Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-07-2014 C5 KalkowskiKremke, Kate 'IM: Mejia, Anthony ,it: Friday, October 03, 2014 2:44 PM To: Kremke, Kate Subject: FW: Response to email regarding Terrace Hill Agenda Correspondence for 10/07/14 Item C5. Anthony J. Mejia, MMC I City Clerk ( -111V of SAD l tl'i ourspo 990 Palm Street Sari Luis Obispo, CA 93402 tel 1805,781,7102 From: Marx, Jan Sent: Friday, October 03, 2014 1:09 PM To: Buzz Kalkowski Cc: Mejia, Anthony Subject: RE: Response to email regarding Terrace Hill ocT 0 3 2014 AGENDA CORRESPONDENCE Gate 10 .-7 -1 � Item# c- e> Thank you for your message. I am including our city clerk in this response, so your email can be posted on our website as agenda correspondence for item C5 on next Tuesday's agenda. All the Best Jan Marx Mayor CIf�q '�a 1 1 O r` Sffn LUIS OBISPO Office of the City Council 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 -3249 E jmarx @slocity.org T 805.781.7120 slocity. org From: Buzz Kalkowski [buzdna @charter.net] Sent: Thursday, October 02, 2014 10:17 PM To: Hill, Robert; Lichtig, Katie; Christianson, Carlyn; Carpenter, Dan; Ashbaugh, John; Codron, Michael; Marx, Jan; Smith, Kathy Subject: Response to email regarding Terrace Hill Hi Bob, ` Iiis response is intended to be shared with the Council and the appropriate city staff. Bob, again, thank you for your time, continued interests and responses as well as your detailed information provided below. As with any city -owned property, the Council can work to make any changes desired. It would take public reviews, meetings and time. I recall times when the city was looking at city -owned property that it could possibly sell to help with revenue short falls. The current referred to police patrol increase has its limits. The evidence of negative youthful and or transient activities continues. * The positive use is also rapidly increasing to a level that compares with a city park use, particularly during the evening hours. Terrace Hill is a high -use space with significantly less than the minimal maintenance and desired security patrol. The proposed minor subdivision idea is not critical to the Buena Vista Estates HOA, nor Leland Terrace Town Homes, nor all other homes surrounding Terrace Hill, but they all would be benefit having additional homes with watchful eyes along Bishop Street. Except for one home, the homes along it to the south side of Bishop are well below the street level. Virtually no visibility of frequently occurring less- then - desirable activities exist along this approximate 450 feet of Bishop Street exists, a street in the middle of the city. This long empty street stretch is an on -going invitation to in -city, within established neighborhoods, undesirable activities. As is and is somewhat allowed, it is only a matter of time for significant negative event to occur. VERY IMPORTANT, the revenue that the city could gain from selling two to three lots on this basically unused shelf at the street level base of the hill, could provide the necessary funds to develop and maintain desirable pedestrian trails - including ADA access, and to sustain increased police patrols. Bob, I understand that you, as Natural Resources Manager would like a ADA trail to climb the hill near the water tank and along the west side of the hill. Even with the sale of some of the shelf space (which would not impact the use of the West side of the hill nor the top where people tend to congregate), I believe that ADA access could still be built within a kept twenty -foot wide city -owned access east of the water tank. I would be happy to show and explain how it could be. Lastly, the city approved Tract 926, and the Buena Vista Subdivision. The Buena Vista Estate (BVE) HOA paid significant money (assessments) in 1994 to control hillside soil creep resulting in an extremely steep area, what ws a major cut, from what I have learned, where the once gentle slopping hillside existed (photo). The cut was used for French Hospital parking fill. Judging from the improvement plans approved by the city, two BVE homes are in an area where the natural grade was once approximate thirty -some feet above - before the cut made for the French Hospital parking lot fill. Currently the BVE HOA is investing an additional (again amended upward) $18,000 to stabilize this hillside area above the end of Binns Court. Considerable city -owned hillside exists above this area, which during heavy rains sheets rainfall down on the soil creep area causing further damage. The BVE HOA would like to see the city contribute some maintenance work on the existing retention collector area (clear dirt from the culvert intake for starters), and develop some water flow control methods to divert some of the rainfall sheeting across the large city -owned area immediately above the HOA cut slope and soil creep so that water would then run to the area north, which is not as steep and is heavily covered with trees and shrubs. In addition, a concrete swale on city property above Augusta Court just off of Bishop is filled with silt and empties into a culvert that apparently drains directly into the city's storm sewer system. Hopefully we are within weeks, if not days, of the start of a rainy season with the possibility of storms. It needs to be cleared. The BVE HOA hires and pays for grass cutting within their significant portion of Terrace Hill open space (which the BE HOA might be happy to give to the city). The city mowed the weeds on the city -owned Islay Hill slopes, not any steeper than the majority of Terrace Hill slopes, yet Terrace Hill, completely surrounded by built -out neighborhoods, is in the middle of the city, and given the high number of discarded cigarette butts, is a wildfire waiting to happen. The Association pays for their streets, though Augusta and Binns Courts receive significant public use. Augusta urt is perceived as part of Augusta Street thus receives measurable and often unintended vehicle traffic, and ,ch courts receive significant pedestrian through traffic (the easiest passage to downtown - count the pedestrians and non - resident traffic). We pay the same tax rate as other home owners within the city, yet the city will not even sweep Augusta or Binns Courts - not even including HOA -owned Kristi and Kendra Courts. The city street sweeper passes near on Bishop and Ella Streets. We are an Association of 27 voting households. The Terrace Hill surrounding households are significant in numbers. Please offer your Terrace Hill area citizens' additional community - benefit considerations. Terrace Hill should not continue as a neglected stepchild in the middle of the city. And the users of Terrace Hill appreciate the water bars dug into the access road and some of the clearing just east of the Terrace Hill entry - this past January. Sincerely, F431 U40W44� Buzz Kalkowski Buena Vista Estates HOA President * Note the photo showing miniature liquor bottles and paper cup dumped in the drain (going direct to the city -` ,)rm sewer). I have seen high school age kids carrying a case of beer up Bishop Street after 9 PM several Oks ago. By the time police arrive, from their advantage points on the side of the hill, they dump things and run off. A week ago a lady who lives on Ella Street, picked up seven empty beer bottle on the road -trail that leads up the hill (she dumped the bottles in my neighbor's recycle bin (pick -up day)). She explained that she often picks up empty beer and liquor bottles along and on Terrace Hill. NOTE: SEE PHOTOS BELOW BOB'S EMAIL Robert wrote: Hi Buzz, Thanks for your patience in receiving our response. We've now had an opportunity to discuss this proposal briefly at our Open Space Team meeting, as well as research the various pertinent maps. It is our understanding, as staff, that lands held in the public trust by the City as open space are intended to remain in such status in perpetuity. The Conservation and Open Space Element of the City's General Plan does provide a process for open space conversion at paragraph 8 of Appendix B: "The City will sell, exchange, or transfer an interest in open space lands, or relinquish a permanent open space easement, only by approval of the City Council following a public hearing, and only after a 60 -day period in which the decision can be suspended pending reversal by referendum." Our take is that such an -r.tion would be undertaken only in a situation of utmost necessity. G are correct; the City's Land Use Map shows the City -owned portion of Terrace Hill as being designated open Space while our Zoning Map still shows the entire hill as being zoned R -1 PD. The City acquired in fee simple title what we now know as Terrace Hill Open Space as a dedication of Lot 30 created by Tract 926 (attached) in January 1986. It appears that the numerous lots shown in the Map of the Buena Vista Addition platted by Goodall in 1887 that you provided with your email were merged and the paper streets were abandoned with the re- subdivision of this land by Tract 926. Your salient and ongoing observations about overall site maintenance and patrol of after hours and illicit activities at Terrace Hill remain valid. At present, we are undertaking our background information gathering it preparation of bringing forward the Terrace Hill Open Space Conservation Plan for public consideration. This conservation plan is included in the City Council approved work plan for the Open Space program for 2013 -15, so it is our intent to complete the plan by June 30, 2015. 1 expect we will undertake a neighborhood workshop to receive public input to help inform the plan content sometime in early 2015. Following that we will schedule agenda items with pertinent advisory bodies and the City Council. The conservation plan process will allow us the opportunity to confront the issues you raise and hopefully achieve community consensus about how to best address them. The conservation plan process would also be an opportunity to address the land use / zoning maps discrepancy, as well as the CHC's recommendation that Terrace Hill be added to the City's List of Historic Resources as a Contributing Historic Property. In the meantime, I assure you that Terrace Hill and the shelf fronting Bishop Street, in particular, is definitely on the Police Department's radar for increased patrol. As you know, six individuals were recently cited for alcohol consumption during evening hours at that location. As always, please feel free to contact me at any time. I appreciate your special care for Terrace Hill and look forward to working with you and your neighbors on crafting a good conservation plan in the coming months. Very best regards, :.. Bcc: City Council Robert Hill Natural Resources Manager line is the shelf area being addressed. .t J a _.orm drain off Bishop on Buena Vista Estates HOA property — just off the side walk Small plastic liquor bottles and a plastic up. Under the steel plate is the storm drain intake. 5 Green grange arrow is where Binns Court and the current slide area exists . The hillside was cut to use as fill for the French Hospital Parking Lot. Shelf area just off what is now Bishop Street. Bishop did not exist when this photo was taken. Note the gentle slope where the current B -inn s Court cut and houses now exists..