MEETING
A regular meeting of the Hayward Planning Commission was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Chair McDermott.
ROLL CALL
Present: COMMISSIONERS: Schott, Loché, Enders, Faria, Lavelle, Parso
CHAIRPERSON: McDermott
Absent: COMMISSIONER: None
Commissioner Faria led in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Staff Members Present: Buizer, Lawson, Madhukansh-Singh, Neklason, Owusu, Rizk
General Public Present: 0
PUBLIC COMMENTS
There were none.
PUBLIC HEARING
1. Recommended FY 2016-FY 2025 Capital Improvement Program
Public Works Engineering and Transportation Director Fakhrai introduced Assistant City Engineer Owusu who provided a synopsis of the staff report.
Commissioner Loché emphasized that in addition to structural and equipment improvements in regards to disaster preparedness, City staff should continuously be educated on disaster preparedness. Assistant City Engineer Owusu responded that disaster preparedness was one of the City Council’s stated priorities, noting that one of the key utilities projects would be the seismic upgrade of the Mission 24’’ Aqueduct.
In response to Commissioner Loché’s question on how street improvements were prioritized, Mr. Owusu shared that the City was divided into districts and that street improvements concentrated on performing repairs on two districts at a time per year. He elaborated that the sidewalk program had two components which were tripping hazard removal and sidewalk repair. He noted that historically, staff had been able to complete repairs in two districts per year.
Commissioner Lavelle referenced the Comprehensive Transportation Plans mentioned in the City Manager’s letter to the City Council which was included in the staff report, and asked if the traffic impact fee would be imposed on developers. Director Fakhrai stated that a study will be performed throughout the city to determine what the needs are and what improvements need to be done, and based on this, an analysis will be performed to determine the type of traffic impact a potential development may have. He underscored that unlike most other agencies in the Bay Area, the City of Hayward lacked a traffic impact fee and stated that implementing traffic impact fees was a way in which the City could ensure that it had enough resources to take care of needed improvements stemming from future developments.
Commissioner Faria was pleased with the advanced metering infrastructure noting that this will be beneficial for residents as they could monitor and control their water usage using real time information. She supported having a potential shuttle that would enable individuals in the city to get to BART from areas within the city currently not served by BART. She noted some other cities already provide this service and commented that this service would advance the City’s clean and green initiative. Commissioner Faria expressed concern about staff vacancies that were impacting the completion of projects and asked if this was being addressed. Director Fakhrai noted that the vacancies were with the Public Works Utilities and Environmental Services Department and commented that Director Ameri was working diligently to fill these vacancies. He mentioned that some of these vacancies were specialized roles and noted for Commissioner Faria that the City was competing with other utility agencies such as East Bay MUD and Union Sanitary District to fill vacancies.
Assistant City Engineer noted for Commissioner Schott that there were approximately 6450 lane miles in the City. He commented that although the budget was inadequate for performing street improvements, the City’s approach to have a preventative maintenance program for street improvements was effective as opposed to having a reconstructive program which would be more costly to perform.
Director Fakhrai confirmed for Commissioner Schott that new developments would pay for traffic impact fees. Mr. Fakhrai elaborated that at the proposed La Vista development, the Utilities Department will be constructing a new 3/4 million gallon reservoir which will be paid for by the developer.
Commissioner Schott shared that the City of Pleasanton was offering a program where residents could get treated sewer water. Director Fakhrai indicated that the City was exploring having a recycled water program, noting that the Whitesell Extension project would include a pipeline dedicated to providing recycled water to the Industrial area that could be utilized for irrigation.
Director Fakhrai noted for Commissioner Schott that the City had been receiving funds from Caltrans for the sale of properties, stating that the City had already received $8 million to complete the Route 238 project and was slated to receive another $22 million for the completion of the next two phases of the Mission Boulevard project.
Director Fakhrai indicated for Commissioner Schott that a downtown parking study will be conducted to evaluate various parking options and will take into consideration whether the demand for parking would justify implementing parking fees.
Commissioner Schott inquired whether it would be possible with smart meters to have units translated to gallons as this measurement system would be easier for residents to interpret. Director Fakhrai responded that he was not aware how easily this conversion could be accomplished, noting that this question would be better addressed by the Utilities Department.
Commissioner Enders requested that staff elaborate on what the unfunded projects were and how it was determined which projects would be prioritized for the upcoming fiscal year. Director Fakhrai commented that the unfunded projects for the current year were a huge improvement in comparison to last year. He shared that among the unfunded projects were some big ticket items consisting of an estimated $80-$90 million for a new police administration building, $100 million of unfunded roadway paving needs, $100 million for interchange projects along I-880 that would provide better access in the area, and other technology and facilities needs. Director Fakhrai mentioned that there was a robust process for prioritizing Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) noting that his department worked closely with other City departments including the City Manager’s Office, and presented the CIP to the Council Budget and Finance Committee, as well as the City Council for this purpose. He added that the CIP was routinely modified to add or remove projects due to funding availability or limitations.
In response to Commissioner Parso’s question about the impact on efficiency that the implementation of the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system would have, Director Fakhrai stated that this system had multiple components and that it was more than 70% implemented. He highlighted the improvements in efficiency and paper reduction, and exemplified that City staff did all time entry electronically without the usage of paper timesheets.
In regards to the ERP system, Development Services Director Rizk commented that staff was working on phasing in electronic permit applications and plan check review for the next fiscal year. He noted that the permitting component went live in October or November of 2015 and mentioned that staff was close to accepting simple and no plan project applications electronically, exemplifying that this included permit applications for water heaters. Director Rizk indicated that the goal for the end of the next fiscal year was to have an array of options allowing individuals to submit applications and plans electronically and to allow staff and consultants to do electronic plan check review. Commissioner Parso appreciated the update and was excited that customers would easily be able to submit applications electronically.
Director Fakhrai reviewed the CIP process for Chair McDermott and noted that the City Council will provide feedback at a Work Session scheduled for the June 2, 2015 meeting and a Public Hearing scheduled for the June 16, 2015 meeting. He underscored that the CIP process typically takes six to eight months.
Chair McDermott echoed Commissioner Loché’s concerns about disaster preparedness training, highlighting that there have been instances with other agencies where the organizations responsible for coordinating disaster relief were unprepared. She asked staff to confirm if annual and ongoing disaster preparedness training was being performed by the City. Director Fakhrai responded that the Fire Department had taken the lead with this effort to ensure that all City staff received disaster preparedness training and that staff members were aware of their responsibilities. He described that certain staff members had been assigned specific duties depending on the nature of the disaster, and added that a majority of management staff had undergone significant amount of training on disaster preparedness. Director Fakhrai concurred with the need for continuous training due to staffing changes and the need for ongoing refresher courses for existing staff members. He reassured the Planning Commissioners that this was already occurring.
Chair McDermott commended the success of the mural program in the City. Director Fakhrai noted for Chair McDermott that the mural program was well received by the community. He stated that there was funding available to support this program for the next two years and that it would be possible to identify additional resources to further fund this program in subsequent years. He confirmed for Chair McDermott that local artists were utilized for the mural program.
In regards to the AMI pilot program, Chair McDermott asked if this had concluded. Director Fakhrai indicated that this was still ongoing and that the scope of the next project was being identified, noting that the project was much more expensive than expected. He stated that he was unaware if all three vendors had participated in the pilot program and noted that staff would further look into this and then share the information with Chair McDermott.
Chair McDermott acknowledged that there were many projects planned for the city and commented that a lot of funding was required for completing such projects. She appreciated staff focusing on the maintenance of existing public facilities and keeping these facilities in good repair.
Chair McDermott opened and closed the public hearing at 7:43 p.m.
Commissioner Loché made a motion regarding the recommended FY 2016-FY 2025 Capital Improvement Program per staff recommendation. Commissioner Enders seconded the motion.
AYES: Commissioners Schott, Loché, Enders, Faria, Lavelle, Parso
Chair McDermott
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
ABSTAIN: None
COMMISSION REPORTS
2. Oral Report on Planning and Zoning Matters
Planning Manager Buizer noted that there were two items scheduled for the next meeting on May 28, 2015 and these included the draft sign regulations and a zoning text amendment to create a zoning conformance permit.
3. Commissioners’ Announcements, Referrals
Chair McDermott shared that the Hayward Education Fund held an event to honor heroes at Hayward schools from grades K-12.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
4. Approval of the Minutes of the Planning Commission Meeting on April 9, 2015
The Planning Commission meeting minutes of April 9, 2015 were approved unanimously.
5. Approval of the Minutes of the Planning Commission Meeting on April 23, 2015
The Planning Commission meeting minutes of April 23, 2015 were approved with a correction to the last paragraph on page 6 of the minutes by changing the words “element” to “condition” and “progress” to “approval.”
ADJOURNMENT
Chair McDermott adjourned the meeting at 7:51 pm.
APPROVED:
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Heather Enders, Secretary
Planning Commission
ATTEST:
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Avinta Madhukansh-Singh, Senior Secretary
Office of the City Clerk