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Print Minutes (PDF)
Development Oversight Commission
Meeting Minutes for December 1, 2008
Commission Members
| Dennis Guerra | Brian F. Holloway | John M. Packowski, Associate AIA |
| Holger Fuerst, Vice Chair | Scott Schriefer | John Nunan |
| Darryl Chinn, AIA | Roger Valine , Chair | Kristina McBurney |
City Staff
William Thomas, Director, Development Services
Sabina Gilbert, Deputy City Attorney
Janis Franklin, Program Specialist
New City Hall, 1st Floor - Council Chambers
December 1, 2008– 5:30 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 suggestions, 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 300 Richards Boulevard, 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) 808-5908 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 – 5:30 p.m.
Roll Call -
All present except Commissioner Chinn.
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 November 3, 2008
Location: Citywide
Recommendation: Approve Commission Minutes for November 3, 2008.
Contact: Janis Franklin, Program Specialist, (916) 808-7705
Minutes from November 3, 2008
Action: Moved, seconded, and carried (Fuerst/ Holloway: 8; 0; 0) to approve minutes.
Staff Reports
Staff reports include oral presentations including those recommending receive and file.
- Director Update - Activities of the Development Services Department (Oral)
Location: Citywide
Recommendation: Receive and Comment on consolidation, DOC Subcommittee meeting, Cost Accounting System Update, and DSD Thanksgiving potluck.
Contact: William Thomas, Director of Development, (916) 808-1918
Action: William Thomas presented an update regarding the consolidation of the Planning, Economic Development and Development Services Departments into the Community and Economic Development Agency. The Directors of the three departments have met three times, and have chartered themselves as a group, and have set preliminary goals and essential services for the Agency. He stated that the next steps are to align programs under the core functions, and then to identify potential duplications of services. Roger Valine reported on the DOC Subcommittee work regarding a Regional Commission. He stated that there have been two meetings to date, and a letter is being drafted to invite Sacramento County representatives to meet with the Subcommittee. William Thomas reported about the staff sponsored annual Thanksgiving potluck, and called on Ryan Pham to discuss the Cost Accounting System progress to date. Ryan stated that Staff is now electronically coding their time, effective November 1, to the appropriate programs and tasks. Ryan added that Design Team members would bring a full presentation to the DOC in January. Commissioner Valine asked if the development process was harder than anticipated. William Thomas asked that the presentation include the next steps. Commissioner Fuerst asked if the cost accounting system would feed into the project accounting to make the bills that applicants receive more transparent. Ryan Pham answered that project accounting would be covered in phase 7. He added details regarding the DSD budget, and showed a slide depicting the budget vs. revenue to date. Ryan also stated that the midyear process had just started.
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Proposed 2009 DOC Calendar
Location: Citywide
Recommendation: Approve 2009 Development Oversight Commission meeting dates as the first Monday of alternating months, beginning January 2009, with the exception of September, which would be moved to Monday, September 14.
Contact: Janis Franklin, Program Specialist, (916) 808-7705
Action: Janis Franklin reported that the initial recommendation was to hold the DOC meetings every other month, but that staff was now recommending that the DOC meet monthly through June, and then evaluate the need for monthly meetings at that time. Commissioner Fuerst commented on the importance of monthly meetings to support the new initiatives of Mayor Johnson. Commissioner Holloway commented on the ability to cut additional costs. Commissioner Guerra asked if the Mayor could be invited to the January meeting. DOC members voted (8; 0; 0) unanimously to approve the revised recommended schedule.
- Establishment of SNCIF Fee Deferral Program
Location: Council District 1
Recommendation: Review and Comment to establish South Natomas Community Infrastructure Fund (SNCIF) Fee Deferral Program as part of an Economic Stimulus Strategy.
Contact: David Kwong, Planning Manager, (916) 808-2691
Action: David Kwong reported about the proposed establishment of the South Natomas Community Infrastructure Fund Fee Deferral program as part of an Economic Stimulus Strategy. He stated that all of the standards, conditions, security and approval requirements would mirror the previously approved Development Impact Fee Deferral Program. Commissioner Fuerst asked about the volume of development that could take advantage of the program. He added a question regarding the financial impact to the City. David Kwong stated that there would be no impact on the general fund or any other financial strategies. Commissioner Packowski asked about the time extension provision in the program. Janis Franklin described details regarding the fee deferral program term. Commissioner Guerra asked about outreach efforts. William Thomas indicated that staff was still conducting local outreach, and that the fee deferral programs are part of a economic program workshop that will be held in late January at City Council for broader public outreach.
- Central City Urban Design Guidelines and Plan
Location: Districts 1, 3, and 4
Recommendation:Review and Comment on the Public Review Draft of the updated Central City Urban Design Guidelines and Plan, Part One.
Contact: Tom Pace, Principal Planner, (916) 808-6848
Action: Greg Taylor presented a report regarding the Central City Urban Design Guidelines and Plan, including a power point presentation. He added that the City would review a pilot program regarding alley development, and discussed the importance of hollow sidewalks. He also commented that this document would add specific details to the General Plan, and that extensive outreach regarding the guidelines from the general public had been conducted, with over 275 comments in the database. He covered the boundaries for the central core area, and the types of development within those boundaries. The guideline document will be divided into four sections, each reflecting a different area. He stated that a signage section had been incorporated into the document, and that the document would be amended as needed over time. Greg presented a brief video regarding the progression of potential development in Sacramento. Commissioner Packowski asked about the adaptability of green building technology in the guidelines, such as wind turbines. Commissioner Fuerst commented that some of the Commissioners had not received the disc containing the guidelines, and asked about what is incorporated in the guidelines regarding recent legislation addressing greenhouse gases and global warming. Greg stated that the draft document represented the guidelines phase, and that the plan phase would include ordinances and a CEQA review. Commissioner Fuerst asked about roof and rain gardens and the existing combined sewer drainage system. Commissioner Holloway asked about the 10,000 sf floor-plate guideline, and the reaction of developers to this limit. He added a question regarding the changes in current road design standards vs. the road design contained in the guidelines. Commissioner Schriefer asked about the protection of historic design standards, and Greg stated that the Secretary of the Interior standards would override the guidelines for covered structures. Commissioner Holloway recommended the inclusion of benefits statements within the guidelines. Commissioner Guerra asked about references to LEED, and the benefits regarding sustainability within the document, and recommended that those benefits be a prominent feature of the document.
- Construction and Demolition Debris Recycling Ordinance in the City of Sacramento
Location: Citywide
Recommendation: Receive and Comment
Contact: Chris Thoma, Program Analyst, (916) 808-4833; Marty Strauss, Integrated Waste Planning Superintendent, (916) 808-4934
Action: Marty Strauss introduced the Construction and Demolition Ordinance, and the importance of increasing diversion. He stated that staff had been working with the County to create a consistent regional approach. He added that staff has also worked with the stakeholders, the building industry. Scheduled presentation to City Council is 1/13/09. Chris Thoma reviewed the staff report and power point slides, and asked for review and comment from the DOC. He reviewed proposed fees, including penalties for noncompliance. Commissioner Valine asked about goals of this program, and inquired where the customer-friendly aspect of the program was present. Commissioner Schriefer inquired about the valuation and square footage thresholds in the ordinance, and expressed concerns about the administration of this program with those thresholds. Commissioner Guerra expressed concerns about the size of the fine and issues associated with the inspection of the job. Commissioner Guerra asked about a differential in commercial and residential construction. Marty answered that they modeled the program after other jurisdictions. Commissioner Valine asked if the other jurisdictions were wrong with their approach. Commissioner Nunan commented regarding the regulation of the development industry, and the addition of another regulation. He stated that the City could be more proactive in their approach, and could be successful without a penalty. He suggested that staff spend time with individual builders and assist them without following an enforcement approach. He stated that there is a message in the way this is implemented and recommended gathering buy in and eliminating the enforcement approach for at least a year or two. Commissioner McBurney expressed concerns about the storage of the recycling materials on site for long periods of time. She asked about a sample of the waste log, which was not contained in the report, and asked about the contradictory language in the ordinance regarding the required duration of maintaining the waste log, and wording regarding the certificate of occupancy. She added that the valuation requirement was too low, and recommended a higher valuation. Commissioner Holloway commented that the County has incentives for their program, but the City did not. He stated that this was unacceptable. He added that benefits and incentives need to be included in the staff report and ordinance. Commissioner Packowski expressed concerns about staffing and the associated administrative management of the program. William Thomas thanked staff for their work on the program, and stated that his personal experience was that education and facilitation was far superior to enforcement. He extended an offer for solid waste staff to join him in meetings regarding education outreach. Edison Hicks commented about the intent of the program and gave details about the sorting at the recycling facility. William Thomas asked about the logistics about the final inspection and the communication between Solid Waste and DSD. He asked how the fee was set, and whether there were nexus studies. Commissioner Valine commented that this program appeared to be overly bureaucratic, and that there needs to be a much more customer oriented approach to reach the same goals. Commissioner Schriefer expressed support for the goal, but was also critical of the punitive approach. Commissioner Packowski stated that the City has a chance to be waste responsible, and could use a program as a large public relations effort to educate rather than punish. He recommended a friendlier, progressive approach. Commissioner McBurney asked if staff could incentivize diversion rates rather than penalizing non-compliance. William Thomas recommended a refundable fee for compliance
Public Comments - Matters Not on the Agenda
- None.
Questions, Ideas, and Announcements of Commission Members
- Commissioner Packowski commented regarding the reaction to the DOC customer service philosophy during his recent trip to Phoenix.
