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HomeMy WebLinkAbout3a_Draft Minutes of September 12, 2019CITY OF NEWPORT BEACH GENERAL PLAN UPDATE STEERING COMMITTEE MINUTES MARINA PARK’S BAY ISLAND ROOM – 1600 WEST BALBOA BOULEVARD THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2019 REGULAR MEETING – 6 P.M. I.CALL MEETING TO ORDER – 6 p.m. II.WELCOME AND ROLL CALL MEMBERS PRESENT:Chair Nancy Gardner, James Carlson, Catherine O'Hara, Larry Tucker, Paul Watkins, (Ex Officio Member) Mayor Diane Dixon MEMBERS ABSENT: Ed Selich, Debbie Stevens (excused) Staff Present: Deputy Community Development Director Jim Campbell, Associate Planner Ben Zdeba III.PUBLIC COMMENTS ON NON-AGENDA ITEMS Bruce Bartram, Still Protecting Our Newport (SPON), summarized key points from General Plan workshops they held in 2017. Jim Mosher suggested the General Plan Update Steering Committee (GPUSC) should address Items IV(d) and IV(e) prior to Item IV(c). He inquired about the reason for the kickoff meeting not occurring in July. Deputy Community Development Director Jim Campbell advised that the kickoff meeting planned for July pertained to staff and the consultant “kicking off” work. The launch event for the Listen and Learn process is an agenda item. Charles Klobe, Good Neighbor Policy Advocates, hoped the book The Little House would be a touchstone when navigating the engagement process. An email communication to the Committee contains links to sample technology tools for conducting a survey. Dorothy Kraus related that her email to the Committee is not contained in the packet. Chair Gardner indicated she received Ms. Kraus’ email suggesting the use of a photograph showing more of the City. Deputy Community Development Director Campbell would search for the email. IV.CURRENT BUSINESS a.Review Minutes of the May 29, 2019 Meeting Recommended Action: Approve the minutes of May 29, 2019. Chair Gardner noted Committee Member Tucker and Mr. Mosher have suggested revisions. GP Update Steering Committee - October 16, 2019 Attachment 1 General Plan Update Steering Committee Minutes September 12, 2019 Page 2 of 6 Motion by Committee Member Tucker, seconded by Committee Member Carlson, to approve the minutes of the May 29, 2019 meeting as amended. Motion passed 5-0, Selich and Stevens absent. b. Brief Introduction and Meeting Overview: What to Expect? No action required. Deputy Community Development Director Campbell reported the Committee will discuss in-depth the Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) at its meeting on September 25. He highlighted staff's expectations for the current meeting. [The Committee discussed Items d and e prior to Item c.] c. Review Design Concepts Recommended Action: Discuss the options, provide direction on any changes and select one design concept and one slogan. Alex Maldonado and Jon Dickson, Common Thread Collective, reported a design concept will provide cohesion and clarity to the engagement process. The goal is to engage the silent community. Desired outcomes are community attendance and input at events. The Listen and Learn process will discover the outcomes that best motivate residents to engage in the General Plan Update. The design and slogan should build momentum and continually engage the community. The slogan and logo invites the consumer's interest. Potential slogans are "Love, Your Newport Beach," "Hello, My Name is Newport Beach," and "Newport, Together." In response to questions, Ms. Maldonado explained that the slogan is intended to attract attention, not to reflect the process or the General Plan. Jenna Tourjé, Kearns & West, clarified that text could be added to the slogan, but the slogan should not be very long. The slogan can be modified for use in the General Plan Update process. Hoiyin Ip liked the third slogan. The color choices do not match the City's colors. Jim Mosher felt the slogan needs more work. The Committee may want to review the slogans used in the previous two Listen and Learn processes as examples. George Lesley preferred "Newport, Together" because it is simple and short and brings in the future. Committee Member Carlson suggested "Newport, Together" with a subtitle of "Planning Our Future." Ms. Maldonado explained that a subtitle would not be legible on a brochure or website. Simplicity is important in a slogan. Chair Gardner noted the Committee felt the third option is the most attractive slogan, but it needs to evoke the future. Ron Yeo remarked that "Newport, Together" is a nice, simple statement and could be used with numerous subtitles. General Plan Update Steering Committee Minutes September 12, 2019 Page 3 of 6 Deputy Community Development Director Campbell advised the Committee to delay the launch if it is uncomfortable with the design and with the possibility of losing momentum. Staff will include discussion of a statistically significant survey on the agenda for the next meeting. Motion by Committee Member Carlson, seconded by Committee Member O'Hara, to (1) approve the "Newport, Together" slogan with the project team to create subtitles and (2) launch the Listen and Learn process on October 26, 2019. Motion passed 3-1, Gardner abstaining, Selich and Stevens absent. d. Draft Community Engagement and Outreach Plan Presentation Recommended Action: Discuss, provide feedback and approve the overall plan. If significant changes are directed, continue approval of the plan to the September 25 meeting. Jenna Tourjé, Kearns & West, reported the Community Engagement and Outreach Plan will be updated throughout the process. The objectives for outreach are to ensure the community hears about things early and often, to provide a transparent process, and to build trust between the City and residents and also among residents. The Committee's role is to ensure the City receives sufficient input, to guide staff and the project team, and to make recommendations to the City Council. The project team identified specific engagement strategies that address the size of Newport Beach, distinct neighborhoods, and community activation. The Plan contains different types of activities in order to engage different groups. Information will be shared with the community through a contact database, the Listen and Learn website, social media, e-blasts, partner communication, and flyers, posters, and postcards. Phases I and II of the process will have similar activities, but the topics will be different. The Listen and Learn process will either end or transition to the General Plan Update process in the summer of 2020. In response to questions, Ms. Tourjé advised that staff will utilize Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Nextdoor. Partner communication is sharing information with community and religious groups and the like. Deputy Community Development Director Campbell added that the Utilities Department has the best database of Newport Beach resident information, but the database may not contain email addresses. Staff and the project team will attend each outreach meeting and provide a report of each meeting through the online platform or to the Committee. Committee Member Tucker preferred to delay the launch of the Listen and Learn process until the City's RHNA number is released. Committee Member Watkins suggested staff prepare information regarding trends and issues since 2006 and policy considerations for each of the 10 elements of the General Plan. The community can use that information to provide comments during a meeting or meetings focused on each element. In this way, the vision guide will be more focused. Ms. Tourjé clarified that the engagement activities are designed to present the General Plan elements in a way that the community can review and comment on the elements and that engages a broad cross-section of the community. She did not recommend delaying the launch for release of the RHNA number because the community's comments could be different and engagement could be more difficult. Committee Member Carlson wanted to begin the process with educating the public about RHNA. General Plan Update Steering Committee Minutes September 12, 2019 Page 4 of 6 Committee Member O'Hara and Mayor Dixon concurred with discussing RHNA requirements and State mandates at the beginning of the process. An unidentified speaker opined that the General Plan cannot be updated until community feedback is obtained. Charles Klobe, Good Neighbor Policy Advocates, recommended a digital approach for community engagement in order to obtain more community feedback. An unidentified speaker suggested the best process begins with a broad focus that narrows over time. Jim Mosher believed the General Plan Advisory Committee (GPAC) will focus on the General Plan elements. The Listen and Learn process seeks community attitudes. A survey will likely draw more responses than a community meeting. The GPUSC will not be able to change the program for an immersion week if the first meeting is not successful. Ms. Tourjé explained that digital surveys will be utilized throughout the process. The project team recommends the use of a statistically significant survey. Immersion weeks have been successful in other cities. If the meetings are not successful, they can be modified. Anyone may attend any of the district meetings, but each district meeting will focus on issues within the district. Deputy Community Development Director Campbell remarked that some community comments may not pertain to the General Plan, but staff wants to hear all comments. Mayor Dixon stated Zoning Code amendments may be necessary once the General Plan is updated. All comments should be taken because they could lead to Zoning Code amendments. An unidentified speaker felt interpretation of the General Plan has been more of a problem than the General Plan itself. e. October Launch Event Overview Recommended Action: Discuss and provide input on the format of the event. Ms. Tourjé reported the launch event will be a citywide event on October 26 from 11 am to 3 p.m. at the City Hall Lawn and Community Room. The event is designed to instill a sense of excitement and confidence in the community that their input is valuable and will be heard. The launch event could include live music, food trucks, vendors and booths, games, door prizes, and engagement activities. Launch week will begin October 20 with various activities to engage the community. In reply to the Committee's inquiries, Ms. Tourjé explained that the launch event would not be advertised as a General Plan event. Booths for partners will draw the community to the event. The event can be advertised through postcards, social media, emails, and posters. The December 20 pop-up event will be held during the Boat Parade. Newport Beach residents generally attend City and community events; therefore, the launch event could be very successful. An unidentified speaker did not see a connection between the launch event and gathering community input. Hoiyin Ip commented that a government event should not generate trash. Food vendors may or may not use products that promote sustainability. Balloons are single-use plastics. General Plan Update Steering Committee Minutes September 12, 2019 Page 5 of 6 An unidentified speaker felt an event that draws 5 to 10 percent of the population would be advantageous. Entertainment could increase attendance. Allan Beek believed problems rather than entertainment would draw people to events. The 2006 Update did a good job of using polls, surveys, and focus groups. Jean Watt supported the use of technological tools over community events. Charles Klobe indicated public education should include the differences between the General Plan and the Zoning Code. Tom Schottmiller suggested the cost of the launch event should be considered against the likely success of the event as determined by the success of events held in cities similar to Newport Beach. Jim Mosher stated the Committee needs to know the costs and potential returns on investment of a statistically significant survey and a launch event in order to choose one for the process. The consistency of the General Plan with the Coastal Land Use Plan and the environmental justice issue have to be part of community education. Deputy Community Development Director Campbell clarified that the Kearns & West contract covers the costs of organizing events. Costs for food trucks, music, and games are not covered by the contract. The larger the event, the higher the cost to the City. The launch event is intended to generate excitement and engagement. If the launch event is not held in October or early November, it will be pushed back to January or February. Committee Member O'Hara did not want to add costs to the Listen and Learn process, but the Committee should discuss a statistically significant survey. In answer to queries, Ms. Tourjé stated Kearns & West does not conduct statistically significant surveys. The RFP scope of work did not include a statistically significant survey. A statistically significant survey could be extremely effective. Deputy Community Development Director Campbell advised that community attendance at workshops depends on the topic. A well-known band, food, and vendors will probably attract more people to an event. Committee Members Carlson, O'Hara, and Watkins preferred to launch the Listen and Learn process in October. f. Website Navigation Presentation No action required. Chair Gardner announced this item is continued to the next meeting. V. COMMITTEE ANNOUNCEMENTS OR MATTERS WHICH MEMBERS WOULD LIKE PLACED ON A FUTURE AGENDA FOR DISCUSSION, ACTION OR REPORT (NON-DISCUSSION ITEM) Committee Member Carlson requested an agenda item to discuss development standards and traffic and circulation studies. Chair Gardner advised that development standards are outside the Committee's scope, but they can be discussed in outreach meetings. Traffic and circulation studies are within the Committee's scope. Deputy Community Development Director Campbell reported General Plan Update Steering Committee Minutes September 12, 2019 Page 6 of 6 the Committee can discuss traffic generally, but the City Council has charged the Committee with guiding the Listen and Learn process. In reply to a question from an unidentified speaker, Deputy Community Development Director Campbell indicated the RHNA number will be released in February 2020. The Housing Element for the period 2021 through 2029 must identify sites that will accommodate the RHNA number. VI. ADJOURNMENT – 8:29 p.m. Next Meeting: September 25, 2019, 6 p.m. in the City Council Chambers.