WORK SESSION – Council will meet on Monday at 6:15 PM to discuss the Sand River Restoration Project. Over the last several years the City has met with the Hitchcock Woods Foundation concerning storm water issues throughout the woods. Of particular interest and discussion has been the Sand River portion through the woods. The City and Foundation jointly agreed that ideally we should retain as much water before it actually enters the woods through Green Infrastructure. The City has recently received a $3.34 million grant from the Department of Health and Environmental Control to capture a portion of this water through strategically placed rain gardens, bio-swales, porous pavement and other means. The City's Sand River Restoration Project is currently being designed jointly by the city's consulting firm in cooperation and under the general direction of Dr. Gene Eidson, Director, Center for Watershed Excellence, Clemson University. Dr. Eidson and his staff will be at tonight's meeting to describe the work currently underway and what they hope to accomplish through this project. Once we have completed this work they will continue to monitor the results both for the city and the Hitchcock Woods Board as a research component. Plans should be completed by September and construction started by late fall/winter
YOUTH IN ACTION SUMMER PROGRAM – June 22 through June 26 is this summer’s Youth in Action Program. The City’s Neighborhood Development Services Division is undertaking this program in response to Council concerns that we involve local youth in neighborhood improvements. It combines community engagement and a youth character building initiative through painting or yard work at houses on Washington Circle, President Drive, Sumter Street, and Jefferson Terrace. Several local churches will guide our local youths in this Neighborhood Development Services undertaking that includes hard work, camaraderie, daily devotionals and a way for them to help make Aiken a better community.
COMMENDATIONS – We are proud to announce that Sergeant Wilson Dandy has been selected the 2009 Law Enforcement Officer of the Year by the American Legion, Department of South Carolina. He will be honored at a luncheon in Columbia on Friday, June 26, 2009. Sgt. Dandy was nominated by Aiken American Legion Post 212.
Finance Director Kim Abney forwarded a commendation letter from Ray and Norma Conatser for the information and assistance they received from Debra Josey, Accounts Receivable Division Supervisor. Debra works with other staff at the City’s utility payments counter. The Conatsers were pleased as well with the assistance they received from the City’s water utility repair crew.
SECOND READING OF AN ORDINANCE TO ANNEX TO THE CORPORATE LIMITS OF THE CITY OF AIKEN CERTAIN PROPERTY CONSISTING OF 5 ACRES OF LAND, MORE OR LESS, OWNED BY NORTHPOINTE DEVELOPMENT GROUP, LLC AND TO ZONE THE SAME PLANNED COMMERCIAL (PC). – The owner of an undeveloped 51.4 acre tract on the south side of University parkway near Arbor Court is requesting annexation of 5 acres under the Planned Commercial zone. They would like to develop the site as a cosmetology school and later some office buildings. They would like to receive city water and sewer. The property is contiguous by means of the University Parkway right of way. The layout of this concept plan does not comply with the proposed Corridor Overlay District.
FIRST READING OF AN ORDINANCE APPROVING THE SALE AND CONVEYANCE OF LOTS AND HOMES IN CROSLAND PARK - Over the last several years the City of Aiken has acquired property and sold lots and homes to various citizens in the Edgewood and Toole Hill areas. We are now ready to start selling lots and homes in the Crosland Park area. The price of these homes will vary depending on their purchase price and the improvements made to each home. Based on the work involved these homes should be sold at or above the appraised value. In some cases the appraised value may be higher than the amount of the home and the work that was involved in its rehabilitation. In other cases the appraised value may actually be lower than the price of work that went into each of the homes. Our overall goal is to meet the costs involved in the acquisition and rehabilitation for all the homes in the Crosland Park neighborhood. Instead of bringing back each sale, we recommend that staff be given the ability to sell all homes at a price that exceeds or equals the cost of the home and improvements. At this time we are ready to sell two homes and three lots that we have purchased to the Aiken Housing Authority. Since no improvements have been made on the homes the sales price consists of our cost to acquire the property and any soft costs that we have incurred. We have already purchased 25 homes, and we have an option on approximately 80 others. Therefore, many additional home sales would be negotiated under these circumstances in the near future. This flexibility will allow us to move forward with the sale and to keep the entire Crosland Park project moving forward.
REQUEST FOR APPROVAL OF WATER UTILITIES ON .77 ACRES ON BEAR CIRCLE - Frederick A. Martinez, the purchaser who is representing the owner, is requesting city water for a .77 acre parcel for four existing mobile homes. The units are currently served by a master meter. They propose to sell the subject property and would like to have individual water meters for these homes. Sanitary sewer is not available at this location. The Planning Commission was concerned about the existing mobile homes that were manufactured prior to 1976 and do not meet current HUD standards and also that the property cannot meet most of the city standards for a manufactured home park. This site is within the new Comprehensive Plan area for the north side and is shown as an enhanced area on the growth concept maps. There are several general policies and Enhancement Area Policies which the Planning Commission reviewed in making their decision. They were concerned that most of the provisions of 4.2.8 regarding manufactured home parks could not be met and therefore denied the request on a 6 to 1 vote.
REQUEST FOR APPROVAL OF HISTORICAL MARKER IN DOWNTOWN AIKEN - At their June meeting the Design Review Board considered a request from the Aiken County Historical Society to erect an historical marker on Laurens Street. This is to recognize the 1953 gas explosion which occurred near Laurens and Richland. The explosion occurred on January 27, 1953 and destroyed one building and damaged five others. Ten people were killed by the blast. The applicant states that the sign did not meet the criteria set by the South Carolina Department of Archives and History. However, the Aiken County Historical Society would still like to move forward with the sign.
REQUEST FOR UTILITY SERVICE AND BILLBOARDS - For the last several years Council has had many discussions concerning properties with pre-existing non-conforming billboards. In the 1990's Council developed a policy that stated non-conforming signs such as billboards needed to be removed prior to the city providing utility services. However, in 2006 the Legislature passed the South Carolina Land Owner and Advertisement Protection and Property Evaluation Act. These statutes clearly protect the interest of the billboard company and limit the ability to remove them without just compensation. There are approximately 25 billboards located just outside our city limits and they stymie the type of development that could occur on these properties. City Staff would like City Council to consider a change to our Utility Service Policy that would allow us to provide utilities yet help ensure that the billboard is removed at the end of the lease period. Our City Attorney has reviewed these statutes and believes that we can enter into an agreement with the landowner and the billboard owner that sets forth when the billboard would be removed. At tonight's meeting we would like to determine whether or not City Council would like to move forward with changes to the utility policy that would hopefully alleviate this problem in the future.
The City of Aiken has been meeting with the Hitchcock Woods organization for at least twenty-five years or more and not the last few years as you assert. Furthermore, when are you people going to learn that water flows down hill. I'm all for collecting, diverting/dispersing the storm water run-off, but even you people cannot change the laws of gravity and nature, try as you might.
ReplyDeleteAlso, the Planning Commission does not have the authority to "deny" city services such as water as in this case to the mobile homes. Only City Council can approve or "deny" city services. The members of the Planning Commission can only RECOMMEND action to City Council.
It is true that the City has been meeting with Hitchcock Woods for a very long time. Many times an agreement was reached in an attempt to resolve problems associated with storm water runn-off into Hitchcock Woods, but none proved workable. We now have a plan which seems to have broad support from the Hitchcock Woods Foundation and the City of Aiken which controls the flow of storm water into the woods. I don't know what point Anonymous is trying to make, but I think we are making substantive progress in dealing with this issue.
ReplyDeleteWith regard to the Planning Commission denying the request for water on Bear Road property, they did in fact vote to deny the service. Anonymous is correct in stating that only City Council can make the final decision on this type of issue.