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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-25-2021 TC BOT MinMINUTES OF THE JOINT TOWN OF WESTLAKE TOWN COUNCIL AND WESTLAKE ACADEMY BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING JANUARY 25, 2021 In accordance with Order of the Office of the Governor issued March 16, 2020 and March 19, 2020, the Town Council of the Town of Westlake and the Board of Trustees of Westlake Academy conducted a joint meeting at 5:00 p.m. on Monday, January 25, 2021 by video and telephone conference in order to advance the public health goal of limiting face-to-face meetings (also called "social distancing") to slow the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). There was no public access to the physical location described above. A recording of the telephonic meeting was made and is available to the public. PRESENT: Mayor Laura Wheat and Council Members Greg Goble, Rajiv Trivedi, and Carol Langdon. Rick Rennhack joined the meeting at 5:13 p.m. Alesa Belvedere joined the meeting at 7:20 p.m. and left the meeting at 10:15 p.m. ABSENT: None. OTHERS PRESENT: Regular Session 1. CALL TO ORDER Town Manager Amanda DeGan, Deputy Town Manager Noah Simon, Assistant Town Manager Jarrod Greenwood, Town Attorney Stan Lowry, Town Secretary Todd Wood, Director of Information Technology Jason Power, Director of Finance Ginger Awtry, Director of Public Works & Facilities Troy Meyer, Fire Chief Richard Whitten, Director of Planning & Development Ron Ruthven, Building Official Pat Cooke, Development Coordinator Nick Ford, Municipal Court Administrator Jeannie Roumell, Communications Director Jon Sasser, Business Manager Marlene Rutledge, Finance & Budget Analyst Kelsey Wong, Executive Director Dr. Mechelle Bryson, PYP Principal Rod Harding, Assistant PYP Principal Beckie Paquin, PYP Coordinator Alison Schneider, MYP Principal Kaylene Rudd, Assistant MYP Principal Maxwell Ituah, DP Principal Dr. James Owen, Robin McCaffrey with Mesa Planning, Joe Schneider with Hillwood Properties, and Ralph Bush with Bush Architects. TC/BOT Minutes — 01/25/21 Page 1 of 7 Mayor Wheat called the Regular Session to order at 5:03 p.m. 2. CITIZEN COMMENTS Mayor Wheat provided a brief summary of instructions to the public for citizen comments. No one addressed the Town Council. 3. ITEMS OF COMMUNITY INTEREST Communications Manager Jon Sasser provided an update on the following items: Westlake Academy: Westlake Academy is currently recruiting additional substitute teachers. Due to the pandemic, there is a shortage of substitutes in most schools in the area. Communications have been sent to parents outlining the goals for the school year pertaining to the health of students while on campus. This included information of sanitary practices and identification of symptoms related to COVID-19. Communications have also been issued related to vaccine availability. A video will be released in the near future to address frequently asked questions related to the pandemic. Spring Concerts: Initial planning for the Spring Concert Series has begun, as last year's concert season was canceled. While it is not clear as to whether the 2021 season would be canceled, additional information will be available in the near future. The Council agreed that continuing to plan would be a prudent idea, and a decision would be made at a later time as to whether the concert season would be held this year. Upcoming Meetings: The Town Council and Board of Trustees will hold a Joint Meeting on Monday, February 8, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. This meeting will be held via teleconferencing. The Planning and Zoning Commission will meet on Monday, February 16, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. This meeting will be held via teleconferencing. Westlake Municipal Offices and Westlake Academy CLOSED: Monday, February 15, 2021 in observation of President's Day. 4. CONSENT AGENDA: All items listed below are considered routine by the Town Council and will be enacted with one motion. There will be no separate discussion of items unless a Council Member or citizen so requests, in which event the item will be removed from the general order of business and considered in its normal sequence. a. Consider approval of Ordinance 919, Appointing a Presiding Judge and an Alternate Presiding Judge for the Municipal Court of Record No. 1 for a two (2) year term. b. Consider approval of an update to the 2020-2021 Academic Calendar. TC/BOT Minutes — 01/25/21 Page 2 of 7 MOTION: Mayor Wheat asked for a motion to approve the consent agenda. Council Member Langdon made a motion to approve. Council Member Goble seconded the motion. The motion carried by a vote of 4-0. 5. REPORT ON THE LOCATION OF A MEMORIAL BENCH TO BE PLACED ON THE WESTLAKE ACADEMY CAMPUS. The Town Council accepted this report as contained in the agenda packet and had no questions for staff. 6. PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION REGARDING THE ENTRADA DEVELOPMENT. Director of Planning & Development Ron Ruthven introduced this item, stating that applications have been received for detached single-family homes in the Entrada development. Mr. Ruthven then indicated that the architect for the development would present this to the Council, along with some other items. Mr. Ralph Bush with Bush Architects then addressed the Council, thanking the staff for their efforts. Mr. Bush then provided a presentation to the Council that illustrated several planned projects. He began by showing a plan for ten (10) detached housing units on Block "D", which would be ready for construction in March or April once permits have been received. This differs from the plans that have been previously proposed, originally involving attached housing units. These homes would be approximately 1,800 to 2,200 square feet in size. There is a five (5) foot separation between these homes, and the desire is to maintain a streetscape that is compelling. Block "E" will feature homes that are approximately 3,600 square feet in size, located on the southern edge of the canal, and Blocks "B", "I", "Y, and "M" are proposed to feature attached housing. Mr. Bush then stated that six (6) homes are currently under design on Block "H", and seven (7) detached homes are currently under construction on Block "G". The number of attached homes and detached homes on these blocks are essentially equal once combined. Several properties on Block "I" are currently under contract. Mr. Bush noted that the market has been the primary driver for the number of attached and detached homes in the plan. Town Manager Amanda DeGan asked Mr. Bush to update the Council on a conversation that occurred earlier in the week regarding the renovation of some of the completed homes. Mr. Bush replied that some of the homes on Block "E" were being renovated to create a higher quality product that would better meet the expectations of the market. Mr. Robin McCaffrey stated that one challenge was to "de -suburbanize" the feel of the development. Mayor Wheat stated that the garage doors on the proposed Block "D" homes created a suburban look, which was a concern. Mr. Bush replied that this was a challenge, as there was no space for parking behind the residences and maintain the desired the streetscaping. Mr. Bush then showed the design of the homes on Block "E", where garages were less visible, and the suburban appearance is mitigated. The Council agreed that homes on Block "D" looked more of an "economy" product rather than "upscale", and it did not seem like a proper fit for Westlake. Mr. Bush replied that he would present modified renderings in February after meeting with Mr. McCaffrey and the architectural team. TC/BOT Minutes — 01/25/21 Page 3 of 7 Mr. Bush then transitioned to the need for storage on Block "E", and interest has been expressed for a residential repository. He presented a conceptual design for what a residential repository would look like, located on "Block C". This building could also include retail or office components, as well as a restaurant on the top floor. Mr. Bush then stated this was a preliminary view of this concept, then asked if he could answer any questions. Assistant Town Manager Jarrod Greenwood then added that this concept could be a finish - out to restaurant row, and as the service road connection on SH 114 is completed, there would be no construction occurring on restaurant row. This would mitigate any pedestrian issues for this area within the development, and the schedule for completion would be accelerated to accommodate this timeline. serve as Mr. Michael Beaty to provide additional details. 7. PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION REGARDING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, INCLUDING UPDATES AND RECOMMENDATIONS ON MUNICIPAL AND ACADEMIC OPERATIONS. Town Manager/ Superintendent Amanda DeGan introduced this item. She began by stating that she has heard from many parents were interested in any "behind the scenes" information as to how decisions have been made regarding COVID-19 protocols. She mentioned that additional communications will be out; and this would help parents understand the decisions that have been made regarding quarantine protocols and other factors that determine the need for remote learning. Ms. DeGan then and asked Deputy Town Manager Noah Simon to present additional information on this topic. Mr. Simon began by stating that Westlake Academy has experienced the largest number of cases have January since the pandemic began. This has included approximately 180 cases that were shown to be positive or "presumptive" positive cases that involved quarantine, although only a very small number of students testing positive have actually been on campus. He noted that positive cases were primarily 10-14 days after exposure, and recent positive cases have involved a high degree of transmission within households. Assistant Town Manager Jarrod Greenwood stated that during the Denton County call earlier that day, detailed hospitalization rates were not provided. He stated that most of the information pertained to vaccinations, and highlighted the challenges with the distribution of the vaccines. At this time, individuals receiving their first vaccination dose in Denton County must receive their second dose at the same location, as Denton County has only ordered second vaccination doses based on this data. In addition, those classified as Phase 1(a) would be equal with Phase 1(b) recipients in terms of priority and scheduling, and similar information has also been received from Tarrant County. 8. PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION REGARDING WESTLAKE ACADEMY BOARD GOALS IN COMPLIANCE WITH HOUSE BILL 3 (HB3). Dr. Mechelle Bryson presented this report to the Board. She began by stating that the intent of HB3 was to create thee (3) checkpoints to ensure that 60% of graduating students met the standards of Grade 3 reading, Grade 3 mathematics, or the ability to obtain an industry- TC/BOT Minutes — 01/25/21 Page 4 of 7 accepted certificate aligned with a living -wage job, enroll in a post -secondary educational program, or perform military service. Dr. Bryson then highlighted the additional state requirements required under HB3, mentioning that an annual report will be submitted to the state on an annual basis and publicly posted. Dr. Bryson then stated that the Board was required to adopt the goals as outlined by HB3 by January 315c MOTION: Mayor Wheat asked for a motion to adopt the HB3 goals, as presented during the meeting. Trustee Goble made a motion to approve. Trustee Langdon seconded the motion. The motion carried by a vote of 4-0. 9. CONDUCT A PUBLIC HEARING AND CONSIDER ORDINANCE 920, APPROVING PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO PLANNED DEVELOPMENT ZONING DISTRICT NUMBER 3, PLANNING AREA 3 (PD3-3) AND PLANNED DEVELOPMENT ZONING DISTRICT NUMBER 3, PLANNING AREA 4 (PD3-4), GENERALLY LOCATED NORTH OF DOVE ROAD AND SOUTH OF SH 114 BETWEEN DAVIS BLVD. AND ROANOKE ROAD. Director of Planning & Development Ron Ruthven presented this item. He stated that this request was from Hillwood Properties, and the request was to reallocate some areas of the property that were not related to any specific development proposal, and this did not change any entitlements that currently were not in place. This involved PD3-3 and PD3-4, changing the boundaries of these planned developments slightly. This change would move 1.3 acres located in PD3-4 into PD3-3 and rename PD3-3 to PD3-12A, and PD3-4 to PD 3-4A. The request also included transferring some entitlements between the planning areas, however, there would be no change in the overall size of the entitlements. With no questions from the Town Council, Mayor Wheat opened the public hearing at 7:42 p.m. No one addressed the Town Council. Mayor Wheat closed the public hearing at 7:42 p.m. MOTION: Mayor Wheat asked for a motion to approve the Ordinance 920. Council Member Langdon made a motion to approve. Council Member Rennhack seconded the motion. The motion carried by a vote of 5-0. 10. CONDUCT A PUBLIC HEARING AND CONSIDER ORDINANCE 921, APPROVING AMENDMENTS TO THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, ESTABLISHED BY ORDINANCE 747, AMENDING THE THOUROUGHFARE PLAN. Director of Planning & Development Ron Ruthven introduced this item. He explained that this was a companion item to Ordinance 920, as the road that is proposed to be removed from the thoroughfare Plan crosses into PD3-12A. He noted that this would be referred to as "Town Parkway" and could accommodate additional traffic volume as the Town continues TC/130T Minutes — 01/25/21 Page 5 of 7 to develop, should it be necessary for the Town to have these capacity enhancements in the future. With no questions from the Town Council, Mayor Wheat opened the public hearing at 7:57 p.m. No one addressed the Town Council. Mayor Wheat closed the public hearing at 7:57 p.m. MOTION: Mayor Wheat asked for a motion to approve the Ordinance 921. Council Member Trivedi made a motion to approve. Council Member Goble seconded the motion. The motion carried by a vote of 5-0. 11. EXECUTIVE SESSION The Town Council and Board of Trustees recessed the meeting at 7:58 p.m. to conduct a closed session pursuant to Texas Government Code, annotated, Chapter 551, Subchapter D for the following: a. Section 551.087 - Deliberation Regarding Economic Development Negotiations (1) to discuss or deliberate regarding commercial or financial information that the governmental body has received from a business prospect that the governmental body seeks to have locate, stay, or expand in or near the territory of the governmental body and with which the governmental body is conducting economic development negotiations; or (2) to deliberate the offer of a financial or other incentive to a business prospect described by Subdivision (1) for the following: - Front 44 - Entrada - Project "XYZ" - Potential development on 55.12 acres located at Tracts 7C, 7F, 7G, 7H, 7L and 7M Abstract 648, William Huff Survey, Town of Westlake, Texas, and more generally located at the northeast corner of U.S. Highway 377 and State Highway 170. b. Section 551.071(2) — Consultation with Town Attorney on a matter in which the duty of the attorney to the governmental body under the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct of the State Bar of Texas clearly conflicts with this chapter: Resolution No. 00-19, a Contract with Hillwood Development Corporation Concerning the Design Engineering and Construction of the West Side Pump Station and the Dove Road Waterline. c. Section 551.071(2) Consultation with Attorney — to seek advice of counsel on matters in which the duty of the Town Attorney under the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct of the State Bar of Texas clearly conflicts with Chapter 551 of the Texas Government Code - FM 1938 access for proposed Southlake development. d. Section 551.074, Texas Government Code - Personnel Matters. (1) to deliberate the appointment, employment, evaluation, reassignment, duties, discipline, or dismissal of a public officer or employee; - Fire Department Staffing TC/130T Minutes — 01/25/21 Page 6of7 e. Section 551.074, Texas Government Code - Personnel Matters. (1) to deliberate the appointment, employment, evaluation, reassignment, duties, discipline, or dismissal of a public officer or employee; - Professional Planning Services f. Section 551.071 - Discussion with the Town Attorney regarding pending, threatened, or contemplated litigation regarding BRS. g. Section 551.073 — Deliberations Regarding Gifts and Donations. 12. RECONVENE MEETING The Town Council reconvened the meeting at 10:21 p.m. 13. TAKE ANY ACTION, IF NEEDED, FROM EXECUTIVE SESSION ITEMS. None. 14. COUNCIL RECAP/STAFF DIRECTION a. Monitor the number of attached and detached single-family residential homes in the Entrada development. 15. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS: None. 16. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business before the Council or Board of Trustees, Mayor Wheat asked for a motion to adjourn the meeting. MOTION: Council Member Langdon made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Council Member Rennhack seconded the motion. The motion carried by a vote of 4-0. Mayor Wheat adjourned the meeting at 10:24 p.m. ANY ITEM ON THIS POSTED AGENDA COULD BE DISCUSSED IN EXECUTIVE SESSION AS LONG AS IT IS WITHIN ONE OF THE PERMITTED CATEGORIES UNDER SECTIONS 551.071 THROUGH 551.076 AND SECTION 551.087 OF THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE. APPROVED BY THE TOWN COUNCIL ON JUNE 7, 2021. ATTEST: lie�G� Laura Wheat, Mayor T dd Wood, Town Secretary TC/BOT Minutes — 01/25/21 Page 7 of 7