Loading...
Minutes 1998-06-18 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 Tem 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 Avenueffraffic Way corridor. He said those in attendance felt the Agency should deal primarily with infrastructure upg rades/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 '11~ a.~ NANCY A, VIS, CITY CLERK 5