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2000 05 10 CC Minutes LA QUINTA CITY COUNCIL MINUTES OF A SPECIAL MEETING HELD JOINTLY WITH THE PLANNING COMMISSION AND THE ARCHITECTURAL AND LANDSCAPING REVIEW COMMITTEE MAY 1 O, 2000 A special joint meeting of the La Quinta City Council, Planning Commission, and Architectural and Landscaping Review Committee 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, Sniff, Mayor Pe~a ABSENT: Council Member Perkins It was moved and seconded by Council Members Sniff/Adolph to excuse Council Member Perkins. The motion was unanimously carried. PLANNING COMMISSION ROLL CALL: PRESENT: Commissioners AbeIs, Butler, Robbins, Tyler ABSENT: Commissioner Kirk It was moved and seconded by Commissioners Abels/Robbins to excuse Chairman Kirk. The motion was unanimously carried. ARCHITECTURE AND LANDSCAPING REVIEW COMMITTEE ROLL CALL: PRESENT: Committee Member Bobbitt. Committee Member Cunningham arrived late. ABSENT: Committee Member Reynolds It was moved and seconded by Committee Members Cunningham/Bobbitt to excuse Committee Member Reynolds. The motion was unanimously carried. PUBLIC COMMENT - None CONFIRMATION OF THE AGENDA - The agenda was confirmed by all present. Commissioner Tyler suggested a discussion regarding infrastructure problems be added to the agenda. WRITTFN CORRESPONDENCE - None City Council Special Meeting Minutes May 1 O, 2000 Joint Meeting with Planning Commission and ALRC Page 2 BUSINFSS SFSSION - None STUDY SFSSION 1. DISCUSSION OF I A nUINTA VIII AGF. HIGHWAY 111. RFSIDFNTIAI AND COMMFRCIAI DFVFI OPMFNT STANDARDS AND OTHFR MATTFRS OF JOINT INTFRFST TO THF MFMRFRS OF THF CITY COUNCIl. PI ANNING COMMISSION AND ARCHITFCTURE AND lANDSCAPING RFVIFW COMMITTFF Mayor Pe~a welcomed all in attendance and reviewed the procedure for discussions. A. I a nuinta Village - Council Member Adolph stated he feels the street improvements and under-grounding in the Village are a major change in how the area will be perceived by developers and possibly may provide a "kick start" for development in the Village. He also cited the economic incentives the City has created to improve the appearance of businesses, the enhancement of the Civic Center Campus and improvements around Frances Hack Park as positive steps and stated the City's goal should be to continue to pursue what has been started. Council Member Sniff discussed the Museum purchase and plans to make additions to that facility as well as the traffic circulation in the Village and the potential for closing selected streets to enlarge the area and make it more viable for development. He stated these items will be coming before the commissions and committees for review and input and encouraged creativity in the design and planning. Council Member Henderson said the issues that will be coming up in the future regarding the development of the Village will all need to be evaluated against the documents that have been reviewed and approved by the Council, such as the Design Guidelines for the Village. She stress the importance of feedback from the Commission and ALRC regarding the sufficiency of the document since these are the guidelines which will be applied to future projects. City Attorney Honeywell clarified that the Village Design Guidelines are separate and specific to the location and not a formal part of the General Plan. She advised that no project can be approved if it is inconsistent with the General Plan. City Council Special Meeting Minutes May 10, 2000 Joint Meeting with Planning Commission and ALRC Page 3 Commissioner AbeIs suggested a Planning Commission study session to review the Design Guidelines for the Village again. Council Member Sniff suggested the Commission also review the Highway 111 Design Guidelines at the same time. A discussion of the use of the Village Design Guidelines ensued and Community Development Director Herman stated only Shotzy's has been reviewed under the Guidelines to date. City Attorney Honeywell commented the document has therefore not really been tested. Mayor Pe~a suggested during the review of the Guidelines by the Planning Commission and the ALRC any recommendations for modifications to allow more flexibility would be appropriate. He stressed that it is not the Council's intent to review the document because an application does not fit within the Guidelines. A discussion of the parking standards in the Village took place and Commissioner AbeIs questioned if flexibility in the standards is possible. Mayor Pefia felt currently this might create a problems under the existing guidelines and suggested this is one of the areas the Commission should concentrate on during their review. Council Member Henderson expressed concern regarding the choice of plants being approved for landscaping that have inherent problems due to the maintenance required. She felt this is another area to look into and suggested that if a landscape plan is approved, provisions for the proper maintenance and care is an important factor. Council Member Sniff agreed this is another area the Commission should be looking at. Staff was directed to bring this item before the Commission for input. Mayor Pe~a asked the Commission to review the sign program as well both internal and directional. He also suggested, especially in the Village, there needs to be a tasteful blend of the new with existing standards to achieve compatibility. Commissioner Butler raised the question of infill projects in existing developments. He stated shared parking seems to be an acceptable alternative to developers but sometimes the uses create a nightmare as can be seen with the theater project. He said he opposes a sea of asphalt but understands the need to accommodate the tenants. His concern with development in the Village is parking. He felt even if the alleys were used as a temporary solution, development will create a long term parking problem. City Council Special Meeting Minutes May 1 O, 2000 , Joint Meeting with Planning Commission and ALRC Page 4 Mayor Pe~a stated the clustering of uses makes a difference in parking plans, such as the cluster of restaurants all in one section of the Von's Center. Commissioner Tyler asked if the original parking standards took into consideration the differences in the uses at the Von's Center. Commissioner Robbins felt the first issue was to provide parking, the success of the uses create the need for additional parking. He suggested a solution to that problem in the village might be a parking structure which might require the vacation of streets to accomplish. Discussion ensued regarding areas such as the widened streets that might address the parking problem. Commissioner Robbins addressed landscaping and water use as they relate to development standards. He said a growing concern in the area of the Cove is subsidence and this is directly attributable to the ground water base. He encouraged solutions such as development of water efficient landscapes and not blanket acceptance of the use of turf. Mayor Pe~a suggested the City's new medians are a good example of this and could be used as a standard. Council Member Henderson expressed concern with the over-watering of residential lots and the run-off into the gutters and retention basins. Commissioner Robbins suggested looking at buffers between sidewalk and street to allow water to.drain back into the ground rather than run off into the street. He sited the fact median landscape does not allow emitters within 18 inches of the curb to address this. Committee Member Bobbitt stated he works with CVWD which has an 18 inch · standard in place Valley-wide. He felt there are a number of good landscape treatments that use very little water. The Council, Commission and Committee members discussed the development of the prototype street for the Village and the timing over the next few years. It was agreed it is important to solicit feedback on these improvements and that events like the Main Street Marketplace are important to support the interest in the area. B. Highway 111 Council Member Henderson felt some of the issues had been touched upon in the previous discussions and asked the City Attorney if there is a way to address modifying the setback on Highway 111 without amending the General Plan. City Attorney Honeywell stated the Von's situation might be somehow considered under a grandfather program to allow for the existing problems. She advised that to change the setback to spell out a 50 foot minimum would only result in everyone wanting the minimum. City Council Special Meeting Minutes May 1 O, 2000 Joint Meeting with Planning Commission and ALRC Page 5 Council Member Sniff noted trying to develop consistent guidelines with inconsistent development is going to require some creative methods to make it all work. He also felt parking and signs need to be reassessed in the Highway I 11 corridor and the matter of parking in infill areas. Commissioner AbeIs remarked the decision the Council makes on the Von's Center will provide a good basis for the Commission's future actions. Council Member Henderson stated the standards used to develop the Von's Center were pre-incorporation of the City and asked the difference in the ratio between then and the more recent development of the Stater Bros Center. Community Development Director Herman replied the parking was determined not by using a ratio but based upon the uses in the Center. City Attorney Honeywell stated the fact a problem is expected, as a result of infill development, points to the need to address the issue of ratio or need for an increase in spaces by use. Council Member Adolph raised the issue of the parking spaces behind buildings being used to meet the parking requirements. He stated he feels this is unrealistic because a safety factor is involved in night-time parking in those spaces which limits their use by both patrons and employees. A discussion about the size of parking spaces based on the size of the popular SUV vehicles then took place. Public Works Director Chris Vogt responding to Council Member Henderson stated he was unaware of any national or regional efforts to address this problem. He suggested having dual stripping of the parking stalls might be a solution because it would add an extra six inches in width. Commissioner AbeIs asked if the traffic engineers have looked at using signals equipped with cameras such as are being used in Indian Wells. Both Council Member Henderson and Mayor Pefia agreed they could be useful at certain intersections like 48th and Washington. Commissioner Tyler questioned the efforts being made to eliminate two eyesores along the Highway 111 corridor, the unfinished service station and the mobile home park. City Attorney Honeywell responded the City has required the bonding company to install the off-site improvements for the service station but she is unfamiliar with the progress of the structure being completed on that site. Committee Member Cunningham expressed concern about the last two vacant corners at Washington and Highway 111. He felt the City will only have the opportunity once to insure the appearance of this intersection is in keeping with the desired design standards. He suggested using the La Quinta Cliff House City Council Special Meeting Minutes May 1 O, 2000 Joint Meeting with Planning Commission and ALRC Page 6 and the La Quinta Resort as quality standards for developers to look at. Council Member Henderson questioned the method the City could use to accomplish this. Community Development Director Herman stated the Highway 11 I Guidelines do not deal with buildings, he advised the proper vehicle to determine building design is at the Specific Plan stage. Council Member Henderson felt staff and then the Planning Commission need to lead developers in this direction. Commissioner Robbins said if this is the Council's direction, it will result in three levels of review before the Council sees a plan. Commissioner Tyler felt the entrance to the City is located more in the vicinity of Washington and Fred Waring. He felt the landscape at Palm Royale is still badly in need of repair. Commissioner Robbins discussed the lack of attention being paid to the rear of the commercial buildings. He feels this is important since so many homes look at this view of the commercial uses. Committee Member Cunningham added the landscaping at the rear of commercial buildings also needs to be looked at so that trees are of sufficient height to shade walking/bike paths. Committee Member Bobbitt stated his "pet peeve" is the planting of trees in parking lots without sufficient space. The said the lack of oxygen, moisture and food as well as compaction around the trees, keeps them in stress. He felt the City needs to call out a caliper size for the tree trunks and if they cannot stand alone after a year they should be gotten rid of. Council concurred this is an issue for the Planning Commission and ALRC to work on. C. Residential and Commercial Development Standards Council Member Adolph brought up the need to change the standards for gated communities. He felt it is imperative to require more than one exit. He felt a community of more than 200 + homes should have several entrance/exits. Council Member Henderson questioned the progress of the General Plan update. Director of Community Development Herman said the first Public Hearing on the current update will probably be in November or December of this year with adoption in January, 2001. Council Member Sniff felt an important consideration for residential standards is the designs need to be indigenous to the desert climate. He suggested deep eaves, recessed windows, sufficient shading and window placement need to be considerations. He also discussed concerns regarding the area being considered City Council Special Meeting Minutes May 1 O, 2000 Joint Meeting with Planning Commission and ALRC Page 7 for annexation and the need to address lot size requirements, building sizes and compatibility when looking at the residential standards for that area. Mayor Pe~a expressed concern regarding the size of garages based on the increased size of today's cars. He also suggested attention be paid to garage orientation. A discussion took place concerning the dust from new developments and the fact that water is not effective in the high wind conditions. Suggestions offered were soil binders, soil cement and over seeding. The group also discussed the residential landscaping and the impact of over-watering on the gutters and retention basins. Commissioner Tyler expressed concern regarding some decisions on rear setback on major streets with rear eaves overhanging the walls in some instances. Commissioner Robbins agreed the residential subdivisions need to be more creative in their design. He felt if an ordinance is not in place to deal with walls and street widths, staff can steer developers in the right direction. The City Attorney stated this needs to be contained in the development standards. Council Member Sniff addressed the need for commercial development standards for building architecture to be as creative as possible. He also felt hotel development is most important to the City because of the revenue it generates. He stated the future of the City is dependent upon its ability to attract and retain new business. Council Member Adolph felt it important that the City adhere to current standards such as height limitations and densities. He stated the General Plan needs to have some built-in flexibility to allow for change. Council Member Henderson questioned what method might be used to control excessive development of fast food establishments, car washes and service stations. City Attorney Honeywell advised the uses can be controlled using the Conditional Use Permit (CUP) process. She suggested it would be appropriate to make a finding that a CUP for restaurants is required to insure adequate parking is provided. Commissioner Tyler asked it a CUP could be used to mitigate the requirement to honor logo signs. The City Attorney responded recent court cases have established criteria dealing with logo signs. Discussion took place regarding the types of businesses that can be covered under the CUP process and City Attorney Honeywell advised that requiring more uses to have a CUP would only entail a zoning change and would allow more control as to surroundings in the immediate area. City Council Special Meeting Minutes May 1 O, 2000 Joint Meeting with Planning Commission and ALRC Page 8 D. Other Issues of Interest Council Member Sniff discussed the need to encourage park development based on the growing number of young children in the area and stressed the need to be careful in park naming. He also discussed the Arts Foundation proposal and the importance of looking at the design considerations carefully. Commissioner Tyler discussed the infrastructure improvements needed for safety reasons. He said the north side of Fred Waring between Washington and Adams will not be developed with a sidewalk in the foreseeable future. He feels this is a real issue for students walking to school. Mayor Pe~a also stated the City owns several parcels that should be finished for the same reason. City Manager Genovese said the City has applied for several sidewalk grants. Mayor Pe~a asked the Commission to look at code enforcement issues such as RV parking in residential developments. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, it was moved and seconded by Council Members Sniff/Adolph to adjourn the City Council meeting. The motion carried unanimously with Council Member Perkins absent. It was moved and seconded by Committee Members Cunningham/Bobbitt to adjourn the Architectural and Landscaping Review Committee meeting. The motion carried unanimously with Committee Member Reynolds absent. It was moved and seconded by Commissioners Butler/Abels to adjourn the Planning Commission meeting. The motion was unanimously carried with Chairman Kirk absent. Mayor Pe~a declared the special joint meeting adjourned at 9:30 p.m. Respectfully submitted, City Clerk, City of La Quinta, California