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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11/16/2010 Minutes - Regular MeetingMINUTES OF THE CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY OF DIAMOND BAR NOVEMBER 16, 2010 CLOSED SESSION: 5:15 p.m., Room CC -8 Public Comments on Closed Session Agenda ► Government Code Section 54957 Public Employee STUDY SESSION: None City Manager Performance Evaluation CALL TO ORDER: Mayor Herrera called the Regular City Council meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. in The Government Center/SCAQMD Auditorium, 21865 Copley Dr., Diamond Bar, CA. M/Herrera reported that during tonight's Closed Session, the Council gave the City Manager his evaluation. She stated that the Council is very pleased and proud to have Mr. DeStefano as the City Manager and thanked him for his continuing service to the City. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Mayor Herrera led the Pledge of Allegiance. INVOCATION: Darlene Jones, Pastor Outreach, Diamond Canyon Christian Church, gave the invocation. ROLL CALL: Council Members Ling -Ling Chang, Ron Everett, Jack Tanaka, Mayor Pro Tem Steve Tye and Mayor Carol Herrera. Staff Present: James DeStefano, City Manager; David Doyle, Assistant City Manager; Michael Jenkins, City Attorney; Ken Desforges, IS Director; Rick Yee, Sr. Civil Engineer; Bob Rose, Community Services Director; Linda Magnuson, Finance Director; Greg Gubman, Community Development Director; Ryan McLean, Assistant to City Manager; Grace Lee, Senior Planner; Kimberly Molina, Associate Engineer; Marsha Roa, Public Information Manager; Lauren Hidalgo, Public Information Specialist; Cecilia Arellano, Public Information Coordinator, and Tommye Cribbins, City Clerk. APPROVAL OF AGENDA: As Presented. SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS, CERTIFICATES, PROCLAMATIONS: 1.1 Mayor Herrera and City Council Members along with Community Foundation members Jody Roberto and Raul Galindo presented Certificates of Recognition to winners of the "Diamond Bar Through My Lens" Photo Contest. Prize money was also given by the Community Foundation to the winners along with Certificates of Recognition from NOVEMBER 16, 2010 PAGE 2 CITY COUNCIL 2 3 Assemblyman Hagman's office. 1.2 Leticia Pacias introduced LA County Assistant Fire Chief Angel Montoya who said he was looking forward to working with the Council and staff. 1.3 Captain Halm, Los Angeles Sheriffs Department, presented the Diamond Bar Crime Statistics from 2007 through 2009. CITY MANAGER REPORTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: None PUBLIC COMMENTS: Heidi Gallegos, Executive Officer, Regional Chamber of Commerce, congratulated Captain Halm and his staff on their hard work on behalf of the community and thanked the Council for its thoughtful consideration and community outreach on the Site D project. Ms. Gallegos went on to announce upcoming Chamber events. Barbara Carrera, 1508 Arbury Drive, suggested that Council consider the addition of a dog park somewhere in the City. 4. RESPONSE TO PUBLIC COMMENTS: None 5 0 SCHEDULE OF FUTURE EVENTS: 5.1 Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting — November 18, 2010 — 7:00 p.m., AQMD/Government Center Hearing Board Room, 21865 Copley Drive. 5.2 Planning Commission Meeting — November 23, 2010 — 7:00 p.m., AQMD/Government Center Auditorium, 21865 Copley Drive. 5.3 Thanksgiving Holiday — November 25 and 26, 2010 — 6:30 — City Offices will be closed in observance of the Thanksgiving Holiday. City Offices will reopen Monday, November 29, 2010 at 7:30 a.m. 5.4 City Council Meeting — December 7, 2010 — 6:30 p.m., AQMD/Government Center Auditorium, 21865 Copley Drive. CONSENT CALENDAR: MPT/Tye moved, C/Tanaka seconded, to approve the Consent Calendar as presented. Motion carried by the following Roll Call: AYES: COUNCIL MEMBERS NOES: COUNCIL MEMBERS ABSENT: COUNCIL MEMBERS Chang, Everett, Tanaka, MPT/Tye, M/Herrera None None NOVEMBER 16, 2010 PAGE 3 6.1. CITY COUNCIL MINUTES: CITY COUNCIL 6.1.1 Study Session of November 2, 2010 —Approved as submitted. 6.1.2 Regular Meeting of November 2, 2010 —Approved as submitted. 6.2 RATIFIED CHECK REGISTER DATED October 28, 2010 through November 9, 2010, totaling $535,847.06. 6.3 APPROVED TREASURER'S STATEMENT — Month of September 2010. 6.4 (a) APPROVED PLANS AND SPECIFICATIONS AND AWARDED CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT FOR THE BREA CANYON ROAD DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT TO C.P. CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, INC. IN THE AMOUNT OF $85,250; AND AUTHORIZED A CONTINGENCY AMOUNT OF $8,500 FOR CONTRACT CHANGE ORDERS TO BE APPROVED BY THE CITY MANAGER, FOR A TOTAL AUTHORIZATION AMOUNT OF $93,750. (b) AWARDED CONSTRUCTION ADMINISTRATION SERVICES CONTRACT FOR THE BREA CANYON ROAD DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT TO ONWARD ENGINEERING IN THE AMOUNT OF $28,790 AND AUTHORIZED A CONTINGENCY AMOUNT OF $2,800 FOR CHANGE ORDERS TO BE APPROVED BY THE CITY MANAGER FOR A TOTAL AUTHORIZATION AMOUNT OF $31,590. 7. PUBLIC HEARINGS: 7:00 p.m. 7.1 A CONTINUED PUBLIC HEARING TO CONSIDER VARIOUS ACTIONS PERTAINING TO SITE D (A SITE COMPRISED OF APPROXIMATELY 30.36 ACRES LOCATED AT THE SOUTHEAST CORNER OF BREA CANYON ROAD AND DIAMOND BAR BOULEVARD, DIAMOND BAR, CALIFORNIA (ASSESSOR PARCEL NUMBERS 8714-002-900, 8714- 002-901, 8714-002-902, 8714-002-903 AND 8714-015-001) INCLUDING GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT NO. 2007-03, ZONE CHANGE NO 2007- 04, SPECIFIC PLAN NO. 2007-01 ("SITE D SPECIFIC PLAN"), TENTATIVE TRACT MAP NO. 70687, AND CONSIDERATION OF CERTIFICATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT 2007-02 (SCH NO. 2008021014). CDD/Gubman stated that most of the Council attended the WVUSD School Board meeting last Tuesday to hear Mr. Meuting provide the Board with the results of the Site D Community Workshop. Mr. Meuting's presentation concluded with the "consensus plan" which was created from the themes most consistently expressed in each of the seven group plans during the workshop. The "consensus plan" reflects a general community preference for the development of Site D to be residential with a park component. After receiving Mr. Meuting's report and public comments, NOVEMBER 16, 2010 PAGE 4 CITY COUNCIL the School Board continued the matter to tomorrow evening's Board meeting where it is expected that the School Board will make a formal request to the City Council as to how the Site D planning process should proceed. Because the School Board's action is forthcoming, the School District has submitted a request that the City Council continue the matter to the City Council meeting of December 7. Although the "consensus plan" indicates a preference for residential with a park; Council is not being asked to provide any direction to staff tonight other than to continue the matter to December 7. Staff, does however, ask that the commercial component of the Specific Plan be explored further in light of the basis upon which the current draft of the Specific Plan was drafted, the community input received thus far, as well as, updated market feasibility considerations. The Specific Plan includes about 10 acres designated for commercial reflecting the City's economic development strategy as well as, the Site D MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) provision that the City prepares a Specific Plan that consists of 50 percent residential/50 percent commercial. Staff recently commissioned Keyser Marston Associates t o update a n earlier market feasibility study to see how the commercial viability of Site D has held up in light of the recent downturns in the economy. The results of the study were mixed concluding that Site D is still a viable location for a neighborhood retail center, but market conditions are not expected to support that prospect for at least another five to seven years. If the Council believes that the pros and cons of commercial development on Site D merits further study, staff can facilitate that dialogue. If, on the other hand, Council believes commercial should no longer be considered as part of the land use palate for Site D, staff would ask for appropriate direction so that it can make the necessary changes to this plan in related environmental documents. Staff recommends that the Council continue to receive public testimony, discuss the desirability of retaining commercial in the Specific Plan in light of the long-term economic outlook, and continue the matter to December 7. C/Chang referring to the study conducted in 2008 and the recently updated commercial portion of that study asked why there is a difference in the recommendation for commercial in 2008 and the current update. CDD/Gubman stated it was based on how developed the planning process was for the Site D Specific Plan in 2008. The MOU specified 50 percent commercial/50 percent residential for the roughly 30 -acre site. However, while conducting the physical planning for the site, taking into consideration the site topography and other site constraints, there is actually 20 net acres of buildable acres on the land which when divided by two (2) results in the net 10 acres that is the basis for the 2010 update. NOVEMBER 16, 2010 PAGE 5 CITY COUNCIL C/Chang asked if there was more acreage dedicated, would it increase the viability of a larger commercial aspect. CDD/Gubman responded that a larger center would then be able to accommodate a larger scale development. C/Everett referring to the "composite" plan in the agenda packet asked CDD/Gubman to comment on what is a "consensus" plan and what is a "composite" plan. CDD/Gubman described how the composite plan was achieved. He then stated that the facilitator looked at all of the comments, remarks and input to the discussion item that were presented to the groups in formulating their pians and listed them in order of most to least frequent and what the groups would like to see. Low density was one of the consistent components among all of the plans as well as, a park development. Using those responses resulted in the consensus plan. C/Everett asked if the timeframe of five to seven years was the same perspective for commercial as residential. CDD/Gubman responded that he did not have a specific response. The 2008 Keyser Marston Associates report looked at commercial market opportunities citywide with Site D being one of those study areas. The updated 2010 report focused on the commercial component as well. Staff did not look into the viability of the residential market or when it might be ready for development on Site D. M/Herrera reopened the Public Hearing at 7:34 p.m. Nancy Lyons, President, WVUSD, thanked the City Council and staff for their presence at the November 9 Board Meeting during which the community outreach meeting results were shared. Even though the Board understood that the City Council would not discuss this matter until their meeting of December 7, the Board understands staff's need to discuss and receive direction from the City Council. As previously planned and communicated the Board will be discussing these results tomorrow at its regular board meeting and will then submit a recommendation to the City Council for its December 7 Council meeting. Ms_ Lyons then stated that the WVUSD Board requests that the City Council not make a determination tonight and consider doing so only after the Council has heard the District's recommendation. She asked that this matter be continued to December 7 to allow the School District more time to consider their proposal. Raul Galindo, a 40 -year D.B. resident, said he would like to see the City become more business friendly. He said that he had heard that both NOVEMBER 16, 2010 PAGE 6 CITY COUNCIL Bristol Farms and Trader Joe's wanted to locate in D.B. but were not welcome. He felt that residents should spend their money here and would like to see a nice restaurant and good businesses here and not another strip mall. He sees D.B. residents using facilities for family events in other cities and believes they would appreciate having a nice facility in D.B. Barbara Carrera said she would like to spend her dollars at a nice restaurant or shopping without having to travel to Brea and Chino Hills. Perhaps the Council would consider a community workshop to specifically discuss options for commercial establishments. She has faith that the Council will set sensible planning standards as it did at the Target location and asked that the Council consider what is best for all D.B. residents and not overlook a commercial component for Site D. David Busse, 21455 Ambushers Street, was encouraged by the community outreach for Site D. Residents do not want a commercial component. Greg Ogonowski, 21492 Cold Springs Lane, said he agreed with the previous speaker. He spent the afternoon getting 25 signatures from local D.B. businesses who felt they would suffer if Site D were zoned commercial. He said he would continue to gather signatures from local business owners. Sid Mousavi said that other cities in the region have been able to develop successful sites that include residential and so-called commercial. The City and School Board have done a good job engaging the community but needs to hear from the development community as well to find out what they believe can be done with Site D. He also suggested that stakeholders be educated on development opportunities for D.B. in order to create a vision for Site D. Unfortunately, D.B. suffers for having old developments and needs to incorporate a holistic approach to new development that encompasses residences and destination businesses. Greg Schokley, 3711 Crooked Creek, believed there isn't a Trader Joe's in D.B. because the permit process is too prohibitive. Site D is private property and can be developed; however, it does not mean that the City Council needs to be a party to the School Board's folly. Tommy Chang, a new resident, said he came to D.B. because of the great school system. He would like his son to have the opportunity to play and eventually work in D.B. and believes future planning should involve a lot of careful consideration about services that will cater to young families. He stated that he drives a long way for services since moving from Los Angeles. NOVEMBER 1,6, 2010 PAGE 7 CITY COUNCIL David Wu, 21252 E. Running Branch, asked if the crime rate was related to the number of apartments in the City. M/Herrera replied by stating that the only apartments in D.B. are those on Grand Avenue. Mr. Wu said he believes that the low crime rate was connected to the number of apartments which is why he moved to the City. He felt it was illegal for the School District to sell the land that was given to them by the government. CM/DeStefano responding to speakers stated that there was not a group of residents or employees of D.B. that wanted a Trader Joe's more than the City Council and staff. It was just yesterday that he and CDD/Gubman met with a representative of a number of development companies to discuss a specific site in D.B. and what they told the developer several times was that the City wanted a Trader Joe's. CM/DeStefano said that as the Community Development Director for D.B., he and his staff and the then City Council spent an exhaustive amount of time pursuing Trader Joe's. D.B. has asked Trader Joe's to give D.B. consideration for many, - many years. Each of these retailers has a set of standards that has been successful for them and in order to continue with that success they repeat the same requirements and requests for placement of stores in various communities. Trader Joe's has a store on Imperial Highway in Brea along with Home Depot and a variety of other development on about 75 acres of commercial development. Trader Joe's has a store in San Dimas at Arrow Highway and SR57 across the parking lot from a Target and a variety of other stores on about 30 acres with about 250,000 square feet of retail space immediately adjacent to other developments. Trader Joe's locates in areas that meet its criteria that have substantial other assets that create a synergy that draws in customers for them and others. There has been a robust discussion and effort to bring Trader Joe's to the community. In his opinion, Site D is not a Trader Joe's location. Where Trader Joe's might locate would be basically at Diamond Bar Boulevard and the SR 60 where Vons, Kmart and other stores are currently located. He did not want anyone to walk away from this meeting believing that a possibly misunderstood conversation at a public counter about a sign for Trader Joe's was some sort of dismissal on the part of the City with respect to Trader Joe's. A few years ago, the City distributed postcards to everyone that lived within about a five to 10 mile radius of D.B. The City distributed over 40,000 postcards with information asking recipients to consider signing the postcard and sending it back to the City of D.B. asking Trader Joe's to build a store in this community. Surveys usually receive very little response; however, in this case, the City received 12,000 postcards back. Of those, two did not want a Trader Joe's. Council and staff took box loads of the postcards to Trader Joe's corporate headquarters in Monrovia and sat with executives to plead with them to follow the lead that the NOVEMBER 16, 2010 PAGE 8 CITY COUNCIL residents were providing them and build a Trader Joe's in D.B. They chose not to. They ended up building a store in Chino Hills at Grand Avenue and the 71 freeway an area that already has a significant commercial base and a growing opportunity to incorporate more businesses. The problem that D.B. has is the synergy — the types, depth, breadth of stores that other surrounding areas already have that D.B. doesn't have. Chances for those kinds of larger developments requiring 100 or more acres are very limited. The ability for D.B. to attract the quality of some of the restaurants that were referenced, the Trader Joe's and those kinds of uses are frankly limited to only a few parts of D.B. The types of restaurants mentioned earlier, are not the types of candidates that would locate on Site D. They might locate on a redeveloped Kmart property without Kmart there, but they would not locate on Site D because the synergy, size, scale, traffic counts, etc. do not exist at the Site D location for those types of retail businesses. Site D offers a different kind of commercial opportunity to capture retail that is embraced by the freeway customer, to capture opportunities from area residential communities who are still looking for a place to purchase groceries, restaurants, drugstores, etc. is a different type of opportunity. D.B. has a history of going after significant retail/restaurant opportunities. An earlier speaker mentioned Bristol Farms. D.B. almost had Bristol Farms in The Country Hills Towne Center which is now the Diamond Hills Plaza. The then Mayor Bob Zirbes was passionate about revitalizing the Country Hills Towne Center and D.B. had Trader Joe's, Henry's, Bristol Farms, Gelson's and others looking at that property. D.B. got close with Henry's but obviously none of that worked out. He would not want anyone believing that staff and the City Council was not looking out for the community's interest and responding to the community's requests over the years, through various surveys for better retail and restaurant opportunities. D.B. has been very passionate about a number of land uses and bringing them into the City. CM/DeStefano stated that staff is looking for direction from the City Council. There is an economic strategy that talks about commercial development on a portion of Site D which CDD/Gubman referenced. The same strategy talks about commercial enhancements on the Kmart property and a couple of other properties where it seems obvious that staff should be looking at retail/restaurant opportunities and capturing some of the land uses speakers say they are looking for. In short, the City has a strategy that says it should be doing. That is a policy direction the Council gives the City Manager who asks his staff to implement. There is a MOU with the School District that says that both the School District and the City are working together on 50 percent of the site being residential and 50 percent being commercial. That is a policy document of the City Council that the City Manager and staff are implementing. The City has a Specific Plan that has been crafted in order to implement the MOU and the City has made other decisions in the past specifically with respect to Site D NOVEMBER 16, 2010 PAGE 9 CITY COUNCIL that is leaning toward a commercial development there. Recently, the City had an application from the School District, neighborhood outreach, numerous meetings and many public comments that seem to lean against a commercial development. The City Council has decisions to make as a result of the outreach session, its own public hearings and deliberations. Does the City Council fundamentally wish to continue with the 50/50 proposal with a commercial development proposal on Site D or does it wish to change course. The City's regional/national economics have changed since some of those documents were put into place. A few years ago commercial would have been more likely on Site D and would have come faster. Today, commercial is going to take five to seven years on Site D. Does the City Council have a continued wish to wait for the market to come back for a successful commercial venture on Site D or change course and move toward a residential project for the benefits that it may bring to the community and to the neighborhood. What staff is looking for is an affirmation of the current strategy (commercial) or a change in that strategy. Staff does not need an answer this evening but it needs an answer soon because there are documents staff will need to prepare in order for Council to make its final decision sometime early next year. The School District will be talking about this tomorrow night and may come to - the Council on December 7 and ask that the 50/50 plan be maintained or some other land use strategy they are proposing as the applicant and owner of 29 of the 30 acres. Staff is asking that Council commence a dialogue concluded on December 7 and give staff some direction. M/Herrera stated that she remembers that years ago the City could not talk Starbucks into coming to D.B. and locating on Grand Avenue until the City pointed out that there were 35,000 cars that passed that spot on a daily basis. Only then was Starbucks interested in coming to D.B. and only then would they consent to locate in D.B. which is part of the synergy CM/DeStefano speaks to. While some may not like the traffic, if the City is trying to be fiscally sound and keep the health of its businesses, the City needs the traffic to some extent. MPT/Tye felt it was inappropriate for Council to take any further action until hearing from the School Board. However, he is beginning to understand that people around Site D feel like they are not being listened to. He understands that this goes back a long way. He remembers when Lewis Homes had the option to purchase the property. He had a conversation with David Lewis and wanted to know why Lewis Homes did not exercise the option. He was told that it was because they did not have a Specific Plan that would allow them to produce a product that would be economically viable for them. A plan is submitted to the Planning Commission for a 50/50 project, the community comes to be heard and after listening to speakers the Planning Commission works in a 3 -acre park and then recommends it to the City Council. Residents come to the NOVEMBER 16, 2010 PAGE 10 CITY COUNCIL City Council and say they have not had much input and that they would like to have some input because they are not sure that one half residential and one half commercial is appropriate. The School District puts together a presentation and workshop that gave the public a chance to be heard. None of the seven groups that participated in the workshop and presented their vision were passionate about having commercial and that gets back to what the City Council sees is good for D.B. and what is good for ALL of D.B. MPT/Tye does not think a 10 -acre development is going to be a difference maker for D.B. He has asked and had no response to his question — if it is going to be 10 -acres of commercial what do you see there that will be successful. He personally felt the City should get a rebate on the presentation from Keyser Marston Associates because he did not believe the City needed a consultant to tell it that taxable sales in the City are extremely low; retail sales are below the County and State averages. D.B. needs taxable dollars — that is what makes this community able to afford its programs and worth moving to from LA, for example. The issue is not whether the property was bought by WVUSD and the issue is not whether it was given to them. The issue is that the School District owns the property. It is their property and they have decided that Site D is surplus property. He challenged anyone that felt this school district was not in serious financial straits through any doing of their own. Actually, it has to do with the State of .California taking away $20 million from the School District's budget over the past three years. Just in the immediate area from Pomona down through Rowland Heights, the State has cut $100 million from education which is unconscionable. If a school district has an asset and they want to utilize that asset to benefit the school district, should they not be permitted to do so? One of the reasons people move to D.B. is for the schools and it has terrific schools in both school districts. He took exception to the speaker who said the property did not belong to the District, that it belonged to all of the residents. In fact, Site D does NOT belong to all of the residents. It belongs to the residents that live in the WVUSD because it is a WVUSD asset and they need to be able to utilize assets that will best accomplish their goals and school districts are in the business of education. So, how does that get done? He would prefer that the City focus on larger acreage areas where there can be an impact. He commented on the Keyser Marston Associates proposal for commercial and said he did not foresee any of the big box stores and restaurants locating on Site D. He felt the site would be better served by following the resident's example and agreed with how Mr. Busse stated his feelings. Bottom line is that he believed the Council should wait until the School District expressed their wishes and then deliberate about what to do about Site D. C/Chang felt that Keyser Marston Associates was looking at the 10 -acre parcel in Walnut on Grand and Valley where there is a TJ Maxx as a reference for their study and felt that the Council should not eliminate any options at this point. She has participated in many community forums and NOVEMBER 16, 2010 PAGE 11 CITY COUNCIL one does not draw conclusions from one five-hour outreach meeting because it is not necessarily a fair and equal indicator of what the community wants. Ultimately there were only a little over 20 residents left at the end of the one community meeting. She heard from many residents who could not be present for the one outreach meeting and felt it was unreasonable to draw analogies and possible conclusions from that one meeting. Referencing the Mayor's example about Starbucks originally not considering locating in D.B. and then reconsidering indicates that times are changing and perhaps Trader Joe's, Mothers or Gelson's might consider D.B. after exploring the market once again. Like the economy, the market is changing and we should not be shortsighted by basing a decision on the current state of the economy. We need to begin to contemplate what is best for DB in the long run. One speaker said he got 25 businesses to sign a petition but she believes in the free market. If businesses are afraid of that corner being occupied by commercial, it may mean that commercial could potentially be successful at that location. She understands that there is a fear of the unknown; the fear of not knowing what a project will look like but wanted to reassure the residents that the City sets the standards for development and that the City will not allow a development to look like an ugly strip mall. She understands that people are concerned about what will happen on Site D but questions whether or not we have fully explored all of the potential options for the site. She mentioned that if the NFL Stadium were to go in, people driving from Orange County regularly exit on Diamond Bar Boulevard which increases traffic counts anyway, with or without the project on Site D She would like to see more public outreach conducted as there are options to explore which includes airing out issues regarding each potential option. Folks have attended the Planning Commission meetings and Council meetings to express their desires for the site but we are lacking a true dialogue. Also, how do we know that 100 percent residential would garner the most revenue for the school district? She has done research and learned that the revenue generated from leased out property could be deposited into the school district's general fund; if they sold the property, it could only go into a one-time capital improvement fund. Perhaps one-half of the property could be sold for residential and the other half could be leased out. Ultimately, she feels an obligation to represent all of the residents and needs to make the right decision and wants to continue the dialogue and not close out this option. She reiterated the fact that she does not want an ugly strip mall for that property nor does she want empty storefronts, but there are many different things cities have done in other cities. She stated that the economics of one plaza cannot be applied to another. The corner off of the freeway is much more desirable than an empty storefront in the middle of the City. Obviously, this corner is conducive to commercial and perhaps the City could explore other options such as senior housing. This is a prime location that should be very carefully considered for all options. She would like to continue the dialogue through community workshops to explore all options. NOVEMBER 16, 2010 PAGE 12 CITY COUNCIL C/Everett said he wanted to hear more and wanted to hear from the School District first. To speak on this matter seems to him to be a bit disrespectful to the School District. However, he wants to let the community know that he is looking down the road for at least 20 years. He challenged everyone to consider what was presented for consideration this evening and to take a look at the graphics on Page 22 and look at the composite plan and the consensus plan. There was a commercial component in Group 5 but even more, the green space is outstanding. Probably 90 percent or more agree on park and/or green space and he will fight for green space. Part of green space is trails and he sees interesting trail potentials as he views the composite plan which is different from the consensus plan. The other point is that this is a focal/entry point to D.B. and should be a primary concern for all residents and those who pass through the City. He appreciated the business signatures because they are important and the Council is thinking about that as well in the overall scheme. He appreciated Mr. Mousavi's thoughts and wondered if the City had looked into urban village and urban community options. Every time he thinks about D.B. he is proud of Target and Vantage Homes projects in which he played no part, and feels that Site D will develop over a number of years in its own fashion. He agreed with Mr. Wu that apartments can present a problem for public safety. D.B. does not have many apartments and he did not expect that to be a viable option for Site D. Participants in the outreach workshop were 90 plus percent from the immediate region and there has been repeated requests that hearings for this project be advertized citywide because people from all of D.B. need to give their input. C/Tanaka said he had ideas he was considering but wanted to hear from the School District. There may be other developers who have opinions about how this property could be developed and there are developments in other cities that D.B. has not considered. Ultimately, his decision will be made after the close of the public hearing with all information received and whatever decision is made will be best for all residents of D.B. M/Herrera said it is a fact that D.B. has been focused on economic development. It may or may not be generally known that D.B. does not have a Redevelopment Agency and D.B. is not able to compete with cities that has a Redevelopment Agency and brings businesses into the community. Several years ago the City Council committed to focusing on economic development and allocated $10 million toward that effort. D.B. has conducted outreach to various types of businesses in an attempt to offer incentives to bring them to the City. One such effort was to purchase the one acre that lies contiguous to Site D that runs along Brea Canyon Road. The City purchased that property a few years ago to enhance the commercial development and have access to that commercial development via Diamond Bar Boulevard and Brea Canyon Road making NOVEMBER 16, 2010 PAGE 13 CITY COUNCIL the property more valuable to a commercial developer. It was not the City's intent to usurp the School District's opportunity to make its decision tomorrow. This hearing today had been continued from October 19 and was publicly announced so the Council was locked into discussing the matter again today. She understands that her colleagues want to continue thinking about the matter and continue receiving input from residents and most certainly hear what the School Board has to say in rendering their final decision tomorrow. This public hearing will be continued to December 7. C/Chang moved, MPT/Tye seconded, to continue the Public Hearing to consider various actions pertaining to Site D to December 7, 2010. Motion carried by the following Roll Call vote: AYES: COUNCIL MEMBERS: Chang, Everett, Tanaka, MPT/Tye, M/Herrera NOES: COUNCIL MEMBERS: None ABSENT: COUNCIL MEMBERS: None 8. COUNCIL CONSIDERATION: None 9. COUNCIL SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS/COUNCIL MEMBER COMMENTS: C/Everett attended the D.B. Library Recognition and Appreciation Luncheon and the City's Eco Expo. He encouraged residents to speak with Representative Curt Hagman (909-627-7021) and Senator Bob Huff (916-651-4029). He also stated that this past Saturday evening he attended the Diamond Bar Community Foundation's Annual Gala Event Fundraiser at the Diamond Bar Center. C/Tanaka reported on the Neighborhood Improvement Program subcommittee he and MPT/Tye attended and thanked staff for their input. The discussion included trash, inoperable vehicles, landscaping, home maintenance problems, etc. Several Council Members attended the Friends of the Library "Library Appreciation Luncheon". He attended the WVUSD School Board meeting during which the Site D workshop was discussed. He attended the PUSD Board meeting during which the electronic report cards for kindergarten grades were discussed. Wednesday, D.B. recognized Veterans with twelve new Veterans being honored and 9 banners being returned to those who are back. Saturday he attended the annual Diamond Bar Community Foundation Gala Fundraiser and congratulated Waste Management on being named the Community Partner for 2010. This afternoon he attended the D.B. Senior Citizens Thanksgiving luncheon and the ribbon -cutting ceremony at the D.B. Smiles Dental Office. He acknowledged D.B. Leo's who visited veterans at the Long Beach and Loma Linda Veterans' Hospitals and wished everyone a Happy and Safe Thanksgiving Holiday. NOVEMBER 16, 2010 PAGE 14 CITY COUNCIL C/Chang reiterated that residents can follow her activities on Twitter and Facebook. She reported on attending the League/Legislative Reception in downtown LA; the Alameda Corridor East Sunset Avenue Grade Separation; Veterans Recognition Celebration; chaperoned at the D134 -Youth Middle School Dance at the Diamond Bar Center; Emceed the Diamond Bar Community Foundation's Annual Gala Fundraiser and commended the Board for the fabulous event. She also attended the ribbon -cutting ceremonies at D.B. Smiles. She thanked Jody Roberto and Raul Galindo for their dedication to the City and wished everyone a Happy and Safe Thanksgiving. MPT/Tye commended the Diamond Bar Community Foundation on the successful Gala event and their support of the "Through My Lens" program. Veterans' Day is always very touching and especially touching to give banners back to service personnel following their service. The School District's presentation last night was a good presentation on the community outreach. He suggested that Mr. Meuting make his presentation to the Council, if appropriate. He thanked Sheriffs personnel for keeping crime statistics on a downward turn in D.B. He thanked CM/DeStefano for his guidance and management of the City and as well as having a good relationship with public safety personnel. He thanked the City's Neighborhood Improvement officers for doing a great job keeping the community looking good. He loved the way Pastor Jones started this evening by talking about how important it is to be thankful. It takes much more to be thankful than it does to be a critic and what a great time to be thankful as we approach Thanksgiving next week. Let us be thankful and remember to thank a Vet for the freedoms we have. And let us all enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving with our families. M/Herrera stated that most or all Council Members regularly attend the many events taking place throughout the City. The most significant for her in the past two weeks was the Veterans' Day Celebration and particularly those residents who are World War II Veterans. One young woman was a former Marine who was the only one from her city who joined the Marines and served in WWII. It was nice retiring flags to those who had returned home safely. D.B. is a great City that enjoys a very low crime rate thanks to the Sheriff's Department and a dedicated staff and all who work to make D.B. a great place to live. She wished everyone a good Thanksgiving. ADJOURNMENT: With no further business to conduct, M/Herrera adjourned the Regular City Council meeting at 9:07 p.m. TOMM; E CRIBS-INS,'CITY CLERK NOVEMBER 16, 2010 PAGE 15 CITY COUNCIL The fore minutes are hereby approved this 7th day of nPc-Pm Ar , 2010. -7'- I I ST,, MAYOR