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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 4.1 Approve 05-11-1992 Minutes REGULAR MEETING - May 11, 1992 A regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Dublin was held on Monday, May 11, 1992, in the Council Chambers of the Dublin Civic Center. The meeting was called to order at 7:30 p.m. , by Mayor Snyder. ROLL CALL PRESENT: Councilmembers Burton, Howard, Jeffery, Moffatt and Mayor Snyder. ABSENT: None. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Mayor Snyder led the Council, Staff and those present in the pledge of allegiance to the flag. Complaint Regarding Court System (580-75) Ms. Joyce Alcamo, 7605 Knollwood Place, stated she wanted the City Council to hear of the run around she had been getting from the Court system. Several parking tickets were recently given at Dublin High School and when they went down to pay them, their bails were all different amounts. She has been trying to find out why and she just gets shuffled all around. She distributed a letter which stated the problems they have been having. Dublin Police Services told her the amount should be $20, and this is what she would like to see. However, she was aware of amounts ranging from $19 to $35. She has tried and tried to get in touch with Commissioner Hugh Walker, but once they find out what she wants, they won't schedule an appointment for her. Mayor Snyder explained that the City of Dublin has nothing to do with setting bail amounts. We have no connection with the court in that regard. The Police Department also has nothing to do with setting bails. Ms.- Alcamo stated all they want to know is why the different amounts, and all they are getting is the run around. Mayor Snyder stated as a courtesy, he would see what he can do for her with this situation. He requested that she leave a number where she can be reached. City Attorney Silver advised that if these are violations of the California Vehicle Code, the City of Dublin has nothing to do with setting the bails. CONSENT CALENDAR On motion of Cm. Moffatt, seconded by Cm. Burton, and by unanimous vote, the Council took the following actions: ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ CM - VOL 11 - 177 Regular Meeting May 11, 1992 I ---------------------------------------------------------------------- COPIES TO: ITEM NO. Approved Minutes of Regular Meeting of April 27, 1992; Accepted the City Treasurer's Investment Report as of April 30, 1992 (320-30) ; Authorized the City Manager to sign an Agreement with Alameda County regarding the Mortgage Credit Certificate Program (MCC) (600-40) ; Adopted RESOLUTION NO. 53 - 92 AUTHORIZING AN AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY OF DUBLIN AND ALAMEDA COUNTY WITH REGARD TO COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT PROGRAMS FOR FISCAL YEAR 1992-93 - $49,138 (600-40) Adopted RESOLUTION NO. 54 - 92 AWARDING CONTRACT 92-08 ANNUAL STREET SLURRY SEAL PROGRAM TO CALIFORNIA PAVEMENT MAINTENANCE, INC. $55,554.44 (600-30) and authorized the Mayor to execute the Agreement; Received the Finance Report as of April 30, 1992 (330-50) ; Approved Warrant Register in the amount of $1, 221, 592 .21 (300-40) ; Authorized the City Attorney to enter a stipulation for final judgment for the purchase of property at 6393 Scarlett Court (Dolan property) for the Dublin Boulevard Extension and authorized the Finance Director to. release funds for purchase of the property (670-20) . Cm. Jeffery requested that the item related to a budget transfer to cover obtaining preliminary title reports on the Heritage Center properties be pulled from the Consent Calendar. She felt that any item on which the City is going to expend money should go through the budget process. Cm. Moffatt pointed out that the money is coming from the City Council Community Promotion account. Cm. Jeffery stated she was aware of this. The money came from the cancelled 4th of July community activity. She felt the expenditure is inappropriate. On motion of Cm. Burton, seconded- by Cm. Moffatt, and by majority vote, the Council authorized a $1, 000 budget transfer from the City Council Community Promotion Account and directed Staff to obtain preliminary title reports on the Heritage Center properties (910-40.) .,,., Cm. Jeffery and Mayor Snyder voted against this motion. ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ CM - VOL 11 - 178 Regular Meetanq May 11, 1992 STREET CLOSURE REQUEST FREDERIRSEN COURT FOR 4TH OF JULY BLOCK PARTY (650-50) Public Works Director Thompson advised that Susan Smith, 7610 Frederiksen Court has requested that the City allow closure of Frederiksen Court from 12 : 00 noon through 10: 00 p.m. , on Saturday, July 4th, for a block party. Mr. Thompson advised that the typical conditions for this type of request are that the residents obtain an encroachment permit, insurance, and provide lighted barricades which are to be monitored at all times. Other conditions relate to litter cleanup and use of alcohol by adults only. Cm. Burton asked how many years they have been doing this. Mr. Thompson advised that this is the first time residents of this street have requested closure. On motion of Cm. Jeffery, seconded by Cm. Moffatt, and by unanimous vote, the Council approved issuance of an encroachment permit, once the residents have obtained the insurance. PUBLIC HEARING - TITAN BETA REQUEST FOR VARIANCE FROM SECTION 3305 OF UNIFORM BUILDING CODE (450-40) Mayor Snyder opened the public hearing. Chief Building Official Taugher presented the Staff Report and advised that Section 3305 of the Uniform Building Code provides that when the occupant load of a portion of a building is 30 or more, any corridors serving that area must be of one-hour fire-resistive construction and that the corridor must extend to the exterior without being interrupted by intervening rooms. Titan Beta, 6780-R Sierra Court, is a company which manufactures high- tech equipment for the Army and Navy. Recently, Titan Beta applied for a permit to expand the office area by constructing a 241 x 49' drafting room by extending into the existing shop area. The applicant now wishes to connect the new drafting room to the existing office area. The applicant indicates that there are 21 employees that now occupy the office and drafting area and that the number will always be 29 or less. Mr. Taugher stated if the Council grants the Variance, he suggested that the applicant be required to file quarterly reports indicating the names and job classifications of all employees as a means of enforcing the Variance. Also, the Building Official should be authorized to examine the payroll records if necessary for enforcement. The path of travel from the corridor through the shop area to the exterior exit doors should be clearly designated by ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ CM - VOL 11 - 179 Regular Meeting May 11, 1992 painting lines on the floor and providing signs indicating that the exit path is to be kept clear at all times. Mr. Taugher indicated that he also suggested that when Titan Beta vacates the premises, the drafting room should be removed. He spoke with them this morning, and they objected to this condition. Mayor Snyder questioned the use of the remaining area in the back. Mr. Taugher stated the area behind is a shop storage area. The drawing which shows the back is not actually the back of the building, but just the back of the slide illustrating the site. Mayor Snyder stated he was concerned with the fact that Staff would have to take time to review this on a quarterly basis. Cm. Burton thought it would be sufficient for the Building Official to just drop in from time to time to observe. He questioned why the City would need to get into the paperwork business. Someone could just go in and count heads. Mr. Taugher stated he was asking for information to be submitted and if necessary, they could still go out and make counts. Mayor Snyder suggested having them write a simple letter on a quarterly basis indicating they are meeting the requirements of the Variance. City Attorney Silver advised the Council that this would be a judgment call on their part. Mayor Snyder felt this seems to be a lot of extra work to generate a list when a letter would be simpler. Cm. Jeffery felt that if they got a large contract, they could hire contractors and they don't show up on the payroll records anyway. Cm. Moffatt thought the Council should just put in a requirement that they cannot have more than 30 employees and then Vic could just drop in any time he wanted. The Council questioned if the Variance goes along with the property or the company. Ms. Silver stated Condition #6 is specific. The Variance terminates when they vacate the premises. If the City says the Variance becomes null and void, this would require them to put the wall back in when they leave. It should say both, the wall goes back up and the Variance becomes null and void when they leave. The Applicant was not present at the public hearing. No comments were made by members of the public relative to this issue. ■ ■ ■ ■; ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ CM - VOL 11 - 180 Regular. Meeting May 11, 1992 Mayor Snyder closed the public hearing. The Council agreed that Condition #2 should be changed to read: The Applicant shall file a letter annually with the Building Official indicating compliance. The Council agreed that the word "quarterly" should be changed to "annual" in Condition #3 . The Council agreed that Condition #6 should be changed to read: That when Titan Beta moves from the premises, the opening between the engineering office and drafting room shall be replaced with a wall and the Variance becomes null and void. On motion of Cm. Burton, seconded by Cm. Jeffery, and by unanimous vote, with the changes discussed, the Council adopted RESOLUTION NO. 55 - 92 GRANTING A VARIANCE TO SECTION 3305 OF THE UNIFORM BUILDING CODE (UBC) TO TITAN BETA 6780-R SIERRA COURT (450-40) DRAFT SITE DEVELOPMENT REVIEW GUIDELINES (410-20) Associate Planner Choy advised that the purpose of the Site Development Review Guidelines is to assist property owners, developers, architects, and applicants in understanding the objectives of.the City's SDR process and the level of quality that the City is seeking. The Guidelines provide general design direction for use in the review of development proposals, including the expectations of the Planning Department. Cm. Moffatt stated he had questions regarding the general descriptions, site plan and concepts. He asked if these were policy guidelines or are they to do this. Mr. Choy stated they are designed to work in conjunction with the Zoning Ordinance and General Plan. They are to provide an Applicant with direction. Cm. Moffatt stated he could see where they could be beneficial. He asked if there is any incentive being offered for following these guidelines. Mr. Choy stated the guidelines are not actually specific. Before, the City never had anything to fall back on when disputes arose. This is clear and shows the direction the City wishes to move in. These guidelines could be used very early in the process. Cm. Burton stated he was very concerned about this. They show what the Planning Department wants to have a developer do. Developers will CM - VOL 11 - 181 Regular Meeting May 11, 1992 say they don't need this. All the nitty gritty details are very specific and this gives Planning some very heavy leverage. Mr. Ambrose advised that this has gone through considerable discussion from the Planning Commission and copies have been sent to the development community. What he hears from the developers that bothers them most is when they cannot get a finite response. These guidelines eliminate a lot of the uncertainty. Cm. Jeffery pointed out that the Council is here to represent the people of Dublin, not the developers. This is to benefit property values and so that we don't end up with more of the garbage standards that were allowed in the past. She did not feel they are unduly hurting anyone in the community. Cm. Burton felt that there were a lot of good ideas put down, but there is a lot of conflicting stuff. There should be a summary of the City's objectives. We should put "suggests" instead of "should" . He sees this as a potential problem. It doesn't appear to be user friendly. Cm. Moffatt suggested saying goals instead of policies. Mayor Snyder pointed out that it doesn't say policies, it says guidelines. Cm. Jeffery made a motion, which was seconded by Mayor Snyder to approve the Site Development Review Guidelines. Cm. Burton stated he wanted to make a substitute motion to continue this to a future meeting to get a brief outline of what we are trying to say. There was no second to Cm. Burton's substitute motion. Mr. Choy explained the process that Staff had used. They originally took out all the 'shalls' . You cannot identify or anticipate how you are going to treat every site. What Staff is trying to do is lay out as much as possible. These are general guidelines without being too specific. On motion of Cm. Jeffery, seconded by Mayor Snyder, and by majority vote, the Council approved the Site Development Review Guidelines. Cm. Burton voted against this motion. ANNUAL TRAFFIC SAFETY REPORT & DOWNTOWN INTERSECTION MONITORING (590-90) i A Staff Report prepared by Public Works Director Thompson indicated that a Traffic Safety Report is prepared annually and is combined with a downtown intersection monitoring report. There were a total of 2231 ' reported accidents in 1991, 16 of which were injury accidents. This is significantly lower than the average of the 4` previous years, which was 263 accidents, 66 with injuries. Traffic Volume has increased during this time and it is hoped that a downward trend in the number CM - VOL 11 - 182 Regular Meeting May 11, 1992 of accidents can be attributed in part to Dublin's proactive approach to traffic safety and increased enforcement. Carl Springer with TJKM briefly discussed intersections and street segments which were found to have accident rates higher than the State average. These included: Galindo Drive between Bellina Street and Valencia Street; Dougherty Road between Sierra Lane and Dublin Boulevard; Dublin Boulevard between San Ramon Road and Regional Street; Amador Valley Boulevard between Regional Street and Starward Drive; Intersection of Amador Valley Boulevard and Burton Street; Dougherty Road and Sierra Lane; and Amador Valley Boulevard and Stagecoach Road. The Downtown Intersection Monitoring Report included intersections: • San Ramon Road/Amador Valley Boulevard • San Ramon Road/Dublin Boulevard • Dublin Boulevard/Regional Street • Dublin Boulevard/Village Parkway • Dublin Boulevard/Dougherty Road Mr. Springer stated that the volume to capacity (V/C) ratios for all 5 intersections was better in 1991 than in 1988. Four of the inter- sections experienced an improved level of service over 1988, and the fifth remains unchanged. Overall, Dublin had a record low number of accidents when compared to the last several years, while traffic volume has increased. Cm. Jeffery stated she rides her bicycle a lot and frequently has a problem getting the signal to change going east turning north from Amador Valley Boulevard onto Stagecoach Road. Often, the signal goes through the complete cycle without allowing her to turn. Mr. Springer explained how the adjustment works and stated the construction crew could take a look at this to make sure it's working properly. Cm. Burton asked if there was something else Mr. Springer would like to say regarding cycling other that just less traffic. Mr. Springer stated he did not emphasize much that congestion is at the lowest point in the last 5 years. The volume is down, but there have been major improvements done. A lot of fine-tuning has been done over the last 5 years. Cm. Howard expressed concern over the situation on Amador Valley Boulevard coming out of Albertsons. Mr. Springer stated there have been several accidents at this location.. They don't hear about the near misses, only the accidents 5 that are reported. If any uses intensify at all, the City may need to look at some solutions. ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ CM - VOL 11 - 183 Regular Meeting May 11, 1992 Cm. Jeffery advised that if you go out the western driveway, the holding lane is not great enough, and backups occur. Mayor Snyder suggested that perhaps the Traffic Safety Committee could take a look at this location. The Council thanked Mr. Springer for the report. REPORT ON PROGRAM FOR RECOGNITION OF OUTSTANDING DEVELOPMENT (470-50) Associate Planner Cirelli presented the Staff Report and explained that a program for recognition of outstanding development within the City could be used to improve the quality of development in the City, to recognize those who have made special efforts to achieve outstanding design, and to encourage others to create a more attractive environment. Ms. Cirelli advised that the cost of the program would depend on direction from the City Council on items to be included. The outlined program would cost approximately $500 - $800 in materials, and require approximately 100 - 200 hours of Staff time. Ms. Cirelli discussed the various issues involved. Issue 1 - Should the City Council establish an Outstanding Design Awards Program? Issue 2 - Should the City establish a Design Review Board to implement an Outstanding Design Awards Program? Issue 3 - Should the City have adopted SDR Guidelines before' implementing an Outstanding Design Awards Program? Issue 4 - How frequently should the program take place? Issue 5 - What type of awards would be appropriate? Issue 6 - How should the program be structured? Cm. Jeffery stated she suggested this type of a program quite some time ago, but this is far greater than she anticipated in terms of time and effort. It might be inappropriate to implement this type of a program at this time. Also, the way the Council selects appointees is up in the air until after the June election. Her concept was just to have a way to recognize someone if they have an outstanding development. This appears to be a very formal process. She thanked Ms. Cirelli for putting this together and stated she did a good job. Cm. Moffatt stated perhaps it could be combined with the Citizen of the Year award. Cm. Burton commented that Staff certainly put in a lot of time on this and thought out all the areas. The timing is bad now; however, when :egular, e ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ CM - VOL 11 - 184 Meeting May 11, 1992 development starts in east and west Dublin, we could start something like this. It should be shelved at this time. On motion of Cm. Burton, seconded by Cm. Howard, and by unanimous vote, the Council accepted the report, but opted to not establish the program at this time due to time and fiscal restraints. Mayor Snyder pointed out that it is timely for when we get back on tract, it could be a goal that everyone could look forward to. OTHER BUSINESS Tri-Valley Joint Council Meeting (140-80) Mr. Ambrose advised that the Tri-Valley Joint Council will meet again next Monday, May 18th at 7 : 30 a.m. The group is working on defining the principles to be studied by ABAG. The principles, as revised, will be defined at the next meeting. Russian Visitors (515-60) Mayor Snyder advised that the first group of about 10 or 11 Russians will be arriving on May 15th in the morning. On Monday, May 18th, they will be given a tour of the Civic Center. That evening, there will be a potluck at Dublin High School. A second group will be coming soon thereafter and the two groups will be in the area for a total of 3 weeks. Clarification of Council/Manager Form of Government (610-20) Cm. Jeffery stated she wished to confirm her understanding of some Council policies. With regard to the Council's relationship with City Staff, no work is to be directed to Staff unless it is directed through the City Manager. Also, no individual Councilmember can use Staff's time for their own personal use. Mr. Ambrose advised that in accordance with the Council/Manager form of government, the City Manager's Ordinance defines the relationship. In terms of utilizing Staff resources, the Dublin Municipal Code states that the City Manager shall be the administrative head of the City, under the direction and control of the City Council. The Code also states that the City Council and its members shall deal with the administrative services of the City through the City Manager, except for the purpose of inquiry, and neither the City Council nor any member thereof shall give orders or instructions to any subordinates of the City Manager. The City Manager shall take orders and instructions from the City Council only when sitting in a duly convened meeting of the City Council, and no individual Councilmember shall give any orders or instructions to the City Manager. CM - VOL 11 0 185 Regular Meeting May 11, 1992 Cm. Jeffery confirmed that this was her understanding and stated she felt Cm. Burton's letter to the -Editor of the Valley Times directing the public to call the Recreation Department was totally inappropriate. Further, the article related to preserving Dublin's past starts out with a bold-faced lie when it says that there will be no cost to the citizens of Dublin. Cm. Burton stated he accepted and duly noted these comments. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business to come before the Council, the meeting was adjourned at 8 : 45 p.m. Mayor ATTEST: City Clerk ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ CM - VOL 11 - 186 Regular Meeting May 11, 1992