City Council Planning Sessions

MEMORANDUM TO: Record FROM: Susan Bishel, Public Relations Coordinator SUBJECT: Oct. 12, 2015 City Council Planning Session Minutes DATE: Oct. 13, 2015 CC: Mayor and City Council, City Manager, City Clerk, Department Heads The Planning Session took place in the Council Chambers, Wheaton City Hall, 303 W. Wesley St., Wheaton, Illinois. Those attending the Planning Session included: Councilwoman Fitch, Councilman Rutledge, Councilman Saline, Councilman Scalzo and Councilman Suess. Mayor Gresk and Councilman Prendiville were absent. Also in attendance were City Manager Rose, Assistant City Manager Dzugan, Director of Planning & Economic Development Kozik, Director of Engineering Redman, Director of Public Works Laoang, Purchasing Officer Schouten, Public Works Management Analyst Wallace and Public Relations Coordinator Bishel. The session began at 7:01 p.m. and concluded at 9:09 p.m. The following items were discussed: I. Call to Order The Wheaton City Council Planning Session was called to order at 7:01 by Mayor Pro Tem Suess. II. Approval of Sept. 28, 2015 Planning Session Minutes The Council approved the Sept. 28, 2015 Planning Session Minutes. III. Public Comment There were no public comments. IV. Downtown Streetscape Design Team Presentations City Manager Rose summarized a memo regarding City staff’s solicitation of proposals for a design team to implement elements of the Downtown Strategic and Streetscape Plan. From the eight design teams responding to the City’s Request for Qualifications, staff narrowed the field to four identified as being most qualified. The City staff team interviewed the four teams and determined that the Lakota Group Inc. and Design Workshop best met the City’s criteria for this project. The two teams were invited to make a presentation to the City Council at this Planning Session. In response to Council questions regarding the process of selecting these two design teams, Assistant City Manager Dzugan stated while the City staff team initially identified four design teams as meeting the project’s general qualifications, City staff selected the two that most closely met the set criteria. Council members requested that City staff provide a summary of the interview process of the four design teams. Kurt Culbertson of Design Workshop introduced other members of their design team, including Jon Brooke, George Schober, Renato Gilberti and Keven Graham. Mr. Culbertson reviewed past projects the team has completed in the Chicago area, including projects in Frankfort and Elk Grove Village, as well as projects completed in different regions. Mr. Culbertson reviewed how the public engagement process is a large part of their process, as they believe projects are more successful with community support. Mr. Schober reviewed how the design team would address durability and maintenance costs by presenting the City with both upfront costs of materials and costs for upkeep over time. Mr. Brook stated the firm would continue to use various metrics collected in the original plan, and metrics such as tree canopy would help guide the project. He stated the design concepts would also consider elements such as comfort level, materials that are best-suited for this region and how elements can be used in multiple seasons. Mr. Gilberti reviewed possible design concepts for the French Market and lighting elements. Mr. Culbertson stated while it is difficult to calculate an exact return on investment for these types of projects, his team has seen past projects spur economic development and fill vacancies. He stated their plan calls for the process to take approximately 5-6 months for the team to develop final designs and associated budgets. In response to Council questions, Mr. Culbertson stated while the master plan identified specific ideas for Liberty Street, the design team would seek public input to come up with a final design that the community supports. In response to Council questions, Mr. Culbertson stated in order to make sure the design doesn’t become quickly dated, the team would perform a visual preference study to get an idea of what the community believes should be the direction of Wheaton’s style of architecture. To answer a Council question about which stakeholders the design team would meet with, Mr. Culbertson stated the team would engage the public, property owners and business owners. In response to a Council question about whether the design would incorporate environmentally friendly elements, Mr. Culbertson stated the design team would present options, and that green technologies are not necessarily more expensive. To address a Council question about challenges that this project presents, Mr. Culbertson stated the railroad tracks and how to close the psychological gap between north and south of the tracks are challenges. Mr. Culbertson confirmed that the design team would incorporate design elements to help lead people into the downtown. 10/12/15 Planning Session 2 In response to a question of what deliverables the community will gain from this project, Mr. Culberson stated the design team would revisit the community’s priorities and then develop a design that delivers the community’s preferred options. Daniel Grove of The Lakota Group made a presentation on behalf of his team, which also included representatives from Christopher Burke Engineering, SpaceCo Engineering, and architectural firm Bailey Edward. Mr. Grove stated his team has local ties and brings knowledge of the area and understanding of the community. He outlined the elements of place-making that the team would incorporate, including making the design comfortable, connected, activated and authentic. He showed examples of the design team’s work in Oak Park, Plainfield, Des Plaines and Park Ridge, in addition to signage work in Winnetka, Grayslake and Elmhurst. In addressing how the design team would balance cost with design, he stated their proposal offers several options for different components and would present modeling with different materials and their costs. Mr. Grove stated their plan also would take into account life cycle costs, maintenance and disruption for businesses. Mr. Grove stressed their projects focus on providing return on investment. He gave the example of the team’s Marian Street development in Oak Park and how it increased profits in this area in spite of an economic recession. Robin Whitehurst of Bailey Edward presented the team’s proposed changes to the original plan, including stretching the French Market out in a linear direction. This would allow the market to tie into the festival street on Liberty, and it would provide a plaza space. The design would incorporate the Prairie Path, provide bike storage, and possibly include permanent structures for vendors. It would also provide flexible space in the plaza that could hold public events, a zero- depth splash pad, a temporary ice rink or other options. Mr. Whitehurst showed examples of the design team’s initial concepts for making a gateway on Main Street leading into the downtown. He stated the master plan did a good job getting the city to where it is now in the process, but he stated the design team would also take into account its implementation, how to manage construction and its impact on retailers. In response to a Council question about how to ensure the design doesn’t become dated, Mr. Whitehurst stated based on the visual preference survey done in the original planning process, he thinks warm natural materials would allow the design to blend the newer elements with the existing architecture. The design team would work to harmonize contemporary and classic elements with the existing architecture. In response to Council questions about what type of public input they would gather, Mr. Grove stated they do not want to start over with the public input process, but would build on the 10/12/15 Planning Session 3 already-gathered input with the help of a steering committee. They would keep the public informed and possibly have some voting to get public input. In response to questions about the possibility of using environmentally friendly materials, Mr. Grove stated their plan would include elements such as LED lighting, and they would work to find a balance between cost and use of green materials. In response to Council questions about how the design team would make up for lost parking spaces with the proposed French Market design, Mr. Grove stated they propose adding diagonal parking on both sides of Liberty Street to add more spaces and could work to find additional parking. Mr. Whitehurst answered a Council question about architectural style by stating the plaza and French Market design would help bridge the classic downtown architecture with some of the newer, more modern buildings by using warm elements that would act as a transition between styles. In response to Council questions about the design team’s plan for streetscapes and festival streets other than Liberty, Mr. Grove stated the Hale Street design would need to be different to mesh with the existing buildings in that area. He stated their proposal suggests starting with Liberty Drive and working from there. To answer questions about the project’s return on investment and deliverables, Scott Freres of The Lakota Group stated the design team would work with the City to determine the optimal balance of investment to get the most value back. He stated this project is not about decorating the downtown or simply streetscape; it is brand development and economic development, too. Mr. Grove stated they would deliver plans on the costs involved, breakdowns of various product types, phasing information, construction information and design plans. V. City Council/Staff Comments Councilman Rutledge stated he was thankful for all the work that had been done to get the City to this point in the downtown strategic planning process. VI. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 9:09 p.m. 10/12/15 Planning Session 4