1/03/2008

Post date: Mar 23, 2013 9:08:37 PM

River Oaks Neighborhood Association Board Meeting

Thursday January 3, 2008

6:30 PM @ Premier Pizza, River Oaks

Present: Jim, Laura, Mike

    1. Jean had to cancel last-minute. She reminds the board about breakfast in two weeks.

    2. Laura has tried to represent the shadow impact of the 8-story Essex proposal on a google map. You can see it here. Look at the sidebar for explanation of what is represented.

    3. Mike talks about his visit to City Hall today:

        1. John Baty is the new planner for ROP area. He seems to be a junior planner. Mike sat down with him for an hour to go over our issues.

        2. Cadence/Essex update: neither the sun/shadow study nor the traffic study is on file yet. Also they couldn't find the "new plan" mentioned at the Design Guidelines Subcommittee meeting. Mike confirmed by looking over the notes that we were misremembering the details of the complaint the city had about the vehicle access to ROP -- we had thought the city didn't want an access to ROP, actually the city was complaining about the angle at which the side road met ROP. In conversation Mr. Baty said the solution to some of our problems with Essex's proposal was "fewer units".

        3. 405 ROP update: Mr. Baty assumes that 405 ROP is inactive, there hasn't been any interaction with the developer since the original filing in August. There's been no response to the city's letter to the developer in response to that filing. Mike confirmed that the design is still 4-stories next to Parkside and higher on the western side of the property.

        4. Interim Design Guidelines: Essex has mentioned that they were following a set of "Interim Design Guidelines" at the small meeting with RONA in November. They claimed the guidance was 45-degrees up to a 50-foot setback and then no limit. This was different from the last we had heard at an April community meeting where the proposed guidelines were 45-degrees without a setback clause. Mike asked about this at the Design Guidelines Subcommittee meeting and Rich Bukiema offered to get us a copy of these guidelines. John Baty has never heard of the setback, is only aware of the 45-degree requirement. Mike wants to ask: "were these written down? how were they generated? what approvals did they go through"

    4. More chat about 405 ROP: vehicle access options onto ROP are limited from a safety standpoint -- the proximity to Research Place intersection would push the driveway to be located across from the Avalon driveway.

    5. Essex meeting: Laura work with Rhonda to put together a flyer tonight. Rhonda and Mike to flyer Parkside, Jim available to flyer Crescendo Saturday morning. Hopefully Jean will be able to get Villagio, Millbrook, and Galleria. Laura also needs to send out an email reminder.

    6. The $1000 from the BRICC award is safely deposited in a Meriwest account under our name. Mike, Rhonda, and Jean are on the account. Rhonda has started a ledger book to officially document our expenditures.

    7. Election planning:

        1. According to our Bylaws, we need to hold elections the first Thursday in February, that would be the 7th. Nominations are required 30 days in advance (additional nominations can be made at the meeting); only "voting members" can vote, to become a voting member you have to pay $10 in dues on or before the election day of that year. Election is by simple majority vote of attending members at the election meeting.

        2. Mike is going to work on getting a room for the election meeting.

        3. Incumbent nominations: Jean is willing to continue as President, Mike is willing to continue as VP, Rhonda is willing to continue as Treasurer, Laura is willing to continue working as webmaster, Jim is willing to continue as an Officer-at-Large.

        4. Officer needs: Secretary.

        5. Laura is going to send out an email to the lists detailing the rules and pleading for new officers to take up the cause.