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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 03/30/1992March 30, 1992 1 MIN 2 3 4 5 PRESENT: 6 ABSENT: Vol. 27, Page S l;b UTES OF A REGULAR AI~JOURNEID MEETING PETALUMA CITY COUNCIL MONDAY, MARCH 30, 1992 7:00 p.m. ROLL CALL Read, Davis, Vice Mayor Woolsey, Sobel, Nelson Cavanagh, Mayor Hilligoss PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE S The Pledge was led by Allan Tilton. 9 COUNCIL COMMENTS 1o Bonnie Nelson, reciting the Pledge of Allegiance reminded her how fortunate we are in 1 ~ the United States where we can say that flag salute without worrying about reprisals as 12 they do in other countries. 13 Bonnie Nelson, there was an article in tonight's Argus Courier describing about a man 14 arrested for a knife assault. The reason I worry about that as it relates to the Council is 15 that person was in attendance the first wastewater workshop at Lucchesi Community i6 Center. The newspaper article went on to say they do not know why he attacked ~~ someone with that knife. The nature of people who are unbalanced causes me to ask that 1s we at least discuss safety and security measures at the goal setting meeting. 19 Brian Sobel, the recent rerouting of the busses has caused some concern among senior 20 citizens. Transit Coordinator Jim Ryan responded saying staff has contacted all persons 21 who have had some concern and things have been worked out. The Public Information 22 Officer and Transit Coordinator will work on a public information release to assist in the 23 route transition. 24 Michael Davis, he has received complaints about frequent power outages around Albert 25 Way. 26 Michael Davis, the survey for the dog run, seems to him be worded in such a way to 27 cause some negative results. Questions such as would you be willing to police this area? 2s Can you imagine someone, 120 pound person, going up to some 220 pound male with a 29 pit bull and saying clean up your dog doo. We don't do that with other things to do with 3o parks like vandalism and things like that. We don't ask general citizenry to do something 31 like that. I think we should have apooper-scooper and be on an honor system. 32 Bonnie Nelson, suggested the recycling education program include the recycling of school 33 lunch milk cartons. Think about the number of children using these milk cartons each 34 day. 35 Bonnie Nelson, is also concerned about the dog .survey. She has very strong feelings 36 about people patrolling one another. 37 Michael Davis, asked that the doggie pooper patrol be on the agenda as soon as the 3s survey is completed. Page 52~Vo1. 27 March 30, 1992 t MINUTES 2 The M~ch 16 minutes were approved as amended: 3 Page 41, Line 32, Add after Planning staff "and Recreation Department on the 4 Recreation brochure..". 5 STUDY SESSION 6 TRAFFIC REDUCTION ORDINANCE 7 Staff reviewed the progress to date in development of a traffic reduction ordinance. This 8 ordinance is one result of the adoption of the June 6, 1990, Statewide Ballot Proposition 9 111 to raise Gas Tax to reduce traffic congestion. An integral phase of implementation of io the resultant Congestion Management Program is "Adoption and implementation of a trip ~ ~ reduction and travel demand ordinance" by each city. This trip reduction and travel 12 demand .element of the Congestion Management Plan shall "promote .alternative 13 transportation methods, such as carpools, vanpools, transit, bicycles, and park-and-ride 14 lots; improvements in the balance between. jobs and housing; and other strategies, is including flexible work hours and parking management programs ". (G.C. 65089(b)(3)). 16 In response to these regulations, staff has communicated and met with the local businesses 17 which have 100 or more employees. The SO largest businesses were invited to a strategy 1s meeting where they developed the draft traffic reduction ordinance. There was a 50% 19 turnout at the meeting. 20 The City Council direction on some unresolved specifics of the proposed ordinance 21 follows: 22 A. Definition of Employee - An employee is any person who works a 23 minimum of 80 hours a month at a single site, for an employer with 100 24 employees who terminate their day's work from that single site between 4 25 and 6 p. m. , Monday through Friday. 26 Exclusions -contract employees, .independent contractors, field personnel, 27 seasonal workers and volunteers. Field personnel are those persons who 2s are located someplace different than the "work site" when they terminate 29 their day's work. 3o B. Definition of Work Site -Work site is any place of employment, 31 base of operation, or predominant work location of an employee. All 32 buildings or facilities occupied by the employer within a building or 33 facility, not separated by a public right-of--way are considered a single 34 Work~Site. 35 C. Quantitative Trip Reduction Goal Measurement - It was agreed that 36 determination of the number of passengers would be the best method of 37 measuring the degree of achievement of trip reduction. March 30, 1992 Vol. 27, Page 53 ~ Staff suggested adopting the target average vehicle ridership numbers by 2 resolution. In the last year, the Bay Area Air Quality Control Board has 3 adopted several different average vehicle ridership target numbers. For 4 funding purposes, it is. important that the City's target numbers for vehicle 5 passenger count coincide with the Air Quality Control Board's target 6 ridership numbers. 7 D. The actual Survey Cycle Beginning Date -The Council concurred s the date of the. first employee survey will be May, 1993. All of the 9 jurisdictions in this area will conduct their annual employee surveys during io the same time frame utilizing identical survey forms. The goal for local i i business employee survey compliance is 90% employee completion of the 12 survey forms. 13 E. Violations - It was agreed there would be no violation provisions 14 included in this ordinance. ~5 Each affected business will appoint a Transportation Coordinator who will be trained by 16 RIDES, anon-profit government sponsored group that coordinates van-pooling and ride- 17 sharing. Staff estimated the cost of training to be $50. The Council asked that the 1 s training cost be reduced as much as possible. 19 The ordinance is scheduled for public hearing on Apri120. 20 STUDY SESSION OPEN SPACE ACQUISITION IIECONIlVIENDATIONS 2t SONOIVIA COUNT' OPEN SPACE I)ISTItICT 22 The Planning Department background information for the eight suggested open space 23 areas to be considered for acquisition by the County Open Space District included the 24 following data: 25 Area A -Orchard Lane, Denman Road, Highway 101 -Located between the 26 City's northern boundary and the Penngrove area along U. S. Highway 101, 27 outside of the City's utility service boundary. The area offers an opportunity to 2s protect the scenic corridor of U. S. Highway 101 and to strengthen the sense of 29 separation between Cotati, Penngrove and Petaluma. Existing land uses are rural 3o residential and agriculture. 31 Area B - Mecham Hill -Petaluma General Plan's northern "Gateway", Mecham 32 Hill, offers southbound travellers their first visual introduction to the Petaluma 33 Valley, with its urbanized area, rich agricultural lands, and the chain of mountains 34 to the east and to the west. Here is an opportunity to preserve the separation 35 between the cities of Cotati and Petaluma. Existing land uses are residential and 36 agriculture (cattle grazing). 37 Area C -Denman Flat Flood Area -This area is .identified as Community 3s Separator by the Sonoma County General Plan. It provides a definitive border for 39 the urbanized properties and protects the agricultural land to the north and to the 4o west from more intensive parcelization and development. Development potential 41 is very much limited by the Floodway and Floodplain designations. The 42 remaining land uses are agriculture, agricultural support services, and rural 43 residential. Page 54, Vol. 27 March 30, 1992 1 Area D -Putnam Pazk vicinity, Chileno Valley ][toad to' D Street -Located west 2 of the City's Urban Limit Line, this is recognized as the City's entry=way on "D" 3 Street. The often steep topography lends itself well to preservation.. The 4 opportunity may also exist. to strengthen our western °Urban Limit Line ~by adding 5 acreage to the County's Putnam Regional Park. Existing. land uses are agriculture 6 and larger ranchettes. ~ Area E - Kastania Road to the River - Kastania Road is beyond tfie: City's Urban s Limit Line. The Petaluma General Plan recognizes this. as~.our Southern Gateway. 9 This location would. offer an opportunity to address visual as well astraffic safety io issues. Eliminating or substantially reducing tYie development potential in the 11 Kastania area would avoid southward urbanizati®n and. would promote compact 12 growth in the urban azea. There is an opportunity to improve traffic. safety as it is 13 related to the existing access constraints along U. S. Highway 101. .Land uses are 14 varied; they range from rural residential with existing commercial to agriculture ~5 (cattle grazing). ~6 Area F - McNeaz Peninsula - This predominantly vacant land offers an 1~ opportunity to preserve a large expanse of 'highly visible river oriented open space is in the heart of Petaluma. The McNear Peninsula's southern tip offers a_striking ~9 view to riverborne travellers in this transitional (industry to downtown)area and 20 provides -some visual continuity with the vacant unincorporated areas downstream. 21 Existing land uses include agriculture .(cattle grazing) and industrial storage 22 (railroad-owned property) to vacant grasslands. 23 Area G -Petaluma River Massh South of Petaluma Marina -Studies of the azea 24 surrounding the Petaluma Marina as well as the work in progress on the River 2s Enhancement Plan identify the River Marsh South of the Marina as a unique 26 habitat worthy of preservation and enhancement. Acquisition in 'fee or by 27 easement will accomplish the goal of visual openness, passive recreation, and 2s protection of the several raze and endangered' species that are found there. There 29 aze no existing land uses in the marshlands. 3o Area H -Corona Road -Located to the northeast of the Northwest Pacific 31 Railroad right-of--way north of Corona Road, these. lands aze of particulaz 32 importance and aze identified by the County General Plan as Community 33 Separator. During the planning process for the Corona Ely Specific. Plan, many 34 area residents stressed .the desire to have their rural lifestyle protected from urban 35 pressure.: The Local Agency Formation Commission decision to retain Corona 36 Road as a 2-lane rural road in the unincorporated ~ area strengthened the City's 3~ position to hold the Urban Limit Line at Corona. Road. Existing land .uses are 3s rural ..residential and agriculture (cattle grazing, horse breeding). 39 Council Recommendations As number one, the Council recommends that the Open 4o Space District place highest priority on preservation of open space where there is an 41 opportunity to maximize their efforts by joining with a local agency who will match the 42 District's open space funds. i March 30, 1992 Vol. 27, Page 55 ~ For purposes of open space acquisition, it was Council consensus that areas A, B, C, E, 2 and H were high priority and the remainder were medium priority. 3 Area A -Orchard Lane, Denman Road, Highway 101 4 Area B - Mecham Hill 5 Area C -Denman Flat Flood Area 6 Area E - Kastania Road to the River 7 Area H -Corona Road s Legislation will be brought back to the City Council on Apri120. 9 STUDY SESSION -PROTECTION OF COUNTY DESIGNATED io COMMUNITY SEPARATORS 1 ~ Staff and Council discussed the proposed agreement between the Cities and Sonoma 12 County. It is envisioned that this agreement would protect Community Separators by 13 (1) Directing new population growth into existing cities and their Spheres ~4 of Influence and/or into existing unincorporated urbanized areas; is (2) Prohibiting extension of infrastructure and development outside the 16 Spheres of Influence and prohibiting development of unincorporated ~~ territories that are within Urban Separators; and, is (3) Requesting that the Local Agency Formation Commission develop ~9 policies that recognize the foregoing methods in order to spare the Urban* 20 and Community* Separators from development. (*Note -cities call them 21 Urban Separators and the county calls them Community Separators). 22 All of the foregoing are consistent with existing City policies. 23 Other points of discussion were the transfer of development rights, provision for 24 flexibility in changing the location and the form of urban/community separators by joint 25 agreement, and support of the Sonoma County Open Space District acquisition of 26 urban/community separators as their highest priority. Confirming legislation will be 27 placed on the April 20 agenda. 2s AD.TOiJRN 29 At 9:25 p.m., the meeting was adjourned. 3o Lynn Woolsey, Vice Mayor 31 ATTEST: 32 Patricia E. Bernard, City Clerk ~ i~ Page 56, Vol. 27 March 30, 1992 1 This page left blank intentionally.