How to resolve AdBlock issue? Lakeport City Council approves consultant services agreement for Safeway gas station project
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport City Council on Tuesday approved a consultant services and developer reimbursement agreement for work on a gas station project proposed by Safeway at its 11th Street shopping center.
Lakeport Planning Services Manager Andrew Britton told Lake County News that Safeway hasn't yet formally applied to do the project, but the city is preparing to get the process rolling once an application is submitted.
Based on preliminary discussions and a scoping meeting with Safeway, Britton said the corporation is proposing a Safeway-branded fueling center on the eastern portion of the shopping center property, located at 821 and 1071 11th St.
Safeway has owned the 12.3-acre shopping center since August 2007, as Lake County News has reported.
The plans call for a station with eight fuel dispensers, or 16 pumps, and a roughly 850-square-foot retail store and payment kiosk, according to city documents.
Specifically, the plans call for demolishing 16,000 square feet of existing retail space at the east end of the center. Britton said that “limited demolition” won't impact the nearby Round Table Pizza or former Perko's locations.
The agreement between the city and the selected consultant, PMC of Rancho Cordova, requires that Safeway reimburse the city for all of PMC's expenses.
The terms of the agreement call for Safeway to pay $29,895 for the agreed-upon scope of work with PMC plus $1,495 to reimburse the city for administering the professional services agreement.
Britton said Safeway must submit its project application before PMC begins its work.
The scope of work includes the environmental review and entitlement process, according to Britton.
Britton told the council on Tuesday evening that PMC assisted the city on its Parallel Drive annexation project several years ago, and having the firm's assistance will be helpful due to the city's limited planning staff.
The gas station project will involve land use applications including a tentative parcel map, architectural and design review, preparation of an environmental review – which Britton expected to be a mitigated negative declaration as opposed to a full environmental impact report – and a zoning permit.
It was Safeway that suggested using a qualified planning consultant to assist the city with the project. Britton said Safeway submitted to the city a list of consultants, with city staff vetting the group internally and settling on PMC.
Britton said Wednesday that the process to create the applications and reports could take up to six months, and will include hydrology and greenhouse gas analysis.
According to Safeway's fourth quarter 2013 report, published on Wednesday, the Pleasanton-based corporation and its subsidiaries owned 349 gas stations and 1,335 stores as of Dec. 28, 2013.
The number of gas stations was up by nine over the previous year, with the number of stores increasing by 11 in the same time period, according to the report.
Safeway also is pursuing plans to introduce gas stations at a few stores in Sonoma County, including locations in Santa Rosa and Petaluma, according to media reports.
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Engstrom says he won't seek reelection to Lakeport City Council
LAKEPORT, Calif. – With his first term on the Lakeport City Council set to end later this year, Councilman Tom Engstrom said he won't seek reelection.
Engstrom made the announcement toward the end of Tuesday evening's Lakeport City Council meeting.
His seat, and that of Councilwoman Stacey Mattina, will be on the November municipal ballot.
In 2010, Engstrom announced his plans to run and then, due to increased responsibilities with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, announced that September that he was dropping out of the race.
However, by that time Engstrom's name already was on the ballot and, despite his best efforts to tell people not to vote for him, he received the second-highest numbers of votes behind Mattina.
Engstrom accepted the seat and has been an involved council member, serving as mayor in 2013 and acting an ambassador for the city.
However, Engstrom noted on Tuesday, “My life is very full.”
He said his current commitments means he's only home one night a week. “I'm not getting any younger,” said Engstrom, who turned 67 last month.
“I'm really happy the way things have worked out though,” he added. “This is one of the better things that I've ever done in my life.”
Engstrom said he wanted to make the announcement so people can start deciding whether they want to run for his council seat. Filings won't take place until this summer for the November election.
He intends to work hard for his remaining 10 months on the council but needs to cut back once his term is done.
Engstrom said he and his wife, Cindy, have a lot of things they want to see and do, plus 26 grandchildren to visit.
“We will continue to make Lakeport our home for the rest of our lives,” he said.
Engstrom emphasized to his council colleagues, “You can't talk me out of this decision.”
Mattina joked that that's just what she was getting ready to try to do.
Including his three years so far on the council, Engstrom has 40 years of public service to his credit, including 11 years as the Lakeport Police chief, a job from which he retired in 2005; and a total of 25 years as police chief in several communities around the state.
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Supervisors won't pursue temporary repairs at Lakeside Heights
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday decided not to move forward with repairing plastic placed over the landslide area at the Lakeside Height subdivision in north Lakeport, concerned about the high cost for only a temporary fix.
Supervisor Rob Brown recused himself from the discussion, and Jeff Smith was absent from the meeting.
The board had held over the discussion from its meeting last week after asking Public Works Director Scott De Leon and Community Development Director Rick Coel to explore some additional options.
Last March, a landslide began at the 29-home subdivision overlooking Hill Road East. Several homes were damaged, as Lake County News has reported.
The county hired local contractor Coleman Construction to demolish the two most severely damaged homes, contour the area where the homes had been and then place plastic over about five acres of the slide area. The Lakeside Heights Homeowners Association contributed, along with the county, to paying for the plastic covering.
However, the plastic has been damaged by wind, sunlight and animals, leaving the ground exposed in a number of areas.
De Leon spoke to a geotechnical engineer from a consulting firm that has worked on assessing the landslide and confirmed that keeping the ground dry during the rainy season is important.
“It’s how much do you want to spend and how much effort do you want to put into this, knowing this is temporary,” said De Leon, adding there is no guarantee the plastic will help.
He said that he and Coel were not prepared to recommend putting down new plastic due to the cost.
Coleman Construction submitted estimates for putting down new plastic, at a cost of $17,493.86, and for using tarps to cover the hillside, which would cost $25,482.49.
“Is Hill Road East really at risk at this moment?” Supervisor Denise Rushing asked.
“That's a really difficult question,” replied De Leon.
He said the ground movement that has happened so far has not been abrupt or catastrophic. “The chances of it just cascading down the hill and closing the road are probably not very high.”
Randall Fitzgerald, president of the Lakeside Heights Homeowners Association, asked if there had been any consideration of attempting erosion control through methods like putting down gravel. De Leon said no, that putting gravel down would add weight to the slide area. He also noted that the slide is not on county owned property.
He said county staff has not been focused on the permanent solution or repair, but has been looking at the more immediate issues of keeping the road open.
Fitzgerald said they were all concerned about how taxpayer money should be spent, and said the short-term solutions don't seem to be feasible or economical.
He asked if an effort could be made to start thinking longterm about possible solutions.
Supervisor Anthony Farrington didn't support spending money to put down new plastic on the slide area. He said he wanted to direct staff to come back at the end of spring or start of summer with other options, including putting down ground cover to stabilize the hillside.
Rushing told De Leon she would like him to do some analysis for a future time regarding how Hill Road East might be approached differently if they were looking at building a road there for the first time or if they had to deal with a catastrophic slide event.
Fitzgerald told Lake County News after the meeting that, based on his daily observations, there has not been further ground movement at the subdivision since last summer.
He didn't disagree with the board's decision to not make repairs to the plastic cover on the slide.
“We homeowners would rather the county do nothing at this stage than to spend taxpayer money
on more plastic sheeting that would be pulled up in late spring anyway,” he said. “We want to see a longterm solution to the erosion, not any more expensive Band-Aids.”
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Clearlake Planning Commission, Clearlake City Council to host housing element update workshop
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake Planning Commission and Clearlake City Council are planning a workshop on the city's housing element update on Tuesday evening.
The special joint meeting will convene at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 18, in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.
The workshop will consider the 2014-19 housing element update, and take public comment on the current plan.
City Manager Joan Phillipe's report to the council explained that the housing element is one of seven mandated elements that comprise the general plan, and must be updated every five years.
It's a policy document that provides an assessment of housing characteristics and needs in the community, and establishes programs to improve housing to meet those needs, according to Phillipe's report.
The city is seeking comment from the public and from various affected public agencies on housing information and policies that are contained in the city's current housing element, which covers the years 2009 to 2014, Phillipe said.
No action by the commission and council is anticipated on Tuesday. Rather, Phillipe's report indicated that the public comments will be used to create a draft update to the housing element, which the council and commission will review as the process continues.
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021814 Clearlake Housing Element Update Workshop
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Lakeport City Council to consider negotiating with firm for Carnegie Library feasibility study
LAKEPORT, Calif. – On the 96th anniversary of the Lakeport Carnegie Library's opening, the Lakeport City Council will consider a proposal to negotiate a contract with an architectural firm for a feasibility study to determine a new and best use for the building.
The council will meet for a closed session regarding employee negotiations beginning at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 18, in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.
The council will convene in open session at 6 p.m.
On the agenda is a proposal to authorize city staff to negotiate a professional services contract and scope of work with Garavaglia Architecture Inc.
The firm would prepare a feasibility study for determination of the highest and best uses of the historic Lakeport Carnegie Library, located at 200 Park St.
Meeting documents indicate the contract amount shall not exceed $10,000. Another $2,500 is budgeted for project coordination and miscellaneous expenses.
The building, opened as a library on Feb. 18, 1918, acted as a library until a new library was opened in the city in 1985, at which point the building was turned over to the city's ownership, according to a report to the council.
It has served in a number of capacities over the years – including a meeting place for the Lakeport City Council and community groups, government offices and the University of California, Davis Clear Lake field office and lab.
Now, the city wants to find a new and best use so the building can be reopened to the public.
Thanks to the efforts last year of the Lakeport Main Street Association, the city has received a $5,000 Hart Family Fund for Small Towns grant which, along with $5,000 in matching funds from the city, will be used to pay for the feasibility study.
In January, a consultant selection committee convened and unanimously selected Garavaglia Architecture Inc. of San Francisco from among three proposals, according to a report to the council from the Carnegie Library Consultant Selection Committee.
City documents indicate that the goal is to complete the feasibility study by the middle of this year, with the “repurposing” of the building to be complete by the end of 2015.
“At that time we envision a beautifully restored facility that is open to the public, in constant use, producing enough rental income to cover operating expenses, and contributing to the economic vitality of the downtown district,” the selection committee's report said.
Also on Tuesday, the council will conduct a public hearing and adopt an ordinance adding Chapter 17.39 to the Lakeport Municipal Code related to the establishment of density bonuses and other affordable housing incentives.
In other business, the council will considering approving the housing program inspector contract between the city and Robert Fogelstrom, approve the professional services agreement and development reimbursement agreement for the Safeway fuel center project, adopt a resolution to reaffirm the necessity of AB 1600 development impact fees, approve the professional services agreement with Total Compensation Inc. for actuarial services and authorize the city manager to enter into a professional services agreement with Utility Safety Services for CalOSHA compliance services.
On the meeting's consent agenda – items considered noncontroversial and usually accepted as a slate on one vote – are ordinances, minutes of the regular Feb. 4 meeting, the Feb. 5 warrant register and approval of the application submitted by Clear Lake Performing Arts for its Home Wine and Beer Makers Festival, to be held in Library Park on June 21.
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