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CC 03-04-03 General Plan£UPER INO APPROVED MINUTES CUPERTINO CITY COUNCIL Regular Meeting Tuesday, March 4, 2003 PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE At 5:12 p.m. Mayor Chang called the meeting to order in the Council Chambers, 10300 Torte Avenue, Cupertino, California, and led the Pledge of Allegiance. ROLL CALL City Council members present: Mayor Michael Chang, Vice-Mayor Sandra James, and Council members Patrick Kwok, Dolly Sandoval and Richard Lowenthal. Council members absent: none. Planning Commission members present: Chairperson Angela Chen and Planning Commissioners Charles Corr, Marry Miller, Taghi Saadati, and Gilbert Wong. Staff present: City Manager David Knapp, Administrative Services Director Carol Atwood (6:40 p.m.), City Attorney Charles Kilian, Community Development Director Steve Piasecki, City Planner Cynthia Wordell, Senior Planner Vera Gil, Associate Planner Peter Gilli, Public Works Director Ralph Qualls, and City Clerk Kimberly Smith. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS - None STUDY SESSION Joint study session of City Council and Planning Commission to discuss the administrative draft of the General Plan Community Development Director Steve Piasecki said this was the second of two study sessions. He distributed additional materials that were requested at the last meeting (staff report dated March 4, 2003). City Planner Cynthia Wordell said staff is looking for input on any parameters Council wished to change, and to develop the parameters for the Draft Plan to frame subsequent public discussion. She said that issues regarding school impacts would be discussed at a separate time. March 4, 2003 Cupertino City Council Page 2 Wordell explained a chart titled Development Potential, Committed Development (Exhibit C in staff report), which showed information about commercial areas, office areas, hotel rooms, and residential units. She also highlighted information in the staff report about housing allocations, and street framing, and building heights. Outside Growth Parameters Discussion was held on the outside growth parameters stated in the draft Plan and whether they were appropriately framed for public discussion. Piasecki said that Council could hold the existing affordable housing numbers as a maximum, but they may wish to lower the number. He said that the commercial portion of this draft General Plan is a slow to moderate growth plan, and for housing, it is a moderate to aggressive growth plan. James noted that in addition to the need for affordable housing, people are also concerned about density and growth. She believed a mix of housing types would be necessary, but the community did not want tall buildings or high density. Also, the plan should be changed so that building height limitations included machinery on rooftops. Sandoval agreed, and said that people are also concerned about impacts on schools and access to basic services such as local grocery stores. The plan needs to take a broader view. Discussion followed about limiting the amount of development to be allowed, and it was agreed that a series of columns could be added to the Development Potential chart so that a range of development could be chosen which would illustrate the impacts of low, medium, and aggressive growth. It was also agreed that there should be some maximum limit on the number of 60-foot or higher buildings, including those at the City Center, Vallco, and Apple Computers. The Crossroads Plan should be limited to a 45-foot height. Lowenthal suggested an overlay on the maximum building heights map. It could show where the existing buildings are and indicate possible locations for future tall buildings. Discussion followed regarding the impacts of growth on the schools, and that it was important to have the information available for the community meetings on the General Plan. Staff was asked to prepare a map showing where the preponderance of residential housing is and which schools would be most affected. Share the Road Bob Harrison, traffic consultant, explained Levels of Service (LOS) at intersections, both existing and potential. He said the LOS at some important intersections had improved in Cupertino over the last few years and most anticipated changes could be accommodated on the local street system. The plan says that Level D is the worst that can be accepted. Some intersections are projected to reach Level E, so for those it may be necessary to add March 4, 2003 Cupertino City Council Page a lane or make other adjustments. He explained that the analysis of peak morning hours captured the morning school traffic, but not the mid-afternoon school traffic. The analysis is done only on major arterials, and does not address the intersections close to the schools. In school areas, it is important to stagger start times, begin busing, or make other functional changes rather than widen streets. Council members suggested the following: · Consider amending the plan to require a study on school traffic on a case-by-case basis · Conduct a Council/school district joint meeting to address traffic problems around schools and discuss possible policy changes · Consider regional impacts on the schools as a result of development of neighboring cities · Interest in lowering LOS to benefit bicyclists and pedestrians · Will lowering LOS on arterials be a safety issue · Development alternatives to create potential for non-auto trips · Promote sharing parking lots, ridesharing opportunities · Aggregate parking and walkability · LOS analysis of pedestrian and bicycle impacts · Target heavily impacted areas (like those near the college) · Identify and promote walkable zones - remove impediments such as vegetation, provide parking, and places to walk to · Walkability should be in targeted zones (trails) · Walkability is not always feasible/desirable in private developments · Create a comprehensive community plan to determine linkages at the city level · Pay attention to safety - walkability areas must be compatible with cars Sustainable Community Planning consultant Leon Pirofalo, Planning Resoume Associates, led the discussion on sustainable community, which included encouraging the use of alternative energy soumes, staff and public education training, increased recycling, and green buildings. He said that 10-12 other cities have adopted the "smart growth" strategy as described in the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) document Smart Growth Strategy. He said that sustainable community could revitalize older suburbs, support public transit, support open space, and create more livable communities with sufficient housing for work fome. Council members suggested the following: · Address alternatives to pesticide use · Address increasing cost of energy and need for energy-efficient "green" buildings · In the section on education, incorporate information on grants and cost savings March 4, 2003 i~upert{no City Councll Page 4 · Strong support for recycling programs · Preservation of natural resources Staff was asked to renew the computer recycling program agreement and to get information about policies already in place in neighboring cities. Parks and Recreation Director Therese Smith reviewed the section of the plan about parks acquisition, including total acreage, distribution of parklands, and use of the acreage. Past policy has been to provide 3 acres of open space per person. She described the joint powers agreement for 30 acres of Cupertino Union School District athletic fields, which runs through the year 2016, as well as the 43.1 acres composed of Blackberry Farm, the Simms property, and the Stocklmeier property. Smith also reviewed a chart that illustrated park and open space acreage acquisition by area. Council agreed that they liked the suggestions in the staff report, and also offered the following comments: · Create guidelines/standards for park aesthetics · Offer more variety in park style and park uses · Address the need for parking at parks, particularly Rancho San Antonio · Use Proposition 40 money for acquisition · Provide a skate park At this time, the public was invited to speak. Ned Britt, 20850 Pepper Tree Lane, discussed sustainability. He said that increases in density and traffic could only make the problem worse. Also, there will be increasing pressure on the schools from people moving into the community, and as a result of ABAG policies. He urged Council to resist that pressure. Shishir Mukherjee, 1174 Scotland Drive, said the draft plan doesn't have sufficient flexibility. He suggested several planning scenarios so that citizens can choose what they like, such as low growth. He added that Level of Service E is not acceptable. Robert Levy, 10802 Wilkinson Avenue, said that many residents do not have bicycles or cars, and the plan does not address their needs. The Transportation Authority is of limited help because a large part of the city has no bus service. He said that neighboring cities have almost as much impact on traffic in the city as Cupertino does. Mark Bums, President of the Cupertino Chamber of Commerce, said it is important to consider Level of Service changes and how they would affect access to shops for drivers and for the handicapped. He suggested further research on the viability of mixed-use developments in the Bay area because they often prove to be mediocre in the long mn. Bums suggested that the City should try to identify why parents feel the need to drive children to school. March 4, 2003 Cupertino City Council Page Joanne Tong, 22339 McClellan Road, objected to Council's remark that there were no representatives from school districts and colleges at this study session, and asked if they had been invited to give input. Dennis Whittaker, 20622 Cheryl Drive, discussed walkability and urged that planners keep in mind the needs of blind pedestrians. He asked why the plan did not address the feasibility of light rail, and whether the City was planning for the potential of a 7-year drought. He noted that there were fewer gas stations in the City, and if there are future oil crises there may be long lines at the remaining stations. He said there was a need for a local toxic waste disposal facility. He suggested that the City attempt to annex the portion of San Jose from Bollinger, Lawrence, Prospect and DeAnza, and the old Bonsai Nursery could become a youth center. Rich Parker, 21587 Flintshine Street, said that word isn't getting out to the neighborhoods as to where to find the General Plan. He said he was not willing to sacrifice automobile access and thought the current level of traffic was acceptable, except around schools. He said Stevens Creek Trail was an appropriate place to promote walkability. Malca Nagel, resident of Camino Vista Avenue, said her concerns involved the affect of new housing on schools. She said that there is a waiting list at some elementary schools, and realty offices must disclose that they cannot guarantee a homeowner's child will be able to go to school in the neighborhood. She asked ifa traffic light had been planned for Saich at the time that Whole Foods Market was built. She spoke about walkability in private development and said in some neighborhoods it's inappropriate to install sidewalks. Lisa Giefer, 21561 Regnart Road, was in support of sustainable development. She did not think bike lanes were appropriate on major streets. Ciddy Wordell said the next step would be a community meeting in April at the Quinlan Community Center, followed by the release of the draft General Plan and Environmental Impact Report (EIR). Public hearings will be held in the summer before the Planning Commission and City Council. March 4, 2003 Cupertino City Council Page 6 ADJOURNMENT At 6:15 p.m., Council adjourned. The Planning Commission adjourned to March I0 at 5:00 p.m. for a study session with the City Manager to discuss how the commissions were working. Kimberly Smit~, City Clerk For more information: Staff reports, backup materials, and items distributed at the meeting are available for review at the City Clerk's Office, 777-3223. Televised Council meetings may be viewed live on Cable Channel 26, and may also be viewed live or on demand at www.cupertino.org. Videotapes of the televised meetings are available at the Cupertino Library, or may be purchased from the Cupertino City Channel, 777-2364.