Thank you chair. Commissioner strongman here. Commissioner quack here. Commissioner
club here. Vice chair nighting here. Chair Anderson here. We have quorum. Thank
you and we have we have any items on the consent calendar. We have nothing to
recommend moving to the consent calendar. Okay and I won't explain how it's
processed. The next item on the agenda is a public communications. If there are
members of the public here we have two chances for you to comment at the
meeting tonight. One is during the hearing if you're commenting on the
hearing topic itself. If you are commenting anything else that is within the
jurisdiction of the Planning Commission this would be the time to do it. If anyone
here, should make a public comment, seeing none.
We can move on to disclosure of ex parte communications.
Anybody have any ex parte communications to disclose?
That's surprising.
OK.
Moving right along, we have a public hearing.
On the 10-year capital investment program,
conformists to the general plan.
And we have a staff report.
Thank you.
Good evening.
Chair Anderson, Planning Commission, and members of the public, my name is Alex Huang. I'm the senior civil engineer with the capital improvement program.
Thank you for the opportunity to present the draft 26 to 25 capital improvement plan.
Just as a housekeeping item, there is an amendment to the staff report in the CEQA section. There is an adjustment to it.
So tonight, I will go over the 10-year CIP and capital budget development process
before we dive into each of the two-year cycles.
As we progress through the presentation, I will highlight a couple of projects in
each of the cycles. The goal here tonight is to receive your
concurrence that the CIP conforms to and supports the current
general plan. Many of the projects may conform to the
general plan in more than one way, but we've selected what we think is the most relevant.
So some background, the 10-year CIP pulls from a variety of stakeholders including staff,
transportation, pros commission, and the city council. In addition, it pulls projects from
adopted plans including the asset management plan, transportation improvement program,
and parks plans. We're updating the CIP in conjunction with the development of the capital
budget. The 10-year CIP informs the capital budget. The first cycle of the CIP is the
proposed capital budget. The CIP is a long-term 10-year planning tool prioritizing programs and
projects over five two-year cycles. It provides direction for future projects and creates a plan
for our outside partners such as MTC, CCTA, Caltrans, and the county with grant opportunities
and alignment with regional projects.
So where are we with the CIP development process?
First we identify available funding and projections for the finance division.
Then we identify potential asset management and discretionary projects from the municipal
maintenance plans, transportation and parks improvement plans, along with input from staff
and user groups.
We heard from our transportation commission, pros commission, finance committee, and we
incorporate the city council priorities.
So what are the next steps?
So tonight we're presenting the highlights of the CIP to the Commission for General Plan
Next, we will go to the City Council for approval and adoption of the first cycle, first CIP
cycle is the capital budget and the 10-year CIP.
So here, we're showing the demand for funding by cycle and category, project category.
So you can see on the right side there, there's project categories of asset management, downtown,
transportation, parks and open space, climate resiliency, and facility projects.
So you can see that we're consistent with asset management with the blue bars, and that
the other category demands varies when specific projects are forecasted.
For example, in 2627, we have programmed a large investment in parks projects.
So this is the Aquatic Centre project at Everform.
And in 3031 and 3233, there's a demand for transportation projects.
So just because there's demand for improvements doesn't mean there's funding.
So some of the projects in update in the CIP have been slipping to future funding cycles,
waiting for funding.
So out the projects.
So first looking at the 2627 cycle and Parks and Open Space Project.
This is the new header farm aquatic and community center.
This is a new facility to replace the Clark Swim Center and Hedda Farm Community Center.
Construction is scheduled for 2026, and this conforms to General Plan Chapter 2, Quality
of Life Goal 11 to promote a healthy community.
Another 26 and 27 projects, it's a transportation project.
So the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Community Grant Project is an opportunity
to partner with two developers to improve access
and transportation safety for families and workers.
The project includes implementing a road diet
on Broadway, improving pedestrian and bicycle access,
helping to connect North Downtown
to the core Downtown area.
And this project conforms to General Plan
Chapter Five Transportation,
Goal Five to provide a safe and attractive environment
for bicycle travel throughout the community,
and Goal 6 to provide a safe and attractive walking environment accessible to all.
So moving to the 28 and 29 cycle, we go back to Parks and Open Space.
So this is the park, clock pool and pool house repurposing park design and construction.
So we have the master plan development scheduled for fiscal year 26 and 27 and the implementation
for 28, 29 and 30 and 31.
So this project conforms to general plan chapter 3, natural environment and public space.
Goal 5 to maintain and enhance the park systems.
So another 28 and 29 project we shift our focus to our city facilities.
This project would upgrade existing facilities.
The first project here is the Lesher Center storefront, restroom and backstage upgrades.
So the Lesher Center was built in the late 80s and there's a lot of upgrades that need
to be done to bring it up to the current standards,
and these projects would move toward doing that.
The other project here,
Civic Park Community Center Lounge and Office Upgrades.
So we did an upgrade there about two years ago,
improving the front entryway of that community center.
So this project would follow up and update the lounges
adjacent to the entryway and also the back offices.
And in our project is the Bedford Gallery drywall.
So after every exhibit, the drywall gets patched up and painted, looking new, but there's
only so many times you can patch a drywall.
The City Hall restrooms.
So City Hall was built in the 70s and added on in 2000.
Some of the restrooms on the older half are still more looking like from the 70s, so this
This project would make them consistent.
So this project would conform to these projects conform to general plan chapter two quality
of life.
Goal four strengthen Hauner Creek's position as the regional destination for arts and entertainment.
Goal eight to make Hauner Creek a community accessible to all.
And goal 12 maintain enhanced Hauner Creek's position as the leading regional cultural
and arts center.
to 3031, Climate Resiliency. So this is a new project category that focuses on meeting
city sustainability goals and adapting toward impacts on climate change. So this project
here is the EV charging infrastructure. It will promote energies conservation and reduction
of greenhouse gas generation. It will conform to General Plan Chapter 4, Goal 27, Promote
green development and redevelopment under a project for 3031 we go back to
transportation this is the Ignatio Valley Road bed and bike facilities
this is a new class one bicycle pedestrian facility on Ignatio Valley
Road from Ironhorse Trail to Via Monte this project conforms to general plan
chapter 5 from goal 5 provide a safe and attractive environment for bicycle
travel throughout the community and goal six to provide a safe and attractive walking environment
as well to all. Okay moving to 22 and 23. This is a downtown project and this is the replacement
of the parking management system. So we know that these systems need major maintenance and or
replacement at the 10-year mark. We have inserted this project into the CIP as a way to track
and program funding for this project as part of our infrastructure and this project would conform
to general plan chapter five transportation goal 12 to provide convenient and adequate parking
next project here goes back to transportation it's the main street intersection redesign and it's a
project would involve improvements to the main and cypress and main and bonanza intersections
And this project would improve safety of those intersections and pedestrian crossings.
This project would conform to General Plan Chapter 5 transportation, Goal 9 to promote
a pedestrian-friendly downtown.
Moving to 3435, there are climate resiliency projects.
This is the quick and wetland restoration project.
So this project would promote and enhance open space repairing areas and restore the
Creek systems and this project would conform to General Plan Chapter 3, Goal 1, to maintain
and enhance open space lands, Goal 5, to maintain and enhance the area's creek systems, their
riparian environments, and their recreational amenities.
Last one here is another transportation project.
This is the Olympic corridor.
This project would expand and improve the regional trail facilities and provide a safe
an attractive environment for bicyclists and pedestrians.
The project would make a connection
from the Iron Horse Trail
to the Olympic Boulevard Corridor Trail,
and it conforms to General Plan Chapter Five,
Goal Two to expand and improve regional trail facilities,
Goal Five to provide a safe and attractive environment
for bicyclists and travel throughout the community,
and Goal Six to provide a safe
and attractive walking environment accessible to all.
So, we're seeking the Commission's comments
to the General Plan conformance of the CIP
and adoption of a resolution
of CIP General Plan conformance.
That concludes my presentation.
I'm here to take questions and comments.
Thank you very much.
Questions?
I'll start out.
Thank you for a great presentation.
Just a couple questions after reading
all of your documentation you provided.
Going back to the Olympic Corridor Trail Connection,
Back when, years ago when I was on transportation commission,
I believe we did approve the preferred route.
And this is the actual construction of it?
Hopefully.
I believe there's a couple of different components to it.
And the CIP, I think there's a design component
and there's a construction component.
I think the design with the actual preferred path
hasn't been finalized yet on that.
Okay, and also back, I didn't see any mention
of replacing the South Main bridge over the creek.
Oh yeah, that's in the 2026-27, this upcoming cycle.
I must have missed it, I'm sorry.
Yeah, it's gonna be in the capital budget
for this upcoming cycle.
Okay, thank you.
And on your 2034-35,
there was a ball field synthetic replacement.
Is that for the replacing the turf on the new ones
we're going to install as we speak?
Yeah, so supposedly the synthetic fields,
they last 10 years, like spans about 10 years.
So we're supposed to be done this year,
so that would move 10 years from now.
They'll set aside from, yeah.
Okay, thank you.
No further questions.
any questions? I just have a couple. One was actually reading through the many
many capital improvement projects. The first one was AHSC grant improvements
and I'm sorry I don't know what AHSC stands for. It's affordable. I was thinking it
was Occulani's high school something but maybe not. Yeah, I think that the stands
So affordable housing, sustainable community grants.
It's a housing grant that is a part of the 699 issue.
That's how the bicycles tie into that, okay.
I think that along with the DMV project,
I think as a part of those two projects,
they're gonna put improvements on Broadway
to create a slow diet from a nation down to civic.
And there's also a component where the city
has already put in the previous capital budget
to fund a portion of that already.
So this would supplement that to you
for the entire project to be done.
Very good.
And just to comment on the Olympic corridor,
because I was looking at it
from Lafayette's perspective at the time,
They're part of the whole thing and I recall that there was a fairly detailed plan by I think it was sort of a
study if you will, you know, this is how it could work. I don't think it was necessarily a
a proposal or a
prototype
one other question the
eat in each
Time period there's a set of asset management projects. Yes
And they're marked as a maintenance function
The implication is, since our maintenance functions,
they don't have to have a direct tie-in
because the original project presumably had a tie-in when it was built.
Maintaining it is simply a maintenance function that is
not subject to general plan compliance, particularly.
Yeah. There's a maintenance function like the roadway paving sections.
We have set aside funding to repave certain amount of streets every year.
every cycle so that's that's it just goes into maintaining the same
facilities right I just wanted to thank you for the examples as a relative
newcomer the title of the project doesn't always go hello to me I don't
exactly know what it is and I just wonder if even just a sentence describing
things like the AHSC grant improvements.
I mean, if that would help clarify, you know, what the topic is.
Because then you can make the leap to conforms to the general plan based on a little bit more
of a description, just a suggestion.
But thank you for the examples.
They were very helpful.
When we when we finally published the the CIP document, it'll come with a full description of each project
TDM which is transportation demand management
Is such a broad I don't think we have a TDM manual in
Walnut Creek like San Jose has a very robust one
So what are the the TDM that I know is you want to get people out of cars right
so I've seen you know at Treasure Island they gave bus passes but for here we're
using it as we're gonna provide peak period traffic congestion data like
that's our TDM to get people I'm just curious yeah I'm just trying this this
think you're trying to this is the one of the communication yeah it's traffic
traffic communication yeah it says it's well downtown fiber implementation which
I wouldn't think that would be TDM because I don't know how you would tell
people it's congested get out normally it's like pedestrian it's like network
improvements pedestrian improvements like a traffic engineer right here you
I'll probably know more about GDM than I do.
But like that's kind of the aid.
So I'm just like curious,
is that the transportation demand management plan?
Yeah, no, that's a really good note there.
That project really is to put in
our communication infrastructure
to improve on our current communication infrastructure.
Right now we don't have fiber going
toward each of these each of these traffic signal cabinets and and then
getting that I think that's the project mostly funds for getting that
communication there and once it's there then we can start like putting in these
different components in there to help with the different traffic improvements
got it cabinet improvements for Eevee which I loved seeing there is Eevee
ready and Eevee capable and so are you guys do you have a vision for just doing
Eevee ready and then maybe in the future converting something for Eevee because
if you're gonna go and do the trenching to make things Eevee ready sometimes you
you know, the reach code requires you to have a certain EV ready, a certain EV capable for
the future as like, you know, GHG laws get passed and people drive hybrid or all electric
cars.
Yeah, I think, I think current like what we're looking at right now, we're still kind of
very early stage. We're developing an EV, kind of a master plan for the city to see
where we're best suited. I know there's a lot of fleet needs for that to meet the upcoming
goals. So a large component goes toward that. Public charging, I'm not sure how that's going
it would be good in the budgeting to forward plan and think about the if
there's if the demand isn't ready yet for the up to have you know XY's you know
X number of EV ready maybe to forward plan on okay we're gonna have this EV
capable capable because we see the trend going to X amount of percent of users
being neat needing that right because it's interesting when you pull up your
app. There's not a lot of places where you can charge. I mean Danville has a few in
their public parking. I know Broadway Plaza but they're constantly used. I've
never seen an empty the EV spots in the Broadway Plaza garage. And then the other
question I had which always scares me is wetlands. You had for your Creek and
wetland restoration so the first thing that went in my mind was in our goal to
maintain in a hands-open space are we gonna trigger you know California
Department of Fish and Game section 1602 which is a lake instrument alteration
agreement and then require compensatory mitigation the city's like right you're
looking at a two-year program with CDFW just to pull that lake and stream it
when all you're trying to do is something really really good
Yeah, so, so basically the California Department
of Fish and Game code 1602, whenever you,
if something is considered a water
which they take jurisdiction of,
you have to have a resource permit
per that Fish and Game code.
And so when I see wetland restoration,
like they, they have CDFW,
which is the California Department of Fish and Water,
they take the most egregious limits of top of bank,
which includes riparian.
So basically like the tree drip line.
And so when we're trying to do something good of restore,
they almost make you pay for the impact of restoring.
So then you have to restore it,
that's the compensatory mitigation,
somewhere else, or pay a bank.
And so I just wanna make sure like when we're thinking
this that we're thinking really really intelligently and making sure we know
the ramifications of us trying to do good that that was like but everything
else looks wonderful especially I mean I've small children so I love the fact
that we're looking at safety with bike lanes and crosswalks and so park
improvements citywide traffic calming so thank you for taking my questions the
good news is that that doesn't come up until 2034 so there's plenty of time to
get whatever permit is necessary and you'll be mayor by then so take you'll
take care of all of it okay thank you any other questions or comments I did want
to clarify that I'm not sure whether it's with you or with the Secretary but we
have a modestly amended agenda and staff report here but the resolution
remains the same there's no changes for the resolution correct okay and I will
ask if there is a motion to be had I'm sorry public comment thank you
public do anyone care to comment on this and if not I will I'll bother to tell
you how okay thank you and I will entertain a actually you I guess you get
a chance to to rebut or respond to anything good
Got to get all the forms right. Then I guess I'll engineer a motion.
Oh sure. The public is very quiet tonight, but we'll close the public comment, public
hearing and bring it back to the council into the Commission for a further
discussion and or a motion. Okay so I move to that we adopt the resolution of
the Planning Commission of the City of Walnut Creek 10-year capital investment
program 2026 through 2035 conformance to the general plan a second any further
discussion on the motion not would you call the roll all right
Commissioner Clark yes mr. strongman yes mr. Klopp yes vice chair nighting yes
Chair Anderson. Yes. Motion passes. Thank you. All right.
Move on to commission considerations.
The items from the commissioner staff. Yes.
Just catching up on my notes.
All right. Give you a moment for the.
I have one item that would be just a reminder to everybody
here and out there who may be watching that the city is
currently has a recruitment underway for several Walnut Creek commissions including this commission
for two vacant seats. Design review has one vacancy. Much be a registered architect.
Board of Appeals has two vacant seats and the Contra Costa Library Commission has one
alternate seat available. I believe there's a closing date. The deadline to apply is 5 o'clock
Monday, May 12th. That's the duties. For further information on how to apply,
please contact Susie Martinez, the City Clerk. I would request that you can maybe
pass this along to your professional friends who might be interested.
Commissioner Member and staff reports start that off Vice Chair you and I went
to the quarterly breakfast from the City Council I brought up the question of
the revised process for design review the fact that the way it's structured
now with one meeting at Design Review, and when it comes to us, it's been to Design
Review, they've made suggestions or requests or commands over the front of phrase, it comes
back to us, it hasn't gone back to Design Review, so we don't know whether whatever
action has been taken, if action has been taken, how the Design Review feels that that
has responded to their request, which makes us, or for the most part, not design professionals
is why they've been chosen, in a situation where we're lacking some information.
And whether it's revising that rule about the one meeting or coming up with some other
process by which we can get better information from design review would be a useful thing
for the City Council to take up.
And Mayor Darling, and I appreciate this, she immediately went then to the design review
chair and co-chair to see if they had comment on that particular thing.
They both strongly agreed with the proposition that it be clarified that they have a better
chance to make their point, review the response, and provide us with more information.
Charles I don't know his last name but he's currently on a different committee.
He chimed in he's a former chair of the design review and said he agreed with
all three of us so that that's out there now. I'll try to follow up with some of
the City Council to see if or perhaps some of the design review to see if we
can come up with some suggestions as to how that might be improved.
Anyway, I thought that was a useful dialogue we had there.
Anything else under mission staff reports?
If not, the only thing left is to adjourn.
So I would do that.