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Minutes 1989-06-19 / -. '100 I , , . , , MINUTES CITY COUNCIL AND PLANNING COMMISSION JOINT MEETING AND WORKSHOP MONDAY, JUNE 19, 1989. COUNCIL CHAMBERS, 215 E. BRANCH STREET ARROYO GRANDE, CALIFORNIA The city Council and the Planning Commission convened for a joint meeting and workshop, with Mayor Mark M. Millis presiding. Also present were Council Members A. K. "Pete" Dougall, Gene Moots and Doris Olsen, and Planning Commissioners Tony. Flores, M. P. "Pete" Gallagher, Paulette McCann and Clark Moore. Absent were Council Member B'Ann Smith and Planning Commissioner William J Gerrish. Planning Director Doreen Liberto-Blanck said that the city has been working on the General Plan update for eight months. She referred to the JUne 16, 1989 Staff Report of Long Range Planner i Sandy Bierdzinski. She said the purpose of the meeting was to put together a preferred land use alternative including maps, goals and policies. She said the meeting. also would provide Staff with direction on where the community is going so that work can begin on an Environmental Impact Report. She said the Planning Network, which is preparing the General Plan for the City, would begin to put together the goals and policies for the City and these would be addressed at pUblic hearings when the Preferred Land Use Map also is discussed. I LLOYD ZOLA of planning Network said there are eight parameters being used as a basis for preparing the General Plan. FOllowing are comments made on the parameters by Council Members , and Planning Commissioners: ! A.1. Housing Growth - Mayor Millis said the City of Arroyo Grande should not allow more development than it has water for, and Commissioner Flores said growth should be managed relative to water. A.2. Agriculture Land - Mayor Millis said the Council has taken the position that it wants to support agriculture as long as it is a viable industry, and to protect the farmers' claim to ground water. There was a discussion of the strawberry fields adjacent to Grover city at Oak. Park Boulevard and Grand Avenue. Some Council Members and Commissioners said the land may not be viable because of the surrounding residential areas. Mayor Millis said the planners may have to take each of the strawberry parcels in the city separately and get input at the public hearings. J Mr. Zola said he thought the consensus was that it would be desireable to retain the straWberry fields if viable in the long term. He said the question of viability would then be to what extent the City should take into consideration the size of the parcel and whether it could be farmed compatibly with what is surrounding it. Mr. Zola asked about transferring agriculture water rights if certain parcels are no long viable for farming. Mayor Millis said it would be a dangerous precedent to get into, and the ground water should stay with agriculture. Mr. Zola said Classes I, II and III prime agriculture land is at a 10 acre minimum. He said other agriculture land is one unit 1 , ---- --------_. ~"._.,.. - , 101 CITY COUNCIL-PLANNING COMMISSION JUNE 19, 1989 per one and one-half acres. Mayor Millis said, to clarify, all prime agriculture land, excluding the hillsides, is east of Arroyo Grande Creek, and Classes IV, V, VI etc. are west of the Creek. A.3. Village Area - There was discussion of designating certain buildings or areas of the Village as historic, and City Council Members expressed leeriness in doing this because of the liability the City might incur. There was discussion of a new city hall being built in the Village, and Mayor Millis said this must be taken to a vote of the i ci tizens. Commissioner Soto said the Central Business District , covers an area to Nelson and Short Streets, and the land purchased by the City for new City Offices is within that. Mayor Millis said ~ there is no reason why City offices cannot be built on both sides of the Arroyo Grande Creek. A.4. Traffic - Alternative circulation routes to Highway 227 were considered, and it was the consensus that agriculture land should have a higher priority. Mayor Millis said that a series of small actions could be taken to solve the City's traffic problems. He said that a bridge across Tally Ho Creek linking James Way to Highway 227 would be helpful. The Council Members and Commissioners objected to the way the County is allowing development adjacent to the City and ignoring the City's concerns. A. 8. Potential Annexations - Council Members and Commissioners discussed the idea of annexing land surrounding the City to protect it from County-approved development. Mayor Millis said there is an inherent promise to allow full development if land is annexed. Council Members said no annexation should be allowed because of the lack of water and the City's inability to furnish services to annexed land. Commissioners Soto and Flores said they felt the City should consider annexing in order to better control development around the City. Mr. Zola suggested that the City start by sitting down with the County and doing a joint land use plan for the area. He said the City should look for consistency and standards for density and intensity. He said the City should get the County to internalize the impacts that are being created. He said if that does not work, the City could look at annexation, the choice of last resort. Mayor Millis said he was in favor of working with the County but would not want to mislead people or have property owners think that there may be annexation. Mr. Zola said it could be stated that the purpose of annexation is not to provide services which would not otherwise exist. A.5. Conversion of Land (Single Family) - Mr. Zola said that in areas already zoned R-3 the City could look at individual areas and see to what extent they have been converted, and then make a decision. There were Council and Commission suggestions also to consider density. "- A.6. Employment Areas - It was pointed out by Commissioners that Arroyo Grande is missing the upper echelon jobs, and City areas available for building are. not suitable for industrial sites. It was commented that housing being built in Arroyo Grande is too expensive for people who live here now. Mayor Millis said Arroyo Grande is the commercial center for the South County; that agriculture is still somewhat viable, and that there possibly could be some research and development plants built here. It was consensus that cooperation with the County on a Fringe Study could help. Mr. Zola said a larger picture of what is being allowed and developed in the County would be helpful. 2 ---------~ 102 ,- ."" .~ CITY COUNCIL-PLANNING COMMISSION JUNE 19, 1989 Mr. Zola spoke about the various issues concerning, B.l. Fire Protection; B.4. Air Quality; B.5. Water Availability/Conservation; B.6. Affordable Housing/Senior Housing; B.7. Creek Areas/Greenbelt; B.8. Floor Area Ratio (commercial and industrial uses). Mayor Millis commented on Commercial Land Availability, saying that there is enough commercially zoned land. He said Rancho Grande's 40 acres have not been developed yet. He said existing areas of commercial zoning could be developed to a greater intensity. Mr. Zola said Impervious Surface Coverage (B.IO. ) standards '\ could be made part of the General Plan. Council Members and Commissioners discussed whether or not runoff from large parking lots could contaminate the ground water supply: if runoff should be contained on site, and how parking requirements for developments could conflict with limiting impervious surface coverage. Mr. Zola asked Council Members and Commissioners for input on projects submitted prior to adoption of the General Plan (B.ll.). Mayor Millis said that these projects have formerly submitted I applications to the City and are entitled to public hearings before the Planning Commission and city Council. He said that anything that anyone would say at this point might prejudice decisions. He said it would be unwise to have any comments on these three projects which are in the process. It was decided that any applications received prior to the new General Plan adoption should be reviewed based on the existing General Plan. Mr. Zolasuggested identifying the three sites and showing for them what is now on the General Plan, making sure one of the alternatives does show the specific proposal that is being made. He said if the new General Plan gets to hearing prior to these cases, decisions will have to be made which will affect the ultimate cases. He said decisions will have to made concerning density ranges at the public hearings. Densities for Motels (B,12. ) was discussed by Mr. Zola. Council Member Moots said there has to be a relationship to how many parking spaces are provided. Specific sites in the city were considered, and Mr. Zola discussed the R-A-B-3 Zone along Traffic Way (C.l.) and the Area South of the High School (C.2.). He asked for input as to zoning on the Farroll Road and Oak Park Boulevard strawberry Fields property (C.3.). He said the property may not be a viable farming area in the long term. Commissioner Soto said the Grand Avenue frontage should be commercial, and the other parts of the parcel compatible with the l properties bordering it. Mayor Millis said if the zoning were changed there might not be enough water. He suggested leaving the zoning as it is and letting the property owner decide what zoning he wants to ask for on it. Commissioner Gallagher suggested that the City try to mitigate some of the consequences of continued farming and take a proactive stand to encourage the farmers to stay in the farming business. Mayor Millis said one thing the City can do is protect the farmers' ground water. Mr. Zola said that in the General Plan update the planners can identify the parcel on the Land Use Map as agriculture, but recognize that it may not be its long-term use and that the parcel may be converted in the future. Commissioner Gallagher asked for a review of the comments on 3 ! , I - ......------.-,,- ~..~--~.,._----- - .. · 103 . CITY COUNCIL-PLANNING COMMISSION JUNE 19, 1989 expansion of the Village. Mr. Zola said that in the General Plan the City Hall/City Center would be identified on the South side of the Arroyo Grande Creek. He said consensus was not to expand commercial uses in the Village. Mayor Millis suggested some type of senior housing or senior complex in the Village area similar to the senior housing on Elm Street, with more parking. Mr. Zola said the proposed Land Use Map and General Plan . policy, goals and objectives would now be put together and then \ brought back to the City for review and preparation of the Environmental Impact Report. He said another workshop could be 'L held. He said the General Plan document will be done at the end of July and public hearings could be in late September at the Planning Commission with a final EIR. He said the General Plan could be adopted in October. Ms. Liberto-Blanck said the Zoning Ordinance would be brought to the Commission and Council after that. There were miscellaneous questions and comments from the audience concerning zoning on specific parcels and those people were advised to be in immediate touch with the Planning Department to communicate their wishes. Discussed were the shortage of water; annexing and zoning as agriculture a certain parcel that is surrounded on three sides by the City, and the R-3 moratorium. Mr. Zola said that existing Planned Development approvals are being shown on the updated General Plan as approved. A citizen suggested that lots on the east side of Chilton Avenue should be zoned as residential. An industrial park was suggested for the General Plan. BOB CARR, County Air Pollution Control Director, requested the City to include a strong element supporting clean air in the General Plan. He urged support of development that creates the least. air quality impact. He said as a private citizen of Arroyo Grande he would encourage the Council's continued support of agriculture. The meeting was adjourned at 10:15 P.M. ~A~~ OR ATTEST: 'il ~ a. ~ CIT CLERK -