Reedley City Council (10/11/22) KCUSD office expansion on 8th Street + permanent parklet program discussed + business owners show support

Here’s what you need to know

• The Reedley City Council met on October 11, 2022 and voted 5-0 to approve a rezone application for the expansion of the Kings Canyon Unified School District administrative offices at 1800 8th Street. The vote reclassified a .344 acre parcel from the light industrial to the commercial service zone.
• The Mayor presented proclamations of the Reedley Lions Club for its 100th year of service and the City of Reedley to encourage all community members to participate in the Red Ribbon Week celebration of tobacco, alcohol and other drug prevention programs and activities.
• Citizen George Jasso was presented with a life-saving award for rescuing a baby by CPR.
• The Development Director raised the possibility of creating a permanent parklet program in Reedley. The director shared what other have done for businesses wishing to convert outdoor space into dining areas after the State’s Emergency Orders were lifted on June 15, 2021. Several downtown business owners showed support for a permanent program, while one was concerned about a reduction in parking.

Follow-up questions

• Considering that parklets will affect surrounding businesses who don’t benefit from them, how will the parking situation be handled if a parklet program was passed?
• What will the cost be for business owners to maintain their parklets?

The Scene

The Reedley City Council meeting was called to order at 7:06 p.m on October 11, 2022. The meeting was open to the public in person on 845 G Street in Reedley and virtually via Zoom. The Agenda was made available online. Council Member Ray Soleno guided the pledge of allegiance and Paul Milliken guided the prayer. Meetings typically occur at 7 p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month.

Names of Officials

Mary L. Fast, Mayor, District 2

Anita Betancourt, Mayor Pro Tem, District 5

Matthew Tuttle, Council Member, District 1

Suzanne M. Byers, Council Member, District 3

Ray Soleno, Council Member, District 4

Presentations:

• Item 1: Proclamation of the Reedley Lion Clubs International
  • Proclaimed by Mayor Mary Fast for the 100th year milestone of service. 
  • The club was established in 1922, one of Reedley’s oldest clubs.

• It is the world’s largest service club organization with over 46,000 clubs in more than 200 countries with 1.4 million members. 
• The organization pledges to improve health and well-being, strengthen communities and by their support through humanitarian services and grants. 
• A Lions Club member said $22,000 was raised at the White Cane event to assist students in need of optic services, support student scholarships, the Boys & Girls Scouts, diabetes care and many other causes.
  

• Item 2: Proclamation of the Red Ribbon Week Celebration
  • The Red Ribbon week proclamation was presented by Madison Mitchell, the Recreation Supervisor of Boys and Girls club, Kings Canyon Unified School District, and Reedley County. 
  • Red Ribbon week is celebrated throughout the nation to promote a healthy, drug-free community. The celebration will be observed across America during “RED RIBBON WEEK” from October 23-31, 2022. 
  • Jazmine Arceo, director of Boys and Girls Club, introduces two students in the organization to speak about how impactful the celebration is within their community. 
  • Mayor Mary L. Fast proclaims that the City of Reedley encourages all citizens to participate in tobacco, alcohol and other drug prevention programs and activities, making a visible statement and commitment to healthy, drug-free communities to raise a generation of drug-free youth.
    
• Item 3: City manager presents a life-saving award
  • George Jasso – a recent hire with 20 years of water knowledge from Sanger.
    • Was recognized as a hero who saved a baby’s life at the zoo with CPR training.
    • George gave a speech thanking his wife, children, employment, parents, supervisors during the recognition speech. 
  • A plaque and life-saving medal were presented by Mayor Mary Fast to George Jasso.
    
• Public Comments:
  • Eric Valencia from Greater Reedley (Reedley Chamber of Commerce) presented a guide/book filled with history, clubs/organizations, and restaurants that show off Reedley. 

Actions:

• Item 7: Introduction and first reading of ordinance No. 2022-005, an ordinance of the city council approving rezone application No. 2022-01 and authorizing the amendment of the official zoning map of the city of Reedley to rezone a parcel. (Found on page 80 of the Agenda).
  • Project located on 1800 8th Street. 
    • Land is owned by Kings Canyon Unified School District (KCUSD) who is planning to demolish buildings on site to redevelop with counseling admin support. 
    • Project Description: Redevelop the store to accommodate future needs of KCUSD.  Existing vacant buildings. Reclassify of the subject property from the ML (Light Industrial zone) to CS (commercial services) zone district designation. 
    • Planned Land Use Designation: Public/Institutional Facility.
      • First hearing (August 25/Sept 22)
  • Mayor Mary Fast approves the project and invites the public hearing to comment.

Voting: 5-0

• Mary L. Fast – Yes
• Anita Betancourt – Yes
• Matthew Tuttle – Yes
• Suzanne M. Byers – Yes
• Ray Soleno – Yes
  
• Item 8: Parklets Discussion – Reedley City Council Workshop (A Community Development)
  • Rodney Horton, Development Director of Reedley presents the parklet workshop.
  • Park spaces were first introduced by San Francisco, used as public seating platforms that convert curbside parking spaces into vibrant community spaces. 
  • Commonly readjusts usage of the public’s right-of-way to accommodate other roadway users. 
  • Created solely to accommodate California Assembly Bill (AB 61): COVID-19 & Outdoor Dining which heavily affected the restaurant industry. 
  • Reedley permitted parklets to offer dining options while still adhering to the Emergency Orders from Sacramento. In Fall of 2020, a total of 8 packets were placed downtown, fronting 10 total-service businesses.
  • A total of 3 parklets are still remaining, front 3 businesses (Willies Cafe, Main Street Cafe and Sweet Designation). Five parklets were removed due to lack of usage.
  • Federal government funded cities to pass down to businesses, which Rodney said was a chaotic process. 
  • State’s Emergency Orders were lifted on June 15, 2021 in which indoor dining was permitted without capacity limits nor social distancing requirements. 
  • Now, cities are looking at what to do with their temporary parklet program. 
  • In other cities: 
    • The City of Fresno launched a permanent parklet program and provided funding via CARES ACT. Requires permits (zone clearance, building and encroachment permit) No ADA parking stalls can be used, requires insurance, user fees, owner authorization, costs for construction, maintenance and placement are borne by the business. 
    • Sacramento has a parklet program similar to San Francisco involving a design review process, required neighborhood outreach, full cost and maintenance of the business owner/applicant’s permits and inspections. 
    • City of Carmel required business owners to remove parkelets by April 20th and were charged $1,700 per month for rent; no parklet programs were created. 
    • Napa is currently working on a permanent parklet program.
      
  • Design Standards vs. No Design Standards
    • Common standards include: Length, determine who the users are, width no larger than parking lane, ADA accessible, flush with the curb, wheel stops, points of entry, beautification elements. 

• Question: Does the city council wish to continue with a permanent parklet program?
• The city manager says that there were conflicts that occurred when discussing with business owners. Some businesses who did not own their building cannot control parking zones, while other businesses expressed that parking spaces were being taken away from their customers. 
• Carrie Guiterrez (Main Street Cafe), Yolanda and Noey Jimenez (Willie’s Cafe) spoke up altogether for the public comment section. Carrie says that business was tough during COVID-19 and continues to be due to the rising of food costs. Guiterrez said parklets help set up a new environment and have helped with families who would like to come downtown to dine outdoors. 
• Guiterrez adds that restaurants do not make as much money as many think they do. 
• Yolanda says that all business owners work hard to keep their businesses and she is seeking for respect and help from the city to help with their business that runs 7 days a week. 
• “We want to keep the stores open so when people come, they don’t see that the city is empty” said Yolanda. “It benefits not only for business owners but for the entire community.”
• Council Member Anita Betancourt says that as much as the city would like to fund downtown, businesses should be open at all times for the public’s convenience. Betancourt adds that during evenings, there are not many options. She adds that she would be willing to help businesses if the hours of operation were changed. 
• Jimenez adds that their businesses are open on weekends and on Fridays, the fireworks give their customers an interesting view when dining outdoors. Noey said that the patios that were given to his family’s business were very beneficial as he was able to give their customers a table 99% of the time. 
• The three business owners said that restaurants tend to not open or close early on Sundays due to slow to no business at all during the day. 
• “With the support of the city, the businesses can open longer even on weekends” said Yolanda.
• Matthew Tuttle asks, “If the parklets were allowed to the public, are business owners willing to pay the cost for building and renting parking spaces?”
• City manager says that liability is only in question due to the safety of the road crowd. The costs of parklets themselves and use of public space which will require rent fees. Lack of parking and spaces will be an issue for the city to figure out. 
• A nearby business owner says that many customers have complained about the walking distance from their cars to surrounding businesses downtown, and would often complain about having to drive around multiple times to find a parking space. 
• Council Member Matthew Tuttle says that some help from the city would be beneficial for business owners. He adds that if the parklet is beneficial for a business, expenses and rent should not be an issue for business owners who benefit from outdoor dining. 

Link to an article: Reedley Keeping Outdoor Dining Options 

Public Comments

• Chief PD says that a vigil will occur later in October for domestic violence awareness month. It is an event held by the Marjaree Mason Center for the community to pray for peace for victims. 

The meeting adjourned at 8:38 p.m. The next meeting is scheduled for October 25 at 7:00 p.m. 

If you believe anything in these notes is inaccurate, please email us at documenters-admin@fresnoland.org with “Correction Request” in the subject line.