City Council

ANTIOCH CITY COUNCIL ANTIOCH PLANNING COMMISSION Study Session February 21, 2006 7:00 P.M. Police Department Community Room Mayor Freitas called the meeting to order at 7:05 P.M., and City Clerk Martin called the roll. Present: Council Members, Davis, Kalinowski, Simonsen, and Mayor Freitas Absent: Council Member Conley Present: Commissioners Brandt, Long, Henry, Travers, and Chairperson Azevedo Absent: Commissioner Delgadillo PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Mayor Freitas led the Council and audience in the Pledge of Allegiance. PUBLIC COMMENTS - None Councilmember Conley arrived at 7:08 P.M. STUDY SESSION (#202-01) 1. “Raising the bar” for design standards and other standards for New Development Director of Community Development Brandt presented the staff report dated February 15, 2006 recommending the City Council and Planning Commission receive and file the report. Mayor Freitas encouraged the Planning Commission to be more independent of staff and require developers to bring higher quality projects to the City. He requested new residential standards address the following: • Storage in residential units • Garage electrical outlets • Garage sinks • Streetscapes • Masonry Walls Councilmember Conley stated he felt it was important new standards be date specific, kept current and backed up by the City Council and Planning Commission. In addition, he noted the City should abide by the new criteria once the standards were approved. He further requested the new residential standards address the location and quantity of hose bibs. Antioch City Council/ February 21, 2006 Antioch Planning Commission Police Community Room Study Session Page 2 of 6 Councilmember Simonsen stated he felt the Homebuilders Association should be included in discussions related to implementing higher design standards. He suggested consideration of a design theme for Antioch. He requested new residential standards address the following: • Updated list for landscaping trees • Avoiding zero lot lines • Varying layout designs • Increasing standards for commercial development Commissioner Delgadillo arrived at 7:30 P.M. Mayor Freitas also directed staff to look at the current commercial development standards and address the following standards: • Parking • Internal circulation • Upgraded treatments • Focus on Brown Fields • Undergrounding of utilities • Landscaping strips in sidewalks Councilmember Simonsen suggested contacting other cities to see how they have addressed design standards and suggested utilizing listserv. Commissioner Henry encouraged developers to increase their contributions for community benefits. He suggested the following standards be addressed: • Provide variety for strip mall and residential design standards • Improve single story plans • Parking and encourage pedestrians in the Rivertown area Mayor Freitas suggested the Planning Commission carefully consider land use tables to determine which uses would be a benefit to Antioch. Councilmember Kalinowski stated he felt it was important to understand the impacts higher standards would have on staff time and costs. He suggested the City consider addressing higher costs through increased developer fees. Commissioner Long stated the General Plan was forward thinking and should be used as a guiding document for implementing increased design standards. She requested the following items be addressed: • Traffic calming Antioch City Council/ February 21, 2006 Antioch Planning Commission Police Community Room Study Session Page 3 of 6 • Streetscape • Seamless changes with upfront information provided to the developers with a timeframe for implementation • Information on projects approved by staff through developer agreements provided to the Planning Commission • Maintaining affordability Councilmember Davis discussed the importance of code enforcement’s role in changing the image of the community. Commissioner Azevedo encouraged Planning Commissioners to work with staff to assure projects coming forward represent a higher design standard for the City. He encouraged developers to be innovative in the designing of projects. Commissioner Brandt voiced her support of establishing a Design Standards subcommittee, noting it would be an opportunity to develop standards for the fine details of a project. She requested the following items addressed: • Sufficient room for garbage cans • Builder installed landscaping • Consistency versus improving commercial/retail designs In addition, she requested the City Council provide the Planning Commission with direction regarding uses appropriate for Master Use Permit lists. Mayor Freitas suggested reviewing the Planning Commission and Design Review Board structure to determine if it was the most affective process. Community Development Deputy Director Carniglia suggested the consideration of acquiring architectural expertise at the staff level. He noted fiscal implications should be considered and costs could be recovered through the review process. City Manager Jakel stated the City would need the resources to back up the improved standards. He summarized support from the City Council and Planning Commission for a Design Standard Committee, with discussion regarding the structure of the process and legal issues related to permitted uses. In addition, they supported Mayor Freitas working with City Manager Jakel and staff regarding a phased report to come to the City Council for review. Mayor Freitas declared a recess at 8:31 P.M. The meeting reconvened at 8:37 P.M. with all City Council and Planning Commissioners present. 2. Recent Trends in Single Family Development Community Development Deputy Director Wehrmeister presented the staff report dated February 16, 2006 recommending the City Council and Planning Commission discuss this issue and provide feedback to staff. Antioch City Council/ February 21, 2006 Antioch Planning Commission Police Community Room Study Session Page 4 of 6 Councilmember Simonsen suggested basing impact-based developer fees on the number of bedrooms per residence. Mayor Freitas questioned how much authority the City had, as well as the legal issues related to increasing impact fees for homes with a large number of optional bedrooms. He expressed concern regarding the impacts to schools, parks and recreational services and parking as well as adequate storage in the designs for these types of residences. Councilmember Kalinowski suggested the possibility of limiting the number of bedrooms in tract homes. Mayor Freitas suggested developers provide a profile of people purchasing these types of residences. City Attorney Nerland stated she felt increasing fees based on impacts would be legally defensible. Commissioner Henry stated any fee increases based on impacts should be clearly articulated to the developers. He suggested clear legal guidance in determining the definition of single and multi-family residences. He noted code enforcement played a role in how neighborhoods were impacted by these types of developments. He suggested a sliding scale of fees based on the number of bedrooms and stated he did not support these types of residences as infill projects. Mayor Freitas stated the impacts need to be considered and mitigation standards in place prior to moving forward with these types of projects applications. He noted police services should be included with the impacts to be considered. City Attorney Nerland stated it would be appropriate to define “structure” of single-family housing. Assistant City Engineer Bernal gave a brief overview of the rental inspection ordinance and rental business licensing tax noting additional information would be coming before the Council in May 2006. Mayor Freitas requested a report to council on those permitted uses in residential zones legally beyond the City’s control such as Section 8, childcare and group homes. Following discussion the City Council and Planning Commission requested staff determine whether or not the City could limit the number of bedrooms per single-family residence, and if not, provide mitigation options. 3. Status report on Future Urban Area 1 Community Development Deputy Director Carniglia gave a brief status report on Future Urban Area 1. Antioch City Council/ February 21, 2006 Antioch Planning Commission Police Community Room Study Session Page 5 of 6 4. Status report on Rivertown Development City Manager Jakel gave a brief status report on Rivertown Development. He informed the Council a conference was scheduled for February 23, 2006 and he would be providing Council with a draft of the development disposition agreement as soon as possible. 5. Other Items for Future Action or Staff Direction Councilmember Kalinowski requested the Council consider a policy to deny all liquor store applications until the concentration has been reduced and is consistent with (ABC) Alcoholic Beverage Control. Councilmember Simonsen requested concentration of fast food stores be considered as well as a discussion regarding landscape maintenance options for the city. Councilmember Conley discussed the need for leveraging funds to improve areas of “A” Street, East 18th and “L” Streets. Mayor Freitas expressed concern the western portion of community did not have critical services. Jim Kyle, Antioch resident, stated he felt the homes on the east side of “A” Street should be removed if businesses were expected to upgrade. Commissioner Long requested a future discussion regarding transportation and a police presentation regarding the areas of Antioch which appear to be unsafe. Commissioner Henry requested a discussion on the expansion of redevelopment in key corridors of the City. Mayor Freitas stated the City Council and Planning Commission would reconvene in six months for an update and continuation of this study session. Ken Lee, Antioch resident, requested the City Council and Planning Commission consider standards for bars, site posting of applications, shopping center directional arrows and angled parking in retail projects. PUBLIC COMMENTS Manny Soliz, Antioch resident, encouraged staff to ask the developer for supporting data of a market for eight bedroom homes. He further suggested the City consider the viability of using imminent domain for redevelopment. He requested a City Council member, City Attorney and a member of the Bright group be invited to attend the conference call meeting with Arcadis. Antioch City Council/ February 21, 2006 Antioch Planning Commission Police Community Room Study Session Page 6 of 6 COUNCIL/PLANNING COMMUNICATION COMMUNICATIONS - None STAFF COMMUNICATION - None ADJOURNMENT With no further business, Mayor Freitas adjourned the meeting at 9:58 P.M. to the next regular Council meeting on February 28, 2006. Respectfully Submitted: L. JOLENE MARTIN, City Clerk Approved: DONALD P. FREITAS, Mayor Attest: L. JOLENE MARTIN, City Clerk