Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout1990/01/09 - Minutes - Joint (The Historic Preservation Commission)January 9, 1990 CITY OF RANCHO CUCAMONGA CITY COUNCIL MINUTES Joint Meetinq Joint Meeting of the City Council and The Historic Preservation Commission A. C~T,T. TO ORDER A joint meeting of the City Council of the City of Rancho Cucamonga and the Historic Preservation Commission met on Tuesday, January 9, 1990, at the Lions Park Community Center, 9161 Base Line Road, Rancho Cucamonga, California. The meeting was called to order at 7:10 p.m. by Mayor Dennis L. Stout. Present were Councilmembers: William J. Alexander, Deborah N. Brown, Pamela J. Wright, and Mayor Dennis L. Stout. Absent was Councilmember: Charles J. Buquet II. Also present were: Jack Lam, City Manager; Linda D. Daniels, Deputy City Manager; Rick Gomez, Community Development Director; Russ Maguire, City Engineer; Brad Buller, City Planner; Larry Henderson, Principal Planner; Joe Schultz, Community Services Manager; Kathy Sorenson, Recreation Superintendent; Diane O'Neal, Administrative Analyst; Susan Mickey, Administrative Aide; Jeff King, Deputy City Attorney; and Jan Sutton, Deputy City Clerk. B. CITY COUNCIL ITEM OF DISCUSSION B1. APPROVAL OF BALL FIELD ALLOCATION ALTERNATIVE RELATING TO HERITAGE PARK RECONSTRUCTION. Staff report presented by Joe Schultz, Community Services Manager. (1404-05 PARK) (1401-03 SPORT ACT) Councilwoman Wrigh~ asked for clarification on the lighting policy on Sunday nights. Joe Schultz, Community Services Manager, stated that currently the lights are blacked out on Sunday, and only on until 10:00 p.m. on the other nights. Councilwoman Wright asked if according to the staff report if all teams will be accommodated, was the lottery just to determine the time and place for games. Joe Schultz, Community Services Manager, stated that was correct. (i) City Council Minutes January 9, 1990 Page 2 Mayor Stout opened the meeting for public input. A woman from the Alta Loma Little League felt they were being displaced for their entire season and they still wanted to play at Heritage Park. She stated the alternative plan discussed with staff was just that, an alternative plan, but stated that if they could not pl'ay at Heritage Park they would accept playing at Red Hill Park. Councilwoman Brown asked if their position has not changed since the January 3, 1990 Council meeting. The woman stated no. Joe Schultz, Community Services Manager, stated that all parties might not be happy about the compromise, but that they know what it will take to get the fields reconstructed. He presented background information on the decision to renovate Heritage Park and how it was determined which fields would be renovated first. Russ Maguire, City Engineer, stated one of the reasons they decided on the west field first was that another field was being added, so that next season when the east field was being renovated, there would be two fields available to play on. A gentleman from the audience stated he felt the reason AYSO was accepting this agreement was that they were making no changes in their schedule or locations. A gentleman from the audience stated there were only three fields in Rancho Cucamonga that did not have soccer grids on them, so he felt there were adequate facilities in the City for relocating soccer. A gentleman from Adult Softball stated they didn't like staff's proposal either, but felt that if they didn't agree with the compromise, they would have nothing. Councilman Alexander stated he felt staff has done a tremendous amount of work and that we would have a quicker renovation because of it. He was sorry that they couldn't satisfy everyone, but felt the long term benefits outweighed the short term inconvenience. Mayor Stout stated he agreed with Councilman Alexander felt it would be better for the children in the long run. He knew that Citrus Little League was displaced when Red Hill Park was renovated, but they made it through the year and they now have one of the best fields in the area. A representative from the Citrus Little League stated that people were very unhappy when Red Hill Park was being renovated, but they all felt the end results were worth it. Mayor Stout closed the meeting for public input. City Council Minutes January 9, 1990 Page 3 Councilwoman Brown stated she was hoping the compromise would be one that the people involved would be happy with. She felt it was unfortunate that everyone was caught in a situation that shouldn't have happened in the first place, but felt that if it had to be corrected it should be done the right way so it wouldn't have to be done again. She agreed with staff's recommendation. Councilwoman Wright stated that based on the information presented, it appeared that the least amount of disruption would be to go with staff's proposed compromise. MOTION: Moved by Alexander, seconded by Brown to adopt staff's recommendation and to amend the lighting policy. Motion carried unanimously, 4-0-1 (Buquet absent). Councilwoman Wright asked if the neighborhood around Red Hill Park has been notified about the temporary change in the light policy and that the lights will be louvered. Joe Schultz, Community Services Manager, stated the residents can be notified and advised of the dates this will be effective. He further stated that all the louvering should be completed in January or February, well before play started in March. Jack Lam, City Manager, requested Council recess to an Executive Session to discuss a pending lawsuit. The meeting recessed at 8:40 p.m. to Executive Session. The meeting reconvened at 8:55 p.m. with four members of Council present (Buquet absent). C. JOINT ITEMS OF DISCUSSION Cl. ROLL CALL - HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION. Present from the Historic Preservation Commission were: Melicent Arner, Marsha Banks, Gene Billings, Steven Preston, and Chairman Bob Schmidt. Absent were Commissioners: Ada Cooper and Alan Haskvitz. , , , , , C2. POSSIBILITY OF ACQUIRING LAND FOR PLACEMENT OF HISTORIC HOMES. (1402-06 HISTORY) Commissioner Banks stated she felt this issue started with the Klusman House on Foothill Boulevard, that they had several parties interested in purchasing the house but they had no where in the City to move the house to. She felt that if land was not purchased now, it either would not be available in the future (2) City Council Minutes January 9, 1990 Page 4 or it would not be in an appropriate location. She stated that the Redevelopment Agency has within their budget $50,000.00 per year to acquire land, but it has to be within a Redevelopment project area. Even though this was not enough to buy a lot, she felt it was a place to start in formalizing a plan of action. Mayor Stout asked if they proposed that these homes be renovated for personal residential use. Commissioner Banks stated their first idea was to use this land as a type of land bank so this acreage would be available, and as an individual was interested in moving a house and starting renovations for their own home, they would buy the land and the Agency would be able to use the money to purchase additional land. Mayor Stout stated that the City has a large sum of money for affordable housing, that 20% of the Redevelopment budget has to be used for that. He felt that if this type of a project would qualify, a possibility to explore would be to see if they could use some of that money to buy an area and set up a neighborhood where the historic homes could be moved to, then sell them at an affordable price. Linda Daniels, Deputy City Manager, stated the only restrictions would be that the sale or rent of the property would have to be at an affordable rate, and the City might want to make sure that the cost benefits of the money invested was commensurate with the amount received for the sale of the property. Mayor Stout asked for clarification on how these funds were supposed to be used. Linda Daniels, Deputy City Manager, stated the idea was to write it down to either rent or sell at an affordable. She felt what the Agency needed to consider was getting the most for their dollar, that they didn't want to have too much of a discrepancy between the value of the home and what they would be able to offer it at, but they are still in the development stage of the program. Commissioner Banks asked if a contract could be entered into whereby the homeowner would restore the home because the homes are always free, but the Redevelopment Agency would be providing for the land and the moving of the house. Linda Daniels, Deputy City Manger, stated there are several things the Agency could do. Councilman Alexander stated an option to explore would be to have a historic house in a park setting, and have it available for community use. Linda Daniels, Deputy City Manager, stated that would be a good use in a neighborhood park setting. Commissioner Banks felt the idea of buying a block of land needed to be developed, so that the homes would be grouped together and not be disruptive to people that have new homes in their neighborhood. City Council Minutes January 9, 1990 Page 5 Councilwoman Brown felt the Victoria Lakes area would be a beautiful setting for historic homes. Linda Daniels, Deputy City Manager, stated you could use money outside of the redevelopment project area if you were using affordable housing funds, but that there are restrictions and you would have to weigh the benefits of doing that. The $50,000.00 does not have to be used for affordable housing as long as it was in the Redevelopment project area. Councilwoman Wright felt if affordable housing money was used for the purchase of land, it really wasn't benefitting people who needed affordable housing, because the people who were able to afford restoring the homes aren't going to be people who were at affordable housing income levels. Commissioner Banks agreed that it would probably be very few people who would qualify for the affordable housing guidelines that would also be able to restore the homes, but occasionally there are craftsmen who are interested in restoring a home that would qualify. Commissioner Preston stated there is going to be money available, and possibly this could be treated as an investment portfolio, where the major portion is used for the most good, but a small portion could be set aside for a demonstration project to show how this City can produce affordable housing by using their stock of historic buildings. Councilwoman Wright felt it might be feasible if the intent was not necessarily just for historic preservation, but felt the biggest benefit sould be for affordable housing. Mayor Stout felt a lot of these goals could be met. He felt there was a primary responsibility because of the way the law is structured, but also felt there was a responsibility to the community to meet some of these other goals. Linda Daniels, Deputy City Manager, stated they are currently working on the needs assessment survey for the affordable housing program, and after they determine who are the people they would be serving and their needs, then they would be looking at programs to meet those needs. She stated they would keep these ideas in mind when developing those programs. Commissioner Preston felt that preservation works better when the community understands the economic benefits to all citizens, that it is not an elite thing for high income people. Councilwoman Brown stated she was surprised at who actually fits into the categories for low income housing, and felt that about 50% of the people living in the City would qualify for living in affordable housing. Commissioner Banks stated she wanted to see a plan developed and the money spent for the benefit of the community, she didn't want to see it expire. City Council Minutes January 9, 1990 Page 6 (3) Councilwoman Brown stated possibly at the next housing task force meeting, staff could present a report covering how these ideas would fit into the housing set aside fund, but that they should start moving on these ideas with the $50,000.00. Linda Daniels, Deputy City Manager, stated the $50,000.00 could only be used in a Redevelopment project area, whose boundaries were from Highland Avenue on the north to 4th Street on the south, Archibald Avenue on the west to Etiwanda Avenue on the east. She stated again that they were not at the point of developing projects with the affordable housing funds yet, but they would put these ideas on the list. Commissioner Banks felt Etiwanda Avenue would be an ideal place to purchase land due to the vacant land in the area and the many historical landmarks and older homes on that street already. Mayor Stout felt the options could be explored through the Commission, and with the City coming up to a budget cycle, perhaps staff can help refine some of these ideas and make suggestions during the budget cycle of what they can do now to make these ideas work. C3. DISCUSSION OF HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION BUDGET. (0205-01 BUDGET) Commissioner Preston stated the Commission had a discussion relating to a budget, and felt the Council should keep their thoughts open with respect to some of the different issues. Recently they reviewed the unreinforced masonry program, and an ordinance is being prepared on that issue. State law requires some type of mitigation program along with that, and of the list of items they reviewed some of them required funding sources, which might be Community Development Block Grant funds, Redevelopment Agency funds, etc., so that historic buildings could be rehabilitated. They have also discussed the Sann~ Fe Railroad Station and the possibility of designating it as a landmark, the archives which would need a money source to continue development of that, and a funding source to continue the survey work for determining if structures should be landmarks or not. Mayor Stout stated he thought the City should hire a professional to conduct an oral history program of long time residents, and that it should be started as soon as possible. Commissioner Banks stated that the Ontario library had done a similar program. Commissioner Arner stated the Upland library also has done that type of a program. Chairman Schmidt asked if the Community Foundation was working on any type of an oral history project. Mayor Stout stated he knows that someone had donated a sum a money to do a videotape history, but didn't know the status of that project. City Council Minutes January 9, 1990 Page 7 Chairman Schmidt stated he was concerned about people who have old pictures in their homes that should be in the archives, and coming up with a way of communicating to them the possibility of letting the Commission borrow them to make copies without making them feel they were being forced to do this. Mayor Stout stated that was why he felt it was important to hire a professional that would know not only how to deal with people without intimidating them, but would also be able to relay the information gathered in an entertaining way. Councilwoman Wright felt there were federal grants available to help fund oral histories and we might want to explore that possibility. She also felt it was appropriate to have a professional conduct an oral history. Mayor Stout felt that time was of the essence on this type of project and he would like to see funds budgeted for this. Commissioner Preston asked what type of input would the Council like to see from the Commission that would need to be budgeted for. Mayor Stout stated the Commission shouldn't assume the Council knows everything that is going on. Councilwoman Wright stated the Commission also shouldn't assume that there wasn't money available for certain projects. She stated the Council would still like to receive suggestions and know what are some of the opportunities out there. Councilwoman Brown stated that since Rancho Cucamonga has been chosen to be a city with an operating station on the Santa Fe line, maybe one of the historical homes in the City could be refurbished to be the station. She stated that SANBAG would be contributing a sum of money to set up a station, so possibly they could use that money to relocate a home or the old station to the location at 8th and Haven and refurbish it. Commissioner Banks stated the issue of designating the old station a landmark was going to be coming before Council in February. Commissioner Billings stated he felt the station would be able to be restored to its original form. Mayor Stout asked if hadn't the City received a letter from Santa Fe stating that if the City didn't do something with the station, Santa Fe was going to tear it down. Rick Gomez, Community Development Director, stated that was correct and that a letter has been sent to the people coordinating the commuter rail that they should coordinate between the operating division and the land division, and try to get the two parties together to reconcile their differences. City Council Minutes January 9, 1990 Page 8 (4) Councilwoman Brown stated they would have to see how much money SANBAG was going to contribute for a station and platform, but that the City is supposed to be up and moving by July 1991. She felt it would be easier to use the existing station that just needed renovation instead of starting from scratch. She further stated that as she and Rick Gomez bring back more information on the commuter rail, they would work with the Commission on the station. Rick Gomez, Community Development Director, stated there was also a technical committee starting up to help advise on the commuter rail locations, so they will keep the Commission apprised as more details develop. Commissioner Banks stated she was concerned about the negative reaction of some homeowners when their property was being considered for historic landmark designation. She felt the more money the Council was willing to commit to historic preservation, and possibly offering incentives to the homeowners, it would benefit the community and help make the homeowner's attitude more positive about the situation. C4. DISCUSSION OF ITEMS OF MUTUAL INTEREST. (1402-06 HISTORY) Mayor Stout stated he wanted the Commission not only to identify places of historic value in the community, but also to examine ideas regarding how the City is developing now that will be historic in 50 years or more, so that they can start doing some things in a more tasteful manner. Commissioner Arner asked what the Council would like them to do regarding a historian. Mayor Stout thought they should outline what they would like a historian to do, and then go out for bids on the project. Commissioner Banks felt a historian was not a major budget consideration and inquired if they would need to wait for the next budget or could they get started on it now, or even on any project of that scale. Mayor Stout stated that with all the other things that are happening he doubted that it could be acted upon that quickly. He thought it might be summer before they could get it in place. Commissioner Banks agreed that time was of the essence in starting this project. Jack Lam, City Manger, stated the City budget cycle starts in February, so now would be a good time for the Commission to prepare ideas and propose them as part of the budget. Councilwoman Wright stated she was interested in having markers that would direct people to historical designations in the City. She felt that even if the money was not readily available at the present, the idea should be given to Council so they could try to find funds in the future for it. City Council Minutes January 9, 1990 Page 9 Commissioner Banks felt the markers should be generic since many of the historical homes are residences. Commissioner Preston felt the markers the City of San Jose was using were excellent. Commissioner Banks stated another proposal was the recognition of historical figures through street names. She stated the Commission has proposed this in the past but it has not been used. Mayor Stout asked if they had a list compiled. Brad Buller, City Planner, stated they do have a list of names that they show to the developers, but they usually don't use them because they say they are too hard to pronounce. He stated they are coming before Council on January 17 on the street naming policy, and that they often try to pre-name the streets through Planning staff. Councilwoman Brown stated that maybe if a historical name was used for a street, there would be a way it could be shown on the street sign. Chairman Schmidt felt some type of brochure should be done up for when new people come to town that would give them the basic layout of the community and some of the history. Councilwoman Brown felt something like that should be distributed through the Chamber of Commerce since that was usually where new residents went to find out information about the community. D. COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE PUBLIC There were none. , , , , , , E. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Moved by Brown, seconded by Alexander to adjourn. Motion carried unanimously, 4-0-1 (Buquet absent). The meeting adjourned at 9:12 p.m. Respectfully submitted, jn~Sutto~n~ Deputy City Clerk Approved by Historic Preservation Commission: Approved by City Council: February 7, 1990 February 1, 1990