Minutes 1998-06-18 SP
MINUTES
JOINT CITY COUNCIL/PLANNING COMMISSION
SPECIAL MEETING
THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 1998
CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS, 215 EAST BRANCH STREET
ARROYO GRANDE, CALIFORNIA
1, CALL TO ORDER
The City Council and Planning Commission of the City of Arroyo Grande met in a
special joint session at 6:30 p.m., with Mayor A. K. "Pete" Dougall and Chair
Sandy Lubin presiding.
2, ROLL CALL
Present with Mayor Dougall and Chair Lubin were Mayor Pro Tern Michael Lady;
Council Members Michael Fuller, Thomas A. Runels, and Steve Tolley; Planning
Commission Vice Chair Del Haney, and Commissioners Laurence Greene and
Fran Rondeau. Commissioner Nanci Parker was absent. Staff members present
were City Manager Robert L. Hunt, City Clerk Nancy A. Davis, Acting Community
Development Director Helen Elder, and Associate Planner Bruce Buckingham.
3, PUBLIC COMMENT
Speaking about the General Plan Update Community Workshop #2 to be held
June 20, 1998, were Jim Dickens, 769 Branch Mill Road; Richard Quant,
President of the Growers and Shippers Association; Sarah Dickens, 769 Branch
Mill Road; Colleen Martin, 855 Olive Street; Otis Page, 606 Myrtle Street; Tim
Brown, 125 Allen Street; Stephanie Painter, 541 Mesa View Drive; Adam
Saruwatari, whose parents own the farm land on the north side of Fairoaks
Avenue near Arroyo Grande High School; Kirk Scott, 520 Via Vaquero; Roger
Jett, 221 Trinity Avenue; Mike Titus, 404 Lierly Lane, and Dennis Donovan, 337
Gularte Road.
Their concerns and comments were about rezoning agriculture land to residential
land; the economic importance of farming to the City; the use of the five- to ten-
acre parcels of farm land as buffers; stewardship and care of the land; problems
with scheduling the General Plan Update meetings on Saturdays; finding new
ways to solicit citizen input; the impact of growth on the schools; the components
of Preliminary Alternatives A, B, and C and how they were developed; inclusion
of a proposed Planned Development south of the City in all three alternatives; the
need for some growth in the City; building on the hillsides; considering the
impacts on the City caused by growth, and the cost of preparing the Update,
CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
JUNE 18, 1998
4, STATUS OF GENERAL PLAN UPDATE
Acting Community Development Director Elder reviewed the progress on the
General Plan Update. She said the City's General Plan is the community's
"constitution" and as such must accurately reflect the critical issues impacting the
City and its residents' value systems. She said an extensive program of public
workshops and other forums will be conducted throughout the planning process
to maximize input. She discussed Workshop No. 1 held in February and said
Workshop No. 2's format will reflect vision statements (both majority and minority
opinions) expressed at the first Workshop. She said the purpose of the three
alternatives was to create a framework for discussion. She said more than 8,000
notices were mailed in the City, there were two newspaper notices, and schools
and home-owner associations were notified.
Council Members and Planning Commissioners asked questions and made
suggestions to staff. Their comments and concerns were as follows:
Council Member Runels discussed the history of the agriculture land in Arroyo
Grande; the instances when the City allowed housing, churches, and schools to
be built on prime farm land; the possibility that there will not be enough water for
farming; private property rights; the Williamson Act, and a current application to
build a church and homes on farm land on Fairoaks Avenue.
Planning Commissioner Rondeau said this area probably will not remain a rural
community and there is a need for the citizens to decide what they want the City
to be.
Council Member Tolley said the Council has no desire to take anyone's farm; the
citizens need to stay involved in the General Plan Update process; there are no
conspiracies, and the City has no hidden agendas.
Planning Commission Vice Chair Haney urged citizens to stay involved;
suggested soliciting citizen input with mailers, tear-offs, and neighborhood
meetings, and said City officials need to be responsive to the issue of integrity,
whether it is a reality or a perception.
Mayor Pro Tem Lady said this is just the beginning of the process and the
Council has drawn no conclusions; staff should look at the ideas on getting
citizen input put forth by Ms. Martin; the City should look at each proposal to
rezone agriculture land on a parcel-by-parcel basis, and he did not believe it is
the intention of the City to violate the preservation of agriculture land.
Planning Commissioner Greene assured the citizens that he would keep an open
mind on the issue.
Council Member Fuller said the Update process is in its infancy stage; that some
members of the agriculture community have asked to have their lands rezoned
2
CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
JUNE 18, 1998
for residential; the Arroyo Linda Crossroads is not all commercial and 100 acres
in the City are residential; letters from citizens will be welcomed as input, and the
cost of the Update included getting public input.
Planning Commission Chair Lubin said he was involved with the selection of
General Plan Update consultants and more money was spent so that traffic and
circulation issues could be studied. He said he agreed with Mrs. Dickens that we
should be stewards of the agriculture land. He said managed growth is needed.
He said increased efforts should be made to involve the public in the process.
Mayor Dougall said he had taken the most criticism, but perceptions are not
reality. He said the City is trying to get a consensus of opinion from the citizens
on the General Plan Update. He urged citizens to stayed involved and be open-
minded.
5, STATUS OF REDEVELOPMENT IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY
City Manager Hunt discussed the May 20th Redevelopment Agency Workshop on
Preparation of an Implementation Strategy for the Redevelopment Plan. He said
priority was given to the Grand Avenue/Traffic Way corridor. He said those in
attendance felt the Agency should deal primarily with infrastructure
upgrades/construction, circulation improvements, and facilitation of the
permit/approval process. He said there will be a second workshop in July or
August.
Council Members and Commissioners asked questions of staff concerning
Agency funding. They gave their opinions on the areas on which the Agency
should work, as follows:
Runels - the portion of Fairoaks in front of the High School is more important
than Traffic Way
Haney - criteria and a priority system should be developed
Tolley - the Grand Avenue corridor
Lubin - the Grand Avenue, Brisco underpass, and EI Campo/Highway 101 areas
Fuller - Grand Avenue, Village traffic infrastructure, Brisco underpass, and a
worksheet showing a priority system
Greene - open space on Grand Avenue, between Elm Street and Oak Park
Blvd., should be developed
Dougall- Grand Avenue should be improved using a theme (as in the Village)
Lady - the improvement of Grand Avenue
.....-'
3
CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
JUNE 18, 1998
Commission Chair Lubin said he would like to see a cash flow outlay statement.
Mr. Haney said it is important for the agency to have a policy regarding debt and
administrative costs should be managed conservatively.
THE CITY COUNCIL AND PLANNING COMMISSION ADJOURNED FOR A
RECESS FROM 8:45 TO 8:55 P.M,
6, COUNCIL/COMMISSION COMMUNICATIONS
Council Member Runels said the a report had been received from the State on
retrofitting Lopez Dam to make it seismically safe. . He said the cost is estimated
to be between $20 and $30 million. He said the City of Arroyo Grande will be
paying half of that amount. He said the work has to be done in five years or the
water in the dam will be lowered to a point of uselessness. Council Members
and Commissioners discussed possible ways the City could pay for the repair
through bond issues or grants.
Community Development staff was commended for it works with the Planning
Commission.
Commissioner Greene said he was concerned about some important projects
that will have a significant impact on the City and are moving ahead before the
General Plan Update will be finished. Community Development Director Elder
said the pending projects are Arroyo Linda, Berry Gardens, James Way
Annexation, and Rodeo Heights. City Manager Hunt said the four projects were
permitted to proceed so they could be included in the General Plan Update.
Commissioner Rondeau, who retired from the Commission, was praised for his
work on the Commission. Council Member Runels said it was Mr. Rondeau's
second stint as a Planning Commissioner for Arroyo Grande.
Mayor Dougall said he was trying to take the City past the image of not wanting
growth and to make Arroyo Grande economically viable. He said the existing
General Plan document is 10 years old and needs to be updated.
Council Member Runels said if the City curtails the value at which owners can
leverage their agriculture land, the owner's ability to farm it may be restricted and
they may be forced to sell the land.
Council Member Tolley invited the Council and public to attend a 'Tip a Cop"
dinner at Cody's Restaurant on June 24th.
. .,
7, ADJOURNMENT ..
At 9:28 p.m., the City Council adjourned to its regular meeting at 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, June 23, 1998, and the Planning Commission adjourned to its regular
meeting at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 7,1998.
4
CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
JUNE 18, 1998
R
Y1 a.~
NANC~IS, CITY CLERK
5