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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPA4 Cmte - 10/20/08TO: FROM: DATE: SUBJECT: PALM DESERT REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY MEMORANDUM RACHELLE KLASSEN, CITY CLERK MARIA HUNT, SECRETARY TO ACM REDEVELOPMENT DECEMBER 16, 2008 SUBMISSION OF MINUTES FOR THE CITIZENS' ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR PROJECT AREA NO. 4 Attached is a copy of the approved Minutes from the October 20, 2008, meeting of the Project Area No. 4 Committee. Please let me know if you have any questions or need additional information. Thank you. W Attachment (as noted) f/`-,dy RDA 5"L' ON /- 8 -Cr VER!FIED BY /('/x /Ix,� r Original On file with City Clerk's Office G:lydalBeth LongmanlCommitteesWA #AMinute Transmittal.doc PALM DESERT REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY CITIZENS' ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR PROJECT AREA NO.4 MINUTES October 20, 2008 I. CALL TO ORDER Chairman Fred Benford called a regular meeting to order on Monday, October 20, 2008, at 3:00 p.m. II. ROLL CALL Members Present: Charles Ash Fred Benford Jane Daugherty Robert Duncan Roberta Grubb Douglas Luhring Susan McMillen Also Present: Mike Abee, Palm Desert Country Club Lauri Aylaian, Director of Planning Randy Case, Palm Desert Country Club Mark Diercks, P.E., Transportation Engineer Phyllis Harkins, Palm Desert Country Club Association Maria Hunt, Recording Secretary Dick Kelly, Councilmember Justin McCarthy, ACM Redevelopment Hart Ponder, Code Compliance Manager Arla Scott, Senior Financial Analyst Lt. Andrew Shouse, Palm Desert Police Department Dave Simmons, Palm Desert Country Club Bob Spiegel, Councilmember Dave Yrigoyen, Director of Redevelopment/Housing CITIZENS' ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR PROJECT AREA NO. 4 MINUTES October 20, 2008 III. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS Chairman Benford announced that Beth Longman would no longer be the Committee's secretary because she had received a promotion and moved to the Public Works Department. Member Ash wanted to know about the painting of signs and the things in the middle of the street at Palm Desert Country Club. Mark Diercks replied that he believed they were survey station points for the undergrounding. Lt. Andrew Shouse introduced himself as the new Assistant Chief of Police with the Palm Desert Police Department, and asked Committee members to contact him with any issues or concerns. IV. CONSENT CALENDAR APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF THE CITIZENS' ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR PROJECT AREA NO. 4 MEETING OF SEPTEMBER 15, 2008. With Committee concurrence, the Minutes of the meeting of September 15, 2008, were unanimously approved. V. UNFINISHED BUSINESS None VI. NEW BUSINESS None VII. CONTINUED BUSINESS None VIII. OLD BUSINESS None IX. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS A. UPDATE ON CALIFORNIA VILLAS APARTMENTS Martin Alvarez requested that items A and B be discussed together, Committee members agreed. Catherine Walker would be walking the G:\rda\Beth Longman\CommitteesTA #4\Minutes\2008 Minutes\Minutes 102008.doc 2 CITIZENS' ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR PROJECT AREA NO.4 MINUTES October 20, 2008 Committee through the steps on what we have been doing at the Country Village site. Mr. Alvarez presented site plans and indicated he would be addressing the five acres that the Agency owns, located off Washington Street, Avenue of the States, and the Palm Desert Country Club to the west. The property is approximately five acres, which includes Casey's Restaurant and a 66-unit apartment complex known as Country Village. The Agency also owns approximately 2.5 acres located to the south which are vacant. All residents have been relocated. Currently out to bid for the deconstruction of the Country Village units; bids will be opened on October 24, 2008. The goal for this deconstruction project is to start earning points for LEED certification for the future project. The first step will be to properly recycle, reuse, and divert 75% of all the materials from the landfills. Staff has been in discussions and negotiations with the owner and operator of Casey's Restaurant to develop a plan that will separate Casey's Restaurant as a self -supported parcel, and negotiate the sale of that parcel to Casey's. We have also been working with them to come up with a plan to rehabilitate the property. Staff has been working with Interactive Design to develop a concept design that will bring the onsite and offsite improvements, parking, landscaping, and some of the other handicap acceptability issues up to today's standards. With regard to the fagade, staff is trying to keep the restaurant's existing character. The plan is to clean up the fagade, apply some paint, new fascias, and screen the existing mechanical equipment located on the roof. The parking will be reconfigured to maximize the amount of parking spaces available. This plan continues through its review process with the various departments. Staff hopes to have a finalized concept plan within the next month or so. Adjacent to Casey's, approximately three quarters of an acre has been dedicated for a future fire station. Once the Country Village Apartments have been deconstructed, this pad will remain vacant until the fire station is developed. The remainder of the parcel will consist of approximately 71 affordable senior housing units. Staff wanted to give the Committee an idea of what would be included in the proposed master plan for this property. We are also looking at additional improvements along the entrance to the existing Palm Desert Country Club, such as monument signage, and some points of interest at the corner to try to draw this project into the adjacent community. In addition to those types of improvements and the ones proposed on this site, staff is looking to reconfigure some of the medians to address the new regulation requirements for these G:\rda\Beth Longman\CommitteesTA #4\Mmutes\2008 Minutes\Minutes 102008.doc 3 CITIZENS' ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR PROJECT AREA NO. 4 MINUTES October 20, 2008 properties. Staff is also looking at the general circulation of the "Y" at the corner of Avenue of the States and California. This is just a concept that staff will continue to investigate, determine what works best for -the community, and see how it will tie into the master plan for this project. Member Ash asked if the City was going to handle the triangular section which now consists of rocks and weeds. Mr. Alvarez responded that the intent is to come up with a better circulation pattern and to provide improvements in the median, such as new landscaping, and a new art piece to draw attention to that location. Mr. Case requested that they be contacted when staff develops more detailed plans of the widening and improvements to Avenue of the States, the monument signage, and triangular piece, so that they can participate in the discussions and provide input. It is important that they be involved because it is the gateway to both the Palm Desert Country Club and the HOA facility. Ms. Walker stated that the Country Village senior apartment plan is in the schematic design phase. The plan has been presented to the Ad Hoc Subcommittee for Housing, the Architectural Review Commission, and the Development Services Project Committee. Interactive Design has come up with this design and a plan that has been addressed threefold. The view from Avenue of the States would be a series of single -story units with two-story in the back and parking underneath. There will be a community building with a manager unit above. Another section would consist of one-story units, which will be a mix of studios, one bedroom, and one bedroom plus den. Circulation, as currently proposed for the property, will be one-way coming in and going out on Avenue of the States. Access from Dudley is currently conceptually proposed and would go through that one-way traffic flow. Interactive Design has developed a conceptual plan that adapts the traditional California bungalow style, such as that in Santa Monica and Pasadena in the 1920's and 1930's. A total of 71 units are proposed. The plan has been presented to the Architectural Review Commission with positive results, and also to the Ad Hoc Subcommittee for Housing. Member Daugherty asked what had been done, or what staff plans to do about the traffic pattern throughout the Palm Desert Country Club. Ms. Walker explained that they are looking at the site as a whole; Casey's, potential fire station, Country Village, and the land that the Agency purchased in the back. The overall plan is to look at the G:\rda\Beth Longman\CommitteesTA #4\Minutes\2008 Minutes\Minutes 102008 doc 4 CITIZENS' ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR PROJECT AREA NO.4 MINUTES October 20, 2008 circulation, the flow of traffic, the movement into the various existing communities, and the issues and problems with the triangulated area. Member Daugherty stated that the block between Washington and the triangular section can get really bad. Mr. Alvarez stated that this particular plan would address those types of issues. One of the things that will improve the circulation in the area is our plan to move the existing driveway on Washington (Casey's) further south to allow additional time for people to slow down and make that turn. The opening in the median along Avenue of the States, which serves the shopping center, Casey's, and Country Village, would be blocked off. There will only be right-hand turns out of the two facilities, which will avoid all the conflicts in this situation. A full access intersection is proposed for the shopping center and the fire station, which will allow a left-hand turn from the fire station towards Palm Desert Country Club. Public Works' staff has had a chance to review this configuration and believe that it is a positive step toward addressing the future needs. Member Benford asked if there was a proposed completion date. Ms. Walker replied that she did not have a completion date. Mr. Alvarez stated they would come back to the Committee when they have more of a preliminary design and provide them with a construction estimate. Member McMillen asked if the senior units were for purchase or rental. She was advised that they were rental units. Mr. Yrigoyen suggested that Member Daugherty raise the question of her traffic concerns again in the future and direct it to the law enforcement and the City's traffic people. B. UPDATE ON COUNTRY VILLAGE APARTMENTS AND CASEY'S RESTAURANT Refer to Item A above. C. UPDATE ON PALM DESERT COUNTRY CLUB MAINTENANCE FACILITY Mr. Case introduced Mike Abee, one of the CEOs of Paradigm Golf Group, Inc., the new management company that was hired to manage the Palm Desert Country Club. Mr. Abee and his partner are responsible for the overall operations of the Palm Desert Country Club. Mr. Case asked if the Committee members had received a copy of a letter that had been sent. Mr. Yrigoyen explained that the letter had G:\rda\Beth Longman\CommitteesTA #4\Minutes\2008 Minutes\Minutes 102008.doc 5 CITIZENS' ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR PROJECT AREA NO.4 MINUTES October 20, 2008 been received about an hour ago, so it was not included in the packet. Mr. Case provided the Committee with a summary of the letter's contents and stated he would follow-up at the next meeting. Mr. Case addressed the outstanding items, namely the long-term future location and completion date for the maintenance facility, which were previously discussed with the Mayor, a couple of Councilmembers, City Manager, and City staff. There were four or five items that had not been completed. The first one is the golf cart street markings. He reported that the drawings and mylars were completed, and that the mylars had been submitted to the City. He didn't think they had been signed, but once signed and approved, they will be able to mark the streets. Mr. Case stated that there is a temporary wood enclosure around the well on 17. A five-foot high brick structure has been installed around it. The landscaping, berm, and desertscape around that structure have not been completed because they were completing the overseeding and concentrating on opening the golf course. The golf course was opened about a week ago. The desertscape and berm around the well on 17 should be done within the next month or so. Mr. Case reported that they had submitted plans to the City on the continuation of the block wall along the maintenance facility entrance at the 14 tee box next to the city park, alongside the Peterson residence. Unfortunately, when they were ready to pull the permit, City staff recognized that there was an SCE easement and an Edison box. We were no longer able to do what we had planned. The Edison box cannot be moved because it is a permanent underground structure, so we are restricted past that point with the width. We will get together with Mr. Peterson, figure out a solution, and then come back to the Committee and the City. Mr. Case stated that they were asked to block the view of the maintenance facility from a couple of the residences next to the Petersons. They agreed to put some hedges behind the 14th tee box, but unfortunately were not of very good quality and did not survive. The nursery has agreed to replace the hedges, and this should be done within the next couple of weeks. With regard to the permanent maintenance facility, Mr. Case reported that they finally have a site plan that was either emailed to Lauri Aylaian this morning or would be sent this afternoon. This is just a starting point; there is not a lot of detail. He explained that he had the engineer figure out the logistics of turning and parking, and how it would fit with the existing temporary one. We will work with the City to G:\rda\Beth Longman\CommitteesTA #4\Minutes\2008 Minutes\Minutes 102008.doc 6 CITIZENS' ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR PROJECT AREA NO. 4 MINUTES October 20, 2008 figure out how to make it more detailed. We realize there is still a lot to do before we are at a point when we can come to you or the citizens. We are a bit behind in what we had hoped to get to City staff, but the economics has dictated how we proceed. Our business is down, and honestly, our focus has been on getting the golf course open and getting it in the best shape possible. We have not forgotten or tried to shirk any of our obligations or duties. Now that the golf course is open, we will be able to turn our attention to those things. He apologized for the delay. Member Benford wanted to know the reasoning behind the management change and what can be expected from this management company. Mr. Case replied that the first management company was really a small operation and had no real presence in the desert. They did a good job for a year and a half, but were not a long- term operator. Once the kinks were out, we brought in a professional. These folks have managed the Cimarron, Woodhaven, and clubs in Arizona. They have a common scale that we can utilize. Member Benford asked about the membership. Mr. Case replied that they add members, but they lose some. There are about 12 of the 54 homes left to sell. We are currently building the 30th through the 35tn Member Benford asked if the golf course rates would remain about the same. Mr. Case replied that the daily rates would be pretty much the same. Member Benford stated he had a question from his wife. He explained they have new neighbors that are near the No. 1 green. Three teenage boys and other kids are out there nightly in the sand traps hitting balls, and they are hitting the balls toward the houses. His wife called, but it seemed as though they did not particularly care. Are there any regulations? Should we or should we not be calling about these issues? Mr. Case replied that they should call. Mr. Abee is going to be appointed as the community liaison for that area. He reported that they had a young kid out on the tee last week, and Mr. Abee had met with his father and told him it was the last warning. The next time the Sheriff would be contacted, they would be cited, and they would have to pay for any damages. The number will be distributed to the community. If they do not do as management asks, then we will take the next step. Member Daugherty stated that it is usually between 4:30 p.m. and dark when people come out and misuse the golf course. There was no one to call last year. We really don't want people doing that, but there was no one to call because it was closed. Mr. Abee explained G:\rda\Beth Longman\CommitteesTA #4\Minutes\2008 Minutes\Minutes 102008.doc 7 CITIZENS' ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR PROJECT AREA NO.4 MINUTES October 20, 2008 that they are trying to put together a more comprehensive plan and get the information to the neighborhood on how to communicate. One of the problems is that after 6 p.m. the golf course is locked, and he does not have access to the golf course. We rely on the neighborhood residents to find out where the persons live. It is very difficult to get someone for trespassing. What's really important is to figure out where the people live so that we can approach the parents or those residents, talk to them, and officially send them a letter. Those are the steps the police have advised us to take. It really has to be policed from within, such as a neighborhood watch program. Member Benford stated that if it is a situation where the kids are actually hitting balls into the houses causing damage, then for sure call the Sheriff. It is very important for everyone on the Committee to call in when they see infractions around the City, such as motor homes and trailers parked for a long time, etc. Phyllis Harkins, Community Association Manager for Palm Desert Country Club Association, directed a question to Mr. Case. Numerous complaints and calls have been received from residents about homes in the Michigan and California area, specifically backyards. When violation , letters are sent to those homeowners regarding their backyard violations, we receive comments about the mess at the storage unit and the dust bowl. She wanted to know where they were with the dust bowl, and if residents were going to be shoveling sand out of their swimming pools all winter again like they did last year. Her understanding was that it was going to be coated or watered, but she had not seen it watered. Mr. Case replied that they do have sprinklers and they are turned on when it starts blowing. Mr. Abee added that it is watered every day. Ms. Harkins stated that it is very difficult for the Association to enforce homeowners' backyards, when they are complaining about the maintenance facility. She added that the Association writes up the homeowners for violations. Mr. Case stated that they do have refuse from the golf course, but that it gets dumped as fast as they can get the company out there. Lauri Aylaian reported that the City's Code Enforcement staff has been going out there regularly when calls are received. In the past, the Palm Desert Country Club has gone out and installed irrigation to keep the dust down, which was one of our concerns. She asked Committee members to contact the City, as well as Palm Desert Country Club, if they see blowing dust or accumulation of green waste, so that we can work with you to make sure that it gets done. It has been an issue in the past, but I think that things are getting better. G:\rda\Beth Longman\CommitteesTA #4\Minutes\2008 Minutes\Minutes 102008 d0C 8 CITIZENS' ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR PROJECT AREA NO. 4 MINUTES October 20, 2008 Mr. Case stated that they have a contract with one of the local providers for those bins, but because there are 130 golf courses that are overseeding right now, it is difficult to get a bin and to get them out there. We have been calling them for a week and finally got a hold of them. They will be out there tomorrow. It is difficult to get them out this time of year. Member Benford thanked Mr. Case for being so gracious at their meetings and for providing updates to the Committee. Mr. McCarthy stated that the Code Enforcement people have been surveying the course, and at their last walk-through the condition was pretty good. D. UPDATE ON GOLF CART CIRCULATION PLAN Discussed under Item C above. X. REPORTS AND REMARKS A. COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSON/MEMBERS Member Benford wanted to know if the City was divided into districts because Councilmembers Kelly and Spiegel were always at the meetings. Councilmember Kelly replied that the City is not divided into districts, but that Council representatives are assigned to different committees and commissions. Councilmember Spiegel and I have always been the members assigned as liaisons to the Committee. At the beginning, we both had an interest in Project Area No. 4. Councilmember Spiegel added that when the commercial center (formerly part of the County) was taken over by the City, there were redevelopment dollars coming forth, and they wanted to make sure that they were spent the way the residents wanted them to be spent. B. AGENCY BOARD LIAISONS Councilmember Kelly asked what was holding up the landscape at California Villas. Mr. Alvarez replied that they are going full force with the exterior renovation of the desert landscaping and parking lot. Councilmember Kelly stated that he had noticed that some of it was done, but the south end is bare and he had not seen anybody working there. Mr. Alvarez explained that the project is being phased in order to coordinate with the existing residents. The remainder of the project will be completed by the end of December. G:\rda\Beth Longman\Committees\PA #4\Minutes\2008 Minutes\Minutes 102008.doc 9 CITIZENS' ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR PROJECT AREA NO. 4 MINUTES C. PLANNING COMMISSION LIAISON None D. STAFF October 20, 2008 Dave Yrigoyen announced that the Committee's November meeting is scheduled during the week of Thanksgiving and the December meeting is scheduled during Christmas. Staff would like to send out cancellation notices for those meetings, and have the next meeting in January. This would allow the Committee members to schedule their vacations accordingly. Member Ash pointed out that the January meeting falls on the Martin Luther King holiday and the February meeting falls on Presidents' Day. Perhaps the Committee should meet in March. Councilmember Spiegel suggested that they could always change the date; it all depends on what is on the plate. Mr. Yrigoyen explained that the Committee has listened to everything that is on the plate. If the Committee wishes to have specific questions answered, then a meeting would be scheduled. XI. ADJOURNMENT The next meeting is scheduled for November 17, 2008, at 3:00 p.m. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 3:45 p.m. Maria Hunt, Recording Secretary G:\rda\Beth Longman\Committees\PA #4\Minutes\2008 Minutes\Minutes 102008.doc 10