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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Minutes 04/23/20071 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 April 23, 2007 Vol. 42, Page 401 W� L Z a City of Petaluma, California MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL/ I85$ PETALUMA COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION City Council/PCDC Minutes Monday, April 23, 2007 Special Meeting April 23, 2007 EVENING SESSION CALL TO ORDER - EVENING SESSION - 7:00 P.M. Present: Barrett, Freitas, Harris, Nau, Rabbitt and Mayor Torliatt Absent: O'Brien Pledge of Allegiance Hannah Becker, Fourth Grader at Meadow School and Megan McCulla, Fifth Grader at Meadow School C. Moment of Silence PUBLIC COMMENT Chip Rees, Petaluma, showed a two minute video on rethinking community development in an urban community. Jeff Mayne, Petaluma Downtown Association, Petaluma, spoke about the Butter and Eggs Day Parade and invited the public to attend. The theme for this year's parade is "Super Town, Super Heroes" and said they will be honoring the 150 years of the Petaluma Fire Department. Tiffany Renee, Petaluma, spoke regarding the hillside ridgeline ordinance. She requested that the Council give staff direction on that ordinance. Tammara Norman, Tree Advisory Committee, Petaluma, stated that Arbor Day was celebrated last Saturday. They did a tree planting with Rebuilding Together Petaluma. She presented the Council with a Tree City U.S.A. flag. Geoff Cartwright, Petaluma, spoke about the East Washington Place EIR. He specifically looked at the hydrology section and noticed that some of the flows head to Lakeville, specifically in the area of East Court. The flows will exacerbate the flooding in that area and he hopes that issue will be addressed in the final EIR. Vol. 42, Page 402 April 23, 2007 Dianne Reilly Torres, Petaluma, stated that she has a television program called City Watchdog and gave an update of her recent activities. She also stated that she is proud of her neighbors and the Council for the Avila Ranch hearing. Janice Cader-Thompson, Petaluma, spoke about the SPARC meeting and the quarry project. She stated that during the meeting, a comment was made that the developer did not have to put the purple pipelines in. She requested that the Council have a policy discussion about committees and what they can or can't decide as it relates to development. Craig Chrisco, Petaluma, spoke about East Washington Place and whether or not it would be a good idea to build a series of large buildings there. He asked the Council to consider traffic issues. He believed that smaller, mixed used development would make more sense. COUNCIL COMMENT Vice Mayor Nau Council Member Rabbitt Council Member Barrett City Manager Bierman Council Member Barrett Mayor Torliatt requested that the meeting be adjourned in memory of James Leo Spaletta, Jr. and Mario K. Deleon. CITY MANAGER COMMENT None. AGENDA CHANGES AND DELETIONS (Changes to current agenda only). None. I PUBLIC HEARING A. Public Hearing and Discussion of Draft General Plan 2025 and Draft Environmental Impact Report - Review of Planning Commission Recommendations for Parcel -Specific Land Uses. (Tuft) - Continued from April 16, 2007 meeting. Sub -Area 11 - North McDowell Boulevard (this is a reconsideration by Council): A. Lands of DSL, North McDowell Boulevard at Rainier Avenue, Deer Creek Plaza; owner requested amendment from proposed Mixed Use to Community Commercial. Note: Existing General Plan (1987) designation is Special Industrial/Office Park. APNs 007-380-005 & -027. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 April 23, 2007 Mayor Torliatt General Plan Director Pamela Tuft Public Comment on Sub -Area 11 A Vol. 42, Page 403 Judy Davidoff, Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton, LLP, San Francisco, stated that she represents DSL. Requested that the Council not change the community commercial designation. She further stated that, in their view, community commercial is appropriate, consistent with City vision and was good for the area and the City. She noted that the City needs retail to stop the leakage that has been incurred. She requested that they keep the land use designation as the project has to go through the Planning Commission. Steve Arago, Kimley-Horn & Associates, stated that he represents DSL and asked for the community commercial designation for this site. The project is waiting for direction from staff and Council as to the land use designation. Because they do not know what the designation is, no neighborhood meetings have been scheduled. Once a decision is made, they will work with the neighbors. Gary Parker, Petaluma, commented on the Argus -Courier survey that found that over half the people specifically didn't want large national chains in Petaluma. He stated that it was the Council's responsibility to balance the tax base and he believed a mixed-use designation could get the same tax base result. He was also concerned about noise from the buildings and from Highway 101. Mitchell Garvin, Petaluma, stated that he is a concerned citizen and doesn't want community commercial in his back yard. He bought his house based on the mixed-use designation. He doesn't think Petaluma needs a big box store. He asked the City look at more creative ways of bringing business into Petaluma, but not big box stores. Karen Schuler, Petaluma, spoke against the community commercial designation and said she would prefer mixed-use. The area is highly congested and she was concerned about extra traffic and flooding. Spoke in favor of the mixed-use designation. Janice Cader-Thompson, Petaluma, spoke about Deer Creek, which runs through this property, and it does exist. Deer Creek doesn't end at McDowell; it goes underneath some homes. She spoke in support of keeping this parcel at its existing land use of mixed-use. She does not support community commercial because the issues of traffic and water have not been resolved. Development is a vicious circle and the City never catches up with tax dollars. She was concerned about the hospital and stated that community commercial next to a hospital is not the way to develop a community. She questioned where the EIR is for this project as she would like to see it. She stated that it is perceived that decisions are being made before the EIR has become available. Traffic and water Vol. 42, Page 404 April 23, 2007 are big issues and these issues are going to have to be resolved for this project and the entire General Plan. Dave Libchitz, Petaluma, spoke about Downey Savings & Loan purchasing this property to profit and stated the City is under no obligation to DSL to bow to their desires. He stated that Deer Creek runs through this property and it does so because the property is at the lowest point of elevation in the area. The property has flooded in each of the five floods that have hit Petaluma in the last 30 years. He stated that this property is in the flood plain and should be designated in the General Plan as such. Dale Axelrod, Petaluma, spoke about the General Plan process and how people may perceive how decisions are being made. He stated that he was going to show a documentary film entitled "Independent America" at the Aqus Cafe on Friday, May 4, 2007. Michael Kellison, Petaluma, spoke about his children living in a high -traffic area and said that they already deal with noise with Highway 101. He stated that he knew about the traffic and the freeway when he purchased his house. They did not decide to live next door to big box store or major development. Connie Madden, Petaluma, spoke about the General Plan process and that City planning is a huge learning project. She stated that if the City is going to keep the local economy and the character of the town as the focus, then care needs to be taken on what is brought in. She felt that the land use should remain as is and that might be the best thing for the land. She spoke about the film showing at Aqus Cafe on May 4, 2007 and to support the local economy and buy local. Michael Testa, Petaluma, spoke about reemphasizing the obvious. He stated that the Council should look at the land as a blank painter's canvas and picture what is going to be there for generations to come. Mary Glarden, Petaluma, stated that this project is a challenging site and it should be mixed- use. The neighborhood wanted the site to stay special industrial, but they are compromising to mixed-use. They are requesting that designation because of the flexibility of mixed-use. She stated it should be mixed-use because it is across the street from hospital and a buffer between the neighborhoods and the east side of that street is needed. It should be a mix of retail and residential, with feathering to neighborhoods. Tiffany Renee, Petaluma, spoke regarding the draft EIR. She stated she would like the recommendation of the Planning Commission of mixed-use to be upheld. This project could be a collaborative effort of Petalumans. She asked the Council to consider the infrastructure and traffic impacts and their commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. She has asthma attacks and is terrified thinking about driving across town to the hospital and she worries about kids who live with asthma having to travel to a hospital. She said would like to hear from the Council Members about the flooding issues, because if it is a flood plain, it needs to be 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 April 23, 2007 Vol. 42, Page 405 addressed. She stated that creating walkable communities encourages public transportation. Ann Kemmer, Petaluma, asked the Council to uphold the Planning Commission's recommendation that the DSL site be designated as mixed- use. She stated that the Draft EIR and the analysis for the Draft General Plan 2025 include a mixed-use land designation at that site. All traffic models, water demand studies, community design and sustainable building goals are based on mixed-use at that site. To rezone to community commercial would have significant impacts on North McDowell Boulevard and the entire community. If the developer wants to propose a commercial plan for that site, there is a General Plan Amendment process that would allow them to change. Dianne Reilly Torres, Petaluma, spoke about living in the area and said that the neighbors are willing to compromise to mixed-use. She stated that she would like the Council to listen to everyone and uphold the Planning Commission's recommendation. Victor Chechanover, Petaluma, stated that he lives on the east side and feels like he lives in a big shopping center. There are three shopping centers nearby. He stated that the City should serve the community and not a regional shopping center. The people that live in the community should have the most say in this. The City needs jobs that pay a decent wage and the community commercial designation is not going to provide those kinds of jobs. He opined that mixed use would be residential and some type of light industrial or technical jobs. Craig Chrisco, Petaluma, spoke about the retail leakage and questioned whether or not it really exists. He stated that it would make sense to have more locally -owned businesses such as mixed-use. Gene Hamm, Petaluma, spoke about justifying development with retail leakage. He stated that when you hear the term "retail leakage," it just means somebody who is stupid enough to build a retail store in the floodplain. Paul Francis, Petaluma Neighborhood Association, Petaluma, concluded that the City's greatest asset is its unique character and strong community. Petaluma is a place where people want to be. Character defines Petaluma and becomes a viable asset for the City. Big box stores do not fit and undermine the character of the City. Zoning defines the character of a city. It's time to scrap obsolete zoning laws. Developers should design and build to meet the needs of the community and not the other way around. He suggested that the Council take time to look at alternatives for defining zoning and come up with other zoning concepts. Geoff Cartwright, Petaluma, spoke about community commercial being an upgrade in the zoning. Community Commercial is big store center. He stated that he believes this circumvents the process as a zoning change without completion of a General Plan. He is concerned about traffic. The traffic will have to be combined with the traffic for the Kennilworth site. Vol. 42, Page 406 April 23, 2007 He was also concerned about the flooding issue, the water issue and the wetlands issue. The base flood elevation is 3 feet higher than what is on the old FEMA flood insurance rate maps. He questioned the dirt fill that will raise this site above the flood level. The water will be sent downstream and will add to the flooding there. Bonnie Allen, Petaluma, stated that she grew up in San Jose and went downtown to shop because that is where all the department stores were located. The department stores were moved out to shopping centers; she watched the prune orchards fall to housing tracts and more shopping centers and the downtown became a ghost town. She left San Jose because there was no soul there. A town without any sense of neighborhood cohesion has no soul. It does something to our souls to have one row of shopping centers after another. We are not genetically wired for that living arrangement. She wondered why we have to choose between mixed use, commercial use, or industrial use. She further wondered why something has to be done with every bare piece of land in Petaluma. She suggested that it be rezoned to agricultural. Richard Squalia, Petaluma, spoke about traffic and stated that this site is next to one of the worst intersections in town. All projects talk about mitigation and yet nothing ever happens except more cars and gridlock. This site is no different. It could be a park. Lucchesi is a block away. It could be Lucchesi 2. All talk is about development. There is a force behind the Council and he believes it is the builders. This whole town is being built out to its complete end and open space is becoming a thing of the past. Kelly Collins, Petaluma Neighborhood Association, Petaluma, stated that she loves this community. She has lived in different areas and has seen a lot of different types of development, city growth and city and community involvement. She is really worried about the Kennilworth project and the DSL project. She urged the Council to accept the Planning Commission's recommendation for a more limited level of growth on the DSL site. Mayor Torliatt Chip Rees, Petaluma, stated that Petaluma has a pioneer soul to it. Each time that he finds himself bringing up that he moved to Petaluma, he gets interesting and positive responses. There is something very special about this place. Mayor Torliatt Director Tuft Mayor Torliatt Director Tuft City Manager Bierman 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 April 23, 2007 Mayor Torliatt Director Tuft Mayor Torliatt Vice Mayor Nau Council Member Barrett Council Member Harris Council Member Rabbitt Council Member Freitas Mayor Torliatt Director Tuft Mayor Torliatt Vice Mayor Nau Director Tuft Mayor Torliatt Council Member Rabbitt Director Tuft Council Member Harris Mayor Torliatt Director Tuft Mayor Torliatt Vol. 42, Page 407 ADJOURN The meeting adjourned at 9:20 p.m. At Mayor Torliatt's request, the meeting was adjourned in memory of James Leo Spaletta, Jr. and Mario K. Deleon. /S/ Pamela Torliatt, Mayor Vol. 42, Page 408 April 23, 2007 ATTEST: /S/ Deborah L. Padovan, Deputy City Clerk