Meeting Agenda for February 5, 2007
Commission Members
| Mark P. Abrahams | Brian F. Holloway | John M. Packowski, AIA |
| Holger Fuerst | Bruce R. Starkweather, AIA | John Nunan |
| Michael F. Malinowski, AIA, Chair | Roger Valine , Vice Chair | Kristina McBurney |
City Staff
- Marty Hanneman, Assistant City Manager
Sabina Gilbert, Deputy City Attorney
Art Gee, Operations Manager
Carolyn Fisher, Staff Aide
- North Permit Center
2101 Arena Blvd., Suite 200– Conference Room A
February 5, 2007 – 5:00 P.M.
The Development Oversight Commission (DOC) is a commission of the City Council with review and recommendation authority. Its purpose is to provide a forum for the public to introduce and discuss sugestions, comments, and concerns regarding the city's development services function. The DOC will host public meetings to hear public comments before providing its recommendations to City Council.
Notice to the Public
You are welcomed and encouraged to participate in this meeting. Public comment is taken (3 minutes maximum) on items listed on the agenda when they are called. Public comment on items not listed on the agenda will be heard at the end of the meeting as noted on the agenda. Comments on controversial items may be limited and large groups are encouraged to select 3-5 speakers to represent the opinion of the group.
Notice to Lobbyists: When addressing the Commission you must identify yourself as a lobbyist and announce the client/business/organization you are representing (City Code 2.15.160).
Speaker slips are located in the lobby of the hearing room and should be completed and submitted to the Commission Secretary.
Government Code 54950 (The Brown Act) requires that a brief description of each item to be transacted or discussed be posted at least 72 hours prior to a regular meeting. The City posts Agendas at City Hall as well as offsite meeting locations.
The order of agenda items is for reference; agenda items may be taken in any order deemed appropriate by the Commission. The agenda provides a general description and staff recommendations; however, the Commission may take action other than what is recommended. The agenda is available for public review on the Wednesday prior to the meeting. Hard copies of the agenda, synopsis, and staff reports are available from the Development Services Department at 915 I Street, New City Hall, 3rd Floor (.25 cents per page) , during regular business hours or can be downloaded at www.cityofsacramento.org/dsd.
Meeting facilities are accessible to persons with disabilities. If you require special assistance to participate in the meeting, notify the Development Services Department at (916) 808-8095 at least 48 hours prior to the meeting.
Minutes
All items listed are heard and acted upon by the Development Oversight Commission unless otherwise noted.
Call to Order – 5:00 p.m.
Roll Call - All present (except Valine and Holloway. Holloway arrived at 5:03 p.m.)
Consent Calendar
All items listed under the Consent Calendar are considered and acted upon by one motion. Anyone may request that an item be removed for separate consideration.
- Approval of Minutes for December 4, 2006.
Location: (Citywide)
Recommendation: Approve Commission Minutes for December 4, 2006.
Contact: Carolyn Fisher, Staff Aide, 808-8095
Action: No public comment. Moved, Seconded (Packowski, Fuerst 7:0:0) to approve Minutes as submitted.
Staff Reports
Staff reports include oral presentations including those recommending receive and file.
- Assistant City Manager Update (Oral)
Location: Citywide
Recommendation: Receive and file.
Contact:Marty Hanneman, Assistant City Manager, 808-7508
Action: No public comment. Assistant City Manager Marty Hanneman announced that the “Developing Partners” all-staff workshops held in December were a great success. He announced that as of January 1st MATRIX has been launched citywide and that on January 25th staff presented a Lunch & Learn on the MATRIX program. The City Manager is sponsoring the First Annual C2C “City to Customer” Conference for staff on March 22nd. Development Services staff will present a breakout session on MATRIX. On March 1st MATRIX projects will begin to be randomly selected for a phone survey to assess customer satisfaction. The Preservation Commission’s first meeting will be on February 7th. Five of seven members have been appointed. The Design Commissions first meeting is on February 21st. Five of the seven members have been appointed. Mr. Hanneman stated that the Railyard is now under Thomas Enterprises ownership. The City owns 9 acres of the site which includes the Depot. City Manager Ray Kerridge has appointed Marty Hanneman as the Railyard project Team Leader with other staff leading entitlements and project teams. The EIR document is in progress. Groundbreaking is expected in 2007; a Bass Pro store and an office building will be the first projects.
- Accela Update (Oral)
Location: Citywide
Recommendation: Receive and file.
Contact: Cathy Peterson, Principle Applications Developer, 808-1952
Action: No public comment. Cathy Peterson announced that staff is behind schedule on rolling out the Citizen Access module of Accela but they are making headway on the problem. Staff is preparing for an additional delay of one month. In the meantime staff will be post project and contact information on the DSD website to allow for review of current projects. Commissioner Holloway stated that he informed Sacramento County staff that Ms. Peterson is the City’s contact person on the Accela project since they are preparing for an Accela conversion soon and DSD staff may be able to act as a resource. Ms. Peterson stated that she has been in contact with County staff. Regarding the delays in bringing Accela to full functionality, she stated that the major hurdle with the Accela project is that the City’s data is hosted offsite by Accela. Accela and the DSD Webmaster are working together to bring the web portal portion to full functionality soon. A community workshop is being planned to allow members of the public to give feedback and improve the final Citizen Access product. Ms. Peterson invited DOC members to participate in a pilot project to test the Beta site.
- Major Catastrophic Repair Policy
Location: Citywide
Recommendation: Receive and file
Contact: Ron O’Connor, Chief of Code Enforcement, 808-8183; Randy Stratton, Chief of Housing and Dangerous Buildings, 808-6497
Action: No public comment. Ron O’Connor distributed three general information brochures to DOC members: “Neighborhood Code Enforcement”, “Housing and Dangerous Buildings” and “Graffiti Abatement Program”. He presented the details of Major Catastrophic Repair program which has been implemented and allows inspectors to issue permits in the field after a catastrophic event such as a fire. The program is designed to return home and business owners to normalcy quickly. He acknowledged Jim Riordan, Bryon Nakashima and Tom Oxley’s work on the policy. Commissioner McBurney asked if Preservation staffing levels are adequate to meet the deadline to respond as stated in the policy. Roberta Deering, Preservation Manager, replied that staff is currently meeting the deadline in these cases. Commissioner McBurney also asked if the policy is relevant to a flood event. She commented that the policy may not work on a large scale, in terms of meeting deadlines. Mr. O’Connor replied that because no exchange of money for permit fees is required during a Citywide event it is a faster easier process. Commissioner Holloway commended the program. He asked what happens in cases of legal non-conforming status. Mr. O’Connor stated that Code Enforcement employs zoning investigators who research those issues. Commissioner Abrahams also commended staff and encouraged collaboration among City departments and other bureaucratic entities to address issues surrounding a swift rebuilding effort following a major citywide catastrophic event. Commissioner Packowski asked how Code Enforcement is marketing the program to property owners. Randy Stratton responded that in most instances where the program applies Code Enforcement is dispatched through the City Operator’s office, who receives word from the Fire Department. In other cases where the program criteria are met, Code Enforcement personnel make sure that the property owner is aware. Commissioner Starkweather asked staff how the City coordinates response to a major large-scale catastrophic event, such as a flood. Ron O’Connor replied that Development Services, is charged with those coordination responsibilities but added that Code Enforcement could work with DSD to implement the Major Catastrophic Policy on a large scale in the event of a large scale fire, flood or earthquake. Commissioner Starkweather further inquired about the relationships between local governments. Mr. O’Connor replied that there is a Statewide agreement, “ACT20” between cities and counties. Chair Malinowski stated that the State Office of Emergency Services has a program to train volunteers, such as architects and engineers to assist as emergency responders in a major disaster. Commissioner McBurney offered to staff the photos she took in Mississippi in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
- Traffic Significance Threshold Modification Recommendations
Location: Citywide
Recommendation: Receive and file
Contact: Fedolia “Sparky” Harris, Senior Transportation Planner, 808-2996
Action: No public comment. Moved, Seconded (Holloway, Starkweather 8:0:0) to endorse staff recommendations. Sparky Harris presented history, background and methodology relative to the Level of Service policy recommendations he will bring to Council on February 13th, as well as how the overall issue is being dealt with on a regional level. Following the presentation, Commissioner Nunan asked if the General Plan Town Hall meetings addressed the LOS policy or is it being vetted separately. Mr. Harris stated that the LOS policy is being dealt with on a separate but parallel path. Groups such as ECOS and neighborhood associations have had an opportunity to review and comment. Commissioner Fuerst asked if the revised policy, if adopted by Council, will affect current large development projects such as the Panhandle, Greenbriar and Delta Shores. Mr. Harris stated that most likely the old LOS policy will apply for existing projects. Commissioner Holloway moved to endorse staff recommendations to Council: 1.) to change LOS from to D Citywide, to E around light rail stations, and to E in the Central Business District; 2.) to address neighborhood concerns about cut-through traffic; and 3.) to work with SACOG to address regional solutions for freeway impacts. Commissioner Starkweather seconded the motion.
Public Comments- Matters Not on the Agenda
- Bruce Holmes, representing the Winn Park/Capitol Avenue Neighborhood Association, raised an issue with the Design & Preservation appeal process. The neighborhood association takes issue with the 3-day rule for public comment on appeals to staff decisions. He suggested that a 10 day comment period be implemented. He stated that he does not remember outreach being done to the community regarding the public comment deadlines. Bill Crouch, Urban Design Manager, announced that staff actions are not subject to appeal per legal advice, but staff can look at the process. He added that the 3-day comment period was implemented in the interest of streamlining the process. Staff will look to the DOC for direction on this issue. Commissioner Starkweather stated that we need to determine if there are issues with staff decisions not being subject to appeal. He added that the DOC has complete faith in City staff’s competency to make good decisions and that the neighborhoods need to migrate from a distrust mentality. Commissioner Malinowski promised that this issue will be discussed at a future DOC meeting. Commissioner Abrahams asked staff to be flexible with receiving comments until we can further vet the issue.
Questions, Ideas, and Announcements of Commission Members
- Action: No public comment. Commissioner Starkweather reminded DOC Members of the February 20th City Leadership Institute and stressed the extreme importance of their attendance at the event. Chair Malinowski thanked Commissioner Nunan for his service to the DOC as its 2006 Chair. He also thanked Carolyn Fisher, Laura Delmendo, Carol Christensen and Beth Maynard for planning and setting up the staff outreach workshop. He reminded the audience that the DOC’s mission is to fix problems related to the development process, keeping the four identified Strategic Areas in mind, and stressed how important City staff is to this process. He announced that the DOC’s theme for 2007 is improved communication, internally and externally, beginning with tonight’s staff workshop. Additionally, a joint session of the development commissions is being planned focusing on C2C and daily operations. Long term a Development Conference is planned. The event will market Sacramento’s development and business opportunities to a nationwide audience. Commissioner Malinowski asked the Commissioners to introduce themselves to staff.
- DOC Staff Outreach Workshop
Location: Citywide
Recommendation: Participate in workshop/Receive and file
Contact: Carolyn Fisher, Staff Aide, 808-8095
Action: No public comment. Informal discussion among participants occurred.