK IN SPRING TO THE SPRING.
YOU HEARD US? AND IF WE CAN JUST, UH, NOTATE ALL THOSE, UM, ENHANCEMENTS, THAT WOULD BE GREAT.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, AZI, AND THANK YOU MEMBER BARRO GARCIA.
SO, UH, UH, COUNCILMAN PALAI HAS JOINED.
WE'RE GONNA GO NOW INTO ITEM NUMBER TWO, WHICH IS, UH, ACTUALLY, CAN YOU READ THE CAPTION ITEM NUMBER TWO IS CONSIDERATION OF AT LARGE APPOINTMENTS TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION WITH FIVE AVAILABLE SEATS.
AND I'M GONNA TAKE THAT, THE PLANNING COMMISSION.
WE HAVE FIVE AVAILABLE SEATS WITH FOUR POSSIBLE REAPPOINTMENTS AND ONE VACANCY.
BESIDES THE PO POTENTIAL REAPPOINTMENTS, WE HAVE SEVEN PEOPLE WHO HAVE APPLIED FOR THESE SEATS, AND THEY'RE HERE TO BE INTERVIEWED BY YOU TODAY.
UM, AND WHAT WE WILL DO IS, UH, EACH ONE WILL HAVE TWO MINUTES TO GIVE A STATEMENT AND THEN YOU WILL INTERVIEW EACH ONE.
UH, THEY WILL BE, THEY'RE, THEY'RE CURRENTLY HERE.
IF EVERYBODY WOULD LIKE TO STAND, WHO'S A PLANNING COMMISSION APPLICANT, WHAT WE'LL DO IS THEY'LL BE SEQUESTERED IN ANOTHER ROOM DURING THE INTERVIEWS, AND THEY WILL BE CALLED IN ONE BY ONE FOR THAT, UH, FOR THAT PROCESS.
UH, YOU'VE PROVIDED THEIR APPLICATIONS.
AND THEN I HAVE A SIMPLE OVERVIEW IF YOU'D LIKE TO SEE IT, COUNSEL AND MAYOR.
AND, UH, IF THERE'S ANY INFORMATION YOU'D LIKE TO KNOW ABOUT THE MEETINGS OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION, UH, OR, UH, THEIR WORK.
WE HAVE DEVELOPMENT SERVICES HERE REPRESENTED BY, UH, MELISSA RAMIREZ.
[00:15:01]
ALRIGHT.UH, BEFORE WE ASK OUR, OUR APPLICANTS TO DEPART ANY QUESTIONS ON PROCESS FROM THE COMMITTEE? OKAY.
I THINK MEGAN'S GONNA LEAD Y'ALL TO THE, THE HOLDING ROOM.
AND WE'LL BRING BACK FOLKS, I GUESS IN ORDER.
AND JUST FOR EVERYBODY'S BENEFIT, THAT'S STILL IN HERE, WHEN WE BREAK INTO EXEC, WE'RE GONNA DO IT IN THIS ROOM.
UH, SO WE WILL ASK Y'ALL TO STEP OUT.
THAT'S, I THINK, THE EASIEST WAY TECHNOLOGICAL, WE, WE, WE CAN DO THIS.
UM, MR. BALK, UH, BCH BCH? YES, SIR.
MR. BCH, UH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR APPLICATION, UH, TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION.
AGAIN, YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES FOR AN OPENING STATEMENT THAT WE'LL GO AROUND WITH QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMITTEE.
UH, GOOD MORNING, COUNSEL AND MAYOR.
MY NAME IS JW BCH AND, UH, I'M A LICENSED, UH, CIVIL ENGINEER AND CERTIFIED FLOODPLAIN MANAGER IN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO.
UM, I LIVE IN JOHN COURAGES, DISTRICT NINE, AND, UH, I'VE BEEN IN SAN ANTONIO FOR ABOUT FIVE YEARS, WORKING FOR A FIRM CALLED WESTWOOD PROFESSIONAL SERVICES IN THE LAND DEVELOPMENT INDUSTRY.
UM, I WORK ON SINGLE FAMILY SUBDIVISIONS, COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES, UH, MULTI-FAMILY PROPERTIES.
AND MY AREA OF EXPERTISE IS IN DRAINAGE ENGINEERING, SO FLOOD STUDIES, DETENTION POND, UH, STORM INFRASTRUCTURE AND GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE, OR, UH, LOW IMPACT DEVELOPMENT.
UM, SO AS A, AS A DESIGN CONSULTANT, UM, I WORK HEAVILY WITH THE UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT CODE.
UM, I UNDERSTAND THE CODE, I I READ IT ALL THE TIME.
AND, UH, UH, I ALSO KEEP UP TO DATE WITH THE, WITH THE AMENDMENTS THAT ARE PUSHED OUT.
UM, AND THEN, UH, I HAVE A, I HAVE A UNDERSTANDING OF THESE DEVELOPERS' INTERESTS AND THEIR, THEIR, YOU KNOW, THEIR DESIRES, BUT I KNOW WHAT THE CODE SAYS, AND, UH, I KNOW WHAT THE INTENT IS BEHIND THE CODE TO PROTECT SAN ANTONIO AND THE QUALITY OF LIFE HERE.
UM, SO, UH, YOU KNOW, IN THE DESIGN PROCESS, A LOT OF TIMES YOU HAVE TO THINK TWO, THREE, UH, FIVE, 10 STEPS AHEAD, UH, TO UNDERSTAND HOW, YOU KNOW, A A DESIGN CHANGE MAY IMPACT THE, THE FINAL PRODUCT.
UM, I BELIEVE THAT PLANNING COMMISSION SHOULD BE THE EXACT SAME.
UH, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S THE IMPACT OF A ZONING, A REZONING ISSUE? YOU KNOW, IS THIS GOING TO AFFECT THE ADJACENT PROPERTY OWNERS? IS IT GONNA AFFECT THE, THE COMMUNITY? AND DO WE HAVE THE EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE TO SUPPORT THAT REZONING ISSUE? UM, SO, UH, YOU KNOW, I, I WANNA PROVIDE MY ENGINEERING EXPERTISE AND, AND, UH, UH, A WAY TO EVALUATE, UH, THESE, THESE REZONING ISSUES AND, AND, UH, SEE WHAT, WHAT THE CONSEQUENCES ARE, WHETHER THEY'RE POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE.
UM, AND I ALSO WANNA TAKE PART IN THE U D C AMENDMENT PROCESS AND, UH, PROVIDE RECOMMENDATIONS AND, AND, UH, UH, GUIDANCE ON, ON, UH, THESE U D C UPDATES FROM, UH, DESIGN CONSULTANTS PERSPECTIVE.
SO, I THANK Y'ALL FOR YOUR TIME, AND THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO ME.
UH, MR. BCH, I'LL TURN IT NOW TO MY COLLEAGUES FOR ANY QUESTIONS.
AND THANK YOU FOR, FOR, UH, APPLYING AND BEING HERE WITH US TODAY.
MR. BCH, HOW DO YOU FEEL, UM, OR CAN YOU TELL ME YOUR THOUGHTS ON URBAN, UM, INFILL VERSUS SUBURBAN GROWTH? UH, I MEAN, YOU KNOW, THE URBAN INFILL, WE, WE HAVE A LOT OF, UH, UH, YOU KNOW, LOWER ECONOMIC, UH, YOU KNOW, CLASSES IN, IN THE, IN THESE URBAN INFILL ZONES.
AND, UH, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY WE NEED AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
LIKE WE NEED TO, WE NEED TO BRING IN HOUSING THAT, UH, THESE PEOPLE CAN AFFORD.
AND RIGHT NOW, I MEAN, WE HAVE, WE HAVE A CRAZY, CRAZY MORTGAGE, UH, ISSUE GOING ON RIGHT NOW, OBVIOUSLY HOUSING AFFORDABILITY CRISIS.
UM, SO, YOU KNOW, WE NEED, WE NEED THOSE INFILL ZONES TO, UH, TO ESTABLISH CHEAP HOUSING.
UM, BUT, BUT ALSO IN THE SUBURBAN AREAS, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE, UH, UH, WE HAVE AREAS OUTSIDE, YOU KNOW, IN THE, IN THE EDWARDS AQUIFER AREA WHERE, UH, THOSE REGULATIONS AND STUFF ARE CAUSING, UH, VERY, VERY EXPENSIVE HOUSING BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, YOU GOTTA DO LID, YOU GOTTA PROVIDE GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE.
UM, SO I, I THINK THERE'S A BALANCE BETWEEN PROTECTING THE, THE QUALITY, UH, OF THE SUBDIVISIONS THAT ARE BEING BUILT AND THEN, UH, PROVIDING, UH, GOOD HOUSING IN THESE INFILL ZONES.
COUNCIL MEMBER KEO, HDA, COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE.
I WAS PLEASED TO HEAR THE ANSWERS YOU GAVE.
I REALLY DON'T HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS.
UH, MR. BS, I, I THINK YOU SORT OF
[00:20:01]
COVERED, UH, WHAT I WAS GONNA ASK YOU WITH, WITH THE PREVIOUS QUESTION, BUT I, I WOULD JUST ASK YOU JUST GENERALLY, UH, IN THOSE PERIODS OF CONFLICT, I GUESS, BETWEEN THE, THE VISION OF CREATING MORE INFILL AND, AND MORE SUSTAINABLE GROWTH AND THE ACTUAL U D C AND WHAT'S POSSIBLE, WHAT DO YOU VIEW THE, THE ROLE OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION IN TERMS OF STEERING THOSE DECISIONS? UH, I THINK THAT, I HONESTLY THINK THAT PLANNING COMMISSION HAS TO BE FLEXIBLE.I MEAN, YOU KNOW, YOU, THERE, THERE IS A BALANCING ACT BETWEEN, UH, YOU KNOW, PROTECTING THE INTENT OF THE CODE.
YOU KNOW, UH, WHAT WHAT ARE WE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH WITH THIS CODE? AND THEN, AND THEN ACTUALLY PROVIDING A, A REASONABLE PRODUCT THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT PEOPLE CAN, CAN LIVE IN.
AND IT'S A, AND IT HAS A HIGH QUALITY OF LIFE, A HIGH STANDARD.
SO, THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER, APPLI.
WE'LL, UH, I THINK YOU KNOW THE PROCESS.
WE'RE GONNA BRING EVERYBODY IN.
UH, AND AT THE END WE'LL HAVE A DELIBERATION EXECUTIVE, UH, SESSION BEFORE WE, WE MAKE A DECISION.
OUR NEXT, UM, APPLICANT IS DR.
SAMR, UH, ZUKI, WHO'S UP FOR REAPPOINTMENT? GOOD MORNING, DR.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
UM, YOU ARE UP FOR RE REAPPOINTMENT, SO YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES FOR AN OPENING STATEMENT, THEN WE'LL GO AROUND WITH QUESTIONS.
UM, FIRST, UH, THANKS FOR HAVING ME, UH, MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL.
I'M, UH, PROFESSOR OF CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING AND CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT AT U T S A.
UH, LAST TWO YEARS, I'VE SPENT, UH, THE PLANNING COMMISSION.
THIS IS THE FIRST IN-PERSON, UH, INTERVIEW I HAD.
UM, UH, MY BACKGROUND IS IN CIVIL ENGINEERING, SPECIFICALLY TRANSPORTATION.
I WORKED AT U T S A FOR ABOUT 15 PLUS YEARS.
UH, I CAME TO APPLY WHEN I HAD A FRIEND OF MINE ASKING ME IF, IF HE WOULD BE INTERESTED TO APPLY TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION.
AT THAT TIME, I GET A LITTLE INTERESTED TO BE PARTICIPATING AND SEE WHAT THIS COMMISSION IS ABOUT.
AND THEN OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST TWO YEARS, I'VE BEEN ENGAGED IN, UH, ALL THOSE PUBLIC MEETINGS WHERE CITIZEN WILL COME IN TO REALLY PRESENT THEIR CASE.
THEN I SAW THE IMPORTANCE OF THAT PLANNING COMMISSION TO GO OVER SOME OF THOSE CASES THAT PRESENTED TO US AND PROVIDE, UH, FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, MY ENGINEERING BACKGROUND, SEE IF IT, IF IT'S REALLY GONNA BE BENEFICIAL TO THE CITY, THE PUBLIC, AND THE APPLICANT AS WELL.
SOMETIMES WE ACCEPT IT, SOMETIMES WE DENY IT.
UH, I FELT THAT, UH, I CONTRIBUTED MY, MY EXPERTISE AND MY BACKGROUND TO HELP TO SOME EXTENT.
AND, UH, GIVEN TODAY THAT, UH, I'M APPLYING AGAIN FOR A RENEWAL THE LAST TWO YEARS WAS A LOT OF THINGS TO LEARN.
I'VE BEEN GETTING TO INTERACT WITH A LOT OF NEW ASPECT I HAVEN'T BEEN INTERACTED WITH BEFORE.
BUT, UH, GIVEN THE LAST, UH, CYCLE, I BUILT A LITTLE BIT OF MORE KNOWLEDGE IN THIS ACTIVITIES, AND I THINK THAT PUT ME IN A BETTER POSITION THIS TIME TO CONTRIBUTE MORE.
I'LL TURN IT TO MY COLLEAGUES NOW FOR QUESTIONS.
THANK YOU MAYOR, AND THANK YOU DR, FOR BEING HERE TODAY.
UM, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON URBAN INFILL VERSUS, UH, SUBURBAN GROWTH? URBAN, SORRY, URBAN INFILL VERSUS SUBURBAN GROWTH.
CREATE HOUSING THERE VERSUS THE SUBURBAN, UM, GROWTH.
UH, IF I GET TO INTERACT AND SEE THESE CASES COMING IN, THE FIRST THING THAT COMES TO MY MIND WHEN IT'S AN URBAN AREA IS WHAT DO THE IMPACT, THE BENEFITS OF? AND, YOU KNOW, TRANSPORTATION ENGINEER, I WILL LOOK INTO THE POSITIVE IMPACT AND THE NEGATIVE IMPACT.
THE POSITIVE IMPACT IS THE ECONOMIC IMPACT, HOW THAT WILL BE BENEFICIAL TO THE PLACE THAT'S GONNA BE BUILT AT.
[00:25:01]
UH, THE SECOND PART, UH, WOULD BE THE SAFETY WOULD BE, UH, UH, AND THE CONGESTIONS, UH, FROM CHANGING, UH, AN EMPTY LOT TO A BUILDING.UH, I DON'T SEE, UM, I SEE TREATING THE URBAN INFILL WITH THE SUBURBAN TO BE HAVING A SIMILAR IMPACT AT THE SAME THING.
YOU LOOK INTO WHAT IMPACT IT WILL BE TAKING PLACE.
AND TO MY PERSPECTIVE, I DON'T SEE ANY DIFFERENCE.
I'LL HAVE TO STUDY THE CASE ENTIRELY FROM A TO Z GIVEN THE INFORMATION PROVIDED.
AND I WILL LOOK INTO IT FROM MY PERSPECTIVE IF IT'S GONNA BE BENEFICIAL OR NOT BENEFICIAL, UH, FROM ENGINEERING PURPOSES.
COUNCIL MEMBER KIO, HDD, COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE.
WE'VE SERVED TOGETHER FOR, UH, AT A FEW MEETINGS.
UM, LET ME ASK YOU, WHAT IS YOUR VIEW OF DEVELOPMENT OVER THE AQUIFER? UH, IF YOU ASK ME AS A CITIZEN, UH, I WOULD SAY I'M NOT IN FAVOR.
IF YOU ASK ME AS A RESEARCHER, WHICH IS, AGAIN, THAT'S WHAT I ALWAYS DO, I WOULD SAY I WOULD ENCOURAGE THAT, GIVEN THAT MY ONLY CONCERN WOULD BE THE AMOUNT AND THE QUALITY OF WATER THAT'S GONNA BE GOING THROUGH THE AQUIFER.
IF I STUDY THAT CASE, AND WITH ALL ASPECTS THAT, UH, WHAT COMES TO MY HAND IN TERMS OF IF THERE IS ANY NEGATIVE IMPACT ON THE QUALITY AND THE QUANTITY OF THE WATER THAT'S GONNA BE RESULTING FROM THAT DEVELOPMENT, THEN I COULD PROVIDE A SOLUTIONS TO IT.
UM, MAYBE I CAN OFFER THE SOLUTION WHEN THE CASE IS PROVIDED.
I THINK AS A CITIZEN, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE, I MEAN, IT'S A MAYBE TOO CONTRADICTING VIEW, BUT, UH, GIVEN THAT I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THE AQUIFER AREAS, RECHARGED AREAS TO BE COMPLETELY NATURAL GIVEN THE SITUATIONS WE HAVE NOWADAYS, FOR LACK OF THE DRINKING WATER.
SO I WOULD, I WOULD SAY THAT MY, MY THOUGHT WOULD BE ALLOWING THAT RECHARGE DORMS TO BE UNDEVELOPED, UH, DUE TO THE SCARS OF SOURCE OF WATER THAT WE HAVE OR EXPERIENCE RECENTLY.
WHAT IS YOUR VIEW ABOUT GRANTING, UH, TREE ORDINANCE WAIVERS? UH, I WOULD HAVE TO LOOK INTO THIS AS, UH, I MEAN, THAT'S SOMETHING WE HAVE, I'VE BEEN INTERACTED WITH DURING MY APPOINTMENT THE LAST TWO YEARS, AND I'VE BEEN LOOKING AT IT IN TWO MANY DIFFERENT WAYS.
I, I WILL BE SENSITIVE TO REMOVE A TREE FROM ONE PLACE, BUT I WILL LOOK BACK INTO, AGAIN, THE BENEFITS THAT'S GONNA BE RESOLVED FROM NOT REMOVING THE TREE, WHICH IS EVENTUALLY IT'LL BE HAPPENING, BUT REPLACING THAT TREE SOMEWHERE ELSE.
SO I SEE THAT WILL BE A SOLUTION TO ME, WOULD BE ACCEPTABLE.
UH, IT MIGHT BECOME SENSITIVE TO SOME POINT, BUT I DON'T SEE THAT IF IT'S BEING TRANSPORTED OR BEING PLANTED IN SOMEWHERE ELSE, THAT WE HAVE CREATED A NEGATIVE IMPACT TO THE ENVIRONMENT, UH, FROM ONE POINT.
BUT I DON'T SEE A PROBLEM WITH THAT PERSPECTIVE.
LAST QUESTION I HAVE IS, UM, HOW DO YOU WEIGH ON OWNER'S PROPERTY RIGHTS VERSUS THE RIGHTS OF NEIGHBORS AND NEIGHBORHOODS AFFECTED BY THAT? UH, UH, IF WE DECIDED TO LIVE WITHIN A CITY ENVIRONMENT, WE HAVE TO ACCEPT THAT WE ARE LIVING AMONG NEIGHBORHOODS.
AND IT IS NOT ABOUT MY PROPERTY.
I HAVE TO ACKNOWLEDGE AND ACCEPT WHAT WOULD BE BENEFICIAL TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD AS WELL.
SO SPEAKING ON THAT, UH, MY PERSPECTIVE IS WHAT PLEASE ME, HAS TO PLEASE THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
SO I WILL HAVE TO CONSIDER THE NEIGHBORHOOD OPINION AND INPUT TO WHATEVER MATTERS COMES IN.
IT IS NEVER ONLY ABOUT A SINGLE INDIVIDUAL APPLICANT OR A SIMPLE, OR A SINGLE UH, CASE, OR A SINGLE LOT, OR A SINGLE BUILDING.
SINCE WE AGREED TO LIVE IN A CITY ENVIRONMENT, THE NEIGHBORHOOD WOULD BE A PRIORITY.
UH, COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE, COUNCIL MEMBER REPLIES TO ANY QUESTIONS.
[00:30:01]
UH, YOU, YOU'VE BEEN ON THE COMMISSION NOW FOR A TERM.UH, WE HAVE BEEN TRYING OVER THE COURSE OF A FEW YEARS TO TRY TO GET FOLKS WHO HAVE DIFFERING PERSPECTIVES.
AND OBVIOUSLY YOU BRING AN ENGINEERING BACKGROUND TO THE, TO THE COMMITTEE.
UM, WHAT IS EVERYONE'S PERSPECTIVE, DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE, UM, ACCOUNTED FOR IN THE DISCUSSIONS THAT TAKE PLACE AT THE COMMISSION? DO YOU FEEL LIKE AS AN ENGINEER WHAT YOU'RE BRINGING IS, UH, INFLUENCING THE DISCUSSION AT ALL? UH, I LIKE THE FACT THAT THE NUMBERS OF THE PLANNING COM, THE MEMBERS OF PLANNING COMMISSION ARE FROM DIFFERENT BACKGROUND.
UH, HAVING IN THE SAME ROOM, AN ENGINEER, A LAWYER, A DOCTORS PSYCHOLOGIST, THAT BLEND OF INDIVIDUALS TO MY PERSPECTIVE IS VERY BENEFICIAL.
UH, I'M GLAD THAT I'M SERVING THE ENGINEERING PART OF IT.
I'M GLAD THAT I SEE OTHER THOUGHTS.
'CAUSE AT THE END OF THE DAY, I DISCOVERED WHEN THE CASES ARE PROVIDED AMONG US, WE ARE JUST LOOKING AT IT FROM A DIFFERENT, DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE.
AND I'M GLAD TO HEAR THAT DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE FROM OTHER INDIVIDUALS WITH DIFFERENT BACKGROUND.
YOU DON'T WANNA MILL FILL THE ROOM WITH ALL ENGINEERS OR ONE EXPERTISE.
'CAUSE THAT DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE BRINGS TO THE REST OF THE COMMITTEE DIFFERENT THOUGHTS, DIFFERENT OPINIONS.
YOU ARE NOT GONNA CONSIDER IT WHEN YOU MAKE YOUR VOTE ON IT.
SO I, I, I LIKE THE FACT THAT WE HAVE DIFFERENT BACKGROUND AND INDIVIDUALS AND I GUESS IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO KEEP THAT DIVERSITY AS PART OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION.
IT WAS VERY BENEFICIAL FROM MY OWN OPINION THE LAST TWO YEARS.
APPRECIATE YOUR TIME AND, AND WE'LL DELIBERATE AND THEN WE'LL COME BACK WITH THE DECISION.
WE'RE GONNA BRING OUR NEXT CANDIDATE NOW.
ALRIGHT, OUR NEXT APPLICANT IS STEPHANIE FAULKNER, AND SHE IS A BELIEVE A FIRST TIME APPLICANT.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR APPLICATION OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION.
AS YOU HEARD, YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES FOR AN OPENING STATEMENT THAT WE'LL GO AROUND WITH QUESTIONS.
UM, SO MY NAME'S STEPHANIE FAULKNER.
I, RIGHT NOW I LIVE IN LAVACCA NEIGHBORHOOD.
I'VE BEEN IN THERE FOR SEVEN YEARS.
BEEN IN SAN ANTONIO NEIGHBOR FOR, UH, ABOUT ALMOST NINE YEARS.
AND I CURRENTLY WORK IN, IN DC I'VE GOT OVER 20 YEARS EXPERIENCE IN THE LEGAL MANAGEMENT CONTRACTUAL CAPACITIES, PREDOMINANTLY IN CONSTRUCTION.
IN THE LAST 13 YEARS, I HAVE BEEN WORKING IN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CAPACITIES, UH, WITH VARIOUS DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE AGENCIES.
AND CURRENTLY, LIKE I SAID, IN DC WITH AN INDEPENDENT AGENCY WHERE I HAVE, UH, A PORTFOLIO, UH, MANAGING CONTRACT, UH, A CAPITAL PROJECTS CONTRACTS.
UM, FOR RIGHT NOW, THREE BUILDINGS.
EACH OF THEM HAVE THEIR OWN UNIQUE COMPLEXITIES.
UM, AGAIN, LIKE I SAID, IN DC WE HAVE THE COMMUNITY COMPLEXITIES, PROJECT COMPLEXITIES, BOTH WITH HISTORIC ENVIRONMENTAL, NEW CONSTRUCTION, NEIGHBORHOOD COMMISSIONS, AND OTHER, UH, COMMUNITY IMPACTS.
UM, LIKE, AND I'VE, AND IN ADDITION TO CAPITAL PROJECTS, MY, ONE OF MY MAIN, UM, RESPONSIBILITIES IS FACILITATING A TEAM AND GROUP TO, TO FIT, TO BRING IN AND SYNTHESIZE INFORMATION SO THAT WE CAN MAKE SOUND DECISIONS, UH, ALONG THE WAY OR PROVIDE ADVICE OR RECOMMENDATIONS AS NEEDED.
UM, SO ONE OF THE, THE BIGGEST CAPACITIES IS BEING AN ADVISOR TO OUR BUSINESS PARTNERS, UM, WITH THE, UH, AND PROCUREMENT MANAGEMENT, UH, AND THE CONTRACTUALLY SOUND, UM, INPUT THAT WHERE IT'S PREDOMINANTLY, LIKE I SAY, CONSTRUCTION OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE AND SERVICE CONTRACTS FROM CRADLE TO GRAVE.
SO I THINK I'VE GOT GREAT EXPERIENCE THAT THAT CAN TRANSLATE OVER INTO, UM, INTO THIS ROLE.
UM, AND WITH THE, UH, WITH, WITH THE BUILDINGS THAT I HAVE THAT I'M WORKING ON RIGHT NOW, THERE'S BEEN A, ESPECIALLY DURING THE DESIGN AND NOW WE'RE INTO CONSTRUCTION, WHICH DOES, UM, CREATE THOSE, THOSE EXPERIENCES BRINGING IN AND, AND GOING TO THE REGULATORY OVERSIGHT COMMITTEES, THE LOCAL NEIGHBORHOOD COMMISSIONS, LOCAL REVIEWING AUTHORITIES.
SO I'VE GOT EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE ON BOTH.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MS. FAULKNER.
WE'LL, WE'LL, UH, GO TO QUESTIONS NOW.
COUNCIL MEMBER DER THANK YOU MAYOR, AND THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
UM, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON URBAN INFILL VERSUS SUBURBAN GROWTH? SO I THINK IT DEPENDS.
UM, I KNOW THAT, THAT RIGHT NOW THE SHIFT, UM, IS GOING MORE INTO THE, LIKE WE'RE, IT'S COMING BACK INTO THE URBAN INFIELD.
UM, ESPECIALLY WITH, AND I'VE GOT EXPERIENCE, CURRENT
[00:35:01]
EXPERIENCE.'CAUSE I'M, I'M WORKING ON A SECOND MASTER'S TO BETTER UNDERSTAND SUSTAINABILITY AND CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT.
AND WHAT I HAVE SEEN THROUGH THOSE CASE STUDIES AND RESEARCH IS THAT IT IS COMING IN AND I THINK IT'S, I, I THINK IT'S A GOOD THING, BUT I ALSO THINK IT DEPENDS ON LIKE, THERE'S A MANAGEMENT AND A BALANCE TO, TO, TO KIND OF PROMOTE, UM, AND FOSTER THAT, THAT SHIFT.
UH, COULD YOU TELL US WHAT YOUR PERSPECTIVE IS ON, UH, WHAT IS AFFORDABLE HOUSING THAT WE NEED IN SAN ANTONIO? I THINK WE NEED A MIX BECAUSE I THINK WE HAVE A DI DIVERSE GROUP, AND I DON'T THINK THERE'S ONE, ONE PANACEA TO, TO, TO SOLVE EVERYTHING.
UM, AND FROM EVEN LAST NIGHT WHEN THE STUFF THAT'S GOING ON IN LAVACCA, I'M SEEING WHERE THEY'RE, THEY'RE DOING A VARIETY OF, OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF HOUSING.
UM, THE THING THAT I WOULD SAY MY PERSPECTIVE IS, IS THERE ALSO IS IT'S IMPORTANT NOT JUST THE TYPES OF HOUSING, BUT ALSO THE AMENITIES OR LIKE THE GREEN SPACES OR THOSE TYPES OF OTHER RESOURCES, BE IT CHILDCARE OR THOSE TYPES OF DEVELOPMENT.
I THINK WE REALLY NEED TO LOOK AT NOT JUST THE PHYSICAL IN INFRASTRUCTURE, BUT WHAT ARE ALL THE OTHER SERVICES THAT ARE NEEDED TO, TO BE A THRIVING COMMUNITY.
UM, HOW WOULD YOU WEIGH AN OWNER'S PROPERTY RIGHTS VERSUS THE RIGHTS OF NEIGHBORHOODS OR NEIGHBORS? SO, UM, IT'S, IT'S KIND ONE OF THOSE THINGS WHERE WHETHER IT BE THE, THE OWNER AND THE NEIGHBORS IS THAT WE'RE ALL ALWAYS BALANCING, WHICH MAY HAVE CONFLICTING PRIORITIES OR, OR CONFLICTING, UM, IMPACTS.
AND I THINK WE'VE, WE'VE GOTTA TAKE IT AND LOOK AT IT FROM A PRAGMATIC STANDPOINT, BRING IN ALL INFORMATION AND SYNTHESIZE WHAT, WHAT IS, WHAT IS REASONABLE AND WHAT IS BEST FOR THE COMMUNITY AND THAT OWNER OR IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, I SHOULD SAY.
UM, UH, MS. FAULKNER, I DON'T REALLY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, BUT WELL, HOW DON'T I GIVE YOU A, A MINUTE TO WRAP UP WHAT YOU WERE GOING TO SAY IN THE, IN THE INTRO JUST A MINUTE AGO.
UM, NO, I WAS JUST, I CAN, I'LL, I'LL END IT WITH I DO HAVE, I KNOW THAT THE RESPONSIBILITY OF, OF WHAT WE DID IS OF HAVING A WORKING KNOWLEDGE OF THE U D C, THE MASTER PLANS AND OF THE OTHER INITIATIVES LIKE SA 20, UH, MEAN SA TOMORROW AND, AND CLIMATE ACTION.
WITH MY EXPERIENCE AND MY PERSONAL MAKEUP TO, TO BRING, TO, TO BE PRAGMATIC, BE COLLABORATIVE, AND BRING EVERYTHING TOGETHER, I THINK THAT I EFFECTIVELY COORDINATE AND TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION EVERYBODY'S PERSPECTIVE THAT I WOULD BE A VALUED, UM, ASSET AND CONTRIBUTING TEAM MEMBER.
WE'LL BRING OUR NEXT APPLICANT BACK AND, UH, WE'LL LET YOU KNOW WHEN WE, WHEN WE COME BACK WITH A DECISION.
ALRIGHT, OUR NEXT APPLICANT IS RYAN MCLARE, AND I BELIEVE HE'S ALSO A FIRST TIME APPLICANT.
HI, MR. MCLARE, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR APPLICATION.
UH, AS YOU HEARD, YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES FOR AN OPENING STATEMENT, THEN WE'LL GO AROUND WITH QUESTIONS.
HELLO, UH, MY NAME IS RYAN MCLARE.
I'M AN O AND I'M HONORED TO BE CONSIDERED FOR A POSITION ON THE CITY PLANNING COMMISSION.
I HAVE A DEEP CONNECTION TO SAN ANTONIO.
HAVING LIVED IN THE AREA FOR MOST OF MY LIFE, EVEN DURING MY TIME IN THE US NAVY, I COULDN'T HELP BUT MISS THE MILD WINTERS AND VIBRANT CULTURE OF MY HOMETOWN.
SO IN 2001, I MADE THE DECISION TO MOVE BACK TO SAN ANTONIO AND I HAVE NEVER LEFT.
MY PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND IS ROOTED IN FINANCE, HAVING EARNED MY BACHELOR'S AND MASTER'S DEGREES FROM U T SS A GO ROADRUNNERS.
WHILE GETTING MY UNDERGRAD, I WORKED IN VARIOUS ROLES AT FROST BANK AND AS A MORTGAGE BROKER, I'VE ALSO HELD POSITIONS IN BUSINESS ANALYSIS AND MANAGEMENT WORKING FOR SAN ANTONIO COMPANIES SUCH AS LABAT FOOD SERVICE AND VALERO.
UH, BUT IN 2018, I LEFT MY POSITION WITH, UH, WHAT HAD BECOME CIRCLE K CONVENIENCE STORES TO PURSUE MY PASSION FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP.
FOR THE PAST FOUR YEARS, I'VE BEEN FOCUSED ON COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE INVESTING.
I OWN AND OPERATE TWO, UH, TEXAS BASED SELF STORAGE FACILITIES, AND I'M ALWAYS ON THE LOOKOUT FOR NEW OPPORTUNITIES TO INVEST IN.
MY EXPERIENCE WITH THE PLANNING COMMISSION BEGAN IN 2020 WHEN MY BROTHER AND I WERE DEVELOPING OUR FIRST PROJECT.
THE PROPERTY REQUIRED A LAND USE CHANGE AND ZONING CHANGE, AND THIS WAS MY FIRST EXPOSURE TO THE CITY'S PLANNING PROCESS.
WITH THE COMMISSION'S GUIDANCE, WE WERE ABLE TO MAKE OUR CASE AND SUCCESSFULLY CHANGE THE PROPERTY'S DESIGNATION.
NOW WE WERE ABLE TO PROVIDE NEW HOUSING AND INCREASED TAX REVENUE TO DISTRICT ONE.
I BELIEVE THAT MY BACKGROUND IN FINANCE, BUSINESS AND REAL ESTATE COMBINED WITH MY FIRSTHAND EXPERIENCE WORKING WITH THE PLANNING COMMISSION, WOULD MAKE ME AN EXCELLENT IN ADDITION TO THE TEAM.
WHY DO I WANNA BE ON THE PLANNING COMMISSION? BEING ON THE CITY'S PLANNING COMMISSION IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHAPE THE FUTURE OF OUR COMMUNITY.
IT ALLOWS US TO HAVE A DIRECT IMPACT
[00:40:01]
ON THE DEVELOPMENT AND GROWTH OF THE CITY, ENSURING THAT IT BECOMES A BETTER PLACE FOR ALL RESIDENTS.IN THIS POSITION, I'LL HAVE A CHANCE TO WORK WITH A DEDICATED TEAM OF INDIVIDUALS WHO SHARE A PASSION FOR MAKING THE CITY A BETTER PLACE AND THE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE A REAL DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF RESIDENTS.
THIS WILL ALSO GIVE ME AN OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN SO MUCH ABOUT THE CITY'S PLANNING PROCESS AND GAIN VALUABLE SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE OVERALL.
THANK IT'S A MEANINGFUL AND FULFILLING WAY TO GIVE BACK TO OUR COMMUNITY.
ALRIGHT, I'LL TURN MY COLLEAGUES NOW.
THANK YOU MAYOR, AND THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TODAY.
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON, UM, URBAN INFILL VERSUS SUBURBAN GROWTH? UM, THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.
UM, WELL, I MEAN, A LOT OF CITIES HAVE BEEN SEEING A LOT OF SUBURBAN GROWTH OVER THE YEARS, AND I THINK THERE'S A MOVE BACK TOWARD INNER CITY.
AND SO WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO HAVE, YOU KNOW, THE, UH, PROPER, YOU KNOW, TRANSPORTATION ROUTES AND, YOU KNOW, UM, I DON'T KNOW, LIKE BUSES AND TRAINS, UH, ARE A BIG MISS, I THINK, IN A LOT OF CITIES.
AND SO WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THAT, YOU KNOW, LIKE WALKABLE AREAS AS WELL.
SO THINGS, UH, NEAR DOWNTOWN, NEAR THE PEARL, UM, HAVING, YOU KNOW, ALL THE SERVICES IN PLACE TO HAVE THOSE ACCESSIBLE.
SO PEOPLE, THERE'S JUST CONSTANT MOVEMENT BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN PEOPLE THAT WANNA MOVE OUT AND MOVE IN.
AND SO WE JUST NEED TO HAVE ALL THOSE SERVICES AVAILABLE TO EVERYBODY.
COUNCIL MEMBER CAB HDA, COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE.
MAYOR, WHAT IS YOUR VIEW OF DEVELOPMENT OVER THE AQUIFER? WELL, UH, I'M, I MEAN, IN GENERAL, I'M PRO DEVELOPMENT AND, UH, I'M PRO, UM, SMART DEVELOPMENT AND I'D RATHER SEE, YOU KNOW, IF THERE'S BLIGHT IN AN AREA, I'D RATHER SEE SOMETHING GOING ON THERE.
OR IF THERE'S NEED FOR THAT COMMUNITY TO HAVE SOMETHING, I'D, I'D LIKE TO SEE IT THERE IF IT'S DONE PROPERLY.
AND SO WHETHER THAT BE OVER THE AQUIFER OR, YOU KNOW, UM, AN EXPANSION OF A RETAIL STRIP CENTER TO PROVIDE A SERVICE IN A PLACE OF NEED THAT MIGHT LIKE KNOCK DOWN, YOU KNOW, AN OLDER HOME OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, THAT'S IN, IN DECAY AND, YOU KNOW, THERE'S DRUGS BEING RUN OUT THERE.
IT'S JUST LIKE, WHAT'S THE BETTER USE? AND SO, UM, I DON'T SPECIFICALLY HAVE ANYTHING AGAINST, YOU KNOW, JUST DIRECTLY OVER THE AQUIFER IF IT DOESN'T IMPACT OUR CITY'S WATER SUPPLY.
UM, WHAT'S YOUR VIEW ABOUT, UH, ENFORCEMENT OF THE CITY'S TREE ORDINANCE?
UM, I MEAN, I ACTUALLY OWN A PIECE OF PROPERTY RIGHT NOW.
THERE'S A LOT, I'VE, I'VE GONE THROUGH THIS A COUPLE TIMES NOW WITH THE CITY.
UM, I, YOU KNOW, THERE'S MITIGATION COSTS THAT YOU CAN PAY, AND SO THERE'S, THERE'S CERTAIN WAYS TO YOU HELP MITIGATE THE LOSS OF TREES.
BUT, UM, UH, I MEAN, LIKE RIGHT NOW I'M TRYING TO FIGHT WHETHER OR NOT TO CLEAR JUST BRUSH.
I MEAN, THESE ARE JUST JUNKER TREES AND I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT IS THAT GONNA BE A PROBLEM FOR ME WITH THE CITY? AND SO I'M KIND OF ON, YOU KNOW, ON THE FENCE ON EXACTLY, YOU KNOW, HOW STRICT THE TREE ORDINANCE NEEDS TO BE.
UM, BECAUSE AGAIN, I'M PRO DEVELOPMENT AND A LOT OF TIMES I KNOW WE NEED TREES AND I KNOW WE NEED TO SUSTAIN THAT.
SO I, I SEE THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN.
UM, HOW DO YOU SEE YOURSELF WEIGHING OWNER'S PROPERTY RIGHTS VERSUS THE RIGHTS OF NEIGHBORS AND NEIGHBORHOODS AROUND THAT PROPERTY? YEAH, I MEAN, I THINK THERE'S A GOOD PLAN IN PLACE.
UM, ALREADY, YOU KNOW, YOU, YOU SURVEY NEIGHBORS AND FIND OUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT THEY THINK OF A CERTAIN ISSUE THAT'S GOING ON WITH.
SO IF UM, THE NEIGHBORS DON'T HAVE A HUGE PROBLEM WITH IT, THEN THAT'S PRETTY EASY RIGHT THERE, YOU KNOW, IF THAT PERSON'S PROPERTY RIGHTS, IF HE WANTS TO DO SOMETHING WITH THAT, THEN THAT'S HIS RIGHT.
UM, IF HE'S NOT IMPACTING THE GREATER GOOD, I GUESS.
COUNCIL MEMBER KURDS, I DON'T THINK WE HAVE ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR APPLICATION, MR. MCLAREN.
WE'RE GONNA MAKE A DECISION IN EXEC AND WE'LL COME BACK OUT FOR THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
ALRIGHT, OUR NEXT APPLICANT, TO CLARIFY, WE'RE NOT GONNA MAKE A DECISION IN EXEC.
WE'LL COME OUT AND MAKE THE DECISION.
WE'LL HAVE A DELIBERATION EXEC.
AND, UM, OUR NEXT APPLICANT IS GEORGE PECK, ALSO, UH, A REAPPOINTMENT MAYOR NURNBERG AND MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL.
AS YOU KNOW, I'M HERE TO, UH, I'M HERE APPLYING FOR REAPPOINTMENT TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION.
UH, THE PLANNING COMMISSION PLAYS A VITAL ROLE IN THE ORDERLY GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF OUR COMMUNITY.
BASED ON MY, UH, PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE, INTEREST IN COMMUNITY SERVICE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS, UM, I FEEL LIKE I CAN FULFILL
[00:45:01]
THE DUTIES OF A COMMISSIONER AND ADD VALUE TO THE COMMISSION'S DELIBERATIONS.I'M THE CURRENT, UH, CHAIR PRO TEM FOR THE PLANNING COMMISSION AND ALSO THE CURRENT CHAIR OF THE TECHNICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE.
I TAKE BOTH OF THESE APPOINTMENTS VERY, VERY SERIOUSLY.
UM, I HAVE A STELLAR ATTENDANCE RECORD.
UH, I DO MISS A MEETING OR TWO DURING THE YEAR FOR WHATEVER REASON.
BUT, UH, OVERALL, MY, MY RECORD OVER THE PAST EIGHT YEAR, 10 YEARS, EIGHT YEARS, SORRY, HAS BEEN, HAS BEEN STELLAR.
UM, UM, AND ON TOP OF THAT, I'M A VERY ACTIVE COMMISSIONER OUTSIDE OF THE REGULAR MEETINGS, I'VE BEEN ON STORMWATER COMMITTEES.
I PARTICIPATED IN THE, UH, SAN ANTONIO RIVER AUTHORITY LID MANUAL UPDATE, AND, UH, JUST TRY AND STAY INVOLVED WHERE I CAN ON THINGS THAT AFFECT, UH, OUR CITY AND WHAT MIGHT COME TO THE COMMISSION.
MY REGULAR JOB, I'M A CIVIL ENGINEER.
I WORK FOR, UH, K C I TECHNOLOGIES, A FULL SERVICE CONSULTING ENGINEER HERE IN SAN ANTONIO.
I'M, UH, VICE PRESIDENT OVER THE LA OVER THE SITE FACILITIES GROUP, WHICH ENCOMPASSES, UH, LAND DEVELOPMENT AND MECHANICAL ELECTRICAL AND FIRE PROTECTION.
SO, UH, BY VIRTUE OF THAT, EVERY DAY I USE THE UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT CODE ON THE JOB.
I HAVE 30, OH GOD, 32 YEARS OF PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE USING THE CODE.
UM, AND THIS PROVIDES AN INVALUABLE EXPERIENCE AS I REVIEW ITEMS THAT COME BEFORE THE COMMISSION OF A TECHNICAL NATURE.
I'VE USED THE CODE, I KNOW IT LIKE THE BACK OF MY HAND.
AND, UM, THAT'S, THAT'S JUST A GREAT TOOL TO USE AS I REVIEW THINGS THAT COME TO THE, OR TO THE COMMISSION.
AND ALSO, IT'S A GOOD RESOURCE FOR OTHER COMMISSIONERS FOR, YOU KNOW, COMMISSIONERS THAT MAY NOT HAVE A TECHNICAL BACKGROUND.
THEY CAN ASK ME QUESTIONS AND I CAN CLARIFY FOR THEM, UM, IN A NON-BIASED WAY, WHAT, YOU KNOW, WHAT THINGS MEAN.
UM, SO, YOU KNOW, THAT'S, THAT'S REALLY IT.
I GUESS THAT'S MY TWO MINUTES.
LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR QUESTIONS.
I'LL TURN TO, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER KIO HDA.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE, MR. PECK.
UM, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON URBAN INFILL VERSUS SUBURBAN GROWTH? WELL, I THINK THEY EACH HAVE THEIR PLACE.
UM, URBAN INFILL IS OBVIOUSLY VERY IMPORTANT.
THERE'S A LOT OF, UH, THERE'S A LOT OF UNDERUTILIZED SPACES IN OUR URBAN CORE, UM, THAT MIGHT BE ABLE TO BE USED.
YOU KNOW, MAYBE JUST DEVELOP NEW OR, OR DEVELOPED IN A BETTER WAY.
UM, IT HAS TO BE RESPONSIBLE, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY THERE'S GENTRIFICATION ISSUES AND THINGS LIKE THAT, BUT, BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, THE, THE INNER CITY, THE I D Z STUFF IS, IS TO ME VERY IMPORTANT FOR REVITALIZING OUR COMMUNITY AND OUR DOWNTOWN.
AND OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, NOT EVERYBODY WANTS TO LIVE IN DOWNTOWN OR IN THE CORE OF THE CITY.
YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE HAVE DOGS AND KIDS AND STUFF LIKE THAT.
THEY WANNA HAVE A PIECE OF SUBURBIA.
AND, AND THAT'S IMPORTANT TOO.
AND AGAIN, IT HAS TO BE DONE RESPONSIBLY AND, UM, IN CONFORMANCE WITH ALL THE CODES THAT WE HAVE TODAY.
HARBORDALE, COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE.
THANK YOU MR. PECK, FOR YOUR SERVICE.
YOU KNOW, I'VE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE WITH YOU AND I APPRECIATE, UH, ABSOLUTELY.
LET ME ASK YOU, UM, WHAT ARE YOUR VIEWS ON, UH, DEVELOPMENT OVER THE AQUIFER? SO, DEVELOPMENT OVER THE AQUIFER OBVIOUSLY IS A TRICKY QUESTION EVERY TIME IT COMES UP.
UM, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF TOOLS IN PLACE, UH, TO PROTECT THE AQUIFER FROM DEVELOPMENT.
AND I THINK AS LONG AS THOSE TOOLS ARE UTILIZED AND PEOPLE DO IT RESPONSIBLY, YOU KNOW, TAKING INTO ACCOUNT, YOU KNOW, MAYBE GOING OVER AND ABOVE, THAT'S WHAT WE TRY TO DO.
YOU GO OVER AND ABOVE WHAT THE RURAL STATE, UM, YOU KNOW, PROTECTING AS MANY TREES AS POSSIBLE.
LAY OUT YOUR PROJECT AROUND THE NATURAL RESOURCES THAT ARE THERE AND, AND JUST ABIDING BY THE RULES AND MAKING SURE THAT YOU'RE NOT NEGATIVELY IMPACTING YOUR NEIGHBORS OR, YOU KNOW, THE AQUIFER, WHICH IS WHAT THE RULES ARE DESIGNED TO DO.
UH, YOU, YOU TALKED ABOUT, UH, AFFECTING THE NEIGHBORS.
SO HOW DO YOU WEIGH OWNERS' PROPERTY RIGHTS VERSUS THE RIGHTS OF THE NEIGHBORS OR THE NEIGHBORHOODS AROUND THE PROPERTY? THAT'S ANOTHER STICKY QUESTION, OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE EVERYBODY HAS PROPERTY RIGHTS, RIGHT? AND YOU WANT A PIECE OF PROPERTY NEXT TO MIND, YOU WANT TO DO SOMETHING WITH IT, AND YOU'RE LIKE, WELL, I WANNA DO SOMETHING WITH IT.
RIGHT? BUT, YOU KNOW, WE'VE, WE PUT STUFF INTO THE CODE IN THIS LAST ROUND OF U D C AMENDMENTS THAT WE JUST FINISHED.
UM, THAT THAT DOES GO TOWARDS PROTECTING ADJACENT PROPERTY OWNERS FROM DEVELOPMENT THAT MAY BE HAPPENING NEXT DOOR.
UM, WAYS TO DIVERT WATER AROUND IT, WAYS TO, UH, MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, UNFILTERED RUNOFF OR WHATEVER, CONSTRUCTION DEBRIS AND THOSE KINDS OF THINGS DOES NOT BLEED OVER ACROSS THE PROPERTY LINE.
UM, AND THEN OBVIOUSLY COMMUNICATION.
YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE DEVELOPING A PIECE OF PROPERTY, YOU HAVE TO TALK TO YOUR NEIGHBORS.
YOU HAVE TO, YOU KNOW, GO VISIT WITH 'EM AND SAY, LOOK, THIS IS WHAT I WANT TO DO.
AND YOU'RE TRYING TO GET THEIR BUY-IN AND MAYBE TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION SOME OF THE THINGS THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE HAPPEN TO PROTECT THEM.
WHAT IS YOUR VIEW ABOUT TREE ORDINANCE WAIVERS? TREE ORDINANCE WAIVERS.
SO NOW WHEN YOU SAY WAIVERS, UM, ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT WAIVERS THAT
[00:50:01]
ARE, UM, SO THE PROJECT WOULD NOT BE IN CONFORMANCE WITH A TREE ORDINANCE OR SO THAT THE PROJECT WAIVERS THAT ALLOW THEM TO GO BEYOND WHAT THE ORDINANCE WOULD EXPECT.SO THIS COMES UP AT PLANNING COMMISSION CURRENTLY A FEW TIMES A YEAR.
FOR A WHILE THERE, IT WAS COMING UP EVERY MEETING, BUT IT'S REALLY KIND OF SLOWED DOWN.
I THINK PEOPLE ARE TAKING THE ORDINANCE, UH, AND YOU KNOW, REALLY TRYING TO WORK THINGS OUT AND BE IN CONFORMANCE.
BUT IF YOU'VE GOT, THERE ARE ALWAYS THOSE ONE-OFF, THERE'S ALWAYS THOSE SITUATIONS WHERE, GEEZ, THE ORDINANCE ISN'T GONNA WORK IN THIS CASE.
I NEED TO FIND SOME WAY TO, TO MAKE THIS PROJECT WORK.
AND WHAT WE'RE TYPICALLY SEEING, AND WHAT PEOPLE HAVE BECOME ACCUSTOMED TO DOING IS IF, LET'S SAY YOU HAVE TO CUT DOWN MORE THAN 80% OF, OF, YOU KNOW, THE HERITAGE TREES IN A CERTAIN AREA BECAUSE OF ONE THING OR ANOTHER, THEY'LL ACTUALLY, UM, GO AND, AND MITIGATE BEYOND WHAT THE ORDINANCE DICTATES.
AND IN MANY CASES, SIGNIFICANTLY.
AND, YOU KNOW, AND THIS CAN BE, YOU KNOW, DEDICATING ADDITIONAL LAND FOR PERPETUAL GREEN SPACE OR PLANTING A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF TREES OVER AND ABOVE WHAT THE ORDINANCE WOULD DICTATE.
AND I THINK AS LONG AS THOSE THINGS ARE DONE, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT'S RESPONSIBLE.
MANY OF THESE THINGS AREN'T JUST, OH GOD, WE'RE GONNA GO CUT DOWN FIVE HUGE OAK TREES BECAUSE WE WANT TO, IT'S, THIS TREE IS DISEASED, THIS TREE HAS ISSUES.
THIS TREE IS JUST, YOU KNOW, THERE'S, THERE'S EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES WE RARELY SEE ANYMORE WHERE PEOPLE ARE JUST WHOLESALE CLEAR CUTTING ANYTHING.
NOW I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU HAVE ACTUALLY, UH, ORIGINALLY GOT ON THE BOARD IN, UM, 20 12, 10 YEARS AGO.
SO IT'S BEEN 10 YEARS, IS THAT RIGHT? YEARS AGO.
ALRIGHT, OUR NEXT APPLICANT IS MATTHEW PROPHET, ALSO FOR REAPPOINTMENT.
MORNING, MR. PROPHET, UH, AS YOU HEARD, Y'ALL HAVE TWO MINUTES FOR AN OPENING STATEMENT AND THEN WE'LL GO AROUND FOR QUESTIONS.
AND, UH, GOOD MORNING TO MR. MAYOR AND FELLOW COUNCIL MEMBERS.
UM, I'M HERE TODAY, UH, ASKING FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION FOR MY, UH, REAPPOINTMENT FOR MY THIRD TERM AS, UH, COMMISSION, UH, PLANNING COMMISSION MEMBER.
UH, 2022 WAS A, UH, A FULL YEAR, BUT WE DID GET A LOT ACCOMPLISHED IN JANUARY.
I HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF BEING NOMINATED AS THE CHAIR.
AND, UH, OF COURSE, AFTER THE TWO YEAR PAUSE, WE GOT INTO THE U D C AMENDMENT PROCESS.
PRIOR TO GETTING INTO THAT, UH, WE WANTED TO LOOK AT SOME, UH, ISSUES ON THE PLANNING COMMISSION TECHNICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE.
SO I WAS PART OF A TASK FORCE THAT REWROTE THE BYLAWS TO TRY TO INCREASE THE, THE GEOGRAPHIC DIVERSITY OF THE P T A C.
UH, WE DID ADD THREE COMMUNITY AT LARGE, UH, PEOPLE TO THE C UH, COMMISSION, WHICH I THINK HELPED IN THAT ASPECT ALSO SPLIT OUT THE HISTORICAL ENVIRONMENTAL, SO THAT TWO DISTINCT VOICES AND THEY WEREN'T LUMPED TOGETHER.
UH, THE PROCESS WENT VERY SMOOTHLY.
UH, THE GREAT TEAMWORK WITH D S D STAKEHOLDERS, COUNCILMAN COURAGE, WAS THERE FOR MANY A LONG DAY TO TALKING TO, UH, INDIVIDUALS ABOUT THE PROCESS.
AND WE GOT NEARLY 200 AMENDMENTS THROUGH ON THE U D C IN A TIMELY MANNER.
UM, IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE'RE CONTINUING TO REVIEW AND IMPLEMENT THE SA TOMORROW REGIONAL CENTERS.
UM, MY PERSPECTIVE ON PLANNING IS TO BE FAIR, AND THAT WE IDENTIFY WORKING WITH THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT GAPS IN, IN PROPERTY USES.
AND, UM, I'M A BIG PROPONENT OF CREATING OPPORTUNITIES FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
AND IF WE DO SMART PLANNING, UH, WE INCREASE THAT OPPORTUNITY BECAUSE IF WE IDENTIFY AREAS FOR HOUSING THAT FIT THAT KIND OF AFFORDABLE NODE, THAT'S GONNA REDUCE THE COST OF THE DEVELOPER.
WE'RE NOT GOING BACK TO REZONE AND SPENDING ENTITLEMENT COSTS.
I'LL TURN TO QUESTIONS NOW FROM, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER KEO HDA.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TODAY, MR. PROPHET.
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON URBAN INFILL VERSUS SUBURBAN GROWTH? IT'S IMPORTANT TO DO, HAVE RESPONSIBLE INFO DEVELOPMENT.
I THOUGHT THAT THE, UH, THE AFFORDABLE DEVELOPING UNITS WAS, UH, A GOOD SOLUTION TO HELP THAT IN THAT ASPECT.
UM, OBVIOUSLY SUBURBAN SPRAWL PUTS A LOT OF ONUS ON INFRASTRUCTURE.
UM, BUT AGAIN, WE WANT TO FIND THE RIGHT PROJECTS FOR THE RIGHT NEIGHBORHOODS.
A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO PUT DEVELOPMENT IN A NEIGHBORHOOD THAT CLEARLY DOESN'T WANT IT.
AND SO WE DO HAVE TO BALANCE THAT NEED FOR INFILL WITH WHAT THE COMMUNITY WANTS AND DESIRES.
[00:55:02]
THANK YOU.COUNCIL MEMBER KABA, HDA, COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE.
I'VE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO VIEW YOUR WORK, AND SO I HAVE NO OTHER QUESTIONS.
UH, MR. PROPHET, WE'LL, UH, BE DELIBERATING AND EXEC AND THEN COME BACK OUT AND MAKE A DECISION.
OUR LAST APPLICANT, UH, IS MEREDITH SIEGEL, ALSO A REAPPOINTMENT.
UH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SERVICE ON THE COMMISSION.
UM, AS YOU HEARD, YOU ALL HAVE TWO MINUTES FOR AN OPENING STATEMENT, AND THEN WE'LL GO AROUND WITH QUESTIONS.
AM I ON? YOU GUYS CAN HEAR ME? OKAY.
UM, WELL, UH, GOOD MORNING, MAYOR, COUNCIL, COUNCIL MEMBERS, AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE.
UM, I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK ABOUT, UH, MY EXPERIENCE AS A PLANNING COMMISSIONER AND MY DESIRE TO CONTINUE IN THE ROLE.
I'VE JUST COMPLETED MY FIRST TERM, AND IT'S BEEN A, PERSONALLY, A REALLY REWARDING EXPERIENCE FOR ME.
UM, AT PLANNING COMMISSION, WE HEAR FROM A BROAD RANGE OF PARTIES, FROM SMALL LANDOWNERS TO LARGE LAND DEVELOPERS AND CITY DEPARTMENTS.
AND THEY, THEY EACH HAVE A VISION FOR THEIR PROPERTY THAT MAY NOT ALIGN WITH WHAT'S CURRENTLY PLANNED.
THEN WE ALSO HEAR OTHER VOICES, NEIGHBORS AND STAKEHOLDERS, AND THEY ALL POSSESS VALID CONCERNS, AND THEY NEED TO BE HEARD, UH, AND THEY MAY OPPOSE THE APPLICANT'S VISIONS.
AND THEN WE ALSO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THE PEOPLE AND THE PROCESSES THAT WENT INTO DEVISING THE, UM, COMPREHENSIVE PLAN OR THE VICINITY PLAN, OR THE NEIGHBORHOOD PLANS AS THEY CURRENTLY STAND.
AND, UM, THAT PUBLIC, UH, PARTICIPATION PROCESS IS IMPORTANT, AND IT SHOULD BE ONE OF THE VOICES THAT WE HEAR.
UM, SO THEN OUR, SOME OF OUR CASES ARE REALLY COMPLICATED AND CONTROVERSIAL, AND, UM, THEY HAVE A SIGNIFICANT AND LASTING IMPACT ON THE CITY IF WE APPROVE THEM, OR RATHER IF WE MAKE THE RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL WHO MIGHT THEN APPROVE THEM.
OUR SCOPE IS CONSTRAINED LATERALLY.
UM, WE ARE THINKING ABOUT WHAT IS ALLOWABLE OR APPROPRIATE ON A GIVEN PROPERTY IN A GIVEN AREA.
UH, SO THAT LATERAL CONSTRAINT IS A LIMITATION, BUT WE HAVE TO KEEP IN MIND THAT EVEN THOUGH WE MAY NOT HAVE A VERY BROAD PURVIEW, OUR OUR PURVIEW IS LONG AND, AND THE DECISIONS THAT WE RECOMMEND WILL CARRY FORWARD AND AFFECT PEOPLE FOR A HUNDRED YEARS OR MORE.
SO THIS IS A DUTY AND IT'S A PRIVILEGE THAT I TAKE VERY SERIOUSLY.
I HOPE THAT YOU'LL AGREE TO ALLOW ME TO CONTINUE IN THIS SPHERE FOR ANOTHER TERM.
AS A LIFELONG SAN ANTONIAN AND A CAREER LONG ARCHITECTURAL DESIGNER, AND RECENTLY AS A PROFESSIONAL IN THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING SPACE, I FEEL THAT I HAVE A DEPTH OF KNOWLEDGE AND A BREADTH OF EXPERIENCE TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MS. SIEGEL.
UH, WE'LL START WITH QUESTIONS FROM COUNCIL MEMBER BERT HDA.
THANK YOU, MAYOR, AND THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TODAY, MS. SIEGEL, AND FOR YOUR SERVICE ON THE, ON THE BOARD, ON THE COMMISSION.
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON URBAN INFILL VERSUS SUBURBAN GROWTH? WELL, I'M SO GLAD THAT YOU ASKED THAT QUESTION.
I THINK THAT URBAN INFILL IS, UM, A, A REALLY WONDERFUL WAY TO, UH, MEET THAT GROWING HOUSING DEMAND AND THE LAND USE DEMANDS THAT WE HAVE AS A CITY THAT CONTINUES TO MATURE AND GROW.
I THINK THAT SUBURBAN DEVELOPMENT SHOULD BE CURTAILED AS MUCH AS IS WITHIN OUR, UM, YOU KNOW, ALLOWANCE
SO, UM, I THINK THAT THERE'S PRESERVATION OF ENVIRONMENT THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT, UM, BUT THERE'S ALSO PRESERVATION OF THE, UM, CIVIC ENVIRONMENT THAT WOULD HAPPEN IN THE CENTER CITY AND INSIDE THE LOOPS THAT IS ALSO VERY IMPORTANT.
AND THE MORE MISSING TEETH THAT WE CAN FILL IN, THE BETTER FOR US AS A WHOLE CITY.
COUNCIL MEMBER BA HAR, COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE.
THANK YOU MS. SIEGEL FOR ASKING TO CONTINUE TO SERVE.
AND OBVIOUSLY I'VE SAT WITH YOU AT SOME MEETINGS.
I'VE SEEN YOUR WORK AND, AND, UH, YOUR VIEW ON ISSUES.
SO, UH, I REALLY DON'T HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS.
UH, THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER KURZ, AND NO FURTHER QUESTIONS FROM ME.
UH, MS. SIEGEL, THANK YOU AGAIN.
[Executive Session ]
TO BRE BREAK INTO AN EXECUTIVE SESSION, THEN DELIBERATE AND COME BACK OUT WITH A DECISION.ACTUALLY, UM, YOU'RE, YOU'RE FINE.
UM, BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE ANY VIRTUAL ATTENDEES
[01:00:01]
NOW, WE, WE WILL GO INTO THE, UM, WHAT DO WE CALL THAT ROOM? PRE PRESIDIO ROOM.WE'LL GO TO THE PRESIDIO ROOM.
THAT'LL BE FASTER FOR EVERYBODY.
SO THE TIME IS NOW 11:05 AM ON WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25TH, 2022.
THE CITY, THE SAN ANTONIO CITY COUNCIL GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE WILL NOW MEET IN EXECUTIVE SESSION AND CONSULT WITH THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE PURSUANT TO CHAPTER 5 5, 1 OF THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE AND DELIBERATE TO DISCUSS THE LEGAL ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH APPOINTMENTS TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION.
ALRIGHT, GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYBODY.
THE TIME IS, OR GOOD MORNING EVERYONE.
THE TIME IS 11:15 AM ON WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25TH, 2023.
AND THE SAN ANTONIO CITY COUNCIL GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE WILL NOW RECONVENE AN OPEN SESSION.
NO OFFICIAL ACTION WAS TAKEN IN EXECUTIVE SESSION.
UH, BEFORE I TURN THE FLOOR TO COUNCIL MEMBER BERT HDA, UH, LEMME JUST THANK ALL OF THE APPLICANTS, UH, BOTH THOSE WHO ARE SERVING ON THE PLANNING COMMISSION CURRENTLY FOR YOUR SERVICE, UH, AND ALSO THOSE WHO ARE APPLYING FOR THE FIRST TIME FOR YOUR WILLINGNESS TO SERVE.
UH, OBVIOUSLY NONE OF THE THESE DECISIONS ARE NEVER EASY BECAUSE YOU'RE PUTTING YOURSELF FORWARD FOR VOLUNTARY VOLUNTEER SERVICE TO OUR CITY.
UH, AND EACH OF YOU HAVE BROUGHT STRENGTHS.
UH, AND IF YOU'RE NOT SELECTED TODAY, I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU, WE WOULD ALL ENCOURAGE YOU TO LOOK, UH, AT OTHER OPPORTUNITIES TO SERVE THE CITY.
AND THERE ARE INABLE OPPORTUNITIES, AND WE CAN HELP STEER YOU TOWARDS THOSE.
SO AGAIN, THANK YOU ALL, UH, FOR YOUR APPLICATIONS.
I'LL TURN THE FLOOR NOW TO COUNCIL MEMBER KILDA.
I MOVE THAT WE RECOMMEND THE FOLLOWING NOMINEES TO BE CONSIDERED AT THE NEXT AVAILABLE CITY COUNCIL.
A SESSION REAPPOINTMENT OF DR.
SAMEER ZUKI, GEORGE PECK, MATTHEW PROFIT, AND MEREDITH SIEGEL.
AND THE APPOINTMENT OF STEPHANIE FAULKNER FOR THE TERM ENDING OCTOBER, 2024.
OKAY, THERE'S A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR A SLATE OF, UH, NOMINEES TO BE SENT TO THE FULL CITY COUNCIL FOR APPROVAL.
AGAIN, THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH, UH, FOR YOUR TIME TODAY AND YOUR WILLINGNESS TO SERVE.
UH, WE DO HAVE ONE FINAL ITEM, ITEM NUMBER FOUR, AND I'LL TURN THAT OVER TO, UM, WELL, I'LL JUST TURN IT OVER TO ANDY TO GET IT STARTED.
YOU WANT ME TO READ IT? SURE, GO AHEAD.
ITEM NUMBER FOUR IS A BRIEFING AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON CONSIDERATION OF AMENDING THE ORDINANCE, ESTABLISHING EXEMPTIONS TO THE CITY COUNCIL PROJECT PLAN GUIDELINES, ELECTION YEAR MORATORIUM TO ACCOMMODATE CITY COUNCIL NEEDS IN BINDING, PRINTING AND MAILING.
UH, GOOD MORNING, MAYOR AND COMMITTEE.
WELL, REAL QUICKLY, I'LL TAKE THAT FROM HERE.
UH, FOR THE INTEREST OF TIME, UH, THIS, UH, ISSUE CAME UP BY A CON, A COUPLE OF COUNCIL, UH, UH, OFFICES, AND IT HAS TO DO WITH THE, UH, LIMITATIONS WE PUT ON, UH, THE USE OF C C P F FUNDS DURING THE ELECTION CYCLE.
LAST TIME WE MADE AN AMENDMENT TO THIS ORDINANCE WAS IN 2013.
WHAT HAPPENED THEN WAS A REGULARLY SCHEDULED CULTURAL EVENT.
ACTUALLY, IT WAS A HEALTH EVENT.
IT WAS A, I THINK IT WAS A FIVE K, UH, THAT WAS EVERY YEAR, UH, WAS HELD FOR SCHEDULING.
REASONS HAD TO BE POSTPONED, AND IT FELL DURING THIS MORATORIUM.
SO WE CHANGED THE, UH, ORDINANCE, THEN THE COUNCIL DID, SO THAT IT HAD AN EXCEPTION FOR HEALTH EVENTS.
UH, WHAT WE'RE FACING NOW IS THE, UH, LIMITATION ON BINDING PRINTING MAIL, AND, UH, OTHER PUBLICATIONS THAT DISTRICT OFFICE OFFICES SENDS TO THEIR CONSTITUENTS.
UH, RIGHT NOW UNDER OUR CURRENT ORDINANCE, THERE'S A CAP THAT LIMITS DISTRICT OFFENSE TO ONLY SPEND THE AMOUNT SPEND BETWEEN FEBRUARY AND JUNE OF THE PREVIOUS YEAR.
UH, FEBRUARY THROUGH JUNE IS WHAT WE DEEMED TO BE THE ELECTION SEASON UNDER THE ORDINANCE.
THE REASON WE HAVE THE CAP IS TO MITIGATE THE APPEARANCE THAT THE COUNCIL OFFICES ARE, UH, BOLSTERING THEIR COMMUNICATIONS, UH, TO PROVIDE AN ASSIST TO, UH, CAMPAIGN OBJECTIVES.
UM, AND REALLY IT'S, IT'S MORE OF, OF A APPEARANCE OF IMPROPRIETY VERSUS A STRICT LEGAL, BECAUSE THERE IS A STRICT LEGAL RESTRICTION ON USING ANY CITY FUNDS FOR CAMPAIGN PURPOSES THAT IS COMPLETELY RESTRICTED.
SO WHAT WE'RE TALKING RARELY HERE IS ABOUT MAKING SURE THERE'S THE, NOT THE APPEARANCE THAT DISTRICT OFFICE ARE TRYING TO TAKE ADVANTAGE DURING ELECTION SEASON.
THE PROBLEM WITH THE CURRENT, UH, FORMULA IS THAT MANY COUNCIL OFFICES RAMP UP THEIR COMMUNICATIONS OVER THE CALENDAR YEAR IN TERMS OF NEWSLETTERS OR COMMUNICATIONS THEY MAKE TO THEIR CONSTITUENTS.
AND SO WHAT THAT DOES IS THAT, IS THAT IT THEN REQUIRES THOSE DISTRICT OFFICES TO CUT BACK ON COMMUNICATIONS,
[01:05:01]
WHICH WAS NOT THE INTENT OF THE, UH, ORDINANCE, OR AT LEAST NOT THE INTENT OF THE LIMITATION.SO IN OTHER WORDS TO, TO, SO THAT DISTRICT OFFICES ARE NOT IN A POSITION WHERE THEY'RE GONNA HAVE TO CUT BACK COMMUNICATIONS THAT THEY'VE ESTABLISHED OVER THE CALENDAR YEAR, UH, WILL ASK THE CA THE COUNCIL TO CONSIDER AN OPTION WHERE YOU CAN EITHER TAKE, UH, THE AVERAGE THAT ALL THE DISTRICT OFFICES HAVE HAD OVER THAT CALENDAR YEAR.
AND SO EVERY OFFICE WOULD HAVE THE SAME AMOUNT TO SPEND.
OR YOU CAN TAKE AN ANALYSIS OF EACH DISTRICT OFFICE AND TAKE THEIR MONTHLY AVERAGE OVER THE PREVIOUS CALENDAR YEAR AND MULTIPLY THAT BY FIVE, WHICH IS AGAIN, WOULD APPLY DURING THE ELECTION SEASON.
UH, WE THINK THAT WOULD BE A BETTER WAY TO DO IT 'CAUSE IT'LL ADDRESS SOME OF THE WIDE FLUCTUATIONS WE SEE.
AND AS WE SAID, WHAT'LL, WHAT IT'LL DO IS YOU WON'T HAVE A DISTRICT OFFICE THAT WILL THEN HAVE A SITUATION WHERE THEY HAVE TO CUT BACK ON COMMUNICATIONS, WHICH CREATES A, A, A PROBLEM WITH THEIR CONSTITUENTS.
UH, SO REAL QUICKLY, MAYOR, THAT'S WHAT WE WOULD LIKE TO PUT FORWARD THE COUNCIL CONSIDERATION AT THE NEXT COUNCIL MEETING.
UH, AND THIS WOULD GO, UH, STRAIGHT TO AN A SESSION AGENDA.
SO, UH, YOU HEARD THE RECOMMENDATION.
IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION ON THAT? UH, COUNCIL MEMBER CAB HDA.
ACTUALLY, IF I CAN, UH, ENTERTAIN A MOTION AND THEN WE'LL DISCUSS.
WELL, I, I'LL GO AHEAD AND MOVE TO APPROVE THE RECOMMENDATION.
UM, JUST, JUST QUICKLY, I THINK, UH, THE POINTS THAT YOU MADE ABOUT CONSISTENT COMMUNICATION, WHICH, UH, ARE KEY TO REPRESENTATION, BUT ALSO CONSIDERING THE POPULATION GROWTH, UM, AND THAT THOSE NUMBERS HAVE INCREASED OVER, OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS.
I THINK THIS IS A, AN IMPORTANT, UM, ITEM FOR US TO CONSIDER.
COUNCIL MEMBER CAB HARVARD OR COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE? YEAH.
ANDY, WOULD WE BE GIVING THE COUNCIL A CHOICE OF WHICH ONE WE ARE GOING TO APPROVE THAT EVERY OFFICE FOLLOWS? OR ARE WE GIVING EVERY OFFICE TWO CHOICES? THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION, COUNCILMAN.
SO RIGHT NOW, THE, THE, UH, WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING IS THAT THE, EACH DISTRICT OFFICE CAN, CAN EITHER TAKE THE AGGREGATE AVERAGE OR THEIR SPECIFIC OFFICE AVERAGE.
AND WHICHEVER IS HIGHER, THEN THAT WILL BE THE LIMIT.
SO BOTH OF THOSE WOULD BE, UH, AVAILABLE IF THE COUNCIL PASSES? THAT'S CORRECT, YES.
UH, AND ANDY, WHEN, WHEN, UH, WHICH A SESSION WOULD THIS BE ON NOW? THIS WOULD BE ON THE FOLLOWING.
THERE'S A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR FORWARDING THIS RECOMMENDATION TO THE A SESSION NEXT WEEK.
ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE.
I THINK THAT'S A BALANCE OF THE AGENDA.
TIME IS 11:22 AM ON THE 25TH DAY OF JANUARY, 2023 AND OUR GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE MEETING IS NOW ADJOURNED.