January 10, 2009
Meeting Summary
East Eaton Wash Neighborhood Association
Preparation
E-mail reminder was sent.
Acknowledgments
Susan brought cupcakes.
Attendees
6 members
Meeting
Agenda
Items:
The meeting began about 11:25 am
- Ice Rink Project Update - City Council results
- In the December 15 meeting the Council discussed the
"information item" regarding potentially funding the ice rink project
by borrowing the construction costs from other city funds until the
municipal financing market improves and then paying those other funds
back from the issuance of revenue bonds. The city's general fund
would have to pay the interest. Staff also mentioned that the
bonds would probably be issued in conjunction with other city projects.
- In response to a question, staff indicated Edison it is ok with
using property directly east for overflow parking. Did not
mention use of PCC lot.
- Councilperson
McAustin seemed to offer the most skeptical questioning of the proposed
financing. She asked why the hurry, but the City Manager didn't
seem to understand her question. Councilman Tyler was relatively
reserved in his questioning.
- Councilman
Holden seemed to be questioning making it a priority over other
projects.
- Councilman Madison pushed very strongly for the project,
including going forward as soon as possible no matter what financial
nonsense is required. He also got the discussion taken out of
order, before the broader city financial problems discussion, and thus
out of context.
- Vice-Mayor Haderlein leaned heavily for it as well, saying
should not just focus on profit/loss because the project has
recreational benefit to the community.
- There
was no mention during the discussion that the project was originally
sold as one which would not take any taxpayer funds. That it
would
only be approved if it was self supporting.
- Mayor Bogaard spoke last and seemed to be trying to summarize
the situation. He mentioned the "doctrine of increasing
compulsion from all the decision already made". He also mentioned
that there is lots of support in the community, but he restated that as
the "regional community".
- There was no discussion about why it is necessary to move
forward right now as opposed to waiting a few more months to get a
better indicator of the trajectory of the economy and finances.
The only reason given in the staff report for going forward with
construction immediately is that it might save on costs. But
there was no discussion about whether costs were likely to rebound
quickly or stay down for awhile. No discussion of the
ramifications to the potential management agreement if construction is
delayed.
- Because the financing issue was only an informational item,
there was no decision taken on it.
- The Council approved without objection paying the architect
more to revise the interior design plans to the request of the new
potential management LA
Kings/PIV.
- So staff will forge ahead with the redesign, negotiations with
LA Kings/PIV, construction access negotiations, and putting
construction out to bid again. Then presumably come back to the
Council with a proposal to award the construction contract, approve
management and access contracts, and some financing scheme.
- On
Tuesday December 23 the LA Times had an article about the whole
ice rink situation. It focused most on the inadequacies of the
current ice rink in the old convention center ballroom. It also
discussed the desire to restore the ballroom to that purpose and about
the proposed new rink and the financing problems.
- City's tree protection ordinance modification discussions
- http://cityofpasadena.net/planning/trees/protection.asp
- Public meeting for discussion and comments
- Monday January 12, 2009, 6 pm, Senior Center, 85 E. Holly
Street
- Current ordinance has protections for trees even on private
property if they meet certain species and/or size requirements.
Removing those trees requires permit. There are also limits on
pruning. Generally only enforced as part of other development
activities (adding to or replacing building(s)).
- Noted problems are costs for homeowners, canopy coverage
standard encourages replacements that are fast growing and perhaps not
very desirable trees, other zoning standards in conflict.
- St Lukes property development plan made public
- Monday's
City Council agenda includes the Pre-Plan Review for the proposed
redevelopment of most of the 12.9 acre former St Luke's property.
- The
information presented is very preliminary and sketchy. It is an
information only item so the City Council does not make any decisions
and has to be somewhat careful to not appear to be pre-judging
it. All
they can do is ask questions and request additional commission
reviews. It is the first opportunity for the public to see the
proposal and comment on it. As such, the neighborhood
association for
the area immediately south is requesting people attend and express
their opposition to it.
- 180
assisted living units are proposed. They would be located in four
of
the six existing main building sections, using a little more then
112,000 sq ft. 90 parking spaces allocated for them.
- The most south west 24,000 sq ft section
of the existing main buildings would be "amenities / services".
30 parking spaces.
- The
furthest east 20,000 sq ft section of the main buildings (was chapel
and convent) would be administrative offices. 60 parking spaces.
- An existing education trailer and storage
building would be demolished.
- Three
new buildings housing 172 senior housing units would be built.
They
would total almost 272,000 sq ft on almost 87,500 sq ft of lot.
The
site drawing says they would be 2 and 3 story buildings.
- A
52 unit building would run along Del Rey Avenue south from Washington
Blvd. East of the existing hospital buildings. 40 parking
spots
allocated. Apparently the building would have underground parking.
- An
almost square 75 unit building would be located on Del Rey Avenue
separated from the building to the north by a wide driveway to parking
and loading spaces. The building has some private open
space in the middle of it. To its south would be some existing and
retained surface parking,
although it is unclear how it would be accessed. 60 parking
spaces would be allocated. Apparently the building would have
underground
parking.
- A
45 unit building would be located to the east of it, separated by some
kind of passageway. Its 28 parking spaces would be under the building
to its west.
- The existing medical office building would remain.
- To the northwest of the existing medical office building, a new
42,000 sq ft building covering 10,500 sq ft of land would be
built. It
would have 51 parking spaces underneath it. It appears these
would be
accessible from both Washington Blvd via the existing office buildings
parking lot, and from Del Rey Ave via an underground tunnel from the
new parking structure. The rest of its 168 spaces would be in the
new
parking structure.
- A 296 stall parking structure would be built southeast of the
existing hospital buildings, west of the new office building, and north
of the easternmost new senior housing. It appears it would
primarily
be accessed from Del Rey Avenue but it appears there is also access to
Washington Blvd via an underground tunnel to the new office building's
underground parking and then through the existing office building's
parking lot.
- The existing central generation and cooling plant building
would remain. It is off Washington Blvd just north of the
existing medical office building.
- The developer touts on its site drawing that it will save all
the protected trees on the site. According to the staff report
there are 264 total trees, 32 of which are identified as
protected.
Counting
the trees the drawing indicates will remain, it appears every
non-protected tree will be removed.
- The developer touts on its site drawing the creation of a new
park south and east of the new senior living buildings and north of the
existing single family houses on Woodlyn. But on the drawing the
"park" appears to have parking spaces, no retained trees, and there is
no other information about this "park". Presumably the developer
is
touting this as a buffer from the neighborhood to the south while
meeting some open space requirement and giving the seniors some nearby
access to the outdoors.
- The developer touts on its site drawing "generous" landscaped
setbacks, gradual building height and volume transitions between the
hospital buildings and the neighborhoods to the west and south.
It
claims it will "open view corridors" from adjacent streets and
properties (other then removing trees, how is unclear). It claims the
new buildings are low enough to not affect the view from south of the
property to the north above the hospital buildings (ie.
mountains).
(View of top of hospital buildings and mountain views adjacent to them
aren't mentioned, so would presumably be blocked.)
- The
developer, DS Ventures, is requesting to change the zoning from PS
(Public and Semi Public) to PD (Planned Development) for the entire
area except the existing single family houses in the south west corner
along Woodlyn Road.
- The
current PS zoning is "is used to designate public land uses, including
schools, colleges, libraries, fire stations, and hospitals, among other
uses." The proposed development is inconsistent with that.
- The
Planned Development entitlement is intended for sites where an
applicant and the City desires to achieve a particular mix of uses,
appearance, land use compatibility, or special sensitivity to the
neighborhood character." Essentially with a Planned Development
the
city and and developer negotiate to accomplish whatever they want.
- The
proposal splits the property into 5 areas of discussion/evaluation, but
the developer is requesting to split the property into 8 land parcels
and two air parcels. The air parcels may be in order to "separate
the
senior housing use from the office use within the convent and
chapel".
It says the "creation of separate land parcels, ... is intended to
allow the project components to be operated by separate entities, and
allow the individual sale of the residences in the future." The
drawing provided with the staff report may have some dim lines showing
the boundaries; if so they are not recognizable on the online
version.
It is totally unclear what the eight divisions would be.
- Staff identifies process points after a
complete application is received as:
- Initial environmental study. If it
is determined a full environmental impact report is needed, add a year
to the process.
- Historical Preservation and Design
Commissions review it. If a required parking and traffic study
identifies problems, it will have to go to Transportation Commission.
- Planning Commission review.
- City Council makes decision to approve or
not.
- Absent
a full EIR, staff estimates 6 months to get through all the reviews and
Planned Development approval. That seems very optimistic even if
there
wasn't lots of opposition to the project.
- One note in the staff report is that the
project would generate new property tax revenues.
- Walnut & Kinneloa extension & improvements funding
- Item
5B1 on Monday's City Council agenda is for allocation of almost $1.2
million of state bond dollars for what is now described as the "second
phase" of this project "includes the improvement of Walnut Street from
Cook Avenue to Sunnyslope Avenue, and Altadena Drive from Walnut Street
to Foothill Boulevard."
- The
staff report notes that the state has now frozen the disbursement of
the bond funds, but wants the Council to approve the allocation so that
it'll be in line whenever the funds are released.
- The
total project cost is now estimated at almost $9.5 million.
- SE
Foothill / Sierra Madre Villa corner development update
- A
50% concept design review for the 212 unit residential portion of the
development is on Monday's Design Commission agenda.
- The
developer has chosen to separate the theater portion of the design for
separate review.
- The
staff report to the commission shows one major struggle being the
pathway from the Gold Line to the entrance to the theater. The
theater
entrance is on the north side, so the path runs between the residential
buildings and the theater buildings.
- The
southern entrance gate is one problem area. It is to be open to
the
public during operating hours, closed for security afterwards, but
needs to be able to be easily opened for emergency exit.
(Presumably
there is some separate entrance for residents walking to from the
station.)
- The
path goes past the loading dock and some backstage area and an issue is
either screening or making it part of the "experience".
- The
path has an increase in elevation as it goes north. Apparently
the
current concept design has a series of levels with tree
plantings. But
staff points out that the selected tree may have trouble growing since
the path will have little direct sunlight much of the year.
- Another
struggle seems to be over the Foothill facing design. There is a
lot
of talk about facades and an entry gate; the materials used,
depths,
etc.
- In
sum, it looks like the design is progressing through the process, but
very slowly.
- A
December donation solicitation from the theater company "A Noise
Within" said
they hope to break ground on the theater this spring. Its said
they
had reached just under $9 million of their $16.3 million capital
campaign goal.
- Hastings Branch Library 50th Birthday Celebration
- Hastings
Branch Library will be celebrating it's 50th birthday
and you are encouraged to join in. Mark your calendars.
- Saturday
February 21, 2009 starting at 1 pm and extending past 3 pm.
- Door prize raffle.
- City and library VIPs. Past and present Hastings
librarians.
- Musical performance by students of the Pasadena
Conservatory
of Music.
- Performance by Emmy Award winning children’s
singer-storyteller extraordinaire Dan Crow.
- Cake cutting and eating.
- Balloon artists creating balloon
sculptures for the children in attendance.
- Plan for annual election of officers
- March, and time for our annual election of officers, is fast
approaching again.
- Should we do a February newsletter to distribute to all
residences again?
- What should we do differently this year and who's volunteering?
- anything else attendees wish to discuss
- Pasadena Marathon rescheduled for March 22.
Next meeting is February 14, 2009.
Adjourned about 12:15 pm