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HomeMy WebLinkAbout041508 Planning Board MinutesMINUTES CITY OF BOZEMAN PLANNING BOARD, TUESDAY, APRIL 15, 2008 ITEM 1. CALL TO ORDER AND ATTENDANCE President JP Pomnichowski called the regular meeting of the Planning Board to order at 7:02 p.m. and directed the secretary to take attendance. Members Present: JP Pomnichowski, President Randy Carpenter Erik Henyon William Quinn Chris Mehl Cathy Costakis Sean Becker Donna Swarthout Members Absent: Brian Caldwell Staff Present: Chris Saunders, Assistant Director of Planning Shoni Dykstra, Planning Secretary Guests Present: Kirk J Miller Yvette Converse Nyda Gilbertson Paula Beswick Ellie Staley Mayor Jacobson ITEM 2. PUBLIC COMMENT (0-15 MINUTES) {Limited to any public matter within the jurisdiction of the Planning Board and not scheduled on this agenda. Three-minute time limit per speaker.} Seeing there was none, President Pomnichowski closed this portion of the meeting. ITEM 3. MINUTES OF APRIL 1, 2008 Erik Henyon emailed revisions to the Board, and the secretary sent out revised minutes. Seeing no other changes, additions or corrections to the minutes, President Pomnichowski stated that the revised minutes from April 1, 2008 would stand as written. ITEM 4. BOZEMAN COMMUNITY PLAN UPDATE Review and discussion of the analysis and the issues with the current/new chapters of the Bozeman Community Plan as related to Arts and Culture. Chris Saunders, Assistant Director of Planning, noted Arts and Culture had been previously included in Chapter 4 of the 2020 Plan. He referenced the Clarion recommendation of creating a chapter within the Update to focus specifically on Arts and Culture. He noted the handout which depicted areas of art and cultural resources within the City limits of Bozeman. He pointed out the distribution of public art within the community. He noted the City has no regulatory control concerning arts and culture. He stated the Update could be prescriptive or it could incorporate broad ways the City could encourage and participate in the realm of Arts and Culture. He noted the Bozeman Cultural Council (BCC) had been drafting a private “Living Plan” related to the arts and culture within Bozeman. Mr. Mehl sought clarification on the establishment of an advisory board relating to arts and culture and the benefits of moving the Council from private to public. Planner Saunders noted most of the advisory boards had a specific directive from the City Commission. President Pomnichowski sought clarification on which established advisory boards were affected and influenced by arts and culture. Planner Saunders noted the Band Board, the Design Review Board, the Beautification Board, and the Bozeman Historic Preservation Advisory Board were directly related while the Wetlands Review Board and the Recreation and Parks Board were indirectly related. President Pomnichowski sought clarification on the defining ideas and the implementation policies the City could adopt to work towards the goals outlined in the Update. Planner Saunders deferred to the BCC. President Pomnichowski invited the BCC members to join the Board at the dais and introduce themselves. Yvette Converse noted she is acting Chairperson, but Nyda Gilbertson has been taking over recently. She noted the BCC was established in 1999 as a grassroots effort to establish a plan. She noted they are hoping to develop further by becoming recognized by local government which will provide opportunities for access to more resources. Paula Beswick noted that the “Living Plan” addressed six different elements to move the perception of arts and culture from the nebulous to key areas of focus. She listed the six elements as: Fine Arts and Artists, Education, Tangible Forms, Intangible Forms, Healthy and Balanced Lifestyles, and Tourism. She noted the “Living Plan” addressed the marketing and advertising of each element and included input from experts for each element as related to the Bozeman area. President Pomnichowski added that the “Living Plan” had two goals: identifying the current arts and culture, and addressing ways to encourage and foster continued growth. She stated that the “Living Plan” would be more specific than the Growth Policy Update, but the six elements could be incorporated within the Update. She noted some of the arts and culture references would also need to be included in the Historic Preservation chapter and the Parks, Recreation, Pathways, and Open Space chapter. Donna Swarthout stated she is concerned about the citizens who are not represented within the “arts and culture” of Bozeman. She encouraged a statement in the Update about the City striving to ensure that arts and culture reflect the diversity of the community. She noted that by having a “Christmas Stroll” rather than a “Holiday Stroll” some residents of Bozeman were misrepresented. Mr. Mehl sought input from the BCC on how the six elements of the “Living Plan” addressed the shortcomings of the 2020 Plan in relation to arts and culture. He noted the City would have a harder time coordinating with the Council and the “Living Plan” as long as they were a private entity due to the lack of public input. He sought clarification from the BCC on how to ensure they had the appropriate clout. Ms. Beswick noted the BCC would like to receive input from the City and the County as the best way for them to proceed to receive that recognition. Mr. Mehl sought clarification on the BCC’s desire to see the “Living Plan” incorporated within the Update. Ms. Converse noted they needed to become recognized by the City in order to access financial and public resources to move forward. She noted the “Living Plan” is designed to be a standalone plan. Cathy Costakis sought clarification from the BCC on what they would like to see included. Ms. Beswick noted the six elements were key factors they would like to see included. Ellie Staley noted how arts and culture are developing is also important component to include in the Update. She stated the implementation steps the City could take in the area of arts and culture would be different than what could be addressed through the “Living Plan”. Ms. Swarthout noted the components did sound like key components but it was hard to endorse them when they do not know specifics. She noted she wanted to strive to include every group. She noted the Sweet Pea festival did not allow the Human Rights group to participate in the parade because they were a political organization while churches were allowed to participate. She would like to ensure what is not being currently captured and represented has a voice in the Update. Ms. Beswick noted the “Living Plan” addressed the reasons arts and culture are important in the six areas rather than calling out specifics which had the potential to become exclusive. Ms. Swarthout noted the Update could have a goal stating that arts and culture strive to reflect Bozeman’s diversity. Planner Saunders noted the City was not included in the organization of Sweet Pea or the Christmas Stroll. He noted many of the regulations would be different if the City did become a part of the organization, and those issues would be looked at much more carefully if the City did become more involved. Mr. Mehl noted he would like a tangible answer from the BCC as to what they would like to see incorporated in the Update. Ms. Converse noted the BCC did not want to take responsibility for representing the entire subject within the Update due to the broadness of the topic. President Pomnichowski noted the six elements presented earlier and the diversity, arts and culture brought in through Montana State University. Mr. Henyon noted that Bozeman is shaped by the ski resorts, the access to fly fishing, and the outdoor aspects of the area lend themselves toward the artistic side of the community. He noted that MSU does define Bozeman in light of arts and culture. Ms. Beswick noted the “Living Plan” addressed natural amenities through the healthy and balanced lifestyles. Ms. Converse noted the “Living Plan” is intended to define what makes Bozeman distinctive from other towns in the West. Planner Saunders noted the table cross-referencing other chapters within the Update would be an important aspect to this chapter as there were so many areas of overlap. He noted the distinguishing elements of Bozeman should be conveyed within each respective chapter within the Update. Ms. Costakis commended the BCC on their hard work to date. She noted the arts and culture from a planning perspective would have a huge influence on how Bozeman is shaped and continues to grow in the area. She would like to see language in the update that highlights the importance of public art and supporting public art in the corridors. Ms. Swarthout noted another theme would be accessibility. She noted Bozeman does a great job of making sure events were not exclusive to specific groups. Ms. Staley noted the BCC was looking for ways to incorporate language implementing those policies. President Pomnichowski noted the Update would be a great place to address the implementation and encouragement of public venues and public art pieces. Mr. Henyon noted he would like to see unique artistic pieces in the entryway corridors. Ms. Beswick agreed. She noted her attempt to use a single sentence to capture the heart of the BCC; she noted the BCC envisions Bozeman as a town committed to advancing arts and culture in as many aspects as possible. She listed ways to incorporate the ideas through new development, restoration, community conservation, entryway corridors, facilities, and through continued support of diversity. She noted many more things can be added to the “Living Plan” but the same guiding statement could be utilized in both the “Living Plan” and the Update. Mr. Mehl noted he would like the Planning Board to have the opportunity to review the “Living Plan” in a completed draft form. Ms. Converse noted the current draft was being impacted by conversations such as the current one. Mr. Carpenter noted a functional comprehensive plan should explain who Bozeman is, why, and how it became that way, and he sought clarification on the incorporation of the past within the chapter. Ms. Converse noted historic references were included in the “Living Plan” within the intangible culture section. Mr. Henyon noted benchmarks could be included to identify steps to generate more revenue for an area such as the Fairgrounds which has a huge impact on the culture of Bozeman. He noted that arts and culture will generate revenue brought in by tourists as well as by current residents. Sean Becker encouraged the BCC to think big. He noted they should develop long and short term goals. He stated the Growth Policy highlights the uniqueness of Bozeman and this chapter in particular will tie into every other area. He noted the Fairgrounds and the MSU Tomorrow Plan would be important to incorporate into both the Update and the “Living Plan”. He noted public awareness of the creation of the “Living Plan” and the BCC was going affect their perceptions of the “Living Plan”. He encouraged the BCC to seek more public involvement and to schedule a presentation before the City Commission with a working Draft of the “Living Plan”. He noted the key would be to have specifics regarding policy recommendations, goals, and objectives. He also noted the responsibility of different agencies in regard to arts and culture should be broken down. He encouraged the BCC to incorporate language regarding arts and culture in respect to form based zoning, as well as how it meets goals from the 2020 Plan. Ms. Converse noted the BCC did not want to incorporate language from the 2020 Plan without knowing the city was going to endorse the “Living Plan”. President Pomnichowski noted the contributing ideas from the “Living Plan” could be enhanced in the Update chapter to include accessibility. She noted accessibility will be the hardest section to write, but it also provides the basis for the rest of the chapter. Mr. Mehl noted the Planning Board would like to incorporate the BCC ideas, but with a greater emphasis on public process. Mr. Becker noted the more organized the BCC with the “Living Plan” and its purpose, the easier it would be to provide for arts and culture within the budget. Bill Quinn noted the arts and culture chapter within the Update places a positive stance on the importance arts and culture play in the community. He noted the Board’s responsibility would be to uphold arts and culture within the context of the Growth Policy. Mr. Mehl provided a brief summary of the Planning Board’s discussion. He noted the purpose for including arts and culture in the Update is to raise and increase awareness of the current culture and to foster its’ continued creation. He noted the current culture is shaped by the outdoor lifestyle, education, Main Street and the downtown area, and Montana State University. He noted some of the goals discussed included continuing promotion and education; collaboration and coordination with the BCC and other entities in respect to arts and culture, and broad facilitating. He noted under implementation an updated survey, emphasis placed on arts and culture in the entryway corridors, embracing plans such as the “Living Plan”, the MSU Tomorrow Plan, etc, and possibly developing a plan for the fairgrounds and/or Downtown. Ms. Beswick thanked the Board for including Arts and Culture in the Growth Policy Update and for their inclusion in the Update Process. ITEM 5. NEW BUSINESS Planner Saunders noted that the May 5 meeting would be canceled and that CAHAB members had been informed about the Housing Chapter. Mr. Becker noted the meeting he had had with Mr. Carpenter, Kath Williams, and Wendy from Engineering Inc to brainstorm ways to incorporate LEED principles in the Update. Ms. Williams had highlighted ways LEED principals positively affect the economic, cultural, and public health of a community. Mr. Becker sought clarification on how the Planning Board was going to address some of the upcoming issues. He noted the process the Board was using currently was not conducive to facilitating change. President Pomnichowski noted her prior discussions with Staff and the decision to hold public meetings for each chapter of the Update. Planner Saunders noted the outside perspective from the public came from the previous focus groups, the Clarion Analysis, Citizen Panels, and continued outreaches. Mr. Mehl noted he would like a proposed timeline in order to be better prepared. Ms. Swarthout noted the Clarion Report did not give alternatives to their suggestions and she would like to see different policy issues to choose from. Mr. Becker noted the Board could be more approachable and easier to engage if the format was different. Mr. Henyon sought clarification on the City’s receiving email during a meeting and the availability of that to the board. Mr. Mehl noted continuing to promote news about the update through various resources is also important. Ms. Costakis stated that people have busy lives and the more understood the personal implications of the decisions being made the more involved they were likely to become. Superintendent Kirk Miller thanked the Board. He stated he was here to understand the process and to gain insight into the connectedness between the schools and the City, County, and MSU. He noted the discussions about the renovation of the High School had brought up the possible construction of a performing arts center. He noted a feasibility study was going to go out to receive a recommendation from the board of trustees. He commended the Planning Board on their proactive stance on public outreach. Mr. Carpenter noted Media Resources was a communications consultant that deals with growth management issues, and wondered if the Board would be interested in having them present. Mr. Mehl noted he would prefer to have an outline of events before scheduling more presentations. Planner Saunders noted some of the chapters included in the Growth Policy were state mandated and primarily descriptive at procedure and would have little public input. He noted the next couple of meeting would cover Housing and then Land Use, but he noted Staff would provide a calendar for the Board. Mr. Becker noted he would be absent on May 20th. ITEM 6. ADJOURNMENT Seeing there were no further issues before the Board, President Pomnichowski adjourned the meeting at 9:26. __________________________________ __________________________________ JP Pomnichowski, President Chris Saunders, Assistant Director Planning Board Planning & Community Development City of Bozeman City of Bozeman