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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMIN 1992 0318 CC REGMINUTES OF THE CITY COUNCIL Moorpark, California March 18, 1992 A Regular Meeting of the City Council of the City of Moorpark was held on March 18, 1992 in the Council Chambers of said City located at 799 Moorpark Avenue, Moorpark, California. 1. CALL TO ORDER: Mayor Lawrason called the meeting to order at 7:10 p.m. 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Debbie Traffenstedt. 3. ROLL CALL: Present: Councilmembers Montgomery, Perez, Talley, Wozniak, and Mayor Lawrason. Steven Kueny, City Manager; Richard Hare, Deputy City Manager; Cheryl Kane, City Attorney; Pat Richards, Director of Community Development; Charles Abbott, City Engineer; Debbie Traffenstedt, Senior Planner; Dirk Lovett, Assistant City Engineer; Lillian Kellerman, City Clerk; Dorothy Vandaveer, Deputy City Clerk. 4. PUBLIC COMMENT: John Roberts, 15787 Graduate Circle, spoke regarding the parking situation in the area of Moorpark College. He said the enforcement of the no parking zones has improved and he would like additional streets considered for inclusion in the no parking restriction area. 5. PUBLIC HEARING: A. Consider General Plan Update Land Use and Circulation Elements, Sphere of Influence Expansion Study, and Environmental Impact Report (GPA -89 -1 and Zone Change 89 -1). Staff Recommendation: Reopen the public hearing and receive testimony. Minutes of the City Council Moorpark, California Page 2 March 18, 1992 Mayor Lawrason confirmed that the Council had been provided copies of all written letters of comment received that pertained to the General Plan. He went over the procedure for the conduct of the public hearing clarifying that comments regarding the Final Environmental Impact Report were not appropriate since the Planning Commission had held a public hearing on the EIR. No staff presentation was given. Mayor Lawrason opened the public hearing. Ms. Kellerman read the authors of letters received this evening immediately prior to the opening of the public hearing: Environmental Coalition; Messenger Investment Company; Willa and Lowell Withington; JEMCO Properties; Elwin Elkin; Pastor Errol Hale; and Reverend James Nelessen and noted that the Council had been provided with copies of additional written comment received since the agenda packet was prepared on Friday, March 13, 1992 through 5:00 p.m. this evening. John Roberts, 15787 Graduate Circle, said several homeowners in his neighborhood have circulated petitions and he wants to know if these items are available to the public. He indicated that the City Council needs to exercise some control over the Specific Plan 8 decision which will affect his area of the City. Keith Turner, 800 South Victoria Avenue, Ventura, representing the Ventura County Planning Department, stated he had packets from various County agencies for presentation to the City Council. He indicated that some of the information was new and had not been received by the Council prior to this meeting. In response to Councilmember Montgomery, Ms. Kane said if some of the information is relative to the Environmental Impact Report, it must be deleted and Mr. Turner speak later addressing only the subjects relative to the public hearing. Minutes of the City Council Moorpark, California Page 3 March 18, 1992 Mr. Turner agreed to extract the information relative to the Environmental Impact Report from his information and to return to address the subjects relevant to the General Plan Update later in the meeting. Bill Mount, 800 South Victoria Avenue, Ventura, representing the Air Pollution Control District, encouraged the Council to strive to achieve a good ratio of jobs /housing balance and higher density housing. Steve Manz, 800 South Victoria Avenue, Ventura, representing the County Public Works Agency, Transportation Division, requested Council to consider including policies in the General Plan Update of Moorpark that would tie in to a regional approach to transportation needs. Dolores Taylor, 800 South Victoria Avenue, Ventura, spoke on behalf of Alex Sheydayi of the Ventura County Flood Control District. She urged the Council to consider not allowing any increase in the amount of runoff when development occurs within the City. Dennis Miller, 229 Charles Street, questioned the basis of the circulation element of the General Plan. He said it does not meet the proposed streets and highway growth. In addition, he said most of the input has been from developers and not from the general public. He said the specific plans should be put to a vote by those affected homeowners. Susan Patton, 15311 Braun Court, spoke in opposition to the Messenger property being annexed into the City of Moorpark. Elizabeth Haynes, 15313 Seitz Court, representing the Environmental Coalition, recommended the sphere study be withdrawn from the General Plan Update at this time. She said more consideration needs to be given on all of the specific plans. BY CONSENSUS: By consensus, the Council determined to have Keith Turner, Ventura County Planning, return to the podium to address the Council. Minutes of the City Council Moorpark, California Page 4 March 18, 1992 Keith Turner addressed the jobs /housing balance, density of housing, designation of agricultural land and the inclusion of the Messenger Investment Corporation property in the sphere of influence. He stated that the development of the Messenger property outside the City of Moorpark would be a conflict with the Guidelines for Orderly Development. Janet Murphy, 15308 Seitz Court, spoke as president of the Environmental Coalition. She recommended that the sphere of influence study be omitted from the General Plan Update. She read from the "The Citizen Planners Project of Ventura County" document and asked the Council to receive the document. CONSENSUS: By consensus, the Council determined to receive "The Citizen Planners Project of Ventura County" document. Gary Austin, Messenger Investment Corporation, 17512 Von Karman Avenue, Irvine, stated that he is presenting the Council with a letter which contains bibliographies of studies which evaluate various aspects of their property over the last five years. He mentioned the following points: 1) their project would create jobs in Moorpark, 2) the proposed project would allow for much open space (2,000 acres) even after development, 3) their property should be developed with guidance from the City and not the County because of its proximity to the City limits, and 4) they believe the General Plan should allow for clustered development to allow open space as they propose which the General Plan does not allow at this point. Barbara Shultz, 116 Sierra Avenue, spoke regarding drainage problems in the vicinity of Gisler field and indicated that she had a copy of the City's 111987 Drainage Study ". She also spoke in opposition to the extension of Liberty Bell Road from Los Angeles Avenue to Poindexter Avenue. She presented a petition to the City Council signed by her neighbors relative to opposition to the extension of Liberty Bell Road. Minutes of the City Council Moorpark, California Page 5 March 18, 1992 Mela Cano, 148 Sierra Avenue, expressed concerns with traffic, crime, drainage problems and how they relate to the General Plan Update as proposed. She spoke in opposition to the extension of Liberty Bell Road. Margo M. Gaetz, 163 Sierra Avenue, expressed concerns with high density projects, water usage as it relates to population growth and said she is opposed to the extension of Liberty Bell Road to Poindexter Avenue. She indicated that she had seen advertisements for affordable detached single family housing and asked that such be considered rather than apartments or condominiums. Bill LaPerch, 7200 Walnut Canyon Road, stated that he would like to see each specific plan reviewed on a case -by -case basis instead of being addressed as part of the General Plan Update. Alan Sette, 9061 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, spoke representing JEMCO Properties. He said they support the Planning Commission recommendation to move the State Route 118 bypass connection to existing State Route 118 from Buttercreek Road to the property line of Bugle Boy and the JEMCO property. He said they also support the extension of B Street. AT THIS POINT in the meeting a recess was declared. The time was 9:15 p.m. The meeting reconvened at 9:30 p.m. Dennis Hardgrave, 651 Via Alondra, #714, Camarillo, addressed several items that had been discussed with the residents in the area of Specific Plan No. 1. He said the Levy Company has agreed to 1) a recreational trail buffer for both the proposed development and the existing neighbors along the west edge adjacent to homes that are in the Gabbert Road area and extending around to the north property line of the Specific Plan No. 1 area. He said the buffer would be 40 - 50 feet in width for the area and that it wouldn't be solely a horse trail bed, but would be the buffer transition zone; 2) an equestrian facility at Gabbert and the arterial road could be deleted, 3) a stable site could be placed anywhere in this area, if the City wants it west of Gabbert; 4) limit the size of Minutes of the City Council Moorpark, California Page 6 March 18, 1992 lots north of the arterial bypass roadway to a one acre minimum. He said High Street should be extended as a local non truck serving street from Moorpark Avenue into Specific Plan No. 1, crossing the very lower end of the existing ball fields on the old high school site. He said the Levy Company is committed within Specific Plan No. 1 to seeing a park built. He indicated that a number of things were discussed in his meeting with the Gabbert Road residents. He said the greatest concern heard was regarding the location of the 118 bypass. Yvonne Loud, 11902 Elwin Road, asked the Council to please reconsider approving Specific Plan No. 1. She said she is concerned with the density of housing it includes. Mary Kairouz, 11922 Darlene Lane, stated that she has spoken with 25 - 30 residents and not one knew of the General Plan Update process. She spoke in opposition to Specific Plan No. 1 and said it allows housing density that is too high. Manny Asadurian, 11855 Darlene Lane, expressed that Dennis Hardgrave has been very fair with the residents in addressing their concerns and that the prime concern he has is with the proposal that High Street be extended to allow access to the proposed project. Doris Miller, 6395 Gabbert Road, thanked the City Council for the work they have expended on the General Plan update process. She indicated that she sees impending disaster at Gabbert Road if the bypass is allowed to be routed there. She continued by stating that the population cap of 60,000 people is too high. Rene Mayfield, 6085 Darling Lane, said the map for the General Plan update announcement that was in the newspaper was not legible. She commented that the density that is proposed for Specific Plan 1 is too high and she and her other neighbors do not support this Specific Plan. George Wilhelm, 11905 Elwin Road, stated he wants Moorpark to continue having open space as that is one of the reasons he moved here from the San Fernando Valley. Minutes of the City Council Moorpark, California Page 7 March 18, 1992 Errol Hale, 4330 Deepwell Lane, spoke as Pastor of Shiloh Community Church, and related the role of churches and how it affects the general plan update. He urged the Council to make it easier for churches to locate in industrially zoned areas by waiving the Conditional Use Permit requirement to make it easier to obtain leases on buildings that are suitable. He asked the Council to establish a designation for non profit land uses. In addition, Pastor Hale said he does not want Unidos Avenue extended as it will mean their building would be condemned. Sylvia Whitaker, 461 Cornett, expressed concern about Liberty Bell Road being extended from Los Angeles Avenue to Poindexter Avenue. She does not want to see that happen. Steven Day, 12539 Sunnyglen Drive, spoke as Pastor of the Community Christian Church. He added that the church facility is going to become a thing of the past. He asked the Council to ease the Conditional Use Permit process for making warehouses available for worship services. In response to Councilmember Lawrason, Mr. Richards said churches are permitted in virtually every zone in the City, subject to a permit process. In the residential areas and industrial areas it is a Conditional Use Permit and in the commercial areas, it is a Commercial Planned Development Permit so there is an opportunity for churches to be established in any zone. He said he believed the only zone in which they may not be established is the agricultural zone, of which we have a very limited amount in the City. Mayor Lawrason continued by asking if there is any problem with processing a Conditional Use Permit for a church in an industrial area. Mr. Richards said the opportunity to process a CUP is always available, with each location being reviewed independently depending on the relationship between existing land uses and the proposed land use. He said in some locations, churches may or may not be appropriate because of existing land uses, but again those have to reviewed on a case -by -case basis. Minutes of the City Council Moorpark, California Page 8 March 18, 1992 Mr. Richards said the average time to process a Conditional Use Permit is between 4 - 6 months. Under the permit streamlining act, the City is obligated to process within that six month time frame. In response to Mayor Lawrason, Mr. Kueny said that if the Council will recall, the Community Development Committee discussed the possibility of excluding not only churches, but certain other uses like karate studios and others from the requirement for a Conditional Use Permit. He said implementation of this change could be affected as part of the follow -up zoning to the General Plan Update. Eddie Ramseyer, 1881 Knoll Drive, Ventura, spoke regarding the drainage in the vicinity of Liberty Bell Road and Lassen Avenue. He also spoke regarding the extension of Liberty Bell Road. He said if Liberty Bell is extended, then Lassen Avenue should be closed. Dee Boysten, 23801 Calabasas Road, Calabasas, spoke representing the Building Industry Association. She said the issue of land use density is a concern. She indicated that the density issues are not consistent with the goals that are outlined and noted that the affordability bonuses have been deleted from the Plan. She stated that the BIA is seeking broader language in the General Plan not more stringent. Liz Leaver, 12617 Crystal Ranch Road, said she strongly opposes the proposal to double the size of Moorpark. In particular, she opposes the Messenger development and is opposed to the extension of High Street through the ball fields of the old high school. Mark Stanley, 721 Sir George Court, spoke regarding the Circulation Element. He said his concern is the alignment of Spring Road, between Charles Street and High Street. He said, with the proposed changes, it will cause too much traffic on this street with the present alignment. Minutes of the City Council Moorpark, California Page 9 March 18, 1992 Eloise Brown, 13193 Annette Street, spoke regarding the drainage problem. She said the Arroyo has not been cleaned out for three years and homeowners are assessed for this cleaning so they should expect it to be done. She said the General Plan document should be less restrictive now so as to allow for more flexibility in the future. AT THIS POINT in the meeting, a recess was declared. The time was 11:14 p.m. The meeting reconvened at 11:25 p.m. Dave Wilkinson, 4791 Elderberry Avenue, spoke as Pastor of the Moorpark Presbyterian Church. He agreed with what Pastors Hale and Day said earlier requesting the Council to make the Conditional Use Permit process easier to accommodate the churches' needs and to develop a proactive attitude to encourage land to be set aside for churches. Reverend Wilkinson also encouraged the Council to exercise sensitivity on the impact of decisions and non decisions on churches when they are trying to come into the city. Tom Schleve, 8160 Happy Camp Road, stated that if the land his project is offering is not used for a park, it might possibly be used for a church site. Ethel Sulkis, 270 Sierra Avenue, spoke in opposition to the extension of Liberty Bell Road. Doug Frazier, 237 Sierra Avenue, spoke in opposition to the extension of Liberty Bell Road. Sean Sutton, 15411 Braun Court, said he would like to see Moorpark retain the open space and that the city should not annex the Messenger property. Lou Miraglia, 11820 Darlene Lane, was not present to speak. Diane Kay, 11820 Darlene Lane, was not present to speak. John Newton, 4410 Summerglen, said that reopening the public hearing was the right thing for the Council to do. He spoke as a member of the Board of Directors of the Boys and Girls Club and encouraged consideration for their use of the gymnasium and waiver of the onerous Conditional Use Minutes of the City Council Moorpark, California Page 10 March 18, 1992 Permit. He then spoke as a member of the Board of Directors for the Chamber of Commerce and said he does not find all of the Chamber's input in the Economic Development section of the General Plan. Mr. Newton submitted letters regarding the following: 1) A &A project (Anderson) - he requested support of the Planning Commission recommendation; 2) Estes Trust - he requested that the mobile home park designation be supported; 3) JBR - he requested support for the packet that was sent to the Planning Commission November 1st and encouraged Council support for Planning Commission Resolution 92 -253 which contained some items that are not evident now in the Plan (circulation and land use regarding Specific Plan 2). He said the Planning Commission added D Street to the circulation element and this is a must for the circulation plan to work; 4) Kavli - he supported the change to industrial for the parcel, as recommended by the Planning Commission. In response to Councilmember Perez, Mr. Newton said the mobile home park could feasibly be an ownership mobile home park. Councilmember Montgomery asked if Specific Plan 2 could have five acres set aside for public /institutional. Mr. Newton said it would be the Council's decision as to what could be done. Gary Mussell, 6446 Linville Court, indicated that the Campus Hills part of the city needs some sort of small shopping area. He also indicated that widening Los Angeles Avenue should not be necessary. Mr. Mussell also spoke in opposition to the annexation of the Messenger Investment Corporation property. Mayor Lawrason said each Councilmember would respond for the record whether they had received any new communication relative to the General Plan Update. Minutes of the City Council Moorpark, California Page 11 March 18, 1992 Councilmembers Talley, Montgomery, Wozniak and Mayor Lawrason responded in the negative. Councilmember Perez indicated he did not know whether a fax transmittal from Cohen, England and Whitfield had contained an attachment (letter to Keith Turner) which he had received. He provided the letter to the City Clerk for the record and indicated he had nothing additional to report. Mayor Lawrason Closed the Public Hearing. CONSENSUS: By consensus, the Council determined to schedule the next General Plan Update meeting for April 8, 1992. 6. ADJOURNMENT: MOTION: Councilmember Montgomery moved and Councilmember Wozniak seconded a motion to adjourn. The motion carried by unanimous voice vote. The time was 12:20 a.m. ATTEST: Paul W. awrason ., Mayor