ON THE AGENDA: CITY COUNCIL JANUARY 10 MEETING

A VHR appeal, Two-story houses in Indian Cove, process of appointing Planning Commissioners and Council member assignments

The first City Council agenda of the New Year suggests changes may be on the way as future agenda items on the Planning Commission and 2-story structures in Indian Cove are already up for consideration! At 120 pages, the first agenda of 2023 is a novella compared with the tomes common in 2022. Perhaps brevity will help ease our Council into the New Year after the holiday break.

PUBLIC COMMENT

There are multiple opportunities for public comment at every Council meeting. Since our Council rarely makes themselves available to residents outside of Council meetings please use the opportunity of Council meetings to question your Council members on the issues affecting our City.

Public comments for all items are limited to three minutes per agenda item but the public is entitled to fill out multiple requests. The public can also send comments via email to Council members, the City Manager and cc the City Clerk requesting that comments be read at the meeting.

As is our usual, we’ll be pointing to agenda highlights but encourage Twentynine residents to read the full agenda.

AWARDS, PRESENTATIONS, APPOINTMENTS AND PROCLAMATIONS

#1. Introduction of the City's newest employees.

#2. Presentation by the Public Arts Advisory Committee (PAAC)
This item was delayed from the December meeting and is a presentation by long time PAAC committee member and Chair Pat Flanagan who stepped down at the end of December. It’s anticipated that Flanagan will present achievements by the PAAC while she and Ann Congdon led the Committee. Congdon stepped down in October.

These resignations represent a changing of the guard at the PAAC, which was formed in 2004 and administers the Art in Public Places program. The PAAC will be reviewing a revised mission at a special meeting on Wednesday, January 11 at 5:30pm in Council Chambers.

CONSENT CALENDAR

The consent calendar consists of several items that can be approved with one vote. The Council has the option to pull any items from the Consent Calendar for discussion. This meeting’s Consent Calendar #’s 3-8 include the minutes from the November 8, 2022 Council meeting, the monthly legislative report which reports on the status of bills at the state and federal levels, the monthly Morongo Basin Ambulance and Fire Department Emergency Response report. The last item on the consent calendar pertains to the education and outreach required for SB 1383. SB 1383 regulations require that jurisdictions conduct education and outreach on organics recycling to all residents, businesses (including those that generate edible food that can be donated) haulers, solid waste facilities, and local food banks and other food recovery organizations. Recycling organic waste and recovering edible food is a fast track to fighting climate change and improving public health and the environment. This usually gets a grimace from Councilman Mintz.

PUBLIC HEARINGS

# 9. Development Code Amendment - Pot Belly Pigs

This item was discussed and approved by the Planning Commission at their Nov 15, 2022 meeting.

#10. Electric Vehicle Charging Stations and Parking Requirements

A development code amendment to reflect requirements for Electric Vehicle Charging Stations. This also was discussed and approved at the Planning Commissions Nov 15, 2022 meeting.

#11. Appeal of VHR22-195. This appeal is on new construction in Indian Cove that’s designed to be operated as a STR. Should new houses be STRs before they become homes? Where’s the line between residential construction and boutique hotels? This appeal was originally presented at the Nov 15, 2022 Planning Commission meeting, where the Planning Commission denied it. See our article on The Evolution of Short Term Vacation Rentals for more information on what’s at stake with this appeal.

DISCUSSION AND POTENTIAL ACTION ITEMS

#12. Initiation of Study of Two-story Homes in Indian Cove Should new two-story construction be allowed in Indian Cove? Several residents of Indian Cove have voiced discontent with newly constructed two-story houses in their neighborhood, arguing that these new structures have cut off residents’ views of Joshua Tree National Park to the south while infringing on the privacy of adjacent neighbors. Both new builds are slated to be STRs and both are by the same consortium of LLCs responsible for the STR being appealed in #12. Again see our article on The Evolution of Short Term Vacation Rentals for more information.

#13. Planning Commission Appointment How should Planning Commissioners be selected? See our Wanted: Three Planning Commissioners for more discussion of this topic.

#14. City Council Regional Organization Assignments

The annual appointment of Council members to Regional Organization assignments.

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