CCMIN012015 - Laserfiche WebLink

AYES: Councilmembers Narum, Olson, Pentin, Vice Mayor Brown NOES: None ABSENT: Mayor Thorne Mr. Fialho complimented the community on its efforts but said that success would not have been possible without the strong leadership of Mr. Smith and the extraordinary efforts of his staff. He commended Mr. Smith for going above and beyond what one individual can reasonably be expected to accomplish. 13. Consider approval of the Conceptual Plan for a new off-leash dog park on the Bernal Property adjacent to the Marilyn Murphy Kane Trail staging area and direction regarding park funding Assistant City Manager Bocian gave a PowerPoint presentation outlining the Conceptual Plan for the 1.4 acre site approved by the City Council in July 2014. He briefly reviewed the site analysis which examined possible issues related to the sanitary sewer line that traverses the project, existing parking, a dirt stockpile used for maintenance purposes, the Marilyn Murphy Kane Trail and Arroyo de Laguna. He also reviewed several independent studies which, while not required, were conducted to address certain concerns raised early on in the process. A biological field survey was prepared in response to concern over the impact to wildlife currently frequenting the site, and concluded they would simply move to the next available location. Mr. Bocian presented several slides depicting key points of the plan, noting that as proposed the park is comprised of an approximately 11,000 square foot area in the northern section of the site for a small dog area and a the remainder reserved for all dogs. A shade structure and fencing would straddle both portions of the side and tree and other landscape plantings would provide additional shade as well as a buffer between the park and residential uses. Acknowledging the obvious issues with a natural turf surface, the architect has proposed an engineered wood fiber base known as Fibar. Fibar is widely used in both dog parks and playgrounds, largely due to its natural compacting ability which helps to relieve the potential for splinters that is often seen with woodchips. A vinyl coated fence approximately 5 feet tall along the trail side and 3.5 feet along the remaining sides, including between the two portions of the site, would surround the park. Additional features include a public bulletin board for posting notices, rules and regulations, waste dispensers at two locations, several dog agility type structures, and additional bench seating. Following the public workshop with the Parks and Recreation Commission in October 2014, staff received a number of emails from neighbors expressing concern over the park. An informal neighborhood meeting was held to meet with residents and discuss potential options. One of the primary concerns related to overflow parking, particularly in the Meadowlark area whose residents maintain that trail users already park on residential streets. Staff has monitored the area recently and has not seen evidence to support that, but cannot say that it has not occurred. Residents expressed concern over increase traffic. An assessment by Traffic Engineer Tassano concluded that the increase in traffic would be minimal and no different than the typical traffic fluctuations seen on any regular day. Residents also expressed concern over noise from both human and canine park users. Staff acknowledges that the area is currently quite tranquil and that there is some potential for the closest residences, which range from 200 to 500 feet away, to hear some noise from the park, the bulk of which will hopefully be mitigated with the additional trees and shrubberies proposed. Finally, residents expressed concern that the park would not be a welcome addition to the community and would adversely impact property values. Staff feels that property values are a much larger macro issue in general but also that parks and amenities such as this generally do have that type of affect. Taking these concerns into account, the Parks and Recreation Commission elected to eliminate the second shade structure along the southern end of the site in an effort to not encourage gathering of larger groups here. They also pulled back the southern edge of the site quite a bit and increased the number of trees and shrub plantings proposed. In response to parking concerns, an area to potentially City Council Minutes Page 5 of 12 January 20, 2015