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HomeMy WebLinkAboutRDA Minutes 042302ROLL CALL: Approved May 14, 2002 MINUTES CITY OF A TASCA DERO COMMUNITY REDE VEL OPMENT A GENC Y TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2002 6:30 P.M. Present: Board Members Johnson, Arrambide, Scalise, Clay and Chairman Luna Absent: None Others Present: Board Secretary Marcia McClure Torgerson Staff Present: Executive Director Wade McKinney, Community Development ,;: Director Warren Frace, Police Chief Dennis Hegwood, Fire Chief Kurt Stone and City Attorney Roy Hanley. APPROVAL OF AGENDA: MOTION: By Board Member Arrambide and seconded by Board Member Johnson to approve the agenda. Motion passed 5:0 by a roll -call vote. COMMUNITY FORUM: None A. CONSENT CALENDAR: 1. Redevelopment Agency Minutes - April 09, 2002 ■ Board Secretary recommendation: Board approve the Redevelopment Agency minutes of April 09, 2002) [Board Secretary] MOTION: By Vice Chairman Clay and seconded by Board Member Johnson to approve the Consent Calendar. Motion passed 5:0 by a voice vote. RDA 04123/02 Page 1 Approved May 14, 2002 B. MANAGEMENT REPORT: 1. Zone Change 2002-0023 - Downtown Zoning Code Text Amendment (Atascadero Main Street Organization) stir° Fiscal Impact: Main St. is requesting the Agency pay the $825 zoning code amendment fee. ■ Staff recommendation: Agency Board provide staff direction regarding Agency sponsorship of Main Street's proposed Downtown Code Text Amendment. [Community Development] Executive Director Wade McKinney gave the staff report and answered questions of the Board. PUBLIC COMMENT Sheryle Machado, Chairman Atascadero Main Street Economic Restructuring Committee, spoke on behalf of the Main Street Board. She explained the Main Street Committee's position on this issue and asked the Board to support this Text Amendment. Ms. Machado answered questions of the Board. John McGoff, 9192 Maple Street, felt the original downtown plan was a consensus plan and he does not think this amendment is necessary. Barbara Combs, Chairman Atascadero Main Street Design Committee, and retail storeowner, stated that the Design Committee is working hard to follow the Atascadero Downtown Revitalization Plan, and is concerned that the Board is not willing to follow that Plan in regard to retail zoning. She would like to see a stronger liaison between the Design Committee and City Planning to encourage more retail use in the downtown. Stan Cherry, Atascadero Main Street Economic Restructuring Committee, and President of Santa Lucia Bank, felt if mixed use were not permitted there would not be enough customer draw in the downtown. He feels there must be activity in the downtown before retail businesses will come and without mixed uses it will be difficult to generate that activity. Glenda Wright, Executive Director Atascadero Main Street, just returned from attending the National Town Meeting on Main Street programs where there was strong support for mixed uses in the downtown. Bob Wilkins, President Main Street Board of Directors, stated the Board supports this request of the Economic Restructuring Committee. Mena Crystal, Atascadero Main Street Board member, and downtown property owner, stated she lost a potential tenant due to the unpleasant experience he encountered in trying to locate his business in the downtown, and it took six months before she could rent that space. As a property owner she feels it is unrealistic to expect office uses to locate on second floors when very few of these exist, and she is in support of the Text Amendment. RDA 04/23/02 Page 2 Approved May 14, 2002 Bill Bright, 11875 Santa Lucia, stated he does not support the proposed Text Amendment. He fears that if office space is permitted in the downtown it will attract other offices and eventually the entire area will be given over to office uses. Erich Koberl, Carlton Hotel, Main Street Board member, said that Main Street represents downtown business and property owners and they support the proposed Text Amendment. Michael Sherer, downtown business owner, stated that zoning an area Retail would not necessarily make retail come to that area. He stated the CUP and permit processes are too difficult and time consuming for prospective tenants, he would like to see a fast track process for the town. Glenda Wright, Executive Director Atascadero Main Street, shared remarks she heard at conferences she recently attended; 1) since the events of September 1 1, retail sales have experienced a large negative impact, however this has not been the case in downtown areas where there has been a resurgence of consumer activity, and 2) 65% of sales are impulse shopping, therefore any pedestrian traffic brought into the downtown opens the door for additional retail sales. Chairman Luna closed the Public Comment period. Board Member Arrambide stated that he would support directing staff to look into this proposal; however he feels allowing office space where retail is preferred is a mistake. Board Member Johnson asked if the Board changes the conditions in the CUP process, would they also have to change the zoning text. Community Development Director Warren Frace responded, that the conditions of the CUP are part of the zoning ordinance. What Main Street is asking is to have the entire section dealing with performance standards for offices deleted and simply make it a flat permitted use anywhere in the downtown requiring only a business license. Board Member Scalise stated she supports the proposed Text Amendment because she believes in the market determining the direction the downtown will take. She would like the Planning Department to have the capacity to place items like this on the fast track by eliminating the CUP's. Vice Chairman Clay stated that he would like to see the CUP's relaxed to make it easier to fill vacancies in the downtown. Chairman Luna indicated that if the Board were going to change the CUP process anyway, they should give staff direction as to what interim uses are going to be and how foot traffic would be measured or would the provision be eliminated. The other alternative would be to eliminate the CUP process. Board Member Johnson stated he wants to head in the direction Main Street wants but he feels the City must be sure that at the 10 year window, they look closely at RDA 04/23/02 Page 3 Approved May 14, 2002 what goes into the downtown, and he feels the CUP process might give them that flexibility. MOTION: By Board Member Johnson and seconded by Board Member Scalise to submit the Zone Change as listed, have staff submit this to the process of Zone Change, and pick up the fee of $825.00. Board Member Arrambide indicated that he is in support of the Motion, but he feels if the Board is to be lenient with this restriction it could be for reasons of incubator type businesses or it could be a geographic assignment, i.e. above Traffic Way. He suggested those types of parameters come back with the staff report. MOTION: By Board Member Johnson and seconded by Board Member Scalise to submit the Zone Change as listed, have staff submit this to the process of Zone Change, and pick up the fee of $825.00. Motion passed 5:0 by a roll -call vote. C. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR REPORT: Executive Director Wade McKinney stated the City continues to work on downtown public improvements with the Main Street Design Committee and Board of Directors. Additionally, the City is preparing to do maintenance improvements on the current parking lot facility off of Traffic Way north of Palma. Executive Director McKinney explained the issues concerning the Clinton property. (Attachment A) Board Member Arrambide stated that the Main Street Design Committee has done an outstanding job in bringing forward some very significant projects including consideration for median development and off-site improvements around the Carlton. He asked staff to send a letter to Main Street acknowledging the fact that we understand they are at the point of presentation and are waiting to see their presentation. Chairman Luna agreed. Executive Director McKinney responded by explaining that at the last Agency Board meeting Board Member Clay had mentioned, and he believed there was consensus, that the Board wanted alternatives based on the sidewalk design and wanted to see the alternatives Main Street had looked at and potential alternatives for the Board to consider. There was Board consensus in agreement with Mr. McKinney's comments. RDA 04/23/02 Page 4 Approved May 14, 2002 D. CLOSED SESSION: 1. PUBLIC COMMENT - CLOSED SESSION • 2. Call to Order a.) Conference with legal counsel - Pending litigation (Govt. Code Sec. 54956.9) Diamond v City of Atascadero b.) Conference with negotiator over real property. (Govt. Code 54956.8) Negotiator: City Manager Wade McKinney Negotiations will include price and/or terms of payment. Property: Miscellaneous parking easements located between EI Camino Real, Traffic Way, Palma Ave., and Entrada Ave. 3. Adjourn 4. CLOSED SESSION REPORT City Attorney Roy Hanley announced there was no reportable action taken. E. ADJOURNMENT: Chairman Luna adjourned the meeting at 8:00 p.m. to the next regularly scheduled meeting on May 14, 2002. MEETING RECORDED AND MINUTES PREPARED BY: Marcia McClure Torgerson, Board S retary Attachment A — Clinton Property RDA 04/23/02 Page 5 Attachment: A Ats. City Council Mtg. April 23, 2002 Community Redevelopment Agency of Atascadero Executive Director's Office Clinton Property RECOMMENDATION: Information only, Board may direct future effort. DISCUSSION: At the April 9, 2002 Redevelopment Agency meeting, the Board requested staff to report on the status and future options for the "Clinton" property. The property is located at the northeast corner of El Camino Real and Entrada Avenue in downtown and is owned by Stan Clinton. Mr. Clinton lives in Wyoming and has owned the property for many years. Most recently, it housed McCarthy's restaurant and a furniture store. The property is currently vacant; the owner had initiated demolition without the appropriate permits. Mr. Clinton filed for the appropriate permits. City staff requested additional information to provide for the permit processing consistent with the California Environmental Quality Act. Mr. Clinton then withdrew the application, stopped work and boarded up the windows. Mr. Clinton has several options. He could do nothing; he could apply for the demolition permit by submitting all of the necessary information or he could revitalize the building for new uses. Of course, he also has the option to retain the property, lease or sell it. Currently it appears that many downtown sites are listed at a higher price than is typical and few sales have occurred. Staff believes this is a result of the investment in downtown by the Carlton as well as the need for parking by the Carlton and other users. As the Carlton is completed and alternate parking facilities secured, land prices may come down. The Agency has fewer options. According to the Redevelopment Plan the use of eminent domain is prohibited on "property that is a conforming use as defined by the Atascadero General Plan and the Atascadero Zoning Ordinance.'? This leaves the Agency in a position of encouraging Mr. Clinton to pursue one of his options or attempting to negotiate a market purchase. Staff is currently working on a Downtown Action Plan as part of the City Council's annual Strategic Planning Program. This project could be prioritized in that effort. 006