HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015/03/18 - Minutes - Special March 18, 2015
CITY OF RANCHO CUCAMONGA
CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES
A. CALL TO ORDER I
A special meeting of the Rancho Cucamonga City Council was held on Wednesday, March 18, 2015,
in the Tri-Communities Room at City Hall located at 10500 Civic Center Drive, Rancho Cucamonga,
California. Mayor L. Dennis Michael called the meeting to order at 3:30 p.m.
Present were Councilmembers: Bill Alexander, Lynne Kennedy, Diane Williams, Mayor Pro Tern Sam
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Spagnolo and Mayor L. Dennis Michael.
Also present were: John Gillison, City Manager; Linda Daniels, Assistant City Manager; Jeff Bloom,
Deputy City Manager/Community and Economic Development; Flavio Nunez, Planning Management
Analyst I; and Marie Macias, Interim City Clerk Services Director.
I B. PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS I
No communication was made from the public.
C. ITEM(S) OF BUSINESS
Cl. Approval of an Update to the City's Economic Development Strategic Plan
John Gillison, City Manager, provided a history of the City's Economic Development Strategic Plan,
noting that the previous plan had been completed more than ten years ago, prior to the expiration of
Redevelopment. He mentioned that in the process of updating the plan, staff had revisited the position
of the City today, in order to allow for staff to target those areas where the City could best compete.
He advised that by reviewing the plan, City staff could begin to build an Economic Development Team
and Economic Development Division around the plan. He mentioned that the approach would depend
on the plan, which is the structure and foundation of the City's Economic Development efforts. He
introduced Jeff Bloom, Deputy City Manager/Community and Economic Development, and Flavio
Nunez, Planning Management Analyst I.
Jeff Bloom, Deputy City Manager/Community and Economic Development advised that the initial
Economic Development Strategic Plan had been completed in 1996, noting that conditions of the City
then were vastly different from today. He stated that the plan had been updated in 2003, with the
development of Victoria Gardens. He noted that the focus of most economic development plans in
the early 2000's was retail. However, internet sales have now changed the environment. He
discussed the industrial sector and noted that with most of the industrial sector being built out, this
had dramatically changed the opportunities in the City. He advised that when staff set out to complete
the update to the plan, the Consultant, Strategic Economics, Inc. had focused on community outreach.
He shared the various efforts to provide community outreach.
Flavio Nunez, Planning Management Analyst I, provided an overview of the background and
discussed the framework of the Economic Development Strategic Plan, which involved three phases.
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He advised that Phase I had included interviews with key stakeholders, industry analysis, and real
estate market analysis. He stated that Phase 2 had included identification of the sub-areas of
economic importance and assessment of the local work force. He mentioned that Phase 3 was built
on the findings of the background report to create Economic Development strategies consistent with
Team RC, Healthy RC and Ready RC. He discussed the key findings, as well as target industries,
including healthcare and social assistance; transportation, warehousing and wholesale trade; retail,
accommodations and food service; manufacturing; professional, scientific and technical services. He
introduced Sujata Srivastava, Principal, Strategic Economics, Inc.
Ms. Srivastava discussed the priority areas and strategies, which included office development; retail
development/revitalization; business support/outreach; industrial retention and development;
hospitality; workforce development; and marketing/communications.
Jeff Bloom, Deputy City Manager/Community and Economic Development reminded the Council that
Rancho Cucamonga is not distinguished from the remainder of the County, and that there is a need
to focus on how to demonstrate that Rancho Cucamonga is different than other cities in San
Bernardino County. This led to discussion regarding efforts to implement some of the strategies
discussed.
Council Member Alexander inquired on the effect that additional multi-family apartments would have
on the City's quality of life and education. He expressed concerns with traffic, the western corridor,
incentives, the status of the Ontario (LAX) Airport, and stated that he did not understand Generation
„Y „
Council MemberrKennedy was pleased with the alignment of the Strategic Plan with the City's
programs and initiatives, that it was an asset based development plan, not deficit in terms of land
use and real estate, and that it was a strong, proactive approach in terms of being visionary and
attracting a multi-generational type of community.
Council Member Kennedy inquired and Mr. Nunez responded that there was a good mix of stake
holders on the Advisory Committee, including representation from the real estate market segment.
Jeff Bloom, Deputy City Manager/Community and Economic Development mentioned that this was
not geographic based, but economic based. He stated that staff participated in various workshops
and activities to ensure widespread community involvement. He mentioned that Sujata had created
some geographical study areas that allowed staff to test and study similar conditions for the segments
on Foothill.
Council Member Kennedy asked and John Gillison, City Manager, replied that the prior week a group
of individuals from various departments had taken a trip to Playa Vista, and highlighted details from
the trip. He mentioned that this was not the first trip of this type, to look at model cities that Rancho
Cucamonga could replicate in an effort to make Rancho Cucamonga the best that it can be.
Council Member Kennedy further inquired and Mr. Gillison advised that upon finalization of the
planning stage, then staff would move forward to work with the universities. He added that this had
been done in the past, and that the plan would allow staff to enhance these partnerships. He stated
that having colleges and universities in close proximity was a plus to the City.
Council Member Williams was excited about the plan and for the City to be on an "up." She inquired
if this would be the right time to go back to developers who had expressed an interest in the City in
the past. She stressed the need to focus on "hospitality" noting that the City cannot continue to always
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have visitors stay at the Double Tree Hotel. She stressed the need for a full service hotel in Rancho
Cucamonga.
John Gillison, City Manager, agreed with Council Member Williams with respect to the need for a hotel
in the City. He stated that he would like to see additions to the hotel service sector that would include
boutique, full service, or a combination of both to fill in the gaps. He stated that the biggest challenge
for staff, the City Council, and the community in the next four to eight years would be how selective
the City could be with respect to new projects and developments coming into the City.
Mayor Pro Tem Spagnolo announced that the City was up for the challenge. He stated that the airport
was a big issue, but with everyone working collaboratively, it would probably move in the right
direction. He acknowledged the need for a full service hotel in the City, as well as traffic problems,
but noted that the City was moving in the right direction. He commended staff on a well prepared
report.
Mayor Michael advised that the greatest priority at this time was to wait for the highest and best use
for the key areas in the community. He advised staff to wait and capture the kind of market that would
be able to sustain the City in the future. He discussed walkable environments, millennial needs, as
well as future plans for the Montclair Plaza. He noted that Rancho Cucamonga needs to stay ahead
of those plans. He thanked staff for their hard work in bringing the Plan to fruition.
Motion by Council Member Williams, seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Spagnolo, approving the Economic
Development Strategic Plan Update. Motion carried 5-0.
I D. ADJOURNMENT
The meeting adjourned at 5:08 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Marie Macias, MMC
Interim City Clerk Services Director
Approved: Wednesday, April 1, 2015
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