Laserfiche WebLink
124 <br /> <br /> Ms. Slaughter reconunended that the Mayor write a letter to the Department of <br />Transportation requesting that VDOT move forward with the Meadowcreek Parkway project <br />and provide the City with a report on its status. Councilors agreed with Ms. Slaughter's <br />suggestion. <br /> <br /> Ms. Slaughter recommended that the City government and major employers in the area <br />discuss giving more priority to traffic reduction strategies, such as RideShare, providing <br />assistance for those who use public transportation, or providing a subsidy for those who <br />carpool, <br /> <br /> Mr. Toscano asked that a report be provided to Council on the status of current traffic <br />reduction efforts and Council agreed that the City should explore how it could participate in <br />future efforts at traffic reduction. <br /> <br />ORDINANCE: CHARGING RENT FOR SIDEWALK CAFES <br /> <br />ORDINANCE: INCREASING PEDDLER'S AND ITINERANT MERCHANT FEE TO <br />$75 PER YEAR <br /> <br /> Ms. Daugherty made a motion to amend the ordinance, increasing the rent from $0.75 <br />per square foot to $1.00 per square foot. Ms. Slaughter seconded the motion and the <br />ordinance entitled "AN ORDINANCE AMENDING AND REORDAINING SECTIONS <br />28-212 THROUGH 28-215 OF THE CHARLOTTESVILLE, CITY CODE, 1990, AS <br />AMENDED, RELATED TO IMPOSITION OF RENT FOR SIDEWALK CAFE SPACE <br />AND MINIMUM AMOUNT OF LIABILITY INSURANCE REQUIRED FOR <br />OPERATION OF SIDEWALK CAFES," as-amended, was carried over to the next meeting <br />for consideration. <br /> <br /> Ms. Daugherty noted that the mall committee that had studied the issue of charging rent <br />to sidewalk cafes had recommended that $3.00 per square foot be charged, a group of cafe <br />operators had met and recommended that the fee be $1.00 per square foot, and Council at its <br />last meeting had given tentative approval to an ordinance setting the rent at $0.75 per square <br />foot. Ms. Daugherty stated that she favored setting the rate at the amount the cafe owners <br />felt they could live with. <br /> <br /> Ms. Slaughter stated that the mall committee, in recommending charging $3.00 per <br />square foot for sidewalk cafes, was trying to develop a rationale for private use of public <br />space, an issue that they were asked to consider as a result of the rent charged to the news <br />kiosk. Ms. Slaughter stated that she feels there should be some relationship between charges <br />for the kiosk, vendors, and sidewalk cafes. Ms. Slaughter noted that the kiosk on the mall is <br />the only location for that business, the sidewalk cafes are extensions of existing businesses, <br />and the vendors have no other established place of business Ms. Slaughter stated that she <br />wanted to think further about the vendor issue, but felt that the fee charged to them should be <br />somewhere in between the kiosk and cafe fees. <br /> <br /> Mr. Vandever stated that he continues to have concerns about making the rent too high <br />for sidewalk cafes given their value to the City, noting that the rent could make the difference <br />in some sidewalk cafes operator's ability to continue. Mr. Vandever stated that he wanted to <br />mull the issue of the vendor fees further and perhaps explore the issue in a work session or <br />ask for a staff recommendation. <br /> <br />Mr. Toscano stated that he thinks the $75.00 a year vendor fee proposed is too low. <br /> <br /> It was the consensus of Council that the $75.00 a year vendor fee previously proposed <br />was too Iow and, on motion by Mr. Vandever, seconded by Ms. Daugherty, the matter was <br />unanimously tabled until a more reasonable rationale can be developed for setting a new fee. <br /> <br /> Mr. Vandever asked if it was possible to set a fee based on the percentage of gross <br />sales by vendors. Mr. Clyde Goutdman, City Attorney, noted that State law implies setting a <br /> <br /> <br />