SU-1-04 – ST. AUGUSTINE’S COLLEGE – TO BE PLACED ON MARCH 16 AGENDA
During the February 17 Council meeting, a hearing was held to consider a request from St. Augustine’s College, 1315 Oakwood Avenue, for a special use permit to allow an outdoor stadium of 5,000 seats to accommodate athletic events and associated activities on a portion of the grounds of the existing St. Augustine’s College campus. The hearing was closed and it was directed that the item be placed on this agenda for further consideration.
Mayor Meeker stated he feels the Special Use application violates Standards 3 and 5 unless there are additional conditions or amendments. He presented the following proposed conditions which he feels should be included in any special use permit for this situation.
1. Include each of the conditions recommended by the Planning Commission on February 17, 2004.
2. Limit the stadium’s size to no more than 2,500 seats. A stadium for 5,000 – 10,000 spectators will not fit in this area.
3. Require on-site parking of at least 800 spaces for spectator events and require that the cost of such parking be included in the ticket price so that there is no additional cost to park on game day.
4. Review height and lighting issues so that buildings and lights are set back from neighborhood properties and face in the appropriate direction.
5. Limit uses to athletic and academic events which conclude by 7:00 p. m. in the evening so that spectators have left the area no later than 8:00 p.m. Concerts and other events with amplified sound shall not be permitted. The volume of the public address system shall be kept at a moderate level.
6. Monitor construction and operation of facility to be sure that offsite flooding does not adversely affect adjoining properties.
7. Design entrances to stadium which directs traffic to the interior of campus and require that a traffic management plan be approved by the City Council after review by the City’s Transportation Department.
Mayor Meeker pointed out his proposal includes very substantial conditions aimed at making this facility fit into the location if it is determined it should go there. He stated he has not discussed the conditions with any other Council members and questioned if any Council members have conditions they would like to present. He stated if the Council moves forward to approve the case, he feels the conditions he presented or similar conditions are necessary, however if the Council wants to outright deny the application he could understand that motion.
Mr. West stated he had reviewed the Mayor’s proposal, he listened to the evidence and pointed out he feels the Council has to have a balancing act to protect the neighborhood and at the same time allow St. Augustine to move forward. He stated he does not think the location is the right site for a designation type facility. There has been discussion about a joint venture between Shaw and St. Augustine and he thinks that would be a workable type solution. Mr. West questioned if St. Augustine had agreed to the conditions put forth by the Mayor. Mayor Meeker stated he had not discussed it with representatives of St. Augustine. Mr. Isley stated before the Council imposes anything on the college, he would like to know if they agree or could move forward under these conditions. He stated he has a real problem if someone wants to use their own property and it is not allowed. In response to questioning, City Attorney McCormick indicated it would be fine to show the Mayor’s proposed conditions to representatives of St. Augustine and they could simply reply yes or no. Mr. Crowder questioned if the community has had an opportunity to view the proposed conditions. City Attorney McCormick indicated that is a little different and he thinks it is a little more programmatic to circulate the conditions to the neighborhood. He stated he has no problem with representatives of St. Augustine being requested to say they agree or do not agree but to start asking the neighborhood if they agree or disagree presents some problems. Mr. West questioned if the conditions are public information. City Attorney McCormick indicated they are public information and anyone has a right to see the proposed conditions but it would be inappropriate for the Council to take additional comments. He has no problem with a simple yes or no from St. Augustine.
Mr. Hunt talked about the conditions relating to height and lighting. He questioned if there would be some type site plan approval coming back to the City Council. Mayor Meeker pointed out that could be a requirement. Mayor Meeker suggested circulating his proposed conditions to the applicant to get a simple yes or no agreement and at that point the City Council could decide whether to deny the application or approve the application with conditions. Mr. Crowder suggested that the conditions be amended to include some type decibel level as the condition relating to sound as presented by the Mayor could be subjective. It was agreed that the City Attorney could talk with representatives of St. Augustine College to see if the conditions are agreeable or not and the Council would take further action in two weeks.