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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-23-09 RDA Item 02CITY OF LADE LSMORE =R DREAM EXTREME REPORT TO REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY TO: HONORABLE CHAIRMAN AND MEMBERS OF THE REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY FROM: ROBERT A. BRADY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR DATE: JUNE 23, 2009 SUBJECT: APPROVAL OF MINUTES Discussion The following Redevelopment Agency SPECIAL Joint Study Session meeting minutes for the Lake Elsinore Downtown Master Plan are submitted for approval: a) Redevelopment Agency / City Council / Planning Commission / Public Safety Advisory Commission SPECIAL Joint Study Session Meeting Minutes from May 6th, 2009. Recommendation Approve the Minutes as submitted. Prepared by: Debora Thomsen Agency Secretary Approved by: Robert A. Brady Executive Director RDA June 23, 2009 Item No. 2 Page 1 of 10 Page 1 of 9 CITY OF LAKE ELSINORE JOINT CITY COUNCIL / REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY PLANNING COMMISSION / PUBLIC SAFETY ADVISORY COMMISSION STUDY SESSION MEETING MINUTES May 6th, 2009 CALL TO ORDER - 5:00 PM Redevelopment Agency Chairman Buckley called joint study session of the Lake Elsinore City Council, Redevelopment Agency, Planning Commission, and Public Safety Advisory Commission to order at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 6m, 2009 in the Cultural Center, located at 183 N. Main Street, Lake Elsinore, CA 92530. ROLL CALL: City Manager Brady, City Attorney Leibold, and City Clerk Thomsen. Staff members' present included Acting Administrative Services Director Riley, Acting Community Development Director Weiner, Public Works Director / City. Engineer Seumalo, Director of Lake and Aquatics Kilroy, Parks and Recreation Director Gonzales, Police Chief Cleary, Fire Chief Hendershot, and Information / Communications Manager Dennis. In addition the following Council., Agency, and Commissions were present: Consultants present were Richard Flierl and Sarah Wilkinson from Cooper Carry and Tom Merrell from Downtown Solutions. REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY THOMAS BUCKLEY, RDA CHAIRMAN AMY BHUTTA, RDA VICE CHAIRMAN ROBERT MAGEE, RDA BOARDMEMBER MELISSA MELENDEZ, RDA BOARDMEMBER DARYL HICKMAN, RDA BOARDMEMBER ROBERT A. BRADY. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CITY COUNCIL ROBERT MAGEE, MAYOR MELISSA MELENDEZ, MAYOR PRO TEM THOMAS BUCKLEY, COUNCILMEMBER AMY BHUTTA, COUNCILMEMBER DARYL HICKMAN, COUNCILMEMBER ROBERT A. BRADY, CITY MANAGER PLANNING COMMISSION AXEL ZANELLI, CHAIRMAN JIMMY FLORES, VICE CHAIRMAN MICHAEL O'NEAL, COMMISSIONER JOHN GONZALES, COMMISSIONER PHIL MENDOZA, COMMISSIONER TOM WEINER, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ACTING DIRECTOR PUBLIC SAFETY ADVISORY COMMISSION MIKE NORKIN, CHAIRMAN NICOLE DAILEY, COMMISSIONER AL LYONS, COMMISSIONER DENNIS "JAY" STEWART, COMMISSIONER ROBERT BRADY, CITY MANAGER RDA June 23, 2009 Item No. 2 Page 2 of 10 Lake Elsinore Joint City Council / Redevelopment Agency Planning Commission / Public Safety Advisory Commission Joint Study Session Meeting Minutes of May 6t", 2009 Page 2 of 9 Redevelopment Agency Chairman Buckley welcomed all City Council members, Planning Commissioners, Public Safety Advisory Commissioners (PSAC), the City Treasure and various Consultants. He stated Acting Community Development Director Weiner would start the meeting off by providing a brief background of the Downtown Master Plan. Next, Rick Fierl from Cooper Cary will describe a walk from Main Street to the lake and then back to the center. Once the background and overview is completed, there will be time for comments from the public, then receive comments from the Public! Safety Advisory Commission, the Planning Commission, and comments the treasurer may have, and then to the City Council / Redevelopment Agency. Acting Community Development Director Weiner thanked the City Council, PSAC, Planning Commission and the City Treasure for attending the meeting. He reminded' everyone of the prior meetings held in December 2008 and January 2009, stating many members of the community attended and gave valuable feedback regarding the progress the City was making creating the Downtown Master Plan. He indicated! although there is much work to be completed, the documents are 'beginning to take shape. Mr. Weiner stated staff had made a commitment in May / June 2009 to bring the final product to the Redevelopment Agency. He introduced Rick Flierl with Cooper Cary, the consultant working on the project. Rich Flied, stated he is thrilled to be part of this process. He spoke how Main Street is the heart of Downtown although it does not go through to the lake. He mentioned dollar investments would include a pier, street improvements such as street lights,; landscaping and sidewalks. Mr. Flied stated the City should purchase land to create a boardwalk at the lake and a build a new City Hall. He stated the purpose of the board vision is to continue Main Street to the lake, to create a vibrant and sustainable downtown, to create a civic identity which focuses around public buildings, improve walk-ability and develop urban design framework guidelines. He recommended the area be divided up and known as districts as follows: 1) Gateway District would be from Main Street to the 1-15 which is the gateway for contemporary office development to occur 2) Garden District would give an opportunity for large multi-housing units that would have the look of large homes 3) Cultural District is where the City would have an opportunity to put cultural uses together with some housing to create a core of the heart to include a library, several museums and the relationship to performing arts 4) Historic District which would be protect and maintain the historic character and add infill development 5) Waterfront District where the street reaches the water curves off and goes over to Lakeshore Drive. Chairman Buckley discussed the maps, the layout of the proposed new City Hall, housing and retail. He spoke of eliminating angled parking along Main Street to become parallel parking with cafe-width sidewalks and spoke of funding. RDA June 23, 2009 Item No. 2 Page 3 of 10 Lake Elsinore Joint City Council / Redevelopment Agency Planning Commission / Public Safety Advisory Commission Joint Study Session Meeting Minutes of May 6th, 2009 Page 3 of 9 PUBLIC COMMENTS DISCUSSION ITEM No. 1: Lake Elsinore Downtown Master Plan Chairman Buckley opened the floor for questions from the public. Dick Knapp, resident of Lake Elsinore asked if the entrance to the 1-15 would be widened to be more than one lane. (Microphone was not used and therefore comments were not recorded). Rich Flied replied there would be a street cross section that would allow advancement of the lanes. Dick Knapp asked where the proposed City Hall would be located. Rich Flied stated the new City Hall would anchor the existing city park. He stated the parcel on the corner of Spring Street and Limited would be a private development opportunity. Dick Knapp suggested elevating the pad since it is under a flood plain. Rich Flied stated the site would require engineering. Dick Knapp questioned the location of the boardwalk and what would be on the pier. Rich Flied replied stating the boardwalk would edge the lake along Lakeshore and possibly provide a connection to the outlet channel. The pier could have an opportunity for a hotel development, restaurants and entertainment. Linda Richtgower spoke of her concerns with providing the audience. with copies of the handouts including maps in order for them to follow along with the discussion. Chairman Buckley informed everyone information (including the reports) is available on the City's Website. Linda Richtgower reminded everyone this is public meeting and requested a copy of the Environmental Impact Report including the 4 attachments and would like to know if the Historical Society needs to sign off on the PEA. Chairman Buckley responded stating the EIR is part of the General Plan. RDA June 23, 2009 Item No. 2 Page 4 of 10 Lake Elsinore Joint City Council / Redevelopment Agency Planning Commission / Public Safety Advisory Commission Joint Study Session Meeting Minutes of May 6th, 2009 Page 4 of 9 Mr. Weiner stated a copy of the existing EIR is available at City Hall and the EIR is under revision to incorporate changes including the Downtown. Once completed the EIR will be in the review for 1'/z months and available to the public. Ruth Atkins, resident of Lake Elsinore noted this is her fourth meeting regarding the plans and overall the basic plan is good and moves the City forward and utilizes the natural lake. She suggested the lake should be identified and promoted just as much as the new downtown. She asked if there are plans to connect River-Walk to the lake. Chairman Buckley stated the plans propose the outlet channel is part of the plan and there would be a connection at the proposed amphitheater. PSAC Chairman Norkin concurred with Ruth Atkins however; felt the proposed project wouldn't happen too soon. He questioned the funds which would provide the proposed improvements. He mentioned increased taxes to business owners and / or residents, but requested a realistic answer. Rich Flied replied stating the market study notes this is a thirty-year process. He stated what is currently needed is to determine what would get this project moving today. He noted there are public investments available for housing. PUBLIC SAFETY ADVISORY COMMISSION / PUBLIC COMMENTS PSAC Commissioner Stewart responded noting this proposal is very exciting to the City. He suggested thoroughly researching ways to mitigate traffic, specifically since the plan calls for new business. He also requested information on how far the road improvements would continue throughout the City to the existing residents around the City. Rich Flied responded stating the quality of the connectivity of the streets have been a concern of the citizens who have attended prior meetings. He stated, the plan is creating a place to live, work, shop, and in reality, what should occur is the traffic volumes should become less, because more residents are living in the downtown area of the City. PSAC Commissioner Stewart asked what measures are being taken to mitigate the conditions of the roads while the improvements take place. Chairman Buckley replied stating the Districts do not phase by time but rather when they become economically feasible. RDA June 23, 2009 Item No. 2 Page 5 of 10 Lake Elsinore Joint City Council / Redevelopment Agency Planning Commission / Public Safety Advisory Commission Joint Study Session Meeting Minutes of May 6th, 2009 Page 5 of 9 PSAC Commissioner Lyons stated the overall plan is great. He indicated his main concern would be the pier and the water level particularly with a drought and the winds off the lake. He also spoke of the parallel parking and stated the City would lose 50% of existing downtown parking. Rich Flierl replied stating the parking strategy is park once and then walk. He noted the City would have to create pools of parking in adequate locations and numbers in order to have ease of access. PLANNING COMMISSION COMMENTS / PUBLIC COMMENTS PSAC Commissioner Dailey stated the plan is more of a concept and concurred with the parking and traffic issues. She spoke of concerns regarding funding and suggested private partnerships would be valuable. Planning Commission Chairman Zanelli stated overall it is a great framework for the future and likes the idea of sidewalk seating which adds to the Downtown area. He spoke of the parallel parking along Main Street suggesting to eliminate the parking in front of the sidewalk seating. Planning Commission Vice-Chairman Flores spoke of how well Mr. Flierl presented the plan to the Council and Commissions. He suggested the first step should be building the City Hall. He spoke of public land uses such as the City Park which would include the Civic Center. He requested information regarding the plan for purchasing the land for the City's use and the funds. Rich Flierl stated the land values recommended have to do with long term escalation as property values rise through the construction. Chairman Buckley concurred some of the land needs to be purchased. He stated one of the ideas is to enter into joint projects with existing land owners. Planning Commissioner Gonzales stated the Performing Arts should be at three high schools and should develop into partnerships with the School Districts especially during the summer time. He spoke of the empty gas station tanks under the City's parking lot noting this job may bring surprises similar to the clean up of the Animal Shelter site. RDA June 23, 2009 Item No. 2 Page 6 of 10 Lake Elsinore Joint City Council / Redevelopment Agency Planning Commission / Public Safety Advisory Commission Joint Study Session Meeting Minutes of May 6'h, 2009 Page 6 of 9 Planning Commissioner O'Neal commended staff for their effort and time spent on the preparation and execution of the Lake Elsinore Downtown Master Plan. He stated there are many positive items with the market study; however he noted the document itself has problems. He spoke of the realization of selling City property, high speed rail, and questioned the location of the Pottery Street Bridge. He also addressed the opposition of some to place the City Hall near the lake. CITY TREASURES COMMENTS: Treasure Baldwin spoke of the City's past history, noting there was only one high school between the City of Corona and San Diego and only one grocery store in Corona. He stated things change rapidly. He noted with the population in Southern California, there is more pressure for change and development and indicated the plan is trying to create' a dream and a vision and some certainty for development to encourage those investors to come into the community. He noted this plan is timely. He complimented the leaders and Agencies of the City. He stated this plan will assist to increase the population, it is fast-paced. Although today's economy is slow, this may be the best timing to start to implement the plan to work to the City's advantage. He noted although there are a lot of "if's', the City as a whole would be strengthened. Councilmember Hickman stated the City is in transition and the Council has a' responsibility to the Citizens of the community. He requested a breakdown of funds per year per cost, and a feasibility study noting where funds would generate. He stated Main Street should be like the Gas Lamp District in San Diego where citizens can come to enjoy themselves. He addressed crime in the downtown area and noted half of the citizen's downtown do not have high school diplomas and are in poverty. Drugs and prostitution all contribute to demise the demand for Downtown project. He noted the City needs to work on these issues and then determine what will be the priority for downtown. Mayor Pro Tern Melendez noted the plan is great however she is concerned with the amount of money it would take and questioned how businesses would come to Lake Elsinore. She indicated a civic center would not bring revenue into the City and should be built after everything else has been established. RDA June 23, 2009 Item No. 2 Page 7 of 10 Lake Elsinore Joint City Council / Redevelopment Agency Planning Commission / Public Safety Advisory Commission Joint Study Session Meeting Minutes of May 6th, 2009 Page 7 of 9 Mayor Magee spoke of all the information received and commended staff and Cooper Carey for their hard work including Redevelopment Agency Chairman Buckley. He stated he is more conservative and preferred to see market driven verses government driven. He asked if the land use and the circulation changes would be addressed in the current General Plan revision with Urban Crossroads. Acting Community Development Director Weiner responded by stating "Yes." Mayor Magee spoke of the Financing District and questioned if property owners would be required to vote. Chairman Buckley responded stating it would depend on how the development would' be constructed. Mayor Magee stated this plan shows ambition, and is visionary, yet cautioned we should also be conservative. He addressed the land use changes, and questioned if the financing district would be required to have a boat. He indicated his concern is the commercial elements would be taxed too much to carry the institutional uses. He stated the public / private partnership could exist with housing funds the City could put into use. He spoke of the funding. for the business incubator and how it would come forward as well as the affordable housing project known as Potter Court. The Mayor noted the drive behind the plan should be the investment. Councilmember Bhutta concurred with Mayor Magee. She indicated she has the same concern with the funding and the importance on public outreach in keeping the residents involved in this project. She spoke of promoting how the area would be utilized such as walking paths and parking. Chairman Buckley spoke of the parallel parking next to the restaurant and suggested' sporadic parallel parking. He indicated the next step would be to take all of the questions and comments that were discussed and work through the issues. He stated the plan would then come back to the RDA board with details. Should the RDA approve the plan it would become part of the General Plan. Mayor Pro-Tem Melendez spoke of the Downtown Code and how it would supersede the General Plan and requested clarification. She questioned how specific the Downtown Zoning Codes would need to be to include the proposed civic center or amphitheater. RDA June 23, 2009 Item No. 2 Page 8 of 10 Lake Elsinore Joint City Council / Redevelopment Agency Planning Commission / Public Safety Advisory Commission Joint Study Session Meeting Minutes of May 61h 2009 Page 8 of 9 CITY ATTORNEY: City Attorney Leibold stated a Specific Plan takes the place of Zoning but it does not supersede the General Plan.and must be consistent with the underlying General Plan, the General Plan and the Specific Plan become equivalent. CITY MANAGER: City Manager Brady stated he appreciates Cooper Cary's staff and their work. He spoke of his background as a planner and the need to have a plan, vision and direction; He noted there is a lot of interest in the plan and the future stating this is a good starting point. CITY STAFF Mr. Weiner stated staff was looking for flexibility in terms of permitted land uses. He stated the zoning is broken down to Gateway Commercial, Commercial, and Commercial Mixed Use, in the Downtown Recreation area. CONSULTANTS: Rich Flierl introduced Tom Merrell who is drafting the Form Base Code with the company Downtown. Solutions Tom Merrell stated a Form Base Code is an approach to explain to citizens how they, would develop their land in more of a graphical or pictorial form. It has diagrams showing what part of the parcel could be developed with information on how close it could be built. He stated the Downtown Code is a combination of pure Form Base which would be all diagrams and more traditional zoning as compatibility of uses after the projects are built and includes the traditional ideas you would find in a zoning code. It will define what the rules and the standards are for the land use, including commercial, residential, and mixed use. The Code will physically show by parcel what is allowed. Rich Flierl thanked everyone for all of the comments; notes were taken and will be addressed. RDA June 23, 2009 Item No. 2 Page 9 of 10 Lake Elsinore Joint City Council / Redevelopment Agency Planning Commission / Public Safety Advisory Commission Joint Study Session Meeting Minutes of May 6`h, 2009 Page 9 of 9 Chairman Buckley stated the purpose of the meeting was met, it was important to understand what direction to take. He thanked everyone for attending and their input . ADJOURNMENT There being no further business to come before the multiple Agencies, Chairman Buckley adjourned the meeting at 6:39 p.m. Debora lhomsen Debora Thomsen, CIVIC City Clerk, City of Lake Elsinore, California RDA June 23, 2009 Item No. 2 Page 10 of 10