March 10 Council Meeting
The Sierra Vista City Council approved amendments to the West Sierra Vista Redevelopment Area Plan, which was the final step needed to enable the City to provide matching grant dollars to additional commercial tenants and property owners seeking to improve their sites in the West End.
The original redevelopment area was established in 2017 and encompassed about 23 acres, before being expanded in 2019 by another 29 acres. The newly expanded area adds 162 non-residential parcels, totaling about 111 acres west of N. 5th Street, where there has been significant interest from businesses seeking to apply for matching grant funds under the City’s West Sierra Vista Partnership Program.
The amendments approved on Thursday also increased the annual planned allotment for the grant program from $50,000 to $100,000, subject to the City’s annual budget process. The plan amendments also recommend establishing a $15,000 annual budget for increasing public art in public spaces to add vibrancy to the downtown area and create a stronger sense of place.
The City will begin accepting applications for properties in the new expansion area immediately and can begin approving them in 30 days once the resolution takes effect.
Both the West End Commission and Planning and Zoning Commission recommended adoption of the plan amendments. The Planning and Zoning Commission found them to be consistent with the City’s General Plan Vista 2030.
Concept plans for the property located on the southeast corner of Fry Boulevard and Fab Avenue property were removed from the plan amendments and will return to the City Council at a future work session as a stand-alone item to discuss the future direction of that site. The plan amendments as approved do still include drainage and right-of-way improvements for that property, which will be part of the budget recommendations for next fiscal year.
Council considers CDBG requests
The City Council heard proposals for how to use the City’s next allocation of Community Development Block Grant funds, anticipated to be about $260,000.
The Sierra Vista Dream Center and United Way of Sierra Vista each presented requests and the City presented two projects.
The Dream Center requested $30,000 for solar parking lot lights and proposed a partnership with the City to share a parking lot that could also be used for tournaments at Cyr Center Park. The United Way requested $39,000 to assist low-income community members with the following services: food assistance, education assistance, homeless assistance, and employment.
City staff recommended $225,000 for improvements at Soldiers Creek Park and presented a request for $235,971 in improvements along Judd Street as an alternate option.
The Council expressed interest in supporting all the projects in some manner and City Manager Chuck Potucek said there are other funding opportunities that may be pursued to support the Dream Center and Judd Street projects, leaving the United Way and Soldiers Creek project as the tentative recommendations for CDBG funding. Staff will do more research and these options will return to the City Council for further discussion at an upcoming work session.
In other business:
- The City Council approved the modification of conditional use permits for two communications towers to change them from “stealth pole” designs to “monopine” designs. The changes were needed to facilitate the addition of 5G equipment to the towers and minimize their visual impact.
- The City Council granted authorization to approve a settlement agreement in the civil lawsuit Mary Brown v. the City of Sierra Vista.
- The City Council approved the donation of four Ford Crown Victorias to Cochise College to support the Southeastern Arizona Law Enforcement Training Academy.
- The City Council approved an addendum to the City Manager’s contract.
- The City Council approved a minor subdivision plat splitting the property located at 500 N. Garden Avenue into two separate parcels.
More information from Thursday’s City Council meeting is available in the supporting documents for the Thursday, March 10, City Council meeting. They can be accessed via the “City Council” folder on the City’s document server at docserve.sierravistaaz.gov/.
City Council meetings can be streamed live and past meetings can be viewed on YouTube. The meetings are also aired on Cox Channel 12. Learn more at www.sierravistaaz.gov/your-government/mayor-council/council-meetings/ or on this page.
