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HomeMy WebLinkAboutcc min 1998/05/18MINUTES OF A SPECIAL JOINT MEETING/WORKSHOP OF THE CITY COUNCIL, PLANNING COMMISSION, AND GROWTH MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE Monday, May 18, 1998 5:43 p.m. 1. ROLL CALL: Council Conference Room Administration Building CAL~ TO ORDER PRESENT: ABSENT: Council Members: Moot, Rindone, Salas, and Mayor Horton. Planning Commissioners: O'Neill, Ray, Thomas, and Chair Davis. GMOC Members: Dull, Fisher, Munoz, Peter, Thomas, and Chair Hubbard Council Member: Padilla Planning Commissioners: Aguilar, Tarantino, Willett GMOC Members: Aguirre, Hyde, Tarantino 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Growth Management Oversight Commission Minutes from March 26, 1998 (GMOC Members only). MSC (Thomas/Fisher) to approve the GMOC minutes of March 26, 1998. Motion carried 6-0-3 (Aguirre, Hyde, and Tarantino absent). Bob Leiter, Planning Director, presented Chuck Peter with a plaque recognizing his retirement from the GMOC. Mr. Peter had been a charter member of the GMOC since 1988. BUSINESS 3. PUBLIC HEARING: PCM 98-12 REVIEW AND CONSIDERATION OF THE GROWTH MANAGEMENT OVERSIGHT COMMISSION'S 1997 ANNUAL REPORT - The GMOC's 1997 Annual Report on compliance with the City's Quality-of-Life Threshold Standards focuses On the period from 7/1/96 to 6/30/97. Pertinent issues identified in later 1997 and early 1998 are also included. The workshop provides the opportunity to comprehensively review the Report's findings and recommendations. Staff recommends that: The Planning Commission accept the 1997 GMOC Annual Report and recommendations as presented, and adopt a motion recommending that Council do the same; and 2. The Council: Accept the GMOC's 1997 Annual Report and recommendations contained therein; and b. Direct staff to undertake actions necessary to implement those recommendations as presented in the "1997 GMOC Recommenda- tions/Implementing Actions Summary." Tris Hubbard, Chair of the GMOC, presided over the meeting. Committee's recommendations under each category as follows: POLICE The threshold is not being met. GMOC recommendations: He went over the Minutes May 18, 1998 Page 2 · City Council support the Department's efforts to adequately staff and fund the completion of a strategic plan by October 1998. · City Council provide adequate staff and funding for the completion of a needs assessment, siting analysis, and concept design for a new Police Facility; and that the Police Department provide the GMOC with a progress report in October 1998. · City Council adopt the Public Facilities Development Impact Fees and Civic Center Master Plan Updates. · Police Department continue to evaluate and implement methods for the reduction of false alarms, including participation in the MODEL STATES false alarm reduction program; and that the Police Department provide the GMOC with a progress report in October 1998. · Police Department complete the installation of a Computer Aided Dispatch by December 1998. Police Department re-evaluate the Threshold standard for Priority 1 Calls For Service based on the findings of the strategic plan and data collected by the new CAD system; and that the Police Department provide the GMOC with a progress report by October 1999. Questions and Comments: Councilmember Rindone stated that during the last decade the growth rate was approximately 3%. What will be the percentage growth rate between now and the year 2015. Tris Hubbard, GMOC Chair, responded that it will go from 3% to approximately 6% if the estimates are correct. That will be approximately an average of 1600 units per year as opposed to the 800 that we have been experiencing. Councilmember Salas stated there is a different formula in figuring out how many residents or dwelling units are going to be anticipated in the future. In the staff report, there appears to be in the future a higher number of people per dwelling unit. Mr. Hubbard responded that the schools keep a generation formula. In the past, we have been talking about children per household which has been .30. This past year, the Elementary School District experienced a .44 generation which has impacted schools. If that continues, we will have more residents per household. Councilmember Salas asked if this is an indication that we had a real tough economy or is that an aberration that it is going up? This could skew our projections for the population growth because that is a significant number. Mr. Hubbard responded that when the economy is good families tend to have more children. Councilmember Moot asked what was the correlation between the false alarms and meeting the compliance standards with Priority 1 and 2 calls. It was always his understanding that a false alarm was typically a burglar alarm. Mr. Hubbard responded that they are classified as a Priority 1 call. They definitely have an impact on the Calls For Service. Without the false alarms, there is no question that the Police Department would be meeting the threshold. Mayor Horton asked what was going to be his strategy to cut down that percentage. Chief Rick Emerson replied that in 1995, we responded to 7,108 alarm calls. Of those, 108 were actual valid alarms where someone had actually broken into a home or business. That means 7,000 responses were false. As a result, we have been chosen to be a part of the Model States Program. There are twelve cities in the Minutes May 18, 1998 Page 3 Program who will look at trying to change ordinances and examine the responses. We are going to have to work with the developers and the people who install alarms. The Model States Program also talks about working with the private companies to have them make the first response instead of having an officer respond. The homeowners would get a response, but they also would be paying for that service rather than having police officers respond to those calls. Councilmember Moot asked if we shouldn't factor in some percentage so it doesn't skew the numbers so badly. If we know statically that this has been going on for a period time, why do we continue to analyze the threshold knowing that the numbers are skewed by a statistically significant false alarm rate. Chief Emerson replied that one of the issues we are looking at, and that is why the CAD system is such an important component, is doing an analysis on the location of responses and how many times we respond to the same location. We can then cut those down and make our responses for Priority 1 and 2 calls. When the threshold was initially put into effect in the mid 80s, we don't know how valid that is in the late 1990s. Com/nissioner O'Neill asked how does it break down between residential and commercial and to what extent are we looking at residential as the major problem. Chief Emerson stated the majority of the responses are for residential alarms, but there are a lot of commercial establishments that do have alarms that are set off with employee problems. From a commercial standpoint you have more employee problems; residential you have more system design problems. FIRE/EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES. The threshold is not being met. GMOC recommendations: · City Council adopt the 1998 Fire Station Master Plan Update which adequately addresses fire needs for the City. · City Council adopt the Public Facilities Development impact Fee Update which provides for adequate fiscal resources for needed facilities. · Fire Department complete the installation of Computer Aided Dispatch and Mobile Data Computer systems by December 1998. · Fire Department staff continue to assess causes in the deterioration of travel time rates since 1989 and mitigation strategies including expansion of the signal pre-emption system. A progress report on these assessments be included in next year's Fire Threshold report. · City Council approve the 1998-99 CIP request for the installation of a signal pre-emption system for the Fourth Avenue corridor (Phase II). Questions and Comments: Councilmember Rindone stated he didn't see anything that addressed our future expansion in the Otay Ranch and the way streets are being laid out. This will affect the response times. Was that discussed? Mr. Hubbard replied that this was a very valid observation. Instead of the very square street development program in the east, we are doing what other cities are doing. It looks very aesthetic to have roads that wander with green belts, but it does reduce travel time. GMOC did look at that and certainly that is a factor in the deterioration of travel time. It will determine the placement of fire stations. It has been addressed in the Fire Department Master Plan. Minutes May 18, 1998 Page 4 TRAFFIC: Threshold is met, but there is a potential for non-compliance. GMOC recommendations: · Department of Public Works continue to closely monitor the segments listed on page 11 of the 1997 GMOC Annual Report and other key arterial segments such as H Street from 1-805 to Fourth Avenue and include them in each annual TMP Report. Department of Public Works provide the GMOC with 3 to 5 year forecasts of traffic conditions for major arterial streets as part of its annual Traffic Threshold report. City Council adopt the forthcoming Growth Management Ordinance amendments regarding development phasing to ensure maintenance of Traffic Thresholds in eastern Chula Vista prior to and after the completion of SR-125. · City Council continue to pursue ongoing dialogue with MTDB to fund and conduct right-of-way and design studies for the extension of the trolley line from I-5 to the Otay Ranch project's northwest boundary at Telegraph Canyon Road. The future Otay Ranch trolley line will not materialize without these studies. · Department of Public Works continue to evaluate a grade separation at the trolley tracks for major arterial streets along the I-5 corridor. Questions and Comments: Councilmember Moot asked if there is a way to track the effects on compliance of air quality standards if SR-125 is not built and will it take us over our air quality threshold standards. Bob Leiter referred to the fact that the EIR that was prepared for us on SR-125 addressed that issue. John Lippitt, Public Works Director, stated there is a no project alternative in the EIR and because of the congestion without SR-125, it will have an impact on air quality. Air quality is more a regional issue. Certainly in the area around Bonita and the eastern area, the air quality won't be as high, but he would have to check this out. Councilmember Moot stated that this is something that we may want to try to quantify and measure. As attempts get made to stop SR-125 for environmental reasons, it may be significant for us to at least point out that there is also a detrimental environmental impact for not building it. Councilmember Rindone mentioned that in the next two to three years this recommendation by GMOC is extremely critical, and sometimes it is easy to overlook it because it seems so far away. We do have the right-of-way, but we don't have the dollars to construct the trolley in the eastern territory, so it is important that we are very adamant at the table with MTDB to ensure that we are lined up for the light rail services. Chair Davis asked if we ever looked at projections in the future where we may go to some one-way streets to alleviate the traffic problems. Has that ever been studied. Mr. Lippitt stated that we looked at options on H Street, west of 805, because it is only four lanes between Third and Hilltop. A one-way is not going to be a good option for a street which borders two freeways. One-way streets when they are 1/4 mile apart, don't work very well. Councilmember Salas stated Council recently received a report on the tremendous unanticipated increase in bus ridership. When we are talking about light rail, we are looking at that as a long-range type project because it is so expensive. She felt Council should try to put more emphasis on the development of public Minutes May 18, 1998 Page 5 transportation as another means of alleviating the problem which she did not see in the GMOC report. Mr. Hubbard stated that would certainly be an issue which might help mitigate the increased traffic. Mayor Horton stated that the bus system is more flexible and less costly also. Member Peter suggested that next year staff look at major arteries seven to ten years out and have that as a regular part of this review. In going through the review this year, the initial report was very complete, but it really didn't show any real new type problems. In our discussions, someone asked what happens if SR-125 doesn't get built and that changed their report. The traffic engineer said he couldn't answer then, but he had already turned that information over to go through a modelling study. When the information was available, he would get it back to us. Several weeks later we got a two-page report back. Those two pages were the most enlightening pages that we have had in ten years. It showed the impact with no SR-125 and growth at projected rates. We would never have found that if we were only trying to look three to five years out. There is a real good justification for trying to look out further into the future. Councilmember Rindone stated that one thing he has recently seen staff do that has been affective, and it was not included is a signal with the protective/permission lights on the main arteries. It does have the impact of getting the traffic through a major intersection a lot faster. It is expensive to convert, but he wanted to comment for the record that at least for the older sections, we should continue to do that wherever financially feasible because it is effective. SCHOOLS (chula Vista Elementary and Sweetwater Union High School). The threshold has been met. GMOC recommendations: examine issues such as: acquisition of school sites. · City Council suggest to the Chula Vista Elementary school and the Sweetwater Union High School Boards that they jointly address mutual growth related matters including the following: a. The determination if a study to adjust the student generation ratio is needed; b. The development of a campaign to educate the public about the need for passage of a school facilities construction and modernization bond measure; and c. Consideration of the formation of a policy committee to review issues of mutual concern on an ongoing basis. City in coordination with District staff should continue to comprehensively phasing, site location selection, sizing, and Questions and Comments: Councilmember Moot felt this threshold standard should be re-examined. When class reduction size became law, we have brand new elementary schools that have many portable classrooms on them. He felt portable classrooms to be substandard. When you put portable classrooms on a school that takes up a playing field or something else and puts kids in substandard school buildings, it affects the overall quality of life and of education. The solution to having an adequate number of schools for students is not simply to put portable classrooms on an existing school site. Minutes May 18, 1998 Page 6 Mr. Hubbard stated that Councilman Moot raises some valid issues. We have had some very long discussions regarding the very points raised. One of the major questions was what affect do portable classrooms on a campus having on the quality of education. Portable classrooms are taking up a lot of space which raises some serious questions. In terms of school campus size, traditionally elementary school campuses were built for 600 students. But now, schools are having to increase that because of the increase in student generation. This is why we made the recommendation that a joint effort between the school districts and the City would be valuable to all. Councilmember Rindone stated that GMOC should look next year at not only about the increased portables, but also the issue that schools are built out. This hasn't been looked at. There is not room to put more portables even if we had the money to do that. He suggested that a review should be made of the schools that are built out or nearly built out. Mr. Hubbard stated the point is very valid. We are seeing that schools are becoming the center point for human resource services and that takes up extra space. In addition, because of the welfare-to-work program, we are needing additional sites for child care; the most logical place for that are the school sites where the children can be provided for in their own neighborhood which takes up space. We are seeing some major changes and that re-emphasizes the need for working together to try to resolve these problems. Councilmember Moot stated he would like to see staff come forward with a recommendation to change this threshold to address this issue and to analyze the threshold under two standards: the exiting standard and a proposed changed threshold standard. This is an issue that if we don't meet it head on quickly, we will get behind the curve. We really need to be prepared next year at this time to make a decision as to whether this threshold needs to be addressed. Councilmember Rindone stated that school boards tend to be very proprietary, and they feel this is their determination. However, he felt this would be an excellent item for a joint workshop. Dr. Billings from the Elementary School District stated to quality for any state funds in the future, there are thresholds that have to be met in terms of state building standards which means that a major portion of any new school needs to be constructed in relocatable facilities. That is part of the state reimbursement process. Secondly, the number of relocatables that have become so apparent in the year is a result of class size reduction. There were not sufficient funds to build new facilities to accommodate the number of classrooms needed to be located in the District. Relocatable buildings run approximately $30 square foot; new construction runs well over $100 square foot. We spent over $9 million in the last two years out of our general fund on both modernization as well as facility upgrades and facility augmentation. Another issue is that this community does not want multi-track year-round schools. That is another threshold that the state establishes before you quality for state school funding. Councilmember Moot asked Dr. Billings if he thought it was realistic that in a six month time frame, a task force between the Elementary School District, Sweetwater Union High School District, and the Council and/or Planning Commission could get together and analyze this threshold and come up with a strategic plan to try to address it. Dr. Billings replied that there are billions of dollars of unfunded school facility use in the State of California. In a priority list, we don't even qualify for state funds. So if we didn't have local mitigation efforts, we would not even see the facilities we have today. We could put together a task force, but he did not feel there would be any new or any revealing information that would come out of that because really the issues at hand are that we have a tremendous local obligation to put these facilities in place. Class size reduction is a program that exacerbated that situation and none of that is going to go away without some hugh influx of dollars which he did not feel tax payers are going to step up to. In the last two years, we have been faced with some Minutes May 18, 1998 Page 7 changes in educational programs that has had tremendous facility implications. One hundred and fifty classrooms is the equivalent of six schools; we had two months notice. It was a voluntary program, but how do you not move forward with that kind of educational opportunity. Mr. Hubbard stated we have the need for addressing the meeting of increased enrollment of students, and there are no monies anticipated from the state so it has to come locally. GMOC is simply saying there appears to be some problems down the road, and we are recommending that there be a joint task force or various representatives from the School Districts and City meet together to address these issues. The schools have constraints and are very limited in what they can or cannot do, but they still have to meet the needs of the kids. Bob Leiter felt at the last joint meeting with the Elementary School District Board, Council got a good overview of their strategic planning process and a lot of background information. What GMOC is Suggesting is that we move forward in the same dialogue to deal with some of these growth related issues. Perhaps as a starting point for that, city staff could go back with school district staff and bring forward a report addressing some of the issues that were brought up tonight in more detail and specifically addressing whether the current standards are leading toward these kinds of problems; that could be the basis for a future joint meeting between the two boards. Mr. Hubbard stated that a good example of success is the Interagency Water Task Force that started meeting some ten years ago. Similar turf issues existed between the Water Authorities and the City. That has proven to be a very successful Task Force that continues to meet and has benefitted the entire community in terms of improving a guaranteed water supply and has cut costs as well as improved service. PARKS AND RECREATION Thresholds have been met. GMOC recommendations: · City Council direct staff to comprehensively evaluate projected growth and park land phasing conditions in eastern Chula Vista to ensure that a threshold deficit does not occur. The results of this evaluation should be included with next year's threshold report. · City Council direct staff to return the revised Parks and Recreation Threshold Standard for Council adoption with the Parks Master Plan in summer 1998. · City Council adopt the Park Master Plan and focus on implementation strategies to achieve threshold ratios in western Chula Vista. · City proceed expeditiously to prepare the Greenbelt Master Plan; Council adopt the Greenbelt Master Plan subsequent to pending adoption of the Parks Master Plan and Multiple Species Conservation Plan. Questions and Comments: None. LIBRARIES Thresholds have been met. GMOC recommendations: City Council allocate adequate fiscal resources in the 1998-99 budget to bring the materials collection ratio up from 2.6 items per person to 3.0 items per person. · Library staff continue to ensure that potential floor area and staff- related threshold issues stemming from the integration of computes are evaluated and reported upon as part of the Library Master Plan Update. Minutes May 18, 1998 Page 8 · City Council continue to support the Library Department's efforts to complete the Master Plan Update by August 1998 and promptly adopt that plan. Questions and Comments: There were none. SEWER Thresholds have been met. GMOC recommendations: · City Council support staff and consultant efforts to expeditiously develop a strategic plan which ensures future sewage treatment capacity sufficient to meet the long-range build-out needs of the General Plan. Questions and Con~ments: There were none. DRAINAGE Thresholds have been met. GMOC recommendations: Engineering Division continue to supply the GMOC with a list of unfunded drainage improvements needed in western Chula Vista and an annual progress summary. · Engineering Division continue to keep the GMOC informed as to Proposition 218's impacts on construction of the unfunded drainage improvements needed in western Chula Vista. Questions and Co~nents: There were none. FISCAL Thresholds have been met. GMOC recommendations: · City conduct regular reviews of the DIFs at least every two years to identify the need for updates. A standard procedure should be adopted to evaluate the accuracy of projection, facility costs, and other assumptions, including a requirement for the inclusion of standard 5-year growth projections in each of the DIF updates. Questions and Comments: There were none. AIR QUALITY Thresholds have been met. GMOC recommendations: · City Council expeditiously adopt the proposed CO2 Reduction Plan and continue to pro-actively pursue air pollution reduction programs. · City Council direct staff to prioritize implementation of the CO2 Reduction Plan's measures, such as: - Enhanced pedestrian connections to mass transit - Site design with pedestrian, bicycle, and mass transit orientation - Increased land use mix - Increased employment and housing density near mass transit · City Council closely monitor use of the Telecenter and establish measurable performance goals related to its continued funding. · City Council continue to allocate staff resources for participation in the Regional Growth Management Program. Minutes May 18, 1998 Page 9 Questions and Comments: Councilmember Moot asked if GMOC was trying to move towards adopting a more specific threshold that may incorporate into a CO2 reduction plan. Mr. Leiter replied that staff has been working with the Environmental Coordinator and looking at ways we could integrate some of these concepts into our existing development regulations. So instead of a different threshold standard, some of these ideas can be built into our design guidelines and zoning regulations. Councilmember Moot stated that if GMOC was moving towards trying to quantify the thresholds by incorporating it into a CO2 reduction plan or some other method, he would be very supportive of that because he felt that if we try to quantify it in an area in a specific way that made some sense, it would be very helpful. Commissioner Ray stated that two years ago, part of the discussion revolved around solid waste and to quantify that as well as air quality. He was curious if there had been further discussion about a threshold for solid waste. Ed Batcheider, Senior Planner, replied that waste disposal is being handled at the regional level. Therefore, GMOC felt it wasn't necessary to develop an additional layer of regulations at the local level. WATER Thresholds have been met. GMOC recommendations: City Council continue to support the Interagency Water Task Force and the efforts of the Task Force to expand the reclaimed water market at the local level. · Coordination at the staff level to allow for orderly and planned development of the necessary transmission facilities needed to service major proposed development projects with reclaimed water. · City Council support the concept of sharing resources by the City, Sweetwater Authority, and Otay Water District with the purpose of improved customer service and government effectiveness. Questions and Comments: There were none. Planninq Commission Action: MSC (Thomas/Ray) to accept GMOC'S recommendations. Motion could not be approved because there was no longer a quorum present since Commissioner O'Neill left. Chair Davis said a vote will be taken at their next meeting. Citv Council Action: M Moot) Councilmember Moot stated he would like to modify the motion with respect to the school threshold that an intergovernmental agency task force between the Sweetwater Union High School District, City Council, and the Chula Vista Elementary School District be created with a goal towards looking at this threshold and making better common uses of City and School facilities and they meet before the GMOC meets again in six months. S (Horton) VOTE ON MOTION: AYES: Moot and Horton. NOES: Rindone and Salas. Motion fails. Minutes May 18, 1998 Page 10 Councilmember Rindone felt that this issue could appropriately be addressed as an agendized item at a future joint meeting to discuss the concerns, options, and approaches. Councilmember Salas expressed that there is a lot of value in putting together a group, but she did not feel comfortable in taking the lead on a school issue. She felt that before we make that kind of decision, there has to be more discussion. Mayor Hotton stated why don't we go forward and make the motion to direct the city manager to schedule a meeting. Maybe we don't have to have a full Council and full Board present at the meeting; that is what is difficult in scheduling compatible times. Councilmember Moot stated that one of the reasons he brought this idea up is because he remembered vividly an inability to get a meeting with all present. If you have a designated representative from the Council and each School Board and maybe some members at large, you may be able to set that kind of meeting up, meet regularly, and have an on-going dialogue on these issues. M (Horton) to accept the GMOC Annual Report and direct the City Manager to try to schedule a meeting within the next two months, first with the Elementary School District. S (Rindone) the motion to include input provided during the discussion of the Report, because there were some recommendations about some things to look at for next year. VOTE ON MOTION: Motion approved 3-1-1 (Moot voting no and Padilla absent). MSC (Morton/Rindone) to direct staff to undertake actions necessary to implement the recommendations as presented in the "1997 GMOC Recommendations/Implementing Actions Summary." Motion approved 4-0-1 (Padilla absent). ORAL COMMUNICATIONS None. The meeting adjourned at 7:20 p.m. ADJOURNMENT ~ Authelet, CMC/AAE City Clerk