HomeMy WebLinkAbout4.2 Review of Two-Year Strategic Plan AccomplishmentsSTAFF REPORT
CITY COUNCIL
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Agenda Item 4.2
DATE:August 16, 2022
TO:Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers
FROM:Linda Smith, City Manager
SUBJECT:Review of Two-Year Strategic Plan AccomplishmentsPreparedby:John Stefanski,Assistant to the City Manager
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:The City Council will receive the final status update for the City’s 2020-2022 Strategic Plan.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:Receive the report.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:None.
DESCRIPTION:The City Council adopted the City’s Two-Year Strategic Plan on May 5, 2020. This Plan sets the overall direction for the City, guiding resources and setting specific objectives to drive City action. The Plan coincides with Fiscal Years 2020-21 and 2021-22. This report represents the last of eight quarterly updates, covering the period of July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2022. Updates are categorized as follows: -Complete—Staff was able to achieve the objective.-Ongoing—Staff was able to make progress on the objective, however work will continue as some objectives are multi-year projects or do not have a definitive end. -Stalled—Staff was unable to make progress on the objective due to a given circumstance. Updates for the strategies and objectives are provided below:
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Strategy 1: Implement the City’s Adopted Preferred Vision for Downtown Dublin.Objective UpdateAMake necessary land use changes.Complete.On July 21, 2020,the City Council adopted amendments to the Downtown Dublin Specific Plan land uses and maximum floor area ratio based on the Preferred Vision.B Work with private property owners on acquisitions that result in the creation of a future town square.
Ongoing.City Council adopted a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with American Realty Advisors (ARA) in 2019 for the Dublin Place shopping center. Per the MOU, ARA intends to acquire additional parcels of the shopping center in order to work with the City on the siting of the town square.During this time, ARA hired Hines to help them plan for future development, and they have selected Gensler as their design professional. ARA has submitted a purchase offer to acquire the two parcels and has developed preliminary concepts to align with the Downtown Preferred Vision.C Establish the proposed street grid network, including study of right-of-way acquisition and the appropriate funding mechanism for construction and maintenance.
Ongoing. On July 21, 2020, the City Council adopted amendments to the Downtown Dublin Specific Plan to incorporate the street grid contemplated in the Preferred Vision. The Downtown Action Team continues to evaluate the right-of-way acquisition, cross sections, and the appropriate funding mechanism for construction and maintenance. In fall 2020, the City launched an update to the Citywide Traffic Model to analyze the impacts of the new street grid. Staff has worked with the traffic consultant on 2040 model runs for the new street grid network and determined that additional information was needed at critical intersections. New counts were collected to adjust traffic forecasts at the study intersections. The traffic consultant is currently working on revising the traffic analysis at the study intersections based on the revised forecasts.In addition, progress has been made on the street cross section designs as part of the new street grid network looking at the Downtown Core area.D Conduct a parking analysis of the Transit Oriented District and the Retail District and proposed changes.
Ongoing.CHS Consulting Group, through the City’s primary consultant Urban Field Studio, has started work on the parking analysis of the Retail and Transit Oriented Districts of the Downtown Dublin Specific Plan.
E Create certainty and provide development rights that result in achieving the City Council’s Preferred Vision.
Stalled. Staff will pursue this objective once Hines has been able to complete their master planning process.
F Develop implementation measures for the adopted Downtown Streetscape Master Plan and updated
Ongoing.On November 17, 2020, the City Council adopted the Downtown Streetscape Master Plan. Regional Street was resurfaced and restriped.
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Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan for the next Capital Improvement Program. An existing condition, demographics, bicycle level of stress analysis, and prioritization framework was completed for the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan. Staff presented the Bicycle and Pedestrian Update project to various community groups, at the Farmers’ Market, and through the City’s Social Media channels. Staff is now working on identifying prioritized locations for projects and developing recommendations and an implementation plan while still soliciting public input via the City website, social media, and the project website (https://dublinbikeped.org). The City Council will review a draft Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan in August 2022 with the final version being adopted later in Fall 2022. G Market, in conjunction with property owners, the opportunity sites. Ongoing. Recent examples of working with property owners include the repurposing of the vacant Hooter’s parcel, the repurposing of the vacant retail strip center into an affordable housing project with Eden Housing, the re-tenanting of the former OSH site with H Mart, the repurposing of the vacant BART parcel into an affordable housing project with BRIDGE Housing, and the re-tenanting of the former Fitness 2000 with ACE Hardware.H Work with Downtown property owners on updating the CC&Rs to facilitate retail transition.
Stalled. Staff has been working with the Dublin Plaza Retail Center property owners to amend their CC&Rs. A draft of the changes was shared with them for review. After further consideration by the property owners, they decided to pause on any amendments until they have more clarity on future development opportunities.I Work with Downtown property owners on building/site improvements.
Ongoing. Staff is currently working with Kimco Realty on the re-tenanting of the OSH site with H-Mart.Staff continues to work with the Dublin Place Shopping Center property owners on an amendment to the Master Sign Program to rebrand and add new signage to the Center. Avalon Bay processed a Building Permit application to construct the 499-unit St. Patrick Way project and related public improvements including the extension of St. Patrick Way to Regional Street.BRIDGE Housing received Planning Commission approval on August 10, 2021, for a Site Development Review Permit to construct the 300-unit affordable project, known as Amador Station, on Golden Gate Drive adjacent to the West Dublin/Pleasanton BART Station. On September 7, 2021, the City Council approved the Community Benefit Agreement for the Amador Station project.EDEN housing received Planning Commission approval on November 23, 2021, for a Site Development Review Permit to construct a 113-unit senior affordable housing project on Regional Street adjacent to the Avalon Bay project. On December 7, 2021, the City Council approved the Community Benefit Agreement for this project.J Refine and provide specificity on City development goals in the Complete. A memorandum was delivered to the City Manager.
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Downtown Plan and East Transit Center Area Plan. Strategy 2: Explore New City Revenue Streams for Long Term Financial StabilityObjectiveUpdateAExplore the feasibility of increasing the City’s current Transient Occupancy Tax.
Stalled.Currently infeasible with COVID-19 impacts.
B Evaluate the establishment of other fees and/or taxes that could offset City costs in providing services to the community.
Ongoing. Staff established fees for:
-The new Adopt-A-Bench program, where a bench can be adopted in honor of a family member, friend, or organization.
-Remote (online) programs and classes, outdoor fitness classes, and the L.I.V.E n’ Rec Program in response to COVID-19-related restrictions.
-The Heritage Memorial Program, which is expected to generate over $100,000 in revenue.
-The rental of outdoor basketball courts to allow for commercial use and private programming, as well as the rental of kitchens in City facilities.C Explore operational efficiencies in delivering services with other public agencies.
Ongoing. The City worked with the County and the cities of Livermore and Pleasanton on the creation of AXIS Bridge –the Mental Health Urgent Care Center Pilot. The three cities submitted and received an $450,000 federal earmark for additional program funding. The City worked with the County, the cities of Livermore and Pleasanton, and Stanford-Valley Care on the development of a Super POD COVID-19 Vaccination Site located at the Alameda County Fairgrounds. Parks and Community Services partnered with Livermore Area Parks and Recreation District to provide certification instruction to aquatics staff, which enables them to become certified lifeguard trainers to provide in-house certification classes.Staff is coordinating with neighboring cities to launch a regional, temporary public art project that will span the Tri-Valley. D Continue to maintain strong fiscal policies.Ongoing.Fiscal Year 2021 closed in a surplus position, and on October 19, 2021 the City Council approved additional special designations to provide funding for planned projects.In October 2021, the City issued the 2021 Lease Revenue Bonds (roughly $20M) to finance Energy Efficiency capital improvement projectsapproved by the City Council. Due to the City’s strong fiscal policies and budgetary performance, S&P Global Ratings assigned an ‘AAA’ issuer credit rating to the City and an ‘AA+’ bond rating on the Dublin Financing Authority’s bond issuance. The City Council adopted the budget for Fiscal Years 2022-23 and 2023-24 on June 7, 2022. The primary goals addressed in the budget cycle are: 1) to
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fully fund current City operations; 2) to fund future capital endeavors now through the setting aside of specific reserves; and 3) maintain adequate operating reserves over the long term. The General Fund Budget is balanced in both years and the 10-Year Forecast shows projected surpluses through Fiscal Year 2028-29.Strategy 3: Create More Affordable Housing OpportunitiesObjectiveUpdateAFacilitate production of affordable housing for lower income seniors, workforce, and special needs households by leveraging the Alameda County Measure A-1 Bond funds and the City’s Affordable Housing Fund.
Ongoing.On July 17, 2020, Staff released a Notice of Funding Availability for the creation of affordable rental housing. The City received two proposals, both of which were presented to the City Council on November 17, 2020. The proposal by BRIDGE Housing was selected for a site located on Golden Gate Drive adjacent to the West Dublin/Pleasanton BART Station.On April 20, 2021, the City Council adopted a resolution appropriating $7.1M from the City’s Affordable Housing Fund and authorized the commitment of $2.9M of the Alameda County Measure A-1 Bond Fund. On August 10, 2021, the Planning Commission approved the Site Development Review Permit for the 300 affordable units. On September 7, 2021, the City Council approved the Community Benefit Agreement for the Amador Station project.Staff facilitated Eden Housing’s acquisition of a 1.3-acre site on Regional Street from Avalon Bay as required by the Community Benefit Agreement for the 499-unit St. Patrick Way development. Eden Housing proposes to construct a 113-unit senior affordable project on the site. The City Council reserved units from the Downtown Development Pool for the project and authorized the commitment of $5.0M in Alameda County Measure A-1 Bond funds for the project, as well as $3.3M from the Local Housing Trust Fund.On November 23, 2021, the Planning Commission approved a Site Development Review Permit for Eden Housing’s project. On December 7, 2021, the City Council approved a related Community Benefit Agreement.On January 25, 2022, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors approved the City’s request and adopted a resolution committing $2.9M to the Amador Station/BRIDGE Housing project and $5M to the Eden Housing Regional Street Senior Affordable Housing project, from Dublin’s Base City Allocation of Measure A-1 Bond Funds.The City submitted a Local Housing Trust Fund Program grant applicationfor $3,333,333 for Phase 1 of the BRIDGE Housing project to be located on the vacant lot adjacent to the West Dublin BART Station at 6501 Golden Gate Drive.
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B Look for additional opportunities to facilitate the acquisition of sites, at low or no cost, to build housing that is affordable to lower income households.
Ongoing.The City received $3,333,333 in grant funds from the State of California’s Local Housing Trust Fund (LHTF) Program for the Eden Housing project.Staff coordinated with the developer of the St. Patrick Way project regarding the acquisition of the adjacent parcel on Regional Street for development of an affordable housing project by Eden Housing.Staff is working with Alameda County to sell a portion of the Transit Center D-1 parcel to Eden Housing for an affordable housing development.Staff worked with Trumark Homes to dedicate two acres for a future affordable housing project that would provide 77 units of very low/low-income affordable rental housing. Staff is working with the County on the purchase and sale of the remainder D-1 site at the Dublin Transit Center for an affordable project. C Facilitate the production of accessory dwelling units throughout the community.
Ongoing.In November 2020, the City Council adopted Zoning Ordinance Amendments and approved related Impact Fee reductions to relax development standards and restrictions, and to address changes to state law to facilitate the production of accessory dwelling units. On December 7, 2021, the City Council adopted a waiver of certain permit fees for ADUs <750 sq. ft. and for deed restricted ADUs >750 sq. ft. for lower-income households.The City prepared eight different ADU prototype plans and an ADU Manual that serves as a how-to-guide for individuals looking to build an ADU. The City also launched an ADU webpage with this and additional information and resources. The webpage is a one-stop shop to facilitate the production of ADUs. D Seek opportunities to preserve the stock of housing that is affordable to moderate- and middle-income households.
Ongoing. In September 2020, the City became a member of the California Community Housing Agency (CalCHA) Joint Powers Authority for the production, preservation, and protection of essential middle-income rental housing, and authorized the City Manager to enter into purchase option agreements with CalCHA for middle-income rental housing. Since that time, the City approved the purchase of Aster Apartments in the Downtown and the Fountains Apartments on Hacienda Drive.On June 1, 2021, the City Council adopted a resolution authorizing the actions necessary to similar acquire the Waterford Place Apartments through the California Statewide Communities Development Authority (CSCDA) to preserve the units as affordable to middle-income households.E Update the City’s General Plan Housing Element in accordance with state law and to ensure an adequate supply of sites to accommodate the City’s Regional Housing Needs
Ongoing.Staff prepared the Draft 2023-2031 Housing Element which was available for public review between April 15 and May 15, 2022. The City Council held a public meeting to review the Draft Housing Element on May 17, 2022. Subsequent to that meeting, Staff submitted the Draft Housing Element to the California Housing and Community Development Department for their state mandated review.The City Council will review the final Housing Element in fall 2022.
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Allocation for the period 2023-31.
Strategy 4: Become a 24/7 City Hall to Enhance Resident and Business EngagementObjectiveUpdateAReduce/eliminate the need for paper transactions where feasible. Ongoing. The majority of external and internal City forms have been transitioned to electronic formats for completion, routing, and signature. This includes Building Permit, Planning, and Business License applications, Public Works permits, and Fire Prevention processes. The Parks and Community Services Department introduced ePACT to afterschool recreation and preschool programs in January 2022, which allows staff to collect data electronically and check participants in and out of programs using contactless methods. Staff continues to evaluate additional processes for transition to electronic formats. B Provide more opportunities for residents to complete transactions with the City online, with appropriate security measures.
Ongoing. Parks and Recreation Staff began accepting online pre-registration for special events, limiting wait lines and reducing physical cash transactions. Staff worked with event partners/vendors to encourage them to utilize applications for ordering items. They implemented Epact software for camps, preschool, and afterschool programs. Parents will be able to complete necessary forms and check students in and out of programs securely online. The Senior Center has transitioned from cash to pre-paid passes and isnow utilizing electronic pre-registration and convenience passes for in-person programming. Staff enhanced The Wave webpages to allow customers to subscribe to Newsflashes and pertinent information. In addition, the online registration process for the popular Lap Swim program has been streamlined to result in a more user-friendly process to reserve lanes.Facility rental applications and Wave Waterpark Admission tickets have transitioned to electronic formats. Staff transitioned the Fireworks application process online. The Community Development Department launched the SolarApp+ which allows for the electronic application and automated issuance of building permits for residential solar panels 24 hours a day, seven days a week. C Enhance citizen online interaction via reporting of issues and transparent data.
Ongoing.On September 1, 2020, the City Council approved an agreement with OpenGov for financial transparency, budgeting, and citizen engagement software.In May 2021, the City launched See, Click, Fix,a new citizen request and City work management software, which includes a City-branded app for mobile devices.
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The City added closed captioning to City Council and Planning Commission meeting recordings to enhance the accessibility of such videos while also allowing the public to search for terms in the captions. The City’s websites are equipped with Audio Eye, which scans the websites for issues related to accessibility. All pages are scanned, and accessibility issues are solved using the tool.D Continue to utilize all appropriate methods to share and exchange information with the public, including social media, at events and at the City’s website.
Ongoing.Staff expanded the use of Facebook to share all news and business of the City. Additionally, the City is increasing the use of videos shared on all social media platforms and the City’s website. Examples include public service announcements (PSAs) from the City Council, a disaster preparedness video by the former Mayor,a replay of several “Community Conversations” that were held during the start of the Pandemic, and videos in remembrance of Ilene Misheloff. The City completed a redesign of the City’s website, following consultations with a focus group, which included City staff and active residents. While the elements of Dublin’s brand are still prominent, the website has been streamlined, making it easier for users to find key information. Staff continues to manage the Document Center to ensure the search function works properly. A Website Committee has been created to ensure that the site remains current.Staff continues to utilize existing programs and events to cross-promote other city events and activities. This also provides opportunities to target specific markets and demographics (i.e., promoting hiring and family events at the Senior Information Fair).The Planning Division instituted informational community meetings for major development projects. A new “notify me” list was created where interested parties can be notified of these meetings which are also published on our social media channels.A Dublin Police Annual Report was completed in Fall 2021. Parks and Community Services Staff are now utilizing the text message feature in the City’s recreation software (Active Network) to textprogram information to customers.The Wave utilized paid marketing to promote the Job Fair through Snapchat and Facebook. The advertisement included an apply-now button which takes them directly to the relevant webpage. Total reach was 225,000 individuals with 1,900 swipes.The Parks and Community Services Department began utilizing the “text” feature within the Active Net Registration system as an additional means of communication for activity changes and cancellations, in addition to traditional e-mail notifications.
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E Explore additional social media platforms and expanding use of Facebook to other departments.
Complete. Staff has merged all the previous City Facebook accounts (other than The Wave) into one City of Dublin government account.Additionally, Staff transformed the former Parks and Community Services Instagram account into a City of Dublin account.F Explore more exciting and user-friendly presentation of information, and a periodic report from the City Manager’s Office.
Complete. The City launched the Backyard Brief, the City Manager’s new monthly email newsletter.
Strategy 5: Large Land Tract Development and Open SpaceObjectiveUpdateALook to establish an Economic Development Zone to prioritize commercial and industrial development east of Fallon Road.
Complete.The City established the Economic Development Zone in 2021.
B Work with the area property owners in conjunction with the Dublin Boulevard extension project on issues such as road and project mitigation, entitlements, as well as supporting infrastructure.
Ongoing.Staff meets regularly with the property owners surrounding the Dublin Boulevard extension area to discuss issues of roadway alignment and mitigation.The City received National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) clearance from Caltrans in February 2021 for the project. Alameda County Transportation Commission (ACTC) has initiated the 24-month design process. Staff continues to meet with ACTC, Livermore, the County, Zone 7, and other stakeholders in support of the design effort. Staff is reviewing applications submitted by the Branaugh and Righetti property owners, as well as has reviewed a pre-application from the Monte Vista property.C Begin discussions regarding required reporting under the Open Space Initiative of 2014 for the provisions of commercial and industrial development in the unincorporated area.
Complete. City Council authorized the initiation of various studies necessary to meet the obligations under Dublin Open Space Initiative of 2014.
STRATEGIC PLAN INITIATIVE:None.
NOTICING REQUIREMENTS/PUBLIC OUTREACH:The City Council Agenda was posted.
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ATTACHMENTS:None.
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