[ I. Staff Discussion Items ]
[00:00:09]
WE'LL START THIS EVENING. SERIES OF MEETINGS. FIRST ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS THE TREE CANOPY ASSESSMENT PRESENTATION. MISS LAWLER. THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL.
MY NAME IS BRIDGET LAWLER. I'M THE GIS MANAGER AND I WILL BE GIVING YOU AN UPDATE ON OUR TREE CANOPY. SO JUST A QUICK HISTORY. WE HAVE BEEN DOING TREE CANOPY STUDIES EVER SINCE, ALMOST SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE CITY'S INCEPTION IN 2008. WE STARTED WITH 30 METER LANDSAT DATA. SO BASICALLY EVERY PIXEL IN THAT IMAGERY WAS ABOUT THE SIZE OF THE INFIELD OF A BASEBALL FIELD. SO NOT VERY DETAILED INFORMATION. BUT THEN SINCE 2010 THROUGH 2019, WE PURCHASED IMAGERY THROUGH THE NATIONAL AGRICULTURE INVENTORY PROGRAM. THAT WAS MUCH HIGHER RESOLUTION, FIRST AT ONE METER, AND THEN THEY INCREASED IT TO 0.6 METER RESOLUTION. AND THEN DUE TO SOME PROCESSING DELAYS, WE ENDED UP GOING WITH A DIFFERENT SATELLITE IMAGERY IN 2021. AND WITH ALL OF THESE IMAGES, BASICALLY WHAT WE DO IS WE DO PIXEL CLASSIFICATION. AND WHAT YOU SEE UP HERE IS FOR IMAGES OF THE EXACT SAME AREA WE'RE AT, KIND OF LIKE THE JOHNSON FERRY WHERE THE U IS. THAT'S THE ABERNATHY ART CENTER. YOU CAN SEE THE TENNIS COURTS RIGHT THERE, AND THEN YOU HAVE RIVER VALLEY AND JOHNSON FERRY ABERNATHY COMING IN ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE IMAGES. AND SO BASICALLY WHAT YOU SEE IS YOU HAVE THE NATURAL COLOR IMAGERY ON THE TOP LEFT. YOU HAVE THE INFRARED ON THE RIGHT.
THE INFRARED HELPS US DISTINGUISH A LITTLE BIT MORE ON TREES VERSUS GRASSY AREAS AND SHRUBS. AND THEN WE USE THE PIXEL CLASSIFICATION. WE TELL THE SOFTWARE TO GIVE US 1100 DIFFERENT GROUPS. AND THAT'S WHAT THAT IMAGE IS WITH ALL THE DIFFERENT COLORS. AND WE GO THROUGH EACH COLOR AREA THROUGH DIFFERENT SECTIONS OF THE CITY AND WE TELL IT, IS IT CANOPY OR IS IT NOT CANOPY? IT'S A PRETTY TEDIOUS PROCESS. AND SO BASICALLY WHAT YOU SEE HERE IS AN OUTPUT OF THE CANOPY ASSESSMENT. WE HAVE THE WHITE AREA WHICH IS NOT CANOPY. THE GREEN ARE THOSE PIXELS WE DETERMINED WERE CANOPY. AND THEN WE HAVE THE YELLOW AREA WHERE WE WEREN'T SURE. AND BASICALLY WITH THE PIXEL CLASSIFICATION, WE WOULD JUST GO THROUGH AND WHITTLE AWAY AT THE YELLOW AREAS UNTIL WE HAVE A COMPLETE AREA OF CANOPY OR NOT. AS WE SAID IN 2021, THE NAEP DATA WAS NOT AVAILABLE TO US. AND SO WE LOOKED AT ANOTHER SATELLITE IMAGE IMAGERY. AND WE ALSO DISCOVERED THAT NEARMAP, WHICH PROVIDES OUR AERIAL IMAGES, HAS PRODUCTS, DERIVATIVES THAT WERE AI GENERATED AND ONE OF WHICH WAS AN AI VEGETATION LAYER. AND SO WE USED THAT FOR COMPARISON IN 2021. AND THEN WHEN WE PRESENTED THAT STUDY, COUNCIL REQUESTED THAT WE GO BACK AND LOOK AT USING THE AI DATA FOR 2017 TO COMPARE THE RESULTS. AND SO WE DID THAT FOR 23 AS WELL. AND THEN THIS MOST RECENT STUDY, WE USED THE AI VEGETATION AGAIN. AND ONE OF THE REASONS THAT WE CONTINUE GOING WITH THE AI DATA IS THE, THE ACCURACY IS MUCH BETTER THAN OUR PIXEL CLASSIFICATION.
YOU CAN SEE HERE WITH THE AI DATA, WE GENERALLY HAVE GREATER THAN 95% ACCURACY. THE MAPS THAT YOU SEE UP THERE, THE GREEN DOTS REPRESENT WHERE THE MODEL MATCHED THE WHAT IS OCCURRING IN REAL LIFE. AND SO YOU CAN SEE THERE'S MUCH MORE GREEN DOTS ON THE AI MAP THAN THERE IS ON THE ISO MAP. SO AGAIN, WE HAVE ABOUT 95% ACCURACY WITH THE AI DATA VERSUS OUR PIXEL CLASSIFICATION. AND SO FOR THIS TREE CANOPY STUDY THIS YEAR, AS I SAID, WE USED THE NEARMAP IMAGERY AND THE AI VEGETATION. FOR THE AI VEGETATION IT IS ANYTHING THAT IS GREATER THAN TWO METERS IN THAT IN THAT LAYER. SO BASICALLY ANYTHING THAT'S SIX FEET AND ABOVE WE CONSIDER TO BE CANOPY. AND THEN WE LOOK AT THE PERCENT CANOPY BY COUNCIL DISTRICT ZONING AND WITHIN THE STREAM BUFFER. AND THEN WE ALSO DO A COMPARISON FROM 2023 BASED ON THE COUNCIL DISTRICT, THE ZONING. AND THEN WE ALSO LOOKED AT THE TRANSFORM 285 400 PROJECT. AND IN FULL DISCLOSURE, WE HAD A LITTLE BIT OF AN ANOMALY IN THE PANHANDLE AREA.
AND YOU CAN SEE IN THIS SLIDE, IT'S UP IN THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF DISTRICT ONE. THERE WAS ONE TILE THAT WAS JUST NOT VERY CLEAR. IT'S VERY FUZZY. YOU CAN BARELY SEE THE HOUSES IN THE CARS, WHEREAS IN THE OTHER AREAS OUTSIDE OF IT, IT'S MUCH MORE CRISP. WHAT WE ENDED UP DOING WHEN WE LOOKED AT THE AI VEGETATION, THE MODEL DIDN'T PICK UP MUCH OF THE OF THE CANOPY IN THAT AREA AS WELL. SO WE ENDED UP JUST SPLICING OUT THAT AREA AND FILLING IT IN
[00:05:05]
WITH THE 2023 CANOPY. IT'S NOT THE BEST THAT IN TERMS OF ACCURACY, BUT IT WAS MUCH BETTER THAN LOOKING AT WHAT THE AI MODEL PROVIDED FOR 2025. AND WE HAVE PRECEDENT. WE HAD TO DO THAT IN THE PAST WITH SOME OF THE PIXEL CLASSIFICATIONS, WHERE OVER IN THE AMBER RIDGE NEIGHBORHOOD SEVERAL YEARS AGO, THERE WAS A LARGE CLOUD COVERAGE THAT PREVENTED US FROM DOING THE PIXEL CLASSIFICATION ACCURATELY AS WELL. SO THIS IS OUR ESTIMATED AREA OF CANOPY.THE MIDDLE LINE IS OUR PIXEL CLASSIFICATION. WHEREAS THE AI DATA, ALTHOUGH IT IS A LOWER CANOPY, AS I SAID, WE DO FEEL THAT IT IS MORE ACCURATE A RESULT OF THE MODELS. WE ARE LOOKING AT ABOUT 56.3% CANOPY FOR 2025. WE'VE NOTICED THAT WE HAVE A SLIGHT UPTICK SINCE 21 AND 23, AND WE ARE ALMOST BACK UP TO 2017 LEVELS. HERE'S A COMPARISON OF OTHER METRO CITIES IN THE ATLANTA AREA. WE'RE ONE OF THE HIGHER CANOPY AREAS FOR THE CITY. AND ONE OF THE ANALYSIS THAT WE LOOK AT IS THE IS 50FT ON EITHER SIDE OF THE STREAM CENTER LINE. SO IT'S A TOTAL OF A 100 FOOT STREAM CORRIDOR. WE LOOK AT CROOKED CREEK, LONG ISLAND CREEK, MARSH CREEK, AND NANCY CREEK, AND ALL FOUR OF THEM HAD INCREASES IN CANOPY FOR 2025, WHERE THERE'S NOT CANOPY WITHIN THAT STREAM BUFFER, IT'S OFTEN DUE TO OPEN WATER. IT MIGHT BE LOW VEGETATION OR GRASSY AREAS. THERE IS SOMETIMES IMPERVIOUS, BUT BUT NOT AS MUCH AS YOU WOULD EXPECT. AND THEN WE LOOK AT THE ACREAGE AND THE PERCENT CANOPY BY COUNCIL DISTRICT. SO THE NUMBERS IN BOLD ARE FOR 2025. THE NUMBERS IN ITALICS ARE FROM 2023. SO EACH COUNCIL DISTRICT HAD AN INCREASE IN THE OVERALL ACREAGE OF CANOPY. AND THEN WE FURTHER BREAK IT DOWN BY COUNCIL DISTRICT AND THE ZONING DISTRICT. AND AGAIN MOST OF THE AREAS HAD EITHER A CONSTANT OR A SLIGHT INCREASE IN THE CANOPY. THERE WERE ONLY A FEW AREAS THAT HAD A HAD A DECREASE. THERE IS ONE ROAD THAT SHOWS NO ZONING AND THE NO ZONING AREAS ARE WHERE WE HAVE RIGHT OF WAY OR BULL SLUICE. AND THEN WE LOOKED AT THE TRANSFORM 285 400 PROJECT AREA.
AND FOR THE PROJECT THAT WE EXTENT THAT WE LOOKED AT, IT WAS ALONG 285 FROM MOUNT VERNON HIGHWAY TO THE EASTERN CITY LIMITS AND THEN FROM ON STATE ROUTE 400 FROM THE GLENRIDGE CONNECTOR UP NORTH TO PITTS ROAD. THE CANOPY IN 2017, BEFORE THE PROJECT WAS 106 ACRES, IT FELL TO A LOW OF 20 ACRES IN 2023, BUT WE HAVE RECOVERED SOME AND HAVE IT AT 27 ACRES NOW. AND FOR JUST SOME IMAGES. SO 2017 IS SHOWN HERE IN PURPLE. THAT IS THE CANOPY EXTENT WITHIN THAT PROJECT AREA IN 2023, WHICH IS THE YELLOW THAT IS THE CANOPY OF WHAT IT LOOKED LIKE THERE. SO A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE ANYWHERE THAT YOU SEE PURPLE IS WHERE THE CANOPY WAS REMOVED. THIS IS 285 AT LAKE FOREST DRIVE. ALLEN ROAD PARK. IS THAT GREEN AREA ON THE RIGHT SIDE. BUT THEN IF WE WERE TO ADD IN THE 2025 CANOPY, YOU CAN SEE WHERE IT IS INCREASING. IT'S FILLING IN. THERE WERE SOME PLANTINGS DONE BY GDOT. YOU CAN SEE THERE'S A SLIGHT YELLOW OUTLINE. THAT'S WHERE YOU CAN KIND OF FOR COMPARISON OF WHERE THE 23 CANOPY EXTENT WAS AND THEN WHERE IT IS NOW IN 25. AND WE'LL LOOK AT THE SAME IMAGERY OR RESULTS FOR THE 285 AT 400 INTERSECTION. AGAIN, THE PURPLE IS 2017 AND THE REMAINING CANOPY IS IN YELLOW IN 2023. AND THEN WE HAVE SOME GREEN WITH THE NEW CANOPY IN 25. AND THEN GOING UP STATE ROUTE 400 ON THE LEFT SIDE, THAT'S 400. THERE'S MOUNT VERNON AND ABERNATHY GOING ACROSS THE MIDDLE IMAGE IS A LITTLE FURTHER NORTH ON 400 NEAR THE NORTH SPRINGS MARTA STATION. AND THEN THE THIRD IMAGE IS AT WOODLAND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. AND THEN WE ADD IN THE CANOPY AND STARTING TO SEE SOME GROWTH THERE. SO IN CONCLUSION, WE ARE ABOUT 56.3% PERCENT CANOPY COVERAGE. WE HAVE NEARLY 14,000 ACRES OF CANOPY. THE AI DATA IS DEFINITELY MUCH MORE ACCURATE THAN OUR PIXEL CLASSIFICATION, AND IT IS LESS LABOR INTENSIVE, SO IT ALLOWS US TO FOCUS MORE ON THE ANALYSIS. AND SO THAT IS IT. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS.
[00:10:01]
ANY QUESTIONS? MISS PAULSON? THANK YOU. SO I LOVE THIS ANALYSIS. OKAY, BUT BUT I GOT SOME QUESTIONS HERE. IT LOOKS TO ME LIKE WE GREW OUR TREE CANOPY 2% FROM 2023 TO 2025.WHY IS IT I DON'T THINK THAT'S TRUE? WHICH RAISES THE QUESTION OF WHAT'S THE PLUS OR MINUS ON ON THIS WHOLE, THIS WHOLE ANALYSIS TECHNIQUE? BECAUSE I CAN'T BELIEVE OUR TREES ALL GREW 2% FROM 23 TO 25, BUT THEY LOST A PERCENT OR HALF A PERCENT FROM 21 TO 23. SO TELL ME MORE ABOUT HOW ACCURATE ALL THIS IS. SO ON ON THE ACCURACY ASSESSMENT, WE TAKE 1000 POINTS THROUGHOUT THE CITY AND WE COMPARE WHERE THE MODEL MATCHES WITH WHAT WE SEE ON THE GROUND.
AND IT'S CONSISTENTLY BEEN MORE THAN 95% ACCURATE. THERE'S BEEN A FEW SPOTS WHERE THE CANOPY DOESN'T MATCH UP. I CAN WE CAN LOOK INTO. I WANT YOU TO SPEND ANY MORE TIME ON IT. I'M OKAY.
I JUST DON'T BELIEVE THE TREE CANOPY GREW BY ALMOST 2% IN TWO YEARS. IT'S JUST YET WE LOST HALF A PERCENT, ETC. SO I'M JUST TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THE ACCURACY IS. AND DO YOU ACTUALLY YOU JUST SAID THIS. DO YOU ACTUALLY GO OUT AND PHYSICALLY LOOK AT AN AREA AND STAND THERE AND SAY, OKAY, WE HAVE X AMOUNT OF COVERAGE AND THEN COMPARE THAT REALITY WITH WHAT THE IMAGES ARE GIVING YOU. WE DO IT IN THE OFFICE. SO WE TAKE THE, THE LAYER, THE AI LAYER THAT THEY PROVIDE US. AND THEN WE AND THERE'S FOUR OF US ON THE GIS TEAM AND WE ALL DO IT INDEPENDENTLY OF EACH OTHER. AND WE LOOK AT THE AERIAL IMAGE. WE LOOK AT LIKE GOOGLE STREET VIEW AND SAY, OKAY, IN THIS SPOT, WHAT DO WE, YOU KNOW, IS THERE CANOPY OR IS THERE NOT? AND THEN WE AND WE DO THAT A NUMBER OF SPOTS ACROSS THE A THOUSAND SPOTS ACROSS THE CITY, 1000 SPOTS, 1000 SPOTS. OKAY. OKAY. WELL, I THINK THIS IS GREAT. I'M DISAPPOINTED THAT DISTRICT SIX GOT AHEAD OF ME BECAUSE DISTRICT ONE USED TO BE IN THE LEAD. THAT'S WHY I'M QUESTIONING THE ACCURACY OF THIS. ALL FAIRNESS. YOU NEED TO START PLANTING SOME TREES, BUDDY. I'M TRYING. ACTUALLY, WITH 400, THE 26 NUMBERS ARE WAY WORSE THAN ALL THIS. OKAY? THEY'RE WHACKING HELL OUT OF ALL THOSE TREES. WE WILL. IN THE NEXT STUDY, WE WILL FOCUS ON THE EXPRESS LANES AND COMPARE IT. YEP. ANYBODY ELSE, MISS LAWLER? THANK YOU. I'M SORRY. I HAD MY HAND UP AFTER YOU CALLED. SO FIRST I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. I KNOW A LOT OF WORK HAS GONE IN, AND I THINK THAT WE'VE DONE SOME WORK AS A COUNCIL AND AS A CITY TO DO SOME IMPROVEMENTS. I DON'T THINK SOME OF OUR NEWER COUNCIL MEMBERS MAY BE AWARE OF SOME OF THE THINGS WE'VE DONE OVER THE YEARS. WE DID FUND THE HIRING OF OUR URBAN FOREST COORDINATOR, I THINK, WHICH HAS HELPED A LOT WITH SUSTAINABILITY AND STEWARDSHIP. WE IMPLEMENTED A RECOMMENDED SPECIES LIST, WHICH I THINK ALSO INCLUDED SOME WILDLIFE NUMBER. AS PART OF THAT, WE ALSO ADOPTED A SPECIFIC TREE FUND POLICY ON HOW TO USE THE TREE FUND. AND I THINK THOSE ARE THINGS THAT WE'VE DONE AND THINGS LIKE FOREST RESTORE RESTORATION, PEST MANAGEMENT, CONSERVATION, ACQUISITION. I THINK THOSE WERE ALL IMPORTANT STEPS. AND I THINK THAT GOING THROUGH AND DOING THIS WITH THE 95% PLUS OR MINUS, WHATEVER THAT NUMBER MAY BE AS FAR AS ACCURACY, BUT I DO THINK THAT WHILE WE HAVE A GOOD NUMBER OVERALL, IT'S NOT REALLY REFLECTIVE OF THE PRESSURES THAT WE'RE FEELING IN SOME AREAS BECAUSE WE HAVE REDEVELOPMENT OF EXISTING PROPERTIES AND NEW DEVELOPMENT THAT'S GOING TO TAKE PLACE. LIKE I KNOW, I THINK I HAVE A 20 ACRE PARCEL THAT WAS THE OLD HINES PROPERTY. THAT'S PROBABLY SHOULD THEY DEVELOP IT, BE CLEAR CUT. SO THAT'S 20 ACRES.
AND I THINK MR. ROBERTS HAS A PARCEL OFF OF GLENLAKE PARKWAY THAT'S ALSO GOING TO. SIMILARLY, IF IT GETS DEVELOPED, BE CLEAR CUT. WE HAVE SOME. YOU KNOW, AS WE GO FORWARD, WE TALK ABOUT HOUSING AND NOT HAVING ENOUGH ROOM FOR HOUSING. SO WE'RE GOING TO BE PROBABLY LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW, HOW DO WE FIT HOUSING INTO WHERE WE ALREADY HAVE TREE CANOPY. SO MAYBE IN DISTRICTS ONE AND THREE WHERE WE HAVE MORE LAND. SO I THINK THAT WHEN WE LOOK AT THE OVERALL CANOPY NUMBER, THAT NUMBER IS NOT AS REFLECTIVE OF WHERE WE SHOULD BE FOCUSING. BECAUSE WHAT IF IT'S THE UNDEVELOPED LAND? SO WE HAVE THE PK AND THE CONSERVATION AND SOME OF THE RIGHT OF WAY. IF YOU TAKE, I THINK, THE PK AND THE CONSERVATION, I THINK THAT'S ONE IS THE IS 83% AND THE OTHER IS 68%. I THINK THAT'S ON SLIDE 23, RESPECTIVELY. THAT KIND OF SKEWS WHERE WE'RE FEELING THE DEVELOPMENT PRESSURES. SO WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE, AND I DON'T KNOW IF I WOULD HAVE SUPPORT FOR THIS, BUT THERE'S NO WAY WE COULD TAKE ON LOOKING AT OUR TREE ORDINANCE RIGHT NOW BECAUSE WE'VE GOT A TRANSPORTATION MASTER PLAN.
[00:15:01]
WE'VE GOT THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN STARTING IN, WHICH WILL ALSO INCLUDE THE RECREATION AND PARKS PLAN. BUT I THINK WE NEED TO BE SET UP FOR THE FUTURE WHEN WE ARE GOING TO DO AN UPDATE TO THE ORDINANCE. I THINK THE LAST TIME THAT WAS UPDATED WAS 2014 OR 15. AND IS THERE A WAY THAT WE COULD TRACK, BRIDGET, THE AMOUNT OF ACRES THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH EACH OF THESE THAT ARE ON HERE? YEAH, WE ALREADY HAVE THAT. SO IF YOU WANT TO SEE ACRES, WE CAN PROVIDE THAT TABLE. IT WOULD BE INTERESTING IF WE PULLED THAT OUT AND THEN WE, WE WOULD KNOW WHAT TO FOCUS ON FOR THE AREAS THAT ARE GOING TO BE EXPERIENCING THE PRESSURE OF REDEVELOPMENT. SO I THINK THAT HAVING THOSE METRICS ARE GOING TO BE VERY IMPORTANT AS WE GO FORWARD AND LOOK AT WHAT CAN WE DO TO HELP AS WE GET THESE BIG DEVELOPMENTS GOING IN. AND WE DEFINITELY HAVE THE ACRES. THAT'S HOW WE CAME UP WITH THE PERCENTAGES. SO NO PROBLEM.YEAH. SO THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL BECAUSE I THINK THAT WHILE WE HAVE A GOOD PERCENTAGE OVERALL, IT'S NOT REFLECTIVE. IF YOU LOOK AT THE TABLE, THE OTHER TABLE BY DISTRICT, SOME DISTRICTS ARE DIFFERENT THAN OTHERS AS WELL. SO THAT'S ALL. IF YOU COULD WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO SHARE. IS THAT EASY TO SHARE THAT DATA? IS THAT OH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH, YEAH, WE ABSOLUTELY HAVE IT ALREADY. SO IT'S JUST IN A DIFFERENT EXCEL SHEET. OKAY. AND IT'S BY DISTRICT AND IT'S ALSO BY THE SO WE HAVE THIS TABLE BASED ON ACRES. OKAY, BECAUSE THAT'LL HELP WITH TO KNOW WHERE WE SHOULD FOCUS IN THE FUTURE. I THINK THAT'S GOING TO BE REALLY IMPORTANT.
GREAT. MISS FORD, JUST A COUPLE QUESTIONS AND THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. THIS IS MY FIRST TREE CANOPY PRESENTATION. SO IF MY QUESTIONS NEED TO GO SOMEWHERE ELSE, YOU CAN LET ME KNOW. SO I ALSO WAS SURPRISED THAT OUR PERCENTAGE HAD GONE UP BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE THERE'S LOTS OF TREES COMING DOWN. SO I SHARE COUNCIL MEMBER PAULSON'S QUESTION ABOUT THAT. I DO UNDERSTAND THE PART ABOUT HOW TREE CANOPY IS IMPROVED IN THE INTERSTATE AREAS WHERE THEY HAD TAKEN THINGS DOWN AND NOW PLANTED. IS THERE A RESIDENTIAL EXAMPLE THAT YOU HAVE, OR IS THAT INCREASE OF 2% ENTIRELY ATTRIBUTABLE TO THAT? I THINK SO, AND IF WE COMPARE IT LIKE TO 2017 IN IN 2017, THERE WAS ARIA CITY SPRINGS, THE TWO STORY STARBUCKS AREA, ATWATER, WHICH IS ALLEN ROAD AT LAKE FOREST, GLEN PERIMETER, WHICH IS GLEN RIDGE AT 285 SPRINGWOOD CONNECTOR AND 4600 ROSWELL ROAD APARTMENTS. THOSE WERE ALL UNDER CONSTRUCTION AT THAT POINT. SO ALL OF THAT HAS BEEN REPLANTED AND GROWING SINCE THEN. WHEREAS HERE FOR THE 2025, IT DID NOT INCLUDE THE SANDY SPRINGS UNITED METHODIST HILLCREST AREA THAT WAS NOT UNDER REDEVELOPMENT AT THAT DURING THIS CANOPY STUDY. SO THAT WAS STILL FULLY IT HAD NOT BEEN ON CANOPY, I GUESS, BUT IT DID INCLUDE EMBASSY ROW AND THE MOUNT VERNON JOHNSON FERRY WIDENING PROJECT, AS WELL AS NORTH SPRINGS HIGH SCHOOL. BUT THOSE WERE THE MAIN AREAS WHERE WE SAW CLEAR CUTS IN 2025. EVERYTHING ELSE, IT SEEMS TO BE JUST THEY'RE PLANTING FAST GROWING TREES, SO THE CANOPY GROWS MUCH FASTER. AND LILY CAN REALLY CAN KIND OF HELP TALK TO THAT AS WELL. IN TERMS OF LIKE THE TREES THAT HE IS PLANTING THROUGHOUT THE CITY. THANK YOU FOR THAT. FAST GROWERS, FAST GROWERS, ADDITIONAL CONTEXT. AND THEN DOES THIS LEAD YOU TO WANT TO MAKE A RECOMMENDATION FOR US? LIKE, OH, WE WANT TO GET OUR PERCENTAGE UP TO THIS AND HOW WE COULD GET THERE. SO THAT WOULD BE WILLIE ON THE POLICY. AND IT'S ALL YOU. ALL RIGHT, MAYOR COUNCIL, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME TODAY. I JUST WANT TO ADDRESS A FEW POINTS.
THE FIRST ONE BEING THE. IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE THAT THE 2% INCREASE COULD HAPPEN. SEEING WHAT'S ACTUALLY HAPPENING IN SITU ON THE GROUND. RIGHT. AND ONE THING I WANT TO REMIND PEOPLE IS DURING A LOT OF THESE DEVELOPMENTS, WE'RE REMOVING TREES WHICH ARE PRETTY SKINNY AND DON'T CONTRIBUTE A TON TO THE CANOPY. AND USUALLY RIGHT BEHIND THEM ARE OTHER TREES WAITING TO BRANCH OUT. AND SO WE LOSE SOME TREES THAT ARE NOT DOING SO WELL RIGHT NEXT TO THE SIDEWALK. UNDER A LOT OF STRESS, YOU REMOVE THOSE TREES FOR WHATEVER REASON, FOR WHATEVER DEVELOPMENT, AND YOU START TO SEE SOME OF THE HARDWOODS BEHIND THOSE TREES START TO STRETCH OUT A LITTLE BIT. AND SO EVEN WITH SOME REMOVAL, THERE IS STILL CANOPY RECLAMATION. THE BEST PART PARK, YOU CAN SEE THIS IS ACTUALLY BIG TREES. WHEN THE LARGER TREES FALL DOWN, SMALLER TREES, YOUNGER TREES CAN ACTUALLY COME UP TOWARDS THAT CANOPY GAP IN THE SUNLIGHT. AND SO THERE ARE MECHANISMS NATURALLY THAT MAY ACTUALLY BE CONTRIBUTING TO THIS RESTORATION OF THE CANOPY. AND FOR THAT SECOND QUESTION, LIKE TARGETS FOR WHAT WE SHOULD BE DOING NATIONALLY, INTERNATIONALLY, THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A CONSENSUS ON WHAT IS THE RIGHT NUMBER FOR A PROPER OR MOST EFFICIENT CANOPY COVERAGE. WITH THE INFORMATION THAT WE KNOW, THE MORE THE BETTER. BUT MORE THAN THAT, SANDY SPRINGS IS POSITIONED IN A IN A PLACE THAT WE SHOULD BE CONCERNED WITH THE QUALITY OF THE CANOPY, NOT JUST THE QUANTITY. YOU KNOW, WHAT WE'RE DOING RIGHT NOW IS TRYING TO REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF OVERGROWN
[00:20:05]
PINE FORESTS THAT WE FIND IN SOME OF OUR CITY COUNCIL DISTRICTS AND ACTUALLY CREATE A BIODIVERSE, ECOLOGICALLY RESILIENT FOREST. AND WHAT THIS DOES IS IT CONTINUES TO REPLENISH THAT CANOPY YEAR OVER YEAR OVER YEAR. SO EVEN IF THERE IS A STORM, THERE'S A BLIP IN ONE OF THESE STUDIES, IT CAN NATURALLY REGENERATE. AND SO THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO TARGET. AND THE NUMBER ONE THING THAT WE CAN DO TO LIMIT LOSS OF CANOPY IS TO REALLY FOCUS IN ON OUR BACKYARDS. I'VE SAID IT TO YOU GUYS A MILLION TIMES, 95% OF THAT URBAN CANOPY IS ON PRIVATE LAND. AND SO WE CAN DO WHAT WE CAN. BUT AT THE END, IT IS A TOP DOWN POLICY DECISION TO PRESERVE MORE OR LESS OF OUR CANOPY. THANK YOU.THANK YOU, MR. KACZYNSKI. YEAH. JUST A COUPLE COMMENTS. SO I THINK PROBABLY WHAT A COUPLE OF US ARE THINKING ABOUT IS WE HEAR FROM CONSTITUENTS WHENEVER THERE'S A LOT THAT'S CLEAR CUT, ESPECIALLY IN A RESIDENTIAL AREA, IN PART BECAUSE IT'S SO VISIBLE. SO TO SEE THE DATA I FIND VERY HELPFUL TO ACTUALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON, RATHER THAN SORT OF RELY JUST ON OUR EYES AND MAYBE OUR LYING EYES AND WE CAN ACTUALLY SEE THE DATA. SO THIS IS REALLY HELPFUL FOR FUTURE SPLICING. I MIGHT SUGGEST, LIKE LOOKING AT THIS, IF WE OMITTED SOME OF THE ANOMALIES. BUT LIKE IN DISTRICT SIX, THE PALISADES AREA IS A VERY LARGE FOREST THAT IS NEVER GOING TO BE CUT BECAUSE IT'S NOT GOING TO BE DEVELOPED. PERHAPS SOME AREAS IN THE NORTH END OF THE CITY ALONG THE RIVER COULD ALSO BE. I JUST BE CURIOUS, LIKE IN THE NON QUOTE UNQUOTE PARK AREAS OF THE CITY, HOW THE CANOPY WOULD BE ALSO EVOLVING. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S POSSIBLE TO DO. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL, BUT IT'S JUST SOMETHING ON ON MY MIND. SO ON THE TECHNICAL SIDE, WE, WE ABSOLUTELY CAN. HISTORICALLY, WE'VE KEPT IT IN BECAUSE IT DOES CONTRIBUTE TO THE OVERALL CANOPY OF, OF THE CITY. YEAH. I MEAN, A RELATIVE CANOPY COVERAGE WOULD BE AN INTERESTING TOOL TO HAVE FOR SURE. BUT I BELIEVE THAT LOOKING AT THE EXISTING CANOPY COVERAGE MAPPING STUDIES, THE AREAS THAT HAVE A DEARTH OF CANOPY OR NEED ATTENTION ARE ALREADY VISIBLE. YOU KNOW, IF WE NEED TO REACH FOR HIGHER, HIGHER LEVEL FRUIT LATER ON, WE MAY PURSUE THAT. BUT FOR RIGHT NOW, WE KNOW WHAT THE PAIN POINTS ARE. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MISS DOCTOR KELLY. I HAVE ONE QUESTION ABOUT ONE DATA POINT. SO DISTRICT TWO R IT'S LIKE A 60% INCREASE IN CANOPY. AND I'D LOVE TO KNOW WHAT THAT'S ABOUT. YOU PROBABLY DON'T HAVE THAT INFORMATION LIKE WITH YOU RIGHT NOW, BUT I'D LOVE IF YOU'D FOLLOW UP. JUST JUST CURIOUS ABOUT WHAT, WHAT THAT IS BECAUSE I DON'T THINK WE'VE SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT. ON THE, ON THIS, IN THIS DATA SET AT ALL. SO YES, WE CAN ABSOLUTELY DO THAT. THANK YOU. YEP. MISS MUELLER. SO MR. CHINSKY, THAT'S WHAT I WAS ASKING ABOUT WHEN I SAID PULL OUT THE PQ IN A CONSERVATION SO THAT WE COULD FOCUS ON OTHER AREAS. AND ARE THERE PARTS OF THE CITY THAT WE MAY WANT TO CONSIDER DOING SOME YOU KNOW, THERE ARE POLICY CHANGES THAT COULD HELP WITH THAT. MR. PAULSON, ONE FINAL COMMENT. I THINK THIS IS FANTASTIC THAT WE AS A CITY ARE LOOKING AT THIS TO THE LEVEL THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT. SO IF WE'RE ASKING ANY QUESTIONS, WE'RE NOT PICKING ON YOU. WE'RE JUST TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THIS BETTER. OKAY. SO THANK YOU FOR THE GOOD WORK YOU'RE DOING HERE.
THIS IS VERY INTERESTING STUFF. THANK YOU. OKAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. WE APPRECIATE IT. ALL RIGHT. MOVING TO DESIGN GUIDELINES, DRAFT UPDATE, MR. SPOCK. THANK YOU. MAYOR.
COUNCIL. GOOD EVENING. MATTHEW ANSELL, SENIOR PLANNER, PROJECT MANAGER FOR DESIGN GUIDELINES.
REALLY JUST HERE AT THE MOMENT TO INTRODUCE YOU ONCE AGAIN TO SOMEONE YOU'RE PROBABLY PRETTY FAMILIAR WITH. SECURITY GOES WITH R H I. HE'S THE CONSULTANT FOR THIS PROJECT AND HE WILL GIVE YOU THE UPDATE TONIGHT ON THOSE DESIGN GUIDELINES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY. MY NAME IS SECURITY. I'M A PRINCIPAL WITH RY. AND TODAY WE ARE GOING TO GIVE YOU A VERY QUICK OR RATHER A BRIEF PROGRESS UPDATE ON THE DESIGN GUIDELINES. WE HAVE SOME EXCITING NEWS TO SHARE WITH YOU ON THE GUIDELINES. WE'RE GOING TO SHARE WITH YOU THE FOCUS OF THE GUIDELINES THAT WE HAVE ALREADY SHARED WITH YOU, HOW WE HAVE HEARD FROM THE COMMUNITY AND WHAT WE HAVE HEARD FROM THE COMMUNITY, HOW WE HAVE TAKEN THAT AND CREATED THE GUIDELINES BASED ON WHAT WE HAVE HEARD. AND THEN FINALLY, WE WILL OPEN UP FOR DISCUSSIONS. AS YOU ALREADY KNOW, THE GUIDELINES ARE FOR THE COMMERCIAL
[00:25:02]
DISTRICTS. THOSE ARE GOING TO BE APPLIED NOT ONLY AT THE COMMERCIAL DISTRICTS, BUT ALSO THE APARTMENTS AND THE MULTIFAMILY AREAS AND THE TOWNHOMES. THESE ARE THE AREAS WHERE THE GUIDELINES ARE GOING TO BE APPLIED FOR DEVELOPMENT AND REDEVELOPMENT. THIS IS AN ADVISORY IN NATURE. ALL OF THE AREAS THAT ARE IN COLOR THAT YOU CAN SEE IN HERE, THOSE ARE THE AREAS THAT THE GUIDELINES ARE GOING TO BE APPLIED STARTING FROM NORTH END CITY SPRINGS, GREATER CENTRAL PERIMETER, CROSSROADS, NEIGHBORHOOD VILLAGE AND POWERS FREE TO THE WEST. WE ARE. TOWARDS THE END OF THE PROCESS. WE HAD GONE THROUGH A YEAR LONG PROCESS, AND I'M HAPPY TO SHARE THAT WE HAVE A DRAFT DOCUMENT THAT IS GOING TO BE UPLOADED TO THE WEBSITE, AND YOU WILL PROBABLY SEE THAT TOMORROW MORNING. THAT DRAFT GUIDELINES DOCUMENT IS GOING TO BE UP THERE FOR A MONTH FOR PUBLIC REVIEW. IT IS. THE PUBLIC REVIEW PERIOD IS UP TILL MAY 15TH, 2026. WHILE WE ARE GOING THROUGH THAT PUBLIC REVIEW, WE ARE ALSO TWEAKING SOME OF THE THINGS WITHIN THE GUIDELINES BASED ON THE DISCUSSIONS WITH THE STAFF. WE HAVE GONE THROUGH A LOT OF PUBLIC PROCESS. THESE ARE SOME OF THE LISTING OF THAT.WE STARTED WITH THE MAYOR AND THE COUNCIL BACK IN 2024, END OF 2024, EARLY 2025. WE HAD A LOT OF STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS. WE MET WITH NEIGHBORHOOD RESIDENTS, THE THE BUSINESS OWNERS, THE DEVELOPERS, THE REAL ESTATE FOLKS, DESIGN FOLKS, ARCHITECTS, LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS, YOU NAME IT. WE HAVE MET WITH A LOT OF THOSE FOLKS WITH REGARDS TO THE PUBLIC MEETINGS. WE HAD GONE THROUGH FIVE ROUNDS OF PUBLIC MEETINGS FOR EACH ROUND. WE HAD A PUBLIC MEETING FOLLOWED BY A SURVEY, AND IN SOME CASES THERE WERE POP UPS. THE FINAL PUBLIC MEETING IS GOING TO BE TWO DAYS FROM TONIGHT. THAT IS ON THURSDAY, AND WE'LL BE UPLOADING ALL OF THE MATERIALS FROM THE PUBLIC MEETING. WHOEVER IS NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO ATTEND THAT PUBLIC MEETING, THEY WILL BE ABLE TO VIEW THAT ONLINE. YOU HAVE SEEN THIS DOCUMENT ORGANIZATION DURING THE RETREAT. AGAIN, JUST VERY QUICKLY, THE GUIDELINES DOCUMENT HOW IT IS LAID OUT. IT STARTS WITH THE OVERALL VISION AND THE FRAMEWORK. AND THERE ARE THREE SPECIFIC ELEMENTS TO THE GUIDELINES. ONE IS THE PUBLIC REALM, WHICH ARE THE SIDEWALK AREAS, THE PRIVATE REALM, WHICH ARE THE HORIZONTAL SURFACES WITHIN THE PRIVATE PROPERTIES AND THE BUILDINGS.
AND EACH ONE OF THOSE THREE REALMS HAS SPECIFIC COMPONENTS. FOR EXAMPLE, IN THE STREETSCAPE, YOU HAVE PAVING FURNISHINGS, TREES AND PLANTINGS, AND EACH ONE OF THOSE COMPONENTS HAS THE OBJECTIVES AND THE SPECIFIC STRATEGIES AND THE GUIDELINES. AND WHILE THERE IS A UNIFYING FEATURE FOR ALL OF THE DIFFERENT ELEMENTS, THERE ARE SOME AREA SPECIFIC GUIDANCE AND THOSE ARE REFLECTED IN THE BUILDING DESIGN SECTION. SO THIS IS AN ENCAPSULATION OF WHAT WE HAVE HEARD SO FAR. AND IDEALLY I WOULD LIKE TO ORGANIZE THAT INTO THE FIRST TWO ARE KIND OF THE OVERALL FRAMEWORK, WHICH IS CREATING A CONSISTENT AND CLEAR GUIDELINES.
WE HAVE HEARD FROM THE MAYOR AND THE COUNCIL EARLY ON THAT THE GUIDELINES HAS TO BE FLEXIBLE. IT CAN BE ADAPTABLE SO THAT THE DEVELOPERS AND THE PROPERTY OWNERS HAS A CHANCE TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES WITHIN THEIR OWN PROPERTY. BUT THE PUBLIC REALM IS THE ONE THAT STARTS TO UNIFY EVERYTHING WITHIN THE DIFFERENT DISTRICTS. NUMBER THE ALPHABET C THROUGH E IS ALL ABOUT PUBLIC REALM AND THE HORIZONTAL SURFACES, AND F IS ABOUT THE BETTER BUILDING DESIGN. WITHOUT OVERREGULATING DEVELOPMENT, YOU HAVE SEEN THE OVERALL FRAMEWORK. WE HAVE A LOT OF DIFFERENT CHARACTER IN THE DIFFERENT DISTRICTS. WHETHER IT'S THE NORTH END, IT'S MORE PARKWAY LIKE THERE IS A LOT OF TREE CANOPY, CITY SPRINGS WHERE WE ARE. WE KNOW THIS IS THE HEART OF THE CITY, THE CORE OF THE CITY. THERE IS A SPECIFIC CHARACTER TO THE CITY. IF YOU GO TO PERIMETER, WIDER INFRASTRUCTURE, TALLER BUILDINGS, GLASS ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF 285, IT'S MORE URBAN CROSSROADS, NEIGHBORHOOD VILLAGE AND POWERS FERRY. WHILE THERE ARE SPECIFIC, DISTINCT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE DIFFERENT DISTRICTS, HOW WE CAN CONNECT TOGETHER WITH THE WITH THE CORRIDORS, THE ROOSEVELT ROADS, THE PEACHTREE DUNWOODY, AND WHAT ARE THE SPECIFIC ELEMENTS THAT WE CAN PROMOTE IN THOSE SPECIFIC CORRIDORS? ALSO, THE EAST WEST ROUTES, THE JOHNSON FERRIES, MOUNT VERNON, HAMMOND GLENRIDGE CONNECTOR.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE ELEMENTS THAT WE CAN IMPLEMENT THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT AND REDEVELOPMENT THAT STARTS TO UNIFY THE THE DIFFERENT DISTRICTS OF THE CITY? I DON'T WANT TO GO INTO THE DETAILS OF THE KEY CONSIDERATIONS. IT'S JUST THE SIMILAR ELEMENTS OF WHAT WE HAVE HEARD. THE MAIN THING IS THE FLEXIBILITY AND ADAPTABILITY OF THE CODE. AND THE OTHER THING THAT WE HAVE HEARD VERY LOUD AND CLEAR IS THE TERM OFF SANDY SPRINGS.
WE'RE NOT TRYING TO PROMOTE SOMETHING THROUGH THE DESIGN GUIDELINES THAT IS NOT ALREADY HERE, TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT WHAT IS THE SPECIFIC CHARACTER OF THE DIFFERENT DISTRICTS AND TRYING TO EMPHASIZE AND HIGHLIGHT THOSE THROUGH THE DESIGN GUIDELINES, AND KIND OF CREATING A BRIDGE BETWEEN THE OVERALL VISION OF THE COMP PLAN AND THE DIFFERENT AREAS, AND
[00:30:04]
TRYING TO CONNECT IT WITH THE LEGAL REQUIREMENTS OF THE DEVELOPMENT CODE. THERE ARE MANY DIAGRAMS LIKE THIS THROUGHOUT THE GUIDELINES. HOW TO MAKE STREETS MORE COMFORTABLE? WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT AMENITIES THAT YOU CAN INCLUDE? IT'S VERY VISUAL.IT'S VERY GRAPHIC. SO THAT SOMEBODY FROM THE CITY'S SIDE, FROM THE APPLICANT SIDE, WHEN THEY SEE SOME OF THESE IMAGES THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE DOCUMENT, THEY WILL START TO GET AN IDEA ABOUT THE CHARACTER OF THE DIFFERENT PLACES THIS HAPPENS TO BE ABOUT THE STREETSCAPE.
THERE ARE FURNISHINGS AND THE FURNISHINGS ARE LAID OUT AND ORGANIZED THROUGH THE DIFFERENT DISTRICTS, WHETHER IT'S CITY SPRINGS, CENTRAL PERIMETER, NORTH END, NEIGHBORHOOD VILLAGE, CROSSROADS AND POWERS FERRY, AND THE FURNISHINGS INCLUDES BENCHES, TRASH CANS, BIKE RACKS, PLANTERS, LIGHTINGS AND OTHER ELEMENTS. TREES BECAME A BIG PART OF THE DISCUSSION WITH THE PUBLIC. EVERYBODY WANTED TO SEE MORE TREE CANOPY. WE JUST HAD A DISCUSSION ABOUT THE TREE CANOPY. THERE WAS A LOT OF GUIDELINES REGARDING THE SPACING OF TREES, THE CLUSTERING OF TREES, THE TYPES OF TREES, AND THERE IS A CORRELATION BETWEEN THESE GUIDELINES AND THE TECHNICAL MANUAL. THERE IS A LOT OF GUIDANCE IN THE TECHNICAL MANUAL REGARDING THE TREES, STRENGTHENING CONNECTIONS AND CREATING BETTER GATHERING PLACES. WE HAVE CITY GREEN AS A GREAT EXAMPLE. THE VETERANS PARK ON THE OTHER SIDE OF ROSWELL ROAD. HOW CAN WE CREATE BETTER PLACES WITHIN THE CITY, TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THOSE SPECIFIC MIXED USE AREAS AND TRYING TO INCORPORATE SPECIAL PLACES? WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT ELEMENTS TO MAKE THOSE SPECIAL PLACES? HOW CAN WE CONNECT SAFELY FROM DOOR TO DOOR, FROM DESTINATION TO DESTINATION? ON THE BUILDING SIDE, WE ARE TALKING ABOUT MATERIALS, THE MASSING OF THE BUILDINGS, THE ARTICULATION, TRANSPARENCY. IT'S ALL ABOUT CREATING FEATURES WITH SHADES AND SHADOWS. SO THERE IS INTEREST IN THE BUILDING. SO SOMEBODY COMING IN JUST LIKE THE BUILDING THAT WE ARE IN RIGHT NOW, IT'S A GREAT EXAMPLE FOR THE CITY. SO WE DO NOT WE PROBABLY WOULD WON'T LIKE ANY KIND OF FLAT FACADE. WE PROBABLY WON'T LIKE ANYTHING WITH JUST ONE MATERIAL. WHAT ARE THE MATERIALS WITH BRICK AND GLASS AND ALL OF THOSE SCENARIOS? THERE ARE SPECIFIC GUIDELINES AND STRATEGIES RELATED TO THAT. AGAIN, ON THE BUILDING SIDE OF THINGS, THERE IS A LOT OF IMAGES LIKE THIS, WHICH SHOWS THE KIND OF CHARACTER FOR EACH ONE OF THOSE DISTRICTS. AND ALL OF THESE IMAGES ARE CAREFULLY CURATED BASED ON THE FEEDBACK THAT WE HAVE NOT ONLY RECEIVED FROM ALL OF YOU, BUT ALSO FROM THE PUBLIC. WHAT ARE THE MOST LIKED IMAGES? AND WITHIN EACH ONE OF THOSE IMAGES, THERE ARE SPECIFIC STRATEGIES THAT ARE EMBEDDED. IT'S NOT ONLY THE IMAGE THAT HAS TO BE REPLICATED, IT IS THE WHAT IS THE ELEMENT OF THAT IMAGE THAT YOU CAN START TO IDENTIFY THAT WOULD CREATE A BETTER CHARACTER TO A PLACE AND A BUILDING. WE ALSO HAVE A SECTION. YOU DON'T HAVE TO READ IT. WE ALSO HAVE A SECTION ON EXISTING SMALLER SCALE BUILDINGS, RETROFITS, AND ADJACENT SITE IMPROVEMENTS. WE KNOW THAT NOT ALL OF THE GUIDELINES ARE GOING TO BE APPLICABLE TO BIGGER REDEVELOPMENT AND DEVELOPMENTS.
WE ALSO WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE DESIGN GUIDELINES CAN BE APPLICABLE TO SMALLER RETROFITS.
AND FINALLY, THE IMPLEMENTATION SECTION. SO WE ARE IN DISCUSSION WITH THE CITY AND BASED ON THE CITY STAFF AND BASED ON THE DISCUSSIONS, WE ALSO HAVE A CHAPTER REGARDING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF HOW IT CAN BE HELPFUL TO THE DEVELOPMENT. AND I KIND OF ORGANIZED THAT INTO TWO DIFFERENT BUCKETS. ONE IS SHARING THE CLEAR EXPECTATIONS THROUGH THE GUIDELINES. THE LEGAL DOCUMENT IS THE DEVELOPMENT CODE. THERE'S A LOT OF WRITTEN TEXT AND NARRATIVE, HOW YOU CAN GRAPHICALLY SHOW THAT AS PART OF THE DESIGN GUIDELINES IS GOING TO BE IMPORTANT, AND HOW YOU CAN ADD THAT. HOW CAN YOU USE THAT IN THE PRE-APPLICATION STAGE WHEN SOMEBODY IS THINKING ABOUT A SPECIFIC DEVELOPMENT, THEY CAN START TO USE THAT JUST LIKE WHAT THEY CAN USE FOR THE ZONING CODE, OR RATHER THE DEVELOPMENT CODE AND THE AND THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN. IT HELPS IN GUIDING REZONINGS AND OTHER PLANNED DEVELOPMENTS AND HELPS TO GIVE YOU THE INFORMATION SO THAT YOU CAN MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS. AS FAR AS APPROVING OR CREATING NEW DEVELOPMENT, IT'S A. AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, YOU ALREADY HAVE A OAC STANDARD OUTDOOR AMENITY SPACE IMPROVEMENT STANDARDS. I THINK IT'S SECTION SIX IN THE DEVELOPMENT CODE. THE DESIGN GUIDELINES IS KIND OF A GRAPHICAL REPRESENTATION OF SOME OF THE OAC STANDARDS, AND IT HELPS TO CREATE A VERY CLEAR PICTURE TO THE APPLICANT OF WHAT IT MEANS. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE WRITTEN WORDS MEANS AS PART OF THE GUIDELINES? ON THE OTHER SIDE, WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS? THE BENEFITS CAN BE HEIGHT BONUSES. SOMETIMES IT CAN BE A REDUCTION OF HEIGHTS, WHICH SOME OF THE PROPERTY OWNERS HAVE BEEN YEARNING FOR. PREDICTABLE APPROVALS, LESSER REDESIGN BECAUSE WE ARE SETTING THE STANDARDS AND SETTING THE STAGE TO HELP THE APPLICANTS SO THAT THEY CAN START WITH THE PRE-APPLICATION PROCESS AND IT WOULD BE LESS, LESS REDESIGNED. THIS DOCUMENT IS GOING TO BE VETTED BY THE PUBLIC AND THE LEADERSHIP. SO THE CITY STAFF WILL HAVE THE BETTER
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OPPORTUNITY TO GO THROUGH THE APPLICATIONS WITH THE APPLICANTS IN THAT WAY, REDUCED RISK FOR INVESTMENTS OR REINVESTMENTS, LIKE I MENTIONED, CLEAR EXPECTATIONS AND FINALLY STRONGER, MORE COHESIVE CITY CREATING A DIFFERENT BRAND. I MEAN, YOU ALREADY HAVE A BRAND HOW TO HIGHLIGHT AND EMPHASIZE THAT BRAND. AND FINALLY, THE NEXT STEPS, WE'RE GIVING THE SAME PRESENTATION TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION TOMORROW AS A WORK SESSION. PUBLIC MEETING NUMBER FIVE, APRIL 23RD, WHICH IS THURSDAY. THE DRAFT GUIDELINES IS GOING TO BE UP ON THE WEBSITE, LIKE I MENTIONED BEFORE AND AFTER THE MONTH'S PUBLIC REVIEW, AS WE'RE TWEAKING THE WHOLE GUIDELINES DOCUMENT, WE'LL BE REFINING THAT AND BRINGING IT BACK FOR THE HEARING PROCESS WITH THE PLANNING COMMISSION AND THE MAYOR AND THE COUNCIL. AND YOU CAN GO TO SPR DESIGN TO SEE THE DOCUMENT. ALL OF THE DOCUMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC MEETINGS ARE UP THERE ON THE WEBSITE. QUESTIONS? ANY QUESTIONS? DOCTOR KELLY? OKAY, WELL, I'LL START HERE LOOKING AT YOUR NEXT STEPS. WHAT I'D LIKE TO UNDERSTAND IS AT WHAT POINT WILL, FOR EXAMPLE, THIS BODY DECIDE THE POSTURE WE WANT TO TAKE WITH THESE DESIGN GUIDELINES? I KNOW WE KIND OF TALK ABOUT IT AND I HAVE A SENSE OF WHERE WE ARE, BUT I DON'T THINK WE'VE OFFICIALLY DECIDED LIKE MORE FORMALLY, DOES THAT HAPPEN SOMETIME AFTER THE ADOPTION OR BEFORE THE ADOPTION WHEN YEAH, THERE MAY BE MORE OF A STAFF QUESTION. SO FROM THE APPROACH, AS HE MENTIONED, WE REALLY ARE GOING TOWARD MORE FLEXIBILITY HERE, LESS ON THE REQUIREMENTS SIDE.SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I WOULD LOVE. FEEDBACK FROM COUNCIL. AS YOU ALL REVIEW THE DRAFT, COME TO THE PUBLIC MEETING, TAKE A LOOK AT THAT. AND IF THERE ARE AREAS WHERE YOU THINK, YOU KNOW WHAT, WE ACTUALLY SHOULD REALLY BE CONSIDERING REQUIRING THIS OR CHANGING SOME THINGS IN THE CODE RELATED TO THIS. SO WE AS STAFF ARE GOING THROUGH THAT SAME EXERCISE NOW AND WE'LL BE MAKING SOME DETERMINATIONS ABOUT, OH, WE REALLY THINK THIS ACTUALLY SHOULD GO IN THE CODE AND, AND THAT SORT OF THING, BUT IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO HEAR FROM YOU ALL IF THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS THAT YOU REALLY PRIORITIZE THAT YOU THINK SHOULD BE A HIGHER PRIORITY FROM AN IMPLEMENTATION STANDPOINT. SO NOW, NOW AS WE'RE NEGOTIATING THAT NOW TO SOME DEGREE, YEP, I GOT YOU. LET ME ALSO ASK, THIS IS SORT OF A TIMELINE QUESTION YOU MENTIONED, YOU KNOW, IT'S GOOD TO CATCH PROJECTS IN THE PRE-APPLICATION PHASE. I KIND OF READ THAT. SO I'M SITTING HERE AND AS YOU SPEAK, I PICTURE PARCELS OF LAND IN MY DISTRICT AND THEY HAVE LITTLE THINGS GOING ON WITH THEM. I WANT TO BE REALISTIC. WOULD IT BE FAIR TO ASSUME THAT ANYTHING THAT IS CURRENTLY IN PROCESS WON'T WE WON'T BE ABLE TO? LIKE, SHOULD I GET THAT THOUGHT OUT OF MY HEAD THAT WE MIGHT BE, YOU KNOW, SO I THINK A LOT OF WHAT YOU SEE HERE ARE THINGS THAT STAFF ARE THINKING ABOUT ANYWAY. AND SO MOST OF THE PROJECTS STAFF TRY TO HAVE THAT EARLY FEEDBACK, EARLY INTERVENTION. THAT'S REALLY WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE. THERE ARE A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS THAT HAPPEN TYPICALLY BEFORE A PROJECT COMES IN OR FILES SOMETHING WHERE THEY'RE COMING IN, TALKING TO STAFF, IS THIS COMPLIANT? DOES THIS WORK? CAN I DO THIS? AND SO THOSE ARE THE CONVERSATIONS. WE'RE REALLY HOPE THESE GUIDELINES CAN BE MOST EFFECTIVE. SO YES, THEY'RE NOT GOING TO GET QUITE THE SAME TREATMENT. BUT I WOULD GENERALLY SAY STAFF ARE THINKING ABOUT THESE THINGS AS THEY HAVE THESE CONVERSATIONS EVEN NOW. OKAY. EVEN IF, YOU KNOW, INFORMALLY, I GUESS YOU ALL ARE ON TOP OF THAT. THAT HELPS. OKAY, JUST WANT TO TALK ABOUT IMPLEMENTATION FOR A SECOND, BECAUSE ONCE WE ADOPT ALL I'M GOING TO BE THINKING ABOUT AND QUITE FRANKLY, EVEN MY CONSTITUENTS, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THIS, THEY ALWAYS JUST WANT TO KNOW, WELL, HOW ARE YOU GOING TO APPROACH IMPLEMENTATION? YOU KNOW, WHAT IS GOING TO BE OUR STRATEGY? BUT THAT MAY GO BACK TO WHAT YOU JUST MENTIONED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, DECIDING WHAT'S GOING TO BE MORE PRESCRIPTIVE AND WHAT'S NOT. BUT I'D ALSO LIKE TO GET A BETTER UNDERSTANDING ALMOST COMPREHENSIVELY OF LIKE WHAT THE MENU OF INCENTIVES ARE. MAYBE THAT'LL BE SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS AFTER ADOPTION ONCE WE HAVE A, A PIECE OF WORK. BUT I'M VERY I AM VERY INTERESTED IN OUR STRATEGY AROUND IMPLEMENTATION AND HOW WE MEASURE IT. YEAH. SO, SO AS I MENTIONED, WE ARE LOOKING AT A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT THINGS. AND ONE OF THE CONVERSATIONS THAT WE'VE HAD IS SORT OF LIKE, LET'S FIGURE OUT WHERE WE NEED TO PRIORITIZE AND MAYBE THERE ARE TEXT AMENDMENTS THAT COME
[00:40:04]
ALONG WITH THAT. IF THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT WE FEEL LIKE WE NEED TO REQUIRE OR CHANGE ABOUT THE CODE. BUT THEN OF COURSE, THERE'S ALSO THIS SORT OF LIKE, LET'S SEE HOW THESE THINGS WORK. AND IF WE'RE NOT GETTING DEVELOPMENT THAT'S RECEPTIVE TO THIS VERY FLEXIBLE MODEL, THEN MAYBE WE COME BACK TO YOU ALL AND SAY, OKAY, WE'RE NOT HAVING AS MUCH SUCCESS AS WE HAD HOPED. WE WANT TO CODIFY A FEW MORE OF THESE THINGS, BUT THE APPROACH UP FRONT IS TO TRY AND BE MORE FLEXIBLE. ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT COUNCIL HAS TALKED A LOT ABOUT THAT'S INCLUDED IN YOUR CITY SPRINGS MASTER PLAN IS FOR US TO EVALUATE A FACADE IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM. SO THAT IS A TANGIBLE INCENTIVE THAT WE WILL BE LOOKING AT AND TALKING WITH YOU ALL ABOUT MORE AS WE FINALIZE ALL OF THIS WORK. OKAY, GREAT. SO YOU WOULD SAY THEN IT WOULD BE A MATTER OF TAKING THE DRAFT AND KIND OF THAT WOULD BE THE BEST DOCUMENT FOR US TO INTERFACE WITH, TO DO THAT KIND OF DEEP DIVE THAT YOU'RE MENTIONING. ABSOLUTELY, YES.NOW IS THE TIME. THAT MAKES SENSE. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU.
ANY OTHER ISSUES THAT THE COUNCIL WISH
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.