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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11/20/1990, 1 - APPEAL OF PLANNING COMMISSION'S ACTION DENYING A REQUEST TO CHANGE THE NAME OF A SHORT CUL-DE-SAC S MEETING DATE: ��N��r��, lll!lalli�° IIIII►I city of sari .aIS OBIspO - 11-W-90 ONMe COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT ITEM NUMBER: FROM: Arnold Jonas, Community Developmen Director -- BY: Judith Lautner, Associate Planner SUBJECT: Appeal of Planning Commission's action denying a request to change the name of a short cul-de-sac street off Royal Way, from Cucaracha Court to Dove Circle. CAO RECOMMENDATION Adopt a resolution denying the appeal, thereby denying the street name change from Cucaracha Court to Dove Circle. DISCUSSION Situation The applicant lives on Cucaracha Court. He is unhappy with the name of his street, which means "cockroach", and wants to change it. In accordance with the city's street name regulations, he submitted a petition with the names of .residents or property owners representing 2/3 of the lots with addresses on Cucaracha Court (10 out of 15) . The petition asks for a name change. Owners or residents representing six lots with addresses on Cucaracha Court, along with 78 other city residents, have signed a petition opposed to the street name change. (The owner of 1545 Cucaracha Court, who lives on Chorro, is in favor of the name change, while the tenants oppose it. The owner of 1586 Cucaracha has indicated that she is opposed to the name change, also, but has not signed the petition. ) The Planning Commission is responsible for approving or denying streets name changes. That commission denied the change on a 6-0 vote (Peterson absent) , on October 24, 1990. The applicant has appealed that decision. Data summary Address: Cucaracha Court Applicant/appellant: Robert Raymond Zoning: R-1 General plan: Low-density residential Environmental status: categorically exempt Project action deadline: None: action has been taken. Site description The street is a short (about 400 feet long) cul-de-sac with seventeen lots on it (the two corner lots have entrances and addresses on Royal Way) . The street is accessible from Royal Way, a residential collector that crosses Los Osos Valley Road. Project description The applicant wants to change the name of Cucaracha Court. The applicant and petitioners in favor of the name change have submitted three names city of San tins OBISpo MRiGn COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT Street name change: Cucaracha Court to Dove Circle Page 2 for consideration. In order of preference, these names are: Dove Circle, Irish Hills Court, and Meadowlark Lane. EVALUATION 1. Application process: property owners and residents. The street name regulations say that the petition in favor of a name change must contain names of property owners or residents representing at least 2/3 of the lots on the block. The regulations were written this way because the effect of a name change on a tenant can be as great as on a property owner. In this case, all of the names on the petition in support of the name change are property owners. All but two are owner-residents. The petition opposing the name change contains twenty-one names representing six lots on Cucaracha Court. Three of these names are owner-residents, the remainder are residents of the six lots. In addition, the opposing petition contains names of 78 other residents of the city, who are not directly affected by the name change. 2. why change the name? The proponents of the name change cite several ` reasons for the request: the current name is difficult for some to spell and pronounce; it is associated with poverty, filth, unclean homes; the name of the song ("La Cucaracha") refers to marijuana use; people who live there are subjected to ridicule by utility companies, store clerks, and others; the name is undignified - inappropriate for a street name. The attached draft minutes include testimony on these issues. Additionally, the letter attached to the appeal notes a common belief that the current name was given by the developer to spite the city, and that no other Spanish name in the city has a symbolic connotation similar to "Cucaracha Court". 3. Opposition to name change. As noted above, a petition with 99 names was submitted to the planning division, opposing the street name change. Twenty-one of the names on the petition represent six of the lots on the street. The letter attached to the petition gives three reasons for the opposition: * Inconvenience for residents, who must notify others of the address change; * Cost to the city of changing maps and signs; * Uniqueness of current name. Spanish name controversy: The letter also questions one of the guidelines for a new street name, proposed by the proponents of the name change: that the new name should not be a Spanish surname. The city's street name regulations neither prohibit nor discourage Spanish names. I �� ►►�IIIIIfillll ili�;11 MY Of San tuts OBISPO - COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT Street name change: Cucaracha Court to Dove Circle Page 3 Prior to adoption of the street name and address regulations in 1982, the city had a policy of requiring Spanish names on streets, except where another type name was more consistent with surrounding street names. The Community Development Department's Procedures Manual, an in-house guide to policies and procedures, says, "Use of. Spanish names has caused problems, so the city no longer encourages their use." When the applicant first came in to the counter for information on changing street names, this document was given to him, instead of a copy of the street name and address regulations themselves. As noted in the appeal letter, the applicant of the name change was attempting to follow the city's procedures in soliciting new street names that were not Spanish in origin. The procedures manual is geared to process, and is a guide to employees handling different types of applications. The statement, ". . .the city no longer encourages their use" was meant to explain why Spanish names are no longer required. The proponents of the name change, after reading this, felt they would have a better chance at approval of a name change if they did not submit Spanish i names. The opponents of the name change have accused the proponents of being "racist" because of their preference for non-Spanish names. The "Spanish name" issue has been raised by both the opponents and the proponents of the name change, but was not cited by the Planning Commission as a reason for its decision to deny the change. The commission opposed the name change because it found the present name acceptable and unique, and found the change inconvenient for residents, businesses, and others. 4 . Dove Circle meets standards. The name change request has been reviewed by County Planning, the Fire Department, Engineering, Planning, the Post Office, and the Police Department. All agencies found "Dove Circle" to be an acceptable name. However, the traffic engineer would prefer "circle" to be changed to "Court", "Lane", or another appropriate designation. She feels "circle" should be reserved for those streets that actually make circles, having two intersections with the same street. The reviewing agencies felt "Meadowlark Lane" could be confused with Meadow Street, and that "Irish Hills Court" may be confused with the nearby Irish Hills apartments. All agencies, therefore, preferred "Dove" for the street name if it is changed. None indicated any objection to the current name (Cucaracha) . 5. Types of streets. The city does not have designated names, such as "Street", "Drive", "Court", or "Boulevard" for different types of streets, as do some other cities. However, we normally use generally- accepted designations. For this reason, staff finds the designations "Court", "Place", "Way", and "Lane" as acceptable for a cul-de-sac. �►� ii��lp��lip�l �� city of san tuts osispo MWOus COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT Street name change: Cucaracha Court to Dove Circle Page 4 6. Genesis of current name. Generally, if a street name on a subdivision map meets the city's standards for length, pronunciation, and uniqueness, it is approved. At the time of approval of Tract 408 in 1971, which created Cucaracha Court, some consideration was given to changing the name. The council, however, ultimately approved the tentative map with the name, "La Cucaracha Court". The name was shortened to "Cucaracha Court" on the final map. The street is now built-out, and a name change would affect fifteen lots. 7. Effect on property owners and residents. If a name change is approved, the city will notify the post office, utilities (including cable company) , the assessor's office, emergency services, and the county planning department. Residents will therefore be left with changing addresses on licenses, checks, and personal correspondence. The post office will deliver mail to both addresses for one year. S. Effect on city. If a name change is approved, the city will make the change when updating maps, and will order and install a new street name sign. The cost of street signs is approximately $50. The cost of updating maps, assuming that the updating is done along with other map changes, is estimated between $25 and $50. The cost of notification is estimated in this case to be about $30, including notification of property owners and tenants of the name change. The total cost to the city, in this case, is approximately $130, not including normal application processing costs. The proponents of the name change have offered to pay the estimated city cost. 9. Others affected. At the Planning Commission hearing, mention was made of others affected by name changes. The Post Office, utilities, county planning, emergency services (both public and private) , taxi services, and delivery services (local, statewide, and national) all maintain lists and maps of streets, which must be updated. ALTERNATIVES The council may approve the name change, to Dove Court or some other name. If the council wants to approve the change to something other than Dove Court, staff suggests that the matter be continued, the neighborhood be given the opportunity to submit alternative names, including Spanish names, for review by affected agencies and departments. Staff would then return the proposed names to the council for final approval. The council may continue consideration for other reasons. Direction should be given to staff and the applicant/appellant. RECOMMENDATION Adopt a resolution denying the appeal, thereby denying the street name change from Cucaracha Court to Dove Circle. �I Street name change: Cucaracha Court to Dove Circle Page 5 Attached: Draft resolutions Vicinity map Petitions Letters from applicants & other citizens PC minutes - October 24, 1990 (not available at agenda clos Appeal O r-5 RESOLUTION NO. (1990 Series) A RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO DENYING AN APPEAL OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION'S ACTION DENYING A REQUEST TO CHANGE A STREET NAME FROM CUCARACHA COURT TO DOVE CIRCLE BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the City of San Luis Obispo as follows: SECTION 1. Findings. That this council, after consideration of public testimony, the name change request, and the Planning Commission's action, staff recommendations and reports thereon, makes the following findings: 1. The impacts of the name change extend beyond city functions to many commercial activities within and outside the city. 2. The street name change is inconvenient to residents who must notify others of the address change. 3 . The existing street name is unique and should remain as is. SECTION 2. The appeal of the Planning Commission's action is hereby denied, and therefore the name change is denied. On motion of seconded by , and on the following roll call vote: AYES: NOES: ABSENT: the foregoing resolution was passed and adopted this day of , 1990. i Resolution no. (1990 Series) C Street name change from Cucaracha Court to Dove Circle Page 2 Mayor ATTEST: City Clerk APPROVED: City Admi istrative Officer it tt ne OCommunity Development Director RESOLUTION NO. (1990 Series) A RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO APPROVING AN APPEAL OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION'S ACTION THEREBY APPROVING A STREET NAME CHANGE FROM CUCARACHA COURT TO DOVE COURT BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the City of San Luis Obispo as follows: SECTION 1. Findings. That this council, after consideration of public testimony, the street name change request, and the Planning Commission's action, staff recommendations and reports thereon, makes the following findings: 1. The proposed street name change is consistent with the street name and address regulations. 2. The current name is inappropriate for a city street. SECTION 2. The street name change request from Cucaracha Court to Dove Circle is hereby approved. On motion of , seconded by and on the following roll call vote: AYES: NOES: ABSENT:- the foregoing resolution was passed and adopted this day of , 1990. r � � J Resolution no. (1990 Series) Street name change from Cucaracha Court to Dove Circle Page 2 Mayor ATTEST: City Clerk APPROVED: City A inistrative Officer to ey Community Devel6pAent Director O I � � _ ) 1 7 �Kq . s..,�.� Sao• W ' r..c�d oO�•••+� �1� R YO O ' . R its �M.W b __,+ uGAFtA mA CO,k O �P At 10i r a'+ I 04 ^ S r . a n R_3 o0 Q o .. o VICINITY MAP S NA S IA1\)1\ Z NORTH GUG�Pc�2#t-cf-1,4- GoU ►2-T" TO �o l�Gct2Gl.£ r N ±. a ° Ir J M QNJ w V C ' 10. do O to Y V � � Y O •. t U LP 9-9 ca x « i400 _ « = H Cil o Y O Y B o o 08 H h � ..finn o Y 4 V' 1 EO Y W Y u n g Y r 4 O Yw O 0 C e o cYmo ` ow Yu $ ��Y r $ O M C o m N i0 Y O L C a I Y €Y 1t S w C C M at o p a `r o"C" o-r s Qi Q� ° OC5 4D O 3 z ir of S� +1- ti1J VVV 4 ••�i Y 1 :Y .t e _^r s i� aS '-5 L .i 1/9 o JUDITH LAlllM CITY FLAIL OF-SAN MIS MLgn SAN LUIS OBISPO, CALIFORNIA Dear Judith Lautner, It has ease to our attention that some of the residents on Cucaracha Court are attempting to change the street name. There are those of us who are opposed to this idea. We could see a street name change, if there appeared to be a safety risk for our local fire, police, and ambulance. ( Of the few emergencies that occ:red an Curaracha Court there has been an excellent response time), or if the present street name was in conflict with another of the same name with a slight differ- ence of the ending in Road, Street, or Avenue. At this time if appears that neither of these situations exist. It seems that those residents that are attempting the street name change are forgetting what this is going_ to cost the City of San Iasis Obispo and the present residents of Cucaraeha Cart: - For the residents it means notifing many people of the change..ie post office, social security office, schools, employers, banks, title companies, etc. - For the City of San lads Obispo revenue, new maps, plans, signs. staff time, etc. This new change is going to cost revenue and time all of which ran be put to better use for everyone involved. The following guidelines have been proposed for the street name change: 1. No names to begin with the letter to V ". 2. New name to end with Court. *3. No Spanish surname. Number 3* has many of us wondering why no Spanish surname? are there not many streets in San Iasis Obispo with spanish surnames. There are many people in the city of San Luis Obispo who are proud of their Spanish heritage may it come in their surname or street name. is. The naming of this court is unique and it is felt that is should stay as We who oppose a name change find nothing wrong with Cucaracha Court and have taken pride in it for the last seventeen ( 17 ) years and hope to continue to do so. Sincerely, O v Map,; E SIL I��.-, , ••� . . - 1 2WI r - - -CM, - s I� M I /�`. ewm ' digL. .�r_ ly � ml ,Mon I i ME S& : I . WA A MIA, PXME, m RM El 1101 mM- Era •. 11m"An . �. _ - �a,ria 9 EMIL YZ �w�i1rII - ••yY�YI,�� �. News SIW= OF ME OPPOSE TO SnEET NOS O Y M WAR MI, -mapi im FFI W�MdV ' ON 'gym Tb _ m r, �yTh/j�j .. ..i. /.. v -I WAI . an loll .1�!' /rJ'. ti ' w u _ �r• • 'AolYir:�- 1 // � i � r I I I /�%♦' pp / / i 1 _ ice, ♦ / f� � '� � : � ! •,�, / I v `vim � � � / / /� I i i ZOO oo76o&- ��' ell T© P ZtXLAJ IJ I AJ Gltpr }(AUTC, As .you know, La Cucaracha Court was chosen in 1972 as the name of our street and property owners immediately lodged a protest to no avail. ;when the subject came up again a few weeks ago, our group obtained from the city Department of Community Development their Policies and Procedures , 'Subject: Street Name Changes, M-4 and we were requested to use that as a guide. A petition for a street name change was circulated and all owners and renters were contacted and invited to attend a meeting to present name preferences and to vote on the proposed change. Everyone.was asked to submit three names, either English or Spanish. we have no objections to a Spanish name, per se, and several were sugc#ested. However, since the city' s under Section E: Policies says, and we quote: "USE OF SPANISH CAUSED NAMES HAS/PROBLEMS, SO THE CITY NO LONGER ENCOURAGES THEIR USE. " , and since the city had set a precedent in at least two instances by changing Prefumo Street to Coral Street and part of Osos Street to Penny Lane, we thought our efforts would stand a better chance of success if we chose an Enlish name. Incidently, there is only one other Spanish named street in our development, Rubio. Dove was chosen by a majority of those attending our meeting to be our first preference. It ties in with quail and Partridge, other streets in our development. Attached: Invitation Distributed to Renters and Owners. /JV I CUCARACHA COURT •MAME CHANGE OPARTICIPANTS PLEASE COME TO A MEETING: WHERE: 1578 Cucaracha Court WHEN: September 6, 1990 7:30 p.m. WHY: To choose a new name for our street, gather our monies together, and sign our Petition n PLEASE BRING TWO NAME CHOICES AND AN ALTERNATE IN CASE OF DUPLICATIONS. ANY QUESTIONS? ANY SUGGESTIONS? ANY COMMENTS? .PLEASE CALL MARILYN -- 543-2532 O L CItYO O � � san OBISPO p IWflifdlCY' 990 Palm Street/Post Office Box 8100 - San Luis Obispo. CA 93407.8100 APPEAL TO CITY COUNCIL In accordance with Elie appeals procedure as authorized by Title 1 . Chapter 1 .20 of the San Lube Obispo Munlcl al Code. -Elie and signed t►ere by aeals from the decision of .t 2 MJ,14ai1n9 1�n71S.T10 ) � _e erne. ��TjJ3_'ve�n .. r,.es+ rendered an1q.03 . which decision consisted of the following ( i.e. set forth factual situation and the grounds for submittltlg this appeal . Use additional sheets as needed) : DcGiSid /y WAS 3AS6.0 ON 4*0/4PAA1XC1V O F NUMBERS a F o 0 Pc S i nr G o w rY E fZ s 6?) P,4 PX o w&,C 12 S Po OX izS A iv 0 lZtN7' � 12S� wi7-H .f0 /Z FE i /Y -rC12 .S QPPoSN6 AtwAtI � f. TN E APPLiCA -1- ld N F6e /YAroa cNAKd E L/57W.0 10 ,0 - T—AE IS— PRd Ptze - Y O wNEjej w/- K Q/vE n(HM N L y T Q n_ FAG 1J P Z a FE 2 77y, .4.r /M.D1 c A TE-v c ty _ 'rAiE 14 fP1cA1 T/Oil/. .4xli> 14EQ C// r'K� /vi9n-1 E 1-4A0 e219jGA/ i T�} e: REP Got" m.5-1v 7-S P S RY 7-AC PD PON-EIV i G2�t� P e undersigned discussed the decision being appealed from with: IT 01 T-u 4 19 V T N j on MCI—jrI ,/q.qb DATE 3 TIME APPEAL RECEIVED: Appe nt: RECEIVE® ti Name NOV 2 1990 APDL_/CA T l o Fa E C UG ,9 t2 RC 14A C7' CITU CLERK Representative N fl M E 4CHAI►r / SAN LUIS OBISPO.CA ?e"tJ L A P_ A,,//#4 e_ '= Address SAle3 - b' 3 ;L Phone Original for City Clerk Copy to City Attorney Cale da d for:_L/ civ Copy to City Administrative. Officer following departaent(s) : Ctty. Clerk ' '^ 7-9 E CO ,4 0 v,- i N G LAIA s• P A E c i. A S A cCQ a L) P EFFov2i` 6 /yPA0P0KEAr S CFQT1fE ST2EEY /VO4ME //-.7 �J 2. We also base our appeal on the following grounds: 1. We followed all the guidelines as set forth in the Department of Community Development Policies and Procedures M-4, Effective Date 9-1-86; Subject: Street Name Changes, appended to our petition as Exhibit 10 hereafter referred to as Policies. 2.. The Policies in Section E de facto discourage the use of Spanish names. 3. We followed this guideline to the letter in order to receive the Commission's approval. 4. Some- residents and owners rightly opposed the name change on grounds of racial or ethnic prejudice by the Commission. 5. At the hearing on 10-24-90 after a petitioner presented the Policies guideline, one of the associates present stated that this was an "in-house document" and the petitioner should not have had it. We do not know if that statement will be on the transcript of the meeting. We interpret the existence of any such policies as policies followed without public knowledge and in so following the policies, we the petitioners, were painted as ethnically prejudiced in the press and at the public hearing. O 6. We do not support or avpreciate the conduct of our city governmental business by a double standard. 7. There exists not one Spanish name in the San Luis Obispo City Street Map Index which has any such symbolic denotation or connotation which is so socially debasing and humiliating.- 8. This name was conferred upon the street after some disagreement between the developer and the City. We do not believe we should continue to suffer because of the ill will caused by the City policy of that time. 9. We have initiated contact with the one Hispanic home owner on our court to inform him and his wife of our original intentions and that we attempted to follow the Policies to the letter. We also included a copy of the Policies and a copy of our original invitation to all residents and owners to meet and select three names to submit to the Planning Commission. 10. We will also request that the Commission reschedule another public hearing after we have all had our votes for three new names acceptable to the majority of residents and owners who wish to submit names. 11. We have also offered to defray the estimated $130.00 cost to the City to implement the name change. O tp cT I DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT M®4 POLICIES & PROCEDURES EFFECTIVE DATE: 9/01/86 SUBJECT: Street Name Changes A. DEFINITION Names for new streets created by subdivisions, proposed by the subdivider and approved by the entity acting on the subdivision, upon recommendation of the Community Development Department. Streets may be named or renamed as provided in the Street Name and Address Regulations. B. PURPOSE AND APPLICATION The city is part of a larger "911 emergency-response area' All emergency calls received from the 911 area go to a single dispatcher. It is the city's responsibility to eliminate or avoid duplicate street names within the 911 area. For this reason, and to avoid names that are difficult to spell or pronounce street name proposals must be approved by the city. C. AFFECTED AGENCIES The Community Development Department administers the process. Proposed name changes are usually referred to the Post Office, Fire and Police Departments, and County Planning. The Planning Commission must approve name changes. D. PERTINENT REGULATIONS Municipal Code Chapter 12.32 (Street Name and Address Regulations) Municipal Code Section 16.36.120 (Street Names in New Subdivisions) Procedure M-3 (Addressing Procedures) E. POLICIES (1) J= Name Criteria; The city has adopted street name criteria by ordinance (see Section D above). The most significant criteria are listed in B above. Use-of Spanish names has.caused problems, so the cit n longer encourags thea use. There is no more room in t e computer for streets that begin with the letter "V". F. PROCEDURES (1) Application it : The applicant may be the City Council, the Planning Commission, the Community Development Department, or owners of adjoining property. Applicants will be encouraged to list at least three alternative names for each street. If the city initiates the name change, no petition is required. Otherwise, ( property owners LQrtenants) are required to submit a petition supporting '1 the new name. The petition must be signed by representatives of 2/3 of the parcels which front the street which name is to be changed. �� spas nn®4 POLICIES & PROCEDURES C Tht-;tpp z an'i s 6aa-subm tshe':piopased:i3ataeCi}'tifZheCgmtau.tafty t Dd*160tiierit Department before the petitions are.circulatiW This allows the Community Development Department to check on similar names or other difficulties. It also gives the applicant a fair idea that the name is acceptable to the department. The application is filed using the standard form along with the petition and the fee is.paid. (2) Proiect Assigned: Application is given to the senior planner who checks it Sind gives it to the project planer or if there is no project planner. the ; assigned street name planner for the calendar year. The secretarial staff creates a general file. prepares agenda board cards and word and pictures form, copies the application. and routes it to affected agencies. The file is given to the assigned planner. Project tracking begins. (3) Proiect Review All affected staff. including the senior planner. review the application and return comments in writing to the project planner at least three weeks before the public hearing. (4) Public Notice: The regulations require that the street be posted with a minimum of three si= owners of adjacent property be notified by mail. C, and an advertisement placed in the Telegram-Tribune LM d= before the hearing. The secretarial staff will write legal ads and ensure that they get to the Telegram-Tribune. A letter is sent to the property owners at least L,�!J weeks before the hearing to allow them to comment and suggest alternative street names. The secretary will write the letter using a standard form and mail it. The graphics staff will develop the property owners list. (S) Prepare Staff Recommendation: The planner will inspect the street if necessary to confirm the situation, confer with the senior planner and j Iother agencies, and prepare a Planning Commission staff report. The .staff report will be submitted-to the senior planner no later than , Tuesday at S p.m. of the week before the meeting. Staff reports will be given to the secretary for typing by Thursday at S p.m. the week before the meeting. The staff report will be included in the commission's packet and I delivered no later than S pm. on Friday. t (6) Planning Commission Hearing: Staff will present the report, the commission t I will ask questions, and the public will be invited to testify. The Planning Commission can approve or deny a proposed name change or approve an alternative change not previously considered by staff. property owners, or applicants. If the Planning Commission wants*to adopt a street name that has not been C' evaluated by staff, the staff may want to recommend that the hearing be continued so that various departments can check to make sure that the name is not being used somewhere in the city or the 911 arca. AGENDA AT 1_�ao-Po s Fhb # To whom it may concern, I am writing this letter regarding the appeal of the street name change of Cucaracha Court that will be brought before the City Council board on November 20, 19:90. Because we will not be able to attend the meeting in person I would like to request that our names be removed from the list of the original homeowners whom signed the first petition a couple of months ago. - We feel that we were misrepresented regarding the rules and regulations for submitting a name change, and at the time we did not realize that. there was such a strong opposition to it. In light of the tension that it has caused in the neighborhood WE don't wish to continue to be a part of it. We per— Osonally feel that if not 100% of all neighbors can agree in harmony to make the change then the name. change should have stopped after the first denial made by the City Planning Dept. on Oct. 24, 1990, We hereby wish to rescind our original signature for street name change and do not wish to partake in the appeal. Sincerley, Greg and Judy Clinard �, V NOV 1 4 .1490 C;TY CLERK , coPPzi�0: SAN LUIS OMPO.CA i ❑ -_ AcFion FYI �J'xmncl R CCBD1i. i 7A, %o ❑ t IlV.TJER �O 11RE IiE �0Twr( �..1 I'mo DIP.. CI � !_ Ci.�i::/Cl:.'^•. !.� :'C-L;CEi'.cr, Ell �.� a:G,15T.'L'_•"a.i !. � 'r:i:C.DI`,:. i � C.[ter:'✓Y L. �.i '_ril ;�l'.� t`" MEETING J AGENDA / DATE i ao-90 ITEM # 70r • FnCITY COUNCIL OF SAN LUIS OBISPO � DDIR: NOVEMBER 14, 1990 CITY HALL C2'ca oIN.DIR.SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA. ncA �TfN DRC'LEOLICECl.EC DIILC�.DFLE LI XTILDIP,. 111 (F- TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: It has come to our attention that an appeal was filed on November 2, 1990, regarding the decision made by the Planning Commission on October 24, 1990, to deny the name change of Cucaracha Court. We believe that the decision made by the Planning Commission was appropriate. There are no compelling reasons to change the street name, it has no conflict with another street name and it does not appear to be a safety risk for our local fire, police and ambulance services.. The present name Cucaracha Court is not an embarrassment to me, my family or those of us opposed to the name change. The naming of this street name is unique. It has been on the city maps for 18 years and hopefully it shall continue to be so. What puzzle s many of us is why now? Eighteen (18) years to change a street name and why did these homeowners buy there? when at the time of their purchase there were many other choices available in San Luis Obispo. They knew what the name of the street name was (and is). Those that have filed the appeal have also offered to defray the estimated cost of a 130.00 to the city but these individuals are forgetting the hidden cost and time to the present residents, homeowners, and businesses of San Luis Obispo. It means notify and changing many items ie...schools, employers, banks,DMV, credit companies, etc. the list could go on. For the business ( pulic and private ) it means changing things from labels to purchasing new maps so that when services are needed there are no delays. The City of San Luis Obispo would also have to change many items: new plans, maps, computor input, signs, etc. This new change is going to cost revenue and time, all of which can be put to better use for everyone involved. It would be greatly appreciated if the City Council would uphold the original decision obtained by the Planning Commission that the street name of Cucaracha Court shall remain. RECEIVED Sincerely yours, NOV 16 1990 L �olvc cmIB . OBISPO. SM Huls alsPISP o.G'�' A47A�tji G pC CC K. A1�«o l DATE n CEntD.n ITEM draft Planning Commission Minutes R E C E I V E D October 24, 1990 ADL�Cti CDD DIR ❑ FIN.DIR Page 1 NOV 1 6 1990 ; :-e Arron� R ❑ 1yDIR L� ✓�L ` ig(AD ❑ UTILDIR CITY CLERK ❑ �T SAN LUIS OBISPO.CA TLE 1. Street Name Change. Consideration of request to change the street name of Cucaracha Court to Dove Circle; Robert Raymond and 7 others, applicants. Judith Lautner, Associate Planner, presented the staff report and stated that petitions had been received both supporting and opposing the name change. Staff neither opposes nor supports the street name change. Staff recommended that if the street name is changed, it be changed to Dove Court, Lane, Way, or Place, because it is not a circular street. Chairman Hoffman declared the public hearing open. Robert Raymond, 1573 Cucaracha Court, applicant, stated when he moved to the street in 1986, he became aware that the residents did not like the name of their street. He had heard that the city refused to allow the developer to-name the street after his wife, so he named it Cockroach Road. He said according to procedures obtained from the San LUis Obispo Department of Community Development, it is no �\ longer mandatory that Spanish names be used to name streets because they are often v difficult to spell. He discussed how residents of the street suggested different names at a neighborhood meeting and Dove Circle came in first. He added two other streets in that area that are named after birds; Partridge and Quail. David V. Grady, 1523 Cucaracha Court, submitted a letter and spoke in support of the name change. He said (1) a majority of the owners and residents on the street support the name change; (2) the name Cucaracha is seen as a complicated name to newcomers; (3) cucaracha, translated into English translates cockroach, and there is nothing cute about cockroaches--pests that embarrass homeowners because they are associated with poverty, filth, and unclean homes; (4) the song, "La Cucaracha", has positive references toward the use of marijuana. Carolyn Smith, 1568 Cucaracha Court, has lived on the block for ten years and her husband has lived there 19 years and explained how she is subjected to laughter and ridicule every time she states her address. She told the commission that those implying racism is involved in the desire to change the street's name are trying to cloud the issue. She added that it is a convenient time top change the name now because the post office is changing the zip code. John Muller, 1567 Cucaracha Court, 18-year resident, explained he supported the name change because of the social and drug stigma associated with the current name. He explained that the song, "La Cucaracha", refers to a girl who cannot walk because Cshe did not have any marijuana to smoke and that roach is a name for drug I paraphernalia. He believed the 78 people who signed the petition not to have the draft Planning Commission Minutes October 24, 1990 Page 2 name changed should not be considered because they do not have to live on the street. He offered a donation of $130 to the Planning Commission to help pay for the name change. Doris Grant, 1546 Cucaracha Court, told the commissioners she and Mr. DeMatteo bought .a house on Cucaracha Court because they liked the name. She discussed how the Raymonds did not like the name and did not want a Spanish name. Ms. Grant felt this was an insult to San Luis Obispo and people of Spanish descent. She submitted a letter to the Planning Commission with 100 names opposing the name change. Lois Perez, 1524 Cucaracha Court, stated she could not see any reason for changing the name because she has had fun with the name, and the name has been there for 18 years. She questioned why people who said they hated the name chose to buy a home on that street. She objected to the quidelines—avoiding Spanish names, no names beginning with "V", and no names ending in court—being used in choosing a new name. She stated people living on the street could be assessed for the cost of changing the name. She added that she has had excellent response from 911. Louis Verdugo, owner of 1524 Cucaracha Court; gave examples of other names that are hard to spell and pronounce. As an original owner of property on the street, he questioned who would pay for a name change. He stated he has never been made fun of because of the street name. He said that the song, "La Cucaracha", was a revolutionary song about a tired soldier. He added that over time people made up new words to fit to old tunes and the new words have nothing to do with the song's original meaning. Kay Rogers, 1516 Cucaracha Court, said she is a student who supports keeping the name. She explained she enjoys the name and disagreed with changing it to a non- Hispanic name because she sw that as discriminatory against Hispanics. Emmons Blake, 634 Al-Hil Drive, gave examples of street names in San LUis Obispo that are similar such as Verde Drive and Los Verdes, Fredericks Street and Frederick Street, and examples of Spanish names that are translated identically to streets named in English. He suggested that since the name Cucaracha is unique, it should be kept. Dan Balicki, 1583 Cucaracha Court, explained that property owners wanting to change the name used democratic procedures so they could maintain a sense of dignity about where they live. He believed just because a word is in Spanish does not relieve the word of its definition. He added anyone could have come to the meeting arranged by the Raymonds and all names would have been voted on. C Marlon Minor, PO Box 367, Boat Mooring #69, Avila Beach, described himself as a professional volunteer who looked into the cost and procedures of a name change. draft Planning Commission Minutes October 24, 1990 C Page 3 He pointed out the community as a whole would be charged to change the name because of all the different entities that have to deal with the name. Marilyn Raymond, 1578 Cucaracha Court, stated she believed the cost to the city would be $130. She quoted from Policies and Procedures M4 from the Department of Community Development: "Use of Spanish names has caused problems so the city no longer encourages their use. There is no more room in the computer for streets that begin with the letter V." She said she contacted all out-o-f-town owners by phone and they voted on choices of names. Steven Smith, 1568 Cucaracha Court, said he had special knowledge of emergency operation in San Luis Obispo and disagreed with Marlon Minor's statement that it is difficult to change a street name in the emergency dispatch system. He added that the system has been designed to have changes made and it is not an issue. Louis Verdugo, 1524 Cucaracha Court, asked the commissioners if it is city policy to discourage Spanish names. Judith Lautner stated that the city's recommendation was that Spanish names not be 01 encouraged, but not be discouraged either. s Judith Lautner clarified that the document Mrs. Raymond referred to was an in- house document used to advise people who are choosing street names. She said that statement was in there because many Spanish names are difficult to spell or pronounce, and it was an attempt to open it up to other names as well. She added it has never been a policy of the city to discourage Spanish names that are easy to spell. Louis Verdugo added that the cockroach has outlived dinosaurs and empires. Commr. Billington asked Robert Raymond if the people on Cucaracha Court are willing to help pay for the name change. Mr. Raymond said he received some money from two property owners on Cucaracha Court to help pay the application fee and that he would be willing to pay the $130 estimated by the city for the change. Chairman Hoffman declared the public hearing closed. Commr. Billington expressed surprise and concern that there was not more agreement among the neighbors about the name change. She felt that Cucaracha was a distinctive name and did not see emergency response to be a problem. She agreed that Cucaracha might be hard for some people to spell, but added that some people C misspell easy names.. She added she would be more willing to support the name draft Planning Commission Minutes October 24; 1990 (� Page 4 change knowing that the residents would be willing to pay for it. Commr. Gurnee expressed concern that the two sides did not attempt to reach a compromise. He stated that unless the leaders of the two groups got together to find a new name that was mutually acceptable, he would be inclined to deny the name change. Commr. Kourakis agreed with Commrs. Gurnee and Billington and said he was reluctant to grant the name change and regretted the city is not encouraging Spanish names because those names exhibited patterning and gave people a sense of where to locate streets. Commr. Schmidt agreed that he was also reluctant to grant a name change when the property owners and residents on the street are so divided over the change. Commr. Kourakis added that changing a street name.is not as simple a matter as it appears. Commercial activity is affected in that delivery vehicles need to learn of the change. Commr. Karleskint agreed with Commr. Kourakis in that changing the name is complex. He added it might set a precedent for other street name changes.. Commr. Hoffman felt that the requirement of 2/3's of the property owners on the street to be represented on the petition was not met. He explained two pieces of property had divided votes between residents and owners. If the votes are thrown out or added in twice, the petition does not come out to 2/3's. He said he could not support the name change. Commr. Gurnee moved to deny the name change without prejudice and encouraged residents to find a mutually acceptable name and reapply. Commr. Kourakis seconded the motion. Cindy Clemmons, Assistant City Attorney, advised that a denial without prejudice is hard to define and suggested that in its place, a finding be added to the motion. Terry Sanville said that if an application with a new name is submitted, it could be seen as substantially different and the year waiting period could be waived. Commr. Gurnee indicated his motion was based on the finding that the application fee would not required if a new application is substantially different. He stated that the motion was intended to encourage the parties involved to choose a name that is agreeable to those who live on the street. draft Planning Commission Minutes O October 24, 1990 Page 5 Commr. Kourakis explained she seconded the motion to get the discussion going, and after additional consideration, she decided not to vote for the motion because it was asking the neighbors to duke it out. AYES: Commrs. Gurnee, Karleskint , Schmidt NOES: Commrs. Kourakis, Billington, Hoffman ABSENT: Commr. Peterson The motion failed. Commr. Kourakis moved to deny the name change based on the following findings: 1. The impacts of the name change extend beyond the city to many commercial activities within and outside the city. 2. The street name change is inconvenient to residents who must notify others of the address change. 3. The existing name of the court is unique and should remain as is. GCommr. Karleskint seconded the motion, Resolution No. 5038-90. AYES: Commrs. Kourakis, Karleskint, Gurnee, Schmidt, Billington, Hoffman NOES: None ABSENT: Commr. Peterson The motion passed. 0