Folsom City Council Regular Meeting - April 11, 2023
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Folsom City Council Regular Meeting - April 11, 2023
The Folsom City Council held a regular meeting on Tuesday, April 11, 2023, beginning at 2:45 PM UTC (approximately 7:45 PM local time). The meeting included public comments, proclamations, presentations, a consent calendar, new business, a public hearing on an appeal, and a study session on the five-year capital improvement program. Key topics included a historic building analysis, the Folsom Tourism Bureau annual report, and an appeal of a historic district commission decision for a new brewery. The meeting adjourned at 11:48 PM local time.
Consent Calendar
- Approved items 5 through 10, including item 10 as amended, unanimously.
- Approved Resolution 11022 authorizing an agreement with DL Falk Construction for Fire Station 34 Phase 2 (project 2234) with a budget of $11.8 million and a bid of $8.8 million, saving $1.5 million over the probable cost estimate. The vote was unanimous.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Business from the Floor:
- Steve Dick expressed concern about traffic congestion on East Bidwell Corridor from State Road 50 to Mangini, citing dangerous detours and lack of improvement for northbound residents despite development south of Mangini. He noted over 2,400 homes in the area contribute significant tax and Mello-Roos funds.
- Caitlin Conway, a senior at Vista Del Lago High School, spoke in support of SB 54 (plastic pollution reduction) and presented a petition with 216 signatures, urging the city to examine implementation of the law in Folsom.
- Public Hearing on Appeal (Item 13):
- Approximately 20 speakers addressed the council. The majority (including residents, business owners, and brewery supporters) expressed strong support for Uncle Charlie's Firehouse and Brew, citing the applicant's community involvement, economic benefits, and the need to activate a vacant space. Several speakers criticized the appeal as process-focused and not project-specific.
- Four speakers (representing the Heritage Preservation League, Friends of Folsom Preservation, and a historic consultant) supported the appeal, raising concerns about CEQA exemptions, historic design compatibility (especially glass doors), and potential impacts on the Folsom Depot historic resource.
Discussion Items
- Proclamations:
- Proclamation of National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week (April 9-15). Recognized dispatchers for handling 88,247 calls and 53,017 events in 2022, with 99% of 911 calls answered within 15 seconds.
- Proclamation of Arbor Day (April 15), encouraging community involvement and noting Folsom's 17th year as a Tree City USA.
- Historic Architectural Analysis (Item 3):
- Lorraine Pajoni (Parks and Rec Director) and Danielle Weaver (CSHQA) presented findings on the Southern Pacific Railroad Depot and Superintendent's House. Estimated costs for full restoration: $665,000 (depot) and $610,000 (superintendent's house). Staff recommended $150,000 in the upcoming budget for inspections and initial work.
- Council discussed potential volunteer partnerships, fundraising, and the need to balance historic preservation with practical use. Public comments included a local engineer's bid of $29,000 for assessment and a historical association representative urging consideration of grant monies.
- Folsom Tourism Bureau Annual Report (Item 4):
- Presented 2021-22 fiscal year financial update: revenue of $1.247 million against a budget of $900,000; expenditures of $788,000. For 2022-23, projected revenue of $1.3 million and expenditures of $1.088 million. Highlights included a new website with hotel booking, wine pass program, and data from Zardico showing top visitor markets and spending patterns.
- Naming of Peter T. Lewis Green Room (Item 12):
- Approved renaming the green room in the historic depot building to "Peter T. Lewis Green Room" in recognition of a $25,000 donation from the Lewis family for interior improvements. Vote unanimous.
- Appeal Hearing for Uncle Charlie's Firehouse and Brew (Item 13):
- The appeal by Bob Delp challenged the Historic District Commission's approval of a conditional use permit and design review for a craft brewery at 905 Leidesdorff Street. Appellant argued the project required full CEQA review, citing potential impacts on historic resources (Folsom Depot), parking, odor, and traffic. City staff and the applicant countered that the project qualified for CEQA exemptions (Class 1, 3, and infill), and that all concerns were addressed through conditions of approval.
- After extensive public testimony and council deliberation, the council voted to deny the appeal and approve the project with amended conditions: removed the dancing restriction (condition 24) and changed brewing hours from 8am-6pm to 7am-6pm (condition 25). The vote was unanimous (5-0).
- Study Session: Five-Year Capital Improvement Program (Item 14):
- Public works staff presented a comprehensive overview of transportation, drainage, traffic, and pavement management needs. Key points:
- Folsom has over 700 lane miles of roads, 30 bridges, 109 traffic signals, and 270 miles of storm drain.
- To maintain a Pavement Condition Index (PCI) of 75, annual funding of $12.5 million is needed; currently only $2 million is available from gas tax and Measure A.
- Total unfunded transportation projects are estimated at $250 million, with deferred maintenance across all categories approaching $500 million.
- Stormwater utility fee (not currently implemented) could generate significant revenue; other agencies charge $6-$40/month per household.
- Sidewalk maintenance: over 5,500 tree-related uplift locations identified in Council District 2 alone; total conventional repair cost estimated at $2.5 million.
- Council discussed funding sources, grant strategies, and potential future ballot measures.
- Public works staff presented a comprehensive overview of transportation, drainage, traffic, and pavement management needs. Key points:
Key Outcomes
- Approved proclamations for National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week and Arbor Day.
- Accepted historic architectural analysis report; staff directed to include $150,000 in the May budget proposal for initial inspections.
- Approved naming of Peter T. Lewis Green Room and acceptance of donation.
- Denied appeal and approved Uncle Charlie's Firehouse and Brew project with amended conditions (7am-6pm brewing hours, removed dancing restriction).
- Directive to bring back a study session on economic development and a potential consultant for revenue generation strategies.
- Confirmed a joint traffic safety committee session scheduled for June 13, 2023.
Meeting Transcript
We will now reconvene the city council special meeting. Are there any final actions? Good evening, Madam Mayor. No final action tonight. All right, we'll now adjourn the city council special meeting and call to order the city council regular meeting for Tuesday, April 11th. Will the clerk please call the roll? Council members Rorabaugh here. Aquino here, Chalum Chairla. Here Rodriguez here. And Kozlowski is absent. All right, let us stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the United States. Justice for all are there any agenda updates? Thank you. Good evening, Madam Mayor, members of the city council. You'll say revised the staff report for item 10 and additional information transmittable for items three and thirteen that have been previously provided to you. And a copy is also available on the table in the back. Thank you. Good evening, everyone. Well, the clerk please call the next item. Your next item this evening is business from the floor. All right, business from the floor is the public's opportunity to address the city council concerning any item within the city council's jurisdiction that is not on the agenda. Please keep in mind that the city council is generally prohibited from discussing or taking action on any item that is not on the agenda. Public comments are limited to no more than three minutes. There's a speaker timer on the podium in front of you that will display the time remaining of your three minutes. The color will change to yellow when you have 30 seconds left and turn red and blink when your three minutes are up. We ask that everyone respect the three-minute time limit to ensure that all speakers have an equal opportunity to address the council. Are there any public comments? Yeah, you have two requests to speak this evening under business from the floor. The first is Steve Dick, who will be followed by Caitlin Conway. So Steve, if you want to come down and approach the podium. Good evening, Steve. Where is the timer? Oh, right there. Yep, I'll start it once you start. Okay, I'm here to uh talk about the um uh East Bidwell Corridor from State Road 50 to Man Gini, which is in the new Folsom Ranch subdivision. Uh we moved into our house in the Lenar community in this area in July of 2019. At that time, the East Bidwell Corridor was a relatively easy navigable section. Um we only had a couple of three-way stops at uh Alder Creek Parkway and Mangenie. Uh the three-way stop at Mangeny was turned into a traffic light, which was good for the um for the residents there as the uh Folsom ranch began to build up down in that area. Um traffic flowed fairly smoothly until more homes were built out north of Man Genie and traffic started to flow out of these subdivisions via Alder Creek to East Bedwell. Um that created another uh backup at that intersection. Eventually they put in a three-way stop light, and that you know helped to uh accommodate the traffic there. Um time after this, uh an expansion of four lanes on East Bidwell began south of Man Gini. Uh it needs to be noted that there are no residents in that area. So that really didn't help any of the residents that were trying to travel north to the highway or to other areas. Uh sometime after this, East Bidwell between 50 and Mangeny was severely compromised, in my opinion, um, to create a relatively dangerous set of curves and detours in anticipation of widening the four lanes and including another, and then included another three-way stop at Savannah Parkway because for some strange reason Alder Creek Parkway was closed off. So now we had a three-way stoplight that is now always green because there's no traffic coming in from Alder Creek. So that forced everybody now to come in on Savannah, which again creates a backup there that has not been addressed. Um I did uh address most of these situations with uh councilperson Sarah Aquino.
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