This meeting will be conducted pursuant to the provisions of Government Code Section 54953 (as amended by AB 361) which authorizes teleconferenced meetings under the Brown Act during certain proclaimed States of Emergency. The Governor of California proclaimed a State of Emergency related to COVID-19 on March 4, 2020. This teleconferenced meeting is necessary so that the City can conduct essential business and is permitted under Government Code 54953 in order to protect public health and safety of attendees.
Consistent with Government Code Section 54953, this [City Council / Commission / Committee] Meeting will be held via teleconference only, and will not be physically open to the public.
[City Council / Commission / Committee] members and staff will teleconference into the meeting by audio and/or video. The meeting will be conducted via Zoom Webinar.
The meetings will continue to be live streamed on the City's CivicWeb Portal (sonomacity.civicweb.net) and YouTube Channel. Those members of the public wishing to participate must do so remotely via Zoom. Please see the agenda below for information on Public participation.
AGENDA
City of Sonoma Special joint City Council and DRHPC Meeting Virtual Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/98029959654
6:00 PM - Tuesday, January 18, 2022
City Council:
DRHPC:
Jack Ding (Mayor), Kelso Barnett (Vice Mayor), Madolyn Agrimonti, Robert Felder, Sandra Lowe Charles Cormany (Chair), Terry Birt (Vice Chair), Kelly Amar, Micaelia Randolph, Christopher Johnson, Ahmad Jahromi - Alternate
Meeting Length: No new items will be heard by the Design Review and Historic Preservation Commission after 10:00 PM, unless the Commission, by majority vote, specifically decides to continue reviewing items. If an item is not heard due to the length of the meeting, the Commission will attempt to schedule a special meeting for the following week. If a special meeting is necessary, potential dates will be established at the close of this meeting, and a date set as soon as possible thereafter.
Page
1. CALL TO ORDER
At this time, members of the public may comment on any item not appearing on the agenda. It is recommended that you keep your comments to three minutes or less. Under State Law, matters presented under this item cannot be discussed or acted upon by the Design Review and Historic Preservation Commission at this time. For items appearing on the agenda, the public will be invited to make comments at the time the item comes up for Commission consideration. Upon being acknowledged by the Chair, please step to the podium and speak into the microphone. Begin by stating and spelling your name.
2. NEW PUBLIC COMMENT PROCESS FOR VIRTUAL MEETING
2.1: Public Comment Process for Virtual Meetings_DRHPC011322 3 - 4
3. REVIEW AND ACCEPTANCE OF AGENDA:
Consideration and adoption of any changes to the agenda order and/or additions to the agenda as allowed for under the Brown Act.
4. LATE CORRESPONDENCE
Review of correspondence received following the posting of the agenda packet.
5. CONSENT CALENDAR - DRHPC
These items will be acted upon in one motion unless removed from the Consent Calendar for discussion by Commissioners or any interested party
6. ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION
6.1: Discus/consider Eliminating the Design Review Role and Responsibilities of the DRHPC.
staff report joint drhpc report FINAL
5 - 6
7. PUBLIC HEARING
8. ISSUES UPDATE
9. COMMENTS FROM THE COMMISSION
10. ADJOURNMENT
I do hereby certify that a copy of the foregoing agenda was posted on the City Hall bulletin board on January 14, 2022.
MATTHEW COURPET, PERMIT TECHNICIAN
Rights of Appeal: Any decision of the Design Review and Historic Preservation Commission may be appealed to the City Council. Appeals must be filed with the City Clerk within ten (10) calendar days following the decision, unless the fifteenth day falls on a weekend or a holiday, in which case the appeal period ends at the close of the next working day at City Hall. Appeals must be made in writing and must clearly state the reason for the appeal. Appeals will be set for hearing before the City Council on the earliest available agenda. A fee is charged for appeals.
Copies of all staff reports and documents subject to disclosure that relate to any item of business referred to on the agenda are available for public inspection the Monday before each regularly scheduled meeting at City Hall, located at No. 1 The Plaza, Sonoma CA, (707) 938-3681. Any documents subject to disclosure that are provided to all, or a majority of all, of the members of the Design Review & Historic Preservation Commission regarding any item on this agenda after the agenda has been distributed will be made available for inspection at the Administrative Assistant office, No. 1 The Plaza, Sonoma CA during regular business hours.
If you challenge the action of the Design Review and Historic Preservation Commission in court, you may be limited to raising only those issues you or someone else raised at the public hearing described on the agenda, or in written correspondence delivered to the Administrative Assistant, at or prior to the public hearing.
In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, please contact the City Clerk (707) 933-2216. Notification 48-hours before the meeting will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to this meeting.
PARTICIPATING IN CITY DESIGN REVIEW AND
HISTROIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
MEETINGS HELD IN A VIRTUAL FORMAT IN
CONFORMANCE WITH SOCIAL DISTANCING
REQUIREMENTS
In order to minimize the spread of the COVID-19 virus, the City of Sonoma is providing multiple alternatives to viewing Design Review and Historic Preservation Commission (DRHPC) meetings and providing comments on items on the agenda. These alternatives allow the City to adhere to social distancing requirements..
VIEWING MEETINGS ONLINE
You are able to view meetings online here:
Live streamed on the City’s CivicWeb Portal (sonomacity.civicweb.net) YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChZjUrg2rNLYxTgQHhFy-Tg).
SUBMITTING COMMENTS BY E-MAIL
If you choose not to attend the DRHPC meeting but wish to make a comment on a specific agenda item, please submit your comment via email at [email protected] at any time.
• Prior to the Meeting as Public Correspondence -- Per the City’s standard practice, any comments received prior to the commencement of the meeting will be uploaded to the public correspondence folder on the City’s CivicWeb Portal (https://sonomacity.civicweb.net/filepro/documents/25498) and available for review by the public and the City Council. It will not be read during the meeting.
VIRTUAL PARTICIPATION BY ZOOM VIDEO CONFERENCING
The City of Sonoma is now offering the ability to view and participate in DRHPC meetings via video meetings and telephonic conferencing via “Zoom” video conferencing computer technology. Instructions for participating via Zoom are provided below.
How do I join the DRHPC meeting via Zoom Video Conferencing? Please visit: https://zoom.us/j/98029959654 and either sign-up for a free Zoom account or continue as a guest. Once you have downloaded the app on your smart phone, joined from your web browser, or downloaded the Zoom software on your computer you will be ready for the DRHPC meeting.
If you have previously signed up for Zoom, you can enter the following meeting ID to join the meeting: 980 2995 9654
Agenda Item #2.1:
I don’t have a computer or smart phone; can I still use Zoom? If you don’t have a smart phone or computer to access the meeting via Zoom, no problem! You can participate on the phone, by calling one of the following numbers: (669) 900-9128 or (253) 215- 8782 or (346) 248- 7799 or (301) 715-8592 or (312) 626-6799 or (646) 558-8656 and entering meeting ID 980 2995 9654
How can I provide Public Comment on Zoom?
The Chair will request public comment during the Public Comment period on the agenda and during each Public Hearing and Regular Calendar Item. Once the Chair has announced the public comment period, please do one of the following.
USING A COMPUTER OR SMART PHONE:
• Click on the “Raise Hand” feature in the webinar controls. This will notify City staff that you have raised your hand and you would like to speak. • City staff will unmute your microphone when it is your turn to provide public comment. Note: the public’s video will not show on the screen because we are using a webinar format.
• A prompt will appear to confirm you would like to be unmuted. Once you accept the prompt, you will have three minutes to provide public comment. • Once your public comment has ended, you will be muted again.
USING A REGULAR PHONE:
• Dial *9 (star 9), this will notify City staff that you have “raised your hand” for public comment.
• City staff will unmute your microphone when it is your turn to provide public comment.
• You will hear “you are unmuted” and then you will have three minutes to provide public comment.
• Once your public comment has ended, you will be muted again.
I don’t want to provide public comment live; can I provide my public comment for the record another way?
Of course! Please submit all public comments via email at [email protected].
I am having difficulties preparing for the meeting and learning Zoom, do you have any resources to help me?
Yes, please visit Zoom’s website support page on helpful tips to prepare for the meeting:
https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/categories/201146643
Agenda Item #2.1:
City of Sonoma
Agenda Item Summary
Meeting: Special Joint City Council and
DRHPC Meeting - 18 Jan 2022
Department
Administration
Staff Contact
Garrett Toy, City Manager
Agenda Item Title
1. Discus/consider eliminating the design review role and responsibilities of the DRHPC and provide direction to staff.
Summary
On September 10, 2021, the Council conducted its annual retreat to discuss, among other things, the roles and responsibility of City Commissions and Committees.
Specifically, the Council mentioned the roles of the Design Review and Historic Preservation Commission (DRHPC), Community Service and Environment Commission (CSEC), Traffic Safety Committee, and the Tree Committee.
At its November 3rd meeting, the Council considered and discussed the roles and responsibilities of the various City commissions and committees and requested staff to schedule joint Council meeting with the various commissions and committees to discuss these issues before the Council would consider any formal actions.
Per City Code, the DRHPC is a Council appointed five-member committee tasked with protecting the architectural heritage of Sonoma, identifying, and preserving significant historic resources, enhancing the visual character of the built environment, and promoting excellence in town design and architecture through its review of projects.
The Council has expressed a desire to transfer the design review responsibilities from the DRHPC to the Planning Commission (PC). The rationale is that many times the PC is also considering another aspect of a project. As a result, it would make more sense for the PC to consider all approvals for an application. This would save staff time in attending DRHPC meetings and preparing reports as well as help to streamline the approval process and costs for applicants.
Staff estimates that 50% of design review applications that go to the DRHPC for consideration also require subsequent PC approval. Furthermore, staff believes that the transfer of the design review responsibilities to the PC would result a newly formed Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) only needing to meet once a quarter (4 times per year). The streamlined process would save applicants the time and any out-of-pocket costs (e.g., architect) for attending the DRHPC meetings. An additional benefit is that the DRHPC meeting would no longer count toward the limit of five hearings under the Permit Streamlining Act (i.e., Housing Crisis Act of 2019, aka SB330) for those applications deemed complete because design review would be included with the PC review of project applications.
Agenda Item #6.1:
The result of this change would be that DRHPC would become the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) and continue to have the same historic preservation responsibilities.
NEXT STEP
Depending on the discussions, staff would return to the Council with the appropriate action to implement the change which requires an amendment to the Municipal Code.
Recommended Council Action
Provide direction to staff
Alternative Actions
Financial Impact
N/A
Environmental Review Status
Environmental Impact Report
Negative Declaration
Exempt
Not Applicable
Approved/Certified
No Action Required
Action Requested
Attachments
City Municipal Code regarding DRHPC -
https://www.codepublishing.com/CA/Sonoma/#!/Sonoma02/Sonoma0260.html#2.60 Agenda Item #6.1: