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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 2013-06-19MINUTES SPECIAL JOINT MEETING `�zIFOR�1� CITY COUNCIL AND PLANNING COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO P.O. Box 711 (City Hall, 400 Grand Avenue) South San Francisco, California 94083 Meeting to be held at: MUNICIPAL SERVICES BUILDING CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS 33 ARROYO DRIVE WEDNESDAY, .JUNE 19, 2013 6.30 P.M. Purpose of the meeting: 1. Call to Order. TIME: 6:30 p.m. 2. Roll Call. PRESENT: Planning Commissioners Giusti, Khalfin, Wong and Zemke, Planning Commission Chairman Ochsenhirt Councilmembers Addiego, Garbarino and Gupta, Mayor Pro Tern Matsumoto and Mayor Gonzalez ABSENT: Planning Commissioner Sim and Planning Commission Vice Chair Martin 3. Public Comments — comments are limited to items on the Special Meeting Agenda. Mayor Pro Tern Matsumoto stated she was the one responsible for calling the Special Meeting together and did so in order to address some of the concerns she has been having. She expressed her displeasure about the process and felt it had been lacking on several fronts, but most notably the noticing and community outreach. She believed that staff had not done an adequate job of keeping both bodies informed of the process or in reaching a significant number of residents to participate in the study sessions. She also took issue with the item being noticed as the Downtown Plan and only to downtown businesses and residents. Believing the downtown belonged to all residents, she felt the whole community should be allowed to offer input. An additional concern was related to the availability of materials provided by the consultants. She apologized to residents on behalf of the Council and Planning Department and announced the next meeting would be held in October, with further information available in September. Lastly, she reminded staff to aim their outreach efforts at the entire City of South ,San Francisco. Planning Commission Chairman Ochsenhirt respected Mayor Pro Tem's views but did not share in her analysis of the process. Speaking on behalf of the Planning Commission, he felt staff had done an adequate job of keeping the Planning Commission informed though agreed that community outreach efforts could be improved upon. Councilmember Addiego was appreciative of the Mayor Pro Tern calling for the meeting and agreed it was long overdue. He understood her concern, but noted this was a study session and not an action item. It was important to consider community meetings as venues for people to express themselves and as such, elected officials should not always be in attendance. While he was not completely upset with process so far, he agreed there needed to more of an effort to get the community involved. Councilmember Gupta agreed the downtown belonged to all residents and therefore the plan was not a localized project with neighborhood impact alone. He looked forward to the evening's presentation and would not make judgments at this point in time. 4. Study Session — Downtown Specific Plan Update. Principal Planner Gerry Beaudin presented the staff report and introduced members of the consultant team Barbara Maloney and Paige Martin of BMS Design, Janet Smith- Heimer from Bay Area Economics, and Mehgan Weir of Fehr and Peers. The information given tonight had been presented to the public and formed as a result of stakeholder interviews, community meetings, website input, surveys, technical advisory committee ( "TAC ") analysis and with input from the Subcommittee, containing members of Council and the Planning Commission. Before moving to the next level staff wanted input from Council and the Commission to get somewhat of a formal agreement on the land use alternatives. Focus outline was around transportation, housing, parking, and design improvements, and financing opportunities. Comment and directions received tonight would further shape the plan. Mayor Pro Tem requested detailed synopsis of outreach efforts and groups and people in attendance in a Friday memo. Planner Beaudin stated he would provide Council and the Commission the synopsis requested. SPECIAL JOINT CITY COUNCIL AND PLANNING COMMISSON MEETING JUNE 19, 2013 MINUTES PAGE 2 Councilmember Garbarino noted the outreach materials had been translated into Spanish, and suggested additional translations be provided as well. Planner Beaudin explained funding had only covered Spanish but additional languages would receive the consideration requested by the Councilmember. BMS Consultant Barbara Maloney presented a power point presentation detailing the Downtown Station Area PIan. She noted the process was at the half way mark with quite a bit left to do. Tonight would be a review of where we were, how we got there and an opportunity to get input from Council and the Commission. The presentation covered the following topics: Station Area goals and plan outcomes, anticipated schedule, community outreach activities and generated input, land use alternatives, Downtown and Grand Avenue improvements, and circulation and parking issues. Mayor Pro Tern Matsumoto requested specified details regarding the schedule provided. Consultant Maloney reviewed the schedule, highlighting key information about future events /dates. There would be seven months to prepare for the Specific Plan and the final Environmental Impact Report ( "EIR ") would go out in approximately nine months. Public review would be in January, 2014 with two public hearings scheduled in the Council Chambers. Based on comments, modifications would be made and the item was slated for approval in April or May of 2014. Being that there are new members on both bodies, Mayor Pro Tem Matsumoto and Chair Ochsenhirt asked for rosters of the Technical Advisory Group and the Citizen Advisory Board, Councilmember Gupta asked what critical activity could delay the schedule. Consultant Ms. Maloney reported the EIR would be the biggest time -taker and that it should be initiated soon. It was critical to know and feel comfortable about where things stood in the next month. Another key would be traffic impact as it is always the most time and resource consuming. It's important to get that started within the next three months. Commissioner Wong asked if there would be a workshop after the specific plan was developed or some other way for community to provide input. Public Review would be in January. Planner Beaudin noted this had historically been done with Planning Commission and notice for public attendance. Consultant Maloney reported the issues and opportunities shared during the public meetings. There was a lot of interest in improving the downtown, but not so much the area referred to the Eastern neighborhood. Additionally, issues regarding the Caltrain station were brought up, namely its unattractive and unsafe qualities. The community was 100% behind the relocation of the station. People found the station unsafe for the reasons that there was low foot traffic, low visibility and inadequate lighting. SPECIAL JOINT CITY COUNCIL AND PLANNING COMMISSON MEETING JUNE 19, 2013 MINUTES PAGE 3 As a result, Land Use alternatives "A" and "B" were created, each having a different mix and balance of uses. These alternatives were based on many things heard from the first community meeting and subsequent community advisory meetings. The main components of each alternative were reviewed. Components shared by each alternative included: historic core, protection of Grand Avenue scale, focused neighborhood retail centers and downtown mixed use. Councilmember Gupta questioned how either alternative met the goals of the community, which were reported as (1) keeping the City's historic nature and (2) keeping downtown unique. How does high density relate to the goals? Consultant Maloney noted with both alternatives, there was a slight reduction in the allowable height for the front of the buildings in the Grand Avenue area to maintain the historic character and protect the special facades. Certain residential areas would see no change in designation with the intention to keep the residential and just provide opportunities for more services and amenities, particularly up Linden Avenue. Other improvements built upon the current framework. Further clarity of the connection would come deeper into the presentation. Consultant Maloney continued to discuss the features of each alternative but added the circulation framework was common between the two as the strategy worked for both scenarios. Mayor Pro Tern Matsumoto asked if TAC had informed her about the current plans to shut the off ramps on to Miller Avenue. Consultant Maloney had been made aware of the plan. Moving on to Grand Avenue and the Downtown, Consultant Maloney discussed its current look and needs. Pedestrian improvements, building improvements and parking alternatives were discussed. There were currently 163 parking spaces from Airport to Spruce, mostly angled. If parking places were changed to parallel, which was consistent with -most downtowns, there would be 141 spaces, a loss of 13 %. With the available parking in the Miller Avenue Garage, this was not a bad scenario. This change would allow the sidewalks to be widened to 15 feet and the addition of fun streetscapes that would help create revitalized community. She also noted the option of special paving in certain areas that could identify pedestrian oriented uses for special events like farmers markets and street fairs. Commissioner Giusti felt sidewalk dining would be better suited on Linden Avenue as it gets less wind. Other items discussed included the overreaching goals for circulation, downtown parking assessments and recommendations and a summary of work to day. This concluded the presentation. Mayor Gonzalez called for Public Comments. Kirsten Spalding of the San Mateo Union Community Alliance noted the importance of the plan SPECIAL JOINT CITY COUNCIL AND PLANNING COMMISSON MEETING JUNE 19, 2013 MINUTES PAGE 4 to the region as a whole. Together, a coalition of community groups had come up with a Community Benefits PIatform, which she distributed. This was an opportunity to create a vision of economic prosperity, the platform emphasized those needs. She encouraged Council and staff to make policy statements about the types of housing and businesses we want; jobs that pay descent salaries, housing options for people at all ends of the spectrum with options for rental and ownership. Members of the coalition were present to speak in greater detail about elements of the platform. Bill Nack of the San Mateo County Building Trades Council spoke about the importance of creating policy that focuses on bringing good jobs to the City and using local workforce and materials. Policies requiring the training and use of apprentices would help local youth learn skills that would help them earn good wages in the future. He requested wage and training policies be written in to the plan, ensuring private corporations had to follow what government already does. Lastly, he spoke about writing policy that prohibits big box retailers above a certain size or have the option of denying a retailer that intended to pay low wages and not allow their employees to have a voice. He hoped this would be an opportunity to create a vibrant and viable community. South San Francisco resident and sheet metal apprentice Steven Martinez believed the plan should create good jobs with career pathways and decent wages. The plan should ensure the use of local labor and local materials, reinvesting into the local community. TransForm representative Sandra Padilla supported a lot of the vision presented tonight and thanked Council and staff for recognizing the lack of a parking issue. A concern of hers was the plan hinging on the Caltrain station relocation. The lack of information to date led her to believe an alternative plan needed to be realized in the meantime, making use of the current station and improving current connections. A timeframe of 20 years was 20 years lost in a fragmented city and downtown. Mayor Pro Tern Matsumoto stated South San Francisco was ahead of most cities and was good to go with the plan to move the station. She spoke about opportunities for funding and programs down the pipeline and requested TransForm advocate on the City's behalf. Serena Ip of the Housing Leadership Council of San Mateo County spoke. She was happy to see the process moving forward and found it timely with the passing of the Bay Area Plan. She was supportive of the plan and looked forward to seeing more options of affordable housing. Mayor Pro Tern Matsumoto asked Ms. 1p what she considered affordable housing. It was her opinion that South San Francisco had done more than its fair share of affordable housing and did not think the downtown was an optimum location for more due to the location of public transit and retail stores being greater on E1 Camino Real ( "ECR" ). Ms. 1p noted the Leadership supported housing at all income levels but felt San Mateo County should focus more on low to moderate incomes, which was reported as $71,000 for an individual and $101,000 for a family of four. SPECIAL JOINT CITY COUNCIL AND PLANNING COMMISSON MEETING JUNE 19, 2013 MINUTES PAGE 5 Kenneth Rosales with the Loma Prieta Chapter of the Sierra Club expressed support for some of the plan's aspects including grouping new homes and jobs near transit. However, he thought the plan could go a little further in addressing climate change by adopting state of the art bicycle infrastructure, including low impact development such as permeable surfaces and green roves, performing energy efficient retrofits and striving for zero waste. Resident Priscilla Romero expressed interest in car sharing/pooling and bike sharing programs. She also wanted to reiterate the earlier comment about moving forward with plans that utilize our current Caltrain station. Lastly, she hoped for more outreach in the Hispanic /Latino community as the development on Linden Avenue would be more of an impact for them. Commissioner Zemke asked how double parkers would be addressed. Also, would it take more time to parallel park, thus adding to congestion? Commissioner Zemke also felt the creation of a neighborhood east of 101 could be problematic. Consultant Maloney stated there had been debate about bike lanes on Grand Avenue and understood that additional thought should be given. She agreed with the Commissioner regarding an East of 101 neighborhood. As a bike rider, Commissioner Wong agreed with Commissioner Zemke and noted his tendency to avoid overly crowded and busy streets. His questioned the impact on bus stops if streets were narrowed. Consultant Martin responded that bus travel lanes should be fine. Regarding the bike lanes, there were design elements that could be done to make it prominent that they are not areas intended for parking. She added, parallel was beneficial to business wise as it slowed down the traffic and allowed people to view storefronts. Commissioner Wong asked at what point staff would go after the desired developers and businesses. Consultant Maloney noted that would be during the implementation stage. At that point survey programs would become available on a whole range of things such as business improvements, attraction, and retention. Planner Beaudin noted there would be a program level EIR that would streamline the process and lay down framework for developers and business owners. This would give us leg up on competitors for developers in the area. Commissioner Khalfin agreed with the comments regarding the importance of the Caltrain station. The good and bad of the situations was that we have seen what stations can do, but it takes extremely long. Is there a timeline to engage players that are needed in the discussion? Consultant Maloney noted the fact that the City was already highly aware and engaged, and this is something that would be also done during the implementation section of the plan. Pressure to move the station needed to remain and further steps and critical dates would be identified to kee SPECIAL JOINT CITY COUNCIL AND PLANNING COMMISSON MEETING ,NNE 19, 2013 MINUTES PAGE 6 the issue moving forward. Chairperson Ochsenhirt stressed the importance greater community involvement. He thanked the San Mateo County Union Alliance for their presence and requested that they conduct further outreach on behalf of the City. With regard to relocation of the Caltrain station, the Chairperson noted how the federal governments' and the bullet trains' roles as sticking points for any rail movement in the state. Lastly, he saw the land use alternatives as "A" plus "B" rather than "A" or "B ". His opinion on housing was that the vacant property on Airport Boulevard was prime location for high rise, high density housing with the ability to have a transit corridor served by Caltrans and SamTrans. Councilmember Addiego agreed with Chairperson Ochsenhirt and saw the land use alternatives not as exclusive, but as a phase one and two. Taking into consideration other recent peninsula housing developments such as Arbor Rose, the possibilities for an urban environment east of 10 1 had potential. High rises were communities in and of themselves and supported a nice environment for their residents. Councilmember Addiego was glad the meeting had been called and the topic distilled. The issues expressed by community members have been on Council's radar for many years. Older residents remember what the downtown was and what it could be. Those who don't have the memory think of what it can be. The downtown had a root and a core; it was not dead, but it needed help in achieving its future. Lastly, he was somewhat disappointed with the absence of some of the commissioners, one of whom had listed his high ideas about the downtown and created quite a buzz. People were enchanted by the thought of downtown being a place with opportunities for entertainment and educational venues. We need to keep reaching, but this was a great start. Mayor Gonzalez also wanted a complete package for downtown, including an entertainment component. Councilmember Garbarino noted South San Francisco as one of the unique cities where its downtown did not run parallel or into ECR. Still, there was a unique opportunity for downtown. We have heard what it isn't but he wanted to put that behind us and develop what it could be. He noted that Redwood City had built around its courthouse. This was a golden opportunity to take advantage of what we have, and that's what we should do. Housing should be in the plan, but it could be done in areas in addition to Grand Avenue. Lastly, Councilmember Garbarino thanked staff for a job well done. Commissioner Giutsti stated the Chinese New Year event showed how vibrant Grand Avenue could be, it just needed help. Councilmember Gupta noted how extensive the development planning had been. He believed the issue was in the implementation. This particular development had a lot of stake holders, and it was critical for those stakeholders to cooperate and work together on a solution that they have adopted themselves. He wanted to continue the push for community involvement during the implementation, not just the planning; good thinking and intentions alone would not make it happen. We have to create confidence that these are more than just plans. He agreed with setting policies that would help set up and support the implementation process. The plan should not be SPECIAL JOINT CITY COUNCIL AND PLANNING COMMISSON MEETING JUNE 19, 2013 MINUTES PAGE 7 fixed; it should be living and adaptable. He looked forward to these items being addressed and a more inclusive and detailed discussion. Mayor Pro Tern Matsumoto went over the numbers in attendance at the community meetings and stated that for a community of 65,000, more involvement was necessary. She encouraged the consultants to open up the lines of communication with residents, staff and the City's Boards and Commissions as a lot of the issues brought up by the community were currently being addressed or in the works. These things needed to be conveyed to the community through future presentations. Another issue that should be brought to attention was the airport noise that may affect communities built east of 101. Lastly, she hoped to see more information on funding sources. With regard to funding, Councilmember Garbarino stated there were many out there more than willing to be partners with developers; electrical workers and Organized Labor San Mateo County for instance. Mayor Gonzalez agreed with many of the sentiments expressed by his colleagues. He noted the difficulty in getting the community to attend meetings from one end of the City to the other and suggested holding meetings in the Westborough area. He also liked the idea of the new parking meters. The downtown has been in decline for sometime, improvements needed to be made now. Lastly, he noted some design elements he would like to see based on what he's observed and liked in other cities, notably Daly City. Councilmember Addiego mentioned Daly City's Westlake Shopping Center and its Main Street as being conducive to pedestrians. Mayor Gonzalez thanked the Consultants and staff for their work. Adjournment. Being no further business, Mayor Gonzalez and Chair Ochsenhirt adjourned the meetings at 8:27 p.m. Submitted: Gt� - Anna M. Brown, Deputy City Clerk City of South San Francisco i City of South San Francisco Approved: OC `Rick Ochsenhirt, Chairperson City of South San Francisco Planning Commission SPECIAL JOINT CITY COUNCIL AND PLANNING COMMISSON MEETING JUNE 19, 2013 MINUTES PAGE 8