2021_02_17 - Special - Laserfiche WebLink

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Homelessness & Measure T Funding - Andy Hoder wondered if the City Council can now reveal exactly how Measure T funds will be used and how much of it will actually be devoted to improving the homeless conditions in Redlands COMMUNICATIONS Draft "Transit Villages Specific Plan" As public comment, Dennis Bell wondered who would be living in the transit villages and will the City be using Measure T funds to pay for needed services around the villages Philip Terhorst strongly supported the plan and encouraged the City to put higher density housing downtown because more people living downtown and around the train stations will increase the vitality of the area and support the retail Jerry Marinkovich liked the idea of transit villages but did not like the idea of 4 to 5 story buildings, and he urged the Council to follow the wishes of the majority of citizens who want slow, smart growth, with ample underground parking Several other people voiced opposition to allowing high-rises in the downtown area, including John Bouzane, Marcia Hemphill, Michael Hemphill, Suzanne Owens, James Dwiggins, Janet Dwiggms, Orville Klein, Dr Leo and Jacqueline Connolly, Merry Smith, Nicole Rinehardt, Roger von Kaesborg and Julie Ellis citing higher density buildings would intensify issues with parking, overcrowding, unlimited building height and safety concerns, and they urged the Council to respect the voice of the residents who overwhelmingly voted down Measure G with hopes that the City would create a more acceptable plan for this area Marcia and Michael Hemphill moved from Pasadena because their experience was it became unlivable and a place that was traffic -choked and parking starved William Cunningham, representing Redlanders for Responsible Growth Management, recommended the Plan be modified due to the environmental impacts that he stated, cannot be properly mitigated to an acceptable level, and he added that Redlands suffers from a water shortage and has been under use restrictions since 2013, while global warming is projected to exacerbate the problem and there are no plans for provision of schools within walking distance of the projected 6,000 residents of the downtown Transit Village area Orville Klein requested Council abandon the Transit Village plan as he found it to be wholly disruptive to Redlands historic "small town village" atmosphere, and failed to consider essential infrastructure, such as water resources, sewers, schools, and efficient traffic thoroughfares Larry Leonard stated he opposed the Transit Villages Specific Plan because it will allow for 2,400 dwelling units downtown, 6,000 residents and buildings as high as 78' Tim and Dana Strunk were also opposed to 78' buildings in the transit areas as these would be an imposing eyesore, not blending with historic architectural landscape and high -density builds downtown would stifle the historic charm of the area City Manager Duggan briefly explained the purpose of the joint meeting was to present the final draft Transit Villages Specific Plan (TVSP) and allow the City Council and Planning Commissioners the opportunity to determine whether the substance of the plan was sufficient to move forward with the next phase of the project, which included the circulation of a "Notice of Preparation (NOP)" and preparation of an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) Development Services Director Desatnik outlined the goals of the meeting were to confirm consensus on the TVSP vision, identitfy any major issues with the draft TVSP and to move forward with starting the environment review process for the Specific Plan He reviewed historical precedents highlighting several old photos, growth management measures including Proposition R, Measures N and U as well as the failed initiative, Measure G, the guiding principles of the City's General Plan 2035, and background describing the development of the draft TVSP Director Desatnik welcomed Stefanos Polyzoides, Partner of Moule & Polyzoides Architects and Urbanists, who presented an overview of the TVSP, explaining the document was organized into nine distinct chapters and articulated a vision for future development for the plan area and Special Joint CC_Plannmg_February 17, 2021 Page 2