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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 2014-10-08 @7:00 So,�NNF.� MiNUTES 64 H __ � __ CITY COUNCIL o CITY OF SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO --46::° c911Folko' REGULAR MEETING MUNICIPAL SERVICES BUILDING COUNCIL CHAMBERS 33 ARROYO DRIVE SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, CA WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2014 CALL TO ORDER TIME: 7:01 p.m. ROLL CALL PRESENT: Councilmembers Addiego, Gupta and Normandy, Vice Mayor Garbarino and Mayor Matsumoto. ABSENT: None. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Led by Director of Economic and Community Development, Alex Greenwood. AGENDA REVIEW No changes. PRESENTATIONS • Presentation of Proclamation honoring Fire Prevention Month accepted by Fire Marshal Da Silva. Fire Marshal Da Silva accepted the Proclamation establishing October as Fire Prevention Month in South San Francisco. He advised of the various Fire Department Programs that would take place in the community and local schools during the month. He stated that the student winners of the Poster Contest would be presented to Council at its November Meeting. • Presentation of new employees by Mich Mercado, Human Resources Manager. Human Resources Manager Mercado presented new employees that introduced themselves as follows: Alex Greenwood, Director of Economic and Community Development Anna Taloma, Librarian I Caleb Moran, Park Maintenance Worker Chris Cappa, Park Maintenance Worker Domenic Finocchiaro, Park Maintenance Worker Josue Gonzalez, Building Maintenance Custodian Juan Molina, Park Maintenance Worker • Job Fair Presentation by Mich Mercado, Human Resources Manager. Human Resources Manager Mercado advised Council of, and invited the public to, a job fair that would be held in the Social Hall of the Municipal Services Building on October 24, 2014 from 10:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. South San Francisco residents would have early access to the event between 9:00 A.M. and 10:00 A.M. Various City positions and positions with local companies would be recruited at the event. PUBLIC COMMENTS None. COUNCIL COMMENTS/REQUESTS Mayor Matsumoto announced that at a Meeting of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors on October 7, 2014, the City was presented with a Commending Resolution honoring its collaboration with Human Services Agencies to assist emancipated minors and non-minor foster youth. She further announced that the Transportation Authority and SamTrans published a strategic plan that South San Francisco should review. She further reminded the public that October is Disability Awareness Month. She closed by requesting that the meeting be adjourned in honor of Mary Jane Carmen Piagaia and Hon. Jim Vreeland, former Councilman of the City of Pacifica. CONSENT CALENDAR 1. Motion approving the minutes of meetings of September 24, 2014. 2. Motion confirming payment registers for October 8, 2014. 3. Resolution 110-2014 designating the Teamsters Local 856 as the organization representing the Mid-Management Bargaining Unit effective September 8, 2014. (Rebecca Burnside, Director of Human Resources) 4. Resolution 111-2014 approving Memorandum of Understanding with the South San Francisco Police Association dated July 1, 2014 through June 30, 2016. REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING OCTOBER 8,2014 MINUTES PAGE 2 Item No. 2: Councilman Gupta queried a Non-Depai(mental Payment in the amount of $28,966.50 to the City of Burlingame. City Manager Futrell stated he would confirm his understanding with Director of Finance Steele, but believed the charge to represent a pass through payment pursuant to a revenue sharing agreement with the City of Burlingame. Motion—Vice Mayor Garbarino/Second Councilman Gupta: to approve the Consent Calendar. Unanimously approved by roll call vote. ADMINISTRATIVE BUSINESS 5. Resolution 112-2014 adopting Housing Management Investment Plan and disposition options related to 201 Baden Avenue (former Fire Station 61 site). (Alex Greenwood, Director of Economic and Community Development) Director of Economic and Community Development Greenwood presented the staff report recommending that Council approve a Resolution adopting the Housing Management Investment Plan and Disposition Options related to 201 Baden Avenue. The PowerPoint presentation set forth the goal as follows: to convert under-performing, costly-to-maintain assets into funding for future affordable housing projects. Development of the plan included analysis of seven (7) properties, a City Council Workshop, discussion by the Housing Subcommittee and input from Councilmembers. Pursuant to the Plan, staff recommended disposition of the following properties: 109 Longford Drive, 380 Alta Vista and 714-718 Linden Avenue. Slides depicting each of these properties were displayed and their respective values identified: 109 Longford Drive ($585,610), 380 Alta Vista ($1,507,798) and 714-718 Linden Avenue ($864,582). Disposition of 339-341 Commercial Avenue was also recommended by virtue of RFP to a non- profit entity that could continue to use the property to assist individuals in need of affordable housing. Director Greenwood continued the presentation to focus on properties recommended for redevelopment which he identified as follows: 310-314 Miller Avenue, 418 Linden Avenue and 201 Baden Avenue. Slides of the properties were depicted. Staff recommended continuing the ENRA process with Rotary pertinent to 310-314 Miller Avenue. Regarding 418 Linden Avenue, staff recommended continuing the ENRA with Brookwood. Staff further recommended redevelopment of 201 Baden Avenue via the RFP process. Director Greenwood closed the presentation by summarizing the financial impact of the Housing Investment Plan as including total funding available for future housing projects totalling $11,797,499. Vice Mayor Garbarino noted that previous code enforcement issues at the Alta Vista property prompted the City to purchase the home and use it to meet affordable housing goals. He requested that staff follow the property after disposition to avoid reoccurrence of prior code enforcement violations. REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING OCTOBER 8,2014 MINUTES PAGE 3 Mayor Matsumoto and Councilman Addiego advocated for retaining the Longford property for use by an underserved population as an affordable housing option. They expressed appreciation for the opportunity to provide shelter for a deserving family or families. Councilman Garbarino agreed. City Manager Futrell reminded Council that staff's recommendation was for the City to forego the property management function. Accordingly, he recommended that the Longford property not be maintained by the City but rather transferred to a nonprofit to operate as an affordable housing unit or units pursuant to the RFP process. Councilman Gupta supported staff's recommendations and the Council's direction pertinent to the Longford property. Additionally, with the dissolution of RDA, he requested that staff pursue means to appropriately name the vehicle used to fund future affordable housing programs whether that be by grant or loan. Motion— Councilman Addiego/Second—Vice Mayor Garbarino: to approve Resolution No. 112- 2014 as modified to refrain from disposition of the Longford property. Unanimously approved by roll call vote. PUBLIC HEARING 6. Zoning Text Amendments to modify the powers and duties of the Parking Place Commission and Planning Commission in accordance with South San Francisco Municipal Code Chapter 20.550 ("Amendments to Zoning Ordinance and Map"). (Alex Greenwood, Director of Economic and Community Development) Associate Planner Rozzi presented the staff report recommending that Council follow the recommendation of the Planning Commission and introduce an Ordinance approving Zoning Amendment ZA-14-005 to modify the powers and duties of the Parking Place Commission and Planning Commission and waive further reading. The amendments would accomplish staffing of the Parking District by the Public Works Department and the Parking Place Commission's responsibility for reviewing parking exception requests would shift to the Planning Commission. All other Parking Place Commission duties, including setting parking meter rates and reviewing yearly operation and expense reports for the District would remain with the Parking Place Commission. Public Hearing Opened: 8:05 A.M. Public Hearing Closed: 8:05 A.M. Councilman Gupta asked staff to encourage use of the Parking Garage as part of the transition. Motion—Vice Mayor Garbarino/Second—Councilman Gupta: to waive reading and introduce an Ordinance making modifications to the South San Francisco Zoning Code related to the powers REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING OCTOBER 8,2014 MINUTES PAGE 4 and duties of the Parking Place Commission and Planning Commission. Unanimously approved by roll call vote. 7. Zoning Text Amendments to modify regulations related to Banks and Financial Institution Uses, including check cashing businesses and other financial services, Citywide, in accordance with South San Francisco Municipal Code Chapter 20.550 ("Amendments to Zoning Ordinance and Map"). (Alex Greenwood, Director of Economic and Community Development) Associate Planner Rozzi presented the staff report recommending that Council waive reading and adopt an ordinance modifying regulations related to Banks and Financial Institution Uses, including check cashing businesses and other financial services Citywide. Planner Rozzi advised the amendment would revise the way the City defines Banks and Financial Institutions and how these uses are regulated. He advised that in May, Council expressed concern regarding predatory lending businesses and requested that staff investigate further regulations related to payday lending and other alternative financial institutions. Payday loans are small, short-term loans with very high interest rates. For example, a two-week loan may have an interest rate of 460% annualized. Research into the social and economic impacts of the uses suggested that these businesses typically target poor or minority communities that have limited access to traditional banks, that these uses extract spending power from families with fees and high-interest rates and often create a cycle of repeat loans and indebtedness. Based on this information, Council directed staff to explore ways to prevent an overconcentration of these uses in the Downtown where there are currently several businesses and vulnerable populations residing nearby. Slides depicting current uses offering such loans in the Downtown were depicted. Planner Rozzi next advised Council that all regulated financial institutions in the Downtown are currently classified as Banks and Credit Unions or Check Cashing Businesses. After study, these classifications seem a blunt approach, since many alternative loan businesses aren't captured by either definition, including Vehicle Title Loans, Microfinance Institution and Pawnbrokers. A map depicting other financial services businesses was depicted overlaying the Downtown. There were currently four businesses meeting the present definition for check cashing business but several alternative financial loan businesses that were not being regulated, including SSF Pawn and Apoyo Financiero. Given the existing concentration of alternative financial businesses in the Downtown, staff examined other jurisdictions and best practices to identify potential zoning revisions to better address these uses. Based on this review, staff was recommending new definitions, revised performance standards and changes to the land use tables to better regulate payday lending and other alternative financial uses. Planner Rozzi introduced a new"Other Financial Services" definition to capture these uses. The definition would further include two sub-classifications—"Alternative Loan Businesses" and"Pawnbroker." Alternative Loan Businesses would capture all of the previously mentioned uses and Pawnbroker would be restored to the zoning ordinance's definitions. Although the previous zoning ordinance included pawnbrokers in the definitions and land use tables, the 2010 update mistakenly left the pawnbroker use out and this amendment would fix that error. Planner Rozzi opined that with these new definitions, the revised performance standards could be appropriately applied to all of these "Other Financial Services"businesses to prevent overconcentration or safety concerns. A map displaying major arterials where Check Cashing Businesses could locate was depicted and REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING OCTOBER 8,2014 MINUTES PAGE 5 included: El Camino Real, Westborough Boulevard, Chestnut Street, South Airport Boulevard and Bayshore. Planner Rozzi next advised Council that benefits to the amendments include that Payday lending and other alternative loan businesses are regulated together; revised standards address safety concerns; zoning eliminates these businesses in the revitalizing Downtown area; and the amendments protect the City's low-income or vulnerable populations. Planner Rozzi cautioned, however, that this is a supply side solution. Moving forward, the City could choose to investigate ways to manage the demand for payday lending with community education and outreach. Planner Rozzi concluded by noting that the proposed text amendment does not conflict with any specific plans, and will in fact, reinforce the City's overall vision for community and economic development as outlined in the General Plan. Further, the proposed amendments were minor in nature and would not change or increase CEQA effects reviewed as part of the 2010 Zoning Ordinance. Public Hearing Opened: 8:23 P.M. Monica Sosa, Zakiya Hussein and Anthony Calegari-Heimuli of the Youth Leadership Institute ("YLI") addressed Council. They thanked Council for considering the ordinance. They advised that three (3) months ago, Daly City adopted a similar ordinance. They believed that collectively, these ordinances would work to stem the cycle of debt experienced by individuals who take predatory loans. The members of the YLI noted their concerns about the ordinance, including that a definition relating to micro finance entities be included and that nonprofit companies be specifically excluded. They further noted that Daly City added an additional 1000 square feet to the zoning buffer. Ms. Hussein added that even Congressional legislation aimed at curbing predatory lending practices could not limit interest rates to less than 36% due to certain military lending practices. Councilman Gupta queried whether the City's Finance Department checks state compliance before issuing business licenses. City Attorney Mattas responded noting preliminarily that the City's business license process is not regulatory in nature, but rather aimed at revenue generation. He believed the Finance Department checked compliance with local City requirements prior to issuance,but was uncertain as to whether state compliance was confirmed. Councilwoman Normandy proposed looking further at the definition of"other." Councilman Addiego expressed disappointment at the 36%interest rate that is expressed at the federal government regulatory level. He stated that he took offense to the way predatory lenders were able to take advantage of the less fortunate. Councilman Garbarino stated that while the companies do provide a service, he was not supportive of the way certain predatory lenders preyed upon those who have no choice. He believed the proposed ordinance was a step in the right direction. REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING OCTOBER 8,2014 MINUTES PAGE 6 With Mayor Matsumoto's permission Zakiya Hussein addressed Council and requested that the 2000 as opposed to 1000 square foot buffer be included in the Ordinance. Planner Rozzi advised staff looked at legislation in several cities when considering its recommendation. Although many cities pursued larger distance requirements between these uses, staff determined that the existing, non-conforming businesses in the Downtown, along with the recommendation for prohibition of future uses in the Downtown, sufficiently addressed overconcentration. Council supported the ordinance as proposed and encouraged public outreach and education about the dangers of predatory lending as an additional step. Library Director Sommer noted the library would include such education as part of grant supported financial literacy programming. Public Hearing Closed: 8:55 P.M. Motion—Vice Mayor Garbarino/Second— Councilman Gupta: to waive reading and introduce an Ordinance making modifications to the South San Francisco Zoning Code, related to Banks and Financial Institutions Uses Citywide. Unanimously approved by roll call vote. 8. Zoning Text Amendments to clarify regulations related to the location of Public Parking Uses in Employment-related Zoning Districts, in accordance with South San Francisco Municipal Code Chapter 20.550 ("Amendments to Zoning Ordinance and Map"). (Alex Greenwood, Director of Economic and Community Development) Associate Planner Gross presented the staff report recommending Council follow the Planning Commission's recommendation and introduce an Ordinance making modifications to the South San Francisco Zoning Code related to public parking uses in Employment-related Zoning Districts and waive further reading. He presented a PowerPoint presentation noting that Council adopted Zoning Code amendments on July 7, 2014 creating new use classification and sub- classifications related to public and commercial parking. "Parking Services" include surface lots and structures offering parking to the public with or without a fee when such use is not considered Accessory Parking to another activity or use. "Commercial Parking" includes privately owned or operated surface lots and structures offering parking to the public with or without a fee. Commercial Parking facilities provide parking that is not considered Accessory Parking to a specific use. "Public Parking" includes City owned and operated surface lots and structures offering parking to the public with or without a fee. An aerial map showing currently allowed Districts was displayed. A slide depicting the proposed districts was overlaid. Planner Gross closed by recommending that Council introduce an Ordinance making modifications to the Zoning Code regarding public parking uses in Employment-related Zoning Districts, and waive further reading. Public Hearing opened: 8:57 P.M. Public Hearing closed: 9:00 P.M. REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING OCTOBER 8,2014 MINUTES PAGE 7 Councilman Addiego queried the identity of an overlay district. Planner Gross and Chief Planner Kalkin confirmed the District corresponded with a California Water Service Company tank location. Motion— Councilman Gupta/Second— Councilwoman Normandy: to waive reading and introduce an Ordinance making modifications to the South San Francisco Zoning Code, related to Public Parking uses in Employment-related Zoning Districts. ITEMS FROM COUNCIL—COMMITTEE REPORTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS Councilmembers reported on attendance at community meetings and events, including an Airport Land Use Committee Meeting and the Harbor District Strategic Oyster Point Planning Session. Announcements were made regarding upcoming community events, including the 100th Anniversary event at the South San Francisco Scavengers on Sunday, October 12, 2014. Specific items for further action and/or consideration were set forth as follows: Councilwoman Normandy noted that at the Airport Land Use Committee Meeting Daly City and Town of Hillsborough submitted their respective SFO Comprehensive Airport Compatibility Land Use Plans. She queried whether South San Francisco would submit such a report. Chief Planner Kalkin advised staff was aware of and preparing the City's report. CLOSED SESSION Time entered Closed Session: 9:07 P.M. Open Session resumed: 10:17 P.M. 9. Conference with Labor Negotiators. (Pursuant to Government Code § 54957.6) Agency designated representative: Deborah Glasser Employee organizations: AFSCME, Local 829, AFL-CIO Confidential Unit, Teamsters Local 856 International Association of Firefighters, Local 1507 Mid-management Unit, Teamsters Local 856 South San Francisco Police Association Public Safety Managers Executive Management Unit. No reportable action. 10. Conference with Real Property Negotiators. (Pursuant to Government Code Section 54956.8) Property: 220 Linden Avenue (Metropolitan Hotel) REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING OCTOBER 8,2014 MINUTES PAGE 8 Agency Negotiators: Alex Greenwood, Steve Mattas Negotiating Parties: City of South San Francisco and Fred Hjelmeset Under Negotiations: Price and terms of payment. No reportable action. ADJOURNMENT Being no further business, Mayor Matsumoto adjourned the meeting at 10:17 P.M. in honor of Hon. Jim Vreeland and Mary Jane Carmen Piegaia. Submitted by: Approved b : ■ i A/11A . • �-- 6 o arti'ell', Cit Clerk Kam.►, atsumoto, Mayor City of South an 'ranc sco City of South San Francisco REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING OCTOBER 8,2014 MINUTES PAGE 9