Title
a. Receive the 2020 Annual Report on the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding between the City of Salinas and the County of Monterey regarding mutual planning and implementation of government services and facilities in downtown Salinas; and,
b. Direct staff to return with an updated Memorandum of Understanding by June 30, 2021.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Board of Supervisors:
a. Receive the 2020 Annual Report on the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding between the City of Salinas and the County of Monterey regarding mutual planning and implementation of government services and facilities in downtown Salinas; and,
b. Direct staff to return with an updated Memorandum of Understanding by June 30, 2021
SUMMARY:
In 2012, the County and the City entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to provide the means by which the two agencies would work together to provide necessary resources to develop a comprehensive planning and implementation program for a multi-agency campus-style government center located in and around downtown Salinas. Such collaboration was vital given each agency owns and/or occupies a significant share of downtown properties. This concentration of government offices in the downtown is beneficial for the efficient and effective provision of many government services/functions and is a key component of the economic health and well-being of the downtown Salinas.
The MOU requires that an annual review, including an update on the Schedule of Performance (Exhibit “A” to the MOU), be conducted by November 30th of each year. Staff from both agencies meet monthly to review implementation progress and collaborate on other opportunities that arise (e.g. Housing). In addition to the regular meetings, staff have had more focused meetings on downtown parking and housing matters. The Schedule of Performance matrix reflects significant progress on a number of actions items, and there has been a lot of effort that is not specifically listed. The 2020 Annual Review was delayed due to City and County staffs’ focus on COVID-19 and wildfire emergency response.
While the term of the MOU expired on October 31, 2020, City and County staff have continued with monthly meetings. Due to recent changes in City and County staff and leadership, staff recommends that the Board of Supervisors (BOS) direct staff to work collaboratively with City staff to prepare a comprehensive update to the MOU to guide the continued City/County coordination of parking, housing and the use of City- and County-owned facilities in the Salinas down area. Staff will bring the updated MOU to the BOS for consideration as soon as possible but no later than June 30, 2021.
DISCUSSION:
On May 8, 2012, the BOS approved a resolution authorizing the Chair to execute a MOU with the City of Salinas to set forth mutual understandings and actions regarding a government center planning and implementation strategy (referred herein as the “Downtown Government Center MOU”). The original term or “period of performance” of the Downtown Government Center MOU was three years, with an expiration date of May 8, 2015. On April 29, 2015, the City Council and the BOS approved an amendment to extend the term of the MOU to October 31, 2015, to allow additional time for City and County staff to update the document and finalize the City’s Vibrancy Plan. The MOU formally expired on October 31, 2015. The Council and BOS approved a comprehensive update to the MOU on February 9, 2016, with a term of five (5) years, from December 15, 2015 to October 31, 2020. Staff incorrectly calculated the end of the five-year term of the MOU to be February 2021, based on the date of the approving resolution. Although the MOU term has expired, City and County staff continued to meet to coordinate on government center facilities, parking, and the construction of a permanent homeless shelter.
The 2016 MOU reflected the then current and future plans for County/City properties and facilities in downtown Salinas. While some of the prior MOU provisions remained to a certain degree, several new provisions were incorporated into the MOU to provide greater oversight, promote public engagement, and facilitate the implementation of specified action items. New key provisions included but were not limited to: implementation of the Downtown Vibrancy Plan recommendations (DVP, 2015); a Schedule of Performance which specifies each action item in the MOU and identifies the responsible party for implementation, the estimated completion date and the funding status of each action item; and an annual review (November 30th) by the Council and BOS of the Schedule of Performance that included a public review process.
On January 6, 2021, a draft annual Schedule of Performance review matrix and staff report were provided to the Salinas Valley Chamber of Commerce, Salinas City Center Improvement Association (SCCIA), and Salinas Planning and Research Corporation (SPARC) for review and comment by noon on January 20, 2021. No comments were received.
Downtown Government Center MOU 2020 Annual Review: City and County staff have a standing meeting on the third Thursday of each month to discuss and coordinate current and future planning and activities related to government-owned property and facility needs in downtown Salinas identified in the MOU. These standing meetings also provide staff the opportunity to share information and coordinate the processing of development proposals at the periphery of the City, the Alisal Vibrancy Plan, the status of the West and Central Area Specific Plans, homelessness (clean ups, temporary warming shelter and permanent/transitional housing), and housing (affordable, farm worker and accessory dwelling units). An updated Exhibit “A” - Schedule of Performance and accompanying narrative summarizing MOU accomplishments since November 2019 are provided as an attachment to this report.
Downtown Government Center MOU Update: As stated in the Summary, the MOU term expired on October 31, 2020. While many accomplishments have been achieved to date, many actions and projects related to the DVP implementation and the Downtown Government Center still need to be undertaken and/or implemented over the course of the next five to ten years. A key priority will be continued collaboration on adequate parking facilities to service the government center and future residential development in the Downtown area. The Vibrancy Plan calls for a joint parking structure as part of the Government Center Campus.
Given that continued City and County coordination of these efforts is vital, it is recommended that the BOS direct staff to collaborate with City staff to prepare a comprehensive update to the MOU, identifying priorities and processes for collaboration. Staff will work diligently to return as soon as possible but no later than June 30, 2021, with an updated MOU. City and County staff have already begun the process of updating the MOU but require additional time to include new City and County staff and leadership in the update process. As with the Annual Review, there will be a public review process prior to the MOU update being brought to the City Council and the BOS for consideration.
CEQA Consideration: Acceptance of the annual report is not a project as defined by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) (CEQA Guidelines section 15378). Any subsequent discretionary projects resulting from implementation of MOU policies and actions will be assessed for CEQA applicability.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
Staff from County departments (Housing and Community Development (HCD), Public Works, Facilities and Parks (PWFP), and Health) meet monthly with staff from City departments (Community Development, Economic Development and Public Works). For the County, HCD and PWFP coordinate efforts to support implementation of MOU tasks including assessing government center parking and facility needs and providing for attractive, safe and convenient pedestrian linkages and green spaces throughout the downtown. City and County staff also collaborated on the preparation of the 2020 Annual Review.
FINANCING:
There are no direct or indirect fiscal impact to the County associated with the acceptance of the Annual Review, staff’s time to collaborate with the City on implementation of the MOU, or the MOU update as these efforts are already allocated in the adopted budget for review of inter-agency projects and issues.
There will be capital expenditures and other costs associated with implementing some of the proposed action items listed in the updated Downtown MOU Schedule of Performance (Exhibit “A”) for which funding is not currently identified or allocated. The Board may determine the potential allocation of funding for these items as part of the MOU annual review, through project-specific actions, and/or the budget process, as applicable.
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS STRATEGIC INITIATIVES:
The Downtown MOU and implementation of the DVP represent effective and timely response to the City of Salinas. It also provides the County accountability for proper management of our land and historic resources.
Check the related Board of Supervisors Strategic Initiatives:
__ Economic Development
X Administration
Health & Human Services
X Infrastructure
__ Public Safety
Prepared by: Carl P. Holm AICP, Director of Housing and Community Development
Reviewed by: John Dugan, Management Specialist, Housing and Community Development
Approved by: Melanie Beretti, Housing and Special Programs Services Manager, Housing and
Community Development
The following attachments are on file with the Clerk of the Board:
Attachment A - Schedule of Performance 2020 Annual Report
cc: City of Salinas
Salinas Chamber of Commerce