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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1992-04-13 City Council Summary Minutes•-+. .. ~ :~· ;· + . -Ii ."'!J-~'>-~·~~i<:.,, -.-· -_.., \~l"~ .. -11 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~i~~·~·~·~-~~·~·~~~~~~·· ~~-~~~~·~~~~~· I I -.. ... CITY COUNCIL MINUTES -<===PALOALTOCITYCOUNCILMEETINGSAREBAOADCASTLIVEV!AKZSU-FREOUENCY90.1 ON FM DIAL.-- llBM Oral Communications Reqular Meeting April 13, 1992 1. Coun~il Approval of New Centennial committee Board Members 2. Resolution confirming City's Membership in the Bay Area Water Users Association and Designating city Representative 3. ordinance Amending the Budget for Fiscal Year 1991-92 to Provide an Additional Appropriation for the Field Services 4. PQBLIC HEABING: Intent to Request Proposals for Property located at 351 Homer Avenue known as the Rhona Williams Property 5. PUBLIC HEABING: Resolution of Intention to Vacate a Street Easement on a Portion of Melville Avenue between Bryant and Emerson streets, Reservinq a TWenty-Five Foot Public Utility Easement (Castilleja School) PACLI 68-250 68-250 68-250 68-251 68-251 68-260 Adjournment at 9:20 p.m. to a Closed Session re Personnel 68-262 Final Adjournment at 10:00 p.m. 68-262 4/13/92 68-249 ~1,121<1,.,•~.· ..... • ....• , .... lllllll_B __ z•_•· .. , ..... z•••!•~·~-~~•.•>.~ .. •a ...... ~se~~~~:~:--.. :,~~~;-.~~>~-~.'.~---.-~.:-~· ---~ _ _,_·jL ~ ..... _ --"~~-· ·-----"'-'-·-·· -· ·-· __ •. _....: • .: .... -,.., •• · ........... -i.,asi· ·~----'••••w111··..-~E· -~-... ,~...-.-·--.._-.illillM~liilllilm Reqular Meetinq April 13, 1992 The City Council of the City of Palo Alto met on this date in the council Chambers at 7:09 p.m. Mayor Fazzino announced that a Special Joint Meetinq with the Architectural Review Board was held in the council Conference Rooa at 5:45 p.m. Mayor Fazzino announced the need for a Closed Session ra Personnel pursuant to Government Code Section 54957 to be held at 9:30 p.a. or illlllediately following the regular city Council Meeting. PRESENT: ABSENT: OBAL COMMUHICATIONS Andersen, Cobb, Fazzino, Huber, Kniss, Mccown, Simitian, Wheeler Rosenbaum Jim Dinkey, 3380 Cork Oak Way, spoke regarding Cal trans' ramp metering proposal (letter on file in the City Clerk's Office). John Caruso, 101 El Carmelo Avenue, spoke regarding.the lawsuit against the City and his three mistaken arrests. James Lewis, ABATE Shoreline Amphitheater Noise -a Palo Alto coalitionf P. o. Box 50125, spoke regarding a letter from the City of Mountain View (on file in the City Clerk's Office). Edmund Power, 2254 Dartmouth Street, spoke regarding June 11, 1992, public forum on the harbor policy and San Francisco Bay conserva- tion and Development. Commission (letter on file in the City Clerk's Office). Alan Hirsch, Peninsula Rail 2000, 2539 Ross Road, spoke reqarding support for the rail system. Judith Maxwell, 1057 University Avenue, spoke about her concern regarding the proposed expansion of the Palo Alto Medical Founda- tion .. Council Member Andersen spoke regarding the oaxacan visiting dancers who will be performing on Friday, April 17, at Stanford University, April 18 at the CUbberley Pavilion, and April 20, 1992, at the Fox Theatre in Redwood city. g>HSENT CALENDAR I I llOfX0111 council Member Kniss moved, seconded by Cobb, to approve I consent Calendar It ... 1 through 3. 1. Council Approval of Hew Centennial Committee Board M.-bers 4/13/92 68-250 I it I a . . ~ ·.; :-1 :3 :;:·.'i;.·=~'J'·-d@@w· . .. "<~ ,., 2. 3 • USOLUTION 7084 entitled "RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALO ALTO CONFIRMING CITY 1 S MEMBERSHIP IN THE BAY AREA WATER USERS ASSOCIATION AND DESIGNATING CITY REPRESENTATIVE" ORDINANCE 4Q82 entitled "ORDINANCE OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALO ALTO AMENDING THE BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 1991-92 TO PROVIDE AN ADDITIONAL APPROPRIATION FOR THE FIELD SERVICES PROGRAM OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT" JIOi'IO• PU&BD e-o, Rosenbaum absent. PQBLIC HQRINGS 4. PQBLIC HEABIN{i: Intent to Request Proposals for Property located at 351 Homer Avenue known as. the Rhona Willi- Property Real Property Manager Bill Fellman said Rhona Williams, the daughter of the civic leader and doctor, Thomas M. Williams and Dora Moody Williams, passed away in 1989, and in memory of her parents, conditionally bequeathed the turn of the century Williams home and 30,000 square feet of surrounding gardens to the City. The conditions included that the property be used for cultural or park purposes and be named as a memorial to Rhona Williams• parents. council accepted the property on January 6, 1992, with the understanding that a long-term tenant would.be required to live up to the conditions set by Rhona Williams; assume all costs associated with the upkeep of the facility and grounds; provide a use with a public or monetary benefit to the City; and preserve as much of the historic significance of the home and the gardens as possible, and that if the terma of the Will could not be met, t~e property would revert to the Rhona Williams heirs. Council adopted a very tight time schedule by which staff would return to Council with a contract with a historical review process and a request for proposal (RFP) for a long-term lease of the facility.. In less than 90 days staff contracted, oversaw 1 and reviewed the historical report; obtained the Historic Resources Board's (HRB) advice and recolDJllendations; prepared the RFP, CMR, lease option, and lease which were before council for review that evening o Janet Freeland, Financial Analyst, coordinated and prepared most of the documenta- tion with help and advice from the City Attorney's Office-After reviewing the details of the HRB report, it was decided that proposers would be required to show how their improvements and modif !cations would meet the guidelines and standards for the historic preservation and rehabilitation, and that it would be one of the criteria in selecting a proposed tenant. Staff recommended the deadline for submitting RFP • s be extended to July 14. 199.2. There was a large amount of information that perspective tenants would have to collect and submit in less than 60 days. He corrected page 5 of the staff report (CMR:208:92), second para- graph, to r ... flect that proposals would be opened at 3: 00 p.m.. rather than 4:00 p.m. Historic Resources Board Member Elizabeth Kittas said the HRB Y:eviewed and commended the quality and content of the Rhona Williams report from the consultant. The HRB supported the efforts 4/13/92 68-251 I to aove ahead with the garden and maintenance items because the overqrowth of plant material was threatening some of the historic feature1s tof1 the garden. Thef Rhona dWilliithamsthhouse consdiatedb1o1f I approx ma e y 4, 000 square eet, an w e propose pu c occupancy, the required parking was almost the entire area behind the house w~ich was essentially the same as it currently was. Council Member Andersen queried to what extent the Will stated Rhon4 Williams' intent towards historic preservation. Mr. Fellman said nothing in the Will referred to historic preserva- tion. The Will referred to cultural and park purposes. Council Member Andersen ref erred to the garden and the reference to retaining the plantings that were apparently in place at the tiae Ks. Williams resided in the property. He queried how the HRB wou1d view an applicant who desired to change the gardens to provide the community with a demonstration of. drought resistant plantings. Ms. Kittas believed there were plantinq beds and other stone features of the garden the HRB would like to see maintained including the Wisteria arbor. There were older, larger, and smaller specimens on the site some of which might be fairly unique, and the question of a drought resistant garden was not considered specifically. As more information developed, there might be a way for the historic and drought resistant plantings to co-exist, and it could be that some of the historic materials were drought resistant. Council Member Andersen referred to the providing of a consultant to determine the historic features of the facility and did not recall a direction from the Council that the RFP should include a condition that proposals would satisfy the guidelines developed by the consultant. He was concerned about the degree to whlch the focus was on preservation versus function. Based on the RFP, the city would require that changes to the envelope and form of the house be kept to a minimum and that the floors and wood casework be preserved and the gardens be restored. He presumed that precluded any kind of additional structure such as a second story over the doctor's office or in the backyard area. Mr. Fellman said .·proposers were being asked to identify how they would protect the historical processes and whatever was submitted would be part of the criteria for selecting a tenant. If a proposer wanted to raise the house and build something else, that would be considered as part of the criteria. After a lot of consideration, staff decided to include the historic report for review by potential applicants and presentations could be based on that information. An applicant had the riqht to chanqe anythinq they wanted. I council Member Andersen said the evaluation portion of the RFP and I proposal package suggested that unless there was an extenaiv• effort on the part of the applicant to retain the historic structure, the application would probably not be well received. 4/13/92 68-252 Mr. Fellman said in comparison to other applications that would be correct. council Member Kniss said the requested action was to approve the RFP package and direct staff to solicit proposals. She queried the historical requirements, city Attorney Ariel Calonne said with respect to the historic preservation issue, the documents tried to provide a atronq sense ot th• i•portance of preservinq the historic features of the building an<! gardens and left flexibility to the City and the applicants in reviewing the responses to make a determination that was not bound to any particular level of historic preservation. The •~fort was to urqe consideration of the issue without tying anyone's hands. Council Member Kniss queried whether the other evaluations would have the same or more weight than the historic issue. Mr. Fellman said if there were several applications and all were equal in other respects, any additiona~ items would play into the selection process. Council Member Kniss queried the definition of "cultural." Mr~ Calonne clarified the reference to the word "cnltural" was an ad.mission by the City Attorney's Office that it was surprised at the lack of clear guidance in the cases as to what was meant by the word "cultural.11 Any reasonable dictionary definition was fine .. Vice Mayor Mccown understood the RFP was put together to allow flexibility on the part of the proponents with regard to how they addressed the historic gtiidelines, and the degree to which a proposer met the quidelines and standards identified by the consultant was one of the criteria for evaluation. A committee of staff and a m~r of the HRB would provide the initial review of the proposals and make a recommendation to the council, and she queried whether anything in the RFP provided quidance to that co:mmittee on the weight to be given to the various factors for consideration. Mr. Fellman said the RFP was designed strictly for the proposer. Vice Mayor Mccown queried whether examples existed of where council provided a committee with a policy regarding the relative weights of various criteria. Kr. Fell•an did not know of any precedents. Mayor Fazzino declared the Public Hearing open. Kary Davey, 12645 La Cresta Drive, Los Altos 3ills, 94022, represented the Peninsula conservation Center (PCC) Trust Fund board. The Trust was specifically created in 1989 to acquire a permanent home for the PCC.. A qoal of $7 50, 000 was set and 4/13/92 68-253 ; I ; '.-• '-----~"·---':". -''."*'/il."::'~-~-i~~~ .. ...................... =._.,.~,.;-.... --.-................ .==::II!!!~--. -~II .Cult UZI t #ilt!:.•i~· __;,,,;_,~:-·. --. ., l I I I I I $440,000 was raised to date. The original intent was to buy a place in Palo Alto, but when the Rhona Williams home was offered to the City in the Fall of 1989, the PCC believed leasing the house was an ideal opportunity to be close to the center of Palo Alto. In December 1989, the PCC Board of Trustees expressed ita interest in a long-term lease to the City Council. The PCC believed it was uniquely qualified to carry out the provisions ot Ms. Willi&JlS' Will, i.e., preserving a park-like area for a neighborhood in Palo Alto, providing a unique conservation library which wae scientif i- cally siqnificant and open to the public, and offerin9 a wide variety of conservation, education, and cultural activities to the City and to the Mid-Peninsula. While there are :many similarities between the PCC' s desires and the RFP requirements, there were aoae barriers to responding to the RFP. The lease term of 20 years waa insufficient to amortize an investment of $750,000 and should be extended to 3 o years. There was a requirement that $2 5, ooo be paid to renovate and repalr the garage. That space would be needed tor parking, and the PCC believed the loss of the deteriorated building would have little impact upon the historical importance of th" property. A drought resistant California native plant garden was envisioned, and the PCC did not need a storage area. The PCC urged the Council to remove the garage repair and renovation requirement from the RFP. It was also important to know whether it would be possible to add space or enlarge the usage of the house. If it would not be possible to expand the house, the PCC would be unable to submit an application or respond to the RFP. Clarification was needed in terms of the garden restoration requirement. Ruth Sothern, 1413 Pitman Avenue, was a member of the Environmental Volunteers (EV), which subleased its offices from the PCC~ As an EV docent, she taught natural science lessons to children throuqh- out San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties. She had been an EV for six years and tried to chair a program with the elementary school children at least once a week. She urged Council support in helping the PCC move into the Williams house. Mary Hallesy, 1246 Emerson street, said the PCC was an outstanding community resource, and she encouraged the Council to support its proposal. Betsy Crowder, 133 Mapache Drive, Portola Valley, wrote the first historic preservation ordinance in the City and appreciated that · the City hired an arch! tect to make a detailed report on Ms. Williams' building.. The terms of the Will said nothing of the building's historic significance and that should probably be a minor consideration in the Council's determination of what should be done with the building. The RFP appeared to stress historical siqnif icance, and while all buildings on the historic inventory went through the HRB, the terms of the Will should be adhered to a little more closely than the historic importance of the building and probably more flexibility should be provided in the RFP. Sh• supported Mary Davey's suggestions. Diane Bowen, Chair of the Loma Prieta Chapter of the Sierra Club, 2448 Watson court. said while the Sierra Club was concerned about 4/13/92 68-254 I I I 2QZC .. , "'"-PF<7•~.".'"' '.;.; ;;,..";,~)~~:· ~ _ _.l. • ~ • • -·~~~w~f.'°{~;·d.z?;.i]' • li.J"-:~lifi• l&j .. iliial 2 J rll~liiiifililli•111n11rr•r•-.·~ ... · Iii~ ••.. -.. ·'· ··1111212111•••~•-1 •: .... --· ...... ~-.. ··""·~r0.'!I+ • .-:L A ••:•I environmental conservation and historic preservation, it was also concerned about whether the current house without modification would meet their needs for meeting space. The restriction in the RFP to maintain the historical nature of the building without creatinq any additional off ice space would cause a substantial burden for them. Alan Hirsch, Peninsula Rail 2000, 2539 Ross Road, supported the PCC. Peninsula Rail 2000 met once a month at the PCC and 25 to 30 people attended. The Rhona Williams property was an ideal location in terms of its proximity to transit, and he urged the Council to be flexible in J.ts considerations of the IU~, the expansion, if the garaqe was needed, and a 30-year lease to the PCC instead of a 20- year lease period. Larry Klein, 872 Seale Avenue, said the RFP would be the structure for the City Council to ultimately decide how the Rhona Williams property would be used. The requested chanqes to the RFP were critical in terms of whether the PCC could be an applicant, and similar concerns would also affect other potential applicants. The PCC requested the lease term be extended from 20 years to 30; that the requirement of garage preservation be eliminated; and that Council express its commitment that there will not be a prohibition on additions to the property. If additions would be unacceptable, the PCC needed to.know up front because ~twas· considering· adding a second floor over the.doctor's office and a conference room of approximately 2,000 square feet in the back for a total of about 3, 000 square feet. There needed to be clarification about the standard to which the garden was to be restored. Applicants needed the flexibility to come up with a garden plan. The PCC and its constituent groups advocated gardens, and he believed Council could be assured any qarden plan would be a source of pride for the City. He clarified the PCC needed the most northerly portion of the garden to accommodate parking needs. Robert Shelton, 944 Boyce Avenue, President, Board of Trustees for the PCC, reiterated that the RFP represented a template for what would occur at the Rhona Williams estate, and it also laid out the cost benefit ratios of certain activities. The RFP also seemed to represent a thrust or a vision to the organization -twenty-year horizons were not just a return on investment issues. The RFP failed the test of practicality for the PCC, and it would likely fail it for others. · Rigdon currie, 1435 Parkinson Avenue~ originally became involved with the PCC because he believed it was important for the organiza- tion to remain in Palo Alto. Its current lease had expired, and the PCC wanted its new home to be the Rhona Williams house in Palo Alto. It was important for the RFP to be structured in such a way that the PCC could make a responsible proposal. He urged consid- eration. He was concerned the PCC could not afford to stay in Palo Alto without the Rhona Williams house. Regardless of what happened, he urged the support of council and staff to find a viable location in Palo Alto for the PCC. 4/13/92 68-255 i i \ il :' I I I I I Linda Elkind, 2040 Tasso street, associated with the coJIJllenta of the foraer speakers in terms of the need for a more flexible RFP. I The RPP needed to consider and emphasize what an applicant could brinq to the coD\lllunity, and the PCC already provided aany rich•• to the c~unity. The PCC had the ability to be a good neiqhbor and parking issues were resolved by supplementing the on-site parking with an aqreement with the Palo Alto Medical Foundation. The Rhona Williaas house made alternatives to the automobile quite feasible with its proximity to trains, buses, and the bike boulevard. Council Member Andersen queried to wh&.t extent the PCC held aveninq meetin9s. Debbie Mytels, 2824 Louis, Executive Director of the PCC, said most of the PCC's larqe meetings were hsld in the eveninq. During the day, with the exception of the noon lecture series, there were usually small group meetings of two to four people. Judy Rleinberg, 722 Ashby Drive, President of the committee for Green Foothills, said the Committee was "born" in Palo Alto 30 years ago. It considered itself a guardian of historical land uses and applauded the plan to preserve the property for park and cultural purposes. The intent of the Rhona Williams• bequest should be given the greatest weight by the City. Historic preservation was an important goal but one which should be imposed as an overlay on the intent of the bequest. Historic preservation should not be allowed in and of itself to frustrate and impede the best use of the property to serve the City and its cultural purposes. There was more than one model of historic preservation, and in E\trope it was to preserve the exterior uses and vision of a property while still allowing interior modernization and modif ica- tions. In that way, historical properties were allowed to maintain their beauty and importance to the community and the ci vie purposes they might serve and it was also allowed to grow and evolve with the changing needs of the people in the community. She urged consideration of that model. She believed any group who went before the Council with a proposal for the Rhona Williams house would want flexibility for their own future in order to best serve the community. She urged Council to modify the RFP to allow any group or organization or group of organizations to best serve the col1llllunity because she believed that was the intent of the bequest. If the house and gardens remained strictly limited as the current RFP read and it prevented the PCC or other qroups like it from submittinq a viable lease proposal, then the PCC and other groups might be forced to move out of Palo Alto. If that happened to the PCC, the Committee for Green Foothills would also have to move out of Palo Alto and that would be very sad after 30 years. I Betsy Bechtel, 458 Lowell Avenue, was a member of the PCC Trust Fund Board, and urged the lease term be extended to 3 O years, that the garage not be required to be retained, that additions ba allowed with qreat sensitivity to the buildinq, and that applicants I have flexibility with the garden. 4/13/92 68-256 ................... ----~ __ -___ _,....,._ ____ __, ______ _.. __ _...,. ___ \__. __ _...,.__... __ _..-:;,,.-;~.~~----~~----:-_... ...... ~,~-"""""---~-~~--=-~~~~=-~=-~--~:.,:,~=~.c~ L~--~~--·--~-~-~~~-·~--~~~~~-•«~•~-·---~A~~~ 0 &-i~Ap~ ' I: Ii I I i I I II I I a -- I ' - John Mock, 2823 Alma Street, was concerned with the lenqth of the lea~e and the amount of investment invoived for the project~ He suggested that the term of the lease be 20 to 30 years instead of a fixed 20-year lease. He had made a site visit and hoped the Council would concur with his observation that the qaraqe was neither interesting nor historic and that the qarden should be a replica and not a restoration. The architectural changes should be flexible, and the interior constraints should not be so stringent because the historic value was in the exterior. A review process could be established by a suitable body, and the historic value could be protected and still preserve a certain degree of f laxibil- ity. He urged the Council to consider the stateJDent in the RFP, "A tenant aay not make any changes to the property without prior review and approval." He hoped the Council would respect the wishes of Ms. Williams in terms of how to accoJllDodate the various uses on the property. Mayor Fazzino declared the Public Hearinq closed. ~ZOB: Vice Mayor Mccown moved, seconded by Cobb, to adopt the staff recommendation with revisions to: l) approve the Request for Proposal (RFP) Packaqe and direct staff to solicit proposals for the leasing of the Rhona Williams property; and 2) extend the response deadline date to.be due on July 14, 1992. Under Requirements for Improvements, Maintenance, and Historic Preservation, No. 2, delete the sentence "The City will require that changes to the envelope and form of the house be kept to a minimum, that the floors and wood casework be preserved, and that the gardens are restored," and replace with "The city• s goal is that changes to the envelope and form of the house, while not precluded, be kept to a minimum, that the floors and the wood casework be preserved, and the gardens be restored to the greatest extent feasible$"; No. 4 change the word "meet" to "are responsive to" so that the sentence reads •It will be up to the proposer to show how its proposed improvements and modifications to the property are responsive to the guidelines and ~tandards ••• "; under outline of Lease Provisions, "Term of the Lease," change "20 years• to "30 years· based on negotiation."; under Required Improvements, Estimated Cost to the Garage Repair/Renovation, would delete the required improvement of the garage repair and renovation. Vice Mayor Mccown said there would be details in the RFP that would need to be addressed consistent with the proposed changes. The qoal was to create additional flexibility to allow the balance between what was economically achievable, feasible, and realistic for potent~al proponents and at the same time identify the quality of the resource and preserve the character of the house. The Council needed to consider the first criteria, the intent of Rhona Williams when she left the property to the City, when evaluatinq any proposals. She would not endorse an RFP process that contemplated demolishing the house and would like the RFP to encourage as many creative proposals as possible from the COl'lllllunity so the best selection could be made. 4/13/92 6r..-257 I I -----,..---------------... ,.--,-. ._...,_,_..,..,....---:~-,,.:> -. , . h~· ,....... __ . -· ---·"""*----__ ,,.,. ______ . &1:.1 ll'IMW"""~""'"'·· """MllL..ii~-~·--·•-eft--~==-·· ,.,,.2 >••m,,,J?~,·--~-.. -,, .... , -- I I I I i I I t I I council Member Andersen endorsed the recommendations proposed by Vice Mayor Mccown and believed flexibility could be maintained, the desire of Ms. Williams' accomplished, and the historic character ~ retained without settinq up a riqid standard that would not allow II the facility to be available to as many qroups as possible. H• queried whether the parking would be effected if 3,000 or 4,000 square feet was added to the building and whether the garden area would be impacted. Mr. Fellman said the existing house had 4,200 square feet, and the parking in the historic report showed what it would be for the existing house. He would report back to Council what the parkin9 would be for 1,000 square feet. Council Member Andersen did not have a problem with an addition if it maintained the style of the building, but any addition su99ested in an RFP needed to consider the demands of parking and the request of Ms. Williams to provide a park and open space area for the cOlll!D.unity.. He was aware that the facility did not provide the kind of space needed for meetings as it was now designed. Staff needed to work closely with the applicants to make sure the Will of Ms. Williams was met with regard to open space. Council Member Andersen was conce~ned that the meetings might take place during the daytime when the parking areas were filled.·· Mr. Fellman said that was a concern, but a long-term parking agreement with PAMF was an option that could be explored further, but that type of-agreement had to be long term for additional parking. Council Member Kniss said page 3 of the RFP mentioned flexibility, and she was concerned that the balance would be maintained. The project should benefit the whole community which was specified in the Will. It was important that it be a monument to an important family in the community and not a museum. She clarified that the RFP would not be designed specifically for the PCC and many other groups would also come forward. She would support the motion. Council Member Wheeler concurred that there should be more flexibility in lease term and that the length of the lease should be tied to the level of investment made by a potential applicant for use of the property. There should be flexibility so an applicant could make suitable additions to the property. The historic value of the building should be recognized, but there was no prohibition in the colDJllunity against makinq additions to historic dwellinqs only a requirement that those additions be made in a way that was sensitive to maintaining the historic character I of the building. She was comfortable that the rewording of the RFP languaqe was consistent with the way other historic buildings were treated in the comnunity, but any proposal that put forth a substantial addition to the building would impact other areas of I' concern, i.e., parkinq, traffic generation, and preservation of open space. She queried how staff would accomplish the issue raised about giving guidance to the evaluation coJDJDittee that would 4/13/92 68-258 ~ .. · ·>J 2J I' ' r~ .. be screening the proposals and whether the Council would have any input prior to the evaluation·CODUOittee•s recommendations to the council. Mr. Fellaan said consideration had not been given to that proposal. and he reminded the ·Council it made the final decision on the selection. Council Member Wheeler queried whether it would be useful to the evaluation c0JD1Dittee to have a discussion prior to the aeetin9 to gain a sense of what might be important to the Council. 11r-. ·Fellman did not belie.ve it was necessary. Vice Mayor Mccown clarif:ied the RFP had a detailed list of factors that would b& ~eviewed, and Item No. 2 used the language, "One of the factors was the extent to which the proposal satisfies the guidelines and standards for rehabilitation." She proposed in the motion that the wording be softened with, "is responsive to" rather than "satisfies.• She would prefer that type of wording chanqe be aade throuqhout the RFP so that it would be more flexible. Mr. Fellman queried whether the deadline would be extended to July 14, 1992 .. Vice Mayor Mccown said that should be included in the motion. Mr. Fellman referred to page 5 of the staff report (CMR:208:92) which extended the response deadline date from June 2 to July 14, 1992. Mayor Fazzino clarified that deadline date would be part of the motion. Council Member Simitian clarified that Attachment A of the staff report (CMR:208:92) listed the "requlred improvements" which would cost &pproximately $100,000. If someone was going to be use the garage, there would be rspair and renovation work at a cost of approximately $25,000. He suggested -the lanquage "garaqe repair/renovation" not be deleted and a notation be indicated after the. wordinq "(if retained)" so there would be complete list of information. He did not believe the intent of the document was to suggest the garage was an integral part of the proposal. Be wanted- to clarify he did not have an attachment to the garage. Vice Mayor Mccown said there was a strong suggestion in the consultant's report that the garage should be retained. The attachment was confusing because it suggested the qaraqe should be retained. The wording suggested by council Member Simitian would allow a proponent to use the garage as part of their proposal. It should also be ~larif ied in the body of the RFP that there was not a requirement that the 9araqe be retained. 4/13/92 68-259 -----------------------"""'""----. -~;---· --~ -.. ' . . . . . -.... ----'.. ~. , .. - ..._......, . ..,· ··•tr--.riiul.-· 111111-.-••••···· ..... •1.••s?-.z~~-::i·•-*~i;;;:;;;.--_;;.;:: .. ~--~ ,.(,:,... ·~·.,,., .• :~ •' .!F 1\ 2•1uw.rt'.:.trn ~ DKD UD 8BCOllDD AGllBBD 'l'O IMCOllPOltATB IftO ftB llOTIOM •or 'lO DBLllT• RB GUAGIB/RBPAl:R RDOVATIO• UD ADD "Ir RB'l'AIDD," Alm RBl'LBCT '1'BB RBVXSIOlfS AS AP•ROPRIATB IB DB RJ'P. council Member Simitian clarified there were 11 specif le criteria contained in the RFP and only one of which spoke to the issue of historic preservation. He was not clear as to the difference between the extent to which somethinq satisfied the guidelines or was responsive to the quidelines. He was concerned that by the attempt to provide some flexibility that it woul~ beqin to suqgest to those who reviewed the RFP that historic preservation was not a significant issue. The PCC had an appreciation for the importance of conservation not only of the natural enviromaent but also the historic environment. He wanted to make sure as the Council moved toward flexibility that a message was not sent that historic preservation was not important. The Council would try to achieve the greatest measure of historic preservation from the property if it were to be leased to a privatit: iicctor occupant or privately owned. It was important as a council to model the same kind of behavior expected from private sector property owners and developers. He appreciated the flexibility written into the document but did not want to send the wrong message. KO'!IOK PABSBD 8-0, Rosenbaum absent. s. EUBLIC HEARING: RESOLUTION OF INTENTION OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALO ALTO TO VACA'l'E A STREET EASEMENT ·ON A PORTION OF MELVILLE AVENUE BE'I'WE!Slli BRYANT AND EMERSON STREETS, RESERVING A TWENTY-FIVE FOOT PUBLIC UTILITY EASEMENT (Castilleja School) Real Property Manager Bill Fellman said on March 16, 1992, as required by the California Streets and Highway Code, council adopted a resolution dec1aring its intent to vacate the portion of Mel ville Avenue Street Easement and set a public hearinq. A revised Vacation of Street Easement was presented to Castilleja School that afternoon that added the condition that prior to recordation of the Resolution as set forth in Section 4, Castilleja School shall have entered into an agreement with the city whereby Castilleja School agreed that if the use of that portion of the property described in Exhibit "A," as shown on page 2 of Exhibit "B," was ever chatl<Jed to a use other than for school -purposes, Castilleja School or its successors would offer to dedicate such portion to the City for right-of-way purposes at no cost to the City. Castilleja School had not had an opportunity to respond to the new condition, but it had been discussed with the• ~or the future, and since it did not conflict with the intended use, staff hoped they would agree to the condition. Mayor Fazzino declared the PUblic Hearing open. I I Mary E. Hallesy, 1246 Emerson street, read a letter that indicated concern about the impact the Resolution would have on the I neiqhborhood and the lack of information made available (letter on file in the Clerk's Office). She was also concerned about the 4/13/92 68-260 ri ~ :~J w -\ safety ot the Palo Alto elementary school children who needed a safe access to the Bryant street Bicycle Boulevard. Christiane Cooke, 1234 Emerson Street, said the property was a gift to Castilleja School, and she was concerned the street would be lost to the City forever. She· collected 29 signatures from the neighbors who were opposed to the closure of the street and read the list of their concerns (letter on file in the Clerk's Office). William Powar, 211 Melville Avenue, queried how the addition of the condition would impact the right-of-way on bis parcel. Mr. Fellman said Mr. Powar•s property was not included in the condition. Mr. Power queried whether the language could be changed so that it would be more flexible for the City. He understood staff 'a desire to return public access should the area's use be changed but was not sure adequate access would be provided with a half of a ·street. city Attorney Ariel Calonne said in the unlikely event the City needed the riqht-of-way back, the City would be in a position to exercise condemnation powers with respect to the Powar•s property. He did not believe the Council needed to route the street that the Resolution said would never need to exist. Mr. Fellman said if the Castilleja site was every subdivided, the planning process would allow for dedications to be made for street purposes. John Redstrom, 251 Churchill hvenue, did not understand why the City would give away City-owned property to a private girls' school. The proposal indicated there were 30 parking spaces on Melville Avenue, and last week he walked by Melville Avenue and there were 36 cars parked on Melville Avenue and room for 5 or 6 more cars. There were over 100 cars parked in the area, and the issue of parking needed to be addressed. He was also concerned abo11t the destruction of the Redwood tree which was over 75 years old and had a life expectancy of 250 to 400 years. Terry Rose, Trustee, Castilleja School, 1310 Bryant street, had not had an opportunity to review the additional lanquaqe but had agreed to aqree on some languaqe in the future. In the unlikely event that Castilleja School was unable to ~gree on the condition, he hoped there would be an opportunity to revisit the Council and work out the language. Since the lots were· being merged, they could not be re-subdivided in the future without returning to the Council. Castilleja School.had no objection to formalizing the understanding. It was his understanding that the reservation of a 25-foot easement in Section 2 was a surface easement and that the utilities would be underground but that was not stated. He queried whether the easement would be subsurface • Mr. Fellman said the intent was that it would be an underground easement with access for emergencies. 4/13/92 68-261 .:;;~, ~ ~--·.: ·1_ ~i:-""'----· ----· ·-·~--"""· _._,...,. • .,· ._· ·. ---~m-~ ......... :._..llii. ·-lillllidliiltii'zir;1!1-.i.9nilllsr_l ... Ril~ifli •.• ·p.i;~--illllill~~-illil Mr. Rose suggested that the word "subsurface" be inserted before the word "easement" in Section 2. Mr. Calonne said the lanquaqe did not specify subsurface but said "upon, over, under or across." · Mayor Fazzino clarified that if th.at was staff's intent, the specific language as proposed by Mr. Rose should be incorporated. Mr, Calonne did not have a recommendation at that time. He was concerned with the reservation reqardinq the proposed revision in Section 3 and did not believe there would be an opportunity to return to the Council in the future because it was calling for an offer to dedicate the property back. :If the issue could not resolved that evening, he sugqested the matter be continued. Mayor Fazzino clarified it was recommended that the entire aatter be continued. Mr. Calonne said yes, if the additional language as proposed by staff could not be resolved that evening. Council Member Simitian requested a clarification of the language referenced. Mr. Calonne said the statement made by Mr-Rose that Castilleja I School was agreeing to agree and assumed that that meant if there I was a dispute, they could come back to the council. He would not interpret the language in that way. Under the existing Subdivision Map Act, the proposal to divide the parcels would require the Council's approval and the City might have an opportunity to condition that subdivision to get a dedication of street riqht-of- way, but there was no assurance that the dedication could be justified at some point in the future. The contingency of the language was aimed at avoiding the possibility that the City might be put in a situation that would require that the land be purchased back. City Manaqer Bill Zaner said the reason Section 3 appeared in the Resolution so late due to a delay from his office, and staff was unable to reach Castilleja School personnel today. Castilleja School had not had an opportunity tc review the wording and the City Attorney had raised a proper issue about making sure the wording waA done correctly. There seemed to be no hazard if the item was continued for a week which would qive staff the opportunity to review the language with Castilleja School to make sure they were comfortable with the language, resolv!i! the City Attorney's issues, and. then return to the Council with a clean issue. Mayor Fazzino declared the Public Hearinq closed. KO'fJ:Oll 'l'O COHJ:llUBs Vice Mayor Mccown moved, seconded by Cobb, to continue the itea to the April 20,.1992, City council Meetinq. 4/13/92 68~262 .. I I I I KOrIOll !'O COftillUJI •uazn a-o, Rosenbaum absent. : The maetinq adjourned at 9:20 p.m. to a Closed Session re Personnel. lXllAL ADJQQRHMINT: The meeting adjourned at 10:00 p.m. ATTEST: ~PROVED: / ROTE: sense minutes (synopsis) are prepared in accordance with Palo Alto MUnicipal Code Sections 2.04.200 (a) and (b). The City Council and Standing Colllllittee aeetinq tapes are made solely for the purpose of facilitattnq the preparation ot the minutes of the meetings. City Council and Standinq Co11J1ittee meetinq tapes are recycled two years from the date of the meeting. The tapes are available for members of the-public to listen to during regular ottice hours. · 4/13/92 68-263