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PH Minutes 2019-06-04 PRATTVILLE CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC HEARING MINUTES TUESDAY, JUNE 4, 2019 6:00 P.M. CALL TO ORDER: The Prattville City Council met in public hearing on Tuesday, May 21, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall. Council President Striplin called the meeting to order. Roll was called and Council President Pro Tempore Brown was recorded as being absent. 1. RESOLUTION: To Authorize the Mayor to have Various Weeded Lots Abated per Title 11, Chapter 67 of the Code of Alabama, 1975, as Amended. (Sponsored By: Councilor Starnes) No one was present to speak for or in opposition of the resolution. 2. ORDINANCE: To Rezone Property Located at Old Farm Lane South and Vista Point Blvd. from B-2 (General Business) to R-4 (Multi-Family) (Petitioner: MVAH Holding, LLC). (Sponsored By: Councilor Cables) The following individuals spoke in favor of this ordinance: Bo Evans, 125 Cedar Drive: Mr. Evans’ business is in real estate, he does both sales in property management. Mr. Evans wanted to share a few of the issues he is seeing in the real estate market. There is a shortage in Prattville of homes within the $110,000 and $150,000 price range, single and multi-family rentals within the $900 and 1,500 per month price range and senior housing. The people who are looking for those types of housing are newlyweds, 25 to 30 year olds, in their first job, and highly educated. Their average household income is $50,000 to $75,000. These people can choose to live in Prattville, Wetumpka, Auburn, Pike Road, etc. This group typically have a lot of savings, but choose to wait to buy a home much later than previous generations. These are the millennials. Due to lack of housing in the above mentioned price ranges, they are not coming here. The proposed apartments will provide the needed options for these people. Mr. Evans hoped the council would make the right decision. Lisa Rollan, 619 Thornton Place: Mrs. Rollan is an Economic Development Project Manager with the Prattville Area Chamber of Commerce. Over the last 4 years approximately, 760 million dollars in capital investment from recruitment and expansion efforts have come to the area. This translates to about 2,122 new jobs in the city. 400 to 500 of those jobs are expected to be filled by the year 2020. Those jobs will be filled by people living inside and outside of the City. There needs to be housing available for those coming to Prattville for work, including apartments. Prattville’s occupancy rates tend to be 95% plus. Darrin Smith, MVAH Partners: Mr. Smith represents the petitioner of this rezoning request. Mr. Smith has been coming to Prattville for a about a year, and believes the city to be great. After researching economic development in the city, there is clearly a shortage of multi-family housing. MVAH, Inc. is proposing a Class A market Rate multi-family project with approximately 240 units. There is not going to be project based Section 8 vouchers. MVAH is not applying for low income housing tax credits, this is not a RAD project. There is nothing in our capital stack that precludes us from having market rate rentals or rent restrictions. This is a true capital development with capital equity for the market. Patrick Lucas, Wetumpka, AL: Mr. Lucas believes this project will be a good thing for the city. His grandkids live here and its getting crowded. With growth comes the need for more housing. If people work here and live here, they generate revenue for the city. Mr. Lucas is also ex-military, and he knows that military families move to Montgomery. Mr. Lucas believes they would prefer to live in Prattville, but there needs to be housing available to them. Some people here tonight are attempting to discredit Mr. Smith and tie him in with another group. Councilor Starnes asked Mr. Lucas if he was a resident of Wetumpka and Mr. Lucas responded yes. Councilor Jackson stated that Mr. Lucas was welcome here tonight. The following individuals spoke in opposition to this ordinance: Jon Lee Finnegan, 211 Deer Trace: Ms. Finnegan loved the charm of Prattville when she first moved here in 1989. Since then the population has grown and the charm has eroded away. With congestion comes traffic and accidents. The proposed complex is to be built near one of Prattville’s busiest intersections, Cobbs Ford Road and Old Farm Lane. This will add to the traffic from the 206 units at Willow Ridge across from this project, which has approval for 4 more buildings. To the north you have traffic coming from the Hollybrook and Riverchase North subdivisions, as well as, from the additional 1,500 homes when Glennbrooke and The Ridge at Pratt Farms are finished. There are 700 plus homes approved for the area where McQueen Smith Road, Hwy. 82 and Hwy. 31 converge. Ms. Finnegan asked if an in-depth traffic study had been done. Adding another apartment complex to this area would be detrimental to the wellbeing of current Prattville residents. Ms. Finnegan asked the council to deny the request to rezone this property. Councilor Jackson asked Ms. Finnegan to share the information that Earnest Burke, Executive Director of the Plano Housing Authority gave her regarding her questions about MVAH Holdings, LLC. Ms. Finnegan did not have that information to share. Councilor Jackson read the email from Mr. Burke to Ms. Finnegan stating that “MVAH had been selected by the Plano Housing Authority regarding an upcoming development. MVAH has a proven track record in creating quality multifamily developments of all aspects.” Councilor Jackson asked Ms. Finnegan where she got the idea that they would be building 400 units, to which Ms. Finnegan responded that the MVAH application to the Planning Commission shows 400 apartment units for phase one. Councilor Jackson asked Mr. Smith if those numbers were correct. Mr. Smith said that they were a conceptual rendering. Representative Will Dismukes, 109 Holly Lane: Representative Dismukes thanked the council for all that they do. This rezoning falls within his legislative district and he is opposed to it. He stated that just in his neighborhood and in the surrounding neighborhoods, there are several homes available that would make great starter homes. The Representative asked that the council vote against this item. Richard Dennis 1856 Seasons Drive: Mr. Dennis is the Superintendent of Education for Elmore County public Schools and a former principal for Prattville High School. Mr. Dennis reported that Elmore County currently has 700 students from the City of Prattville. This project will mean that number will increase and in turn have an impact on the schools. Prattville’s school system is ranked 137 out of 137 on student expenditures and Elmore County is only $10.00 ahead at 136. That being said, finances are obviously a concern. There have been rumors about this project being low income housing. Mr. Dennis commends helping those in need, but at the same time safety is a concern. Elmore County is here to serve the students and will be prepared to do so. Mr. Dennis asked that he be made aware of any projects that would increase the number of students in Elmore County so that they can prepare. Tammy Shipp, 631 Covered Bridge Pkwy: Ms. Shipp pointed out that MVAH’s website states that its primary business falls into construction and property management of low income housing. Prattville has 30 complexes with 3,000 units. 12 of those complexes are low income. The 2 largest are Willow Ridge with 260 units located across from the proposed complex and The Park with 259 units. The largest low income complex in Prattville is Brentwood with 176 units. A 400 unit complex is 45% larger than the established complex unit size. Montgomery’s population is 199,000 and has only 3 out of 71 complexes with more than 400 units. The largest low income complex in Montgomery was Trenholm Court with 350 units. Trenholm Court fell into disrepair and had to be torn down. Smiley Court is another low income complex in Montgomery and has 293 units and also needs to be demolished due to its state of disrepair. Loss of these 643 units has created a shortage of low income housing in Montgomery. Both Trenholm and Smiley Court became associated with crime. Building any complex low income or not of this size in Prattville is unfair to the citizens, the local EMS, local and surrounding schools, prospective tenants and the City’s infrastructure. MVAH’s website states that its business is in low income housing. Councilor Jackson stated that there is no direct link between apartments and crime. Ms. Shipp responded that she lives 200 yards from Brentwood Landing in Prattville, and witnesses that crime takes place there more than it does in a standard neighborhood. Ms. Shipp added that low income housing deteriorates quicker than any other type of development. Councilor Jackson asked Bo Evans if he believed apartments produce crime. Mr. Evans Responded, poverty certainly, but apartments themselves no. Ms. Shipp asked that the Council compare the crime rate at Smiley Court to that at Park Place. Richard Harrison, 121 Irma Lane: On May 1, 2018, many citizens expressed their concern about adding apartment complexes to the City of Prattville. It was said by a City Council member that citizens’ safety is not an issue. A few weeks after that meeting there was a shooting in a Prattville apartment complex. There was a shooting last week at Victoria Place Apartments. The City Council now has their own one-year history of crime in apartment complexes in the City to look at. It appears that we need to enlarge our police department and give them what they need to better control the population that we have before we grow anymore. Debbie Salvador, 1608 Ashwood Drive: Mrs. Salvador attended the District 2 meeting last week. She reported that during the meeting it was said that the largest volume of calls for break-ins came from apartment complexes. More apartments would create a breeding ground for this type of activity, which will occupy the time of our limited police. The Police Department is undermanned due to the reassignment of four officers to be school resource officers. If the City is going to keep growing then it needs to hire more police officers at a competitive salary, and improve infrastructure. She also asked the council to consider the impact this would have on the hospital. Councilor Jackson asked Police Chief Mark Thompson if it was true that during the District 2 meeting it was reported that most of the break-ins where from apartment complexes. Chief Thompson responded that he did not recall saying that, the break-ins are spread throughout the City. Lisa Andrews, 73 Live Oaks Drive, Millbrook, AL: Ms. Andrews’ children attend the Elmore County public school system. The Elmore County schools are overcrowded, and many choose private schools because the public schools are not providing what the children need. The money available to the public school systems is next to nothing. Adding more apartments in Elmore County would only add to the problem of overcrowding. Ms. Andrews also agreed that the Prattville hospital needs to grow to accommodate more people. Councilor Starnes asked Ms. Andrews which schools would the kids from this proposed complex attend. Ms. Andrews replied they would attend Millbrook Middle, Stanhope and Airport Road. Dr. Gerald Cimis, 141 N. Chestnut Street Dr. Cimis was surprised the Mayor of Millbrook, the Elmore County Commission and Mr. Dennis were not consulted on this project. §11-52-72 of the Code of Alabama, 1975 as amended, states that zoning regulations shall be made in accordance with a comprehensive plan and designed to lessen congestion in the streets, to secure safety from fire, panic and other dangers, to promote health and the general welfare, to provide adequate light and air, to prevent the overcrowding of land, to avoid undue concentration. If approved you would allowing a 400 unit apartment complex in two phases across the street from the 260 unit Willow Ridge Complex, who has an expansion capability of 4 more buildings, and near a congested intersection. Prattville comprehensive plan calls for 2,542 apartments by next year. The US Government Census Housing shows we have 3,189 occupied now. If approved that could raise the number up to 3,589, which is 41% over the comprehensive plan. It concentrates two complexes in an already congested area. Approving this would clearly be favoring best interest of the owner and developer and not the general welfare of the entire community. Councilor Cables asked Planning Director Scott Stephens what the comprehensive plan indicates for this area. Mr. Stephens responded that it indicates that this area would be mixed use transitional, which would include retail and multi-family. Dr. Cimis responded that the comprehensive plan does not allow this type of concentration. Earlier it was said that Miller Valentine was not related MVAH. Dr. Cimis sent the council a Federal District Court ruling showing that Miller Valentine was cited for ADA and FHA violations, and the presidents of both the affordable housing and the investments divisions are now the two partners of MVAH. Councilor Starnes asked Dr. Cimis what his qualifications were. Dr. Cimis replied that he has a certification in Planning and Zoning from the University of North Alabama. Dr. Cimis hoped that more planning and commissioners would go through training. Bradley Neave, 173 County Rd 60, Deatsville, AL: Mr. Neave owns a home in Deatsville, but currently rents in Prattville. Mr. Neave stated that he previously asked Darren Smith if he is affiliated with MVAH and Mr. Smith answered no. Mr. Neave stated that MVAH is affiliated with Darren Smith. He is the developer of their southwest region. He has made statements at other municipalities where they are focused on 100% affordable housing. The President of this company has made statements that they formed MVAH Partners strictly for affordable housing. Darren Smith danced around the truth about who he works for, could he be dancing around the truth about what he plans to do with this project. Roger Tinsley, 633 Covered Bridge Pkwy: Mr. Tinsley moved to Prattville in 1976 and lived on the Southern Bypass in Montgomery previously. At that time Southern Bypass was not a bad place to live. Mr. Tinsley does not want to see Old Farm Lane become like the Southern Bypass. Grant Wadsworth, 209 Poplar Street: Mr. Wadsworth’s mother-in-law and wife lived in Carriage Hills in Montgomery. There are four large complexes in that area. At first they were great places to live, but then management companies changed over time and became section 8 housing. His mother-in-law had to basically give her home away due to the depreciation in property value in order to get out of a crime ridden area. Mr. Wadsworth does not want to see that happen in Prattville. 3. ORDINANCE: To Zone Property Located at Co. Rd. 4, South Industrial Park and Corley Road to M-2. (General Industry). (Petitioner: City of Prattville). (Sponsored By: Councilor Boone) City Planner Scott Stephens spoke in favor of this ordinance. Mr. Stephens explained that this property was annexed into the City through local legislation last year and the City is now trying to establish the initial zoning. This property is adjacent to South Industrial Park. The recommendation from the Planning Commission and staff was general industry. 4. ORDINANCE: To Zone Property Located at Interstate Court/Business Park Drive to B-2 (General Business) (Petitioner: City of Prattville/Owner: MRT, LLC). (Sponsored By: Council President Pro Tempore Brown) Mr. Stephens spoke in favor of this ordinance. This is another property that was annexed in through local legislation last year. The City is taking the action on initial zoning, but the property is owned by private firm. The recommendation of the Planning Commission was general business. ADJOURN: There being no further comments, Council President Striplin closed the Public Hearing at 6:52 p.m. APPROVED: ___________________________ Cathy Dickerson City Clerk ___________________________ Albert Striplin, President Prattville City Council SUBMITTED BY: ___________________________ Jamie-Lynn Clayton Assistant City Clerk