HomeMy WebLinkAboutFollow-up - 44845 San Clemente CircleMINUTES
REGULAR PALM DESERT CITY COUNCIL MEETING MAY 23, 2019
round out the Spring Concert Series, and the events were all a great
time for everyone attending.
3. Public Works AnDreciation - again thanked Public Works for
presentation to the schoolchildren today and for the public to see
them in action.
F. City Council Reauests for Action.
Assemblv Bill 392 - after seeing that AB 392 was moving forward in
the State Legislature, Councilman Jonathan explained that the bill
proposes shifting the burden onto police officers for feeling confident
that it's truly necessary to shoot to protect themselves. This changes
the bar to a point where most law enforcement officials feel it's not
workable and, actually, presents great danger. If it hadn't already, he
requested that Legislative Review Committee considerthe matterand
make a recommendation back to City Council.
Ms. Aylaian responded that the Legislative Review Committee was
meeting next Friday, and this bill would be placed on the agenda of
proposed legislation being reviewed.
2. Ur)date on the Portolal1-19 Interchanae Proiect - Councilmember
Harnik recalled talking about this project at Council's Goal -Setting
Session, and she was very keen to find out how the project is coming
along, the design, and future steps to be taken, because this was a
once -in -a -lifetime opportunity.
3. City of El Monte Rule 20A Credits Available - referring back to
Councilman Jonathan's comments about the importance of moving
forward with utility undergrounding, staff informed City Council this
week that the City of El Monte was offering to sell 20A Credits. She
explained for the uninitiated that this is a methodology allowing
accomplishment of undergrounding in public places at a lesser
expense. She went on to say that City Council has previously urged
staff to explore ways of being able to jump on these opportunities
even before the City's Master Plan is in effect. Therefore, she was
requesting staff to fufly and expeditiously assess whether there is
some way to take advantage of the subject offer, as well as others
that may come along.
4. 44845 San Clemente Circle - vacant house owned by the Successor
Agency to the Palm Desert Redevelopment Agency, now an attractive
nuisance. Councilmember Kelly heard from neighbors, who, first and
foremost, complimented Code Compliance and Public Works for
being as responsive as possible to the adverse conditions on this
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MINUTES
REGULAR PALM DESERT CITY COUNCIL MEETING MAY 23, 2019
empty property. However, those same neighbors find that having a
perpetually empty/abandoned house in the neighborhood is a horrific
burden that should not be allowed to persist, because it inherently
attracts mischief -makers. She understood that the house has not
been demolished because the California Department of Finance did
not approve the expenditure for it as requested by the Successor
Agency. Therefore, she asked staff to fully explore all alternatives for
having the house demolished or to move forward with the property
plan to relieve neighbors of this burden. Further, she requested that
options include demolition at City expense, if necessary, as the
situation had reached a point where the City needs to understand its
choices and look at them closely, because the current state of affairs
could be pennywise and pound foolish with having to continually send
City staff there to address issues.
5. President's Plaza - Councilmember Kelly understood that City Council
had an upcoming Study Session about the project and requested
some specific steps be taken in the interim so that the Study Session
could be as productive as possible. She said Council was advised
that the current design for the property results in elimination of more
parking places than was forecast in the 2017 Council -approved
conceptual plan. Affected businesses have indicated their distress
about the loss of parking places. Therefore, she felt it would be
critical for staff to engage with those stakeholders to get their
feedback on alternative ways to get closer to the forecast loss in the
approved conceptual plan. She emphasized that the engagement
opportunity was needed for input in response to alternatives in order
to be informed at the Study Session. She reiterated that the
engagement must occur prior to the Study Session, currently
scheduled for June 25. She suggested Community Development be
involved in this effort, since they've had most of the historic contact
with businesses about President's Plaza.
Councilman Jonathan expressed concern about some statements
made that were more presumptive than factual regarding parking
spaces. Further, he was aware that staff had engaged rather
intensively with stakeholders already and will continue to do so, and
his understanding was that purpose of the June 25 Study Session
was exactly for engaging with stakeholders and getting theirfeedback.
It will be an unusual type of Study Session that will not be limited to
staff reports, so he wasn't sure that the action being requested was
necessary at this time.
Councilmember Kelly countered that as was acknowledged in
Councilman Jonathan's earlier invocation, good government happens
when differing perspectives are brought to the dais. She related that
E:j
CITY OF PALM DESERT
PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT
INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM
To: Honorable Mayor Susan Marie Weber and Members of the City Council
From: Lauri Aylaian, City Manager
Date: June 25, 2019
Subject: 44845 San Clemente
On May 23, 2019, City Council requested staff fully explore alternatives for the vacant
house located at 44845 San Clemente, owned by the Successor Agency to the Palm
Desert Redevelopment Agency (SARDA), specifically to relieve neighbors of the burden
of blight in their neighborhood.
The property is one of several parcels being assembled for street and parking purposes
along Allesandro Alley. Once the improvements are complete, the remnant parcels will
be sold as a larger assemblage.
Currently, the house is secured as best as possible, and the property is scheduled for
routine maintenance, using both City crews and independent contractors, as required.
Also regular surveillance by the Citizens on Patrol and the Riverside County Sheriff's
Department is in place. This has not prevented the house from being used by vagrants,
and an assortment of trespassers, drug users, and the like.
The request to use SARDA funds to demolish the house was denied by the State of
California, Department of Finance on March 3, 2017. Staff is waiting for a determination
by SARDA legal counsel to verify the house can be demolished using City of Palm
Desert funds. No funds have been budgeted for such a demolition.
The deconstruction of the house is estimated to cost $55,000.
/clg