1. DRAFT ZONING
Paul Jensen, Community Development Director and Kraig Tamborini, Senior Planner presented a summary of Draft Zoning and Related Code Amendments that are to be presented to the Mayor and Council. Included were Climate Change Action Plan (implementation measures); Hillside Overlay that allows backing out of steep driveways in certain circumstances; Wetlands amendments adding definitions of creeks and drainage ways needed fro CON-3 consistency; Parking (a monitoring report on West End Village parking changes adopted in 2010); Streamlining of Communications Facilities to allow for stealth designs which place the wiring inside the building so it cannot be seen; Streamlining of Design Review Permits for residential second story additions requirement for Design Review (the threshold is to be set at 500 square feet of addition); Senate Bill 2 Zoning for Permanent Homeless Shelters requirement that cities amend zoning to allow for permanent shelters as a land use in selected areas ( San Rafael ‘s allocation of 79 beds to be planned for location in Bahia Industrial Park (70 acres south of Bellam Blvd and east of Francisco Blvd East )
2. OVERVIEW OF SERVICES FOR THE HOMELESS AND CONDITIONS ON THE STREETS AND HILLSIDES IN SAN RAFAEL
Stephanie Lovett, Economic Development Manager, gave an update on Homelessness. City Council had postponed a report due to lateness in the evening. The report is to be presented at the June 3rd Council Meeting. The report will be available on line for comments by the public before or at the Council Meeting. There is agreement that the balance has changed downtown and there is hope it can be kept so that the downtown area is welcoming. The Downtown Street Team is recruiting now and will start in August or September. It will have a 4-hour a day, 5-day a week schedule. It is designed to be a ladder to success for employees who will wear different colored shirts. The City is hiring a mental health person and a foot patrolman for downtown. Homeless Encampments on the hillsides continue to be a difficult to solve problem and a fire and health hazard. Attempts are being made to get better coordination between the County and City on homelessness-related issues. Community Care Team 2, a County Mental Health Team for those diagnosed with serious mental illness, is proving very helpful to the Police. The County is hoping to be able to address serial inebriates perhaps through a sobering center.
3. EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COODINATOR
Kirk Dominic the new Emergency Management Coordinator was introduced.