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HomeMy WebLinkAbout6_22_2004 - Council Minutes - Adjourned Regular MeetingAPPROVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL ON JULY 13.2004 CITY COUNCIL MINUTES ORANGE, CALIFORNIA OF AN ADJOURNED REGULAR MEETING June 22, 2004 The City Council of the City of Orange, California convened an Adjourned Regular Meeting at 3:00 p.m. in a Regular Meeting in Conference Room C, 300 E, Chapman Avenue, Orange, California, 3:00 P.M. STUDY SESSION 1. OPENING 1.2 PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG Led by City Clerk Murphy 1.3 ROLL CALL PRESENT - Ambriz, Mayor Murphy, Cavecche ABSENT - Alvarez, Coontz (Councilmember Alvarez arrived at 3:15 p,m.)1.4 PRESENTATIONS/ ANNOUNCEMENTS/ INTRODUCTIONS 2. PUBLIC COMMENTS - None.3. CONSENT CALENDAR All items on the Consent Calendar are considered routine and are enacted by one motion approving the recommended action listed on the Agenda, Any member of the City Council, staff or the public may request an item be removed from the Consent Calendar for discussion or separate action, Unless otherwise specified in the request to remove an item from the Consent Calendar, all items removed shall be considered immediately following action on the remaining items on the Consent Calendar.3.1 Declaration of City Clerk, Mary E. Murphy, declaring posting of the City Council Agenda of an Adjourned Regular Meeting of June 22, 2004 at Orange Civic Center in the north facing kiosk, Police Facility at 1107 North Batavia, and Shaffer Park;all of said locations being in the City of Orange and freely accessible to members of the public at least 72 hours before commencement of said Adjourned Regular Meeting; and also available at the City Clerk's Office and Main Library at 101 N.Center Street.ACTION: Accepted Declaration of Agenda Posting and authorized its retention as a public record in the Office of the City Clerk.MOTION - Ambriz SECOND - Cavecche AYES - Ambriz, Mayor Murphy, Cavecche ABSENT - Alvarez, Coontz The Consent Calendar was approved,PAGE 1 CITY COUNCIL MINUTES OF AN ADJOURNED REGULAR MEETING June 22, 2004 4. REPORTS FROM MAYOR MURPHY - None.5. REPORTS FROM COUNCILMEMBERS - None.6. REPORTS FROM BOARDS, COMMITTEES, AND COMMISSIONS - None.7. ADMINISTRATIVEREPORTS 7.1 Presentation on the Master Plan of Grijalva Park extension property and design of gymnasium/sports center. Mr. Gary Wann, Community Services Director, provided a brief introduction of the project.Mr. Gabe Garcia, Community Services Manager, introduced the staff and consultants working on the Grijalva Park design and provided a brief overview of the process,Mr. Steve Lang, Purkiss Rose, provided a power point presentation on the design of Grijalva Park, In response to questions from Councilmember Ambriz, he reported there were two community meetings to elicit input, with approximately 20 people in attendance at the first meeting and 8 at the second meeting.Councilmember Ambriz expressed concern on the limited number of residents who participated in the community meetings.Mr. Lang reviewed the aspects of Grijalva Park which make it an ideal location for a gymnasium being in the geographical center of Orange, central point of Santiago Creek, tied to trails,opportunities for both active and passive recreation uses and strong theme opportunities,He reviewed the concerns and desires of the Park Commission and Community Foundation,Concerns include circulation, adequate parking, landfill and flood areas. Desires include gymnasium and aquatics center, meeting rooms, community center and picnic areas,Concerns from the public include traffic access, parking and maintenance of the creek, Desires from the public include a gymnasium, community center and creek protection.Councilmember Ambriz asked if copies of the public's comments and desires could be made available for the Council to review.Mr. Lang presented two alternative locations for the gymnasium and the criteria used for evaluating the locations, noting the basic difference was in the circulation patterns. Alternative B is the preferred location from both the community and the Parks Commission, with the road further away from the creek and easier access to the existing parking lot.Mayor pro tem Cavecche asked about the Water District using part of this area for reclamation as she did not think public access would be allowed near there.Mr. Lang reported they are still working with the Water District but there has been preliminary indication that it could be left open with a natural appearance,PAGE 2 CITY COUNCIL MINUTES OF AN ADJOURNED REGULAR MEETING June 22, 2004 7. ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS - Continued Councilmember Ambriz asked about the former landfill on the site,Mr. Lang explained the former landfill area, which is 50 to 60 feet deep, and about 4 acres, will be left as open space,In response to questions from Councilmember Alvarez, Mr. Lang further explained that trees are able to be planted on this former landfill site because there is no methane,Mayor Murphy pointed out the parking lot at the north end of the site would be driven by a future aquatics center and the other lot would serve the gym,Councilmember Alvarez asked who owns the parcel at the end of Walnut; and also clarified that the roadway through the park is narrow enough so there will not be parking along the road or any cut through traffic,Pamela Galera, Project Coordinator, responded that the 4 acre parcel at the end of Walnut is owned by the adjacent Homeowners Association and that it is a fish and game mitigation area with native plants,Mayor pro tem Cavecche stated she would rather see one building, than three, for the community building. She also asked about the procedure for noticing the community meetings,Mr. Garcia explained there were two mailings of approximately 816 notices sent out to residents near the park as well as to youth organizations, There were also notices in the newspaper.Mayor pro tem Cavecche noted that the citizens must be happy and satisfied with the way things are progressing, so they did not have the need to attend the community meetings,Councilmember Ambriz reported he has heard from mothers who use the facility that they did not know about the community meetings, He also asked if the EIR would cover the changes as proposed, specifically as it relates to providing an adequate buffer distance from the residential area. Ms. Galera reported the enviromnental documents will be updated, but the original document outlined uses that are more intense than what is now proposed, The exact changes will determine if the enviromnental document needs to go back through a review process; but it may require just an addendum,Councilmember Ambriz asked about the costs for the changes and the proposed aquatics center;and suggested he would have preferred to have something in writing to prepare for the meeting and be able to review the design changes that are being proposed ahead of time.Mayor Murphy pointed out that with a phased approach, decisions can be made on individual components of the project and the costs for each one; but at this time, there needs to be confirmation of the best location for the gymnasium. He also noted there are philosophical decisions to be made on economic reality versus uses.PAGE 3 CITY COUNCIL MINUTES OF AN ADJOURNED REGULAR MEETING June 22, 2004 7. ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS - Continued Councilmember Ambriz asked about the phasing approach to the park design,Mr. Lang explained there needs to be a Master Plan for a seamless park that can be built onto each phase,Mr. Garcia explained the City has applied for a very competitive $2 million grant for this project and there needs to be confirmation of a site plan to submit to the grant administrator. This needs to be accomplished by July 15th,Mayor Murphy asked if there were any concerns or reservations by the Council for locating the gymnasium on the extension property rather than where it was originally proposed, He stated he preferred the new proposed location.0.. Mayor pro tem Cavecche concurred the proposed location is a better 'site than originally proposed; but did have reservations on the future aquatics center and noted there were no active fields on that site.Councilmember Alvarez stated he was glad to see the site plan did not include heavy athletic uses as there are other park needs that need to be addressed, such as informal picnic areas,Park Commissioner Lisa Blanc pointed out the Commission would like as much public input as possible on these types of projects; and if there are other user groups who are not being notified,she requested that information be provided to Community Services on these groups so they can be included in discussions.Councilmember Ambriz expressed concern about the process as the design has changed drastically. Wendy Rogers, LPA, provided a presentation on the building designs and layout. She reviewed priorities which were developed as a result of workshops, including the need for a gymnasium,dance studio/exercise facility, multi-purpose room and teen/senior facilities, She reviewed the various phases of building placement, which allows for the basic components and then other uses to be added on in the future, Gary Wann further reported on the need for an aquatics center; that the city is already under capacity. Mayor pro tem Cavecche pointed out that The Irvine Company usually builds pools along with homeowner associations, which could help provide an overall need, She noted her priorities for buildings include the gymnasium, dance/exercise room and classrooms; and did not see a need for the patio space, Mayor Murphy clarified the gymnasIUm includes strictly restroom facilities and not locker facilities. Speaker - Christine Wilhelm asked about the Yorba Street extension, She was directed to contact the Public Works Department for details on that.PAGE 4 CITY COUNCIL MINUTES OF AN ADJOURNED REGULAR MEETING June 22, 2004 8. REPORTS FROM CITY MANAGER - None.9. LEGAL AFFAIRS - None.10. ADJOURNMENT The City Council adjourned at 4:10 p.m.rLL<-~M RPHY CITY CLERK PAGE 5