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HomeMy WebLinkAboutRCC MIN 2005/04/18MINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING OF THE RESOURCE CONSERVATION COMMISSION April 18, 2005 Public Services Building Conference Rooms 2 and 3 276 Fourth Avenue MEETING CALLED TO ORDER by Chair Doug Reid at 6:06 p.m. ROLL CALL/MOTION TO EXCUSE MEMBERS PRESENT: Chair Doug Reid, Vice-Chair John Chavez, Commissioners Teresa Thomas, Juan Diaz, Stanley Jasek, Pamela Bensoussan and Tracy Means STAFF PRESENT: Marilyn Ponseggi, Environmental Review Coordinator Ed Batchelder, Advance Planning/General Plan Manager Steve Power, Environmental Projects Manager Lynnette Tessitore-Lopez, Associate Planner Linda Bond, Recording Secretary OTHERS PRESENT: William Anderson, 3487 Main Street Trustee Barbara Anderson, 3487 Main Street Trustee Jerry Scott, Chula Vista resident APPROVAL OF MINUTES: February 7 and 21, 2005 February 7,2005 Minutes Ms. Marilyn Ponseggi (Environmental Review Coordinator) indicated that the Commissioners had been given verbatim of the February 7 minutes leading up to the second motion regarding the Draft General Plan Update EIR. The point of the verbatim was so the Commissioners could see what staff based the minutes on. It was prepared for information only and would not become an attachment to the minutes. There was a very lengthy discussion regarding the February 7, 2005 minutes. MSC (Jasek/Bensoussan) to approve the February 7, 2005 minutes with the following revisions: Insert into the second motion on page 3: "...being addressed and corrected..." RCC Minutes - 2 - April 18, 2005 Add the following sentence at the end of the second motion on page 3: That the RCC reviewed the Draft EIR and recommends that the Planning Commission and City Council find that the Draft EIR is adequate only under the community character alternative and with the inclusion of the recommendations for the Draft recommend that this Draft EIR for the GPU be certified. Add the following paragraph after the second motion on page 3: Mr. John Mullen (Deputy City Attorney) wanted to clarify that CEQA does not provide for partial certification of an EIR. Either the document can be certified as adequate and serving its informational purpose, or it cannot. Certainly you could conditionally recommend provided the 33 responses are met to your satisfaction, but you could not partially certify a document only with respect to one aspect of the rp oiect. Vote: (5-0-2-0) with Diaz and Chavez abstaining. February 21, 2005 Minutes MSC (Bensoussan/Means) to approve the February 21, 2005 minutes as submitted. Vote: (6-0-1-0) with Diaz abstaining. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS: None. NEW BUSINESS 1. Historic Designation - 3487 Main Street (Lorenzo Anderson House) Ms. Lynnette Tessitore-Lopez (Associate Planner) presented the Lorenzo Anderson House, a Queen Anne Orchard. Staff Recommendation: That the RCC consider 3487 Main Street, the Lorenzo Anderson House, for inclusion on the list of historic sites. Commissioner Comments Commissioner Bensoussan read from the Proclamation of 1986 that the house had been designated a "historical treasure' by Chula Vista's Resource Conservation Commission". She asked Ms. Tessitore-Lopez if she had found any information. Ms. Tessitore-Lopez responded in the negative. The house definitely had not been designated. Commissioner Bensoussan asked if the Mills Act program had been explained to the applicants. Ms. Tessitore-Lopez responded in the negative. RCC Minutes - 3 - April 18, 2005 Public Comments Mr. William Anderson (trustee, 2348 Poipu Way, San Diego, CA 92154) anticipated the Mills Act being somewhat of a problem in that their real goal is protection of the house. It's been family property for over 65 years...since 1938 or 39. The other buildings there...the way the leases are now set up is, the amount of square feet that each lessee controls, they pay the property taxes on it. The house is under pre- Proposition 13, so the taxes are actually very nominal as it is considering the amount of space. It's not 5 acres; it's almost 6.8 acres. That's one of the problems that he had anticipated. It may cause more problems for a very little reduction in tax benefits as opposed to the complication it's going to pose upon the trust. We anticipate some of it will have to be developed, but our main goal is to protect the house. There is no benefit for us to do the Mills Act. Ms. Barbara Anderson (trustee, 304 N. Lewis Street, Lake Elsinore, CA 92530) stated that during the last 5 years or so, they had worked very hard on this house. The house has been completely restored. It's a beautiful house. So there is really not much reason for us to go asking for a grant for restoration of the house. It's already done. It's a gorgeous house. It preceded the establishment of the City of Chula Vista. It was built at the same time as the Hotel Del Coronado. It preceded the San Diego Zoo. It was there before the Wright Brothers flew. It's an amazing house, and we all have been very privileged to live in it. She would hope that the RCC would endorse the recommendation by staff and save their house. MSUC (Means/Thomas) that the RCC recommends historic designation. Vote: (7-0) 2. Review of Draft General Plan Update Document Ms. Ponseggi introduced Mr. Steve Power (Environmental Projects Manager) who would be taking over the responsibility of the General Plan EIR because Mr. Paul Hellman had left the City. The EIR is being redrafted and will go out for re- circulation. It will come back to the RCC during the public review period. The item on the agenda tonight is for RCC discussion of the Draft General Plan document. The Commissioners should bear in mind that, currently, there are revisions being made to it based on public comment and on that of the EIR. The comments the RCC make will become part of that ongoing process that staff is going through now as far as revisions to policy. The public is free to submit comments to the City on the General Plan, but that is not what this hearing is for. It's not for the public to comment on the General Plan; it's for the RCC to comment on the General Plan. Mr. Ed Batchelder (Advance Planning/General Plan Manager) indicated that all the revisions to the Draft General Plan Update would take the form of an addendum to the document, not inserted change pages. RCC Minutes - 4 - April 18, 2005 Commissioner Thomas stated that she had received a letter from Mr. Batchelder as a member of the Steering Committee for the General Plan Update. The subject was the California Endowment's Healthy Eating, Active Communities Initiative. She requested that all RCC members receive a copy of the letter. MSUC (Chavez/Thomas) to reconvene the Environment, Open Space and Sustainable Development (EOSSD) Subcommittee prior to the RCC formal review of the Redraft EIR for the General Plan Update for the specific purpose of reviewing previous EOSSD recommendations via the redraft of the General Plan Update. Vote: (7-0) Commission Comments Commissioner Means left the meeting at 8:08 p.m. RCC recommendations and revisions to the General Plan Update document are listed in Attachment 1. Public Comments Mr. Jerry Scott (462 `E' Street, Chula Vista, CA 91910) stated that Mr. Batchelder said that cities, when they do General Plans, just can't mandate heights. There are many, many cities that mandate heights. San Jose, for example, has a 5-story height limit. Escondido has a height limit. Chula Vista doesn't have it. You are talking about these high rises, especially the 'H' Street transit corridor. They know, and we know, and you guys know that it's not the same thing. There is not going to be anything here for 20 or 30 years that are willing to build a building over seven stories and build these high rises when it's not in the transportation corridor. I disagree with that. If you wanted to put something down by the trolley station, then you could amend the General Plan for that. But the General Plan, basically, should say throughout the City of Chula Vista. MSC (Bensoussan/Chavez) to recommend that the General Plan implement all the recommendations that are listed in Attachment 1. Vote: (6-0-0-1) with Means absent. RCC Minutes - 5 - April 18, 2005 ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW COORDINATOR COMMENTS Ms. Ponseggi announced that on Wednesday, April 27th, at 6:00 p.m. there will be a joint meeting of the Planning Commission, Design Review Committee and the Resource Conservation Commission to discussion the 501 c3. The Beautification Awards are in August. The RCC does the Environmentalist of the Year and the Historic Preservationist of the Year at that awards ceremony. She would tentatively put that item on the agenda for the first meeting in June. She would meet with Liz Purcell, the City's Communications Officer, to try and get some press out about that unless the RCC had other ideas in mind and didn't see it to be an issue. CHAIR COMMENTS: None. COMMISSIONER COMMENTS Commissioner Bensoussan announced that May is National Historic Preservation month. The California Preservation Foundation (CPF) is having their annual conference on May 12th in Riverside. If anyone was interested, she had more information. Commissioner Thomas stated that her duties on the Commission will be up soon and asked that this be placed on the next agenda because she is the last biologist on the RCC. She would like to propose to the Commission that they recommend to the Mayor and Council that her successor be somebody with a biological background. The second item she requested be placed on the next RCC agenda was... Every year there is a summation and recommendation of the Committees, Commissions and Boards that goes out as a summary for the end of the fiscal year. For the last several years, the RCC did not put direct input into those recommendations. She would like to have the summary come here so the Commissioners could add to that summary. Ms. Ponseggi stated that she would check into that, and if she was directed that that's appropriate, she would put it on the agenda. If any of the members had specific things in mind that they would like to make sure gets included in that report, they could email it directly to her. The summary is primarily the accomplishments of the year. Ms. Ponseggi asked Ms. Linda Bond (RCC Secretary) to send out last years' summary to each Commissioner. Commissioner Thomas stated that, as part of our environmental charge from this Commission, this Commission should also be recommending policies not just during the General Plan Update. Also part of their charge should be focused on recommending better and new policies when it is the environment and historic preservation at least until there is another main Commission for historic preservation. Ms. Ponseggi stated that, whenever you have something that you want to have put on the agenda, we can do that. Commissioner Chavez stated that, as a result of the minutes the Commissioners had earlier in the evening, Commissioner Jasek made a suggestion to him long ago that RCC Minutes - 6 - April 18, 2005 helped him in making motions and that was to write it out in advance. It causes you to word it more carefully, and also, when it needs to be restated, you state it precisely. He recommended members do that wherever possible. Also, he would like to see Commissioner Comments included in the public record and included on what goes forward to Council and other Committees because some of the more important things the RCC talk about end up in Commissioner Comments. ADJOURNMENT: Chair Reid adjourned the meeting at 8:35 p.m. to a regular meeting on Monday, May 2, 2005 at 6:00 p.m. in the Ken Lee Building Conference Room, 430 "F" Street, Chula Vista, CA 91910. Prepared by: Linda Bond Recording Secretary Attachment 1 -- RCC Recommendations and Revisions to the General Plan Update Document April 18, 2005 (J:\Planning\RCC\2005\RCC041 SOSMins.doc) ATTACHMENTI RCC RECOMMENDATIONS AND REVISIONS TO THE GENERAL PLAN UPDATE DOCUMENT April 18, 2005 • Chapter 4, Vision and Themes - 1.0: Strong Community Character and Image and Chapter 5, Land Use and Transportation Element - 3.0: Community Image and Character o Not enough description of existing community character. o Incorporate historic character. o Acknowledge what already exists. • Chapter 5, Land Use and Transportation Element - 3.4: Historic Preservation, page LUT- 23 o Include the report entitled "An Evaluation of Historic Preservation in Chula Vista" as an appendix to the Plan. • Chapter 5, Land Use and Transportation Element - 4.7.3: Height, page LUT-35 o Clarification of maximum height that will be permitted. • Chapter 5, Land Use and Transportation Element -Policy LUT 10.7, page LUT-85 o Change the policy to read: "...the rehabilitation ofsettxd historic buildings." • Chapter 5, Land Use and Transportation - 9.1: Description/Setting, page LUT-146 o Make the Northwest Area Plan boundary consistent throughout the Plan. (Shown in some places as Twin Oaks, and others as Del Mar.) o Third paragraph, change wording to: "East of Second Avenue and south of E `C' Street" because the residential neighborhood starts at `C' Street. • Support Environmental Health Coalition's (EHCs) international trade position. o Include EHCs policies regarding sustainable energy resources into the Plan. • Make sure GPU is clear concerning treatment of historic structures. • Objectionable aspects of preferred alternative: o Height o Energy -where is it coming from? o Stronger commitment to sustainable energy stronger language o A time certain for phasing out diesel fuel is needed. o Mandate "green construction" (energy conservation) for buildings, industry and transportation element. o Discuss alternate transportation technology. • Chapter 9, Environmental - 1.6: Environmental Justice, page E-6 o Incorporate applicable provisions from the Regional Comprehensive Plan. o Consider more specific provisions for southwest air quality. J:\Plunning\RCC\2005ULCC Comments -GPU Doc ATTACHMENTI • High-rise should be defined as 8-15 stories. • Chapter 9, Environmental -Policy EE 6.4, page E-28 o Change the policy to read: "Substantially reduce or eliminate the environmental effects of new or re-powered energy generation facilities of all sizes, and other major toxic air emitter, to ne~y residents and other affected sensitive receptors." • Across-reference index should be provided for the document. P\Planning\RCC\Z005\RCC Comments -GPU Doc