2018-39 Ordinance Vacating Public Rights-of-Way in the 400-599 Blocks East Central Avenue, 900-999 Blocks North Warren, 200-599 East Wabash, 400 Blocks East Central & East King, 200 Blocks East Central, 800 Blocks of North Warren & Water

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Item Coversheet Page 1 of 2 � Economic&Community Development DATE: 9/4/2018 MEMO: No. 18-37 TO: Honorable Mayor Julie Moore Wolfe and City Council FROM: Billy Tyus,Interim City Manager Raymond Lai,AICP,Economic and Community Development Director Joselyn A.Stewart,Transportation Planner SUBJECT: Public Hearing and Ordinance for public right�f-way vacations in the 400-599 Blocks of East Central Avenue and the 900-999 Blocks of North Warren Street rights-of-way and to vacate the alley rights-of-way located between the 200-599 Blocks of East Wabash Avenue and East Central Avenue,between the 400 Blocks of East Central Avenue and East King Street,between the 200 Blocks of East Central Avenue and East King Street, between the 800 Blocks of North Warren Street and North Water Street, between the 900 Blocks of North Warren Street and North Water Street,and between the 200-599 Blocks of East King Street and East Marietta Street. SUMMARY RECOMMENDATION: Subject to the public hearing scheduled for September 4�',2018, Staff recommends approval of the proposed public right-of-way vacations with the following conditions: 1. A blanket easement for the vacated alleyway between East Marietta Street and East King Street,east of North Warren Street, shall be maintained for utilities as long as the City's sanitary sewer is there. 2. A blanket easement for Central Avenue,east of North Warren Street,shall be maintained for utilities. 3. The future property owners shall be responsible for maintaining all utility easements within or relocating all utilities from vacated public rights-of-way per the associated sales agreement between the City and Crossing Healthcare. BACKGROUND: Three consecutive items on this Council Agenda are related-the respective public hearing and ordinance for the proposed public right-of-way vacations, and the sale of City-owned land and public rights�f-way proposed to be vacated. This memorandum addresses first two of the three items. The City is proposing to vacate certain public rights-of-way as part of the planned Wabash Community Care Campus redevelopment area generally bounded by East Marietta Street, North Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, East Wabash Avenue, and State Route 51/North Water Street/North Franklin Street. Specifically,two parcels of street rights-of-way and five parcels of alley rights-of-way are included. Letters were sent to Ameren,Comcast Communications,and AT&T notifying the utility companies of the vacation proposal and no objections to the proposed right-of-way vacations were expressed. According to Paragraph 2.2.1 of the Administrative Policy & Procedure Manual: Utility Easements and R-O-W Vacations; (effective September 1, 1997);"All requests for property vacation should be submitted to the Plan Commission for public hearing except in unusual circumstances". In staff's opinion,"unusual circumstances"exist for the proposed vacations to be considered in an expedited manner,thus a public hearing is held by the City Council (at its September 4th, 2018 meeting) instead of the Plan Commission. This proposal, in conjunction with the proposed transfer of certain City-owned parcels would facilitate a redevelopment project in the heart of the City that would minimize countless,unnecessary deaths and overdoses in our community. https:Udecatur.novusagenda.com/AgendaWeb/CoverSheet.aspx?ItemID=1675 8/31/2018