Remarks by Arthur Agin
57 remarks on the record, newest first · Page 2 of 3
- Play at 1:04:23
“I think you have the best handle on it. Do you want to make a motion?”
City Council · Jul 27, 2026
- Play at 1:33:53
“Just to add to what Council Member Downs said, one thing, going back to the buy-write, I think it's all, when you're updating that, I think it's important to be clear that nothing in the overlay eliminates the ability of a private property owner to develop buy right using the underlying zoning. So the RM that currently exists, they still have full buy right.”
City Council · Jul 27, 2026
- Play at 1:34:25
“We just need to make sure that's clear. I guess I'll open up the discussion on the big issue. At last week's meeting, I raised the concern about eliminating the feet because I'm not, I'm never really that thrilled with using stories in zoning just because stories is a undefined standard. It's like how high is a story? That's why at last Monday's meeting, the 40 feet had been removed from from it. So when we said to put the 40 feet back, what we saw was coming into the work session, it had been four stories or 40 feet, whichever is less. And I was comfortable with that in the previous first…”
City Council · Jul 27, 2026
- Play at 1:39:38
“And I would argue that you're correct that four stories above grade is not possible in 40 feet. But when you bring in that partial below grade story, now that extra five feet is actually below grade. So it's kind of like 3 and 1 half stories 40 feet, but you're really getting four stories worth of units and housing.”
City Council · Jul 27, 2026
- Play at 1:43:23
“I actually think Taking this 40 feet would encourage developers to do things with sloped roofs and dormers and gabled ends such that we may get more of a small town feel, more in keeping with what is there now. I think this would actually encourage them not to go the box on box architectural styling and be creative.”
City Council · Jul 27, 2026
- Play at 1:45:23
“Yeah, I think it depends upon the change in slope. So if it was flat all the way to the property line, which we know it's not, it would be 35 the bulk plane would hit at 35 feet because it's a 35 foot step back so and i don't think the that rise is really more than five feet in most areas i think it's three or four feet so it would probably the bulk plane would probably be hitting at 40 feet and you'd see that step back yeah the grade does vary across the site uh it's highest at the west end and levels out uh the more east you go”
City Council · Jul 27, 2026
- Play at 1:50:55
“I think that goes against what staff was trying to do to not have fixed things throughout so that if the state changed their rules and expanded it, we wouldn't have to change our code. Let me ask staff, is there a... Another part of the city code that could be referenced that then references more specifics. So it all stays. So it's not going directly to the state, but it's actually going to something within the city code.”
City Council · Jul 27, 2026
- Play at 2:06:54
“I think I understand it. I think I'm okay with this change. But I also want to point out, this is a first reading. So if we're not changing the intent, but we're tweaking the language to make it work with the intent and what we're trying to do... between here and second reading. I mean, that's normal.”
City Council · Jul 27, 2026
- Play at 2:07:32
“The other question I had on the way the open space has been pulled out, The way I read this, does this mean that if somebody wanted to take advantage of the open space prior to July 1st of 2027, they could, but they would have to go through the special exception process? So if they got everything together and did it in June?”
City Council · Jul 27, 2026
- Play at 2:08:36
“Yes, but they would then have to go through the special exception, even if it was before July 1, because they're bringing in the open space requirement.”
City Council · Jul 27, 2026
- Play at 2:14:56
“The challenge I'm having is actually in the standards of development, which is also in that first required consideration, which is basically saying through the SE process, we would consider whether they met the standards of development and the permitted uses, but basically saying that the SE process is giving a backdoor, basically saying you don't have to meet any of it. Setbacks, building heights. If you come through this SE, you could build a 20-story building if you can get the council at the time to approve it.”
City Council · Jul 27, 2026
- Play at 2:15:41
“Oh, I don't think it was either. But I'm reading this. I'm thinking.”
City Council · Jul 27, 2026
- Play at 2:16:08
“Yeah, I'm just, and I don't think it was the intent at all either.”
City Council · Jul 27, 2026
- Play at 2:17:27
“yeah because i was looking at 544 which does say as a by right use which would be consistent with what the language is being proposed and then i'm like and i feel like it's give it the the intent here is to give us a little bit of flexibility so if they come in and they say we want in order to give you this you know a whole bunch of extra affordable housing we're going to ask for two feet more”
City Council · Jul 27, 2026
- Play at 2:17:56
“That's something we would discuss and we'd want that flexibility.”
City Council · Jul 27, 2026
- Play at 2:21:05
“Yeah, I mean, I'm comfortable, especially in the affordable housing piece, I'm very comfortable with that because I'd like to have the flexibility for instance if somebody comes in with a project that's got a bunch of affordable two-bedroom and three-bedroom units but they're 80 percent am i i want to be able to i want the flexibility to approve that um that would be just a different type of need um it's i'm really trying to understand that 519 area where it It's basically saying, hmm, we considered it, and we're going to ignore it. And that is not the intent by anybody. Staff, council,…”
City Council · Jul 27, 2026
- Play at 2:22:21
“I don't know how to make sure we're... Well, is there a way...”
City Council · Jul 27, 2026
- Play at 2:23:52
“I would prefer to have permitted uses in the reasonable deviation, actually, because we just don't know with permitted uses. There may be something cool that somebody brings in.”
City Council · Jul 27, 2026
- Play at 2:27:00
“um adjustment well i'd say standards of development would be open to minimal so if you were if there was some small change we'd have the discretion but you couldn't like blow up what's there so i think that sort of language it just kind of sets the tone for just what we could do so minor deviations from”
City Council · Jul 27, 2026
- Play at 2:28:01
“I guess I'm thinking about if there was a warming center or just something that we just haven't thought about.”
City Council · Jul 27, 2026
- Play at 2:33:30
“I'd like to point out that my feeling is that this is going to get restated and replaced by the urban design master plan when when that's completed in six months or whenever that is I assume the urban design master plan would apply to all districts including this one so and that that would be more specific and more are actually focused and have a lot of this stuff as well. In some ways, I feel like this is precarious until that comes into play. Is that right, or does that make sense?”
City Council · Jul 27, 2026
- Play at 2:34:50
“Well, I know we're talking about somewhere in here it says it has to abide by our standards, our design standards. I guess that's where I'm getting to is that what we're talking about here is hard, needs its own discussion. It's going to take a lot of time. And we kind of got the mechanism to have that discussion separate from Virginia Village for the entire city.”
City Council · Jul 27, 2026
- Play at 2:35:33
“Would it be something that the designated agent would refer to when evaluating site plans?”
City Council · Jul 27, 2026
- Play at 2:43:28
“I guess my concern is whatever we do we're going to get requests from some of the developers to go higher and go more and I'd rather hold the line now and then see what they come back with if they come back and say no I can't do it or I mean looking at the townhouses one huge thing that those have is garages and so you can't go down with a garage Wow I'm not really expecting the RFP response is to have garages in that same way. I just don't see it happening. So that's actually the biggest constraint on why you can't go down. The other piece of it I'd like to point out is with the RFP, we're…”
City Council · Jul 27, 2026
- Play at 2:45:22
“Yeah, and it could be that it drives a mix of heights because nothing says that everything has to be even it might be some go down some go up some are you've got a mix of three and four I don't know I mean it's I would rather see what comes back from the RFP before we go that those extra feet and it may be that they come back and just say This is one of those things that you wanted to find out. And we kind of need 43 feet or something like that.”
City Council · Jul 27, 2026