Report Prepared by: Scott McBride, Director of Development Services
Title
SUBJECT: Report and Request for Direction on Partial Cancellation of Development Agreement Including Reservation and Dedication of Future Fire Station Within the Weaver Annexation Area
REPORT IN BRIEF
Provide Direction to Staff to initiate the partial cancellation of the Development Agreement (DA) including the reservation and dedication of a future fire station location within the Weaver Annexation Area near Coffee Street and Gerard Avenue.
RECOMMENDATION
City Council - Provide staff direction to initiate a partial cancellation of the Development Agreement (DA) including the reservation and dedication of a future fire station to be located within the Weaver Annexation Area near Coffee Street and Gerard Avenue.
Body
ALTERNATIVES
1. Approve as recommended by Staff; or,
2. Approve, subject to conditions other than recommended by Staff (identify specific findings and/or conditions amended to be addressed in the motion); or,
3. Deny; or,
4. Continue to a future meeting (date and time to be specified in the motion).
AUTHORITY
Charter of the City of Merced, Section 200.
CITY COUNCIL PRIORITIES
N/A
DISCUSSION
The City of Merced has received a request from the Gateway Park Development Partners for the City to consider eliminating a reservation for the dedication of land for a Fire Station. The requirement outlined in Section 6 of the executed Development Agreement (DA) for the Weaver Annexation Area, copy attached.
The DA was executed in 1995 and amended twice in 1996. The annexation area is generally bound by Coffee Street to the west, Baker Drive to the north, Campus Parkway to the east, and Mission Avenue to the south. Based on the original legal description within the DA, approximately 332 acres. An exhibit showing the annexation area is attached.
The location of the proposed station near Gerard Ave. and Coffee Street was determined sometime after the DA was executed and the annexation occurred, an exhibit is attached. The proposed site was approximately 1.5 acres.
The DA provided the instrument to leverage public benefits in association with the annexation and development project. Section 6 includes the requirement for a reservation for dedication of property for a future fire station. The section also includes that the value will be based on costs established in the parkland dedication ordinance. The value would be in a cost per acre. The value would be utilized as a credit towards certain development impact fees. The DA did not make paying for the construction of the station as a requirement of the development project, only the land dedication.
The property owner’s intent is to include the station location along with other property as part of a potential land transaction. Although no land use entitlement applications have been submitted, the proposed use may be an expansion of multifamily. The project area has previously included the entitlement for 200 multi-family units, Gateway Commons Apartments.
This location is part of the much larger Gateway Marketplace development project. The City took action to approve the project in 2017. Several construction projects are underway including a Tractor Supply and other restaurants. A convenience store and gas station have already been completed. An exhibit is attached showing the general location of some of the active developments.
The executed DA provides the ability to amend the document, Section 12. Additionally, it allows for cancellation in whole or in part by mutual consent of the parties or their successors in interest, Section 14. The City Council is being asked to consider this cancellation for the reservation of the dedication and to provide direction to Staff to initiate the process. The process to approve or amend a DA is outlined in Chapter 20.86 of the City’s Zoning Ordinance. It will require a Public Hearing by the Planning Commission with a recommendation to the City Council. The City Council will also need to hold a Public Hearing to consider the item. Public Notice is required prior to the hearings. The DA process follows the same steps as a City Ordinance.
The City’s Fire Chief has identified an alternative location for a station to better serve this area of the community. The proposed location is at Anderegg Avenue and Yosemite Parkway. The site is already owned by the City. It was acquired for the potential extension of Parsons Avenue. The location would continue to serve District 54. The current station location is on E. 21st Street and would be relocated to this new location. Fire District map is attached.
The Fire Chief has provided additional technical details in support of the potential relocation:
Per the Merced Fire Department Standards of Cover report published in March 2018 Finding #4 of “Call to First Arrival performance is meeting or nearly meeting the recommended goal of 7:30 minutes or less to facilitate desired outcomes in urban areas.” Additionally Finding #8 states, “First-due travel time performance fails to meet the recommended 4:00-minute goal by 40 seconds (17 percent).” The same document lists Recommendation #5 as “The City should consider relocating Fire Station 52 and/or Fire Station 54 as capital planning and funding permit, to expand first-due travel time coverage in the southwest and southeast areas of the City.” The movement of Station 54 to Anderegg Avenue and Yosemite Parkway are more in alignment with maintaining Finding #4’s intent of first-due arrival and achieving Finding #8’s goal of a 4:00-minute arrival. By moving Station 54 to the far southeast corner of Merced Finding #9, “Effective Response Force (ERF) travel time performance is 46 percent slower (3:41 minutes) than the best practice goal of 8:00 minutes or less recommended to achieve desired outcomes in urban/suburban areas,” will also be negatively impacted. The attached maps show that the difference in response areas will greatly impact Station 51 by raising their call volume to a level which may impact performance.
By providing direction to staff to initiate the cancellation of the DA reservation for dedication it does not specifically approve the construction of the future station. The General Plan identifies a general location for the future station but is not site specific. General Plan map exhibit is attached.
IMPACT ON CITY RESOURCES
None.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Pluim Family Request Letter
2. Weaver Annexation Area
3. Approved Projects and Proposed Fire Station Location
4. Executed Development Agreement with all amendments
5. Fire District Map
6. 2020 Fire Call Allocations and Proposed Anderegg Location
7. General Plan Existing and Proposed Fire Station Locations