HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 5.A 05/04/2020w�p,LU Agenda Item #5.A
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DATE: May 4, 2020
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council through City Manager``
FROM: Peggy Flynn, City Manager
Eric Danly, City Attorney
SUBJECT: Consideration and Possible Introduction of an Ordinance Approving an
Amendment to the Lease Agreement between SMART and the City for the Depot
Property, APN 007-131-004, to Provide for Shared Use of Parking on the Depot
Property and Access, Signage and Striping Improvements on the Depot Property.
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council introduce the attached ordinance approving an amendment
to the Lease Agreement between SMART and the City for the Depot Property, APN 007-131-004,
to provide for shared use of parking on the Depot Property and access, signage and striping
improvements on the Depot Property, and authorizing the City Manager to sign on behalf of the
City an amendment to the Lease Agreement with SMART substantially in accordance with the
draft amendment included as Exhibit 1 to the ordinance.
As noted in the staff report regarding the proposed Corona Station Agreement with SMART, the
City Council has recently approved most of the entitlements needed for the Corona Station
Residential Project (Corona Residential Project) proposed by two Lomas Partners related entities,
Lomas Corona Station LLC, and Lomas SMART LLC. These entities are referred to in the
aggregate in this staff report and attachments as "Developer." Except for the ordinance approving
a Development Agreement between Developer and the City, and the Development Agreement
itself, all of the entitlements for the Corona Residential Project include as a condition precedent
that must be satisfied before the entitlements take effect that the City must have entered an
agreement with SMART for construction of a second Petaluma SMART station at Corona (Corona
SMART Station). A provision in the Development Agreement with Developer allows the City to
terminate the Development Agreement without liability if the City does not reach an agreement
with SMART on the Corona SMART Station. The provisions in the Corona Residential Project
approvals conditioning their effectiveness (or giving the City a right of termination) based on the
City reaching an agreement with SMART on the Corona SMART Station all reflect the emphasis
the City Council has placed on achieving the Corona SMART Station.
Staff have been working for some time to finalize a Corona Station Agreement with SMART for
presentation to the City Council. Staff first attempted to have a Corona Station Agreement ready
for City Council approval on February 24, 2020. Further discussions with SMART followed, and
we most recently met online with SMART staff on April 23 to finalize an agreement. The resulting
agreement is being presented to the City Council for approval as Item 4C on tonight's agenda.
The proposed Corona Station Agreement being presented to the City Council tonight includes
language requiring cooperation on an amendment to the City's lease agreement with SMART for
the Depot property, APN 007-131-004. The property subject to lease consists of about 71,874
square feet of land, and three buildings, the Petaluma Passenger Depot, a 2,450 square foot
building, the Baggage Shed, a 520 square foot building, and the Freight Shed, a 4,760 square foot
building. The proposed Corona Station Agreement also includes a provision requiring the City
Council to introduce an ordinance approving an amendment to the City's lease agreement with
SMART for the Depot property by May 4, 2020, and for the amendment to be effective by June
18, 2020. The proposed Corona Station Agreement requires the City and SMART to amend the
Depot Lease agreement to provide for the City's and SMART's shared use of parking spaces on
the Depot property, and design and construction by SMART of new access, striping and related
improvements on the Depot property. The changes are required as a result of sale and development
of the Downtown SMART Property and loss of SMART parking on the Downtown SMART
Property, and the related need to reconfigure the vehicular access into the Depot property from
East Washington Boulevard. Part of the current access to the Depot property from East
Washington Boulevard is located on the Downtown SMART Property and will be lost and
reconfigured when that property is sold and developed.
The current lease between the City and SMART for the Depot property was originally entered by
the Petaluma Community Development Commission (the City's former redevelopment agency)
and the Northwestern Pacific Railroad Authority on August 1, 2003. SMART succeeded the
Northwestern Pacific Railroad Authority as owner and lessor of the Depot property, the Petaluma
Community Development Successor Agency succeeded the Petaluma Community Development
Commission by operation of law when California redevelopment agencies were dissolved by state
statute, and on August 22, 2013, the Petaluma Community Development Successor Agency
assigned it lease interest in the Depot property to the City. The former Petaluma Community
Development Commission subleased part of the Depot property containing the Freight Shed and
parking and related facilities to the Petaluma Arts Alliance and sublicensed part of the Depot
property consisting of the Passenger Depot and parking and related facilities to the Petaluma
Downtown Association.
Section 4 of the Depot property lease anticipates that all or a portion of the leased Premises may
be needed for transportation related purposes, including development, construction, maintenance,
and operation of transportation systems or transit related projects, including passenger loading
areas and parking. Section 4 requires SMART to provide the City 365 days prior notice that
SMART needs to obtain possession of all or a portion of the Premises. Section 4 also provides
that if SMART only requires a portion of the Premises, the lease shall continue in effect except the
rent shall be reduced in proportion to the area of the part of the Premises rendered unusable for
conduct of City business compared to the total area of the Premises.
Section 8(a) of the lease specifies that the rent due totals $12,000 per year, to be paid monthly in
advance on the first day of each month. Section 8(b) of the Depot property lease provides that to
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the extent the City's receipt of rents from sublessees in any calendar year exceeds the sum of 1)
1/25 1h of the amount necessary to amortize the City's actual out of pocket costs for the
improvements to the buildings on the Depot property over a 25 year period, and 2) the City's cost
of operating and maintaining the Premises for that year, and 3) the rents paid to the City during
that year, the City must pay SMART 50% of the amount by which the sum of 1), 2) and 3) exceeds
the City's receipt of rents.
The Depot property lease took effect on August 1, 2003 for an initial ten year term expiring August
2, 2013. In accordance with Section 13 of the Depot property lease, the lease tenns include three
5 -year renewal options. The City is required to give notice to SMART of the City's intent to renew
the lease not more than 180 days and at least 120 days prior to the end of the lease term. The City
renewed the lease once prior to the expiration of the initial ten-year term in 2013, and again prior
to the expiration of the first 5 -year renewal in 2018. Currently the lease is in effect until August
1, 2023. The City may renew the lease one more time by giving SMART notice sometime between
February 1 and April 1, 2023. If the City does so and unless the City and SMART agree to a
further extension of the Depot property lease, it will expire August 2, 2028.
DISCUSSION
Under the provisions of Section 5 of the proposed Corona Station Agreement with SMART, which
is also before the City Council for approval at the May 4, 2020 City Council meeting, as a result
of the loss of the SMART parking on the Downtown SMART Property being sold to Developer,
the City and SMART intend to provide for the City's and SMART's shared use of the parking
currently located on the Depot property and leased to the City. Under the proposed shared parking,
SMART patrons may use parking spaces at the Depot during SMART's operational hours and
patrons of the sublessees and licensees on the Depot property (the Petaluma Downtown
Association and the Petaluma Arts Alliance) may use parking spaces at the Depot during the
sublessees' and licensees' operational hours on a first come, first served basis. No other parking
will be allowed, including no overnight parking or parking for any residential, retail or commercial
use, and SMART will be responsible for enforcing parking restrictions on the property as with
other SMART parking facilities. Under Section 4 of the lease, in order to obtain part of the leased
premises for transportation related purposes, SMART would be required to provide the City 365
days' notice. Since that is impractical under the circumstances the lease amendment attached as
Exhibit 1 to Attachment 1, the ordinance approving the lease amendment, waives the 365 notice
requirement.
The current parking area at the Depot property consists of approximately 50 parking spaces
totaling approximately 25,960 square feet of the 71,874 square foot Depot parcel. Based on the
formula in Section 4 of the Depot property lease for reduction of rent upon SMART obtaining part
of the Premises for transportation related purposes, to reflect the shared use of the parking on the
Depot property pursuant to the amended Depot property lease, the City's annual rent of $12,000
would be reduced by 18% ($2,167) to $9,833, which corresponds with the reduction in leased
space from 71,874 square feet to 45,914 square feet, with the reduction divided by two, because
SMART and City will share the parking spaces, with each receiving approximately'/2 of the benefit
of the parking spaces. Although the rent the City pays for the Depot property lease reflects the use
of redevelopment funds to restore the improvements on the Depot property, nonetheless the rent
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has not been adjusted since the lease commenced on August 1, 2003, and accordingly, City staff
have recommended that the City waive the rent reduction that otherwise would apply under Section
4 of the Depot property lease, and as result, the lease amendment included as Exhibit 1 to
Attachment 1 provides for waiver of the lease reduction that otherwise would apply, and, similarly,
for waiver of the City's obligation to share subtenant rent with SMART that otherwise could apply
under Section 8(b) of the lease
Section 46 of the Petaluma Charter requires that the City Council take certain actions by ordinance,
including actions involving sale, acquisition or lease of real property when the amount in question
exceeds $3,000. In accordance with Section 46, an ordinance (Attachment 1) has been prepared
for the City Council's approval of the proposed amendment to the Depot property lease with
SMART. The City Council's introduction and ultimate adoption of the ordinance approving the
lease amendment would satisfy one of the requirements of the proposed Corona Station Agreement
with SMART which is also included on the May 4, 2020 City Council meeting agenda.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS
The approval of the amendment to the Depot property lease is considered a discretionary action
that may therefore be a "project" under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
Nonetheless, approval of the lease amendment is exempt under the "common sense" exception in
CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3) which establishes the general rule for projects concerning
which it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may
have a significant effect on the environment. Such activities are not subject to CEQA. The lease
amendment relates to the use of existing parking on the Depot property and to ingress, parking
and signage improvements on the Depot property that will be required as a result of the sale of
the Downtown SMART Property to the Developer, and the need to reconfigure vehicle access to
and parking on the property. The amendment to the Depot property lease is also exempt from
CEQA pursuant to Section 15301 of the CEQA Guidelines as involving the operation, repair,
maintenance, permitting, leasing, licensing, or minor alteration of existing public or private
structures, facilities, mechanical equipment, or topographical features involving negligible or no
expansion of existing or former use, including, in accordance with Section 15301, subdivision
(c), regarding existing highways and streets, sidewalks, gutters, bicycle and pedestrian trails, and
similar facilities, transit improvements such as bus lanes, pedestrian crossings, and other similar
alterations.
COUNCIL GOAL ALIGNMENT
Introduction and adoption of the ordinance approving an amendment to the Depot property lease
aligns with Workplan Item #22 to complete the second SMART station at Corona as included in
the City Council goals for 2019-2021. The Depot property lease amendment is a requirement of
the proposed Corona Station Agreement with SMART.
FINANCIAL IMPACTS
Introduction and adoption of the ordinance approving an amendment to the Depot property lease
as presented would leave the City's rent payments for the Depot property unchanged, and will also
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facilitate, pursuant to the proposed Corona Station Agreement with SMART, use of City Traffic
Impact Fee proceeds for design and construction of the Corona SMART Station, and use of
proceeds from SMART's sale of the Downtown SMART Property for design and construction of
the Corona SMART Station.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment 1: Ordinance Approving an Amendment to the Lease Agreement between the City and
SMART for the Depot Property
Exhibit 1: Draft Lease Amendment
ATTACHMENT 1
ORDINANCE NO. N.C.S.
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY
OF PETALUMA APPROVING AN AMENDMENT TO THE
LEASE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY OF
PETALUMA AND THE SONOMA MARIN AREA RAIL
TRANST DISTRICT FOR THE PETALUMA DEPOT
PROPERTY, A.P.N. 007-131-004, TO PROVIDE FOR
SHARED PARKING, INGRESS, SIGNAGE AND PARKING
IMPROVEMENTS
WHEREAS, Lomas Corona Station LLC, the owner of property at 890 North McDowell
Boulevard, APN 137-061-019, in Petaluma ("Corona Property") and Lomas SMART LLC, which
is in contract to purchase property owned by SMART located at 315 East D Street, APN 007-131-
003, in Petaluma ("Downtown SMART Property") are under the same management and
ownership, and are referred to in this ordinance as the "Developer;" and
WHEREAS, the Downtown SMART property is adjacent to property owned by SMART
located at A.P.N. 007-131-004 ("Depot Property") that contains SMART station and depot and
other improvements and that is subject to a lease agreement between SMART and the City ("Depot
Lease"), and the City licenses the Depot Property to the Downtown Business Association and the
Petaluma Arts Alliance for office space use; and
WHEREAS, Developer has submitted applications to the City for approval of
development of the Corona Station Residential Project (the "Corona Project") on the Corona
Property, including applications for a Zoning Text Amendment ("Corona Zoning Amendment"),
a Development Agreement ("Development Agreement"), a Density Bonus and Development
Concession/Incentive ("Corona Density Bonus"), a Tentative Subdivision Map ("Corona
Tentative Map"), Conditional Use Permit ("Corona Use Permit"), and Site Plan and Architectural
Review ("Corona SPAR") for a 110 unit residential project within the MU1B zone with Flood
Plain -Combining (FP -C) Overlay, on the Corona Property; and
WHEREAS, Developer is in contract with SMART to purchase the Downtown SMART
Property which shall in turn be sold to the Hines company ("Hines") for development of a
residential project ("Downtown Project") on the Downtown SMART Property; and
WHEREAS, Developer has provided the City conceptual plans for the Downtown Project,
but no application has been submitted to the City for the Downtown Project, and the conceptual
plans for the Downtown Project indicate a project consisting of 402 residential units and ground
floor tenant amenity uses; and
WHEREAS, Developer plans to use the proceeds from Developer's sale of the Corona
Project to purchase the Downtown SMART Property from SMART, and to sell the Downtown
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SMART Property to Hines, including City -approved alternative inclusionary housing compliance,
but otherwise subject to future City approval of subsequent entitlement applications to be
submitted by Hines; and
WHEREAS, Developer's fee ownership of the Corona Property entitles Developer to
engage in the development of the Corona Property in accordance with Section 23.030 of the City
Development Agreement Requirements; and
WHEREAS, Developer's contractual obligation to purchase the Downtown SMART
Property in accordance with the Developer/SMART Agreement entitles the Developer to engage
in Development of the Downtown SMART Property in accordance with Section 23.030 of the City
Development Agreement Requirements subject to the terms of the Developer/SMART Agreement
dated October 12, 2019 ("Developer/SMART Agreement"); and
WHEREAS, the Developer/SMART Agreement is attached to and made a part of the
Development Agreement, and in accordance with Section 9(a) of the Developer/SMART
Agreement, the close of escrow on the purchase of the Downtown SMART Property is required to
occur on May 19, 2020; and
WHEREAS, Section 2(a) of the Developer/SMART Agreement requires as consideration
for purchase of the Downtown SMART Property a payment of $8 million, and in accordance with
Section 9(c) of the Developer/SMART Agreement, Developer must deposit into escrow the
remainder of the $8 million purchase amount, less a non-refundable $500,000 deposit already
given by Developer and closing costs allocable to Developer by May 15, 2020; and
WHEREAS, Section 9(e), the Developer/SMART Agreement also requires Developer to
dedicate to SMART 1.27 acres of land at the corner of McDowell Boulevard and Corona Road in
Petaluma for the Corona SMART Station improvements, and the Corona Tentative Map includes
such 1.27 acres of land as a remainder parcel; and
WHEREAS, SMART intends to use the proceeds from sale of the Downtown SMART
Property for the cost of design and construction of the Corona SMART Station on land at
McDowell Boulevard and Corona Road in Petaluma, with terms regarding the design and
construction of the Corona SMART Station being the subject of the proposed agreement to be
executed between SMART and the City; and
WHEREAS, in 2016, the City contracted with Willdan Financial Services ("Willdan") to
perform a nexus analysis to determine the City's ability to fund the cost of parking improvements
for the Corona Station project from the City's traffic development impact fees; and
WHEREAS, Willdan determined that a nexus exists for including parking structure
improvements for the Corona Station project in the City's traffic impact fee program, that similar
to other transit improvements included in the fee program, 22.43% of the cost of the Corona Station
parking improvements could be attributed to future development, and that based on an estimated
parking structure improvement cost of $10,500,000, $2,355,134 of the parking structure
improvement costs could be recovered through an increase in the City's traffic impact fees; and
WHEREAS, on May 16, 2016, the City Council approved Resolution No. 2016-076
N.C.S. repealing and replacing Resolution No. 2015-191 N.C.S and modifying the City's traffic
impact fee program based on the Willdan analysis to add up to $2,355,134 in funding for parking
improvements for the Corona Station; and
WHEREAS, the City has anticipated since updating City traffic impact fees on May 16,
2016 that City funding for the Corona Station would come entirely from traffic impact fee
proceeds, and that City funding for the Corona SMART station would be allocated entirely to
parking improvement costs; and
WHEREAS, as a result of changing cost estimates for the Corona Station project, the City
financial contribution must be designated more generally for Corona Station improvements, which
may include station design, construction, parking improvements and other costs, pursuant to
SMART's design/build contract; and
WHEREAS, Willdan, the consultants that prepared the 2016 update to the City's Traffic
Impact fees have confirmed that using City traffic fee proceeds for Corona Station costs is
pennitted under the City's existing Traffic Impact Fee legislation because the nexus - traffic relief
due to Corona Station SMART ridership - is unchanged, and the costs are also comparable, and,
as a result, the City may rely entirely on Traffic Impact Fee proceeds to provide $2 million toward
the Corona Station project costs; and
WHEREAS, the proposed City/SMART Agreement provides for allocation of $2 million
in City funds for the Corona SMART Station improvements, which will provide traffic relief in
Petaluma via commuter use of the Corona SMART Station consistent with the purposes of the use
of Traffic Impact Fee proceeds for the Corona Station project; and
WHEREAS, Developer's payment for purchase of the Downtown SMART Property in
accordance with the Developer/SMART Agreement, the proceeds of which are to be used to fund
construction of the Corona SMART Station, and Developer's dedication of 1.27 acres of land at
McDowell Boulevard and Corona Road for the Corona SMART Station are critical elements of
achieving the Corona Station and essential consideration regarding the City's review of the Corona
Project, the Downtown Project, and the Development Agreement; and
WHEREAS, the City's payment of $2 million in City Traffic Impact Fee proceeds
allocated to the Corona Station project improvements is also a critical element of achieving the
Corona Station and essential consideration for purchase of the Downtown SMART Property and
the Development Agreement; and
WHEREAS, SMART indicates that construction work for the Corona Station must
coincide with the construction work on the planned Windsor SMART station originally scheduled
for March 2020, such that Developer's payment for the Downtown SMART Property and
dedication of 1.27 acres at Corona Road and Mc Dowell Boulevard must occur before the
scheduled closing on the Downtown SMART Property purchase on May 19, 2020 for the Corona
Station construction to proceed in conjunction with the Windsor station; and
n.
WHEREAS, the justification for entering into the Development Agreement with the
Developer regarding the Corona Station Residential Project and the Downtown Project and the
special long-tenn project considerations that make preservation of existing zoning requirements
desirable throughout the life of the Corona Project, or so long as otherwise provided in the
Development Agreement, consist of dedication of land for, and funding of, construction of the
Corona Station on land at McDowell Boulevard and Corona Road in Petaluma, as well as
considerations regarding inclusionary housing compliance of the Corona and Downtown projects;
and
WHEREAS, the City Council has recently approved most of the entitlements needed for
the Corona Project proposed by Developer; and
WHEREAS, except for the ordinance approving a Development Agreement between the
Developer and the City, and the Development Agreement itself, all of the entitlements for the
Corona Project include as a condition precedent that must be satisfied before the entitlements take
effect that the City must have entered an agreement with SMART for construction of the Corona
Station; and
WHEREAS, a provision in the Development Agreement with Developer allows the City
to terminate the Development Agreement without liability if the City does not reach an agreement
with SMART on the Corona Station; and
WHEREAS, the conditions in the Corona Project approvals conditioning their
effectiveness (or giving the City a right of termination) based on the City reaching an agreement
with SMART on the Corona Station all reflect the emphasis the City Council has placed on
achieving the Corona Station; and
WHEREAS, Staff have been working for some time to finalize a Corona Station
Agreement with SMART for presentation to the City Council, and most recently met online with
SMART staff on April 23 to finalize an agreement, with the resulting agreement being presented
to the City Council for approval as Item 4C on the May 4, 2020 City Council agenda; and
WHEREAS, the proposed Corona Station Agreement being presented to the City Council
includes language requiring cooperation regarding an amendment to the lease agreement between
SMART and the City for the Depot property, APN 007-131-004; and
WHEREAS, the Depot property subject to lease consists of about 71,874 square feet of
land, and three buildings, the Petaluma Passenger Depot, a 2,450 square foot building, the Baggage
Shed, a 520 square foot building, and the Freight Shed, a 4,760 square foot building; and
WHEREAS, the proposed Corona Station Agreement includes a provision requiring the
City Council to introduce an ordinance approving an amendment to the lease for the Depot
property by May 4, 2020, and for the amendment to be effective by June 1, 2020, and the proposed
Corona Station Agreement provides for the City and SMART amending the Depot Lease
agreement to provide for the City's and SMART's shared use of parking spaces on the Downtown
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Depot Property, and design and construction by SMART of new access, striping and related
improvements on the Depot Property; and
WHEREAS, the contemplated changes to the Depot property lease are required as a result
of sale and development of the Downtown SMART Property, the loss of SMART parking on the
Downtown SMART Property, and the related need to reconfigure the vehicular access into the
Depot property from East Washington Boulevard, because part of the current access to the Depot
property from East Washington Boulevard is located on the Downtown SMART Property and will
be lost and reconfigured when that property is sold and developed; and
WHEREAS, Section 4 of the Depot property lease anticipates that all or a portion of the
leased property may be needed for transportation related purposes, including development,
construction, maintenance, and operation of transportation systems or transit related projects,
including passenger loading areas and parking; Section 4 requires SMART to provide the City 365
days prior notice that SMART needs to obtain possession of all or a portion of the leased Premises;
and Section 4 also provides that if SMART only requires a portion of the Premises, the lease shall
continue in effect except the rent shall be reduced in proportion to the area of the part of the
Premises rendered unusable for conduct of the City's business compared to the total area of the
Premises; and
WHEREAS, Section 8(a) of the Depot property lease specifies that the rent due totals
$12,000 per year, to be paid monthly in advance on the first day of each month, and Section 8(b)
of the Depot property lease provides that to the extent the City's receipt of rents from sublessees
in any calendar year exceeds the sum of 1) 1/25 th of the amount necessary to amortize the City's
actual out of pocket costs for the improvements to the buildings on the Depot property over a 25
year period, and 2) the City's cost of operating and maintaining the leased property for that year,
and 3) the rents paid to the City during that year, the City must pay SMART 50% of the amount
by which the sum of 1), 2) and 3) exceeds the City's receipt of rents; and
WHEREAS, the Depot property lease is in effect until August 1, 2023, and the City may
renew the lease by giving SMART notice sometime between February I and April 1, 2023, and if
the City does so and unless the City and SMART agree to a further extension of the Depot property
lease, the lease will expire August 2, 2028; and
WHEREAS, under the provisions of Section 5 of the proposed Corona Station Agreement
with SMART, which is also before the City Council for approval at the May 4, 2020 City Council
meeting, as a result of the loss of the SMART parking on the Downtown SMART Property being
sold to Developer, the City and SMART intend to provide for the City's and SMART's shared use
of the parking currently located on the Depot property and leased to the City such that: SMART
patrons may use parking spaces at the Depot during SMART's operational hours and the patrons
of City's sublessees and licensees (the Petaluma Downtown Association and the Petaluma Arts
Alliance) may us parking spaces at the Depot during the sublessees' and licensees' operational
hours on a first come, first served basis; no other parking will be allowed, including no overnight
parking or parking for any residential, retail or commercial use, and SMART will be responsible
for enforcing parking restrictions as for other SMART parking facilities; and
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WHEREAS, the current parking area at the Depot property consists of approximately 50
parking spaces totaling approximately 25,960 square feet of the 71,874 square foot Depot parcel,
and, based on the formula in Section 4 of the Depot property lease for reduction of rent upon
SMART obtaining part of the leased property for transportation related purposes, to reflect the
shared use of the parking on the Depot property pursuant to the amended Depot property lease, the
City's annual rent of $12,000 would be reduced by 18% ($2,157) to $9,833, which corresponds
with the reduction in leased space from 71,874 square feet to 45,914 square feet, with the reduction
divided by two, because SMART and City will share the parking spaces, with each receiving
approximately 1/Z of the benefit of the parking spaces; and
WHEREAS, the 365 day notice requirement in Section 4 of the Depot property lease
regarding SMART obtaining part of the leased property for transportation related purposes is
impractical under the circumstances and the lease amendment attached to this ordinance as Exhibit
1 has been drafted to wave that notice requirement; and
WHEREAS, although the rent the City pays for the Depot property lease reflects the use
of redevelopment funds to restore the improvements on the Depot property; nonetheless, the rent
has not been adjusted since the lease commenced on August 1, 2003, and accordingly, City staff
have recommended that the City waive the rent reduction that otherwise would apply under Section
4 of the Depot property lease, and as result, the lease amendment included as Exhibit 1 provides
for waiver of the lease reduction that otherwise would apply, and, similarly, for waiver of the
City's obligation to share subtenant rent with SMART that otherwise could apply under Section
8(b) of the lease; and
WHEREAS, Section 46 of the Petaluma Charter requires that the City Council take certain
actions by ordinance, including actions involving sale, acquisition or lease of real property when
the amount in question exceeds $3,000; and
WHEREAS, approval of the amendment to the Depot property lease agreement is exempt
under the "common sense" exception in CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3) which establishes
the general rule for projects concerning which it can be seen with certainty that there is no
possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment, because
the lease amendment relates to the use of existing parking on the Depot property and to ingress,
parking and signage improvements on the Depot property that will be required as a result of the
sale of the Downtown SMART Property to the Developer, and the need to reconfigure vehicle
access to and parking on the Depot property; and
WHEREAS, the amendment to the Depot property lease is also exempt from CEQA
pursuant to Section 15301 of the CEQA Guidelines as involving the operation, repair,
maintenance, permitting, leasing, licensing, or minor alteration of existing public or private
structures, facilities, mechanical equipment, or topographical features, involving negligible or no
expansion of existing or former use, including, in accordance with Section 15301, subdivision (c),
regarding existing highways and streets, sidewalks, gutters, bicycle and pedestrian trails, and
similar facilities, transit improvements, such as bus lanes, pedestrian crossings, and other similar
alterations;
NOW, THEREFORE, be it ordained by the Council of the City of Petaluma as follows:
Section 1. Recitals Made Findings. The above recitals are hereby declared to be true and
correct and are incorporated into this ordinance as findings of the City Council.
Section 2. Amendment Exempt from CEQA. Approval of the amendment to the Depot
property lease agreement pursuant to this ordinance exempt from CEQA under the "common
sense" exception in CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3) which establishes the general rule for
projects concerning which it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the
activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment, because the lease
amendment relates to the use of existing parking on the Depot property and to ingress, parking
and signage improvements on the Depot property that will be required as a result of the sale of
the Downtown SMART Property to the Developer, and the need to reconfigure vehicle access to
and parking on the property. The amendment to the Depot property lease is also exempt from
CEQA pursuant to Section 15301 of the CEQA Guidelines as involving the operation, repair,
maintenance, permitting, leasing, licensing, or minor alteration of existing public or private
structures, facilities, mechanical equipment, or topographical features, involving negligible or no
expansion of existing or former use, including, in accordance with Section 15301, subdivision
(c), regarding existing highways and streets, sidewalks, gutters, bicycle and pedestrian trails, and
similar facilities, transit improvements, such as bus lanes, pedestrian crossings, and other similar
alterations.
Section 3. Amendment to Depot Property Lease Approved. The amendment to the
Depot Property lease between the City of Petaluma and the Sonoma Marin Are Rail Transit
District ("SMART") which is attached to and made a part of this ordinance as Exhibit 1 is hereby
approved.
Section 4. City Manager Authorized to Execute Amendment. Upon this ordinance
taking effect, the City Manager or her designee are hereby authorized to execute on behalf of the
City an amendment to the Depot Property Lease between SMART and the City substantially in
accordance with that attached as Exhibit 1, subject to such changes to the amendment deemed
necessary or appropriate by the City Manager and approved by the City Attorney to affect the
intended purposes of this ordinance.
Section 5. Severability. The City Council hereby declares that every section, paragraph,
sentence, clause, and phrase of this ordinance is severable. If any section, paragraph, sentence,
clause or phrase of this ordinance is for any reason found to be invalid or unconstitutional, such
invalidity, or unconstitutionality shall not affect the validity or constitutionality of the remaining
sections, paragraphs, sentences, clauses, or phrases.
Section 6. Effective Date. This ordinance shall be in full force and effective 30 days
after its adoption and shall be published and/or posted in the manner required by the City's
charter.
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INTRODUCED this 4th th day of May, 2020.
Teresa Barrett, Mayor
ATTEST:
Claire Cooper, City Clerk
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EXHIBIT 1
AMENDMENT 1 TO COMMERCIAL LEASE
BETWEEN
THE SONOMA MARIN AREA RAIL TRANSIT DISTRICT,
SUCCESSOR TO THE NORTHWESTERN PACIFIC RAILROAD AUTHORITY
AND
THE CITY OF PETALUMA, SUCCESSOR TO THE PETALUMA COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT SUCCESSOR AGENCY
WHEREAS, City staff have been working for some time to finalize a Corona Station
Agreement with SMART for presentation to the City Council, and most recently met online with
SMART staff on April 23, 2020 to finalize an agreement, with the resulting agreement being
presented to the City Council for approval as Item 4C on the May 4, 2020 City Council agenda;
and
WHEREAS, the proposed Corona Station Agreement being presented to the City Council
includes language requiring cooperation regarding an amendment to the City's lease agreement
with SMART for the Depot property, APN 007-131-004; and
WHEREAS, the lease agreement between the City and SMART for the Depot property
was originally entered by the Petaluma Community Development Commission (the City's former
redevelopment agency) and the Northwestern Pacific Railroad Authority on August 1, 2003, and
SMART succeeded the Northwestern Pacific Railroad Authority as owner and lessor of the Depot
property, the Petaluma Community Development Successor Agency succeeded the Petaluma
Community Development Commission by operation of law when California redevelopment
agencies were dissolved by state statute, and on August 22, 2013, the Petaluma Community
Development Successor Agency assigned its lease interest in the Depot property to the City; and
WHEREAS, the Depot property subject to lease consists of about 71,874 square feet of
land, and three buildings, the Petaluma Passenger Depot, a 2,450 square foot building, the Baggage
Shed, a 520 square foot building, and the Freight Shed, a 4,760 square foot building; and
WHEREAS, the proposed Corona Station Agreement includes a provision requiring the
City Council to introduce an ordinance approving an amendment to the lease for the Depot
property by May 4, 2020, and for the amendment to be effective by June 18, 2020, and the proposed
Corona Station Agreement provides for the City and SMART amending the Depot Lease
agreement to provide for the City's and SMART's shared use of parking spaces on the Depot
property, and design and construction by SMART of new access, striping and related
improvements on the Depot property; and
WHEREAS, the contemplated changes to the Depot property lease are required as a result
of sale and development of the Downtown SMART Property and loss of SMART parking on the
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Downtown SMART Property, and the related need to reconfigure the vehicular access into the
Depot property from East Washington Boulevard, because part of the current access to the Depot
property from East Washington Boulevard is located on the Downtown SMART Property and will
be lost and reconfigured when that property is sold and developed; and
WHEREAS, Section 4 of the Depot property lease anticipates that all or a portion of the
leased Premises may be needed for transportation related purposes, including development,
construction, maintenance, and operation of transportation systems or transit related projects,
including passenger loading areas and parking; Section 4 requires SMART to provide the City 365
days prior notice that SMART needs to obtain possession of all or a portion of the Premises; and
Section 4 also provides that if SMART only requires a portion of the Premises, the lease shall
continue in effect except the rent shall be reduced in proportion to the area of the part of the
Premises rendered unusable for conduct of City business compared to the total area of the
Premises; and
WHEREAS, Section 8(a) of the Depot property lease specifies that the rent due totals
$12,000 per year, to be paid monthly in advance on the first day of each month, and Section 8(b)
of the Depot property lease provides that to the extent the City's receipt of rents from sublessees
in any calendar year exceeds the sum of 1) 1/25`x' of the amount necessary to amortize the City's
actual out of pocket costs for the improvements to the buildings on the Depot property over a 25
year period, and 2) the City's cost of operating and maintaining the leased property for that year,
and 3) the rents paid to the City during that year, the City must pay SMART 50% of the amount
by which the sum of 1), 2), and 3) exceeds the City's receipt of rents; and
WHEREAS, the Depot property lease is in effect until August 1, 2023, and the City may
renew the lease by giving SMART notice sometime between February 1 and April 1, 2023, and if
the City does so and unless the City and SMART agree to a further extension of the Depot property
lease, it will expire August 2, 2028; and
WHEREAS, under the provisions of Section 5 of the proposed Corona Station Agreement
with SMART, which is also before the City Council for approval at the May 4, 2020 City Council
meeting, as a result of the loss of the SMART parking on the Downtown SMART Property being
sold to Developer, the City and SMART intend to provide for the City's and SMART's shared use
of the parking currently located on the Depot property and leased to the City such that: SMART
patrons may use parking spaces at the Depot during SMART's operational hours and patrons of
the City's sublessees and licensees may us parking spaces at the Depot during the sublessees' and
licensees' operational hours on a first come, first served basis; no other parking will be allowed,
including no overnight parking or parking for any residential, retail or commercial use, and
SMART will be responsible for enforcing parking restrictions as for other SMART parking
facilities; and
WHEREAS, the current parking area at the Depot property consists of approximately 50
parking spaces totaling approximately 25,960 square feet of the 71,874 square foot Depot parcel,
and, based on the formula in Section 4 of the Depot property lease for reduction of rent upon
SMART obtaining part of the Premises for transportation related purposes, to reflect the shared
use of the parking on the Depot property pursuant to the amended Depot property lease, the City's
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annual rent of $12,000 would be reduced by 18% ($2,167) to $9,833, which corresponds with the
reduction in leased space from 71,874 square feet to 45,914 square feet, with the reduction divided
by two, because SMART and City will share the parking spaces, with each receiving
approximately '/2 of the benefit of the parking spaces; and
WHEREAS, the 365 day notice requirement in Section 4 of the Depot property lease
regarding SMART obtaining part of the leased property for transportation related purposes is
impractical under the circumstances and this lease amendment has been drafted to wave that notice
requirement; and
WHEREAS, although the rent the City pays for the Depot property lease reflects the use
of redevelopment funds to restore the improvements on the Depot property, nonetheless the rent
has not been adjusted since the lease commenced on August 1, 2003, and accordingly, City staff
have recommended that the City waive the rent reduction that otherwise apply under Section 4 of
the Depot property lease, and as result, this lease amendment provides for waiver of the lease
reduction that otherwise would apply, and, similarly, for waiver of the City's obligation to share
subtenant rent with SMART that otherwise could apply under Section 8(b) of the lease; and
WHEREAS, Section 46 of the Petaluma Charter requires that the City Council take certain
actions by ordinance, including actions involving sale, acquisition or lease of real property when
the amount in question exceeds $3,000; and
WHEREAS, approval of the amendment to the Depot property lease agreement is exempt
under the "common sense" exception in CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3) which establishes
the general rule for projects concerning which it can be seen with certainty that there is no
possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment, because
the lease amendment relates to the use of existing parking on the Depot property and to ingress,
parking and signage improvements on the Depot property that will be required as a result of the
sale of the Downtown SMART Property to the Developer, and the need to reconfigure vehicle
access to and parking on the Depot property; and
WHEREAS, the amendment to the Depot property lease is also exempt from CEQA
pursuant to Section 15301 of the CEQA Guidelines as involving the operation, repair,
maintenance, permitting, leasing, licensing, or minor alteration of existing public or private
structures, facilities, mechanical equipment, or topographical features, involving negligible or no
expansion of existing or former use, including, in accordance with Section 15301, subdivision (c),
regarding existing highways and streets, sidewalks, gutters, bicycle and pedestrian trails, and
similar facilities, transit improvements such as bus lanes, pedestrian crossings, and other similar
alterations;
NOW, THEREFORE, for good and valuable consideration, the sufficiency of which is
hereby acknowledged, the City of Petaluma, a California municipal corporation and charter city
(City), and the Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit District, a regional transportation district
(SMART), hereby agree to amend the Commercial Lease (Lease) first entered August 1, 2003 by
the Northwestern Pacific Railroad Authority, as predecessor in interest to SMART, and the
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Petaluma Community Development Commission, as predecessor in interest to the City, concerning
Assessor's Parcel No. 007-131-004.
Amendments Concerning Leased Premises and Use of the Leased Premises
In accordance with Section 31, paragraph (c) of the Lease concerning amendments, and with
reference to Section 1, Premises, Section 4, Use/Termination for Transit Activities, Section 5, Use,
Section 6, Restrictions on Use, Section 12, Tenant Improvements and Other Alterations, Section
17, Indemnification, and Section 19, Insurance, the City and SMART hereby modify the Lease in
accordance with this amendment (Amendment) as follows, notwithstanding anything to the
contrary in the Lease:
The above recitals are hereby declared to be true and correct and made a part of this Amendment.
Section 1, Premises of the Lease is hereby modified in accordance with the following:
a. Reconfiguration of ingress, parking, and related improvements.
The area and boundaries of the Premises, as defined and described in the Lease, are not modified
by this Amendment. However, as a result of the sale of the Downtown SMART property to the
Developer, and loss of the SMART parking and also ingress improvements onto the Premises
currently on the Downtown SMART property, the ingress from East Washington Boulevard, the
configuration of the parking stalls currently on the Premises, and related improvements such as
curb, gutter, sidewalk, bus access and drainage improvements (SMART Improvements), will have
to be redesigned and reconfigured in accordance with the terms of this Amendment.
b. Shared parking
The reconfigured parking stalls on the Premises will be shared by City, City's sublessees and
licensees, and SMART, and the patrons of City's sublessees and licensees and of SMART, such
that SMART patrons may use the parking stalls during SMART's operational hours, and City,
City's sublessees and licensees and their invitees may use the parking stalls during the City's,
City's sublessees' and licensees' operational hours, on a first come, first served basis. No other
parking will be permitted on the Premises, including no overnight parking or parking for any
residential, retail or commercial use. SMART will be responsible for enforcing these parking
restrictions as for other SMART parking facilities.
Section 4, Use/Termination for Transit Activities of the Lease is hereby modified in accordance
with the following:
a. Need to use a portion of the Premises for transportation related purposes.
In accordance with Section 4 of the Lease, and due to the sale of the Downtown SMART Property
and loss of the SMART parking and also ingress improvements onto the Premises currently on the
Downtown SMART property, SMART has a need for a portion of the Premises for transportation
related purposes, and more particularly, for reconfiguration of the ingress from East Washington
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Boulevard to the Premises, the parking stalls currently on the Premises, and related improvements
on the Premises such as curb, gutter, sidewalk, bus access and drainage improvements. SMART
also has a need to permit SMART patrons to use the reconfigured parking stalls on the Premises
in accordance with the terms of this Amendment. Solely for the purposes SMART's need to
reconfigure Premises improvements and to use the reconfigured improvements for transportation
related purposes pursuant to this Amendment, the City and SMART hereby agree that the 365 day
notice requirement in Section 4 of the Lease is waived and shall not apply.
b. No reduction of rent.
Under Section 4 of the Lease, as a result of SMART's need to obtain part of the Premises for
transportation related purposes, the City's obligation to pay Rent under the Lease would be reduced
in proportion to the area of the Premises rendered unusable for the conduct of the City's business
compared to the total area of the Premises. Under Section 4, the City's annual Rent obligation of
$12,000 would be reduced by 18% ($2,157) to $9,833, which corresponds with the reduction in
leased Premises area from 71,874 square feet to 45,914 square feet, divided by two, because
SMART and City will share the reconfigured Premises parking spaces, with each receiving
approximately 1/2 of the benefit of the parking spaces. Although the rent the City pays for the
Depot property lease reflects the use of redevelopment funds to restore the improvements on the
Depot property, nonetheless the rent has not been adjusted since the lease commenced on August
1, 2003, and accordingly the City waives the rent reduction that otherwise apply under Section 4
of the Depot property lease, solely for purposes of this Amendment. Similarly, the City's
obligation to share subtenant rent with SMART that would apply under Section 8(b) of the Lease
is waived for purposes of this Amendment.
Section 5, Use, of the Lease, is hereby modified in accordance with the following:
The use of the Premises pursuant to the Lease shall include the shared use of the parking on the
Premises as described in this Amendment. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in Section 5
of the Lease, the City and SMART shall each be liable for their respective use of the Premises in
accordance with this Amendment, and for their related operations and maintenance on the
Premises, and City and SMART agree to cooperate in good faith concerning their respective
operations and maintenance on the Premises.
Section 6, Restrictions on Use, of the Lease, is hereby modified in accordance with the following:
SMART also agrees to comply with all provisions of Section 6 of the Lease that are applicable to
SMART's operations, maintenance, and improvement activities on the Premises pursuant to this
Amendment. In particular, SMART agrees, at SMART's sole expense, to comply with all
applicable laws, regulations, rule and orders with respect to SMART's use and/or improvement of
the Premises in accordance with Section 6 of the Lease.
Section 12, Tenant Improvements and Other Alterations, of the Lease is hereby modified to add a
new paragraph c. in accordance with the following:
c. Reconfiguration of ingress from East Washim4ton Boulevard, the Premises parkin,2,
and related improvements.
SMART shall design and construct the SMART Improvements at SMART's sole expense.
SMART will submit for City review and approval, which approval will not be unreasonably
withheld, improvement plans for reconfiguration of ingress from East Washington Boulevard to
the Premises, the Premises parking, and related improvements. Improvement work encroaching
into City right of way will be subject to issuance of a City encroachment permit. City agrees to
cooperate with SMART and not unreasonably withhold City encroachment permits. Once
SMART has satisfied the requirements for issuance of an encroachment permit or permits for work
encroaching into City right of way, such permit or permits will be issued at no cost to SMART.
SMART will be solely liable for the SMART Improvements work and agrees to indemnify and
hold the City and the City's sublessees and licensees harmless concerning the SMART
Improvements work in accordance with Section 17 of the Lease, as amended. SMART agrees to
cooperate and coordinate with the City concerning the SMART Improvements and the SMART
Improvements work to the extent reasonably possible to minimize impacts on the operations of the
City and City's sublessees and licensees.
Section 17, Indemnification, of the Lease, is hereby modified in accordance with the following:
Section 17 of the Lease is hereby amended such that SMART agrees to indemnify, defend and
hold harmless the City and the City's sublessees and licensees concerning the use, maintenance,
occupation, alteration or improvement of the Premises by SMART, any act, omission or neglect
of SMART, SMART's officers, employees, agents, servants, sublessees, concessionaires,
contractors or visitors, and/or any breach or default by SMART of any of the terms, covenants or
conditions of the Lease, to the same extent and subject to the same limitations as the City's
obligation to indemnify, defend and hold harmless SMART pursuant to that section.
Section 19, Insurance, of the Lease, is hereby modified in accordance with the following:
SMART agrees to maintain during the teen of the Lease and any extension of the Lease the
insurance specified in Section 19 of the Lease, and to provide evidence of insurance as specified
in that section.
Except as modified by this Amendment, the Lease shall remain unchanged and in full force and
effect.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, a representative authorized to bind the City and a
representative authorized to bind SMART have each executed this Amendment on the date
indicated.
City of Petaluma
SMART
Peggy Flynn, City Manager Farhad Mansourian, General Manager
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Approved uatoform:
Approved amtoform:
Eric W. Danly, City Attorney Thomas F. Lyons, District Counsel
ME