06-06-2017 MinutesMINUTES
June i 2017
A Regular Meeting was held by the Main Street Committee of the City of Schertz, Texas, on June 6,
2017, at 9:25 p.m. immediately following the Regular Council Meeting at the Hal Baldwin Municipal
Complex Council Chambers Conference Room located at 1400 Schertz Parkway, Schertz, Texas.
The following members present to -wit:
Members Present:
Councilmember Mark Davis
Staff Present:
Executive Director Brian James
City Secretary Brenda Dennis
Mayor Pro -Tem Edwards was absent.
(Fall to Order
Chair Davis called the meeting to order at 9:25 p.m.
Discussion and action items:
Mayor Michael Carpenter
Councilmember Scott Larson
City Manager John Kessel
Assistant Public Works Director Jimmy Hooks
1. Approval of the minutes of the meeting of May 9, 2017. (Chair Davis)
Chair Davis recognized Mayor Carpenter who moved, seconded by Councilmember Larson to
approve the minutes of May 9, 2017. The vote was unanimous with Mayor Carpenter,
Councilmembers Davis and Larson voting for, no one voting no. Committee Member
Edwards was absent. Motion Passed
2. Review Gateway Downtown Plan. (B. James)
Chair Davis recognized Executive Director Brian James who stated they all should have
gotten a copy of the Gateway Sector Plan (8 -10 pages). There are a few things to note.
One is that on the eastern part of Main Street there are some auto service related businesses
and metal buildings, which is an obstacle and challenge. The goal of this plan is to create a
community gathering place which would have a group of unique businesses that would
represent Schertz.
The big thing that Schertz wants is that community gathering atmosphere. It has high visibility
from Hwy 78 and a stable neighborhood surrounding it. There are also a number of existing
buildings available for reuse. However, one constraint is the flood plain and another is the
FEMA regulations that go with that. Some of the strategies are to focus on adaptive reuse and
leverage the history we have and create a destination for local independent businesses, not
chain places (i.e. Dollar General, etc.). We want to encourage reuse of existing buildings,
create some gateways and some civic spaces to anchor it.
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We have already started some strategies like creating the `mixed use district', incentive
program and fee waivers. The question now is, how do we make it all happen?
Discussion and action for recommendation on membership in the Texas Downtown
Association. (B. James)
Chair Davis stated in their first meeting they spoke about the Texas Downtown Association.
We need to decide if it is beneficial for us to go forward with a membership.
Executive Director Brian James stated the membership fee is $315 for a city population of
25,000 to 50,000. Barring any objections, he recommends joining. Part of it is they tie in to
some legislative issues with the state legislature that might interest us. They can also provide
speakers to you and there are small grants available that you can apply for ($500- $5,000). It
is an organization you can bounce things off of and brainstorm with your ideas. If there are no
objections, he will pursue action to join the organization and figure out what it will cost (per
committee member).
4. Discuss Texas Main Street Program. (B. James)
Chair Davis recognized Executive Director Brian James once again. He stated this program is
a bigger deal with a much higher cost associated with it. There is an annual application time
frame; due end of July 31, @ 5:00 p.m. We won't be able to do anything this year.
One of the requirements is you offer a competitive salary in the proposed budget to attract a
qualified program manager. The program is done under the auspices of the Texas Historic
Commission and really builds on historic preservation. He feels we are not ready for this step
yet. However, he suggested everyone view a video that is online that walks you through the
program. It is a very good overview; a four -point program of things they work off of There is
also a November conference you can attend. He offered to send out the video link. He said it
may be a program we will want to participate in at some point down the road.
So far, we have not really done things in compliance with the Secretary of Interior Standard
for rehabilitation in terms of what you should /shouldn't do. What we have done so far is
simply do what we can to make the buildings more attractive. An example — a mural on the
side of a building is not typical of what you would do from a historic standpoint.
He recommends taking this next year to decide if this program is really right for us, especially
since it is a much more substantial investment and we may just do better spending the money
on other things on the front end. This is his recommendation for now.
5. Review and discuss flood plain issues for the Main Street area. (J. Hooks)
Chair Davis stated no matter what path we take to get the kind of businesses we want down
here on Main Street, the flood plain issue is one of the most critical elements we will have to
address; to also address what level of support (property tax rebates, sales tax rebates, grant
money, low cost loans, etc.); whatever incentives we want to put on the table to attract what
we want down here.
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Chair Davis recognized Assistant Director of Public Works Jimmy Hooks who provided a
map of the central area of Schertz.
Mr. James clarified that the floodway is the area where water is moving fast and the flood
plain is where it sort of inundates and stands. The bigger challenge is in the floodway, where
stuff gets washed away.
Mr. Hooks stated that what happens on Main Street is that the water that goes underneath the
Hwy 78 bridge is a choke point that backs up into the city on Main Street. This is what
happened during the Flood of 1998.
Mr. Hooks explained the fiscal impacts for Main Street. If a property owner has a federally
backed mortgage, flood insurance is required. The cost is based on your elevation and what
deductible you have. The prices he looked at ranged from $500- $2,500 annually.
The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) provides assistance flood insurance for
communities that participate in the NFIP. Schertz has participated since 1974. Mr. James
pointed out that the Federal Government subsidizes the insurance program. You still have to
go out and buy it but you only pay that price due to the subsidy. Your community has to
participate in NFIP in order to get that certain price.
The City of Schertz has to adopt ordinances and `permit' any future development,
rehabilitation, improvement, and /or repair work within the flood plain. There are requirements
to follow and FEMA does audit us periodically.
Mr. James stated one idea they have is to figure out exactly what areas are in or outside the
flood plain, which may be beneficial to us in the end, to identify cost factors. It may be worth
it to go to the trouble to get an elevation certification on the structures (about $500 each).
Staff is thinking about contracting with Ford Engineering to come out and do a study to tell us
`this is what we have out there.'
Mr. Hooks spoke about structure improvements and compliance costs and their varied
associated costs. He usually encourages owners to shop around for better prices. Example,
fiscal impact for cost of surveying compliance is between $200 and $1,500. For elevation of a
structure, prices are between $50K - $150K, depending on the size and complexity of the job.
Flood proofing options for commercial structures can be $5K- $100K, depending on the job.
City Manager John Kessel pointed out that the kind of floods we experience here come from
storm water as opposed to sea surges. The ground gets saturated and all the creeks and
drainage areas fill up—but they are functioning. He explained how the calculations occura
mathematical model and variations that affect it.
After more discussion, Mr. James restated that they feel it is beneficial to have Ford
Engineering provide the city with a proposal of what they can provide us in answer to our
questions and concerns along with a cost estimate. Staff can start this and come back to the
committee with the results.
Mr. Hooks provided a few examples of Main Street remodels, their costs and how the owners
try hard to stay under the $50K limit and examples of various permitting exercises.
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Chair Davis stated he feels we should explore what it would cost us to validate what options
we can go with down here especially if we are going to try to vector specific type of activities
and commercial endeavors, where it is in play and where it is realistically not in play. We
should focus on Main Street first. Mr. James added that they would send out maps that GIS
Coordinator Tony McFalls completed today - -- including a flood plain map, zoning, owner
info, land use map, etc.
ADJOURNMENT:
Motion was made by Mayor Carpenter, seconded by Councilmember Larson to adjourn the meeting.
As there was no further business, Chair Davis adjourned the meeting at 10:15 p.m.
Councilmember Mark Davis, Chair
ATTEST:
Brenda Dennis, City Secretary
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