Wednesday, January 07, 2009

'MINUTES' for Three Noteworthy City Council Agenda Items

“MINUTES”
CITY COUNCIL MEETING
CITY OF CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA
January 6, 2009


VII. Consent Calendar
These matters include routine financial and administrative actions, which are usually approved by a single majority vote. Individual items may be removed from Consent by a member of the Council or the public for discussion and action.

F. Consideration of a Resolution adopting revisions to the Land Use element of the General Plan and chapters 17.12.230, 17.14.14D and 17.64.220 of the zoning ordinance related to affordable housing. The proposed revisions are required by the California Coastal Commission.


Council Member ROSE moved Item F be noticed as an Ordinance, calendared for First Reading and taken up at the next regular meeting.

X. Resolutions
A. Consideration of a Resolution establishing the Trevvett Court Specific Plan for a site located on the east side of Dolores Street between Fourth and Fifth Avenues.


City Council Members ROSE and HAZDOVAC recused themselves due to living within 500 ft.

Planning/Building Services Manager Sean Conroy presented the staff report.

Mayor McCloud opened the meeting to public comment.

No Public Comments.

Mayor McCloud closed the meeting to public comment.

Council Member TALMAGE moved approval of a Resolution establishing the Trevvett Court Specific Plan for a site located on the east side of Dolores Street between Fourth and Fifth Avenues, seconded by Council Member SHARP and carried by the following roll call:

AYES: COUNCIL MEMBERS: SHARP, TALMAGE & McCLOUD
NOES: COUNCIL MEMBERS: NONE
ABSENT: COUNCIL MEMBERS: NONE
ABSTAIN: COUNCIL MEMBERS: NONE

NOTE: Resolution effective post-approval of Ordinance at later date.

XI. Orders of Council
A. Receive report on the results of the General Plan Survey.

M. Barker, RBF Consulting, presented a powerpoint presentation on the General Plan Survey results.

Of the total 5,330 Community Surveys mailed to homeowners, business owners and registered voters, only 21% or 1,118 Community Surveys were completed and returned.

CONCLUSIONS
No strong majorities, with exceptions for the following issues:
• Perception of the traffic in the Commercial District, pedestrian safety and users of parking structure
Parking not perceived as a problem on a daily basis, however more parking needed to serve the Commercial District, visitors and tourists.

• Noise disturbance perception
Carmel viewed as "tranquil, quiet place," only occassional noise problems

• Satisfaction with parks, city services, improvement priorities, water supply priorities


Contradictory Opinions
• Parking issue perception-quantitative vs. narrative
• Shuttle Support-don’t use public transportation, but support public transportation


Both Workshops and Surveys indicated Urban Forest as important topic


Survey Findings Contradict Workshop Findings
• Support for traffic calming measures
• Satisfaction with parks and open space
• Noise disturbance perception

(Source: Archived Videos, Regular City Council Meeting, January 6, 2009)

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I got a chuckle at the expense of Sue McCloud when she said the new CIA director needs to have good management skills. She should know. She hand picked a weak manager, even Seaside would not hire Rich Guillen permanently, so she could run the city herself. And what a job she has done. Right here, after all these years as mayor she does not know how to put an agenda together. It just goes to show you being in a position is not the same as being competent in the position. She even admitted it has taken a year for the Carmel Foundation's proposal to get to its present point. So she has had a year to get it right and what does she do, cause further delay for another council agenda item at another meeting in the future. With Rich and Sue, you just have to chuckle and hope their time in government in drawing to a close.

Anonymous said...

In my opinion it seems the survey drawn up by the consultant was a downright waste of taxpayer monies. Too few respondents and too many contradictory responses. It was not clear at all to me about the polarization on the urban forest. Some advocate for more trees, whereas others advocate for no trees? This tells me the city is not doing a good job making certain people understand a major tourist attraction is the setting and signature forest of native trees in Carmel. If that feeling of uniqueness dies, then Carmel could very well become a tourist destination of the past and all the money in the world thrown at tourist promotion will not attract tourists who came here for the ambiance and forested setting of yesteryear.

Anonymous said...

mark my word - Mayor Sue will pick and choose from the survey results to justify whatever she already had intended to do anyway. This whole survey process is suspect as far as the questions asked, the total number of respondents after two mailings, etc. It would have been better if it had not been done.