Mayor Bailey started the meeting by presenting a proclamation commemorating Coronado Lions Club White Cane Days to Lions Club Member Floyd Ross. Lions International is the largest service organization in the world, and the Coronado Lions Club has been in existence for 80 years and will be hosting the Lions White Cane Days, their biggest fundraiser, on October 18 and 19. Ross encouraged everyone to donate generously to help fulfill the mission of giving people the gift of sight.
Before getting into the details of the lengthy discussion that occurred about approving the updated Vons expansion plan, you should know that the City Council unanimously approved a Minor Special Use Permit for the plan to move forward with the updated concept that allows for the expansion into the old Coramart building and enhance the exterior design, as well as a parking plan and $150,000 to the city for streetscape enhancement.
Senior Planner Jesse Brown gave a report on the project and pointed out that Vons had come back with a much better plan based on recommendations from the Planning Commission and September 17 Council meeting. In response, the new plan calls out a new faux door, decorative window louvers and mosaic artwork, which will be approved by the Cultural Arts Commission. He pointed out the city felt that while the plan had improvements, it didn’t fully comply with the Orange Avenue Corridor Specific Plan. Representing Vons, Paul and Keith pointed out that all the Vons utilities will be undergrounded, with only the liquor store and Rite Aid utilities remaining above ground. They highlighted that Vons is only leasing the Coramart building and is investing a significant amount of money in the project. To which the Council pointed out that it was a high revenue producing store. They went on to answer many other questions posed by the council. The new Vons store will have an in-store Starbucks, expanded fresh departments and frozen foods, greater shelf capacity, and expanded offerings requested by customers.
The discussion primarily focused on the windows, which were a big issue for all the councilmembers because they are opaque and not clear, making them uninviting to pedestrians. Vons representatives pointed out the impracticality of that with the flow of the store. Ultimately, the councilmembers agreed “in the spirit of compromise” to move this project forward and finally beautify the block that has been an eyesore for so long.
The council unanimously approved the following 11 Coronado properties for Mills Act Agreements: 1030 Glorietta Blvd., 1030-32 Olive Ave., 532 Marina Avenue, 511-515 Palm Ave., 1115 Loma Ave., 427 A Ave., 732 J Ave., 1111 G Avenue, 749 J Ave., 710 Adella Ave., and 936 Adella Ave. Associate Planner Tricia Olsen presented a report highlighting the homes and showing that the first-year impact to the city will be $30,000.
Blair King gave a report on the Major Special Event Requests for 2020 with the council unanimously approving the following events. There was a lengthy discussion on logistics because of a date conflict with the SUPERFROG Triathlon needing to change their date to September 20 and Emerald Keepers requesting a new event on this date. Lieutenant and founder Moki Martin explained that the 42-year old SUPERFROG event has 800 racers from 35 countries and has a date conflict with other Ironman and Naval events. All the council members were in full support of Lt. Martin and his long-standing event and asked Amy Steward of Emerald Keepers to come back with a new date or venue.
Coronado-Centric Events:
- Fourth of July Celebration on Saturday, July 4, as proposed by the 4th of July Committee
- The combined Flower Show and Library Book Sale on Saturday April 18 and Sunday, April 19, including the Floral Association’s request to have a separate beer garden within the confines of the Flower Show; and the Friends of the Library Board request to have a wine and cheese event within the confines of the Book Sale on Friday, April 17
- MotorCars on MainStreet on Sunday, April 26. The council asked Executive Director Rita Sarich to work with residents on trash and other issues that have arisen during this event.
- Coronado Promenade Concerts in Spreckels Park runs Sundays, from May 24 through September 6
- Coronado Island Film Festival runs Thursday, November 12 through Sunday, November 15
- Chamber of Commerce Holiday Open House on Friday, December 4
Non-Coronado-Centric Events:
- Valentine’s Day 10K on Sunday, February 9
- Ironman request to hold the SuperSEAL Triathlon on Sunday, March 15
- Ironman original request to hold the SUPERFROG Triathlon (Sunday, September 13), revised request (Sunday, September 20).
- MWR Naval Base Coronado request to hold the Over the Bridge Run/Walk on Sunday, May 17
- Bike the Bay on Sunday on August 23
- San Diego Padres request to hold Pedal the Cause on Sunday, November 1. The Padres asked if they could add a run to this event, to which the council did not agree, but said they would consider it if it was a more detailed plan.
- Silver Strand Half Marathon on Sunday, November 8
Councilmember Donovan proposed a motion that was passed by all members to have City Manager Blair King direct staff to come back with a recommendation for revising the designated number of Major Special Events from eight to the current number of 13.
Director of Public Services and Engineering Cliff Maurer gave a presentation on purchasing a permanent emergency backup generator with an automatic transfer switch (ATS) for the John D. Spreckels Center and Lawn Bowling Green. He pointed out that the project would make the Spreckels Center an ideal emergency shelter for residents when extreme heat and weather situations arise, especially for our senior population here in Coronado. He said that the city learned many lessons from the December 6, 2019 extreme weather event. Monies for the project can come from the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Entitlement Program from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) of which Coronado receives $75,000 annually. Mauer pointed out that the city can request two years of funding, totaling $150,000 for larger projects, which is what the city would do to fund this project. The council unanimously approved this to move forward.
Senior Planner Jesse Brown gave a presentation on the proposed new sign for The Henry restaurant on Orange Avenue. Originally, The Henry proposed a large lighted arrow sign for the exterior that they use on their other restaurants. It was denied by Design Review Commission (DRC) which suggested an alternative of a more subdued halo lit sign with no actual lights. The Henry then came up with a modified version of their sign with dimmer lighting. Fox restaurant group representatives Stephanie and Richard showed photos of how guests use the sign to take pictures for celebrations at their other The Henry locations. After much discussion, it came down to three choices: The original The Henry design, The Henry’s alternative, and the DRC’s preference. The mayor felt the original design complimented the building and contributed to the vibrancy and pedestrian activation which is in accordance with the Orange Avenue Corridor Specific Plan and Councilmember Benzian agreed with him. Councilmembers Sandke, Heinze and Donovan outvoted them, and The Henry’s proposed modified sign was approved.
City Manager King addressed community concerns that have been voiced regarding the Cays Dog Park. He said that the whole Coronado Cays Park needs a major irrigation upgrade, and two community workshops are scheduled to solicit community input on what residents want to see at the renovated park. The first meeting will be held on October 16 in the Nautilus Room at 6 pm and the second meeting will take place on October 19 at 10 am in the Cays Homeowners Board Room. They will be looking at a variety of issues including size, parking, fields, volleyball court, and restroom locations. The public is encouraged to give their input, so that the park meets the community’s needs.
The council unanimously approved Mayor Bailey’s and Mayor Pro Tem Benzian’s request to incorporate a Carbon Sequestration Strategy of planting 1001 new trees into the city’s Climate Action Plan.
The city is sponsoring a resolution on International Transboundary Wastewater issues to help deal with this cross-border contamination crisis. Councilmembers Heinze and Donovan will be the representatives at the League of Cities for this.
Councilmember Heinze announced the California Office of Emergency Services is introducing a new app called MyShake which will provide earthquake notifications. It is available to download from the Apple Store or Google Play.
City Manager Blair King welcomed the new City Clerk Jennifer Eklad and noted that she started her first day on the job with a City Council meeting.
Field Representative Randy Wilde for Assemblymember Todd Gloria shared highlights of the recently concluded legislative sessions citing that 12 of the 14 bills that Assemblymember Gloria introduced were signed by Governor Newsom. He encouraged the community to reach out to their office with important issues before the next session starts in January.
The mayor adjourned the meeting in honor of Councilmember Bill Sandke’s father, Naval Aviator William Sandke, who recently passed away.
