HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012-09-18 City Council Action Minutes
1 September 18, 2012
Action Minutes
Special Meeting
September 18, 2012
The City Council of the City of Palo Alto met on this date in the Council
Chambers at 5:30 P.M.
Present: Burt, Espinosa, Holman, Klein, Price, Scharff, Schmid, Shepherd,
Yeh
Absent:
CLOSED SESSION
1. CONFERENCE WITH REAL PROPERTY NEGOTIATORS
Property: Santa Clara County Assessor’s Parcel Number 182-46-006,
Palo Alto
Agency negotiator: Steve Emslie, Lalo Perez, Hamid Ghaemmaghami
Negotiating parties: John Arillaga
Under negotiation: Price and terms of payment
Mayor Yeh announced that this closed session concerns 7.7 acre parcel
identified as Santa Clara County APN: 182-46-006, located adjacent to
Foothills Park in Palo Alto, California. The parcel is located northeast of the
Los Trancos Road Subdivision; south of the Lee Subdivision and Arastradero
Preserve; and to the northwest of Palo Alto Foothills Park. There is no situs
address for the site. The parcel is landlocked and there are no public utilities
to the site. Other than through Foothills Park, access to the site is only
possible via a 40-foot-wide, non-public emergency ingress/egress easement
from Los Trancos Road, which crosses the 19.2-acre common area of the
adjacent Lee Subdivision.
The City Council reconvened from the Closed Session at 7:20 P.M. and
Mayor Yeh advised no reportable action.
SPECIAL ORDERS OF THE DAY
2. Resolution 9286 entitled “Resolution of the Council of the City of Palo
Alto Expressing Appreciation to Police Canine Aris z Kaplickeho hamru
Upon His Retirement”.
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Council Member Holman read the Resolution into the record.
MOTION: Council Member Holman moved, seconded by Council Member
Espinosa to adopt the Resolution expressing appreciation to police canine
Aris z Kaplickeho hamru upon his retirement
MOTION PASSED: 9-0
3. Proclamation of the Council in Support of Plug-In Day, September 23,
2012.
Vice Mayor Scharff read the Proclamation into the record.
4. Community Partnership Presentation – 20 Years of Clean Bay Business
Program.
The Palo Alto City Council recognized automotive businesses in Palo Alto that
have been part of the Clean Bay Business program for 20 consecutive
years. 17 businesses in Palo Alto were honored for participating in this
program, which has been successful in reducing heavy metal pollution from
reaching the sewers and storm drains by using an incentive-based rather
than regulatory approach. The significant decrease in heavy metal pollution
from these businesses since the inception of the program contributes to the
Regional Water Quality Control Plant’s ability to meet its stringent heavy
metal discharge requirements. Two businesses, Art’s Bodycraft and Park
Avenue Motors, were represented at the Council meeting and received their
20-year Clean Bay Business Plaques from Mayor Yeh. Steve Kirksey,
representing Park Avenue Motors, addressed the Council and spoke about
the value of the program to his company, his desire to lead by example to
reduce pollution, and the great assistance he has received from the City’s
program manager, Margaret Zittle.
STUDY SESSION
5. Preliminary Review of Proposed Palo Alto Housing Corporation (PAHC)
Affordable Senior Housing Development at 567-595 Maybell Avenue.
Steven Turner, Advance Planning Manager gave a brief overview of the
potential use of the 567-595 Maybell Avenue property as an affordable
housing site with 60 units of senior affordable rental housing targeted to
very low income households and 15 market rate for-sale single family
homes. He described how staff is seeking feedback from the Council about
the proposed development. He introduced Palo Alto Housing Corporation
(PAHC) Executive Director Candice Gonzales and she gave a brief summary
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of PAHC’s history and the community need for this type of housing. Lauri
Moffet-Fehlberg, the project architect, presented the initial design concepts
for the project including its circulation and design components. Jessica De
Wit, Sr. Project Manager described the anticipated financing for the proposed
project, noting that PAHC has submitted a $6.5 million loan request with the
City.
The Council Members discussed the conceptual plans. Several Council
members commented on proposed circulation of the project and its impact
on Maybell Avenue and Arastradero Road, particularly the nine single family
dwellings that will use Maybell Avenue for ingress/egress. Other concerns
were expressed regarding lack of public transit in the area, the “cookie
cutter” design and forward facing garages of the residences, and the uniform
parcel sizes and their compatibility with the surrounding neighborhoods. To
insure that there would not be a future increase of density on the property,
a number of Council members preferred that PAHC submit a Planned
Community zone change rather than a zone change to Multiple Family
Residential, RM-40. Other comments included orienting the buildings to
focus on a common open space, possibly including a community garden, and
the proposed cost of the development.
MINUTES APPROVAL
MOTION: Council Member Shepherd moved, seconded by Council Member
Klein to approve the minutes of June 11, 13, and 18, 2012.
MOTION PASSED: 9-0
CONSENT CALENDAR
MOTION: Council Member Price moved, seconded by Council Member Klein
to approve Agenda Item Nos. 6-7.
6. Policy and Services Committee Recommendation to Accept the City
Auditor's Office Fiscal Year 2013 Proposed Work Plan and Risk
Assessment.
7. Budget Amendment Ordinance 5164 in the Amount of $250,000 to
Capital Improvement Program Project PE-86070 to be used in the Alma
Street Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) Project; and
Approval with Interstate Grading & Paving, Inc. In The Amount Not to
Exceed $1,401,930 for the Alma Street HSIP Project, the 4th of 6
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Contracts in the 2012 Street Maintenance Program Project (CIP PE-
86070).
MOTION PASSED: 9-0
AGENDA CHANGES, ADDITIONS AND DELETIONS
10. Colleagues Memo from Mayor Yeh and Vice Mayor Scharff Regarding
Council Contingency Funds in the Amount of $25,000 for Neighborhood
Grants.
MOTION: Mayor Yeh moved, seconded by Council Member Price to continue
Agenda Item No. 10 to become the first Action Item on September 24, 2012.
MOTION PASSED: 9-0
ACTION ITEMS
8. Public Hearing: Adoption of a Resolution Amending the Transportation
Element of the Comprehensive Plan To Incorporate Certain Findings of
the Palo Alto Rail Corridor Study and Approval of a Negative Declaration.
Public Hearing opened at 10:25 P.M.
Public Hearing closed at 10:31 P.M.
MOTION: Council Member Klein moved, seconded by Council Member
Shepherd to refer this item back to the Rail Committee: the discussion of
approval of a Resolution approving the 2012 Rail Corridor Study Report
amending the Transportation Element of the Palo Alto Comprehensive Plan
to incorporate some key policy findings of the Report, and that the Council
approve the Negative Declaration for the project.
MOTION PASSED: 9-0
COUNCIL CONSENSUS: to establish a time limit to finish Agenda Item No.
9 no later than 11:30 p.m.
9. Work Plan and Schedule for Potential Infrastructure Finance Measure for
the November 2014 Ballot.
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MOTION: Vice Mayor Scharff moved, seconded by Council Member Espinosa
to continue the discussion of Agenda Item No. 9 until midnight.
MOTION PASSED: 8-1 Schmid no
MOTION: Vice Mayor Scharff moved, seconded by Council Member Shepherd
to adopt the plan and timeline set forth in Attachment B.
MOTION PASSED: 9-0
10. Colleagues Memo from Mayor Yeh and Vice Mayor Scharff Regarding
Council Contingency Funds in the Amount of $25,000 for Neighborhood
Grants.
COUNCIL MEMBER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Council Member Burt discussed the Gran Fondo event held on September 16,
2012.
ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 11:50 P.M.