Special Meeting 10/6/20

by Natalie Vansant

• Informational Item: Presentation on potential civic murals at Theater Square building, west wall of Orinda library, Casa Orinda building. Orinda Community Foundation has set up an account. Staff will bring back various teams to provide art project updates to a future city council meeting.
• Unanimously Approved – Agenda items F1, F2, F3. Received financial reports.
• Updates from City Clerk:
  • In-person voting will still be available with COVID protocols, but public is encouraged to vote by mail and vote early. One ballot drop box in Orinda at City Hall. Available 24/7 for drop-off, open until 8pm November 3rd. Ballots picked up daily. Early voting sites opening on Oct 30th in Lafayette at Veteran’s Building and Moraga Library.
  • Opened 5 Orinda playgrounds – 2 at Wilder, 2 at Community Park, 1 at Pine Grove.
• Unanimously Approved – Agenda item F4 to bring one maintenance worker position back from furlough. Public emphasizing importance of wildfire prevention activities and asked if maintenance workers do fuel mitigation. City spends $50k/year for fuel mitigation. 
• Unanimously Approved – Agenda item H1, adopt staff recommendation to receipt of report and authorize EPS firm payment and contract.
  • Discussion on status of Downtown Precise Plan: Consultants will look at changes to building heights – which areas that could possibly work, explain why those areas chosen. Also have PG&E discussion for transmission lines that run through downtown. Feasibility, costs of lines being undergrounded or re-rerouted. Team is doing public outreach and notifying residents about plans.  
  • Presentation from EPS (Jason Moody): 3 parts of this project are 1) assessing market potential – housing, retail, mixed use, commercial, 2) development scenarios – cash flow analysis for various approaches, and 3) financial implementation - strategies to achieve the outcomes, financial incentives, creek restoration, public financing options.
  • Discussion: Council and public discussed impact of COVID on downtowns. There was also public comment around the creek, both pro and against spending money on a consultant.
• Informational Item: Update on county and state discussions regarding Orinda RENA targets. RENA = regional housing needs allocation. 227 units = RENA number for Orinda in 2019. On 9/18/20 the housing methodology committee recommended 1,140 units for next Orinda RENA. Orinda sent letter requesting that methodology be adjusted. Much disagreement and discussion across the state regarding 2020 RENA adjustments from League of California Cities and other groups. More information to come in future meetings.