Loading...
CC - Minutes - 11-24-15c MINUTES OF THE CITY COUNCIL AND THE SUCCESSOR AGENCY TO THE ROSEMEAD COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION JOINT MEETING NOVEMBER 24, 2015 Workshop 6:00 p.m. The meeting of the Rosemead City Council was called to order by Mayor Clark at 6:09 p.m. in the Rosemead City Council Chamber located at 8838 East Valley Boulevard, Rosemead, California. PRESENT: Mayor Clark, Mayor Pro Tern Armenta, Council Members Alarcon, Hall and Low. 1. Garvey Avenue Traffic & Parking Workshop Recommendation: Staff recommends that the City Council adopt a motion to accept the Los Angeles County Metro Grant funding to be received in the year 2020. Interim Public Works Director La presented the staff report providing the city council with background information regarding the Grant which was awarded to the city on September 24, 2015. He also advised Council on the outreach to the business community by staff. He informed Council the grant covers all of Garvey Avenue from west of New Avenue to the east City limit which is the bridge over the Rio Hondo. He added the Grant does require a local match of approximately $992,000. The scope of work includes taking out the third vehicle lane and restrict on- street parking on the north side of Garvey Avenue from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. for westbound traffic; and on the south side from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m, for eastbound traffic providing a third through lane on Garvey Avenue. The funds can also be spent on traffic and upgrades, sidewalk improvements, furnishings at bus stops, landscaping and lighting. Mr. La explained the benefits of the project is the City would have $3.3 million for streetscapes and roadway improvements that facilitate traffic flow. The funding covers Garvey Avenue from the west City limit to the east City limit and provides for improved traffic mitigation on Garvey Avenue. The funding is also available to facilitate future developers with various infrastructure improvements. Mr. La advised the negative side of the project is by providing a third through lane, the curb would stay where it is; therefore, the City cannot provide a Class I or a Class II bicycle lane. He explained the difference between a Class I and a Class II bicycle lane. He also reiterated the parking restrictions during peak hours which will have a direct impact on the adjacent business owners. Mr. Law informed Council if their direction is to accept the Grant and provide a third through lane then the Specific Plan will require some revisions, which will be brought back to the City Council for approval. City Manager Allred clarified that any modifications to parking would not occur until the year 2020 because the grant funding is not available until then. Mr. La confirmed for Mayor Clark that in order to receive the $2.3 million grant, the City would have to match and spend $992,000 on the project using local Gas Tax Funding or Proposition C funds. City Rosemead City Council and the Successor Agency to the Rosemead Community Development Commission Joint Meeting Minutes of November 24, 2015 Page 1 of 8 Manager Allred also confirmed for Mayor Clark that the City receives approximately three quarters of a million dollars per year in Gas Tax funding which the City currently spends on street maintenance projects. Brian Lewin —expressed his opposition to the proposed changes to the Garvey Avenue Specific Plan project, focus on the project area as originally envisioned and decline the grant. He provided the City Council with statistics taken from the 2012 Bicycle Transportation Plan relating to Garvey Avenue, and felt it was not a good idea to remove needed, planned protections for bicyclists along the Garvey corridor. Sherman Rouman — owner of the Vehicle Center Used Cars expressed his opposition to the project and advised the City Council that the peak hours parking restrictions would hurt his business because he relies on the traffic returning from work to stop in to buy a car. He also expressed concerns with ingress and egress to his business if Garvey was three lanes. Johnny Tang — owner and operator of a business located at 8438 E. Garvey Avenue, expressed concern regarding the restricted parking and dangerous conditions three traffic lanes will create for individuals who do not drive very well. Kyi Kai — developer of a mixed use project at 8749 Garvey Avenue expressed his opposition to the proposed project because of the restricted parking on the South side of Garvey Avenue in the afternoons. He was concerned about people parking on the north side and trying to cross six lanes of traffic. Chris Melendres — owner of the property at 9117 and 9123 Garvey Avenue presented the City Council with a petition signed by several business operators and expressed concern about the tenants only receiving the letter today and were unable to attend. He advised Council that he spoke to 20 of his neighboring businesses and all of them were against the proposed plan. He discussed his concerns regarding the restricted parking and six lanes of traffic pointing out potential dangers. Thereafter followed a brief discussion regarding the possibility of an accident if a car continues to park in the third lane during non -peak hours when the third lane is being used for through traffic. Nancy Eng — expressed support for any solutions to relieve congestion on Garvey Avenue; however, there is a parking deficiency in the City. She felt the City should consider improving the parking standards if it was going to consider the changes. James Wang — owner of a used car lot on Garvey Avenue, expressed his opposition to changing Garvey Avenue. He felt if changes are made, it will be worse than it is now. Yin Lim — owner of 8254 Garvey Avenue, thinks this project won't work because of the restricted parking from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on the south side. This will prevent people from stopping at the various businesses on their way home from work. He felt the City Council should do what's best for the Rosemead citizens and business owners. Mayor Pro Tern Armenta felt it was clear that something had to be done on Garvey Avenue to mitigate the traffic congestion, but she felt to open the third lane to traffic was dangerous because of drivers thinking the lane is open and coming upon a parked car. She felt that parking is an issue and to restrict parking even Rosemead City Council and the Successor Agency to the Rosemead Community Development Commission Joint Meeting Minutes of November 24, 2015 Page 2 of 8 further is a disservice to the businesses. She felt the City Council needed more information and feedback especially since the businesses only received notification today and did not have time to make arrangements to attend the meeting. She suggested there may be other grants available that won't restrict the parking on Garvey Avenue. She felt that since the City wasn't pressured for time, the City should communicate further with the residents and businesses to see how they will be impacted. Council Member Low wanted to know if the City accepts the grant and does the project, whether it will bring in more business if Garvey has a better flow of traffic. However, she heard the concerns from the businesses and asked if it is possible to provide more time to understand the concerns and to determine if the concerns can be mitigated. She asked if postponing a decision would impact the timeline for the Specific Plan. Interim Public Works Director La confirmed that a decision did not have to be made this evening. The only reason this was brought to the City Council at this time was to seek direction so staff knows how to proceed with the Garvey Avenue Specific Plan. Council Member Alarcon addressed the issue from a pedestrian point of view noting numerous people his age and older walk on Garvey Avenue for exercise and have to share the sidewalk with bicyclists. He mentioned the danger of people his age inadvertently stepping off the curb and not being able to move fast enough to get out of the way. Council Member Hall pointed out the date of the letter sent to the businesses and the length of time it took for delivery. She was also in support of improving Garvey Avenue and thinks it is good to have more time to discuss the issue before making a decision. Mayor Clark thought the City received enough feedback and wanted to vote against accepting the grant this evening because the City needed to move on and go back to the original design of the Garvey Avenue Specific Plan, She felt even though there is no deadline to make a decision, it is delaying the Specific Plan. She also expressed having to pay $992,273 of the City's money toward the project, when, if the City has that money available, work should begin on the Specific Plan and do what the City intended to do to beautify it. She stated her reasons for not wanting to accept the grant and change the Specific Plan is because it is going to be a parking ticket nightmare; Metro is pushing for people to get out of their cars and walk, bike or take the bus but the City will be providing a means for cars to move faster. She also felt with the traffic apps available, the City is penalizing the businesses by allowing traffic to get off the freeway and use Garvey as an alternate for the freeway. ACTION: Moved by Mayor Clark to deny the acceptance of the grant and move on with the Garvey Specific Plan. The motion died for a Lack of second. Mayor Pro Tem Armenta felt that out of due process she would like to receive more information. She reminded Council that whenever somebody asks for another meeting to get more input the Council has always allowed that. Ms. Armenta wants to speak to more of the residents and businesses because she wants to hear more input before making the final decision. Council concurred to receive more input and feedback at another meeting. Rosemead City Council and the Successor Agency to the Rosemead Community Development Commission Joint Meeting Minutes of November 24, 2015 Page 3 of 8 Thereafter followed a brief discussion as to when staff would bring the item back to Council. Community Development Director Ramirez explained the issue with having it on the December 8th meeting is that if the notices are mailed tomorrow or hand delivered again, two weeks is not enough time. She suggested bringing it back at the second meeting in January to give staff plenty of time to do the outreach due to the holidays, people being out of town during the holidays, and City Hall being closed. Council suggested the residents and any bicycle clubs be notified as well. There being no further discussion, the Mayor closed the workshop session at 7:15 pm. Regular Meeting 7:00 p.m. The meeting of the Rosemead City Council and the Successor Agency to the Rosemead Community Development Commission was called to order by Mayor /Chair Clark at 7:15 p.m. in the Rosemead City Council Chamber located at 8838 East Valley Boulevard, Rosemead, California. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE was led by Council /Board Member Alarcon INVOCATION was led by Council /Board Member Hall PRESENT: Mayor /Chair Clark, Mayor Pro Tem /Vice -Chair Armenta, Council Members /Board Members Alarcon, Hall, and Low. STAFF PRESENT: City Manager Allred, City Attorney Richman, Community Development Director Ramirez, Interim Director of Parks and Recreation Soash, Finance Director Chu, Interim Public Works Director La, Consultant Canon, and Interim City Clerk Cowley. 2. PUBLIC COMMENTS FROM THE AUDIENCE Salvador Ramirez, Region Manager and Southern California Edison liaison for the City of Rosemead introduced himself indicating he would like to meet with each council member to discuss mutual topics. He looked forward to working with the Council in the future. 3. PRESENTATIONS Proclamation Celebrating National Arbor Day City Manager advised that the City's arborist John Scott is not present, however, the proclamation is a requirement to maintain the Tree City U.S.A. Designation status. Proclamation Recognizing Sgt. Abel Moreno Mayor Clark announced that Sergeant Moreno was leaving the City of Rosemead. Each Council Member thanked Sgt. Moreno and expressed their gratitude to him for being involved in the community and for his dedicated and committed service to the citizens of Rosemead. Rosemead City Council and the Successor Agency to the Rosemead Community Development Commission Joint Meeting Minutes of November 24, 2015 Page 4 of 8 Sgt. Moreno thanked the City Council for their support of him and for the law enforcement team and expressed his love for the City and City Council. He told the Council it was a hard decision to make but he felt it was an opportunity he could not say no to. He felt he made lifelong friends here in Rosemead. 4. CONSENT CALENDAR Item C was pulled from the Consent Calendar for discussion and separate action. A. Claims and Demands • Resolution No. 2015.62 entitled: A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ROSEMEAD ALLOWING CERTAIN CLAIMS AND DEMANDS IN THE SUM OF $1,211,843.20 NUMBERED 90749 THROUGH 90914 INCLUSIVELY Recommendation: Adopt Resolution No. 2015 -62 • Resolution No. 2015 -22 entitled: A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF ROSEMEAD AS THE SUCCESSOR AGENCY TO THE ROSEMEAD COMMUNITY DEVELOPMEN COMMISSION ALLOWING CERTAIN CLAIMS AND DEMANDS IN THE SUM OF $1,008,231.27 NUMBERED 10152 THROUGH10153 INCLUSIVELY Recommendation: Adopt Resolution No. 2015 -22 D. Ordinance No. 956 — Second Reading: Amending Chapter 5.24 of the Rosemead Municipal Code Pertaining to the Regulation of Massage Establishments and Massage Service Providers Recommendation: That the City Council adopt Ordinance No. 956 at its second reading. E. Ordinance No. 957 — Second Reading: Municipal Code Amendment 15.06 — Adoption of Amended Zoning Code as Related to Massage Establishments in the City of Rosemead Recommendation: That the City Council adopt Ordinance No. 957 at its second reading. F. Approval of Parcel Map No. 73496— Don Bosco Technical Institute, 1151 San Gabriel Boulevard Recommendation: That the City Council approve Parcel Map No. 73496 and direct the City Clerk to arrange for the recordation of the map. ACTION: Moved by Council Member Low, and seconded by Council Member Alarcon to approve Items A, B, D, E, and F of the Consent Calendar. Rosemead City Council and the Successor Agency to the Rosemead Community Development Commission Joint Meeting Minutes of November 24, 2015 Page 5 of 8 PUBLIC COMMENTS REOPENED Mayor Clark called on Ericka Serrano who submitted a Request to Speak after the close of Public Comments. Ericka Serrano explained to the City Council that four year ago the windshield of her car and a window in her house was broken by a softball that came from the ball field during a league game. She advised that her car windshield was broken again last week. City Manager Allred advised Council that the Public Works Superintendent is looking at ways to modify the back stop to prevent this from happening in the future. He informed Council that Ms. Serrano already filed a claim for damages which will be reviewed by the California Joint Powers Insurance Authority. Ms. Serrano also advised the Council about the trash that is thrown around by the softball teams and the number of times she has cleaned it up. Mr. Allred responded that the City is also aware of that and he and the Interim Parks and Recreation Director Soash have initiated a meeting with the softball leagues about these issues and staff is making demands on the leagues including signed statements acknowledging the league's free use of the park will be curtailed if they do not resolve these issues. Thereafter followed discussion among the Council and Ms. Serrano about the issue and the fact that Mayor Pro Tern Armenta actually witnessed some of the players deliberately hitting pop -ups to see how many cars they can hit. Interim Parks and Recreation Director Soash advised the City Council that she and Recreation Supervisor Mota met with Ms. Serrano last week and discussed the issues. Staff is going to meet with each representative from the softball organizations to outline the concerns of the neighborhood. Staff will be memorializing the requirements will include picking up the trash, be respectful of the neighborhood, no double parking, and no parking in the red zone. The requirements will be attached to the permit when they request to use the field. Staff is also going to discuss with them how they lay out their practice because sometimes in their practice, they are throwing pitches and hitting them directly toward Dorothy Street. Thereafter followed discussion regarding whose responsibility it is to pay for the damages and City Manager Allred advised the City is a member of the California Joint Powers Insurance Authority who hires a third party administrator who investigates each claim and resolves it based on the bylaws of the JPIA. City Attorney Richman advised further that if the JPIA finds liability then it would be up to the JPIA to decide if it wants to go after the league to be reimbursed. However, because the City is part of an insurance pool, the City's General Fund will not be affected. In response to Mayor Pro Tem Armenta, Interim Parks and Recreation Director Soash advised that a stipulation can be added to the rules that their permit can be revoked if there is a disregard for any of the rules. CONSENT CALENDAR CONTINUED: The City Council returned to Item 4, the Consent Calendar, on the agenda. Council Member Hall noted Rosemead City Council and the Successor Agency to the Rosemead Community Development Commission Joint Meeting Minutes of November 24, 2015 Page 6 of 8. that she was not present at the meeting of April 24, 2012, Therefore, Item B was also pulled from the Consent Calendar so she could abstain. Mayor Clark confirmed that Council was voting on Items A, D, E, and F of the Consent Calendar. ACTION: The previous made motion to approve the Consent Calendar, excluding Items B and C was unanimously approved by the following vote: AYES: Alarcon, Armenta, Clark, Hall and Low. ITEMS PULLED FROM THE CONSENT CALENDAR B. Approval of Minutes Minutes of Special Meeting of April 24, 2012 Recommendation: Approve the Minutes of April 24, 2012 ACTION: Moved by Council Member Alarcon, and seconded by Council Member Low to approve the Minutes of April 24, 2012. The motion carried by the following vote: AYES: Alarcon, Armenta, Clark and Low. ABSTAIN: Hall C. Ordinance No. 955 — Second Reading: Municipal Code Amendment 15.05 — Adoption of Amended Fireworks Ordinance Recommendation: That the City Council adopt Ordinance No, 955 at its second reading. Mayor Pro Tern Armenta expressed her willingness to compromise on the number of days Safe and Sane fireworks can be discharged and suggested legal fireworks be allowed on the 3rd and 4+h of July and if July 4th falls on a Sunday, fireworks also be allowed on the following Monday, July 5th from 7:00 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. each day. She also suggested that next year, the Council evaluate the two days. The City Council discussed the issue and concurred with Mayor Pro Tern Armenta's suggestion. Community Development Director Ramirez, read the changes to be made to the ordinance on page 7, Section 8.28110 A and Section 8.28.110 B, ACTION: Moved by Mayor Pro Tern Armenta, and seconded by Council Member Alarcon, to change the language in Ordinance No. 955 as stated by the Community Development Director. The motion unanimously carried by the following vote: AYES: Alarcon, Armenta, Clark, Hall and Low. 5. MATTERS FROM CITY MANAGER & STAFF None. 6. MATTERS FROM CITY COUNCIL COUNCIL COMMENTS Rosemead City Council and the Successor Agency to the Rosemead Community Development Commission Joint Meeting Minutes of November 24, 2015 Page 7 of 8 Council Member Low informed the City Council that she was recently appointed to serve on the League of California Cities as one of the Directors -at- Large. Mayor Pro Tern Armenta attended a conference in San Antonio for National Association of Latinos Elected and Appointed Officials ( NALEO). Because she is a member in good standing NALEO paid for the conference, airfare, hotel and meals. The conference was very good and she learned a great deal about infrastructure. She also received a flash drive with vital information on how to protect the City's infrastructure in a disaster. One of the sessions was on cyber - attacks. People don't realize that if the City is dependent on remote control access by phone the City can easily be hacked and the City would be compromised. She had handouts that she would give to staff to copy for Council, along with the handouts she received at the water conference. Council Member Hall reminded everyone about the Dinsmoor Museum Open House on Saturday, December 12 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Mayor Clark attended the Anthrax Drill on Thursday. Chief of Police Somoano explained the drill was sponsored by the Los Angeles County Public Health. A scenario was created for a medical point of distribution for emergency medication in case of an Anthrax attack. The City of Rosemead and the City of Alhambra were the two local agencies to provide the dispensing facilities. In about two hours they processed medication to about 1,500 people. Mayor Clark informed Council she learned that when the big one hits, the land lines and cell phones will be down. She mentioned to the City Manager to look into some type of walkie- talkie communication system in case the City Council cannot get to the Public Safety Center, they will have a means of communicating with someone at the Public Safety Center. City Manager Allred advised staff is looking into it; however, one of the concerns is the frequency radius. Mayor Clark announced the dates and times of the upcoming community events. 8. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business to come before the City Council, Mayor Clark adjourned the meeting at 8:01 p.m. in memory of Nohemi Gonzalez, the young El Monte woman killed in the Paris terrorist attack. The next regular City Council meeting is scheduled to take place on December 8, 2015 at 6:00 p.m. in the Rosemead City Hall Council Chamber. APj'ROVED: 7 Margaref lark, Mayor Carol Cowley, Interim Clerk Rosemead City Council and the Successor Agency to the Rosemead Community Development Commission Joint Meeting Minutes of November 24, 2015 Page 8 of 8