Richardson City Council Meeting June 12th, 2023
OPENING
All councilmembers are present as well as City Manager Don Magner and City Secretary Aimee Nemer.
Mayor Pro Tem Shamsul leads a prayer and the pledges.
Minutes of previous meetings are passed unanimously.
No public speakers are present. One comment card was submitted, by me, for the public hearing on ZF 23-07. I asked the council to consider making the special permit process more equitable for applicants who speak a different language.
TRAFFIC BOX ART CONTEST WINNERS
The first presentation is an update from the Cultural Arts Commission and an announcement of the winners of the Traffic Signal Box Art Contest. Cultural Arts Coordinator Suzanne Etman presents. Over the last year, $305k, funded by the hotel occupancy tax, has been awarded to local arts organizations. Instead of announcing each winner in a presentation, Don Magner suggests that the council take pictures with the winners first. This leads to a confusing sequence of events, and we don’t get a clear look at the winning submissions in this meeting. Three of the winners are from Richardson, one is from Plano, and the other is from Florida.
COUNCIL COMMITTEE & BOARD LIAISON ASSIGNMENTS
The next item is announcing council committee and board assignments. Don Magner appears to try to explain the process of finalizing the assignments, but his microphone remains off so it’s difficult to make out what he is saying. Councilman Corcoran will chair the Audit Committee with Councilmen Dorian and Barrios also serving on the committee. Councilman Hutchenrider will chair the Education Committee with Councilmembers Corcoran and Justice also on the committee. Councilman Hutchenrider will also chair the newly named Business Committee (formerly Retail Committee) with Mayor Pro Tem Shamsul and Councilwoman Justice also serving on the committee. Councilwoman Justice will serve as liaison to the Animal Services Advisory Commission. Councilman Dorian will serve as liaison to the Cultural Arts Commission. Councilman Barrios will serve as liaison to the Library Board. Councilman Corcoran will serve as liaison to the Parks Commission. For the Regional Transportation Council, Mayor Dubey will serve as alternate to the seat with Bruce Arfsten of Addison serving as primary this cycle. Councilwoman Justice will serve as representative to the North Central Texas Council of Gov’ts.
LIBRARY RENOVATIONS UPDATE
The next presentation is on the Library Renovations Project. Balfour Beatty will be the Construction Manager At Risk (CMAR) for this project. Library Director Jennifer Davidson presents an overview of the design process to date. Doug Moss, a representative from the Steinberg Hart architecture firm, presents the proposed design. A drive-up book drop will be added to the west side of the building based on feedback received from library users. The main entrance will be moved to the southeast corner of the building. A new glass-enclosed staircase will also be installed on the southern wall. This plan also increases the efficiency of the interior space by adding 6,000+ sq. ft. without any exterior additions. The design also intends to increase safety and security by improving visibility throughout the library. The current staff elevator will be converted into a public elevator to create a total of three public elevators. The lower level will hold flexible meeting spaces and a local history section. The main level, Level 1, includes the bulk of the staff area, a community area, and a children’s section. Level 2 is dedicated to the children and teens areas. The top level, Level 3, will include the bulk of the adults’ section and a few study group rooms. Engineering Director Jim Dulac continues the presentation, discussing the CMAR selection process. After hearing proposals from five firms, Balfour Beatty was selected due to their recent completion of Richardson’s Senior Center Renovation, Cedar Park’s Library and Park Remodel, and Plano’s Liberty Rec Center Renovation. Construction on the library renovations is expected to begin early next year.
Councilman Hutchenrider expresses concern over the proposed entrance being too far from current parking. The answers given to his question seem to indicate that parking is planned to be moved to the south, but that will be finalized later when the master plan for the entire civic complex is discussed in about a month. Councilman Hutchenrider also encourages staff to consider improving the elevators to be bigger and more convenient. Councilman Dorian asks about planned improvements to exterior glass. Doug states that they are planning to replace the glass with more energy efficient glass to improve on costs and sustainability. Councilman Dorian’s follow-up question about the entrance vestibules reveals plans to include an after-hours book holds pickup in the vestibule. Councilman Dorian also suggests adding green walls and indoor plants to improve aesthetics, sound echo, and comfort with the added oxygen. Doug replies that they will look at adding that. They are also planning sustainable exterior landscaping. (JN: Hopefully that means native plants!)
PUBLIC HEARING ZF 23-07
The last significant discussion is a public hearing on ZF 23-07, a special permit request for a massage establishment at 1551 E. Spring Valley Rd. This zoning file is also highlighted in notes from the May 13th CPC meeting. This request is very similar to the other massage establishment special permit requested in ZF 23-05 back on April 10th. The current applicant is taking over a previously unlawfully operated location, whose former tenants misled the current applicant regarding requirements for a certificate of occupancy. For safety, the special permit would limit the number of approved massage therapists to the current applicant, Ms. Li, and one other massage therapist. The applicant is present with a translator. The translator presents the background on Ms. Li’s experience in pursuing the zoning process. The original hours of operation in the special permit request are limited to 10-8 M-F and 12-7 on weekends. Councilman Hutchenrider asks if the applicant is aware that they would be restricted to only those hours, suggesting that it might be in Ms. Li’s interest to have the option of opening at 10 on Saturdays. The applicant thanks Councilman Hutchenrider for the clarification and confirms that she would like to amend those restrictions to be able to open at 10 on Saturdays. Councilman Barrios asks if the applicant has ever held a lease for a business before now. The applicant answers that she has previously held a lease for another massage establishment in Plano from 2017-2018. She sold that business to focus on her health and family. Councilman Barrios’ final question is about why the council should grant the special permit, calling it an exception to current zoning ordinance. Don Magner explains that the special permit requirement does not imply that this use is nonconforming, rather the special permit process allows individual consideration for certain types of establishments. The applicant’s translator answers that the special permit should be approved because, if the previous owner had been forthcoming about the process to Ms. Li, the rights would not have lapsed. The translator states that the applicant’s struggle with misunderstanding the process is the reason she must request approval of a special permit. (JN: It’s an important point that special permits are not exceptions to the zoning ordinance. Businesses that are granted special permits have all the rights granted by that permit and are considered a conforming use. This does lend credence to Ms. Li’s translator’s comments at the CPC hearing about Richardson requiring a special permit because they don’t want massage establishments. The truth, as usual, lies somewhere in the middle. Richardson should handle these cases individually instead of allowing by-right use for massage establishments. I think the zoning process should be clarified for applicants and new councilmembers, so they don’t have the impression that massage establishments are considered undesirable by the city. Of course, the council receiving feedback from residents that they themselves find massage establishments undesirable is still legitimate feedback for the council to consider, and that appears to be the reason for the prevailing vote.) The motion reflecting the amended hours discussed by Councilman Hutchenrider is approved 5-2 with Councilmen Dorian and Barrios voting against.
CLOSING
Next, the resolution approving appointments to the Regional Transportation Council is approved unanimously.
The consent agenda is also passed unanimously.
Council highlights the Philippine Republic Independence Day celebrations, the Richardson Rotary Club’s trivia night, and the currently full animal shelter, and the meeting adjourns.