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ATTACHMENT #1
Utility Committee Meeting of 01/24/2011
City of Dover
MAYOR AND COUNCIL
1 DRAFT PROPOSED COUNCIL RESOLUTION NO. 2011-02
2 A RESOLUTION PROPOSING THE VACATING AND ABANDONMENT OF A CERTAIN
3 ALLEY SITUATED IN THE CITY OF DOVER.
4 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF DOVER, IN COUNCIL
5 MET:
6 Section 1. The Council of the City of Dover favors the vacating and abandoning of the following alley:
7 Being all that certain piece or parcel of land situated in the City of Dover, Kent County,
8 State of Delaware, being an improved public alley running east to west, lying on the
9 southerly side of and running parallel to East Loockerman Street, said portion of alley
10 beginning at a point identified as the southeast corner of 516 East Loockerman Street, parcel
11 #ED-05-077.06-01-63.00; thence running west toward Bayard Avenue, South 57 degrees
12 11 minutes 46 seconds West 213.78 feet along the northwest line of said 15’ wide alley but
13 stopping at the southwest corner of 512 East Loockerman Street, parcel #ED-05-077.06-01-
14 65.00; thence running perpendicular across said 15’ wide alley to a point in the southwest
15 line of a 15’ wide alley; thence running North 57 degrees 11 minutes 46 seconds East
16 213.78 feet along the southwest line of said 15’ wide alley to a point at the corner of parcel
17 #ED-05-077.06-01-87.00; thence running 15 feet along the eastern boundary of said 15’ wide
18 alley to the point and place of beginning and containing 3,206.70 square feet (0.0736 acres)
19 of land, be the same more or less.
20 Section 2. The Council of the City of Dover will sit on Monday, February 28, 2011, at 7:30 p.m., in the
21 Council Chambers at City Hall, Dover, Delaware, to hear the objections of such residents of the City or
22 owners of the property affected as shall attend, in accordance with the provisions of Section 27 of the
23 Charter of the City of Dover (Chapter 158, Volume 36, Laws of Delaware).
24 Section 3. The Clerk of Council is hereby directed to post copies of this Resolution in five (5) or more
25 public places in the City of Dover.
26 ADOPTED: *
27 S:\RESOLUTIONS & PROCLAMATIONS\2011\DRAFT\Res. No. 2011-02 - Setting Public Hearing - Alley Abandonment - Adjacent to 514 E Loockerman St and 222 S DuPont Hwy - REVISED.wpd
28
29 CARLETON E. CAREY, SR. KENNETH L. HOGAN
30 MAYOR COUNCIL PRESIDENT
31 Actions History:
32 February 14, 2011 - Introduced at City Council
P.O. Box 475 Dover, Delaware 19903
Community Excellence Through Quality Service
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514 East Loockerman Street Alley
Proposed Alley Abandonment
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ATTACHMENT #2
Utility Committee Meeting of 01/24/2011
CITY OF DOVER
ORDINANCE #2011-01
1 BE IT ORDAINED BY THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF DOVER, IN
2 COUNCIL MET:
3
4 That Appendix B - Zoning, Article 5 – Supplementary Regulations be amended by adding a new
5 section 20 as follows:
6 Section 20. Solar and small wind energy systems.
7 Solar energy systems and small wind energy systems shall be permitted as accessory uses within
8 all zones subject to the following requirements:
9 20.1 Residential Zones.
10
11 20.11 Solar energy systems shall be subject to the following:
12
13 (a) Ground-mounted solar energy systems shall be permitted only in the rear yard.
14
15 (b) Ground-mounted solar energy systems shall be set back a minimum of five feet from
16 side and rear property lines, or the height of the tallest point on the system, whichever
17 is greater.
18
19 (c) Ground-mounted solar energy systems shall not exceed 15 feet in height.
20
21 (d) Ground-mounted solar energy systems shall be visually screened from adjacent
22 properties to a height of six feet by either an opaque fence or a dense vegetative
23 screen.
24
25 (e) All exterior electrical and/or plumbing lines must be buried below the surface of the
26 ground and placed in a conduit.
27
28 (f) Roof-mounted solar energy systems must comply with all building height
29 requirements for the zoning district where the system is to be installed.
30 20.12 Small wind energy systems in residential zones shall be subject to the following
31 restrictions:
32 (a) Small wind energy systems shall be set back 1.0 times the turbine height from
33 adjoining property lines. Turbine height means the height of the tower plus the length
34 of one blade.
35
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36 (b) The aggregate noise or audible sound of a small wind energy system shall not exceed
37 five decibels above the existing average noise level of the surrounding area and shall
38 be restricted to a maximum of 60 decibels measured at any location along the
39 property line of the parcel where the wind system is located.
40
41 (c) Small wind energy systems shall be free from signage, advertising, flags, streamers,
42 decorative items, or any item not related to the operation of the wind turbine. Electric
43 wiring for the turbines shall be placed underground for non-building integrated
44 systems.
45
46 (d) Small wind energy systems shall not be permitted within the H (Historic District)
47 Zone.
48
49 (e) Any small wind energy system shall be visually screened to a height of six feet by
50 either an opaque fence or a dense vegetative screen from any properties or structures
51 included on the National Register of Historic Places.
52
53 20.2 Non-Residential Zones.
54 20.21 Solar energy systems shall be subject to the following:
55
56 (a) For the purposes of this subsection, a use is considered accessory if it is located
57 within a complex or campus that includes one or more contiguous lots under common
58 ownership and management, where the principal use of the complex or campus is
59 other than a solar energy system, and the energy generated by the solar energy system
60 is intended to primarily reduce on-site consumption of utility-supplied energy.
61
62 (b) Ground-mounted solar energy systems shall not occupy more than 30 percent of the
63 lot area of the complex or campus for which the solar energy system is proposed.
64
65 (c) If ground-mounted solar energy systems are proposed to occupy more than 30 percent
66 of the lot area of the complex or campus, their placement shall be subject to
67 conditional use approval by the Planning Commission.
68
69 (d) Ground-mounted solar energy systems shall not be located between the principal
70 structure and the street upon which the principal structure fronts.
71
72 (e) All exterior electrical and/or plumbing lines must be buried below the surface of the
73 ground and placed in a conduit.
74
75 (f) Solar energy systems, whether roof-mounted or ground-mounted, must comply with
76 all building setback and height requirements for the zoning district where the system
77 is to be installed.
78
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79 20.22 Small wind energy systems shall be subject to the following restrictions:
80 (a) Small wind energy shall be set back 1.0 times the turbine height from adjoining
81 property lines. Turbine height means the height of the tower plus the length of one
82 blade.
83
84 (b) The aggregate noise or audible sound of a wind system shall not exceed five decibels
85 above the existing average noise level of the surrounding area and shall be restricted
86 to a maximum of 60 decibels measured at any location along the property line to the
87 parcel where the small wind energy system is located.
88
89 (c) Small wind energy systems shall be free from signage, advertising, flags, streamers,
90 decorative items, or any item not related to the operation of the wind turbine. Electric
91 wiring for the turbines shall be placed underground for non-building integrated
92 systems.
93
94 (d) Small wind energy systems shall not be permitted within the H (Historic District)
95 Zone.
96
97 (e) Any small wind energy system shall be visually screened to a height of six feet by
98 either an opaque fence or a dense vegetative screen from any properties or structures
99 included on the National Register of Historic Places.
100
101 20.3 Decommissioning.
102
103 Solar energy systems and/or small wind energy systems must be maintained and kept in a state
104 suitable for immediate operation. When it can be demonstrated that a solar energy system or
105 small wind energy system, as approved in accordance with this section, is in a state of disrepair
106 and is not suitable for immediate operation, that system shall be removed and the accessory use
107 terminated.
108
109 BE IT FURTHER ORDAINED:
110
111 That Appendix B – Zoning, Article 12 – Definitions, be amended to add the following
112 definitions:
113
114 Solar energy system. Any solar collector or other solar energy device, or any structural design
115 feature, mounted on a building or on the ground, and whose primary purpose is to provide for the
116 collection, storage, and distribution of solar energy for space heating or cooling, for water
117 heating, or for electricity.
118
119 Small wind energy system. A wind energy conversion system consisting of a wind turbine, a
120 tower, and associated control or conversion electronics which is intended to primarily reduce
121 on-site consumption of utility-supplied energy.
122
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123 SYNOPSIS
124 The proposed ordinance adds solar energy systems and small wind energy
125 systems as accessory uses within all zoning districts; sets standards for these
126 systems to ensure protection of the character of the zones, as well as public
127 health, safety and welfare; and adds definitions for such systems to the Zoning
128 Ordinance.
129
130 Actions History:
131 January 24, 2011 – Proposed First Reading - Council
132 January 10, 2011 – Introduced at Utility Committee and referred back to staff for changes.
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ATTACHMENT #3
Utility Committee Meeting of 01/24/2011
Memorandum
Public Services Manager
P. O. Box 475
City Hall/ The Plaza
Dover, Delaware 19903-0475
Phone: (302) 736-7026
Fax: (302) 736-7177
E-mail: skoenig@dover.de.us
TO: Utility Committee Members
City Council Members
FROM: Scott D. Koenig, P.E., Public Services Manager
Anthony J. DePrima, AICP, ICMA-CM, City Manager
Ann Marie Townshend, AICP, Director of Planning & Community Development
DATE: January 3, 2011
SUBJECT: Development Projects – Performance & Maintenance Bonding Concerns
As part of a shared performance goal, the City Manager, the Public Services Manager and the Director of Planning
& Community Development conducted a series of four (4) internal meetings to brainstorm various ideas regarding
concerns raised about Performance & Maintenance Bonding in subdivisions, site plan compliance, ensuring the
functionality of homeowners associations (HOAs), and other development project problems. These meetings
were held in October, November and December of 2010.
Eight (8) specific problems/concerns were identified. Each problem is listed below along with one or more
suggestions to improve the area of concern.
Problem #1 – Active Recreation Areas in some Subdivisions / Site Plans (Apartments) are not being
completed in proportion to the lots constructed. Article 5, Section 10.6 of the Zoning Ordinance is weak and
difficult to enforce. It is difficult to build the recreation areas in proportion to the lots / building permits, as
specified by code; therefore, an alternative solution must be developed.
Possible Solutions:
1. Require specific phasing plan for the Active Recreation Plan.
2. Require a Performance Bond / Letter Of Credit (LOC) equal to 150% of the value (or add the
active recreation improvements to current infrastructure LOC). LOC is preferred over a bond as
the LOC creates more leverage.
What’s the possibility of having the developer build the Active Recreation Area during Ph 1?
Note: A Code amendment is required to accomplish this.
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Problem #2 – Some projects are partially built and the construction or the site work has been abandoned.
(Examples: Enterprise Business Park, Tall Pines, Dove View)
Possible Solutions:
1. Fund a Demolition Reserve that can be sustained with monies collected from liens and be used to
demolish or safely seal construction.
2. Amend Tall Grass & Weed Ordinance (Chapter 114, Article II) to allow the City to regrade or
restore the property and place a lien against the property to collect the costs.
3. Amend state law for Demolition Liens to allow for the City to recover costs through sheriff’s sale.
4. A Dangerous Building (DB) declaration accelerates tax sale (for delinquent taxes). This is an
administrative action that is already in place.
Is there a way to have the builders set up a Demolition Escrow Account? This way, if the builder
defaults, the city already has funding to pay for demolition. If the builder completes, then the
builder gets money back.
Problem #3 – Failure of HOA to take over initial responsibilities or HOA does not form or stay formed and
therefore fails to function. Common Areas are not maintained. (Example: Four Seasons)
Possible Solutions:
1. Amend assessment section of the code to allow city to bill and lien individual property owners for
the common areas that the City is forced to maintain. A formula would need to be developed that
would equally distribute cost among homeowners. Perhaps a ratio of total square footage of
common area to square footage of homeowners property multiplied by a standard maintenance
cost.
2. Amend subdivision ordinance to require an escrow start up account so HOA is capitalized from
the beginning.
3. Buyers somehow are notified and certify / acknowledge that they are required to be part of the
HOA and that there are maintenance responsibilities for which the HOA is responsible. Possible
venues could include requiring that information be posted conspicuously in model homes or the
City could send a letter after real estate transfer tax is received. Could these be placed in deed
restrictions?
4. Require developer to meet guideline to turn over HOA at 75% of the initial phase of the
development.
- City could facilitate initial HOA meeting – Notice, Public Meeting at City Hall, City
representative in attendance
- Ensure elected official in attendance.
5. Amend subdivision ordinance to include a specific turnover requirement.
6. Amend subdivision ordinance to require a Certified Management Agency.
This is probably the toughest one to resolve.
Problem #4 – Stormwater / Passive Open Space – Not Being Maintained
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Possible Solutions:
1. Amend sections of the code addressing special assessment (Chapter 94) and/or amend tall grass
and weeds (Chapter 114) to allow staff to hire contractors to maintain the passive open space
and/or stormwater management areas and bill the property owners (developer or individual
owners) and place a lien against the property to recover costs. Prefereable.
2. Create a Limited Stormwater Utility
Unilateral authority to take over facilities that are not being maintaned
Start with new developments
I think this solution would have to be all or none.
Problem #5 – Nuisance issues such as maintenance of buildable lots with homes, partially complete homes,
partially complete subdivisions, roll-off trash containers for construction debris, soil stockpiles
and material storage areas are degrading the overall quality of various subdivisions (in both
dedicated and undedicated subdivisions).
Possible Solutions:
1. Require an upfront agreement and escrow deposit from the developer of the subdivision ($1,000 /
lot) to address these issues if they arise.
2. Provide incentives to dedicate infrastructure – Bill developer for Street Light operating costs and
pump station maintenance until subdivision is dedicated. Good solution.
Problem #6 – Sidewalk network not complete and the developer wants to dedicate the rights-of-way and
infrastructure.
Possible Solutions:
1. Require all sidewalk construction to be complete prior to dedication. This position would maintain
the status quo.
2. Add option that developer can go to Safety Advisory & Transportation Committee with a special
Letter of Credit for the uncompleted sidewalks on the streets to be dedicated. The uncompleted
sidewalks are associated with lots that have not had building permits issued as of that date.
Potential enhancement to this option is to require a Public Hearing with notice to all residents
and/or property owners in the development. Preferable.
Problem #7 – Snow Removal on uncompleted and/or undedicated streets represents a serious service
delivery problem for the City of Dover and residents in these areas.
Possible Solutions:
1. Require a maintenance escrow to be set up by the developer that can be used for snow and ice
removal. Preferable.
2. Require a signed contract between the developer and a private contractor responsible for snow
removal be shared with the City.
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Problem #8 – The City does not provide a full range of services on undedicated streets since they are
considered private property. (i.e. – snow removal, street sweeping, speed enforcement)
Possible Solutions:
1. Earlier dedication – city would accept dedication of uncompleted streets and follow up with
completion of the infrastructure on a designated time line identified in the dedication action.
2. Require more extensive maintenance agreement with longer time period for coverage.
Based upon the above information, staff is proposing the following next steps:
1) Staff would like to receive feedback from members of the Committee and Council on the possible
solutions presented above as well as other items you would like to consider to address the identified
problems.
2) Prioritize the problems listed above.
3) Prepare a timeline to address the problems in priority order.
4) Hold focus group with stakeholders (HOAs, Civic Associations, Civic Leaders, the development
community, KCD)
5) Develop ordinances / charter amendments / administrative changes
If you have any questions, please contact me.
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