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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017_11_09 - Special (2) MINUTES Special meeting of the City Council of the City of Redlands held in the Council Chambers, Civic Center, 35 Cajon Street, on November 9,2017 at 6 00 P M Present Paul Foster,Mayor Paul Barich,Mayor Pro Tempore Jon Harrison, Council Member Eddie Tejeda, Council Member Absent In Memoriam of Pat Gilbreath, Council Member Staff Dan McHugh, City Attorney, Jeanne Donaldson, City Clerk, Brian Desatnik,Development Services Director, Brian Foote,Planning Manager, Troy Clark, Senior Planner Mayor Foster called the meeting to order and offered those present the opportunity to address them on any subject,within the jurisdiction of the City Council,which is not already scheduled on this agenda PUBLIC COMMENT None Forthcoming PUBLIC HEARINGS Redlands General Plan Update Mayor Foster opened the public hearing and called upon Troy Clark, of Development Services, for a high level summary and presentation of the General Plan Update,the Climate Action Plan, and the Environmental Report for the General Plan Update and Climate Action Plan He introduced the City's consultants,Raj eev Bhatia, of Dyett&Bhatia and Paul Hermann,of Fehr and Peers,who were available to answer questions Mr Clark reviewed the theme-based approach, describing each of the seven themes in detail and pointed out the update includes all State required elements except the Housing Element which was recently updated in 2014 The update is planned for a twenty year horizon of 2035 He highlighted written comments received related to land use changes since the Draft General Plan was published and thoroughly addressed each one separately 1 Applicant(800 Opal LLQ requested the City withdraw General Plan Amendment No 131 which redesignated 35 acres, a 131 lot subdivision in Mentone from Light Industrial to Low Density Residential Staff analyzed the impacts of leaving the current designation Light Industrial and found those impacts to be minimal The Planning Commission also supported approval of the withdraw request and recommend the amendment not be incorporated into the update 2 Letters received from neighbors of Seven W Business Park The Business Park sits on 85 acres with 39 5 acres presently designated as Light Industrial The Applicant is requesting to change 46 4 acres from Flood Control/Construction Aggregate Conservation/Habitat Preservation to Light Industrial Several letters received from neighbors were opposed to expansion of the Light Industrial General Plan designation, citing truck traffic,noise, and odors The Planning Commission disagreed with the expansion of Light Industrial and recommended the change not be incorporated,but instead,the eastern half of the property would remain in Open Space which is the renamed designation for Flood Control/Construction Aggregate Conservation/Habitat Preservation 3 Letters received from property owners,real estate agents and interested parties,in support and opposition to the creation of an Urban-Rural growth boundary proposed for the Crafton area and Special—CC—November 9,2017 Page 1 maintaining the underlying County zoning of 5-acre minimum lot sizes 4 Suggested edits to the General Plan narrative and policies submitted by Council Member Harrison Public Comments Dennis Bell thanked Troy Clark and everyone else for their work on this update,but said he was dissatisfied with the selection process of the General Plan Steering Committee He stated the City spends irresponsibly with its misguided priorities, and he questioned funding sources for projects which do not generate revenue, such as,the Redlands Rail,transit villages,Orange Blossom Trail, and the Historical Museum Mario Barrera said his property is situated right in front of the proposed development on Opal Avenue and he is opposed to the project Stephen Rogers expressed his frustration since there was no presentation made by the City's consultants He claimed the document is wholly inadequate throughout, listing two areas of concern land use and possible contamination on properties undergoing annexation into the City He wondered why no Conditions of Approval had been issued for one such property at Wabash and Sylvan and reiterated the Mentone Area Community Association is unhappy with continued annexations into the City, chopping up the Mentone area Mark Ostoich, on behalf of Seven W Business Park,offered historical context for the property and stated they are opposed to the Planning Commission recommendation designating 45 acres on the eastern side of the property as Open Space instead of Light Industrial Leslie Leach a resident of the western side of Opal Avenue,is opposed to the extension of the Urban-Rural boundary of the City and cited there is considerable traffic already on narrow, country roads with no sidewalks or bike lanes Increasing the population into the already impacted area will only increase the existing problems of traffic and safety Joyce Micallef, a member of the General Plan Steering Committee and Friends of Crafton,urged the Council to maintain the proposed Urban-Rural boundary lines to preserve our citrus heritage, open space, and healthy living She suggested the Council not be swayed by a handful of landowners as it will set a precedent to others to request future zoning changes and further erode preservation Dr Gary Baker, a resident of Opal Avenue,voiced serious concerns as to whether the area could properly handle the issues of traffic, safety, and security if new housing developments were allowed and the Urban-Rural boundary was moved from Wabash to Opal Bob Knight, a farmer in the Crafton area, and a member of the Friends of Crafton and Inland Valley Orange,recommended the Urban-Rural boundary line remain at Wabash Avenue He announced farmers were delighted to have a clear limit drawn between Redlands and Crafton,making a strong statement to future developers that this is where 5-acre rural living is, and putting to rest the possibility of speculations and annexation to change zoning Gary Chan, a Crafton resident, also urged the Council to maintain the boundary between Crafton and Redlands"as is"in the Draft General Plan Update, and said he is opposed to having a mix of homes alongside the 5-acre parcels that currently represent the area Angie DeLaRosa spoke in opposition to the Seven W Business Park, citing issues with traffic noise and pollution She said blighting seen in the Mentone area is due to the high cost of City water and their community is opposed to the annexation currently being reviewed by LAFCO, as it will only continue to chop up Mentone Debora Biddick, a resident of Mentone,urged the Council to deny the proposal by Seven W Business Park for the designation of Light Industrial for their property Reading from a neighbor's letter, she complained the noise is constant all day and night and property values have dropped She also listed statistics from an informal traffic survey taken of the area and the business park John Koen bought property on Opal Avenue about 25 years ago for the rural lifestyle and recommended the Council keep the current Urban-Rural border at Wabash Avenue,putting a stop to commercial intrusion He added the narrow roads are unable to handle traffic Dora Waters, a resident of Crafton, in the unincorporated area,was concerned that her property was going to be annexed into the City,but after reading the Draft General Plan Update,her fears were assuaged She suggested the City maintain the Urban-Rural boundary at Wabash Avenue to preserve the groves and farms in the area Perrie Mundy Bonzang, a realtor and resident of Opal Avenue,urged the Council to protect the gift of Special—CC—November 9,2017 Page 2 open space our forefathers have entrusted to us to care for Leonette Di Muro read from a letter submitted by Mr and Mrs Sanders, citrus farmers and residents of Opal Avenue, expressing concerns with future homeowners of the proposed housing development complaining about various farming practices, such as harvesting crops, and wind machine noise levels, and they urged the Council to maintain the City's historic reputation by keeping the Urban-Rural boundary at Wabash Avenue Bill Cunningham,representing the Redlands Association, listed concerns with the Environmental Report with regard to the adequacy of addressing traffic,air quality and greenhouse gasses,water and adequacy to supply,public services especially in terms of schools,public facilities,police,noise, and flood control, and they assert these have not been studied thoroughly Mr Cunningham raised concerns with the General Plan Update itself,with respect to the downtown area If housing projections are accurate, will the school district be able to accommodate the increase in student population?Other concerns include,parking and a City police station Additionally,he supported the Crafton residents and their urging of the Council to follow the Planning Commission's recommendation by not incorporating General Plan Amendment No 131 Steven Hellerman requested the Council keep the Urban-Rural boundary line at Wabash Avenue to maintain the unique rural character of the Crafton area He voiced opposition to the proposed housing development and questioned whether an environmental impact report was completed Furthermore,he wondered what the actual cost would be for property owners if they were to be incorporated into the City Andy Hoder appreciated all the people in the audience who took the time and energy to express their views Before making any decision,he urged the Council to give full and fair consideration of all the comments made tonight City Clerk Donaldson received three written comments one in opposition to the request from Seven W Business Park for expansion of the Light Industrial General Plan designation, one in support of moving the Urban-Rural boundary line to Opal Avenue, so that it will no longer be a meandering, crooked line, and one questioning the qualifications of the City engineering staff and the validity of the General Plan Update documents With no further comments,the Mayor closed the public hearing Council Member Harrison expressed his support for maintaining the rural boundary line as recommended by the General Plan Steering Committee and the Planning Commission, as this is perhaps the last remaining agricultural area in San Bernardino County Each of the other Council Members also voiced their support for maintaining the boundary and keeping the area rural The Mayor announced there will be no action taken tonight and the item will be continued to December 5,2017 The public will have the opportunity to address the Council at that time, as well Council Member Harrison requested the General Plan Consultants be prepared to address the adequacy of the Environmental Report for the General Plan Update and Climate Action Plan at the first meeting of December The Mayor thanked everyone for attending this meeting and was grateful for their participation He also thanked Council Member Harrison, former Council Member John James, and Troy Clark for their time and dedication over the last two years, seeing this document come to fruition ADJOURNMENT There being no further action required the meeting adjourned at 7 59 P M The next regular meeting of the City of Redlands City Council will be held on November 21, 2017 Special—CC—November 9,2017 Page 3