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2001 09 19 CC Minutes LA QUINTA CITY COUNCIL/ LA QUINTA PLANNING COMMISSION JOINT MEETING MINUTES SEPTEMBER 19, 2001 A special joint meeting of the La Quinta City Council and Planning Commission was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Mayor John Pe~a, who led the pledge of allegiance. CITY COUNCIL ROLL CALL: PRESENT: Council Members Adolph, Henderson, Perkins, Sniff, Mayor Pe~a ABSENT: None PLANNING COMMISSION ROLL CALL: PRESENT: Commissioners Butler, Kirk, Robbins, Tyler, Chairman Abels ABSENT: None PUBLIC COMMENT - There were no requests to speak on matters not on the agenda. CONFIRMATION OF THE AGENDA - There were no changes to the agenda. ANNOUNCEMENTS - None PRESENTATIONS - None PUBLIC HEARINGS 1. JOINT CITY COUNCIL/PLANNING COMMISSION PUBLIC HEARING ON THE GENERAL PLAN UPDATE. Director of Community Development introduced the staff report and Nichole Criste of the consulting firm of Terra Nova Planning and Research Inc. Ms. Criste outlined the significant changes in the General Plan since the last joint General Plan Update meeting between the City Council and the Planning Commission. Joint City Council/Planning Commission Minutes September 19, 2001 Page 2 At the request of Council Member Henderson, Ms. Criste provided a definition of the term "planning areas". Ms. Criste explained that a planning area is any land outside of a City's boundaries which the Agency/Council feels may have impacts on the City by virtue of its future development. Ms. Criste then covered the major changes to the Land Use Map as contained in Attachment 1 of the staff report. Mayor Pe~a clarified that the "North planning area" (Bermuda Dunes) is now in the Sphere of Influence of the City of Palm Desert. Ms. Criste presented the changes to the various elements including: land use, circulation, parks and recreation, natural resources, infrastructure and public services, environmental, and cultural resources. She then listed the requests for changes received to-date, and the new material provided in the chart entitled Proposed General Plan Build-out Dwelling Units and Population. Council Member Adolph inquired if the Bermuda Dunes Planning Area should be retained in the City's General Plan. Ms. Criste stated development of property immediately adjacent to La Quinta will continue to have impacts on the City and therefore the northern planning area should be addressed in the General Plan for future planning purposes. Council Member Sniff remarked that the document is very extensive and complete and he would like to continue to work within the original boundaries proposed by the City Council. Commissioner Steve Robbins questioned the re-designation of the parcel at Miles and Washington. He felt this required more discussion before any changes are made. Council Member Perkins asked about the designation of the equestrian areas east of the City. Ms. Criste responded that the equestrian area has an overlay applied to underlying residential designations in the southern planning area, She read the description of this land use designation contained in Attachment 2 as follows: "It recognizes the importance of the agricultural and equestrian community in this part of the Coachella Valley and demonstrates the City's commitment to maintaining existing and agricultural and equestrian land uses. Any agricultural and equestrian use within this overlay area shall be allowed to continue until such time as the land owner chooses to develop. Agricultural and equestrian land uses within this overlay area are never to be considered non-conforming land uses." Joint City Council/Planning Commission Minutes September 19, 2001 Page 3 At the request of Council Member Henderson, Community Development Director Jerry Herman read a chronology to date of the meetings held since the beginning of the General Plan update process in 1997. This covered in excess of 20 meetings and hearings. Mayor Pe~a opened the Public Hearing at 8:00 p.m. The following speakers offered testimony: Ben Scoville, representing the Torres-Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians, 66- 725 Martinez Rd., Thermal, stated he is a land use planner with the Torres- Martinez Tribe and reported members of the tribe are very concerned about the diminishing water tables in the area. He felt the main reasons the water supplies are diminishing are the agricultural uses and the many golf courses in the Coachella Valley. He asked that the City of La Quinta appoint a member of the Torres-Martinez Tribe to the City's Historic Preservation Commission. Jesse McKeever, 82-550 Ave. 60, Thermal, stated he is the owner of property on Avenue 60 and he also is very concerned with the water table levels which are losing approximately six feet per year. He also stated the waste of water by residential users is a real concern. Whitney Gattuso, 82-500 Ave. 54, Thermal, spoke about any possible annexation of the Vista Santa Rosa area by La Quinta. She felt the area needs to be preserved in its present condition. Joseph Broido, 77-510 Calle Nogales, said he had asked for information about the General Plan process in August and that this hearing has provided most of that information. He asked that copies of the power-point presentation and the chronology given by Mr. Herman be sent to him. He questioned what the motivation was for the City Council to continue pursuing annexation to the East. Kay Wolff, 77-227 Calle Ensenada, made the following points: (1) the City should maintain the current boundaries, with no new Sphere of Influence and no new Planning Areas, to maintain the current small community atmosphere; (2) the City should concentrate on in-fill to attract high end developments; (3) the City should use its reserves to expand public services and development of additional open space; (4) commercial development should be concentrated away for the main image corridors. Joint City Council/Planning Commission Minutes September 19, 2001 Page 4 Betty Mangan Smith, 82470 Ave. 54, felt La Quinta is a well-manicured community but the residents do not understand the realities of farming and equestrian operations. She also stated she does not want to have anyone restricting her property from continuing in its present zoning. Community Development Director Jerry Herman clarified the proposed overlay zone will never consider agricultural and equestrian land uses non- conforming land uses. , Kathryn Carlson, 77-895 Avenida Montezuma, spoke to the matter of the City trying to annex areas that don't wish to be a part of the City. She suggested a Planning Commissioner be appointed to work with the Vista Santa Rosa area people. Brent Lance, 74-090 El Paseo, Palm Desert, addressed property he owns at 84401 Ave. 61. He stated he is pleased to see the equestrian land use language in the general plan has been changed. He also commented that an expansion of the equestrian trails would be very well received and noted the extreme need for the aquifers to be recharged. Bob Hargreaves, of Best Best and Krieger, 74-760 #200 Highway 111, Indian Wells, spoke on behalf of Mattie Waters. He said the build-out of the Coachella Valley is presenting a number of problems. He said the two major concerns are the preservation of agricultural uses and solving the water issues. He outlined the problems that commercial agriculture faces when residential properties encroach too closely. He urged that the Agriculture Preservation element in the proposed General Plan needs to be much stronger and contain substantially larger buffer zones. Maria Chi, 53-500 Monroe Street, stated she and her family own 100 acres at Avenue 53 and Monroe Street. She spoke in opposition to becoming a part of a Community of Interest in the Vista Santa Rosa area. She said she and her family are only asking for the right to decide when and how they may dispose of their property, should they choose to do so. She stressed they do not want any constraints placed on their rights as a result of waiting periods imposed on new Communities of Interest. Katie Barrows, 53295 Ave. Montezuma, spoke regarding the need for balanced growth and encouraged caution in considering any further annexations. She said she is in favor of the General Plan designations in the Cove area for open space. Joint City Council/Planning Commission Minutes September 19, 2001 Page 5 Gayle Cady, 82-831 Avenue 54, Thermal, spoke regarding the trail system proposed in the General Plan. She expressed concern that the Jefferson to Monroe street areas will not include an equestrian corridor. She stated the people in Vista Santa Rosa deserve to have their own zoning ordinance. Tania Pareno, 83-135 Ave. 53, Coachella, described the uses her property is now allowed and expressed concern that a small boarding stable and a Bed and Breakfast operation will not be permitted under an agricultural/equestrian overlay. Mr. Herman replied that both of the uses she mentioned are permitted with a conditional use permit in the proposed Agricultural/ Equestrian Residential District. RECESS: Mayor Pena declared a recess at 9:00 p.m. The meeting was reconvened at 9:10 p.m. with all Council Members and Planning Commissioners present. Elizabeth L. Talley, 82836 Beckman Dr., spoke in opposition to annexation of the Vista Santa Rosa area by the City of La Quinta. Lee Anderson, 59-777 Calhoun Street, Thermal, expressed concerns about the water supply, and said if the City annexes his area, he felt they need to have a specific zoning ordinance. Brian de Coster, 69136 San Helena, Cathedral City, discussed property he owns at the northwest corner of Madison and Ave. 60, which will be included as a part of the Coral Mountain proposed annexation. He questioned if his property would be in the Agricultural/Equestrian overlay and asked that the zoning be retained with an RA-2 Y2 designation. Joe Hammer, 74-757 North Cove Drive, Indian Wells, spoke about property his family owns at Highway 111 and Dune Palms Road and stressed that no one is compelled to sell their property. He felt his family has held on to that property, even though they have had offers, because they want to see a quality use there. He encouraged the City Council to continue with their forward thinking. He also owns property at Ave. 55 and Monroe and at Ave. 59 and Monroe and said he hopes those properties will be annexed into the City of La Quinta. Grady Sparks, 79420 Briarwood, urged the Council not to consider the request for a strip mall at the property at Madison Avenue and Avenue 58, stating it is incompatible with the area. Mr. Sparks also commented on the Joint City Council/Planning Commission Minutes September 19, 2001 Page 6 recommendation in the packet from Commissioner Tyler regarding upgrading well sites. He stated that many of the well sites are in privately owned communities. Staff assured him that this would only address well sites that are located on undeveloped property. There being no further requests to speak, Mayor Pe~a closed the Public Hearing at 9:56 p.m. PLANNING COMMISSION DISCUSSION: Chairman Ables requested discussion and comments from the members of the Planning Commission. Commissioner Tyler stated he already put all his comments in writing and they had been included in the agenda packet. Commissioner Robbins said the Coachella Valley Water District would be happy to participate in discussions with any of the groups in the Valley with regard to the District's efforts to mitigate the valley's water problems. Commissioner Kirk observed that when "the path of development" exists, development will continue on that path whether it is in the City or in the County. He felt the decisions about whether to be a resident of a City or the County really boiled down to where the development is likely to be best planned and controlled. Commissioner Butler addressed some of the comments made by some of the speakers and felt there had been some lack of communication in the past and hoped the City's intent had been made clearer by this public hearing. Chairman Ables said he agreed with Commissioner Kirk completely. CITY COUNCIL DISCUSSION: Mayor Pe~a called for comments from the members of the City Council. Council Member Adolph stated he has two major areas of concern. He said they deal with providing for adequate open space and controlling densities. Joint City Council/Planning Commission Minutes September 19, 2001 Page 7 Council Member Perkins felt the City Council needs to do a better job of communicating with the public. He said it is the goal of the Planning Commission and the City Council to have planned growth, not just growth for growth's sake. He also stressed that he greatly favors the preservation of agricultural and equestrian uses. He related past experiences of communities in the Los Angeles basin that did not plan for the preservation of those uses and as a result have lost them completely. Council Member Henderson said she had a significant number of comments to make and stated it's very important that all recommendations be heard and considered, for the purpose of gaining consensus. She felt the General Plan documents should be corrected to reflect the current status and should be reprinted with changes because it is too confusing to work with an unedited document. Council discussed whether to address all of the individual comments and corrections at this meeting or whether it would be more effective to have comments submitted in writing to the Planning Department and Consultant. Ms. Criste suggested that if this was the Council and Commission's desire, a time limit to receive comments be established to allow sufficient time to incorporate them in the next staff report. Council Member Henderson stated she would like to respond to Mr. Broido's remarks specifically. She said the General Plan update process is very lengthy and involved and she does agree it is long overdue. She stressed the City Council has the responsibility to study and plan for the future including future impacts on the City from other sources. She also responded that the City Council has no desire to create enemies of residents in the areas east of the city's current boundaries. Council Member Henderson then read the ten requirements for a LAFCO service review, which must be completed before an annexation can take place. Mayor Pro Tem Sniff commented that his focus is on maintenance of open space. He also remarked that the City and the City Council have proven on many occasions that they care about the lifestyle of citizens. He felt the threat to agricultural and equestrian land is not coming from possible annexation into La Quinta, it is coming from the competitive marketplace. Mayor Pe~a thanked all of the people who attended the hearing and those who spoke. He said his desire during the remainder of the General Plan process is to have the focus placed on the City's corporate boundaries. Joint City Council/Planning Commission Minutes September 19, 2001 Page 8 The Planning Commission and City Council, by consensus, set October 5, 2001 as the deadline for submitting written comments to the Planning Director for incorporation in the next series of General Plan documents. ADJOURNMENT There being no further discussion, it was moved by Council Members Henderson/Sniff to adjourn the City Council meeting. Motion carried unanimously. It was moved by Commissioners Kirk/Butler to adjourn the Planning Commission meeting. Motion carried unanimously. Respectfully submitted, June S. Greek, City Clerk City of La Quinta, California