Tuesday, May 20, 2009

MINUTES

Members: Steve Bacon, Leon Bailey, Laurie Best, Karla Fox, Chris Kueffner, Frank McNabb, Peter Millman, Betsy Paterson

Staff: Cynthia van Zelm

1. Call to Order

Steve Bacon called the meeting to order at 5:00 pm.

2. Public Comment

There was no public comment.

3. Approval of Minutes from June 17, 2008 and April 21, 2009

Frank McNabb made a motion to approve the June 17, 2008 and April 21, 2009 minutes. Peter Millman seconded the motion. Betsy Paterson and Laurie Best abstained. The minutes were approved with two abstentions.

4. Update on Storrs Center

Cynthia van Zelm said that she was hopeful that the State Traffic Commission would review the Storrs Road application at its June 2009 meeting but there is no confirmation.

Ms. van Zelm said the development agreement between the Town of Mansfield and master developer LeylandAlliance is still being negotiated. She said the Town applied to Congressman Courtney for funding for the 2^nd garage in the federal five year transportation authorization bill. Karla Fox noted that UConn pays back the bonds on its garages through the revenue generated by the garages.

Peter Millman said he thought the Pomfret School had received some funding through the US Department of Agriculture. Ms. van Zelm will do some research.

5. Plans (Phase 1A, Storrs Road)

The Committee reviewed the Storrs Road plans and the preliminary layout of Phase 1A. The Committee also saw the Power Point presentation that was given at the League of Women Voters hosted session on Storrs Center from April 29.

Ms. Paterson suggested that a reference to 75 spaces for commercial development in the Power Point should refer to “business” spaces.

The Committee also suggested that parking spaces for Phase 1A should be clearly distinguished between permanent and temporary. Some will be temporary before the garage comes on-line.

Mr. Bacon suggested that the Committee meet with the architect for Phase 1A (once chosen) early on in the process so that plans can be reviewed by the Committee. Ms. van Zelm noted that the Board adopted a policy a few years ago that the Committee would review plans early on in an informal way before they are submitted as formal site plans to the Town and the Partnership.

Mr. Bacon asked Ms. van Zelm to follow-up with some of the questions from the Committee with Leyland project manager Macon Toledano.

6. Parking Steering Committee

Mr. Bacon said the Town parking consultant Andy Hill from Walker Parking has recommended that a parking steering committee be formed to work on parking issues related to Storrs Center, particularly related to the current adjacent parking. What will the Planning and Design Committee’s role be? Ms. Fox said she would volunteer to sit on the parking steering committee.

7. Partnership role in public spaces

Ms. van Zelm said there are preliminary discussions about the Partnership’s role in managing the public spaces of Storrs Center. Mr. Bacon said the Committee is an ambassador for Storrs Center and can advertise the benefits of the project. He said one idea might be for the Partnership to run programs on the public spaces with the financial support of the businesses in Storrs Center.

The Committee discussed the size and make-up of the two town squares. How much of the squares will be green vs. hardscape? Ms. van Zelm will check with Mr. Toledano on the latest thinking on the make-up of the squares.

8. Review of Committee Charge

Frank McNabb asked for clarification of the Committee’s role after construction. Ms. Fox said the UConn committee that worked on the UConn Master Plan evolved into a committee that monitored the work done on the Master Plan.

Mr. McNabb suggested that some changes be made to the Committee charge that include “monitoring adherence to approved design,” and “reviewing scope changes.”

The Committee will focus on revising its charge at its June meeting.

9. Adjourn

The Committee adjourned at 6:45 pm.

Minutes taken by Cynthia van Zelm.