The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About10/10/2023 Downtown Committee Meeting Agenda Packet Page 1 of 1 Downtown Committee Regular Meeting Agenda October 10, 2023 | 8:00 AM City Council Chambers, City Hall 7351 Rosanna Street Gilroy, CA 95020 1. Call to Order 2. Roll Call 3. Public Comment 4. Approval of Meeting Minutes: a) August 15, 2023 Special Meeting b) September 12, 2023 Regular Meeting 5. Replacement of Two Committee Members 6. Report Out from the Following Sub-committees: a) Beautification of Downtown b) Noise 7. For Next Meeting: a) Code enforcement findings b) Final presentation from the other sub-committees in preparation for presenting to a future Council meeting 8. Adjournment Next Meeting: November 14, 2023, 8:00 AM Council Chambers Page 1 of 2 City of Gilroy Downtown Committee Special Meeting Minutes Tuesday, August 15, 2023 | 8:00 AM 1.CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order by Chair Marques at 8:00 AM. 2.ROLL CALL Attendance Attendee Name Present Rebeca Armendariz (Council Member), Committee Member Fran Beaudet, Committee Member Marie Blankley (Mayor), Committee Member Dion Bracco (Mayor Pro Tempore), Committee Member Matt Gallion, Committee Member Dave Leal, Committee Member Carol Marques (Council Member), Chair Jeff Orth, Committee Member Emily McEwan-Upright, Committee Member Absent Toni Bowles, Committee Member Lorena Gaeta, Committee Member William Leal, Committee Member Jeanie Rizzuto, Committee Member Fred M. Tovar (Council Member), Vice-Chair Victoria Valencia, Committee Member Chair Marques suggested Committee Members William Leal and Lorena Gaeta should be removed from the Commission due to non-attendance. Council Member Armendariz stated she will reach out to Committee Gaeta with regards to her participation. 3.Public Comment Chair Marques opened Public Comment. With no speakers, she closed the Public Comment. 4.Report Out from Sub-Committees Subcommittee Report by Chair Marques and Committee Member David Leal •Window Displays Ordinance: The subcommittee introduced new language for thecurrent ordinance. For commercial spaces unoccupied over 90 days, displayrequirements include faux window dressings, art displays, and window paintings.Use of bare materials like plywood is prohibited unless decoratively painted by the 120th day. Non-compliance results in fines and permit restrictions. Exceptions canbe requested under special circumstances. •Enforcement Mechanisms: Engaged in a discussion on implementing a lien ortaxing property owners as a method of enforcement for non-compliance. Subcommittee Report by Committee Members McEwan-Upright and Bracco •Vacancy Ordinance Exploration: The need for a comprehensive vacancy ordinancewas discussed, with a particular emphasis on: o Review of existing ordinances in cities like Fairfield, Sacramento, and PalmSprings.DRAFT August 15, 2023 | 8:00 AM Page 2 of 2 Downtown Committee Special Meeting Minutes o Proposal of a vacancy ordinance that mandates building owners to registertheir vacant properties with the city within ten days.o Stipulated city inspections for these buildings to determine code compliance. o Enforced renovations to meet code before re-occupancy. o Implementation of a $150 per week fine for failure to register a vacantbuilding. •PG&E Concern: Addressed the recurring issue raised by building owners regarding prolonged wait times, extending to months or years, for PG&E to restore power, hindering leasing endeavors. •Exemption Discussion: Deliberated on the idea of exempting buildings from thevacancy ordinance if delays were due to pending power restoration from PG&E. Some concerns were raised about the potential for misuse of this exemption byproperty owners. 5.ADJOURNMENT Chair Marques adjourned the meeting at 8:58 AM. I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing minutes were duly and regularly adopted at a regular meeting of the Gilroy Downtown Committee of the City of Gilroy. /s/Thai Nam Pham, MMC, CPMC City Clerk DRAFT DRAFTPage 1 of 2 City of Gilroy Downtown Committee Regular Meeting Minutes Tuesday, September 12, 2023 | 8:00 AM 1.CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order by Chair Marques at 8:00 AM. 2.ROLL CALL Attendance Attendee Name Present Rebeca Armendariz (Council Member), Committee Member Marie Blankley (Mayor), Committee Member Dion Bracco (Mayor Pro Tempore), Committee Member Dave Leal, Committee Member Carol Marques (Council Member), Chair Emily McEwan-Upright, Committee Member Jeanie Rizzuto, Committee Member Fred M. Tovar (Council Member), Vice-Chair Victoria Valencia, Committee Member Absent Fran Beaudet, Committee Member Toni Bowles, Committee Member Matt Gallion, Committee Member Lorena Gaeta, Committee Member William Leal, Committee Member Jeff Orth, Committee Member Chair Marques notified the committee that Committee Members William Leal and Lorena Gaeta would be removed from the Commission due to non-attendance and non-participation. The new members and their contact information are to be provided to the Chair this week by Council Members Tovar and Armendariz. 3.Public Comment Chair Marques opened Public Comment. Terence Fugazzi emphasized the lack of enforcement of existing ordinances, especially concerning graffiti and signage, urging better adherence to current rules before adding new ones downtown. There being no further speakers, Chair Marques closed Public Comment. 4.Approval of the Minutes: Chair Marques remarked that the minutes for August 15, 2023, and this meeting would be approved in the next regular meeting. 5.Report Out from Sub-Committees Chair Marques asked Committee Member McEwan-Upright to recap her report from the last meeting. Committee Member McEwan-Upright reviewed last month's discussion on vacancy regulations: buildings vacant for 30 days need to register with the city. Building owners makinggenuine efforts to fill spaces, such as advertising, will not be subject to fines. A fine of $150per week is set for buildings unregistered after ten days of vacancy. An annual monitoring feeof $1,500 ensures building upkeep. Concerns were raised about building owners potentially DRAFTAugust 15, 2023 | 8:00 AM Page 2 of 2 Downtown Committee Special Meeting Minutes renting to unsuitable businesses to avoid fees, the subjective nature of defining “effort,” and potential legal challenges regarding rental pricing. Subcommittee Report on Noise by Committee Members Blankley and Bowles -Examined noise ordinances from eight cities.-Hollister introduced a specific noise ordinance in 2022.-Recommendations for Gilroy's downtown to be presented next month. Subcommittee Report on Code Enforcement by Committee Members Armendariz and Orth -Identified top issues, including parking, trash on sidewalks, broken windows, and more.-Consulted with three other cities for benchmarking. -Proposed solutions included business incentives, grants for power washing, andadopting blocks for cleaning.-Emphasis on businesses taking responsibility for cleaning, with special mention ofLatino businesses in Monterey Street as exemplars. Chair Marques opened Public Comment: Terence Fugazzi stated he believes businesses, not the city, should be responsible forcleaning their sidewalks and emphasized the need for stricter enforcement on untidyproperties. There being no further speakers, Chair Marques closed Public Comment. A discussion about the need for more manpower for effective code enforcement in the Citywas had by the committee members. 6.ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned by Chair Marques at 8:59 AM. I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing minutes were duly and regularly adopted at a regular meeting of the Gilroy Downtown Committee of the City of Gilroy. /s/Thai Nam Pham, MMC, CPMC City Clerk