Chico Council opts for ‘holistic’ look at downtown
A contracted City Council expanded thinking at Tuesday night’s meeting by proposing a “holistic” assessment of downtown traffic flow rather than a narrower look at parking.
Councilors, minus one who left the dais early, unanimously approved a staff recommendation that city engineers create new plans for rights of way in conjunction with sewer pipe replacements in the downtown area. Supportive members of the council and the public called such a review “holistic.”
The council also denied an appeal of a decision by the zoning administrator on a property in the avenues and adjusted parameters of city boards and commissions.
The council went down to six members with an unexpected departure of Sean Morgan, a long-time councilor who City Clerk Debbie
Presson announced fell ill. He left in the first half-hour, during “business from the floor” public comment, following the hour-long closed session.
Councilor Tom van Overbeek might have missed the downtown deliberation, too, had he followed legal counsel. He told his colleagues City Attorney Vince Ewing advised him to recuse himself because he owns property downtown; van Overbeek disagreed and decided to “move forward.”
He was the impetus of the item. At the previous meeting, Jan. 17, councilors deferred consideration of a proposal from van Overbeek to add diagonal parking to three parallel streets downtown — Main, Broadway and Salem — between First and Ninth streets.
Tuesday, he teed up a presentation from Leigh Ann Sutton of what she called “reexamining the right of way downtown.” She shared a conceptual plan from 2008 for diagonal
parking on Main Street and Broadway, which would reduce the traffic lanes and, potentially, speeds.
The city must replace downtown sewer pipes — the oldest in Chico, some dating to 1908 — on the verge of failure. Sutton said that process will take five to 10 years. Van Overbeek noted that the work will require replacing pavement
as well; that scope “gives us an opportunity for the first time in 50 years to reimagine what to do with our right of way.”
His colleagues agreed. Mayor Andrew Coolidge made the motion, seconded by Councilor Deepika Tandon and amended by Councilor Addison Winslow, that passed with debate only on process. Engineers will solicit public input before drafting plans for the council to consider.
Tandon called the envisioning of downtown “once in a lifetime” as the district probably wouldn’t change as significantly for another 100 years.
Other discussions
Councilors reexamined a zoning variance in the Avenues. Neighbors appealed a determination from the Community Development Department at a hearing in December to change the setback requirements for a residential property along an alley between First and Second avenues, and also reduce the parking requirement from two vehicles to one.
The appellants asserted that the proposed three-bedroom, two-story house and additional dwelling unit on the small lot of 1,950 square feet was inconsistent with the Avenues neighborhood as well as the general plan. On questioning from Councilor Dale Bennett, a former planning commissioner, Senior Planner Kelly Murphy assured the council that the project meets city codes with the variances.
Vice Mayor Kasey Reynolds said the decision gave her “a bit of heartburn for the neighbors,” a sentiment Bennett echoed. She proved the only dissenter, as the council upheld the zoning administrator’s decision on a 5-1 vote.
Councilors heard from Presson about commissions and boards. Every two years, after the seating of new councilors, the council appoints citizens to serve on six panels — Airport Commission, Architectural Review and Historic Preservation Board (ARHPB), Arts Commission, Bidwell Park and Playground Commission, Climate Action Commission and Planning Commission. The configuration has changed over time based on city needs, including additions and discontinuations.
Presson recommended councilors review the list of board and commissions in terms of numbers and responsibilities. Of particular concern to councilors was tension between demands on staff and demands by commissioners.
The council unanimously approved a motion by Reynolds, seconded by Coolidge and amended by van Overbeek, for Presson to restart recruitment for bodies needing more applicants (ARHPB and Climate Action Commission); move ahead with the appointment process for the remaining panels; and consult with Ewing and other department heads on configuration and operation of all, potentially merging the Planning Commission and ARHPB.
Early in the meeting, Arts Commission Chair Monica McDaniel and Vice Chair Kimberly Ranalla reported to the council on results of the Art Grant Program.
Over four years, the city awarded 24 grants to totaling $106,667, including $27,000 this year to six recipients: Chico Music Events, Chico State’s University Foundation, Inspire School of Arts and Sciences, Legacy Theatre Group, Museum of Northern California Art and Pedal Press.
The funding, 1% of the city’s Transit Occupancy Tax, benefited 19 organizations serving more than 17,000 community members and yielded 110 events.