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Home My WebLink About04-22-2024 WS MinutesCITY COMMISSION MINUTES P-P -AG 6.ia.ay APRIL 22, 2024 WORK SESSION The City Commission of the City of Sanford, Florida, met in Work Session on Monday, April 22, 2024, at 5:00 PM, in the Commission Chambers, I" Floor, City Hall, at 300 North Park Avenue, Sanford, Florida. Present: Mayor Art Woodruff Vice Mayor Patty Mahany Commissioner Sheena Britton (Arrived at 5:25 PM) Commissioner Kerry S. Wiggins, Sr. Commissioner Patrick Austin City Manager Norton N. Bonaparte, Jr. Assistant City Attorney Lonnie Groot Deputy City Clerk Cathy LoTempio Absent: City Attorney William L. Colbert City Clerk Traci Houchin Mayor Woodruff called the meeting to order at 5:02 PM. 1. Presentation on Seminole County's "Envision Seminole 2045" by Rebecca Hammock, Doug Robinson, and Dale Hall from Seminole County Development Services. Ms. Hammock made a brief introduction. She said Envision Seminole 2045 began in 2019. Mr. Robinson provided a power point presentation. He said the Board of County Commissioners (BCC) prioritized community engagement in planning for future growth in the Strategic Plan. There was a ten-month process that included a listening tour, a visioning tour, BCC vision workshop, community visioning conference, vision plan review tour, and vision/evaluation and review adoption by BCC. The public engagement included over 300 participants in -person and over 2,600 participants online. CITY COMMISSION MINUTES APRIL 22, 2024 WORK SESSION Mr. Robinson provided statistics of growth trends. The County (including Cities) added 105,000 new residents from 2000-2020. It is estimated that Seminole County will add approximately 90,000 new residents by 2045. 40,000 residents, equal 16,000 new dwellings in the unincorporated areas of Seminole County. Mr. Robinson described the Vision Goals to include protecting wildlife, maintaining rural places, grow walkable, get active, and be green. • Wildlife Strategy No. 1 is to identify and preserve critical wildlife corridors. Wildlife Strategy No. 2 is to protect water quality in lakes, rivers and streams. Wildlife Strategy No. 3 is to maintain and improve habitats with wildlife friendly practices: Planting wildflowers / natives on streets and trails, wildlife crossings to connect habitats and corridors, continue the urban bear management program and UF/IFAS support, and formalize dark sky policies. • Rural Strategy No. 1 is to maintain the rural boundary. Rural Strategy No. 2 is to enhance design guidelines to maintain rural character. Rural Strategy No. 3 is to preserve rural enclaves. Rural Strategy No. 4 is to support continuing success of rural and agricultural uses in rural areas, the next generation of farmers and highlight viable rural uses to include native plant nurseries, funds for tree planting and preservation, solar farms, and equestrian facilities. • Walkable Strategy No. 1 is to create mixed -use, walkable places, reasonable distances with a safe and direct path. Walkable Strategy No. 2 is to encourage a variety of transportation options. Walkable Strategy No. 3 is to spur CITY COMMISSION MINUTES APRIL 22, 2024 WORK SESSION redevelopment in centers and corridors. Walkable Strategy No. 4 is to allow for a variety of housing options. • Active Strategy No. 1 is to connect and expand the trail network. Active Strategy No. 2 is to maintain and expand access to Parks and Recreation Opportunities, increase neighborhood parks, and improve multimodal access. Active Strategy No. 3 is to increase access to water bodies, proposing four new canoe and kayak facilities and four new fishing piers. • Green Strategy No. 1 is to preserve and plant more trees. Green Strategy No. 2 is to create more sustainable landscapes and streetscapes, increasing Florida - Friendly and Native plants through education, regulation, and leadership. Green Strategy No. 3 is to manage water responsibility, creating a holistic water policy and performing multiple basin studies that address stormwater and flooding. Green Strategy No. 4 is to expand green building practices, re-evaluating existing incentive programs, and standards that are already underway include solar facilities standards and electric vehicle parking standards. Continued Discussion RE: Dollar Stores by Eileen Hinson, Planning Director. Ms. Hinson provided the history of Small Box Discount Retail Store discussions that began on October 9, 2023. She provided the definition of small box discount retail stores. Generally, a retail store sells a variety of inexpensive items. The commonly used "Dollar Store" can be a misnomer, as most items in these stores are not CITY COMMISSION MINUTES APRIL 22, 2024 WORK SESSION priced at a dollar but are seen as a low-cost option for the items sold in these stores. The key characteristics include: • Size: Typically, 15,000 square feet or less, small box stores (big box stores exceed 50, 000 square feet). • Price: Dollar stores off a range of price points, focusing on low-cost items, not always $1. • Product Range: Items vary but include household goods, cleaning supplies, toys, stationery, personal care items, and sometimes food and drink. • Location: In urban areas and small towns, they provide essential goods to those that may have limited options for needed goods due to factors such as cost and lack of transportation. Ms. Hinson provided maps of small box stores in DeLand and Apopka that have similarities to the City of Sanford. In addition, she provided a transportation map regarding Sunrail and LYNX that have routes where these small box stores are located. Ms. Hinson provided the suggested changes to the Code that include in the location limitation, one physical store location per every 30,000 residents and in the fresh produce section a maximum of two stores per 30,000 residents. She said small box discount stores, as well as all other businesses, provide needed services to the City; however, careful planning is needed to balance community needs and economic sustainability. CITY COMMISSION MINUTES APRIL 22, 2024 WORK SESSION After some lengthy conversations, Ms. Hinson asked the City Commission for direction. Commissioner Britton said these small box stores do research the numbers and know that they will survive in certain communities. Commissioner Austin said Winter Park has zero -dollar stores and suggested moving forward with the suggested changes regarding the population. Mr. Groot mentioned there could be some legal concerns about how this is presented. Commissioner Austin said if the City does not change its standards, there will be no new businesses. He expressed his frustration with Mr. Groot's response and excused himself from the Dias at 6:04 PM. Mr. Groot described the Business Impact Estimates that are now included with every Ordinance. Commissioner Austin returned to the Dias at 6:07 PM. Mayor Woodruff asked Ms. Hinson to investigate how other cities have handled this and report back at the next work session. Commissioner Austin asked staff to specifically investigate Apopka. 2. Regular Meeting Items — additional information 3. Briefing Items Brynt Johnson, Public Works and Utilities Director said he just found out today that there was a Utilities incident over the weekend at Tuffy's. There was a loss of pressure that resulted in a sewer backup overnight and he is gathering the information on the situation. He said the alert never came through. Commissioner Austin asked if this would be investigated. Commissioner Austin said he has had information on this problem for the last several months. Mr. Johnson assured Commissioner Austin that he is following up on the situation. Commissioner Britton expressed her frustration and said CITY COMMISSION MINUTES APRIL 22, 2024 WORK SESSION she wants to meet with Mr. Johnson, Mr. Bonaparte and the people who answer the phones as well as staff. She said there is no progress, and she wants to get to the bottom of this. She said she is hearing something different, and she wants to get everything out in the open. Mayor Woodruff asked Commissioner Austin to share the information he has with the entire Commission. 4. City Manager Comments There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 6:27 PM. y' �"May or Woodruff Attest: x City Clerk (CL)