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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPC Minutes 01-06-1992 • ~ ~ Reqular Meetinq - January 6, 1992 A regular meeting of the City of Dublin Planning Commission was held on January 6, 1992, in the Dublin Civic Center Council Chambers. The meeting was called to order at 7:30 p.m. by Commissioner Burnham. * * * * ROLL CALL Present: Commissioners Burnham, North, Barnes, Rafanelli and Zika; Laurence L. Tong, Planning Director; Libby Silver, City Attorney; David K. Choy, Associate Planner; Brenda Gillarde, Planning Consultant; and Gail Adams, Recording 5ecretary. * * * * FLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG Cm. Burnham led the Commission, Staff, and those present in the pledge of allegiance to the flag. * * * * ADDITIONS OR REVISIONS TO THE AGENDA Mr. Tong indicated to the Commission that item 9.1 was a Staff related item and requested that it be heard after item 8.2. The Commission concurred. * * * * MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING The minutes of December 2 and 16, 1991 were approved. * * * * ORAL COMMUNICATIONS Mr. Ken Johnson, Tamarack Drive, indicated that he had witnessed a near bicycle accident on Amador Valley Boulevard and Village Parkway and was concerned that bike riders were not obeying the rules of the road. He also indicated that people are dropping their children off at the Dublin High School where the red curb area is located. He indicated that these individuals should not be parking in a red curb zone. If the zone is incorrect, then someone should change the color to indicate the correct parking regulations. The Commission thanked Mr. Johnson for his input. 6.1 Election of Officers Regular Meeting PCM-1992-1 January 6, 1992 [1-6min] . i • ~ Mr. Tong indicated that on December 2, 1991 the Commission continued ~ the election of officers and recommended that the Commission elect a Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson. Cm. Barnes nominated Commissioner George Zika to be the Chairperson. Commissioner North seconded the motion. By a vote of 4-0, Commissioner Zika was appointed Chairperson. Cm. Barnes nominated Commissioner Ralph Rafanelli to be the Vice- Chairperson. Commissioner North seconded the motion. By a vote of 4-0, Commissioner Rafanelli was appointed Vice-Chairperson. The meeting was turned over to Commissioner Zika. * * * * WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS None. * * * * PUBLIC HEARINGS SUBJECT: PA 91-099 Hansen Ranch/Bren Company Development Aqreement (to be continued to the January 21, 1992 Planninq Commission meeting) Mr. Tong indicated that Staff was recommending continuance of this item to allow Staff to complete the analysis for the Staff Report. Since the Negative Declaration has been prepared and noticed for this project, Staff recommended that the Commission open the public hearing and continue the item to the January 21, 1992 meeting. Cm. Zika opened the public hearing and asked if there was any public comment. Being none, the item was continued to the January 21st Planning Commission meeting. SUBJECT: PA 91-067 Dublin Municipal Ordinance Amendment Management Audit (to be continued to the Januarv 21, 1992 Planning Commission meeting) Mr. Tong indicated that the Commission had continued this item from the December 16, 1991 Planning Commission meeting. Staff was recommending continuance of this item to the January 21st meeting in order to review and incorporate the City Attorney's comments into the Draft Ordinance Amendment. The Planning Commission continued the item to the January 21, 1992 Planning Commission meeting. SUBJECT: Review of Draft Site Development Review Guidelines (continued from the November 4, 1991 Planninq Commission meetinq) Regular Meeting PCM-1992-2 January 6, 1992 [1-6min] . • ~ Mr. David Choy presented the staff report to the Commission. He ~ indicated that this item had been continued from the November 4, 1991 Planning Commission meeting. He indicated that the guidelines were created to provide Staff and Applicants with general design direction. They are to be used in conjunction with the Zoning Ordinance. Staff recommended that the Commission approve the Site Development Review Guidelines. The Planning Commission unanimously approved the Draft Site Development Review Guidelines. SUBJECT: PA 88-144 Western Dublin General Plan Amendment, Specific Plan, Environmental Impact Report (EIR), Prezoning, Amendment to the Sphere of Influence, and Annexation to the City of Dublin and the Dublin San Ramon Services District ~Continued from the December 16, 1991 Planninq Commission meetinq. For this public hearing, discussion is limited to Chapters 4 throuqh 7 of the Specific Plan) Ms. Brenda Gillarde gave a brief review of the previous meeting as well as Chapters 4 through 7 of the Specific Plan. An adjournment time of 10:30 p.m. was discussed and approved by the Planning Commission. The Planning Commission indicated that the January 6th meeting would be continued to January 14th to continue the discussion of the West Dublin Specific Plan. Ms. Gillarde indicated that if there was sufficient time left, there would be discussion on the General Plan Amendment at the January 14th meeting as well. i The Planning Commission reviewed possible meeting dates after the January 14th meeting. It was decided to continue the January 14th ' meeting to January 29th. ' The Planning Commission and Staff discussed the letter regarding the Morris property. Ms. Silver, City Attorney, had reviewed the letter. She indicated that a bike path was considered a public right-of-way and therefore the property could be taken for that purpose. A General Plan Amendment was the appropriate exercise to follow for planning purposes. Ms. Gillarde gave a brief overview of the planning process for the project. The first meeting involved land use and traffic circulation. She indicated that there was a concern regarding the Brittany Lane road extension. Possible alternatives were also mentioned. Ms. Gillarde emphasized that the West Dublin project would go through many public hearings. There would be no decisions made at this meeting. The City Council would need to review the Specific Plan, General Plan Amendment and Environmental Impact Report before any final decisions were made. There would be plenty of opportunities for the public to voice their comments and/or concerns. Regular Meeting PCM-1992-3 January 6, 1992 [1-6min] ' • ~ ~ Ms. Gillarde continued the Specific Plan discussions and briefly ~ described the bike/pedestrian trails within and around the proposed project. She asked if there was any public comments. Diana Day had concerns that people would park on the streets in existing neighborhoods to access the trails. She asked if there would be sufficient amount of parking for these individuals or would people be parking on the streets. She also was concerned with additional litter caused by the pedestrian traffic and asked who would be responsible for maintaining the trail areas. Bob Doyle, EBRPD, had concerns regarding the trail system and the public's safety. He indicated that the park district had a lot of experience with regional systems and had a basic plan laid out for the Alameda and Contra Costa County areas. He was also concerned with the cost of maintaining open space areas, ridgeline road development and aesthetics. He felt that a natural environment was less costly. A road would cost more to maintain. Cm. Zika asked Mr. Doyle what if there was no money to maintain the area. Mr. Doyle indicated that the City would cut costs by good planning of the areas. For instance, if there were no roads or housing, it would cost approximately $100 per acre to maintain uninterrupted open space versus $500 per acre if there was development intruding into open I space areas. ' Cm. Zika asked who maintains the area at the present time. Mr. Doyle indicated that a development assessment would need to take place. Mr. Zev Kahn asked if there would be limited access to the trail areas for people who lived outside of the proposed project site. Ms. Gillarde responded that the open space area would be open to the general public. Mike McKissick referred to the "Morris" letter. He indicated that he has not proposed any development on or around this property. Staff has proposed a trail system in this area. Ms. Gillarde continued the discussion on the sewer and water section of the Specific Plan. She indicated that the area would be serviced by and annexed into the Dublin San Ramon Services District (DSRSD). The treatment plants/lines would need to be extended to the project site. This cost was borne by the Developer. There would be reclaimed water which was suitable for irrigating the golf course, trees, etc. This would be very beneficial in conserving water. Mr. Bert Michalczyk, DSRSD, described the plan for water services. He indicated that the necessary steps would be taken to provide water to everyone in the area. The recycled water program is very beneficial Regular Meeting PCM-1992-4 January 6, 1992 [1-6min] n • • • ~ and would cut down on the amount of water needed. There would be a ~ sewage treatment plant set up as well. ~ Cm. North asked what the cost would be to expand the water services to I the site and who would be paying this added expense. Mr. Michalczyk indicated that the costs would be borne by the new development. Cm. Burnham asked if it was legal to pump wastewater into Alamo Creek or the reservoirs. Mr. Michalczyk indicated that the creek and reservoirs would be protected from contaminated water. The water would be discharged into a storage area and would then be used for irrigation. Cm. North asked if the recycled water would be stored in a separate reservoir. He hoped it would not be used for drinking water. Cm. Zika indicated that the State had cut Zone 7's water allotment and asked what type of percentage of a cut that was. Mr. Michalczyk indicated that there had been a 90~ cutback in the water allotment. However, there was 2/3 of the water now available. Cm. Zika asked if there was enough water available now that could be delivered to the Western Dublin project. Will there be a need for rationing? Mr. Michalczyk indicated that with good planning and management of the water there would not be any water shortages. Cm. North requested clarification on well drilling. He indicated that Zone 7 indicated in the reports that by 2007 there would be a need for well drilling or they would be running into water shortages. Mr. Michalczyk indicated that some shortages could occur after 2007. This indicator should motivate us to plan now for the future. Cm. Zika asked if water could be bought from another source. Mr. Michalczyk said this possibility was being looked into. Mr. Zev Kahn felt that developing the land would cause water shortages to occur quicker. He indicated that DSRSD showed a poor record of water control. He referred to the pump station located in the western hills. This location is not well screened and asked that DSRSD take more time in planning the future pump station locations so that they could not be seen. Doug Abbott, PARC, indicated that the State could not deliver enough water to accommodate this project. He felt that DSRSD was drawing too much ground water and buying water from other sources should not be considered. He was also concerned about the existing Williamson Acts existing on most of the property in the Western Dublin area. He Regular Meeting PCM-1992-5 January 6, 1992 [1-6min] . i • ~ indicated that cancelling these agreements was not a routine matter. There needed to be specific findings and most of these agreements would be in effect until 1998. Mr. Shagrill had concerns regarding the water resources. He indicated that the availability of water would only get worse and we should not rely on future resources. He indicated that the water district did not have the money to set up a water recycling system. ' Bob Zapotosky had concerns regarding the water supply. The State was now in its sixth drought year and Zone 7 needed to update their reports that were done back in 1989. He was concerned that recycled water would be in contact with people and there should be other alternate water supplies. There has not been enough discussions to properly address these concerns. Lanna Herrmann had concerns regarding water supply. She used a private well and she knows what its like to run out of water. She asked if the property owners in the Eden Canyon Road area would be impacted by the Western Dublin development. Mr. Michalyzck responded to the public's concerns. He indicated that DSRSD would cooperate with the Planning Commission and City Council on the location of the pump stations. The cost for infrastructure would be borne by the project applicant. Zone 7 would be responsible for drilling wells and there would only be a slight concern regarding water shortages in the peak demand time periods. Cm. North asked for clarification on the recycling water system. Mr. Michalyzck indicated that the recycled water was not drinkable or swimmable. This water would not come in contact with the regular water supply to people. It would be on an entirely different system. There would be no contamination of the drinking water. Cm. North hoped that the City and the water district would work together in the location of the pump station. Cm. Barnes asked if the golf course would be on recycled water. Mr. Michalyzck indicated yes. The recycled water was processed under certain standard regulations. Cm. Burnham was concerned that people would swim in the reservoir and asked what measures would be taken to keep people out. Mr. Michalyzck indicated that whoever was responsible for maintaining the reservoir would need to take precautionary measures. The area could be fenced off from the development. Mr. Mike McKissick responded to the recycled water concerns. He indicated that there has never been a problem in the past with reclaimed water. He strongly believed in using this system. It would cut down on the amount of water needed for the area. Regular Meeting PCM-1992-6 January 6, 1992 [1-6minJ • ' . ~ ~ The Planning Commission took a five minute break. On returning, everyone was present. Ms. Gillarde continued the meeting with discussions regarding the Community Facilities for the Western Dublin project. She indicated that there would be a"village" center which was the focal point of the project. There would be retail uses, offices and shopping centers. An elementary school, fire station, postal office, and library would also be constructed. Currently, the Castro Valley Unified School District was responsible for the area, however, the ' Dublin School District might take over the responsibility. Dougherty Regional Fire District would be responsible for the fire station and the City of Dublin would be responsible for policing the area. Diana Day had concerns with the police protection and felt that there should be additional police patroling the area. Robert Patterson had concerns with the cost of constructing an additional school and felt development fee/assessment should be considered to provide the needed funds. Tom Treto, Castro Valley School District representative, indicated that present fee calculations only provide 25-30~ of the cost to run schools. Mr. Zev Kahn had concerns with having two separate school districts for the area. He felt that there should only be one whole district. Cm. Zika felt that joint ventures were not advantageous. Ms. Gillarde continued onto discussions regarding Recr~ation and Open Space. She indicated that approximately 60~ of the open space would be preserved and pointed to the recreation and open space areas on the wall map. Diana Day reiterated her concerns with parking availability. She asked where were the additional cars to park when accessing the recreational sites. Ms. Gillarde indicated on the site plan where people would be allowed to park. There would be access points to the recreational areas throughout the project; however a staging area was located near the future Schaeffer Ranch interchange. Diana Day also had concerns with the additional garbage and debris that would be caused by the additional traffic accessing the open space areas. Mr. John Anderson had concerns regarding the two access roads into the project. He asked who would be responsible for maintaining the open space. Was there anyone committed to taking care of this area? Ms. Andrea McKenzie, EBRPD, wanted to see the open space preserved. The area was a scenic backdrop for the City and there was the various wildlife habitat to consider. There should be buffer zones between Regular Meeting PCM-1992-7 January 6, 1992 [1-6min] • • ~ , the open space and the proposed development and the City might want to consider fencing off areas for grazing purposes. She had concerns regarding the amount of grading being done and the public's safety. She felt that homes built on one side of the street would be beneficial. She was looking forward to working with the City. Mr. Mike McKissick responded to the pubiic's concerns. He indicated that the intent was to dedicate the open space to someone. There would be no more development on the remaining open space. He pointed to various locations on the wall map where there would be homes built on only one side of the street. Mr. Zev Kahn asked where the regional and city parks would be located. Ms. Gillarde pointed to the proposed locations of the parks on the wall map. Mr. Kahn asked if the residents of the Donlan Canyon development would be able to use the open space in the Western Dublin area. There should be a commitment from someone to maintain the open sgace. Mr. Tong explained that the Hansen Hill and Donlan Canyon projects had undeveloped open space. Staff was currently talking with the Bren Company regarding access to a linear park. The Donlan Canyon project was still under review. Robert Patterson pointed out that there could be a homeowners' association. He was concerned with the cost of liability. Mr. Bill Banse had concerns with open space maintenance. He indicated that there was no guarantee that this undeveloped land would stay in open space. The following individuals did not wish to speak of their concerns; however, turned in speaker slips. Mr. Gary Laughridge had concerns regarding the extension of Brittany Lane. Ms. Debra Feo had concerns regarding the land east of the northeast border of the proposed development and Marwick Drive. She asked what this area was zoned. Ms. Lisa Magnoli had concerns regarding the current drought situation. The area is already having difficulty supplying water to the existing residents. She felt that another development would deplete the existing resources. Ms. Magnoli was also concerned with the open space areas. She felt that the management of the open space should be determined before the plan was adopted. She felt that the undeveloped land should be preserved as there were very few natural areas left. Wildlife would be adversely affected. Regular Meeting PCM-1992-8 January 6, 1992 [1-6min] ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ , Tom Horrillo had concerns regarding the depletion of ground water supplies. The State supply has already been cut back and there will be additional costs incurred with the new development. He asked if the new development would be bearing all of the costs. Ms. Gloria Kasdan had concerns regarding the wildlife habitat. Over the past four years, she has witnessed the disappearance of numerous animals because of encroaching development. Additional development and the drought would not benefit or enhance the wildlife habitat. Ms. Gillarde concluded the discussions for the evening. She indicated that additional concerns can be addressed by letter to the Commission or Staff. There will be additional opportunity for comments at the January 14th meeting. She indicated that the General Plan Amendment document was available at the City offices. Cm. Burnham asked if the City Attorney could address the concern regarding the Williamson Act. Ms. Libby Silver indicated that the property owners under the Williamson Act were restricted in the use of their property and their property taxes were reduced. She indicated that contracts can be changed; however, she would provide a memo to the Commission regarding the Williamson Act regulations. The Commission continued the public hearing to the January 14, 1992 meeting. * * * * NEW OR UNFINISHED BUSINESS None OTHER BUSINESS Mr. Tong indicated that the City Council would be considering the Zoning Ordinance Amendment regarding massage establishments at the January 13th meeting. They would be considering adoption of the Negative Declaration for the 2-lane parallel road as well. PLANNING COMMISSIONERS' CONCERNS Cm. North asked for clarification regarding financing of infrastructure. Ms. Silver indicated that she would provide a memo to the Commission explaining assessment districts, sales taxes, road improvements, etc. The Commission requested information regarding the Williamson Act cancellations. Ms. Silver responded that she would provide a memo to the Commission on this matter as well. Regular Meeting PCM-1992-9 January 6, 1992 [1-6min] y ? ~ ~ ~ ^ ~ ~ Cm. Barnes questioned the red curb located at Dublin High School. Mr. Tong indicated that he would notify the traffic committee through ~ the Public Works Department about the concern. Cm. Barnes asked how specific detailed questions from the citizens get ~ answered. i Mr. Tong indicated that Staff provided general answers at the public hearings. The individuals could talk with the Staff after the meeting. * * * * ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 10:30 p.m. Respectfully submitted, ~ W~,c.,<..~~P- ~e ~ :r- annin ommiss' n hairperson ~ ~ ' La rence L. Tong II Planning Director Regular Meeting PCM-1992-10 January 6, 1992 [1-6minJ