How to resolve AdBlock issue? Next Clearlake General Plan meeting set for Feb. 9
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The third in a series of community meetings on Clearlake's new general plan will be held early next month.
The meeting will take place from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Feb. 9, in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.
The meeting will focus on different land use and policy alternatives in the general plan, which is a “blueprint” document for the city's future growth, goals and policies.
Previous meetings in the process were held last October and November, as Lake County News has reported. A final plan is expected to be completed this summer.
Thanks to a grant from the Lake County/City Area Planning Council grant, the city has been able to hire a team consisting of graduate students with the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo’s City and Regional Planning Department to prepare a general plan circulation document and a general plan.
The Cal Poly team reported that since the last general plan meeting they have finalized and submitted a background report that contains all the research on Clearlake that the Cal Poly team has done.
That report is up for public review on a Web site set up for the Clearlake general plan process, www.planclearlake.weebly.com .
The city's current general plan is about 30 years old, and well out of date, according to City Manager Joan Phillipe.
The cost for the graduate students' work is $40,000, a fraction of what it would cost the city to hire a consultant, Phillipe told the Clearlake City Council last fall.
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Clearlake City Council to consider updated planning agreements for Wal-Mart expansion studies
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake City Council will discuss the reactivated Wal-Mart application for a store expansion when it meets this week.
The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 24, in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.
City Manager Joan Phillipe's report to the council explains that Wal-Mart, located at Highway 53 and Dam Road, has reactivated its permit application to expand the store, a project originally proposed several years ago.
Phillipe is asking the council to authorize her to move forward on amending existing contracts with consultants ESA Community Development and Keyser Marston Associates, who are providing necessary planning studies on the project.
She's also asking the council to give her permission to execute future contract amendments in keeping with the existing agreements and project scope of work.
ESA and its subconsultant, OmniMeans, had prepared a California Environmental Quality Act analysis for the project, with that draft environmental impact report submitted to the city in September 2010, according to a letter ESA submitted to Phillipe. Subsequently, the project was placed on “indefinite hold” by mutual agreement of the city and Wal-Mart.
The amendment will cover ESA updating the draft EIR and preparing it for circulation, which will cost $44,878, costs to be born by Wal-Mart, Phillipe reported.
Under the updated agreement, Keyser Marston will be paid $17,500 – again covered by Wal-Mart – for an updated urban decay analysis on the project, according to Phillipe.
In other business, the council will consider an amendment to the agreement with the South Shore Little League for seasonal use of the Redbud Park ball fields. The proposed change will add a 10-year term to the agreement, which has been on a year to year basis.
Items on Thursday's consent agenda – usually accepted on one vote – include the council's Jan. 10 minutes; the Dec. 12 Lake County Vector Control Board meeting minutes; an update on the authorization for check signing, other financial transactions and appointment of Phillipe as city treasurer; and an update of the authorization for local agency investment fund transactions.
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Lakeport City Council to hold special Jan. 22 meeting for budget reviews, water projects decision
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport City Council will hold a special meeting this week to discuss the mid-year budget review and a proposed change in applications for federal funding for water projects.
The council will meet beginning at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 22, in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.
On the agenda is staff’s request for a change in the city’s application to the United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development for funding for proposed city water projects. The council also will consider authorizing staff to file for a notice of exemption under the California Environmental Quality Act.
Public Works Director Mark Brannigan’s report to the council notes that the USDA has approved the projects in the city’s application.
However, he’s concerned that a proposed water main loop project – which has been the source of disagreement between the city and county – may not be ready in a “reasonable” amount of time, and a delay could jeopardize the anticipated $1 million in grant funding the city is set to receive for the water system projects.
Instead, Brannigan is suggesting the council could authorize removing the water main loop from the application and replacing it with a project to restore the city’s water storage tanks.
On Tuesday city stall also will present the city’s comprehensive annual financial report for the fiscal year ending June 2012, as well as the mid-year budget review, covering the second quarter of fiscal year 2012-13.
The council also will discuss hiring a facilitator for the annual goals meeting.
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012213 Lakeport City Council special meeting agenda packet by LakeCoNews
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Clearlake Planning Commission discusses variance, general plan update; medical marijuana ordinance discussion postponed
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – At its meeting Tuesday, the Clearlake Planning Commission discussed a proposed variance at a gas station property on Lakeshore Drive and the city’s general plan update, and postponed a discussion on a draft ordinance that would regulate medical marijuana cultivation in the city.
City Manager Joan Phillipe told the commission that due to late developments and discussions with the city attorney that afternoon, the issue needed to be looked at further and therefore could not be heard that evening. It was postponed to a future date.
The commission then turned to an application for a variance for an accessory living unit at the Shell gas station on Lakeshore Drive.
The applicant, Gurdarshan Singh – represented by his architect, David Lark – is proposing to build a second story living unit above the existing convenience store.
The current zoning, C3-DD – “Visitor Commercial, Design District” – limits the maximum building area to 3,000 square feet. The variance submitted is requesting the increase to 5,026 square feet to accommodate the proposed addition.
Surrounding neighbors and public agencies were notified of the variance application, with the only comment returned to the city coming from an adjoining neighbor, Alan Johnson.
Johnson asked that a condition be placed on the resolution requiring that it not be a rental unit, that only the tenant, family or employees could reside there.
Phillipe said that request had been discussed with the city attorney, and that the city could not legally add this condition to the variance. Singh said the new unit would only be owner-occupied, and that he would not rent it out.
Lark discussed screening and privacy of the windows of the proposed structure. He plans to design the windows with privacy, benefiting both the owner and neighbors.
He also fielded questions about the amount of parking spaces and whether they were up to code with the increased square footage. With more than 20 spaces, the code’s requirement of 2.5 spaces per 1,000 square feet was fulfilled.
City resident Aqeela El-Amin Bakheit asked the commission for clarification on several of the project’s aspects, including the property’s square footage. The square footage is 15,000 square feet, three times the amount of the minimum square footage lots.
Commission Chairman Carl Webb discussed the traffic going onto Lakeshore Drive from the existing convenience store/gas station. As this is a residential unit, the existing traffic would not change, and the commissioners agreed that a busy street was a good thing to see in the city.
The Vision Task Force report was mentioned, as it discussed having future residential uses only on the land side of Lakeshore Drive, and not the lake side.
Lark said those recommendations were not in the city’s code, and therefore could not be enforced. The visibility of the lake from Lakeshore Drive would not be blocked, one reason why the Vision Task Force report recommended restricting building on the lake side of Lakeshore Drive.
The commissioners, who approved the variance application 4-0, indicated they were pleased to see new building in the city.
The next topic of discussion was the update of the development of the new general plan.
A $40,000 grant from the Lake County/City Area Planning Council is allowing the city to hire second year graduate students from Cal Poly to update the circulation element of the general plan.
Phillipe said that to be able to update the plan for that amount was unheard of, as updating could cost substantially more.
There will be two more workshops on the general plan update: Feb. 9, and either March 2 or March 9 at this time, she said.
Phillipe said the Cal Poly students are enthusiastic about the project, and expect to have a draft ready by end of June.
The next step is for the students to create an environmental impact report. Phillipe is locating grant funds to complete that document.
After that is the zoning ordinance update, followed by the zoning map update. Updating all of those documents, according to Phillipe, would be beneficial for the community, the planning commission, future projects and potential developers.
Commissioner Bill Perkins said of the circulation element that roundabouts should allow buses and semi trucks. He pointed out that some cities that did not allow those vehicles.
Phillipe confirmed that both types would be allowed if a roundabout would be constructed near the intersection of Lakeshore Drive and Old Highway 53.
Phillipe also gave an update on the Lakeshore Drive Downtown Corridor Study project. She said she hoped to see the final draft this winter, and that she would update the commission once the draft was completed.
In other commission news, the city is now taking applications from the community for three seats on the commission.
Two planning commissioner terms are expiring – those of Webb and Perkins – and Gina Fortino Dickson’s seat became vacant after she was elected to the Clearlake City Council last November. It’s not been reported if Webb and Perkins will apply for reappointment.
The deadline for applications is Feb. 28; applications are available at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive, or by emailing City Clerk Melissa Swanson at
Based on the applications, the city council would make the appointments to fill the three commission seats.
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Lakeport City Council agrees to early payoff for property purchase next to Westside Community Park
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport City Council on Tuesday evening approved a proposal to pay off early a promissory note on a property purchased near Westside Community Park several years ago.
The city general fund will front the money for the early payoff to Charles Witt, who sold the city the five-acre property with a modular home in 2007, according to City Attorney Steve Brookes' report to the council.
Assuming a March 1 payoff date, the principal sum on the note would be $73,866.44, Brookes reported.
The note, which is due in June 2014, is being paid off at a rate of $1,291 per month, with interest at 4.5 percent. Brookes said the purchase agreement called for the city to lease back to Witt the property for $750 a month via a deduction of that rental cost from the promissory note's principal balance.
Brookes said there would be significant cleanup required to remove items that had been left on the property. He said the modular could be used for a rental, and a shed could be used for storing supplies.
Witt – who previously has gone to the council to ask for advance payments on the loan, as he did last summer – said he no longer lives on the property, having moved into a more central Lakeport location due to his health.
“I have no use for the property,” he said.
He asked the council to at least give him $8,000 to pay off some bills.
Mayor Tom Engstrom told Witt that the council was considering the total payoff, which Witt said would be fine with him.
The council unanimously approved making the early payment to Witt, who said the property could be fully turned over to the city within 30 days.
In other business Tuesday, the council held two public hearings, the first to consider the appeal of Marci Psalmonds, whose use permit for a daycare operation on 11th Street had been revoked by the Lakeport Planning Commission due to lack of upkeep on a shared driveway, which was a permit condition.
However, with Psalmonds having recently completed significant upgrades to the driveway, Planning Services Manager Andrew Britton said staff proposed that the council grant Psalmonds' appeal based on the improvements so far, as well as the condition that Psalmonds comply with the project's terms in the future. The council approved the appeal 5-0.
In the second public hearing, which had no community input, the council unanimously approved a first reading of a proposed ordinance to change city regulations related to constructing secondary accessory
dwelling units in the city’s residential zoning districts.
Britton's report to the council noted that the Lakeport General Plan discusses the importance of second units as a means of affordable housing.
The units would be allowed in R-1 Low Density Residential, R-2 Medium Density Residential and UR Urban Reserve zoning districts, with minimum parcel size for a second unit reduced from 9,000 square feet to 7,500 square feet, he reported.
On parcels under 7,500 square feet, a second unit can be approved if the Lakeport Planning Commission grants a use permit and other requirements in the ordinance are met, Britton's report explained.
Mayor Pro Tem Stacey Mattina asked how often people approach the city about building such units. Britton said about twice a year.
Reducing the minimum parcel size would make an additional 200 parcels in the city eligible for such units, Britton's report noted.
As part of its initial approval, the council also set the second and final reading of the ordinance for Feb. 19.
Also on Tuesday, the council approved a proposal to name the playing fields in the second phase of Westside Community Park for the late Jane Barnes, a longtime youth and community leader whose family has donated about $90,000 to the park.
Engstrom also appointed council members to a number of city boards and commissions; the council voted to appoint George Spurr as the city's representative to the Lake County Vector Control District Board, succeeding longtime board member Mel Gatton, who died last year; John Norcio was appointed to the city of Lakeport Business and Housing Loan Committee; several new members were approved for the Lakeport Economic Development Advisory Committee; and the council gave city staff approval to contract with the county elections office for work on an anticipated city initiative.
The council also heard a report on Lakeport Police volunteers and presented a certificate of appreciation to the Lakeport Rotary Club for its efforts in renovating the gazebo in Library Park.
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