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Home My WebLink About01-16-1996MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA JANUARY 16, 1996 At 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers, 22 Civic Center Plaza, Clerk of the Council Janice C. Guy announced the City Council would convene its regularly scheduled meeting in the 2nd Floor Conference Room of the Santa Ana Library, 26 Civic Center Plaza at 6:10 p.m. She declared the City Council meeting adjourned to that time and place. CALL TO ORDER BY MAYOR 6:13 P.M. Library Conference Room 26 Civic Center Plaza ATTENDANCE COUNCILMEMBERS Present: MIGUEL A. PULIDO, Mayor ROBERT L. RICHARDSON, Mayor Pro Tern TONY ESPINOZA TOM LUTZ PATRICIA A. MCGUIGAN LISA MILLS (6:57 p.m.) TED R MORENO Absent: NONE STAFF Present: DAVID N. REAM, City Manager EDWARD J. COOPER, City Attorney JANICE C. GUY, Clerk of the Cotmcil PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Led by Mayor Pulido WORK STUDY SESSION FOURTH STREET IMPROVEMENTS Public Works Agency Executive Director Jim Ross introduced Engineering Services Manager George Alvarez who gave an overview of planned Fourth Street improvements between French Street and the Santa Ana Freeway. According to Alvarez, the improvements included: 1) undergrounding utility CITY COUNCIL M1NUTES 19 JANUARY 16, 1996 lines in April 1996 to be completed by April 1997; 2) construction of street improvements in October 1997 to be completed by October 1998; and 3) installation of Double King lighting from French to Lacy and luminaires from Lacy to the Freeway. Alvarez indicated staff was recommending that the project exclude medians since the reduction in street width would leave insufficent room for large truck turning movements and could disqualify the City from Measure M funding due to non- compliance with Arterial Highway Plan standards. Councilmembers discussed numerous issues on how to create an improved gateway to Downtown Santa Ana, including but not limited to: using Double King fixtures for the entire project; defining boundaries for theme-sidewalk treatment; making room for medians by decreasing sidewalk widths, removing trees, restricting parking, and reducing median widths; and installing art objects in medians. Business owner Adolfu Lopez suggested a focus on continuity to create a "retail corridor" along Fourth Street between Grand Avenue and the Downtown, and recommended the use of palm trees in commercial areas rather than leafy species that reduce visibility of retail activity. Mayor Pro Tem Richardson requested the City Manager provide Council with cost estimates and trade-offs on Double King lighting, tree removal, and sidewalk shaving (to allow median installation in the project area). MAIN STREET CORRIDOR Public Works Agency Executive Director Jim Ross outlined the goals for the Main Street Corridor as the attraction of retail business activity to the area and the creation of a "pedestrian-friendly" environment. Following discussion among the Councihnembers, Ross added "enhanced aesthetics" to the Corridor Goals list. Community Development Agency Executive Director Cindy Nelson delineated on a map that portion of the Main Street Corridor bounded by the Downtown Artists Village in the south and MainPlace Mall to the north, and described the major nodes of commercial and cultural activity identified in the Midtown Specific Plan. Nelson also discussed goals of the Mayor's Arts and Culture Task Force and the Downtown Business Task Force for the Midtown area, which included the creation of a safe, attractive, interesting, urban experience, as well as a friendly environment for pedestrians and vehicles. Arthur Strock, member of the Mayor's Arts and Culture Task Force, showed slides of downtown areas in Palm Springs, Pasadena, Belmont Shores, Costa Mesa and Santa Ana with streetscapes that encouraged pedestrian activity. Ron Baers, member of the Midtown Specific Plan development group, illustrated through drawings how the Main Street Corridor might be redesigned to increase foot traffic by adding parking and landscaped buffer zones. Planning and Building Agency Executive Director Robyn Uptegraff reviewed the major Specific Plan principles including such areas as land use, gateways, pedestrian space, and circulation. CITY COUNCIL MINUTES 20 JANUARY 16, 1996 Executive Director Jim Ross explained the City policy of removing parking along arterials started in the 1980's and was intended to increase vehicle and pedestrian safety and road capacity. Engineering Services Manager George Alvarez and Associate Engineer Scott McKhann showed diagrams of three alternative parking plans: current Main Street parking, a trial plan reinstating parking between 18th and 20th Street, and an Ultimate Main Street Parking Plan. Councilmembers discussed various issues relating to Main Street including but not limited to: revitalizing business, adding parking, slowing traffic, parking meter hours of operation, removal of parking in ~ont of the Segerstrom Building and the County Probation Office, pedestrian safety, and costs of implementing the Plan. Councilmember Moreno expressed concern that reinstating parking along Main Street would lower Main Street's road capacity and push traffic into adjacent neighborhoods. Moreno opined that relaxation of City development standards would be more a more effective mechanism to encourage business revitalization. The following persons regarding Main Street parking and related issues: Alan LaG-reen Frank Castillo Jim Kendrick Michael Macres Tins Oda Miles Leach Adolfo Lopez Motion: Direct staff to implement the Ultimate Main Street Parking Plan taking into consideration costs, traffic impacts at major intersections, and addition of parking spaces in the areas of the Bowers Museum and Segerstrom Building. MOTION: Richardson SECOND: Mills VOTE: AYES: Lutz, McGuigan, Mills, Pulido, Richardson NOES: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: Espinoza, Moreno *See Minutes page 22. Mayor Pro Tern Richardson requested that discussion of a Main Street-Broadway couplet be scheduled for a future study session. In response to Councilmember Lutz's query, Executive Director Nelson described the various ways staff was promoting the City's investment potential. CITY COUNCIL MINUTES 21 JANUARY 16, 1996 RECESSED TO COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY - 8:45 P.M. RECONVENED - 8:46 P.M. - All Councilmembers present COMMENTS 90.B. COUNCILMEMBER COMMENTS Counc'flmember McGuigan requested the Council meeting be adjourned in honor of Joan Wilkinson, a community activist and former Santa Ana Unified School District Boardmember who had recently passed away after a long illness. McGuigan reported that she had asked the City Manager to investigate a recent cable television rate increase by Comcast Cablevision that had been imposed without public notification. *Councilmembers Espinoza and Moreno requested the Minutes reflect that their refusal to vote on implementation of the Ultimate Main Street Parking Plan was based on a desire to not take action on items outside of the Council Chambers. Mayor Pro Tem Richardson congratulated Councilmember McGuigan on her election as the Orange County Division's representative to the League of California Cities Executive Board. He also requested staffurge CalTrans to expedite the reopening of the Lincoln Street overcrossing of the Interstate-5 Freeway. In response to Councilmember Moreno's queries, Executive Director Ross stated staff was investigating trench cut fees as a means to pay for asphalt repairs, explained that accelerating the undergrounding of utility lines would be difficult since the City was well ahead of schedule in using undergrounding funds, and noted that increased market competition was cutting utility company revenues, the source of undergrounding funds. Moreno suggested Ross check with the Public Utilities Commission regarding its intention to continue requiring a portion of electrical utility revenues for undergrounding purposes. 90.A. PUBLIC COMMENTS Tina Oda reiterated her concerns that the City had spent more money in "weeding" than "seeding" the "Weed and Seed" project area, and complained that the Council had not formally recognized of former Pride Development Day Care owner Dorothy Davis for her services to the community. ADJOURNMENT - 9:03 p.m. - In memory of Joan Wilkinson Clerk of the Council CITY COUNCIL MINUTES 22 JANUARY 16, 1996