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Development Oversight Commission
Meeting Minutes for April 07, 2008
Commission Members
| Dennis Guerra | Brian F. Holloway | John M. Packowski, AIA |
| Holger Fuerst, Vice Chair | Scott Schriefer | John Nunan |
| Michael F. Malinowski, AIA | Roger Valine , Chair | Kristina McBurney |
City Staff
William Thomas, Director, Development Services
Sabina Gilbert, Deputy City Attorney
Janis Franklin, Program Specialist
300 Richards Boulevard, 2nd Floor- Training Room 221
April 07. 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 – 5:35 p.m.
Roll Call-
All Commissioners were present.
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 March 03, 2008
Location: Citywide
Recommendation: Approve Commission Minutes for March 03, 2008.
Contact: Janis Franklin, Program Specialist, (916) 808-7705
Action: Moved, seconded and carried (Nunan/ McBurney; 9: 0:0) to approve minutes.
Staff Reports
Staff reports include oral presentations including those recommending receive and file.
- DSD Director Update (Oral)
Description: Items to be discussed: Sacramento Business Journal survey results, Fees, DOC Annual Report presentation logistics, building tour following regular meeting.
Location: Citywide
Recommendation: Receive and File.
Contact: William A. Thomas, Director of Development Services, (916) 808-1918
Action: No public comment. William Thomas updated the DOC regarding the 300 Richards move and new facilities. He stated that the improvements are substantially complete, and complimented Unger Construction on their work. He added that the project is on time and on budget. He reported that on Friday the Sacramento Business Journal survey reported their survey results, placing the City of Sacramento in first place among other building departments in the region. He thanked the DOC for their role in that achievement. He also updated the DOC regarding the review of core services and levels of service and the use of a cost accounting system with milestones tracked as measures of success. This information will be used in the upcoming fee report, and the Senior Team will bring this proposal back to the DOC, and the comprehensive fee streamlining work will continue, including the stakeholder subcommittee. He added that the recent recommended fee increase for planning was approved by Council and thanked the Commissioners for their support. William Thomas stated that internal measurements are already underway and that Ryan Pham was working on the coordination and packaging of this effort. Chair Valine requested a quarterly report regarding benchmarks. Commissioner McBurney asked for a discussion about the condo conversion ordinance at a future meeting. William Thomas updated the Commission regarding the move of the Development Engineering section to the Department of Transportation effective 7/1 for budget, and immediately for operations. Commissioner McBurney requested that DSD update the DOC regarding cycle time performance at future DOC meetings.
- Planning Commission Meeting- Report Back (Oral)
Description: Report back regarding 2/14/08 Planning Commission meeting
Location: Citywide
Recommendation: Review and Comment
Contact: David Kwong, Planning Manager, (916) 808-2691
Action: David Kwong delivered a report back regarding the Greenbriar letter to City Council and the City Planning Commission’s comments regarding the letter. Chair Valine asked who would respond to the letter, and David Kwong responded that since it was addressed to Council, that they should respond. He advised the DOC that they could encourage the Council to respond. Commissioner Holloway stressed that the Planning Commission missed the point regarding how the public were treated. Commissioner Malinowski stated that since the letter was written to the DOC, that they should respond. Chair Valine added that they should draft a letter of response to the customer. Commissioner McBurney commented that the DOC should send a letter to Council with a list of concerns and ask for direction. William Thomas stated that the DOC could take the opportunity to have a dialog between the DOC and the Planning Commission regarding process and customer service. Chair Valine recommended that he, Commissioner Holloway and Commissioner Packowski set up a meeting with the Chair and Vice Chair of the Planning Commission to discuss the issues. Commissioner Holloway advised waiting until the new Commissioners were appointed. Chair Valine agreed, but stated that the DOC should work on a letter back to the customer.
- 2030 General Plan – Implementation Program and Indicators
Description: The draft Implementation Program and Indicators of the 2030 General Plan will provide implementation measures and phasing of the 2030 General Plan as well as indicators to measure the progress towards meeting the 2030 General Plan's goals.
Location: Citywide
Recommendation: Review and Comment.
Contact: Andrea Koch, Assistant Planner, (916) 808-1943; Teresa Haenggi, Associate Planner, Long Range Planning, (916) 808-7554
Action: Andrea Koch from the Planning Department updated the DOC regarding the draft Implementation Program and indicators of the 2030 General Plan. Chair Valine asked if citizens were involved in the General Plan indicators. Commissioner Nunan liked the variety of indicators but stated that more than 40 staff hours would be needed to monitor and report on the indicators. Commissioner Packowski asked about methods of citizen feedback. Tom Pace, Long Range Planning Manager, commented regarding on measurements and rating of indicators, and the number of staff hours necessary for measurements. Commissioner Fuerst asked about the intent and use of indicators. Chair Valine asked about next steps. Andrea Koch outlined the next steps from the report. Commissioner Malinowski advised that we should go back to the entire community with an update on the indicators. Commissioner Nunan asked about an advisory group to review the indicators on an ongoing basis. Chair Valine recommended that staff ask Sacramento State University to assist with a citizen survey as an annual project. William Thomas asked about implementation of tasks associated with the indicators and reporting.
- 2008 – 2013 Housing Element Update
Description: A status report on the 2008-2013 Housing Element Update. Staff would also like to present a land inventory that would accommodate the market rate and affordable housing production for the next five years, as well as any potential constraints to housing development.
Location: Citywide
Recommendation: Review and Comment.
Contact: Greg Sandlund, Assistant Planner, (916) 808-8931
Action: Greg Sandlund reviewed the update report regarding the Housing Element, and a status regarding land inventory, in addition to next steps. The Housing Element is updated every five years. He stated that state law required that we have a formalized program regarding reasonable accommodation, and recommended that Council adopt an ordinance to address this. He also covered the parking requirement recommendations, and outlined potential constraints, both governmental and nongovernmental. Commissioner Holloway asked about parking requirements for all elements, including senior housing, student housing and second units. He also inquired about density requirements and possibly exceeding State law. Commissioner Malinowski stated that the parking requirements for affordable senior housing were too high, and should consider other factors including proximity of amenities and availability of transit options rather than a blanket rule. Commissioner McBurney inquired about vacant land units, and percentage of homeowners and affordability as a constraint. Chair Valine asked about the consequence of a municipality not meeting the standard.
- General Plan Maintenance Fee Increase
Description: Long Range Planning is proposing the increase of the General Plan Maintenance Fee to cover a portion of the cost of developing the 2030 General Plan and costs of ongoing implementation, monitoring, and maintenance of the Plan.
Recommendation: Review and Comment.
Contact: Tom Pace, Long Range Planning Manager, 808-6848
Action: Tom Pace presented background regarding the funding mechanism for the General Plan. He discussed the research completed to ensure continued costs are covered for the implementation, monitoring and maintenance of the Plan. He added that the funding needs had become more urgent due to the budget situation. The funding availability had originally been for one fiscal year, and the budget office had informed the Planning Department that there was no money available to fund the 5FTE associated with the work on the General Plan. He reviewed the outreach efforts that have been conducted to date regarding the fee increase, in addition to next steps regarding the General Plan. Chair Valine inquired about comparisons with surrounding municipality’s fees and about incentives for development in a blighted area. Commissioner Nunan asked if this increase would fully fund the development of the General Plan action items and development. Tom Pace answered that 75% of the staff cost would still be borne by the general fund. Commissioner Nunan asked about future tolerance for fee increases. Commissioner McBurney asked clarifying questions regarding the original and projected increased costs of the General Plan. Commissioner Nunan asked about the results of outreach efforts. Commissioner Fuerst expressed concerns about the increased fee and the effect it would have on attracting future development. Chair Valine expressed concerns about the large number of outreach efforts and the associated costs.
- Annexation Fee
Description: The proposed Annexation Fee is a new fee that would be used to recover the costs associated with annexations to the City, including staff project review and analysis, document preparation, research, site visits, neighborhood outreach and attending hearings. Recommendation: Review and Comment.
Contact: Scot Mende, New Growth Manager, 808-4756
Action: Scott Mende reviewed the proposed new annexation fee, and stated that there were no existing fees to cover the work on annexations. He stated that analysis to cover the costs to do the work on an annexation averaged approximately $20,000. Chair Valine expressed support for the fee.
Public Comments - Matters Not on the Agenda
- None
Questions, Ideas, and Announcements of Commission Members
- Chair Valine presented William Thomas with a plaque commemorating the Development Services Department #1 customer service rating in the Sacramento Business Journal.