2008 03 01 WS Minutes, Special
MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL WORK SESSION
OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BAYTOWN
March 1, 2008
The City Council of the City of Baytown, Texas, met in a special work session on March 1,
2008 at 8:00 a.m. at South Shore Harbour Conference Center, 2500 South Shore Harbour,
League City, Texas with the following in attendance:
Lena R. Yepez Council Member
Brandon Capetillo Council Member
Don Murray Council Member
Lynn A. Caskey, II Council Member
Sammy Mahan Council Member
Garrison C. Brumback City Manager
Robert D. Leiper Deputy City Manager
Ignacio Ramirez City Attorney
Kelvin Knauf Interim City Clerk
Mayor DonCarlos joined the work session at 8:30 a.m.
Conduct a visioning retreat to discuss possible future directions for the City Council.
City Manager Brumback began the special work session by explaining its purpose and the Visioning
process. He then introduced the facilitator for the visioning process, Dr. James Moore of HDR
Engineering. Dr. Moore presented a Power Point presentation on “Visioning: Preparing for an
Achieveable (sic) Future”. His presentation included a review of the City of Baytown’s current Visioning
Statement, which he suggested could be re-written into a single paragraph.
Dr. Moore listed the following factors impact the future of community development:
1. Regionalism
2. Open Space
3. True Neighborhoods
a. Defined
b. Connected
c. Integrated
d. Walkable
e. Diverse
4. Accessibility vs. Mobility
a. Access to services
5. Designing for Pedestrians
6. Residential Diversity
a. Vacant retail needs to be re-zoned as mixed use
7. Infill and Redevelopment
8. Focus on Physical Design
9. Sense of Place
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Minutes of the Special Work Session— March 1, 2008
The Mayor and City Council, City Manager, Deputy City Manager, and Assistant City Manager then
were divided into three groups, while the remainder of the participants observed. Each group was
assigned the responsibility of assessing the community’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.
After each group finished their assessments, they listed the top five strengths, weaknesses, opportunities
and threat and wrote those on a map of the community, which was placed on a wall. A representative
from each group then read the top five priorities to the entire group.
The group then took a lunch break. Councilmember Yepez left the special work session at 11:30 a.m.
After lunch a composite was developed of all the groups’ priorities. The composite lists are as follows:
Strengths (not in priority order)
1. Water/Bay
2. Industry
3. Public safety (Police, Fire, EMS)
4. I-10 access
5. Lee College
6. Parks system
7. School system
8. Positive changes in city government
9. Nature Center
10. Strong employment base
11. Adequate utilities
12. Community spirit/civic mindedness
Weaknesses (not in priority order)
1. Abandoned buildings
2. The mall
3. Old oil fields (unsightly/decrepit/strategic location)
4. Entrances to the city
5. Market Street Area west of City Hall (Old Baytown)
6. Waterfront (pollution, litter, bayou, dirty water)
7. Industrial areas (appearance, maintenance, impact on environment, wages)
8. Our culture (litter, etc.)
9. Lack of way finding (signage, directions)
10. Highway 146 congestion/divides community
11. I-10 congestion at interchanges
12. Have to deal with TxDOT on key issues
13. Condition of the city’s streets
14. Condition of water/wastewater system
15. High (combined) tax rate
16. Relationship with the state government/intergovernmental relations
Opportunities (not in priority order)
1. Alexander Drive/Business 146
2. Industrial Districts/Cedar Crossing
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Minutes of the Special Work Session— March 1, 2008
3. Texas Avenue
4. Area north of I-10/growth
5. The mall (redevelopment)
6. Public school system (competition with neighboring districts)
7. Abandoned buildings
8. Bayland Island/vacant land
9. The waterfront
10. Undeveloped lands/infill
11. Grand parkway area (growth changing traffic patterns)
12. I-10 community image opportunity
13. Intergovernmental cooperation/collaboration
14. Spur 330/I-10 Interchange (image)
Threats (not in priority order)
1. Hartman Bridge (terrorist target)
2. San Jacinto River (dioxin pollution, security)
3. Proposed barge terminal on Cedar Bayou
4. Hurricanes
5. Bayway and Decker area (water district, runaway growth, uncontrolled)
6. Vacant abandoned retail (grayfields)
7. Vacant land (uncontrolled development)
8. Overall environmental Issues (air, water, litter)
9. Culture--challenges with personal and/or corporate responsibility
10. Transportation corridors (barriers)
11. Mont Belvieu development (competition)
12. Municipal Utility Districts
13. Barber’s Hill School district (competition)
The Mayor and City Council, City Manager, Deputy City Manager and Assistant City Manager then
marked their top priorities under each strength, weakness, opportunity or threat. After the marks were
tallied, the following were the top five priorities:
Strengths (not in priority order)
1. Water/bay
2. Parks
3. Strong employment base
4. Adequate utilities
5. Public safety (police, fire, EMS)
Weaknesses (not in priority order)
1. Abandoned buildings
2. Entrances to the City
3. Our culture
4. High tax rate
5. The mall
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Minutes of the Special Work Session— March 1, 2008
Opportunities
1. Area north of I-10/growth
2. Texas Avenue
3. Bayland Island/vacant land/waterfront
4. Undeveloped land/infill
5. Grand parkway
Threats
1. Vacant/abandoned retail (grayfields)
2. Culture-Personal and Corporate responsibility
3. Hurricanes
4. Overall environmental issues
5. Vacant lands (uncontrolled)
After a discussion on the above priorities, Dr. Moore stated that he would take the priorities and begin
preparations for a public meeting on the priorities. City Manager Brumback stated that the public
th
meeting would be on March 25 and he anticipated the City Council adopting a Vision Statement on
th
April 24.
ADJOURN
Council Member Caskey moved to adjourn the meeting. Council Member Murray seconded the
Motion. The vote follows:
Ayes: Council Members Capetillo, Caskey, Murray, Mahan, and Sheley
Mayor DonCarlos
Nays: None
The motion carried.
With no additional business the special work session adjourned at 3:00 p.m.
______________________________
Kelvin Knauf, Interim City Clerk