HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes City Council - 12/03/2019 - Joint Workshop gyUS Of&
1852
I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing is a true and correct copy of the minutes of
the Joint Workshop Meeting of the Corpus Christi City Council and the Nueces
County of December 3, 2019, which were approved by the City Council on December
10, 2019.
WITNESSETH MY HAND AND SEAL, on this the 17th day of December 2019.
' �► I, . ■
Re.ecca Huerta
City Secretary
Corpus Christi, Texas
(S E A L)
City of Corpus Christi
Rebecca Huerta, City Secretary
P.O. Box 9277
Corpus Christi,Texas 78469-9277
(361) 826-3105 SCANNED
rebeccah@cctexas.com
j G! 1201 Leopard Street
City Of Corpus Christi Corpus Christi,TX 78401
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Meeting Minutes cctexas.com
City Council Workshop Session
Tuesday,December 3,2019 9:00 AM City Council Chambers
JOINT CITY COUNCIL AND NUECES COUNTY WORKSHOP
A. Mayor Joe McComb to call the meeting to order.
Mayor McComb called the meeting to order at 9:06 a.m.
B. City Secretary Rebecca L. Huerta to call the roll of the required Charter Officers.
City Secretary Rebecca Huerta called the roll and verified that a quorum
of the City Council and the required Charter Officers were present to conduct
the meeting.
Charter Officers:
City Manager Peter Zanoni,City Attorney Miles K.Risley,and City Secretary
Rebecca L.Huerta.
C. BRIEFINGS TO CITY COUNCIL:
1. Joint City Council and Nueces County Workshop on North Beach
Projects
Mayor McComb referred to Item 1.
City Manager Peter Zanoni provided an introduction to the items that were to
be discussed and welcomed Nueces County Commissioners.
Assistant City Manager Mark Van Vleck presented information on the following
topics:comprehensive coastal engineering project;drainage mitigation;raise
streets;canal and jetties;breakwater and islands;and permitting
requirements.
Director of Planning and ESI Daniel McGinn presented information on the
following topics:eco park location map,previous plans,and project timeline;
and community design workshop concepts.
Development Services'Policy Administrator Yvette Dodd-Wallace presented
information on the following topics:velocity zone;base flood elevations;
development requirements;44 Code of Federal Regulations 60.3(e)(6); Federal
Emergency Management Agency(FEMA)concerns;and the Whitecap Seawall
example.
Business Liaison Arlene Medrano presented information on the following
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topics: updates on property values relating to condominiums; update on
property values;and changes to base value and increment.
President and Chief Executive Officer of the Corpus Christi Regional Economic
Development Corporation(CCREDC)lain Vasey presented information on
economic impact.
County commissioners,city council members and city staff discussed the
following topics related to North Beach:funding a canal;development
commitments; FEMA's concerns;design changes to the canal;cooperation
between Nueces County and the City of Corpus Christi;canals as a means to
address drainage;community support for a canal;making North Beach a
priority;performing due diligence regarding the canal project;Jeff Blackard's
development history;miscommunication;actions seeming to not reflect the
stated commitment to the canal project;the amount of time this project has
been under consideration; Nueces County's efforts to date supporting the
project;the importance of moving the canal project ahead at a faster pace;
disappointment with City staffs presentation and recommendation;the link
between infrastructure development and economic development;concern
about the community;that North Beach has a drainage issue; Nueces County
foregoing ad valorem taxes to incentivize development on North Beach;that
infrastructure improvements are needed to address flooding;seawalls;
bulkheads;barrier islands;breakwaters;the detrimental effect that potential
increases in sea level will have on North Beach;tidal fluctuations;why invest
in an eco park;ownership of submerged land;Community Development Block
Grant funds available through the U.S.Department of Housing and Urban
Development for drainage related to the canal project;the City pushing
developers aside;the feasibility of a navigable canal for drainage;reasons to
say yes to developing a navigable canal versus the reasons to say no;a coastal
project versus a drainage project;the urgency,intent and will to undertake the
canal project;if Capital Market Research,referenced by Mr.Vasey,submitted a
report;the purpose of the canal;a similar project on Staten Island New York;
City staff providing written comments to the Texas General Land Office(GLO)
regarding monies available for coastal projects;wanting to have been
provided both sides,pros and cons,of the canal project at this workshop;a
multi-layered approach to developing North Beach;that Packery Channel has
worked well; protections in velocity zones in the City.
In response to a council member's questions,Mr.Vasey discussed the
following topics: the CCREDC's contracted economic development study
presented by Mr.Vasey today;economic development guarantees;and if the
canal will add value to surrounding properties.
In response to questions from a council member,Chip Urban,Urban
Engineering,discussed the following topics: the extent to which the canal will
address drainage issues; if the canal alone will solve the drainage issues on
North Beach;and tidal flooding.
The council member discussed the negative nature of staffs presentation
today.
In response to a council member's questions,Jeff Blackard,Blackard Global,
discussed the following topics: the flow of water in the canal;soil conditions
under the old railroad tracks;the location of the opening of the canal to the
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beach;de-silting of the canal;certainty of developers developing North Beach;
developers who are ready now;and discussions Mr.Blackard has had with the
U.S.Army Corps of Engineers and the GLO.
County commissioners,city council and City staff discussed the following
topics: project financing and related timeline;safety concerns;managing risks
to taxpayers related to the canal project;what-if scenario if nothing is done;
utilizing a canal or a drainage ditch;elevating the peninsula;elevating streets
on North Beach;engineering shortcomings related to the forces of nature;
previous discussions about freeboard and velocity zones;freeboard
requirements in place now on North Beach;steps stipulated by FEMA related to
in-fill;various sources of fill dirt potentially available from ongoing projects in
the community;state law requirements regarding mitigation of runoff created
by new development;staff seeking solutions to make this project happen;staff
finding and presenting to Council solutions that can make this project happen;
that the canal can be much more than drainage;Council's support for North
Beach and related projects;that the cost of the canal project is not definitively
known;that changes to the design and location of the canal result in changes
in cost;North Beach's potential;that hard costs are needed to present to the
taxpayers; issues that need to be worked through;the history of meetings on
this canal project;incentives for the Frazier Hotel;Type A and B projects on
North Beach;when and if 100%of the unknowns related to the canal will be
resolved;that funding options were not discussed during this workshop;a
comprehensive North Beach drainage discussion and plan; history of drainage
solutions proposed for North Beach;the importance of addressing the drainage
problem on North Beach; identifying the goal and obstacles;the developer's
timeline;competing City issues; if a decision on the canal and its associated
cost can be identified within the developer's timeline; leadership and
identifying priorities;the City and Nueces County working cooperatively;that
the developer's deadline is a problem;and what the Council needs to know
before moving forward with the canal project.
In response to questions from a council member,James Shiner,Engineer,
discussed the following topics: the negative consequences,related to
movement of sand on the beach,if the opening of the canal,to the beach,is
positioned in the middle of the beach;water quality in the canal;wave energy
in the canal;eliminating breakwaters in relation to the ease of permitting for
the canal project;and solving unknowns via the application of engineering.
County commissioners,city council members and City staff discussed the
following additional topics: establishing a floor and ceiling related to the cost
of the canal project;a county-wide drainage plan;potential funding sources
(including multi jurisdictional funding)of breakwaters and seawalls;the range
of investment related to wastewater that may be required of the City to satisfy
an agreed settlement between the City and the U.S.Environmental Protection
Agency;the potential for increases to taxpayers and in utility rates related to
the canal project; property tax revenue caps recently imposed by state statute;
that new growth is not subject to those property tax revenue caps;and
information related to a previous meeting between the Mayor and Jeff
Blackard.
City Manager Zanoni and Mr.Blackard discussed various aspects of the recent
proposal between the City and Mr.Blackard,including what the City and Mr.
Blackard would and would not have to pay for related to the proposed canal
on North Beach.
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D. ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 12:15 p.m.
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