HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - September 14, 2006 SMLODI CITY COUNCIL
SPECIAL JOINT CITY COUNCIL MEETING
WITH THE LODI PLANNING COMMISSION
CARNEGIE FORUM, 305 WEST PINE STREET
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2006
A. CALL TO ORDER / ROLL CALL
The Special Joint City Council meeting with the Lodi Planning Commission of September 14, 2006,
was called to order by Mayor Hitchcock at 7:01 p.m.
Present: Council Members – Beckman, Hansen, Johnson, Mounce, and Mayor Hitchcock
Absent: Council Members – None
Present: Planning Commissioners – Cummins, Heinitz, Kiser, Mattheis, Moran, White, and
Chairperson Kuehne
Absent: Planning Commissioners – None
Also Present: City Manager King, City Attorney Schwabauer, and Interim City Clerk Perrin
B. REGULAR CALENDAR
B-1 "Review and provide direction on the overall organization of the General Plan update,
determine the method of soliciting public participation, identify key stakeholders, and clarify
priorities for the General Plan update"
Community Development Director Hatch reported that the purpose of this meeting was to
have basic introductions and discuss the overview, scope, and schedule. Mr. Hatch
introduced the following representatives who are part of the General Plan project:
Rajeev Bhatia, Yvonne Hung, and Sarah Nurmela with Dyett & Bhatia; Suzanne Lampert
with Mundie & Associates; Julie Morgan and Mike Wallace with Fehr & Peers; and Jessica
Mitchell and Ray Weiss with ESA (not in attendance were Michael Southworth with UC
Berkeley and Doug Moore with West Yost and Associates).
Mr. Bhatia stated that staff is seeking direction from Council Members and Planning
Commissioners on three main issues: the public participation program, list of stakeholders
to interview in the initial process, and specific issues to include on the community outreach
survey. In addition, each will have an opportunity to provide his or her visions and priorities
for the City's General Plan. A General Plan outlines a vision for the long-range, physical
development of a city and provides for specific implementing actions that allow it to be
accomplished. It will establish a basis for determining whether future projects are in
harmony with the City's vision and policies and will provide a guide to developers and
agencies to design projects that enhance and preserve community character and
resources. The General Plan must be internally consistent and any conflicts with policies,
diagrams, maps, and standards must be reconciled. State law also states that subsequent
city actions, whether it is zoning, capital improvements programs, location of parks,
streetscape improvements, bicycles paths, etc., are consistent with the General Plan, and
it requires that certain elements, such as land use, circulation, conservation, open space,
noise, safety, and housing, be included. The C1ty has further decided that certain other
elements be addressed, which include growth management, community design, and
livability. There is some flexibility on what the elements are and how they are itemized. He
assured that his firm would make certain this plan belongs to Lodi, enhances its
characteristics, and responds directly to the issues that face Lodi—livability, sustainability,
urban design, community design, neighborhood design, growth management, and open
space preservation. This will be a participatory process that will engage the Council,
Planning Commission, and the community at large.
This is a four-phase work program, which will span approximately two years with ten total
tasks. The public participation program will include decision maker meetings, meetings
with stakeholders, citywide survey, livability survey, community workshops, neighborhood
workshops, newsletters, and information on the website. The mail -in survey will be mailed
to one in three households and will have both open-ended questions as well as more
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quantitative numerical rating questions in order to prioritize issues. Reports from the
surveys will be published immediately, and documentation will be provided at the
conclusion of the workshops. The first substantive task after the initial outreach will relate
to defining a planning area, which would include the City limits, all of the land within the
sphere of influence, and any other land that bears relationship to the planning. Then there
will be a comprehensive assessment of land use, urban design, transportation, and
infrastructure that will be included in a working paper. There will be another specific paper
on overall growth prospects and economic strategies, which will encompass dimensions of
tourism, downtown development, retail, and a specific paper dealing with the City's long-
term economic strategy. An additional working paper will be prepared regarding issues of
neighborhood design, urban design, Qty design, and livability. There will be sketch plans
that will be citywide land use plans, visualization of urban design strategies, and an
assessment of the transportation impact, infrastructure impacts, and fiscal impacts. The
consultants will assemble a fiscal model of the Gty that can be used later for other
purposes. Next, the consultants will work with the City and the community to come to a
preferred land use plan, which will serve as the basis for writing the various elements in the
General Plan. The draft Environmental Impact Report and General Plan will be on a parallel
track so that the General Plan is a self mitigating document. This will lead to a public
review process, followed by hearings, and ultimately approval.
In response to Mayor Hitchcock, Mr. Bhatia stated that there would be approximately 20
stakeholder meetings, which would be flexible and involve groups of two to three. The
meetings would last 30 to 45 minutes and would be a candid one-on-one dialog regarding
the issues. There may be more than 20 individuals; however, he anticipated there would be
only 20 sessions. Once the meetings have been held, Council will be provided with a list of
those involved, as well as a report on the findings.
Commissioner Heinitz expressed hope that east side residents would be included in the
community workshops and presentations.
In response to Mayor Hitchcock, Mr. Bhatia responded that the 13 to 14 decision maker
meetings would be Council meetings, Planning Commission meetings, or joint meetings
spaced out over the next two years. There would also be three citywide workshops, with an
open house at the end, and 20 stakeholder meetings right at the outset. There will be
some neighborhood forums, including one on livability. Staff will be provided with a
PowerPoint presentation that it can use to present to various groups. Mayor Hitchcock
expressed concern that this may not be a sufficient outreach program.
Commissioner Heinitz stated that he recently attended the League of California Cities
conference, at which a speaker emphasized the importance of holding citywide workshops
at various locations within the community; not only at city hall. He suggested workshops
be held at the LOEL Senior Center, various schools, and locations on the east side and
that they be advertised by mailed flyers and advertisements in the newspapers, to which
Mayor Hitchcock concurred.
Mayor Pro Tempore Johnson agreed; however, he expressed concern that the level of
participation may still be low. He suggested that the survey include a question as to
whether or not residents were willing to pay for the elements in order to determine the level
of commitment.
Chair Kuehne questioned if the survey would be available on the website, to which
Mr. Bhatia responded that, based on his experience, responses to web -based surveys are
exceedingly poor and he believed it would not be as effective as the mail -in survey.
Commissioner Moran questioned the timeline and whether the holidays would have an
affect on the schedule, to which Mr. Bhatia stated that the schedule was pushed out due to
calendaring issues and he believed some of those dates would need to be adjusted.
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Continued September 14, 2006
Council Member Hansen believed that the value of the General Plan is going to be a direct
reflection on how much input is received. In regard to the two-year time frame, he hoped
that progress stays on task due to the fact that there could be new Council Members in
2008. He stressed the importance of completing the entire process with the Council
Members who are seated following this election in order to keep the consistency. M-.
Bhatia agreed and emphasized that everyone needs to make these tasks a priority.
Council Member Beckman suggested that the mail -in survey be sent to every resident as
part of the City's utility bill mailing. He believed the budget could handle the extra mailings,
to which Mr. Bhatia stated that the extra cost would be in the compilation of the results,
particularly with the open-ended questions. Mr. Beckman further suggested that any
question on the survey that affects the City's general fund include a question on whether or
not residents would be willing to pay a sales tax, parcel tax, or a user fee, to which Mayor
Hitchcock stated that she could not support that suggestion.
Chair Kuehne requested that the question on the survey regarding bike paths be rephrased
slightly to include bike, jogging, or walking paths that would be off of main thoroughfares.
He further suggested that there be more connections through Lodi, similar to the wilderness
area behind Lodi Lake.
Mayor Pro Tempore Johnson suggested that the survey use language such as
"commitment" versus "pay for" and further suggested that both the City Council and
Planning Commission meet as often as possible in order to be kept apprised of the
discussions and avoid problems arising during a crucial point in the process.
Commissioner Heinitz suggested the survey be used to prioritize the wish list items in order
to determine what is most important.
Commissioner Cummins made a suggestion that telemarketers and door-to-door surveyors
be hired to collect the survey data, which he believed would reach 80% of the constituents.
Mr. Bhatia explained that the mail -in survey results would be compiled by a firm that
performs this kind of work. He stated that a phone and door-to-door survey would cost
much more than what is outlined in this program. He also believed there were many other
ways to participate, including public meetings, forums, and newsletters.
In response to Mayor Hitchcock, Mr. Bhatia stated that there is some flexibility in the
schedule and that every effort would be made to not compress everything before the
holidays.
The following issues were suggested to be included in the survey:
00 Mayor Hitchcock — community separator/greenbelt, urban growth boundary, small
neighborhood parks, Lodi as a tourism destination, and what size (population) should
Lodi be;
oo Commissioner Mattheis — stressed that the community be listened to before any ideas
and plans are formulated;
co Council Member Mounce — historical preservation and feasibility of additional hotels and
bed and breakfasts;
oo Vice Chair Moran — traffic mitigation; and
co Commissioner Heinitz — introduction of local wineries into the community and its use of
Lodi services, as well as developing tasting rooms downtown.
The following suggestions were made on potential stakeholders:
oo Council Member Mounce — Lodi Improvement Committee and Historical Society;
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0o Council Member Hansen – Community Partnership for Families of San Joaquin and
Lodi Unified School District;
co Council Member Beckman – Chamber of Commerce, LOEL Senior Center, Lodi
Conference and Visitors Bureau, Downtown Lodi Business Partnership, San Joaquin
Partnership, representatives from the development community, and EI Concilio;
00 Mayor Pro Tempore Johnson – key industrial people in the community;
00 Mayor Hitchcock – representatives of the six large industrial electric customers, as well
as the hospital and medical community; and
0o Chair Kuehne – Bay Area Rapid Transit.
Community Development Director Hatch requested direction on whether or not Council
would like to conduct joint meetings with the Planning Commission on all or some of the
key meetings or whether to select a steering committee. A majority of the Council
expressed consensus in conducting them all as joint meetings; however, Council Member
Hansen added the stipulation that if a Council Member or a Commissioner cannot make the
meeting, it still proceed in order to stay on track. Chair Kuehne expressed support for
having as many of the Council Members participate in the process because it becomes
redundant on staff and consultants to have to repeat information.
City Manager King stated that it is the expectation of Council and the Planning
Commission that, for the contract amount of $920,000, the consultant be able to
accommodate requests for additional public meetings, without the need for added
compensation, and he hoped the project would remain within budget. Mr. Bhatia could not
guarantee there would not be additional costs; however, he stated he would provide Council
with detailed information or a contract change order, if necessary. Mr. King also expressed
concern that the project has been delayed from the original proposal and he hoped the
consultants will work around this, rather than pushing the schedule back.
Mayor Hitchcock questioned whether the City would get a better statistical survey with a
full mail -in survey or could it be accomplished with less, to which Mr. Bhatia responded
that, if it were mailed to one in three households, an 8% response would be a very good
sampling and he further pointed out that the results would not differ much if more were
received.
Council Member Hansen appreciated the City Manager's comments on costs as the City
does have a fiduciary responsibility to keep the costs within reason. He expressed concern
about the added expense to compile the survey results if they were mailed to all residents
in the utility bills and felt confident that the one in three household mailing would produce a
sufficient sampling.
Council Member Beckman suggested that an evaluation be made on what is more
important—the added cost to compile the additional surveys or the additional public
meetings—and that the information be provided before a decision is made. Mr. Bhatia
stated that he would provide a line -item list of the costs.
Commissioner Heinitz suggested that, to cut down on the cost of the public meetings, the
Council or Commission participate in and report back on the meetings. Mr. Bhatia stated
that his firm could accommodate that and help organize the forums so there is an overall
structure in the way information is presented and recorded to keep it consistent across the
board. Mayor Hitchcock suggested that staff may be able to run those meetings.
Mayor Pro Tempore Johnson disagreed with the suggestion, stating that the City is paying
close to $1 million for this service and the consultants are experts on how to successfully
run a meeting and solicit responses. He encouraged Council Members and
Commissioners to attend; however, he suggested they only listen and not participate.
Mr. Bhatia stated he would work with staff on the appropriate way to respond to this
direction on outreach and return with an appropriate recommendation.
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Continued September 14, 2006
Commissioner Kiser questioned if the mail -in survey could be mailed to registered voters,
as they are more inclined to participate, to which Mr. Bhatia stated that the survey could be
mailed to all addresses or all registered voter; however, if too few are received, additional
surveys can be mailed.
Chair Kuehne agreed with mailing them to all residents in the utility bill if it does not
escalate the cost significantly, which would also catch many of the registered voters.
In response to Council Member Hansen, Mr. Hatch stated that the budget included a
separate mailing due to automatic payments and the fact that many renters do not receive
utility bills. Council Member Hansen opted for a separate mailing, as budgeted.
Mayor Pro Tempore Johnson pointed out that the utility bills are also on a cycle, which may
result in a time constraint in sending out the surveys.
Question #1: What do you think are Lodi's major strengths?
oo Commissioner White — Improvement in and emphasis on the downtown area; tourism
will increase because of the downtown and wine industry.
oo Commissioner Mattheis — Preserving the old infrastructure within downtown and the
neighborhoods surrounding it and allowing infill development.
oo Commissioner Kiser — The wine industry should be a focus, as well as bringing in
tourism and improving downtown.
oo Commissioner Heinitz — Development of Hutchins Street Square, which has a
performing arts theater and a senior center and promotes tourism.
oo Commissioner Cummins — The faith -based communities and organizations that provide
a social service that the City is unable to provide and the newer developments along
Lower Sacramento Road and Kettleman Lane.
oo Vice Chair Moran — Lodi has a strong sense of ownership in the community and she
would like to see future generations also have that ownership.
oo Chair Kuehne — He believed Lodi was still a safe, clean community to raise a family.
00 Mayor Hitchcock — Even though the population is 63,000, Lodi has a small-town
character and sense of a safe community; Lodi's strength of ownership and its
volunteerism.
00 Mayor Pro Tempore Johnson — Lodi still cares as a community.
oo Council Member Mounce — Lodi's sense of community and sense of ownership; Lodi
has the greatest people in the State of California and its major strength is the budding
wine industry and that it could be the next destination.
oo Council Member Hansen — Lodi's strong sense of community and the fact that it is a
responsive community; Lodi is an island (i.e. it is not surrounded by other
communities) and has its own identity; the services this community provides is
appreciated and it is still a safe, clean community.
oo Council Member Beckman — Pride in the community, the downtown, agri-tourism, Lodi
Lake, and Hutchins Street Square.
Question #2: What are Lodi's challenges and opportunities?
oo Council Member Beckman — The challenges are improving the local economy and
using land use as a tool to accomplish that and accomplishing a greenbelt while
keeping local economy alive through the process.
oo Council Member Hansen — Lodi has moved in the direction of attracting jobs, and the
challenge is that businesses want to locate in Lodi but have no place to go. Lodi has
had to deal with shortages in funds and the financial challenges arising from that will be
major over the next 20 years. He pointed to the economic viability of a city, being able
to keep what it has, and expanding the level of services to what people want. Another
challenge will be to protect Lodi as an island and its boundaries.
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Continued September 14, 2006
0o Council Member Mounce — The challenges and opportunities are to maintain the
downtown, revitalizing the east side, identifying new areas for commercial and industrial
growth to create Lodi as a viable place for jobs and industrial companies, defining
tourism and appropriate locations for wineries and bed and breakfasts, and how that
associates with a community separator in making it viable so that farmers and
winegrape growers can work together to create a great sense of community.
00 Mayor Pro Tempore Johnson — He believed the outskirts of Lodi would take care of
itself, yet he advocated throwing the widest loop possible around Lodi. The challenges
and opportunities are in the older sections of town and how to restructure, rebuild, and
revitalize something that has been neglected and depreciated for many years. He
believed Lodi was on the cusp of a transformation due to growth and Lodi will need an
economic engine to keep up with the growth and pay for the increase in services. He
was in favor of finding ways to create space to generate jobs for people within the
community and to help pay for cost of services in this community.
00 Mayor Hitchcock — She believed the biggest challenge would be the pressure to grow
from within and without. This would be an opportunity to make sure that Lodi throws
the biggest loop around the community and that it look at urban growth boundaries and
a community separator/greenbelt.
co Chair Kuehne — Lodi becoming a destination location, whether that includes wineries
downtown or bed and breakfasts, and what that would look like; redevelopment of the
east side and on Sacramento Street and Central Avenue; Lodi becoming more of a
pedestrian friendly community and connecting the east to the west and to the
downtown area. Lodi would need to make growth fit well in order to retain the sense of
community, as well as having a community separator.
0o Vice Chair Moran — Wine -related tourism, agricultural preservation, and economic
development are all rolled into one as both a challenge and an opportunity in that they
seem to be the best way to get a shot in the arm for fiscal requirements. The other
area to consider is parks and bicycle/pedestrian circulation with linkages to parks and
other areas; not just for vehicles. Bringing in the next generation and keeping it livable
and lovable for the next generation. She believed people were priced out of the housing
market and that there are no starter homes in Lodi. If Lodi wants to remain viable as a
city, it needs to look at bringing in the youthful group. She suggested that the survey
include a question on where people live and work, in order to figure out the economic
balance of the community.
co Commissioner Cummins — Agreed with the statements regarding economic
development and affordable housing. He stated that a challenge is also facing an anti-
growth sentiment, which almost resulted in the City losing Blue Shield's 600 to 1,000
jobs. He believed car dealers were a real asset to the community since they contribute
considerably to the tax base in Lodi.
0o Commissioner Heinitz — He believed a challenge is the blend between the wine industry
and growth in the City. Without growth, the City will stagnate; however, every loss of
vineyards moves the City further away from becoming a destination. The City needs to
look at density, zoning, and the need for affordable housing. Other communities have
developed within their sphere without growing outside the boundaries and have gone to
three and four-story apartment buildings or condominiums.
co Commissioner Kiser — He believed a challenge was to bring growth in at a minimal
amount in order to provide jobs for the community, affordable housing, and essential
services. He hoped to strike a balance with the farmers so the City can continue to
grow and farmers can still make a living.
0o Commissioner Mattheis — He quoted data that the Central Valley, from Fresno to
Sacramento, currently has a population of 3.5 million people and that in the year 2040
it will grow to 7.5 million. One of the challenges for Lodi is to not become a part of that
urban sprawl. The City will need to reeducate itself and the development community on
the principles of new urbanism that can look at a more integrated mixed use; not just
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Continued September 14, 2006
adjacent land uses. That is a challenge in terms of the new outlying areas and how
that integrates with the greenbelt. He hoped Lodi could look at ways to offer incentives
to restructure the older portions of town, to achieve the same type of livability and
mixed use.
oo Commissioner White — He believed affordable housing was the number one challenge
and he believed it would be accomplished through multi -family structures. Infill to the
City is also a major challenge.
Question #3: Describe your vision: what would Lodi look like 20 to 25 years from now?
oo Commissioner White — He envisioned Lodi remaining small and being a special place in
the Central Valley, with a downtown that had entertainment and a nightlife.
oo Commissioner Mattheis — His vision is for a connected, livable, walkable community
that still has a small-town feel, yet has matured into the 21s` century.
oo Commissioner Kiser — He would like to see Lodi maintain its old world charm.
oo Commissioner Heinitz — Whether Lodi grows, develops, or changes, he would like
Lodians to take pride in this community. He does not envision Lodi being developed
out to Interstate 5 and being completely "built out."
oo Commissioner Cummins — In the year 2025, he envisioned Lodi to be a town of 90,000
people that will have many of the retail establishments it does not currently have, which
would enable sales tax dollars to remain in this community.
oo Vice Chair Moran — She would like to see smart growth occur over the next 20 years so
that people want to settle in this community.
oo Chair Kuehne — He would like to see light rail come into the City and that Lodi become
a destination location.
00 Mayor Hitchcock — She does not wish Lodi to look like Elk Grove with strip malls and
sprawled housing. Growth needs to be much more thought out and there needs to be a
job -housing balance. She envisioned a small-town feel and a safe community. If Lodi
grows too large, it will not have the police response times it currently has, and she
believed the City needs to look at preservation of agricultural land.
00 Mayor Pro Tempore Johnson — He believed that a population of 90,000 would no longer
be considered a shall town. As new urbanism and development come about, the
biggest pressure will be on the City Council, Planning Commission, and Community
Development staff to design the growth. If the City continues with the 2% growth
limitation, it may be able to save the urban or agriculture environment; however,
everything in the middle will be vastly different from what it is today. He believed that
this was more of an on-going planning process and that the adoption of this General
Plan and the design of this community will have to be wrestled with over the next 20
years.
oo Council Member Mounce — She would like to see Lodi maintain its small square
footage, that it be dense and compact, and that it grow up, not out. In 2025, she hoped
Lodi would be one of the greatest destinations in the Central Valley, if not in the State
of California.
oo Council Member Hansen — He believed that in 2025 this community would have a high
percentage of senior citizens and he hoped that the City would be responsive to this
increased demand on services. In addition, there will be an increase in the younger
generation, and he envisioned the community to have programs available to the youth of
this community. In regard to growth and the potential for Lodi to reach 90,000 people,
he believed that, if Lodi had a reasonable level of housing, the ability to shop within the
community, and the ability to take care of the senior population and provide programs
for youth, this community could still maintain its identity and small-town feel. He
envisioned Lodi's downtown to be a viable, fun place and hoped that more people would
be living downtown.
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Continued September 14, 2006
0o Council Member Beckman — He stated his usion is a balanced community with a mix
of densities, proportionality, and a housing to jobs ratio. Lodi needs affordable housing
and starter times, as well as higher densities and multiple -level buildings to avoid
sprawl. He would like to see Lodi grow an average of 1.5% a year, and his ultimate
vision for Lodi in 2025 is that it be exactly as it is today, but a bit larger.
PUBLIC COMMENTS:
00 Deborah Kass stated that she preferred the survey be mailed to every citizen in Lodi.
C. ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business to come before the City Council, the meeting was adjourned at 9:11
p.m.
ATTEST:
Jennifer M. Perrin
Interim City Clerk