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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-12-2004 Minutes PP&D Commission ~ .. o"R \30QD. I D CITY OF ORANGE COMMUNITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT (714) 744-7272 . FAX (714) 744-7251 www.cityofor.nge.org CITY OF ORANGE COMMUNITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT PARK PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION Minutes olRegulllr Meeting Held August 12,2004 300 ElISt Chapman Avenue I. CALL TO ORDER 1.1 Pledge of Allegiance Commissioner Gary Rem1and led the Pledge of Allegiance. 1.2 RollCall Present: Chair, Mike Hairston Vice-Chair, Tom Gilmer Commissioner, Gary Rem1and Commissioner, Jack Selman Commissioner, Lisa Blanc (Arrived at 5:35p.m.) 1.3 Adoption of Agenda Motion: Vice-Chair Gilmer Second: Commissioner Rem1and Ayes: Hairston, Gilmer, Remland, Selman 1.4 Approval of the Minutes for the Regular Meeting of July 08, 2004 Motion: Vice-Chair Gilmer Second: Commissioner Selman Ayes: Hairston, Gilmer, Rem1and, Selman n. PUBLIC COMMENTS None. m. REPORTS FROM COMMISSIONERS None. ^ "'INfEOClNAECVQ.EOPN'EFI 230 EAST CHAPMAN AVENUE . ORANGE, CALIFORNIA 92866-1506 ~ City of Orange Cmmnnn;ty Services, I>epam...4\"' Park PlaDnin&and Devclll)>DleJlt COlDIIIission Minutes ofMl!eling Held AugUst 12;2004 Page 2 of 11 \ IV. ORAL REPORTS FROM COMMUNITY SERVICES MANAGER 4.1 Report on Progress of Construction of Improvements at Serrano Park Located Northerly of Serrano Avenue and Apache Creek Road. Mr. Garcia reported that the building has been completed. The concrete has been poured for the walkways, and the light standards have been installed. The remaining items to be completed are: irrigation, turf and landscaping. The project will be completed by September 30th, and the park dedication will be held on Tuesday, October 5, 2004, at 5:00 p.m. (Commissioner Blanc arrived at 5:35p.m.) 4.2 Report on Progress of Fence and landscape Improvements at OUve Park. Mr. Garcia reported that the C.I.P. project for this fiscal year includes the installation of new trees along the wall at Olive Park, and installation of safety netting for errant balls that are hit towards adjacent residential property. Staff is working on a tree plan for Olive Park, identifying trees that will be installed, and evaluating the costs for the netting and landscaping. Staff will be returning to the Commission with an update on the progress of this project. V. DEPARTMENT REPORTS 5.1 Review and Comment on the Revised Final Consensus Plan for EI Camino Park Mr. Garcia noted that over a year ago staff and Purkiss-Rose conducted community workshops identifying community needs for EI Camino Park. Based on the community input, the consultant prepared Consensus Plan. The Commission supported the plan and recommended to staff to conduct an environmental review of the consensus plan. Based on the findings of the technical study for noise, traffic and lighting, there have been recommendations to modify the original consensus plan. Ms. Galera reported that EI Camino is an 18.5 acre park, which is located off Main Street. It is one of the most active parks in the City. The City is proposing to reconfigure the ballfields in a hub concept that will allow more flexibility in scheduling games and improve safety. Other improvements will include the removal of some tennis courts and an area for a skate park. Skate parks have become popular in California, and the City of Orange does not have a skate park. The activity building will be moved closer to the tot-lot to provide space for the ballfield. Ms. Galera reviewed the recommended changes made to the original consensus plan based on the environmental review findings. - The changes include: 1.) Skate park would be moved slightly to the _ east to minimize any potential noise impact to the nearby residents. 2.) Two tennis courts would be eliminated. The original plan identified four courts, but the lighting study recommended the reduction of courts to D'Iinimi7.e potential lighting impacts to the adjacent residents. .' City of Orange CoDllllllDity Services Department Parle Planning and Development Commission Minutes of Meeting Held August 12, 2004 Page 3 of 11 3.) The basketball court would remain in its existing location. The plan identified the courts location near Main Street but the technical study recommended not moving it near Main to minimize any potential noise impact to existing adjacent residents. Vice-Chair Gilmer noted that the lay-out showed that there were three exits on Orangewood, and he inquired if all three exits would be right-hand turns. Ms. Galera said that the City would be reconfiguring the parking so that a driver could turn left or right. Vice-Chair Gilmer was concerned because it was a busy street to have three exits there and it would impede traffic. Ms. Galera said that at present, there were three exits and there is a center divider with a turn lane. These issues have been addressed in the traffic study. (Chair Hairston called/or Public Comments.) Ms. Nicol Jones 10292 Via Corta Villa Park, CA Ms. Jones is President of the Tot-Lot Pre-school that utilizes the Recreation Building in the El Camino Park in the morning hours. On behalf of myself and our 25 members, I would like to express support for the plans. Staffhas done a lot of work to keep us aware of the plans and and its changes. This revised plan would actually serve the pre-schools needs better than the original plan. " Ms. Kelly Singer 255 S. McCoy Rd. Orange,CA Representing Girls Fast Pitch. Ms. Kelly said she supported the plan and was looking forward to its completion. Ms. Lois Barke 2022 W. Spruce Orange,CA I was very involved in this project when it first started. I was at the two community workshops, but we didn't know when this plan came before the Commission. There are several areas that I am concerned about. At the last meeting, we had asked for an overlay of the plan. I was hoping that there would be larger plan available that we could all see. I did get a copy of the 8 y. x 11 sheet, which is very difficult to see. The problem with redeveloping El Camino Park is that there is too much development in too little space. The one change which the neighbors had concurred was to move the basketball court from the residential area because of the noise, however, that was not done in this plan because the space is needed to expand the baseball diamonds and put in a skate board park. The ball park expansion puts the hub in the middle so that the balls are hit toward the outside. I am told by staff that this makes the balls further from -. City ofOnmge Community Services Dcpamncnt Park PIlumin,_ Developpnt Commiaion MimItesofMeetinsHeId August 12,2004 Page4of"11 . walk that park almost every night and at times they have to duck the balls that are hit all the way to where the sidewalks currently exist. Adults can hit those balls across the park. Building a hub in the center seems to make the balls journey closer to the sidewalks. Also, what is there to prevent adults from playing on the diamonds that are only 200 ft. deep, and that much closer to the sidewalks, Sycamore, or the parked cars. If the City needs a larger spot to accommodate ball fields, the City should find a different place, because this is not it. Where the Community Building is proposed it seems to create a dangerous visual wall between the residential street and the play area. This is a safety factor and could be a real concern for the safety of the youngsters. Wouldn't it be better to place the building on the west or north side of the tot-lot so that it would be visible for policing from the street and parking? In order to make it possible to expand the size of the ball park and to encourage more use of the park, which is currently the heaviest used in the city, the City will be moving almost 100 mature trees. Of course, the City will replace some, I doubt they will be mature. If I want to remove a tree in my front yard, it is practically a federal offense. These trees are popular. The plan will be taking out four of our six tennis courts, a small buffer of trees will be removed from the back of the ball park and the residential area at Sycamore. People from the residential area, the schools, and the industrial area walk that park constantly. Obviously, the day care students from across the street use the park all the time. The City is proposing to take two ingress and egress entrances and completely changing that area. When the park was established the ingress/egress area across from Sycamore School Was noted, because the street there is extremely congested. That small residential street is where all the students need to be dropped off for the Sycamore School and the daycare on Sycamore. For all the homes west of Main, there is no other area to turn on to get back to the residential tracks. I urge you to check out this area when school is in session. What occurs in this area is: School busses, school students, parent/staff parking, residential traffic and the location at a very congested Main Street where no one can stop or park on Main. Just South of this area is Portola School with all ofits traffic. Skate board parks, what is planned - one plan indicated was 10,000 sq. ft. I called several cities regarding the skate board parks. I have heard many positive remarks regarding the architects. Cities need to have ordinances for all safety equipment. Enforcement is another problem. (Chair Hairston asked for closing comments as three minutes were up. Mr. Barke asked if his wife could use his time for her conclusion. Chair Hairston concurred.) The City of Santa Ana hired people for awhile but then finances prevented that from continuation. Presently, park rangers. answer the calis. One city issues citations. Is the City creating signs and ordinances for enforcement? Existing skate board parks have seen an influx of people from other areas as there is a website with all the existing skate board parks available. The City of Irvine, has a full time staff that checks skate boarders in and out. The City is adding 2,000 apartments in the area and should find another place to accommodate residents. Skate boarders are creating a lot of problems throughout the City. Why send them to a park that is the most overused? The City is planning new parks. Why not put the skate board park in a place where it can be planned correetiy. ftomits inception? The. additional parking and mature trees should be kept. City of Orange Community Services Dcplll'lment Parle: PI8nning and Development Commission Minutes of Meeting Held August 12, 2004 Page 5 of 11 Ms. Jeanette Boyd 1905 W. Beverly Drive Orange,CA Ms. Boyd resides near the west end of the park. As far as theball fields are concerned, my husband has been involved on some of these adult teams. I have watched my husband's team play on the west field. They have hit balls on top of temris courts, and my husband would be proud to say that he has hit a ball out into the trees near the parking lot. This is ridiculous trying to put four larger fields in this park; we have four fields and that should be sufficient. Ms. Dot Timmermans 1741 W. Beverly Drive Orange,CA The skate board park scares me. I don't live too far away from the side of the park and I live alone. The skate board will bring lots of children; some good and some not so good. I walk through the park twice a day with my two dogs and I love the trees. I don't think any trees should be removed especially the ones along Sycamore. If you remove the trees, what is it? It is not a park anymore. Every temris court is utilized. It is a safe game and attracts good people. I would rather see the temris courts remain and the skate board park be located some where else. The park will be ruined if you change it. I like it the way it is. Ms. Kimberly Bottomley 1005 Arbor Way Orange,CA I would like to have the park pretty much stay the same. I would like to have the park cleaned up: Cracks in the sidewalks fixed, a beautiful mural painted on the handball courts. A few years ago, I did ask Mr. Garcia if the ropes that had been removed would be replaced. Mr. Garcia said they would not be replaced, and I suggested a small skate board park in that area. The sand could be removed and it would take up a very small area. I do not want a large skate board park. I think the skate board area, if there is one, should stay located near Main St. so that people driving by could regulate it. I have gone to the tennis courts in the summer and I have had to wait 45 minutes to play; I am against removing any of the temris courts. If there is some way you could put a drain box over the drain in the rear you might be able to put more parking spaces back there. My son cannot play on those fields. He has been kicked off because those fields are for adult play and girls softball. If you had more ballfields, does that mean they can play on those fields or will they still be allotted for adult play and girls softball. To me that is not a park. A park when I was growing up enabled us to play on the baseball field. The neighbors would like to see the restrooms cleaned up, and the park made presentable Ms. Bottomley said that she would like to see the City purchase property on the west side of town to buy another park. City of Orange Community Services n.- Park Planning and Development Commission . MinuIlos-ofMeetbig-HeklAuguIt12, 2004 Page 60fll Mr. Jim Baker 1051 Arbor Way Orange,CA Looking at the conceptual drawing, I don't see that the covered sheltered that now exists will be put back. The ball fields will take up more of a grass area where people picnic when the sheltered area is full. The City needs to come out and assess what goes on at the park during the weekends. There are some skate boarders there, but predominately it is used by families who are having birthday parties, picnics etc. I would be very concerned about the balls being hit toward the walking areas of the park and toward the Sycamore School. I think it would be a shame to lose the tennis courts, and I think the park as it exists is a beautiful park. The City is receiving $9,000 per unit from the apartments being built on the west end, I would like to see that money spent on the west side of town on a purchase of another park or a building to put a gym or to build hockey rinks. Overa1I, I think the plan needs to be revised and brought back to the neighbors with something that works with the property. Perhaps we can buy property off of Orangewood and erect a connecting bridge to the park. It looks to me that the whole point of the park renovation is to accommodate the subcontractors that use our City parks to play their softball. Ms. Kay Hagan 363 N. Cedar Street Orange,CA My three children played in the orange groves and never got a chance to play in the park. I oppose this park renovation for a few reasons: It is a City of trees; you are taking out the trees and we need shade. If you take out the trees, there will be dust and dirt in the air; it is a pollutant. We need trees for oxygen. Traffic is bad. Willow Street which is right in front of my home is terrible. I would like to have petition to have speed bumps put on the streets to keep people from speeding. Safety and crowdedness are major concerns. Ms. Julie Espi 2038 W. Sycamore Orange,CA I love my house. My mother always said, "Whatever you do, don't buy a house near a park, there is always a bad element." I said, ''Not this park...it is beautiful. There are trees and people who walk in the early morning." It is really lovely! For a single woman to own a home in Orange County is nothing short of a miracle. The traffic at the park is bad. I suggest if the City wants to make additional revenue, they put a policeman at my comer at Sycamore and Eckhoff. He could probably ticket every person at the intersection because the drivers do not stop. As they race down Sycamore,lots of people are crossing. It is very dangerous and now there will be even more traffic. The City wants to take out trees and pave it over. I I love children and I am in favor of the skate board culture, but I don't think this is the right place for a skate board park. City of Orange Community Services Department Park PIaaning and Development Commission Minutes of Meeting Held August 12, 2004 Page 7 of 11 . Mr. Bill Hagan 363 Cedar Street Orange,CA I was born and brought up in the City of Orange, and I have lived here all of my life. I was brought up when skating was big at the Big "0" at Chapman and Tustin. At that time, skating and drugs went together. Of those skate boarders, there are 50% of the skate boarders over the age of 16 doing drugs, and having the skate board park next to homes will bring those types of people into our neighborhood. I have had a bad past, but I have turned my life around, and I don't want to see what happened to me happen to someone else in my neighborhood. Mr. Bob Birschbach 1702 W. Sycamore Orange,CA The park is very abused now. The traffic is horrendous. I have talked to the Traffic Dept. and and have gotten 25 mph. signs posted. I am the last address facing Sycamore across from the basketball court. I would say that the average speed is 35-45 mph. You can sit there at any time and watch the people race through there, and now you want to increase the traffic. If police are there, it is fairly quiet. I have seen everything at that park. We have homeless people, and it is getting worse. People park their campers there. The City allows them to park for 72 hours. Our streets are not camp grounds, but people come with their old campers and move from street to street, and they are living there. I have seen children abandoned at the park from 9:00 in the morning until evening. The father leaves them at the park while he looks for work. Homeless people from Oregon that hang out at the park with their little girl who runs around in diapers. As a taxpayer I would like the City to maintain the park as it is. Just keep it clean. Commissioner Remland said that knowing the kinds of bats and balls that are used in this day and age, it would not be difficult to hit a ball out of the park. The City is growing and so are the needs of the Community. There is an overriding concern to supply the City with more parks and buildings, but it is very difficult to meet those needs. It seems that many residents are concerned about traffic. Because of my lack of familiarity with this project, I would like to hear what the other Commissioners have to say. Commissioner Blanc asked Mr. Garcia the process for allowing people to utilize the fields. Mr. Garcia said that the park has been used as a softball complex. The field locations are deemed unsafe. Currently, the fields are 240 ft. and should be 280 to 300 ft. and the fields face each other. Adult softball is a high demand sport, and there are only two locations where the adults can play softball, which are Hart and EI Camino Parks. The City is trying to create a quality softball facility for both youths and adults. Currently, the girls fast pitch program has to be off the field by 6:00 p.m., because the adult softball teams start at 6:30 p.m. The proposed plan accommodates youth and adult softball programs as a result of the design (distance City of Orange Conmnmity Services Departmont Parle PIaJming and Development Commission Minutes of Meeting Held August 12, 200+' Page S-ofll and orientation). The City's policy for field use is based on penmits and our youth have first priority, along with the City-sponsored adult softball league. Commissioner Blanc asked for clarification of where the building was located on the plan in relationship to the tot-lot and if that was a safety concern. Mr. Garcia said the building is located near the tot-lot and that the park amenities that tie into the building, i.e., the picnic shelter, a tot-lot and an activity building, work together because of the types of uses. In this instance, the City has an after-school and summer recreation programs which would allow staff to provide better supervision of the programs, etc. Our patrons want the activity building near the tot-lots, the basketball courts and the picnic shelter. Mr. Garcia said that there were no safety concerns. Commissioner Blanc said that the staff review committee that represents all the departments and offers valuable input that assists in making the plan as good as it can be in meeting the City's criteria. Commissioner Blanc spoke of concerns regarding ingress/egress on Sycamore and the comer parking lot, and the way the traffic travels around that comer. She suggested that a traffic engineer address any foreseeable problems. Regarding the tennis courts and the skate board park, one of the reasons Commissioner Blanc wanted a skate park included in the conceptual plan was to assess the intensity of its use and to evaluate the environmental impacts. At one of the meetings, there was a gentlemen who brought a petition in favor of keeping all the tennis courts, and the vast majority of the people who signed the petition do not live in the City of Orange. As much as anyone can say that the skate park will bring a great many people who do not live here, to be fair, it would happen for a multitude of uses. Commissioner Blanc said that she had changed her ideas about having a skate park in that location for the following reasons: A skate board park would have a high-intensity use, and it sits on a busy comer. Commissioner Blanc views skate boarding as a spectator sport, which she feels will add to its intensity. Commissioner Blanc said that she also had an issue with eliminating the mature trees, and even though the City planned to replace some of those trees, she wanted to see a plan that would outline the number of trees proposed for removal and which trees would replace them. She felt that it was part of the Commission'sjob to see how the removal of the trees would change that park. Vice-Chair Gilmer asked for the number oftennis courts that were in use. Mr. Garcia said that there were six tennis courts and the usage varied. Mr. Garcia said that the plan had a better layout of park amenities based on the demands for community use. The City is recommending the need for a skate park which will require the elimination of tennis courts. The City also utilizes the Orange Unified School District for its tennis program and provides tennis lessons. Commissioner Selman askedifPurkiss-Rose had submitted a plan of where the trees were located and which ones were being removed. Ms. Galera said thafthey had an aerial plan showing tree masses. There are approximately 275 trees in the park at present and 85 to 90 trees would be removed. When construction documents are prepared, staff will identify every tree. Ms. Galera added that there was a value to having trees of different sizes and different ages in our parks. Commiasioner Selman and ViCe-Chair Gilmer expressed concerns about the parking lots. ., .; City of Orange Community Services Department Park Planning and Development Commission Minutes of Meeting Held August.12, 2004 Page 9 of 11 Ms. Galera acknowledged that there were traffic concerns regarding the parking lot on Sycamore Avenue, and that the City was trying to reduce the size of that parking lot on the comer of Sycamore Avenue and Main Street to minimi"e the traffic impacts, and move the parking lots to the north. Mr. Garcia discussed the need to reconfigure the fields for safety. The fields would increase in size and would allow the fields to be used by adults and youths, maximizing their uses and improving safety. Chair Hairston asked staff if changes to the plan should be made before moving forward with the Mitigated Negative Declaration. Ms. McDonald, Associate Planner, said it was better to make the changes first. Commissioner Blanc noted that this project was scheduled in the C.I.P. for the fiscal year 2007-08, and that staffhad time to address the issues and concerns that had been expressed and to review making any necessary changes. Commissioner Selman and Commissioner Gilmer said that they supported the skate park and felt that it was an item that should be included in the plan. They expressed their concerns about the parking and offered an alternative on relocating the skate park, and combining parking lots. Commissioner Remland wanted to know if there was anyway to relocate the adult teams, make the fields smaller and have only have two instead of four playing fields. Mr. Garcia said that it would not be feasible because the City only has two sites for adult softball. Although the construction of Del Rio Park is to be done some time in the future, eventually, staff would like to relocate the adult teams at that site. Commissioner Selman moved to recommend to take into consideration all the input provided and convene to a study session for further review. Motion: Commissioner Selman Second: Commissioner Blanc Ayes: Blanc, Gilmer, Hairston, Remland, Selman 5.1 Proposed Conceptual Design and Floor Plan for Gymnasium/Sports Center at Grijalva Park Extension Mr. Garcia reported that staff has completed several workshops and invited the Community Foundation of Orange, who is helping the City. to raise funds for the gymnasium, to create a proposed conceptual design and floor plan for the gymnasium at Grijalva Park. Staff went through the same development process to identify a proposed floor plan for the gymnasium facility. Staff is moving aggressively for purposes of conducting an environmental review and to meet timeframes for a $2 . million grant for which the City applied under the Urban Park Act. Mr. Garcia introduced Wendy Rogers, LPA, to review the proposed floor plan and design. City of OrangeQ.m...n'1Ry Services Depllrlment Park PIaauing and Development Commission Minutes of Meeting Held August 12, 2004 Page 10 of 11 Ms. Rogers reviewed the schematic designs with the Commissioners. Ms. Rogers pointed out the location of the proposed gymnasium/sports center, the main entrance with a circular drop off, and a location for an amphitheater. The architecture of the building would utilize devices that accented the craftsman design as well as construct a building that was sensitive to nature in terms of emphasizing the fact that the building compliments its environment. The design requirements include: · A building of approximately 25,000 sq. ft. · Walk of fame - an element to potentially recognize citizens of Orange and their accomplishments · The entrance of the building will include a hall of fame · Gymnasium . Classrooms . Dancearea . Restrooms · Corridor access to the gym . Office Space · Appropriate Storage Mr. Garcia asked the Commission for any comments regarding the floor plan and design plans, if so, staff would proceed on with the environmental review process. Chair Hairston said that the Commission was impressed with the plan. Commissioner Blanc commented that it was important to keep the Community Foundation of Orange updated. Mr. Garcia said that staff met with the Foundation in July and reviewed the plans. Commissioner Remland wanted to know how LP A would address the issues of escalating costs of building materials. Ms. Rogers said that they are working with a cost estimator and a contractor to keep t:pem infonned on what is happening in the market place and to help them forecast those costs. Commissioner Remland moved to accept the conceptual design and floor plan for the gymnasium and that the design be included in the environmental review process. Motion: Second: Ayes: Commissioner Remland Commissioner Blanc Blanc, Gilmer, Hairston, Remland, Selman VI. NEW BUSINESS None City of Onmge CoDllDlJllity Services Department Plnit,P18D11ingmd Deve1opmentCommission Minutes of Meeting Held Aug1lSt 12, 2004 Page 11 of 11 VII. ANNOUNCEMENTS Mr. Garcia asked the Commissioners to consider another date in November for the regular meeting since November 11, 2004 is Veterans Day, which is a holiday. Chair Hairston requested that it be put on the September Agenda. vm. ADJOURNMENT Motion: Vice-Chair Gilman Second: Commissioner Remland Ayes: Blanc, Gilman, Hairston, Remland, Selman lar Meeting will be Thursday, September 9, 2004. ~ ton, Cllainnan e ia, Secretary Park Planning and Development Commission /vrn o Reproduction on Recycled Paper N:lParIt P!"'"'inl and OevelopmentIConunissionlMinutes12004'D8.12-04.doc Attested on