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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2001-05-29 - AGENDA REPORTS - STUDY SESSION (2)CITY OF SANTA CLARITA INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM TO: Mayor Weste & Members of the Cit Council FROM: George Caravalho, City Manage !! DATE: May 29, 2001 SUBJECT: FOLLOW-UP TO 2001-2002 BUDGET STUDY SESSION +_. •4 • • • City Council discuss outstanding budget issues and provide staff with direction. On May S, 2001, the City Council received for review the proposed 2001-2002 Fiscal Year Budget and the 2002-2006 Five-year Capital Improvement Program. At the May 15, 2001, Study Session staff presented the Council with a complete overview of the proposed $127.1 million budget, which included a presentation on the City's Operating Budget and the Capital Improvement Budget. During the May 15 Budget Study Session several issues were raised. At tonight's study session Staff will be prepared to respond to those issues identified, be available to discuss any other issues the Council would like to address, and receive direction from the City Council. GAC. -EG. e:budget01 /ea6-29.dw • Ruether Avenue Business Park Property • Jan Heidt Metrolink Station in Newhall — Parking Lot Expansion/Site Visit • Projected Bridge & Thoroughfare District Fund Balances for FY 2001-2002 & Anticipated Use of District Funds • Beazer Back Country • Community Center Relocation Agenda Item: TO: Iy,19169 CITY OF SANTA CI AR,ITA INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM Mayor Weste and Members of 1 George Caravalho, City Manag DATE: May 24, 2001 l: 1 i �z � � i�l : t. • ' i � • i M At the May 15, 2001 Council Study Session, the City Council asked staff to prepare a report that would provide information on the potential purchase of the Ruether Avenue Business Park (RABP) property, for park or open space, due to its proximity to the Santa Clarita Sports Complex. The purpose of the preliminary report would be for the Council to understand the opportunities and constraints associated with the 38 -acre property. There are multiple issues that must be considered before the Council makes a determination to consider purchasing this land. The following information summarizes staffs initial finding regarding conditions of the property and terms as provided by the'owners of Ruether Avenue Business Park. Geological Conditions and Cost of Grading The Transportation and Engineering Services Department has identified potential geotechnical issues that could affect the use of the business park property. RABP geotechnical consultants are currently working with the City in identifying the various issues involved with the land. Regardless of the outcome of the geology work being performed by the RABP owner and the City, the City believes, based on initial calculations, that a significant amount of dirt will have to be removed from the site in order to improve the land for use. The removal of dirt from the property will increase the cost of improving the land. The actual cost is unknown until the RABP owner and the City resolve all outstanding geotechnical issues as a result of geotechnical work that is currently being completed. Ridgelines There are ridgelines that would have to be removed on the property in order to improve the land for usable active park space. While this would not be an obstacle, it could be very costly to grade, adding a significant expense for improving the property and adding to the overall price. There is also an additional issue concerning the northern edge of the property. The City would have to come to an agreement with owners of the Santa Clarita Business Park in order to get reciprocal grading rights to an area located between the property lines. The issue involves the different slope grades between the two properties needing to be adjusted, depending on the needs of each owner. This would require coordinating the grading of both properties under an agreement. RUETHER AVENUE BUSINESS PARK PROPERTY May 24, 2001 Page 2 Easements Staff has not identified significant easements that would impede the City using the property as park or open space. Neighbors When the property was being considered as a potential site for the Transit Maintenance Facility (TMF), residents in the area were not in agreement with the City using the property as a maintenance facility. However, at the time the issue was being discussed with the City Council, certain residents indicated they would like to see the property converted into a park. It would appear that the residents located near the site would be very supportive of a park project. There has been no indication that the Santa Clarita Business Park would be opposed to the park concept for this property. Ruether Avenue Road and Drainage/Debris Basin The RASP grading plan originally depicts Ruether Avenue intersecting the Santa Clarita Sports Complex property and the RABP property. Staff has indicated that this should not pose _ an obstacle, since the road is not on the general plan and could be eliminated. • The road would have to be converted into a cul-de-sac at the north end of the Santa Clarita Business Park and south of the RABP property. In addition, there is a drainageldebris basin that currently exists on the Santa Clarita Sports Complex located on the south end of the property, near the skate park, running down toward Redview Drive on the north end of the Santa Clarks. Business Park. The City Engineer has indicated this would not pose an obstacle if the properties were designed together at a similar grade. However, significant work would have to be undertaken to place this drainage/debris basin underground, thus increasing the cost of improving the land and adding additional costs to the overall property. The actual cost for improvement is unknown at this time. crea e Currently there are 38 gross acres available for purchase. Approximately 26 net acres can be graded for multiple flat pads, according to the RABP owners. The proposal maximizes the usable acres for industrial use purposes. It is likely that alternative grading plans would reduce the net flat acreage. Transportation & Engineering Services Department staff are currently reviewing the geotechnical information on the property to determine the number of acres that can be obtained from the property and at what cost. Fiscal Impact The biggest obstacle that staff has identified is the actual cost of the property. Staff has contacted a representative of the RABP and has been quoted a price of $8.5 million for improved MUETHER AVENUE BUSINESS PARK PROPERTY May 24, 2001 e Page 3 land or $6.5 million for unimproved land. This equates to $223,684 an acre or $5.14 a square foot. Funds for a purchase of this size have not been identified or included in the fiscal year 2001-2002 budget for consideration. The City does not have funds for a $6-8 million purchase at this time. In addition, the RABP price far exceeds the average cost of parkland or open space that the City has purchased since incorporation. On average, the City has paid $24,172 an acre or $.55 a square foot (see attachment). Parks, Recreation, and Community Services Master Plan After reviewing the Parks Master Plan (pages 84-92) with the Parks Superintendent, it was determined additional parkland will be needed in what is identified as the "Central Service Area" of the City. The largest parkland deficit is currently in this area of the City. The one caveat is that this area is also not as developed as other parts of the City and therefore does not require additional park space at this time. As the area is developed, appropriate fees will assist the City in developing parkland for future residential units. GAC:FO:hds eMMLAsPmro Attachment Santa Clarita Sports Complex purchased from Merle Norman Cosmetics. (Includes three FY 97198 20.00 buildings consisting of approximately 66,000 sq. ft.) $ 3,060,773.65 $ 153,038.68 $ 3.51 FY 98/99 25.00 River Park area purchased from C. Lyons. $ 11285,420.18 $ 51,416.81 $ 1.18 Trait and habitat and river bottom lots purchased FY 00101 296.00 from Newhall Land and Farm. $ 1,504,690.00 $ 5,083.41 $ 0.12 Veterans Memorial park site purchased from Amidi FY 00/01 0.43 Partners. $ 211,814.51 $ 492,591.88 $ 11.31 Totals 687.58 Average 85.95 $ 2,077,472.04 $ 24,172.11' $ 0.55 V� P,Copos d FY 00/01 158.00 Beazer PropertY Proposal for , Bac=untry Open Space Acquisition $ 1,185,000 $ 7,500.00 $ 0.17 Park LandAcgb1sit9ons 1987 through 2001 Date Total Price per Price per Acquired Acres Parcel Description Total Cost, Acre Sq. foot FY 90/91 224.13 Civic Center Land $ 6,950,000.00 $ 31,008.79 $ 0.71 Lost Canyon River bottom area in Canyon Country purchased from Newhall Land and Farming and FY 92/93 37.00 private parties $ 123,210.00 $ 3,330.00 $ 0.08 Rivendale Parkland - acquisition from Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy & Savala FY 95/96 60.00 Partnership (includes 2 buildings) $ 3,313,368.00 $ 55,222.80 $ 1.27 . Mint Canyon trail frontage lot purchased from FY 96197 25.00 Agelanlan, Olsen $ 170,500.00 $ 6,820.00 $ 0.16 Santa Clarita Sports Complex purchased from Merle Norman Cosmetics. (Includes three FY 97198 20.00 buildings consisting of approximately 66,000 sq. ft.) $ 3,060,773.65 $ 153,038.68 $ 3.51 FY 98/99 25.00 River Park area purchased from C. Lyons. $ 11285,420.18 $ 51,416.81 $ 1.18 Trait and habitat and river bottom lots purchased FY 00101 296.00 from Newhall Land and Farm. $ 1,504,690.00 $ 5,083.41 $ 0.12 Veterans Memorial park site purchased from Amidi FY 00/01 0.43 Partners. $ 211,814.51 $ 492,591.88 $ 11.31 Totals 687.58 Average 85.95 $ 2,077,472.04 $ 24,172.11' $ 0.55 V� P,Copos d FY 00/01 158.00 Beazer PropertY Proposal for , Bac=untry Open Space Acquisition $ 1,185,000 $ 7,500.00 $ 0.17 CITY OF SANTA CLARITA INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM TO:' Weste sail City Councilmembers FROM: George A. Caravalho, City Manager r•' DATE: May 23, 2001 j SUBJECT: JAN HEIDT METROLINK STATION IN NEWHALL = PARKING LOT EXPANSION/SITE VISIT This memorandum is intended to update the City Council on the process under way to expand the parking lot for the Jan Heidt Metrolink Station in Newhall, and discuss the pending City Council visit to the area. When the station was first built, various properties under and around the station were acquired to accommodate the amenities and parking necessary to satisfy Metrolink requirements and the public need. The Anawalt family owned the largest piece of property needed for parking. That portion included a piece adjacent to their currently occupied material supply business. When the City was first able to approach the property owner to acquire the portion of the property that the northeast quadrant of the parking lot currently occupies, the owners suggested that the City purchase the balance of their property concurrently. At the time, the City did not have the financial means to accomplish this purchase, but agreed to take the suggestion under advisement. Since the time of original station construction, the City has been successful in obtaining an MTA "Call for Projects" grant to help augment the parking. Ina mixed blessing, the bulk of the MTA Call grant money was designated to come from the Federal Transit Authority. The mixed portion of this blessing comes from the rigorous and complex procedures staff must navigate to obtain clearances and approvals to spend the money without violating any of the strict federal guidelines. Any violation could result in forfeiture of the grant during the eventual audit process. Since the Anawalts were not interested in selling only a portion of their property, an eminent domain procedure was initiated, and the City obtained possession of the land under the parking lot the City built. The disposition of that case has been continued for nearly two years as staff awaited funding to potentially buy the rest of the site in a market sale and hopefully render the lawsuit moot. Currently, staff is nearing completion of the necessary environmental clearances, and will initiate contracts with experienced right-of-way professionals to help complete the necessary steps to make an offer on the property. Staff has been routinely cautioned to avoid discussions of purchase with the property owners by Caltrans District 7 right-of-way agent Jean Quan until authorization to appraise the property has been granted. That approval is expected soon. JAN HEIDT METROLINK STATION IN NEWHALL PARKING LOT EXPANSION/SITE VISIT May 23, 2001 Page 2 Staff believes that until the authorization from the State is received, the Council should not "officially" visit any portion of the site that the City does not already have in its possession. Doing so prior to the time that the owners of the property are officially aware of the City Council's intentions could be detrimental to our funding (or to the ongoing eminent domain litigation). My suggestion to the City Council, as well as my direction to staff, will be that a visit to the existing parking lot be on the list of City Council tour stops for Thursday's meeting. Further, I will direct staff to schedule an official discussion of the potential future uses of the property to a time immediately following the commencement of the appraisal process. In the meantime, staff has attached a copy of the Engineering and Land Development Feasibility Study that was prepared under City Council's direction and completed in August 1999 to consider purchasing the balance of the "Anawalt" property. Staff was directed to study the site to determine if it would be a suitable location for parking or any other use in the future. The study was completed and presented to the City Council (copy attached) with three potential development possibilities. The MTA Call money was applied for, in part, based on the results of that study.. Although not completely infeasible, adding a "non -transit" use to a portion of the property purchased with transit money may prove difficult. The site and its existing buildings are not suitable for re -use due mainly to the severe flooding hazard that currently exists. A parking lot can be developed without incurring significant risk or violating City ordinances, but further development for permanent uses, including aboveground structures, will require significant costly improvements. Staff will continue to review this property, and any limitations of its funding sources, to determine if there are ways that we can get the best possible use out of it. Staff will report back to the City Council as soon as significant new information is available. If you have any questions related to these issues, or would like additional information on the attached study, please contact me directly at 255-4905. GAC:CCP:11d ' eng-dvACounciltour624.doc Attachments cc: Anthony J. Nisich, Director of Transportation & Engineering Services . Rick Gould, Director of Parks, Recreation & Community Services Steve Stark, Director of Administrative Services lis .. Q �r 30 AL $ MARKET STREET o 60' 20 60' s 9T0.® 9N3''V;tTNV'TDvlmvg so )Ura s:. 8£9£49Z T88 YVd OZ7£T TOOZ/£Z/TO'