HomeMy WebLinkAboutC26960 Lndscaping/Screening of PD Mobile Estates 12-13-2007 CITY OF PALM DESERT
DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
STAFF REPORT
REQUEST: Authorization to negotiate an agreement and solicit bids to provide a
landscape buffer between the Palm Desert Mobile Estates and the
Palm Valley Storm Channel, and to suspend enforcement action on
a Notice to Abate for 60 days pending execution of said agreement.
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SUBMITTED BY: Lauri Aylaian MEETl�G D"T�_�a_-r�-�/
Director of Community Developme t
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APPUCANT: Mr. Mark Bessire � �! �,�3^aE0 TO 2�it��s�.+4�fP,��
Palm Desert Mobile Estates 4
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DATE: December 13, 2007 �
Recommendation:
That the City Council, by minute motion:
1. Approve a landscape-only approach to screening the recently-exposed north
face of the Palm Desert Mobile Estates RV storage area;
2. Authorize staff to negotiate a three way cost sharing agreement between the City
of Palm Desert, the Coachella Valley Water District (CVWD), and Palm Desert
Mobile Estates, and authorize Mayor to execute same;
3. Appropriate necessary funds for the project in an amount not to exceed $15,000
to Account No. 400-4614-433-4001;
4. Suspend enforcement action and continue hearing of appea! of Notice to Abate
for sixty days pending successful resolution of the issue; and,
5. Authorize the City Manager to dismiss the Notice to Abate upon execution by all
parties of cost sharing agreement.
Staff Report
Palm Desert Mobile Estates Landscaping/Screening Agreement
December 13, 2007
Page 2 of 6
Executive Summary:
Approval of the staff recommendation would result in the planting of a natural
landscape screen on the north side of the Palm Desert Mobile Estates, along the
south side of the Palm Valley Storm Channel, and the dismissal of code
enforcement action against the mobile home park. The landscape material
should provide solid screen within four years. The cost of the landscape
installation would be shared between the City, CVWD, and Palm Desert Mobile
Estates.
I. BACKGROUND:
On October 25, 2007, the City Council directed staff to attempt to negotiate an
agreement between CVWD, Palm Desert Mobile Estates, and residents of the
Chaparral Country Club that would result in installation of a fence and
landscaping to screen the Chaparral residents from a view of the mobile home
park that was exposed by CVWD's removal of mature tamarisk trees on the
south side of the Palm Valley Storm Channel. The exposed view of a portion of
the park, that portion that stores recreational vehicles (RVs), is also the subject
of a code enforcement action against Palm Desert Mobile Estates, since the
municipal code requires that RV storage areas be screened from public view.
II. POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS:
Three possible solutions to the screening issue have been identified by the
various involved parties. No solution is perfect; each solution has strengths and
weaknesses. They can be summarized as follows:
Solution Pros Cons
Install a chain link fence Complete visual screening Most expensive solution
with a fabric wind screen almost immediately. Solution is ($100K; City's share $40-
and landscape plant favored by the Chaparral 50K). Fabric screen is likely
material residents to become tattered and
unsightly over time. Screened
chain link fence will be
unattractive, especially in
such a large expanse. Public
Hearing is required if ARC will
not approve use of chain link
fence. Chaparral residents
would not artici ate in cost
Staff Report
Palm Desert Mobile Estates Landscaping/Screening Agreement
December 13, 2007
Page 3 of 6
Strict enforcement of the No hard costs to the City. Soft Mobile home park could
code compliance action costs (legal fees) are possible. potentially gain compliance by
moving RVs to south side of
the park, which would still
leave mobile homes exposed
to view. Even screening RVs
in their current location will
leave a portion of the mobile
home park exposed to public
view.
Installation of native plant Cost of the screen is shared Landscape screen will take
material without a fence equitably between three parties: about four years to grow in
City, CVWD, and Palm Desert fully
Mobile Estates. City's share
should be $10,000 or less.
Naturalistic landscape screen
will be an attractive buffer for
the lon term
III. STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends the third option described above: installation of irrigation,
shrubs, and small trees that will create a natural landscape buffer in several
years. Discussion with the various parties involved indicates that CVWD and the
Palm Desert Mobile Estates will likely share equally in the costs with the City.
Neither the Chaparral HOA nor the residents are willing to participate in the cost
of the work. However, the residents there can easily and economically block
their view of the mobile home park and RV storage area by installation of several
trees on their own (north) side of the channel. (See photos beginning on Page 5
of this report.)
With the concurrence of the City Council, staff proposes to finalize an agreement
between the parties under which:
• The City will solicit bids and award a contract to install ir�igation p(us 200
five-gallon shrubs and small trees on CVWD's property on the south side
of the channel.
• CVWD will install an irrigation meter to provide water for the landscaping.
• Palm Desert Mobile Estates will pay the ongoing water bills for irrigation of
the landscaping.
Staff Report
Palm Desert Mobile Estates Landscaping/Screening Agreement
December 13, 2007
Page 4 of 6
• Tamarisk trees growing from the roots and seeds of the trees that were
removed will be allowed to grow along with the new landscape material.
The plant material will not be pruned, and will be left to fill in as a natural-
looking, living screen. Palm Desert Mobile Estates will be responsible to
maintaining the landscape at this level.
• Each of the three parties will contribute to the cost of the work. Palm
Desert Mobile Estates has committed to contribute a minimum of$5,000 if
this solution is acceptable to the City Council, and if the code enforcement
action is halted. Additional financial participation, so as to match the
amount contributed by the City and CVWD, will be requested by the
property manager but must be approved by the owner of the mobile home
park. Staff estimates that with equal sharing, each of the three parties
would pay approximatefy $10,000. In no case should the City's portion
exceed $15,000.
Submitted By:
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Lauri Aylaian
Director of Community Development
Approval: Appr
Homer L. Croy Paul Gibson
ACM for Dev � ent Services Director of Finance
Carlos L. Ort a
City Manager
���—� CITY OF PALM DESERT
� � DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
STAFF REPORT
REQUEST: Consideration of an agreement for the landscaping/screening of
Palm Desert Mobile Estates (Contract No. C26960).
SUBMITTED BY: H. Spencer Knight ����� �A� �� �,�� -��
Landscape Manager �OPdT![dli�h TO_..��— /� -�
DATE: October 25, 2007 [,I p�ggF�Tp 2p�D �;E,i�?1��;
Recommendation:
By Minute Motion, that the City Council:
1. Direct staff to solicit competitive bids to install 15-foot high chain link fencing with
screen cloth plus appropriate landscaping;
2. Appropriate necessary funds for the project in an amount not to exceed
$100,000 to Account No. 400-4614-433-4001;
3. Submit application for a Conditional Use Permit for the subject chain link fencing;
and
4. Authorize the City Manager to negotiate agreements for cost sharing of
installation and maintenance of the fencing and landscaping between the City of
Palm Desert, the Coachella Valley Water District, Chaparral Homeowners
Association; and the Palm Desert Mobile Estates.
Background:
Residents of the Chaparral Country Club have complained that CVWD's removal of
tamarisk trees on the south side of the Palm Valley Storm Channel has exposed an
unsightly storage yard to view. The storage yard is an RV storage rental facility that is
within the boundaries of the Palm Desert Mobile Estates mobile home park. In
response to a request from City Council members, staff investigated two options that
would provide landscaped screening of the storage area. The two options used different
size plant material and were estimated to cost $85,000 and $250,000.
Staff Report
Palm Desert Mobile Estates Landscaping/Screening Agreement (Contract No. C26960)
Page 2
October 25, 2007
The amount of time required for the plant material to provide adequate screening was
unacceptable to Chaparral Country Club representatives and they advanced a proposal
to use a chain link fence with screening material (similar to that used around tennis
courts). At its 27 September 2007 meeting, the City Council directed staff to look into
this option, and to provide input regarding potential costs and the required public
hearing and approval process.
Cost:
The Chaparral Country Club representatives requested a fifteen foot high fence.
Screen material comes in standard sizes that do not include a fifteen foot width.
Therefore, the cost estimates that staff received and that are presented here are based
upon a fifteen-foot high chain link fence with twelve feet of material screening. The
screening material is considered to provide 100 % obscurity and is beige in color. The
estimates are as follows: Sam's Fence - $61,836; Allen Fence - $44,620; Griffith's
Fence - $61,000.
Hearing and Approval Process:
In Palm Desert, a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) is required in order to construct chain
link fences in lieu of walls. The CUP requires that a public hearing be held in front of
the Planning Commission. However, exceptions to this requirement of the municipal
code (25.56.195.D.5) can be granted by the Architectural Review Commission (ARC) if
the ARC finds that unusual circumstances exist making the "literal
requirements impractical or contrary to the purpose of the ordinance". For an
exception, the ARC must also find that the exception will not result in damage to
adjacent properties. For either a CUP or an exception, nearby property owners must be
informed of the application in advance of the meeting so that they have a chance to
make their concerns known.
Because of the expanse of wall needed to screen the RV storage area and the cost
associated with that wall, staff could recommend to the ARC that an exception be
granted to the wall requirement in this instance. However, staff believes that the visual
appearance of the screened fence would deteriorate dramatically over time, and would
not recommend approval as a permanent solution to the ARC unless landscaping were
added, and the fence were required to be removed when the landscape material filled
in.
Regardless of whether a CUP from the Planning Commission or an exception from the
Architectural Review Commission is sought, the completed application will take
approximately four to six weeks to process, including notification and appeals periods.
Worddocs/tm/citycouncilstaffreports/PalmDesertMobileEstates
Staff Report
Palm Desert Mobile Estates Landscaping/Screening Agreement (Contract No. C26960)
Page 3
October 25, 2007
Recommended Solution:
As stated above, staff is of the opinion that the chain link fence will deteriorate
significantly over the short term due to climatic conditions (wind and UV exposure) and
will not provide an economically sustainable long-term solution. To obtain the level of
screening desired by the residents of Chaparral Country Club, it is staff's opinion that the
combined use of chain link fence and plant material will provide for both short-term
screening (chain link fence) and long-term screening (plant material), provided that the
screening is removed in approximately five years when the landscaping fills in.
If a CUP is approved by the Planning Commission, a screened fifteen foot chain link
fence can be constructed within the following budget estimate:
Chain link fence with 15' screening material $ 65,000
Plant Material (150 — 5 gallon plants, installed) $ 3,000
Ir�lgatiofl SySt2m (does not include water meter—CVWD to provide) $ 8,000
Permits, soft costs, and contingency 24 000
Total $100,000
Cost Sharing:
Council members suggested that the expense for this screening be shared four ways by
Palm Desert Mobile Estates, Chaparral Country Club, the Coachella Valley Water District
and the City of Palm Desert.
The manager for the mobile home park has responded to a past request for screening
with an agreement to provide one gallon plants at a cost of $3,000. Any additional costs,
including continued maintenance of the plant material, would be in the form of capital
improvement to be passed on to the residents.
Staff contacted Mr. Chuck Autterson representing the Chaparral Country Club HOA, and
he indicated that the HOA would be willing to contribute 25% of costs up to a total project
cost of $50,000. If the project costs are greater than $50,000, additional approval is
required from the HOA board.
In conversations with the City Manger, the Manager/Chief Engineer of the Coachella
Valley Water District (CVWD) indicated that he would recommend to CVWD's board a
cost share of $25,000 and provide and install the water meter for the recommended
solution.
Worddocs/tm/citycouncilstaffreports/PalmDesertMobileEstates
Staff Report
Palm Desert Mobile Estates Landscaping/Screening Agreement (Contract No. C26960)
Page 4
October 25, 2007
In consideration of the forgoing, staff requests authorization to finalize a cost sharing
agreement between parties, appropriate funding, submit application for a Conditional Use
Permit, and solicit competitive bids for the fencing and landscaping. Staff will return for
approval of the cost sharing agreements and award of bid after the agreements are
finalized.
Submitted By: Depa m t ead:
H Sp nc ght Mark Gree wood
L ds ape ager Director of Public Works
Approval: Approval:
Homer L. Croy Paul Gibson
ACM for Development Services Director of Finance
Approval:
Carlos L. Ort a
City Manager
Worddocs/tm/citycouncilstaffreports/PalmDesertMobileEstates
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Chaparral AssoeZatzon
October 22, 200�
Honorable Richard S. Kelly
Mayor
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City of Yalm Desert � �.:.,
73-510 Fred Waring llrive � ���
Paim Desert, California 92�60 --� _�r-r
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RE: Palm Desert Mobile Estates Screening p �"-�-
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Dear Mr. Mayor, - �,�
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The City's staff along with the Association's Adhoc Restore Our Vie�v committee has spent r''
countless hours �vorking to find a solution to screening the storage lot of Palm Desert
Mobile Estates from public ��ie�v. Our committee was happy to have a part in exploring
different options and hope tive�vere helpful in obtaining proposals.
Unfortunately, there may be a misunderstanding that ��e �vould like to take this
opportunity to clarify. The reason we toolc part in the process of suggesting different
options and obtaining proposals �ti-as that �-e ��anted to help find a solution at minimal cost
to the responsible parties. Please be a�,•are that the association cannot contribute
monetarily as �ve did not cause, nor �vere �ve part of the problem. Please understand that
���e do not feel that the Cit�� caused the problem either, and thank you for y�our many
attempts to make corrections with Palm Desert Mobile Estates.
The Adhoc Restore Our Vie��• committee ��-as appointed by the Association's Board of
Directors to obtain information and to interface ���ith PDME, the City of Falm llesert and
CVWD. They �vere advisors on this screening issue to the Board and had no financial or
other decision making authority. Charles Autterson ���as appointed Adhoc committee
chairman and Rudy Friedrich was a member of the committee. They are not members of
the Chaparral Association Board of Directors.
At this time, it is the consensus of the Board that the Adhoc Restore Our Vie�v committee
has contributed as much as they can and therefore �vill be disbanded. The committee's
research has resulted in many possible solutions such as a i2 foot high �vall, a landscaped
tree line and/ or a tennis type fence. They are also in favor of remo��al of the trailer storage
lot coupled�`�th pro��iding screening.
7.5061 :1�lediterrunc�rur, Suite B, Pnlm Desert, C'A (76l1) 346-9000
P.O. Bo.r 12920. Pn/m Dc�.ti�e�•t, C:-� 921SS Faz(76//) 346-99)?
Honorable Richard S. Kell}�
RE: Palm Desert Mobile Estates Screening
October 22, 200�
Page 2 of 2
All of the residents of Chaparral take pride in living in Palm Desert and feel that our City
government and its employees are the best in the Valley. I am truly sorry for any
inconvenience that the miscommunications may ha��e caused and ���sh to apologize on
behalf of the Chaparral Board of Directors.
I am hopeful that you titi-ill keep me informed of the progression of the screening situation
for Palm Desert Mobile Estates. Please direct any and all future correspondence to
Chaparral Association Board of Directors, Attention Joe Diehl, President, C/O Albert
Association Management at the address listed belo�v.
Sincerely,
`������/
� �'
Joe Diehl, President
Chaparral Association
CC: Carlos Ortega, City Manager
Homer Croy, Assistant City Manager, Development Services
Chaparral Association Board of Directors