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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-18-1982 Planning Commission Minutes CITY OF SARATOGA PLANNING COM_MISSION MINUTES DATE: Tuesday, May ].8, 1982 - 7:30 p.m. PLACE: Community Center Meeting Room, 19655 Allendale Avenue, Saratoga TYPE: Regular Adjourned Meeting ROLL CALL Present: Commissioners Bolger, Laden, Schaefer and Zambetti Absent: Commissioners Crowther, King and Monia 2. GPA 82-1-B and GPA 82-1-C, Moreland School District, Brookview and E1 Quito School Sites, amend the General Plan Designation from Community Facility-School Site to Medium Density Residential and P'D (Planned Development)Residential respectively. Commissioner Sqhaefer d4.scuSseda previqus meeting with Glen McNicholaS, ~qb". ~.sqne~,-~t 'LU~"'.~hai.~ma~ o.~ ~he~ sctiool Board 0f' Moreland School . 'District), Sa.~y.!.'.~ Ca.r~.s~n-..9~d herself-to' com~ up with options {or' con- "~'de~ti6n 're'on how 'the BZ='ookView :~nd E~. Quito.'~ch~ol S~ sS~dia"~e used.""' l~e ' 'hi~to:ry of' t~&' Br06kview S~ool was di'S~ussed and ..'~e c~nlri'~ee came dp wi~h 'a plan '-{~r '~roxjjra~ef~7'~W~' a~es~'_ ~Ae~'a~r~g~'W0utd"be' dedid~d'~0 '0~en spa~e".or td a plaF field, and may or may not include 'the buildingS. A demand for such an area was felt, but it was not determined how the traffic could be controlled. The area would be properly irrigated and the responsi- bility for maintenance would be 'that of the school. In return, the school would be zoned in accordance with the surrounding area, Rrl-i0,000 It was anticipated it would be four years before the closure of the school and in the interim period there would be no profit generated. The option period in which the agencies or the City would have to consider the school for purchase'would be increased from the normal three month period to .six months. The committee also discussed the possibility of re~ligning the school district line, enabling the students living in the 'SaratOga area to become part of the Saratoga School DiStrict.* This, the 'Committee felt, would impose additional indebtedness to the 'City of Saratoga. Robert Reasoner, Superintendent Of the Moreland School District, · , redefined the school distrmc~s position indicating that the school had, in essence, developed two general plans. The latest plan was devised in September' and pointed out that the district could not justify keeping these 'schools open. He cited the decline in enroll- ment, particularly in the Saratoga area, as the 'primary reason for the 'districts position.. Reasoner' further indicated that the district was in financial trouble and as .such could not afford to continue to lease the school. Reasoner' added it would require $2.9 million to keep the sites' maintained. Adding to the tight financial squeeze would be a penalty imposed by the state on each school site not being used as such.' Further, no moneyzcould be made from the lease because they could only charge lease income and they must keep the'lease income commensurate with the cost of site maintenance, since anything above 'this amount would go to the 'State~ The State is currently allowed to keep 10% more than itrhad been'previously allowed. Reasoner expressed'a desire to work with the community and ~eferred to the recommendations of the AdVisory Committee each claiming that' the 'Brookview School be sold as soon as possible. Reasoner did point Out that the district had tried ~o hold out as long as they financially could in order that they' might preserve the 'open space. Further, Reasoner pointed out the difficulties of leasing the space in lieu of the problems with the use permits. He urged the Commission to take a good look at the regulation, indicating that the district does not want the sites used for anything.other than that which would be com- patible with normal school use. Reasoner expressed concern for the provisions in the present lease agreement which state that the building mGst be available for the community, that it must follow the community service regulations of a normal ~Chool and that the conditions with respect to profit making organizations be related to tutoring fees and finally, these fees must be reasonable and consistent with normal school use. *- It'was d. eci'/j. ed by the re-pr~.~e. ntativ6"from M~e,land School District' i~ ." that.-i.t...avo~'j.d' ~e too difficult at -this time-~: .~ -~Comp.lish. f'~"~" ' ....... . ; ....' ....... :: __'r..:." ._~ __ _ -...~¢. . ~ ._,. '~.l'~... ".. "..-'.' ~"T- Reasoner stressed the fact that Moreland School District is different than the Saratoga District because Saratoga has paid off its property indebtedness and they can use their monies in many ways, while the taxpayers of the Moreland School District are still paying taxes to pay of the indebtedness. He stated if thearea of the Brookview School were zoned'as single family homes, it could generate as much as S90,000 in taxes to the City of Saratoga. Further, Reasoner stat'ed he does not favor a possible change in school boundaries since, as he believes, the transferring of indebtedness from'26neLcity to another is forbidden in Proposition 13. Reasoner referred to his position of leniency when it is the request of the students or parents to change to=the Saratoga School District, but points out the favorable bhsing conditions for those students who do not wish to change districts. In summary, it is the DIStrictS request that the Brookview site be zoned compatible with the surrounding neighborhood with the possibility for open 'space and the possibility of holding the zoning until such time whereas something works out to sell two acres to an agency or group since the City has indicated that it-'is not interested. As for E1 Quito, it is requested'that it, too, be zoned consistent with the surrounding area and since it falls between two areas, it should be zoned half and half. These recommendations, Reasoner feels, would give the City the greatest amount of'flexibility to determine the best use. Residents of the area are concerned with density. It is the intention of the School District to lease E1 Quito site as long as feasible 'and at the point when it is no longer feasible, the District will attempt to work with the_C~y in the sale of about 6.782 acres which is currently being l~ased.to~ the city at $1.00 per year. The assessment would be determined on the basis of zoning and the City could purchase the site for 25% Of the market value. UpQn Commissioner Schaefer ' s request,.. Reason~ r~Clarified 'his_ position -that .-~he tw6,a'e~e" ~r6ei '~as"'h%~"t6 be'~edica~ed,-buC'~ather ~oid"-sin~e ' · .... " '~tS'2'0% o~ t~6 's'~'t~'s'valUe."'R~as0~er estimated a year period in ability to meet maintenance costs. Reasoner did point out that given an increase in enrollment in his district, the increase could be absorbed' in his 15 other locations. These 15 locations are cabable of absorbing 275 more students if necessary. Jim Russell, SaratOga Parkwood~ Homeowners' Association, called it to the Commission's attention that the homeowners in his area were opposed to any changes'in the 'zoning of the Brookview School site. The residents Support the 'Community facility school designation and desire that the School be 'oper'ated~On'a long-term basis for children, education and recreation. While Russell acknowledges that the Moreland School DiStrict has an inter'est in resolving its financial problems, he feels the money'deri.ved from the sale of the s~hool will not benefit Saratoga. Therefore, he 'expressed' the support of his group in the preservation of the Brookview. School. Russell believes, contrary to pk0posals, that the density in the area will 'increase, and given' this projected increase, the school should be operated for the benefit of the children, to meet. their educational and recreational .needs, but must also conform to the heighborhood · standards with regard to noise,.traffic and congestion. Russel condones the 'use of the 'Brookview school by the.r'O.ne~WorldMontessori School}'-but" iS 'against the' Use of th~ sChoOl as a communi~.y center used for a diverse Mr. Asby, resident of Saratoga WOods, referred to a few comments made by Mr. Reasoner, refuting them, and claiming that they were not nec- essarily supported' by the Park group. Citing reference to several letters already on.file with the .'Commission, and cit.~z'. a forced area election, Ashy pointed' out a cons~ensus of the area was to have the school property transferred.. Asby noted that Saratoga Woods represents less than 2% of the Moreland School District, but it carried'.49% of the voters in the-request for such transfer. Asby indicated that maintenance costs for the next four years to be approximately $185,000. He pointed out that the One World'Montessori School leases the property for $50,000 per year' and, thus, the income would surpass the actual rate of the maintenance. Asby made mention of a letter presented by One World Montessori indicating ~hat they desired to continue leasing the property and indicating further that there appears to be no deficit to the Moreland School site by continuing to lease out the site. Asby called the Commission's attention to the opinion of their area's legal C~o~nsei'who maintains, in contradiciton to Mr. Reasoner, that as long as the area represents essentially less than 5% of the assessed valuation of the district, the new Proposition 13 laws do not forbid the transfer of a property to another district. Finally, Asby con- cludes that as long as the school is used for the education of children (not adults, as in dance, karate classes or church, etc.) it is an acceptable use of the school if it is coincident with the maintenance of the site or community use as an open site. Chris Newbound, Chairman of the Board for the One World Montessori, spoke on behalf of his sChool's position expressing a preference'for a multi-use room with a need for'constraining hours. He further addressed the land use issue, indicating that his school is meeting the needs of the community. He stated these need~ may be in jeopardy unless the approval of the City be~secured .to run a profit-making organization. Newbound asked the in~i~lg'~'. ..... ~ the CommissiOn in their future attention to this issue. Susan Zimmer, Moreland School District resident, questioned why as a resident taxpayer of the Moreland School District, she should have to subsidize over a long period of time, the use of this facility by an outside group, when the district needs the m0ney.~to retire the bonding business and to continueia program viable to the district's children. Ms. Zimmer stated she understood that there are many uses that are compatible with the nei'ghborhood, but feels that~th~feare overriding concerns, the 'education of the children in the best possible manner, and she further hopes this would be the concern in the dis- position of the site.' A teacher of an aerobic dance company, interested in leasing from the One World Montessori School, expressed her desire to continue being an asset to the women, children and teens in the area who already participate in her community dance programs. · '~he~..f6rm~ ~resident of'the Moreland ~"~hooi Distri.~t, also.a Saratoga resident'~'indicated that S~ had served on the Distr~ct Property Advisory Committee when it was originally organized to study all of the schools. She recalls a few points made by Mr. Russell and Mr. Anderson that wer'e not qu~te as she remembered them and she addressed these points. ~.~"M~'.~'-C'~'l~0n'.~also defended the move made by the Moreland School'District on January 13, immed. iately following the public hearing, stating that the.timing of t~!e 'appliCation to the City for an amendment to the General Plan was ..c0'inc~'~'~l~'and did not reflect upon the Advisory Committee. "' .~..:!.;.~i~on.'~.~.~f;."Dofnted"'.0'u~' '~hat i~' i'~77" '~h~..~e~t.._use .... for the land were det'ermined to B~,' in '6rae'r"of priority: A school" for the handicapped, adult education, and community centers for senior citizens. Then, as private 'use, per'haps a day care center. The district president does not feel' that the 'City should ask the School District to maintain open space use~. and,'finally, points out that if the residents of an area' wish to.see boundary transfer's and some changes made, they need to work with the'County Commission on School District Organization. Commissioner Laden posed the possibility of combining the tenants of the two schools in a move that might resolve all. Kathy McGoldrick pointed' out that despite 'the feelings expressed by the neighbors to keep the county school where it is, she feels that it i~ only a matter of time before the schools are going to have to close, She further added that the District is desperate for funds and is lacking a tax base. Further, Ms. McGoldrick feels that there. iS no buffer from traffic and development, but when given a choice would opt for single 'family dwelling conshruction. Mike Trapman, President of ~he Homeowners' Association of the Saratoga Parkside, speaking on his own behalf and not that of his organization, indicates that his area--is composed' of newcomers who are, for the most part, satisfied with conditions, but who sympathize with and support the handicapped' program, and who' are concerned with possible future growth and the costs of reconstruction of new schools, should the need arise. Trapman maintained that the proposed subdivision cut out considerable park area. He is concerned with this cutback and feels Parkside is neglected because this is the only park in the northern area of Saratoga and all programs are centered downtown. He stated he would like to see single family 'detached unit construc- tion of 10,000 units, but would settle for a mixture of P-D 6,300 and single family 10,000 with a road subdividing the area into two -,'COmmiSsiOner 'a ' prop0sea that the Ordinance controlling cond.i- .~!".~i°~l_.uSeS'.-i~"R=l ~iS~icts be ~iaced .on.~h~ agenda ~s. soon as. pOSSible ...... ....for modifi6ation to~all6wopro. f!t..making private..'.SChoolS.' The'di~- .g.ussion and vote qn.~h~.'Brookview a~d E1 Qui'to site_was·deferred·'to -Wednesdays meeting in order that definite.~nformation'..from the.neighbors be obt'ained so as ~o determine'wh~t they·"~want to see in' their area. 3. General Plan Amendments for Planning Areas D, E, F, K, and L. Area D Staff called to the attention of'the Commission two letters received. The first b~ing a letter from a Saratoga Parkwoods Homeowners Associa- tion dated'Apr~._2.?, 1982, indicating opposition to .the applicant's° 'Plan review-b.e to.' d~sig~nat~d P-D. The second letter received from Mr. Getreu_s~ated opposition to Margaret RuS~e~.'S. area proposals to have~hat··area designated low density.'~esidential. Staff then outlined the area proposals and stressed the most critical to be: The use of the Brookview site, the Xosich property and a recommendation that a small portion near the railroad tracks and Saratoga Avenue be chang.~ in designation from public use corridor to multi-family residen!tial. Mrs. Russell, Area representative, ~dded that another ~Qnsideration was the possible annexation of the Mobil- station.p~0pe~rty'i Mr. Getreu, planning consultant representing the Kosich brothers, asked that the Commission pay particular attention to the configu~a~ tion of the property and consider planned development, but a~ ~he" very least, consider' the 'status qUo. ..'A'-~re.'~es~ive'0f "the ' cwners "6~ '~he '~obii" station aSke~ that the' ~bii.'!~s~n · .De. allowed'tob~de~elQ_Red.'int0_a garden office'~indic~__tiDgthat he~uld be'ha~Fy Commissioner schaefer sUgg~sted~at '· ~"' 'meet with ~he Homeowners AsSociation and others to discuss a possible solution. The issue was continued to the June 9th meeting. Upon completion of the discussion for Area D, it was found that there was no disagreement with Item 1.' Commissioner Laden asked that I.tem 2 be reviewed again so separate areas would not be different from the 'General Plan recommen'dations.at large. With respect to Item 3, CommissiOner Schaefer' recommended a review because of the economics of what is involved, and because putting money into the corridor itself is still questionable. It was agreed that Items 2-5 would be dealt with later and that Item 6 would be divided into two parts, a and b. CommisSioner Zambet'ti moved' that Hansen School site be restricted' to R-1-10,000. Commissioner Laden seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. Item 7 was determined to already be part of the ordinance and Item 8 would be brought up at ~ later date. CommiSsioner Za~betti moved for the approval of the 11.2 acre site located on the '~b~est corner' of Saratoga Avenue and Cox Avenue remain zoned professional-administrative and that future development of the parcel be restricted to a2single story building, landscaped with adequate screening setbacks'on the street, and that adequate .... i'~.street parking be 'provided. Commissioner Laden seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. More time was requested to collect information on Items 10, 11 and 12. Area E. Staff outlined the area indicating its primary use as medium density residential and defined the critical areas as: The conversion.of the City owned property at'~Cox and Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road from-oa park.'..~' to multi-f. aK~-]~ residential, particularly senior citizens or motel/hotel complex. Several map corrections were outlined by Staff. It was stated if the consensus is to keep the gas station at the intersection of Blauer and Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road, the General plan d¢.signation must be'~hanged from P-D to retail-commercial. The exist-' ..~ngcondominium construction at the southern. tip should also be changed from P-A to multi. family residential. The Parks Commission feels a more central LocatiOn might be better than the one on the corner of Cox. Mr. ToevS, area ~e~r~sentati~.'~U~Stioned. the need 'for a park, questioning. further the appropriate use since there are fewer children and schools are closing. The Commission suggested that further analysis be provided. After discussion about Area E, it.was decided to add "Highway 85, old Highway 9" to Item 1. Item 2 was acceptable as written. Items 3 and 4 had already been completed. The Commission agreed that it should be brought up as an ordinance change that no parking be allowed in the bike lanes on major residential streets in Saratoga. Area F Staff outlined the proposal, indicating the critical land use areas to be: The use of E1 Quito Park~, the use of the Teresi property, and the service station at the corner of Bucknall and Saratoga Avenue.. It was._~tated that if the service stati.Qn.is to be main~a_in?d,.its ~.~esigna~ion shoUl~"'~e '~an~' to ~aiiLcc~rcial. == The'vaCant portion of ~ P~Ul 'Ma~O~-~nery was pr6p0sed to ~e UtiliZed foraging!e ' family residenceS. The traffic issues on Quito were further topics of discussion. The representative from the area indicated that at a Homeowners meeting it was mainta~Ded that the majority of residents wanted a single-family d.eSignation. Ms..~C Gold~iCi_._,_ area repre~entative~ ~al!~..~Q the attention of ~e Commission ~at the. fi~'t part' of °t~e Pb.~ul MasSon'!.~r6.posai was W~teh frustration and that from. the standpoint of the people in the area, they do not want any.'more noise.' Charles Johnson, Plant Manager for Paul Masson Winery, stated he hopes that he has taken care of the noise problem, and outlined for the Commission the 'future plans of his winery. These include only small-scale activities includin~a forthcoming request to change the truck lane.and build a merging lane so that truck traffic pullin~ Onto Saratog~Aven~ewili have~a-lane'witha wider.corner end wiii'='not block traffic. 'The second.projected change-would be to change a four.~'.inch sewer line to an eight inch. sewer line.' Johnson maintained he sees no future development of the adjacent parcel ~ithin.at. least' the next ten years, and if development were ever to take place, it would take the form of an office, additiona~ employee parking, or a light warehouse. Commissioner Zambetti moved that'the property by Paul Masson shall remain zoned as industrial and if there is any change or further de- velopment of the property, the 'owner shall contact the Homeowners' Association. A'consehsus was'reached on the motion. Kathy McGoldrick, commented on the.~,'..'~am~ proper'ty noting that the residents seemed' to favor single-family zoning with no industrial or commercial because 'they are concerned with traffic impacts and the noise impacts. She expressed a peronal opinion stating that the development of this area would affect the 'least amount of people. Commissioner Bolger asked' that the Area provide representation in order that the Commission might be advised as to how they stand on the issue. Mr. Teresi, representing his family, spoke in terms of an easement which creates a barrier to his design flexibility, leading to problems. · with the development of this site. The site has been identified by the Senior Citizen Task Force as an area very suitable for housing because of its proximity to commer'cial and bus access routes. This is why the area is'designated P-D. Area K .-. The Area Representative ,..-GrOg--~eilis'~ '0u~lined ~'~ '~D~2 .... ~i~ussiOn followed on the subject of Heritage lanes. Mr. RobihSon suggested '~hat'Day,~or and McCoy be investigated as possible City arterials. The Commission asked the Area representative if "support" meant economic or emotional, and it was determined the proposal was one that could not be regulated or acted upon, rather was one that depended .~olely on the cooperation of the Area people in the general maintenance of their individual property. It was decided to eliminate the entire paragraph. In Item three, the last~sentence~was rewritten to say "If feasible, left-hand turn lane be installed:on Quito." Area The Area was outlined and the critical areas were pointed out t0 be: The undeveloped parcel of 15.1 acres at-the corner of Fruitvale and Saratoga Avenue (when developed,=should be single-family detached residences); the concern with ~_We~.t.~alley corridor because it runs the entire length of the~area; . .~'.and the residents are concerned with the noise elemen'ti'~f %~e'expressway and are opposed to maintaining it as an expressway. They want low density, resi- dential family dwellings with open space parks and bike trails. The residents are also concerned with the circulation or pedestrians, bicyclists along Quito Road, and they would like better parks along Allendale. Commissioner Schaefer suggested the discussion and comments on Item 13 be brought to the attention of the Parks Commission because one group seems to favor more equipment in the park, and another seems. the status quo equipment is more.than satisfactory. Commissioner-Zambetti moved to approve '~'~"1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11 and 12 and to omit 13 and refer it to the Parks Commission. Commis~ sioner Laden seconded the motion~ The motion passed unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at ll:00~P..M. Director of Pla~.nin~ & Policy Analysis