CITY OF SARASOTA Planning and Development Division Neighborhood and Development Services Department MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE PLANNING BOARD/LOCAL PLANNING AGENCY March 13, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. in the Sarasota City Commission Chambers Planning Board Eileen Normile, Chair Members Present: Damien Blumetti, Vice Chair Members Patrick Gannon, David Morriss, Kathy Kelley Ohlrich Planning Board Members Absent: City Staff Present: Mike Connolly, Deputy City Attorney Steven R. Cover, Planning Director, Planning Department Ryan Chapdelain, General Manager, Planning Department Lucia Panica, Chief Planner, Development Services Daniel Ohrenstein, Assistant City Engineer Colleen McGue, Chief Transportation Planner John Nopper, Coordinator, Public Broadcasting Karen Grassett, Senior Planning Technician I. CALLN MEETING TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL PB Chair Normile called the meeting to order at 6: 00 p.m., and Planning Director Cover [as Secretary to the Board] called the roll. II. CHANGES TO' THE ORDER OF THE DAY Director Cover [as Secretary to the Board] requested that the presentation by the School Board be made before the staff presentation; clarified that the order of items will not be changed on the agenda, just the order of presentations for that agenda item will change. Planning Board Members concurred. PB Vice Chair Blumetti requested that the discussion relating to Agenda Item VII. Topics by the Planning Board be postponed until next month, because he anticipated this to be a long meeting. PB Member Ohlrich suggested, if this evening's hearings are unexpectedly briefer, the Planning Board could consider this item this evening. PB Member Gannon suggested that the Planning Board decide on this matter later. Attorney Connolly pointed out that Mr. Litchet is present to respond to the Planning Board's questions; added that he expects that this will be a 6-hour public hearing, and if the Planning Board decides on this matter later, Mr. Litchet will have to wait until midnight to find out that the Planning Board will not talk with him. Discussion ensued. The Planning Board members agreed toj postpone the discussion relating to Agenda Item VII. Topics by the Planning Board to: next month' s Planning Board meeting. Minutes of the Regular Planning Board Meeting March 13, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. in the Sarasota City Commission Chambers Page 2 of 27 III. LAND USE ADMINISTRATION PUBLIC HEARINGS NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC: At this time anyone wishing to speak at the following public hearings will be required to take an oath. (Time limitations will be established by the Planning Board. A. Reading of the Pledge of Conduct Planning Director Cover [as Secretary to the Board] read the Pledge of Conduct. PB Chair Normile stated that the Pledge of Conduct applies to all in the room, speaking or not; and requested that everyone silence their cell phones. Attorney Connolly recommended time limits for the presentations. PB Vice Chair Blumetti moved to reduce the public speakeri input to3 minutes per person. PB Member Ohlrich seconded the motion. PB Member Morriss suggested that the length of the presentation remain the same because the topici is a hot topic; and suggested that, in the interest of time, speakers who have the same comments as others before them could say that they agree with what was said, instead of repeating the same comments. PB Member Gannon and PB Chair Normile agreed with this suggestion. Attorney Connolly administered the oath for all present who intended to speak in either of the following public hearings. B. Non-Qunsi-ludicin! Public Hearings 1. Zoning Text Amendment Application No. 19-ZTA-03 - proposed text amendment to the Zoning Code (2002 edition) to expand the permitted types of open space, specifically parks, as a permitted use in Downtown Zone Districts and to remove the size recommendation from the definition of parks and open space types. (Briana Dobbs, Planner) General Manager Chapdelain introduced himself and Planner Dobbs for the record; stated that this petition is a housekeeping matter relating to parks and open spaces in the downtown area; noted that the support materials describe some slight revisions to the definitions of these uses, eliminating the size and restriction requirements, and trying to make them more general; added that the other revision is the allowance of the park; explained that in the Downtown District, they have parks, green and plaza, all of which are park types, but for some reason "park" was not included in the Use Table, staff wanted to clear that up, and included "P" [for permitted] in the columns for the Downtown Districts in the Use Table; and pointed out that the intent of these revisions is to minimize any confusion in the future, and to make sure that parks are allowed everywhere possible in the Downtown. PB Member Ohlrich commended staff, stating that last week the Planning Board requested this topic receive high priority, and said one-week turn-around time is really good. PBI Member Morriss asked for clarification; and stated that the way: it was written before it prohibited the use of pocket parks" in the downtown area. General Manager Chapdelain said that the way it was written it could have been interpreted that way,so staff wants to make it clear that pocket parks or any type of parks will be allowed in downtown. Minutes of the Regular Planning Board Meeting March 13, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. in the Sarasota City Commission Chambers Page 3 of 27 PB Member Gannon thanked staff for bringing this forward because it was a much needed change; noted that every time there is a change in the Code, they look at what was the valid reason to put it the way it was in the beginning; and asked why parks and green were not allowed outside the Downtown Neighborhood District, etc. General Manager Chapdelain stated that the genesis of this was the Downtown Master Plan, and the subsequent downtown rezone; added that, at the time, some of the parks located downtown were rezoned and they went to the Downtown Districts, sO some can be considered Non-Conforming Uses at the moment; added that there used to be a Parks and Open Space Zone District, and perhaps, at that time, the thought was to have that district in the downtown, which did not happen. PB Member Gannon referred to page 11 of the staff report; and asked why the change addresses only parks" and it does not include greens" and plazas" in the Downtown Districts. General Manager Chapdelain explained that "plazas" are not included because they could have commercial activities associated with them, where DTN is more of a neighborhood; speculated that "greens" are not included because of the size, noting the recommended size for greens are 2 acres to 15 acres, which staff is reconsidering at the moment. PB Member Gannon referred to the definition of green," on page 6, and noted that frontages circumscribe the area, and asked why that would not be allowed in the Downtown Edge District. General Manager Chapdelain pointed out that the definition continues to say that "Its the green's] landscape shall consist of lazn and trees, naturalistically disposed;" added that it would have minimal hardscape improvements, something unlike you would see at Selby, Five Points or Paul Thorpe Park, but this is more like Gillespie Park in the DTN District; and noted these were established back in the early 2000s. PB Member Gannon asked why "green" is not changed now to be permitted beyond just in DTN. General Manager Chapdelain stated that staff is trying to keep this petition as simple as possible, while ensuring that parks are allowed throughout the Downtown. PB Member Morriss asked if a park can be called a green, in other words, if one can call the 'green" a "park," then it would be permissible. General Manager Chapdelain agreed; and added that staff's thought process was that parks are allowed everywhere. PB Vice Chair Blumetti referred to the playground size limitations, and questioned if this is something to strike out, since the intent of the proposed petition is to eliminate sizes. General Manager Chapdelain agreed. PB Vice Chair Blumetti stated that eliminating the reference to "less than one acre" in the definition of playground would make it consistent with the other definitions; and wanted to confirm that this ordinance is independent of the Tree Ordinance. General Manager Chapdelain concurred. Public Input There was none Minutes of thel Regular Planning Board Meeting March 13, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. in the Sarasota City Commission Chambers Page 4 of 27 PB Member Morriss moved to find Zoning Text Amendment 19-ZTA-03 consistent with the Sarasota City Plan (2030) and find that it satisfies the Standards for Review in Zoning Code Section IV-1206 and recommend approval to the City Commission. PB Vice Chair Blumetti asked if PB Member Morriss would accept an addition to the motion, to strike out size references in the definition of 'playground." PB Member Morriss agreed. PB Vice Chair Blumetti seconded the revised motion. The revised motion was approved unanimously, with a vote 5 to 0. 2. Vacation of School Avenue (Between Tami Sola Street and Hatton Street): Street Vacation Application No. 18-SV-07 is a request for approval of the vacation of an approximate 800 ft. segment of School Avenue, between Tami Sola Street and Hatton Street, that extends through the Sarasota High School campus. The School District is proposing to vacate this segment of School Avenue in order to control access to the campus. (Lucia Panica, Chief Planner) Applicant's Presentation: Mr. Kelly Klepper, of Kimley -Horn, introduced himself, as well as Mr. David Jones, the Principal of Sarasota High School, and Sargent Oaks, one of the Heads of Security for the Sarasota Schools System; expressed appreciation for the opportunity to be here this evening, and said he anticipates an interesting discussion; explained that he will provide background information about the reasons they are here, and the discussions that led to this application; stated that they are requesting the vacation of a portion of School Avenue, this is the key component of a lot of this discussion, but, along with the tangible, they want to discuss the intangible components of this request; noted that the expansion of Sarasota High School occurred back in 1990, and a lot of things have changed since that time; referred to school safety, and school shootings; added that it is a different environment: now; pointed out that, as planning changes, education changes, and this leads to us asking ourselves what we do to protect our kids; and said that Principal Jones will make some comments from the High School's perspective, Sargent Oaks will present comments about school safety, and then he will wrap up the presentation. Principal Jones introduced himself for the record; stated that his first charge as a school administrator is safety and security, because if students are not safe, or they are not confident that they are safe, learning is compromised; added that the Planning Board is going to read that another school shooting happened just a few minutes ago in Brazil; stated that this is the reality; pointed out that he has a different perspective than most, because he was a teacher that lived and taught in Littleton, Colorado, in April 1999, and on April 20th was when Eric Harris decided to come in and massacre twelve students and a teacher; added that his perspective is further unique, because his brother was a Sargent with the Denver Police, and the daughter of one ofhis coworkers was a student at Columbine, and fortunately she was not hurt; said that his sister-in-law was the lead coroner'si investigator for the Denver Police Department; noted that he got a lot of inside information about that horrible tragedy; pointed out that there are shootings at school sites throughout history, and one can find them as early as the 1800s; explained that the Minutes of the Regular Planning Board Meeting March 13, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. in the Sarasota City Commission Chambers Page 5 of 27 reason he shared his experience in Colorado is because he wants the Planning Board to think about what happened; said that one of the things he is required to do, relating to safety and security, is to conduct a monthly fire drill, and the buildings are built up to Code, in other words they are going to do everything that they possibly can to prevent any child from being harmed in a fire, in a public school building; added that now, they are required to do a monthly "lock-down" drill, to prevent the very real possibly that something would happen, and he prays that this never happens here in Sarasota; noted that about fourteen months ago, they had a similar discussion, and part of the public comments they received were along the lines that this is an overreaction, and this is not going to happen here, and then of course, Parkland happened shortly after those discussions, on Valentine's Day last year; pointed out that it can happen, they pray it does not happen here, but he has to do everything he can to keep his students safe; and concluded that his 2,118 students are his babies, and he wants them to know unequivocally that they are safe. Principal Jones said that if he were sitting in one of the Planning Board's chairs, he would be thinking that the community granted and the City Commission voted for School Avenue to be closed between 6:30. A.M. and 10:00 P.M., is that not enough; added that it is a logical question; asked why on earth is he spending his time in this meeting passionately pleading to be able to do more than that; noted thata tapproximately a week ago, at 4:14 A.M., a car pulled up and parked right on School Avenue, right in the middle of campus, with two occupants; said that they were not authorized to be there, they had no permission to be there, but they chose to be there for a reason; added that no one knew what their motivation was, fortunately it was not evil, it turned out to be news reporters; explained that there was a story, last week, on student vaping and the epidemic that it has caused, there was a special community meeting down at Venice High School that night, they were hoping to get student input, and to interview some students; stated that they had to remove the reporters because it was trespassing; said that they picked Sarasota High School because it is the only school in the District, and he does not know many schools in the nation, to have a road that goes through it, SO outside of the hours mentioned earlier [when the road is closed] one can get in [on campus); said that what he is about to say may be speculation, but, when Harris planned the Columbine shooting, he wants all to understand that the Columbine attack was primarily planned as a bombing, and they put most of their things in the school well before the actual event; added that the shooting occurred because all of their propane bombs failed, only a couple pipe bombs went off, but had those bombs succeeded, at 11:17 A.M., the time that they hoped for that to take place, there would havel been mass casualties, because there would have been a massive population within the student cafeteria; said that this may seem extreme language, but it is the staff he worries about every night; pointed out that people can come on the [Sarasota High School] campus any time between 10:00 P.M. and 6:30 A.M.; said that most of the high school activities are done between those hours, and he is very appreciative of the community granting that, but it still happens, they have a lot of games that end after 10:00 P.M., and students are crossing that road; said that thinking about the possibility of a kid getting hit by a car, it probably will not happen, but the factis that the Sarasota High School campus is the only one that is not what they call, hardened;" stated that it is absolutely critical that his students know, beyond the shadow of doubt, that they are citizens too, and that their voice matters; added that at Parkland, it is the youth voice Minutes of the Regular Planning Board Meeting March 13, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. in the Sarasota City Commission Chambers Page 6 of 27 that became SO empowered, and some of the changes and conversations that took place throughout the nation are because the student voices are pleading "People take us seriously, we want to feel safe;" stated that it is not something he can identify with as a student, but every one of his kids were born after 1999, SO this is a very different reality that they are born into; and stated that he is asking the Planning Board, with as much passion as he can muster, and with an allergy filled voice, that the Planning Board hear their plea, and help them vacate [School Avenue]. Finally, Principal Jones stated that each time a body of people is put together, it is natural that there will be disagreements, particularly when money is at stake; added that from time to time the School Board Members have disagreements, and that is to be expected; pointed out that it is interesting that, under the conditions under which this small stretch of land is tol be vacated, the School Board committed a tremendous amount of money, SO that they could give back to the community, in one way or another; added that once they started exploring it, it became obvious that the amount they had agreed upon was nowhere near sufficient; pointed out that five School Board members came together to say that they would triple that amount of money, SO that this is closed, and they are in unity, noted they are elected officials; and concluded that this means something, that they would come together and be willing to spend this substantial sum of money to keep the [Sarasota High School] safe. Sargent Oaks introduced himself for the record; stated that he is representing the Chief of the Police Department; added this is one of the schools that he supervises as a Sargent with the Police Department; noted that they have been tasked to help "harden" the outside of the schools and "soften" the inside of the schools; explained that what it means is that their goal is a single point of entry, meaning that everybody entering the school property during the school hours has to come through that single point of entry; added that everyone has to be screened to make sure that they are supposed to be on the property; noted that this is for the safety and security of our children that are attending school, the staff, and the visitors that happen to be on campus; stated that this road goes through the middle of the campus; noted that years ago this used to be two different schools, and it was not such a big issue, but, today iti is a big issue, because how can they harden the outside of the schools and protect the children in the school, and assure the safety of visitors and staff, when students go between the two buildings all day long; said they could have a single point entry there, but that would hinder the operations of the school staff; pointed out that there are two resource officers at that location every day, and by putting that additional task to them, to be there [at that single entry point] all day, it would take away from their job duties and responsibilities of safeguarding the entire school; added that if you divert their attention to one single point of entry at certain times, and since students change classes all day long, this would divert their attention almost all day, which doesn't make sense; agreed with Principal Jones that at the afterschool events, and especially when it gets dark early, and the kids are moving back and forth, the band members crossing that road after a late event, when it is opened after 10:00 P.M., there is a hazard to the kids crossing the street; stated that vacating this road would help the police and the safety and security officers of the School Board to help protect the property, the students, the visitors, and the staff, it would enhance the security options, and it would definitely help; added that he understands it is a hindrance to the: residents of the properties in that area, but he thinks Minutes of the Regular Planning Board Meeting March 13, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. in the Sarasota City Commission Chambers Page 7 of 27 the security of the school is very important as well; said that he could not speak for the residents, because he has not spoken with them, but he thinks that they would agree that we need to keep our schools as safe as we can; and concluded that the Police Department would agree with the School Board in their request to vacate this portion of the road to help improve, and continue to improve, the safety and security of this school. Mr. Klepper stated that they have been working with this issue for a while, they have explored various options, including re-designing, they have met with the community on a number of occasions; noted General Manager Chapdelain had the pleasure of attending all of those workshops; said at the end of the day, what they are asking is to vacate an 800 ft. portion of a public street; pointed out that this is not a typical school with a 7:00 A.M.- 3:30 P.M. operation; referred to the staff report where all the daily school activities are listed, and pointed out that one will notice that activities go on throughout the majority of the year; noted that the School Board got together and realized that they are asking for a take, but they also talked about a gift, they are giving dollars, and an idea, and a design, and cooperation to incorporate and construct the west side connector; pointed out that they are talking about removing a portion of the pedestrian and bicycle connectivity, but they are also talking about re-aligning and re- designing, sO that there is that connectivity out to Bahia Vista Road, and up to Wood Street, and further north; added that their traffic and transportation analysis, including multi-modal, has been reviewed by City staff, and it has been identified that there was sufficient capacity for all multimodal components, including vehicular, pedestrian, and bicycle; pointed out that there is an existing grid network in place, and thankfully they have a grid they can work with in this area; added that they are: not talking about taking away a significant portion or a level of connectivity, rather they are talking about replacing and re-aligning it with other areas, and making certain improvements within that; said that, at the end of the day, what they are basically asking for is to think about the 2,100 kids, think about this from their standpoint; added that education is tough enough these days, let's not add this additional thing that they have to be thinking about constantly; and said that this is something near and dear to their hearts, they feel very passionate about it, otherwise they would not be here, as well as a lot of residents, passionate one way or another, but more importantly, the parents and the students are here as well. PB Chair Normile recommended that each Planning Board Member ask three questions each and take turns. PB Member Ohlrich stated that she sees the street vacation as a last resort; and asked if they can describe the alternatives to street vacation that the School Board has considered, and the reason for which they dismissed them from consideration. Mr. Klepper stated that they looked into additional hardening of School Avenue, but that creates one point of entry, which in turn creates a point of congestion and a point of opportunity; that was the first thing they looked at to harden the edges of the right- of-way, and that turned into a concern, because everyone was funneled into one spot; then they looked about going over, and there were concerns about the grades, the construction costs, and the capacity and time between classes, it all turned to a logistical Minutes of the Regular Planning Board Meeting March 13, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. in the Sarasota City Commission Chambers Page 8 of 27 concern, especially from a grade standpoint; noted that Steve Johnson, the architect also looked into this; added that one of the things they looked at was to have the police and fire activity at those access points, and that was taken into consideration, as they were doing these designs; said that they looked at additional school resource officers, school components, and again they were talking about the costs; and concluded that this gives that additional layer of protection. PB Member Ohlrich noted that there have been two interlocal agreements, the one that is in place now extended the closure of School Avenue from 6:30 A.M. to 10:00 P.M. on school days, when school is in session; and asked if they have considered further alterations to the interlocal agreement that would get the School Board what they want, but allow the City to maintain ownership of the land. Mr. Klepper said that this is one of the items that was discussed with staff, and their concern was that an interlocal agreement can be changed at any time, without agreement by both parties, and then they would end up back where they started. PB Member Ohlrich asked if they had serious discussions about that. Mr. Klepper deferred the response to Kathie Ebaugh, from the School District. PB Member Ohlrich asked if this is the woman who should be sitting in the chair next to her. Attorney Connolly pointed out that she has sat there on occasion; stated that PB Member Ohlrich is probably referring to the letter the Planning Board Members received from Pearlee Freiberg; added that it is not an issue at all; and asked the Planning Board what they want him to do, give his answer or explain his answer. PB Member Morriss responded "both." PB Chair Normile said that she wants Ms. Ebaugh to sit at her seat along the Planning Board Members, because it is her seat. Attorney Connolly stated, "Not tonight it isn't." PB Chair Normile asked, "Ifi it is not, how is there no conflict?" Attorney Connolly stated that in 2002, there was an amendment to the Florida Statutes to: require that all School Boards have a member added to the Planning Board to increase communications; stated in the City Zoning Code there is a reference to five Planning Board Members, and in 2002 they had to add a sentence referring to a sixth non-voting member, which is the School Board representative, and it would be better at that point, but nobody saw this coming nineteen years later, it would be better, at that point, that the sentence - .no member ofthe Planning Board shall appear before the Planning Board, to say no voting member of the Planning Board shall appear before the Planning Board;" added that what the conflict of interest is designed to prevent is Planning Board Members from selling their position as a public officer; explained that the Planning Board Members have been appointed into public office, and people develop their applications, for example, and they would like to hire you, and have you make the presentation, because you have a relationship with the Planning Board; and stated that he wonders if any of the Planning Board Members have met Ms. Ebaugh before, because she does not come here, sO there is nothing she is bringing to the table that is going to influence you as a member of the Planning Board. PB Member Normile stated that she wanted clarification for the record. PB Vice Chair Blumetti said "Nice to meet you". Ms. Ebaugh noted that she has been here a couple of Minutes of the Regular Planning Board Meeting March 13, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. in the Sarasota City Commission Chambers Page 9 of 27 times and explained that she only comes when there is a project that would affect the School Board. PB Chair Normile welcomed Ms. Ebaugh. PB Member Ohlrich asked if there have been serious discussions about amending the Interlocal Agreement. Ms. Ebaugh stated thaty when the School Board originally started this process five years ago, they talked about changing the Interlocal Agreement, noted they have a draft of the changed Interlocal Agreement; added that she spoke to their attorney about this matter again this morning, and their concern is that an Interlocal Agreement can be changed, and they are looking for something that cannot be changed; emphasized that this is a very important safety and security concern for the students; explained that the School Board would respectfully decline the option of redoing the Interlocal Agreement for the reason that some Board, down the road, may decide that it would be better to have the road back; pointed out that, when they considered it, they decided that they would prefer a permanent solution; noted that it was during this evaluation of how to make this a permanent solution, (because an Interlocal Agreement has clauses at the end that provide how the Interlocal Agreement could be ended, which makes it a temporary document, not a permanent document), at that time, the School Board asked the City how can they make the Interlocal Agreement permanent, and they were advised by City staff that they would have to go through the vacation process, which they commenced immediately, and have been working on for the last two years; repeated that the only reason the School Board is here this evening is because they thoroughly evaluated the Interlocal Agreement, and they concluded that it was not the most permanent, and therefore not the most constructive, means to achieve their goal. PB Chair Normile asked Attorney Connolly if an Interlocal Agreement can be altered unilaterally. Attorney Connolly responded, "Not unilaterally, it is a contract." Ms. Ebaugh stated that there are ways to amended it, and that is the reason thes School Board took this route, otherwise it could have been done two years ago, saved some money for themselves, and probably some headaches, but it was decided this would be the most perfect way. PB Member Morriss asked Ms. Ebaugh if there has ever been evidence of a capricious change of the Interlocal Agreement; in her experience. Ms. Ebaugh said, "No, but it is not permanent, it is temporary, and they want a permanent solution." PB Member Morriss stated that nothing is permanent, but that is more philosophical. Ms. Ebaugh added that they explored other options, like placing gates on either side, SO that a pedestrian can come up and walk across campus, or be given key cards to walk through, which goes against their idea of single point of entry, or everyone has to be vetted and have clearance to be on campus, or be walked across the campus, which was recommended by a resident during a meeting; said that won't work because there is only SO much staff on campus, as Sargent Oaks explained, and if they are diverted to walk people across the campus, then they are not allowed to do their jobs on campus; and concluded that they thoroughly vetted many alternatives, and they decided that this was the most appropriate. PB Member Gannon thanked Principal Jones for the overview he presented earlier, and assured him that the Planning Board shares the concern about the safety of the children, as most of the PB Members have raised children and have seen them through school, SO they understand that; noted that the Interlocal Agreement was most recently changed Minutes of the Regular Planning Board Meeting March 13, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. in the Sarasota City Commission Chambers Page 10 of 27 in May 2018 and closed School Avenue from both ends, for both roadway and pedestrian traffic when school is in session, during the hours that were discussed earlier; and asked if it can be changed again to revise the time to 10:30 PM, or as needed, to protect the students as long as the students are on campus. Principal Jones said that the short answer is "Yes," but his concern with that is that with access to the campus after hours people could place things on campus, they could bring weapons and other things that would never make it on campus at a single entry point; added the fact that just a week ago a vehicle parked right on School Avenue and remained there through the closed times, a custodian closing the gates brought it to his attention very early in the morning, and they responded right away; and said that he arrives at work at 5:30 AM every morning, SO it was easy to address that issue. PB Member Gannon noted that they were there legally, and they moved when they were asked to, SO he does not understand the concern there; and asked if there have been any assaults, either last year or in any year of this Interlocal Agreement. Principal Jones said he is not aware of any. PB Vice Chair Blumetti agreed with PB Member Gannon's comments regarding the safety; referred to the application noting that there are references to the Campus Safety Initiative (CSI), and a $30 million District goal providing a safe learning environment for all students; asked if this initiative provides training and protocol for an active shooter emergency on campus, and how the closing of School Avenue benefited this situation, in regards to emergency personnel and the evacuation from the buildings, if there is only one single point of entry. Principal Jones pointed out that one point of entry does not mean one egress; added that there are ways for the students to get off campus, and the gates are designed that way;and noted that a single point of entry gives the school control over who comes on campus. Mr. Klepper added that one thing they identified, with the closure of School Avenue, is that police, fire and EMS are able to access the campus as in any other development in the City. PB Vice Chair Blumetti asked if the school would hire an outside consultant to assess their current and proposed CSI Protocol. Mr. Klepper responded not that he is aware of. PB Vice Chair Blumetti asked who established that closing this road and vacating this right-of-way is thel best possible solution. Mr. Klepper stated that his firm wasl hired to assist with the community outreach, the community components and alternative designs; added that, along with Harvard Jolly, they were also asked to look at the street vacation from a transportation standpoint (pedestrian, vehicle, bicycle); said that they did not look at it from a school safety component, however the firm has done school safety audits, he has done airport security assessments for general aviation for various airports in the state of Florida, SO they have brought forward their best level of experience in some of their recommendations in working with the School Board, based on what the end goal was, what could they assist with, what are the alternatives, not just a whimsical request to vacate and be done with that; stated that it was, here is the request to vacate, and what has been done with that, here is the additional analysis, SO that it can be proven through their engineering studies that there are alternatives for Minutes of the Regular Planning Board Meeting March 13, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. in the Sarasota City Commission Chambers Page 11 of 27 multi-modal transportation and activity in place; and added that there are dollars set aside for improvements to help facilitate those closures. PB Vice Chair Blumetti asked if there is any other protocol in place, other than closing School Avenue, for the safety concerns of the students; and added that there is $30 million allocated to making codes, locking doors, counting students. Principal Jones stated that they are doing many things, including: locks are being reconfigured to be on timers SO that with a press of a button, in the newer areas of campus they can lock down everything; a hardened office through that access point, bullet proof glass is being installed, new fencing, additional security cameras, the allocation of personnel, there are many things in the protocol; and said part of the inception of creating their own Police Department was that they would have a unique focus on school safety. PB Vice Chair Blumetti noted that the campus is safe for the most part; referred to page 41 of the packet, Item 2. Independent fence east and west sides ofcampus:said that he walked the campus the day before the meeting and stated that this appears to be a reasonable solution, and, in conjunction with the Interlocal Agreement, the fencing is already there on the left side of the campus, SO it is basically a big gate that opens that kids can funnel through, but it is not on the east side of the campus; asked how this would not work in conjunction with the Interlocal Agreement; added that if the east side of School Avenue were fenced, just like the west side of School Avenue, why this would not be a sufficient way to secure the premises, if School Avenue were to remain open beyond the 6:00 A.M. and 10:00 P.M. hours; and asked if that would essentially lock down the campus. Principal Jones asked if PB Vice Chair Blumetti is suggesting fencing two different campuses. PB Vice Chair Blumetti said that the fence already exists on the west side. Principal Jones noted that there is fencing for the most part on the west side of School Avenue; and stated what happens is that area is open all the time now, there are three access points, one comes in through one, and now they have to monitor the other two. Discussion ensued. PB Vice Chair Blumetti suggested keeping School Avenue open. Ms. Ebaugh stated that they have evaluated that option, and it does not work for three reasons, first it creates a funnel area during the change of classes during school hours; noted that this is an integrated campus and students are going back and forth all day, administrative offices are on one side, classrooms exist on both sides, as well as physical education activities happen on both sides, sO students are constantly switching; said that if you have two gates to cross School Avenue, you are creating a targeted area, SO if someone wanted to behave in ways that we find reprehensible, they have a time, they know when the kids are crossing, they can sit at key points and proceed with their guns, and this creates a difficult situation; explained that, because the administration and the main entrance is on one side the students have to cross all day, SO this option leaves the campus porous; and added that if you want to blend-in with somebody, you would be able to do it during the class change, because no one is monitoring who is going from one side to the other, because you have a stream of kids who are coming to and from. PB Vice Chair Blumetti stated that currently there is a gate that the kids funnel through, and he is not suggesting opening up School Avenue, that stays closed the same hours that they are closed now, but after those hours, these two gates would close and there would be no access on campus. Ms. Ebaugh pointed out on a map the locations PB Vice Minutes of the Regular Planning Board Meeting March 13, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. in the Sarasota City Commission Chambers Page 12 of 27 Chair Blumetti was referring to and explained that it would require fencing all around and a crosswalk. PB Member Morriss asked what permanent structures are planned for the right-of-way area. Ms. Ebaugh stated no structures were planned; added that it would be a courtyard area; and said they need truck access, they will discuss it with their architect SO that they can identify the appropriate materials that can go on it SO that trucks can go in, but it will remain paved, and it will be a courtyard. Joe Dumas, Executive Director of Facilities Planning and Construction, stated that they have evaluated PB Vice Chair Blumetti S suggestion and explained why they did not use it; said that first, their Chief of Police is highly regarded in his field, and in the field of school safety resources in Florida, and sits on many councils throughout Florida advising other Districts, SO they feel that they have in-house experts in this area; stated that first, they do not want to funnel kids, and second, students go across even after hours, and the doors would have to be unlocked for them. PB Vice Chair Blumetti noted that they are funneling students at that point now. Mr. Dumas stated that they do not want to do that, that is the reason they are not using that option and are going a different direction. PB Vice Chair Blumetti noted that at some point the students are not allowed on campus anymore. Mr. Dumas noted that there are activities after hours, and during the summer when they are out of school the street is open; and pointed out that when he went to school, during summer vacation the schools were closed, and that is not the reality of high schools any longer. Principal Jones said that the times the students are on campus, the supervising teacher, or whoever is supervising that field trip or event, has the responsibility to stay with the kids until they are picked up. PB Vice Chair Blumetti repeated that right now students are funneled. Mr. Dumas responded that they do not want to funnel anywhere in the district, or funnel any more than they already are, because that provides a target for someone who wants to do a mass shooting with mass casualties, SO they are looking for ways. to not funnel kids; and added those gates have to be open for the students to cross the street. PB Member Gannon asked if there is a fence and a gate along the west side of School Avenue, when is that gate locked. Principal Jones responded that the current gate on the west side of School Avenue is closed after hours, but the difference is if a student is on campus after 10:00 P.M., noted an example is the other night the baseball game was in Venice and they arrived back at 10:17 P.M., the teachers who were with the students had to unlock the door, let the bus in, and then most of the kids would be parked in the parking lot that is off of Bahia Vista, SO then the students who returned on the bus now have to cross School Avenue to get to their cars, SO avoiding those east/west gates would allow them to get to their car. PB Chair Normile stated that she is trying to understand the incremental value of closing 800-ft.; and asked if they have any plans to change the gates around campus. Sargent Oaks said he has nothing to do with construction, and added that by closing the road, they can gate-off each end permanently, and allow the funneling to go away. Minutes of the Regular Planning Board Meeting March 13, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. in the Sarasota City Commission Chambers Page 13 of 27 PB Chair Normile asked if the existing fencing is remaining. Ms. Ebaugh stated, "Yes," adding that they have upgraded that fence. Mr. Dumas said it is an 8-ft fence. PB Chair Normile asked what the danger is that they are trying to protect against, it does not appear that it is a car accident, is it safe to say they are trying to keep out an individual with weapons. Principal Jones said, "Yes." PB Chair Normile provided some photographs that were taken the day before this meeting, at about 1:00 P.M.; the first picture was of the gate in the vicinity of Hatton Street and School Avenue; PB Chair Normile pointed out that, the bottom of that fence is 12" to 14" above ground, and an adult can get under that fence; the second picture showed the gate closing School Avenue near Hatton Street; PB Chair Normile pointed out that this is also high off the ground; llustrated the same concern with another gate on Hatton Street; showed an illustration of the ballfield, where one could climb the fence and reach the bleachers easily, which is quite a vantage point; pointed out that the double gate to Alta Vista Elementary School was wide open; showed another view of the ballfield with a building that practically touches the fence noting one can climb the. fence and get on the staircase to get on campus; showed a picture of the side entrance to the school stating it is completely open; and the last picture shows the front of the school, behind the parking, completely open to Bahia Vista. PB Chair Normile said that she and Planner Panica tried to break into the school the day before the meeting (not literally), they went up the steps, they went to the right, where the clinic is, and that door is open, but the door from that room to the rest of the school is locked; said that the woman sitting there is completely unprotected; added that the two front gates were locked, they went to the left door, two individuals were seating at the desk completely unprotected, and they were the ones that have to open the door into the school building; noted one of the individuals sitting there is a civilian, not a security person, and explained that they are putting in bullet proof glass soon, but, they are sitting there without any protection whatsoever; and asked again what the incremental value of the 800-ft of closed School Avenue is, when all these other loopholes exist, and people can access the campus every which way. Mr. Dumas stated that these are all good comments, and certainly she has pointed out their vulnerabilities on campus, and, as a district, they have to deal with things in chunks; addressed the gate issue stating there is a team that is currently correcting the gates throughout the district; added that the safety and security project is an on-going project of systematically going through all of the campuses and evaluating what is the most important, the single point entry, the perimeter, a police force of their own; noted that in the next two years they are planning to address issues in all schools, where issues exist; pointed out that they have 8.5 million of square feet they try to protect, they pick priorities and move through all campuses; said that it is a lot of work that needs to be addressed in a systematic way; added that the pictures were perfect, because they pointed out that the intricacies and the difficulties of trying to protect a campus are SO big at Sarasota High with its 2000 students, it is an on-going community process that we all need to be involved in, and take advantage of as a community, to protect that school; and said it is not something that the school district can do by itself. PB Chair Normile asked if there is a magnetometer anywhere. Mr. Dumas said "No." Minutes of thel Regular Planning Board Meeting March 13, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. in the Sarasota City Commission Chambers Page 14 of 27 PB Chair Normile stated that if they talk about Columbine, they have to consider that students can bring guns in, and repeated that she does not understand the incremental value of the 800 feet. Principal Jones said that this is the prime example, they can bring it after hours, stash it in bushes, or put it where ever, and it is there, SO even if there were a magnetometer at the main entry, the weapons would be on campus, which is exactly what Harris did. PB Chair Normile said that they can do that now, whether or not that road is closed; said it appears that people can come in all night long; said she did not want to ask him publicly, but she is sure that there are cameras and other means that they are using, because they do not want to provide a roadmap here, but she is looking for the incremental value, and if they can give her some more of that, she would appreciate it. Sargent Oaks said that some of the vulnerabilities that she pointed out are the responsibility of the Police Officers on campus, who work with the safety teams and identify those spots, they pay more attention to them, and patrol them more; and said the officers go through there and look for oddities, but it does not stop people from accessing the campus. PB Member Ohlrich stated that having spent twenty years working in the highest crime and highest poverty area of the City of Cleveland, Ohio, she understands the longitudinal psychological impact on staff and students who are in a building every single day, and also on their parents, who are not with them all the time when they are in school; added that this really builds on one over time, and she truly understands that; stated that everyone knows that persons who are considering perpetrating a horrific event on a school, either they do not follow the school rules, they will crawl under the one gate that is high enough off the ground that allows them to get in, or they follow the school rules, and nonetheless they get into the building; stated that with the six easements they have that will continue even if School Avenue is vacated, and gates that close but are high up from the ground, (when she visited, the two parking lot gates were wide open), and the parking lot, where ingress and egress are off of Bahia Vista, and which is not gated at all, she knows how all that is impacting the staff and the students; said that they have six easements that will continue for utilities and waste pick up; and asked if delivery vehicles that deliver supplies and materials to the school will also have access to School Avenue, even it if: it is vacated. Principal Jones said, "Yes, but they will be escorted." PB Member Ohlrich asked how they will regulate that. Mr. Dumas stated that this is a problem with all school campuses, as they continue to provide permanent fencing and access gates to the service side of the house, gate management becomes a real problem, they have to monitor those gates, and they are connected to the safety and security department; and said that this is a district-wide problem, they monitor all schools, and they will address it here the same way. PB Member Ohlrich asked if there are any plans to close off the parking lot that enters and exits off of Bahia Vista. Principal Jones said "No," and added that they have three parking lots, and this one is open, the other two are closed and security has to open them up for students; explained that the Bahia Vista parking lot will remain open, because they have students who are doing dual enrollment programs, they are doing Minutes of the Regular Planning Board Meeting March 13, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. in the Sarasota City Commission Chambers Page 15 of 27 programs at the Suncoast Technical College (STC), and they are assigned spaces in the Bahia Vista lot, however, at the other end of the campus, they still have to come in through a check point. PB Member Ohlrich noted that they are talking about a single point of entry, and asked which building is the single-point of entry. Principal Jones stated that the single point of entry is where the steps are, where the Attendance [office] is on one side. PB Member Morriss asked what happens when a hurricane hits, what is the school's policy, will the road remain closed and not be an evacuation route for people. Mr. Dumas said if School Avenue was vacated, that would stay closed; added that one of their buildings is a meeting place for some of the emergency staff to stay during a hurricane, sO they would take direction from them, however they intend to keep the road closed, unless advised otherwise to facilitate the emergency; said that it will be closed at all times; and explained that right now, if they are housing students, the road is closed, if they are not housing students the road is open. PB Vice Chair Blumetti asked if the Interlocal Agreement will remain if this road is closed. Attorney Connolly stated if the road is vacated, the two parties can consider terminating the Interlocal Agreement, because it is no longer applicable; added that the School Board considered this to be a two-step process, the first step was the Interlocal Agreement, the next step is the permanent closure through the vacation of the street; and said he presumed that after the street vacation both the City and the School Board would consider signing the termination of the Interlocal Agreement, noting it would not happen automatically. Staff's Presentation: Chief Planner Panica introduced herself for the record; introduced the staff members seated with her: General Manager Chapdelain, Chief Transportation Planner McGue, and Assistant City Engineer Ohrenstein; stated that the petition is a request to vacate an 800-ft segment of School Avenue, located between Hatton Street and Tami Sola Street, bisecting Sarasota High School; noted that the purpose of the request is for the School District to be able to control access to the campus, in an effort to increase security on campus; added that no other improvements are proposed at this time; said that the School District has committed to spending up to $3 million dollars on a western pedestrian and bicycle path, and with the participation of the City, on some improvements on the eastern portions of the school campus, as a way to mitigate any potential impacts the road closure could have, some of which are a result of the traffic study, and others are a result of community concerns which staff will discuss later on in this presentation; and stated that following are presentations on the community outreach and outcomes, the traffic study, and traffic improvements. General Manager Chapdelain stated that on May 14, 2018 there was a Community Workshop at Sarasota High School, there were 75 to 100 persons in attendance, and the summary minutes are included in the packet material; said notification was sent out to everyone within 500-ft. radius of the site, notices were sent out to the Neighborhood Association contacts, and the School Board sent out a notification through their Connect-Ed system to all students and parents associated with Sarasota High School; said following that meeting, later in May, there was discussion about the Interlocal Agreement; added that the School Board sponsored two community workshops in June Minutes of the Regular Planning Board Meeting March 13, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. in the Sarasota City Commission Chambers Page 16 of 27 at the Sarasota High School Cafeteria, and again notifications went out to the Neighborhood Association contacts, the school put it on the electronic message boards in front of the school, and announced it through the Connect-Ed system; noted that the input they received from the public was that they want to see the mitigation improvements; pointed out that School District staff took the comments, worked with their Architect, and at the second meeting they came back with some renderings and asked the attendees to rank the improvements in order of highest priority; stated that, based on that, the north-south multi-modal path on the west side of the campus was, by-far, the highest ranked improvement from those meetings, other than the improvements on the east side of the campus; noted that at the meeting the School Board had very conceptual renderings, showing where the path could go; added that since then they have been working with the Ringling School of Art and Design, who has a leasehold on the western part of the campus, west of the football field; said that they had some concerns with potential conflicts along the alleyway, due to conflicts with truck deliveries; added that there is also a cell tower in that area; and explained that services and deliveries for the concessions on the field, in addition to lack of natural surveillance at that location, and liability concerns, resulted in the alternative the Planning Board Members will see in the packet, where that particular segment goes along US 41, enhancing the sidewalk there, going to at least 8-ft. width, with a 4-ft. planting strip, and coming in along the edge of the campus. Assistant City Engineer Ohrenstein introduced himself for the record, and said that he will discuss the traffic study, done by Kimley Horn; stated that the study looked at how the area road network should respond after the right-of-way closure; noted that there is extra vehicle capacity for cars on all the surrounding streets, US 41, Ringling Blvd., and Shade Avenue; said Bahia Vista is already packed; noted that there is no need to add lanes as a result of the vacation; added that the traffic study also looked at pedestrian and bicycle reroutes; pointed out that, after the right-of-way vacation, a pedestrian would have to walk on around the high school on Hatton Street, Shade Avenue, and Tami Sola Street which adds one-half-mile to the total trip; said that there are sidewalks along the route, that is why part of the recommendations from the study address locations where improvements are needed, including some sidewalk widenings; added that there is a recommendation to coordinate with FDOT; noted that everything on US4 41 has to got to FDOT as well, to see if the signal time can be optimized, after they see the effects of the vacation, and to also see if optimization is needed at Bahia Vista and Shade Avenue; and pointed out that a portion of Bahia Vista is a County maintained Road. Chief Planner Panica stated that the City of Sarasota has utilities within the right-of- way, and there are several other franchises that have utilities within the right-of-way; added that, if approved, easements will be granted for those facilities, as well as for emergency vehicles, and for refuse and recycling vehicles; noted that all easements are required prior to second reading of the vacation ordinance; pointed out that the Planning Board has a few different motion options, and they are found on page4 of the staff report; and pointed out that this petition received sign off from the Development Review Committee. Minutes of the Regular Planning Board Meeting March 13, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. in the Sarasota City Commission Chambers Page 17 of 27 PB Member Ohlrich referred to page 6 of the staff report, Section 1, Zoning Code Analysis, paragraph 3, at the end of the 8th line, the sentence that reads as follows: There is a possibility that the closure of this section of School Ave wuill not be needed in the future zohich could permanently impact the street grid... PB Member Ohlrich asked why this statement was included in the analysis. Chief Planner Panica stated that anything is possible in the future, the school could move at some point, things could change as far as the way that the schools run, there may be less students attending a traditional high school campus, there may be more classes online, SO they may be able to downsize back to their original side, a lot of different factors could change that would not require the street to be closed. PB Member Ohlrich stated that this may involve enrollment projections from the School District. PB Member Ohlrich referred to page 22, "Request for Expedited Processing Under Section 420.9076(4)(a), Florida Statues Affordable Housing, and said that she could not figure out the reason this page was included. Chief Planner Panica said this page should have not been included. PB Member Ohlrich stated her third question is regarding sharrows and asked for clarification as to what they are. Assistant City Engineer Ohrenstein stated that they are a contraption for Share Use Lane Arrows, and they signify that cars and bicyclists share that portion of the road; stated these are in place in a few locations in Sarasota County, including Venice Avenue, and Gannt Road, and they are used when there is no room to add bike lanes; said that ideally they are used as a signifier of how to get to a park or such destinations, it is more in the way of wayfinding, and they are deployed safely in a low-speed and low-volume environment, but they generally indicate al bike route; and added that one of the recommendations of the study is to put down sharrows on Shade Avenue, between Bahia Vista Street and Hatton Street. PB Member Ohlrich stated that she looked online to find some data on sharrows and safety for bicyclists when sharrows are: in place, and said that she found one article that says that sharrows do not increase safety for bicyclists; added that she also found a newsletter from the National Association of City Transportation (NACTO) where there was a lot of information but no data on safety, and asked if Assistant City Engineer Ohrenstein has any information about safety and crash instances when sharrows are used. Assistant City Engineer Ohrenstein said that there are some data and some studies and they show that there is a better alignment of bicyclists if the arrows are in the center lane, the idea being that they want to encourage bicyclists to ride in the center and not being in danger of being hit by a door of a parked car;said that sharrows can be applied correctly and incorrectly, because some of the studies show that there is no safety benefit by the use of sharrows, but the other question is how well they encourage cycling; added that al big part of that is how carefully they are deployed; said that FDOT allows sharrows on 35 mph roads, and, in his opinion, that is really not good for safety; and added that on low-speed roads of 25 mph that the City is planning, low speed roads and low traffic, then one would feel comfortable riding their bicycle. PB Member Ohlrich noted that she found the same information about the low speeds; and said that cyclists may know more about sharrows than drivers, and that frightens her, because a Minutes of the Regular Planning Board Meeting March 13, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. in the Sarasota City Commission Chambers Page 18 of 27 car is bigger than her bike. Assistant City Engineer Ohrenstein said that he bikes a lot, and bikes in this area, and sometimes he bikes in this area to get to work; and concluded that sharing the road is always a challenge. PB Member Gannon referred to sidewalk improvements and asked to see on a diagram where the improvements will happen. Assistant City Engineer Ohrenstein stated that they are happening in several locations, including the driveways on Hatton Street, where the sidewalk goes behind the driveway apron to stay level; added that, in some locations, ramps are needed, and explained that he knows because he also runs up and down these streets. PB Member Gannon stated that these improvements are needed regardless of the right-of-way vacation. Assistant City Engineer Ohrenstein stated that if they are redoing the sidewalk, they must address these things, or, if there is a driveway application from the school, then they would be addressed. PB Member Gannon asked if the sidewalks needed to be brought to ADA compliance would the City not do it, unless some development was going on. Assistant City Engineer Ohrenstein said that they consult the sidewalk connectivity plan to make sidewalk improvements; added that there are so many sidewalks in the City and there are issues out there that the City cannot address all at once, sO as time goes on, the City receives requests, and they look at other problem areas; and stated that the vacation highlights the fact that this is a detour route, and the detour route needs to be made ADA accessible just to provide the minimum mobility service pedestrians should have according to current standards. PB Member Gannon referred to the statement in the traffic study about excess capacity in the surrounding roadways, and requested clarification. Assistant City Engineer Ohrenstein stated that the statement refers to vehicle capacity; explained that there is enough capacity, and therefore there is no need for additional turn lanes, left turn lanes, or through lanes that need to be added, by virtue of the vacation itself, and based on that, the application meets the City's concurrency standards. PB Member Gannon requested a view on the aerial photograph that would include the area from Bahia Vista Street to Payne Park; noted that the traffic study included the roads in the immediate area, and obviously was looking at known traffic patterns; added that the traffic study would have no way of determining the impact on School Avenue, for example, when an orchestra will be playing at Payne Park, and changing traffic patterns; added that, instead of traffic being stuck on Washington Blvd., traffic going to events will be going through there looking for alternate streets; and asked if something like this is included in the traffic study. Assistant City Engineer Ohrenstein said that it is correct, however Payne Park Village was incorporated in the future projections of the traffic study; explained that the location of Payne Park Village was a grocery store/shopping center, and between what they had on the site and what they proposed to build, the traffic impact of Payne Park Village is basically flat; noted that the traffic study for this application did not include any future traffic due to different uses at Payne Park, such as an event with the Orchestra, or anything like that, because that cannot be predicted at this time. PB Member Gannon addressed Chief Transportation Planner McGue, noted that she spoke to the Planning Board about the City's Transportation Plan currently underway, Minutes of thel Regular Planning Board Meeting March 13, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. in the Sarasota City Commission Chambers Page 19 of 27 and asked her if the vacation of a part the School Avenue right-of-way is potentially impacting the transportation plan study in any way. Chief Transportation Planner McGue stated that itl has not yet impacted it, because the study is not underway yet. PB Member Gannon asked if what she is expecting to examine in terms of the Master Plan is going to look at primary and secondary grid streets, etc. Chief Transportation Planner McGue stated that they will evaluate the grid system; and added she has not looked at the vacation in terms of the citywide network yet. PB Vice Chair Blumetti asked, in the event that this is passed this evening, what would the process be to un-vacate this road, in the event that the school moved, sO as to avoid creating a superblock. Attorney Connolly stated that one cannot un-vacate a road; added that if the City Commission ultimately approves the vacation, the only way School Avenue becomes School Avenue again is if the then fee-simple owners dedicate it again to the general public, noting the City holds the right-of-ways for the benefit of the general public. PB Chair Normile referred to discussion about waste recycling and emergency vehicles in the staff report and the staff recommended options; and asked if there is a difference if the street is vacated than it is today, noting that the street is closed today most hours. Chief Planner Panica stated that the impact will be on the weekends and in the summer; added that, ifi iti is vacated, it is going to be private property, it is not going to be public right-of-way, but the impact will be the same as now during the time school is in session. PB Chair Normile asked if there is recycling or rubbish collection during the weekends. Chief Planner Panica said "No." PB Member Ohlrich noted that there are many dead-end streets in that area; and referred to a map PB Members received as an attachment to their email, where 13 streets are marked "Dead End." Assistant City Engineer Ohrenstein stated that east-west streets are going through, only Wood Street is not; and added that East Avenue comes to an end, and Bay Street. PB Member Ohlrich stated that the City is really limiting the traffic flow in this area already, and the grid is already greatly impacted. Assistant City Engineer Ohrenstein pointed out that a lot of the east-west streets dead-end at the canal, and there are some pedestrian paths that bridge it; added that it is something that the City could look into in the future, however it would be a very expensive and long process; and added that there are no means of creating new north-south connections in this area. PB Chair Normile asked Chief Planner Panica if the Comprehensive Plan addresses street vacations. PB Chair Normile pointed that there is a Transportation Action Strategy 2.8 in the Comprehensive Plan regarding protection of existing right-of-ways or easements and asked Attorney Connolly is School Avenue is an existing right-of- way. Attorney Connolly said that School Avenue is an existing right-of-way. PB Chair Normile read 2.8 which states: 1 The City shall not vacate any public rights-of-zay or easements unless they are not in use, provide n0 public benefit, or it is not in the best interests of the City to retain for future use. Minutes of the Regular Planning Board Meeting March 13, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. in the Sarasota City Commission Chambers Page 20 of 27 She added that she is a big believer in Comprehensive Plans. PB Vice Chair Blumetti noted that Chief Transportation Planner McGue presented to the Planning Board a plan in January [2019], a multi-modal and transportation plan, and asked if that plan took into account the streets in this area. Chief Transportation Planner McGue stated that theyjust kicked-off the Transportation Master Plan, and they are not quite at the point where they would be evaluating sidewalks and the grid network, however they have the sidewalk connectivity plan and the multi-modal connection connectivity plan which is not yet adopted. PB Vice Chair Blumetti expressed interest in the way Shade Avenue will operate, because School Avenue is closed most of the day, it is not used. Assistant City Engineer Ohrenstein stated that Shade Avenue is a long road, and a path can be developed there, it has sharrows along the way, and one can go south all the way to Riverview High School; noted that along the way there are some parts of undeveloped right-of-way, and they are interested in developing that as a bikeway; and agreed with PB Vice Chair Blumetti in that they are studying this road for multi modal uses. The Planning Board Took a Ten-Minute Break Public Comment: 1. Chet Pletzke city resident-spoke in opposition to the proposal-stated the school is unsecure as is; proposal puts traffic on already congested US 41; recommended no permanent vacation; suggested that the School Board be required to deed to the City of Sarasota east and west paths and make it available to bicyclists and pedestrians. 2. Johnna Bowden - student at Sarasota High School- spoke in support of the application, referred to school safety. 3. Baylee Stepina - Student at Sarasota High School - spoke in support of the application, referred to school safety VS. inconvenience of surrounding residents. 4. Linda Kitch - local resident- spoke in opposition to the application- said after hours walkability was curtailed when the Interlocal Agreement was revised in 2018, and the west side pathway. 5. Stan Zimmerman - City resident and property owner - spoke in opposition to the application - suggested the City proceed with caution- said a vacation is an irrevocable decision; recommended considering a lease on the property. 6. Donna Judge works security at Sarasota High School - spoke in support of the application = said student security is most important. 7. Mary Anne Bowie - City resident and property owner spoke in opposition to the application - speaking for Arlington Park Residents- expressed traffic concerns; suggested that the school representative should attend Planning Board meetings. Minutes of thel Regular Planning Board Meeting March 13, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. in the Sarasota City Commission Chambers Page 21 of 27 8. Susan Chapman - City resident = spoke in opposition- recommended the City preserve the grid for the purposes of public use. 9. Vanessa Mason - CCNA representative, read the CCNA Resolution which speaks in opposition of closing School Avenue, however, supports other actions and offers alternative transportation suggestions. 10. Larry Silvermintz - City resident, lives in the Alta Vista Neighborhood - spoke in opposition to the application - stated that traffic circulation concerns will only get worse with the arrival of additional population in this area. 11. Mike Lasche - City resident, spoke in opposition to the application; suggested that the City not give up the land, rather the City can allow the School Board toj provide necessary security steps though revisions to the Interlocal Agreement, or a mutually acceptable plan to be reviewed every 10 years. 12. Pearlee Freiberg - City resident, spoke in opposition to the application-said the proposed vacation is not in the public interest, it could set a precedent for the vacation of Shade Avenue because the School Board owns property on both sides of Shade Avenue. 13. David Guinart - City resident, spoke in opposition to the application. Applicant Rebuttal: Mr. Klepper stated that they welcome the comments presented this evening, as always the community provides a lot of good information; noted that the applicants are addressing public interest, because student safety is in the public interest; said this is not the perfect campus; said that in an ideal world, the applicants would not be before the Planning Board; noted that in the case of Booker High School they had the ability to relocate the right-of-way, the land was available, but in the end, a unified, condensed campus was created, and that is what the applicants are trying to do with this campus, to ensure school safety, to make transitions, to make some tradeoffs and mitigating components; added that they appreciate that staff has looked into different options, there are a lot of ongoing studies, the applicants applaud the City for taking those steps, because it is time; noted that the applicants are asking for one thing, the vacation of the right-of-way; said there may be other or better options, and part of them may include relocating the school all together, however the applicants have to start in the confines of what they have, they are working on increasing safety all around; said there is not a one-size-fits-all approach to this; and requèsted the Planning Board's approval of the street vacation. Principal Jones thanked the Planning Board and the community members that came to the meeting this evening; stated that it was very refreshing to see a meeting as civil as it was this evening; added that both sides of the argument have been presented to the Planning Board, and PB Members know where each side leans; and said that he hopes those 800 ft. will be vacated. Minutes of the Regular Planning Board Meeting March 13, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. in the Sarasota City Commission Chambers Page 22 of 27 Sargent Oaks thanked the Planning Board for giving them the opportunity to be here this evening; and stated that the applicant' S goal is to create a cohesive campus and increase student safety as much as possible. Staff Rebuttal: Chief Planner Panica clarified her earlier statement about the Comprehensive Plan in relation to this application; referred to page 9 of the staff report, where Section IV-106 of the Zoning Code and the review standards are discussed, and stated that these are related to the Comprehensive Plan; referred to the public testimony comment that the School Board can build over the vacated right-of way, should this application be approved, and noted that Condition #3 prohibits the construction of buildings over the vacated right-of-way. PB Member Gannon asked Chief Planner Panica why there is no staff recommendation in the staff report, as usually there is one of the blue sheets of recommended actions. Chief Planner Panica stated that staff recommendations are not required, and on petitions that have two very strong sides, staff does not give a staff recommendation, rather staff presents all the facts and lets the Planning Board decide. PB Member Gannon referred to the west trail and noted that it has not been discussed in detail by the Planning Board; and asked if there was staff involvement in laying that out. Chief Planner Panica stated that staff analyzed the path going behind the stadium and the reasons that would not be a good location for the path, noting there was not enough space for it, because service trucks go up and down on it. PB Member Gannon noted that the same thing will happen on the south side of the Ritz Residence that is being built now at the Quay, where there was an alleyway, there was a MURT and it was decided that it was OK to have the MURT also serve as a delivery truck route; and asked if there is a significant difference in the width of what is behind the stadium that does not fit the criteria that was used to judge the case of the Ritz Residence. Chief Planner Panica stated that staff was heavily involved in looking at this path between the stadium and the back of the Ringling Museum; said there are some points where the path is very narrow for trucks and pedestrians to use the path; added that there are other uses, such as a cell phone tower that creates a conflict, and the concession service vehicles that would be stocking, and vehicles that are doing maintenance for the stadium that use that route, as well as potential closings of the path during service hours; and said staff, therefore, decided that it would be best to enhance US 41 and take the path that was presented to the Planning Board. General Manager Chapdelain added that another concern was the lack of natural surveillance in this location, the house operations for the Sarasota Museum of Art and the stadium on the other side, irrespective of the truck use, the lack of natural surveillance does not make it a comfortable path for any pedestrian; added that US 41 is heavily used by pedestrians, and if the sidewalk is enhanced, it is the better of the two options; and noted that when this was first being conceptualized the conflicts were presented after the fact, and that is the reason the alternatives were proposed later than the meetings last June. PB Member Gannon asked if this concept of a pedestrian path was on the City's Plan when the Interlocal Agreement was revised a year ago. General Manager Chapdelain Minutes of the Regular Planning Board Meeting March 13, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. in the Sarasota City Commission Chambers Page 23 of 27 stated that the north-south path on the western side of the campus was not on the City's pedestrian plan. Assistant City Engineer Ohrenstein pointed out that when pedestrians and trucks share the right-of-way there are restrictions of hours which is key in order to make it safe and operate well. PB Member Ohlrich asked who is the owner of the land north of the Museum, along US 41 and south of Browning Street, where the proposed MURT is going to make a ninety degree turn at the northeast corner of US 41 and Browning. General Manager Chapdelain said it is right-of-way and then there is Taco Bell. PB Member Ohlrich asked if there is enough right-of-way to widen the sidewalk to meet the standards of the MURT. General Manager Chapdelain said there is sufficient right-of-way to connect to the existing sidewalk. PB Vice Chair Blumetti asked if the volume of cars and pedestrians using School Avenue is on the record. Assistant City Engineer Ohrenstein said that they are included in the traffic study report, on page 218. PB Chair Normile asked if the roadway remains the way it is now, and the gates are open at 10:00 P.M., there are games or activities that have a large volume of people crossing that area, would it be possible to put some kind of a flashing light there, which can be activated by the school, SO that there is some sense that students will not be dodging cars after 10:00 P.M.; added that it is possible that some activities go longer than 10:00 P.M.; and asked if the City can mitigate that with a flashing light. Assistant City Engineer Ohrenstein stated that there are signs that light up indicating that pedestrians are crossing; other possibilities included " 'chicanes" which are triangles placed on both sides of the street, putting street trees on both sides because street trees moderate speeds, or allow on-street parking, stating those options slow drivers down. PB Chair Normile asked if the options include a traffic light or a HAWK crossing light. Assistant City Engineer Ohrenstein said whatis there now has shown thatit is effective for making the area safe for traffic and pedestrians, noting there have been two accidents in the past ten years. Discussion ensued. PB Chair Normile concluded that there are other options. PB Chair Normile closed the public hearing. PB Member Morriss moved to find Street Vacation 18-SV-07 inconsistent with Section IV-1306 of the Zoning Code and recommend to the City Commission denial of the petition. PB Member Ohlrich seconded the motion. PB Member Morriss stated that equating vacating the property and safety is tenuous, because all of these needs can be met with the Interlocal Agreement that has been polished by the staff and the School Board; added that one cannot talk safety without conversations. about gun control, mental health, and hatred but that is not for this place; said that none of the arguments met any of the review standards, the proposal is not in Minutes of the Regular Planning Board Meeting March 13, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. in the Sarasota City Commission Chambers Page 24 of 27 the public interest, and the Comprehensive Plan basically says "No," without any ambiguity to it; stated that the solution is very straight forward, it is the Interlocal Agreement; added that, to say that you do not trust it; and stated that we are not the other side, the community, the City, the school, we are the same thing SO we want to have the best, we want a safe school, and since we do not know what the future brings, giving up the property is a significant mistake. PB Vice Chair Blumetti stated that as a father of a four-year old about to enter Kindergarten, school safety is a primary concern, as it is for most parents, and as an Architect he has a profound responsibility for the safety of the occupants in a building, especially for those who are obligated to be there; noted that if this vacation was the only way to ensure the safety of these students, then it would be a no-brainer, but we have the Interlocal Agreement and he thinks that it is a more powerful vehicle at this point, it is just as good, and it would have to come back to the Commission for any revisions; and encouraged the School Board to use CCNA's recommendation of closing it permanently for 180 days out of the year, and perhaps keeping it open during the summer months, stating that might help the situation, but right now it makes no sense to vacate this road. PB Member Ohlrich stated that street vacation is the last resort; said she agrees with PB Member Morriss that it does not meet any of the review standards; and said that the School District has several avenues of enhancing the comprehensive safety plan, minus vacating School Avenue. PB Member Gannon expressed concern as well, especially with the comments received during the public hearing, because the issue before the Planning Board is not school children safety versus inconveniencing residents, if it was just that, it would be a no- brainer, school safety and children safety comes first over the inconvenience of driving around; pointed out that the Planning Board is here to hear testimony and decide whether or not vacating the street meets the Comprehensive Plan and the Zoning Code requirements; added that this is the Planning Board's job, the City Commission may have more latitude; and said this evening the Planning Board heard a lot of testimony about things that can be done to help improve school safety, and all of those should be looked at, and he will be voting in favor of the motion to find the application inconsistent. PB Chair Normile stated that she will also vote to find it inconsistent and briefly went over the Standards of Review and her notes; and said that these may not include many other reasons that were given here this evening: 1. The benefit to the general public of the existing street - the existing street provides flexibility, it can be changed in the future, the gate times can be changed, giving it away is no benefit in any way; the Comprehensive Plan is in favor of keeping the existing street, and it provides access for all types of vehicles and walking. 2. The re-arrangement of streets which would be required to secure a regular and harmonious circulation if the vacation is granted - stated that we need access for emergency vehicles and waste management vehicles; added that it does not make Minutes of thel Regular Planning Board Meeting March 13, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. in the Sarasota City Commission Chambers Page 25 of 27 sense to close it off when the school is not being used, now other people are using it, the City has a problem with street grids and future street grids, and planning is our future, now the City has a Planning Department and a Transportation Planning Department, and that is the way to go. 3. Whether the street has been improved and whether it is utilized by the general public - the street is maintained by the City and that is a benefit to the school, otherwise they would be maintaining it themselves; noted that vacations of streets that she has seen often involve public access for first amendment issues, and that is not the case with the school; added that the street is used by the general public. 4. Whether a development approval is involved = stated that she skipped this standard. 5. Whether the proposed vacation is in the public interest - stated that there is no substantial improvement for safety for closing the street, and everything that the Planning Board has seen and heard says that there are many other things that could be done and should be done before this street is the last bit to close the campus down, and all of these things could be accomplished without vacating the street; pointed out that the street closure provides less flexibility, the School Board could accomplish the same things by using the money that they would use: for this, to hire more officers, and put police and security people all around the campus if needed, she thinks they need them; also there are hurricane issues and it has an impact on the street grid; and concluded that she will vote in favor of the motion. The motion is approved unanimously with a vote of 5 to 0. IV. CITIZEN's INPUT NOTICETOTHE PUBLIC: AT THISTIME CITIZENS: MAY ADDRESS' THE PLANNING BOARDON TOPICS OF CONCERN. ITEMS WHICHHAVE BEEN PREVIOUSLY1 DISCUSSED ATI PUBLIC. HEARINGS MAY NOT BE ADDRESSED. AT THIS TIME. (A MAXIMUM 5-MINUTE TIME LIMIT.) Susan Chapman, introduced herself for the record; stated that she has been a City of Sarasota resident since 1989, has served as a Code Enforcement Magistrate for Sarasota County for sixteen years, served on the Planning Board for the City of Sarasota for five years, and was a City Commissioner for four years, and she is here to commend the Planning Board for taking the pro-active steps of looking at Code Enforcement, because she thinks the City Codes are inadequate and are inadequately enforced; added that she will talk about some areas where she thinks the Planning Board can be more proactive; noted that one of her frustrations as a Planning Board member was that they were given projects that were never combined as a whole, and when they got the big stuff, it was hard to process; stated that in the Building Code there needs to be a requirement that the buildings need to be staked out, SO that the public can see what is actually proposed; explained that in some areas the stakes can stay out for a couple hours, as was the case with the Ringling Garage; said some building codes require that the buildings be wrapped SO materials that are dropped do not fall on the neighboring buildings or the public or destroy cars as has happened on Palm Avenue; noted that the staging requirements call for a staging plan, and the staging plans are never really enforced, one had only to walk on Palm Avenue during some of the latest construction, one was walking in a mud-hole, the parking was all taken by cars, and when people called, it was not enforced at all; referred to the "Planning" Code and said that large areas of it are totally unentorced; added that they talk about the urban Minutes of the Regular Planning Board Meeting March 13, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. in the Sarasota City Commission Chambers Page 26 of 27 transect every time there is a discussion about the Code, she said that is a joke, because the City does not follow the urban transect at all; they say that the Code prohibits spot Zoning, but every other day you see another Overlay District being proposed; she worries about the fact that staff considers compatibility not specific enough to enforce it, because the Code is consistently full of compatibility; said that it used to be that we needed to consider the economic viability of projects, sO while she was sitting back in the audience there was an article in the Herald Tribune about the economic viability of the Bayfront Plan, we see these large buildings and we know that they cannot possibly happen; said that she thinks about all the time and energy spent on the Proscenium project; added that most of the Planning Board members probably do not remember it because it never was an economically viable project; added that it was said that the City does not have the staff to evaluate economic viability, and asked, why spend the time, the staff's S time, the Planning Board's volunteer time, if it is not a viable project; suggested that if you do not have the staff maybe you should be considering the staff, because it is an issue that keeps coming up again and again, and lots of time is spent on projects; said that Code Enforcement is important to planning, because Code Enforcement creates the opportunities for the plans to work; said that there should be a requirement in big projects that a 3-D: model, to scale, be produced; said one of the things that was very frustrating when she was on the Planning Board and the City Commission was that one would see these lovely pictures of the developments, and after it was built one would ask themselves, how could I have voted for that, because the renderings were for public relations not accurate renderings; and thanked the Planning Board for giving her the time to share her thoughts. V. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. February 13, 2019 PB Member Ohlrich stated that she has some non-substantive corrections which she will sent in electronically. PB Vice Chair Blumetti referred to page 33 of 52, paragraph 4, and asked for clarification on the contents of the paragraph. Discussion ensued among PB Vice Chair Blumetti, and Attorney Connolly. PB Member Gannon referred to page 15 of 52, and stated that when the Planning Board made the motion, they made two amendments, and he sent an e-mail, prior to this meeting, to both Attorney Fournier and Attorney Connolly, pointing out that the background material supplied to the City Commission for the 18th [of March] included an older version that did not include these changes. Attorney Connolly stated that this is incorrect, there have been more e-mails, and noted City Attorney Fournier had responded while this meeting was in progress, and that language has been incorporated. The February 13, 2019 Minutes were revised as follows: Code: Additions are underlined; Deletions are striekew-threngh Page 9 of 52, last two lines, and page 10 of 52, first two lines should read as follows: Minutes of the Regular Planning Board Meeting March 13, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. in the Sarasota City Commission Chambers Page 27 of 27 H Attorney Fournier stated that the only thing he is avare ofis the staff STOP letter in the supporting materials, 7-- stidy there was some effort to do a study, but he is not azare if they had caught everything. PB Chair Normile said that # the STOP study ofumpaid fees was very minor.. Page 24 of 52, first full paragraph should be revised to read as follows: PB Chair Normile asked for clarification, because the Planning Board is not "rezoning, " but they are asked to use the Standards of Review for rezoning. VI. PRESENTATION OF TOPICS BY STAFF Items presented are informational only (no action taken). Any issue presented that may require future action will be placed on the next available agenda for discussion. There was none. VII. PRESENTATION OF TOPICS BY PLANNING BOARD Items presented are informational only (no action taken). Any issue presented that may require future action will be placed on the next available agenda for discussion. 1. Study of Current Code Enforcement Practices The discussion was rescheduled to next meeting. VIII. ADJOURNMENT Meeting adjourned at 9:14 PM. Ww hike Steven R. Cover, Planning Director Eileen W. Normile, Chair Planning Department Planning Board/Local Planning Agency [Secretary to the Board]