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CITY OF HIGHLAND
CITY COUNCIL AGENDA
Study Session
August 13, 2024 at 5: 00 PM
City Hall Donahue Council Chambers
27215 Base Line, Highland CA 92346
COUNCILMEMBERS
Penny Lilburn, Mayor
District 3
Larry McCallon, Mayor Pro Tern
District 5
Jesse Chavez - Cordova, Councilmember
District 1
Anaeli Solano, Councilmember
District 2
John P. Timmer, Councilmember
District 4
STAFF
Carlos Zamano, City Manager
Lawrence Mainez, Community Development Director
Leticia Nava -Cruz, Director of Administrative Services/ City Treasurer Octavio Duran Jr., Public Works Director/ City Engineer Maricela Marroquin, City Attorney
Alondra Munoz, City Clerk
MISSION STATEMENT
Highlandis dedicatedto the bettermentof theindividual, the family, the neighborhoodand the community.
TheCityCouncilandthestaffofHighlandarededicatedtoprovidingthequalityofpublicfacilitiesand services that its citizens are willing to fund and will do so as efficiently as possible. 909) 864 6861 www. cityofhighland. org
1 August 13, 2024
City Council Study Session Agenda Au g
IncompliancewiththeAmericanswithDisabilitiesAct (ADA), ifyouneedspecialassistance, pleasecontacttheCity Clerk's officeat ( 909) 864-6861, ext. 226, at least72 hourspriorto the meetingfor any requestsfor reasonable accommodations, including interpreters.
Levine Act: Pursuant to Government Code Section 84308, any party to a City proceeding must disclose on the recordanycampaigncontributionsmadetoa memberoftheCityCouncil (orcommission) inexcessof $250inthe past12 months. Thisdisclosurerequirementincludescontributionsby the party's agentandaggregated contributionsfrompersonsorentitiesrelatedtotheparty. Pleasemakethedisclosureassoonaspossible, butno later than the beginning of the proceeding.
CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION
AUGUST 13, 2024 - 5: 00 p. m.
AGENDA
CALL TO ORDER
ROLL CALL
PUBLIC COMMENT ( LIMITED TO ITEMS ON THIS AGENDA ONLY)
To addressthe City Councilon ITEMSON THISAGENDAONLY, please completea speaker form located at the entrance and give it to the City Clerk prior to the beginning of the meeting.
Yournamewill be calledwhenit is your turnto speak. StateLawprohibitsthe CityCouncilfrom actingonanyitemnotontheagenda. Individualspeakersarelimitedtothreeminuteseach.
Comments received via email at publiccomment(a cityofhighland.org by August 13, 2024, 4:06 p. m., will be read into the record, provided that the reading shall not exceed three (3) minutes.
Emailedcommentssubmittedby a speakerthat also appearsin person to addressthe same matter will not be read into the record.
ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION
Digital Freeway -Oriented Community Business Sign Located at the Northwest Corner of Base Line and the SR- 210 Freeway
RECOMMENDATION: That the City Councilhearthe proponent's presentationand provide comments as appropriate.
ADJOURN
I, AlondraMunoz, CityClerk, certifyI causedto be postedthisAgendaonor beforeAugust8, 2024, by 5:30 p.m., on our website at www.cityofhighland.org and in the following designated areas:
Highland Branch Library
7863 Central Avenue
Date: August 8, 2024
Fire Station No. 1
26974 Base Line
Alondra Mun
City Clerk
City Hall
27215 Base Line
2 STAFF REPORT
CTO THE CITY COUNCILSTUDY
SESSION DATE:
August 13, 2024 FROM:
Carlos Zamano, City ManagerPREPARED
BY: Lawrence A. Mainez, CommunityDevelopmentDirector SUBJECT:
Digital Freeway -Oriented CommunityBusiness Sign locatedat thenorthwest corner of BaseLine and the SR210Freeway PROPONENT:
Lumar Devco IV, and Foxpoint
Interactive LLC RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommendsthe CityCouncilhear the proponent's presentationand providecommentsas appropriate. FISCAL
IMPACT: None. This item is fordiscussiononly and no formaldeterminationwill be madeby theCity Councilduring this studysessionmeeting. PUBLIC NOTICE: The agendafor this StudySessionitem was postedat thethreelocations per ResolutionNo. 2011-047 and on theCity's website. BACKGROUND:
The City wasrecentlyapproachedby Mr. JimNewmannfrom FoxpointInteractive, LLC and LumarDevco IV, withinterestin constructinga DigitalFreewayOriented Community Business Sign at thenorthwestcorner of BaseLine and the SR210Freeway (within the TownCenterPolicy Area). Color elevationsand photosimulationsare attachedfor the CityCouncil' s informationand moredetail will be providedby theproponentduring the studysession. The purposeof theStudySessionis togivethe CityCouncil, the public, and surroundingproperty owners an earlyopportunityto learnabout the proposeddigital freewaysign and providecomments as appropriate. This is nota publichearing, and no formalaction will be takenby theCity Council. However, the meetingwill be recordedand postedon theCity's websitefor futurereference.
The proponentwill usethe commentsreceived to evaluatetheir potentialinvestmentin the City's TownCenterPolicy Area location. Approved
Motion Denied
Ayes Continued
Noes Tabled
Abstain Absent
City
C r Second
Z76C.-
Al Agenda
Item No File
No. Manager
1 A similar Study Session was conducted with the Planning Commission on June 18, 2024.
Comments from the session were used to update the proponent's sign design. A recordingof that study session meeting is available on the City's website.
To assist the City Council in advance of the Study Session presentation, please find attached the following exhibits:
A. Aerial Map.
B. Conceptual Site Plan.
C. General Plan Land Use Element ( Chapter 2) Town Center Policy, and General Plan Community Design Element (Chapter 10) Town Center Policy.
D. Zoning Map.
E. Color sign elevations and photo simulation exhibits. 2 EXHIBIT A
Aerial Map
3 4
EXHIBIT B
Conceptual Site Plan
5 1T
1 6
EXHIBIT C
General Plan Land Use Element ( Chapter 2) Town Center Policy and General Plan Community Design Element (Chapter 10) Town Center Policy 7 HIGHLAND ... A Great Place to live
There exists a significant social and economic
interdependenceand interactionbetweenthe City of
Highland and the area proposed for annexation.
3) Workwith the City of SanBernardinoto providebuffersin areas whereexistingor plannedland usesin one city are incompatible with adjacent areas in the other.
CommunityPolicyAreas
Thissectionprovidesgoalsandpoliciesfocusedtowardsindividualareas oftheCity. Aspartof theLandUseElement, thesepoliciesfocuson land useissues. Togetherwith the otherElementsof the GeneralPlan, the DevelopmentCodeand ongoingneighborhoodand capital
improvementprograms, thesegoalsandpolicieswillhelpcreate, preserve and enhance these community policy areas.
Town Center
Thereisoneplace, morethananyother, whereresidentsandvisitors gainanimpressionofHighland. ItisthelandalongBaseLineoneither side of SR-30. The reason is very simple: this is the primary entry to the centerof thecommunity. It isn't that otherentrypointsareunimportant; it is just that this one is so prominent.
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To the east, thecontemporarysuburbannatureof the EastHighlands Ranchareaiswellestablishedand speaksfor itself. To the west, a clear imageisyettoemerge. RoughlybetweenthefreewayandtheCityHall alongBaseLineisanareadesignatedastheTownCenter. It isnot envisionedasa traditionaldowntown, largelybecauseBaseLine is so 2-32 March2006 1 City of HighlandGeneralPlan
8 2. LANDUSEELEMENT
wideandbusythatit createsabarrierbetweenoppositesidesofthe street. It isnota particularlypedestrian -friendlystreet. Moreover, there wasnoevolutionof thisareaasadowntown. Theearlydowntown
wasaquartermiletothenorth. Yet, thereisanemergingmixtureof activitiesinthispartofHighland, manyofwhicharetypicallyfoundin downtowns. Theyincluderetailbusinessesandoffices, traveler -serving uses, placestoeat, civicusesandinstitutionalusessuchaschurchesand schools ( immediately adjacent).
Furthernorthandsouththeseusesmergewithexistingorpotential residentialneighborhoods. Eachof thefourquadrantsformedby the intersectionof BaseLineandPalmAvenuecontributesa uniquesetof opportunitiesforthefutureTownCenter. Thesoutheastquadrantisa mixof institutional, residentialandcommercialuses. Thesouthwest quadrantemphasizespublicuses. Thenorthwestquadrantemphasizes retailuses. Thenortheastquadrantisaclusterofmostlyvacantland, oneoftheCity'smostsignificant. Thefirstthreequadrantswillachieve theirpotentialthroughinfill, intensification, rehabilitationandeven redevelopment. Thelargelyvacantquadrantwillbethefocusof totally new development.
Thefollowingpoliciesspecificallyrelatetothelanduseaspectsofthe TownCenter. A hostofdesign -relatedpoliciesareprovidedin the Community Design Element.
CreateanewTownCenterwhereHighlandresidents, employeesandvisitors canlive, shop, work, recreateandsocializeinavibrant, safeandpedestrian - friendlyenvironment.
Policies
1) EnsurequalitydesignthroughadherencetotheTownCenter
designguidelinesandpoliciesintheCommunityDesignElement. 2) Ensurethat the Town Centermaintainsa mix of usesattractiveto broad segmentsof Highland' s population and that stimulate activityduringdayandeveninghours, everydayoftheweek.
3) Provide accessto multiple modes of travel, including pedestrian, bicycle, transit and automobile.
4) Workwithpropertyownersto implementtheTownCenter
Vision.
5) Protectsurroundingsingle-familyneighborhoodsfrom
incompatible uses.
City of HighlandGeneralPlan
2-33
9 HIGHLAND. - A Great dace to live
6) Provide transition areasibuffersbetween land uses within the Town Center and with surrounding neighborhoods.
7) Connectthe Town Centerphysicallyand visuallywith the HistoricVillageDistrictwith pedestrianconnections, historically compatible architecture, signage, landscaping and other streetscape elements.
8) Explore opportunities to relocate historic structures onto the Town Center site in prominent locations.
9) Requirenew developmentto providefor public plazasandother gathering places.
Base Line Corridor
BaseLineistheprincipaleast/westcorridorthroughtheCity, andits primarycommercialarea. Itisboundedbyresidential, commercial, publicandindustrialuses. Thecorridorsuffersfrompoorvisualquality.
Commerciallotsareshallow, oftenextendingnot more than 100 feet from the street frontage, and are generally narrow. Most parcels along BaseLinearetoosmallto effectivelysupportavibrantcommercial operation. Thesefactorshaveledto the developmentof small-scale freestandingbusinessestablishmentsthatlacklandscapingandadequate off-streetparking. Therearesomemultipleandsingle-familyresidential developments among the commercial uses.
Torevitalizethecorridor, theLandUsePlanredesignatesmanyofthe mid -block commercialusesto MediumDensityresidentialuses. This changeprovidesnewhousingopportunitiesinthewesternhalfof Highlandandsimultaneouslyprovidesadditionalretailsupportwithnew residents and added income to the area.
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2.34 March2006 1 City of Highland GeneralPlan
10 r4
HIGHLAND ... A Great Place to Live
fromonetreetoanother, anoccurrencemorelikelyduringSanta Ana wind conditions.
Town Center
OneofthegoalsoftheCityistocreateamorediscernable, vibrantand attractiveplacewhereresidentscanshop, eat, socialize, relaxandrun dailyerrands. Improvingthecommercialandaestheticqualitiesofthe Town Centerwould notonlygeneraterevenue, but alsoprovide a centrallylocatedfocalpointfortheCity. TheTownCenter'slocationon BaseLine and itsaccessibilityfromtheadjoining freewaygivethis areaa tremendous advantage.
The Town Center Vision
Thisisthecenterof ourcommunity, geographicallyandfunctionally.
Wecanshophere, havedinner, getahaircut, gotochurch, maila package, conductcitybusinessorhaveacupofcoffeewithsomefriends.
Itisacomfortableplacetobe. IncomparisontotherestoftheCity, it containsagreatermixofpublic, institutionalandprivateusesthanany otherplace. It isoneofthemoreurbanizedcentersinourHighland Vision. Thereisa lotofactivityhere. Welikevisitingor drivingthrough the Town Center becauseit isreallyattractive. Visitorscommentabout whatapositiveimageitcreatesforourcommunity. Eventhoughit isa bit more intensethan mostof our City, therearefascinatingpublicareas andopenspaceswherewecanenjoyrestingamidthehustleandbustle thatoccurhere. Weareimpressedwiththequalityof developmentand imagethat it conveysof our community. Convenientaccessto the Freewaysystembringssomespecializedbusinessesthatevenhavea regional draw. Our residentsand visitors have some great restaurants, entertainmentvenuesandspecialtyshopscateringtofamilies. BaseLine isnolongerjustawidestripofasphaltextendingfromtheFreeway. It hasallthelandscapeandarchitecturalinterestof a boulevard. The unusuallycompletecanopyoftreesthroughouttheTownCenterisa welcomeshieldon hot summerdays. A specialfacet of this areaisits connectionalongPalmAvenueto Old Town —an intentional link betweenthepastandthefuturethatlendsa senseof continuityinour community. OneofthemosttellingindicatorsofsuccesswithourTown Centeristhefactthat, fromitsinception, it hasalwaysenjoyedmuch higherthan averagepropertyvalues. Weattribute that to itsstrategic location, the unique combinationof usesfound there, thequality developmentand theproactivesupportby theCity over the years.
OurTownCenterisveryimportantto us. It symbolizesHighland.
It welcomes you.
1a10 March2006 1 City of HighlandGeneralPlan
11 10. COMMUNITYDESIGNELEMENT
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Mixed Use Core Theaboveland useconceptis intendedto provide the generalland usefocusfor subareaswithintheTownCenterMixed -Usearea. Thelandusesshouldnotbeviewed Medium Density Residentiale tY asprescriptive, butratherasaguide. TheGeneralPlandesignationforthisentireareais Commercial Retail MixedUseand, assuch, allowsagreatamountofflexibilityin determininglandusefor individualparcels. Theconnections, however, indicatedbyarrows, arecriticaltomaking Office Professional the Town Center work as a whole. Future development should incorporate these access Civic Center/ Institutional pointsandconnectionsordemonstratehowanalternativeapproachwillprovide connectivitytoadjacentparcelsandimplementtheTownCenterVision.
Highland' s Town Center will be a comfortable and convenient place peoplewillwantto gobackto againandagain. Itsattractiveand distinctivedesignwill bea visualreminderthat it is, indeed, a special place. Traditionally, thelowdensity, linearnatureoftheCityhasmade developinga TownCentermoredifficult, but newgrowthandthedesire to createa true communitycenterhaschangedthedynamics. Itssuccess will depend onmanyfactors, but experiencesin othercitiespoint the way. Carefulattentionto designdetail, theproperblendofretailuses, andastrongpublic/privatepartnershipto sustaintheplanarekey. Here are the keys to creating a successfultown center:
Liieq— There' s lots to do.
Appropriate retail mix
Retail, office, recreational, civic uses
Entertainment
DistinctIdentity —You know you' re in a special place.
Coordinated design theme — special lighting, paving, signage, landscaping
Rich architectural detailing
Special ambience
Pedestrian Amenities — It's a comfortable place to be.
Ample sitting areas, shade, wide sidewalks
Window shopping, outdoor dining, relaxing
City of Highland General Plan I (H 1
12 Locatingbuildingscloseto thestreetwith
visible entrances and generous pedestrian
amenities invites use.
A mix of uses, attentionto designdetailand
generous public space can create a positive
Town Center ambience.
10-12
HIGHLAND ... A Great Place to hive
Concentrated Uses — Bigger isn' t always better.
Six to ten acres for smaller towns
F Different uses complement each other
f Space well- defined by buildings
Convenient Access —Easy to get to and negotiate
Parkingclearlymarkedand closeby
f People arrive by car, foot, bus, bike
GOAL 10. 3
CreateaTownCenterthatisvisuallydistinctiveandvibrantandcombines retail, residential, civic, culturalandrecreationaluses.
Policies
1) Heightenthesenseof arrivalto theTown Centerthrough
differentiatededgetreatmentincludingentrysigns, specialized landscaping, streetfurnitureanddifferentiatedpaving.
2) Encourage an appropriate mix of retail, office and civic usesto ensure the economic viability of the area.
3) Encourage compactness. Successfultown centersstimulate energyandpedestrianactivityby concentratinguses.
4) Provide convenient and consolidated parking where carsare screened from view, wherever possible.
5) Provide comfortable pedestrian amenities — quality sitting areas, wide paths and shade — alongwith specializedand engaging designfeatures, suchasinterestingfountainsor publicart, which draw and maintain people' s attention.
6) Designplazasandpeoplegatheringplacestobeconsistentwith thepoliciesdescribedin "PeopleGatheringPlaces" ofthis
Element.
7) Incorporatereferencesto the City's historyand regionalsetting in the Town Center design.
Actions
1) Require future development within the Town Center to demonstrateconsistencywiththeTownCenterVision, General
Planpoliciesand, whereapplicable, theMixedUsedesign
guidelinescontainedwithintheDevelopmentCode.
March2006 1 City of HighlandGeneralPlan
13 10. COMMUNITYDESIGNELEMENT
Mixed -Use Development
Withaddedpressureformorehousing, largeamountsof vacantparcels and effortsto revitalizemajorarterials, the introductionof properly plannedmixedusecouldbringgreatbenefitsto Highland. Whereas mixed useis mostoften a verticallayeringof differentusessuchas groundfloorretailandupperstoryofficeorresidential, it canalsoinvolve a horizontal array of uses, usually on larger parcels.
Opportunitiesfor mixed -usedevelopmentoffermany advantagesfor Highland. By combiningdifferentuseswithin oneparcel, greater efficiencies of space and planning can occur. Not only can it provide neededhousingopportunities, suchdevelopmentcanreviveagingareas, generateadditionaltaxrevenueandrelievetrafficcongestion. The successof the retail and officecomponentof suchdevelopmentdepends on its visibility and access.
The convenienceof mixedusealsobringsdesignchallenges. A balanced andcomplementarycombinationof housing, retailandcommercialmust be determined, and this mix should be well integrated into existing development. Whereresidentialusesareinvolved, safeand comfortable privatespaceandconvenientparkingmustbeprovided.
Verticalmixedusedesignsfeature groundlevelretailandupperstoryofficeor residential.
City of Highland General Plan 10-13
14 Pedestrian -scaledsignage, widesidewalks, and
specialty stores can add vibrancy to
commercial centers.
HIGHLAND ... A Great Placeto Live
Encouragemixedandmultiusedevelopmentthatisattractivelydesigned, convenient, andcontainsthedesiredmixofretail, officeandresidential uses.
Policies
1) Encouragedesignflexibilityin mixed/multi-usedevelopmentby allowingbothaverticaland/or horizontalmixof uses.
2) Locatemixed/multi-usedevelopmentin areasof highvisibility and accessibility.
3) Segregateresidentialparkingfromcommercialandoffice
parking.
4) Provideeachresidentialusewithitsownprivatespace (suchas balconies, patios, terracesorupperlevelprivategardensand plazas) alongwithlargercommunalspacessuchaslobbies,
centralgardensorcourtyards, andconvenientconnectionsto
the street and retail uses.
5) Wherea verticalmix of usesoccurs, siteretail or officeuseson thegroundfloor, withresidentialand/orofficeusesabove. Also, encouragearchitecturaldetailingthat differentiateseachuse. 6) Locatecommercial/retailusesnearthesidewalkto providehigh visibility from the street.
7) Minimizethevisualimpactof surfaceparkingbyprovidingberms, landscapebufferingand/or locatingparkinglots to therear orside of buildings or below buildings.
8) In multi -usedevelopment, locateretailandcommercial
developmentcloseto streetforhighervisibilityandresidential usesbehind for convenience and privacy.
Commercial Centers
A keyelementintheCity'seffortstoimproveitsdesignqualityisto consolidateand strengthenitscommercialcenters. Ratherthancontinue thepatternoflow -scale, stripcommercialdevelopment, theGeneralPlan callsfor concentratingdevelopmentwithin prominentintersectionswhere the most potential exists.
Well -designedcommercialcentersthat containdistinctivearchitecture, clearaccess, pedestrianamenitiesandaconvenientblendofretailuses improvecommunityaestheticsandprovideamoresolideconomicbase 10-14 March2006 1 City of HighlandGeneralPlan
15 EXHIBIT D
Zoning Map
16 17
EXHIBIT D
Color sign elevations and photo simulations
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