City of Wheaton City Council met July 13.
Here is the minutes provided by the council:
1. Call to Order
The Wheaton City Council Planning Session was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Mayor Suess. The following were:
Physically Present: Mayor Suess
Councilman Barbier
Councilwoman Bray-Parker
Councilwoman Fitch
Councilwoman Robbins
Councilman Rutledge
Councilman Zaruba
City Staff Physically Present: Michael Dzugan, City Manager
John Duguay, Assistant City Manager
Jim Kozik, Director of Planning & Economic Development
Susan Bishel, Public Information Officer
Patrick Keegan, Assistant Director of Information Technology
2. Approval of June 8, 2020 Minutes
The Council approved the June 8, 2020 City Council Planning Session minutes.
3. Public Comment
There were no public comments.
4. Downtown Streetscape Phase 4 - Design Development Update
Assistant City Manager Duguay stated that City Staff was seeking direction from the Council related to Design Development concepts presented by the City’s Downtown Streetscape Project design team consisting of Primera, Design Workshop, and Ethos Architects.
Assistant City Manager Duguay stated that there would be an additional design review checkpoint in the fall with the intention of going to bid for the project on December 13.
Ms. Manisha Kaul of Design Workshop presented design concepts for the intersections of Liberty Drive and West Street, Liberty Drive and Wheaton Avenue, Liberty Drive and Hale Street, Liberty Drive and Main Street, and Liberty Drive and Cross Street.
In response to Mayor Suess’s questions regarding space for pedestrians waiting to cross the tracks on the northwest side of West Street and Liberty Drive, Assistant City Manager Duguay stated that a portion of the property is owned by Union Pacific Railroad and the City would need to have Union Pacific relinquish the property to the City in order to address specific concerns.
In response to questions from the Council, Mr. Rob Deming of Primera stated that traffic control system devices are regulated by the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) and adding additional signals, such as turning arrows, to system devices would not be allowed.
Ms. Kaul provided a recap of the original design goals for Lots 3 and 4, which included maximizing the usable space, creating access from the streetscape to the Illinois Prairie Path (IPP), creating a gateway to downtown, creating an accessible route between Lots 3 and 4, realigning the IPP onto City/County property, providing a multi-use canopy structure, and providing biking amenities for IPP users.
Ms. Kaul presented design concepts for Lots 3 and 4, which include two plazas, and mentioned that revised concepts included more sustainable features at the request of the City Council. She requested the Council’s direction with regards to the selection of primary pavement material options, bike canopy structure design options, accent material design options along retaining walls, and multi-use canopy structure fascia design options.
In response to a question from the Council, Scott Allman of Ethos Architects stated that the canopy structure would have two forms of lighting, which would include decorative lighting on the structure’s piers as well as LED lighting affixed under the canopy structure. In response to a request from the Council, Mr. Allman stated that he would investigate solar paneling cost estimates for the canopy structure.
In response to questions from the Council regarding the difference between decomposed granite and permeable pavers, Ms. Kaul stated that decomposed granite would have a higher permeability but would require more maintenance as opposed to permeable pavers.
Mayor Suess requested that an alternative design option be provided for the gabion wall element for the next design review checkpoint.
Council members provided final feedback on Lots 3 and 4 and requested the final design incorporate wood boardwalks and corten steel planters, use permeable pavers as the primary pavement material option in the plazas, incorporate a bike canopy structure similar to the Upfit or Apex design, and incorporate a fascia on the multi-use canopy structure.
5. Open Data Portal Service
City Manager Dzugan provided an overview of the previously presented concept of developing an open data portal service on the City’s website. He stated that the open data portal would reduce time with preparation of FOIA responses while providing more transparency. He stated that he is requesting Council approval for a resolution allowing the establishment of an open data policy and open data program.
Assistant Director of I.T. Keegan presented details about the open data portal, including the proposed initial available data sets, an overview of the front-end of the data portal, the process of accessing data sets, and comparison of other community data portals. He stated that initial data sets were already available to the public but future access to information would be more readily available without having to provide login access.
In response to questions from Mayor Suess and the Council, Assistant Director of I.T. Keegan stated that there are numerous reasons that people would want to access specific data from FOIA requests, and the data provided will not include detailed information such as site plans, processed permits, or crime reports.
In response to questions from the Council, Assistant Director of I.T. Keegan stated that City has multiple FOIA officers who respond to FOIA’s. The open data portal would be in addition to the FOIA process and would not replace it.
6. City Council/City Staff Comments
Councilwoman Bray-Parker encouraged the community to continue to keep an open dialogue with regards to social injustice.
Councilwoman Fitch requested that the Council continue its discussion of stormwater and sewer projects in an upcoming Planning Session. City Manager Dzugan stated staff plans to present on this to the Council in August.
7. Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 8:52 p.m.
https://www.wheaton.il.us/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_07132020-1402
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