are you confident everything's been
loaded
it's the last I'm going to ask you to
ask you to take your chair
thank you
um
take your chair
right here
Vice chair are you ready I'm ready okay
I'd like to call the Bexley tree and
public gardens commission to order on
our Wednesday September 20th 2023
meeting beginning at four o'clock and
call the roll
Mary McMahon is traveling
Susan quintan's chair here Sheila Straub
here
Dave Wakeman
he plans to be here Celeste Williams
here Jim Wilson president Linda subnick
it's coming in the door we have a quorum
Barb Giller alternate here
uh Barb I'm going to point you to take
Mary mcmullen's place today as a voting
member Larry Hellman absent Ellen Bowden
ex-officio
Elena Andrews staff consultant here
Grant Archer City Forester here Lori and
Bible city council person she had her
tonsils out yesterday and it's
unavailable
Ben Kessler is on his way Monette
friedlander staff consultant
here I'd like everybody with that
correct yes experiment yes yes so um our
minutes are transcribed
from the video and the recording and so
it's important that when we speak we
speak clearly and we say our names so
everybody can have their microphone
close
that would be helpful
and turned on
excuse me close and turned on
so um the minutes of August 16th were
emailed
I will take any discussion
if not I'll take a motion for approval
is there a second any discussion
emotions made and seconded that we
approved the minutes of August 16 2023
all those in favor say aye aye all those
opposed same sign motion carries are
there any additions to the agenda
seeing no additions to the agenda we'll
move on to announcements small victories
and comments Elena I'd like to ask you
to introduce Monet
already
um this is Elena
um so we have asked Monette friedlander
to join us today she is going to be
helping out with um doing the
residential installation reviews
um as well as helping with some other
um just kind of Staff review of projects
as on an as needed basis and so we've
been meeting with her and talking with
probably over the summer it seems
um in terms of just you know kind of
getting her up to speed sharing the
process if you've noticed she's joined
our last couple of tree commission
meetings and um and so since now she is
officially on board with the city um
we've asked her to come and join us
today and then actually sit up in the
podium and
participate thank you welcome Monette
okay we have a new timetable for posting
our agendas uh that it's going to be the
Friday before meeting so I'm just asking
all of you to have your
um agenda items to me by the Wednesday
before so one week before tree
commission meetings Mr Wilson do you
want to give an update on commission
conversations
sure for those of you that don't know
commission conversations are meetings
with the chairs and vice chairs of the
other commissions and Boards where we
discuss ways to do our work better we
had a very productive meeting last week
um uh talking in part about how the
various commissions and Boards will be
dealing with the application for the
2200 East Main Street so that we now
know what our respective roles are we
have a plan now to meet quarterly in
with the goal of improving our process
so if anyone on the tree commission has
any agenda items that they want us to
bring to these meetings we would welcome
that input any questions for Jim
okay then we will move on are there any
other announcements small victories or
comments
that will go to requests from residents
Karen Ray
would you like to come forward could you
sign in please and then introduce
yourself
our residence comments are restricted to
three minutes
and we only receive the comments we do
not offer discussion or opinions
uh
um I'm Karen Rye I'm a senior at the
Bexley High School
um and I've been working with Mary
McMahon uh to make a pamphlet about
volcano mulching uh which I'm planning
to distribute to the residents of Bexley
uh uh and I'm working with our local Boy
Scout Troop troop 166 which I'm a part
of uh to do this project uh this is part
of my Eagle Scout project uh it's one of
my requirements to become an eagle scout
and I'm doing so by helping our
community uh by hopefully spreading the
word about volcano mulching and offering
more information to Residents about this
issue
do you have anything more you'd like to
share yeah okay thank you very much
Karen we appreciate you coming and we'll
take this home and look at it and email
if we have any comments
are there other resident comments
I just oh Rebecca yes please skip
forward and if you could sign in and
state your name
and I I'm not sure when you arrived but
our comments are limited to three
minutes
can you pull the mic down
or maybe you can move it on the podium
can you move it just down closer to you
yeah that's great I've been in this
situation okay all right way back all
right
um so
I wanted to can you introduce yourself
yes thank you my name is Rebecca Ness
I'm a Bexley resident and
um I I'm concerned about the choice of
wintercreeper for the medians on um on
Drexel
um I'm concerned about winter creeper
because I think about plants in varying
degrees
um I think about we have our Keystone
plants all the way down to our
non-native aggressives and I consider
winter creeper to be aggressive
um I know that it's
you know an ornamental plant that stays
green year-round but I think that it it
does more harm than good because it
spreads so easily
um by Vine and also
um birds eat it and small animals eat it
it spreads that way and it spreads via
water movement too so it um has taken
over our area around Alum Creek and
other I take my kids creaking and I see
it all around the creeks and it's
pushing out our native environment so I
spoke with Franklin Soil and Water
Conservation District they gave me a
list of salt tolerant native plants to
be considered for your consideration for
the medians
um I also spoke with ODOT some Native
Nurseries and other native landscapers
and came up with lists of native plants
that that you can consider in place of
winter creeper in addition to winter
creeper taking up a lot of space
um I also really highly value native
plants and our ecosystem I know that
there's a big movement for it right now
one that I'm proud to be a part of and I
think when we have the opportunity to
plant native considering how much of our
city is non-native I think we should
take that opportunity so thank you very
much thank you Rebecca oh and I have
these that I can leave for you too why
don't you give them to me and I could I
can pass out after the meeting thank you
are there any other requests from
residents this is a separate topic area
from um talking about 2200 East Main
Street that so that that will come after
the staff report in the mayor's reports
haven't signed in to speak to 2200 Main
Street there is a sign up sheet that we
would ask people to put your names in so
we can bring some order
Rebecca did you leave the information
oh they're right there okay okay all
right thanks so much okay now we're
going to go on to our staff report Grant
Archer Bexley Urban Forester and um
Grant is also assistant service director
uh yes uh thanks
um everybody so I got moved up on the
agenda as you can see uh after speaking
with the chair and vice chair last
Wednesday I would like to focus on
um some other issues throughout the city
uh um like uh the tree species that we
do plant in the city that's been our
list for as long as I've been here I
feel as we're walking through the city
doing our GIS work
um maybe we can think about if if that
list is good if we still like what we're
seeing on the street and have more
discussion based on what we actually see
while we're out there walking it
this committee is in charge of that list
so I can't vary from that list so I
thought it'd be nice to see if we all
still agree with the trees being planted
between a curb and sidewalk
uh some other things I thought we could
discuss is some of my emails that I get
uh that I do represent you as uh
City Forester and and some of the
decisions and things that were are made
so I want to make sure
that I'm representing everybody clearly
and and uh so
I would like to bring some of my top
emails in and we can have an open
discussion on how how to properly
handling women and things like that so
in front of you is one email that I
recently received um I didn't know if we
wanted to discuss that
um I I think since you printed it out
and it's here grant that we should it's
a it's a perfect time and you've uh as a
resident that has is having issues with
uh fruit uh from her oak tree that is a
city tree and is
requesting us to
um
prune it back pretty hard it's a very
small it's a 10 inch tree uh dbh
so there's not much pruning that we can
do there's not much mediation we can do
so
um
I would like to know what as a committee
who picked this tree for the street
would like to handle it
so the first question we would ask is
the tree healthy and
um
have do you concur with
the evaluation that of the person
writing this and of the neighborhood
that it's
emitting a lot of acorns and generally
disruptive and dirty
I would I mean I think it's pretty
normal I mean oak trees come and go
usually every three years they put off a
larger production
of uh acorns so
it's hard to say if this is a bit uh I
didn't think it was personally but
Mr Wilson did you have comment well I
mean I I think it's great that you've
brought this to us Grant because I think
we're always sort of balancing
um our love of trees and our citizens
concerns and at the end of the day
um
we need Bexley support for what we want
to accomplish here I mean my reaction to
this is
um and those on the commission note that
I have in American sweet gum so I have
about as much fruit in my property as
anyone in Bexley although this year has
been a light year it varies considerably
I don't think we take down healthy trees
if it's feasible to trip you know cut it
back a little bit
I wouldn't oppose that but I would defer
to your judgment on it Grant I mean um
you know I think
uh we always want to respect our
citizens concerns but this you know this
is why we are Bexley we treasure our
trees
other comments
remember to say your name before you
speak this is Linda's up Nick
um Grant can you bring up the mic a
little bit closer Linda thank you there
have been a tree that would have been
planted on euclair I mean I know we have
tree
recommended for every street would this
have not been something that
oh gosh what is you Claire euclair I'm
yes off the top of my head I don't know
um but yeah I mean it's been planted
relatively
in the last 10 years which I'm pretty
sure that list is
been around since then so
um
yes this probably is one of the trees we
would have planted
any other comments
I think that um it's healthy I would you
know oak trees get acorns some ears are
better better or worse depending on your
point of view
um but I think it also illustrates what
um Grant was just saying about
reevaluating the choices that we have
made
first you know for a certain Street or
all the streets we should look at but
this is a point you know that uh maybe
we need to reevaluate that I understand
I too had sweetcums
um so I know that you know it's a it's
hard to keep up that's for sure
um I looked on my list uh Grant and we
have uh for you Claire uh shimardi Oak
okay yes and I I think this was maybe
2018-19 that we reviewed these so
um I always think of Oaks as the king of
the tree Kingdom if Mary was here she'd
say that their host of 400 different
species of butterflies and insects and
that they are more than just canopy
cover and storm water runoff
um I don't know if others feel that way
so in my opinion if it's healthy and
viable
I would hope that um you know neighbors
could help neighbors and and help clean
up the debris
what are you looking for motion to
remove the tree keep the tree discussion
okay of what's going on and how uh you
know I get a lot of these emails with
trees with fruit and they're tired of
cleaning up the sidewalk in their
driveway and
um so no discussion is really all I
needed
um and I'd like to bring more topics
like this through tree Commission on our
monthly once a month meeting so with
that I I'm done I know we have a busy
meeting so Grant one of the things I
think would be helpful is if we can find
the latest
um listing of our recommended Street
trees and maybe Jordan could email that
to all three commission members so when
we do walk you know we'll feel that
we're up to date with the information
is that doable yes okay and I this is
Celeste Williams speaking I'd like to
add one little morsel to this is that uh
other than feeling that the oak tree is
not suitable for our community it is
suitable but not necessarily for small
Lots so we can use it and we can't apply
it to a better more logical space rather
than having a street tree in a smaller
lot area correct right tree in the right
spot right between the right spot
um the mayor was running here from
downtown he's obviously running late
um Elena that would mean that we were
going to start on the review of
landscape applications and you were
going to report on change conditions for
the proof landscape
yes so this is Elena
um
so we have no formal applications today
to review
um we have one update that I want to
give you to a project that we had
reviewed in March of this year at 2425
Sherwood it's on the corner of Sherwood
and Cassidy and um and so that was a new
build and one of the things that we
noted or that we found out as they were
constructing the house Grant got a call
I was brought in as well one of the tree
lots was incorrectly positioned on the
site plan and it was actually on the
property line it wasn't on the the
property of the new build it was
actually splitting the difference
between the two and it was what tree
what kind of tree was that again
a hackberry tree but it had a double
leader and it was actually rotted pretty
much through its core and so there was a
request
um to take it down and so we went and we
looked at it and noted that it actually
was a issue for Public Safety that it
needed to come down just both in general
for the site the neighbor as well as the
general community and so
um the city approved that as a removal
of that site that lot if you do go buy
it is very wooded it has some beautiful
sycamore trees as the street trees
around it and there's really not that
much more space to plant another large
shade tree in there and so we've made
the decision that for them to move
forward with the landscape plan that
they have and not necessarily requiring
them to replace that tree simply because
there's just it's a little bit too tight
so if you are walking around the
community and you're watching I think
they're now framing the project right
now and if you see that tree
um it's not there so I wanted to explain
that and Grant thank you for looking at
the tree and deeming it unsafe oh and as
a follow-up to that just we they did
have a arborist go out and assess the
tree and provide us with a report as
well so it wasn't and Grant looked at it
as well so it was not taken lightly that
that tree needed to be removed
um and for all of you here Grant is our
city Forester I.E arborist so don't want
you to think he's not an arborist he is
and just in the nick time but may or may
we move to you um because our next
discussion topic would be 2200 East Main
so
um so if if if you're available then
we'll move to you and then we'll go on
to our 2200 East Main Street yes
thank you madam chair
um so much volcano ordinance passed at
the last council meeting
uh thanks to tree commission to helping
us edit that amend that especially
Vice chair Wilson excellent amendments
um it goes into effect
technically uh middle of October
but from a procedural kind of
administrative perspective I would say
January 1st when we do new contractor
registrations
so we will uh
have that set up we've already had at
least one contractor come in and ask
about it so that's exciting
um and then also uh parallel parallel
and tandem to that
um Spencer with the with the arborists
City Arborist is working on a
Communications piece
to go out to all residents that provides
a little bit more context about how to
City trees mulch volcanoes in addition
to string trimming watering
all that good stuff so he's working on
that you guys have got a chance to take
a look at that before it goes out give
any feedback
um consistent with the communications
piece our Arboretum website has
uh continued to be updated has some new
blog posts tree plotter is now embedded
in it so check it out Bexley
arboretum.org
our land use strategy commission process
is ticking along well
we will be having a initial public
Workshop coming up in the next couple
months I don't think we've set a date
for that yet is that right we've been
meeting with
um we met with Bexley City Schools uh
just to get a kind of an update on their
facilities planning efforts which are
nascent they're just and they're just
kind of getting kicked off
um Capital University met with the
landing strategy commission and gave an
idea of of their Master planning process
and how that's coming along and
um what sort of future motion they think
might occur and then later I think maybe
tomorrow is a coda learning session next
Tuesday it's all a blur uh Coda is
coming to talk about link us
and that's going to become link us
um if you haven't heard is the rapid
transit proposal for Main Street
um throughout from Downtown Columbus to
Reynoldsburg
um they hope to go to the ballot in 2024
to seek sales tax
in order to make that rapid transit
system work and and and actually be a
reality but there is some planning work
happening around it
um we are going to be
separately engaging with traffic studies
as we try to better analyze the impact
of that on bexley's traffic flow we have
to date told Coda that we would not be
willing to give up a lane of traffic
just because of the parking needs for
Main Street and
um
what that would do to the you know
traffic pattern if anyone's driven Main
Street or right or around now four
o'clock what happens to the backup if
one car is parked you know in front of
capital
so we have uh continued to advocate for
the fact that you know we need to
preserve that component to our main
street because of the
a having the capacity during rush hour
and also B we have a lot of historic
properties that don't have adequate
parking and and rely on street parking
and C
um that street parking actually does
also slow traffic on Main Street it is a
it is a traffic coming
um
uh piece of Main Street so that will I
went off of the side there on Linkus but
landing strategy is is proceeding um and
we will have a public Workshop it's
going to be an open-ended public
Workshop what do we think the future of
Bexley looks like how how do we
facilitate that in a quality fashion
um anyone who wants to view the current
Landing strategy which is about 10 years
old now it's at Bexley at Oregon or
Master plans and studies page
our specsley city strategic plan draft
was reviewed by Council discussed in
Greater depth
um at this council meeting last week and
we will have a public workshop for that
once I've Incorporated Council comments
into that draft so we're probably
looking at October for strategic plan uh
Workshop I'm also wanting to convene our
boards and commissions in a workshop to
review the the city strategic plan and
the land use strategy at some point in
time so I'm hoping to get boards and
commissions involved in that and we'll
be providing more information on that
coming forward
uh and then Drexel Avenue updates
the
beloved or hated Drexel Avenue project
depending on where you're coming from uh
is commencing and continuing going going
on we are hoping to plant the trees and
the medians
um probably in the mid to late October
time frame probably before that earlier
before that okay I think the medians are
going to be completed by the end of this
month last I heard is that still true
it's the timeline yeah changes
um and uh so the plantings will be going
uh forward at here in a few weeks or a
month
um we will be watering those uh for the
first couple years as they get
established
um there's additional uh there's some
additional pedestrian
um Beacon signs to be put up the one at
Powell at least and um we'll have
temporary striping in place before the
final layer of asphalt goes down in the
spring and then the permanent pavement
markings go in
also up lighting will be installed
correct within the next month on those
trees so the trees will each have two
led up lights will help not just sort of
beautify but also provide greater
visibility for those meetings
and other okay well I know mayor you had
met with Roosevelt residents and for
about slowing traffic and there might be
an opportunity for infill of trees to
help with that problem
yeah and we have a Roosevelt meeting
specifically with the property owners
that front onto Roosevelt between Maine
and fair that is going to be happening
in a couple weeks and infield planting
and we'll be a part of that conversation
I have a question please for all of the
up lighting that's going to be done on
the new mediums on Drexel or there'll be
electrical boxes there like we have on
Broad Street by St Charles how will that
be done so the electrical the boxes that
you see are from irrigation
infrastructure and so that's the primary
reason we're not doing Irrigation in the
meeting is because the the boxes are
that require the backflow preventer
boxes are so large that they wouldn't
really work well with those medians so
electrical kind of looks like a small
outdoor outlet that pokes up a little
bit it's not very visible very good
thank you other questions for the mayor
so um mayor when you were making your
way here we did have a eagle scout that
came forward and is he still here Karen
you may want to introduce yourself after
the meeting to Mayor Kessler's and share
your brochure with him
thank you I appreciate the work you've
been doing I've been I took a look at
that uh last week it's looking great
it's good stuff
other questions for mayor Kessler
if not then we'll go to review of
landscape applications
um and Mr Wilson takes over this section
of the meeting
thank you madam chair
um uh since we have a larger crowd than
usual I'll review
um some of our code of conduct and our
procedures so everyone understands uh
I'm sure most people know this but our
meetings are videotaped and available on
the bexley.org website within a few days
um and the website can be accessed by
anyone anywhere
as commission members we do not comment
or discuss the findings of other
commissions uh nor do we comment on
subjects under review by other City
commissions
as a commission we will not be party to
negative or disparaging comments about
City staff elected officials appointed
officials or city Consultants or other
commission members uh comments presented
today should be germane to the subject
at hand which specifically is the
landscaping for the project at 2200 East
Main Street so we would ask that
everyone stay on topic
if in the chair's view there are any
presentations that are trending to be
inflammatory or confrontational which
for our guests believe it or not the
tree commission has had that happen
before we will recess for 10 minutes and
let everyone compose themselves and then
resume
um
in terms of our presentations typically
our staff consultant presents a report
on the application but since today's
report or today's presentation or
application is in preliminary stages I'm
guessing we will not have a fulsome
report correct so we don't have a full
staff report because
um the design is very preliminary and it
is more of a 30 000 you know square or
elevation look at the plan and we wanted
to make sure I have had a number of
conversations with Ryan Pearson from
Edge behind the scenes and just talking
about what they're doing and what
they're proposing and they wanted to
have an opportunity to come before the
tree commission and share with them
their preliminary thoughts for the idea
things very well might change based on
everything that is you know just that is
part of the design process for any
project large or small and it didn't
seem you know at to a point where we're
not at a level where we're actually
looking at
specific tree names for instance it's
kind of there's a circle it's a tree it
might be a tree we don't know the type
of tree so for that reason there's not a
formal
um staff report but we did want to have
them come and give a presentation
um and share with us uh where they are
and then you know allow the tree
commission to give their
preliminary feedback
um
and so um the initial presentation today
I think we've talked with the applicant
um about
um taking 15 minutes instead of our
usual 10 minutes once I finish our
procedure I'll make a motion to expand
that since you do have a lawyer running
the meeting and so we can't change our
procedure without emotions
um then we will hear
um testimony from opponents anyone that
wants to speak against the proposal
again
we were happy to listen to you but we
are focused on the landscape plan so we
would urge folks to focus on that aspect
of the plan each of you will have three
minutes
um I will time you and if you want a one
minute warning I'd be happy to to do
that to provide that for you
um
you will have the opportunity to present
your case or any information you want to
present to us
um in those three minutes if there are
any supporters of the plan we will then
give them each three minutes I should
step back if there are either supporters
or opponents and again I think I've said
this too many times so everyone's tired
of me saying it but please sign up so
that we can grab the sign up sheet and
then do it in an orderly way
um
we'll then give the applicant five
minutes to respond to what they've heard
from our residents and then we will
have board discussion today because it's
preliminary and because we have other
items on our agenda and because we're
going to hear about this at least one
more time I think the best use of our
time will be for board members to
present initial reactions and questions
that you would want answered when we get
a more final presentation rather than
engaging in the sort of back and forth
and the sort of very specific comments
that um we will I'm sure provide the
applicant when we get to that point so
um that's our plan for today
um uh is there anyone else that needs to
sign up for the sheet
not
um I can make a motion oh that's right I
do need to make my motion I move that we
um uh amend our normal presentation
procedure to allow the applicant 15
minutes today is there a second
yes
Celeste I was second is there any
discussion
emotions were made and seconded that we
extend our presentation period from 10
to 15 minutes all those in favor say aye
aye all those opposed same sign any
abstentions motion carries go ahead Mr
Wilson Helena do you want to introduce
our applicant
and then also Jason from Continentals
um and it's my understanding that I
think um grinding will be giving us the
giving the general overview and I have
the slides
yeah before we get into those details my
name is Jason hogstock I'm with
Continental Real Estate I'm a vice
president of planning and development at
Continental
um I just wanted to thank everybody for
coming out there's a lot of familiar
faces here in the crowd that we've seen
over the last couple meetings you know
that this is intended to be an initial
introduction a lot of the drawings
you're going to see are I'll say
recycled or older uh because we have not
had time to react or fully uh develop uh
updated plans or the architectural
elements or even site plans for that
matter from our previous meetings so for
the for the crowd and the benefit of
those folks or make sure everybody
understands that what you see will be a
little older but
on the surface I want to make sure
everybody understands we are reacting to
the comments that we've received uh
through both board meetings at this
point
um you know there's been concerns raised
about Connections and connectivity to
the roads how the site looks and the
architectural elements what I can tell
you right now is we have committed in
the last meeting if if everybody recalls
during the Architectural Review Board
that we are not connecting the roads to
Bryden so that will become a pedestrian
pathway that will be something that
everybody should understand that was a
major concern for the process and how
that develops and how it looks at the
end of the day will be coordinated
obviously with this group and and uh
overall City staff and everything else
and then what you'll see relative to the
building today is the old architectural
elements that has been presented
previously and I can tell you as early
as this afternoon we were running
through those trying to find ways or
solutions that is acceptable to previous
comments last week's meeting so with
that what I'd like to do is turn it over
to Ryan Pearson uh he will be speaking
specifically to the plans as we have
them now uh so they're going to reflect
those older art elements that I
mentioned but those Please be aware that
those are changing so Jason if I could
and Madam chair if I could also augment
that which I the last plans I'd seen
um Ryan our team got a chance to meet
with Ryan recently and you to talk about
this parking lot as well correct and so
I don't think those are Incorporated
either that's correct we have not
addressed any of that I think there's a
lot more coordination needs to occur uh
between the city so you know what's
reflected in those drawings are purely
just graphical representations of of
what could be so those will change and
will be adapted to reflect what the
cities would want in that area
I'll turn it over to Ryan at this point
do we need to swear in or anything yeah
we're we might spray you in later but
not this meeting all right
great hi I'm Ryan Pearson with the edge
group
um 3 30 was spring
um
I'll give a brief introduction on the
site what we're trying to do
conceptually
um obviously
things are changing and so we did not
get into a lot of detail but I think
we're we're at a fair level of kind of a
design development detail level
um that is perfect for this discussion
so I think everybody's familiar with the
site the site is just to the west of
where we're sitting today
um
the Gateway Alexander to the immediate
West there there's a cross-size cross
access easement uh between Parkview and
the current parking lot is sitting on
our site
um there's one single family lot
adjacent to the site that fronts onto
Park View
obviously there's three additional Lots
up here in the um the corner of their
their catty corner to the site there are
four second family houses or lots to the
immediate North with some rather deep
backyards and then along the northeast
corner of Columbia
um Columbia Place very shallow backyards
uh however there is a wall and we have
some photos that'll show some of the
existing conditions around the site if
anybody's not familiar and then we can
always scroll back to those if we need
to
um
City Hall
um the Bexley Square shopping center and
then the parking lot that the mayor just
mentioned it is still the design we have
a proposed design but uh willing for any
kind of changes
it was really just to start the
conversation as far as
density and parking numbers
um so with that Atlanta can you or
Illinois
can you advance
um
we have an oblique aerial that shows the
site in relationship to the Alexander
Gateway Bexley Square over here to the
east
um
you'll see more of these images here in
a few minutes but to the north there's a
pretty good stand of vegetation trees
that are off of our property line up
here on the north side
um this is the wall along Columbia place
that I mentioned in the Bryden
connection which Jason just mentioned is
going to be a pedestrian-only pedestrian
bike only connection now
um down here in the bottom right corner
we're going to talk about some grade
concerns that we have between the
existing grades and what's happening
down to the existing street level along
East Main Street as it relates to the
trees right at the right-of-way line
um the Gateway streetscape and the Main
Street design guidelines that we need we
are supposed to follow
um
that's where we're starting is to
continue this same streetscape further
to the east
um this shot here this is the parking
lot behind Rusty Bucket the curb level
um fairly substantial grade slipping up
to the existing site and then there's
three and a half story to two-story
buildings that are sitting up on the
existing site today
next slide please
again just a more detailed shot of the
uh the grades that that are out that are
existing today
um this will be the East End down by
Bexley Square where we're sitting today
this end over here would be closer to
the Rusty Bucket there's
approximately seven feet of fall from
these these uh existing buildings their
floor levels down to the the top of curb
or the street level that we are trying
to meet or need to meet for that
streetscape standards along East Main
Street
um the existing trees are resting off
the back of that sidewalk somewhere in
the forefoot five foot range they're
right on the right-of-way line
um if you go out there today their their
crowns are probably anywhere from a foot
to 18 inches above the sidewalk level
and we can discuss that a little further
but it makes it very difficult if not
impossible to save those trees if we're
trying to meet the Main Street
guidelines and pushing the buildings to
the street so the Main Street guidelines
start to suggest that we need to have
our building Frontage within zero and 10
feet of that right-of-way line there are
ways that we can step it back and we're
looking at some of the courtyard I don't
know I'm sure some of you have heard
what happened on Thursday night we are
looking at some more public-private
Courtyard type space in the center there
um however the the guidelines
specifically say you know maximum of 20
feet from the right-of-way line so I
won't get into any of those details but
we are looking into that uh with that
said these trees are just
um no matter who develops this piece of
property Meeting those Main Street
guidelines those buildings to the street
trying to maintain that streetscape
along East Main Street
very difficult if not impossible I think
it would they would really struggle to
stay alive
um on the East End along Bexley square
there's some opportunities here and I'll
show you a little bit later there's
there are two existing plane trees in
that Island however it does mean that we
would need to depart from those Main
Street guidelines
um with what we're proposing uh just a
more detailed shot of the streetscape
along Rusty Bucket for everybody's
information
we have about 10 feet of
distance here between Where the Sidewalk
meets this face of the wall to the face
of the restaurant in our current plan
this elevation this is closer to eight
and a half feet of Separation in there
so
um
we have a little bit more room but it's
very consistent I would say it's it I
don't I think it'd be negligible to you
won't tell a difference it might be a
little bit more room for the patio
tables
the granite curb Planters and the plane
trees with the ground cover is we're
going to continue those up along the
frontage per the Main Street guidelines
again just another angle of that shot
Advance please
our next slide
thank you
um some shots up along the Alexander So
currently approximately two feet of
space between the face of the building
to the curb the property line actually
sits about
somewhere in this range about the front
tire of the car is about five feet off
that face of building when we get into
the plans we're proposing an additional
10 feet off of our property line of
Green Space along that Western Property
Line before you get to a drive aisle
you'll see that a little bit later
um again another shot of the the
Alexander
that we can scroll back to
um this shot here is showing that great
transition down to the parking lot
behind the Rusty Bucket and our property
line is it almost follows this retaining
wall it's not perfectly in line with it
but it's very close to being in line
with it so if you're out there editing
time just to give you a point of
reference the idea is that
we would excavate and Export or haul a
lot of the soil that is on the site
today and create a basement level for
parking
um that would bring our our site in that
that drive that runs along the western
property line closer to the existing
um gateway's parking lot there will be a
little bit of a mound in here as we
transition those grades and then we were
you'll see a little bit later that we're
thinking
replacing Landscaping in kind or
something very similar next slide
just so you know you've gone 10 minutes
10 minutes all right
more shots of the more shots of the uh
the trees along the north these are some
Spruce along that lot running on a park
to you Brighton Road next slide please
um
yes the Bexley Square parking lot or the
cic parking lot these are there's an
existing tree row along that shared
property line
um here so next slide
next slide existing conditions we did a
little survey
this is showing approximately where the
building proposed building as it has
been drawn to date would sit in
relationship to the existing buildings
they're out on site today next slide
please
um existing site plan so the 10 foot
side yard that I was mentioning along
the Alexander 22-foot Drive aisle we do
have a one-way motion currently in this
piece of the design
um
two two-way traffic down here there's a
10-foot planting strip along the
foundation at this point
around eight foot along the north Edge
um again six feet along the north
property line before we get to parking
we've tried to use compact spaces where
we can to provide more green space
um
the plant bed over here along the east
is a little bit more generous than the
current design I don't know exactly
where it'll be with the parking lot and
then we we've really tried to focus a
lot of the attention on
the plaza or linkage over to Bexley
Square in that Southeast corner and some
ideas that we can do there next slide
please
so there are some great issues we're
trying to meet existing grade at this
point we're trying to come out and meet
existing grades at this point there's
about five feet of fall across the
frontage along East Main Street
um so it's a challenging challenging
site and we're trying to make it all
work vertically as well as horizontally
um next slide please
um
these the elevations that have been
submitted they do reflect the planting
plans that have been submitted in those
narrow plant beds up along the
foundations we're proposing upright
deciduous trees to try to help ground
that building
um and then the the more rounded or
crowned trees that are shown here out in
the parking lot Islands
that you'll see a little bit later next
slide please
um some shots of the the plaza space and
that that little park space slash
screening for the cic parking lot next
slide please
uh you can go ahead and go to the next
slide
um
this is showing some of the grade issues
and how we're trying to handle those
with a few stairs some seat walls out
along that Southeast Corner five percent
external walk down to the public walk
however we can route that around to the
other side next slide please
um this is really just showing how that
Plaza would extend or could extend up to
the north and get into the parking lot
or parking garage entrance at this point
Clubhouse does sit above that on the
second level and it is accessed through
the jump Lobby that's happening at that
Southeast corner of the building for
reference next slide please
this is southwest corner showing the
streetscape that follows the existing
streetscape in front of the Gateway
um
we're trying to show some of the great
transitions that are going to happen on
that north end of that West Side so we
do have an excavated basement parking
level at this point of the building
we do not have basement parking on the
very far north end of the building where
the grade will transition back up we're
meeting grades that are happening along
the Alexander's Alleyway as well as back
against the northern property line so
that we're not Excavating up against the
property line uh or endangering the
trees that are there
next slide please
these are the other two elevations that
we can come back to if you have any
questions this is the west elevation
along the Alexander
this would be that Northern elevation
there is a currently a garage entrance
shown here we are looking at relocating
that to the other face of the building
next slide please
so planting plans we've submitted a few
conceptual planting plans
um we can talk about these in detail if
if you would like generally trying to
add additional buffer along that that
site in the northwest corner that has a
blank or an empty tree row
infilling with
an eight foot fence
uh Arborvitae on the the adjacent
property side of that fence which helps
off on the fence and um
I think the screen fence gives you a
screen day one the Arborvitae while
they're growing in hopefully they will
take over and get more of a 20-foot
height screen
um next slide please
um this is that Northern property line
the fence
um next slide please
and just to finish up
um so the concept that we were trying to
propose with the tree survey as
submitted
we were counting about 58 total trees
being removed on the site
um 19 of those are some white pines that
are out there today they're intermixed
especially in the tree road that are
they're in there pretty tight along that
Tree Road so
um if you deduct those there's about 39
existing deciduous trees on the site
today providing some canopy
we have shown on that conceptual plan
around 51 deciduous trees and the the
idea there is we're trying to get closer
to kind of a one-to-one replacement of
if we're removing 58 trees try to
replace it with 58 trees plus or minus
depending on what the site will bear and
how it aligns with the building facades
with that I will complete
thank you for respecting the time
um we have the sign up sheet
thank you
uh
first person I have is uh Nancy marzella
um
well then
if you can just identify yourself then
well good afternoon
sure I'm sorry Dr Nicole Bundy I'm a
resident I currently live at 65 South
Columbia but also co-owned two other uh
houses in Bexley at Alexander condo and
also uh
house on Fair Avenue which my family and
I are moving into so
um I will try to reserve my comments to
the issue of landscaping and trees
um but they are inextricably linked to
the project itself and the scope of the
project and the size of the building
um in this world where we are losing
Green Space at a terrifying rate
um and and as as
appreciative as I am at efforts to
replace trees taking down 50 some odd
old established trees and replacing them
with
inevitably smaller trees if you can get
that menu in it just doesn't seem to be
consistent with in in my view are ethos
and Bexley uh you know we're a community
that is starting composting programs and
how we can be part of taking away Green
Space
for frankly something that has been
um clearly opposed by so many residents
in Bexley so there are so many reasons I
don't think this proposal as it stands
is good for our community the loss of
green space is just one of them and I I
fail to believe that
the current proposal and the scope of
that proposal and the number of units
and the size of it is the only solution
for that space I I'm not sure why other
more creative and green friendly
Solutions haven't been considered uh
make the whole thing a green space I I
understand that this is not my
wheelhouse and understand the financial
uh impacts but you have a pretty special
great Community
um I don't have children in the school
district here they happen to go to
Columbus Academy but we chose to live
here despite the fact that we knew we
wouldn't use the schools and that we'd
be paying higher taxes and get less
housed than we would have elsewhere
because Bexley is Bexley and it's
beautiful and it's a walking community
and it's green and to lose that just
seems like a complete shame and and
frankly a reason to potentially not move
in not encourage Future Families to move
in and and and to to leave
so I hope you take that consideration
thank you thank you
uh who wants to go next
my name is Nancy marzella I'm live at
the Alexander unit 407 and I
well my request in the request my
friends here and neighbors is that
Mr Cass and his team go back and look at
that drawing one more time and please
spare the sycamore trees that have been
planted along Main Street four I'm
guessing 30 years but all of you know
that a whole bunch better than I do I
don't have the records but
those trees that are in front of the
current Trinity dormitories
bring such peace to Main Street it is
wonderful on winter summer spring
whenever you're walking by those trees
they've been there a long time they
provide shelter peace and that is what
Bexley is about so we're asking that
could possibly that whole development
after it's cut in half that whole
development
yeah yes that whole development be
pushed back enough so that those trees
can be spared their life I know of at
least maybe three or four people in my
building that are already ready to tie
themselves into those trees if he comes
in and tries to cut him down but I that
is a request and within the middle of
that uh the Trinity space there are some
beautiful ancient trees in there that
could be spared and if there's a way of
looking at a development plan and
sparing some of those trees since we are
Tree City USA not many not me I I think
we're one of the few cities that have
that honor and let's honor the honor
that we have this year of the trees and
the parks and not cut down 53 trees that
shouldn't be given a death sentence they
haven't done anything wrong so thank you
thank you Architects if you can go back
thank you
next
prepared
hello my name is Modi
um
I horse and I live on Bryden Road
um 2265
um and
and I speak with the trees the beautiful
green Bexley trees am I done
and we don't want them to be cut down
mom speaking
yeah
next
excuse me my name is Rule Vance Bronson
the number one stop on the central
Arboretum tour of Bexley are the London
plain trees that were Nancy was
referring to
um when you enter Bexley from the West
you come in to on Main Street and you
are being enveloped by the canopies of
these London paint trees both on the
south and the north side it would be
truly a shame if we're going to replace
these with the pictures that are being
presented because when you start looking
at the market district and even where I
live at the Bexley Gateway with the
trees that are sometimes then put in
these whatever you call them in the
sidewalks some of those trees do not
grow at all so they look beautiful on
the landscape plans but in actuality
when you go out and look at Market
District you see very thin trees so to
replace
the number one stop on the central
Arboretum tour with
not so nice trees that we currently have
it would be truly a shame it will change
the character of entering Main Street
from the west side thank you thank you
next
well you've not gone in order uh
Quran right no he's he spoke oh I see
I'm sorry he signed into the wrong list
um Rebecca Ness she signed into okay uh
Maria Rosenthal
line of thoughts
like this
um
my name is Maria rosintel and I am
a resident of the Alexander I am a
property owner along with 31 property
owners in this building
we may not be single family homes but we
are certainly homes and we are
taxpayers
in the city of Bexley at a
very decent High rate of Taxation
uh we are shocked that the fact that the
city considers
the problems to the single family homes
but does not consider the problems to
the Alexander
and it's just talked to us the Bexley
Gateway
we are
owners and we are residents and we are
taxpayers of Bexley
uh unfortunately the picture that you
saw do not show the view from the
Alexander towards the proposed building
but you could see is a building
yes there will be a little bit of space
down there
um some Greenery that's going to take 30
40 years to grow to the place the
current trees are
and all we would have is shade onto the
building
in addition
cutting down 58 trees
you are cutting you are eliminating not
just the trees but the habitat for
some migrating birds that are just
coming right now I invite you to go
there and sit in that lovely Courtyard
and listen to the migrating birds going
by
and our hummingbirds and everybody else
that uses these as a residence
please don't allow these trees to
disappear
don't allow them to be massacred just
for a development that needs to be
thought through before we go forward
with the project thank you thank you
Marcia Hirsch
my name is Marcia Hirsch I live at the
Alexander
could you bring that a little bit closer
to you thank you
my name is Marcia Hirsch better
I live at the Alexander 500 South
Parkview
um
some of my thoughts have already been
expressed today so I'm going to try to
trim down what I had written
my comments have to do with some
tangible measurable benefits from trees
none of this is news to you folks on
this commission but I think they're
relevant here
trees absorb and store carbon dioxide
helping to mitigate effects of climate
change
once a tree is removed
carbon dioxide is released back into the
environment
trees produce oxygen especially
important in polluted corridors of busy
roadways like our Main Street
trees protect properties from flooding
this is very important where the ground
surface is made of impermeable material
like concrete
and I'd like to say as a resident of the
Alexander I'm concerned about heavy
rains and runoff causing flooding to the
west of this proposed development
but equally important to the facts are
the emotions we all experience around
trees welcoming lovely Shady trees
My Hope Is that the existing mature
plain trees along Main Street can be
saved
and that numerous other
trees can be saved when possible
and that those that will be replaced
with smaller trees obviously to provide
Greenery and shade and positive benefits
will provide this to the area and to the
people who live here because Bexley is a
unique community
we all appreciate the greenery that you
have worked so hard to
maintain and to perpetuate
and we all appreciate and thank you for
listening thank you
that's everyone on the list is there
anyone that didn't get a chance to sign
in
so I think we now will return to the
applicant for five minutes for any
response you'd like to provide
if you if not you you're not obligated
to do so
um did you have any problems any Pearl
officer I apologize no one's signed up
is there anyone that wanted to speak in
favor of the application other than the
applicant
yes
the next step in our process is now for
us
um a little different than when we're
engaging in sort of a final application
this is a chance to ask questions for
clarification about where the plan
stands today
um we won't be suggesting species of
perennials as we often do but rather
just seeking clarification of what's
been presented to us today so does
anyone from the commission have
questions I do
um
Celeste Williams here I have a question
for either Ryan or I think it would be
more Ryan than Jason
um what is your goal for the number of
units because how you're going to take
up the space
really depends upon how much you're also
going to be as for Celeste parts list
but I can't do that no
we can only focus on plants trees
landscape well I'm I'm this is this
affects the parking and if the the
possibility if you're taking bringing
your project in towards City Hall where
we have a medium already maintained and
we have Seven Trees six or seven trees
that have been growing safely and
happily and we have a congestion problem
here to begin with
so I think we're only we I don't think
that's quite in our purview either I'm
so sorry okay I think what might be a
better overall topic since we're not
talking about architecture or density or
uh or traffic patterns is to really talk
about what you want to see Edge group
come back with on the plan that are your
standards and your values and that you
feel
um are important to both you in the city
I don't expect unanimity on this I think
you know we've got a lot of people that
are have independent minds but I think
Mr Pearson you might enjoy and benefit
from hearing the wide range of
priorities that people have I just want
to make
sure that there's no questions just for
clarification of what we've been
presented with today and then yes then I
was going to ask for con any input that
folks might want to give to the next
stage of the process
well I I have one question and that is I
heard you talk about trees and traffic
islands and I didn't see those on the
plans so perhaps I miss those
the trees
or I don't know I mean I don't know
where they were because even if you go
back to the overall master plan yeah it
might be the best
so there are a few islands that will
happen in the surface parking areas are
they called out there right now Ryan or
am I missing it this could be possible
well I think I don't know if you can see
where I'm pointing to but
whoops
so you can see where there are a few
islands that or peninsulas yes that's
that's helpful thank you very much yeah
um you know again over here along the
western property line we have a few
Green Island opportunities that's what I
was referring thank you I missed those
any other questions
uh is Staff able to ask a question
or do you ask them just for commission
questions
um I think a question of clarification
is is fine
it is a question of clarification
relative to the recent discussion about
making it pedestrian bike only to Bryden
are you anticipating additional
Landscaping going in that area
in lieu of The Wider pavement I would
imagine however this corner turns out we
will be having additional landscape or
green space in this area
um we haven't had a chance to really
study that and we're somewhat waiting on
page seven to look at the building a
little bit further and sure if that
drives any and just to provide the
commission information well I think what
Ryan was also alluding to is I think we
are now you are now not proposing a
connection to the parking lot on the
North side as well right yeah yes so
are you talking about the connection
between City Hall yeah we're reworking
that whole area okay and to go back to
your original question I think about the
path as it goes up we'd expect some type
of landscape improvements and cleaning
up of that area I think it's a 12-foot
Lane at this point right so uh I would
expect it to narrow it down a little bit
sure
um to allow for that pedestrian bike
path area and then you know some
supplemental plannings
and then the one last piece of
clarification so you're aware of
conversation that's occurred the one
conversation we had with the parking lot
Ryan provided the city with four
different options for how the parking
could be configured and the option that
we are currently skewing towards would
preserve those the median trees just so
you're aware of that the ones that yes
so mayor Kessler who who owns or has the
right-of-way in that the area that's the
connector between Bryden and the parking
lot is that City
City owned privately that's that the
Continental is purchasing okay okay no
it's not a city that's part of at least
on the auditor's map yes
okay
okay shall we proceed to commissioner's
comments
consider anyone that wants to start
I have a question
um
I know that or maybe you don't know the
history of the trees along Main and then
when the um
for the property down the corner of
Parkview was proposed there those trees
continued the beautiful sycamore trees
continued down there
and uh
a vote was taken to allow them to take
it down
which
uh there was only one person to vote
against it and I think we've learned
from that that we need to be very
careful about doing something in the
future that would then
allow that to continue
those are
beautiful gorgeous trees that by caliper
you can't replace you know you can take
something 24 put up 24 one inch trees
it's just not gonna you know not gonna
happen
um and that you're talking a lot about
Arborvitae and I don't know how many
varieties you have out there but they
often are something that's not
long-lived so you've got something
that'll provide some shade or some
boundaries but then you're going to lose
some of those so I think you need to
part of that you know you're working
your plan it's just
not feasible so
okay so can I respond or um I think you
can I didn't know if there's a question
if you need clarification on the the
comment as you consider your plans
briefly but we're not engaged in
discussion I'm just asking is our
providing prohibited for users
prohibited okay she's invested let me
offer some additional background on that
I did me with that property owner
particularly on that and shared with
them what we were proposing the fences
and the arborvitaes we fully expect that
we'll need to work with those property
owners and if an arborvitae is not the
appropriate uh you know tree or whatever
for those folks we'll work with those
individuals and try to find what's the
best program for them so that that is
something that you know I'll just say
historically we've done that when we
were involved with the Giant Eagle we
would expect to do the same thing with
with those things
okay are there other keeping in mind
that right now what we're doing is
offering our insights as to what we
would like to see in a plan within our
purview as reviewers of the landscape
plan I'm sorry but yeah you've had folks
in the audience have had a chance to
speak we don't engage in dialogue so
uh we've learned our lesson in the past
so yeah
I uh I just would like to can you
introduce yourself so I'm sorry Barbara
Giller
um I think that uh
I'm in sympathy with everybody that
talks about the preservation of trees
and as you know just we had the
discussion about the oak tree just
recently about not taking down trees
unless it's incredibly necessary on the
other hand I do think we have to
understand that this whole plan is so
preliminary
and that nothing has really been decided
that I don't think we can get really
we can talk about Arborvitae and we can
talk about this but I just think it's a
very early stage to start getting
specific
foreign
I would like to comment that I
appreciate everyone's comments here we
all on this commission are committed to
our trees
um I would hope that their the
community's thoughts would be of
consideration as you move forward with
your plans we know that these plans are
not definite but there are some worthy
thoughts to embrace about our trees so
if there are some that could be
kept I think that would be really
appreciated by all of us
sure sure
um Susan quintan's chair so you know
we're talking about what we value and
what we'd like to see here so we are an
arboretum I'd like to see a variety of
trees if new trees need to be planted
that expand the Arboretum
um I'm also the tree commission is also
very interested in maintenance plan
whether it's a maintenance plan of the
current trees or a current number of
trees that would stay
um and what would be done to guarantee
not only that they are taken care of
during the construction process but
moving forward three to five years
um as you know or maybe you don't know
we do not have a uh a code or an
ordinance that says if you take down 850
caliber inches you have to replace with
850 caliber inches however
I do know that other communities when
they did lose caliper inches have put a
cost on a per inch
replacement I guess and I'm sure you've
seen that in other communities and the
values these days at least in my recent
research is like 100 inches a hundred
dollars an inch to four hundred dollars
an inch and
um right now the city of Bexley has the
39 canopy coverage
um we want to get to 40 canopy coverage
I think that you and Ellen have had some
discussions about how what would the
canopy coverage be like on this site I I
think we as a as a commission would be
interested in what percentage that could
be what it would be when it went in what
it would be
five years what it would be in 10 years
I think those those would be good
let's see I think it was 2020 uh the
city of Bexley
worked with a company called Planet Geo
and we did a Bexley assessment of our
Urban Tree canopy study I think that's
on the website mayor and I would suggest
that you look at that because it shows
planting areas and the amount of
impervious
um
areas that we have in the City versus
the tree canopy I think that could be of
interest to you
um
personally I like Trees and Landscaping
as they Define areas as they Define
entrances and exits
and since we won't talk about the
architecture we can only talk about
using trees in a way that helped Define
the important aspects of architecture
um
one of the great things about trees is
they're more than beautiful as Mrs Hurst
said they do you know are important
stormwater runoff and carbon
sequestration and so
if those are lost is there any intent by
InterContinental to do something
environmentally friendly and exciting
that would offset a potential gain in
stormwater runoff
sometimes irrigation water can be
recycled other kinds of exciting things
so I would suggest that would be of
interest to me
and I think that takes care oh it's the
site amenities I think that we'd be
interested in uplighting plan if if
suggested or if not suggested you know
why not and the other kind of things
that go on the site like trash
receptacles in signage
so those are my comments Mr Wilson thank
you madam chair
um I I have a few
comments everyone will be surprised to
know
um
so conceptually the way I look at this
is there's actually sort of three pieces
to this the first is the parking lot
here at City Hall which relates to your
application but you're not the applicant
unless you have I guess the the Bexley
cic gives you a permission to seek a
plan on their behalf
my comment there is simply
dealing with this at once will be more
helpful than
approving a plan without having a plan
for this parking lot approved and then
being told that we've got to do
something we don't like about the
parking lot here so I would encourage
you either to get Bexley cic to bring a
plan at the same time you do or get
their permission to offer a plan
um but I think
um
speaking for myself I don't like it when
I'm told I have to do something because
something else has already been approved
[Music]
a second part of this that I see is
somewhat distinct is your access Drive
um if you look at the Bexley ordinances
I think it's section
1262.01 M it gives the tree Authority
um broader Authority when we're dealing
with a right-of-way with construction
through the right-of-way for an access
road so I'd encourage you to look at
that and come up with a plan that meets
that specific ordinance
and if you have any questions I'm sure
that Elena can answer them about sort of
what in the past our expectations have
been around removing trees in the
right-of-way because if as our as I read
your plan one or more trees are going to
have to come down for for the access
road the other part of our work and
probably the larger part of your plan is
that we will be called upon to make a
recommendation because bzap at the end
of the day will be the one finally
approving a plan as I understand the
ordinances as they relate to the Main
Street district and I think there are
sort of two parts that I would encourage
you to address very specifically that is
one that the main street or guidelines
ordinance has very specific Provisions
regarding the streetscape and one of
those for instance is I believe if I'm
reading it correctly it calls for trees
to be planted 30 feet on Center and if I
read your plan correctly they're more
like 45 feet on Center and if you know
I'm not predicting what we're going to
do but if we are called upon and
determined that we have to approve the
removal of the existing City trees
you're going to have a really tough time
convincing me that for 35 feet on Center
is an adequate replacement for what we
have there
I'm not predicting anything I'm just
saying you're gonna have to make your
case around that I would also encourage
you with respect to any replanting of
those City trees to come in with a plan
that recognizes that you're going to
have to have a 60-foot square
um space for each of those plantings
you're going to have to have the
appropriate
accoutrements around them but also we
frequently
I feel like this is sometimes presented
to us as a negotiating point and from my
perspective you've got to have to put
structural soil in there that's
non-negotiable don't come with a plan
that doesn't have structural soil for
those
um you know the other half of this is
as I understand your plan you are
seeking
um a special permit to go above the
three three story level and while I
think that's mostly an architectural
issue the ordinance does say that that
you know has certain Provisions that
relate to not just architecture but it
says architecture and design and in my
mind this is what we're looking at is
design and so I hope you will
go back to your client and say they've
told me I need to present an
extraordinary design and bring us an
extraordinary design some of the the
aspects of that I would say
um you know and I guess the caveat to
tell this is I don't know what the next
iteration of this plan is if the
architecture changes all this could
change but for instance in the existing
plan around the entryway I think it's
nice it's not extraordinary in it yet I
would encourage you that's one space
where you can do something with
Landscaping that would be extraordinary
um I would
um also
um suggest that um you look at the
plannings on the access road on the West
Side
um from a purely practical uh
perspective I think that's going to be
shaded most of the day and so I think
you gotta have to come to us with a plan
that respects the kind of species that
could be planted there and I you know
we'll be looking to not only Elena but
grant for his recommendation as to
whether the species who suggests so
again I would encourage you to consult
with our arborist as to whether what
you're suggesting
um are species that are in the long term
going to be viable and Thrive there
overall in terms of a plan you know and
this is Echoes what I heard from some of
the members of the public that spoke it
frankly would be helpful to me I mean
it's fine to me if you want to bring an
elevation showing what these trees are
going to look like when they're mature
I'd really like to see an elevation that
shows what they're going to look like
when they're planted
um I would you know it's different and
um I concur with what some folks said
that some of the trees that were
presented to us on Main Street sure
looked like they were going to be a lot
bigger than they've become and we want a
plan that makes lets us make a realistic
assessment so
um I think I've covered everything Madam
chair and
um you know you're free to consult with
our our staff about what you've heard
from all the commission members and we
look forward to seeing the next
iteration of your plan
I guess the one last thing I would add
is is I'm understanding our process
um and I know that you've got deadlines
and Continental has deadlines the you
know
what I understand bzap is going to be
looking for us as a final recommendation
um and that so that means is nearly a
complete plan as possible
um we are for instance I believe the
ordinances about architecture review
allow staff to make modifications we
typically don't do that
um so we if you don't have a final plan
you're going to have to come back to us
and we're tougher on amendments than we
are on the initial plan so or at least I
am so
um just just to be clear our next
meeting is October 18th any new design
would need to um be uh To Us by October
11th to post on the 13th it probably
needs to be to Illinois a week before
that so I'd say October 4th so it's you
know things get to be on a roller
coaster right now and uh yes
are voting on a plan then goes to be Zap
for them to approve or how does that
okay we'll go to bizap
um when we have the a final plan that
we're ready to approve or disapprove or
amend
um and um this may be an instance where
we as a commission have to work a little
harder on our rationale than we normally
do
um on plants that aren't being further
reviewed by other boards of the city so
we'll Susan and I are working on a plan
for that
so we have if our approval or
disapproval then goes to visap then the
plan doesn't go forward because we don't
approve landscaping and that it can't
happen or how does that work
no we will yeah much more like what
happens regularly with respect to
architecture
um bzap has Authority I don't want to
get too deeply into the weeds here but
they have authority in the Main Street
district for final approval of this for
instance this is different than if it
was a residential plan on Parkview where
we where a final landscape plan would
have to be approved by us before
construction could begin bezap at the
end of the day under the Main Street
guidelines has the final say on all this
okay and I have one other final
um
request since uh you may be replacing
caliper volume to caliper volume I would
suggest in the extraordinary plan that
you also promote not only that the trees
I understand that the there's a center
of each building that allows for
grass and trees but we I would like to
see that not being the the place in
which you try and
place the makeup number for the caliper
I'd like to see it on the outside of the
buildings as much as the in between
thank you thank you Celeste and thank
you Mr Pearson for being here today
thank you very much for your time okay
and um Jason thank you also for coming
I'd like to thank the members of the
Alexander and I have to tell you we're
coming to the exciting part of our
meeting because we're talking about a
plan for infilling our streets with
trees more trees in the next three years
so you're welcome to stay although if
you choose not to we'll hope to see some
of you another time and give you our
same sales job about staying and coming
to the three commissioner meetings third
Wednesday of the month four to six no
admission charge appreciate you being
here
you're welcome you're welcome
yeah so um we're going to go to Old
business now and actually we are going
to talk about a three-year plan to end
build vexley tree Lawns
um and Mr Wilson do you want to lead off
that discussion
um well it may be a fairly short
discussion I think well gee I bet people
will complain I think that the plan is
um that the mayor is going to convene a
meeting with you and I and with Grant
and Spencer in which we sit down and
talk about the best way to plan for that
infill
um whether you having members of the
commission
um uh walk Bexley as we did pre-covered
and with our exciting app which is
personally exciting but not necessarily
as exciting to everyone else in the
world
um or whether it makes sense for Grant
and Spencer and folks working for Grant
to identify the spots but um I think
we'll we'll hopefully have that meeting
before our next
um free commission meeting and we can
actually present you with sort of the
process by which we will get there is
that Grant is that consistent with your
understanding of
it's uh the first time I've heard that
so you mean the mayor failed to
communicate something we talked about
that's
shocking shocking aren't you glad you
came to this meeting Grant I mean every
meeting I come to I get more work so
well Grant if we could help you with
your work we would I think you know that
instead we could just give you money
yeah no Steph I know I know say have you
heard this before
don't answer that okay all right
um but this three-year plan to in
filibexi trees kind of ties in with the
2023 trees for Bexley fundraising Focus
Mrs Bowden Mrs Bowden Mrs Bowden
you know what happens when the mics are
on these things get recorded beside
conversations so beware beware so do you
want to talk about the 2023 trees for
Bexley project
um
thing and one for recommending patients
with me go to them today is to make the
challenge in the next year to play at
100 screen trees throughout
and
um
yeah I think
our inspiration has really been that the
city is an arboretum and uh
and part of the insertion for me anyway
because
outside of Chicago and it's an action
senior uh
gentleman who worked with gentlemen who
in 1872 literally in Nebraska Kingdom
campaign for his same plant trees and
within a short period of time he
actually planted a million trees
in our country and since 1972 the
department of foundation picked up but
since then they had more than 50 million
degrees it was a challenge name in the
next five years
out of 50 languages worldwide because of
the impact of trees on the environment
it's all good shameful Louisiana
so actually so here am today proposing
that the uh our 20 23-24
raising the funds
okay so uh is there any discussion
I'd take a motion for the approval of um
focusing ISO move okay excuse me yeah I
move that we accept uh
uh Ellen's uh suggestion for the 100
Street trees
in Bexley next year okay is there a
second and Phil infiltrates and filters
so second second is there any discussion
Grant do you have anything you'd like to
say
okay emotions been made a seconded that
we approve the trees for Bexley project
for 2023 as raising funds for 100
infiltries to be planted in 2024 all
those in favor say aye
aye all those opposed same sign and the
abstention motion carries okay so I
should we should have mentioned that
Grant
um estimate is that a new Street tree
planted is plus or minus four hundred
dollars so we figure we have to raise
forty thousand dollars right for 100
trees right and that's a little bit
above what we've raised which has been
36 000 so
after summer lemonade stands okay so new
business uh Mr Wilson you were going to
was there any other old business okay
um review of ordinances pertaining to
tree commission why don't you tell
everybody what you volunteered to do for
the mayor
um well um
to step back in in terms of
um just understanding what our role is
particularly with respect to the 2200
East Main Street project
um
our ordinances are all over the place in
terms of what the tree commission does
and if you read the sort of foundational
principle of what the tree Foundation or
treat commission does doesn't even
mention landscape reviews so it I mean
I'm not suggesting we don't have the
power it's just spread out all over the
ordinances and we've got some things
that are in you know where you would
expect things about Street trees that
aren't really about Street trees so I
agreed to sort of go through our code
and figure out where we're mentioned or
a mayor didn't specifically ask me to do
this where we might want to be mentioned
well you knew who was doing the project
so you knew that I would do it anyway so
I've begun that project and so I I will
compile that
um probably a jacket with Susan and the
mayor and whoever else the mayor wants
to have check it and then we'll work
from there to perhaps a more orderly
setting forth of our responsibilities so
that you know folks that come before us
have a clear pathway to know what we're
up to and what we're not up to yeah I
think it's that's extraordinary and I'm
I I just feel it's our lucky day that we
have a lawyer that wants to do this
because I look at ordinances and I think
you know when can I go to sleep yeah so
and I'm always glad when someone feels
they're lucky to have me around well
don't you don't check at home okay Mrs
Gila you were going to uh just chat with
everybody about the projects that the
Bexley beautification fund advisors uh
voted to approve on Monday and it said
the most recent and we just met Monday
so this is
48 hours right not off the press uh we
uh granted five thousand dollars in
conjunction with St Charles to plant
trees down the um
bike path walkway
to the west of their building
um they were very extremely well
prepared and had all kinds everything
was laid out just for us I mean not just
for us but for us to see and uh we are
going to ask requests that we put a
little plaque on there that says that
this is done in conjunction with the two
groups which we thought was good for
both of us
um so they have already done some of
that and we're just glad to be their
partner
we are also had a grant from
Elena for the Schiller Park a birch
Garden no Schneider Park I mean what did
I say sure sorry I think it's a I think
it's a nice comparison
yeah yeah at Schneider Park and it will
be a grouping of trees of a birds of
birch trees of different
uh you know some will be smaller some of
different varieties correct and uh in
conjunction with a step stairway that
will go down it might be engraved with
some things uh Elena had all the
all the details and we granted eighteen
thousand dollars for that
Gramps wonderful and one more Grant we
did yes what was the other one well yeah
the most exciting one this the medians
on Drexel oh the medians on Drexel I'm
sorry I didn't write that down you guys
so you can say Susan okay so
um the the city came uh with the request
for fifty thousand dollars to underwrite
the installation of the winter creeper
and the cherries on Drexel and the tree
and the executification fund advisors
granted 25
000 right 50 000 is a lot of money for
us so we did 25
000 and of course
um there was some you know kind of horse
trading and I said to Elena we reserve
more horses to trade if you know we want
to see additional things and she didn't
say no she didn't say no so but um I I
think I think many of us feel that the
as soon as the trees go in there will be
a um a huge uh lift to the community and
the excitement will be transparent as
people see how beautiful an unattractive
Street can be when it turns into
something with medians and trees at
least some construction people go right
they'll be happy so Mara is also
thinking that because we've had numerous
interactions with the um Asian American
Pacific Islanders that perhaps when the
trees flower in the spring it would be a
great time to have a celebration on
Drexel with the cherry trees that sounds
fantastic
and thank you Susan for taking over from
me
my laps I I was going to return to
Grant's um idea about re-looking at the
street trees
um for for the streets and you know one
of the things we've talked around Grant
is you know what trees are no longer
viable in our increasingly warm Zone and
I don't know if there's a list out
if you've seen a new list that says you
know you would you'd be wise not to
plant
Norway maple sugar Maples red Maples
no not that I'm not that I'm aware of I
know that you know you have to look at
the zone that we're in currently in how
it fluctuates and then what the plant
species how well that will do in that
zone or that range of zones
so that's that's how you would look at
that I don't know that there's a list
out there yet there might be I haven't
Google searched no I haven't either but
I just wondered if the thing had crossed
your desk about that no yeah well
Celeste is in taking a tree the tree
Academy program through the forest
service and I would love that if you'd
ask them that question they could help
us all out okay sure yeah how many more
classes do you have to go to before you
fly up
I'm a senior
is that one more so I have
one classes but we'll meet one more time
okay all right well let us know when the
swearing ceremony starts no I will I
also know I am not going to let you know
uh that the uh gentleman that helped us
in our yard uh told me he's planting
different species and uh because of the
more you know the warmer climate and uh
yeah and that some others aren't doing
as well for the same reason too much
heat so it's something we need to
think about it
and then at our meeting on Monday
um Paige crane suggested that we look at
um the streets where we have chosen an
understory tree because of electrical
wires and sometimes those electrical
wires don't extend the whole street and
yet we have understory trees that are
specified and do so is that another
consideration as we walk the streets to
be cognizant of so it was a good point
anything else under new business
I just I wanted to make just one comment
and I didn't say it when um we were
talking about your email
um about the acorns but I think as we're
thinking about the trees and we're
revisiting them
um I think the comment about the the
small properties versus the large
properties that that's tough I mean I
think we can certainly we can certainly
look at that but I think it's also
difficult where you know
looking at having a street tree and the
establishment of that it's hard I think
it's a potentially dangerous precedent
to take one tree down that someone might
not like because they don't like acorns
um it's the same thing I don't think
acorns are necessarily the same as sweet
gums but we have a plan to remove sweet
gums you can't just do it all by itself
so it's going to be a balance that we
have to keep in mind in terms of when
you're walking that street just because
it has smaller houses I don't think it
necessarily needs to mean that it should
be smaller trees I don't I don't know if
that is a is the the best way to
approach tree selection and and may I go
back to my comment I was how I was how I
was processing this is if you have a big
oak tree and it really ends up
encompassing the entire lot and they
can't get around it they can't get away
from it but if you can plant it in a
larger lot where it's not going to be in
in the walkways car driveway house
entrance that's a good Target I think
you know I think we've all been around
this long enough to know that each tree
has its own characteristics you know
yeah Mr Wilson president has their own
characteristics well that's true too I
mean I know people uh on streets that we
plant
smaller trees that would love to have
Oaks planted on their streets so it's a
very individual perspective and um I
mean they're sweet gum there's honey
locust pods there's the little windmills
from the maple trees that some people
hate you know black wall That's foray
where they they on Columbia today yeah
so I I think your point is well taken
um Elena and you know of course the
other variable we have is the increase
the variable of right away
so okay
um Mrs Bible is recovering from her
tonsillectomy so I would be happy to
give a brief counsel update if you would
like oh that would be terrific uh do you
go to the City Council meetings I do
okay well good
um uh there are a couple ordinances that
are making their way through the system
obviously I I mentioned that the volcano
mulch ordinance passed
um there is a funding ordinance we are
going to be seeking a grant from opwc
for a project on Remington and
oh shoot I forgot the other Street the
reason I want to mention it specifically
is the Remington area between fair and
Maine
where we have really limited
right-of-way to work with and so uh one
of the challenges with that is our
sidewalks don't meet Ada
um they're narrow than they should be as
well but they don't meet aada because of
slopes and there's nowhere to put trees
obviously and there's a lot of
encroachment from adjacent properties
that are closely set next to the
right-of-way and so we're trying to
think through how we can creatively
reimagine that section whether it's a
narrowing of Remington and it goes maybe
it becomes one way and you get the
opportunity for for better uh sidewalks
maybe some Greenery so
that'll be that's a future project but
that's something that we hope to look at
more creatively
um there's another ordinance that
requires that if a residence is getting
sprayed for mosquito control that
adjacent properties be notified
um and that's intended to be
compassionate to those who have concerns
about the health of their pollen of
pollinators and
those who pollinators not the plants but
the actual insects pollinating insects
is also the word for that um proponents
uh and obviously Health with you know
kids and pets
um because we know that that that
treatment is air-based it extends up to
150 feet uh outside of the property line
and then um I don't know that we made a
big enough deal about this but uh the
city of Bexley was the applicant for the
Livingston Avenue
project through federal funds at Morp C
Columbus was strangely not the applicant
even though it's Columbus right away for
for scoring reasons and it worked uh we
received a 16 million dollar Grant just
16 million uh for Livingston which is
awesome it's Federal so it's a good
it'll be a good throaty six to seven
year process it requires right-of-way
acquisition but one of the things we
stuck very stringently to in the plan
was the concept of a minimum of an
eight-foot tree line on Livingston
um and a landscaped median so those two
things are part of that plan we just had
our kickoff meeting last week for the
engineering the engineering firm that
was selected was ohm and that's really
good news ohm is a a really great
planning company that also does
engineering and so they have a really
good landscape lens Ashley EFA is on
their is on their team she's a Bexley
native born and raised Jason sudey is on
that team who is our city planner
and so
we're going to have a great team with
ohm
um I I believe that those The Core
Concepts of that strategy are going to
be implemented in that engineering plan
but this will be like a real Proving
Ground the next two years probably two
years it's a long-term engineering plan
so it's going to be real devil in the
details sort of work real nuts and bolts
and so buckle up uh because it will
involve your your attention
um You probably you had a preview of
this those of you guys who have watched
the north capacity project with Columbus
it's the same price it's the same
process right literally same process so
just you know a little a little every
other month the difference being we are
the primary client okay okay that's good
that's interesting
um I should say that more diplomatic we
are a joint client with Columbus not the
primary coins they're right-of-way
they're but uh we are the applicant We
Are The Entity agency that is
technically receiving the funds
um
so it's exciting
um well done well done yeah so it's well
done yes well once the meetings are in
then we'll say Well done but still far
well done I mean how many I mean was it
three to four years ago that you started
the conversations or 2012. I started the
conversation okay so within your
lifetime yeah can't talk for anybody
else
well can you segue to Cass North Cassidy
is there any updates there I haven't
seen anybody in there they're in the
right-of-way acquisition oh are they so
they are purchasing right-of-way okay
negotiating with the property owners
the intersection of Fifth Avenue and
Cassidy's will be dramatically different
and there will be a tree line north of
the railroad tracks there will be
sidewalks on both sides turn on the west
side is going to be a multi-use path
that's doubles as a bike lane
we are we have talked internally among
staff about ways to accommodate bike
Lanes on Cassidy south of the railroad
tracks we have some pretty interesting
ideas but they do involve
reconfiguration of Tree Lawn so we want
to talk about that
well I I've lived long enough to have
raised money to plant that twice I'm I'm
sure you have yeah don't say that that's
not nice no I mean okay our you know
we're constantly improving no right
there that's good and
one thing I I would like to ask though
that I didn't want to ask today is
what are we considering as a sidewalk
with in the city and is there a
difference in sidewalk with on in
commercial districts versus residential
yes because I mean
uh that seems to be a little bit of the
limbo
so the standard width is four feet
I think we want a minimum of six on Main
Street that Main Street Driveline is
called for AP right okay and it was more
than that okay great
um we we've expressed to applicants
potential applicants anyone who's
looking at property on Main Street that
we've learned a lot from the Ohio State
Bank project
um we've learned a lot from there were
resident comments today about the tree
Wells and inadequacy of tree growth
um when we have done those recently
we've used structured soil
um we've had larger tree Wells they've
done very well so we're going to be
rigorous in our specs and making sure
that structured soil in this new
development context needs to be not just
within the tree well but underneath the
sidewalks around it and
um
I think that
you know I've also expressed while the
Main Street design guidelines really do
encourage getting right up to that
right-of-way that
that streetscape needs to breathe so
um you know we will be updating our
mainster design guidelines kicking that
off probably next year
so we'll have better language around
that but it does the current guidelines
do accommodate the fact that it
shouldn't all be just one wall against
the relative way you mentioned a minimum
or a maximum of 20 feet set back there's
a public amenity Zone that's mentioned
so there's a lot of really good language
about that
um and also be wary of whenever we're
talking about some of this development
and I'm not commenting on the current
proposal but I am saying that
accessibility is important
and so that can be challenging with some
of our topography and so it's something
that we have to keep in mind when we're
looking at any project is is it
accessible to the public
I was I'm reminded of uh Larry Hellman's
Insight that when the Main Street
guidelines were done in the early I
think 2002 that our
image of Main Street was going to be
business
and it's his
prediction that it will become
residential
or more residential that that's that is
kind of the way that if you look at
Downtown Columbus you know that it made
May tend in that direction so I think
that's an important consideration or
worthy of at least looking at you know
what other communities are finding they
do that yeah there's an event coming up
next week at the library then tell on
Intel right right and the reason I
mentioned that
with city as a co-sponsor of that is
that
um that housing crunch the biggest
exists today that Sheila knows well is
only going to be exacerbated obviously
um if we don't as a region figure out
more housing options then we're going to
continue to choke people out of the
ability to be in a home homelessness is
at a historic height it will only get
worse I mean there's all sorts of
much larger broader societal issues that
are wrapped into the question of has and
intensity and so
again I'm not commenting anything but
our zoning does allow for
uh not Arizona doesn't specify density
on mainstream to specify as height and
form so so it could right it could okay
so Mr Wakeman I know you must have had a
crisis I know either that you have
short-term memory loss since we just
talked yesterday
okay so are there any questions you'd
like to ask us in the next seven minutes
[Music]
previous discussion I mean it does seem
to me um I you may I think you probably
are aware of this but in terms of
conditional uses adding pure residential
to conditional uses
in our commercial and Main Street
District might accommodate the notion
and the future people want to build
purely residential and it is a
conditional use on Main Street
yep uh an example of that uh well I was
about to give you an example
uh which is the Alexander it was a
conditional use of purely residential
I have a quick question okay once
um the decisions have been made for the
project on Main Street is it a two-year
project
um for completion what is the projection
of time
um are you referring to this project
over here um yeah I don't I can't I
don't know I can't speak to that and I
also think we should
should not discuss that in a hearing
piece of it sorry in my other question
for Grant and the beautification well we
have lights on Main Street again in our
trees
but
and that was directed to me
yeah there's street lights on the on the
outside of the islands
no I know
excusing not to answer that question
uh we those so these trees probably
won't have the canopy like
she's talking about me oh again okay
sorry I'm we got the question for Drexel
at our beautification button yes that
will be that's an every year thing right
well yeah yeah as far as I know that'll
happen wonderful exciting addition I
mean I will tell you
it's a happy couple it is we almost wish
we had for three or four months yeah
we're going to start early so November I
think is when we're going to start it
this year so just think if the cherry
trees on Drexel get wrapped yes I love
that too okay so you know improvements
happen in small bits and I know I know
is he dead yeah okay okay
so Grant write a grant write a grant
okay
um but
yeah
but uh but I am personally very excited
that there's a new sidewalk on the south
side of Main Street right Googled where
the uh the gas station the former gas
station and that the curb Cuts have been
eliminated that is a huge victory
I would sure yes so about 2014 when we
passed an ordinance it was an
environmental assessment ordinance
for petroleum stations that have been
abandoned and have not been cleaned up
and we have been applying a fee against
that property for many years and asking
the property owner to clean it up and
it's been there's some estate issues
going on but then also in general just
some complacency
those assessments have been filed for a
few years now against the property and
they have a about a hundred and twenty
thousand dollars in fees to the city
on the assessments so we are we have
leveraged that to encourage them
to sign an mou which they did uh in the
mou allowed us to uh abandon their curb
cuts on Main Street and on Chelsea the
Chelsea curb cut will be abandoned
following the successful removal of the
tanks they have applied for a grant to
do that through the state of Ohio we've
actually applied with the agency that
applies for it uh it seems like it's
gonna seems like there's funding for
that
and then they have agreed upon
completion of the cleanup that they
would make it available for development
within a certain number of months of
upon their NFA from the EPA at which
point in time we would agree to ask
Council to remove the assessment so
that's how that has happened wow that's
very good well ten years later we're the
lucky beneficiaries of like 2004 we're
playing chess yeah I like it I like it
so is there anything else to come before
the go to the order I just want to say
one thing I thought that Susan you and
Jim did a
really extraordinary explanation of the
tree commission's
um position on addressing
the trees and the whole concept of our
role and what they were doing I thought
we all were not prepared to do that but
you guys did it you two did a wonderful
job you really did I thought I think and
expressed exactly yeah it was just
expressing exactly what I say every tree
commission needs very antitrust
litigators very clear and very
professional it really was thank you all
thank you it also set a nice tone I
thought I thought so too I thought they
were you know right they wanted to come
and share their thoughts
so good job thank you thank you and we
are adjourned hey