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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 4.01 Draft CC 11-18-2005 Min Sp Mtg . . . MINUTES OF THE Crn' COUNCIL OF THE Crn' OF DUBLIN SPECIAL ME.ETIN6 - NOVEMBER 1 all 2005 A special meeting of the Dublin City Council was held on Friday, November 18,2005, in the Regional Meeting Room of the Dublin Civic Center. The meeting was called to order at 3:01 p.m., by Mayor Lockhart. .. ROLL CALL PRESENT: Councilmembers Hildenbrand, McCormick, Oravetz and Zika, and Mayor Lockhart. ABSENT: None. +"" ,.' ,'. ,. PUBLIC COMMENT Mayor Lockhart asked for public comments. Jody Ramirez, Business Owner in the Dublin Square Shopping Center, advised that she had just signed a 5-year lease at the location near the current Historic Center and indicated that all of her customers thought that the Council was planning to shut down her store to build some sort of park. She expressed concern about being mentally abused, and stated the City Council was running the Center down. Mayor Lockhart advised that no decisions had been made regarding the future of that shopping center. It was one of several locations the Council was looking at within Dublin. .. CITY COUNCIL lVHNUTES VOLUME 24 SPECIAL MEETING November 18, 2005 PAGE 425 www.d.dublin.ca.us {\ " PARK & RECREATION FACILITY PLANNING WORKSHOP (920-30) . City Manager Richard Ambrose began the PowerPoint presentation, serving as a Staff Report, and advised that Dublin had a park deficit and one of Council's directions was to look at potential opportunities for parks. Staff looked at approximately six sites; Dublin Square was one of those potential sites for a possible Historic Center. Other discussion would revolve around the Emerald Glen Park Recreation/Aquatics Center. Staff was seeking direction from the Council on both projects. A funding deficit was anticipated, and several funding options would be discussed. Mayor Lockhart asked if the discussion would include any other projects in the community that might be affected by these two projects. City Manager Ambrose advised yes, and stated that today's discussion would include the following components: 1) Workshop Objectives; 2) Overview of Possible Projects; 3) Projected Funding Sources; 4) Options for Addressing Funding Shortfall; 5) Tax Revenue Options; 6) Potential Facility Phasing Options; 7) Facility General Fund Annual Operational Subsidy; and 8) Potential Next Steps. The Workshop Objectives were to identify actions required to complete the planning process for the Emerald Glen Park Recreation/Aquatic Center and the Historic Park. The project estimate for the previously identified preferred option of the possible Historic Park expansion was +$25.4 million. The market value of the Green Store site, which had . an assessed value of $.6 million, was unknown. The previously identified preferred option of the Recreation/ Aquatic Center was $39.1 million, and $33.5 million for Alternative #1. The total cost of both projects was estimated at +$58.9 - $64.5 million, which did not include all potential costs associated with land acquisition. City Manager Ambrose reviewed the amenities for the preferred option of the Recreation & Aquatic Complex, as well as Alternative # 1, both of which were described in full in Power Point presentation. City Manager Ambrose reviewed estimated funding shortfalls for both projects, and outlined projected funding sources. Estimated facility costs totaled $58.9 - $64.5 million, less planned Public Facility Fees, left a net shortfall of $41.8 - $47.4 million. City Manager Ambrose also discussed potential long-term funding sources which could reduce the net shortfall to $26.1 - $37.1 million, if the funds were used for these two CITY COUNCIL MINUTES VOLUME 24 SPECIAL MEETING November 18, 2005 PAGE 426 www.cLdublin.ca.us . . . . projects. The projects that could be delayed as a result of using available Public Facility Fee funds were the Fallon Sports Park and the Dublin Library Phase II. The Council and Staff discussed park acreage standards and current park land. The City's adopted standards of park acreage per population was 5 acres per 1,000. Under the Quimby Act, cities could require 3 acres per 1,000. If a city had a standard higher than that, it could go up to 5 acres per 1,000 for a project subject to the Quimby Act. City Manager Ambrose reviewed options for addressing the funding shortfall, which included debt. financing, use of City General Fund Reserves, possible deferral or elimination of capital projects, available grant funds, Camp Parks Development Agreement, and additional options. Cm. Oravetz asked if interest revenue from the General Fund Reserves could be put into the stock market. Finance Manager Fred Marsh advised that the City's investment policy did not allow that. City Attorney Silver advised that State law included provisions that specified the types of investments that cities could make. City Manager Ambrose also indicated that the interest from Reserves was currently used for supporting operations. If the City's Reserves were used for this project, an annual operating deficit would result. Sr. Administrative Analyst Jason Behrmann reviewed the Tax Revenue Options, which included: Property Tax Override - General Obligation Bond; Parcel Tax - Certificates of Participation; Transactions and Use Tax; Hotel Occupancy Tax; and related specifications and impacts. Election related timing and costs were also discussed. Voter assessment to determine how the community would react to possible tax increases was recommended. Vm. Zika asked if the voter opinion research would advise the community of the various options. Mr. Behrmann advised that the survey could be structured per Council direction and with the assistance of consultants. The process would take approximately 90 days to complete and report back to Council. It would be tight to complete the entire survey process if the Council chose to put the issue on the June 2006 Primary Election ballot. CITY COUNCIL MINUTES VOLUME 24 SPECIAL MEETING November 18, 2005 PAGE 427 www.d.dublin.ca.us The Council and Staff discussed each of the possible tax revenue options, the different scenarios provided by Staff and how each of those options would possibly reduce the . annual debt service. City Manager Ambrose reviewed potential pay-as-you-go facility phasing options for the first phase of the preferred options for the Recreation/Aquatic Center and Historic Park as an alternative to special taxes. The first phase would not preclude building subsequent phases as funds become available in future years. Those funds mayor may not come about, but it would put the City in the position to at least proceed. Phasing breakdown for the Recreation/Aquatic Center was estimated at: Phase I, $19.5 million; Phase II, $11 million; and Phase III, $8.6 million. Potential phasing options for the Historic Park was estimated at: Phase 1, $7.35 million for acquisition and installation of simple turf, irrigation and street improvements; and Phase II, which was the balance of the Master Plan, at $18.05 million. The projected net shortfall of Phase 1 of both projects was $9.75 million, which could be satisfied through long-term funding options previously identified, such as Infill Public Facility Fees and the 2004/2005 year-end surplus. Vm. Zika asked if this could happen without going into the Reserves. City Manager confirmed that this plan could happen without going into Reserves or assessing taxes. The phasing plan preserved the ability of the Master Plans and would not compromise the integrity of what could be done in the future, but the projects could . get started if the Council wanted to go with the full site plan on the Historic Park and the Recreation/ Aquatic Center. The Council and Staff engaged in a question and answer session regarding the phasing plan of the preferred options. The phasing plan for the Recreation Center was designed to meet the needs of a lot of different age groups. City Manager Ambrose reviewed the timeline of the phasing option. Phase 1 improvements of the Recreation/ Aquatic Center could to commence in January 2006 and be completed by June 2010. Phase 1 improvements to the Historic Park could commence in March 2006 and be completed by June 2008. City Manager Ambrose reviewed the Facility General Fund Annual Operational Subsidy, which needed to be considered along with construction costs. The preferred option of the Recreation/Aquatic Center was estimated to cost the General Fund $600,000 a year, over and above what revenue was generated. Because the Historic Park Master Plan had CITY COUNCIL MINUTES VOLUME 24 SPECIAL l\1EETING November 18,2005 PAGE 428 www.d.dublin.ca.us . . . . not been completed, operating costs for that project would need to be determined later. Potential ways to save costs included shifting project management costs from the General Fund to Public Facility Fee Fund, eliminate the Public Information Officer (PIO) position, and eliminate the Tri-Valley Convention & Visitors' Bureau CrvCTB) contribution, which would result in a total annual savings to General Fund of $402,000. The net General Fund subsidy would be $198,000, which was approximately the same as the current General Fund subsidy for the current Dublin Swim Center. City Manager Ambrose discussed the potential next steps for the Recreation/Aquatic Center and Historic Park and associated funding/planning options. Recreation/ Aquatic Center options included proceeding with planning for: 1) Preferred option at $39.1 million with a $22 million shortfall; OR 2) Alternative #1 at $33.5 million with a $16.4 million shortfall. Historic Park Options included: 1) Proceed with Historic Park full site scheme as part of the General Plan & Specific Plan Study; OR 2) Proceed with Option #1 and add Green Store parcel to the Specific Plan Study. The cost of adding the Green Store has not been included in any of the estimates because the cost was unknown. Cm. Oravetz asked about adding the Green Store. City Manager Ambrose advised that it would not cost anything to add the Green Store as part of the planning process, but the purchase cost was unknown. The assessed value was approximately $600,000. As advised by the City Attorney, it could be designated as a park as part of the planning process. It would be overlay zoning and would preclude future changes in the land use. Cm. Oravetz stated that he liked the phasing options. If the issue did go to the voter, though, he would first want to do the citizen survey first. Vm. Zika stated that the best of both worlds would be to have a consultant study it to see whether the voters might be willing to fund one or more of the various options. If the voters said yes, the preferred options should be pursued. If they said no, the phasing approach should be pursued. Cm. Hildenbrand concurred that voter opinion research would provide valuable input as to whether the community would be willing to pay for the parks. If the issue went to a vote, it should not be a special election. If the voter polling showed that citizens were not willing to pay, she would support the phasing plan. CITY COUNCIL MINUTES VOLUME 24 SPECIAL MEETING November 18, 2005 PAGE 429 www.d.dublin.ca.us Cm. McCormick stated that she liked the survey idea because it seemed the best option would be the bond. The phasing plan was a good idea but, either way, the Council . should revisit all of the options prior to making any decisions. City Manager Ambrose stated that the Historic Park Master Plan Consultant was currently waiting for direction and there was the potential to hire another architect to begin actually designing the aquatics complex. With the approach that seemed to be preferred by Council, it would probably be best to defer moving ahead with both of those consultants until after the Council had received the results of the survey and made a formal decision as to the approach. The Council concurred. Mayor Lockhart asked for public comments. Jody Ramirez, Dublin business owner, stated that her understanding was that the Council wanted to build a park at Dublin Square, but did not have the full money right now. She offered to have a wishing well at her barbershop to let the customers donate toward the park and do the voting at the barber shop. She reiterated her concern about the mental stress she was feeling over the issue. Angelina deAngelo, part time barber at Lens Barbershop, stated that Ms. Ramirez's main . concern was that she had a lease for the building in Dublin Square. She wanted to build her business and remodel her shop, but was concerned that she would lose her money if the City decided to make that area a park. Mayor Lockhart advised that the' preceding Staff Report and made it clear that the Council was interested in preserving its history and that the Dublin Square area was a prime location. Jim Kohnen, Dublin Historic Preservation Association, urged the Council to preserve history of the City. The current Heritage Center could be an outstanding nucleus of the proposed Historic Park and the other property was crucial to extend the Heritage Center, including the Green Store. From what was presented, the project could be completed with the phasing plan and without the residents having to mortgage themselves. As far as getting the voice of the people, the DHPA supported the project. Beth Wood, Dublin resident, stated that she was very excited about this project and encouraged the Council to go forward with it. There was a lot of support in her CITY COUNCIL l\1INUTES VOLUME 24 SPECIAL MEETING November 18, 2005 PAGE 430 www.d.dublin.ca.us . i. . . neighborhood, which was near the proposed Historic Park. The bond issue was a concern, and it would be critical to explain why there was a need for a bond issue when the perception that she heard was that there was a lot of money coming into Dublin. The reason why the money was needed should be well articulated. Mayor Lockhart stated that not all would be lost if this Council did not accomplish it all with the phasing plan. The residents of this community would not let the next round of leadership forgot how important these projects were. The Council should not rush an election, and a full explanation needed to be provided to the community regarding funding during the survey process. Vm. Zika agreed and stated that the various options needed to be clear, as well as the impacts on individual property owners. Cm. Hildenbrand stated that it needed to be determined, through the survey process, if the residents were willing to pay the bond. If not willing, phase the process. The whole process needed to be clear to the residents so there would be no question as to the resulting program. Mayor Lockhart stated that the Green Store was very important to the proposed Historic Park and suggested that the Council consider including that property in the project study. The facility was there and some grass could be added. Some of the acreage of the shopping center could be given up to accommodate shifting the park over to include the Green Store property. If the property owner had some options for developing Victorian homes or something on part of that site, and then they would have to dedicate park land on that site, if they built housing, the City could take the dedicated land and Green Store and include it in the Heritage Park. Cm. McCormick stated that she had heard from many members of the community who were adamantly opposed to housing on that site, and wanted the area preserved as a historical park. The Council discussed the suggestion and agreed that the Green Store was an important acquisition for the proposed Historic Park. Housing on the site was a possibility; however, it would have to meet historic district guidelines. The Council concurred that the property owner needed to be asked if he was interested. CITY COUNCIl.. MINUTES VOLUME 24 SPECIAL MEETING November 18, 2005 PAGE 431 www.ci.dublin.ca.us City Manager Ambrose clarified that the majority of the Council was interested in looking at Option #2 in the Conceptual Plan, with approximately half, or 1.8 acres, on a . 4.2-acre site. If so, the savings from the reduced option could be put toward doing more improvements other than just turf. Council and Staff discussed possible housing per acre scenarios. City Manager Ambrose advised that, if the Council desired, Staff could come back with housing information per historic guidelines. Although a final decision would not be made until the Council acted on the Specific Plan and General Plan, he was hesitant to go to the property owner unless a majority of the Council was interested in looking at the half site option. Vm. Zika stated that whether the option was financially feasibly or not was not known until the property owner was approached to see if they were interested. Cm. Oravetz concurred. Cm. McCormick disagreed and stated that housing was disrespectful to the area. The needed information should be available through the Planning Department without going to the property owner. Mayor Lockhart stated that all she wanted to know, from Staff, was what it might look . like if housing went on that site and when it would make financial sense to do or not do that. Was there anything that could be done to that site to help bring down the cost and still help get to the preferred alternative to get as much as possible on that site and to get the Green Store. City Manager Ambrose advised that costs were cut by reducing the amount of acquisitions and improvements. The Council and Staff discussed the issue. The purpose of the planning process was to determine what the footprint of that site would look like. Mayor Lockhart stated that, after the discussion, it was her opinion that the plan for the entire park site was spectacular. She suggested that the full site option be kept, and do the citizen survey to consider a ballot measure or the phasing plan. CITY COUNCIL MINUTES VOLUME 24 SPECIAL MEETING November 18, 2005 PAGE 432 www.ci.dublin.ca.us . . . . City Manager Ambrose clarified that the consensus was that nothing would be done but to move forward toward bringing forward a Consultant on a future agenda that would do surveys related to a possible tax. Mayor Lockhart asked if Staff could move forward with a park overlay on the Green Store. City Attorney Silver advised that if the Council desired to designate the Green Store property as park, the General Plan would have to be amended. It could also be included in the Specific Plan process, which was underway. The Green Store could continue to operate under current usage as legal non -conforming until the City acquired the property, or they chose to cease operations. Mayor Lockhart stated that information about the Green Store should be included in the survey. City Manager Ambrose advised that it could delay the completion of the General Plan and Specific Plan Amendments because Planning could not put that information into the environmental documents until the Council gave them that direction. Mayor Lockhart stated that the Council still wanted that to happen, even if they were phased in, so why couldn't the Council state that they wanted all of the park and the Green Store. City Manager Ambrose advised that the Council could direct Staff to include the whole site scheme and the Green Store and proceed with the planning process. That would change the focus of the survey, which would then focus on the costs the residents were willing to pay. Mayor Lockhart stated that she definitely wanted the Green Store. Cm. Oravetz concurred. Cm. McCormick agreed and asked if the Council could make that happen now. City Attorney Silver advised that the Council would give direction and consensus, but no decisions could be made at the workshop. The direction now seemed to be to include the Green Store in the Specific Plan and designate it as a park. Before the Council could take any action, the plans had to be prepared and CEQA complied with. The Council would CITY COUNCIL MINUTES VOLUME 24 SPECIAL MEETING November 18, 2005 PAGE 433 ,vww. ci.d u blm.ca. us need to adopt the environmental documents, then the General Plan could be amended and the Specific Plan adopted. The Park Master Plan would then be revised, and the plan . for the Historic Park could be adopted. City Manager Ambrose estimated that, if that was Council's direction, those documents would begin to come before the Council in March or June 2006. He reiterated that the Council could not make an actual decision on this until they acted on the General Plan and Specific Plan Amendments and approved the environmental documents. Mayor Lockhart clarified that this was just the planning the Council would like to put in process to see if the point was reached where the Council could approve those documents. The Council concurred. City Attorney Silver advised that, until the Council had the documents in front of them and have an the environmental review, the Council had not made any decisions other than to tell the Staff to continue working on the planning process and bring the appropriate items for the Council to consider and finally act upon. City Manager Ambrose clarified that, with respect to the Historic Park Master Plan and the Aquatic Center, it was his understanding that the Council was directing Staff not to do any work until the results of the survey results were received and analyzed and it was . determined to phase the projects or put the issue on the ballot. The Council concurred. City Manager Ambrose asked Staff if there were any problems in terms of contractual obligations with the Historic Park Consultant. Parks & Community Services Director Diane Lowart advised that the consultant agreements might need to be amended to extend the timeframe. City Manager Ambrose clarified that it was his understanding that the Council still wanted Staff, irrespective of the opinion survey, to go ahead with the planning process for the Specific Plan and General Plan. CITY COUNCIL MINUTES VOLUME 24 SPECIAL MEETING November 18, 2005 PAGE 434 www.d.dublin.ca.us . . . . The Council concurred that their intention was to move forward with the preferred alternatives, including the Green Store in the Historic Park, whether they were done at once or by phase. Ms. Lowart advised that, in terms of the environmental documents that needed to be done as part of the Specific Plan and/or General Plan, the Master Plan for the Historic Park should done before the environmental documents so that it would not have to be done twice. City Attorney Silver discussed what information would be needed for the environmental documents and advised that the type of park and approximate acreage, as well as what types of facilities would be included. The level of specificity did not have to be great. Mayor Lockhart asked if the Consultants would want change any design elements if they knew the Green Store was attached to it, such as an arch to bring the two sites together. Ms. Lowart advised that Staff would need to talk to the Consultant about blending, which could change the scope. City Manager Ambrose asked if it was Council's intention to keep the proposed theater in the project. The Council, by consensus, advised no. It was very expensive and did not have revenue generating potential. City Manager Ambrose clarified if the Historic Park Master Plan needed to move forward first. City Attorney Silver stated that a general idea of the type of improvements and how the park would be used was needed, but they do not need the level of specificity that was contemplated by the master plan process. Ms. Lowart indicated that what was presented to the Council, minus the theater and including the Green Store, was where the Council was headed. However, in her opinion, more work needed to be done just to make sure the conceptual plan was what the Council was interested in. The Master Plan process did not need to be completed. CITY COUNCIL JVHNUTES VOLUME 24 SPECIAL MEETING November 18, 2005 PAGE 435 www.d.dublin.ca.us City Manager Ambrose asked the Council would like the Consultant to look at some additional options to bring back to the Council. Different options other than a theater . might be good idea. By consensus, the Council concurred. City Manager Ambrose advised that it would need to be finalized first before the survey. Ms. Lowart advised that Staff could return to Council with different options by January or February 2006. The Council agreed that it should be done in time for the survey to take place well before the deadline to place the issue on the November 2006 ballot. City Manager Ambrose recapped the Council's direction. 1) Look at other options for theater component on the Historic Park area; 2) Add the Green Store parcel to the Historic Park planning consideration and Specific Plan; 3) Begin search for a consultant to complete the survey; and 4) Defer taking any action on the Recreation and Aquatics facilities until after survey was completed. If survey polling came back showing that residents were willing to approve a tax, place the issue on the November 2006 election ballot. If not, be ready to move forward with phasing plan. By consensus, the Council concurred. . City Manazer Ambrose clarified that the Consultant selection should begin in February 2006. The Council concurred. City Manager Ambrose asked, in terms of operational subsidy issues, if the Council agreed that Staff was heading in the right direction by revising fees, eliminating the PIO position for the time being, etc. The Council concurred that the steps proposed by Staff were acceptable. City Manazer Ambrose asked if Council would like Staff to look at another approach to aquatics standards to see whether or not that would general additional funding. CITY COUNCIL MINUTES VOLUME 24 SPECIAL MEETING November 18, 2005 PAGE 436 w"ww .d.dublin.ca. us . . The Council concurred that if there was a better system that was fair to everyone, it should be considered. .. Copies of the Power Point presentation were distributed to the City Council, Staff, and attending members of the public and press at the special meeting, and a copy of the Power Point presentation, serving as the Staff Report, will be incorporated into the official City records. Copies will also be included, for informational purposes, in the agenda packet distribution for the regular City Council meeting of December 6, 2005. .. ADJOURNMENT l There being no further business to come before the Council, the special meeting was adjourned at 5:30 p.m. to the regular meeting December 6, at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chamber located at 100 Civic Plaza. Mayor . A TrEST: . City Clerk CITY COUNCIL MINUTES VOLUME 24 SPECIAL MEETING November 18,2005 PAGE 437 MVW .ci.dublin.ca. us