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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-17-2014 PC MinutesSPECIAL MEETING SAN LUIS OBISPO PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES September 17, 2014 CALL TO ORDER /PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE ROLL CALL: Commissioners Hemalata Dandekar, Michael Draze, Ronald Malak, William Riggs, Vice - Chairperson Michael Multari, and Chairperson John Larson Absent: Commissioner John Fowler Staff: Community Development Director Derek Johnson, Public Works Director Daryl Grigsby, Public Works Deputy Director Tim Bochum, Principal Transportation Manager Peggy Mandeville, Associate Planner Brian Leveille, Associate Planner Marcus Carloni, Assistant City Attorney Jon Ansolabehere, and Recording Secretary Diane Clement Consultant: Jim Damkowitch, Kittelson and Associates Commr. Riggs announced that he will be leaving at 8 p.m. ACCEPTANCE OF THE AGENDA: The agenda was accepted as presented. PUBLIC COMMENTS ON NON - AGENDA ITEMS: Mila Vujovich- La Barre, SLO, suggested that the proposed Marriott hotel be built on the site of the defunct Motel Inn at the bottom of the Cuesta grade and supported not changing the zoning on Calle Joaquin for auto dealerships. There were no further comments made from the public. PUBLIC HEARINGS: 1. City -Wide. GPI /ER 15 -12: Continued review of the Draft Land Use and Circulation Elements (LUCE) and associated Final Environmental Impact Report; City of San Luis Obispo — Community Development and Public Works Dept., applicant. PUBLIC COMMENTS: Lea Brooks, SLO, stated that she is thrilled with the multi -modal focus but questioned the prioritization of vehicles over bicycles for Los Osos Valley Road as listed in Table 3 Modal Priorities for Level of Service. She asked how priorities are decided for intersections where pathways cross and requested that the impacts on bicyclists be considered if truck traffic is routed down Buckley Road. Eric Meyer, SLO, asked that the City consider how perimeters are determined when setting up Neighborhood Traffic Management Districts because those perimeters can affect the voting. He noted that this was discussed by the LUCE Task Force. He stated Planning Commission Minutes September 17, 2014 Page 2 that the City should consider the effect of not constructing the Bishop Street railroad overpass on the Buchon and Pismo Streets neighborhood and give priority to those neighborhoods operating at or above maximum traffic levels. Myron "Skip" Amerine, SLO, stated that he wants the City to move forward by approving the Circulation Element Update. He supported the mode split but noted that it is a goal and will not happen overnight. Mila Vujovich- LaBarre, SLO, stated she is a smart growth advocate and remains concerned about Prado Road which she recommended be limited to a concept similar to South Street. She noted the need for a supplemental EIR for the Margarita area and supported having developers of the San Luis Ranch pay for a Prado Road overpass. She advocated moving the future Prado Road to the south of the Damon - Garcia Sports Field and giving priority to building Class 1 bicycle paths. Sarah Flickinger, representing 178 homes in Los Verdes Park 1 and 2, stated that she did meet with staff and is now comfortable with the proposed changes presented tonight. There were no further comments made from the public. COMMISSION COMMENTS: Commr. Riggs stated that Chapters 7 and 8 should reference each other. He suggested inserting additional language that after discussion resulted in adding "including navigation routes to direct traffic" to the first sentence and adding a second sentence, "Navigation routing and other smart access technologies should be considered as part of the update to the Access and Parking Management plan. " Commr. Riggs stated that he appreciates Mr. Meyer's comments and noted there is a need for 8.0.5 to include a statement about neighborhood definition. Commr. Multari stated that the Sierra Club, in their suggested policy language, did speak to unbundled parking. He asked Commr. Riggs to give his opinion about a proposed program suggesting that the City evaluate existing regulations to determine whether unbundled parking would benefit land use and circulation in parts of the City. Commr. Larson agreed but stated that the issue is larger than just unbundled parking because that the City's approach to traffic management may be a little out -of -date. He suggested the addition of a sentence to 13.1.1. to show that the desire and impetus is to go beyond traditional parking management. Commr. Draze suggested adding "...consider such things as unbundled parking." Commr. Riggs proposed the following as a second sentence for 13.1.1: "This shall include consideration for strategies including, but not limited to, unbundled parking." He suggested listing just a couple of strategies at the end of the sentence. Planning Commission Minutes September 17, 2014 Page 3 Commr. Multari suggested adding a reference to emerging practices which Commr. Riggs supported. Commr. Draze stated that he understands the concern about the bicycle LOS on truck roads but agrees with staff that ranking bicycles second on Los Osos Valley Road is the best that can be done. He supported speed tables over speed bumps on local streets because vehicles can go over them without incurring damage. He suggested deleting 8.1.4 City Vehicle Operation because the volume of City vehicle traffic is low and keeping it in may cause people to question the presence of a City vehicle in their neighborhood. He noted that there is nothing about non - passenger rail transportation in Chapter 12 but that a future increase in freight traffic must be anticipated and that the Orcutt railroad overpass is still included in City planning. Deputy Director Bochum stated that this is correct and that there used to be severe issues with trains stopping on Orcutt Road and that there is currently a great deal of focus nationwide on the hauling of fuels and combustibles. He suggested that the Commission develop the language to address this. Commr. Draze noted that bicycles should be included in 13.1.5 Curb Parking Evaluation and that 15.0.6 Designation of Scenic Highways should include everything in the planning area including areas outside the City's sphere of influence. Commr. Multari stated that it is important to leave "voting" in 8.0.5 Neighborhood Traffic Management Guidelines. He noted that there is a question of how to do the voting and determine the boundaries. He suggested adding "and develop an outreach program on the availability of the program ". He also suggested adding a reference to excessive right of way pavement in the first sentence of 8.1.3 Quality of Life because there are streets that are too wide for their purpose and that reducing the amount of paving would create opportunities for parkways, traffic circles, and street trees. He also suggested adding "The City should give priority to existing streets that exceed thresholds." He agreed with Commr. Draze's concern about the transport of oil and hydrocarbons through the City and noted that some of the highest density areas are closest to the tracks. Commr. Draze suggested this language for Chapter 12: "The City shall monitor and respond to changes or proposed changes in passenger and freight rail traffic that may impact the safety and well -being of residents of the community including the transport of combustible materials." Commr. Multari suggested also adding "The City shall discourage the transportation of oil and other combustible hydrocarbons through the City." Commr. Riggs stated that he supports everything discussed to this point, especially Commr. Multari's suggestion about dealing with excessive right -of -way. He left the meeting at 8:00 p.m. Commr. Multari suggested adding "and consider emerging best practices such as unbundled parking, smart parking technologies and cash out programs" at the end of 13.1.1. Planning Commission Minutes September 17, 2014 Page 4 Commr. Dandekar expressed concern about the availability of traffic data for citizens_ Principal Transportation Manager Mandeville suggested putting data in the Neighborhood Traffic Guidelines, which could be current to the date of the document. Deputy Director Bochum stated that the City might be able to produce a map display online as part of the NTM guidelines that could be updated periodically. Commr. Larson stated that he supported Commr. Multari's idea of developing outreach programs for NTM information. Commr. Multari noted that the City has, in the past, sometimes unilaterally decided that certain areas are impacted and has tried to put in traffic calming which upset neighborhoods. He stated that NTM should be grassroots - generated. He stated that the information should be publicized and made available, and then the City should see what results from that. Commr. Dandekar stated that she likes the approach of instituting web interface with timely updates. In response to a question from Commr. Draze about support for deletion of 8.1.4, Commrs. Malak and Larson indicated they preferred deletion. That is a majority with five Commissioners in attendance. Commr. Multari stated he had no strong feelings about the deletion. Commr. Dandekar supported leaving it in as a statement about City commitment to doing what it is asking citizens to do. Commr. Multari stated that after reading the material and listening to public comments, he still supports four lanes for Prado Road. Commr. Draze agreed and noted that, when development occurs, Prado could end up as a two -lane road but he prefers planning for four lanes. Commr. Multari stated that future technology and behavioral changes may alter the need for four lanes but the Commission is not in a position to make that leap. Commr. Dandekar stated that she supported Commr. Draze's comment about expanding scenic roadway identification beyond the City boundary. She noted that at the LUCE Task Force, Cal Poly students were very supportive of Highway 1 as a scenic road beyond the City limits. She suggested that the City pursue identification for one or two roads of high value. She asked if there is a mechanism for doing that. Commr. Larson stated that unless the City and the community strongly initiate doing something, nothing will happen, but he is not opposed to being a little more precise in identifying what is wanted. Deputy Director Bochum stated that SLOCOG is responsible for designating local highways as scenic. He suggested adding language to address that. Planning Commission Minutes September 17, 2014 Page 5 Commr. Larson asked if the language suggested above for 15.0.6 should be in 15.0.5B. Commr. Draze supported Commr. Multari's suggested language additions in 8.1.3 Quality of Life about excess paving. Deputy Director Bochum suggested changing the second sentence of 15.0.5 to read "This support should be strongly advocated when:" followed by the four bullet items. Commr. Larson stated that the perceived intent that a lot of people have is that developers should pay for roads, i.e., when Mila Vujovich-La Barre tonight supported having the San Luis Ranch developers pay for the Prado overpass. He noted that the City is constrained by State law from imposing 100% of the costs for the roads and some future road projects would serve more than just adjacent land. He added that all developers should pay their fair share. Deputy Director Bochum stated that the next big effort is to analyze the issue of financing because it cannot all be done by development, and it will take participation by everyone including regional, state, and, possibly, federal levels. The City will have to prioritize expenditures and assign transportation funding to meet multi -modal objectives. There were no further comments made from the Commission. Can motion by Commr. Multari, seconded by Commr. Draze, to recommend the City_ Council _approve updates to Chapters 6 -10 and 12 -16 of the Circulation Element of the General with the inclusion of the multi -model level of service examples added as an appendix to the Circulation Element and with the following additions staff presented tonight in Attachment 2 and the following changes made by the Planning Commission: (Staff Presented Additions as Modified by Planning Commission) Madonna & Hi uera Reali nment. Development of the properties North and South of Madonna Rd. West of Higuera shall incorporate a detailed analysis for Madonna Road west of Hi uera and the intersection of Hi uera and Madonna and recommend improvements if any. Chorro Broad & Bo sen Realignments. Redevelopment of University Square shall incorporate a detailed circulation safety & access management analysis for the intersections of Bo sen & Santa Rosa (potential for grade separation crossing /restrictions), Foothill & Chorro, and Foothill & Broad as well as drivewax access Po ints alonq adjacent roadways, and recommend improvements, if any. Pismo & Higuera Realignment. Redevelopment of properties at the intersection of High & Pismo at Higuera shall incorporate a detailed analysis and recommend improvements, if any. Planned Bishop Street Connection. The City shall conduct a detailed subarea traffic analysis to determine if secondary measures can be made to allow for elimination of the Planning Commission Minutes September 17, 2014 Page 6 Bishop Street Extension and protection of neighborhood traffic levels and recommend improvements, if any. Los Osos Valley Road Bypass . The City shall conduct a detailed subarea traffic analysis to determine final feasibility of the LOVR Bypass. Issues to be studied should include, but are not limited to impacts to: sensitive noise receptors, agriculture operations, open space, Creek, traffic and biological resources.,-; and/or As part of LOVR Creekside Special Planning Area, the project shall analyze impacts of a new roadwav connection in some form from Los Osos Vallev Road to Hiauera. (Planning Commission Recommended Policy Changes 7.1.7 Traffic Access Management The City shall adopt an access management policy to control location, spacing, design and operation of driveways, median openings, crosswalks, interchanges and street connections to a particular roadway including navigation routes to direct traffic in a manner that preserves the safety and efficiency of the transportation system. Navigation routing and other smart access technologies should be considered as part of the update to the Access and Parking Management plan . 8.0.5 Neighborhood Traffic Management Guidelines The City shall update its Neighborhood Traffic Management Guidelines to address voting, funding, and implementation procedures and develop an outreach program on the availability of the program. 8.1.3 Quality of Life When requested by neinhborhe The City shall analyze residential streets shall be 'nom for their livability with regards to multi -modal traffic noise, volumes, speed and potential excess right -of -way pavement. Traffic calming or other intervening measures. may be necessary to maintain the resident's quality of life. The City should give priority to existing streets that exceed thresholds. 8.1.1 City VehiiGIe Operation emernenGy Git y business. 12.1.3 TdliRg— Train —Engines Interagency Cooperation. The City shall coordinate railroad facility infrastructure maintenance with the Union Pacific Railroad and the Public Utilities Commission. In addition, the City shall work with the Air Pollution Control District and others to e4niinate discourage idling train engines in San Luis Obispo. 12.1.4 Railroad Hazards Reduction. The City shall monitor and respond to changes, or proposed changes in passenger and freight rail traffic that may impact the safety and Planning Commission Minutes September 17, 2014 Page 7 well-being of residents of the community including the transport of combustible matPrinlc 12.1.5 Transport of Combustible Materials. "The ._City shall ._ ,discourage the transportation of oil and other combustible hydrocarbons through the City." 13.1.1 Parking Management Plan The City wM shall maintain and perie yregularly update its Access and Parking Management Plan (every 5 years) and consider emerging best practices such as unbundled parking, smart parking technologies and cash out programs, 13.0.615.0.5 Scenic Highways The City will promote the creation of Scenic Highways within San Luis Obispo and adjoining county areas. This support should be strongly advocated when: 4-.A. Reviewing draft county general plan elements or major revisions to them. 2.13. Reviewing changes to the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) as a member agency of the San Luis Obispo Council Regional Transportation Agency. 3.C. Reviewing development projects that are referred to the city that are located along routes shown in the Conservation and Open Space Element. D. Actively participating in the development and periodic updates of the Caltrans US 101 Aesthetic Study in San Luis Obispo County. AYES: Commrs. Dandekar, Draze, Malak, Larson, and Multari NOES: None RECUSED: None ABSENT: Commr. Fowler ( Commr. Riggs left early) The motion passed on a 5:0 vote. COMMENT AND DISCUSSION: 2. Staff a. Agenda Forecast by Director Johnson was deferred to tomorrow's meeting. 3. Commission ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 9:53 p.m. Respectfully submitted by, Diane Clement Recording Secretary Planning Commission Minutes September 17, 2014 Page 8 Approved by the Planning Commission on October 8, 2014, Aifllt.,i2� Lauri6 Thomas Administrative Assistant III