HomeMy WebLinkAboutJULY 19,1995
I
I
I
"
37:0212
0110 - ';;-0
()7,Q"! ~
-=-c../PC
CITY COUNCIL PROCEEDINGS ARE TAPE RECORDED AND ON FILE IN THE OFFICE OF THE CITY .
CLERK
MINUTES
CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ARCADIA
and the
ARCADIA PLANNING COMMISSION
ADJOURNED REGULAR MEETING (STUDY SESSION)
JULY 19. 1995
The Arcadia City Council and the Arcadia Planning Commission met In an Ad/oumed
Regular Meeting (Study Session) on Wednesday. July 19. 1995. at 5;32 p.m. In the
Conference Room of the City Hall Council Chambers.
ROll CAll PRESENT; Councllmembers Chang. Kuhn, Ulrich. Young. and Lojeskl
PlannIng CommissIoners KaJemklarlan. Kovacic, Murphy, and Daggett
1.
015'0 - 30
On,. .,8
NSP
ABSENT: Planning Commlssloner Bell (arrived at 5:35 p.m.)
Planning Commlssloner Huang (arrived at 5:38 p.m.)
It was MOVED by Commissioner Daggett. seconded by Commissioner KaJemklarlan. and
CARRIED to EXCUSE the absence' of Planning Commissioners Bell and Huang.
OTHERS IN AlTENDANCE:
William R. Kelly, City Manager
Michael H. Miller, City Attomey
June D. Alford, City Oerk
Rick Gomez, Deputy City Manager/Development Servlces Director
Donna Buder. Community Development Administrator'
Mayor Lo/eskllntroduced John Sleeter to the audience. Mr. Sleeter will be swom In as
Planning Commissioner at the next Council meeting.
TIME RESERVED FOR THOSE IN THE AUDIENCE WHO WISH TO ADDRESS
THE CITY COUNCIL
Jim Rostron. 422 Monte Vista Road, stated In part that he has been on the ArcMectural
Review Board for the Rancho Santa Anita Residents Association for nearty 30 years and Is
currently Chairman of the Board. The City of Arcadia Is known as the City of Homes and
Is prtmarily a City of professional people. The Santa Anita Race Track property Is not fully
utilized now, and there Is a need In the City for an aud~orIum suitable for cultural-type
activities. plays, school events, and so forth. However. Mr. Rostron Is opposed to other
types of facll~les which would attract large crowds, especially young people who might
create a great deal of noise or possibly draw gangs Into the area. He feels that an
environmental Impact report should be prepared for any change In development of Santa
Anita Park. Although there Is revenue to be drawn from facilities proposed to be built In the
area, a 25-theater movie complex Is "going overboard." Sk!itlng rtnks, pool partors, stores
.
7/19/95
(J I '>'0 - ..30
O~/;_!;'-~
NSe
2.
0;:.3....- - 10
. ,
37:0213
and shops, and restaurants may not be desirable or appropriate In the area. There are
already a number of restaurants In the City, and there Is a large turnover In many of the
shops at Fashion Park mall which are not attracting customers. So there Is a question of
how revenue-producing any new shops and restaurants may be.
I
Raloh Bicker. 101 White Oak Drive, stated In part that he has been a resident of Arcadia for
over 25 years and has been active on the Highland Oaks Homeowners Association Board
of Directors, and Chairman of the Architectural Review Board for the last eight or ten years.
He stated that he and a number of fellow board members are In agreement with what was
just said by Mr. Rostron.
STATUS REPORT ON THE GENERAL PlAN UPDATE AND PRESENTATION OF
AlTERNATIVES ASSESSMENT REPORT (DISCUSSION ONLY - NO ACTION TO BE TAKEN)
The City Manager announced that this Is the first official meeting of the public policy group
to review the General Plan. He tumed the meeting over to Donna Butler, Community
Development Administrator. Ms. Butler stated that the purpose of tonight's meeting Is to
present a progress report on the General Plan update, and a presentation on the
Alternatives Assessment Report prepared by LSA Associates, Inc., In conjunction with staff.
She Introduced Uoyd ZoIa and Dave Hudson 01 LSA Associates, the consultants who are
working to prepare a General Plan update.
0'
Uoyd ZoIa, LSA Associates, stated, In part, that the purpose of this meeting Is to Inform the
CouncU, Planning Commission, and the public as to the status of the City's General Plan
update, to identify various alternatives, and to set the stage for the next part of the program.
A community meeting was held on May 17, 1995, to gather Information as to what residents I
like about Arcadia and what they would like changed. Mr. ZoIa explained that LSA
Associates, as consultants, will take what they have heard about the community and
translate It Into planning language which the City can use to achieve and maintain the kind
of community It desires. With regard to housing, the consultants must look at what City
zoning wUI permit and what does Slate housing law require. Traffic Is also an Imponant
consideration. Even If nothing new were buUt, traffic on City streets would Increase due to
development In surrounding cities and the Increased traffic on thlt 210 Freeway.
After the identification of the Issues, the second part of LSA's program Is a basic research
report Into the existing setting. This report Is done to provide City decision makers with a
factual basis for making policy decisions. Also, It meets the requirement 01 State law, which
Is to provide a factual basis for the community so that agreement may be reached as to
what Is the starting point. And, the report Is done for what wUI eventually be an
envlronmentallmpact report on the General Plan. From the starting base line, changes
which can be expected over time can be shown with regard to the General Plan.
Mr. Zola noted that It was very clear from the community meeting that this Is a community
where people are happy with their City, and there was very little about It that they would like
to change. That does not mean that nothIng needs to be done In the City. It lakes active
participation and decision making In order to keep the community as It Is and to maintain
Its quality.
.
In looking at land use, the consultants realized that there are very few portions of the City
where any change Is realistic. Mr. ZoIa explained that one of the alternatives which Council
has Is not to change the planned land use. The only exception Is In housing. State
housing laws require every community to accept a fair share of housing for all economic
I
2
7/19/95
I
I
I
ADJOURN-
MENT
ATTEST:
37:0215
communlly workshop: Why did you move to Arcadia-what are the attributes which made
you decide to live here? If you were born here, why do you stay? If you had a magic
wand and could change anythIng, what would you change? How would you describe the
City to someone who had never been here, and how would you like to be able to describe
It? When the General Plan document Is recelved In September, the Planning
Commissioners and CouncUmembers should examine how well It addresses the questions
01 what Arcadia Is and can be, and how Its future Is going to be managed.
Mr. ZoIa suggested that, aver the' next two weeks, Planning Commissioners and
CouncUmembers let LSA know If the consultants should see any areas where they might
look et changes In exJstJng land use or In the existing General Plan, so that they may be
Included In the analysis. Commissioner Daggett asked what the procedure Is to get
Information to the consultants. Mr. Zola stated that any correspondence should be given
to Donna Butler, Community Development Administrator, and she wUI pass It along to the
consultants.
.'
Mayor Lojeskl thanked Mr. ZoIa for his presentation. The City Manager noted that the
Allematlves Assessment Report prepared by LSA Associates Is a public document, and
copies are available at the Planning DMsIon counter and at the City Ubrary for anyone who
would like to review It.
At 6:37 p.m. the Adjoumed Regular Meeting (Study Session) ADJOURNED to
5:30 p.m., Tuesday, August 1, 1995, In the Councl Chambers for a Regular Meeting to
conduct the buslness 01 the City Councl and the Arcadia Redevelopment Agency and any
Oosed Session necessary to discuss personnel, litigation matters and evaluation of
properties. '
the City of Arcadia
~. 'L~~ ~'-'~
J 'D. Alford, C' Cler~
.
4
7/19/95
- -...
37:0214
segments of the community. There Is an obligation under State law for the City to provide
housing opportunities for residents of very~ow-Income households of less than $20,000 per I
year; low-income households up to $32,000 per year; and moderate-Income households up
to $48,000 per year. The City's current housing element adopted In 1990 mandates an
Increase of about BOO new dwelling units over a flve-year period. Studies done since 1990
have shown a housing Increase over the next flve years of 390 dwelling units. In looking
at existing zoning, it was found that 389 houslng units could be built In and around the
downtown area with no change In the zoning and without dealing with the General Plan.
Mr. lola referred to the Alternatives Assessment Report to demonstrate three ways In which
the City could meet its housing obligation under State law. Three configurations are
proposed which would Increase the maximum allowable density of housing In and around
the downtown area. The first alternative creates opportunities for the development of
approximately 680 additional dwelling units; the second, 507 units: and the third,
approximately 570 units. Alternative 2 encompasses the southeriy parking lot of Santa Anita
Race Track. There Is currently an application before the City for a specific development on .'
that property. Mr. lola pointed out that as they go through the General Plan, the
consultants are not approving or denying that specific project. He explained three possible
land uses of the Race Track property: commercial, mixed commercial and residential, and
a mixture of commercial and entertainment use.
Each alternative wUl be studied over the next two months. By late summer the consultants
will have a recommendation, an analysis of the Impact of each alternative, and a General
Plan document and appropriate environmental analysis. All of the documentation will be
brought before the public. Both the Planning Commlsslon and City Council will hold public
hearings. The consultants plan to have the General Plan document In draft form by
September, the Environmental Impact Report available for public revtew In late October, and I
public hearings before the Planning Commission In November and before the City CouncH
In January.
Mr. lola stated that a combination of portions of the three alternatives may be selected and
used together; it Is not necessary to choose Alternative 1, 2, or 3 as presented. State law
requires that seven elements be Included In the General Plan. The areas of land use and
housing have been focused on by the consultants because they are the two which offer
choices. All seven elements will be addressed and updated. Among them are circulation
(movement of people and goods around the community); safety (Including flood and
earthquake hazards); and noise.
The consuitants are looking at long-term land use which best fits the community based on
what they have heard In community meetings; from dlscusslons with staff: and based on
their professional opinion. The community must decide the best way of fitting the required
390 dwelling units Into the City. Mr. lola explained that every flve years the State decides
how many new households will be formed In CaI~omla. The State Department of Housing
and Community Development allocates to the Southem CaI~omla Association 01
Govemments (SCAG) region a specifIC amount, which SCAG Is obligated to allocate In the
next flve years to every community In its region. That number Is broken down into very.
low-Income, low-income, moderate-Income, and above-moderate-income households. The
cities then have a limited amount of time In which to protest the number of housing units
required.
.
In answer to a question by Commissioner Murphy as to what can be done In the Interim
before the General Plan Is presented In draft form, Mr. lola suggested that members of the
Planning Commission and City Council consider the same questions as were asked in the
I
3
7/19/95