Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - City Council - unsigned - 1995-12-06 - Special City Council, Special Meeting Sequoia Middle School District 1805 Sequoia Street Redding, California December 6, 1995 5:30 p.m. The meeting was convened with the following City Council Members in attendance: P. Anderson, McGeorge, Murray and Kehoe. Council Member R. Anderson was absent. GENERAL PLAN UPDATE (G-030) Associate Planner Morgon expressed appreciation to everyone for attending the joint special meeting of the General Plan Task Force with the City Council, Planning Commission, and Downtown Task Force. Mike McLaughlin was thanked for the use of the facilities and the refreshments provided. Mr. Jim Pepper of J. Laurence Mintier and Associates was introduced for presentation of a slide show depicting the historical development of Redding and opportunities for implementing Redding's future as expressed through the General Plan update process. Mr. Pepper explained that the meeting was designed to serve four purposes: 1. Feedback and dialogue: to expand upon, respond to, and build upon the images, visions, likes, and dislikes of Redding as articulated by the Task Force and by the participants in the two public workshops held in mid-November. 2. Common language: to create a common vocabulary so that communication is clear and to acquire some tools for understanding the image, form, and structure of the City. 3. Establish interrelationships: to begin to understand the interrelationships inherent in the various parts of the General Plan. 4. Begin exploration and interpretation: to begin the process of understanding the urban form, structure, and image of Redding and to explore in a preliminary way major elements of this urban form. Mr. Pepper then presented his slide show, the "Images of Redding," both historical and current. He also showed the results of the images that the General Plan Task Force felt were indicative of the type of City that was preferable. From the community workshops and the discussions of the General Plan Task Force, he concluded that there were four overriding issues regarding Redding's form, structure, and image: 1. Maintaining the open space/scenic backdrop within and surrounding the City. 2. Expanding and strengthening the role of the river and the waterfront, particularly for public use and enjoyment. 3. Improving linkages and accessvehicular and pedestrianbetween key parts of the central core. 4. Re-creating a City "center." The next section of the presentation was devoted to gaining some basic tools for understanding/interpreting urban form, structure, and image. This included a discussion of various books on planning and urban design as well as a discussion of various urban form concepts such as edges, barriers, paths, districts, nodes, and landmarks. Mr. Pepper addressed the principal issues that were identified as being the most critical to the community. Each issue had its own opportunities for the community to address. For instance, the City could utilize zoning tools such as slope/density zoning to maintain the scenic backdrop within and surrounding the City. He explained that the role of the river and waterfront could be expanded and strengthened by supporting a riverfront plan similar to the one that Gary Anthis had proposed to the City in collaboration with area property owners. He also pointed out that several circulation barriers need to be addressed. These included: Poor linkages to the Convention Center/Turtle Bay area. Poor linkages between downtown and the Park Marina area. Limited pedestrian linkages between downtown and the area north of the river. A new bridge at Turtle Bay will surely help. The traffic maze at the north end of the downtown. The circulation barrier imposed by the Downtown Mall. The intersection of Cypress Avenue and Pine Street where many people, including visitors and consultants, appear to use the Safeway parking lot for negotiating an impossible intersection. He indicated that perhaps the single most important and complex task facing the community is the re-creation of a community "center." He noted that the issue has been pervasive in the workshops and meetings and is obviously made more difficult by the presence of the Downtown Mall. He noted that the Downtown Task Force has begun its work on the downtown area, and the General Plan consultants will have their contributions to make as well. Mr. Pepper then discussed his eight principles of re-creating and revitalizing a community center: 1. Put pedestrians first. People on foot are the lifeblood of the center. The center must first and foremost attract and sustain pedestrians. 2. Think "C" for center: Compact: the center should not be too large. Concentrated: the center should be more dense and intense. Continuous: the center should not have any gaps. Concentric: the center should grow outward from what William H. Whyte calls the 100 percent corner; the shape should be regular and not have peninsulas. Coherent: the center should have a clear sense of perceived order and organization; it should feel like a single, unified, but not uniform, place. Character: the center should be attractive, imageable, memorable, and rich in detail; it should have a distinctive identity that is unmistakably Redding. 3. Grow from health. Use active areas as a point of departure in repairing the urban fabric. Build onto, extend, expand, and draw energy from places that are already doing well economically and that are socially active. Nurture your successes. 4. Concentrate your efforts. Do not spread your effort over too large an area; otherwise, it will be too thin to make a difference. Focus public investment on a limited area where the impact can be great and the results can be obvious to everyone. 5. Economic commitment must be clear, strong, and collaborative. The public sector must take a leadership role in terms of public investment, but the effort must be a public-private partnership. Public sector investment in improvements and infrastructure must signal a commitment to private sector investors. The center must attract investment. 6. Set high standards from the outset; quality must be the precedent. Insist on high quality design and development from the beginning. Quality must be evident in both public and private sector projects. The initial projects will establish the precedent for quality. Poor quality in the beginning is very difficult to overcome. 7. Begin with a bold vision; don't get caught up prematurely in the details. A strong, bold vision is prerequisite for impressive results. Do not settle for nibbling at the margins; no one will notice. The details will eventually get ironed out; don't let them hold you back as you are getting started. 8. Be patient; perseverance will pay off. City building takes time; it occurs one building at a time, one street at a time, one block at a time. Don't expect immediate results, but keep a strong and abiding vision to direct your efforts. If you do, you will once again have a terrific center to your City. After Mr. Pepper's presentation, he opened the meeting to questions by those in attendance: Q Was there any residential development within the core area when the city of Santa Cruz was rebuilt? A Yes, there were a number of projects built. Four or five of the downtown projects have substantial apartments in the upper levels, There are a senior hotel, an assisted housing project for elderly people, and a series of smaller market-rate housing projects. The St. George Hotel, which occupied a whole block, was rebuilt to look just like the historic old hotel and has 200-250 rooms with an impressive waiting list. A number of firms rent a suite or a unit there so their people who travel to Santa Cruz will have a place to stay. Q How do you balance public access and private property rights along the river? A If the person along the waterfront is seeking return on an investment, public access enhances that. If the waterfront had a series of projects where the public spent money, the economy where the property owners might be would be better. The public doesn't have the right to trample on those rights, but by the same token, those rights are often extended by local government. When local government makes a zoning decision, it creates property rights. Those private rights came from the public sector. There comes a responsibility at some level to carry out your rights and responsibilities because they came from all of us. There needs to be better understanding by both the public and the private sector. Q You are talking about making a healthy center in the City. What about taking care of people who are not able to care for themselves. A Every town has an obligation to care for its citizens. Santa Cruz had a severe problem of homeless people and street people. They built a shelter not in the downtown, but not too distant from the downtown. The shelter is close enough for people to get to the services they need and has showers, lockers, and counselors to try to help them write resumes, get jobs, and obtain some dignity in their lives. Shelter should not, however, be built on your "100 percent corner downtown." Q We have a challenge in this area because of the weatherone of the reasons for covering and air conditioning the mall was to give people a place to come to downtown during the day and get out of the heat. A Air conditioning has not always been the whole solution, but we'll certainly give that some exploration. This happens to be one of the few air conditioned malls in the country and maybe the Downtown Task Force should look at what is happening with the others. Mr. Pepper thanked everyone for attending the presentation and acknowledged Larry Mintier and Bob Lagomarsino from J. Laurence Mintier and Associates. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, at the hour of 7:50 p.m., the meeting was adjourned. APPROVED: ________________________________ Mayor ATTEST: ______________________________ City Clerk