Montrose, CO — City Councilors met for their regular meeting Tuesday evening, March 15, to consider a number of ordinances and contract awards for city projects.
Councilors Barbara Bynum, Dave Frank, Doug Glaspell, Anthony Russo, and David Reed met in City Council Chambers along with city staff. Members of the public were invited to attend in-person or online via the Zoom platform.
The following is a summary of the primary topics discussed during the meeting.
Watch the meeting here.
PUBLIC COMMENT
No members of the public offered any comment.
PROCLAMATION: Water Conservation Month Proclamation
Mayor Doug Glaspell read a proclamation declaring April 2022 as Water Conservation Month in the City of Montrose.
Glaspell said water is a "vital resource for the long-term sustainability of our community and it is important for the future of Colorado’s water resources that all communities, individuals, organizations strive to reduce indoor and outdoor water use."
"Every person, business, school, and household can make a difference when it
comes to conserving water, an essential natural resource for all living things, and the City of Montrose is dedicated to implementing water conservation efforts and inspiring residents to join us in becoming better environmental stewards," Glaspell said.
Part of the proclamation is the city’s participation in the 11th annual Wyland National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation, "pledging to reduce our impact on regional water resources and to continue pursuing long-term water conservation strategies …” The proclamation urges city residents to “join us in this goal by making a series of online pledges at mywaterpledge.com to reduce their water consumption and to take specific, measurable actions throughout the year to improve the sustainable use of natural resources."
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
City Councilors voted unanimously to approve the minutes of the March 1 regular City Council meeting.
The city’s archive of past meeting minutes can be found on the new Public Meetings Portal and at CityofMontrose.org/ArchiveCenter.
ORDINANCE 2581 - SECOND READING
City Councilors voted unanimously to approve Ordinance 2581 on second reading, updating Title 4, Chapter 4, Sections 2, 10, 14, 17, and 18 of the City of Montrose Municipal Code regarding zoning regulations. The ordinance defines and adds provisions for supportive housing, barrier(s) to employment and housing stability, on-site supportive services, skilled nursing facilities, and assisted living facilities and specifies where supportive housing is allowed.
Community Engagement Specialist Ross Valdez said this code amendment would increase solutions available to help individuals and families that are experiencing homelessness or at-risk of homelessness and address barriers to employment and housing stability by allowing supportive housing as a conditional use in the following zoning districts: “OR” Office-Residential District, “B-3” General Commercial District, “I-1” Light Industrial District, and “I-2” General Commercial District.
The existing code does not allow for facilities that have ongoing, on-site supportive services and housing for those experiencing or at-risk of homelessness. The proposed definition of supportive housing specifies that this use is not on an emergency or nightly basis and therefore does not include facilities that are commonly referred to as homeless shelters. Occupancy of supportive housing is intended to be long-term with stays of thirty (30) consecutive days or more.
The proposed code modifications provide additional definitions for barriers to employment and housing stability, on-site supportive services, skilled nursing facility, and assisted living facility to further distinguish supportive housing as a use separate from existing uses in the City of Montrose. Nursing care facilities and assisted-living residences are licensed by the State of Colorado and are separate from supportive housing. The proposed amendment clarifies the code in order for supportive housing developers to understand the allowed locations for this type of use.
ORDINANCE 2582 - SECOND READING
City Councilors voted unanimously to approve Ordinance 2582 on second reading for the annexation of the Niagara Road Addition.
City Planner William Reis said the Niagara Road Addition is approximately 0.456 acres in size. The property is located on the northern half of Niagara Road, approximately centered at the intersection with St. Mary’s Dr. It is within the city’s Urban Growth Boundary, the City of Montrose Water Service Area, and the City of Montrose Sewer Service Area. Annexation of this property will clean up an orphaned parcel of city right of way.
Proposed Zoning: “B-2” Highway Commercial District
Applicant: City of Montrose.
ORDINANCE 2583 - SECOND READING
City Councilors voted unanimously to approve Ordinance 2583 on second reading to zone the Niagara Road Addition as “B-2” Highway Commercial District.
ORDINANCE 2584 - SECOND READING
City Councilors voted unanimously to approve Ordinance 2584 on second reading for the annexation of the Mier Addition.
The Mier Addition is approximately 14.67 acres in size and is located east of 6530 Road, west of 6600 Road, and north of Locust Road. It is within the city’s Urban Growth Boundary, Tri-County Water Service Area, and the City of Montrose Sewer Service Area. Annexation of this property will allow for future housing development. An annexation agreement will be required.
Proposed Zoning: “R-4” High-Density District – Applicant changed the request to “R-3” Medium Density District at Planning Commission on February 23, 2022.
ORDINANCE 2585 - SECOND READING
City Councilors voted unanimously to approve Ordinance 2585 on second reading to zone the Mier Addition as “R-3” Medium Density District.
ORDINANCE 2586 - FIRST READING
City Councilors voted unanimously to approve Ordinance 2586 on first reading to amend the 2022 budget.
City Finance Director Shani Wittenberg said Ordinance 2586 states that the Health/Dental Management Fund would be combined into the Internal Service Fund along with Fleet Management, Information Services, and Facility Management. The Health/Dental Management Fund will need to remain separate to maintain the integrity of its checking account, according to Wittenberg.
The council held a public hearing before voting to approve the ordinance.
WEST MAIN REVITALIZATION DESIGN CONTRACT AWARD
City Councilors voted unanimously to approve a contract for design services for the West Main Street Revitalization Project.
According to City Engineer Scott Murphy, the award of a professional services contract to KLJ Engineering in the amount of $367,001 is for the completion of design studies, alternatives evaluations, and civil design associated with the project. The contract award is contingent upon concurrence from the Colorado Department of Transportation, CDOT.
West Main Street, a part of State Highway 90, runs approximately 0.5 miles from Townsend Avenue to the Uncompahgre River. Although owned and generally maintained by CDOT, this stretch of roadway runs through downtown Montrose’s urban core and, as a result, serves as the primary access and frontage for adjacent businesses.
West Main also provides a vital vehicular and pedestrian connection between downtown businesses, nearby residential centers/Spring Creek, and the city’s Uncompahgre Riverway Trail and West Main Trailhead.
Over the years, the City of Montrose has implemented various capital projects to improve and streetscape portions of Main Street both east and west of Townsend Avenue, according to Murphy.
This work has generally extended from Park to Selig Avenues and has included the installation of decorated medians, tree rows, decorative lighting, “bulb-out” curb extensions, and conversion of four-lane roadways to two-lane roadways with diagonal parking (Cascade to Park only). However, West Main Street west of Selig Avenue has generally remained in its outdated, vehicular-focused configuration over the past several decades. This includes two travel lanes in each direction, shoulders for undefined parallel parking, and narrow, non-ADA-compliant sidewalks and driveways on each side of the roadway.
In its current configuration, West Main Street is a problematic pedestrian and bicyclist corridor due to narrow/non-compliant sidewalks and is generally incompatible with a Main-Street style business that relies on comfortable access, pedestrian activity, and opportunistic sales. Furthermore, outdated and undersized storm sewer and water infrastructure within the corridor are in need of replacement and upsizing.
To remedy these shortcomings, the West Main Street Revitalization project looks to accomplish the following:
1. Install ADA-compliant, widened sidewalks along both sides of the street.
2. Install bicycle facilities along one or both sides of the street, as space allows.
3. Improve crosswalk safety within the corridor where practical.
4. While accommodating future traffic volumes, reconfigure (and eliminate if possible and necessary) travel lanes within the corridor.
5. Develop and implement a modern streetscape standard for the corridor to include trees, lighting, pedestrian facilities, targeted parking, and restaurant seating areas (as budget allows).
6. Properly size and replace aged water and storm sewer infrastructure. Due to budget constraints, it is likely that storm sewer improvements will be limited to areas directly affected by the project’s construction activities (e.g., inlets and laterals may be upgraded as part of curb extensions but not main trunk lines).
To help accomplish these goals, the City of Montrose was recently awarded a $2 million Revitalizing Main Streets Grant from CDOT. With the city’s match of approximately $500k (20%), the total project budget is $2.5 million for design and construction.
Murphy said the city received three bids for the design work and selected KLJ Engineering of Montrose following a standard review process.
Project Schedule
Project design is expected to last into the spring of 2023, and construction is tentatively scheduled to begin shortly after, subject to approval from CDOT and the Montrose City Council.
Contract Administration and Project Financials:
Contract administration and project management will be performed by the City of Montrose Engineering Department. The 2022 budget included $260k in the grant-funded capital projects line for this design. Assuming that approximately 70% of the project design will be completed in 2022 , this places the anticipated 2022 expenses within this budget. It should be noted that project design is eligible for reimbursement from CDOT. As a result, the net expense to the city is only 20% of the $260k or approximately $52k.
MONTROSE PAVILION CARPET REPLACEMENT CONTRACT AWARD RECOMMENDATION
City Councilors voted unanimously to approve a contract award of $114,031 for the replacement carpet within the Montrose Pavilion. The contract with Carpetrends, Inc. is in the amount of $103,664.
According to Jim Scheid, Public Works Manager, the difference between the amount appropriated for the project and the contract to Carpetrends Inc., would be used to fix any underlying issues with the floor underneath the carpet.
Scheid said the replacement of the carpet throughout the main level of the Pavilion’s event space was included in the city’s 2022 budget. The existing carpet was installed in the 1990s and will be replaced with high-quality commercial carpet squares specifically suited for event venues.
The city received bids from two local companies: Carpetrends Inc and Stryker and Company.
STAFF REPORTS
City Finance Director Shani Wittenberg delivered the sales, use, and excise tax report for January 2022.
Read the reports in their entirety here:
Youth Councilor Gunnison Clamp said the city’s Youth Council is working on a clothing drive with MADA to help those in need during the winter months.
•••
All City Council meetings are recorded and made available online via the city’s website and cable channels 191 for Charter subscribers and 970 for Elevate subscribers. Replays of council meetings are also broadcast at 6 p.m. on the same channels on days that the council is not in session.
In addition, each regular meeting is archived on the City of Montrose’s YouTube channel.
Residents can watch all regular City Council meetings and work sessions live or on-demand through the city’s Public Meetings Portal.
For more city news visit CityOfMontrose.org.