 Let's call to order the February 8th meeting of the Capitalist City Council. Can I have a roll call, please? Mayor Brown, are we gonna do the closed session report? Right the part of that right for the closed session agenda. Oh, my apologies. Can we get a report on closed sessions? The council met in closed session this evening and took no reportable action Okay Can I roll call please? Council member Clark here council member Morgan here council member Peterson Here vice mayor Brooks and mayor Brown here Please join us for the Pledge of Allegiance All right, we'll move on to item two are there any additions or deletions to tonight's agenda Staff has no changes this evening Okay Moving on to item three we've got some presentations this evening our presentations are limited to eight minutes And we'll start with item three a a presentation from capital a recreation division on the recreation strategic plan Good evening mayor council members I am here along with my staff to do a report out on the recreation division strategic plan Next slide, please So the recreation strategic plan was adopted at the first year of or for its first year at fiscal year 2021 So we are entering into our fifth year of that strategic plan. It Had created a road roadmap for us that that's that comprised of a framework three key initiatives and Four goals Each one of those goals had three to five strategies in order to lead to accomplishment now the pandemic Adjusted a lot of those strategies particularly years for achievement and some of the overall goal or Aspects of the strategies, but ultimately the pandemic also provided us a lot of opportunities for growth We go to the next slide, please So I do want to note that in your packet what is the entire adopted strategic plan? And I'm going to just kind of quickly go through some of the key points And in order to spend more time on the good stuff that y'all actually want to hear about so the strategic plan Consisted of a mission a vision and our values Next slide, please and then the first goal To become an efficient and effective umbrella organization next slide, please a Second goal in order was to be more affordable and accessible in our programs and provide those services to the community To maximize our facilities both the park facilities and the buildings that we have available and To really use the partnerships that we have in order to broaden our reach To the residents All right, and so each one of my myself and each one of our staff my staff we're all going to go through the areas that we kind of oversee in the division and Talk about kind of where we were before we adopted this strategic plan and Where our progress has come to and during this time? so to start off with as To start off with the Before the strategic plan started the community center definitely had some needs that it needed to attend that we needed to attend to It also we had a lot of standalone programs that didn't necessarily connect out within the community and the staff structure really provided a limited opportunity for program development As time went on we began to connect a little bit more with the art and cultural commission The pandemic provided us our first opportunity to partner with them when we were offered the reflections of 2020 art contest We also at that time was doing Multiple levels of sponsorship where several staff are reaching out for sponsorship. We have since coordinated that within the division and also our events and program calendar for the community offerings and further developed our recreation coordinator roles in order to try and Get to a more streamlined organization One of the key initiatives that We have achieved is the addition of Kelly Burrito to the recreation division As I took on staff role for the art and cultural commission And then throughout the city as well as with support of council. We are addressing the community center needs having established a new MOU the fundraising campaign for treasure Cove at Jade Street Park as well on its way and Along with city staff council will be hearing more in the future about our special event permit review So I'm going to go ahead and pass it off to my staff You hear me? Okay Good evening mayor and council members My name is Casey Anderson and I supervise classes community center rentals and promotions for capital recreation So when this strategic plan started Capital recreation had adult classes mainly on the weekdays. We had occasional community center rentals when staff Availability permitted we had an old recreation logo, which you can see at the top of this slide And we produced seasonal recreation catalogs In 2020 as everyone knows the pandemic stopped everything And that was the same case with capital recreation Everything that we had going on at the time we had to figure out a way to do it different So we figured out how to create all of our Classes that we had going on into a zoom model. This required a lot of Technological tech for support and helping people figure out not only how to use zoom, but also just basic computer stuff To do this we formed a virtual recreation center This was the hub for all of our virtual classes as well as we really Realized that we needed to build our social media to be able to connect with our community We began in-house graphic design And we began supporting city-wide events once the pandemic ended and during fall of 2021 we were able to bring back in-person classes This brings us to today where we now Still produce a seasonal recreation catalog it is sent to 230,000 houses in our community This catalog now supports all city-wide activity not just city department activity, but also partnered organizations we have very Reese in the past couple of years we have brought on youth classes in addition to adult classes that we now are able to Schedule seven days a week in addition to this Availability in the community center. We now have a community focus rental schedule Meaning that whenever we have a rental request we make sure that we have staff in there to Provide excellent community service to the people that are renting the building In addition to all of this we have focused on increasing collaborations within our county We currently partner with the city of Santa Cruz The city of Watsonville as well as County Parks and Recreation Specifically for Parks and Recreation Month, which is in July so July is Parks and Recreation Month this past summer we joined all together and produced a city-wide or not city-wide a county-wide Add that Advertised all of the different recreation offerings that were happening in July as well as advertised the Free Family Fund day Which is the last Saturday of every July? And it's a free activity for all families in our county to go to in addition to collaborating with Local Parks and Rec agencies we have also moved to collaborating with Parks and Rec people professionals from all over the State we have become a CPRS California Parks and Recreation Society membered agency We currently have two district board members. Nikki is the president-elect of that board and I currently serve as the secretary CPRS has become a great way for all of us to stay in Contact with the people that are doing the same things as us around the state as well as provide Multiple educational opportunities for us throughout the year So yeah, I am very excited to share all the growth that we've had in these areas and I'll pass it along to my co-worker Stacy Good evening mayor and city council members. I am Stacy Butcher and the recreation coordinator. I supervise youth programs and small events I've been a part of the strategic plan process since the beginning and we're gonna start by talking about the OST program Out of school time program was a distant learning program created during COVID the pandemic It was created for a kindergarten through eighth grade. We were able to put together seven different pods of students and Put them on four different locations campuses around the community on this group of students Rolled through and did an off-site camp Capitola for elementary school students that summer Camp Capitola beginning as a beginning of this process. We had about 400 campers for six to 12 year olds we were able to able to obtain our ACA Accreditation and then we have since maintained that We've also been able to grow camp Capitola to 670 this past summer and we've added four or five year olds and also added a couple sessions of 11 to 14 year olds Camp Capitola also offers a junior leader program This is a folk focused on professional development for 14 to 17 year olds The beginning of this process we had about 15 enrolled this past summer. We had 30 enrolled Once camps all done we roll right into after-school rec club at New Brighton little school The beginning of this strategic plan process. It was a small group of middle school students only about 12 of them We used one room currently we increased Our enrichment programs with the after-school rec program and we have about 30 students and we do a transportation of 24 or so students we go to Soquel elementary and Main Street elementary and Drive them over to the Brighton and then we run two classrooms in the afternoon throughout the school year When after school ends and the school break schools have a break we just started up this past holiday season and ran a school break camp This was extremely successful. We had a wait list for it and so now we've seen the need in the community We'll continue to grow that program We cannot do any of this without our seasonal staff So the beginning of the strategic plan process we had about 10 summer staff and then forward stay on board With growing up our programs We have about 20 summer staff that work with Camp Capitola and eight stay on board and help us with the events and after-school rec programs We are extremely thankful for the relationship. We have at the capitol foundation They play a key role in accepting the scholarship applications and awarding the appropriate funds to individuals The beginning of this process we had about four or five thousand to give the cap capitola Participants or junior guards. We've extend we have since expanded this to all youth programs could be youth classes youth camps or youth Guards and camp throughout the summer. This scholarship fund has grown to $60,000 We are very thankful for the Soquel Unified elementary school district grant the capitol foundation Our RM go kids and also the city council approved ECYP fund Moving right along in beginning in this program the strategic plan We met with the library staff and realized the best way we could get the youth involved Is taking field trips over to the library with their camp capitol campers and also our after-school rec students We've also started the food truck events during this process We run for summer food truck events over at Monterey Avenue Park. We have live music non-profits run the beer garden family fun games And we've also been able to offer winter movies at capitol community center And then monthly parent night out events. I am thrilled to be a part of the city and the recreation team I'm honored to introduce Brennan Howard Good evening mayor council members I'm gonna highlight what my job is which is supervising both the lifeguard service as well as the junior guard program and Just take you through kind of where we started and where we are as of now. So as you see Where we started we used to have only one seasonal admin staff in charge of around 20 instructors Every single time that we had to get these instructors certified. We would contract that to central fire Department and they would give us an aquatic rescue response team certification Which is obviously slightly different than a lifeguard serve for our tower operations They were given to Santa Cruz fire as under contract as well we would still assist as much as we could with whether it's rescues preventives that we've gone over but Generally speaking it was fairly low impact We had only serve around 1,500 members of the community every year As coven hit we bumped up our admin staffing to two Seasonals which would be in charge of the JG program as well as assisting all those instructors and went as low as 11 instructors We had also still contract all of our training out and The worst case scenario or beaches were closed entirely public use Our collaboration and partnership did gradually change. However, we were able to partner with Santa Cruz fire and do ride-alongs But underneath that certification. We weren't actually run to run towers Now We have one full-time staff, which is myself and I have three other seasonal employees that helped me supervise the beach seven days a week during summertime We have around 32 lifeguards and all these lifeguards are certified in-house by the city we also Then get to operate our towers, which we hold so dearly that collaboration and partnership that we've established has Expanded significantly to encompass national standards with the US LA the California surf life saving Association as well as our local like agencies and Even the Coast Guard stations up here with sector San Francisco Just last year alone. We served over 8,000 members of the community whether it was small acts of Kindness or doing major medicals and saving people's lives next slide Her capital junior guards. We had a similar arc We typically would hold around a thousand participants and it was a fairly sports oriented program our Collaboration really just sat with parents club and they held our hand through this whole process. They've really been driven and making sure this stays afloat and As Stacy touched we would assist with scholarships during COVID that dropped us low as 400 participants and it allowed us to shift our Curriculum to be more dual-purposed building job skills as well as life-saving techniques within our youth and Once again parents club was there Now we're back up at a thousand participants and our job skills in life-saving education have gone up even more We're now certifying almost all of our double A's and CPR as well as really getting them in the recruitment process Whether it's for a life-saving skill that they're going to learn or just being a good member of the community Our collaboration has also expanded once again using the USLA in the CSL say and all of our local JG programs For community outreach as you may know, we're doing the equity swim program Which allows us to help youth that might not be able to afford it or don't have the necessary Skills to be able to enroll in a junior grad program Allowing us to really get that niche community that we need to help that ability to enroll And then one more thing I would like to highlight to you is Corey McNair He's in the back. He has helped all of us throughout this entire process whether you are renting from the community center or Helping me through scheduling or just the most minute things from all the graphics. You've seen this entire night. Thank you Alright, so what's left for This last year within our strategic plan, so we do have two key initiatives The first one is that to incorporate parks under the programming of parks underneath recreation and Council will be hearing in shortly in the future parks permit plan We have another key initiative which is to streamline the staff organization or the staffing structure in order to be a efficient and sustainable staff structure and then finally to identify opportunities With the upcoming city's strategic plan So with that we are available for questions Great. Thank you Questions. All right. No questions. Thank you all so much. We really appreciate your hard work All right, we're gonna go to item 3b presentation from the police department on the police chiefs advisory committee Hello, good evening mayor and council I'm here this evening to report back to the council on the second recruitment of our chiefs advisory group provide a little background on the timeline of this the chiefs advisory group so The goal was developed back last year the late last year We developed the policy did some research develop the policy application process and started our first round of recruitment on that first round of recruitment was October of 2023 we're received I Believe we see more than that. We received about 11 application and no, I'm sorry. We received the eight applications. I'm sorry and then Realize with that the demographics of that of those applications. We wanted to get back out there and do some more research So we did that with the help of city staff who were able to take the brochure and make it bilingual And then we did a recruitment effort. I'll kind of highlight that the steps that we took basically from Up until this last month and we held interviews. I've received a total of both rounds about 20 applications Next slide So this is the like said that recruitment efforts that we did another two months We broaden the scope as at your direction. We've reached out to a capital alive. Oh, so Cal Aptos translated the applications into both English and Spanish Made it available on the city website And then with the information out to the city buildings kiosks the libraries local mobile home parks next And then we also made direct Communication with the diversity center and a cruise senior center In double ACP Cabrillo College some faith-based organizations and those other groups And with that I was able to sit down actually myself and the captains were able to sit down and interview Everyone and at the end of those interviews I landed on the list that's this before you As we did kind of reflect on the current list that's in front of you We did recognize that we did still have some voids there that we're going to continue to do some outreach there I also understand that that this this group here like I said We're gonna meet and we'll have to see how that works out if if a member were to fall off Or if we were to find someone that that meets the our Spanish-speaking community I'd be more than happy to kind of bring them in as a part of that community So we're encompassing everyone everyone's voice in this group and so with that like I said your direction was to Go out do some more read Recruitment Come up with a list and bring it back to you. I feel very if you want to go back to that list I feel very very happy with the list that were that we've landed on I'm really looking forward to working with each and every one of these these people and think that we're gonna Produce some really good content out of this committee. So with that I'm open for any questions Or if you have any other feedback for me Great. Thank you questions on this end I'll just say thank you for bringing this back And it's kind of cool to see that we got a lot more applicants once we sort of brought in the outreach a little bit So I'm really happy that it went this way. So thank you for doing it Thank you, and I do appreciate the feedback and I really this second round I feel so much better with this group not that the second the first group was was lacking But I feel like we've just covered a lot more basis here. So I really appreciate that. Thank you Thank you really appreciate your work on this. Thank you We'll move on to presentation C3 presentation from the Regional Transportation Commission providing an update on the zero-emission passenger rail and trail project. Hi, welcome Good evening Good evening council members in the chair Brown. My name is Grace Blake Slee I'm a transportation planner with the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission I was most recently before you in October to provide information about the coastal rail trail project segments 10 and 11 and It's good to be back to provide an update on the zero-emission passenger rail transit program. I'm sorry past passenger rail and trail project I'll first provide you with some brief background on the Santa Cruz branch rail line and its context within Santa Cruz County The Santa Cruz branch rail line is a continuous transportation corridor This bands approximately 32 miles from the computer community of Pajaro in the south to the northern community of Davenport The branch line has been used since the midnight 1870s with current freight and passenger excursion services It provides the the community a unique opportunity to meet some of the transportation needs in Santa Cruz County With this vision in mind the Commission purchased the Santa Cruz branch rail line in 2012 and brought it into public ownership and Over the course of the next decade the Commission contemplated several planning studies including the 2015 rail transit feasibility study which analyzed a range of public transportation service options using the publicly owned branch line and Later the transit corridor alternatives analysis and rail network integration study, which was completed in 2021 which identified electric passenger rail as the preferred alternative that provides the greatest benefit to the county Not listed here Also as completed as the Monterey Bay St. Curie scenic trail plan that was completed in 2013 that relates to the use of the Santa Cruz branch line as a corridor for active transportation multi-use bicycle and pedestrian path In 2022 the Regional Transportation Commission directed staff to solicit proposals to develop a project concept report and environmental documentation for rail on 22 of the miles of the Santa Cruz branch rail line As well as contemplate developing the remaining segments of the Coastal Rail Trail between Santa Cruz and Pajaro Currently 17 miles of the Coastal Rail Trail projects have been constructed or under development as separate projects and the zero-emission passenger rail and trail project would work to complete the 13 miles that have not begun Have not begun pre-construction activities and that segment is from rail to water down to Watsonville and Pajaro The project development team which consists of the consultant team and staff from the cities of Watson Watsonville Capitola as well Santa Cruz and the County of Santa Cruz as well as the transportation agency for Monterey County and the Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District and RTC have supported development of a preliminary purpose and need statement over the last two months Next slide project overview The zero-emission passenger rail and trail project proposes a new high-capacity passenger rail service and Stations on those approximately 22 miles of the Santa Cruz branch rail line that is shown on this slide from Santa Cruz to Pajaro The as I mentioned before it also proposes to construct the 12 miles of Coastal Rail Trail, which is shown in green On this slide beginning from Realdom are connecting down to Pajaro The project aims to take advantage of the publicly owned right-of-way to provide the passenger Oh, sorry, excuse me This is also to connect using the point I want to make here is that the passenger rail project is intended to connect to Pajaro with the state rail system Rail passengers will be able to bypass Highway 1 and local materials that are highly congested and provide hard quality connections to key destinations within the county The Coastal Rail Trail component of the project will provide that dedicated and continuous bicycle and pedestrian facility So the project concept report will look at conceptual rail transit vehicle technology Transit ridership revenue forecasts. It will evaluate infrastructure. It will look conduct a rail corridor safety assessment And in the end will identify multiple concepts and refine those concepts into one preferred rail transit and trail build Concept that clearly defines the project for the next stage of project development, which would be the environmental analysis stage Next slide Here's the project schedule The project concept report is anticipated to be completed in spring 2025 and Following the completion of the project concept report the project will move through preliminary air engineering And as I mentioned environmental documentation and then after that project approval and right-of-way and final design Next slide, please so and coming back to the project concept report the the When in the project that we're working on now The first milestone of the project concept includes developing the preliminary purpose and needs statement The preliminary purpose and need documents the needs and constraints that drive development of transportation improvements in the study area It also summarizes the priorities in the development of alternatives and establishes a fundamental purpose of this project Next slide, please The preliminary purpose and needs um I'm sorry the project development teams input was critical in developing the preliminary purpose and needs statement And that's inclusive of the needs of various stakeholders in our community And on January 11th the project development team recommended this preliminary purpose and needs statement that's presented to you here in summary There's a complete description of the preliminary purpose and needs statement on the RTC website, which I'll post the link later on the slides So the current state of Santa Cruz County Transportation infrastructure is strained. I think we can agree on that and enable and sometimes to effectively serve the community It's also insufficient to support a stronger local economy and improved environment environmental and public health and improve equity and better quality of life So this preliminary purpose and needs statement reflects these deficiencies and identifies needs which I'm going to read through in summary the primary that in summary the primary project needs are a Diverse transportation needs not fully met in slow travel times deficiencies in roadway travel and insufficient alternative transportation options a need for VMV vehicle mile traveled reduction to meet mandates Also to reduce greenhouse gas emissions again also to meet mandates and To address missing linkages and safety concerns of existing bicycle and pedestrian facilities in Santa Cruz County This statement of needs also helps us to define the project purpose Next slide So the project's fundamental purpose as proposed is to support and improve equitable multimodal transportation options for Santa Cruz County The elements are listed here It is to provide increased access to convenient accessible and reliable public travel options To improve transit connections to community activity centers supporting the local economy and providing better access between housing and jobs Also, okay, also to integrate with plans for future land use Reduce transit travel times improve improved transit system reliability Enhanced bicycle and pedestrian connectivity and safety promote alternative transportation modes to increase overall transportation system capacity and reliability and Provide a critical link between the cities of Watsonville and Santa Cruz and communities in between as an alternative to congested roadways and Lastly to reduce those vehicle miles travels and associated greenhouse gas emissions This is the what's what we are proposing is the primary purpose of the project So upcoming engagement, there's a lot happening right now around this project We hope that you've already heard about it, but if you hadn't take note here The Commission and its project partners are committing committed throughout this project to meaningful public engagement Which is one of the reasons we're here before you early on in the project and plan to return at each of the key Milestones to the capital city council to provide you with the information and keep you updated The community participation is vital vital to aid in minimizing impacts while meeting the needs of riders, bicyclists and pedestrians In order to hear the voices of our community the project team has scheduled various engagement opportunities over the next coming weeks We do have a website. It's a virtual open house. That's live. It's been live since last Monday And we've been briefing stakeholders and having meeting with key partners Next week as you can see here, we're having virtual and in-person open house meetings One is on Monday February 12th at Ramsey Park from 6 to 7 30 p.m In a second on Tuesday February 13th at the live oak range from 6 to 7 30 and This feedback will be requested on the needs as well as the primary project purpose and inform The draft purpose that will will be moving forward within the project Next slide So future milestones to kind of help you kind of give an idea of how the project is going to round out going forward So right now we're at the we are here's spot where we're looking at the preliminary purpose and need statement and the next step will be to develop conceptual alignments for both the rail and the trail along the Santa Cruz branch rail line and to be looking at zero emission vehicle types So the project development team is just starting to look at those things now And we'll be bringing that forward to the community at the summer and to you Then we'll have a refined conceptual alignment as well as look at station and facility and maintenance locations Next fall and bring that information back as well And then with that refine those concepts based on public input and further analysis to develop a draft Problem project concept report as well as associated cost estimates Next slide, please Thank you Thank you, I really appreciate you coming out here to share that with us this evening Questions or comments? Yeah, go ahead. Thank you for the report I have a question on the slide with the project over a view You might have talked about this or you probably will answer this question numerous times But it's just simply about the visual on slide. I think it's a second slide Julia And the visual it shows a really teeny tiny proposed coastal rail trail They're in capital and then a significant break in the trail. Can you touch on that a little bit? Thanks for pointing that out I appreciate that So right now The projects that are moving forward with the coastal rail trail are from Rio del Mar north to the city of Santa Cruz But there is Right now is weary. We are not moving forward with the trail over Soquel Creek next to or the Capitola trestle and so that that portion of the project is Shown there and that small green dot in the zero emission passenger rail trail project is looking at Bicycle and pedestrian facilities as well as a rail facility crossing over the Soquel Creek And we've been referring to that as Phase two of the segment 11 that Okay, yeah comments on this end. No, okay. Thank you so much really Yes, and I meant to mention that Riley Gerrand of RTC staff is the project manager for this Project and he is on to zoom if there are additional questions that I can't answer Thank you All right, I will move on to item four additional materials And it looks like we have some Staff has received additional materials for tonight's agenda One email correspondence for item 3b and one email correspondence for item 8b All right. Thank you We'll move on now to item five oral communications from members of the public This is a time for any member of the public to address the council on items that are not on tonight's agenda You'll have up to three minutes for your comments Please state your name clearly if you'd like it recorded in the minutes. Hi. Welcome. Hi. My name is Goran Klapec I I play almost every day at Jade Street Park basketball But that's not what I wanted to talk about today today I made a call to the CPD at 10 50 a.m. Exactly because I saw a gang sign or a graffiti sign Next to Whole Foods area there when I made that call They didn't understand my English very well. I don't know what to do anymore when I make such a call Maybe I need to contact the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey They understand Serbian French English Italian that I all speak maybe they can help me out and see what I'm talking about here in Capitola Thank you very much for listening. God bless you all. Thank you. Hi. Welcome Okay So I brought the 211 annual report since 211 is 211 day And I don't know Good evening esteem members of the city council I'm honored to stand before you today to share some significant insights into our community Well-being and the vital services we have been able to provide First and foremost, I want to draw your attention to the invaluable resource We have established the 211 phone line in 2023 alone. We received 4,480 calls through this channel connecting our residents with essential social and Health services throughout these calls. We were able to provide a staggering 8,050 referrals ensuring that individuals in need receive the support they require in times of crisis Responsiveness was unwavering during disasters. We feel 772 calls offering critical information on disaster preparedness chapter options and disaster relief efforts notably in collaboration with California fire foundation we distribute one-time financial assist Assistant to those impacted by the storms offering immediate assistance when it was needed most understanding that diverse needs of our community is Paramount and This year we identified several areas where assistance was most required of course housing utility assistance food meals Legal aid and public safety services emerged as the top needs Addressing these needs remains central to our mission of serving our community effectively. I'm proud To highlight the invaluable partnership we have forged with key agencies in our region the community bridges Catholic charities and same business the power is done now as a pilot of Support providing a certain services to our residents in conclusion I want to express my gratitude to each member of this console for your unwavering support of our endeavors Together we have made a tangible difference in the life of countless Countless individuals Embarying the spirit of community and compassion as we move forward Let us continue to work hand in hand ensuring that our series remains a beacon of hope and support and support for all for all who can For all who call it home. Thank you. Thank you so much for your work on this. Hi, welcome. Thank you I'm Larry Fenton. I'm president of capitol Aptos rotor I'm here with our program chair Pam Goodman to tell you about our plan for raising money for the treasure cove project Rotary is an organization of 1.4 million around the world that's dedicated to community service to Improve standards and all locations and to advance goodwill and peace throughout the world Jade Street Park is a Already a place where people gather and the addition of treasure cove will allow children of all abilities Play together There'll be accessible ramps slides swings as well as a sensory garden and a game table for people who prefer to remain seated It shows every child you belong you matter in this place is for you We're pleased to make this our focus this year for fundraising We have some fun ways for the community to participate Most importantly, we're having a dinner March 22nd Where we're going to honor the service of Zach friend and Bruce McPherson retiring supervisors And tell you more about the park and what we're going to do Pam and ours are going to be reaching out to the community to offer opportunities to sponsor the event All sponsorships dollars are matched with a community with a matching grant from modern minutes of foundation So dollars are doubled and we'll also offer organizations individuals an opportunity to donate items for An auction so Pam it should be fun reaching out to the community and we hope to see you all there I Just want to add that It's capital and app Aptos rotary is really honored to be able to participate in this park in the creation of this park and we know that it brings people from all areas if you hang out at Leo parks like I do Leo Haven like I do there are People coming from over the hill down south and so you know, it's gonna hurt help tourism also But but also be another place for our kids to go. Thank you Thank you. Thank you both so much. We're really grateful for the efforts that the Rotary Club is putting in to fundraise for this Gary Richard Arnold mayor council people I Think we have the forum here a lot of people think that we have representative government But it's never talked that you're part of a cog a council of governments. That is no more than a Soviet It was put together at the University of Chicago with Carnegie the chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York Laura Speller Rockefeller Foundation and With a person that assembled the finances for that was Daniel Coyt Gilman who in actually incorporated the skull and bones network of which One of the a Zach friend used to work for One of these members of skull and bones. In fact, he had two former employers That were registered as communist lobbyist Also, we heard Bruce McPherson mentioned you look up on you go home tonight You look up Bruce McPherson Katrina Lung front page of US News and World Report He received tens of thousands of dollars from Katrina Lung those pictures of her alongside the premier of red China the person in charge of these cow cog Which is again a parallel government which you're not addressing. It's not taught in your elementary school It's not taught in your high school. It's not taught at the University and Actually Rotary by the way when the UN was formed in San Francisco the first acting secretary general there I was supported by Rotary and the council on foreign relations and That member was a member of the council on foreign relations. His name is Alger. Yes, he's a traitor to the country, you know One of the last people Your kids are being thrown so much global only it's really pathetic the man in charge of the University of Chicago They claim that this is To develop scientific social control and that's what all of this Substainable stuff is the man's name was Charles Miriam. He says the human system may be reconditioned through the glands perhaps through the bloodstreams Like fluoridation or through any one of a thousand minor manipulation Stimulations gradations that might have that silently move Subtle each or they were pointed in the most the strongest lobby west of the Mississippi is is Run is California forward that was set up by Leon Panetti who actually gave Military and policy information to a red Chinese communist spy who has two plaques on our courthouse Today and Anita Bruce MacCurson nor Zach friend will take down where that's That danger that happened and a lot of our fathers and grandfathers were killed during Red Chinese activity in Korea and Vietnam. Thank you. Thank you. Any other oral communications for members of the public? Saying none we will close oral communications and move on to staff and city council comments. We'll start with staff Staff has any comments this evening. Okay, we'll bring it back to council any comments on this end Yeah, I'd like to Thank our staff Public works and our police department again once again, we were hit by a hurricane if you want to call it that or a cyclone bomb, but weather's changing, but it's good to see that the city was ready and Things turned out better than they could have been. It's a great job by everybody Yeah, I'd like to bring it to the attention of our business owners that affect of January The beginning of the year that all letters of authority applications on file must be notarized in accordance to SB 602 I've talked to our police department a little bit about this and I've learned that we have 41 letters on file and We do not charge for no no Notarization So I just would like to ask staff to maybe ensure that we contact all business owners and folks who have letters on file To let them know that there's a new Requirement that the letters must be notarized in order to To be effective. Thank you. All right Thank you. We move on now to item seven, which is our consent agenda All items will be enacted by one motion in the form listed below You can move these consent agenda I'll second them. All right. We have a motion in a second all in favor say aye Any opposed any abstentions motion passes unanimously Move on to item eight a War for resiliency and public access project Good evening Mayor and council members as you may be aware We have a project going on out at our wharf right now And I thought now would be a good time as we've achieved several milestones to have an update next slide, please Oh, by the way, I'm sorry before that last slide those are all new piling So all of our old one not all of our old ones and many of our old ones are wood all the new pilings on the expanded wharf are FRP so fiberglass and so Where our old pilings kind of went in it as an angle these go straight in so you can look right down the alley at our new wharf Next slide, please So a little bit of overview if you are not familiar with the project key project elements are whitening the wharf To make it more resilient less susceptible to right where someone is pointing there for me Is the widening bit there? Looking out towards the workhouse Fixing pilings doing full deck replacement full railing replacement to current code and the addition of restroom Facilities both at the head in the base of the wharf It's really to ensure the wharf's longtime resilience and enjoyment for all of the capital residents and visitors And we started our construction with Cushman contracting this past September So progress updates some of the most recent items completed are the removing of all of these old pilings from 19 I want to say 28 Lots of junior guards have run into these So I got several calls about it in the past couple summers And so those are now removed and no longer hazards They've also been saved for potential use as aesthetic elements of the community center renovation project and then but on the bottom there You can see where we have been getting to our widening. So the text says 41 But really we are at bent 43 of 46 So we are rapidly approaching our full widening Length and we're expected to get there in the next few weeks. So that's very exciting for us next slide, please And then most recently yesterday, we got our restroom delivered, which was also very very exciting It came on a ship from New Zealand And so that was put in today the utilities aren't hooked up We're gonna do a whole process where we make sure this thing is operational before we let people in it But it was delivered and placed in the past couple days Next slide, please So we have had some setbacks in this project most recently the December storms we had some broken pilings you can see there in the middle picture There's quite a bit of debris though not as much debris is from January 2023 that came in and hit some of our older piles Requiring replacement of some that we weren't intending on replacing There was also some damage and deformation to places where we were currently Constructing and really led to some hazardous conditions I will say that we have fully fixed the mid-span Repairs and it kept go widening the wharf and we have not yet gotten to the seaboard side The head of the wharf repairs and we haven't fully completed that assessment of what damage is there as we are working steadily from The lambard side out towards the end of the wharf next slide, please So Unfortunately also in this latest storm the wharf house sustained some really major damage As you can see there the seaword facing wall which is where all those windows were has completely caved in What you can't see in this picture is parts of that it took part of the foundation with it and is inside the building and So with the combination of this most recent damage damage We knew from January which we had done a hazmat evaluation to show that there is a Basically a gut job needed of that building and then also the condition of the roof and standing water That building is deemed a total loss of both myself as a registered civil engineer in state of California And our building official had made this determination and we do plan on moving forward with the demolition of this building Next slide, please With the widening we've been able to recently more easily get out into both of the buildings prior to that We had visited the buildings before but mostly by boat. It was very limited access up until just a few weeks ago So we were able to do these assessments both on the wharf house and the boat and bait shop We've also found significant damage to the boat and bait shop There's issues with some of their hazardous materials containment out there Issues where the building is not to code and is currently red-tagged everything on the wharf is currently red-tag It has been since January 2023 and it's going to Required to be addressed either by some major renovation or potentially demolition to be determined side please Other ongoing challenges on the wharf as mentioned before the head of the wharf assessment is ongoing as we get more access to Analyze what's happened out there in the structure of the building Obvious of the wharf obviously the buildings and then the winter just keep on coming So there's still storm events that we anticipate having prior to finishing this projects And we're really using all the measures we can to adapt and do the work we can and have it be the most solid Construction site that we can have so we don't have further damages as we go along So we are actively working with the our engineering team Muffin and nickel who's been with us this entire journey and also with the Contractor to really avoid any damage that can be avoided with our ongoing winter next slide, please Um, so the budget on this one so we still have some uncertainties again with the head of the wharf Some of our funding has been on hold. So if we start up at the top, we have the budget that we had presented back I want to say in May when we bid this project of eight point nine million dollars This doesn't include the five hundred thousand dollars that was awarded in the state budget that is currently on hold With the community center funds and then we have our expenses So we have our initial contract with kushman contracting We have change orders that we all very much Anticipated with this project because it is a structure in the ocean once you start removing decking You find other pilings that need to be repaired other structural elements that need to be repaired So that was not surprising in any way the storm damage was very much surprising and not something we had allocated into this budget And so to date our contingency that's remaining is around Three hundred and thirty six thousand dollars. However, that does not include the cost of the building demolition that we know We have to do at the wharf house which considering the hazmat situation at the wharf house that a lot of that stuff to be demoed as hazardous materials and has to be removed Before the building is demoed and then the location of the building being out on a wharf that has restricted access and weight limits It will be more an expensive project is than if we were going to go demo some other building on land And so we expect that to be four hundred to seven hundred thousand dollars, and we are actively working on getting multiple quotes on that right now Next slide please So next step in our timeline We still expect completion of this project in fall of 2024 We are continuing to get our widening all the way out to bent 46 We're actively coordinating with the businesses out there on the wharf and continuing to assess the damages We have again our contingency while currently is at three hundred thousand really is Less because we have to do the building demolition And that we intend on doing a separate engaging process as a city following this project to envision What would be at that wharf house site? So no determination has been made to that site other than the building requires to be removed Next slide please So in summation we have made quite a bit of progress on this build The structure despite a lot of the challenges we have we have been able to consistently move forward with construction and repair of the wharf Still have some assessments and challenges to go Considering it is still raining and storming But we are looking ahead to getting this project done still in the fall of 2024 And I'm happy to answer any questions you may have Thank you questions Jessica you mentioned that the Demo good rain. It's that there's a pretty big range. Is that enough through an RFP process or because you mentioned getting quotes We don't need to go through So ideally it'd be a change order with our current contractor They also have options with who do does the remediation part They may choose not to do the remediation and just the demo they may choose to sub the whole thing But we are working actively with them to make sure we get the most competitive price Within that change order. Gotcha. Thank you Jessica the With only 336 the contingency and the demolition alone being 400 to 700. What do we we have? Plans is that going to come back to council for future consideration? How are we looking at funding the demolition? so Being hopeful the $500,000 comes through the state and we don't get to the point where we actually have spent that Contingency prior to that, but if it turns out that that state money is not going to materialize We would have to return to council for additional funding All right, no additional questions. We will take this out to public comment. Do we have any public comment on this item? Seeing none. We'll bring it back to council. This was just receiving a progress report So there's no action on this item. Thank you for sharing an update with us All right, we're gonna go to item 8b housing element update Good evening mayor and council up for each and I'm going to give you an update on our housing element We believe we're pulling up the slides currently Back in January we heard from the state HCD office letting us know that we've got Additional work to do on our housing element. You'll recall back in November. We adopted our housing element the HCD gave us Quite a few minor comments and then one major item that we need to revisit is they're looking for a commitment For a height increase and floor area ratio exception for the mall site. They also Talked about density, but then there is no density requirement at the mall next slide, please So mall redevelopment currently we have a section within our code that's pretty new it came when we certified according to 2021 for incentives for In exchange for community benefits for the mall Redevelopment counts as a community benefit and the current incentive Increases the height from 40 feet within the regional commercial zone up to 50 feet in the regional commercial and it also Increases the floor area ratio of from 1.5 to 2.0 and that's the overall square footage that you're allowed to build on that site All further slides about what floor area ratio is further down the line, but so with the the mall has provided public comment and They in order to make their project financially feasible They're asking for a height up to 75 feet and then the floor area ratio be modified to have an exemption for garages parking garages next slide, please So within our housing element We identify 645 housing units on the Malone Geyer site 419 of these are affordable units, so there they'd be deed restricted to specific incomes In looking at the build out of 645 units our housing element specialists said well, this is feasible you can build those on the site however It's likely not economical economically feasible because your deed restricted in these units and you can only Charge a certain amount of money per income qualification. So In order to make it economically feasible Additional development is likely necessary to make that occur. So next slide, please so the request from the mall owner which I already stated on the previous slide was to go up to 75 feet and This would result in our estimates. I'm utilizing an HCD formula is 1,000 to 1,300 units So it increases the number on the site substantially and the other request is for the floor area ratio exception for the parking garage and in my opinion This is something we should Really consider and probably accept the state is going in a direction of where they're removing parking requirements from redeveloped from development projects And because this is a location close to the metro station the metro is really Providing more service these days. I think in the very in the near future This will probably become a high-quality transit center, which would qualify for not requiring any parking on the site So it makes sense to put an incentive in there for parking garages so that we have more parking on the site And don't create issues for the surrounding neighborhoods next slide, please So I'm going to quickly go through a couple developments that have are either in development or have occurred Close by within the city and county of Santa Cruz. They're mostly city of Santa Cruz actually. So this is 50 Philkirk Street it's 63 feet tall five stories and has 35 units in it next slide, please This is just showing the difference in height. Your your first floor is typically a lot taller, especially when you've got Commercial in there this project is not of commercial It has a garage on the first story and the first story is at 13 feet next slide, please Next is 130 Center Street. It's 74 feet. So this is comparable to what's being requested at the mall It's six stories and 233 units Next slide. So I'm going to point out in the first story It's at a 15 foot height limit for that ground floor commercial that really makes it an enticing Commercial area next slide 324 Front Street the Cruz Hotel again at 75 feet six stories tall 232 rooms next slide Just showing this actually is parking underneath the first story is that That red line is showing where the the new grade is and the first story with the commercial use is has 15 foot heights So next slide Capitola mall. This is the old. This is the 2019 conceptual review in in the conceptual review it was six stories on this Frontage at 75 feet the plan that came in in 2019 was for 637 units and as you can see it's a mixed use project with ground floor commercial next slide, please this is showing this is where 38th Avenue would have extended through the project and here you're seeing seven stories because they don't have the ground floor commercial There's the tenant leasing spaces on the bottom. It's an office space. So they're able to fit in seven stories I also want to point out in this slide that you see the garage on the lower left corner Garage door this there's a garage within this structure. That's completely wrapped by the architecture So it really makes a nice aesthetic for the experience of the of the mall and the street front edge next slide, please This is 820 Pacific Avenue. So now we're breaking through the 75 foot height And I'm giving you a couple more examples of higher heights 80 feet high seven stories 85 units So Next slide that's the first two stories in that building is the first story is commercial the second story is office space So you're seeing a 16-foot height on the first story and then 12 for the second and then 10 for the stories above next slide please And 100 Laurel Street. This is that 82 feet in height seven stories 205 units next slide and this is showing within that building there's Parking on the first Two stories and then housing above Next slide and this is 530 front straight again another mixed use development project It's almost at 90 feet eight stories. It's mixed use with a lot of commercial on the ground floor Next slide please And again ground floor commercial at 15 feet So really when you see the height request for 75 feet, it doesn't equate to seven stories It's typically six. So I just wanted to give you some examples So you know what you could expect in the future if we go in this direction tonight Next slide please The other request was for an exception to the floor area ratio for parking garages next slide This is a little diagram showing what floor area ratio is so if Floor area ratio is the gross building floor area that you're allowed divided by the area of the lot. So I think the the Diagram on the right is the easiest to follow if you had a one-story building it would cover the entire lot or At two stories it would cover half the lot, but you're allowed one Square foot for every square foot of lot under a 1.0. So for the request for two far you'd be able to build Two square feet for every square foot of ground on the mall site next slide please so here's the previous 2019 conceptual review and I'm just highlighting where the parking garages were proposed with the the black cars that you can see in the image next slide please The parking garage to the north that had one side of the building that was open and visible from the target parking lot Or from Claire Street next slide The lower parking lot the building was completely wrapped and that was the image I brought up earlier next slide So here I'm just giving you an example of the wrapped parking and the entry for the garage Pointed out with the arrow and then the unwrapped and just the visual differences there if City council were to give direction tonight to move forward with a 75 foot height a few things that we would be considering is Objective standards to ensure that any future project really blends in and the architecture There you know, there's a big difference between the image on the bottom and the top And so there's that review of objective standards to make sure it It's a great project in the final design Next slide please. So this went to planning commission At our last meeting last week there was support in general for the 75 foot height and also for the garage and they Definitely agreed with the incentives for onsite parking They also Suggested there were few few of the items that planning commission was concerned with they they feel that The mall site there's a lot of support by the community to redevelop the mall and That's where they could support the 75 feet height They did not want us to extend the 75 foot height limit to the entire zone So general commercial zone. They also have concerns about at 75 feet How that building interacts with the pedestrian frontage and the street and sun? And that visual experience so they would like objective standards if we were to bring this back to just ensure that there's like a daylight plane and Typically a lot of codes will have a daylight plane in which a structure can go up say three four stories along the sidewalk and then it has to Gradually build up as as you go back to just ensure that it doesn't overwhelm the the experience And they definitely like the idea of some type of objective criteria for future barrages, but so that was the feedback we got from planning commission and Next slide please tonight our recommended action is we this is Just advisory. We don't have a housing element drafted Update for you to review tonight are what I'm planning on doing is going back to the HCD With revisions based on planning commission and city council guidance We're looking for a conditional approval from the HCD instead of going if we go back through Public hearings right now for adoption There's a six-week waiting period for us to publish the document before you can actually adopt it again So we just want to keep this moving get to a place that we feel comfortable at the HCD is actually going to Certify it before bringing it back through adoption hearings and we've talked with our attorneys about this taking This route rather than going back and this was the Recommended approach. So tonight. I'm asking for feedback on the two items that I brought to you this evening 75-foot height and also the floor area ratio Exemption for parking garages And I'm available for any questions. Thank you Questions on this end. Yeah, go ahead Thank you. Um I have a handful of things first I would be in support of the 75 height Just questions first. We do comments when we come back after public. Okay. Okay comment. So my questions are in regards to Merlin Geier's Requests to Have the 75 foot height and floor area ratio Exclusion dependent from city code section 17 point eight eight Has there been any discussion on that or what are your thoughts about that? Yes, so actually a representative from Merlin Geier is here tonight Dave Geiser and We That was brought up in their original letter to HCD and you brought that to my attention More recently and in an email My response to that is the planning Commission Really wasn't supportive of rezoning or not rezoning but re-establishing the zone height is 75 feet for the all of the general commercial and our recommendation is really to keep it in that incentivized area so that not all of General commercial is north of capital the road extending to the highway so that whole area wouldn't be have a height of 75 feet allowed just Just an incentive for the mall so We're trying to Does that answer your question? I guess I'm a little bit Unsure about when I'm reading that a section of the code it says for Along 41st Avenue. There's the four criteria to meet community benefits. Is that right? Yes So which one would mall or which of these four? So meet to guarantee that they do the community benefit. We would be revising that section that that section of code to have Just a carve out instead of including it with all of 41st Avenue and the front edge along 41st See just the mall just the mall and then what what's the plan to include that or would that come back to council at a later date it will come as a zoning code update at a later date, but it would it would increase the height and Also have the exclusion to the floor area ratio for a garage if Recommended this evening and then we'd also include objective standards to make sure that the impacts are mitigated So it's a future zoning code update Luckily, it's not in that coastal zone. So it wouldn't be the timing wouldn't be impacted by coastal certification And I'm sorry to interrupt but just to confirm Katie a lot of cities are having to do later zoning code updates related to their housing element, right? Yes, and we've got a long list of zoning code updates relative to our housing code And the Objective standards that you were mentioning that would apply to the mall. Yes and When would those be discussed? Is that something we're talking about tonight or would that come back or that would come back? So whenever we write new code, especially zoning code, we have to publish it for a certain amount of time And have public hearings for the zoning code update So that would go to planning commission Planning commission would then make a recommendation to city council and then city council We'd bring it forward to you for adoption and Our list of housing element updates includes about 20 items at this point Where the zoning code update? Thank you, Katie so it's always really Tricky to separate this HCD Stuff from the zoning code some have also tried to keep them separated when we're talking about the 75 feet Increase or two up to you mentioned a really interesting number of 1000 to 1300 potential units by Increasing these 20 per 20 units per acre is that assuming that or is that not assuming will there be 1300 units potentially on the property compared to the original conceptual design that was presented to us in 2019 with those 600 as increasing it there's a Likely likelihood like the HCD they the formula they use is 10 units Her story per acre. So we ran those numbers and ended up at the 1300 if you were to do it 75 feet But with ground floor commercial it's gonna Part of the project will probably be just Residential as we saw in the first in the 2019 application and parts of it will be mixed use and possibly even office space on the second story So that's where that like fluctuation comes in between a thousand and thirteen hundred again The architect for the project is here this evening And he could probably answer that question Is it so I'm trying to think of the better way to say this so We HCD if I recall when they were here helping us through the process or when we're writing the housing element I'm sorry. I'm saying HCD which is probably not the housing element there were some concerns of us kind of putting all of our eggs in one basket and It seems that we would be making this adjustment to meet arena numbers Amongst all those all the other properties we've identified. So can you talk a little bit how about that and why we would be doing that? Is it something that The letter from the housing element folks from HCD HCD wanted or is this just a simply a request from developers saying this is a good opportunity to to you know to make this request at this time so For first just for clarification our design group is our consultant working on our housing element the HCD provided comments back to us during this and the HCD is the state Authority that will certify or not certify your housing element. So the letter we got from HCD at this point based on Public comment received from remote guy our partners about the feasibility of developing that many units on their site Was asking us for a commitment towards the height on this property, okay? We Also went over the percentage in our letter we you know, I can't remember what our number was 1,000 the buffer so if we didn't increase to 75 feet and Give potentially meet more low liars request. Are we still within our numbers? with With our within our rena numbers the way we if we didn't do that We would well so it's feasible to develop the number of units That we suggested within our housing element, but the HCD is saying it's probably not Economically feasible. So it's there's still a buffer there that we could decrease the overall requirement for The mark for Merlin guyer and then it might be more economically feasible at a less height However, I caution us to remove that buffer because any time a development comes in I guess my concern is that We went through extensive community Outreach when first working with Merlin guyer to just get to the 636 units as presented in 2019 and we're not having that conversation in depth with the community again, but yet zoning this area for potentially 1300 By allowing this this increase to 75 feet Can you talk a little bit about? that or process How as council we would mitigate that or as a city we would be facilitating those conversations I know we essentially get to Talk about it later, right and review conceptual designs and new things But if I you know, it's a little bit backwards in my mind. It is a little so thank you for pointing that out So the following the steps that would occur is we really before bringing forth Any type of amendment or discussion on 75 feet? We wanted to check in with Planning Commission and City Council If the HCD finds that what we Draft would suffice in terms of getting a certified letter a certification of our housing element then The the public process The whole there be a six-week Time period in which we publish exactly what the updated changes are and within that for the housing element there would be more of a just a commitment to Updating our zoning code to allow 75 feet on the mall So the public that that the updated housing element would be available for six weeks for public comment It would also go before Planning Commission And there'd be chance for the public to weigh in at that point and let us know whether or not there was support for the amendments to the housing element and then it would come to City Council To see whether or not you know with a recommendation from Planning Commission and then City Council if at that time there was a lot of Public coming out against the 75 feet and we have the we have the ability to change What's drafted and submit something different and come up with a different alternative for our housing element No, we could at that point we could update with the the new language It's just more risky in terms of whether or not the HCD would accept our changes Yeah, go ahead. Yeah, go ahead. I just have a question about the objective standards of especially having something required to be tiered wouldn't that greatly reduce the number of possible units and then Reduce the economic feasibility of it sort of negating the purpose of increasing the height to 75 feet It's a really large site with really large blocks. You'd refer Like the blocks aren't that small. So by doing that tiered it will have a definite impact on the number of units But it's very typical to require these Tiered tiered buildings in these situations. Oh, I guess my question is do you think that? HCD or Merlin guyer would still accept it if we did require the tiers Except that it is economically feasible is that was that built into their assumptions of Requesting the height to be set as 75 feet. Yeah, I think during public comment would be appropriate for Dave geyser to comment on that he actually commented on that during planning commission is acceptable. Thank you That's the architect and he's here. Yeah, I'd like I'd like to ask questions if you wouldn't mind Hi, welcome My name is Dave geyser. I'm with more longer partner. I'm managing director. Thank you. We appreciate you being here this evening This is a development that we've all been really looking forward to see come to fruition for a long time so We saw So I first maybe let's just address what I feel like is really the elephant in the room Is there gonna be 1,300 units there? We have increased this to 75 original application was for about what 630 640 units because we have existing tenants existing leases that we need to keep in effect and because the need or our desire to have a Multi-use with retail and housing we have to respect parking requirements and that as well and how where we can stack and We can't stack housing above a retail. So we have we have no plans currently for 1,000 or 1,300 years that I would doubt today if that if that were possible give even given the 70-foot-high limit and Exception on the F. A. R. And that the parking structures there So so we don't have any plans today for anything like that if for some reason down the line that were to change a 1,000 units even if there's one person per unit is a 10% increase in our population in one development So if that would be the case would Merlin Geyer have any interest in discussions about infrastructure improvements in addition to the development because clearly a 10% increase in the population is going to have a lot of impact on Roads and schools and the need for police services and fire services Yep, my guess is that environmental impact report will identify all of those impacts and then of course the mitigation measures to Address those impacts would have to be you know dressed by the developer. Okay, great And then I guess my my last question is so we saw a slide of an 82-foot building with only 205 units, so I'm wondering if you can talk to us about the idea of economic feasibility and why An increased height or an increased number of units would be required Because the slide we saw was Seven or eight feet and it only had 205 units, so I'm wondering how that was economically feasible And not that you were the developer for that But and again, we're speaking hypothetically here, too We don't have we're not just planning bringing back the same plant We would have to go back and we look at you know all of the impacts that we've seen happen over the pandemic with the impact on retail and Economic viability just with financing and those kind of things Um, I think our largest concern with economic viability is the requirement for this this workforce housing We don't think that makes the project work. In fact, we would look for nothing more than the Affordability component that's currently imposed on all projects within the city capitol not not the 419 workforce housing that that renders the project and feasible So I think that's what Katie was talking about going back and we're looking at what what does make the project feasible And our mind that is the right. What is the normal affordable requirement for housing of this type? I don't think it's really a height so much We we don't think we need to build higher than 75 feet right here in terms of having that standard. Which is why we suggested it There's We just don't think it's we that's not what we do necessarily we can do seven stories and in 75 feet If you go higher than that you get in a high rise and that gets into a certain building types that are more expensive to build and again Going to the economic feasibility So we don't think we need more than 75 feet in height to achieve a product that makes sense It's just a affordability component Shouldn't exceed what what the standard is for the city Okay, so so if it's the and and we're not talking about lowering the affordability Component in this discussion this evening based on the presentation. We just received right correct So if if it's the 409 it's 400 and what was it 19? 419 affordable units is what makes it infeasible Then There would need to be an increase in the market in the number of market rate units in order for it to pencil out Oh, yeah So so we're at 600 something right now, but you're saying we're not Necessary there's no plans to go up into the thousands No, which why which is why 419 units would be You know 40 50 60 percent of the total number of units which which doesn't work. It doesn't work, right frankly Do you do you understand why I'm confused right now? Yeah, okay So I'm confused though because we're not talking about removing the affordability requirement right now And the whole idea is that if we are going to increase the parking ratio and the height limit that hcd will say Okay, now you've changed your Um, your requirements to make building feasible But you're telling me that that's not what's preventing be building from being feasible. No, I think the hcd recommended a An economic feasibility analysis of what that what that workforce housing requirement would do the affordability project. Did they not? No, the hcd is looking for a commitment of up to 75 feet based on merlone geyer's Public comments stating that they need 75 feet in order to make this feasible the project feasible That's a number of units. That's not that we've also I believe submitted comments dealing with the fact that the number of affordable units at 65 percent of the number of you know number of units just doesn't work Okay, so I guess um Okay, yeah, I'll save it for comments. Okay. Thank any other questions. Well, I guess it I feel like this conversation is a little ahead of the game if we don't even know what the potential amount of units Are if we're a we're talking about 600 something and then Then we throw out a thousand to 1300 So is that is it going to if we raise to 75 feet? Is it going to be somewhere in the middle of that those numbers or our previous application was for 75 feet in height? and 636 units so we so in order to get the 636 units as Assumed in the the housing element. We would need 75 feet night. That's what that was our previous plans And I think that's why we came up with that number So in order to do the 636 units we need 75 feet night That's what we're saying because that was our previous project that we did got it Is that so in 2019 when you submitted the conceptual review to us or design excuse me? um That was the 636 the original photo was with 75 feet Okay That makes more sense to me now Yeah, it wasn't it wasn't 75 feet and we can do 1300 units. I again, I don't see how we can do that right, um, however The the question is that in order for your numbers still to work out There's still a problem with the 419 units that are workforce housing And so we still don't we still might not have a project But that's for a different day different discussion We're just talking about units in terms of the height and the far that generates the number of units The economic feasibility goes to the number of workforce housing units assigned to the the site Can you tell me when we would be able to have that conversation? Or what you know, is that when we go for zoning or when they submit a different design or Is this is just for a our housing element? This is just for the housing element and the the request that we saw um in terms of When could we the economic feasibility? So we do have a study occurring right now with cosmon looking at land use and feasibility of economic feasibility of redevelopment I will say that I think there's a disconnect that is Coming up currently with the regarding the letter that was submitted to hcd because there They there was definitely recognition of the number of units that we were placing on the mall For a mall redevelopment and my understanding was in order to make it feasible They were requesting the The request that I went over in my presentation this evening So I think there is a little bit of a disconnect I was not aware that they were Asking for the 75 feet based on the 2019 plan My understanding was the 75 feet and it would apply to the entire site Not the 2019 plan did not have 75 feet heights throughout the entire plan. There were areas that were still at two stories That could in and a lot of more property owned by marlon gyre that could be developed on the mall site, so My understanding from that letter was that the requests were in order to make Redevelopment feasible on that site and produce our numbers in terms of rena So katie, um, you mentioned a timeline for us to get back to to Then what was where are we on that timeline six week? Where are we in the six weeks for hcd? We were hoping to bring them just draft edits as soon as next week Because you just learned something new. I'm just curious about whether we need more information Based off of what we just learned today So We're under the gun at this point to get the housing element done The day before we adopted housing element, you'll recall we got a letter from marlon gyre that asked for three specific things Subsequently our housing element that we submitted to hcd was rejected and they asked us essentially to do those three things So planning commissioners recommended those steps. Um, I think every day that we go without having taken a step in terms of submitting What's the city and at risk to some degree? so I think my recommendation would be to focus on the planning commission's recommendation, which is about Allowing 75 feet in the zone of the ball My question my question is because you learn more information this evening Do you need more time to think about what we're really asking for because we don't want to see our developer Not succeed we really want this project, but you just also learned some new information So my question is katie for on your end. Do you need more time for that? You know I think it's worth If there's agreement that 75 feet would work that we move forward with comments to hcd and simultaneously The two of us work together our teams to discuss Exactly what that is because at this point we're just looking for we just need to get The housing element update in the it take it's another 60 day review By hcd to get their initial comment. So we'll get that rolling, but if david and I and david's team sit down and we figure out that Um, we need to adjust something we would bring it back to planning commission and city council and Just to have it moving Thank you. We appreciate it katie. I have one more question for you before we go to public comment We zoned this for a certain density and a certain number of housing units based on the housing element But that doesn't mean that's required that the developers required to build housing. They're correct Correct. So my concern. I guess what I'm asking you is it possible that we could put in an allowance for 75 feet in height and 2.0 floor area ratio and not Mess with the affordability requirement and then have the developer come to us and say well, we're going to build a 75 foot office building here now We can structure it so that that would not happen. Okay Okay, uh, we will close uh council questions for now and bring it out to public comment And seeing no members of the public we will bring it back to council for uh deliberation and discussion And there's no vote on this. So just deliberation and discussion Comments Yeah, I'd like to say that uh, I would agree with the planning commission as long as we can keep the objective standards. Um It has to be a project that's good for the developer, but it also has to be a project good for the city So if we can keep that in mind if we're moving forward, um Personally, I think 75 feet might be too high, but we probably have to see where it takes us We don't have to make the decisions now But uh, we need to keep moving So I would be in support of that I agree with councilmember clark. Um, I also think that um looking into the wrapped version of the garage It would be my take. Um along with the tiered approach um Definitely, you know with the whole like sun sunshine requirements or whatever they're called. Um, that's important to me But yeah, other than that I would echo what joe said and take the direction from planning commission too. Thank you um Yeah, I I think it's what's really important for me is transparency with the community and when you see larger numbers thrown around without conversation It just makes me really Hesitant, right and so it makes sense. I appreciate marlon geyer being back at the table to have these conversations because we've waited a long time I have concerns that this still is a project that doesn't Isn't economically feasible for you. Um, and so I hope that you find time to work with staff and can so that we can keep this project moving And that's why I'm in it. I'm happy to to move with The planning commission's recommendations in this but I really encourage having those conversations and to continue them In regards to the objective standards, I think you got enough feedback from planning commission in regards to the wrapped wrapped garage and the daylight plane That's what it was called And you know, I think just overall As you continue to update us to just Remind the community how this is different than you know, when we actually see a project in front of us and that they have community And there's opportunity for input because as our mayor said this if there were over 1000 people added to our beautiful city of capitol that has a Significant impact on our resources our community our streets our schools And so I just want to the community know that Where we recognize that and this decision this evening Is not It has nothing to do with creating 1300 Um Units so thank you. Those are my comments I would also support the 75 foot and exclusion of the parking structures from the Our ratio. I'd also be in favor of Revisiting the community benefit standards making those more objective or Um ensuring that Merlon geyer or whoever develops them all is able to do so without being With more security in what they can expect from the city Um, and that we do everything that we can to make this pencil out and be a good partner to them So that this actually happens in a reasonable time Thank you um Yeah, I mean I'll um, I'll be honest. I feel like our hands are kind of tied here at this point um We need affordable housing and Zero affordable housing does nothing for us I'm not Grilled with the idea of lowering the number of affordable housing units that we're going to have here when we're the most expensive housing market in the country um But I understand the need to move forward um with our housing element because The note that was provided essentially caused hcd to decide that that Was what was preventing our housing element from Being able to be certified And it's important that we have a certified housing element Um, so I would uh move forward with my colleague with what my colleagues are suggesting with the 75 feet in height and the Uh, 2.0 floor area ratio and we'll have discussions about the rest of it at a furt at a Another time I also think the wrapped garage is important though less important than housing affordability Okay I think that was it Thank you. I appreciate your direction tonight. Thank you All right, we'll move on uh to item 8c strategic plan project overview and timeline Hello, uh mayor brown and counsel. Thank you. I'm just here for a brief second. Um, I'm remain excited about this project as you know Developing a strategic plan is in your fiscal year goals currently And I'm just here to introduce our fabulous consultants very done We have maddie powers and michelle kennedy. I believe to present on As the experts on this project and how it will be achieved. So thank you, and I will be here if you have questions Thank you. Chloe It looks like michelle still needs to be promoted to the analyst We're working on it on our end Great. Thank you. Yeah, thank you for bringing an invitation Are you able to hear me now? Yes, we can hear you Do you all have I'm going to make all the check is right Miss kennedy, we were able to hear you for a second and now you're cutting out. Can we try here? Can we do an audio check one more time? Yes, hi. There you are. Yes. Hello. Thank you for being here Okay, great Well with your permission, we'll go ahead and share our screen and get going on the presentation we have for you tonight So good evening. It's really exciting to be with you and to be at the stage of formally kicking this project off and sharing with you The approach that you're bringing to this project in collaboration with the city I'm um, I'll will introduce ourselves in just a moment, but maddie if you want to go to the next slide I'm having some difficulty michelle. Give me one moment The tech is always the hardest part No worries Let you know maddie if it's easier for me to share Are are you both able to see into chambers or are you seeing a picture of yourself? We are seeing ourselves. Okay Okay, okay Well, we will just be disembodied voices to you, but we are glad that you're here We were watching you before so we know it We have a sense of who's in the room Because i'm working through it on my end too We're just working on some tech stuff on on our end and we'll We'll be ready in a minute. Thank you a little bit easier. Oh, can everyone see the screen now? Yes Oh great All right, so this is our agenda. We're going to introduce our team to you um, give you an overview of the sort of how we um Are going to approach strategic planning an overview of the process a few details on the project approach And our timeline and then we're happy to take questions Either during the presentation or at the end whatever you prefer So this is our project team. There are two of us here this evening. I'm michelle kennedy I'm the project manager and lead facilitator just a little bit about my background I've been conducting a strategic planning for local governments as a consultant for almost 30 years now Prior to that I worked in government sector in a variety of different roles policy roles, budget roles Communication roles. Uh, so I have a long long background in in serving government Um, I've had strum is our project principal and I always say to our clients if you don't see him much That's a good thing because it means the project is going well His role is to make sure that um our team has everything we need to produce quality Work for you. Um, so set this kind of our behind the scenes support, but he gets involved if we run into any challenges or we need to um Adjust the scope of the project for some reason Um Maddie, why don't you go and then you can introduce karen? Yes, thank you, michelle My name is maddie powerspenser and I am proposed as a facilitator and research analyst in this role I will be assisting michelle kennedy and the rest of our team with the Approach that we're about to talk about with the environmental scan as well as Facilitating the development sessions that are coming up karen, which is also on our team. She's a facilitator Her background is 20 years in local government experience that she brings to the team as an assistant county manager as well as the city manager and she is a brings Quite depth of knowledge, especially when it comes to our performance measures, which we will talk about as well Thanks, michelle And both maddie and I are west coast based. Oh maddie if you go back to that slide for just a minute, of course Work, we're very close easy to get there. And so we're going to be your primary on-site folks for the project You also see that box at the bottom. Um, we have a whole bench of consultants that we have hired directly out of local government that represent almost every function that local government is involved in So for example, we have a former police chief. We have a couple of former parks and recreation directors So if we go into the strategic plan and some of the priority areas we identify we want that extra expertise We can draw on that team if needed Okay now next slide maddie So these are the three phases of the project that will be engaged in we're in phase one right now Working with jamie and chloe to get a really good project plan together a good project scheduled together Detailed project plan and scheduled to together. We're just going to share the high level with you this evening and really working to identify the different members of your community and inside the city government organization And different stakeholders that need to be involved in the project in what way and when so that's all part of that planning phase To make sure that we've really thought it through And then in the second phase is where we're going to do all of the community engagement And what we call our environmental scan, which is really Sort of this point in time view of where you are As a city government and as a community that serves as a really important foundational piece Off of which to actually create a strategic plan, which is the third phase And we'll share some more details about each of these phases in the upcoming slides So just so everybody's on the same page about what a strategic plan is sometimes there's confusion around this so we're not telling you this to Say that you don't understand but Just so everybody's got the same definition of what it is It really defines the what it defines the what and where you're trying to go as a community as a city government Where what do you want to become as a community? What what do you want to improve in your city organization? What are the priorities you're going to focus on to achieve a shared vision? And then how are we going to be able to measure and evaluate the city's progress in moving towards that vision? We think of it And and really treat it as a living document so that it can not sit on a shelf But guide your decision-making guide your budget guide your long-range capital investments guide your economic and community development efforts guide how you organize and Deliver your city services And then it's a great tool for government transparency and accountability. It's a wonderful way if you have an articulated strategy to then be able to communicate to the Residents of your community the impacts that you're making and how it is that you're making progress towards a future that everyone wants for capitola We also help will help The city with an implementation plan so it can be successful With its strategic plan, but we do that after the strategic plan is fully developed and has been adopted By you as a council So I mentioned the environmental scan and how important community engagement is So the community engagement and and some other data gathering that we do really is how we build that environmental scan And and it it presents the current and anticipated events that are going to be happening their relationships within your organization internally and with all of your external environments And then it's the basis of determining the future direction of the organization and the areas of focus that you're going to Be paying attention to So we want to look at opportunities challenges trends We want to make sure that everyone who's involved in the strategic planning process Has a shared understanding of the current environment and what the opportunities are And then again, we're working with that environmental scan to help you as city leaders Navigate those different things that we're going to identify That come out of the community engagement process We have a facilitation methodology that works very well for these processes. It's very it's structured But it's also flexible and it has lots of tools associated with it Not we don't ever use all of them on any single project But what it does is it helps to provide A clear intention and a way of aligning different groups of people Around some shared ideas and so you can reach consensus about what it is that you want to do This facilitation methodology was developed about 40 years ago. Its purpose is community building Our team members are certified in this methodology And it's designed to to really emphasize those things that are in the the five circles there And so we'll be bringing that methodology Customizing it and applying it to your process Maddie, I think this is where you come in great. Thank you, michelle So here you you will see the project approach and plan development. So there's three key elements to this It is city council. What is city council doing? What a city staff and leadership doing and what is the community's? Impacts so for city council. It really is to develop. What is the mission the vision the core values Or the guiding principles and the strategic priorities and goals. What does that look like for city staff and leadership? It is refining the council's work developing strategic objectives And performance measures and the implementation plan and making this actionable based on the your council and the vision And then the the capitol community. What is their role their role really is identified priorities It's for the city to focus on as well as help to create this the vision moving forward So some of the key project activities. We have community and staff engagement. This includes a social pinpoint site, which is a web based Landing page site. That's a mobile desktop and tablet friendly. We have a community survey We've interviews with focus groups and collating community leaders and elected officials We have interviews with staff as well as a virtual community workshop plan development sessions this with city council and leadership and staff And then a final strategic plan the final plan will be graphically designed Beautiful visual plan that ever that you can share Out to everyone and that can be a tangible takeaway from what we've created for the strategic plan What sources inform the strategic plan? So this is the information and the various sources that we Work with you all as well as the community to put together These ideas and identify these priorities. So some of these elements are the interviews with community Members as well as the community workshop that social pinpoint community engagement platform the community survey results Existing demographic and economic data what data already exists and we pull that As well as the current existing city plans. What is already happening and what do we have to take into? Impact what impact do we have to take into consideration for the current environment? So when we talk about mission vision guiding principles and strategic priorities These are those four elements of the strategic plan and what are they? So the mission is what you do now for whom and how do you do it? The vision is where are you going? What does the next five years look like? What is that? Future that you want to achieve for the community? Then we have the guiding principles and how does the Organization carry out its mission and how does it really interact with the community? What does that work look like and then strategic priorities? What are the four to five areas that you want to focus on to achieve that vision and moving forward? This is one of my favorite Slides to show because it really shows how everything works together So if you're looking at it like a house the vision is at the top And then the mission comes underneath and then each of those strategic priorities the goal statements that are associated With the strategic priorities and then very hard to see here But this is objective and then also measure So these are the tangible actions that you take in order to Obtain each of these strategic priorities and then at the bottom really is that foundation is those guiding principles What are those core values and those core ideals that make you be able to do all of the work? This is our current approach to the project timeline our typical strategic plans last anywhere from six to 12 months And currently as we are in phase one and project planning We are um started off just last month in january and it goes Right now it goes through september of 2024 with that final um graphically designed adopted strategic plan And with that I will turn it back over to council any questions or comments Thank you so much any questions No no questions Questions no Okay It's nice to get a chance to let you know how we're going to do this work And we'll be engaging with you soon Through conversations and interviews that we'll be having with with you as elected officials as well as many many others inside the city and around Your community Absolutely. Thank you so much. We're really grateful for your presentation tonight Yeah, thank you. Bye. Bye. Thank you. Have a great night care We'll bring it out to public comment on this item Seeing none. We'll bring it back to council. Uh, there's no vote on this. So we're just receiving the report. Is there any further comments? Seeing none that brings us to the end of the meeting So we will adjourn to the next regularly scheduled city council meeting on february 22nd at 6 p.m Until then take care of yourselves and take care of each other. Good night