The Sebastopol City Council is slated to address parking policies for recreational vehicles, zoning for a townhome project, the needs and impacts of the city’s homeless community and health care for all at its virtual city council meetings on Tuesday, Jan. 18.
A special meeting begins at 5 p.m. for the council to interview candidates to fill vacancies on the Public arts Committee and then the regular meeting will start at 6 p.m. The full agenda and Zoom link are available here.
Parking policies to restrict over recreational vehicle parking
There will be a public hearing for the council to deliberate parking policy options and get public input, introducing and waiving further reading of an ordinance adding Chapter 10.76, Recreational Vehicle Policy Ordinance, and amending Chapter 10.36 in the city’s municipal code.
On Nov. 30, the city council went over the proposal for the RV Safe Parking Village and agreed to turn its hand to parking issues on Morris Street’s parking issues, where homeless people live in RVs and other vehicles lining the curb.
The council instructed city staff to draft parking policy options that restrict the parking of oversized vehicles, such as trailers, RVs and buses. Per the agenda report, the council called on staff to come up with a parking policy ordinance “that addressed recreational vehicle parking in residential, commercial and industrial zoned areas of the City, along with an option for permitted short-term stay exceptions in residential zoned areas of the City.”
Getting the affairs in order for Huntley Square Townhomes
Next is a public hearing regarding the 10-unit Huntley Square Townhomes at 7950 Bodega Ave. According to the agenda report, the public hearing weighs up a zoning amendment to alter the location’s Multifamily Residential zoning to a Planned Community zoning.
The hearing will also consider a conditional use permit to develop in such a district, a tentative map and an Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration in the project’s environmental review for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
Then, the council is slated to discuss approving city sponsorship for Sebastopol Walks 2022, a years-long tradition interrupted by the pandemic in 2020 and 2021. The agenda report stated that volunteers are suggesting 10 walks this year from February through November on the last Saturday of every month.
“Some walks will be mainly for exercise to show participants how to connect places in town by foot and others will be informational,” the report said. Further, it stated the city had sponsored the annual walks in past years and that this year, volunteers request sponsorship to help gain insurance coverage.
After, the Committee for the Unhoused will deliver its monthly report to the council and seek direction for what the committee shall do next. The ad-hoc committee consists of Councilmembers Una Glass and Diana Rich, presenting their recommendations.
They were told to prioritize finding another place for people living in RVs on Morris Street to go. The agenda report states the committee succeeded since its report last November now that the council approved 845 Gravenstein Highway North for the RV Pilot Program with Sonoma Applied Village Services (SAVS) and more in regards to Morris Street and other commitments.
Council to consider support for legislation pledging health care for all
Notably, the council will consider approving a resolution to back legislation to “guarantee healthcare for all,” statewide or nationwide. The resolution would allow the mayor to send letters supporting healthcare legislation in the name of council that is universal, as in all those living in a specified area would be covered, and free at the point of service, meaning no copays, deductibles or premiums.
Legislation that the council will back would also have to cover a wide span of care and services, offer preventative, diagnostic, treatment and rehabilitative coverage, and be “cost neutral or positive to the health-care recipient,” its report said.
The resolution notes that the pandemic has demonstrated issues with having health insurance dependent on one’s job and positions that the Sebastopol City Council “urges the U.S. Congress and the California state legislature to pass legislation to create a single-payer system that will provide all residents with universal, comprehensive and equitable health coverage.”
City council reports follow discussion and consideration of appointments to vacancies on the Public Arts Committee. In particular, City Manager-Attorney Larry McLaughlin or City Clerk Mary Gourley is due to report on the city’s IT protocols and the Syserco Energy Conservation Measures Project.
