AGENDA
ITEM
23 CITY COUNCIL
AGENDA STAFF REPORT
DATE: April 20, 2022
TO:
APPROVED BY:
PREPARED BY:
SUBJECT:
Mayor and City Council Mr
Diego Favila, Interim City Manage ~
Lisa Tylenda, Planning and Building Services Director N~~ Adopt a Resolution of the City Council of the City of Calexico Approving an Intent to Collaborate with Imperial Valley Food Bank in Efforts to Address Food Access Needs within the City of Calexico
----------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Recommendation:
The recommendation from City Staff is to adopt a Resolution of the City Council of the City of Calexico Approving an Intent to Collaborate with Imperial Valley Food Bank in efforts to address food access needs within the City of Calexico.
Background:
During March 2022, representatives from Imperial Valley Food Bank, approached City staff with a request to create a collaborative effort with the City of Calexico and have submitted a Letter of Intent to collaborate. Please see attached letter.
Discussion and Analysis:
This staff report focuses on items requiring City Council direction over the coming months related to this proposed collaborative effort between administrative staff, City Council and the Imperial Valley Food Bank. Through this collaborative effort, the City will have the ability to oversee the formulation of proposed projects, potentially apply for grants and provide an authentic engagement process for the community that is inclusive, dialogue-centric, culturally competent, and transparent during the collaborative effort to bring food access to the City.
Coordinated With:
City Manager's Office.
Attachment(s):
1. Draft Resolution Approving an Intent to Collaborate with Imperial Valley Food Bank in efforts to address food access needs within the City of Calexico.
AGENDA
ITEM
RESOLUTION NO. ----
A RESOLUTION TO THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CALEXICO
APPROVING AN INTENT TO COLLABORATE WITH IMPERIAL VALLEY FOOD
BANK IN EFFORTS TO ADDRESS FOOD ACCESS NEEDS WITHIN THE CITY OF
CALEXICO
WHEREAS, during March 2022, City of Calexico Staff received a request from the Imperial Valley Food Bank for a collaborative effort to explore the potential developments to address food access needs within the City of Calexico; and
WHEREAS, currently, the Imperial Valley Food Bank has been serving the citizens of the City of Calexico for several decades and the City of Calexico has been providing and assisting with street closures and traffic control. The proposed collaborative resolution does not suggest nor guarantee what, if any, action the City Council will ultimately take during the collaborative phases or once the proposed project application is formally submitted to the City of Calexico to begin the planning, building, engineering review and entitlement process; and WHEREAS, the proposed collaborative resolution is not an approval of any proposed project, nor does the collaborative effort or resolution reflect approval of any type of entitlement; and WHEREAS, once the collaborative effort identity's the desired project or development, the formal entitlement process will begin via planning, building, and engineering applications to the City of Calexico for review, processing, and action by the Planning Commission and City Council- if necessary; and
WHEREAS, the applicant must obtain approvals from all local, State, and Federal agencies if required; and
WHEREAS, the applicant must be in compliance with all local jurisdictions, State, or Federal development requirements, the proposed collaboration between city staff and Imperial Valley Food Bank is only to ensure that the potential projects/developments reflect the performance and development standards within the City's ordinances and address the needs of the community as well; and
WHEREAS, any of the potential projects/developments will be reviewed per the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA); and
WHEREAS, the proposed collaboration process is to receive input from the Planning Commission and City Council; and
WHEREAS, the applicant will be responsible for all costs related to project approvals, permitting, plan checking and inspections, and for all ongoing operations and maintenance costs for any potential development projects; and
WHEREAS, this resolution is only to allow the collaboration efforts between staff and Imperial Valley Food Bank prior to the official submittal of any formal development application is submitted to the City of Calexico; and
WHEREAS, this collaborative effort will expire either within 60 days after the approval of the "intent to collaborate" resolution or upon the submission of any of the following applications to the City of Calexico: planning, building, or engineering applications, which ever happens first; or WHEREAS, the City may, at its sole option and for its convenience, terminate at any time, all or any po1tion of the "intent to collaborate" resolution by giving written notice of such termination to Imperial Valley Food Bank at least seven (7) days prior to termination via email correspondence; and
City Council will allow staff to collaborate within the outlined parameters:
BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council, staff will be allowed to collaborate with Imperial Valley Food Bank within the outlined parameters:
1. Direct staff to work with the Imperial Valley Food Bank for 60 days or until the formal submission of any development applications to the City of Calexico; whichever happens first (either the 60 day period or submission of development application).
2. The City may, at its sole option and for its convenience, terminate at any time, all or any portion of the intent to collaborate resolution by giving written notice of such termination seven (7) days prior to termination to Imperial Valley Food Bank.
3. Staff may assist in identifying governmental constraints for proposed projects related to the preliminary development review phase and the logistics of the proposed development.
4. Staff may assist with grant applications or be co-applicants on grant applications.
5. City of Calexico Staff nor the City Council are not responsible for resolving or mitigating any foreseen or unforeseen governmental constraints or non-governmental constraints of any type regarding the proposed project development.
6. Direct staff to create a public engagement program outline during the collaborative efforts.
7. Staff may provide recommendations in regards to designs or aesthetics for the proposed new commercial development.
8. Direct staff to provide a monthly report to the Planning Commission and City Council regarding the collaborative efforts for the proposed new commercial development.
9. Reports to be provided by staff during the second regularly scheduled meetings of the month for both the Planning Commission and City Council.
PASSED AND ADOPTED at a regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Calexico held on April 20, 2022 by the following vote:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTAIN:
Javier Moreno, Mayor
ATTEST:
Gabriela T. Garcia, City Clerk
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
Carlos Campos, City Attorney
State of California )
County of Imperial ) ss.
City of Calexico )
I, Gabriela T Garcia, City Clerk of the City of Calexico, State of California, do hereby certify the above Resolution No. was approved at a regular City Council meeting held on the 20th day of April 2022, by the following vote to-wit:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTAIN:
Gabriela T. Garcia, City Clerk
486 Aten Road • Imperial, CA 92251
(760) 370-0966 • lvfoodbank.org
To the Leaders of the City of Calexico,
It is with humble hearts that we reach out to you to better serve the needs of the hungry in your fair city. While we have been serving the hungry in Calexico for several decades, the stresses of the COVID pandemic forced us to make changes to our distribution model, moving to a drive through method. The City of Calexico has been most helpful in facilitating street closings and traffic control so that we might serve the hungry in a socially distanced manner with less human contact. We do this in four different locations every month and have for two years. We know this system is not sustainable, it relies too much on the kindness of City services. We are looking for a proactive way to address the food access needs of the citizens of Calexico that will be permanent in structure and provide more dignity for those accessing food.
It is therefore our request to ask your help in land acquisition for us to jointly create a collaborative partnership to serve the food needs of Calexico. We are looking to create a "Food Station" that will be open 5 to 6 days a week so that citizens can pick up their food supply whenever they are in downtown Calexico. This station would need a reception area, ample storage for shelf-stable food, refrigerated space for produce, freezer space for frozen food and a loading dock for delivery access.
Other functions could be added to this space so other food-centered programs could use the Station; a teaching kitchen for nutrition education classes, or for cooking for the homeless by another nonprofit, or for producing food for farmworkers in a community kitchen that is certified by Environmental Health are just a few examples of other activities that could benefit from such a space. We understand there will fOODBANK
I~
486 Aten Road • Imperial, CA 92251
{760) 370-0966 • ivfoodbank.org
need to be extensive remodeling done to create such a "food station", but we also know that many sources of funding would easily fund such a worthy endeavor.
I write this letter to you with the permission of my Board of Directors.
At this stage we ask for your affirmation on this project so that we may begin the work needed to realize this vision for the community benefit for the citizens of Calexico.
Humbly,
Sara Griff en
Executive Director