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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - January 31, 2017 SMLODI CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING CARNEGIE FORUM, 305 WEST PINE STREET TUESDAY, JANUARY 31, 2017 A. Call to Order / Roll Call The Special City Council meeting of January 31, 2017, was called to order by Mayor Kuehne at 7:02 a.m. Present: Council Member Johnson, Council Member Mounce, and Mayor Kuehne Absent: Council Member Chandler, and Mayor Pro Tempore Nakanishi Also Present: City Manager Schwabauer, City Attorney Magdich, and City Clerk Ferraiolo B. Regular Calendar B-1 Provide Direction Regarding Lawrence Park Tree Impacts Associated with the Lockeford Street Improvement Project (PW) Senior Civil Engineer Sean Nathan provided a PowerPoint presentation regarding Lawrence Park tree impacts associated with the Lockeford Street Improvement Project. Specific topics of discussion included purpose of the presentation, project scope, project limitations, Lawrence Park, existing cross-section, proposed cross-section, proposed layout, Valley Oak trees planted by Parks Division and Tree Lodi, World War I Memorial tree, 2012 Bike Master Plan, alternate layout, alternate cross-section, and staff recommendation. In response to Council Member Johnson, Mr. Nathan stated that the City is required to work with Caltrans because it is part of the funding distribution and is responsible for the environmental work and approval of plans. In response to Mayor Kuehne, Mr. Nathan stated that the minimum standard width for sidewalks is four feet, but staff makes every attempt to install five-foot wide sidewalks as standard practice because the Building Code requires five-foot wide sidewalks every four feet for wheelchair accessibility. The location in question currently is at five feet. In further response, Mr. Nathan stated that the proposed bike path is Class II the entire way from Cherokee Lane to the railroad tracks; although, it is slightly limited closer to Cherokee Lane because of existing rights-of-way and fences from the lumber yard. Council Member Mounce stated that she believes the area in question is in less need of improvement than other areas along Lockeford Street, such as Church Street to the railroad, and further stated she was opposed to removing any trees. In response to Mayor Kuehne, Mr. Nathan stated that the pedestrian path is already eight feet wide adjacent to the Lodi Grape Festival, but that width cannot be maintained across the frontage of the Eagles Lodge. In further response, Mr. Nathan stated that the new pathway in front of Doors Plus will be five feet, but it will be limited by rights-of-way. Mayor Kuehne stated there are pros and cons to both the staff recommendation and the alternate option, but he prefers the proposed plan in order to have a Class II bike path from the railroad to Cherokee Lane. The loss of trees is unfortunate, but he was pleased that staff took measures to plant other trees in preparation of the project. Council Member Johnson questioned why this project has taken 12 years to get to this point, to which Mr. Nathan responded that the timing has been a combined factor of funding, staff priorities, and availabilities. Public Works Director Charlie Swimley added that former Council Member Larry Hansen was a proponent of the project and staff has long been in negotiations with the railroad on the right-of-way for the widening portion of the project. Council Member Johnson 1 pointed out that a portion of the negotiations with the railroad related to a potential development on the south side property that never came to fruition and that it was unfair to attribute delays to the railroad. Mr. Swimley agreed there has not been a great push on this project, but there is $1.5 million available for this project in Surface Transportation Program funding from San Joaquin Council of Governments and $300,000 from Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality to fund a portion of the signal at Lockeford and Stockton Streets. Because of the momentum and funding opportunities, staff advanced the progress of the project. Council Member Mounce stated that the public will likely be opposed to the removal of trees and she sees no rationale for taking on this project when there are other areas in greater need. Mr. Swimley stated that planning an improvement project of this nature takes into account future needs and, in some cases, removal of trees is necessary. The elimination of the trees will provide extra widening on Lockeford Street to meet future traffic volumes. Staff's recommendation is to remove the London Plane trees, which will allow the smaller Valley Oak trees to grow for the next generation. Council Member Mounce stated there is a significant portion of undeveloped properties in that area and she believed this was a poor use of dollars. Council Member Johnson questioned if the trees could be transplanted elsewhere. Steve Dutra, representing Tree Lodi, stated that the London Planes were originally donated from a local family and explained that trees with large roots typically have a high failure rate when transplanted. He suggested that, instead of transplanting the trees, the City look into the program that Tree Lodi is working on with the Sacramento Tree Foundation called Urban Wood Rescue, which recycles wood for use in productive ways. The London Planes are negatively impacting the Valley Oak trees by stunting their growth. If Council opts to keep the trees, he strongly suggested they be pruned for structural benefit and to enable the Valley Oak trees to grow and become healthier. Mr. Dutra suggested a phased removal of the trees to lessen the negative impact on the public. In response to Council Member Mounce, Mr. Dutra estimated the London Planes are roughly 70 to 80 feet high and suggested pruning no more than 20 percent of the tree at one time. He added that the sidewalk is also in poor condition because of the London Plane tree roots. In response to Mayor Kuehne, Mr. Swimley stated that the railroad spur west of the tracks is not impacted by this project and it has not been used on a consistent basis since General Mills closed. Business Development Manager Adam Brucker added that maintaining rail service to that property will be an asset to any future owner of the General Mills property. Mayor Kuehne reiterated that he prefers the proposed plan because staff took mitigating measures on the trees. Council Member Johnson stated that removal of trees is important to many citizens and suggested postponing the decision until there is a full Council to debate and vote on the issue, with which Council Member Mounce concurred. Mr. Swimley stated that a decision will need to be made soon in order to proceed with the environmental approvals. Myrna Wetzel expressed her opposition to removing the 14 London Plane trees, citing the environmental benefits and maturity of the trees. C. Adjournment There being no further business to come before the City Council, the meeting was adjourned at 7:34 a.m. ATTEST: Jennifer M. Ferraiolo City Clerk 2