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Home My WebLink AboutCC Resolution 13401 (Civic Center SMART Station Area Plan)RESOLUTION NO. 13401 RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN RAFAEL TO ACCEPT THE CIVIC CENTER SMART STATION AREA PLAN WHEREAS, in 2004, the City Council adopted General Plan 2020, which included a number of policies related to the two planned Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit ("SMART") rail stations in San Rafael, to be located in Downtown and at the Civic Center; and WHEREAS, staff pursued grant funding for planning the areas around these stations consistent with General Plan 2020 policies and programs including: G -23b Grants, NH -88a Transit Oriented Development, NH 88b Safe Walkways and Bikeways, NH 36 Netherton Office District, C17 Regional Transit Options and SMART, C18 Local Transit Options and C20 Intermodal Transit Hubs; and WHEREAS, in 2009, City staff and staff from other agencies met to prepare and submit a Station Area Plan grant application to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission ("MTC"). The public agency partners for the Civic Center Station Area Plan were the City of San Rafael, SMART, Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District, Marin Transit District and the Transportation Authority of Marin ("TAM"), collectively the Joint Project Team ("JPT"); and WHEREAS, the JPT partner agencies provided grant matching funds in the amount of $35,000. The City of San Rafael provided matching funds of $8,000, the Redevelopment Agency provided $5,000, SMART provided $6,000, the Transportation Authority of Marin provided $8,000, and the County of Marin provided $8,000; and WHEREAS, on May 3, 2010, the City Council authorized the City Manager to Accept and Expend a Grant in the Amount of $528,000 from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission for Station Area Plans for the Downtown and Civic Center San Rafael Stations, of which a total of $140,000 was for the Civic Center Station Area Plan; and WHEREAS, the City Council appointed a 16 member Civic Center Station Area Plan Committee, representing many different interest in the Plan Area to develop the Civic Center Station Area Plan and to advise the City Council on such Area Plan; and WHEREAS, between September 2010 and July 2012, the Committee worked on the Draft Station Area Plan at nineteen meetings and one special meeting; reviewed background data; participated in a tour of the area and a tour of other areas; hosted two community outreach workshops, and a series of presentations on the Draft Station Area Plan including presentations to the Marin County Board of Supervisors, the City's Design Review Board and the Planning Commission, the Federation of San Rafael Neighborhoods, Los Ranchitos HOA, the League of Women Voters, Marin Environmental Housing Collaborative, North San Rafael Collaborative, Rafael Meadows Improvement Association, the Santa Margarita HOA, Transportation Authority of Marin, and received comment letters from the Las Gallinas Watershed Council, the Marin County Bicycle Coalition and Sustainable San Rafael. WHEREAS, following release of the Draft Civic Center Station Area Plan and through the course of subsequent public meetings and outreach, additional public input was received including the circulation and submittal to the City of four petitions from neighborhood and special interest groups including the Rafael Meadows Neighborhood Association, Stop Terra Linda Railroad Sprawl and Keep San Rafael Quiet and Safe. The primary concerns and comments presented in these petitions include, but are not limited to: a) opposition to extending allowable building heights to 4- and 5 -stories east of US 101 and in the Redwood Highway area (west of US 101); b) opposition to allowing residential use on the developed commercial sites located east of US 101; c) SMART station parking; d) the establishment of "Quite Zones" for the SMART rail service; and e) potential environmental impacts associated with the recommendations presented in the plan; and WHEREAS, consistent with the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines, the Civic Center Station Area Plan has been reviewed to determine appropriate environmental review. As the Civic Center Station Area Plan is a planning study that would not result in any actions to change or amend City policies or municipal code regulations, it has been determined that this project is exempt from environmental review per CEQA Guidelines Section 15262 (Feasibility and Planning Studies); and WHEREAS, the custodians of documents which constitute the record of proceedings upon which this Civic Center Station Area Plan review is based, are the City Clerk and the Department of Community Development. The documents which constitute the record for the Civic Center Station Area Plan process are listed in attached Exhibit A of this resolution; and WHEREAS, on August 20, 2012 the City Council conducted a public meeting in which the Committee presented its recommended Civic Center Station Area Plan to the Council. The public meeting was attended by over 200 residents and included testimony from 40 members of the public; and NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of San Rafael accepts the Civic Center Station Area Plan as a "vision" document, along with the record of the proceedings and documents presented in attached Exhibit A; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of San Rafael does hereby thank the Civic Center Station Area Plan Committee for it's extensive work on the Plan; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of San Rafael does hereby direct staff to consider the Station Area Plan and the record herein (Exhibit A) when making future amendments to General Plan 2020 to incorporate relevant policy objectives and programs and to pursue implementation of the Station Area Plan as infrastructure grant funding and staff resources become available. I, ESTHER BEIRNE, Clerk of the City of San Rafael, hereby certify that the foregoing Resolution was duly and regularly introduced and adopted at a regular meeting of the City Council of said City held on Monday, the twentieth day of August, 2012 by the following vote, to wit: AYES: COUNCILMEMBERS: Connolly, Heller, Levine, McCullough & Mayor Phillips NOES: COUNCILMEMBERS: None ABSENT: COUNCILMEMBERS: None ESTHER BEIRNE, City Clerk Exhibit A: Civic Center Station Area Plan Record of Documents and Proceedings 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10 EXHIBIT A Civic Center Station Area Plan Record of Documents and Proceedings City Council Agenda Report August 20, 2012 City Council Meeting Minutes August 20, 2012 Executive Summary August 2012 Final Civic Center Station Area Plan August 2012 Background Report January 2012 Workshop #1 Summary Report March 2011 Workshop #2 Summary Report November 2011 Alternatives Analysis Report January 2012 Advisory Committee Minutes ■ Minutes September 2, 2010 ■ Minutes October 13, 2010 ■ Minutes November 10, 2010 ■ Minutes December 8, 2010 ■ Minutes January 12, 2011 ■ Minutes February 9, 2011 ■ Minutes April 13, 2011 ■ Minutes May 11, 2011 ■ Minutes June 8, 2011 ■ Minutes July 13, 2011 ■ Minutes August 10, 2011 ■ Minutes October 12, 2011 ■ Minutes December 14, 2011 ■ Minutes January 11, 2012 ■ Minutes February 8, 2012 ■ Minutes March 14, 2012 ■ Minutes April 11, 2012 ■ Minutes May 9, 2012 ■ Minutes July 11, 2012 ■ Minutes July 25, 2012 Correspondence ■ North San Rafael Collaborative August 10, 2011 ■ Marin Environmental Housing Collaborative August 10, 2011 ■ Marin Environmental Housing Collaborative October 31, 2011 ■ North San Rafael Collaborative December 12, 2011 ■ North San Rafael Collaborative March 9, 2012 ■ Las Gallinas Valley Watershed District March 31, 2012 ■ Shirley Fischer January 10, 2012 ■ San Rafael Meadows Improvement Assc. January 11, 2012 ■ Sue Mace January 18, 2012 • Sustainable San Rafael February 8, 2012 ■ Letters and emails submitted for Draft Plan o Bay Trail May 15, 2012 o Terra Linda HOA May 22, 2012 o San Rafael Meadows Imp. Assc. June 5, 2012 o North San Rafael Collaborative June 11, 2012 o County of Marin June 21, 2012 o Carolyn Lenert June 28, 2012 11 12 o Sustainable San Rafael o Marin Environmental Housing Collab. o Marin Bicycle Coalition o Janet and Bob Phinney o Gallinas Watershed Council ■ Transportation Alternatives of Marin ■ Sustainable San Rafael ■ League of Women Voters ■ Chamber of Commerce ■ Marin County Bicycle Coalition Additional materials submitted to the Advisory Committee ■ Lea Ann Bernick ■ Harriot Manley Additional materials submitted to City Council ■ Dr. Bari Levinson ■ Dan Monte ■ Robert Chilvers ■ Dr. Jonathan Artz ■ Lea Ann Bernick ■ Richard Hall 13. Petitions ■ San Rafael Meadows Improvement Association ■ Keep San Rafael Quiet and Safe ■ Voters for a Quiet and Safe Terra Linda ■ Civic Center SMART Train station "Quiet Zone" 14. DVD Recording of City Council Meeting June 28, 2012 June 28, 2012 June 29, 2012 June 29, 2012 June 29, 2012 July 5, 2012 August 9, 2012 August 16, 2012 August 16, 2012 August 20, 2012 July 25, 2012 July 25, 2012 August 20, 2012 August 20, 2012 August 20, 2012 August 20, 2012 August 20, 2012 August 20, 2012 August 20, 2012