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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSPJT Minutes 1996-03-18SRRA/SRCC MINUTES (Spec. Jt.) 3/18/96 Page 1 IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBER OF THE CITY OF SAN RAFAEL, MONDAY, MARCH, 18, 1995, AT 7:30 PM Special Joint Meeting Present: Albert J.Boro, Chairman/Mayor San Rafael Redevelopment Agency/ Paul Cohen, Member/Councilmember San Rafael City Council Barbara Heller, Member/Councilmember Gary Phillips, Member/Councilmember David Zappetini, Member/Councilmember Absent: None Others Present: Suzanne Golt, Acting City Manager Jake Ours, Acting Executive Director Gary T. Ragghianti, Agency Attorney/City Attorney Jeanne Leoncini, Agency Secretary/City Clerk DISCUSSION AND APPROVAL OF WORK PROGRAM FOR ECONOMIC VISION FOR SAN RAFAEL (RA) - File R-363 x (SRCC) 140 Chairman/Mayor Boro called to order Special Joint meeting of the San Rafael Redevelopment Agency and the San Rafael City Council, and asked Acting Executive Director Jake Ours for a report. Mr. Ours reported that for some time the City has been discussing the need to highlight economic issues in the City of San Rafael, stating the Redevelopment Agency and the City Council were being presented with a work program containing ten main goals, which is a joint effort between the San Rafael Chamber of Commerce and the Redevelopment Agency to put an economic vision in place. Mr. Ours noted the work plan also contains three desired economic work products; an Economic Fact Report, which Mr. Ours felt would be a very helpful tool, an Economic Climate Assessment, and the Economic Vision and Strategies. Mr. Ours stated the process that will be used to do this work is very much like what was done in the Vision for Downtown, noting we have learned quite a bit about being visionaries, and stating he felt the City can do this a lot quicker and with just as much public input as before. Mr. Ours reported there is a graph in the report which shows how the Agency intends to work the process, and how each one of the products will be taken from the Economic Committee to the public, noting the public will include as many special interest organizations as possible. He stated one of the things the City learned from doing the Downtown Vision was that we get better input if we go to the public, rather than have the public come to us, such as attending Rotary meetings. He noted that if people already have time set aside for a meeting, and if we make ourselves available for that time, we get very good input from them, rather than having to set up a special time to have a special meeting. Mr. Ours stated the Agency has been working with the Mayor's Business Issues Committee on this project, and would like to use the Business Issues Committee as a core for the committee that will be the Oversight Committee for this process, and then expand the committee to include special needs and interests, such as housing, transportation, real estate, both public and private finance, the neighborhoods, and environmental issues. He noted they would like to bring back a list of people to form the final committee at the next Redevelopment Agency meeting, if the Agency and the Council agree with this approach. Member/ Counci lmember Phillips referred to the three work products, and asked if this was typical of other cities in terms of approach and expectation, and as a product that is normally used in this kind of review? Mr. Ours felt the products were good guidelines, noting the first two are factual data that need to be put in one place so they are available to everyone, and the Vision and Strategies are the things that will outline what the community wants and the direction the City should take. Mr. Ours stated this probably was not a normal approach, but was something the Agency found that seemed to work in the Downtown Vision, and produced one of the strongest tools the Agency has ever had, noting the Agency would like to do the same thing with an economic product, which ultimately will be incorporated into the General Plan. Member/Councilmember Heller stated she had found it very helpful to visit other cities and get their input, and wondered if there was any way other people' s success could be incorporated into what we are going to be doing? Mr. Ours stated there is a lot of flexibility in this program, noting the Agency can do this and has, in fact, gotten some material from the City of Cloverdale and some of the other cities that have done similar types of studies. Member/ Counci lmember Zappetini asked for the estimated budget, and Mr. Ours stated the Agency is going to attempt to do as much as possible in-house, noting he did not feel we would need too much, mostly printing and binding, and perhaps the SRRA/SRCC MINUTES (Spec. Jt.) 3/18/96 Page 1 SRRA/SRCC MINUTES (Spec. Jt.) 3/18/96 Page 2 possibility of having one economic consultant for a short period of time at no more than $10,000 for the total contract. Mr. Ours stated the Agency could do this with the resources we have, particularly since we have a partnership with the Chamber of Commerce, who has a lot of good information already, many good ideas, and a lot of people who can help. Member/Councilmember Cohen stated it would make sense to coordinate with what the County's Economic Commission is talking about. He also agrees with the results regarding the two conferences on Marin Is economic future, noting that although they have not approached it in terms of a Vision, a lot of what they have been talking about is what Marin's economic future should look like. Mr. Cohen stated San Rafael should play a leadership role in that Vision, and as they have already done a lot of fact finding, he felt we should try to get some of their data, at least in terms of looking at San Rafael. Mr. Cohen reported he has had discussions with Andrew Thompson, MCCMC representative to the Economic Commission, noting Mr. Thompson is talking about trying to get subcommittees established with more representatives from the cities, in an attempt to fold -in local work with what the County Economic Commission is doing. Sandy Greenblat, Chairman of the San Rafael Chamber of Commerce, addressed the Agency/Council, and expressed the pleasure of the San Rafael Chamber of Commerce in being a partner with the City in structuring the Economic Vision Process. Mr. Greenblat recalled some of them were involved in the creation of the Marin County General Plan Element, the ensuing Marin Economic Commission, and the subsequent Marin Economic Conferences, noting they are familiar with what goes on in this type of process, and they are prepared to work very hard with the City of San Rafael in this endeavor. He reported many of them had been active in the San Rafael Vision 2000, and were active years ago in the review of the San Rafael General Plan, noting they had all learned a lot during those exercises. Mr. Greenblat stated the Economic Vision Procedure, from which those experiences are drawn, can provide a greater resource on which to draw, and through which the Council and Redevelopment Agency can base their economic decisions. Elissa Giambastiani, President of the San Rafael Chamber of Commerce, addressed the Agency/Council, stating she is very excited about entering this partnership with the City, noting she did not know of any other Chambers of Commerce who have done this exactly this way. She felt the results will be stronger than some of the other cities in Marin who have already done their Economic Elements because we would be getting far more input from the community than they did when they were writing their plans. Ms. Giambastiani reported she had a fifteen member volunteer Economic Development Committee, who are very eager to get started on this project. She noted a timeframe had not been discussed, but they would like to begin right away, and are hoping to have this completed by the end of the year. Chairman/Mayor Boro announced that in addition to the President of the San Rafael Chamber of Commerce, the President of the Business Improvement District is also a member of this committee, and will be representing the interests of the small businesses in the Downtown. Member/ Counci lmember Heller asked how members of the community, or those in the first broad group who are interested in serving on the committee, would go about volunteering? Mr. Ours stated those interested in serving can contact the Redevelopment Agency, noting there have already been people in the audience at this meeting who have asked to serve. SAN RAFAEL REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY 1. RESOLUTION APPROVING WORK PROGRAM FOR ECONOMIC VISION FOR SAN RAFAEL (RA) - File R-360 x (SRCC) 140 Member Cohen moved and Member Zappetini seconded, to adopt the Resolution approving preparation of an Economic Vision for San Rafael. RESOLUTION NO. 96-25 - RESOLUTION APPROVING THE WORK PROGRAM FOR AN ECONOMIC VISION FOR THE CITY OF SAN RAFAEL. AYES: MEMBERS: Cohen, Heller, Phillips, Zappetini & Chairman Boro NOES: MEMBERS: None ABSENT: MEMBERS: None SAN RAFAEL CITY COUNCIL 2. RESOLUTION APPROVING WORK PROGRAM FOR ECONOMIC VISION FOR SAN RAFAEL SRRA/SRCC MINUTES (Spec. Jt.) 3/18/96 Page 2 SRRA/SRCC MINUTES (Spec. Jt.) 3/18/96 Page 3 (RA) - File R-140 x (SRRA) R-360 Councilmember Heller moved and Councilmember Phillips seconded, to adopt the Resolution approving preparation of an Economic Vision for San Rafael. RESOLUTION NO. 9565 -RESOLUTION APPROVING THE WORK PROGRAM FOR AN ECONOMIC VISION FOR THE CITY OF SAN RAFAEL. AYES: COUNCILMEMBERS: Cohen, Heller, Phillips, Zappetini & Mayor Boro NOES: COUNCILMEMBERS: None ABSENT: COUNCIL ERS: None There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 7:50 PM JEANNE M. LEONCINI, Agency Secretary/City Clerk APPROVED THIS DAY OF 1996 MAYOR OF THE CITY OF SAN RAFAEL CHAIRMAN OF THE SAN RAFAEL REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY SRRA/SRCC MINUTES (Spec. Jt.) 3/18/96 Page 3