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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1992-09-28MINUTES CITY COUNCIL/REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY Room B-8. Civic Center Huntington Beach, California Monday, September 28, 1992 Mayor Silva called the adjourned regular meetings of the City Council and the Redevelopment Agency of the City of Huntington Beach to order at 5:30 p.m. ROLL CALL Present: Robitaille, Winchell, Silva, Green, MacAllister, Kelly Absent: Moulton -Patterson CLOSED SESSION The Mayor called a Closed Session of the City Council pursuant to Government Code Section 54956.8 to give instructions to its negotiator regarding negotiations with Coultrup Development Corporation concerning the purchase/sale/exchange/lease of the property located between Main Street. Pacific Coast Highway, Fifth Street and Walnut Avenue - Main Pier Phase II. "'0 "', RECESS - RECONVENE The Mayor reconvened the meeting at 7:00 p.m. Mayor Silva made a statement regarding the televising of City Council/Redevelopment Agency meetings and study sessions. The current policy is to televise regular meetings held in the Council Chamber and not televise or tape study sessions held in Room B-8 as no formal action will be taken unless requested by the City Administrator or the Assistant City Administrator. A cassette recording of this meeting is on file in the City Clerk's Office. STUDY SESSION - COULTRUP DEVELOPMENT COMPANY PROJECT - SIXTH/MAIN/PCH/WALNUT APPEAL QF__PLANNING COMMISSION`S DENIAL OF t'ANDITIOMAL USE PERMIT�2-17 WITH SPECIAL PERMITS CONDITIONAL EXCEPTION VAR E NO. 2-2 - TENTATIVE TRArT MAP N(1_ ldfifif _ rnACTAI nFVFinPMFNT PFRMTT N[)_ Q9_1A Awn nTSPnr%TTTnN Z 80 UNIT CONDOMINIUM PROJECT AND TWO COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS TOTALING 47.774 SQUARE FEET) The Community Development Director made a presentation relating to the history, description, reasons for Planning Commission denial, proposed additional conditions and/or findings for approval and conformance of submitted project to proposed conditions of approval. The Planning Commission vote was three for and three against the project. The developer has appealed the decision to the City Council and it is scheduled for October, 1992 meeting. 24 Page 2 - Council/Agency Minutes - 9/28/92 The Planning Director presented a video tape entitled "Downtown Design Guidelines". A Mediterranean theme has been adopted with arches, recessed windows, plazas and a pedestrian environment with public improvements, visual interest and several levels of pedestrian activity. There is a booklet available to developers regarding the "Downtown Design Guidelines". Overview of the two block project area, block 104 and 105 separated by Fifth Street has forty-eight thousand square feet of commercial, with two or three stories up to forty-eight feet high, ten restaurants proposed for the site and one parking space for each two hundred square feet of restaurant space. Block 105 has an eighty unit condominium project planned with five special permits relating to setbacks and open spaces on the residential portion. The primary issue is the lack of commercial on Pacific Coast Highway. The Planning Commission and staff reviewed the project and the reasons for denial were (1) lack of commercial on Block 105 is inconsistent with Coastal Element and the General Plan, (2) not consistent with Downtown Specific Plan in that it meets commercial requirement but not on site, (3) does not meet Village Concept requirement for pedestrian friendly for residential portion with the long corridors, out of the ground eight feet, lack of public amenities and public open space and (4) the parking needs to be addressed by adopting the Downtown Master Parking Plan prior to approval of this project. Discussion was held regarding the different aspects of the project to promote pedestrian friendly such as landscaping, paving designs, wide sidewalks, benches and visual features. PRESENTATION BY DEVELOPER hn CgMltrup, Coultrup Development Company, spoke regarding the long, difficult process and how the project has evolved to meet the needs of the six property owners and the city staff. Stephen Markowitz, Senior Vice -President, Birtcher Real Estate, stated that the company has over fifty years of experience as a major developer and contractor for commercial, retail, industrial and residential properties with six hundred units under development throughout the state. Upon analysis of the project with the lenders available, the commercial is not viable, not financible and the market will not support commercial. B_ob Bolen, property owner, spoke regarding the Request for Proposals presented in 1990 for this area. In 1988 the Pierside Project had problems with financing due to the commercial requirement. He compared the Coultrup Project with the Pier Colony Project already completed. He stated that the city needs to delete the requirement for commercial and residential development in the same block; that mixed use commercial with residential is not financible as well as a problem with residents. He presented slides showing residential and commercial together as well as vacant commercial property in the downtown area. Dave Fidgiano, Architect, stated that the project has an open central corridor. The buildings are clustered with a lobby for visitors and a landscaped passive park at the rear of the project which has been designed to be more open and pedestrian friendly. Ninety to ninety-five percent of the residential units have ocean views and pedestrians can.see into the project. 25 Page 3 - Council/Agency Minutes - 9/28/92 Dale Waldo, Landscape Architect, stressed connection visually and functionally of Village Concept with wide steps at entry to project, edge terracing up to sidewalk, with shrubs, plants and trees aiming toward commercial component with public seating, benches, bicycle racks. Councilmember Winchell directed staff for an analysis on the parking spaces available and the change in the original plan for parking. Gary Mulligan, property owner, stated that the property owners have signed an agreement and are ready to proceed this year. Residents are happy with the project and they are the most impacted as opposed to tourists who visit the city for only three months a year. He believes the project does not necessarily need all of the setbacks and open space staff recommends. Frank_Cracchiolo, property owner, stated that too many open spaces could encourage gang activity and cause more problems downtown. He believed that the city is not giving the same considerations as was given to the Abdelmuti project. Frank Alfonzo, property owner, stated that the project has had special coordinating problems due to the fact that so many property owners are involved with small lots to achieve a final project acceptable to all. The current plan is two story with terraced walls and eighty units for a less intense project with the same profile as the Abdelmuti project. The Community Development Director reported that terms and conditions of the current project could be put in writing but the City Council needs to see what the changes mean with revised drawings. He stated that the current plan has not been acted on by the Planning Commission. He stated that if this project is what they desire to build now, it should be transmitted to the Planning Commission for review. The appeal before the City Council is based on the prior plans for the project and it needs to be amended to provide the current plan in writing with revised drawings. ADJOURNMENT =SOiNCIUREUVELOPMENT AGENCY Mayor Silva adjourned the adjourned regular meetings of the City Council and the Redevelopment Agency of the City of Huntington Beach to 5:00 p.m., Monday, October 5, 1992, in Room B-8, Civic Center, Huntington Beach, California 92648. ATTEST:: City Clerk/Clerk Clerk of the Redevelopment Agency and City Clerk and ex-officio Clerk of the City Council of the City of Huntington Beach, California Mayor/Chairman 0