Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-27-1996 City Council Minutes MINUTE8 SARATOGA CITY COUNCIL TIME: Tuesday, February 27, 1996 - 7:00 p.m. PLACE: City Hall Administration Meeting Room, 13777 Fruitvale Ave. TYPE: Adjourned Regular Meeting/Joint Meeting with Parks and Recreation Commission 1. Roll Call City Council Members Present-Mayor Jacobs, Vice Mayor Moran, Councilmembers Burger and Tucker Park and Recreation Commissioners Present-Chairman Clark, Commissioners Crotty, Dutra, Swan, Weiner, Whitney Staff Present-City Manger Peacock, Public Works Director Perlin, Recreation Director Pisani, Parks and Buildings Maintenance Superintendent Rizzo 2. Report of City Clerk on Posting of Agenda The City Clerk reports that pursuant' to Government Code 54954.2, the agenda for this meeting was properly posted on February 23. The notice of adjournment from the February 21 Council meeting was properly posted on February 22. Parks and Recreation Commission Items 3. Park Planning Parameters from City Council 4. Park and Recreation Facilities Desired Need List Mayor Jacobs asks if there are any questions from the Commission regarding the parameters document forwarded to them from the Council or if there are any questions from the Council regarding the needed and desired facilities list and the task force process document forwarded to them from the Commission. Councilmember Burger asks about the Task ForceProcess-will the Task Force select the community members. The reply from Chairman Clark is that it is intended that the Commission and Council members of the Task Force would select the public members based on an application process but that those selected will not represent any special interest in terms of parks and facilities, input from specific interests and interest groups will come through the focus group process as outlined in the Commission's document. Mayor Jacobs indicated that he felt that a municipal swimming pool is a questionable need for Saratoga. The Commission indicated that is was listed very low on the priority~list. Vice Mayor Moran suggests that, in terms of developing multi-purpose activity space, the option of using school facilities should be thoroughly explored before determining the need to build new facilities. Vice Mayor Moran asks what the Commission's intended time frame iS to have the Task Force and the Focus Groups complete their work and have a report back to the City Council. The Commission responds that they feel the work can be done in two months provided the City Council approves the proposed process this evening. By consensus the City Council endorses the Parks and Recreation Commission's proposed process and priorities document. The City Manager was instructed to have staff resources committed to assist in the process as necessary. It was clarified that the Task Force meetings will be public. The focus groups will meet on a Saturday. The Commission is hoping for up to 150 participants in the focus groups. It will be the function of the focus groups to answer basic questions posed by the Task Force. City Council Minutes 2 February 27, 1996 The Commission will be meeting next Monday evening to develop a schedule for the Task Force aHd the Focus.Groups. Bill Sheridan, a resident near~Kevin Moran Park, asks when the City is going to get rid of the old orchard trees in the undeveloped portion of the park since they are f~ll of termites and cause problems for neighbors instead of harassing him with code enforcement complaints. Mayor Jacobs thanked him for His comments. 5. Youth Commission Survey and High School Saturday Night Program Recreation Director Pisani announced that this program will start on March 9th and be called the "boneyard", as suggested by the Youth Commission. The Warner Hutton House will be open from 9 PM to 1 AM for teens of high school age. Sheindicated that the error in the Saratoga High School Falcon newspaper about the opening has been corrected by a retraction. Use of alcohol and other drugs will not be allowed by anyone frequenting the "boneyard". 6. Future Options for Use.of the Warner Hutton House The City Council indicates that the use of the House needs to be part of the overall facilities plan for recreation in the City. They prefer to keep it as a multi-purpose use facility for the City rather than having it be used as office space for an outside agency such as ALTRANS. Mr. Blaylock of ALTRANS indicated that his organization is looking for a type of store front operation for Transit Activity Centers to assist people in using alternative transportation to single occupancy vehicles. Such an office would be staffed on a full time basis with a space need of about 1,500 square feet. Given the current use of the House, of which he was unaware, he is withdrawing his request at this time. Commissioner Swan reports that:she has been contacted by several people about finding a place for an assisted community garden and the locations which have been mentioned are at Oak Street School, at the Heritage Orchard across from the Warner Hutton House, and in conjunction with the effort in Monte Sereno to save an old dairy farm. The City Council suggests that efforts not be directed toward Monte Sereno pending that City's decision on the future of the dairy. Otherwise the Commission should feel free to entertain possibilities such as at a school, if the school wishes to cooperate, or the Heritage Orchard, or other existing park site. Other Items 7. Cable Television Franchise - Request for Transfer of Ownership It was moved by Councilmember Burger, seconded by Councilmember Tucker and passed 4-0, to approve the transfer agreement negotiated by the City Manager as presented to the City Cou~cil this evening. 8, Public Safety Commlssio~ Agenda Items for March 12 Joint Meeting The City Council indicates that they wish!to have two items added to the agenda for that evening, 1) Scheduled Training Events by the County Emergency Preparedness Commis'sion for April 1996, and 2) Saratoga Avenue Traffic Problems and th~ Consultants report on same. 9. Consideration of Staff Proposal to provide Landscape Maintenance Services to Saratoga Union school District The City Council authorized staff to proceed to develop a contract for services with the Saratoga Union School District to provide turf mowing at Redwood School for a fee of $800 month. 10. Agency Assignment Reports Councilmember Tucker reports that the Cities Association is interested in the privatization legislati6n proposed by the City. She indicates that San Jose has prepared a general report on the subject. City Council Minutes 3 February 1996 Councilmember Burger reports that the tree planting, which was postponed because of wet weather last Saturday has been rescheduled for this Saturday, weather permitting. Mr. Rizzo is requested to check with the tree planting experts on Thursday to see if this Saturday is a go or no go and to inform everyone if the event needs to be postponed for another week. 11. Request by Jack Mallory to Oppose Granting a General off Sale Liquor License at stop N save at Seagull and saratoga/sunnyvale Road Mayor Jacobs indicates that the purpose of continuing this item from the meeting two weeks ago was to allow the business owner an opportunity to present his views to the Council before the Council considers Mr. Mallory's request. That being the case he would like to hear from the owner first rather than from Mr. Mallory again as the Council is already aware of Mr. Mallory's position stated two weeks ago. John Giakapoor, representing the store owner, indicates that the store wants to be able to sell liquor as a convenience for its customers. The store is well stocked with a variety of goods, that 80 % of the floor space is devoted to items other than alcoholic beverages. The owner, is willing to have a condition placed on the store that it will not become solely a liquor store nor that it would be sold that way to any future owner of the business. Mary Helmers, Seagull Way states that she is concerned about this store being a hang out for teens who then leave the store via Seagull, speeding down the street. She is concerned that if liquor is sold that things will only get worse if the teens have been drinking. Councilmember Burger inquires as to what steps the business takes to · prevent drinking in the parking lot and whether someone patrols the area for the business. Jack Kapoor, the owner of the business, replies that he is required by his ABC license to police the grounds around the store and to call law enforcement officers if anyone is violating the regulation against consumption of alcoholic beverages on the premises, but he has no one who is patrolling the parking area to do that, it is done by the person in the store. Mayor Jacobs inquires as to the hours of business for the store. Mr. Kapoor responds that the business could stay open 24 hours a day but it can not sell alcoholic beverages between the hours of 2 am and 6 am under state law. As a result the business is closed those hours. Mr. Kapoor indicates that he intends to keep this store as a neighborhood store, not to convert it into a liquor store. He is seeking the general off-sale license only as a convenience to his customers and so that he can compete with stores like Safeway and Longs which also sell liquor. Mr. Mallory indicates that this is an issue of community acceptance as to what is acceptable to the community and what isn't. This store has a collection of hard-core pornography on the premises. He and his neighbors do not want a liquor store at this location. Mayor Jacobs indicates that he would support a letter of concern being sent to the ABC about allowing more liquor sales premises in the City in general. Mr. Mallory indicates that in its grant of the beer and wine license in March of 1993 the ABC ruled that issuance of a general off-sale license at this location wold be detrimental to the public morals. Nothing has changed to have that determination modified. Vice Mayor Moran states she agrees with Mayor Jacobs. It would be inappropriate at this time to support the application for a general off-sale permit when the City is in the process of determining how to upgrade this commercial area of the City and what the appropriate mix of businesses should be in the Gateway Commercial Area, of which this is a part. The City Council has now heard from both the neighbors and City Council Minutes 4 Februar~ 1996 the owner of the property and the citizens have expressed concerns which the Council should suppdrt. The City Council agrees to Ihave a letter sent over the Mayor's signature to the Alcoholic Beverages Control Board expressing its opposition to the granting of ~ general off-sale permit and the reasons therefore. Mr. Mallory states that he isl also concerned about a new restaurant which has opened up in this part of the city which has its windows plastered with neon signs. He thinks these should not be allowed. The Council thanks Mr. Mallory for=bringing this matter to their attention and asks that this matter be agendized for discussion in two weeks. 12. Self-Evaluation of Previous Meeting The Council members report that they received much positive feedback on the way the Odd Fellows master plan hearings were conducted. However, the Council felt that it should have had the architect show his drawings and elevations of the proposed project as a "show-and- tell" item for the community as that is the only way many people will ever get a chance to see what is proposed since the Council meetings are televised and video-tapedi This should be kept in mind in the future. The Council members remarked that the Planning Commission should be commended for the outstanding job it did in reviewing the Odd Fellows project and in working with theneighbors to address concerns about the project and that they should be recognized by the Council for such an outstanding effort. The Mayor was delegated the task of preparing a letter to that effect to the members of the Commission and to seek publication in the Saratoga News. 13. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned byMayor Jacobs at 8:50 PM. Respectfully submitted, Harry R. a City Clerk