Concerned with the loss of neighborhood character as a result of “big box” houses being built on small lots, a citizens group began meeting to discuss the issue. Several public workshops were held on the topic and potential solutions, including FAR (Floor Area Ratio) which sets a building square footage based on lot size. The Planning Commission studied the issue and referred it to the Council for direction. The Council asked the Planning Commission and Staff to create a residential building “menu” combining FAR, setbacks, and other construction thresholds that allow attractive homes and protect neighborhood character. (The Council also directed that the process NOT result in categorizing a majority of existing homes as legal non-conforming.)
Again considering neighborhood compatibility and the possibility of having two full size residences on one lot, the Council decided to limit the size of the second unit on a lot, whether it be the original house or the new construction. This reduces density and parking impacts and also promotes affordable housing.
Realizing that our building development fees should be updated, the City had a professional survey done, which indicated that our fees were much lower than most of the other cities in the county. The recommendation was to increase the fees 1000% to be comparable and cover our costs. While raising the fees was obviously needed, such a major increase seemed counter-productive in an already-slowing building market. I suggested, and the Council approved, half of the recommended fee increase.
To satisfy the California Coastal Commission’s requirement for a parking management plan, we set in lieu parking fees for commercial developments that could not provide sufficient on site parking. The fees were to cover the cost of providing a parking space (purchasing land, building a structure), and the original figure proposed was $20,000 per space. I approved lowering that to $15,000 per space. Recently, I suggested, and the council approved, reducing the fee to $2,000 in our downtown area.
Our current lease with the power plant runs through 2012. It appears unlikely that this ocean-water-cooled plant will still be operating after 2015. The City is initiating discussion with Dynergy regarding the status of the lease and the plant’s future. The New Futures citizens group has developed a variety of options for the property when the plant ceases to operate.
Our sewage treatment plant is required to be upgraded to meet current standards. After many months of public hearings and mutual discussion with the Cayucos Sanitary District, the Council opted to upgrade to full tertiary treatment, a step beyond the current requirement. In addition to the new construction, our sewer lines have aged to the point where they are in need of immediate repair. The combination of these factors forced a 50% increase in our sewer fees.
While this is a big jump, our rates are still comparable to others in the county, and this saves us millions of additional dollars in finance charges if we borrowed the money for repairs in additional to the construction loans.
Conference Center
Morro Bay is a prime location for a conference center, centrally located between S.F. and L.A. with a picturesque harbor and Morro Rock. A Chamber of Commerce director suggested a conference center back in the 60’s, and the idea was reiterated in our citizens’ 2020 Goals Report. The Chamber and our hotels receive many requests for conference meeting space and must turn them away. Recognizing that need, local business developers Doug Redican and Burt Caldwell have proposed combining two waterfront lease sites to create a conference facility for groups up to 400 people. This facility would draw visitors to our hotels and restaurants year round and mid-week, increasing our Transient Occupancy Tax and sales tax. It would also introduce people to Morro Bay as a vacation destination. The conference center proposal will be presented to the Council in September.
Market Street Property (Brannigan’s)
The City purchased this property to establish a vital connection between the downtown area and the Embarcadero. A development option was accepted for a combination hotel, condos and a conference center. When it appeared that the Coastal Commission would not approve the condo element, financing the project became infeasible and the option expired. With the conference project proposed on the waterfront, a request for proposals (RFP) was issued for a hotel/retail/
restaurant and parking project for this property. Proposals may be submitted until October. Also, an offer to purchase the property outside of the RFP has been received, and the City is having the property appraisal updated.
CAL FIRE
At the request of our firefighters, the Council is
considering contracting with the State’s CAL FIRE to employ our firefighters
and fire chief. There have been public
meetings on this issue, and it will come before the Council in October. This is a difficult decision as we try to
balance what is best for our firefighters (who themselves are not unanimous on
the issue) against the value of our own fire department and dispatchers. The concerns are both financial and
emotional, and the decision, coming to the Council in October, will not be an
easy one.
We contracted with an employment search agency to consider a wide range of candidates to fill the vacant city manager position. Our then-Assistant City Manager, Andrea Lueker, was also a candidate. Initially, Andrea was not our first choice, but when two other candidates were eliminated (one for cause and one who declined the salary), we re-interviewed Andrea and one other applicant. There were several reasons we felt Andrea was the best choice, primarily because of her history with the city and also because of the quality of work she was doing as interim city manager. Interviewing a range of candidates ultimately confirmed our confidence in Andrea, who is doing an excellent job.
In an effort to economize, the City Council commissioned an efficiency study by Management Partners Inc. This objective study resulted in 38 recommendations on ways to re-organize, economize and increase revenue. The Counicl publicly reviewed these recommendations, along with our recently identified city goals, and the citizens’ 2020 Vision report. After combining and prioritizing these tools, the Council is now implementing some of the recommendations, already reducing annual expenses by over $100,000.
After
suspending construction for the tourist season, the Morro Bay Blvd. and
Quintana Rd. roundabout will soon be completed. Initially, Cal Trans suggested a roundabout for this intersection
and the Highway 1/Highway 41
intersection. During public hearings on
both locations, speakers expressed concerns for the Highway 1/41 location due
to the mix of grammar school pedestrians and high school drivers. The Council did not support a roundabout for
that location.
At those hearings, however, there was
general support expressed for a roundabout at the Morro Bay Blvd. and Quintana
Rd. location. This support was based on
the obvious problems with traffic flow at this location and the fact that,
because of limited space, traffic signals had the potential of backing cars up
on Highway 1. The Council therefore
supported a roundabout at this location, and major funding was provided by the
San Luis Obispo Council of Governments (SLOCOG).
Roundabouts
have been used successfully in Europe for years to improve traffic flow, reduce
accidents and lower carbon emissions because vehicles don’t need to stop and
idle as often. This intersection will
be more efficient and easier to negotiate with the roundabout once we become
familiar with how it works. There will
be educational videos and information on Channel 20, and the following websites
offer more information:
www.virginiadot.org/info/faq-roundabouts.asp
www.ksdot.org/burtrafficeng/Roundabouts/RoundaboutGuide/RoundaboutGuide.asp
Business Experience
I have been self-supporting since age 19, when I moved to LA. Starting as a waitress, I worked up to
managing two restaurants, the first at the Santa Monica Mall, with 50
employees. I was recruited from that
job to open, staff and manage the main restaurant at the LA Airport Hilton,
which had over 100 employees.
I worked for 20 years as a free-lancer in film production management,
ultimately coordinating projects with budgets in the 5-6-figure range. Supporting myself as a freelancer meant
constantly marketing, networking for business contacts, and budgeting my income
to cover the times between jobs.
After returning to UCLA for my Legal Assistant certificate, I moved to
Morro Bay and worked for 10 years at Andre, Morris & Buttery law firm in
SLO, doing probate estate accountings and asset searches.
I’ve been the coordinator of the Winter Bird Festival for 10 years, and
also have my own successful professional photography business.
I have 18 years of government experience.