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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 01/11/1977M I N U T E S PETALUMA CITY PLANNING COMMISSION JANUARY 11, 1977 ADJOURNED,MEETING 7:30 P.M. CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS, CITY HALL PETALUMA, CALIFORNIA PRESENT: Com. Bond, Head, Harberson, Horciza *, Popp Waters, Wright ( *arrived 7:55 p.m.) ABSENT: None STAFF: i Ronald F. Hall, Planning Director Fred E. Tarr, Associate Planner i APPROVAL OF MINUTES: The minutes of'December 21, 1976 were approved as sub - mitted. CORRESPONDENCE: Letters received from private,citizens and Petaluma Schools relevant to the Environmental Design Plan i Study. ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN Mr. Hall explained that a review and an interpretation PLAN (197)- 1984): of the Citizens' Environmental Design Plan Task Force Committee's recommendations to the EDP were to be under- taken relevant to policy statements and possible graphic changes to the EDP map. This wquld subsequently involve a revision of the text and graphic changes, where necessary, and include an environmental initial study and determination, with public hearings before the Planning Commission and the City Council. Task Force Committee recommendations were presented and discussed . by the Planning Commission on June 15, 1976. He further explained it is necessary to differentiate between legitimate policy statements and implementation measures which should be adopted independently. It is conceivable that there will not be substantial changes as the present EDP has served the City well. 1. TASK!FORCE COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS Mr. Hall ref erred to the EDP Outline to be used as a framework for discussion which encompassed questions from the - Planning staff and responses extracted from the Task Force Committee Report. Mr. Jim Grossi, a member of the Task Force Committee, stated the Committee attempted to provide more incentive for development on the west .side, but did not arrive at a solution for an equal 50 /5 division of housing to be developed on the east and west side. He.suggested, there be a 1/3 allotment for the west side, and a 2/3. allotment for the east side. A considerable amount of improvements have to be made on west side property to bring the property up to City standards. i� -1- R PETALUMA CITY PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES, JANUARY 11, 1977 ' 2. CITY DEPARTMENT RECOMMENDATIONS Mr. Hall stated there are development constraints on the west-side due to the characte•rist-ics of the land.. The staff is considering a proposal that the.lot sizes be larger for the west .side. If the allotments are to be balanced, more land will have to be designated for 'development on the west side. The land on the east side is relatively flat and'easier•to develop, but due to the terrain of the west side, additional lands would have to be used. John Balshaw, Chairman of the Task Force-Committee,-stated the Committee considered the provisions of the EDP pertaining to balanced growth for east- ern and western Petaluma and found it reasonable. It is less'expensive for a developer to build on the east side because of the flat lands.. People from the east side feel that schools and roads have been overburdened because allotments have not been equally balanced. Phil Palmer, Task Force Committee member,,stated_a.50 /50 ratio_is a better basis for the east and west. Comm. Harberson stated many people feel the ratio of 50150 was impractical; in the past the ratio been 30f70, with east side allotments. Larry Jona's-stated that in 1972 -73 the ratio was approximately 3:1 with the allocation system showing.600 homes for the east -side, 194 homes for the west•sde and 11 homes for the central section. Mr. "`Robert Meyer, City Manager, stated the population of the City is approximately 15,000 residents on each side of the City. The valley side grew faster than the west side. Most of the vacant lots on the west side, which did not come under the allotment system have since been developed. He stated one of the • main concerns wasfproperty on the fringe areas of th "e City requesting City services. The Planning Commission should predict the`outcome'of development west of the City.limits particularly in theChapman Lane ar.ea'as the County is anticipating receiving available Federal funds to install water and .sewage to this area. Phil Palmer stated people in the-Petaluma Blvd. North-area are in opposition to annexing to the City. 3. SONOMA COUNTY RECOMMENDATIONS 4. OTHER PUBLIC AGENCY RECOMMENDATIONS A letter had been received from the Petaluma schools. stating there is sufficient boom to enroll students who may reside in the Westridge Subdivision and Alder - wood : Subdivision in the Petaluma High School District, however, as -the City continues; to grow, it may be necessary to change'school'boundary' lines and ex- tend the school day or year. Mr. Toby Ross, Sonoma County Planning Department; stated the County does sub- mit County referrals to the City on matters pertaining to'the General Plan area.. The staff is working on the Petaluma Blvd. Nortn•'Study and their rec- ommendations will be submitted to the Planning Commission for consideration, Land use,' transportation and sewage - disposal will- be' a' consid- ef°ation in the Petaluma Blvd, North Study. The basis 'for' the "Penr'grove Study 'is the sewage problem. Penngrove has a potential of 1,800 people, and this would be the designated figure for annexing to the City. Mr. Ross stated the County is also working on the Sonoma Mountain and Glierneville 'Studies and these studies should be completed sometime this summer. -2- PETALUMA CITY PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES, JANUARY 11 1977 5. PRIVATE, INTEREST INPUT Letter received from-George-Merrill requesting the existing EDP be modified so it will conform to the General Plan whereby his property located on North McDowell Blvd. be designated •Resid ential -Urban Density, and the subject prop - erty,be annexed to the City. Letter received from William Joost; property owner on North McDowell Blvd., stating he was in support of Mr. Merrill's proposals. Letter received from Barry D. Parkinson, representing property owned by Aubrey Sanderson located on the northeast side of McDowell Blvd., and also on the southeast side of Old Redwood Highway at its intersection with McDowell Blvd., proposing that the land along the highway be designated Commercial. Under the EDP, the property is designated Industrial, and the property in turn is zoned Commercial by the County. The property located further back from the highway is properly classified Industrial, but a strip of approximately 200 yards width along the highway should be designated as Service to permit retail uses which are not included in County Commercial zoning. Barry . Parkinson stated the property around Wickes Lumber Company, is currently in the County, revisions to the EDP should include that the designation for this property provide for Commercial. A letter received fromlFriedman Bros. stating they had purchased 22- acres on 'Petaluma Blvd. North, adjoining Wickes Lumber Company, to build a hardware store. Lucy Webb, real'tor, stated Friedman Bros: would like to have the front portion of their property designated for Commercial and the back portion of the property for Light Industrial. A letter received from Willow Creek Properties requesting a change in the EDP classification of their property bounded by U.S. 101, Old 101 Highway and the driveway entrance to Sonoma Joe's Restaurant and Motel �. Six to, Highway Commercial. A letter received from Barry Parkinson, repre- senting Chris Muelrath, Jr., regarding property located on North McDowell Blvd., near the railroad crossing at McDowell -, requesting the EDP designate this property for Ifidustrial`or Light Industrial use along with a Service designation for that portion of the property fronting on North McDowell Blvd. Mr.,Robert Meyer stated the General Plan specifies this particular area out to Corona Road be residential, and if this area is changed to Industrial, a major change will then have to be made in the General Plan and EDP. As far as control over the land located outside the City limits, the only control the City has is when a developer wants to apply for City water and sewer service. It took years to develop the Park located on North McDowell Blvd. and let's not change this. The industrial Park is zoned Light Industrial and this together with residential zoning balances the tax structure. Mr. Parkinson stated that when McDowell Blvd. is extended, the Merrill property will develop and zoning should be designated for this property and be included in the EDP. 6. STAFF INPUT Mr. Hall stated the proposed revisions to the EDP provided by the Planning staff are mandated. by State law and should be consistent with the General Plan) 7. PLANNING COMMISSION INPUT AND RESPONSE The Committee recommended the "infill" of available space within Central and West Petaluma be increased for an individual builder from 4 to 10 in order' to encourage builders to accomplish this "infill" and avoid sprawl. -3- PETALUMA CITY PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES, JANUARY 11, 1977 E John Balshaw stated the Committee would like to' be involved in ation of the EDP particularly in residential and recreational areas. The Com- mittee did not go into an in- depth study on industry but did feel a domination by major industries should not be permitted. Mr. Jonas questioned the recent zoning changes in certain areas: from PUP to R -1- 6,500, and Agricultural Use to PUD. Comm..'Harberson asked f'Mr. Jonas was aware of the zoning requirements for PUD and PCD. 8. SPECIFIC DISCUSSION ITEMS (GENERAL DISCUSSION) Mr. Hall stated that meetings will be held on the Petaluma Blvd.. 'North are.a. He questioned those present if they felt there is adequate development on Petaluma Blvd. North. The Committee in their report recommends that strip commercial and urban sprawl be avoided. Mr. Meyer "stated the County is the only body who can meet with the people of this area, mainly the County Plann- ing Commission. This is an area that perhaps has the wrong type of zoning and the recent septic tank problems have brought the area to the City's attention. Comm. Bond questioned if a joint study session could be held between the County and City so that problems in the Petaluma Blvd. North area could be discussed. Mr. Palmer stated a meeting had been held at Cinnabar School and attended by people from the area. It was the concensus of opinion that they did not want to annex to. the City, and no concre e !solutions had been resolved at the meeting.' Comm. Bond . stated that.to'his knowledge no further reports had been received from the County as to the septic tank problems in the area. A discussion was held on "Just what is the,greenbelt "? Mr. Hall stated it is more expensive for a developer to,provide bicycle or riding and hiking trails. Mr. Balshaw stated the Committee . recommended a greenbelt be provided as a break in the continual building of houses:. We must preserve this visual break and if this greenbelt is not preserved, houses will be constructed all the way to Old Adobe Road. Comm. Waters .stated it was the original concept that 'there be a greenbelt in various locations in the-City. Mr. Grossi stated the EDP had been in ,pro,cess for the last six years and there are areas where the greenbelt has been implemented. He - questioned if a ring parkway around the City was feaa,ible. Mr. Hall stated the concept of a greenbe -lt varies from a linear park to parks of various widths. A riding or Biking trail could be considered a greenbelt. The people would have to decide whether a greenbelt should remain in its natural state or be functional. Mr. Jonas stated the_ 1972 EDP Report defines the green - belt as a continuous belt of open space for hiking and bicycle " where in some places the greenbelt would be 5 -feet wide and in other sections the green - belt would be wider where a park.-would be located. Comm. Popp stated that open space;.could not-be acquired at one time; we should have open space, but economics will dictate the type of greenbelt. If we are going to have open space, access to the property has to 'be provided, or it is not feasible.. Mr. Meyer'questioned if agricultural land could be considered a gre'enbel't. He asked if a determina- tion could-be made on the future size and boundaries of the City, Comm. Wright stated we should bite the bullet and determine the size of the City should be. Comm, Hor:ciza stated it is up to the Plan.ning'Commission -to• direct develop- ment and determine what the boundaries of future Petaluma should be. -4- PETALUMA CITY PLANNING COMMISSION.MINUTES, JANUARY 11, 1977 Mr. Meyer y questioned how access and roads would be provided through the green- belt area. At the present time, a developer is proposing.a subdivision and 20 acrest -of the property is. located on,the. other side of the greenbelt, how does the developer obtain access to the 20 acres? Comm. Head stated if a developer is required to dedicate land to the City for greenbelt purposes, the price of this land is tacked onto the price of the homes, whereby home prices are in- creased so that low income housing will not be available for younger people to purch4se. The Task Force Committee presumed that eventual development will-occur outside of the designated greenbelt, and the greenbelt is considered a necessary open space,,for the community. There should be a break in residential development east of the freeway which could only be created by a deliberately created open spaceJ, However, there was no consensus whether or not this space should be for public use, contain facilities such as a bike path or park facilities, or I if the property should be developed. The Committee questioned whether or not it is feasible to have a ring parking on the west side of the City. Mr. Hall stated it is physically possible to create ring parkway, namely to connect Howard Street to a link between Laurel I and Webster Streets and to connect "I" Street with Petaluma Blvd. South. The staffIfeels these links are necessary, as there should be some type of alterna- tive circulation pattern for the west side. He further explained a ring park- way was to provide an alternative means of access for the west side. As devel- opments continue to grow on the radial streets, traffic is funneled into an apex of congestion. When plans for a development are presented, segments of the ring parkway.should be required at that time. The Committee indicated that the Parks and Recreation Department should review and develop a specific plan for parks. Mr. Hall questioned if there are park areas indicated on the plan at the present time that may be mislocated? Mr. Don Bennett, Services Subcommittee, stated the Committee felt that water, sewer, k and transportation problems were being adequately handled, However, i implementation of those additional services elements in the EDP, namely, parks, I open s I pacei community and natural areas has not been adequate. Mr. Jonas stated the Parks Commission should decide the type of park appropriate for each particular subdivision in a particular location, People should be in- formed before purchasing a home that there will be a park or a jogging trail behind their home. Homeowners in a subdivision should have input on the type park-they would like in their neighborhood. The-Committee felt volunteer work groups should be established to help with the development of parks. Mr. Meyer stated he was in agreement with having a volunteer work -force, but that they should work in conjunction with the Parks Department. Pat Maynard suggested that priorities be given in the EDP to organizations for use of available parks for league-sports events. Mr. Meyer added the City is willing to work with volunteers, but sometimes this type of help hinders a project. Some people say they do not want to pay more taxes;,' but is is the maintenance of these facilities that is costly. The City hopes!to utilize a volunteer group to help with the sport field areas. -5- PETALUMP. CITY PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES, JANUARY 11, 1977 The Task Force Committee agreed that the principle problem was the lack of im- plementation procedures of the EDP and.tlat a permanent EDP Task Force Committee review the EDP annually or semi- annually and report back to the City. EAST WASHINGTON Discussion on moratorium on commercial: establishments STREET MORATORIUM'- on East Washin'gton,Street was postponed and continued to the next meeting. ADJOURNMENT: The meeting adjourned at 10 :30 p.m. Chairman Attest: 11