[Economic Development Committee on October 21, 2026.]
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IT'S WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21ST, 2026, AND THE TIME IS 2:00 PM I'M COUNCIL MEMBER FLICKINGER PRESIDING CHAIR OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE.UH, WANNA WELCOME EVERYBODY THAT IS HERE.
WE HAVE COUNCILMAN CASTILLO, COUNCILWOMAN ALCORN, UH, THE SECOND PLACE RUNNER UP IN THE, UH, THE MUSICAL CHAIRS TODAY, COUNCILMAN JOAQUIN MARTINEZ, UH, COUNCILMAN RAMIREZ.
STAFF FROM MARIANNE HUFFMAN'S OFFICE, AND THEN STAFF FROM THE MAYOR PRO TEMS OFFICE.
UH, THIS MEETING'S OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AND IS BEING HELD IN PERSON IN VIRTUALLY.
WE ALSO ARE BROADCASTING VIA HOUSTON HTV COUNCIL MEMBERS AND STAFF.
PLEASE HOLD YOUR QUESTIONS UNTIL THE END OF THE PRESENTATION.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO ASK A QUESTION AND OUR PRESIDENT IN THE CHAMBER REQUEST TO SPEAK, OR IF YOU'RE JOINING VIRTUALLY, TYPE REQUEST TO SPEAK IN THE CHAT POD AND YOU'LL BE RECOGNIZED IN ORDER.
YOU'LL BE ADVISED WHEN TWO MINUTES HAVE EXPIRED, COUNCIL MEMBERS ATTENDING VIRTUALLY, PLEASE USE THE CHAT POD TO COMMUNICATE.
UH, THERE ARE EIGHT MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WHO HAVE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK TODAY.
IF THERE ARE ANY PUBLIC SPEAKERS PRESENT HERE IN THE CHAMBER WHO WISH TO SIGN UP TO SPEAK, THERE IS A SIGN IN SHEEP AT THE FRONT TABLE ON YOUR RIGHT, WHERE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON CHIP INTERN, HAYA ALANI, IS SEATED AND SHE'S WALKING BEHIND.
SHE'S WALKING BACK BEHIND US RIGHT NOW.
UM, PUBLIC SPEAKERS WILL HAVE A CHANCE TO SPEAK AFTER THE CONCLUSION OF THE PRESENTATIONS.
ANY QUESTIONS CAN BE EMAILED TO DISTRICT K HOUSTON TX.GOV AND WILL BE FORWARDED TO THE RESPECTIVE DEPARTMENTS ENTITIES FOR RESPONSES.
UH, THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANGE IN ORDER OF THE AGENDA.
AND, UH, WE'RE ACTUALLY GOING TO START OFF WITH JENNIFER KLEY, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR WITH THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
WE'LL PRESENT ON THE TAX INCREMENT REINVESTMENT ZONE PROJECT PLAN PROPOSALS, FOLLOWED BY A PRESENTATION ON THE TEXAS ENTER ENTERPRISE ZONE PROPOSALS.
MS. CURLEY, PLEASE PROCEED WITH YOUR PRESENTATION.
OH, THANK YOU SO MUCH, MR. CHAIR.
OH, I MIGHT, UM, COUNCIL MEMBERS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT BEFORE YOU TODAY.
UM, TODAY I'M GONNA PREVIEW THE TS PROJECT PLAN AMENDMENTS AND THE TEXAS ENTERPRISE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WILL BE INCLUDED ON CITY COUNCIL'S AGENDA IN THE COMING WEEKS.
SO THESE ITEMS WILL NOT BE PRESENTED TODAY ON COUNCIL OR NEXT WEEK.
THESE ARE ITEMS THAT WILL BE ON COMING AGENDAS IN THE FUTURE.
UM, FIRST I'LL TALK ABOUT THE PROJECT PLAN AMENDMENTS.
FIRST WITH COMMENTS ABOUT POLICY, THE PROPOSALS THEMSELVES AT A PROPOSED TIMELINE.
AFTERWARDS, I GO INTO THE TEXAS ENTERPRISE ZONE PROGRAM AND THE PROPOSED NOMINATIONS.
SO, UM, T POLICY IS GUIDED BY CHAPTER THREE 11 OF THE STATE TAX CODE.
IT ESTABLISHES THE TAX INCREMENT FINANCING ACT, AND WE ALSO LOOK AT, OF COURSE, UH, THE CITY OF HOUSTON'S TS FINANCIAL POLICIES.
SO, THE PROJECT PLAN AND THE FINANCIAL FINANCE, THE PROJECT PLAN AND FINANCING PLAN IS THE TS GUIDING DOCUMENT.
IT IS ONE OF THE REQUIRED DOCUMENTS WHEN YOU'RE ESTABLISHING A TS.
WHAT IS REQUIRED BY THE STATUTE IS A PRELIMINARY PROJECT PLAN AND FINANCING PLAN.
ANY CHANGE IN PRIORITIES, TAX TAXING, UNIT PARTICIPATION OR BOUNDARY CHANGES, UM, REQUIRES AMENDING THE PROJECT PLAN.
THE TS BOARD APPROVES THE PROJECT PLAN.
SO WHAT THEY DO IS THEY REVIEW THEIR CURRENT, UM, POLICIES, LOOK AT MAKING ADJUSTMENTS, UM, MAKE CHANGES TO THOSE POLICIES THROUGH THE PROJECT PLAN AMENDMENT.
THE TURS BOARD THEN APPROVES THOSE POLICY CHANGES AND SUBMITS THAT DOCUMENT TO THE CITY FOR APPROVAL BY CITY COUNCIL.
IN THE MEANTIME, WHAT HAPPENS BETWEEN THE STEPS THAT THE TURS MAKES AND CITY COUNCIL IS THAT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT REVIEWS THE ASK AND DETERMINES WHETHER THOSE ASKS ARE CONSISTENT WITH CHAPTER THREE 11, BUT ALSO CONSISTENT WITH THE TOURIST CITY'S TUR FINANCIAL POLICIES.
UM, SO THE, THE PROJECT PLAN ITSELF WILL ESTABLISH THE ZONES, ESTABLISH THE ZONES, ESTABLISH THE ZONE BOUNDARIES.
IT'LL, IT'LL ESTABLISH PROJECT PRIORITIES.
IT WILL PROVIDE DEVELOPMENT GOALS AND ALSO FINANCIAL PR PROJECTIONS.
BECAUSE WHAT YOU WANNA DO IS MAKE SURE THAT THE PROJECTS THAT ARE BEING PROPOSED ARE, UM, FINANCIALLY ACHIEVABLE.
SO YOU DON'T WANNA PUT PROJECTS IN THERE, BUT WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH FUNDING FOR THOSE PROJECTS.
SO THE PROJECT PLAN IS GONNA TELL US HOW
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DO THEY PLAN TO FUND THESE PARTICULAR PROJECTS.SO YOU HAVE THE PROJECT PLAN, THAT'S THE OVERALL GUIDING PRINCIPLE PLAN, BUT THAT DEVELOPS INTO THE ANNUAL BUDGET THAT CITY COUNCIL APPROVES, UM, EVERY YEAR.
TODAY WHAT WE'RE, UM, PRESENTING TODAY IS THESE FOUR PROPOSED PLANNED PROJECT PLAN AMENDMENTS.
UM, THE FIRST ONE IS LAKE HOUSTON.
WHAT THEY'RE LOOKING FOR IS A LIFE EXTENSION AND AN ANNEXATION.
THE LIFE EXTENSION IS NEEDED BECAUSE THEY HAVE PHASE TWO OF NORTH PARK DRIVE TO COMPLETE.
THEY'VE ALREADY COMPLETED, OR PROBABLY IN THE PUNCH LIST, UM, AREA OF PHASE ONE.
AND SO THEY'RE IN THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPING PHASE TWO.
THEY DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH FUNDING.
THEY HAVE $40 MILLION IN GRANT FUNDING FOR PHASE TWO, BUT THEY NEED, UM, FUNDING FOR THE MATCH.
AND SO THE LIFE EXTENSION IS, UM, GEARED TOWARD ALLOWING THEM THE ABILITY TO FUND THEIR MATCH.
THE ADDITIONAL ANNEXATION, OF COURSE, IS TO APPROACH OTHER FLOOD REMEDIATION PROJECTS WITHIN THAT PARTICULAR ZONE.
YOU MIGHT REMEMBER DURING HARVEY, THEY HAD, UM, A DIFFICULT TIME DURING THAT, UM, THAT PARTICULAR WEATHER EVENT.
AND SO, UM, WHAT THEY'RE LOOKING AT IS DEVELOPING CORRIDORS THAT ALLOWED THEIR CONSTITUENTS TO EVACUATE THE AREA WHEN THERE'S MAJOR FLOODING.
THAT'S, THAT WAS THE, UM, UM, THAT WAS THE SUPPORT FOR THE NORTH PARK DRIVE PROJECT, BUT THERE WERE SOME ADDITIONAL THINGS THAT NEEDED TO BE DONE IN THAT PARTICULAR AREA TO IMPROVE SOME OTHER REGIONAL FLOODING IN THAT, IN, IN THAT PARTICULAR BOUNDARY.
UM, THIS IS A STRAIGHTFORWARD PARTICIPATION.
HARRIS COUNTY PRECINCT FOUR IS PARTICIPATING IN THE UPTOWN ZONE.
AND SO WE NEED TO AMEND THE PROJECT PLAN TO INCLUDE THEIR PARTICIPATION, UM, FOR HARDY NEAR NORTH SIDE AND HARRISBURG.
SIMILARLY, THERE'S A PARTICIPATION, UM, UM, THERE, UM, PRECINCT TWO IS PARTICIPATING IN BOTH HARDY AND HARRISBURG.
SO WE NEED TO AMEND THE PROJECT PLAN TO, UM, INCLUDE THAT PARTICIPATION.
ALSO IN BOTH HARDY AND HARRISBURG, THERE IS SOME ANNEXATION, UM, THAT IS GOING TO BE DONE IN THOSE PARTICULAR AREAS.
FOR HARDY, IT'S TO ANNEX A PROPERTY THAT AFFORDABLE HOUSING WILL BE BUILT ON IN HARRISBURG.
IT'S RIGHT OF WAY SET GAS PARK, AND THE ORANGE CHAUFFEUR VISIONARY ART PROPERTY.
SO, YOU KNOW WHAT WE PLAN TO DO.
WE PRESENT IT TODAY TO LET GIVE COUNCIL AN INKLING OF WHERE WE'RE GOING, UM, FOR THE REST OF THE, UM, REST OF THE YEAR.
UM, THE NEXT STEP WILL BE TO DO THE PUBLIC HEARINGS AND THEN THE COUNCIL, AND THEN PUT THESE ITEMS, PUT THE ACTUAL PROJECT PLAN ON CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ON DECEMBER 2ND.
UH, ON THE, I MEAN, AND I'M, I THINK IT'S GREAT THAT THE, THE PRECINCTS ARE GETTING, YOU KNOW, THAT WE'RE GETTING SOME ADDITIONAL UHT FUNDS IN.
DO YOU KNOW ABOUT HOW, CAN YOU GET ONE SLIDE BACK ABOUT HOW MUCH ADDITIONAL FUNDING WILL COME, UH, TO THESE TOURS THROUGH, LIKE ON THE UPTOWN? WHAT, WHAT IS PRECINCT FOR PARTICIPATION? UM, UNFORTUNATELY THAT'S THE ONE DOCUMENT I LEFT UPSTAIRS, BUT I CAN, THAT'S OKAY.
I CAN SEND YOU WHAT THE, UM, I CAN SEND YOU WHAT THE ACTUAL PAYMENT WILL BE AND WELL AS THE PROJECTED ONE.
AND REMIND ME WHEN THAT BASE YEAR STARTS, WHEN THEY'RE ANNEXED, HOW, HOW DOES THE INCREMENT WORK FROM WHAT BASE YEAR? SO THEY GO BACK, WHICH IS ALL THE WAY TO THE BEGINNING, ALL THE WAY BACK TO ALL THE WAY TO THE BASE YEAR.
SO THE INCREMENT FROM THE BASE YEAR ATTRIBUTABLE TO PRECINCT FOUR OR PRECINCT TWO GOES TO THE TUR? THAT'S CORRECT.
UM, SO THAT'LL BE CONSIDERABLE, THE PLANS THAT, THAT THE COUNTY, THE PRECINCTS HAVE FOR THAT ADDITIONAL FUNDING WILL BE IN OUR PROJECT PLAN? THAT'S CORRECT.
I MEAN, IT'LL JUST BE A FUNDING SOURCE WITHIN THE CATEGORIES ALREADY ESTABLISHED, OR WILL THERE BE NEW CATEGORIES OR HOW, HOW WILL THAT WORK? WELL, BOTH.
SO IF THERE'S A NEED FOR A NEW CATEGORY, FOR EXAMPLE, RIGHT.
IF, IF, IF THEY'RE FOCUSING ON AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND IT
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WAS NOT A CATEGORY IN THE PROJECT PLAN, WE'RE ADDING THAT.INCLUDING THE COUNTY'S PLANS, THE PRECINCT'S PLANS WITHIN THE PROJECT PLAN WHEN IT COMES.
AND YOU WILL SEE IT IN THE BUDGET AS WELL.
SO WHEN, WHEN, LIKE, THESE WILL COME NOW SO THAT, THAT KIND OF STUFF WON'T SHOW UP TILL, OR WILL IT SHOW UP BEFORE WE APPROVE THIS YEAR'S BUDGET? UH, IN THESE, BECAUSE SOME OF THESE, SOME OF THESE TERMS AS HAVE ALREADY COME, RIGHT? I MEAN, SO SOME OF THEM ALREADY COME, BUT THE PROJECTS HAVE NOT BEEN DEVELOPED, SO IT WASN'T IN THEIR 20.
SO LIKE WE, WE CAN EXPECT TO SEE THE NEXT YEAR'S PROJECT PLAN MORE OF HOW THAT ADDITIONAL FUNDING WILL BE.
I BELIEVE YOU WILL BE ABLE TO SEE IT IN THE 2028 BUDGET WHEN WE START DOING THE 2028, BECAUSE NOW, UM, THERE WILL BE FINANCIAL REVENUE COMING INTO THE TS THAT THEY CAN NOW SPEND.
AND IN ORDER TO SPEND IT, THEY'LL HAVE TO HAVE IT IN THE BUDGET.
UH, AND NOT, YEAH, WHEN YOU CAN JUST SEND OVER THOSE PROJECTIONS, THAT'D BE GREAT.
WE'VE ALSO BEEN JOINED BY COUNCILMAN CASTILLO, UM, COUNCILWOMAN VICE MAYOR, VICE MAYOR PRO TEM PECK.
I HAD TO MAKE SURE I GOT ALL THAT TITLE.
AND THEN, UH, STAFF FROM, UH, COUNCILWOMAN SHABAZZ, COUNCILWOMAN CARTER, AND COUNCILWOMAN THOMAS.
COUNCILWOMAN HUFFMAN AND COUNCILWOMAN ELLA.
SO NEXT IN THE QUEUE IS, UH, RAMIREZ COUNCILMAN.
THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR AND THANK YOU DIRECTOR FOR THE PRESENTATION.
UM, SO AS I UNDERSTAND IT, THE TS POLICIES HAVE TO BE ADOPTED YEARLY AND MAKE UP PART OF THE CITY'S FINANCIAL POLICIES.
IS THAT CORRECT? THAT'S CORRECT.
UM, WHAT CHANGES ARE BEING MADE IN THIS YEAR'S T FINANCIAL POLICIES FROM LAST YEAR? THERE WERE NO CHANGES THAT I'M AWARE OF, SIR.
WE HAVE RECEIVED COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE LACK OF TRANSPARENCY BY A FEW TS AND I'VE VISITED WITH, WITH, UH, YOUR, YOUR BOSS DIRECTOR ABOUT THAT.
UM, SO YOU ALL DON'T PROPOSE TO, UM, SAY ANYTHING ABOUT, UH, TOURIST TRANSPARENCY IN THIS YEAR'S, UH, POLICIES.
SO, UM, ANY TYPE OF CHANGE LIKE THAT WOULD BE IN, UM, THE, USUALLY THE FINANCIAL POLICIES ARE UPDATED IN THE BUDGET.
SO THAT WOULD GO IN WITH THE FISCAL YEAR 28 BUDGET.
IT'LL BE IN THE FISCAL YEAR 28, 20 28 BUDGET.
BUT I'LL SEND OUT A MEMO TO ALL OF THE TERMS WITH REGARD TO THE MINIMUM STANDARDS.
'CAUSE WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, IF I'M, IF I RECALL CORRECTLY, IS YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT WHAT THEY'RE PUTTING ON THEIR, UM, THEIR, UM, PAGE, THEIR, UM, WEBSITE.
AND SO THE, THE ISSUE IS WHETHER OR NOT THEY PUT THEIR FULL BOARD PACKET ON THE, ON THE, ON THE WEBSITE AND PUT THEIR MEETINGS OUT THERE ON THE WEBSITE.
AND A LOT OF THEM HAVE STARTED TO, UM, UPGRADE THEIR OPERATIONS BECAUSE BEFORE, YOU KNOW, THERE WERE NO, THERE WERE NO TURS WEBSITES.
AND THEN THE LARGER ONES STARTED TO PUT, YOU KNOW, THEIR BIGGER PROJECTS ON THEM.
AND THEN AS THE SMALLER TURS HAVE KIND OF GROWN A LITTLE BIT, THEY'RE STARTING NOW TO PUT A LOT OF ITEMS, STARTING TO CREATE WEBSITES.
AND SO WHAT WE WILL DO, UM, AND WHAT I PROMISED GW THAT I WOULD DO WAS DRAFT A MEMO TO ASK ALL OF THE TOURS TO CREATE, HAVE A KIND OF A MINIMUM STANDARD OF WHAT THEY ACTUALLY HAVE ON THEIR WEBSITES SO THAT, UM, PEOPLE CAN TAKE A LOOK RIGHT.
I'M SORRY, HAVE THAT INFORMATION.
AND MAKING THE BOARD BOOKS AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC IS CERTAINLY PART OF IT.
SO, SO YOU'RE SAYING YOU'LL SEND A MEMO CORRECT.
SUGGESTING THAT THEY HAVE, UH, MEET A MINIMUM STANDARD FOR MAKING THE BOARD BOOKS PUBLIC.
IS THAT RIGHT? THAT'S CORRECT.
AND WHAT WILL IT SAY? IT WILL SAY THAT THESE ARE THE MINIMUM STANDARDS, UM, BY WHICH TS SHOULD MAKE SURE WE HAVE THE MINIMUM ITEMS ON THE WEBSITE.
BECAUSE, FOR EXAMPLE, YOU MAY NOT, THERE ARE SOME TOURS THAT HAVE LOT OF FUNDING.
AND SO THEY CAN DO, UM, THOSE, UM, UM, YOU KNOW, THEY CAN DO THOSE AIRPLANE SHOTS ABOVE PERIMETER.
I WOULDN'T MAKE THAT STANDARD 'CAUSE NOT EVERYONE CAN AFFORD THAT.
BUT EVERYONE CAN HAVE THEIR BOARD PACKING ON, EVERYONE CAN HAVE, UM, THE PROJECTS THAT ARE THEIR CURRENT BUDGET, UM, ON THEIR WEBSITE.
UM, JUST, YOU KNOW, A, A NUMBER OF BASIC THINGS THAT WE CAN, WE CAN, UH, MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE HAS.
UM, HOPEFULLY THEY CAN PUT PICTURES ON THEIR WEBSITE OF ALL OF THEIR PROJECTS.
'CAUSE I THINK IT, IT'S IMPORTANT FOR THE COMMUNITY TO BE ABLE TO SEE THOSE PRO THOSE THOSE PROJECTS AND PROCESS.
BUT ALSO THE FINISHED PRODUCT.
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BACK IN THE QUEUE.WE'VE BEEN JOINED BY COUNCILWOMAN SALINAS.
UM, SO I WAS, I WANTED TO FOLLOW UP A LITTLE BIT OF WHAT, UH, COUNCILOR ALCORN BROUGHT UP.
UM, THE, SO ONCE WE'VE ACCEPTED THIS NEW, UH, ANNEXATION PARTICIPATION SPECIFICALLY LIKE HARRISBURG, UM, THE INCREMENT WILL START COMING IN.
YES, THERE ARE PROJECT PLANS THAT THEY, BECAUSE WHAT I'VE, FROM WHAT I'VE UNDERSTOOD IS HOUSING IS GONNA BE A PRIORITY FOR, UM, WELL, DO THEY, THEY WON'T HAVE A PROJECT OF COURSE, RIGHT? BECAUSE THEY STILL NEED TO DO ALL WHATEVER KIND OF DUE DILIGENCE TO IDENTIFY WHAT THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE.
BUT COULD THAT INCREMENT PRIOR TO THE FY 28 BE USED FOR OTHER PROJECTS THAT ARE ALREADY IN THE PROJECT PLAN? OR IT COULD.
AND SO, UM, I THINK THERE WAS A CONCERN EARLY ON ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT THE CITY IN HARRIS COUNTY WOULD WORK COLLABORATIVELY.
AND I THINK THAT PROCESS, WHAT I'M SEEN ON THE GROUND IS THAT, YOU KNOW, THOSE ENGINEERS, THOSE TURS ENGINEERS ARE VISITING WITH COUNTY ENGINEERS AND SHOWING THEM ALL OF THEIR PROJECTS IN, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE BUDGET TO SEE IF THERE'S SOME OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE PROJECTS.
SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, IF WE APPROACH IT IN A COLLABORATIVE WAY, WE CAN GET, UM, DOLLARS ON SHARED PROJECTS THAT WE WANT TO, WHICH MAKES SENSE.
'CAUSE WE'RE IN THE COUNTY ANYWAYS, RIGHT? THAT'S, THAT'S, THAT'S CORRECT.
I THINK IT, I THINK IT'S JUST THE APPROACH THAT WE USE IN ORDER TO SAY, HEY, LOOK, WE JUST WANT TO COLLABORATE WITH YOU GUYS ON THE ONES THAT WE AGREE WE CAN SHARE A BENEFIT FROM.
UH, AND THEN, UM, SO THESE ARE FOUR THAT ARE PROPOSED PROJECT PLAN AMENDMENTS.
UM, WHEN DOES EAST SIDE SUNSET? OR WHEN DOES IT CLOSE NEXT YEAR? SO WE GOTTA GET THE PROJECT PLAN.
SO I GUESS THAT WAS TO MY NEXT QUESTION.
UM, COULD THAT NOT BE DISCUSSED FOR THIS, THIS YEAR COMING UP? I KNOW USUALLY WE LOOK AT THESE, UH, AMENDMENTS, UH, DURING THE END OF THE YEAR.
I THINK THE FASTEST WAY I COULD GET THAT DONE FOR YOU IF I DID IT MYSELF, WOULD BE FEBRUARY JUST TO GET THE NEW MAPPING.
THE, UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SEE? I THINK THE BIGGEST THING ABOUT THAT, 'CAUSE IT CAN, YOU KNOW, THESE ARE ALMOST LIKE BOOK REPORTS,
AND SO ONCE YOU UNDERSTAND THE AREA THAT YOU WANT TO ANNEX OR IF YOU JUST WANNA, LIKE, IN THE PROJECTS THAT YOU WANNA PURSUE, ONCE THAT PART IS DONE THAT EVERYONE INCREASES OR THE PROJECTS WE WANNA PURSUE.
AND IF THERE'S STUDIES IN THAT AREA, THAT'S REALLY HELPFUL.
SO MY FIRST STEP DOING THAT WOULD BE TO TALK TO PUBLIC WORKS AND SEE WHAT PROJECTS NEED TO BE DONE IN THAT PARTICULAR AREA, GET A LAUNDRY LIST OF PROJECTS, AND THEN WE COULD, UM, MAKE IT INTO, UM, CREATE A DOCUMENT FOR YOU TO REVIEW AND LOOK AT.
SO THAT ONE IN PARTICULAR, I KNOW I'VE, I'VE SPOKEN TO, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER FLICKINGER, UH, WE, BUT UP AT DISTRICT E AND DISTRICT I THERE AT, UH, HOWARD AND BARRY, UH, BARRY BAYOU.
UM, THAT'S ONE AREA THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT WHERE WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE AN EXPANSION THAT ACTUALLY GOES INTO DISTRICT E AS WELL, WHERE THERE COULD BE SOME POSSIBLE PROJECTS IN DISTRICT E AND, AND ALSO DISTRICT I.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE SHORT, 'CAUSE YOU KNOW, ANDREW'S ON MATERNITY LEAVE, SO, UM, THE QUICKEST YOU CAN, UM, WE CAN GET TO THAT AND, AND KIND OF LOOK AT, UM, WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT TO, TO DO WITH THAT.
'CAUSE I, IT'S ON MY, YOU KNOW, IT'S ON MY, IN MY CALENDAR TO MAKE SURE WE GET THAT DONE.
UM, 'CAUSE I, YOU, YOU, YOU HAVE SHARED WITH ME THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO LOOK AT PROJECTS IN YOUR, YOUR AREA.
SO THE PROJECTS COME FIRST, YOU KNOW, LAUNDRY LIST.
IF WE NEED TO KIND OF BRING IN SOMEONE FROM PUBLIC WORKS TO KIND OF GIVE US A LAUNDRY LIST AND START THERE, I CAN RUN A FINANCIAL SCHEDULE FOR YOU QUICKLY.
NEXT UP WE HAVE STAFF FROM COUNCILMAN HUFFMAN'S OFFICE.
I, I'M JUST, UH, COULD YOU, IN TERMS OF UPTOWN, 'CAUSE THAT'S IN OUR DISTRICT, COULD YOU WALK US THROUGH, UH, WHAT PARTICIPATION MEANS FOR HARRIS COUNTY PRECINCT FOR IN THE TUR? I UNDERSTAND IT'S THE COUNTY INFUSING MONEY INTO THE TURS, BUT WHAT DOES THE COUNTY, UM, GET FOR PUTTING MONEY INTO THIS TURS A BOARDS? I, I UNDERSTAND IT'S A BOARD SEAT.
AND THEN HOW LONG IS THE BOARD SEAT? WHAT'S THE TERM OF THE BOARD SEAT? IT WOULD BE, UM, THE TERM OF THE TURS, WHICH IS 2045, I BELIEVE.
SO THEY'RE, THEY'RE, UM, JOINING THE TURS MEANS THAT THEY'RE GONNA JOIN IT FOR THE ENTIRE REMAINING LIFE OF THE TURS.
THE BENEFIT FOR THE COUNTY IS TO DO THESE SHARED PROJECTS WITH THE TURS.
SO THEY'RE, UM, JOINING FORCES WITH UPTOWN AND USING POSSIBLY ANY AVAILABLE INCREMENT
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FROM UPTOWN.THEY DON'T HAVE AVAILABLE INCREMENT RIGHT NOW.
THEY'RE STILL PAYING BACK THE PROJECTS THEY DID IN 2017.
BUT AS, AS THEY CAN JOINTLY WORK WITH WORK WITH THE TOURS AND THE USING THE TOURS EXPERTISE, THEY CAN BUILD OTHER PROJECTS IN THAT PARTICULAR AREA.
I BELIEVE THEIR FOCUS WAS ON AFFORDABLE HOUSING AS WELL.
AND SO THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY THEY LOOKED AT, AT UPTOWN, BECAUSE A UPTOWN IS A PETITION TERM, SO IT IS REQUIRED TO SET ASIDE A THIRD OF ITS INCREMENT FOR, FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
SO, UM, THE COUNTY INCREMENT, YOU WOULD HAVE TO SET ASIDE A THIRD OF THAT INCREMENT FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
AND SO WHAT HAPPENS IF THERE'S A DISAGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY AND THE COUNTY ON HOW THE FUNDS ARE TO BE SPENT? UM, THAT'S A GOOD, GOOD QUESTION.
WE HOPE TO NOT TO WORK ON, OF COURSE, NOT HAVING DISAGREEMENTS WITH THE COUNTY.
UM, WE WORK TOWARD NOT HAVING DISAGREEMENTS WITH THE COUNTY.
I WOULD HAVE TO LOOK AT AND SEE WHAT THAT DOCUMENT, UM, THE INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT SAYS, I BELIEVE THAT COUNTY PRO PROJECTS GENERALLY, UM, GO TO COUNTY, PRO COUNTY IN HERMAN GOES TO COUNTY PROJECTS.
BUT I THINK THE WORKING RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE CITY OF COUNTY WOULD HELP THAT GO TOWARD MORE JOINT PROJECTS, IF THAT MAKES SENSE.
SO, SO IN OTHER WORDS, THEY WOULD FOCUS MORE IN, I SUSPECT, ON THEIR PROJECTS IF THERE WAS AN ISSUE.
UM, IF THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE CITY AND THE COUNTY, THE THING IS THE CITY HAS BUDGET CONTROL CITY HAS, RIGHT.
SO, SO THERE IS A PROCESS LAID OUT THOUGH.
YEAH, THERE'S A PROCESS, THERE'S SEVERAL DOCUMENTS IN THE ACTUAL INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT THAT SHOWS HOW TO APPLY FOR FUNDS.
IT SHOWS WHAT TYPE OF PRODUCTS THE FUNDS WILL GO TO.
IT'S A, IT'S AN EXHIBIT IN THAT ILL AGREEMENT TO SHOW HOW THOSE, UM, PROJECTS WILL BE, UM, REQUESTED.
YOU KNOW, HOW MANY, UM, HOW LONG WILL COMMISSIONER'S COURT GET SOME SORT OF, UM, 60 DAYS BEFORE WE ACTUALLY TAKE A BUDGET TO COUNCIL? THEY'LL GET, TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT THEIR CIP LOOKS LIKE.
UM, AND THEY WILL AGREE ON THAT.
UM, BUT I, I DO KNOW HOW THOSE EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS WORK AND THEY'RE USUALLY COLLABORATIVE IN THEIR DEALINGS WITH ALL JURISDICTIONS SO THAT THERE'S NO IN MANAGING ANY TYPE OF DISAGREEMENTS THAT MAY OCCUR.
BUT YOU'RE RIGHT, THERE IS, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES IT DOES COME UP.
UH, DIRECTOR, LET ME ASK YOU ABOUT SOME OF THE PROPOSED PROJECT PLAN AMENDMENTS.
UM, YOU MAY NOT HAVE HEARD IT, BUT THE, THE CHAIR CLEARLY STATED, UH, THE FLOOD RISKS TO THE FOLKS WHO LIVE UP IN THE KINGWOOD AREA.
AND SO, UM, WHATEVER NEEDS TO BE DONE TO, TO FINISH THOSE PROJECTS CERTAINLY UNDERSTAND.
BUT I'M CURIOUS TO KNOW WHEN IT SAYS LIFE EXTENSION, AND I MAY HAVE MISSED IT IN YOUR COMMENTS.
HOW LONG IS THAT LIFE EXTENSION TO RUN? IT'S NOT A LONG PERIOD OF TIME.
THEIR CURRENT LIFE IS 2049, AND SO IT WOULD EXTEND TO 2054.
SO, SO YOU BELIEVE IT'S AN ADDITIONAL FIVE YEARS? YES.
YEAH, IT'S AN ADDITIONAL FIVE YEARS.
REGARDING TS 23, HARRISBURG TS ONE OF THE CHANGES INVOLVES ANNEXING ADDITIONAL LAND SET, A GUEST PARK RIGHT OF WAY, AND THE ORANGE SHOW FOR VISIONARY ART PROPERTY.
HOW MUCH, UH, TAX-BASED DOES THAT ADD TO THE OVERALL TS, UH, PROGRAM THAT THE CITY HAS? ZERO.
ALL OF THOSE PROPERTIES ARE NOT, ARE EXEMPT FROM TAXES.
SO IT'S, IT INCLUDES A PARK RIGHT OF WAY.
AND THEN THAT ORANGE SHOW FOR VISIONARY ART PROPERTY IS, IS EXEMPT.
SO ALL OF THAT PROPERTY IS A ZERO VALUE.
THE ORANGE SHOW FOR VISIONARY ART PROPERTY, IS THAT, IS THAT IN, UM, THE PARK ITSELF? I DON'T KNOW.
UH, LET ME, UH, LET ME LOOK THAT UP FOR YOU.
AND WHAT, WHAT IS THE INTENT TO DO, UH, REGARDING THE ORANGE SHOW FOR VISIONARY ART PROPERTY? WHAT IS THE TUR NINTENDO ACCOMPLISH? SO THE, SO THE PO, SO THE PROJECT PLAN INDICATES THAT THEY'RE GONNA DO SOME REVITALIZATION, BUT IT'S NOT SPECIFIC WITH REGARD TO THE PROJECT.
LET ME GET SOME SPECIFICS FOR YOU AND I, I'LL, I'LL SEND THAT BACK TO YOU.
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UM, IN THE PAST, YOU'VE PRESENTED A SCHEDULE FOR WINTER'S BUDGETS TO COME TO COUNCIL, AND I WILL SAY YOUR OFFICE HAS DONE, UH, A BETTER JOB THIS YEAR OF BRINGING BUDGETS TO COUNCIL SOONER.IS THERE A SCHEDULE FOR THE REMAINING ARA REMAINING BUDGETS? YEAH.
UM, I CAN SEND THAT OVER TO YOU, BUT IT'S, IT'S, IT'S GONNA BE INTERRUPTED A LITTLE BIT 'CAUSE OF THESE ITEMS, BUT I CAN SEND OVER, I CAN SEND OVER A CURRENT SCHEDULE FOR YOU.
AND, UM, I'LL GO BACK IN THE QUEUE.
LAST TOPIC I'LL ASK YOU ABOUT IS THE ERNST AND YOUNG TURS STUDY THAT COUNCIL APPROVED BACK IN 2024.
WE'VE NEVER SEEN THE RESULTS OF THAT STUDY.
WHEN ARE YOU GUYS GOING TO, UH, MAKE THAT AVAILABLE TO COUNCIL? SO THAT'S NOT MY CALL.
I MEAN, THAT'S THE MAYOR'S CALL ON THAT STUDY.
THAT'S WHOSE CALL, THAT'S THE MAYOR'S CALL ON THAT STUDY.
I DON'T, I I DIDN'T REQUEST THIS STUDY.
UM, WITH REGARD TO THE TS PROGRAM.
UH, THAT'S THE LAST OF THE QUESTIONS.
SO WE'LL GO TO THE NEXT AGENDA TOPIC.
SO THE TEXAS ENTERPRISE ZONE NOMINATIONS, UM, THE APPLICATION DEADLINE IS DECEMBER ONE, NOT DECEMBER, UM, TWO, UM, SECOND.
UM, MY APOLOGIES ON THE ERROR IN THE SLIDE.
SO THE TEXAS ENTERPRISE ZONE, AS YOU MAY BE AWARE, IS ADMINISTERED BY THE STATE OF TEXAS AND HAS A QUARTERLY ROLLING, UM, APPLICATION PROCESS.
THE REIMBURSEMENT IS SALES AND USE TAX FOR A QUALIFYING PROJECT.
AND THIS IS THE SALES AND USE TAX PAID BY THESE BUSINESSES.
UM, BOTH MUNICIPALITIES AND COUNTIES ARE ALLOWED NINE NOMINATIONS.
EACH STATE BIENNIUM UNUSED NOMINATIONS ARE FORFEITED AT THE END OF THE BIENNIUM, WHICH IS AUGUST 31ST, 2017.
UM, DECEMBER ONE BEGINS THE SIXTH NOMINATION ROUND IN THIS BIENNIUM CYCLE, UM, TWO NOMINATION ROUNDS, UM, ROUNDS REMAIN.
UM, UM, WE, THE CITY HAS NOMINATED TWO PROJECTS SO FAR.
UM, WE ARE PROPOSING TO USE FIVE NOMINATIONS, NOT SIX.
WHY? BECAUSE THERE ARE TWO ENTERPRISE NOMINATIONS AND ONE TRIPLE DOUBLE.
SO THERE IS NO ONE DOUBLE JUMBO.
IT IS TWO ENTERPRISE, UM, NOMINATIONS AND ONE TRIPLE, UH, UH, TRIPLE JUMBO, UH, NOMINATIONS DO NOT REQUIRE ANY FUNDING FROM THE MUNICIPALITY.
A COUNTY CAN ONLY NOMINATE A PROJECT THROUGH AN INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT WITH THE MUNICIPALITY IN WHICH THE PROJECT IS LOCATED.
SO HERE ARE THE, UM, PROJECT CATEGORIES.
UM, THIS IS AGAIN THE STATE ENTERPRISE ZONE.
SO HOW WE DETERMINE WHETHER SOMETHING IS A TRIPLE DOUBLE DOUBLE, FOR EXAMPLE, YOU KNOW, IF YOU HAVE 500 NEW JOBS AND YOUR INVESTMENT IS A MINIMUM OF 250 MILLION, $250 MILLION OR MORE, THEN YOU QUALIFY FOR A MAXIMUM REFUND OF 7,500 PER JOB, WHICH IS A MAXIMUM REIMBURSEMENT OF $3.7 MILLION.
SO TODAY WHAT WE'RE GONNA LOOK AT IS UNITED AIRLINES WASTE MANAGEMENT AND ENCHANTED ROCK LLC.
SO UNITED, UM, AIRLINES, OF COURSE IS LOCATED ON THE, UM, BUSH INTERCONTINENTAL AIRPORT.
IT'S LOCATED OF COURSE IN DISTRICT B.
IT'S LOCATED IN, IN, IT'S LOCATED NEAR SEVERAL ENTERPRISE ZONES, BUT IT'S NOT WITHIN AN ENTERPRISE ZONES.
NOT WITHIN AN ENTERPRISE ZONE.
IT, THIS IS A, THIS PARTICULAR PROJECT QUALIFIES FOR TRIPLE JUMBO.
THEY'RE CREATING 500 NEW JOBS AND THEY'RE INVESTING 250 MILLION IN CAPITAL INVESTMENTS.
THIS IS INCLUDING RENOVATING, UM, FACILITIES TOTALING OVER 500,000 SQUARE FEET, FEET IN TERMINAL B AT THE AIRPORT.
UM, ADDITIONALLY, UM, BECAUSE THIS PROJECT SITE IS LOCATED OUTSIDE OF A, OF AN ENTERPRISE ZONE, 35% OF THE COMPANY'S NEW EMPLOYEES, UH, MUST MEET
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ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED ENTERPRISE ZONE RESIDENT RESIDENCY OR VETERANS REQUIREMENTS.UM, UNITED HAS AGREED TO LEVERAGE HIGHER HOUSTON YOUTH PROGRAM FOR ITS HIRING REQUIREMENTS.
THEY HAVE A CAREER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM CALLED A VA THAT PARTNERS WITH LOCAL AVIATION SCHOOLS AND EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS TO CREATE DIRECT CAREER PATHWAYS INTO AVIATION FOR HOUSTON AREA RESIDENTS WITH A FOCUS ON CANDIDATES FROM THE ENTERPRISE ZONES AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED ENVIRONMENTS.
UNITED'S TECHNICAL OPERATIONS TRAINING CENTER AT IAH FURTHER SUPPORTS THIS MISSION BY PROVIDING HANDS-ON SKILL TRAINING THAT DEVELOPS WORKERS INTO LONG-TERM CAREERS IN AVIATION, MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS.
UNITED FOR VETERANS PROGRAM, ACTIVELY RECRUIT HOUSTON'S LARGE VETERAN POPULATION INTO ROLES ACROSS THE AIRLINE, OFFERING CAREER TRANSITION WORKSHOPS AND LEVERAGING VETERANS AND UNIQUE SKILLS.
THE SECOND, UM, RECOMMENDATION ENTERPRISE ZONE RECOMMENDATION IS WASTE MANAGEMENT INCORPORATED.
IT IS LOCATED IN DISTRICT I, UM, CORRECTION TO THE SLIDE.
THEY'RE CREATING 75 NEW JOBS, NOT 50 NEW JOBS, AND RETAINING 425 EXISTING JOBS.
THE AVERAGE SALARY IS $110,000.
UM, THEIR CAPITAL, UM, INVESTMENT WILL BE 250 MILLION, UM, MAINLY IN SOFTWARE HARDWARE SYSTEMS TO, UM, IMPROVE OPERATIONS.
UM, THIS DOES NOT QUALIFY FOR A DOUBLE JUMBO, THIS IS JUST AN ENTERPRISE.
UM, THIS IS AN ENTERPRISE PROJECT.
UM, WASTE MANAGEMENT, UM, WILL ALSO BE LEVERAGING THE HIGHER YOUTH HOUSTON YOUTH PROGRAM FOR ITS HIRING REQUIREMENTS.
IT SPONSORS A INNOVATIVE EMPLOYMENT PATHWAYS PROGRAM, WHICH WORKS WITH LOCAL NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS TO HELP BRING DISEN DISENFRANCHISED INDIVIDUALS INTO ENTRY LEVEL JOBS.
THEY HAVE A DEDICATED MILITARY HIRING INITIATIVE OF RESIDENTIAL HOME SERVICE DISCOUNT AND THE VALOR EMPLOYEE RESOURCE GROUP, WHICH PROVIDES FORMER SERVICE MEMBERS TRANSITION FROM MILITARY TO CORPORATE OPERATION AND FIELD ROLES.
UM, WASTE MANAGEMENT ALSO CURRENTLY CONTRIBUTES TO YOUTH EMPLOYMENT THROUGH PROGRAMS LIKE TECHNICAL TECH TECHNICIAN APPRENTICE PROGRAM FOR STUDENTS ENROLLED IN TECHNICAL PROGRAMS TO GAIN ACCESS TO WASTE MANAGEMENT CAREER PATHWAYS.
AND LASTLY, UM, WE'RE LOOKING AT ENCHANTED ROCK, LLC.
UM, IT'S LOCATED IN DISTRICT C.
THEY'RE CREATING 400 NEW JOBS AND RETAINING 351 EXISTING POSITIONS.
UM, THE AVERAGE SALARY OF THE NEW JOBS WILL BE 88,000.
THE RETAINED AVERAGE IS 106,000.
THEIR, THEIR INVESTMENT WILL INCLUDE, UM, A FACILITY BUILD OUT INFRASTRUCTURE UPGRADES, MANUFACTURING, UM, UPGRADED MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS AND HEADQUARTER IMPROVEMENTS.
UM, THESE, THIS COMPANY IS LOCATED IN AN ENTERPRISE ZONE, WHICH MEANS THAT 25% OF THE COMPANY'S NEW EMPLOYEES, UM, MUST MEET ECONOMIC, UH, 25% OF THE COMPANY'S NEW EMPLOYEES MUST ECONOMIC MEET ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED ENTERPRISE ZONE RESIDENCY OR VETERANS REQUIREMENTS.
SOME OF THE, UM, UM, MENTORSHIP PROGRAMS, THEY, THEY'VE, UM, PROVIDED, UM, U OF H'S SPRING, THEY'VE ATTENDED OR PARTICIPATED IN U OF H'S SPRING ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY FAIR WHERE THEY MET WITH ENGINEERING STUDENTS TO DISCUSS, UM, CAREER OPPORTUNITIES, UM, WITH THEIR FIRM, BUT ALSO CAREER OPPORTUNITIES SUPPORTING CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS.
UM, THEY ALSO HAVE A SUMMER INTERNSHIP PROGRAM THAT PROVIDES STUDENTS IN RECENT GRADS WITH PAID HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE MENTORSHIP AND OPPORTUNITIES TO DEVELOP SKILLS ACROSS MULTIPLE AREAS OF THE COMPANY.
SO OUR TIMELINE IS TO, UM, PUT THE RESOLUTION FOR THESE RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE NOVEMBER 11TH CITY COUNCIL AGENDA SO THAT WE CAN MEET THE TARGET DATE OF DECEMBER ONE FOR THE APP, THE STATE'S APPLICATION DEADLINE.
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COUNCILMAN RAMIREZ.AND THANK YOU AGAIN, DIRECTOR FOR, UH, YOUR REMARKS.
ONE THING I JUST WANNA MAKE CLEAR IS THE TEXAS ENTERPRISE ZONE, UM, PROGRAM, UH, DOES NOT RESULT IN ANY LOSS OF SALES TAX REVENUE TO THIS CITY.
IS THAT RIGHT? LET ME CONFIRM THAT.
UM, I DON'T THINK SO BECAUSE THE SALES TAX, UM, CALCULATION GIVES 1% BACK TO THE CITY.
I DON'T KNOW THAT THAT 1% COMES.
I DON'T KNOW IF THAT 1% IS PART OF THE WHOLE REIMBURSEMENT, BUT LEMME CHECK FOR YOU.
WELL, YOUR SLIDE, AND I DON'T HAVE THE NUMBER.
FOURTH BULLET POINT SAYS NOMINATIONS DO NOT REQUIRE ANY FUNDING FROM THE MUNICIPALITY.
SO IT'S SIMPLY A REMISSION OF THE PORTION OF SALES TAX THAT THE STATE WOULD KEEP.
THAT GOES BACK TO THE BUSINESS, I BELIEVE.
IS THAT RIGHT? YEAH, I BELIEVE SO.
MEANING WE COUNCIL IS NOT APPROVING ANY ADDITIONAL FUNDING GOING TO ANY OF THESE COMPANIES.
THIS, THE FUNDING THAT THEY'RE RECEIVING IS DIRECTLY FROM THE STATE.
NOW YOU CAN MAKE THE ARGUMENT THAT IF THEY'RE NOT DISTRIBUTING THE SALES TAX BACK TO THE CITY OF HOUSTON, THEN WE ARE PAYING FOR IT.
I'M NOT SURE OF THE ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION, SO I'LL HAVE TO, I'LL HAVE TO, I'LL HAVE TO GO DO THE RESEARCH ON THAT.
AND UM, WITH REGARD TO WASTE MANAGEMENT PROJECT INVESTMENTS AS CREATING 50 NEW JOBS IN RETAINING, RETAINING 450 EXISTING JOBS, DOES THAT MEAN THAT IF WASTE MANAGEMENT DIDN'T GET THIS DESIGNATION, THE 450 EXISTING JOBS WOULD GO AWAY? OR WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? UM, I'D HAVE TO CHECK WITH THEM.
I THINK THEY WOULD STILL KEEP THE 450 EXISTING JOBS BECAUSE THEY, THEY HAVE THOSE ALREADY STAFFED.
THEY WOULD PROBABLY MAKE A REDUCTION IN THE CREATION.
AND, AND LET ME JUST, UM, CORRECT THE SLIDE HERE.
I'VE MADE A MISTAKE ON THIS PARTICULAR SLIDE.
IT'S 75 NEW JOBS AND 425 EXISTING JOBS.
SO, UM, I WOULD THINK THAT THIS COMPANY WOULD CLAW BACK WHATEVER, RECOM WHATEVER, UM, CAPITAL INVESTMENTS THAT THEY'RE MAKING IN TECHNOLOGY TO FIT, UM, TO, TO, TO MANAGE THEIR CAPITAL STACK.
'CAUSE THAT'S THE REASON WHY THEY'RE APPLYING FOR THE EXTRA FUNDING.
BUT I WOULD HAVE, MY, MY GUESS WOULD BE THAT THEY WOULD MAKE AN ADJUSTMENT TO THEIR PLANS, BUT I WOULD HAVE TO CONFIRM WITH THE CONSULTANT TO SEE, YOU KNOW, IF THEY DIDN'T GET THIS PARTICULAR NOMINATION, WHAT THEY WOULD DO.
ALRIGHT, THANK YOU COUNCILWOMAN JACKSON.
UM, AND THANK YOU MS. CURLEY FOR THIS PRESENTATION.
SO AFTER CO UM, COUNCIL NOMINATES AN ENTERPRISE ZONE PROJECT, UM, WHO TRACKS THE JOBS PERMIT, UM, PROMISE VERSUS THE ACTUAL JOBS CREATED ARE RETAINED? THE STATE DOES.
UM, WE'RE LOOKING AT WAYS TO SEE WHO WE CAN DO IT, TRYING TO GET THAT INFORMATION.
SO THERE'S REALLY, WE REALLY DON'T KNOW IF THEY FULFILL IN THEIR, WELL, THEY DON'T, THEY WON'T GET, IF THEY DON'T MEET THE JOB REQUIREMENTS, THEY DON'T GET THE FUNDING.
BUT I KNOW IT'S IMPORTANT FOR COUNCIL TO KNOW THAT THESE ACTUAL JOBS, NUMBER ONE, THE JOBS WERE, UH, EXCUSE ME, THE JOBS WERE CREATED, BUT ALSO YOU WANT TO SEE WHICH ENTERPRISE ZONES MM-HMM
SO, SO THEY, THEY PROVIDE A REPORT TO THE STATE AND SO DO THE STATE IN TURN GIVE US THE REPORT SO THAT WE CAN SEE EXACTLY WHAT THEY REPORTED TO THE STATE.
HOW CAN WE VERIFY, YOU KNOW, THE JOBS THAT WAS CREATED WITHIN THE, THE DISTRICT THAT THIS PROJECT IS COMING IN.
SO THE STATE DOES NOT REP REPLY.
UM, THE STATE DOES NOT PROVIDE A REPORT TO THE MUNICIPALITY, BUT THE COMPANY PROVIDES A REPORT TO THE STATE.
AND SO I BE, WE ARE LOOKING AT TRYING TO GET A COPY OF THOSE THINGS SO THAT WE CAN TRACK IT OURSELVES.
BECAUSE I BELIEVE, I MEAN, THEY'RE GETTING A INCENTIVE.
SO REGARDLESS IF THE CITY IS NOT, UM, IF IT'S NOT IMPACTING THE CITY IN, IN REGARDS TO TAX WISE, IN THE END, IN, IN THE END, IT IMPACTS US BECAUSE WE'RE THE TAXPAYERS.
SO THEY'RE, THEY'RE GETTING SURE.
SO I JUST THINK IT'S GOOD IF WE CAN GET A REPORT.
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BECAUSE I KNOW YOU WANT TO SEE HOW MANY JOBS ARE COMING OUT OF YOUR PARTICULAR DISTRICT SINCE THE ESPECIALLY, UM, UNITED AIRLINES IS CLOSER TO THOSE ENTERPRISE ZONES THAT ARE IN YOUR DISTRICT.COULD YOU GO TO THE ENCHANTED ROCK SLIDE? I WANT TO NOTE IT'S, SO THE PROJECT SITE LISTS LOCATED IN DISTRICT C, BUT THAT IS IN FACT IN DISTRICT H, UM, WHERE THAT PROJECT SITE IS POINTING ON THE MAP.
POINT TO NOTE THAT FOR THE RECORD.
YES, IT'S IN THE RESOLUTION CORRECTLY, SIR.
SO WE'LL BE GOING ON TO OUR NEXT AGENDA ITEM.
AND FOR THAT PRESENTATION WE HAVE MARLENE GRE, SENIOR ADVISOR IN THE MAYOR'S OFFICE.
OH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, JENNIFER.
GREATLY APPRECIATE THE PRESENTATION.
UM, JOSHUA SANDERS, DIRECTOR WITH THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT RELATIONS, AND TAMMY KIM, SENIOR ASSISTANT CITY ATTORNEY WITH THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT.
AND THEY'LL BE PRESENTING ON THE DISCUSSION ON GAS STATIONS.
GOOD AFTERNOON, VICE CHAIR, FLICKINGER AND COUNCIL MEMBERS.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR ALLOWING US TO COME TODAY.
YOU'LL RECALL THIS PAST SUMMER THERE WAS A LOT OF DISCUSSIONS ABOUT GAS STATIONS AND THEIR LOCATIONS AND PROXIMITY TO RESIDENCES.
UM, THERE WAS DISCUSSION ABOUT A MORATORIUM AND WE LOOKED AT THE STATE LAW AND THE AMOUNT OF TIME IT WOULD TAKE TO CREATE A MORATORIUM THAT WE WOULD BE BACK IN FRONT OF THIS COMMITTEE AND ABOUT THE SAME TIME PERIOD AS IT WOULD TO TAKE DRAFTING AN ACTUAL ORDINANCE.
AND SO MAYOR WHITMEYER ASSEMBLED A TEAM OF DEPARTMENTS AND INTER INTERDISCIPLINARY TEAMS THAT INCLUDED HEALTH PLANNING, THE FIRE MARSHAL, CODE ENFORCEMENT, LEGAL, JOSH AND I WERE INVOLVED AS WELL AS OTHER TEAM MEMBERS TO LOOK OR EXPLORE AT WHAT AN ORDINANCE WOULD LOOK LIKE IF WE WERE TO CREATE ONE.
OH, THOUGHT SHE'D BE UP HERE AT THE MIC.
UM, TAMMY KIM FROM THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT IS HERE.
UM, AND SHE'LL BE ABLE TO ANSWER SOME QUESTIONS AS WELL AS JOSH SANDERS.
SO TODAY'S PRESENTATION, WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT OUR RESEARCH, WHAT WE'VE DONE LOOKED AT OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS.
WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT ORDINANCE FRAMEWORK AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO GIVE YOU A TIMELINE.
SO OUR FIRST STEP WAS TO UNDERSTAND THE, THE STATE LAW.
DIFFERENT REQUIREMENTS OF DIFFERENT AGENCIES ACTUALLY.
SO WE WANTED TO SEE, YOU KNOW, THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF LICENSING.
AND YOU KNOW WHAT THEY REGULATED.
AND THEN WE LOOKED AT THE TCEQ IN GREEN AND WHAT THEY REGULATED RELATIVE TO GAS STATIONS.
AND THEN WE TURNED AROUND AND WE LOOKED AT THE CITY OF HOUSTON'S PERMITTING PROCESS.
AND WHAT WE FOUND IS THEIR PARALLEL PROCESSES AND THERE'S NO INTERCONNECTION, AND THEY LOOK AT DIFFERENT THINGS.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, THE TDLR, UM, AS WELL AS THE TCEQ, THEY USED PEOPLE WHOSE WHO ARE LICENSED TO PERFORM THE WORK.
AND THEN THEY END UP DOING, IF YOU WILL, A SELF-CERTIFICATION CITY OF HOUSTON.
AND OUR REVIEW PROCESS, WE ACTUALLY GO THROUGH A TRADITIONAL CODE ENFORCEMENT REVIEW PROCESS LIKE ANY OTHER APPLICATION.
BUT WHERE WE DIFFER IS FROM A TRADITIONAL PERMITTING PROCESS IS YOU HAVE CODE ENFORCEMENT DIVIDING THEIR INSPECTIONS OUT FROM THE FIRE MARSHAL'S OFFICE AND THEIR INSPECTIONS.
SO CODE ENFORCEMENT WILL GO THROUGH THE PROCESS AND THEY WILL LOOK AT STRUCTURAL ELECTRICAL PLUMBING, AND THEN YOU CAN GET A CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY.
THE FIRE MARSHAL OFFICE, THEY WILL GO OUT, THEY WILL LOOK AT FIRST, WHICH I THINK IS KIND OF INTERESTING, BUT THEY WILL LOOK AT THE, UM, SHIPPING, MAKING SURE THE SERIAL NUMBER MATCHES THE NUMBER ON THE TANK AND THE GALLONS ON THAT SHIP, WHAT I'M CALLING A SHIPPING, LIKE A SHIPPING INVOICE MATCHES THE SAME, THAT IT ALL ALIGNS.
THEN THE FIRE MARSHAL WILL THEN GO OUT WHEN THE TANK IS IN THE GROUND, BUT STILL OPEN.
THEY'RE GOING TO TEST THE LINES TO MAKE SURE THERE'S NO LEAKS.
ONCE THEY'VE DONE THAT, THEN THE TANK CAN BE COVERED UP.
THEN THE NEXT STEP IN THAT PROCESS FOR THE
[00:45:01]
FIRE MARSHAL IS THAT THEY WILL GO OUT AND LOOK AT SAFETY ITEMS. DO WE HAVE BREAKAWAY LINES, RIGHT? SO IN CASE SOMEBODY LEAVES THE, THEIR, UM, PUMP IN THEIR GAS TANK AND PULLS OFF, IT'LL BREAK AWAY.DO THEY HAVE THEIR OUTSIDE FUEL STOP BOTH INSIDE THE BUILDING AND OUTSIDE.
SO THEY LOOK AT THAT SORT OF STUFF, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, WHAT THEY HAVE TO HAVE IS AN OFFICIAL REGISTRATION FROM THE TDLR, A CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY, AN OPERATIONAL PERMIT, AND THEN THE FUEL DELIVERY CERTIFICATE.
THEY NEED ALL OF THOSE IN ORDER TO OPEN UP THEIR SERVICE STATION AND START OPERATING.
SO THE NEXT SLIDE, WHAT I WANNA TALK ABOUT IS WE, WE ALSO LOOKED AT TEXAS CITIES AND WHAT THEY HAVE, AND YOU'LL SEE THAT WE LOOKED AT AUSTIN, DALLAS, SAN ANTONIO, AND EL PASO.
SO THEY REGULATE THEIR GAS STATIONS THROUGH CHAPTER TWO 11 OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE.
THAT'S WHERE YOU CAN FIND THE, WHERE CITIES CAN, UM, LEGISLATE THROUGH ZONING.
SO WE HAVE TO THINK ABOUT OUR ORDINANCES AND OUR REGULATIONS FROM A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE'VE DONE HERE IS WE'RE LOOKING AT OUR DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS THROUGH CHAPTER TWO 12 OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE.
AND I'LL GET INTO THAT IN JUST A LITTLE, A LITTLE BIT.
BUT I DO WANNA SAY THAT WE HAVE MANY ORDINANCES ON THE BOOKS THAT REGULATE THE LOCATION OF BUSINESSES.
SO SEXUALLY ORIENTED BUSINESSES, HOTEL MOTEL, WE HAVE SOME BUFFERING REQUIREMENTS FOR BUSINESSES BASED ON LOCATION.
SO OUR APPROACH THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE PRESENT TODAY WILL ACTUALLY FOLLOW ALONG THE LINES OF WHAT WE'VE PULLED FROM DIFFERENT ORDINANCES.
THEN WE PULLED FOUR YEARS OF PERMITTING DATA ON RETAIL FUEL STATIONS IN HOUSTON, INSIDE HARRIS COUNTY, PORTION OF HOUSTON FALLS INTO FORT BEND COUNTY, BUT WE LARGELY FOCUSED ON HOUSTON.
SO WE FOUND THAT THERE WERE 188 APPLICATIONS OVER THE FOUR YEAR PERIOD.
178 OF THE 188 APPLICATION FELL ON MAJOR THOROUGHFARES IN HOUSTON.
WE WANT THOSE FUEL STATIONS OUT ON MAJOR THOROUGHFARES THERE.
MAJOR THOROUGHFARES ARE GENERALLY DESIGNED TO CARRY HEAVY TRAFFIC AND THEY'RE GENERALLY DESIGNED FOR MORE COMMERCIAL TYPE DEVELOPMENT.
WE THEN LOOKED AT HOW MANY OF THOSE APPLICATIONS WERE ON MAJOR THOROUGHFARES THAT WERE 80 FEET OR LESS AND WE HAD 50 APPLICATIONS.
AND I'M GONNA DIVE INTO THOSE 50 APPLICATIONS IN JUST A MINUTE.
BUT WHY YOU MIGHT ASK IS THE 80 FOOT OR LESS SIGNIFICANT TO US AS WE RESEARCH THE ORDINANCE.
IF YOU THINK ABOUT OUR MAJOR THOROUGHFARES, THEY'RE GENERALLY DESIGNED, YOU SEE THEM DESIGNED WITH FOUR LANES OF TRAFFIC, BUT THERE ARE SOME MAJOR THOROUGHFARES THAT HAVE MORE RIGHT OF WAY AND CAN HOLD MORE CAPACITY.
SO WE STEPPED BACK AND SAID, OKAY, WE REALLY WANT THEM ON THESE MAJOR THOROUGHFARES WHERE WE HAVE A SIGNIFICANT INFRASTRUCTURE, THE CAPACITY TO PUT IN SIX LANES.
SO AN EXAMPLE OF SOME MAJOR THOROUGH FARES THAT ARE 80 FEET OR LARGER.
YOU KNOW, THINK ABOUT WESTHEIMER OUT AS YOU GET CLOSER TO THE LOOP.
BUT INSIDE, AS YOU GET CLOSER INTO DOWNTOWN, THERE'S AREAS WHERE IT'S ONLY 60 FEET.
SO WE TRIED TO FOCUS ON THOSE AREAS ON OUR THOROUGHFARES BASED UPON THEY'RE WIDTH.
THINKING ABOUT, LET'S THINK ABOUT HOW THE TRAFFIC VOLUMES ON THOSE THOROUGHFARES.
NOW I'M GONNA PUT A LITTLE DISCLAIMER HERE.
SOMETIMES ARE MAJOR THOROUGHFARES, UM, ARE WIDER THAN A HUNDRED FEET OR SMALLER THAN 80 FEET.
BUT THE POINT IS, IS MOST OF OUR MAJOR THOROUGHFARES, A GOOD RULE OF THUMB IS 80 FEET OR A HUNDRED FEET.
THEN WE TOOK A LITTLE DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE AND WE SAID HOW MANY OF THE TOTAL APPLICATIONS WERE HAD SOME RESIDENTIAL ADJACENT TO IT.
AND YOU'LL FIND THAT WE HAD 98 OR ABOUT 52% HAD SOME RESIDENTIAL.
AND IF YOU THINK ABOUT OUR THOROUGHFARES, THEY GENERALLY HAVE COMMERCIAL ALONG THE FRONTAGE AND RESIDENTIAL BEHIND, AND PEOPLE GENERALLY BUY INTO THEIR PROPERTIES KNOWING THAT THEY'RE BUDDING ON A
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PIECE OF PROPERTY THAT CAN BE USED POTENTIALLY FOR COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT.AND I'M JUST GONNA FLIP IT A LITTLE BIT AND SAY IT DIFFERENTLY.
WE HAD 90 OF THE 188 APPLICATIONS, OR 48% THAT DIDN'T HAVE ANY RESIDENTIAL NEXT TO 'EM.
SO WHAT WE WANTED TO DO, AND WE KIND OF, WE CONCLUDED THAT RETAIL FUELING STATIONS WERE LARGELY GOING ON THE, OUR MAJOR THOROUGHFARES, WHICH WERE, WHICH IS WHAT WE WANTED.
BUT THERE ARE SOME OPPORTUNITIES TO PERHAPS ENCOURAGE THEM TO LOCATE AWAY FROM RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY.
SO OUR NEXT SLIDE, OUR PROPOSAL IS TO DRAFT A REASONABLE ORDINANCE THAT PRESERVES THE CHARACTER OF RESIDENTIAL AREAS, BUT THEN ALSO PROMOTE A PREDICTABLE ORDERLY GROWTH FOR COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT.
SO WE'RE TRYING TO KEEP THIS SIMPLE.
IT'S A BRAND NEW ORDINANCE THAT WE'RE WORKING ON.
SO HERE'S WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING.
WE'RE AMENDING CHAPTER 42 OF THE CODE OF ORDINANCES, WHICH IS WE GET OUR AUTHORITY ON CHAPTER 42 OUT OF CHAPTER TWO 12 OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE THAT I MENTIONED EARLIER.
AND IT WILL BE A BRAND NEW DIVISION.
IT'LL BE IN CHAPTER, A NEW DIVISION IN CHAPTER NINE.
SO IF, IF YOU HAVE AN EXISTING STATION AT THIS POINT, IT WILL NOT IMPACT YOU.
UM, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A TWO STEP SCREENING PROCESS TO HELP FILTER OUT THE APPLICATIONS WE WANT TO REVIEW AND THE APPLICATIONS WE THINK WE NEED TO MORE CLOSELY REVIEW IN DETAIL.
SO I'M GONNA WALK YOU THROUGH A DECISION TREE NEXT.
SO FOR THE, THE FIRST STEP IS TO DETERMINE IF THE SITE IS ON A MAJOR THOROUGHFARE WITH A RIGHT OF WAY WIDTH GREATER THAN 80 FEET, OR IF IT'S IN A MAJOR ACTIVITY CENTER.
IF IT IS, YES, THAT PROJECT IS GOING TO BE ALLOWED TO MOVE FORWARD.
IF IT IS NO, THEN WE'RE GOING TO PUT THEM OVER INTO AN ADDITIONAL SCREENING STEP THAT IS THE 50 APPLICATIONS THAT WE, I HAD TO SET ASIDE FOR JUST A MINUTE.
'CAUSE THOSE MAJOR, THOSE APPLICATIONS, 50 APPLICATIONS WOULD FALL UNDER STEP TWO.
SO THEN THE NEXT QUESTION IS, IS THE RE IS THERE A, IS THE AREA LESS THAN 50% RESIDENTIAL? AND I'M SAYING LESS THAN 50.
AND IF THE ANSWER IS YES, THEN THE LOCATION IS NOT SCREENED.
IF THE ANSWER IS NO, SO 50% OR MORE RESIDENTIAL, THEN THE APPLICATION WOULD BE DENIED AND THEN THE APPLICANT COULD CHOOSE TO LEAVE AND NOT DO ANYTHING THAT SITE OR SEEK A VARIANCE.
NOW, HOW WE'RE DEFINING RESIDENTIAL IS ONE, UH, IS A SINGLE FAMILY HOME OR A MULTI-FAMILY PROJECT.
WE'RE TRYING TO PROTECT THE RESIDENTIAL.
THAT'S WHAT WE HEARD IN ALL OF THE PRIOR DISCUSSION.
NOW I DO WANNA TOUCH ON THOSE 50 APPLICATIONS A LITTLE MORE BECAUSE WHEN WE PUT A 50 FOOT DISTANCE, MEASURING DISTANCE, 21 OF THE 50 APPLICATIONS WOULD FAIL.
WHEN WE ATTACH A 100 FOOT DISTANCE FOR A MEASUREMENT, 25 OF THOSE APPLICATIONS WOULD FAIL.
SO A 50 FOOT OR A HUNDRED FOOT, THERE WAS ONLY AN INCREASE OF FOUR APPLICATIONS THAT WOULD FAIL.
SO LET ME TAKE YOU TO, OH, THANK YOU TO THE WASHINGTON AVENUE, UM, EXAMPLE.
SO YOU MIGHT WONDER WHY DID WE NOT GO TAKE OUR MEASUREMENT AND DO JUST A COMPLETE RADIUS FROM THE PROPERTY? AND OUR FOCUS AND WHAT WE HEARD FROM COMMUNITIES WAS THAT IT, IT LARGELY CAME FROM THOSE PEOPLE THAT WERE ABUTTING, RIGHT? THEY WERE, THEY WERE THE PEOPLE THAT WERE SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACTED BY THESE GAS STATIONS.
SO OUR MEASUREMENT IS 50 FEET FROM THE ABUTTING PRO TO THE ABUTTING PROPERTY OWNERS.
AND IF YOU LOOK AT 1909 WASHINGTON AVENUE, THE RESIDENTIAL TEST WAS MEASURED FROM THE BUDDING PROPERTY LINES.
AND THE STEP ONE IS, IS WASHINGTON AVENUE OR SILVER STREET, A MAJOR THOROUGHFARE THAT IS GREATER THAN 80 FEET? THE ANSWER'S NO.
IS THE RESIDENTIAL TEST LESS THAN 50%? NO.
SO THEN WE SAID, WELL, LET'S LOOK AT LIVE OAK.
THAT ONE HAD A LOT OF DISCUSSION ABOUT WHETHER THE DEED RESTRICTIONS WERE VALID OR NOT.
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SOUTHMORE AND LIVE OAK, YOU ASK, IS IT A MAJOR THOROUGHFARE THAT'S GREATER THAN 80 FEET? IT IS NOT.SO IT, WE HAVE TO GO TO STEP TWO.
IS THE RESIDENTIAL TEST LESS THAN 50%? IT IS NOT.
IT IS, THE APPLICATION WOULD BE DENIED.
AND IF YOU LOOK AT IT, WHETHER WE MEASURE AT 50 FEET OR A HUNDRED FEET, IT IS BOTH TESTS TURN OUT IT'S 100% RESIDENTIAL.
SO TO GIVE YOU A SENSE OF TIMING AND WHERE WE'RE GOING, UM, WE'VE DRAFTED THE ATTACHED SCHEDULE.
SO WE'RE HERE TODAY TO DO A PRESENTATION.
WE FELT IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE MAINTAIN OUR COMMITMENT THAT WE WOULD COME FORWARD WITH SOMETHING IN OCTOBER.
SO WE WILL GO TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION ON NOVEMBER 12TH, PRESENT A, A VERY SIMILAR PRESENTATION.
WE HOPE TO HAVE A, A DRAFT ORDINANCE AVAILABLE JUST SO THAT PEOPLE CAN SEE THE ORDINANCE AND HEAR A SIMILAR PRESENTATION.
WE WILL ASK FOR THE PLANNING COMMISSION TO ESTABLISH A PUBLIC HEARING FOR DECEMBER 17TH.
WE REALLY WANT AMPLE OPPORTUNITY FOR THE PUBLIC TO PROVIDE INPUT.
AND WE HAVE ROBUST DISCUSSION AT THE CLOSE OF THE PUBLIC HEARING ON DECEMBER 17TH.
THE PLANNING COMMISSION COULD SAY, LOOK, WE NEED A LITTLE MORE TIME, LET'S DEFER IT.
OR IF EVERYBODY IS HAPPY WITH THE ORDINANCE, YOU KNOW, THE COMMISSION COULD RECOMMEND APPROVAL TO CITY COUNCIL.
OR THEY MIGHT RECOMMEND APPROVAL WITH SOME CHANGES AFTER THE PUBLIC INPUT.
SO THEN WE WILL BE, WE ANTICIPATE BEING AT CITY COUNCIL ON JANUARY 6TH WHERE CITY COUNCIL WILL ESTABLISH A PUBLIC HEARING FOR JANUARY 13TH.
ANYTIME WE TOUCH CHAPTER 42, THE CODE OF ORDINANCE SAYS WE ARE REQUIRED BY STATE LAW TO HOLD A PUBLIC HEARING AT CITY COUNCIL.
AND, AND IN PART THAT'S BECAUSE OUR RULES GENERALLY GO INTO THE ETJ.
SO THIS DOES NOT, BUT OUR SUBDIVISION LAND DEVELOPMENT PORTION DOES EXTEND INTO THE ETJ.
UM, SO WE'LL HOLD A PUBLIC HEARING AND THEN HOPEFULLY IF EVERYTHING RUNS SMOOTH, WE WILL BE IN FRONT OF CITY COUNCIL FOR CONSIDERATION JANUARY 20TH.
SO WITH THAT, I WILL CONCLUDE MY PRESENTATION AND LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR QUESTIONS.
JOSH AND TAMMY ARE HERE AS WELL.
AND THANK YOU BOTH FOR THE PRESENTATION AND IN KEEPING THE, THE COMMITMENT MADE TO HAVE SOMETHING BEFORE US IN OCTOBER.
UH, I KNOW A LOT OF WORK WENT INTO GETTING, UH, FOLKS AROUND A TABLE AND PUTTING THIS TOGETHER SO THAT WE COULD HAVE THIS PRESENTATION.
AND FOR WHAT APPEARS TO BE A VERY STREAMLINED, UH, WAY AT LOOKING AT THIS, SOME OF THE QUESTIONS THAT I HAVE.
SO AROUND THE RESIDENTIAL COMPONENT, YOU SAID SINGLE FAMILY AND MULTIFAMILY.
UM, DISTRICT H ALSO HAS A LOT OF FLOP HOUSES, BUNK HOUSES.
HOW ARE THOSE CLASSIFIED? WOULD THAT COME INTO FAA FACTOR HERE? WELL, UM, SO LIKE A, LIKE A BOARDING HOME OR MM-HMM
THAT, THAT WOULD QUALIFY AS SINGLE FAMILY, RESIDENTIAL OR MULTI-FAMILY.
SO THAT WOULD ALSO BE COUNTED IN THE CALCULATION.
AND THEN WHAT ABOUT, UH, A SCHOOL? WOULD THAT IMPACT, UH, THE CALCULATION AT ALL HERE? OR WAS THAT CONSIDERED NO, WE'RE JUST, WE'RE WE'RE FOCUSED ON PROTECTING THE SINGLE FAMILY.
AND, UM, IN TERMS OF THE PROCESS, WHERE WOULD THIS, WOULD THIS LIVE IN PERMITTING AND IN PUBLIC WORKS WHERE SOMEONE WOULD, UM, GET THE FLAG THAT THIS APPLICATION HAS HIT AND THEN RUN THE ANALYSIS? OR HOW, HOW DOES THAT ALL WORK? SO WHAT WE'RE ENVISIONING, AND THIS IS WHAT IT WAS GOING TO LAY OUT AS WE FINALIZE THE ORDINANCE, BUT WE'RE ENVISIONING THAT THEY WILL COME INTO THE PERMITTING PROCESS AND THERE WILL BE A QUICK CHECK TO SEE IF THEY'RE ON A MAJOR THOROUGHFARE THAT'S GREATER THAN 80 FEET OR NOT.
AND THEN IF THEY'RE ON A MAJOR THOROUGHFARE, LESS THAN 80 FEET, THEN WE WOULD SAY, LOOK, YOU'VE GOTTA GO THROUGH THIS OTHER PROCESS, WHICH WOULD BE THEN SEPARATE FROM PERMITTING.
AND IS SO IS THAT PLANNING THEN THAT'S THAT WOULD BE PLANNING, YES.
PLANNING WILL, THIS WILL BE IN CHAPTER 42, SO IT'LL, IT'LL GO THROUGH PLANNING REVIEW AND THEN THE PLANNING COMMISSION WOULD RE BE THE ENTITY RESPONSIBLE FOR VARIANCES.
AND THANK YOU JOSH AND MARLENE.
I KNOW A LOT OF WORK HAS GONE INTO THIS AND I KNOW YOU'VE BEEN THROUGH FIRE, YOU'VE BEEN THROUGH HEALTH, YOU'VE BEEN, YOU'VE BEEN, YOU'VE RUN THE GAMUT OF EVERYTHING.
[01:00:01]
WANNA HEAR FROM THE PUBLIC ON, ON THEIR THOUGHTS ON THIS.I THINK WE'RE ONTO SOMETHING GOOD.
I WISH WE WOULD'VE HAD IT LONG BEFORE.
UM, BUT, BUT WE'RE AS PROMISED YOU GUYS CAME IN OCTOBER.
APPRECIATE ALL THE PEOPLE IN THE CITY THAT WERE INVOLVED.
I KNOW I'VE HAD A MILLION EMAILS AND CALLS ABOUT, ABOUT THIS ORDINANCE.
IT'S REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT TO THE COMMUNITY AND TO MANY COMMUNITIES ACROSS HOUSTON.
SO APPRECIATE YOUR GOOD WORK ON THIS AND EAGER TO HEAR FROM THE PUBLIC.
COUNCILMAN RAMIREZ, THANK YOU CHAIR.
AND UH, THANK YOU, UM, MARLENE FOR THE PRESENTATION AND THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO PUT A LOT OF WORK INTO THIS.
UM, SO ACCORDING TO THE SLIDE DECK, THE OBJECTIVE IS TO PRESERVE THE CHARACTER OF RESIDENTIAL AREAS WHILE PROMOTING PREDICTABLE ORDER, ORDERLY GROWTH OF COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT.
UM, WAS ANY THOUGHT GIVEN TO PROTECTING HEALTH AS WELL? WE'D EARLY ON DISCUSSED ABOUT HEALTH, BUT WE'RE, WE'RE FOCUSED MORE ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN, IN ADOPTING THIS ORDINANCE.
AND UM, YOU TOUCHED ON THE GRAPHICS.
UM, THE 50 FOOT BUFFER LINE AND THE A HUNDRED FOOT BUFFER LINE ONLY RELATE TO THE PROPERTY ABUTTING THE SUBJECT APPLICANT PROPERTY, IF YOU WILL, AND, AND NOT, UM, CROSSING ANY STREETS.
AND FOR INSTANCE, I'M LOOKING AT THE 1909 WASHINGTON AVENUE, UH, 'CAUSE IT APPEARS THAT DIRECTLY ACROSS THE STREET THAT, I'M NOT SURE IF THAT'S COMMERCIAL OR MULTIFAMILY, BUT, BUT RIGHT ADJACENT TO IT AT, AT, UM, SEVER SILVER, SILVER AND DECATUR, THERE'S, THERE'S SOME SINGLE FAMILY THERE.
SO THE, THE THOUGHT PROCESS IS THAT YOU HAVE AN INTERVENING STREET THAT FORMS SOME SORT OF BUFFER FROM THE FUEL STATION TO THE PROPERTY ACROSS THE STREET.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE PROPERTY OWNERS PROPERTY IN YELLOW, THOSE PROPERTIES, THERE'S NO BUFFER FOR THEM OTHER THAN MAYBE THEIR OWN PRIVATE FENCE.
BUT THERE'S, THERE'S NO REAL BUFFER.
AND SO THAT'S REALLY WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS, IS CREATE SOME SORT OF SEPARATION, IF YOU WILL, UM, OR TO PROTECT THEM.
AND, UM, THE, THE BOUNDARIES, 50 FOOT AND A HUNDRED FOOT, WHERE DOES, WHERE DOES THAT COME FROM? HOW DID YOU ARRIVE AT, AT THOSE TWO PARTICULAR MEASURES? SO IN WORKING ON THIS, WE'VE, WE HEARD A LOT OF DIFFERENT NUMBERS THAT WERE FLOATED.
WE HAVE NOT SETTLED ON 50 FEET OR A HUNDRED FEET.
UM, IT WAS JUST SOME DATA OR RESEARCH THAT WE WERE USING TO LOOK AT HOW, WHAT THE IMPACT MIGHT BE IN TERMS OF HOW MANY WE WOULD HAVE TO REVIEW.
AND SO THAT'S WHY WE JUST, WE WERE LOOKING AT 50, YOU KNOW, THERE WERE, AND WE MEASURED FROM THE PROPERTY LINE.
WE ALSO WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE STAYED A LITTLE CLEAR OF PREEMPTING ANY STATE LAWS BECAUSE SOME OF OUR OTHER RULES MEASURE FROM THE TANK.
AND SO IT MADE SENSE TO MEASURE FROM THE PROPERTY LINE.
I'LL GO BACK IN THE QUEUE AND I'LL, I'LL ADD TO THAT TOO.
YOU KNOW, FUEL PUMPING LOCATIONS CAN BE AT DIFFERENT PLACES ON THE ACTUAL PROPERTY.
SO THE ONE CONSISTENT THING IS THE ACTUAL EDGE OF THE PROPERTY.
UM, AND I ALSO WANNA JUST SAY THANK YOU FOR THE WORK JOB I'VE BEEN DOING.
UM, YOU KNOW, UNDERSTANDING THAT, YOU KNOW, THIS CAN BE COMPLEX AT, AT, AT TIMES JUST BECAUSE OF THE, THE MAKEUP OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I DEFINITELY WANT TO, UH, GIVE SOME INPUT ON, 'CAUSE I KNOW I'LL GET IT FROM MY CONSTITUENCY, UH, BROADWAY BELFORT, UH, WE HAVE A GAS STATION AND WE HAVE, UH, ONE THAT IS PERMITTED RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET AND THEN CADDY CORNER TO THAT ONE THAT IS JUST PERMITTED.
I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S THAT ONE THAT HASN'T GOTTEN ANY PERMITS YET, BUT THEY'RE LOOKING AT PUTTING ANOTHER GAS STATION.
SO IS THERE AN OPPORTUNITY TO TALK ABOUT CONCENTRATION? UH, WHEN IT COMES TO HOW MANY GAS STATIONS ARE AT AN INTERSECTION, IT'S A MAJOR, THE, IT GOES TOWARDS THE HOBBY AIRPORT.
FOLKS ARE MOVING UP AND DOWN BROADWAY.
BUT IN THIS SCENARIO, UH, THAT PARTICULAR NEIGHBORHOOD HAS BEEN RAISING SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT CONCENTRATION.
SO WHAT WE, WE TRIED TO THINK, SO THE ANSWER IS NO.
WE, WE WERE NOT GOING TO DO REGULATE THE CONCENTRATION.
GENERALLY WHEN YOU HAVE SERVICE STATIONS AT, BUT WITH CONCENTRATION, THEN THERE'S PROBABLY A DEMAND AND YOU ARE PROBABLY ON MORE
[01:05:01]
MAJOR ROADWAYS.UM, BROADWAY'S HAS A LARGE RIGHT OF WAY.
I BELIEVE BELFORT HAS A RIGHT LARGE RIGHT OF WAY.
UM, I RECEIVED A COMPLAINT ABOUT SOMEONE NOT LAING, A GAS STATION THERE ON THE GULF FREEWAY.
SO, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO DO IS THINK THROUGH AND TRY TO PROTECT THOSE PROPERTIES THAT ARE ON LESSER ROADWAYS WHERE WE REALLY WANNA PUSH 'EM OUT TO THOSE MAJOR ROADWAYS WHERE WE HAVE, WHERE WE CAN ACHIEVE SIX LANES WITH THE CONCENTRATION OF THE TRAFFIC, WHICH I CAN, I CAN, UH, I CAN UNDERSTAND THAT, BUT OUTSIDE OF THAT CONCENTRATED INTERSECTION, WHICH IS COMMERCIAL, YOU HAVE NEIGHBORHOODS THAT ARE, YOU KNOW, BACKING UP TO THOSE, THOSE, UM, THOSE GAS STATIONS.
SO, UM, UNDERSTANDING THE, THE RESPONSE, UH, YOU KNOW, IT'D BE GOOD.
'CAUSE AGAIN, I THINK MORE THAN LIKELY WE'RE GONNA HAVE CONSTITUENCY COMING IN ABOUT THAT AS WELL.
JUST TO CHIME IN, I MEAN, ALTHOUGH OBVIOUSLY THERE'LL BE SOME NEGATIVES WITH THEM BEING CONCENTRATED, I CAN ALSO SEE SOME POSITIVES IN THEM BEING CONCENTRATED AND NOT DISTRIBUTED IN OTHER PLACES.
SO KIND OF A BALANCING ACT, I THINK, UH, VICE MAYOR PRO TEM OR THANK YOU VICE CHAIR
UM, UH, THANK YOU BOTH FOR WORKING ON THIS.
UM, WITHOUT HAVING THE ACTUAL ORDINANCE IN FRONT OF ME, IT DOES SEEM LIKE THIS COULD BE A GOOD BALANCE BETWEEN SUPPORTING BUSINESSES AND ALSO SUPPORTING NEIGHBORHOODS.
UM, YOU TALKED ABOUT HOW THIS APPLIES TO ONLY NEW STATIONS FOR EXISTING STATIONS.
IS THERE ANY SCENARIO THAT COULD TRIGGER THEM KIND OF HAVING TO REAPPLY? FOR EXAMPLE, IF IT CHANGES OWNERSHIP OR IF THEY DO A SIGNIFICANT REPAIR TO THE BUILDING OR THE PUMPS OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT? COULD ANYTHING TRIGGER THAT OCCURRENCE? WE HAVE NOT.
WE, WE, UM, I THINK YOU, YOU START DOWN A, A SLIPPERY SLOPE WHEN YOU DO THAT.
UM, IT, WE DO THINK THROUGH IN TERMS OF IF THEY EXPAND THEIR OPERATION, YOU KNOW, IF THEY EXPAND THEIR BOUNDARY, LET'S SAY THEY WANT TO ADD FOUR MORE FUEL PUMPS AND THAT EXPANDS THEIR BOUNDARY THEN, UH, OF OPERATION AND HOW THEY OPERATE AS A STATION, THEN AT THAT POINT WE WOULD REVIEW IT.
WE, WE DON'T WANNA GO IN THE POSITION WHERE WE REGULATE THEM, THE EXISTING ONES WHERE THEY DON'T MAKE THE NECESSARY IMPROVEMENTS TO THEIR STATIONS, AND THEN THOSE STATIONS START GOING INTO A STATE OF DECLINE, THEN THAT BECOMES MORE OF A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON THE COMMUNITY.
SO IT'S, IT'S, IT'S A FINE BALANCE.
COUNCILMAN POLLARD, THANK YOU CHAIR.
AND THANK YOU BOTH FOR THE PRESENTATION.
UM, HAPPY TO SEE THIS BEING PRESENTED AND, UM, DISCUSSED.
I RECEIVED SEVERAL EMAILS FROM LARGE COMMUNITY GROUPS OVER AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME, AND THIS WAS SOMETHING THAT WE WERE SEEING WAS A ISSUE ALL OVER THE CITY.
AND THERE WAS MANY DIFFERENT RESIDENTS WHO WERE CONCERNED ABOUT THE CONCENTRATION OF GAS STATIONS NEAR RESIDENTIAL HOMES.
UM, INITIALLY I WAS THINKING ABOUT BRINGING THIS AS A PROP A AND JUST COMING UP WITH, YOU KNOW, MY OWN LANGUAGE AND PROPOSAL, BUT, UM, WANTED TO GO ABOUT THIS DIFFERENTLY BECAUSE IT WAS SUCH AN IMPORTANT ISSUE THAT IMPACTED THE CITY AND DECIDED TO WRITE THE MAYOR A LETTER.
AND TO HIS CREDIT AND HIS, UH, OFFICE'S CREDIT, UM, MADE A COMMITMENT TO BRING THIS FORWARD AND MAKE IT IT A PRIORITY.
AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT YOU ALL SEE HERE TODAY, WHICH IS VERY COMMENDABLE.
UM, I AM DIGESTING THIS FORMULA THAT YOU CAME UP WITH.
I DO THINK USING TEST CASE SCENARIOS OF, UM, RECENT LOCATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN CONTROVERSIAL AND TO SEE THAT THOSE TWO LOCATIONS WOULD NOT QUALIFY IS, UM, ENCOURAGING.
UM, AND SO I KNOW IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO COME UP WITH A ONE SIZE FITS ALL APPROACH IN LANGUAGE IN A CITY LIKE HOUSTON THAT MAY SATISFY EVERYONE.
BUT I DEFINITELY THINK THIS IS SOMETHING THAT LOOKS PROMISING.
AND I WANT TO THANK YOU ALL, UH, FOR YOUR EFFORTS.
I TOO, LIKE MY COLLEAGUE WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THE CONCENTRATION OF GAS STATIONS.
UM, BUT WHEN YOU ADD IN THE THOROUGHFARE REQUIREMENT OF 80 FEET OR MORE, UM, THAT DOES SLICE INTO IT SOME, AND YOU CAN MAKE THE ARGUMENT THAT WHEN YOU HAVE A CONCENTRATION THAT CREATES COMPETITION, WHICH THEN MAKES OPERATORS HAVE TO LOWER PRICES, WHICH COULD BE A BENEFIT AS WELL.
[01:10:01]
DIFFERENT WAYS TO LOOK AT THIS.UM, BUT MOSTLY I JUST WANT TO THANK THE RESIDENTS WHO CARE ENOUGH TO PUT THIS FORWARD.
THIS WAS DRIVEN BY THOSE COMMUNITIES.
THIS WAS DRIVEN BY, UH, MANY CONCERNED RESIDENTS AND EVEN A GENTLEMAN WHO, UH, UNFORTUNATELY PASSED AWAY THAT WE RECOGNIZED THAT HE PUT FORTH A LOT OF EFFORT IN SPEARHEADING, UH, THIS.
AND SO LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING FROM THE RESIDENTS AS WELL.
AND I'M SURE WE WILL COME UP WITH SOMETHING THAT CAN, UH, COME FORWARD BEFORE US TO VOTE ON EVENTUALLY.
THANK, AND THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
I'M REALLY EXCITED TO SEE THIS MOVING FORWARD.
UM, EXCESSIVE GAS STATIONS HAS BEEN A BIG TOPIC, UM, IN DISTRICT B.
AND SO, UM, ONE PERSON THAT I HAVE IN REGARDS TO THE VARIANCE, UM, WHAT SPECIFIC CRC CIRCUMSTANCES WOULD JUSTIFY GAS STATION, UM, REQUESTING A VARIANCE.
WE HAVEN'T FULLY, UM, DRAFTED THAT PIECE YET.
WE'RE STILL WORKING ON THAT PORTION OF THE ORDINANCE.
I, I WOULD SAY THAT SOMETHING ALONG THE LINES OF, UM, IF THE HARRIS COUNTY APPRAISAL DISTRICT RECORD SHOWS THAT IT'S SINGLE FAMILY PROPERTY AND IN FACT THAT STRUCTURE HAS BEEN REMOVED AND IT'S NO LONGER IN USE, THAT THAT WOULD BE SOME EVIDENCE THAT THEY CAN SHOW THAT IT DOESN'T MEET THE, THE RESIDENTIAL TEST REQUIREMENT.
THAT THAT MIGHT BE ONE TYPE OF VARIANCE YOU COULD GET.
BUT, UM, WE, WE'VE JUST NOT FINALIZED THE VARIANCE PIECE YET.
THANK YOU STAFF FROM COUNCILMAN ELLA'S OFFICE.
THANK YOU BOTH FOR THE PRESENTATION, UH, THE COUNCIL FOR TUNING IN REMOTELY.
UH, BUT WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR WORK HERE AND I THINK RESIDENTS IN GENERAL ARE VERY EAGER ABOUT THIS PROCESS AND TO UNDERSTAND IT FURTHER.
AND I APPRECIATE HOW MUCH TIME Y'ALL ARE PUTTING INTO THE LEAD UP TO AN ACTUAL INSTRUCTION.
'CAUSE I THINK RESIDENTS ARE GONNA APPRECIATE THAT.
UM, I HAVE A COUPLE QUESTIONS.
WHEN YOU SAY RESIDENTIAL IS DEFINED AS SINGLE FAMILY OR MULTIFAMILY, THAT INCLUDES MIXED USE THAT ARE ALSO MULTIFAMILY, CORRECT? CORRECT.
UM, HOW IN THIS PROCESS WERE MAJOR THOROUGHFARES DEFINED ASIDE FROM STREET WIDTH? SO THE CITY OF HOUSTON HAS A MAJOR THOROUGHFARE AND FREEWAY PLAN AND IT IDENTIFIES ALL OF THE MAJOR THOROUGHFARES, THE, AND THEN, UM, MAJOR COLLECTOR TYPE STREETS.
WE'LL, WE'LL ALSO HAVE, UM, PROBABLY HAVE A DEFINITION IN THE ORDINANCE AS WELL OF, OF WHAT A FREEWAY IS, AND THEN I THINK MAJOR THOROUGHFARE IS ALREADY DEFINED IN THE CODE.
SO IN THEORY, IF I'M A PERSON WANTING TO BUILD A GAS STATION, I COULD GO LOOK MYSELF JUST TO SEE AM I LOOKING AT A LOCATION THAT ISN'T GONNA QUALIFY BECAUSE OF A MAJOR THOROUGHFARE RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME? CORRECT.
AND I I I WILL TELL YOU THAT WHEN THEY DO THEIR DEVELOPMENT PLANS, THEY'RE ALREADY LOOKING AT WHETHER IT'S A MAJOR THOROUGHFARE OR NOT BECAUSE THEIR BUILDING SETBACK LINE IS BASED OFF OF A MAJOR THOROUGHFARE.
UM, WHEN AN APPLICATION TO THAT VARIANCE POINT, WHEN AN APPLICATION FAILS THIS SCREENING PROCESS, SO THEY GET NOS ON BOTH OF THESE AND IT GOES TO A VARIANCE.
I KNOW Y'ALL ARE WORKING OUT THAT VARIANCE PIECE.
WE'D BE, I WOULD, WE'D BE CURIOUS ON IS IT SOLELY UP TO PLANNING COMMISSION AT THAT POINT TO APPROVE THE VARIANCE OR WOULD IT HAVE TO COME TO COUNCIL? JUST THE PLANNING COMMISSION.
UM, AND THEN LASTLY, ON THE FORWARD LOOKING ASPECT HERE, I KNOW THIS ONLY APPLIES TO NEW APPLICATIONS ON THE THREE AGENCIES THAT ARE KIND OF ASSESSING THAT THE TDLR US AND THEN THE TCEQ, IS IT IF THEY'VE SUBMITTED PAPERWORK WITH ANY OF THOSE AGENCIES OR JUST US, OR LIKE HOW FAR ALONG IN THE APPLICATION WITH LIKE A NEW APPLICATION BE DETERMINED? DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? SO YOU'RE REALLY TALKING ABOUT THE VESTING STATUTE AND THAT, TAMMY, DO YOU KNOW WE'RE, WE'RE STILL WORKING ON THAT.
WE, WE'VE GOTTA LOOK AT THE VESTING STATUTE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, COUNCILMAN RAMIREZ.
UM, SPEAKING OF VARIANCES, UM, I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU ALL IN DRAFTING THE ORDINANCE NOT TO MAKE THE VARIANCES SO EXTENSIVE THAT IT WOULD, YOU KNOW, SWALLOW UP THE, YOU KNOW, THE GENERAL IDEA OF THE ORDINANCE.
UM, LET ME ASK YOU ABOUT THE PROPOSED SCHEDULE HERE.
IS IT ESSENTIAL THAT THE ORDINANCE GO BEFORE THE PLANNING COMMITTEE OR COMMISSION BEFORE IT COMES TO COUNCIL? CHAPTER 42 IS, UH, IS AN ORDINANCE THAT IT IS INVOLVES THE PLANNING COMMISSION.
THEY'RE THE ENTITY THAT'S RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ORDINANCE.
UM, THEY'RE A GOOD FILTER FOR CITY COUNCIL WHERE THEY CAN TAKE THE PUBLIC TESTIMONY AND TRY TO ELIMINATE CONFLICT.
[01:15:01]
BUT PLANNING COMMISSION IS A BODY THAT ENFORCES CHAPTER 42.SO IT'S ALWAYS HELPFUL TO HAVE THEIR EARS AND ADD SOME FILTER.
IS THERE A REASON FOR THAT PARTICULAR CONCERN? YEAH, MY, YES.
MY, MY CONCERN IS THAT, UM, I MEAN EVERY WEEK WE GET COMPLAINTS ABOUT, UM, GAS STATIONS, YOU KNOW, GOING UP OR BEING PROPOSED.
AND WHEN DEVELOPERS FIND OUT, HEY, YOU'VE GOT THREE MONTHS, UH, BEFORE COUNCIL WILL ADOPT ANYTHING, UM, YOU MIGHT VERY WELL SEE A SORT OF A RUSH TO GET THESE APPLICATIONS IN UNDER THE, UH, UH, UNDER THE DEADLINE AND, AND GET 'EM, GET 'EM APPROVED.
AND SO ANYTHING WE CAN DO TO SHORTEN THIS ORDINANCE SCHEDULE WOULD BE A GOOD THING.
AND SO THAT'S WHY I ASKED DOES IT REALLY NEED TO GO TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION? WE CAN, WE CAN HOLD PUBLIC HEARINGS HERE.
AND SO THAT'S, THAT'S WHY I'LL ASK.
THERE'S NO MORE COUNCIL MEMBERS, UH, IN THE QUEUE.
UH, WANTED TO THANK YOU FOR NOT ONLY THE PRESENTATION, BUT THE WORK YOU'VE DONE.
UH, I THINK THIS IS AN ISSUE THAT IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO MAKE EVERYONE HAPPY.
UH, I MEAN, YOU'RE TRYING TO BALANCE THE FACT THAT WE DO NOT HAVE ZONING IN THE CITY, PROPERTY RIGHTS, AND THEN OBVIOUSLY THE RESIDENTS.
SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR WORK AND IT'S GREATLY APPRECIATED.
AND WITH THAT, UH, WE'LL MOVE ON TO PUBLIC SPEAKERS.
AND, UH, WE HAVE A NUMBER OF PUBLIC SPEAKERS.
UH, THE PUBLIC SPEAKERS WILL HAVE TWO MINUTES EACH.
IF YOU'RE GONNA BE JOINING VIRTUALLY, PLEASE UNMUTE YOURSELF, UM, TO SPEAK.
AND FOR THE FIRST PUBLIC SPEAKER, WE HAVE TATIANA REPINSKI, UH, CHRIS VALDEZ.
CHRIS VALDEZ IS THE FIR FIRST ONE.
CAN YOU RAISE IT UP? OH, SURE.
UM, SO MY NAME IS CHRIS VALDEZ.
UH, I'M HERE WITH MY NEIGHBORS FROM THE SIXTH WARD.
UM, OVER THE, AND APOLOGIES, I PREPARED FOR THREE MINUTES, SO HOPEFULLY YOU DON'T MIND IF I JUST GO OVER JUST A LITTLE BIT.
BUT, UH, OVER THE LAST YEAR AND A HALF, WE'VE HAD TO BECOME EXPERTS ON PUBLIC HEALTH, GASOLINE, AND FIRE SAFETY, VARIOUS CITIES, STATE AND FEDERAL CODES, AND THE INTRICACIES OF PUBLIC LAW AND CITY DEPARTMENTS.
WE DID THIS OUT OF OUR LOVE FOR OUR NEIGHBORHOOD, OUR NEIGHBORS, AND OUR PAST, CURRENT AND FUTURE FAMILIES.
I CAN'T BEGIN TO COUNT THE HOURS WE'VE DEVOTED TO THIS WORK.
FIRST TO TRY TO PROTECT OURSELVES FROM THE BENZENE THE GAS STATIONS EMIT, FOR WHICH THERE IS NO SAFE AMOUNT.
SECOND, TO ENSURE THAT OTHER HOUSTONIANS WOULD NOT HAVE TO GO THROUGH WHAT WE'VE GONE THROUGH WHEN FACED WITH A THREAT LIKE THIS NEAR OUR HOME.
SO TODAY, I WANNA SAY I'M PRETTY PROUD.
UM, I'M PROUD OF MY NEIGHBORS, TATIANA AND JOE ALICE AND JOE BAILEY, WHO WE MISS VERY MUCH.
MY WIFE, KRISTEN, JULIE, CHRISTINE, MELANIE.
WE'VE WORKED REALLY HARD TO GET HERE, UH, THANKS TO THE COUNCIL MEMBERS, UH, TO THEIR CHIEFS OF STAFF AND THE CITY DEPARTMENTS WHO HAVE TAKEN TIME TO ADVOCATE AND MEANINGFULLY RESPOND TO OUR ENDLESS MESSAGES TO COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON FOR HAVING THE FORETHOUGHT OF THIS WORK, UH, TO INYAN AIR ALLIANCE, WHO SUPPORTED THEM.
AND I'M PROUD OF THE DOZENS AND DOZENS OF CIVIC AND NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION MEMBERS WHO STILL TO THIS DAY, UM, FROM 40, OVER FOUR 40 ORGANIZATIONS CALLED, EMAILED, SIGNED IN ORDER TO GET ATTENTION TO THIS CONCERN AND ITS IMPACT ON US ACROSS THE CITY.
CLEARLY THIS LEFT AN IMPRESSION ON THE MAYOR, AND THANK YOU MS. GAFFER AND TEAM, UH, FOR DEVELOPING THIS FRAMEWORK.
I WAS GRATEFUL TO RECEIVE THAT YESTERDAY, THE PRESENTATION YESTERDAY.
COUNCIL MEMBER SALINAS'S OFFICE.
UM, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO REVIEWING THE ORDINANCE LANGUAGE AS WELL, HOPEFULLY ALONGSIDE THE BROADER PUBLIC WITH LOTS OF TIME TO REVIEW.
UM, I'M NOT SHARING ALL THIS HISTORY TO CONGRATULATE US ALONE.
UH, I'M ALSO SHARING IT SO THAT AS WE MOVE THROUGH THE COMING STEPS IN THE PROCESS, EVERYONE HERE, UH, AND ON THE, THE PLANNING COMMISSION KNOWS THAT THERE'S A LARGE GROUP OF RESIDENTS WHO HAVE A LONG STANDING INVESTED INVESTMENT INTEREST IN GETTING AN ORDINANCE ENACTED.
AND YOU SHOULD ENGAGE WITH THEM EVERY STEP OF THE WAY.
AS FOR MY OWN REFLECTIONS ON THE PRESENTATION, BEYOND RESIDENTIAL AREAS, I THINK A STRONG ORDINANCE LIKE SAN ANTONIO'S WOULD ALSO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION OTHER SENSITIVE AREAS LIKE DAYCARES, SCHOOLS AND PARKS, PRIORITIZING SAFETY, INCLUDING FIRE SAFETY.
SECOND, AND I'LL BE BRIEF, THE VARIANCE REQUEST PROCESS MUST ALSO AS, AS OTHERS HAVE COMMENTED, BE MEANINGFUL AND OVER-INDEX ON THE PROCESS OF NOTIFYING THE PUBLIC POSTCARDS IN A MAILBOX AT THE BARE MINIMUM.
[01:20:01]
HOUSTONIANS DESERVE THIS ORDINANCE SOONER THAN LATER.SO THE LIST OF PROPOSED STATIONS, BECAUSE THE LIST OF PROPOSED STATIONS WILL, AND IT CONTINUES TO GROW, UM, THIS IS A VERY GOOD START.
UM, I ARE JUST TO MOVE SWIFTLY WHILE ALSO DOING WHAT WE CAN TO MAKE SURE THIS ORDINANCE IS RESPONSIVE TO THE MOST PRESSING OF COMMUNITY CONCERNS.
UM, I WANTED TO THANK THE ADMINISTRATION AND CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS FOR ADVANCING THIS GAS STATION ORDINANCE AND BRINGING IT BEFORE THE COMMITTEE TODAY.
UM, GAS STATIONS NEXT TO RESIDENTS IS A GROWING PROBLEM FOR THE CITY.
UM, THE PRESENTATION PREPARED SHOWED THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S 98 GAS STATIONS, UM, THAT HAVE BEEN WITHIN 50 AND A HUNDRED FEET FROM HOMES.
UM, IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT DISTANCE IS ONLY LIKE 10 FEET.
UM, AND THOSE IMPACTED PROPERTIES, RESIDENTS, AND COMMUNITIES WILL FOREVER BE SHAPED BY THESE DEVELOPMENTS.
UM, WITH HEALTH AND SAFETY EFFECTS, DEPRESSED PROPERTY VALUES AND LIMITS TO THE FUTURE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT THAT COMES INTO THAT AREA.
UM, WE NEED TO CONSIDER WHAT WE WANT THE FUTURE OF HOUSTON TO BE AND WHAT THE FUTURE OF OUR NEIGHBORHOODS WILL BE.
AND I HOPE THAT WE CAN MAKE THIS, UH, ORDINANCE GO THROUGH QUICKLY.
THAT LIST OF 98 PRO, UM, STATIONS WILL ONLY GROW EVERY MONTH THAT WE DELAY TAKING ACTION.
UM, AND I URGE THAT THIS ORDINANCE IS NOT WEAKENED BY THE VARIANCE PROCESS THAT ACCOMPANIES IT.
OTHERWISE, ALL THIS WORK WILL BE FOR NOTHING.
UM, SO THANK YOU FOR ADVANCING THIS AND, UH, FOR HEARING OUR CONCERNS.
NEXT SPEAKER IS SHARON EVANS BROOKS.
DOES DOESN'T APPEAR SHE IS HERE.
UH, NEXT SPEAKER, EMILY ARRON.
I'M EMILY AWES SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF, UH, PRESERVATION HOUSTON.
UM, WE HAVE BEEN GETTING, UM, DEFINITELY SEEN AN UPWARD TREND IN CALLS FROM COMMUNITY MEMBERS ABOUT GAS STATION DEVELOPMENT, UM, THAT IS THREATENING HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS.
SO WE, UM, DEFINITELY HAVE OUR EYE ON THIS ISSUE.
UM, QUALITY OF LIFE, PRESERVING NEIGHBORHOOD CHARACTER, UM, VERY IMPORTANT.
AND A LOT OF THAT TIES TO RESIDENCES THAT, YOU KNOW, TYPICALLY ARE SMALLER IN SCALE, UM, IN OLDER NEIGHBORHOODS.
UM, BUT WE'VE ALSO SEEN CASES OF SPECIFIC NEIGHBORHOOD LANDMARKS, UM, BEING THREATENED THAT ALSO CONTRIBUTE, YOU KNOW, A LOT TO NEIGHBORHOOD CHARACTER.
UM, ONE WAS THE POSSIBILITY OF PARK PLACE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH, UM, ON BROADWAY, EAST OF I 45 SOUTH, UM, WHICH IS A VERY PROMINENT, UM, BUILDING.
I DON'T KNOW IF IT WOULD MEET THIS TEST.
IT WAS, I UNDERSTAND PROTECTED ULTIMATELY BY, UM, DEED RESTRICTIONS IN THE AREA.
UM, BUT NOT ALL NEIGHBORHOODS HAVE THAT.
ANOTHER ONE THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT RIGHT NOW IS, UM, THE KIRBY MANSION AT 2000 SMITH STREET.
I WANNA BE VERY CAREFUL BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE ANY EVIDENCE, UM, THAT THERE WOULD BE FUEL ON THE PROPERTY SPECIFICALLY.
UM, BUT THERE ARE PLANS FOR A NEW 13,000 SQUARE FOOT ONE STORY COMMERCIAL BUILDING, WHICH INCLUDES A CONVENIENCE STORE AND THE COMPANY THAT WOULD BE OPERATING THERE DOES NOT EXCLUSIVELY, BUT TYPICALLY, UM, YOU KNOW, OPERATES, UH, CONVENIENCE STORES THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH FUEL.
SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE MONITORING GOING FORWARD.
UM, BUT THERE IS ASBESTOS ABATEMENT, UM, SCHEDULED TO START, UH, OCTOBER 27TH, UM, AND A DEMOLITION PERMIT, UM, THAT IS IN THE WORKS FOR, UH, FOR A BUILDING ON THE PROPERTY.
UM, SO THAT'S SOMETHING WE'RE FOLLOWING VERY CLOSELY AND IS VERY TIME SENSITIVE.
UM, AND SO I WANTED TO GO AHEAD AND BRING IT UP EVEN THOUGH WE'RE NOT, YOU KNOW, SURE THAT IT'S TECH TECHNICALLY PART OF THE, THE GAS STATION ISSUE.
UM, BUT WE REALLY APPRECIATE THE ATTENTION TO THIS AND THIS WILL BE, UM, A BENEFIT TO OLDER NEIGHBORHOODS, CERTAINLY.
AS YOU WOULD KNOW, MANY OF YOU KNOW, I TAKE THE ROUTE 40 SOMETIMES INTO TOWN, WHICH GOES DOWN YALE AND HEIGHTS BOULEVARD.
AND I WAS NOTICING SOMETHING AT CROSS TIMBERS, A GAS STATION AT, AT CROSS TIMBERS IN YALE.
AND THEN I'M GOING DOWN AND I HEARD ABOUT, UH, AND THIS WAS A MICIN RATED RESTAURANT AT HEIGHTS BOULEVARD AND CENTER STREET BETWEEN WASHINGTON AVENUE AND THE RAILROAD TRACKS.
AND THEY SAID THEY WAS GONNA BE OUT AND GOING OUTTA BUSINESS.
[01:25:01]
A GAS STATION GOING IN.WHAT WAS THE HEIGHTS BANK IS NOW A GAS STATION.
AND I'M GOING, WHAT'S WRONG HERE? AND THEN I GOT EDWARD, I GOT EMAIL FROM YOU.
YOU'RE CONCERNED ABOUT THESE GAS STATIONS.
AND, UH, MY THING ABOUT THE GAS STATIONS IS THAT AS A FORMER PARAMEDIC, UH, GASOLINE, WE HAVE TO, WE USE IN OUR CARS, THAT'S UNDERSTANDABLE.
BUT THIS CLOSE TO OTHER PUBLIC AREAS, UH, YOU KNOW, GASOLINE IS EXPLOSIVE.
UH, IT'S NOT HEALTHY TO, TO, TO, UH, INHALE.
IT CAN CAUSE GROUNDWATER PROBLEMS. AND WITH HOUSTON HAVING ITS SHARE OF FLOODING AND STUFF, UH, UH, AND I THINK SOME SORT OF, UH, REGULATION, UH, SOME IS ALREADY IN THE WORKS.
BUT I THINK WE NEED TO BE MORE CONCERNED ABOUT WHERE STUFF GOES TO.
AND I'M GONNA MAKE UP A SUGGESTION HERE.
MAYBE WHAT WE NEED TO START THINKING ABOUT INSTEAD OF A ZONING AS OTHER CITIES DO, IS THAT DEED RESTRICTIONS FOR A PIECE OF PROPERTY IS THE ZONING FOR THAT PROPERTY.
IN OTHER WORDS, A DEED RESTRICTION WOULD HAVE, UH, SOMETHING UNDER THE WALL THAT, THAT THE CITY COULD USE, WHERE YOU COULD ONLY USE YOUR PROPERTY FOR OTHER THINGS THAT MIGHT FLY BETTER THAN TRYING TO PUT ZONING IN TRADITIONAL ZONING.
I AM A LOCAL CONVERSATION LEADER FOR STRONG TOWNS HOUSTON.
I'M A, ALSO A RESIDENT OF DISTRICT B.
UM, AND I JUST WANT TO EXPRESS ON BEHALF OF STRONG TOWNS HOUSTON, AS WELL AS MY PERSONAL, UH, SUPPORT FOR THIS PROPOSED ORDINANCE.
I ALSO WANT TO THANK THE MAYOR'S OFFICE TO DIRECTOR GRICH AND MR. SANDERS FOR MOVING RELATIVELY QUICKLY ON THIS.
THIS HAS BEEN A GROWING ISSUE, UH, IN RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS, HAVING THE PROLIFERATION OF GAS STATIONS, UH, FOR A NUMBER OF HEALTH AND SAFETY REASONS.
UH, COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON, I DEFINITELY KNOW IN DISTRICT B, IT'S BECOME AN ISSUE.
I LIVE OVER BY, UH, ON CLINTON AND TWE CARTT.
I KNOW THERE'S A SHELL GAS STATION BEING PUT UP RIGHT NEXT TO BRUCE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
IT'S A SHAME THAT, UM, WHERE WE SEND OUR CHILDREN IS ALSO GONNA BE NEXT TO WHERE THERE'S GONNA BE A LOT OF HEALTH AND SAFETY RISKS.
SO I SUPPORT, UH, THIS ORDINANCE.
I THINK IT'S A GOOD IDEA AS WELL AS, UH, I THINK WE CAN ALREADY TELL FROM THE QUESTIONS AT CITY COUNCIL THAT WE'RE GONNA SEE WHAT SOME PROPOSED, UH, AMENDMENTS AND, UH, ADDING SOME TEETH TO THIS WILL LOOK LIKE, INCLUDING PROTECTIONS FOR HEALTH AND SAFETY, AS WELL AS MAYBE ADDING SOME OTHER POTENTIAL LAND USES LIKE SCHOOLS, LIKE DAYCARES, ET CETERA.
AND, UM, OF COURSE, I'D BE REMISS NOT TO POINT OUT THAT I'D LIKE THE CITY TO TAKE A LOOK AND TAKE A STEP BACK AS TO WHY IS IT THAT WE HAVE SUCH A PROLIFERATION OF GAS STATIONS AND WHAT DO WE HAVE IN CITY CODE THAT ALLOWS THESE BUILDINGS TO BE BUILT ON SUCH LARGE PARCELS OF LAND AS OPPOSED TO ALLOWING SMALLER BUSINESSES TO DEVELOP ON SMALLER PARCELS.
AND IF YOU'VE TALKED TO ME A FEW TIMES, YOU KNOW WHERE I'M GOING WITH THIS.
THAT DOES INCLUDE, UH, AMONG OTHER THINGS, GETTING RID OF MINIMUM PARKING REQUIREMENTS.
YES, I'M GONNA FIT THAT SQUARE PEG IN A ROUND HOLE DURING THIS CONVERSATION, BUT Y'ALL KNOW ME VERY WELL.
UH, BUT ANYWAY, I DO SUPPORT THIS ORDINANCE.
I, OUR ORGANIZATION SUPPORTS THIS ORDINANCE AND WE'RE HAPPY TO BE IN CONVERSATIONS WITH CITY COUNCIL AS WELL AS THE MAYOR'S OFFICE, UH, PROSPECTIVELY ON SOME FUTURE AMENDMENTS.
AND OF COURSE, THERE'S NO PLACE I'D RATHER BE SPENDING MY WELL YESTERDAY, BUT TODAY, UH, MY BIRTHDAY WEEK THAN IN CITY COUNCIL TESTIFYING ON BEHALF OF AN ORDINANCE
NEXT SPEAKER IS COUNCILMAN ALEX.
YEAH, I JUST WANNA SAY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU.
UH, NEXT SPEAKER IS ALEXANDER SPIKE.
ALRIGHT, GOOD AF UH, GOOD AFTERNOON, Y'ALL.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK HERE AND ON THIS VERY URGENT TOPIC.
I AM THE VICE PRESIDENT FOR BUSINESSES AND INSTITUTIONS AT THE MIDTOWN SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD NUMBER 62.
UM, WE ARE DEALING WITH A GAS STATION PROPOSED AT 8 0 1 MCGOWAN STREET, UM, WHICH IS IN VIOLATION OF CITY RULES AND REQUIRES THE VARIANCE ITSELF.
UM, WE'RE THANKFUL FOR THE PROTECTIONS THAT EXIST RIGHT NOW, AND WE'RE THANKFUL FOR THE PROPOSED PROTECTIONS.
UM, IN THE, UM, UH, PROPOSAL EARLIER.
I THINK THAT THIS IS A GREAT START AND I LOOK FORWARD TO ITS IMPLEMENTATION.
UH, QUICKLY, UM, I DO HAVE ONE QUESTION ON THE PROPOSED RULE THAT I THINK IS WORTH SHARING, AND THAT IS THAT MAJOR THOROUGHFARES OFTEN INTERSECT WITH OTHER MAJOR THOROUGHFARES.
[01:30:01]
THEM ARE 80, SOME OF THEM ARE A HUNDRED.BUT FOR 8 0 1 MCGOWAN STREET FOR EXAMPLE, MCGOWAN IS SOMETIMES CLASSIFIED AS A MAJOR THOROUGHFARE AND IS ONLY 80 FEET WIDE.
THAT WOULD MAKE IT REQUIRE A VARIANCE FOR ITS CONSTRUCTION.
HOWEVER, IF THE PROPOSED, UH, DESIGN WERE TO ROTATE 90 DEGREES AND FACE, FOR EXAMPLE, TRAVIS OR MCGOWAN OR UH, MILAM STREET, WOULD IT THEN BECOME A, UH, VIABLE PRODUCT AND REQUIRE NO VARIANCE? THAT IS SOMETHING TO CONSIDER AS WELL.
UM, I DO WANNA COMMENT ON SOMETHING LARGER 'CAUSE I THINK THAT, UM, WE ARE TREATING A SYMPTOM AND NOT THE ISSUE THAT'S DEEPER UNDER THE ISSUE HERE.
UM, AND THAT IS, WHY IS THERE A RASH OF GAS STATION DEVELOPMENTS BROADLY? WHY IS THAT THE ONLY COMMERCIAL SPACE THAT, UM, SEEMS TO PAN OUT ANYMORE? UM, AND I THINK THAT LIKE, UH, MR. GARZA ALLUDED TO, THERE ARE LAND USE RULES THAT COMPLICATE AND JEOPARDIZE, UM, SMALL COMMERCIAL SPACES, WHICH I'LL ADD ARE OFTENTIMES MUCH MORE PRODUCTIVE FORMS OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
WE IN MIDTOWN, ARE ONE OF THE FASTEST GROWING NEIGHBORHOODS.
WE'RE VERY MUCH PRO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND PRO GROWTH.
BUT IT'S A QUESTION OF WHAT THAT GROWTH LOOKS LIKE.
UM, SO FOR EXAMPLE, UM, THE 8 0 1 MCGOWAN STREET PROPOSAL IS $2.8 MILLION IN MARKET VALUE OVER THREE 8,000 SQUARE FEET, REDUCING $73 A MARKET VALUE PER SQUARE FOOT.
CONSIDER ALSO A NEARBY COMMERCIAL SPACE AT 560 OR $560,000 IN MARKET VALUE.
OVER 76,000, 7,600 SQUARE FEET, MEANING $74 IN PRODUCT OR MARKET VALUE PER SQUARE FOOT.
A LEGACY, UH, RESIDENTIAL BUILDING ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE PROPOSAL PRODUCES 170, $137 OF MARKET VALUE PER SQUARE FOOT.
MARKET VALUE ISN'T THE SAME AS PROPERTY TAX, OF COURSE, UM, BUT THEY ARE GOING TO CORRELATE JUST A LITTLE BIT.
UM, SO WE SHOULD THINK ABOUT HOW WE CAN INCENTIVIZE MORE PRODUCTIVE, MORE INTENSIVE, UM, USES BOTH FOR COMMUNITIES, BUT ALSO FOR THE CITY'S, UM, THE CITY'S FINANCIAL SITUATION.
UH, NEXT SPEAKER IS JULIE FBE.
HI, I AM JULIE TOBY, AND, UM, SORRY ABOUT THAT.
UM, I LIVE AT 1910 DECATUR, RIGHT BEHIND 1909 WASHINGTON, AND WE ALL HAVE BEEN WORKING LED BY JOE BAILEY AND CHRIS AND TATIANA ON THIS.
I WANNA THANK EVERYONE FOR STARTING THIS, SEEING THIS THROUGH.
IT REALLY MOVES ME TO SEE THAT SOMETHING'S GOING TO BE DONE THAT WILL PREVENT OTHER PEOPLE FROM GOING THROUGH WHAT I'M GOING THROUGH.
IT'S ON THE CITY REGISTER, IT'S ON THE NATIONAL REGISTER, AND YET I'M GOING TO HAVE A GAS STATION BEHIND ME.
AND I'M KNOW THAT THERE'S NOTHING TO BE DONE ABOUT THAT, BUT I'M SO HAPPY THIS ORDINANCE LOOKS LIKE IT'S REALLY GOING TO COVER A LOT.
I DID LIKE WHAT COUNCILPERSON RAMIREZ SAID ABOUT THE VARIANCES.
WE CAN'T JUST, YOU SEE IT ALL OVER, THERE'S A VARIANT SIGN UP HERE, THERE AND THAT, AND MOST PEOPLE DON'T HAVE TIME TO GO AND FIGHT AND SPEAK WHEN THERE'S A HEARING ABOUT RESIDENT, YOU KNOW, A VARIANCE.
THAT'S JUST NOT SOMETHING MOST PEOPLE CAN DO.
SO I WANT THAT TO BE KEPT IN MIND.
I THINK THAT THE, UM, PLANNED ORDINANCE THAT THEY WORKED ON, IT'S VERY CREATIVE.
AND, UM, I DO THINK THAT SOMETHING AS FAR AS HEALTH SHOULD BE ENCOMPASSED IN THIS BECAUSE IT'S JUST NOT QUALITY OF LIFE, ALTHOUGH THAT'S MAINLY WHAT WILL BE AFFECTING ME.
BUT, UM, HEALTH ISSUES FOR CHILDREN AND ELDERLY PEOPLE NEED TO BE CONSIDERED.
I THOUGHT THERE WAS A HEALTH STUDY THAT WAS BEING DONE THAT WAS DISCONTINUED.
I DON'T KNOW THE STATUS OF THAT.
MAYBE THAT WOULD TAKE SO MUCH TIME.
I DON'T, I I ALSO APPRECIATED THE COMMENT ABOUT, UM, LET'S NOT PROLONG THIS.
AND I WAS AMAZED TO SEE THE FIGURE 180 GAS STATIONS IN FOUR YEARS HAVING BEEN APPROVED.
AND I, I DO SEE SIGNS OF IT EVERYWHERE.
SO, UM, THANK YOU ALL FOR WHAT YOU'RE DOING.
I CERTAINLY HOPE THIS PASSES AND I HOPE IT WILL BE APPROVED QUICKLY.
MA'AM, I, I BELIEVE COUNCILMAN CASTILLO HAS A QUESTION FOR YOU.
AND JULIE, I WANT TO JUST CONGRATULATE AND THANK YOU AND THE RESIDENTS THAT HAVE BEEN SO INVOLVED IN THIS PROCESS.
I KNOW A NUMBER OF THEM FROM THE OLD SIX WARD HAVE BEEN VERY, UH, THOROUGH IN THE, THE RESEARCH, THE ADVOCACY, THE QUESTIONS, THE FOLLOW UP IT HAS LED TO, YOU KNOW, WHAT I'M OPTIMISTIC ABOUT.
AND, AND THIS ORDINANCE DOING A VERY GOOD
[01:35:01]
THING FOR THE CITY AS A WHOLE AND PROTECTING NEIGHBORHOODS AND PROTECTING RESIDENTS.AND Y'ALL HAVE PLAYED SUCH A KEY PART IN THIS.
UM, AND I WANT TO JUST MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, UH, CHRIS DID A GREAT JOB SUMMARIZING ALL OF IT.
YOU DID, UH, AT THE TOP, BUT, UH, IT'S DOESN'T GO UNNOTICED.
AND I WANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR THAT.
NEXT SPEAKER IS MARIAN WRIGHT.
I ALSO WANNA THANK THE CITY FOR MOVING SO FAST WITH GETTING SOMETHING DONE.
UM, THE ONLY REQUEST THAT I WOULD HAVE IS THAT REALLY MAYBE CONSIDER SOMETHING WITH SCHOOLS, YOU KNOW, WHEN OUR KIDS ARE AT SCHOOLS, SO THEY'RE OUTSIDE A LOT, THEY'RE CLOSE TO EVERY, YOU KNOW, GAS STATIONS.
I MEAN, WE ALREADY HAVE THINGS.
I BELIEVE THEY'RE ORDINANCES AGAINST THINGS LIKE, UM, SOME OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT SHE HAD SPOKEN ABOUT IN THE BEGINNING THAT SHE WAS BORROWING THE LANGUAGE FROM, LIKE SEXUALLY, YOU KNOW, BUSINESSES OR WHATEVER.
I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THAT REALLY MEANS.
BUT IF THAT'S THERE, I'M SURE THAT WE CAN PUT SOMETHING IN THERE TO KEEP THAT AWAY FROM SCHOOLS.
IF THERE ARE NO OTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS, WANNA THANK EVERYBODY FOR JOINING US, JOINING US TODAY.
UH, BEFORE WE ADJOURN, LIKE TO LET EVERYONE KNOW NEXT SCHEDULED ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE MEETING IS IN NOVEMBER ON THE 16TH AT 2:00 PM THANK YOU VERY MUCH.