Minutes 1993-03-04
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MINUTES
SPECIAL MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL
THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 1993
COMMUNITY CENTER, 211 VERNON AVENUE
ARROYO GRANDE, CALIFORNIA
The City Council of the City of Arroyo Grande met at 7:00
P.M., with Mayor Matthew Peter Gallagher, III, presiding. Present
were Mayor Gallagher and Council Members Drew Brandy, Bernard
Burke, Gene Moots and James Souza. Staff Members present were City
Manager Chris Christiansen, Interim City Attorney Roger Lyon, City
Clerk Nancy Davis, Parks and Recreation Director John Keisler,
Planning Director Doreen Liberto-Blanck, Consultant Sandra
Bierdzinski and Tim Carmel, an associate of Mr. Lyon.
1. FLAG SALUTE
Mayor Gallagher led the Pledge of Allegiance to our Flag.
2. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
FRED FLANNELL of 550 Via Vaquero complimented the City Council
and Staff Members for the manner in which the Public Records Act is
administered. He referred to newspaper clippings advertising
openings for players in softball leagues, and said the City is
advertising for more players at the same time it is saying that
more playing fields are needed. He said users of Nipomo Regional
Park were surveyed and they want much of the park to remain
undeveloped and as a natural area.
MAURICE PHILIPS of 158 Avenida De Diamante requested time to
speak to the Council about Rancho Grande Park, but Mayor Gallagher
said Oral Communications was only for persons in the audience to
speak about items not on the agenda.
JOHN HILE of 413 Mesquite Lane asked the Council for the name
of the City's Parks and Recreation Director and if he was at the
meeting. Mayor Gallagher said his name is John Keisler, he was at
the meeting, and Mr. Hile could speak to him after the meeting.
3. RANCHO GRANDE PARK EXPANDED INITIAL STUDY AND MITIGATED NEGATIVE
DECLARATION
Mayor Gallagher said the City had been through an exhausting
process relative to this issue of the park. He said there were
numerous public hearings in the Parks and Recreation Commission,
the Planning commission and the City Council. He said there had
been an Expanded Initial Study, and now the Council will be making
a determination as to the direction the City will be headed with
the park.
Council Member Moots asked for a description of what was
contained in the two resolutions before the Council, the
resolutions on the Original Rancho Grande Park Plan and the
Alternative Park Plan.
Mr. Keisler said the Al terati ve Plan eliminates the score
keeper's box, bleachers, the access onto Avenida De Diamante and
the parking adjacent to one corner of the park. He said the
Alternative Plan changes the location of motorcycle parking. He
said the Original Plan had two accesses onto Avenida De Diamante,
extended bleachers, a restroom and score keeper's box, a recreation
building and parking located within 10 feet of a residence. He
said both plans contained conduit for lighting in the future.
Mayor Gallagher asked for the changes that had been made in
the amended resolutions the Council received the day of the
meeting. The Interim City Attorney listed the technical changes
that he said were made to be sure the City was in compliance with
the California Environmental Quality Act, as follows:
1- The Title was changed to delete instructions for the Staff to
file a Notice of Determination at this time. The Notice of
Determination will be filed when the modified plan comes back to
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CITY COUNCIL MINUTES
MARCH 4, 1993
the Council for approval.
2. Paragraph 2 includes more specific language saying that the
attachments to the resolutions contain not only mitigation measures
to the project but also constitute a mitigation monitoring program
now required by the Environmental Quality Act. Time periods when
compliance of the mitigation measures is required and who is
responsible for doing that are contained in the new wording.
3. Mitigation Measures will be conditions of approval of the
project, as per new requirements of the Environmental Quality Act.
4. The Public comments and Staff responses to those comments will
be part of the approval of the Negative Declaration.
Council Members discussed the Planning Director's Staff Report
dated March 4, 1993, and had questions about the alternatives for
Council action listed there.
Mayor Gallagher asked if after the Council makes its decision
at this meeting would the project have to go back through the Parks
and Recreation and planning commissions for development of the
master plan. Mr. Christiansen said normally that is the procedure.
He said it would have to go through the Planning Commission because
a master plan is being considered.
Council Members discussed with Staff the various circumstances
that would cause the City to have to "revisit" the CEQA process.
Council Member Moots said he did not think lighting for the
athletic field should ever be considered for Rancho Grande Park.
Council Member Souza said he agreed except he thought the conduits
for future lights should be installed. Mr. Keisler said
installation of conduits would cost under $10,000 at this time and
probably four times that in the future when park amenities have
been installed. Council Member Brandy asked if there was lighting
for the tennis courts and the Planning Director said not at this
time. Mayor Gallagher said tennis court lighting could be added at
the time the master plan is developed. Council Member Moots said
he could not approve any pole lighting for the ball field.
Council Member Moots made a motion to amend the Alternative
Rancho Grande Park resolution to add as a second sentence to item
b. of Page 2 LIGHT/GLARE, as follows:
"The Master Plan shall be revised to eliminate the athletic
lights around the ball field, including t~e i~stallation of
conduits for future lighting."
There was discussion of night lighting for the tennis and
basketball courts in the Expanded Initial Study, and Mr. Lyon said
lighting for these could not be added without a subsequent
environmental review. He said the conduit for future lighting
could be put in without an EIR.
Council Member Burke seconded the motion.
The motion failed on a roll call vote, with Moots and Burke
voting aye, and Souza, Brandy and Gallagher voting no.
Mayor Gallagher said he would like to approve both the
original and alternative Rancho Grande Park plans, so there would
be maximum flexibility. Council Member Souza said two resolutions
and two master plans would make more work for Staff, the Council
and the Public.
After further Council discussion, it was moved by Council
Member Burke to approve the resolution Adopting a Mitigated
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CITY COUNCIL MINUTES
MARCH 4, 1993
Negative Declaration for the Original Rancho Grande Park Plan. The
motion was seconded by Mayor Gallagher. The motion failed with
Burke and Gallagher voting aye, and Brandy, Souza and Moots voting
no.
It was moved by Burke/Souza (5-0-0, Burke, Souza, Brandy,
Moots and Gallagher voting aye) to approve Resolution No. 2972
Adopting a Mitigated Negative Declaration for the Alternative
Rancho Grande Park Plan.
4. ADJOURNMENT
It was moved by Moots/Burke and approved unanimously to
adjourn the meeting at 8:05 P.M.
ATTEST: ~O.~
NANCY A. AVIS, CITY CLERK