Board of Aldermen 5-27-2020 Page 3
Alderman Schmidt
| am here, | can hear you all and | am alone in the room.
Alderman Cleaver
| am present, | am alone and | can hear everybody so far.
Alderman Harriott-Gathright
| am present, | can hear you, | am alone in this room and | am practicing social distancing.
Alderman Wilshire
| am here, | am alone and | am also practicing social distancing per the Governor’s Order.
Susan Lovering City Clerk
You have 11 in attendance.
President Wilshire
Alderman Caron, did you join us? OK maybe not. Ok at this point in the meeting, | am going to turn it over to
Alderman Tencza who is the Chair of the Planning & Economic Development Committee to hold the Public
Hearing. So it’s over to you, Alderman Tencza.
Chairman Tencza
Thank you, Madam President. The purpose of tonight’s meeting is to hold a Public Hearing on O-20-014
relative to Temporary Adjustment to Site Plans. With us here tonight is Director Sarah Marchant from
Community Development. Director Marchant if you can please explain or present what this proposal is.
Sarah Marchant, Director of Community Development
Absolutely, thank you so much for having me here tonight. This Ordinance is to allow for the temporary
modifications of site plans through the end of this year. This essentially allows us to quickly turn around
approvals for outdoor dining in what would traditionally be parking areas or landscaped areas. We have
developed a system in partnership with Economic Development, Public Health, Fire and Public Works. So
everybody is still involved in the review process. We need to turn these around quickly and get these
businesses up and running. Without this Legislation, it would many be full Planning Board process because of
the items that are happening here, specifically it would be difficult still to meet parking minimums to meet the
landscaping, open space minimums and some setbacks. So we are working with them on a case-by-case basis
to make sure everything is safe, but to make sure that we can get our businesses open and functioning as
quickly as possible.
Chairman Tencza
Thank you, Director Marchant. Now the Meeting will turn to the Public Comment portion of the Meeting. | will be
asking for testimony in favor of this Ordinance; then testimony in opposition, once both parties have had a
chance to speak on it, |’ll again ask for testimony in favor and then for testimony in opposition. If you would like
to speak, please just make yourself known when you feel it is your turn to speak.
