ACTION
MINUTES
Thursday, April 24, 2025 5:30 P.M. Open Session
SPECIAL JOINT
MARINA CITY COUNCIL AND MARINA PLANNING COMMISSION
THIS MEETING WILL BE HELD IN PERSON AND VIRTUALLY (HYBRID).
Council Chambers
211 Hillcrest Avenue
Marina, California
AND
Zoom Meeting URL: https://zoom.us/j/730251556
Zoom Meeting Telephone Only Participation: 1-669-900-9128 - Webinar ID: 730 251 556
1. CALL TO ORDER
2. ROLL CALL & ESTABLISHMENT OF QUORUM:
MEMEBRS PRESENT: City Council Members: Jenny McAdams, Brian McCarthy, Kathy Biala, Mayor/Chair Bruce C. Delgado
MEMBERS ABSENT: Mayor Pro-Tem/Liesbeth Visscher
MEMBERS PRESENT: Planning Commission Members: Paul Cheng, Galia Baron, Victor Jacobsen, Audra Walton, Surinder Rana, Richard St. John, Glenn Woodson
3. MOMENT OF SILENCE & PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE (Please stand)
4. STUDY SESSION:
a. City Council and Planning Commission receive a presentation from the City’s consultant, Raimi+Associates (R+A), on draft policies relating to all the Chapters included in the General Plan update (GP2045); and discuss and provide feedback on the recommended policies, including any desired changes, and direct staff to return with a completed draft General Plan update including associated goals and policies, as revised, for review by the public, Planning Commission, and City Council.
Public Comments:
• Nicki Neta, urged the city to consider crafting a new policy to educate and engage the broader community about the damage of non -native invasive plants and what those noxious weeds can do to the natural environment. The city should add a new policy that promotes public planning, not developer -driven planning for housing projects. The city to revisit and modify your tentative zoning map. Now, before moving forward with the general plan update EIR, remove the more sensitive habitat areas from consideration as housing opportunity site.
MINUTES for Special Joint City Council & Planning Commission of Tuesday, April 24, 2025 Page 2
• Ruben highlighted the importance of labor standards and why they need to be a core part of the General plan. The Plan will guide how city grows. Strong labor standards ensure that the benefits of development are shared by those who live and work in Marina. • Terry Tallen spoke about being a stakeholder in this community for 20 plus years. Would like to see mi xed-use planned for the lots adjacent to the Walmart property but we do think it's important as we go through this and the LCP process to allow us to put housing there. • Jay Gentry for LU -5 and LU -10 Senior Housing and Missing Middle housing. LU -27 recommends incorporation of building blocks of high performance for ADU’s. LU -45 recommends incorporation of high -performance standards. ED -24 recommends workforce training. C-13 encourages alternative transportation modes and transit to reduce air pollution.
Safety, Hazards and Climate Change - suggested including high performance of Passive House standards that drive Mitigation Climate Change. Public Utilities, Infrastructure and Water- include possible rebates or tax credits. Reduce natural gas where possible. UI -8 add positive impacts on geothermal as an additional possibility for alternative form of energy. EJ- 31 add Veterans Transition Center.
• Daniel Dokhanian real estate broker for property adjacent to Walmart and expressed that they would like to see mixed -use on this property. It would bring affordable housing to the community. There is no interest from commercial developers for this land. • Fred Watson echoes and supports all the points made by Nikki Neto. Sent email to the planning commission suggesting rewording or additions to the Land use and habitat species elements. In habitat and species between C4 and C5 it's important to specifically name the sensitive habitat types. Made further comments on sensitive habitats areas.
Planning Commission general comments: How does the General Plan fit into HE 7 th and 8 th Cycle. Defining certain goals (short, medium and long -term) in plan. Incentives to bring businesses, city branding in document, AI impacts into planning documents, performing arts theater, population, blue technology, possible cemetery, transportation connections to airports, solve homelessness, isolation of Marina from surrounding areas, water and irrigation supply, new development to supply irrigation water, solar panel farm.
Council general comments: survey made available to the public, branding/identity, protection of Salinas River. cemetery in open spaces,
Transportation
representation of EV Stations, G -21 charging infrastructure, parking relative to developments, t - 13 options, sidewalk hazard reductions, T-34 change wording to “such as”, annexation of private roads, T -35 perc -ponds into land -use = Low income housing, Walmart to be included in Downtown Vitalization Plan, Muti -family home parking solution/density, T -8 add camera to radar sign, Transit and Multi-hubs = Park-n-Rides in GP, MST on-call services, encourage green building materials in GP
Conservation
C4 – why only one species we are monitoring. C13 was a place we could add EVs and encourage alternative transportation modes and transit to reduce air pollution. C9 – add quantity. C12 - Put in the words water conservation efforts, participation water conservation efforts. C21 - protect views from the actual residents, value of saying protecting the views to the east , protecting the view sheds of the ocean from the city and marina . Protection of urban wildlife. C17 listing what kind of “Excellent People”, what tribes. Scenic resources, climate change, sea level rise. Where MINUTES for Special Joint City Council & Planning Commission of Tuesday, April 24, 2025 Page 3
is that? Where do we want to put that? C21 and C22 – How do we protect the views when Marina can’t see the ocean due to the dunes. Air Quality – where does Marina odors fall under.
Safety, Hazards and Climate Change
Implement policies that make Marina a recognized leader in addressing sea level rise. scenic resources, climate change, sea level rise. Protect the public from potential future lithium battery storage facilities fires and other hazards. Typo on Sh35, should be EV. Hydrant testing. SH14 Emergency command center and backup generator maintained. SH25-Hazardous material cleanup.
Public Utilities, Infrastructure
UI 31 add an alternate to convert them to multifamily/infill housing or low income housing.
Environmental Justice
EJ3-typo, should state Highway 1 not 101 and add pollution noise. EJ11 - incentivize, define certain incentives for more businesses to come. EJ8 -Information centers/Resource and information centers. EJ29- incentives for the employers to hire locally. EJ6-10- overlaps with Economic. EJ20 - more civic engagement. EJ24 and EJ25 - starter homes, apartments and condos. No mention of Marina being a disadvantaged community of color. EJ10-no mention of disadvantaged populations or racial minorities. EJ19- add Beaches and Coastlines. Providing amenities that kind of mitigate the negative mental health impacts of our weather and our environment is not encapsulated in any of these specific statements. DEI should be mentioned in the plan.
Parks, Recreation, Open Space, Trails and Public Facilities PR24- add disk golf. Perc Pond Trails. PR27 - add more public outreach. PR8 - implement ongoing maintenance programs for all parks. PR31 - needs more activities acknowledged, mention of Aquatic/Sports Center. PR16 - add “and protect” PR27 - public outreach regarding available hiking, wildflower displays and other recreational opportunities. PR2- add along trails gym equipment as an amenity. PR13- eliminate Los Arboles Sports Center from this one, leave it in PR14. PR32 - add after school facilities. PR3 - is time and distance feasible? PR4 - is there a goal to create more of those? PR9 - put funding on developers. Add to provide restroom and security lights to all community parks.
Economic Development
Relabel the whole section economic development and innovation with subsections (traffic management, predictive maintenance, energy management, community resilience, predictive healthcare, smart zoning, shared mobility, smart citizen services). ED1 - definition of flexible zoning code. ED17- add performing art to provide state -of-the-art venue for Globe performance.
ED2 and ED3 might be the same, suggest “maintain a strong city marketing strategy by dedicated staff or department or functions”. ED19 - add more agencies to the list. ED24 - add more programs.
Areas Outside of City Limits
Move forward with #1 Blanco Road Property. Was Blanco Road property removed from the County’s 6th Cycle HE.
MINUTES for Special Joint City Council & Planning Commission of Tuesday, April 24, 2025 Page 4
b. Discussion on potential agenda topics for staff to recommend for joint meeting between City and Monterey Peninsula Regional Parks District for on April 29, 2025, regarding Locke Paddon Park.
The City Manager stated the city has been working with the Parks District and figured out this would not be done in one meeting. The first meeting really is going to involve just understanding the background and history and overall main purpose and the desired outcome of going through this process and coming up with a plan how we're going to maintain, operate and improve the park.
Public Comments:
• Jeff Markham the history of Lock Patton Park is extremely complicated. There are nine parcels there, many of which were acquired by the Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District through a number of grants. The park exists largely because of the grants that the Park District did and working with the city, it's been very fraught and how well we've maintained it, I don't think either one of us have done a great job there. It’s the only coastal wetlands inside of a city limits within California, it is a unique gem that everybody in our city and everybody within MPRPD wants to be a beautiful place that we can all go and be proud of. We’re going to have to take the time during this joint meeting to understand the history and how complicated it is we're going to all have to be really smart about how we're going to approach this going forward I don't like what I'm hearing here.
The council had discussion about the Oak Woodland Restoration area, the Asian Community Garden area and the general park maintenance.
1. Meeting Purpose and Desired Outcomes for Initial Meeting
2. Park Overview and Background
3. Current Conditions and Need for Coordinated Park Investment and Management
5. ADJOURNMENT: The meeting adjourned at 10:00 P.M.
Anita Sharp, Deputy City Clerk
ATTEST:
Bruce C. Delgado, Mayor