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Home My WebLink About07-09-1996 City Council Minutes MINUTES SARATOGA CITY COUNCIL TIME: Tuesday, July 9, 1996 - 7:00 p.m. PLACE: Senior Day Care Center, 19655 Allendale Ave. TYPE: Adjourned Regular Meeting/Joint Meeting with Planning Commission Mayor Jacobs called the meeting to order at 7:05 PM. 1. Roll call Councilmembers Present: Mayor Jacobs, Vice Mayor Moran, Councilmembers Burger, Tucker and Wolfe. Staff Present: City Manager Peacock, City Attorney Riback, Community Development Director Curtis. 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 July 5. The notice of adjournment from the July 3 Council meeting was properly posted on July 3. 3. Renewal of Agreement with Chamber of Commerce through June '30, 1998 (continued from June 11) It was moved by Vice Mayor Moran, seconded by Councilmember Wolfe to approve the agreement as prepared by the City Manager for execution by the Mayor on behalf of the City. Motion passed 5-0. Councilmember Burger requests that the council sub-committee working with the Chamber of Commerce on the agreement to explore compensating the Chamber of Commerce for services rendered by the Chamber of Commerce during the period where no formal agreement existed. The City Council agrees to this request. The sub-committee is to keep the remainder of the City Council informed as to further discussion with the Chamber of Commerce on this subject. 4. Joint Meeting Items Planning Commissioners Present: Chairwoman Kaplan, commissioners Abshire, Patrick and Siegfreid. A. Report of Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road Gateway Task Force Associate Planner White reviews the project process to date including a presentation of the draft Goals and Implementation Measures. He indicates that, if adopted, the next step would be to draft a Specific Plan document for further review and public hearing. Referring to Item #5 under Road and Right of Way Improvements, Councilmember Burger asks if it is intended to place crosswalks at unsignalized intersections (referring either to Seagull or Kirkmont). Planner White responds that this implementation measure would have to be evaluated from a traffic safety standpoint but it is doubtful that a crosswalk would be proposed at an unsignalized intersection. Referring to Item #7 under Road and Right of Way Improvements, councilmember Burger asks what the intent of improving access to Calabazas Creek is. Planner White responds that the intention is to improve and open up the area around the creek as a resting place or an attraction place as a part of the overall streetscape for the area. Referring to Item #8 under Road and Right of Way Improvements, Councilmember Burger asks what is meant by constructing an arch. This leads to a general discussion which results in aconclusion that the statement is intended to portray a desire to have an appropriate architectural statement constructed at the entrance to the City and the statement should be amended to so reflect. This would provide for more flexibility. when implementation is considered. Councilmember Wolfe inquires whether consideration has been given to either shortening or changing the name of Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road. Opinions on this matter are divided, and no definitive conclusions are reached. Referring to Item #1 under Building Deskgn, vice Mayor Moran asks the purpose of this statement. Planner White replies that the purpose is City Council Minutes 2 July 9, 1996 to encourage commercial as opposed to residential development along Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road within the study area. Councilmember Tucker, referring to implementation statements suggests that a statement be included to make it clear that any improvements to be made will be contingent on the financial means of the City, given all of its other obligations. By Consensus the City Council approves the draft document as discussed and authorizes staff to move to the draft specific plan stage of the process. B. Report of Design Review and Development Standards Task Force Community Development Director Curtis reviews the work of the Task Force going back to early 1995, involving both issues of process and regulations relating to residential development approvals. He discusses the possible use of an ARC (Architectural Review Committee) and indicates that as pilot program the Planning Commission has begun to act in such a capacity, but with limited success. The process as envisioned is not Working so far as applicants, rather than using the process on a pre-application basis to get feedback from the Commission on major design issues, choose to use it as a further attempt to lobby the Commission on their project before the application gets to the hearing stage. It is felt that applicants must become better educated as to the intentions of the process and the advantages of getting early guidance to design problems. Staff and the Commission will continue to try and improve the situation. Discussion turns to various proposals regarding development standards as a means to improve the design process and have a more attractive finished product. After a lengthy discussion where numerous points of view are expressed a consensus emerges for the staff to'come up with a general proposal on flexibility for exceptions to the standards as a reward for good design, recognizing that what is considered good design is purely subjective and therefore not amenable to objective criteria. Therefore, good design should be rewarded by allowing for modifications from the strict application of development standards with the exception of impervious coverage limits which are restricted by the general plan. Staff is instructed to prepare recommended amendments and language to accomplish this approach for review at the next joint meeting. C. Joint Discussion of Long-Term Growth Boundaries and Hillside Preservation strategy Planner White reviews the work on the project to date by the County and the participating cities. He reports the County is considering changing its development standards so they are more consistent with the %standards of adjoining cities in terms of such standards as height limits, house size and the like. City Council members express concern that the proposed Growth Boundary limit for Saratoga would exclude the Mountain Winery property and the Villa Montalvo property, both of which are historically part of Saratoga and the remainders of which should be annexed to the City at some future date. Planner White is instructed to change the Growth Boundary for Saratoga to include all of these properties. The remainder of the Growth Boundary proposal is accepted by the City Council. D. Award of Environmental Impact Report contract for Wong/Civitas Subdivision on Comer Drive to Parsons ES It is moved by Vice Mayor Moran, seconded by Councilmember Wolfe to award an environmental impact report contract for the Wong/Civitas subdivision to Parsons Environmental Services as recommended by the staff. Motion passed 5-0. 5. Other Items A. self-Evaluation of Previous Meeting Councilmembers expressed concern that the message concerning funding for the re-opening of the Warner Hutton House may be misunderstood by members of the community. Staff is requested to prepare a press release which makes it clear that funding is to be on a challenge basis; unless the other half of the money needed to operate the Rouse through the end of the 1996-97 school year is raised by the end of Cit~ Council Minutes 3 July 9, 1996 January, the House Will be shut down at that time. Council also expressed a desire to be invited to a future Youth Commission meeting to get a progress report from the members of the Commission on their fund raising efforts. Councilmember Wolfe noted that at the last meeting in June the Council took a number of votes, none of which was unanimous, indicating differing views on various issues, yet all the discussion and debate was done with the utmost respect by the members of the City Council and he feels very good about that. B. Agency Assignment Reports Councilmember Burger reports that the Library JPA budget has been approved and that she attended a recent meeting of SASCC where many questions about Measure G were asked. Councilmember Tucker notes that it has been reported among ABAG cities that many people are having trouble getting earthquake insurance and wonders if the City has received any calls from residents. Vice Mayor Moran thanks Councilmembers Tucker and Burger for attending the Sister City Dinner and representing the City Council and also expresses her thanks to the Cities Association for sponsoring the workshop by Dr. Heifetz. 6. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 9:50 PM. Respectfully submitted,