SAFETY ADVISORY AND TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE
The Safety Advisory and Transportation Committee Meeting was held on January 23, 2007, at 6:00 p.m. with Chairman Hogan presiding. Members present were Mr. Carey, Mr. McGiffin, Mr. Lakeman, and Mr. Link. Councilman Ruane and Mayor Speed were also present.
AGENDA ADDITIONS/DELETIONS
Mr. McGiffin moved for approval of the agenda, seconded by Mr. Link and unanimously carried.
Briefing on DelDOT Projects (Juanita Wieczoreck)
Ms. Juanita Wieczoreck, Director of the Dover/Kent County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), provided the committee with the following updates:
DelDOT Mega Traffic Study (SR1/Route 8 and East Dover Housing Development Projects)
The DelDOT Mega Traffic Study (SR1/Route 8 and East Dover Housing Development Project) has been completed and a summary of the study will be provided at the next meeting.
West Dover Connector
An update on the West Dover Connector project will be provided once the project development phase has been completed.
Traffic Signal at Greenway Lane and Kenton Road
There will not be a recommendation made on the Traffic Signal at Greenway Lane and Kenton Road project until the Kenton Road Study has been completed.
South Governors Avenue Improvements
The South Governors Avenue Improvements project is on schedule for construction to begin in the Spring of 2008.
Signalization Project
The Signalization Project is moving forward with each intersection that is being updated being closed for two (2) to three (3) weeks.
Wyoming Mill Road Project
The Wyoming Mill project has been delayed while staff investigates finding the 20% (twenty percent) match to the Federal Funds that have been allocated to the project.
Ms. Wieczoreck stated that the Clarence Street Extension project is moving forward and a public workshop is expected to be held either late February or early March. She also indicated that additional funding is being proposed by DelDOT for the Forrest and Loockerman Streets Transportation Enhancement project.
Ms. Wieczoreck noted that the Delaware 8 Advisory Committee has deemed the intersections of Route 8/Kenton Road and Route 8/Saulsbury Roads as problematic and that a Concept Plan and Operations Study workshop is scheduled for February 21, 2007. She also indicated that the next Public Advisory Committee meeting, which is conducting a study on Route 8, is scheduled to be in February with a workshop being scheduled for March. Ms. Wieczoreck stated that a workshop for safety improvements of the intersection of Route 8 and Route 15 has been scheduled for February 1, 2007.
Proposed Ordinance Amendment - Maintaining a Known Hazzard
During their regular meeting of November 28, 2006 members reviewed a proposed ordinance amendment that would provide the Fire Marshal a means to take corrective action when property owners and/or tenants have been made aware of fire code violations and continue to maintain the hazard or violation. It will also help to insure that violations do not go uncorrected for long periods of time, and make it more costly to pay the fine than to fix the violations. It was suggested that the proposed ordinance amendment be revised to include a statement indicating that fines will be levied according to Chapter 1 - General Provisions, Section 1-17, of the City of Dover Code, and that the establishment could be closed down due to a violation that goes uncorrected and brought back to members for their review.
Mr. David Truax, City Fire Marshal, reviewed the amended proposed ordinance and recommended the adoption of the ordinance by March 1, 2007.
Mr. Carey moved to recommend adoption of the ordinance (Attachment #1), as amended, by March 1, 2007, as recommended by staff. The motion was seconded by Mr. McGiffin and unanimously carried.
Proposed Ordinance Amendment - Appendix B- Zoning Ordinance, Article 6 - Off-Street Parking, Driveways and Loading Facilities, Section 1 - Permitted Accessory Parking; Chapter 106, Article I, Section 106-123 - Vehicle Parking Time Limited Where Carrying Capacity is in Excess of One Ton, and Trailer and Motor Home Parking; Article 12 - Definition
During the Regular City Council Meeting of January 8, 2007, a presentation on the proposed amendments was provided. Mrs. Townshend advised members that the Planning Commission recommended referring the proposed ordinance amendments back to the Safety Advisory and Transportation Committee with its specific concerns on five points: 1) the fencing requirement would be difficult to enforce, due to economics and conflicts with other deed restriction regulations in the City; 2) the time limit of twenty-four hours may not be sufficient to make use of a camper either in preparing it for departure or unloading; 3) the number of units that can be stored on a property could be reconsidered with the possibility of considering an aggregate size for weight and the number of vehicles; 4) the size of the units allowed, and 5) the waiver for the sixty day window after the Ordinance is adopted, particularly in the instances where property is annexed with an existing violation.
Mr. Hogan stated that the five (5) concerns, as indicated by the Planning Commission, will be discussed and that public comment is welcomed.
Mr. Hogan declared the public hearing open.
Mr. John Wilson, 150 Turner Drive, stated that, due to a deed restriction on his property, he preferred the option without the fencing requirement.
Mr. James L. Fogell, 360 Nimitz Road, indicated that he was not in favor of the screening and fencing requirements.
Mr. John Fabryka, 311 Bradley Road, stated that he is not in favor of the fencing and screening requirements.
Mr. William H. Miller, 373 Nimitz Road, stated that he is not in favor of any of the options.
Mr. Bernhard Greenfield, 901 Wilson Drive, stated that he is in favor of the waiver option and opposed to the fencing and screening requirements.
Mr. Tony Hummel, 476 Fiddlers Green, indicated that he preferred the proposed changes, as indicated in blue text, and stated that there should be clarification on which sides of the vehicle are required to be fenced.
With no one else present wishing to speak, Mr. Hogan declared the public hearing closed.
Mr. Hogan stated that once members have voted on the five (5) options, the amended proposed ordinance will be forwarded to City Council for approval.
Mr. Link moved to recommend approval of the option which indicated “except for loading and unloading activities completed within a three-day period within any given two-week period” to be included in Appendix B - Zoning Ordinance, Article 6, Section 1.12 - Trailers, Boats, and Recreational Vehicles. The motion was seconded by Mr. Carey and carried with four (4) yes and one (1) no (Mr. Lakeman).
Mr. Link moved to recommend approval of the option which indicated “such vehicles must be parked a minimum of five (5) feet from the side and rear property lines” to be included in Appendix B - Zoning Ordinance, Article 6, Section 1.12 - Trailers, Boats, and Recreational Vehicles as new letter “c”. The motion was seconded by Mr. Carey and carried with four (4) yes and one (1) no (Mr. Lakeman).
Mr. Link moved to recommend approval of the option which indicated “no more than two (2) such vehicles with a combined length of thirty-five (35) feet may be stored outside of the garage on a residential lot” to be included in Appendix B - Zoning Ordinance, Article 6, Section 1.12 - Trailers, Boats, and Recreational Vehicles as new letter “d”. The motion was seconded by Mr. McGiffin and carried with four (4) yes and one (1) no (Mr. Lakeman).
Mr. Link moved to recommend approval of the waiver option that would allow a 120 day application period, and amending the first sentence to read “A resident of the City at the time of adoption of this section, in possession of a trailer, boat, personal watercraft or recreational vehicle.....” to be included in Appendix B - Zoning Ordinance, Article 6, Section 1.12 - Trailers, Boats, and Recreational Vehicles as new letter “g”. The motion was seconded by Mr. McGiffin and unanimously carried.
Mr. Lakeman moved to recommend approval of the option revising the time period that a vehicle can be parked on residential streets to 24 consecutive hours in Chapter 106, Article I, Section 106-123 - Vehicle Parking Time Limited Where Carrying Capacity is in Excess of One Ton, and Trailer and Motor Home Parking letter “d”. The motion was seconded by Mr. Carey and unanimously carried.
Mr. Link moved to recommend approval of the amended ordinance with the recommended revisions be forwarded to City Council for approval during their February 26, 2007 meeting. The motion was seconded by Mr. Carey and unanimously carried.
Mr. Carey moved for adjournment, seconded by Mr. McGiffin and unanimously carried.
Meeting Adjourned at 7:23 P.M.
Respectfully submitted,
Kenneth L. Hogan
Chairman
KLH/jcr
S:ClerksOfficeAgendas&MinutesCommittee-Minutes20071-23-2007 SA&T.wpd
Attachments
Attachment #1 - Proposed Ordinance - Maintaining a Known Hazzard
Attachment #2 - Amended Proposed RV Ordinance