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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1983/02/07 - Minutes - Adjourned February 7, 1983 CITY OF RANCHO CUCAMONGA CITY COUNCIL MINUTES Adjourned Meeting An adjourned meeting of the City Council of the City of Rancho Cucamonga was held on February 7, 1983 in the Lions Park Community Center, 9161 Base Line Road. The meeting was called to order at 7:35 p.m. by Mayor Jon D. Mikeis. Present were: Council members Richard M. Dahl, Charles J. Buquet II, James C. Frost, and Mayor Jon D. Mikels. Also present were: City Manager, Lauren M. Wasserman; City Attorney, Robert Dougherty; Community Development Director, Jack Lam; Senior Planner, Michael Vairin; City Engineer, Lloyd Hubbs; Community Services Director, Bill Holley. Absent: Councilman Phillip D. Schlosser. Mr. Schlosser arrived later in the evening. Mayor Mikels stated that the purpose of the meeting was to discuss one item, the Terra Vista Planned Community. Mr. Lam stated the Council has received all the previous Planning Commission minutes including excerpts from the last meeting. They have also received the Plan itself and the Environmental Impact Report. Michael Vairin, Senior Planner and key staff member assigned to the Project, presented the staff report. Mr. Vairin reviewed the five major areas which the Planning Commission dealt with over the past year. They were: (1) Density, (2) Commercial Land Use, (3) Foothill Boulevard Design Concept, (4) Greenway, (5) Parks and Open Space. Regarding the Parks and Open Space, the original Plan which consisted of approximately 83 acres, with parks, open spaces, and trails has now been reduced to 42.6 acres. Much of this was due to the passage of the Foran Bill which limited cities in requiring no more than 3 acres of park land per lO00 population. According to the projected population of Terra Vista by the applicant, there were 55.8 acres which could be required. This is 13 acres less than the minimum that could be required under the Foran Bill. The applicant's intent was to reserve the 13 acres for potential private open space credit. Within the Foran Bill and our own Ordinance No. 105, there is the ability to grant private open space credit toward a public park requirement. Mayor Mikels called a recess at 7:50 p.m. before the slide presentation of the Terra Vista Plan was made in order that Councilman Phillip Schlosser might see the presentation. Councilman Schlosser arrived at 7~55 p.m. Mayor Mikeis called the meeting back to order at 8:00 p.m. All members of the Council and staff were present. Mayor Mikels opened the meeting to the Lewises for their presentation. A slide presentation was given by Gruen Associates, planning consultants for the Terra Vista project. Following the slide presentation, Kay Matlock commented on the Park Plan. She stated that they felt it was not correct to say that the Plan offers only the bare minimum of open space required by Ordinance No. 105 and the Foran Bill. They felt they were providing considerable amount of private open space in the community for which they are not anticipating any credit. During the Planning (~) City Council Minutes February 7, 1983 Page 2 Commission hearings, they had estimated private open space in Terra Vista at an excess of 50 acres. When bringing the Plan back to the Planning Commission, they asked for credit for only 13 of those acres even though previously the Planning Commission had agreed all 53 acres were deserving of park credit. They felt if you take all the private open space plus the public open space, they were doing more than the minimum. Miss Matlock further stated some of the reasons for giving park credit for private open space: (1) its a substitute for the facilities it replaces, (2) it reduces demand on city facilities, (3) reduces ongoing maintenance costs to the city, (4) serves recreational needs of the people for whom it was provided, (5) aguments rather than drains city funds. Mayor Mikels opened the meeting for public comments on the Plan. Addressing Council were: Bill Owner asked how the Terra Vista Plan would integrate with the present development to the east, known as the Rochester tract. Mayor Mikels gave the applicant time to respond to the question. Kay Matlock stated that they have taken this into consideration and have provided trail connections from Terra Vista to the Rochester tract. There are street connections and the junior high will also serve as a connecting point. As far as a general merging together, this is difficult since Rochester will ultimately be a major arterial with four lanes with a left turn lane in the middle. Most of the development next to the tract will be lower in density. Sharon Romero stated she had concerns with a park next to a Junior high, and with parks being used temporarily as drains when it rains - especially those next to elementary schools. She also expressed concern with 30 foot wide parkways since those in the slides looked wider. She felt this might be too wide in some places and perhaps too narrow in others; this was hard to visualize. Concerning Foothill she expressed that she hoped the view of the mountains would not be obstructed. There being no further public comments, Mayor Mikels closed the public hearing. Mayor Mikels asked if there were any discussion of the proposed treatment of parks within the Plan itself. Mr. Frost asked about the dialogue which had occurred with the school districts as to the school sites in the Plan. Kay Matlock stated that when the Park Plan was revised, the Etiwanda School District requested that their school sites be 9 acres adjoining a 3 acre park. The Central School District appears they are tending to favor sites between 7- 9 acres in size. In the Terra Vista Plan all elementary school sites are shown as 9 acres. Mr. Frost stated that they probably don't own the land. He asked what they anticipated the Schools' ability would be to purchase land in the future. Kay Matlock stated the first development will be within the Central School District. They expect building will be taking off this year. They think that the Central District will be able to qualify for assistance from the State under the Green Program. If not, they will consider various bond possibilities made possible through laws passed from the last session. They have been working with Central District on the payment of school fees, what they might do with them, when they might do them. They have worked out how many students will be coming on line, how soon, and where they will go. Central District is developing an instant school site near Vineyard. She stated they could not commit School Boards to the sites, but they have worked closely with the Superintendents and they seem pleased with the sites. City Council Minutes February 7, 1983 Page 3 Mr. Buquet stated that he did not expect the developer to give in excess, but he would like to see a compromise between what was presented in the slides and what is in front of the Council. He stated one of his concerns was the allocation of the allowance of the private open space. The private open space is not really shown on the Plan. It makes it difficult to talk about something you don't see. He felt this should be discussed before proceeding on the Parks issue itself. Mayor Mikels stated that Mr. Buquet was suggesting that Council address the credit for private open space now as part of this issue. Ralph Lewis stated he had had extensive discussions with staff and with the Planning Commission. He felt the Commission knew what it was doing when they recommended adoption of the whole Plan. On page VI-1 explains how the credit toward park requirement would work. They took an existing project which they had built in the City and showed the portion of it that they thought would qualify for open space credit if they built it in Tetra Vista. They went through this extensively with staff, and he thought they were in agreement with staff. It resulted in substantial amount of private open space credit. The Commission suggested they cut the credit down, and they agreed to it. It went from 60 acres to 40 acres. With private open space credit, that would be 23 percent. He thought that was a substantial concession which they made. Mr. Lewis further stated there was a prior council policy to encourage private open space and recreational amenities. Although not all were on the Council then, a desire was expressed to encourage private open space by giving credit for it. Mr. Dahl stated it was extremely difficult to obtain park land. He felt we owed it to the residents of Rancho Cucamonga to make sure that parks are there. He was concerned about the loss of the 13 acres and wanted to see this put into parks. He stated it does not matter whether the parks are developed by Lewis or by the City. Mr. Lewis stated that comments have been made as to when they are to get credit for private open space. He felt it would not matter when they got the credit. Whether they get it tonight or when they bring in each subdivision with private open space. Mr. Lam stated we are setting the parameters of the open space system, but the precise details will have to come back in terms of the implementation of the Plan. Gary Brown, of the Building Industry Association, read Government Code Section 66477. He expressed concern that Council was stating there was not a basis for credit for open space when the State Legislature states there is a basis and has mandated that a developer can receive credit for private open space. Mr. Frost stated because we are talking about the only portion of the Terra Vista that will fall under the jurisdiction of the City, it would seem that the Council should not allow credit for specific portions of the Plan which has not been seen by the City. Motion: Moved by Frost, seconded by Buquet that the City not allow credit for private open space within the Terra Vista Planned Community. When we have specific site plans, then they will be considered for potential private open space credit. Discussion followed regarding the language of the motion. Mr. Buquet stated we need to make a decision now in order to be fair to the Lewises and to the City. City Council Minutes February 7, 1983 Page 4 Mr. Dougherty suggested the following change in the Terra Vista Plan on page VI-4, under the title, Provisions for Meeting Park Requirements. The second paragraph to be changed as follows: 100% credit for public parks, greenways, trails, and paseos, not to total less than 55.8 acres of the total amount required. The third paragraph to be deleted entirely. The fourth paragraph to be changed as follows: Park requirements will be met through a combination of dedication of land, improvement of park facilities, and payment of fees. Delete the remaining part of the sentence. Delete the entire section entitled, Credit for Private Open Space. Mr. Lam suggested adding the phrase, "if additional units exceed 8,000, then additional public open space shall be required based upon the city's park dedication formula." Mr. Dahl suggested we should include in the motion that having reviewed the plan as submitted and found it consistent with state law and local ordinance, we find the 55.8 acres of park land required is deficient by 13 acres and must be shown. Further it is felt in the best public interest the additional 13 acres should be vested in public trust. Mayor Mikels asked if the mover wanted to make some changes with the motion. Mr. Frost stated the intent of his motion was not to allow any credit for private open space since we don't know what we are buying. Motion: Moved by Frost, seconded by Buquet to make the following changes on page VI-4 of the Terra Vista Plan text: "Provisions for Meeting Park Requirements The park dedication requirements of the City pursuant to SB 1785 will be met by residential developments within Tetra Vista through a combination of the following: *100% credit for public parks, greenways, trails, and paseos, not to total less than 55.8 acres of the toal amount required. *~Ped~ ~ep eppPepp~a~e epee spaee ~d PeePee~ee ~ae~esT as pPev~ded ~e~ew, (Delete section). Park requirements will be met through a combination of dedication of land, improvement of park facilities, and fees. pP~va~e epe~ e~eeeT as ~&se~see~ ~e~ew, (Delete from text). Credit for Private Open Space (Delete entire section from text)." Mr. Wasserman stated before the second reading, we will go through the document and list all the inconsistencies. Mr. Alekel, legal counsel for Lewis Development, stated for the record that he doesn't agree that Council can preclude them from any private open space credit against the park dedication requirements under the Foran Bill. Bob Dougherty stated it may come to a point where a court will determine what we can or cannot do in regard to credit for private open space. The City's position is that private open space is an option which the City has to consider but is not required to grant. Mayor Mikels asked if there were any comments from the applicant. Mr. Lewis stated he agreed with their own counsel, and felt they should have credit as they brought in each development. He felt this flies in the face of the Foran Bill. Motion: Carried by the following vote: City Council Minutes February 7, 1983 Page 5 Ayes: Dahl, Buquet, Frost, Mikeis .Noes: Schlosser Mayor Mikels called a recess at lO:O0 p.m. The meeting reconvened at 10:28 p.m. with all members of Council and staff present. Mayor Mikels stated the Council had not concluded the discussion on parks since there was still the 13 acres to be considered. Councilman Dahl stated he would like to see a portion of that 13.2 acres be put into the area designated as the City Park. Motion: Moved by Buquet, seconded by Dahl that the 13.2 acres be applied to the park area adjacent to the Deer Creek, north of Base Line. Mr. Frost stated he did not disagree with the intent, but he felt this should be discussed after the other items. He felt there may be other changes to the Plan. Kay Matlock stated they have reviewed with their planning consultants, Gruen Associates, what they would do with another 13 acres if it were to be included in the Plan. There were places they would propose to put it -- part of it in the greenway, part in the parks system at the east end and west end of the project. The acreage under discussion is provided by the Quimby Act dedications which by law are to serve the residents of the subdivision from which the dedication is paid. She felt it was not proper to provide a city- wide park with Quimby Act dedications when there is an alternative that would better serve the residents of those subdivisions. Mr. Dahl stated it was his opinion that the area in which they were placing the 13 acres was adjacent to a section of the Terra Vista Plan to the north and to the areas to the south which would be in close proximity to the Park Plan. It would serve the needs of the people in that area and would be conducive to the Tetra Vista Plan. 'Mr. Lewis felt the Council should read Ordinance No. 105 which states the land should be used only for parks or recreational facilities which serve residents of such subdivision as opposed to a city-wide park. Mr. Dougherty stated the key to the Quimby Act and Foran Bill talks in terms of neighborhood and community park areas. Neighborhood would be localized while community would serve a larger segment and not necessarily the particular subdivision. The Ordinance talks about reasonably served which does not mean exclusively served. A park in that location might reasonably serve the future residents of Terra Vista as well as other residents of the City as would the interior parks which are open to the ~ublic as well. Kay Matlock stated that if a park in that area did reasonbly serve Terra Vista, then certainly not all 13 of the acres. Motion: Carried by the following vote: Ayes: Dahl, Buquet, Frost, Mikels Noes: Schlosser Mr. Schlosser stated that he felt the developers should have a choice in the matter. Council went over the other items as follows: 1. Organization of text and use of graphics. City Council Minutes February 7, 1983 Page 6 Action: No action was taken by Council; Planning Commission. approved as recommended by the 2. Residential Density. Mr. Dahl wanted to go on record that he felt the triangular area along Haven was not addressed as well as it should be. The area along the railroad shown as low-medium designation was an improper designation for that area. Also the designation of Base Line and Haven in the southeast portion would have been better treated as a mirror to the Plan and entrance to the entire project with a low-medium designation. This would be a better designation for the whole area. Mr. Buquet stated that the low-medium designation should be swapped with the middle and would be a better corner use and buffer for the residential area across the street. Elaine Carbrey, of Gruen Associates, stated the low-medium next to the railroad was designated because there are single family housing on the opposite side of the railroad tracts. It was felt they should keep the lower density adjacent to those single family housing parcels that are at major intersections. They felt that if they designated a housing type that could be clustered, they would be able to mitigate any noise effects and also be able to create more green space at those major intersections rather than putting single family there. Council continued with a lengthy discussion regarding the densities at Base Line and Haven and Base Line and Rochester. Mr. Lewis stated Base Line and Haven; Base Line and Rochester; and Base Line and Milliken are going to be very heavy traffic corners. They have found it very hard to sell single family homes at busy intersections. Questions were raised about the railroad tracks and the noise associated with them, and the number of trains which ran during the day. Kay Matlock responded they had investigated this and currently there are only six trains a week running on the track. Joe DiIorio stated that the railroad was used basically for the lumber yard, but they were not using it lately. Motion: Moved by Dahl that the designation be changed to medium designation in terms of a buffer and the low-medium be looked at. Mayor Mikels stated in other words to flip flop the designations. Mr. Dahl stated basically that would be fine. The motion died for lack of a second. Motion: Moved by Dahl to change all the designations within the trapizoid bounded by the railroad, Deer Creek, Base Line and Haven to medium density without modifying the total number of units in the Plan. Motion died for a lack of second. Motion: Moved by Frost to make a reverse "C" in that same area so that the low-medium would be through the center with medium density surrounding it. Motion died for lack of a second. Action: The Plan remained as recommended by the Planning Commission. 3. Residential Design Guidelines. Motion: Moved by Dahl, seconded by Frost that the intersection of Base Line and Haven have a special boulevard designation placed in the text granting that intersection special treatment in respect to set backs and types of landscaping. City Council Minutes February 7, 1983 Page 7 Jeff Skorneck, Gruen Associates, stated that on page IV-3 of the Plan this issue was addressed. Both Mr. Dahl and Mr. Frost withdrew their motion since this was addressed. Mr. Frost suggested some new wording to be added the the second paragraph on page V-1 of the Terra Vista Plan text as follows: "The development standards should be used in combination with the design guidelines, which, although they are flexible guidelines rather than strict regulations, are also intended to shape development within the Terra Vista Planned Community. These guidelines are intended to prowide a variety of residential designs to ereate variable lot sizes, slopes, and building orientations within each neighborhood.* (Added text emphasized). Discussion followed regarding this added language. Action: No action was taken by Council; remained as recommended by the Planning Commission. 4. Commercial Land Use. Mr. Dahl stated that the corner of Base Line and Haven is the best location for a neighborhood shopping center. Mr. Buquet stated there would be very strong opposition from the residents if we designate the northeast corner as a shopping center unless we designated a green spot on the southeast site. Mr. Lewis stated they would withdraw their request for park credit for a small park on the southeast corner of Base Line and Haven. Kay Matlock stated they would need to get with Gruen to make the suggested changes as recommended by Council. They knew the intent and could bring somthing back at the next meeting. Mayor Mikels asked how big should the park area be. Discussion followed with Council deciding on a 10,000 square foot park area on the southeast corner. Motion: Moved by Buquet, seconded by Dahl to approve a neighborhood commercial designation on the northeast corner of Base Line and Haven, and to designate the creation of a 10,000 square foot park area on the southeast corner and that no park credit be given, and the neighborhood-commercial designation be eliminated at the intersection of Spruce Street and Terra Vista Parkway. Mr. Lewis stated this would be acceptable. Motion carried by the following vote: Ayes: Dahl, Buquet, Schlosser, Frost, Mikels. Noes: None. 5. Foothill Boulevard Design Concept. Action: No action was taken by Council; approved as presented by the Planning Commission. 6. Greenway Design Concept. Action: No action was taken by Council; approved as presented by the Planning Commission. 7. Park Plan. Item was discussed first at the beginning of the hearing. City Council Minutes February 7, 1983 Page 8 8. Landscape Guidelines. Action: No action was taken by Council; approved as presented by the Planning Commission. Mayor Mikels asked if there were any necessary changes to the text required. Council had no comments. Mayor Mikeis gave Mr. Lewis an opportunity to respond to the changes made by the Planning Commission. Mr. Lewis stated they had expressed their views. They were pleased it was drawing to a head. They were very anxious to get started. There being no further comments, Mayor Mikels asked the city clerk to read the title of the Ordinance. ORDINANCE NO. 190 (first reading) AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CALIFORNIA, APPROVING PLANNED COMMUNTIY ZONE NO. 81-01 FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF TERRA VISTA PLANNED COMENITY GENERALLY LOCATED BETWEEN BASE LINE AND FOOTHILL BOULEVARD ON THE NORTH AND SOUTH AND BETWEEN ROCHESTER AND HAVEN ON THE EAST AND WEST. Motion: Moved by Schlosser, seconded by Buquet to waive full reading of the amended Ordinance. Motion carried unanimously 5-0. Mayor Mikels set the second reading for February 16, 1983 subject to availablity of review to the Plan with materials to be delivered to Council on Monday, February 14th. If materials are not received in time, then an adjourned meeting will be set. 3. ADJOURNMENT. Motion: Moved by Dahl, seconded by Frost to adjourn the meeting to a special joint meeting with the Planning Commission on Thursday, February 10, 1983 at the Magic Lamp at 6:00 p.m. Motion carried unanimously 5-0. The meeting adjourned at 12:20 a.m. Respectfully submitted, Beverly Authelet Deputy City Clerk'