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2010/07/29 City Council MinutesMINUTES OF THE CITY OF ROHNERT PARK CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING Thursday, July 29, 2010 Rohnert Park City Hall — Council Chamber 130 Avram Avenue, Rohnert Park, California 1. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL The Special Meeting of the City Council of the City of Rohnert Park was called to order by Mayor Stafford at 6:07 p.m. Present: Pam Stafford, Mayor Gina Belforte, Vice Mayor Arnie Breeze, Council Member Joseph T. Callinan, Council Member Jake Mackenzie, Council Member Staff and /or consultant participants: John Dunn, Interim City Manager; Michelle Marchetta Kenyon, City Attorney; Darrin Jenkins, Director of Development Services /City Engineer; Marilyn Ponton, Planning and Building Manager; Grant Gruber, Project Manager, Michael Brandman Associates; Dalene Whitlock, W- Trans; Raymond Kennedy, Bay Area Economics; Katy Leonard, Shorthand Reporter, Leonard Reporting Services, Inc.; and Judy Hauff, City Clerk. Community Media Center staff present for the recording and televised production of this meeting: Video Technicians Josh Jacobsen and Josh Cimino. 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE — Draven Molinaro, Student, Marguerite Hahn Elementary School led the Pledge of Allegiance. Mayor Stafford presented Draven with a novelty pen. 3. PUBLIC COMMENTS — Mayor Stafford invited public comments for items not on the agenda at 6:08 p.m. No one responded. Mayor Stafford shared introductory comments introducing City Council, consultants and staff present and laying the ground rules for decorum of this meeting. Minutes of the Rohnert Park City Council SPECIAL MEETING (2 of 6) July 29, 2010 4. Appeal of the Rohnert Park Planning Commission Decision to Deny the Certification of the Walmart Environmental Impact Report and Consideration of Site Plan and Architectural Review and Sign Program for the Expansion and Alteration of the Existing Walmart Store for Property Located at 4625 Redwood Drive (APN 045 - 055 -014) (File No. PL2009- 02SR/EIR & PL2010 -08SR -Shell MacPherson/PACLAND) — City Council consideration of this item. [CITY CLERK NOTE: With the exception of ex parte disclosures by City Council included for the record in these minutes after the close of the public hearing, for all other reports, public hearing comments including comments read into the record, and any other comments for the record indicated for this item, see the attached complete transcript for this item on the Walmart Expansion Project submitted by Katy Leonard, Certified Shorthand Reporter, Leonard Reporting Services, Inc.] A. Staff Report - Marilyn Ponton, Planning and Building Manager, introduced consultants Grant Gruber, Project Manager of Michael Brandman Associates; Dalene Whitlock of W- Trans; and Raymond Kennedy of Bay Area Economics. Ms. Ponton reviewed the staff report provided for this item. Grant Gruber, Project Manager, Michael Brandman Associates, preparer of the DEIR, provided an overview via power point presentation. Planning and Building Manager Ponton reviewed the Planning Commission action and materials provided for this item via continued power point presentation and reviewed City Council Action Options. Proponent Presentation - Angie Stoner, Public Affairs Manager for Walmart, Northern California, reviewed background and beneficial aspects of the company. Miriam Montesinos of Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton, distributed hard copies at the dais and reviewed letter provided to Council via email earlier today. Above - referenced Consultants and City Attorney Kenyon responded to Council questions on this item. B. PUBLIC HEARING — Mayor Stafford opened the public hearing at 6:56 p.m. and per speaker cards submitted invited five speakers at a time to come forward and share comments with a two minute timeframe allotted for each speaker. Speakers reviewed reasons expressing support or opposition to the Walmart Expansion as follows: 1. April Gambino, Rohnert Park — support 2. Rick Luttman, Rohnert Park — oppose 3. Irene Kay, Rohnert Park — support 4. Margaret Enea - Patrizi, Petaluma - support 5. Reuben Overstreet, Rohnert Park — support 6. Lucas Powell, Rohnert Park — support 7. Betty Overstreet, Rohnert Park — support 8. Caroline Andrieux, Rohnert Park — support 9. Tom Thunderhorse, Rohnert Park — support 10. Dorothy Kral, Rohnert Park — support Minutes of the Rohnert Park City Council SPECIAL MEETING Q of 6) July 29, 2010 11. Carole Cabral, Rohnert Park - support 12. David Petritz, Santa Rosa, Sonoma County Conservation Action, read written comments into the record - oppose 13 Dennis Rosetti, Santa Rosa, Executive Directive, Sonoma County Conservation Action, comments included reference to box full of approximately 2500 post cards submitted opposing the Walmart expansion - oppose 14. Vince Doherty, Cotati - oppose - referred to numerous pages of signatures submitted opposing this project 15. Dorothea Logan, Rohnert Park - support 16. Robert Nuese, Healdsburg - oppose 17. Patricia Hassett - oppose 18. Robert Eyler, Sebastopol, Chair of Economics Dept at SSU- oppose 19. Andy McLean, Cotati - support 20. Steven Butler, Santa Rosa, Land Use Attorney, represents Pacific Market - oppose 21. Todd Andres, Santa Rosa, Attorney & one of the owners of Pacific Market Shopping Center - oppose 22. Ken Silveira, Rohnert Park, Mountain Shadows Shopping Center - oppose 23. Ben Robinson, Glen Ellen - oppose 24. Suzanne Dewey, Rohnert Park - support 25. Kali McGlen, Healdsburg, in place of Carlos Tamayo, Santa Rosa, noting that she and her husband are farmers - oppose 26. Roger Courillo, Santa Rosa - oppose 27. Steven King, Rohnert Park - oppose 28. Nancy Atwell, Santa Rosa - oppose 29. David Ehreth, Healdsburg, owns food processing company in Healdsburg - oppose 30. Ron Moresco, Petaluma, President of Moresco Distributing Company - oppose 31. Suzanne Sanders, Rohnert Park - oppose 32. John Knapp, Rohnert Park - oppose 33. Burke Webb, Rohnert Park, Buyer of Pacific Market - oppose 35. Shirley Slack, Santa Rosa, reviewed grocery price comparisons - support 36. Mr. William Woodard, Rohnert Park, Walmart Checker - support 37. Susan Robert, Santa Rosa - support 38. Crystal Robert, Santa Rosa - support 39. Susan Leacock, Rohnert Park - support 40. Jim Smith, Cotati - support 41. Alice Breitmayer, Rohnert Park - support 42. Laura Breitmayer, Rohnert Park - support RECESS: Mayor Stafford recessed this meeting at 8:26 p.m. RECONVENE: Mayor Stafford reconvened this meeting at 8:46 p.m. to continue the public hearing for the Walmart Expansion with all Council Members present. 43. Phylis Transue, Rohnert Park - oppose 44. Sandra Shand, Petaluma - oppose 45. Mary Chase, Rohnert Park - oppose 46. Marine Andriola, Bodega Bay, designed Pacific Market's image - oppose 47. Kirsten Barquist, Santa Rosa - oppose 48. Phil Tucker, Martinez, Project Director, California Healthy Communities Network, Tide Center - oppose 49. Ben Boyse, Sonoma, Boardmember of Accountable Development Coalition - oppose 50. John Sansing, Santa Rosa - oppose 51. Bunny Kimball, Rohnert Park - support Minutes of the Rohnert Park City Council SPECIAL MEETING (4 of 6) July 29, 2010 52. Connie Corbett, Rohnert Park - support 53. Elizabeth Basile, Santa Rosa - oppose 54. Magic, Sebastopol - oppose 55. Katherine Robey, Rohnert Park, Store Manager of Walmart - support 56. Myrna Spiegler, Santa Rosa - oppose 57. Lew Cirillo, Santa Rosa - support 58. Michael Hilber, Santa Rosa - support 59. Sally Lai, Rohnert Park - oppose 60. Laura Tussing -Mroz, Santa Rosa - support 61. Marty Bennett, Sonoma, Co -Chair of Living Wage Coalition - oppose 62. Eileen Morris, Petaluma - oppose 63. Dennis McCormack, Rohnert Park - support 64. Bob Blick, Rohnert Park - oppose 65. Heather Rodriquez, Rohnert Park - support 66. Jan Ogren, Rohnert Park with business in Santa Rosa - oppose 67. Carol Blick, Rohnert Park - oppose 68. Phillip Jehly, Rohnert Park - oppose 69. Rick Theis, Santa Rosa, Founder & Chair, Leadership Institute of Ecology & Economy - oppose 70. Tom Scott, Cotati, General Manager, Oliver's Market - oppose 71. William Adams, Rohnert Park - oppose 72. Mark Wolfe, San Francisco, Land Use & CEQA Attorney, Represents Pacific Market and here tonight on behalf of California Healthy Communities Network - oppose 73. Kelley Rajala, Santa Rosa, Director, Go Local Cooperative - Santa Rosa - oppose 74. Adam (Reader - did not say his last name), Santa Rosa - support 75. Marcus Benneditti, Petaluma, President, Clover Stornetta Farms - oppose 76. Arte Snyder, Rohnert Park, Vicki Vidak - Martinez's son - support 77. Scott Stegeman, Sebastopol, Planning & CEQA Consultant, summarized letter distributed to Council at the dais - oppose 79. Jeffry David Maertins, Rohnert Park - oppose 80. Anisia Robinson, Rohnert Park - oppose RECESS: Mayor Stafford recessed this meeting at 10:10 p.m. RECONVENE: Mayor Stafford reconvened this meeting at 10:20 p.m. to continue the public hearing for the Walmart Expansion with all Council Members present 81. Connie Robeson, Rohnert Park - opposed 82. Sharmon Freund, Rohnert Park - opposed 83. Dale Axlerod, Petaluma, Carpet Bagger, displayed and commented on contents of the book, "Big Bucks Swindle opposed 84. Shirley Gilbert, Rohnert Park - support 85. Danielle Bruns, Rohnert Park, History Instructor at Santa Rosa Junior College - opposed 86. Lauren Ballard, Santa Rosa, Assistant Field Manager, Sonoma County Conservation Action - opposed 87. Candace Simmons, Santa Rosa, Field Trainer, Sonoma County Conservation Action - opposed 88. Mary Wallace, Sebastopol - support 89. Rue Furch, Sebastopol, Former Planning Commissioner for 18 years and was President Statewide Planning Commissioners Association - oppose 90. Chip Atkin, Petaluma - oppose 91. Rose Stiles, Santa Rosa, Walmart Employee - support Minutes of the Rohnert Park City Council SPECIAL MEETING (5 of 6) July 29, 2010 92. Steve Wilson, Santa Rosa, Teacher at SSU, Member of California Faculty Association, Chapter's Delegate to North Bay Central Labor Council Referred to letter from Living Wage Coalition of Sonoma County, Sonoma County Conservation Action and Sierra Club and read into the record the Sierra Club message — oppose 93. Dave Mejia, Food Max Employee — opposed CLOSE PUBLIC HEARING With no one further desiring to speak, Mayor Stafford closed this public hearing at 10:44 p.m. Mayor Stafford asked if there were any further staff or consultant comments on this item. Marilyn Ponton, Planning and Building Manager, reviewed clarifications on comments made during the public hearing. Grant Gruber, Project Manager /Associate, Michael Brandman Associates, reviewed aspects of the Environmental Impact Report for this item. Darrin Jenkins, Director of Development Services /City Engineer, clarified comments on consistency of the City's General Plan policies. There were no further questions from Council to staff. City Attorney Kenyon reminded Council that prior to making any statements to put on the record any ex parte contacts they have had outside the hearing. Council discussion ensued which included the following ex parte disclosures for the record: Council Member Callinan indicated for the record that he has met with Ken Silveira of Pacific Market and Angie Stoner from Walmart, the only two he has met with on this matter. CONTINUE MEETING PAST 11:00 P.M. ACTION: Moved ( Belforte), seconded (Callinan), and carried unanimously to continue this meeting past 11:00 p.m. to proceed with items as listed on the meeting's agenda. Council Member Breeze indicated for the record that she has met with Angie Stoner and Alexis Smith, both representing Walmart, has talked to many who are in the audience via phone or listened to their voice mails. Council Member Mackenzie indicated for the record that he has had discussions with the owner of Pacific Market and members of the staff; Walmart representatives who are in front of Council tonight; other people who have testified in front of Council tonight, specifically with Rob Eyler from SSU, and with Scot Stegeman and other members of the Coalition which includes Sonoma County Conservation Action and the Accountable Development Committee. Vice Mayor Belforte indicated for the record that she has spoken with representatives of the Living Wage Coalition, Pacific Market, and Walmart. She did a site visit to the Yuba City's Super Center and also contacted six City Managers throughout the State of California of which five of the cities had Walmart Super Centers and one did not. Mayor Stafford indicated for the record in full disclosure that she spoke with representatives of the following different groups; Pacific Market several times; Walmart several times; the Living Wage Coalition; and Sonoma County Conservation Action. Minutes of the Rohnert Park City Council SPECIAL MEETING (6 of 6) July 29, 2010 C. Resolutions for Adoption: 1. 2010 -82 Granting the Appeal of the Planning Commission Decision for a Walmart Expansion Located at 4625 Redwood Drive, Rohnert Park, CA ACTION: Moved (Breeze), seconded (Callinan), and carried 4 — 1 dissenting (Mackenzie) to adopt above - titled Resolution No. 2010 -82 as submitted. 2. 2010 -83 Certifying the Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) including the Errata, Adopting a Statement of Overriding Considerations and Approving a Mitigation Monitoring Program for a Walmart Expansion Located at 4625 Redwood Drive, Rohnert Park, CA ACTION: Moved (Belforte), seconded (Callinan), and carried 4 — 1 dissenting (Mackenzie) to adopt above - titled Resolution No. 2010 -83 as submitted. 3. 2010 -84 Approving the Site Plan and Architectural Review for a Walmart Expansion Located at 4625 Redwood Drive, Rohnert Park, CA ACTION: Moved (Breeze), seconded (Callinan), and carried unanimously to adopt above - titled Resolution No. 2010 -84 as submitted. 4. 2010 -85 Approving the Sign Program for a Walmart Expansion Located at 4625 Redwood Drive, Rohnert Park, CA ACTION: Moved (Belforte), seconded (Breeze), and carried unanimously to adopt above - titled Resolution No. 2010 -85 as submitted. 5. ADJOURNMENT of City Council Special Meeting Mayor Stafford adjourned this meeting at 11:26 p.m. Judy cuff, City 4eA Pam Stafford, Ma or City of Rohnert Park City of Rohnert Park ATTACW4ENT TO July 29, 2010 Minutes of the Rohnert Park City Council Special Meeting CITY OF ROHNERT PARK CITY COUNCIL —000— SPECIAL MEETING JULY 29, 2010 REPORTER'S TRANSCRIPT OF PROCEEDINGS FOR ITEM NO. 4 RE PL200"02SR/EIR AND PL2010 -08SR- SHELLMaCPHERSONIPACLAND 4625 REDWOOD DRIVE APPEAL of the Rohnert Park Planning Commission Decision to Deny the Certification of the Walmart Environmental Impact Report and Consideration of Site Plan and Architectural Review and Sign Program for the Expansion and Alteration of the Existing Walmart Store for Property Located at 4625 Redwood CITY OF ROHNERT PARK 130 Avram Avenue Rohnert Park, California 94928 REPORTED BY: KATY LEONARD, CSR Certified Shorthand Reporter License No. 11599 LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 ATTACHMENTS & HAND -OUTS City of Rohnert Park Planning Commission Agenda City of Rohnert Park: City Council Agenda Item Transmittal Report Letter from Paul Kaplan, John Knapp, and Rick Luttmann, dated July 28, 2010 Letter from Miriam Montesinos, Esq. of Shepard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP, dated July 29, 2010 Hand -out: Signatures provided by Mr. Doherty Hand -out Letter from Stephen K Butler of the Law Offices of Clement, Fitzpatrick & Kenworthy Inc., dated July 20, 2010, provided by Mr. Butler Hand -out: Photocopy of receipts provided by Ms. Lai Hand -out: Letter from Scot Stegeman of Stegeman & Associates, with attachments, dated July 29, 2010, provided by Mr. Stegeman —000 -- LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 1 e" 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 APPEARANCES MAYOR PAM STAFFORD VICE MAYOR GINA BELFORTE COUNCILMEMBER JAKE MACKENZIE COUNCILMEMBER AMIE BREEZE COUNCILMEMBER JOSEPH T. CALL.INAN PLANNING & BUILDING MANAGER MARILYN PONTON DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DARRIN JENKINS CITY ATTORNEY MICHELLE KENYON INTERIM CITY MANAGER JOHN DUNN GRANT GRUBER, MICHAEL BRANDMAN ASSOCIATES DALENE WHITLOCK. W -TRANS RAYMOND KENNEDY, BAY AREA ECONOMICS ANGIE STONER, WALMART PUBLIC AFFAIRS MANAGER MIRIAM MONTESINOS, SHEPPARD, MULLIN. RICHTER & HAMPTON SHELL MacPHERSON, PACLAND MIKE SALMON, PERKOWITZ AND RUTH ARCHITECTS LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 1 2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 —000 — PROCEEDINGS JULY 29, 2010 6:06 P.M. AGENDA ITEM NO. 4 MAYOR STAFFORD: So, what I'm going to do first of all is read a statement. Welcome to all of you. Because so many of you don't regularly attend our Council meetings , let me introduce you to our Councilmembers and staff. Seated next to me is the Vice Mayor, Gina Belforte. Councilmember Arnie Breeze. Councilmember Joe Callinan. Councilmember Jake Mackenzie. And I am M ayor Stafford. (Brief discussion) MAYOR STAFFORD: City Attorney Michelle Kenyon. Interim City Manager John Dunn. And two department heads, Darrin Jenkins, the Director of Development Services /City Engineer, Brian Masterson, the Director of Public Safety. We also have Marilyn P,onton, the Planning and Building Manager. And Judy Hauff, our City Clerk. And in the audience is our new City Manager, Gabe Gonzales. LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 3 4 Tonight is a very important public hearing. First, let me thank you for being here and assisting in this important decision. But let me set forth some ground rules for our conduct this evening. We want to remember that this is America where everyone has the right to express their opinion. So , we have to give everyone a respect for form for doing that. When the public hearing is opened, the proponents for the project will be given 15 minutes to make their presentation. Because of the anticipated number of speakers this evening, all other speakers will be given two minutes. John Dunn to my right will be the timekeeper. When his hand goes up, you need to please conclude your comments. The basic purpose this evening is to give everyone who wants to speak an opportunity to do so , and to respect each person's right to express their opinion. The rules for the conduct of this meeting will be, When a person is speaking or concludes their remarks, there will be no heck ling or noise, no laugh ter or derision, no applause, no discourtesy, no cheering , and no booing. So, in other words, we're going to keep quiet. If disrespecfful behavior happens, I will ask the speaker or other persons to discontinue it. If that LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 5 STAFF REPORT PLANNING AND BUILDING MANAGER PONTON: Good evening, Mayor Stafford, Councilmembers. Thank you very much. Before I begin the presentation tonight, I would also like to introduce the consultants serving the City on the project. Mr. Grant Gruber from Michael Brandman Associates, Dalene Whitlock from W- Trans, and Ray Kennedy from Bay Area Economics. Thank you. Additionally, one small housekeeping item. We have included additional materials that have been received by the City on this matter, and they.are on the dais before you. And we received them after the Council packet was published. Tonight our presentation is intended to focus on the key points of information regarding this matter and it is contained in the Staff Report in your packets. We recognize there's quite a bit of information , and the staff and the City consultants are here and available after the presentation for your questions or comments . MAYOR STAFFORD: You know what, you guys need to be quiet. VOICE FROM AUDIENCE: We need to hear. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 doesn't happen, 1 will use the gavel. If necessary, I will recess the meeting to restore proper decorum. I will be assisted in this by the Sergeant at Arms, the Director of Public Safety. The same rules apply in the Council chambers 'lobby and in the outdoor plaza where public safety officers are station ed. So, in other words, people who are not in these chambers but outside in other areas need to follow these same rules that I'm setting forth. I will also be calling on the speakers in groups of five. So, when your name is called, please line up at the speaker stand so we can move this along. We don't call it slowly. We call five at a time. If you're coming from outside , get up and come in to stand in line. In these ways, we will have a positive, public forum, we will show respect to the speakers, and we will expedite this meeting. 1 thank you in advance for adhering to these ground rules. So, what we're going to do is start the proceedings. And the first — the only item on the agenda is an appeal of the Rohnert Park Planning Commission decision to deny the certification of the Walmart Environmental Impact Report. So, Staff Report. LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 6 PLANNING AND BUILDING MANAGER PONTON: Thank you. The item this evening before the Council is the appeal of the Planning Commission's denial of the certification of the EIR of the Walmart expansion project, and consideration of the site plan and architectural review, and the sign program application for the expansion project First, we'll provide a brief overview of the project. We'll. provide some background on what has transpired prior to this meeting, and we'll discuss the speck concerns cited by the Planning Commission in denying this application . And we'll discuss the actions, options available to the Council on the item. We'll also provide a brief summary of the EIR analysis and conclusions, as well as a brief discussion of the statement of overriding considerations. To begin, there is an overview of the project . A more detailed description , of course, was provided in the Exhibit 1 binder of your packets. PACLAND, Walmart's representative, submitted an application for Site Plan and Architectural Review in a sign program for the expansion of the existing Wal mart store at 4625 Redwood Drive. The existing store and its associated park ing LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 7 8 lot encompasses approximately 13 acres. The site is designated as "Regional Commercial" in both the General Plan and on the zoning map. The existing store is approximately 131,000 square feet. The proposed addition is approximately 35,000 square feet, which would result in a total square foot addition of approximately 166,000 sq uare feet Other major changes that were proposed in the expansion indud a going to a 24 -hour operation, changes to signage and architecture, the slight reconfiguration of store parking, changes in lighting and landscaping. This slide provides a brief chronology of project milestones in the project. The application came in in January of 2009. The Draft EIR was prepared and circulated for public review in the period between August 25th and October 23rd of'09. The Final EIR was released in had January of 2010. Planning Commission heard the item in April, April 22nd of this year. And based on the decision of the Planning Commission meeting, an appeal was filed with the City in May of 2010. At this point, I'll turn it over to Mr. Grant Gruber Michael of Michael Brandman Associates to give Council a brief overview of the EIR. MR. GRUBER: Good evening, Mayor. Members of LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 by W- Trans, and the Urban Decay study prepared by Bay Area Economics. And Dalene Whitlock from W -Trans and Ray Kennedy from Bay Area Economics are here tonight to answer any specific questions you have about those subjects. EIR indicated that all impacts could be mitigated to a level of less than significant with the exception of four significant and unavoidable traffic impacts. And I'll walk you through those on some subsequent slides. And in addition, in the draft that's part of the public review period on the Draft EIR, a number of comments were submitted o n the document. A total of 19 comment letters received. Two were from State agencies, 17 were from private individuals o r organizations, and most of the comments focused on traffic and economic impacts. So, the four significant and unavoidable impacts are associated with intersection operation s, freeways, operations, and queuing. And on this slide are the summary of the two intersection operations impacts. The first is with baseline plus project conditions. This represents the opening year of the Wal mart expansion project, which would be year 21312. LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 the Council. My name is Grant Gruber. I'm with the firm of Michael Brandman Associates. We prepared the EIR contract with the City of Rohnert Park. Just to give you a brief overview of the milestones associated with the project, on May 4th, 2009, the Notice of Preparation was issued . This is the first step in the EIR process. On August 25th of last year the Draft EIR was released for public review, circulated for 60 days until October 23rd. The Final EIR was released on January 15th of this year. It includes response s and comments, which I'll get to on a subsequent slide . And the errata sheets consist of corrections, additions, and /or deletions to the Draft EIR, which d o not affect any of the conclusions in the document. And finally, it includes the Mitigation Monitoring Reporting Program, which would be, if the project is approved, the document City staff would use to verify that, in fact, all the mitigation measures set forth in the EIR are, in fact, implemented. The Draft EIR evaluated 11 topical areas in detail listed on the screen. They're also supported by technical studies, including the traffic study prepared LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 And under this scenario we found that two intersections on Stony Point Road would operate at unacceptable levels, and t hey would also operate at unacceptable levels if the project were not built. And then under future -year conditions, which is a further -out scenario — I believe it represents year 2030 conditions — we found that four intersections would operate at unacceptable levels. And again, all these would operate at unacceptable levels without the proposed project. And again, with freeway operations, a similar story. We looked at two segments of the 101. North of Wilfred Avenue and one south of Wilfred Avenue. Same story here. Without the project, A would be unacceptable. The proposed project would add trips to these freeway segments. It would be considered a significant impact. And finally, queuing, which represents cars waiting to make a turn, such as a left turn or a right turn. We found that at three intersections, the project would contribute to queues that would exceed available storage capacity with a significant impact. I should note we identified mitigation for all these impacts. The problem is that with certain intersections, they're not under the control of the City 10 LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 11 12 of Rohnert Park. So, for example. the two intersections on Stony Point Road are within the unincorporated county. There is currently no agreement between the City and the County about transferring of fees that the City would Collect to pay for improvement s there, because also, there's some intersections on the 101 ramp. term inals. Cal Trans has jurisdiction over that. Again , the City doesn't have the ability to tell Cal Trans what to do. So, under the legal principle that underpin the California Environmental Quality Act, we conclude d that these are significant and unavoidable impacts, because the City just does not have the certainty to say that the improvements would be implemented as necessary. On the following slide, I wanted to give you kind of a depiction of how this Walmart actually contributes to projects —these unacceptable operations. So, we selected five intersections in the vicinity of the project site. And we show that this is under the p.m. peak -hour conditions. This is between 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. on a weekday. What we're showing you here are the traffic volumes that occur during that two -hour period, and what would Walmart's share of that traffic be relative to the LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 significant impacts. Now, I just also would like to address a late comment letter that came in yesterday from Mark Wolfe, who* is representing California Healthy Communities Network. He submitted some comments on the Draft EIR back in October. Mr. Wolfe objected to several areas of the EIR's analysis. I just wanted to walk you through them. There's a couple of key points raised in his letter. It's about 30 pages, but I just wanted to hit on some of the highlights here. First off, I just note that most of the points in the letter are simply reiterations of previous points we addressed in the Final EIR, which is this document (Indicating), so we've already gone on record and explained wh y we respectfully disagree with his position. We believe we supported all of our conclusions in the EIR. But I've identified four issue s in his letter that I think I'll elaborate on. The first is he Claims that the traffic analysis did not account for the North east Speck Plan. City staff has advised us that it would not be appropriate to account for that , because it's not an approved project at this point LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Stadium Area Master Plan, the Wilfred /Dowdell Specific Plan, the Graton Rancheria Casino, and other projects in the region that contribute trips to those roadway facilities. And as you can see, the Walmart contribution represents a very small percentage of trips through those intersections . At the Stony Point intersection, it's practically negligible . And for the — with the highest contribution at Wilfred — or, Redwood and Wilfred. Still, even though it would be dose to several hundred trips, it's still a very small percentage of the overall trips through that intersection during the peak hour s. Because the EIR identifies significant unavoidable impacts, the City is required to adopt a Statement of Overriding Considerations, which essentially reconciles the fact that there are these significant unavoidable impact s with the economic, legal, social, technological , and other aspects of the project. And this is if the City decides to adopt and approve the project. The City is essentially just g oing on the record saying, We understand the significant impacts, but we believe the benefit s outweigh the LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 13 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 And furthermore, it's not expected to build out by the year the Wal mart project is schedule d to open in 2012. So, it wouldn't be appropriate to account for those trips in the Baseline Plus Project scenario anyway. I should note City staff has advised us it was factored in. As part of the overall growth of the General Plan, it was accounted for in the long -term scenario. So, it is appropriately accounted for in the long -term scenario. Its not appropriate to account for in the near -term scenario. On queuing impacts, Mr. Wolfe disputed the methodology used in looking a t how the project contributes to queuing. And Dalene Whitlock is here. If you have any questions about the actual methodology, she can provide further detail. But the summary is, it follows accepted industry guidance, and what we did i s widely accepted. And other consulting firms have done similar methodologies on other projects . Mr. Wolfe also makes the allegation that the trade area used in the Urban Decay analysis does not correspond with where the traffic study says the project trips are going to generate from. I just want to note that all the study 14 LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC_ (415) 312 -9040 15 16 facilities, the intersections, the freeway segments are fully contained in the primary trade area used in the Urban Decay Analysis. And so, we have captured where most of the project trips — their impacts on the roadway system , we've identified that in the EIR. And finally, Mr. Wolfe makes some statements that the noise analysis makes some inappropriate conclusions. And the bottom line is, we used both the City noise standards for the areas within the city that would be affected by project noise. And also recognizing that some properties on the other side of Dowdell Avenue a re in the unincorporated county, we did use the County standards. Recognizing that those properties are subject to a different set of standards, we concluded that the project does not have any significant increase in noise in the project vicinity. In fact, the only increase contributable to the project is less than one -tenth of the decibel, which is just not perceptible to human beings. So, if you have any other questions about the late submittal, I can address those, as well as the subconsultants here with me. And with that, I'll turn it back over to LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 The analysis of urban decay typically focuses on whether the economic effects of an action would result in the abandonment of structures with the structures themselves falling into disrepair. The evaluation of urban decay contained i n the EIR is based on information from a report prepared by Bay Area Economics. The author of that report, Ray Kennedy is here this evening to answer any questions you may have. The Planning Commission expressed concerns regarding adverse effects on the proposed project on the Pack Market and Mountain Shadows Plaza. The EIR acknowledged that the store could be at risk in the short term, but likely would be re- tenanted by 2016. Another memo was prepared by BAE, and it's on your dais. It specifically addressed issues raised during the Planning Commission hearing . The memo concluded that the Pack Market is at risk of closure regardless of Walmart 's expansion. The memo also notes that vacancies alone do not lead to a finding of urban decay under CEQA. In their decision to deny the application, the Planning Commission also cited the potential adverse effects related to inconsistency of the proposed project with regard to General Plan Policy LU -7 and Goal LU -K. LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Marilyn. PLANNING AND BUILDING MANAGER PONTON: Thank you, Grant I'd like to go over some of the background on the Planning Commission action. During the April 22nd Planning Commission hearing, presentations were presented both by City staff and the project applicant, and public comments were received on the project. Questions from the Planning Commission were posed to both the City staff and the representatives of the applicant. Minutes from that meeting are included in your packet. These questions and statements made during the hearing, the Planning Commission expressed particular concern regarding the economic impact the proposed project would have on grocery retailers. They expressed concern regarding the consistency of the proposed project with regard to General Plan Policy LU -7 and LU -K in the General Plan. In their decision to deny certification of the EIR, the Planning Commission specifically cited concern with respect to the adequacy of the Statement of Overriding Consideration s. I'll discuss each of these in the next few slides. LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 17 18 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 LU -K states that new projects should promote a diverse range of jobs within the City. The proposed project would create approximately 85 new jobs in commercial retail employment positions. The analysis in the EIR concluded that the project would not result in impacts associated with inconsistencies with this General Plan Goal. Policy LU -7 is a policy stating the City should encourage neighborhood commercial facilities and supermarkets to be located to maximize accessibility to all residential areas. As noted in the slide, the General Plan sets forth the intent of an LU -7 to ensure convenient shopping facilities such as super markets and drugstores that are located dose to where people live , and facilitate access to these facilities on foot or by bike. It also encourages the dispersion of supermarkets throughout the City. Staff further reviewed the context of Policy LU -7 within the General Plan and found a couple of key considerations applicable to the proposed project , which are shown on this slide. First, Policy LU -7 specifically addresses new neighborhood commercial facilities and supermarkets. The planned expansion is an existing facility. It is LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 19 1 20 not a new facility. , Second, the policy addresses neighborhood commercial facilities and supermarkets. The proposed project is a Regional Commercial facility, rather than a Neighborhood Commercial facility within the context of the General Plan. The consistency analysis in Section 3.7 of the EIR concluded that the proposed project would be consistent with the Policy LU -7 based on factors shown on the slide. As noted in Grant's discussion of the Statement of Overriding Considerations earlier, a statement is required for significant and unavoidable impacts for which the project cannot be feasibl y mitigated. Four of the impacts were.identified by the EIR for the project, and they were all related , as Grant noted earlier, to traffic, with or without the expansion project. Based on the conclusions of the EIR analysis, no statements of overriding consideration are necessary for impacts associated with General Plan consistency for urban decay since no significant and unavoidable impacts were identified by the analysis in the EIR on these matters. This concludes the discussion of specific LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 you will hear from members of the public tonight on topics outside the scope of the proposed building mod cation . For this reason, I would like to begin by offering you some basic background on our local store and on Walmart as a company. We opened our Rohnert Park store almost 18 years ago. Since that time we've had the opportunity to serve the local community in a number of ways. First and foremost, we've helped families to stretch their dollar by providing access to a wide range of quality and affordable goods. Second, we've had the opportunity to form strong partnerships with local nonprofits. These partnerships are Strong, because thefe are 300 associates that live and work in Rohnert Park and care strongly about this community. The loyalty we've developed from those that have come to rely on Walmart over the years has allowed us to collect supporter cards from over 25 00 individuals from the focal community. Some of these supporters are here tonight, and I'd like to thank them for taking time out of their very busy lives to be here. The expansion we are proposing will allow us to better serve our customers with the products they have been requesting from us for years. It will also LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1( 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 concerns expressed by the Planning Commission in the April hearing. In considering the item before you this evening, the City has the following options : The City may approve the project by granting the appeal of the Planning Commission decision, certifying the EIR, and approving the proposed project The Council may deny the appeal an d affirm the Planning Commission's deci Sion to deny the certification of the EIR, or the Council may modify the decision. With that, I conclude our presentation on the appeal of the Planning Commission's decision to deny the proposed Walmart expansion. Thank you. MAYOR STAFFORD: So, that's all for the Staff Report; correct? PLANNING AND BUILDING MANAGER PONTON: Correct. MAYOR STAFFORD: Okay. So, Shen we will go to the proponent. MS. STONER: Good evening, Mayor and Council. My name is Angie Stoner, and I am the Public Affairs Manager for Wal mart in Northern California. I want to begin by thank ing you for your time this evening and for schedule this special hearing. So, we are before you with a proposal to expand our business in Rohnert Park . I am certain that LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, -INC_ (415) 312 -9040 21 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 offer us an opportunity to remodel the existing store and integrate new sustainability features into our operations. We look forward to creating new partnerships with local farmers and other suppliers specifically to serve our expanding store. Offering locally sourced goods is something we take very seriously. In fact, last year Walmart spent over $16 billion for merchandise and services from over 3,000 suppliers right here in the state of California. As a result of Wafmarrs relationship with these suppliers. Walmart supports over 200,000 supplier jobs in the state. In addition to working with l oval suppliers, our store will generate additional sale s tax revenue. Our Rohnert Park store has generated just under three quarters of a million dollars in sales tax revenue last year in Rohnert Park, and we also generated over 600,000 in sales tax revenue last year in Rohnert Park. We anticipate the expanded store will generate even more. In fact, many of our Rohnert customers have told us that they travel to American Canyon to shop for groceries. In our store there, we've taken a look — because we have a store there with groceries, we've taken a look at taxable retail sales in American Canyon to see what impact our store has had on sales tax 22 LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 23 24 revenue. And according to the California Board of Equalization, American Canyon experience d an increase of 35.4 percent in taxable retail sales since the Walmart opened with groceries in 2006. If approved, our expansion will provide 85 new jobs, the majority of which will be full -time. Both full -time and part-time Walmart associates receive competitive wages and benefits in . California. The Walmart full -time average wage is $12.25 per hour. All associates, both full -time and part-time, can become eligible for healthcare cove rage with no lifetime maximum. Walmart associates are also eligible for 401(k), profit sharing, a stock purchase plan, discount on store merchandise, performance -based bonuses, and many more. Our opposition will try to tell you that the 85 jobs are not good jobs. 1 would raise the question , How would they know? Have they ever worked for Walmart ? I'm certainly not say ing that one job is better than another job, but I do think its important to look at the facts. And the fact is, Walmart is a good place to work. I personally started as an hourly associate, and as an hourly associate , I had healthcare coverage, I LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 25 buying a home in Rohnert Park, buying a car in Rohnert Park, and raising their families right here in Rohnert Park. Aside from general comments that you may hear about our general business practice s, I am certain that many of the comments tonight will be focused on another local business, Pacific Market . I'm sure you are aware from your readi ng of the EIR, the City's analysis found that Pacific Market may potentially be in danger of dosing with our expansion due to their current poor sales volume. In Rohnert Park, every other existing grocery store outperforms the industry average in terms of their sales per square foot. By contrast, Pacific Market is underperforming relative to the industry average. Pacific Market and the agency footing their bill to oppose Walmart have commissioned an economic analysis by Robert Eyler, which I'm sure will be referenced this evening. Please note this report is biased at best and outright misleading in many cases. The report attributes the loss of over 4,000 jobs to Pack Market's potential closure. It makes assumptions that a country music radio station and a blood bank will go out of business as a result of — and multiple restaurants and national food distributors will 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 had a 401(k) plan, I had profit sharing and stock options, and Walmart contributed no matter whether I contributed or not. 1 started as an hourly associate in the deli department, and now I'm here before you this evening as a government relations representative. I have built a career with Walmart, like many of our associates. In fact, three - thirds [sic] of our store management team started in an hourly position. Our Rohnert Park store is no different. You will hear from many associates tonight about what their jobs mean to them and what our customers tell them each and every day. But our jobs — but if our jobs are no t good jobs, the numbers regarding our Rohnert Park staff might seem a little surprising to you. Twelve of our current associates have worked at the store since it opened over 18 years ago. Almost half, 129 associates. have been with the store for more than five years. These numbers are not average number s for retail industry or for any industry for that matter. And let me make it Gear, these associates have stayed with the company because they enjoy their jobs at Walmart. And Walmart has provided them the benefit of LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 institute layoffs if Pack Market leaves. For these reasons, I urge you to weigh the value of th is analysis careful ly, and perhaps with several grains of salt. We've met with the owners of Pacific Market and have proposed multiple ways that we can assist in getting their business on more solid ground over the next couple of years before our expand ed store would open. They have responded with silence, save for a request to be bought out. In my opinion, their behavior doesn't match the picture of th is business that you will be painted by our opposition tonight Pack Market's owners have admitted to making a gamble by opening the Rohnert Park store, and it is our understanding that they are presently looking for ways to exit this community. Though it is convenient to blame Walmart, its simply not true that our expansion will ultimately determine the fate of their store here. It would be a shame if Rohnert Park were to lose out twice with Pack Market choosing to leave and Walmart being denied the ability to deliver new jobs an d sales tax revenue. I also believe it's worth pointing out that Pacific Market did not protest the addition of the LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 27 26 28 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 grocery store — the addition of groceries at Target in April, or the 445,000 square foot grocery store that is part of the Sonoma Mountain Village project that was approved by the Planning Commission last week. Perhaps the motivation of those interested in sa ving Pacific Market is not so pure after all. Our desire to renovate and expand has always been determined by customer demand. Our customers want to save money on the items they purchase for their families. They want to choose where they can shop. Again, I want to thank you for your time this evening. We worked diligently to address concerns regarding the proposed expansion, and I believe the project before you this evening meets the requirements set forth in the City's guidelines, and I ask for your approval of the expansion of the Walmart. I will now hand the podium over to Miriam Montesinos, our counsel. Thank you. MS. MONTESINOS: Good evening, Mayor, Members of the Council. We apologize for the lateness of the submittal. We were somewhat (Inaudible) by the lateness Mr. Wolfe's submittal and being able to submit our letter. Quickly, I just want to touch on a few points. LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 29 Pacific Market will dose. In fact, the economic consultant had to go on record to say, "I never said that. What I said is that its at risk of closure." And that could very well happen regardless.of what happens with Wal mart. So, that's something to keep in mind. Although you might he ar that the economic consultant concluded that, he never did. Another important point is that — let's just say for argument's sake it doses, whether because it doesn't apparently know how to manage the store or for other reasons. That doesn't mean it's urban decay, which is the only thing you can consider for purposes of the EIR. Urban decay is, as Marilyn pointed out, when you have — basically the neighborhood goes to pot There's buildings with graffiti, broken windows. So, just because a store doses doesn't mean you're going to have the physical impacts on the environment necessary to have an urban decay impact . And that's why the EIR, despite all the times they've asked the consultants to look at it continues to determine that there will be no urban decay . On the General Plan, I think Marilyn did a really good job of walking through an d pointing out the reasons why the main goals and policies pointed out by 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 As.1 think Angie stated, we strongly disagree with the Planning Commission's petition not to certify the EIR. We believe that it is based mainly on economic factors and competition. And competition is simply not something that you can use under CEQA to deny a project. CEQA is not meant to be a stat utory competition — a competition- stopping statute. The only requirements of CEQA is that you analyze all of the impacts of a project thoroughly an d that you make a good -faith effort at full disclosure. I think if you look at the documents in front of you, you see their size and you see all the additional comments that the consultants have prepared in response to all the comments, you can not deny that there has been good -faith effort at full disclosure. But you are going to hear a lot about two main points: Urban decay and the General Plan consistency , in addition to traffic and air quality and noise, and everything else they always throw out. I won't touch on urban decay too much, because 1 think Angie did a good job of emphasizing what the real motivations are of the opposition and the points that they are raising . But I do want to highlight a couple of things that the staff has already said, as well as Angie, which is that there is no determination by the EIR that LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 the opposition indeed are consistent with the project. 1 want to say, one, if you interpret those policies the way they're asking you to, especially the one about where you can locate supermarkets an d jobs, basically it would mean you would have a mandatory prohibition against development in Rohnert.Park, because what business wouldn't bring in new jobs and possibly displace some. And what supermarket could be located anywhere under the way they're trying to interpret the policy. I don't think the General Plan's intent was to impose a, basically, prohibition on new supermarkets or new businesses coming into Rohnert Park. But let's just say again for argument's sake, because we're all going to argue tonight — friendly, but argue nonetheless — let's just say that it inconsistent - or, it may be inconsistent with those policies. You do not need to be consistent with each and every policy of a General Plan. The law recognizes that a General Plan is going to have conflicting policies within the document , because it's trying to make so many wide - ranging goals fit into the document that inevitably you're going to have one that says one thin g that may not match. Land use may not match something in transportation. LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 31 30 32 So, the law doesn't require the project to be in full compliance with each and every goal and policy. It requires you to be in harmony with the intent of the General Plan. I think if you look at the table in the El R and see — I think its like 20 pages or so where it walks through all these General Plan goals and policies. I counted them. I think its about 88, if I counted right. You just cannot say that when it's consistent with that many, maybe it's inconsistent with two or three, it's not in harmony with the overall document. That just couldn't be a valid conclusion. And 1 just, then, want to touch quickly on the Statement of Overriding Considerations, and then I'll let you go, which is, as Grant pointed out, t he impacts that we need a Statement of Overriding C onsideration for are traffic. And all those impacts exist regardless of this project. If this project doesn't move forward, you have those impacts happening anyway. There's only one reason why the project had to find those — or, the EIR had to find those as significant and unavoidable. As Grant pointed out, it's because we Can't say with certainty that they'll be fixed. There are some that are indeed going to be taken care of — three LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 33 that this Council received major communications within the last 24 hours. I had a chance to read the communication from the last person who just spoke, which is a lengthy rebuttal to a document from Mr. Wolf e, which the letter itself is over 30 pages and the attachments are considerable . Have you had a chance to examine these i documents in terms of what we 're trying to do tonight? They're being referred to, and even as a fairly diligent read er, I have not been able to — so, I'd certainly like some advice , Madam Mayor, through the City Attorney as to the signs canoe of these major communications that we've just received as we're trying to make this important decision.. CITY ATTORNEY KENYON: Well, to answer your general question, they are part of the record, and I have reviewed them. Obviously not in detail. And so has your planning staff and your environmental consultant. What we have gleaned so far from the submittals from Mr. Wolf a is that those have essentially reiterated previous arguments that have already been made. What we have gleaned from the response from the law firm representing the applicant is that those 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 of those — but they're not within your jurisdiction. They're with the County. The County fixes them. But because you're not the County, you can't have the EIR say that they definitely will be fixed. You have to say, "Okay, the County is taking rare of it, but it's outside our control, so CEQA makes us have to say that it's significant and un avoidable. And on the other impact on the highway, its a matter of you just can't fix it. And the opposition might d isagree and say you could get all this right -of -way and stuff. But your engineers have looked at it, your consultants have looked at it, and they said, We just can't fix ft. We told you that with Graton Rancheria. We told you that with other projects. There just is no fix. With that, 1 will close. Thank you. MAYOR STAFFORD: So, what I am proposing right now is — we didn't ask questions of staff. So, are there any questions of Council for the staff? COUNCILMEMBER BREEZE: I don't have any. COUNCILMEMBER MACKENZIE: I do. This is partly a process question through you to the City Attorney, Madam Mayor. It's been referenced in past presentations LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC.- (415) 312 -9040 are just similar rebuttals to those previously argued claims made by Mr. Wolf e. What you have in the record so far is testimony from your environmental consultant with regard to key points raised in these submittals that he has rebutted both orally here, and also said that it has been considered and reviewed and rebut led in the material that was before the Planning Commission and that you have before you tonight. So, in my opinion, I do not think that there is any reason why the Council would not be able to go forward because of the material that was submitted while — at the very late hour. I believe that it has been reviewed to the extent it needs to be reviewed to provide you an analysis saying that we believe those issues have all been addressed. COUNCILMEMBER MACKENZIE: Okay. 1 have another question, Madam Mayor, through you to the City Attorney. . The City of Antioch, last night, I believe, was — in this article that I have — I believe it was updated on the 28th, yesterday afternoon. And the City Council there took an action on what seems to me to be a very similar situation in term s of the proposed size of LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 35 34 36 the expansion of the Wall mart stores — 33,575 square foot addition and remodel its existing store and put a full- service grocery. And this, as it happened , was rejected by the City Council after their Planning Commission had approved that particular action. And I wondered it you had had any opportunity, or your staff, to find out what the circumstances were in the City of Antioch. i understand in Milpitas there was a condition of use permit involved when they rejected the Wal mart superstore, but I'm talking about Antioch, which on the face of it seems to be a refus A to certify the EIR by the City Council. So, I was just wondering, Madam Mayor, if there was any intelligence that would be helpful to us as we proceed this evening . CITY ATTORNEY KENYON: Well, I must say I'm not aware of the specifics of the application process or the decision by the Antioch City Council. What I can tell you is with regard to each application and land use application that comes before this Council, that the findings are very speck to the City of Rohnert Park's General Plan, the City of Rohnert Park's zoning code, and other issues related specifically to the Elk that was prepared in particular LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 37 question. MS. WHITLOCK- For analysis purposes — (Brief discussion) MS. WHITLOCK: For analysis purposes, we typically evaluate the highest volume hour during the two -hour peak from 4 :00 to 6:00 p.m. so that we get the worst -case conditions during that time period. Normally once you get on the shoulders of that time period, the volumes are lower. So, what we're trying to pick up is the best and the worst case. That's not to say that it might not operate outside of that, but if we can make it operate acceptably during that time period , then you're usually good the rest of the time. VICE MAYOR BELFORTE: All right. Thank you. MAYOR STAFFORD: Does anyone else have any other questions ? (No response) PUBLIC HEARING MAYOR STAFFORD: Okay. So, what we're going to do now is we're going to start the Public Hearing. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 a 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 for this project So, 1 would not place any credence in a planning process that occurred in another jurisdiction , because that jurisdiction dearly does not have Rohnert Park's General Plan, dearly does not have our zoning code, and certainly does not have our environmental consultants doing an environmental review based on this project here in Rohnert Park . COUNCILMEMBER MACKENZIE: Okay. Thank you, Madam Mayor. I appreciate that darification. I don't have any further questions at this time. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. Vice Mayor? VICE MAYOR BELFORTE: Thank you. I do have one question. My question has to d o with a share of cumulative p.m. peak hours. 1 just want to make sure I heard that correctly. Was that 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.? MR. GRUBER: That's correct. VICE MAYOR BELFORTE: And anytime before 4:00 and anytime after 6:00 p.m., there was no negative, significant impact? MR. GRUBER: Dalene Whitlock can answer that LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 I'm going to call five people. And this has been done in the order that the cards were presented , so it's been done in an orderly way. Five people I will call up. When you come to the podium, please state your name and your address . And you will have two minutes to speak, so keep that in mind. Okay? So, we have April Gambino, Rick Luttman, Irene Kay, Margaret Enea- Patrizi, and Ruben Overstreet. April, you're first (Brief discussion) MAYOR STAFFORD: Make sure when you speak, you speak into the microphone. It's hard to hear. MS. GAMBINO: Okay. Can you hear me better now ? MAYOR STAFFORD: Yes. MS. GAMBINO: Okay. My name is April Gambino, and 1 reside at 7283 Cairo Court in Rohnert Park. I'd like to say good evening, Mayor and Councilmembers. My opinion regarding the Wal mart expansion is that it is greatly needed. The majority of residents agree, according to "The Community Voice" and votes. I feel it would benefit families, those on fixed income, and many who have lost their jobs. LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, 'INC. (415) 312 -9.040 LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 39 38 40 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 It would also create many needed jobs an d needed revenue. for the City of Rohnert Park. Walmart has a different customer base, because it only carries minimum selections and brands, and the other stores carry much greater selections, which would still keep their customers coming. Pacific Market is already failing, even without this expansion. One -stop shopping means less travel, and we aren't driving all over town. Wal mart contributes to many charities , and their employees seem to be very happy working there. Mayor and Councilmembers, I do hope that you will approve the Walmart expansion, and 1 appreciate the opportunity to speak. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. MR. LUTTMANN: My name is Rick Luttman. I reside at 917 Dorine Avenue. Good evening, Members of the Council. You already know a lot about my views on the issues, as I have been communicating with you via E -mail for some months. I'd like to make a few comments for the public're cord. One, to remind you that the Sonoma State University California Faculty Association an d the Sonoma State Academic Senate have both passed resolutions urging you to deny the Walmart expansion by LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 I'll just urge the Council to focus on., among other many issues, the General Plan. which I disagree with the predecessor on this. I believe that the General Plan mandates that we deny Wal mart's expansion. I look forward to that action tonight. Thank you. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. Next speaker. MS. KAY: Good evening. My name is Irene Kay. And I live in Santa Rosa at 2371 Meadow Way. I retired from the County last year, and even when I was making a good salary, I did not shop at Pacific Market. I find it very — now that I'm on a fixed income, I go to Walmart . I love Walmart. And I want it to be a one -stop shop for me and anyone else that wants to make that choice. That's what I think that this is all about Choosing whether or not you want to go to Safeway or Raley's or FoodMaxx, or wherever you want to go. 1 am very much in favor of the expansion at Walmart, and I hope you will have an open mind and approve it at the end of the evening. Thank you. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. The next speaker is Margaret. LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 41 43 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 unanimous or almost unanimous votes. And my distinguished colleagues, Professor (Inaudible) and Robert Eyler, have done an incredible job looking at the issue s. I think you are fortunate to have a professional an d academic perspective from somebody who's very familiar with the local economy. I was going to mention Antioch and Milpitas, but Councilmember Mackenzie has already reminded us what they have done recently, and in both cases have denied Wal mart's plans to expand. 'So, R ohnert Park would not be the first to do so in the Bay Area. A comment or two about low prices , because this is something that I hear from a lot of supporters. We all like low pr ices; but I think we have to recognize that that can be achieved ethically or not. And in Walmart's case, a lot of the c ost to do business are socialized and placed on the taxpayers through programs like food stamps an d healthcare. In any case, there are lots of alternatives already in the city for people who want low prices, including places like Grocery Outlet, FoodMaxx, Target's new expansion, and for those who like 42 -pound cans of nutmeg, there's Costco. We also hear — (Timer rings.) LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 MS. ENEA- PATRIZI: Good evening, Madam Mayor and Councilmembers. I am a resident of Petaluma. I am a retired senior, and I would like to speak about Walmart's expansion and the grocery section of the store. With your — and we hope the economic and social and other benefits will outweigh the impact of the expansion . I will summarize several positive areas that would outweigh this impact. And one would be the economy. The economy today, consumers can find great and economic prices on many products at Walmart , especially retired seniors and low - and middle - income families. I come from Petaluma , and I know people who come from all over Sonoma County and Marin County to shop at the Wal mart store here in Rohnert Park. A second positive area is the competition. In Petaluma, we have a huge Raley's store, added to our Safeway and two Lucky stores, plus the Whole Foods store, Petaluma Market, Trader Joe's. We also have a Grocery Outlet. Customers have a choice, but they will always go to the store where they like their products. Raley's is next -door to Trader Joe's, but I still go to Trader Joe's, because I look their products and their prices. So, having the additional expansion of the grocery section for Walmart should not hurt any LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 42 44 business, because faithful customers, if they like the. products at any certain store, they will continue to patronize that store. Walmart stores should have the opportunity to expand their store and have a separate grocery section and not be penalized because of other grocery stores. When I lived in Brookings, Oregon, there were only two lonely little stores, and they had the big Meyer store, which is a chain store in the state of Washington and Oregon, and it was approved by the City Council that that store be included . So, here's this huge store being included, and all the other little stores still survived. So, I want to say that the employment is the other factor, that I think it's time to help create more employment where jobs are needed. And now is the time to move on with this approval of the expansion of the Walmart plan. MAYOR STAFFORD: You need to wrap it up. MS. ENEA- PATRIZI: I thank you very much. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you very much. Okay, Reuben, before you start, I'm going to call the next five, but you can step up. MR. OVERSTREET: Thank you. MAYOR STAFFORD: Lucas Powell, Betty LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 business because of the economic conditions and the management. The paper, the Press Democrat - a lot of people don't want to mention the name, but the Press Democrat is very biased. They put out all these things about the . Walmart, and this and that. And what do we see in the paper? A picture of the Pack Market, the two wom en in there talking over the pros and cons of what could be happening when it could have been two people in Walmart shopping and saying, "Hey, I'm having. a real good time at Walmart. I enjoy shopping here." But no, they don't do that They are a very biased, opinionated paper against Walmart. And I can't understand, because Wal mart has done so much for the community. They've contributed thousands of dollars to other causes — (Timer rings.) MAYOR STAFFORD: You need to wrap up your comments. The buzzer went off. MR. OVERSTREET: Okay. — that no market in Rohnert Park could even touch or contribute. So, thank you very much. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 45 Ct1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Overstreet, Caroline Andrieux, Tom Thunderhorse, and Dorothy Kral. Okay. Go ahead, Reuben. MR. OVERSTREET. Okay. My name is Reuben Overstreet, and I am a Walmart supporter. I live in Santa Rosa at 1681 Centurion Drive. Our whole family shops at Wal mart, basically because it's affordable for us. We have a large family. We have a lot of grandchildren, so we do our shopping there. We're probably in the store at least twice a week there at Walmart doing our shopping. I have taken the opportunity to talk to the people at Wal mart, actually, the people that work there , and everybody seems to be a happy employee there. They're all in favor for the expansion of the store, and, in fact, they're looking forward to it. And I go in there, I tell them, Pretty soon, maybe its going to be coming. Depends on what happens here. Some of the things that I think brought on a lot of deception and maybe people putting outside influences coming into this Walmart store is the unions . The unions don't like Walmart , because it's not unionized. Pack Market incidentally, whether Walmart is approved or not, may or may not be in LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 Please be mindful of the time. Thank you. MR. POWELL: Hi. My name is Lucas Powell. I live at 1681 Centurion Drive in Santa Rosa. My biggest thing here is that we're in a deficit of 1.47 trillion in debt, and it is my generation and the generation a fter mine that w ill have to pay this debt off. We're fortunate for Walmart, you know. It would like to reduce our deficit by expanding , which will add 85 new jobs to the community. Wal mart has already started to focus on the bigger picture by donating 2 billion to end hunger in the United States. True, we have Pacific Market, Safeway, Raley's, Grocery Outlet, Costco, FoodMaxx, Target, and Oliver's, but they aren't working toward the community like Walmart. Walmart would also make it more convenient for customers to find necessities at great prices. Rohnert Park has a great variety of shopping options for every economic level, but I would prefer to get the best deals. Pacific Market is magnificent for those who can afford it, but Walmart will serve a wide variety of customers. This is a beautiful opportunity that we must not let pass by. Thank you. That's all I have to say. LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 46 48 MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. MS. OVERSTREET: Hello. My name is Betty Overstreet, and I live at 1681 Centurion Drive in Santa Rosa. And I do approve of the expansion of the Wal mart store. There's a lot of people that's out of work right now, and with 85 jobs coming up for opening, that's great People that are already shopping at Oliver's, Pack Market, Safeway, FoodMaxx, or whatever, they're going to continue shopping there . And I myself, I buy things at Oliver's, Safeway, FoodMaxx. Certain things. And I will continue shopping there. But I would like to have a super Walmart And also, I have never shopped at Pacific Market. I'm sorry, but I've never been in the store, so they won't be losing me as a customer. But anyway, with the economy like it is now, there is a lot of stores that needs to probably lower their prices so that it would be more affordable. There are a lot of people that are on a limited income , and they need to go to places where it's more affordable for them. And actually, you cannot beat Wal mart's prices. We shop at Walmart lots of times. We consider Walmart home away from home. And I'd love to have a LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (4.15) 312 -9040 49 giving me a place like Walmart — a super Walmart to shop. So, I just really hope that you approve this tonight and we get our super Walmart MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. MR. THUNDERHORSE: Madam Mayor, I am Thomas Thunderhorse. I live at 587 Alta Avenue here in Rohnert Park. As a senior, I'm on a very fixed income, which does not allow me to shop at the finer stores such as Safeway, Raley's, Oliver's, and Pack Market, because the prices they ask are too expense . The economy is in such a disarray that many are being foreclosed out of their homes an d losing their jobs. These people need a place where they. can afford to feed and clothe their Tamil ies. Walmart seems to be one of the least expensive stores in the neighborhood. Walmart d oes give to the Food Bank, as well as those in need. Unions are good to a point, but I don't see them giving anything to anybody like Walmart does. The expansion of Walmart will bring more revenue in taxes that will help balance the City's budget, and will keep our police and fire department s intact. If the City Council votes for the expansion of 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 super Wal mart so I can shop at 2:00 in the morning. Thank you very much. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. MS. ANDRIEUX: Hi. My name is Carolyn Andrieux, and 1 live at 392 Delores Lane in Santa Rosa. I've been shop ping at Walmart since they first opened. I would drive over from Sonoma then to shop there. And now I live in Santa Rosa and 1 shop at Walmart about four times a w eek. Probably sometimes more. I just — I always go in there and do my shopping first before I go to the other stores. I buy whatever I can at Walmart , because I know I'll save money there. Then I go to the other stores and see what I can get there. I'm on a fixed income and I really have to watch what I get. They say the new Wal mart, and everything, would hurt Pacific Market, but they can't lose customers they don't have in the first place. The people that shop at, you know, Walmart are not the same people that are going to be shopping at FoodMaxx. I don't believe, you know. I've never been inside Walmart — or, I mean, Pack Market, so I don't even — this is one other person that's not — they're not losing a customer by LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 Walmart, it will show those people that are in need that you, care about them. And if you vote to decline Wal mart's expansion, you will be remembered on election day. Thank you. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. And before you speak, I'm going to Call the next five. Lee Choppet, Carol Cabral, David Petritz, Dennis Rosetti, and Vince Doherty. MS. KRAL: My name is Dorothy Kral. Good evening, City Council — Members . I'm kind of thinking about another aspect of this whole situation. We need money ; right? We're having a budget problem. Here's a city — here's a business that's doing good for our town, providing help for our senior citizens of which we're gaining more everyday, and we're trying to push them away or keep them from being as affluent as they can be, making money that's going to help us with our budgeting. I think we ought to be nicer to them. 1 was driving down State Farm the other day and looking at some of the buildings and thinking , Gee, Rohnert Park has some good - looking buildings, especially LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 51 50 52 for business. And then I looked closer and I saw they're all empty. We have a big bunch of property sitting there with sad little "For Lease" signs on them. Why don't we encourage more business , rather than trying to limit the way our current businesses want to expand and to make u s as a city do better. Then the next thing 1 thought about was, we have at least two, maybe more schools that are Dosing completely forever, and the City is thinking about selling that land. That means that we're losing our future, if we are not attracting families with young children that are school age. They are our future , and if we don't provide families that need the kind of services they need, we as a city will be losing out. So, all in all, I'd rather not see our schools dosing with beacons sitting at their door and a little sign on their bulletin board saying, "Thanks for the memories." Let's keep things going an d living and increasing and helping our c ity within. Thank you. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. Next speaker. MS. CABRAL: Good evening. My name is Carole LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 53 for bankruptcy and reorganization. i lost my stock invest ment and half of my pension. I do not want a union and their employees telling me that I can't have a choice. Let Wai mart expand. Let's save money and live better. Thank you. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. MR. PETRITZ: My name is David Petritz. I'm a Field Manager for Sonoma County Conservation Action, and we're part of a coalition group working on — MAYOR STAFFORD: Your address? MR. PETRITZ: 540 Pacific Avenue is the business address of Sonoma County Conservation Action. MAYOR STAFFORD: In Sonoma? MR. PETRITZ: In Santa Rosa. As 1 said before, we're. part of a coalition. We're opposing the Walmart expansion. And we've collected over 2100 postcards from Rohnert Park residents opposed to the Walmart expansion. . I'd like to, at this point, read into the record the postcards. Dear Rohnert Park City Council, 1 am writing to urge you to r eject the proposed Walmart supermarket expansion on the west si de 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Cabral. I live at 910 Dorine Avenue. I moved to Rohnert Park in 1975 when it had one grocery store and one bank. As I commuted to San Francisco for 24 years, I watched Rohnert Park change. We add ed more homes, parks, grocery stores, drugstores, banks, and gas stations. We h ad a choice to shop local or go to Santa Rosa. The Wal mart expansion will not only provide approximately 85 new jobs, but the bigger picture would be construction jobs. Hertz rentals, eating in our restaurants, and perhaps someone would want to buy a home here in the community. I received a call from the opposition regarding the Walmart expansion. They were unfamiliar with Rohnert Park as a city, because they were calling me from Chicago on behalf of the union. I believe Pack Market will survive because of its convenience to G, F. and H sections. If they don't make it, we can't be held accountable by the unions and their employees. We deserve fair market value and quality for our dollar that the new Walmart will offer. By the way, my last three years was a career with United Airlines. I had to join the Mechanics Union. Between them and the Pilots Union, United filed LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC_ (415) 312 -9040 of Highway 101. 1 have serious concerns that Pack Market, a local neighborhood market, will close in the Mountain Shadows shopping center in the northeast section of Rohnert Park. Please put the future of our existing local businesses first and not a Iways give away revenue to out-of -town interests. Additionally, I urge you to deny the project EIR due to its inadequacies, including economic blighting and traffic. The proposed supercenter will significantly increase the traffic congestion in the Wilfred golf course interchange causing delays and more accidents. Greenhouse gas emissions will i ncrease as local groceries close and shoppers from across the region drive to the supercenter for cheap, low - quality groceries. Walmart is not the type of d evelopment that promotes sustain ability or green living as it is widely accepted and voter mandated here in Sonoma County. Sincerely... Residents expressed two canvases, not only concerns with regards to negative — (Timer rings.) LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 55 54 56 Well, in conclusion, the one thing I would like to say is in your overriding consideration in the El R. I would like to cite Sonoma State study that releases that the impact is going to be very devastating with over 200 net job losses, and those are quality jobs, even when you take into account the — particularly when you take into the account the 85 net job gain at Walmart. Thank you. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. MR. ROSETTI: My name is Dennis Rosetti. Thank you, Madam Mayor and Members of the Council. MAYOR STAFFORD: What's your address? MR. ROSETTI: I'm the Executive Director of the Sonoma County Conservation Action, 540 Pacific Avenue, Santa Rosa 95404. You just heard from our field service manager, so 111 try not to repeat. City Council has an opportunity to shape the future of a friendly city in Sonoma County. Conservation Action and the more than 400 resident households who are members of our organization in Rohnert Park, and the over 2,108 residents whose voices are found here in these postcards that we turned in would urge you not to overturn the Planning Commission's unanimous decision to deny the EIR.project . LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 in the public for that type of development into the future. 1 know you're looking at the here and now, and to me its really important for you to look long -term when looking at a business of this nature and the impacts it's going to create on the community — our community. (Timer rings.) Thank you for your consideration of our request to uphold.the Planning Commission 's decision. And I'd ask — I was looking at your sign up here, which is very nice. (Indicating) And I would ask, Where does the Walmart Supercenter fit into that beautiful landscape of Sonoma County? Thank you. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. Before you speak, I'll call the next five. Dorothea Logan, Robert Nuese, Patricia Hassett, Andrew McLean, and Rob Eyler. Go ahead. MR. DOHERTY: Thank you very much, Council. My name is Vince Doherty. I'm a proud product of 8503 Loretto Avenue, Cotati. I'd like to take a minute to state my strong opposition to Walmart's proposed expansion for Rohnert LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 57 59 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 We have a number of issues with the project and the EIR that are serious greenhouse gas emissions created by dosing of local groceries — potential dosing of local groceries and t heir economic impacts the local suppl y chains will feel. And so, both of those are very concerning. Those local suppl y chains will be replaced with much higher greenhouse gas creating, out-of -town, regional and international suppliers, which is a big concem, especially in light of how the economy is going right now. We have some issues with some future potential for Rohnert Park and for the potential to develop in that area. The planned rail station for SMART, the SMART train, is located within walking and biking distance from the site. And the more you expand that site in terms of retail, in terms of, you know, non - transitory and development uses, nonhousing -type uses, the more dependent that site will become on those such uses and the less likely i t will be that you can actually change that language in the long haul and look into inf(ll around those train stations. That's something that our organization has worked for for a long time, and there's a lot of support LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 Park. Walmart's reputation for low prices inevitably creates a competitive drive to lower their wages. This competition forces Walmart suppliers, as well their competitors, to also lower wages and outsource jobs to cheap labor countries in order to meet Walmart's demands and remain competitive. This directly results in lost American jobs and the lowering of American standard of living. Being the world's largest corporation, this effect is felt not only across the country, but across the globe as well. With an expansion to add groceries to Rohnert Park, local farmers, dairy producers, as well as grocery stores, will face stiff pressure to lower prices and wages to remain competitive. This is a downward competition that is dangerous to our community. For the past few months, I've been collecting signatures from Rohnert'Park residents who oppose this expansion. In doing so, I've got to see firsthand how the majority of this community, not only disagrees, but strongly disagrees, not just with this expansion specifically, but with the presence of Walmart in general. This community understands all too well the tactics — excuse me — the trail of lost American jobs, LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 58 60 the lowering of American standard of living, the sexist and racist practices, and the union - busting tactics of this parasitic corporation. We understand that one of the first steps to get us out of this deep recession is to provide good- paying, local jobs with benefits. A Walmart expansion will cause a loss of 200 -plus good- paying, local jobs all for the creation of possibly 70 low- paying, part -time jobs with no benefits. This is definitely not something the community wants nor needs. We strongly urge the City Council to support their appointed Planning Commission members, as well as the citizens of this community in rejecting Walmart's expansion now and anytime in the fut ure. We can not let Walmart bribe their way into our community and buy our loyalty. We must let the markets have at least equal voice with the free market. And democracy in Sonoma County says no to Walmart. Thank you. If the Council would let me, I'd like to hand the signatures over. (Hand -out provided to City Clerk.) MAYOR STAFFORD: Next speaker. MS. LOGAN: Good evening. My name is Dorothea Logan, and I just happen to live in Sonoma County, LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040. awarded the top 25 diversity recreational [sic] award. And they got the — in 2002, they won the Ron Brown Award for — this is the highest presidential award for recognizing outstanding achievements in employment relations and community. services. And in 2002, and 2004, they were on the Fortune Magazine two years in a row for the most admired corporation. In 2000 — and also, they won the corporations patriotic award for supporting the.United States service members and their families. By this time, going into 2005, they had hired over 1.6 million people. That was 6,200 stores around the world. And in conclusion ,1 must say that they also established a Wal mart foundation for the chartable partners, and they gave in cash — $415 million in cash, and they had tens of thousands of dollars in grants and merchandise to over 100,000 organizations . Excuse me for being so long. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you very much. Next speaker. MR. NUESE: Good evening. I'm Robert Nuese. I live at 414 Grant Street in Healdsburg. I believe that in this matter, the voices of Rohnert Park citizens should certainly have the greatest LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 61 63 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1C 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Rohnert Park, for about 30 years. MAYOR STAFFORD: What's your address? MS. LOGAN: P.O. Box 1746. That's my address. Rohnert Park. The reason I'm here is because I had read a number of articles in the newspaper, and initially when I heard about what was going on with Walmart , I thought, Well, I really like Walmart, and I know an awful lot of people over there. A nd I've always been very, very happy going over there. I thought it was very convenient. And I read some of these articles and became very disturbed by the articles. I felt that they were not correct And so, I did a little bit of research on my own and I decided I was going to find out a whole lot more about Walmart, and this is what 1 did. In 1962, Sam Walton, who was from Rogers, Arkansas, he was the guy who developed Walmart. And the reason he did this was primarily for the median - and lower- income people. He found a market. This guy went gangbusters. Just absolutely gangbusters, and he developed all kinds of things to the point where futures — well, first of all, Business magazine said it was the top 25 diversity — they were LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 weight. But Rohnert Park, known to outsiders as the "Friendly City" for its positive relations with all its neighbors should certainly give some consideration to the words of your friends and neighbors outside of the city limits who will be significantly affected by this decision. I hope the City Council will be primarily swayed by the solid documentation of Wal mart is destructive to the econom y,.environment, democracy, and culture of the entire world, and the extensive evidence that Walmart on average does not benefit the locals in which its stores are situated. But I'd like to offer an additional important point. Suppose in spite of the evidence one hoped that this Walmart expansion would beat the odds and at least bring some short-term economic benefit to Rohnert Park. Most of the jobs you might hope Walmart would add to the local economy would be taken from other Rohnert Park businesses, but some would be taken from the wid er community. Sales taxes generated would in part be taken from the rest of the county. Since Walmart produces nothing, and since essentially all of the items Walmart sells are very common household products that are already readily available here, a larger Walmart cannot LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) .312 -9040 62 64 significantly increase the size of the Sonoma County economy. So, the only way that Walmart could conceivably offer any monetary benefit to Rohnert Park would be by cannibalizing the economies of the surrounding communities. Rohnert Park would be engaged in a cut -throat economic competition with all of its neighbors in just the same way that Walmart conducts itself towards its competition. For the long -term health of the economy, the protection of the environment, and preservation of democracy, Rohnert Park must not enter into this Faustian bargain. In these difficult times we will only move forward if we all work together in cooperation an d friendship and not engage in a desperate waste of — MAYOR STAFFORD: You need to conclude. MR. NUESE: Thank you very much. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. Okay. Don't forget. Two minutes. MS. HASSETT: Hello. How do you do. My name is Patricia Hassett. 1 reside at 60 (Inaudible) in Rohnert Park. I've been here 22 years: Um, I'm strongly against the expansion of Walmart in Rohnert Park , and I hope that the City Council will support the Planning Commission . To people LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 State University. I offered a report about the data that was provided by Bay Area Economics for this EIR. And in my report, I show that there is actually no excess demand or what you think of as retail leakage. MAYOR STAFFORD: Please state your address. MR. EYLER: Oh, I'm sorry. I live at 960 (Inaudible) S treet in Petaluma, California. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. MR. EYLER: I showed that there was no excess demand. And the idea there is that, i n fact, for Walmart to hit its revenue numbers, they're going to have to take some revenue from local businesses to do that in this scenario. The other piece of that is its possible by the expansion of food stuffs ma inly that are going to come into the supercenter piece, you will not see a large surge in sale s tax revenue as you m ay see from the loss of places like Pack Market, if they were to go away, as well as have a reverberation throughout the community on other retailers and other suppliers. The second, someone was talking about briefly, is on the commercial real estate side. If Pacific Market were to go away, and they were an anchor LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES,- INC. (415) 312 -9040 65 67 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 who act so interested in Rohnert Park , they should learn how to pronounce it. But 1 think that, you know, people who are resentful of any union people talking in here, 1 don't understand that, because unions have as much right as storekeepers to voice their opinions in a democracy . And even if a union called from Chicago, remember , Walmart is from Arkansas, so we can have people calling from all around. They say that Walmart is out here to help the low- income people. I say it's out here to create low- income people. And 1 really hope that — MAYOR STAFFORD: You need to keep quiet. MS. HASSETT: I really hope that City Council — (Noise from audience) MAYOR STAFFORD: Excuse me just a second. You need to keep qui et, please. Thank you. MS. HASSETT: I really hope that City Council will listen and pay attention so that our kids can grow up hoping for jobs and living in their own community that will support famil ies. Thank you. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. MR. EYLER: Hello. My name is Robert Eyler, and I'm the Chair of the Economics Department at Sonoma LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 tenant — or, soon to be an anchor tenant in that particular plaza, the one thing to recognize there is that it will probably take a long time to fill that space, and it will probably affect some of the tenants otherwise in Mountain Shadows Plaza. You've got to think about, again, that multiplier coming through. And the last piece — and you've already heard a lot about the other sort of the pieces of the neighborhood and the environmental aspect s — is the thing about the local strategy. Is this a.good local strategy? If that's what you're purporting to push for, you need to consider whether or not this is that or not. Thank you. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. Wait till I call the next five speakers. Marcus Benneditti, Steven Butler, Todd Andres, Ken Silveira, and Ben Robinson. MR. McLEAN: Hi. My name is Andy McLean. I live at 8436 Lakewood in Cotati. Although, if I stand in the proper part of my backyard, I'm actually inside the Rohnert Park city limits. We've heard a lot of talk about the local here. A lot of the opposition to this particular project has come from outside of our community .. LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 66 68 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 The Wall Street Journal ran a —an article back on June 7th that talked about superstore application in Illinois in which a public relations firm was hired to perform essentially dirty tr icks, and misrepresented themselves as local people. And it turned out that that public relations firm was financed by several of Walmart's competitors. We've also heard a lot about Pacific Market. We frequently shop at Oliver's, because it's just down the street from us. When Pacific Market came in, my wife and I were a little bit flabbergasted , not only at the prices, but at the poor marketing concept to come into a working -Gass neighborhood that was already supporting an entrenched, long -time carriage trade provider of groceries. It just didn't seem like a viable business proposition to us, and to and behold, it hasn't been. Frankly, I think that the low- income people — you know, its been reported that something like a quarter of the working poor in Sonoma County don't even make a viable living, and to deprive them of the ability to buy the groceries that they're obviously wanting to buy at a place like Walmart you walk through Walmart and you look at that demographic, you can see that those are the people that are shopping there. To deprive them LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 69 Walmart project is approved, it will blight that center, 1 believe, because it will drive Pacific Market out of business an d have a ripple effect on the other businesses in that center. I truly believe this is bad land use policy in general to do that, to kill an infill shopping center serving the well - established neighborhood that supports that center. Secondly, I do believe that it is contrary to the General Plan. Although I respect the comments of Walmarfs attorney, in the case, she mentioned that you looked at the harmony of the General Plan. There was a subsequent land use case that said that you must deny a project if it violat es a fundamental, m andatory, and Gear General Plan policy. Policy LU -H states, Maintain a land use patterns that maximizes residents and accessibility to neighborhood shopping centers. I respectfully submit that this project could Deady violate that policy, as well as other transportation and air quality policies of your General Plan. You clearly have the authority to deny the project, and I respectfully request that you support the commission. I submitted a letter on July 20th. In the 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 of that opportunity, 1 think, is unfair. Thank you. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. Next speaker. Two minutes. And speak into the microphone and give your name and address. MR. BUTLER: Steven Butler. I'm a land use attorney in Santa Rosa. (Inaudible) Drive. I represent Pack Market I was the County the Sonoma's land use attorney for ten years. I'm well cognizant of the budgetary land use issues that face this Council. I want to speak to you from a different perspective. I'm not anti - Walmart. I am not anti - Walmart. (Noise from audience) MAYOR STAFFORD: You know what — excuse me. He's speaking right into the microphone, so if everyone is quiet, we will hear him. MR. BUTLER: I'm not anti -big box. I'm generally religiously laissez- faire. This is the second time in 20 years in private practice that I've opposed a project, and it's under identical circumstances. I opposed the Lucky project in Cotati on behalf of Oliver's, because it would have blighted a shopping center and affected a neighborhood. This is the identical situation here. If the LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 event it's not in the record. I'll leave copies with the clerk. (Hand -out provided to City Clerk.) Thank you. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. And I think something that the audience needs to remember is that everyone has a different volume to their voice, so some people are going to be easier to hear. The speakers are speaking right into the microphone, and if you can't hear them , it's just because of the volume of their voice. So, let's try to stay calm; okay? Thank you. Go ahead. MR. ANDRES: My name is Todd Andres. I reside at 1314 Oregon Street in Redding California. I'm an attorney. I am one of the owners of Pacific Market's shopping center in Mountain Shadows Shopping Center. And I'm here, really, not to cry for the shopping center, but I do want to question the conclusions of the BAE report and the conclusions that have been adopted by staff related to that report. I want to emphasize that BAE never contacted the owners of the shopping center to assess the impact of Walmart on the shopping center or the impact of LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 71 70 72 losing Pacific Market I can say with great confidence that Pacific Market is the anchor there , that if Pack Market is put out of business , which is the opinion of BAE, that that will devastate the shopping center. Also, the idea that replacing Pacific Market by 2016 as some kind of adequate remedy for what would happen to that shopping center in the next six years. I think it's a bit of an absurdity. It would wipe out probably at least 75 percent of the tenants. Many of the tenants in the shopping center actually have co- tenancy Clauses that allow them to leave the shopping center without penalty if Pacific Market goes. We've had some recent rentals that have occurred that we're happy to have. Those new tenants have also been negotiating the same type of cotenancy clauses. So, in the event that Pacific Market is put out of business by Walmart, I can say with great confidence it will devastate that shopping center. It will be blight to the community. It will stay devastated for a very long time. It's not an anchor space that will be easy to replace. Maybe by 2016, but I think that would be optimistic. And I think it would empty the rest of the shop ping center, and i t would LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC: (415) 312 -904.0 73 foot, let alone another 35,000 square feet with grocery in it The EIR states that Pacific Market may dose. I believe this to be true. And I do believe if that indeed happens, Mountain Shadows will go dark, and you will have the demise of the community center. I believe that to be a fact. I'd like to speak a little bit to the area and community shopping center that Mountain Shadows is. If you draw a circle around our center, around Raley's, Safeway, around Walmart , and around Oliver's , you'd find that in our center, we service approximately 17 ,000 Rohnert Park residents. We also — the Raley's circle would say 16,000. Oliver's is 23,000, which quite a few of those are from Rohnert Park. Walmart has less than 3,000 customers in their circle. They're not a neighborhood center, and they would definitely take away from the neighborhood center that you have now. 1 do believe it would go dark. MAYOR STAFFORD: You have to conclude your comment. MR. SILVEIRA: I will. Thank you very much. Mr. Eyler's report says it will give us the jobs and there will be no tax benefit to Rohnert Park. I believe that to be true. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 remain that way for an extended period of time. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. Next speaker. MR. SILVEIRA: My name is Ken Silveira. I'm one of the owners of Pack Market Mountain Shadows Shopping Center. MAYOR STAFFORD: Your address? MR. SILVEIRA: Mountain Shadows Shopping Center is my business address. I live in Sebastopol, California. I'd like to thank our supporters and shoppers that are present here tonight. I don't have time to dispute what Walmart said, but I found some tactics in regard to comments made about my business to be not true. And shame on them. I want to speak to a couple of facts very quickly. The main fact is your community, Rohnert Park, does not need another store with grocery. Right now you have six destinations to buy groceries in Rohnert Park. (Inaudible) — goes into Rohnert Park — and with 300,000 square foot of retail grocery in the community as it is. And that's without adding in the square foot of the Target store and the Walmart store, which already sells existing groceries. Again, your city does not need another square LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) -312 -9040 Just because the world's large st retailer wants to expand to your community and send their profits to Bentonville is not enough reason to say yes to Walmart. Please look at the facts, look at your General Plan. Please support your Planning Commission's decision and deny Walmart's expanse. 1 wish I had more time. Thank you. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. Let me call the next five speakers. Suzanne Dewey, Carlos Tamayo, Bill Usher, David Ehreth, Ron Moresco. Go ahead. MR. ROBINSON: My name is Ben Robinson. I live at 12775 Henno Road in Glen Ellen, California. I am the executive director of a group of independent grocers that is known as "Raise the Bar." I know Ken from Pacific Market because they were founding members of this organization. The original charter was to empower small grocery stores to be competitive in a big marketplace, to secure employee training, development , and to create the best shopping experience with the customers. There is a hands -on shopping that is so different, it is different as two worlds from one side LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 75 74 76 of the world to the other. And an independent grocer like a Pacific Market in this case, or Oliver's, or some of the smaller chain stores, what they have done at Pacific Market and other stores like this is focus on the individuals. There is a way that they cherish employees. There is a dialogue happens between employees, managers, supervisors, owners, and the customers. It is something profound. You cannot walk into one of these stores and not feel the difference. Does that have economic impact? I certainly think that it does. What we teach — and I — that's what 1 do, is teach people on how to interact with their customers in a heartfelt way. When people leave the store at Pack Market, they feel like they've been recognized , they have been seen as an individual. And a lot of people can talk about why they want to have Walmart known because of I ow prices. That's wonderful. Go find low prices. But isn't there a place in this city, in this economy for a store and for people to actually promote growth and to promote the honoring an d cherishing of human relationship s? This is something that we have found improves LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 77 Customers flock to Walmart because they know they can purchase more for their shrinking dollar. Now Walmart wants to supply quality, fresh produce and meats, a bakery and a deli. And we common- sense' thinkers say yes. There's so much information being promoted concerning salaries, medical benefits, and lack of a union at Walmart. I decided to check the facts. I called our local Target, Safeway, Walmart, and the thriving Santa Rosa Pacific Market to apply for an entry-level job. I was told that minimum wage is paid at three of the stores , but at Walmart, a higher- than - minimum wage is given based according to qualifications and prior experience. At three of the stores, health benefits are not given until a three- to six -month probationary period is over, and no benefits are given to part- timers. But at Walmart, medical benefits are granted to full- and part- timers with no probationary period. There are no unions at Target, Pacific Market, or Walmart. But, for a $300 membership fee, you can join Safeway's union and pay a monthly fee based on your salary. So, based on my phone calls to these stores, the facts are that Walmart came out ahead in the area of 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 employee retention. People get paid a wonderful living wage and a chance at a very dear track for employee development so that the person who is a bagger, as somebody alluded to in another c ontext, can actually end up like Ken Silveira and his family owning a grocery store. So, I would just urge you in conclusion to please turn down this egregious attempt to enlarge a store that's already big enough to do what it needs to do and leave the independent grocers on solid, local community foundation. Thank you. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. Let me call five more people. Suzanne Dewey, Nancy Atwell, Roger Courillo, Steven King, Kellie King. MS. DEWEY: May I ask a question ? Since the union supporters are flashing signs, would it be permissible for Walmart supporters to do a two thumbs -up when our speakers finish ? MAYOR STAFFORD: Why don't you just make your comment. State your address. MS. DEWEY: My name is Suzanne Dewey. 1 live at 915 Santa Dorotea Circle. I'm a 31 -year resident. I strongly support W almart's expansion. LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 beginning entry -level salaries, health benefits, and no forced union membership. Our residents vote d to increase our taxes to help Rohnert Park. Now we expect our City Council to help our residents gain more purchasing power. The Council should not deny Walmart 's expansion in order to protect the failure of a store. This protection is planning [sic] would open a Pandora's box for all other failing stores in the future. Common sense says yes to Walmart's expansion. Thank you. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. Next speaker. MS. McGLEN: Good evening. I'm standing in Carlos Tam ayo's spot. My name is Kali McGlen. I live at 1195 Westside Road in Healdsburg. My husband and I are farmers. We raise olives, citrus, and grapes. Fiesta Market would be one of the first markets that ever bought our product back in 1995. It was an important leap for us. And I do emphasize that if Sonoma C ounty is to remain the beautiful, agricultural place that we all cherish, we need to support farmers . Everybody pays lip service to sustainability . Well, you've got to sustain the farmers. And if we LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 79 78 80 can't find an outlet for our products through local venues, then we don't have a market and the farm goes away. We must continue to develop local areas to sell our products, and we appreciate what we've — the support we've receive d from Fiesta these years. I don't think sending our dollars back to Arkansas is the way to do that. Thank you for your time. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. Next speaker. MR. COURILLO: My name is Roger Courillo. I live at 552 Lorraine Court South, which is in Rohnert Park, and I'm a retired law enforcement officer with 26 years with the Tucson Police Department. I'm a graduate of Sonoma State. I've seen the City Council make mistakes in the past which they have lived to regret later. The grading in Copeland Creek, they had to go back to a natural habitat later on because it didn't help the flooding by grading in the'70s when 1 was a student at Sonoma State. I believe this would — by overturn ing the Planning Commission's decision, t his would be another mistake of that magnitude. It would rip the heart out LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 neighborhood markets. That's the intent of the General Plan. It's disingenuous to say that its not contrary to the General Plan. The General Plan is to encourage neighborhood market s, not to create regional supermarkets. And to say this is not a new marke t, 35,000 square feet of new building is a new supermarket. That's another disingenuous statement. So, I'll just say you really need to think about the future of the community. Don't make the mistake of overturning the Planning Commission's decision. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. Next speaker. State your name and address. Two minutes. MR. KING: My name is Steven King. I live at 4460 Hillview Way. My wife and 1 moved to Rohnert Park about a, year ago this month. There are many reasons why we picked this area and the neighborhood. One of the most appealing aspect s of this location was the n eighboncPod shopping center. It's nice to go to Pacific Market, do some shopping, drop off some dry cleaning, get some food to go. LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 81 83 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 of this community. It's already got a lot of vacant stores. And what Walmart does to local communities is destroy those local stores. You already have University Square with lots of vacant places. You have another marketplace with vacant stores over there where Pacific Market is now. If you drive around Rohnert Park , there's a lot of vacant buildings, even in the existing strip malls. By approving this type of development, you will destroy local business. Also, you'll create a public safety nightmare. A 24/7 supercenter is a magnet for crime. In Tucson, Arizona, they have one on the south side where I was a police commander, and we had to constantly come up with strategies to deal with the crime that existed in the parking lot and the number of shoplifting calls we got at the supercenter. You don't want to stretch the resources of the Rohnert Park Police Department any further than they are right now. They're stretched as it is, an d they're only going to get worse as time goes on because of the budget crises. So, you don't want to create a crime magnet, you don't want to destroy the local businesses by creating a regional shopping center when you need LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 If Walmart opens a superstore, this would surely be the end of Pacific Market and the neighborhood shopping center. If we lose this anchor store, this location, it will be detrimental for the surrounding shops. It would be like a deck of cards, and one after another would start to dose. Then you have a deserted shopping center at this once thriving location. Once this happens, it would spread like an infectious disease i nto our neighborhoods, driving down the values of our homes. We can't let this happen. I've lived in S outhem California for 22 years, and I've personally seen this happen in my old neighborhood. The big -box retailers come in, like the Walmart, Home Depot, Target, Lowe's, Sam's Club, and they all fit in close proximity of one another. Soon the local stores and shops that once supported the people of that area all went out of business. It spread with smaller merchants and eventually in the neighborhoods driving down the property values. One reason for moving up here was to escape the big -city feel. We really like our community and the shopping center, and the convenience of this. Please don't take that away. Thank you. LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 82 84 MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. Next speaker. MS. ATWELL: Hi. My name is Nancy Atwell, and I live at 1504 Gary Court in Rohnert Park. This is my first time speaking at a Council meeting, so I'm a little nervous. I. think that the expansion of Walmart's grocery outlet will have a negative impact on other stores, especially in the northeast section of Rohnert Park where I live. I often stop at Walmart — at Pacific Market on my way home. I may order food at one of the other restaurants in the shop at Pack Market. It's easy. I'm tired on my way home. It makes it— it's a neighborhood store. There's not far to walk. And whether people agree that Pacific Market is their store or not, it's still an easy store to get around in. They have said that they will close if this expansion goes through. They are an anchor store , as we heard, and it will have close effects on the local businesses, as the lady who is the farmer has indicated. The lines are short. Its easier to get around, especially when you're older. 1 know that my mom has a hard time getting around in the large box LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 of other furniture stores in the area. And that's going to hurt a lot of jobs. So, a lot more jobs are going to be lost than the 85 that may be gained at a lower income. So, please support your Planning Commission. Thank you. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. MR. EHRETH: Hello. My name is David Ehreth. I live at 4988 West Stoner R ock Lane in Healdsburg. I own and operate a food company - food - process ing company in Healdsburg. We're a small company, but we use produce grown from farms here in Rohnert Park, valley and farm, as well as He aldsburg and the surrounding area. We have a — and we have worked hard to build an ecosystem of farm- to-table here in the county. And while Walmart is a fine organization — and I really don't see this as so much a debate about whether or not Walmart is a good company or it isn't the nature of Walmart is very contrary to the system that we have built. Our system keeps dollars in our community. It pays for farmers. It pays for people who work in stores locally. It pays for the gentleman here who is going to speak after me (Indicating), because we buy materials LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 85 87 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 stores, so even though the prices are low, it will affect the ability for old er people to get around to use the store. There are currently a lot of retail sites open in the Mountain Shadows Shopping Center, and this will just expand — it will devastate it. It's going to change the family environment. It will become a target when there's vacant shops. They become a target of crime and blight, and it's just going to change the nature of the north part of Rohnert Park which I really think we don't want. We've already closed the school, Goldridge. There's a lot of changes, and 1 think this would be a negative one. They said that the — they protested that the store was not a new use. It's just an expansion of a current use. But it's a new use. The grocery store is a new use. It's not the same use.' There's several other grocery stores in the area, as you know. Three are lower priced. And one thing that's important also that we haven't mentioned yet is that they said they're going to enhance the garden and outdoor living. That's not going to just affect Pacific Market. That's going to pull from Lowe's, Home Depot, Friedman's, Costco, and a lot LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 from him as well . Our dollars stay herein the community and they grow the community. Walmart is a fine company, a model of supply chain management. It has a national footprint. And you can count on one thing: Walmart will use its national footprint to make sure that local business is not competitive. And so, the low prices that Walmart will offer, which have great benefit to people who are on tight budgets, will in the long -term bring a hardship to this community and will be very disruptive. And not just to my business, but the literally hundreds of other small vendors like myself who use local agriculture and bring farm products to our tables. Thank you. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. I'm going to call the next five speakers. Tom Batch, Paul Kaplan, John Knapp, Burke Webb, Mary Ruppenthal. MR. MORESCO: Hello. My name is Ron Moresco. I'm the president of Morescw Distributing Company in Petaluma, 1120 Home Road. I've been in business for 16 years. Actually, Ken Silveira and (Inaudible) were some of my first customers 16 years ago. We currently sell the greater California area LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 86 88 packaging supplies, the ecological — ecological- friendly packaging supplies, paper bags, plastic bags. I'm in opposition to the Walmart model for several reasons. Some of the stores in just the Rohnert Park Sonoma area. We serve Pack Markets, Oliver's markets, G &G markets, (Inaudible), Mulberry's, LOWS. If you add it up very quickly, there's 1200 employees. These stores are already feeling an 8- to 10- percent decrease in business due to the economy, lower foot traffic, and lower sales. If we're not careful, you're going to have about 10 or 12 other stores replace 1200 employees, and that's the bigger problem. More importantly, you're over - stored. You have Lucky's, you have FoodMaxx, you have Raley's, you have Safeway. You don't need another store , as a lot of people have said here : Support local., A lot of these independents, you can go to their stores on Saturday. You can see (Inaudible), see Little League, people getting donations. The i ndependent support independence. Going a step further, the employees that work at these local independents do live in the community. LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 89 Pacific Market provides the best choice s to be more sustainable and to support our community and our local businesses. Pacific Market fills a niche for fresh and local groceries that you cannot f ind and will never be able to find at Walmart. Pacific Market also is a much - needed resource for the senior market offering an. atmosphere that is small and easy to shop. My mother is 88 years old, and Pacific Market is her favorite store to shop in Rohnert Park. It's a convenient location for her, and has the items and the quantities she needs. Most of Pack Market items are-local, and they include the likes of Clover Mill, (Inaudible) Jams, (Inaudible) Creamery, Tailor -made coffee, not to mention the great selection of wines, deli items, and many other local foods, produce and products that help the Sonoma economy prosper. Personally, I like to be able to choose my foods carefully, and I like a d iverse selection. I do not buy food because its the cheapest price. When we shop at our local neighborhood market Pack Market, we spend our dollars on local items an d local people. This helps minimize green house affects of the hundreds of local brands Pack Market carries that we do not have to have trucked in from other states, or 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 You can go into these stores and see vendors like myself, Clover Stometta Dairies. Independently owned businesses. Tony's Fine Foods, Columbus Salami. Great varieties of products. These vendors will go away with the Walmart modeling. In the long run, you don't want that There's a lot of dollars generated with our companies alone. So, shop with the people that are here.. Those that want to shop at Walmart, you have Raley's you have Save Mart. Save money that way. Support the local community, because kids grow up riding bikes to community stores, not to Walmarts going across highways. There's a social aspect of growing up. Your first job was at a grocery store in a community- driven arena. So. I'm opposed to the Walmart position. I hope many of you people vote it down. Thank you. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. MS. SANDERS: Hi. I'm Suzanne Sanders. I live near Pack Market, and have several concerns regarding the expansion of Walmart in Rohnert Park. I think most Pack Market shoppers will tell you they shop at Pacific Market not because of price, but because of choice and convenience. LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 worse yet, shipped in from China. Walmart is known to be having lowest prices, but to what,extent do we really pay. The cost of shipping alone to the U.S. from China (Inaudible) and would cost this country greatly because of the many jobs that have been lost due to how cheap goods can be made in China. Walmart's power to be able to sell goods at the cheapest price has been proven to affect businesses and all stores within a 7- to 10 -mile radius. We need to minimize our dependency on oil as a nation. The hundreds and thousands of Walmart trucks we see on the highways do nothing to help our environment, no matter how green the Walmart store is. I'd like to be able to buy my milk at a grocery store a short distance to my house. I don't want to be standing in line next to some guy buying a (Inaudible). Thank you. MAYOR STAFFORD: Next speaker. MR. KNAPP: My name is John Knapp, and 1 live at 952 Helene Courtin R ohnert Park. And I'm against Walmart's expansion, because, frankly, 1 don't like what Walmart stands for. AJot of people think that since they've donated so much money to the community and armed LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415') 312 -9040 LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 91 90 92 services — that they're a great corporation. But the truth is, that they are anti -union and they always have been. Every time they organize a union in a department, Walmart shuts it down. And that's unfair. Also, you know, Walmart has built their corporation across the country by eliminating the competition. That's not fair either. Competition should be across the board. Not, you know, trying to compete with such low prices that you can't So, you know, like, you know, in our town, that we're going through budget cuts too, but you k now, back on the point that its bad for the community, because it — you know, the 85 jobs that they would raise, we would lose so much more in the long run. I don't want to see our town look like a ghost town. Ghost plazas and stores vacant that have never even been filled. And that's what's going on now. And Walmart would be a big part of that with Pacific Market dosing and creating more ghost towns. Thank you. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. I'm going to call the next five. Frances Zabatini, Perry Maynard, Matt Anderson, Shirley, Slack, Alan Anderson. Thank you. LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 because we'd have to provide police protection for a 24 -hour store now., fire protection, and also maintain the streets with very little more tax money coming in than what was there before because they're selling groceries, which is nontaxable. They already have all the other products in the store that are taxable pretty well. And like Jim was saying alittle bit earlier, all they're going to do is draw from other p laces, and pretty soon the other places are going to bring something in that will compete with this. So, it's going to be kind of a lose -lose situation. The other thing is they said that the urban decay would be very little. I can disagree with that a lot, because I've seen it too much. Like I say, the towns have been obliterated by Walmart, and very little hope of coming back. When they put a supercenter i n — MAYOR STAFFORD: You need to wrap up your comments. MR. WEBB: Okay. — they put so many other departments in there that it competes with all the other stores in town. Therefore, I ask you to stave the plan decision — the Planning Department's decision to not . let Walmart come in. LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. t415) 312 -9040 93 i:l 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Go ahead. MR. WEBB: My name is Burke Webb, and I'm the buyer of Pacific Market. I've been with them for 43 years. MAYOR STAFFORD: What's your address? MR. WEBB: 1016 (Inaudible) Drive, Santa Rosa, California. Not only my experience here in California , but I'm originally from Oklahoma. And I have seen what Wal mart does to cities. They come in, and just after 20 years or so, most of the businesses are gone. They don't pay the wages that the other companies pay, so they — the other companies can't compete. So, they have to lower their wages, and so, we start a circle here that everybody gets paid lower and lower and lower. And like they say, they're paying their people — their full -time people 12.10 an hour, but — or, 12.25 an hour, I think she said, but at 12.25 an hour, how many people can afford to buy homes in this area. If you do this now, then we're going to wind up in a circle where real estate goes even further down than it is now, our tax base will be less, and so, we'll wind up losing the tax base. We'll wind up losing LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. MR. ANDERSON: Good evening. My name is Alan Anderson, and I've lived at 5700 Dexter Circle for 24 years. I know compared to some of you, I'm just a newcomer in town, but I may be bringing in a perspective that you might not otherwise have on this issue. When we moved to this town, my wire commented on the shopping opportunit ies by saying if was like moving back to her native Wisconsin 20 years prior. Products were limited and prices were high. In the years since then, Walmart, Target, Costco, Home Depot, and others have opened for business , and shop pers have been the beneficiaries of a period of increased competition that's brought about lower prices and greater structure. And people have responded by Flocking to these stores. Now Walmart wants to expand its initial facility. Some people think they know better. They call my home, come to my home. They stop and — stop me in front of stores to tell me how bad Walmart is and what a disaster it would be if they expanded. Good grief. We could spend some time delving into their motives, but the important point is that they are dead wrong. Wal mart is a good neighb or. LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 94 96 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Thank you. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. At this point, I'll call the next five speakers. William Woodard, Cecelia Weiss, Joy Pinner, Susan Robert, Crystal Robert. Okay. Go ahead and state your name and address. You have 2 minutes. MS. SLACK My name is Shirley Slack. I live in Santa Rosa on (Inaudible) N orth Street. I've heard a lot about Pack Market — Walmart dosing Pacific Market I myself don't shop there, but 1 do shop at all the other Rohnert Park stores. I shop at Safeway, Raley's, FoodMaxx, and Walmart. I support this Walmart expansion , because I believe that the prices at some of these other stores are overrated and overpriced. And I also did some homework. I took a short list of items and 1 did price comparisons. At Raley's, for — a 96 -ounce of Gain liquid at Raley's is 20.99; at'Safeway, 15.99; at Walmart it's $15. For Folgers coffee at Raley's, 10.99; 9.99 at Safeway; and 7.68 at Walmart This. list goes on and on. I don't want to LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 97 low- poverty -lass family, and I can honestly say that whenever my family and I would shop for groceries o r personal necessities, we were always presented with quite a variety of low -price choices of places to shop at, such as Albertson's — or now Grocery Outlet — and FoodMaxx, Safeway, etcetera. Years later now as an adult who is trying to survive within this current economical crises, Pve still found that whenever 1 truly need cheap groceries, I too turn to these low -price alternatives, but I've also discovered that I can also turn to Walmart to help further stretch my dollar: I am now currently enjoying and am a current associate with Walmart, and my job, position with the company is a cashier. And upon cashiering, I have come to learn to give outstanding customer service to my customers, my friends, and my family. But upon cashiering these last couple of months, I've also heard a lot of concerns an d questions from my customers. And a lot of these questions are, "Does your store carry any produce?" Or I heard concerns of, "1 just lost my job and 1 can't afford to feed my family. Could you please get more items within your store." And I'm telling you, it breaks my heart as an 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 1' 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 take up all my time with this list, because I do have some others tatements I want to make. But when I totalled all this up, these same items came to a total of $79 at Walmart, 78 —1 mean, Raley's. I'm sorry — 78 at Safeway, and $54 at Walmart. And I believe that it's the big chains that will be forced to lower their prices, as this is what's backing all this. This is what's pushing all this. But in my opinion, in this economy, we need the Walmart expansion. I myself , as an unemployed worker that worked 25 years at a company, was laid off — I'm now a full -time student and relying on unemployment. We need this Walmart expansion. The people that shop at Pack Market will continue to shop there, because they also have other choices right now. If they were going to leave Walmart — I mean — leave Pack Market, they would leave it now. They do have other choices. Thank you. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. MR. WOODARD: Hello. My name is Mr. William Woodard, and I reside at 7425 Camino Colegio, Apartment No. 20. I grew up within town, born into a LEONARD- REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 associate of Walmart to have to tell my customers that, "No, unfortunately, we do not have the room or resources to carry these items you're looking for." . Proving my point, I truly believe that if our store is allowed to finally expand after proving its loyalty to the Rohnert Park community for a (most 20 years, it will allow our town to grow, change, and economically a xpand for the better. The benefits of this, as have been mentioned, would be better service to low- income families, elderly, disabled people, and a ISO, it would help create more jobs. And 1 don't know if you've read the newspaper, but recently I heard — (Timer rings.) Sorry. Basically, the point is that if we allow the expansion of Walmart, it will create more jobs for the community and it will help serve the low - income families that do live here in this community. Thank you. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. Next speaker. MS. S. ROBERT: My name is Susan Robert. I live at 3076 Marlow Road in Santa Rosa. We've shopped at Walmart for the past ten LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 99 98 100 years. I have a limited income. And I'm nervous. 1 think that expanding the Walmart would really , you know, help the economy and myself. We live — there's five of us that live in the house, and I live with my two grandchildren, my daughter, and my niece. And we've shopped then: at Walmart, and I've shopped at Pacific Market. I've shopped at Whole Foods, Safeway, Oliver's, Trader Joe's, Safeway, Lucky. I've shopped at all of them. I — we continually — we come down to Walmart three to four times per week to come straight directly to Wal mart, and I have a brother that has shopped at the super - Walmart. And 1 see it on TV all the time, the super - Walmart, and 1 would give anything to have one store to shop at. That's — my budget is not a large budget, and Walmart meets my needs . And I believe a super - Walmart where 1 could do all my shopping at one store, 1 would come to Walmart all the time. I would come to Rohnert Park. And, you know, it's nothing against Safeway or all the stores in town, but 1 do love Walmart, and I will continue to shop there no matter what . But 1 am supporting the expansion of Walmart. Thank you. LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 101 shop there all the time, and I support the store 100 percent. Those that are opposed to it can very well probably a fford to go to the other stores. Those that are in favor of it probably don't have those other options. We are stuck going to Safeway or to Trader Joe's, or to those higher - priced markets. It would be nice to have a little bit of variety for everybody so everybody's happy. You know. what I mean? Those that want to go to Safeway can go to Safeway. Those that want to go to Walmart can go to Walmart. I just think it's a real good idea for an expansion, not only for employment opportunities — I used to work at Walmart along time ago. When I worked there, it was a great store. The employees were nice, the management —1 support them 100 percent. I just think it would be really nice to have a little bit of variety for everybody. Those that can not afford to go to the other higher -priced stores — to have a little bit of variety for those that not only are stuck going to grocery outlets or to the lower- priced stores that have almost, you know, half- expired frozen food that's going on to the shelves for us to be able to buy it. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 MAYORSTAFFORD: Thankyou. Okay. Susan Leacock, Jim Smith, Kathy Howes, Alice Breitmayer, and Laura Breitmayer. Go ahead. MS. C. ROBERT: Good evening. My name is Crystal Robert. I live in Santa Rosa, California, 3076 Marlow Road, Apartment E123. That's my mother. (Indicating) We drive all the way down from Santa Rosa to come here to Walmart all the time. My daughter and I come here all the time. We buy our stuff here because Ws convenient, it's low- priced. And it's good that there's Safeway and there's Pacific Foods and there's all these other markets, but I don't see any family options for the lower- income families as far as food. I would like to go to one store and find everything that I can find. Who doesn't want to go to one place and find everything that you can find in just one stop. For us lower- income families - I'm a single mom with two children. Don't get any help from my father — from either one of my children's fathers. I go to one place where I can find everything. And for me, that would be great if the Walmart was there. We LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 I just think that there should be more opportunity for us lower- income families to be able to go to Walmart and find everything that we need there instead of having to go here for diapers or toilet paper, and then go across to Safeway and spend the rest of what they have in their wallets just for the items they could have gotten at Walmart foodwise. Okay. MAYOR STAFFORD: Next speaker. MS. LEACOCK: Hello. My name is Susan Leacock. 1 live at 705 Brett Avenue. I've livedan Rohnert Park since 1959. I've seen no stores in this town to so many stores, and I think a super - Walmart would be a wonderful addition to all of our things in Rohnert Park. Thank you very much. Have a nice evening everyone. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. Next speaker. MR. SMITH: My name is Jim Smith. I live in Cotati on Cypress Avenue, 8922. 1 support the Walmart. I think that the majority of the people that go to Walmart doesn't just live here in Rohnert Park . And 1 think the city can benefit a lot from having that store. LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 103 102 104 Um, they didn't put Albertson's out of business. The economy, the way things are, that's why all these people are having problems. Its not because of Walmart. They haven't even started their grocery store yet And Costco — we have a lot of big stores here. Costco, Safeway, Raley's. I don't think its going to hurt everybody like everybody thinks. So, thanks. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. Next speaker. MS. A. BREITMAYER: Ladies and gentlemen of the Council, my name is Alice Breitmayer. I have lived — MAYOR STAFFORD: Your address? MS. A. BREITMAYER: I'm sorry. For security reasons, 1 will not give it over the microphone. MAYOR STAFFORD: Okay. MS. A. BREITMAYER: I live in Section D. You have my address on the card. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. MS. A. BREITMAYER: I live in — I have lived in my current house for about a year and a half. lama military — I am a member of the military. And I've lived in several towns in the North Bay and in Northern LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 105 Oregon. Its all over the place. And I'm incredibly confused why California is so far behind the times when two-thirds of the country has this chain. So, Walmart is it not the only game in town, so to speak. - So, thank you for your time. Have a good evening. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. Next speaker. MS. L. BREITMAYER: Okay. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for letting me speak. My name is Laura Breitmayer. I live in D section of Rohnert Park . Also moved in to the house about a year ago. We do most of our food shopping at Safeway , Trader Joe's, and Walmart. We sh op every two to three days. But the store that we choose has more to do with where we are at that particular moment in the traditional sense of convenience. If I'm in Northern Santa Rosa, I go to Trader Joe's. If I'm in Western Rohnert Park, I go to Walmart. Buying decisions again are sparked more by individual items in the sense that if I need cough syrup, I go to Walmart. If I need french bread, I go to Safeway. These practices for my family are. not going to be changing one way or the other. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1C 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 California. And in the past few years, 1 have travelled up to 100 miles to come to this specific Walmart to shop, because I wasn't able to find a store that had the selection of items that 1 needed where I was a L So, I've travelled an incredibly 1 ong distance just to come to your city in the past. And I know I'm a bit of a odd duck, but I'm willing to bet I'm not the only one. Secondly, my father is from Michigan. And as 1 said, I'm a member of the military. I've lived in six different states and eight different countries, and travelled extensively throughout the United States and throughout Europe, and various parts of the world. And throughout my travels, I've seen several different brand stores that do a — (Timer rings.) Sorry. They have a store that is a general merchandise store like Walmart , and they have a separate section that is in the store that's also a grocery store. And an example is — MAYOR STAFFORD: You need to wrap up your comments. MS. A. BREITMAYER: Yes. — it's a chain called "Meyer's." It's throughout the Midwest. It's in LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 Yes, it would be nice to have the expanded Walmart, but it doesn't mean that I'm going to be . shopping elsewhere any more than I already do, if it doesn't go through. Thank you. Have a good evening . MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you very much. Okay. We are going to take a ten - minute recess, and I'm going to blame it on the transcriber, but we all need a break. (Off the record from 8:22 p.m. until 8 :45 p.m.) MAYOR STAFFORD: We're back. Our meeting is back in order. So, we're going to call five more speakers. Sandra Shand, Marine Andriola, Phylis Transue, Mary Chase, and Kirsten Barquist State your name, address. And everyone gets 2 minutes. MS. TRANSUE: Okay. My name is Phylis Transue. I live at 50 Francis Circle in Rohnert Park. I have lived in Rohnert Park for 33 years. Most of that time I have lived less than a mile from the small shopping center that includes Pack Market The convenience o f being able to have so many LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (915) 312 -9040 LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 107 106 108 services available so dose , including dry cleaners, UPS Store, and soon a 24 -hour workout center. These are all valuable resources for everyone. When Pacific Market c ame in, we were all pleased they kept the friendly, helpful staff, and they added a fantastic deli and expanded areas for fresh fruit and cheeses. Best of all, they had prepared hot and cold food. Life became easier. My belief is I have only have a kitchen because it came in the house. So, I have a very personal reason for not want ing to lose Pack Market It would mean that I would have to learn how to cook again. Thank you. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. Next speaker. MS. SHAND: Sandra Shand, 617 N. Webster in Petaluma. I work in Rohnert Park, so I'm here most of my waking hours. And for 20 years I've worked and done most of my shopping here in Rohnert Park. 1 have a quote from Walmart founder , Sam Walton. He said, quote, I pay low wages. We're going to be successful, but the basis is a very low -wage, low- benefit model of employment. In 2000 -- unquote.' In 2004, a U.C. Berkeley study showed that LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 iDR] up in poverty. I've been homeless . MAYOR STAFFORD: You need to wrap up your comments. MS. SHAND: I've eaten out of dumpsters. I will eat out of dumpsters again before 1 buy so much as a toothpick from Walmart, b ecause 1 will not profit from the suffering of other working people: They don't care about our local economy. They care about their profits. Thank you. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you.. Next speaker. MS. CHASE: Hi. My name is Mary Chase. I live at 185 Avron Avenue. I started as a checker at Roger Wilco , and now Pacific Market. And have been there almost ten years now. Pacific Market is more than just a grocery store. It's a lifeline to our neighborhood . We have many customers, young and old, t hat walk, ride a bike, or take a cab, because they can't drive and have no transportation. And we are close and convenient for them. Many of them have been shopping there for years, and most of them 1 know by name. I've watched families started, children grow up, and even get their 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 California taxpayers pay $86 million a year to Walmart employees in the form of health subsidies to those approximately half of Walmart employees who either can't afford the coverage that's provided or don't qualify for the medical coverage t hat's provided. I'm a little nervous. Long evening. You've heard from people that local businesses always go out of business and wages always go down when Walmart enters the picture. You heard from the gentleman from Oklahoma. I hope you will listen to his real -world experience, because it is what happens. Our economy is in a disarray because of corporations like Walmart who push jobs overseas. They became billion aires at the expense of working people. Walmart literally creates low - income families. By 2005, 60 percent of Walmart's merchandise was imported from China. An estimated 1.5 million jobs have moved from America to China. They — Walmart imports more goods from China than Russia, Australia, and Canada combined. No matter how nice the employees of Wal mart are, no matter how much volunteering that they do, I honor them, but so do employees of other businesses, And to those who are low income, I feel for you. I grew LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 first job here. Its a place where you can have fun, meet with friends and neighbors, and do your shopping at the same time. We have a full -service deli that makes delicious, hot, prepared foods for every day for those with busy schedules that don't have time to cook. We also have a Post Office in the store that many people depend on, because they have no transportation to the main Post Office near Raley's. We have a large selection of organic products and produce at good prices compared to other stores of out status, as well as a few major chains. Most of these products are purchased from local vendors. �So, not only does the neighborhood depend on us, but the hundreds of local vendors we purchase from. We all depend on each other to keep in business. In other words, community supporting the community. I'm a single parent raising a teenage daughter by myself. I've managed quite well without shopping at Walmart. I make good wages and have great benefits that cover both my daughter and I. The expansion of Walmart will not only affect me, but all of my fellow co-workers and t heir families. It will have a major impact on the businesses at Mountain Shadows Plaza, the vendors we buy from, and the LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 111 110 ism neighborhood as well. Wal mart employees will not lose their jobs if this expansion does not go through. It is small family businesses that built our country, and now it's the large corporations that are tearing it apart. Walmart feeds on poverty. The more jobs lost, the better they do. We can't let them take the life out of our town. We need to support our local business es and keep the money within our community. The so- called 85 jobs that Wal mart will increase is nothing compared to the devastation th at it will cause with increased traffic , emissions, and the hundreds of jobs that will be lost. So, on behalf of Pack Market and our community. I implore you to deny the expansion of Walmart. Thank you. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. Next speaker. MS. ANDRIOLA: Hi. My name is Marine Andriola. And for the I ast 15 years I've been responsible for Pacific Market's image with the press. MAYOR STAFFORD: Your address? MS. ANDRIOLA I'm sorry. 420 Taylor Street, Bodega Bay, California. Raised my kids in Sebastopol. And I live in Bodega Bay. LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 You won't see a steaming pot of fresh Sonoma County Dungeness crab at Walmart. In fact, a lot of farmers depend on Pack Market to sell small catches that they use to keep their families going through this crises which we've faced. Redwood Hill Farm in Sebastopol, Bennett Valley Baking. My own family's farm in Sebastopol, Bennett Valley Baking. My own family farm, the (Inaudible) Oyster Company. And we've hired intems from France, South America, New Zealand — to make cheese, bake bread, and grow oysters. If you watch the Food Network, you will see that the people all over the world respect and envy what Sonoma County has to offer. Carlos (Inaudible) brought Ken Silveira 33 years ago a dozen tortillas. They've hire 250 employees now and make four million tortillas a week. We have lots of those sto res. Five.h undred or more of them. If we lose Pacific Market, we will lose a Vital part of our economy, we will lose the 4-H buyer and supporters, and we will lose what our kids need to expect for their future, an agricultural f uture in Sonoma County. Sorry I'm so passionate. We can use that. MAYOR STAFFORD: Before you speak, I'm going LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 113 115 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1C 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 I have designed Pack Market's image. I wrote the popular chef articles that ran every week in Press Democrat for over a dozen years. I've interviewed 4 -H kids, chefs, food producers, and farmers. Nearly 500 of them. All of them have told me of their absolute gratitude to Pack Market. Pack Market offers even the smallest farmer a place to sell what they produce or make. Some companies started very modestly in home kitchen s with an acre of heirloom t omatoes. Many have grown into vital, important places where hundreds of local people are employed. Clover, Amy's Kitchen, and La Tortilla Factory are among the biggest: Pacific Market gave these fledgling companies a foot in the door, a place to sell. This was 30 years ago or more before anybody talked about local, sustainable food. They allowed them a chance to concentrate on a growing business. Some companies remained small by choice . The mad -made company, for example, is a young family taking care of a 100 - year -old Gravenstein apple in an orchard that his great grandfather planted. They've prepped organic apples into award - winning sauce and juice and vinegar, just as their great grandparents did. LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 to call the next five people. John Sansing, Phil Tucker, Ben Boyse, Bunny Kimball. Okay. Go ahead. MS. BARQUIST: Hi. My name is Kirsten Barquist. I live between Rohnert Park and South Santa Rosa, (Inaudible) Petaluma Hill Road. There's no valid reason for Walmart to challenge the Planning Commission's unanimous decision to deny their proposed expansion. The Commission's conclusion that the proposal violate s the City's General Plan and is not in the best interest of the City is the correct one. Walmart is appealing the decision because they're accustomed to being the proverbial 3,000 -pound gorilla and getting whatever they want b y whatever means necessary. Walmart's allure of jobs and increased income to the City is a false one. There are several studies, as the experience of other cities have shown. It simply does not pencil out. In addition, as many people have stated, there's no shortage of grocery and retail in the Sonoma area — a range of price points in Rohnert Park and the South Santa Rosa area. Recently, a Target store in LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC.. (415) 312 -9040 114 116 Rohnert Park, and another Target on South Santa Rosa Avenue opened up grocery section, making the need for yet another grocery store in the area even more moot. The Rohnert Park Planning Commission made the right decision. They honored their oath in office and have upheld their duty to work in the public's best interest. Now its your turn to do the same . Thank you. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. Next speaker. State your name and address. MR. TUCKER: Yes. My name is Phil Tucker. I'm Project Director of California Healthy Communities Network. Tide Center. Martinez, California. I'm here tonight to basically talk to you about what — about two other fights that we've been involved in, um, in this — in this Walmart situation. One in Milpitas and one in Antioch. There was some representation made tonight that — about urban decay. And a lot of it — a lot of the momentum for the decisions by those City Council s was based on this whole thing of urban decay. Walmart stated that urban decay doesn't mean — store closure doesn't necessarily mean urban decay, but it also — it doesn't mean that it can't happen. LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 117 . And I wanted to comment and listen to a number of the other speakers. The one argument that seemed to have some purchase is the number of people who describe themselves as "low income" talked about how Walmart supplies a need for them. Because they — because they are on such low wage s, they need to shop at Walmart in order to.make ends meet. And that's — that's a poignant dilemma for many people. But there's a couple things that we could address there. One is that after the economic crash in 2008, we have to do a thorough -going [sic] reevaluation of how we do our economics in this country. And the Wal I Street consensus that created this big -box economy, which Walmart is the largest component, has helped drive down living standards for working people across the United States. And thro ugh outsourcing, through suppression of wages and benefits, they have single- handedly been an engine of downward mobility for the working class in this country. So, we're headed down this path. Finally, that whole ship wreck ed on the shore. So, we could either chose to try to reconstruct the same economy which led to this collapse, or we can say, You know what, were going to have to look at incenti vizing companies to create better jobs so that people aren't 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 What we found with the urban decay issue is that there's a domino effect. Once a major anchor tenant doses, then other stores close. Sometimes you lose your largest tenants first, and then everything turns into blight in that particular setting. Um, the study prepared by Dr. Eyler, we looked at it, we agreed totally with it In fact, we believe that the figures on job loss are understated, based on the fact that many, many of your stores right now are underperforming. Many of the employees a re not working. They're full -time, but they're not working fu!I -time hours. They are getting a minimum of hours of 24 of those stores that are union. But again, this economy is — a lot of this is economy - based. 1 would ask you to consider the — consider the decisions of other Councils as well. They're all in the same situation as you are. This is not an easy decision. Walmart will continue regardless of your decision. Thank you. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. MR. BOYSE: Hi. My name is Ben Boyse. 600 Siesta Way in Sonoma. I'm a Board member of the Accountable Development Coalition. LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 compelled to shop at the lowest possible cost provider because it's at their own expense that this — that they're having to be compelled to this position. And for the City Council to take action here is not protection. Its preservation of the common good. So, I hope you will retain that.. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. MR. SANSING Hi. My name is John Sansing. I live at 4679 Petaluma Hill R oad. I'm against the Walmart expansion, because it hurts small business es in the area. These small businesses pay a decent wage an d have health care benefits for their employees. The money in turn goes into the local economy, store profits go into the local economy, and they use local vendors. Walmart's profits go back to Arkansas, period. Historically, the pay is low, the people are hired_ part-time so they don't have to pay out health insurance. They don't use local vendors. Generally, people are unaware of the true costs of low prices. Many of the corporate costs are dumped on the community in the form of social services, caring for people that can't afford to have health insurance, giving out food stamps and other supplement programs because their jobs don't pay enough. LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 119 118 120 The business model of these types of corporations are as follows: Go to the count ry that has the cheapest labor, have your products made as ch eap as possible and hire people as cheap as possible , and dump as much cost as you can on the community and government , therefore lowering prices so others can't compete. This forces other companies to do the same in turn, and then this practice hurts everybody, creating a downward spiral 1 shop at Costco and Pack Market. Pacific Market is under the threat of this Walmart expansion and may dose. If this happens, I'm going to take my shopping to Oliver's in Cotati. I will not shop at Walmart. I urge you not to overturn the decision that was made earlier to deny this expansion. And I'm an average citizen without the financial might of Walmart, and taking the time out of my bu sy life to stand up for the local merchants that are under threat. Thank you. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. Okay. The next five. Connie Corbett, Joann Wall, Liz Basile. It looks like Magic. It's the only word on here. And Katherine Robey. Okay. Now you can go. LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 kPAI and I are one. So, anyway, thank you very much. And I do hope that Walmart can expand like we hope it will. Thank you very much. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. MS. CORBETT: My name is Connie Corbett, and I live at 7711 Bonita Avenue here in Rohnert Park. And at this point I can't really add much of anything new . You've heard it all. But I've just come tonight to ask the Council to please support the growth of the Walmart expansion. 1 shop there for the price and value. And I don't believe it matters if a I'm low income or middle income or high income. I'm going to shop where 1 get the best value for my money. And I live and work here, and that's what I do, is I shop at Wal mart to get the best value. And I also would very much love the convenience of the super - Walmart of having a one -stop shop where I can get the majority of my groceries and goods that 1 need in one store. I'm busy just like everybody else , and the convenience of the one store — and I'm not going to quit shopping at Raley's an d I'm not going to quit shopping at Safeway. i will still participate. in 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 MS. KIMBALL: My name is Bunny Kimball. I've lived at Bonnie Avenue in Rohnert Park since 1973. And I am definitely in favor of Wal mart. As any red- blooded American knows, our economy is bad at this point, and I feel like Walmart is a benefit to us that are on fixed incomes. I know low- family incomes. that shop there, and the economy at Wal mart is outstanding, as far as I'm concerned. And the convenience of one -stop s hopping would mean an awful lot for gas prices and for us getting around and doing it. It would be great. And I do feel like as Americans we need to extend to Walmart the privilege of expand ing, if that's what they wish to do. It will create more jobs. And 1 did not intend to say anything about Pack Market, but its been brought up so much that I'm going to make a remark. One of their — I don't know who he was, 1 should have gotten his name. He came and rang our doorbell, wanted me to sign against. And I said, I've already signed a card. "for." And he was quite argumentative , and so, he turned to my husband and said, Well, if she won't sign, would you do it? And obviously he didn't, because my husband LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 shopping at those stores when there are things there that I want, but the one stop for my major shopping would be wonderful. And lastly, I honestly believe Wal mart has the right and the freedom to expand their business. And for— and I'm not against local markets like Pacific Market, and I truly believe for those to yal fans of Pack Market, if they are as dedicated as they say they are here tonight, then they're going to continue to shop there and continue to support their store. But for me. I would ask for your vote to expand the Wal mart Thank you. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. Next speaker. MS. BASILE: When the Walton family opened — MAYOR STAFFORD: State your name and address. MS. BASILE: I'm sorry. Elizabeth Basile, 1843 Bancroft drive, Santa Rosa, 95401. When the Walton family opened the first Walmart, they talked about everything in their markets — in their stores will be made in the USA. That was in the '60s. Fifty years later, everything that goes — that comes out of Walmart is made in China LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 123 122 124 or other overseas countries. I'm a refired teacher. I'm on a fixed income. But I will not shop at Walmart on the backs of the people who are suffering because of their ways of doing business. The benefits of a supercenter will be dwarfed by the actual costs of this project. Profits from Walmart will be sent back to their corporate headquarters in Arkansas, and very little tax revenue will recirculate in our local economy. That's one reason why I have never stopped or walked into the Wal mart store, because their low prices are at the cost of a lot of people and their standard of living. The City will gain little additional tax revenue, because the expansion of th a store is mainly for nontaxable food items. And the supercenter will steal sales tax revenue from other local grocers. The project will not generate significant new revenues to support public recreation, city swimming pools , or police and fire services. Thank you very much. MAYOR STAFFORD' you. MS. MAGIC: Good evening. My name is Magic. 7602 (Inaudible) Street Sebastopol. I just really want to first thank the Council LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 fini It's really tragic that Wal mart can only find employees — which during the break I asked and was confirmed that they are paid to be here. They didn't give them the blue T- shirts tonight. Only the blue tags. 1 guess they're run ning a little. short on cash on that program. But the Gulf of Mexico is the key story that's happening now. That w as government regulator s that did not stop something that turned into a disaster. You have the opportunity tonight to act from your heart and use the urban decay as the argument to defeat this. If a store is not going to be occupied till 20 16, that is urban decay. Thank you for your time. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. Okay. Gladys Wheeler, Myrna Spiegler, Michael Hilber, Lew Cirillo, and Sally Lai. MS. ROBEY: Good evening. My name is Katherine Robey. I'm the store manager of the Rohnert Park Walmart. Good evening, Councilmembers. MAYOR STAFFORD: Your address ?. MS. ROBEY: My address is 103 Greenfield. And also, my work address is in Rohnert Park here. Although I'm fairly new to my position here , I've worked earlier in the store as a career, and I'm so 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 for appointing such an amazing Planning Commission. They set a precedent in this county and state, and, in fact, maybe in the country in breaking with the . tradition that Planning Commission 's support business because business is good for America. What's happening tonight is a microcosm of what's happening all over the planet. We need to think as global citizens and act locally. We cannot forget about child labor in Chin a, the resources that are being used to bring that product here at lower prices. I understand how people want these lower prices, but we have to have values to save our community. Because in the end, those little price differences will not save the communities that we have here. They set a precedent. We need to follow through on that. Walmart will not stop. They didn't stop after a unanimous Planning C ommission. They will not stop if you turn it down. They will sue. And this elephant in the room is what they've done continually. Do not act out of fear. You can set a precedent. I'm proud to see what the C ommission has already done. I come from Sebastopol , which is supposed to be the most liberal, and I think the Planning Commission here has really showed great prowess. LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 familiar with the community and the feedback. I'm currently a 15 -year Walmart employee. I started as a cashier when I was 15 years old. Not only can 1 speak for our customers who I desire to get affordable grocery items in our store, I also can speak about the 85 new jobs t hat will be created as a result of this expansion. It will mean people like me and many Walmart associates here to night. I have 12 associates in the store who have worked there since the first opening in Rohnert Park in 1993. 1 have 129 associates who have been with us for more than five years with extraordinary achievements within the retail industry. Every person who wears a Walmart badge has an opportunity to succeed and to one day be in my shoes as I have done. These people that are —1'm sorry. These are the people that our kids go to school with and attend the same great Little League games that live in the neighborhood and show the same passion for what you do to make Rohnert Park a great place to live and work. These (Inaudible) that make pride from where they work and the communities where they have purchased their home and bought a car and choose to raise their family. Taking that into consideration, I would like to LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 127 i`-1 128 UP acknowledge that while not everyone in Rohnert Park shops in our store, only you can drive by our parking lot to see how many people do shop with us. They have come from regions and they have c ome just down the street They come to Walmart because they need to stretch their dollar and provide a nice fife for their families. My opinion is that it's fair. and everyone has a right to choose where they want to shop. If people want to buy groceries at Walmart where we sell locally purchased goods at prices that families can afford, that should be their right. I hope that you will respect the desire of.the community. And thank you for your time . MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. Next speaker. - MS. SPIEGLER: I don't know if I was really first. My name is Myrna Spiegler. I live at 2781 Rollo Road in Santa Rosa. I do support the Planning Commission for their decision. I know they thought long and hard about it, and 1 believe it's the correct decision. Walmart's low prices are as a result of LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 Thank you. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. Next speaker. MR. CIRILLO: Good evening, Madam Mayor and Councilmembers. My name is Lew Cidllo. My wife and I live in Santa Rosa at 2333 Calico Lane. We shop Rohnert Park, because we like it. We like the people. We like the opportunities. We do 90 percent of our shopping here , and we prefer Walmart. We would like to see them expand. Walmart is one of the largest agricultural users of United States products in the world. And they do buy a lot of products from local farmers and groups, so it's wrong to say that everything is imported or they don't use local products. But what we need is people to understand that they're going to shop at Pack Market. The same people are going to continue to shop there. And half the people that are here to save Pack Market would spend their dollars there . They never have to worry about running out of business. Everybody talks. We see the same people all the time. We've got the same groups that were against Walmart in Santa Rosa. They were against Lowe's in Santa Rosa. And ft's the same group all the time that's LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 129 131 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Walmart's corporate policy. It is to move jobs to countries where workers and children and labor laws do not exist for protecting workers . And ft's a documented fact that many people are leaving -the farms to live in the cities, and are starving and at — and at the risk of starvation, because they no longer can grow their own food. Walmart has a policy of asking manufacturers and agreeing to set them up in factories in China. But the Long Beach harbor is full of container ships directed for Walmart from China, and it is backed up to the maximum capacity of the harbors resources. The trucks that idle waiting to pick up those containers have been a major environmental disaster for that area in terms of exhaust and contamination. I will not purchase things from China , because 1 don't trust those things. They've had lead and (Inaudible) in children's toys and children's articles, and who all knows what else. Remember the melamine in the pet food? Remember other similar things that we know about? How many other things do we not know about, like lead in dishware, other products. We are-trading with a country that has no ethical standards or enforcement of correct and humane work. LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 against any type of big business or any improvement. Thank you. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. Next speaker. MR. HILBER: My name is Michael Hilber. 4480 Price, Santa Rosa. Actually, in an unincorporated area to the west of town. I would say that all this business about Pack Market is immaterial. Pack Market should own their problem an d not try to blame others. This is about the EIR. The pertinent issue are it complies with the zoning. And this business about these four intersections that are supposedly impacted, they're already impacted. And I think if you looked at the off -ramp there at the freeway, most of the those cars will probably be going to the burger joint, and a lot of them to Home Depot, of course. And whatever small increment this might add will probably be even difficult to measure. I don't believe that you can quantify that this has any really measurable impact as far as the traffic goes. So,the zoning is fine, the traffic is negligeable, and this Pack Market business is totally irrelevant. LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 130 132 III just throw this in: 1 have been to Pack Market I tried their Italian sausage, and 1 found it had like as much fat as a very cheap hamburger. I didn't like it at all. And I think for what they charge me to try to produce a good product, they don't try. So, don't worry about them. Let them take care of themselves. I see their mainly as competing with , you know, the FoodMaxx and the Costco. And I would say mainly if they had produce, I would like that most of all. And if I do come down here and I buy something, you know, and add produce, I'm less likely to make the continuous trip to FoodMaxx. So, for those of you people concerned about the Sierra Club business, I will generate less greenhouse gasses by just making one stop . MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. Okay. Nancy Atwell, Laura Tussing -Mroz, Holly Jackson, Tania James, Scott Perry. And also right now I'd like to thank everybody for their responsible behavior tonight. It's been — you've been very respectful of each other. Go ahead. MS. LAI: To my respective City Councilmembers, my name is Sally Lai. 9 41 Golf Course LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 Market. I just randomly pick ed up two items. The same Rem, same package, same thing. I found Walmart is 20 percent more than FoodMaxx. For those people think Wal mart is always low prices, look at that paper 1 circulate to City Councilmembers. (Hand -out provided to City Clerk.) So, it prove evidence of what 1 was talking. Those are not sales items, just from random items pick ed up on the shelf. And Walmart is 20 percent more than FoodMaxx, which is the choices for Rohnert Park residents. 1 want Pack Market to continue in Rohnert Park. I want my business to continue. How dare Walmart officials say if Pacific Market dose, will be four years. In that rase, can you come back four years to ask for expansion ? I support — hopefully you will not. expand (sic) the expansion. Thank you. MAYOR STAFFORD: Okay. William Sarris, Marty Bennett, Eileen Morris, Jonnie Gambell, Dave Grundman. MS. TUSSING -MROZ: Good evening. My name is Laura Tussing -Mroz. I live in South Santa Rosa. I'm a LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. '(415) 312 -9040 133 661.1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Drive. That's where my restaurant is located. Mountain Shadows is a local community shopping center. It has lots of foot traffic. The nearby residents can walk, bike, or drive to the same place for a different purpose. I have many customer come to our restaurant for dine -in or order to go. Then they go to Pack Market to buy grocery or have a haircut next -door. Every business at that shopping center depend on the market for (Inaudible). If P acifiic Market is closed, the foot traffic definitely will be reduced. And less traffic will affect my business, and my business cannot survive. 1 have to close down and my employees will be out of job. Therefore, this Wal mart expansion does not just affect Pack Market and their employees, it also affect the entire shopping center an d their employee's jobs. The C ity will not just lose the sales tax from Pacific Market, but lose the tax revenue f rom all dosed businesses at the same shopping center. Walmart is a corporate company. They do not do business with local companies. And Rohnert Park already have range of different grocery choices for consumers. From low- income from Grocery Outlet, FoodMaxx, to high end such as Oliver's and Pack LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 Walmart associate. Our company focuses on integrity , ethics, global sustainability, fair trade, charity, and community. I think the Council could be remind ed that Walmart does partner with local farmers an d suppliers. Walmart wants to sell local produce. Also, on a local level, I can truly say that the associates of this store strive to maintain these concepts with compassion. Our associates are humble- servant leaders. That's what makes our store so wonderful. l see this every day. I've been able to participate in more charitable work — Relay of Life, Arthritis Walk, Rohnert Park Community Center Cleanup, and more — in the last few months than 1 have in my entire fife. I enjoy it. It's very self - gratifying. An expanded store will offer more growth opportunities to current associates an d provide opportunities for other s to join our fantastic company. I happen to be personnel at the store. I get to provide service leadership and be a helper to our associates, and I know that I do make a difference. I have never worked for a company that has offered me that. I also want to say — ask that you please give us the opportunity to prove ourselves and what we stand LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 134 136 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 for in this community. I also want to say that I show empathy for our opponents and for their struggles. Thank you. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. Next speaker. MR. BENNETT: Good evening. My name is Marty Bennett. I live at 19167 -A Robinson Road in Sonoma. I teach at Santa Rosa Junior College, and I'm Co-Chair of the Living Wage Coalition. The Living Wage Coalition is strongly opposed to the Walmart supercenter. We concur with Sonoma State economist Robert Eyler who estimates total job loss by local employers result ing from the expansion of Walmart will be between 105 and 211 jobs. The pay and benefits for 85 new jobs create d by the project will be substantially less than the old jobs that are lost. According to the U.C. Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education, academic research that is peer- reviewed, the average wage for a full -time Walmart worker in 2010 is 12.10 an hour. The wage level is well below a self- sufficiency or living wage f or Sonoma County of 14.90 an hour in 2009 to pay for the basics, including housing, food, healthcare, transportation and childcare. And that's a very conservative estimate of a living LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 137 of the Living Wage Coalition. I live at 205 Howard Street in Petaluma. The Living Wage Coalition, we want to outline for you some of the hidden costs of this project. And I want to specifically talk about the costs to our healthcare system locally . Our public and private costs, our clinics, and our individual providers. And I want to take you back a little bit on what Professor Bennett said. The i nformation that I'm going to share with you comes from academic research. We've heard a lot of anecdotes from the proponents of this project tonight about the benefits that Walmart workers receive, but I don't think they're going to provide you with an Excel spreadsheet that demonstrates how many of their employees get benefits. So, I want to demonstrate to you tonight that lack of healthcare is a cost — a great cost to the individual employee , but also to the public sector , to the taxpayers, and to the local econom y. So, full -time Walmart workers are eligible for health benefits after six months of employment Part-time workers, they need to wait for two years until they're eligible. But we know that half of the Walmart workforce turns over every year, so as a result, fewer than 50 percent of Wal mart employees have healthcare 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 wage. According to U.C. researchers, compare d to Walmart, local grocers pay well above a living wage an d provide comprehensive benefits. The average wage for a full -time grocery worker at Safeway and Raley's is 23.36 an hour. Nearly double the average wage at Walmart And the average wage at independent Pacific Market, according to the company, is 17.74 an hour. Nearly 80 percent of employees for Safeway, Raley's, or Costco in Northern California have employer - provided health benefits compared to 50 percent at Walmart. Americans overwhelmingly believe in a fair and just wage, and that no one who works fog a living should struggle in poverty. Approval of the project will destroy middle -class jobs with career ladders and create low -wage jobs offering few opportunities for training and upward mobility. Please uphold the Planning Commission and deny this project. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. Next speaker. Just a, minute. Okay. Dennis McCormick, Heather Rodriguez, Terry Anderson, Bob Blick, Jan Ogren. MS. MORRIS: Good evening, Madam Mayor and Councilmembers. My name is Eileen Morris. I'm a member LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 coverage. So, contrast that with local markets like Safeway, like Olivees, like Pacific Market, where 80 percent of employees are covered. So, that data is from the U.C. Berkeley's Center for Labor Research and Education Report, the hidden cost of Walmart that, I think, you all have a copy of. (Timer rings.) MS. MORRIS: Can I make one more point? MAYOR STAFFORD: You need to wrap it up. MS. MORRIS: I will. So, as taxpayers, Rohnert Park residents are going to be subsidizing the Walmart corporation. The Walmart corporation is g oing to be subsidized by local taxpayers when we have to pay for emergency room service, for the cost of delayed healthcare. MAYOR STAFFORD: You need to wrap it up. MS. MORRIS: I'm wrapped up. And thank you very much. MAYOR STAFFORD: Next speaker. MR. McCORMACK I'm Dennis McCormack, at 1431 Jasmine Circle in Rohnert Park. I've been there for 31 years. And I've lived o n Rohnert Park almost 35 years. And I'm in favor of the Walmart expansion, simply because it's convenient, 24 hours. There's only LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 139 138 140 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 one other place that 1 know of in Rohnert Park that's 24 hours. That's Safeway. And it would be convenient for people that can't shop during ordinary hours. They may work at different hours, or whatever. So, it would be convenient for them. And also, it would be one -stop shopping. That will be convenient for some families an d seniors. And also, there would be more variety of products in one store. So, these are the reasons 1 favor the expansion. And I'm not against a ny other market. I believe if the other markets kee p working, they'll do well too. And thank you for being able to speak here. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. Next speaker. MR. BLICK: Hi. My name is Bob Blick. I live at 426 Flora Way in Rohnert Park. Thanks, Mayor and Councilmembers. I'm opposed to the Walmart expansion. Their representatives have told you that you should pay attention to the narrow scope of the technical and I egal reasons only and not pay attention to people's emotions, et cetera. So, I urge you to do just as they would, which LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 141 And when you go to Walmart, you're basically kicking the poor and taking good jobs and making lousy jobs. And so, please stay with the current decision . .And thanks for your time. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. Next speaker. MS. RODRIGUEZ: Hi. My name is Heather Rodriquez. I live at 4212 Hermosa Court, Rohnert Park. Um, t'm a Walmart supporter, fan. I shop at Wal mart a lot. The people that work there are always very nice. They're always willing to help. And I am in favor of — I'm there, like, at least four or five times a week. Um, it would be nice to be able to get my groceries and just everything all at the same time. I have shopped at other stores. I do shop at other stores also, but I would really appreciate it if you guys would go for the expansion. Thank you very much, MAYOR STAFFORD: Okay. Thank you. Okay. Carol Blick, Phillip Jehly, William Adams, Tom Scott, Rick Theis. Okay. Thank you. MS. OGREN: Good evening. My name is J an Ogren, and I live at 928 Hudis here in Rohnert Park. 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 is to absolutely make sure that you deny them in every possible way that you have at your disposal, be it technical or legal , or whatever scope you need to take. That being said, there are lots of reasons why Walmart should not expand. And it's hard for me to think about it, because I'm a little nervous. But mainly the idea being that when you have low costs , that has to come from somewhere. Walmart makes a lot of profit, and if you charge 11 cents a pound less for your hamburger, that 11 cents has to come from somewhere, because Walmart is still making just as much money as they ever did, which means that those low costs go everywhere else. And it sort of pushes everything down. How do the people that supp ly that hamburger Charge 11 cents a pound less for it? Well, 1 don't want to eat that hamburger. The other thing is that companies make special products just for Walmart. I bought a camp stove from Walmart, and when I got it home, it didn't seem like the one I had seen on Coleman's Web site. And, in fact, it doesn't exist on Coleman's Web site. They make products just for Walmart and they leave some of the features out, and that's why it costs $5 less. So, you get what you pay for. LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 And 1 want to first thank you for taking all the time to let all of us speak. That's very generous of you. I have a business in Santa Rosa , and I've been very interested in the development of the Civic Center here in Rohnert Park. And I and some other people in my situation that live in Rohnert Park and have our businesses in Santa Rosa would like to actually live and work in the same town, but we can't afford to move our business es from a city like Santa Rosa , who has a long history of supporting local s, to Rohnert Park unless we know what the policy is here. And in these economic time s, there's a lot of wisdom that says to be able to weather the economic and the environmental crises, we need to build communities, we need to be local, we need to support each other an d be loyal to each other. I am here because I care about the financial health of my town. Wal mart is here because it wants to send more money back to Arkansas. So, the decision you're making tonight is really a very major policy decision. And its speaking of where you are loyalty -wise, because I've been a resident of Rohnert Park long enough to remember when the Costco, Price Club was out on Expressway. They got LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 143 142 144 a better deal on Santa Rosa Avenue, and they left Rohnert Park with this big warehouse that luckily eventually Pacific Cinemas took over. And then they got a better deal; they moved back. Well, no matter even if you gave Walmart what the wanted now, if they got a deal that was bigger or better in Santa Rosa, they'd leave. There's no loyalty there. We need to stick together. And so, I'm here to find out if it would be safe for me to consider moving my business to Rohnert Park, or should 1 stay in Santa Rosa. Thank you very much. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. Next speaker. MS. BLICK: Good evening. I'm Carol Blick. I live in F section. My address is Post Office Box 3055, Rohnert Park, 94927. 1 recently visited Athens, Texas, a town with a Wal mart superstore. My friends in Athens remember before the Walmart superstore was there and there was actually choice. Right now. that's the grocery. That's the big town. That's where you get your groceries. That's where you get your Clothes. That's where you get everything. They're there and they've taken over. You know, once they've eliminated all the LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 145 Market drops out because of Wal mart? Thank you. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. Next speaker. MR. JEHLY: Good evening. My name is Phillip Jehly. 765 Brett Avenue, Rohnert Park. I've lived in Rohnert Park 49 years. Worked in the grocery industry 30 years. Twenty -seven of that as a receiving clerk at Raley's here in Rohnert Park, so I've spoken with drivers, salesmen, people that rely on selling groceries for the benefit of their families and their livelihood. All of the people — 95 percent of the drivers and salesmen that I've talked to would think this is a bad idea, because there's not enough business in Rohnert Park. There's not enough people here now to support the addition of another grocery store. In the EIR it states that there is not a grocery store within 1 mile of Walmart. That's correct, but you go another mile, make it two miles, and now you've got four major grocery stores. Target, which has groceries, Costco, and numerous ethnic smaller markets that feed another niche that would be hurt by Walmart's addition. There are already low prices throughout Rohnert Park. Food Maxx, Grocery Outlet Aggressive 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 small stores because their prices are so much lower, there's no reason why they can't raise their prices a little bit. Because they wo n't have any competition. Right now, prices are low. Later, prices will be whatever the market will bear, because it's a business. Maybe some of you remember several years ago there was a minor scandal — big ger scandals always take over the minor ones — there was a minor scandal that Wal mart had paid office staff in many of its stores who were helping their employees who were eligible for food stamps, because they were paid so little — part-time employees. They were paying their office staff to help them with their food stamp paperwork. Those food stamps are things that we are paying for. I think food stamps is a good program, but I don't want to subsidize Wal mart with my tax money. I live in F section, so Pack Market is, in fact, my neighborhood grocery. And I see that a lot of people send their kids to the market to pick up a bottle of milk, to pick up a loaf of bread. They're not going to feel safe sending them on their bikes or on foot across the highway to Walmart. And what will replace Pack Market? Who will be willing to take a risk on that space if Pacific LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 sales and advertising by Raley's, Safeway, Oliver's. All of them have low prices that match Wal mart and Costco, but they don't have — these other stores don't have the millions and millions of dollars that Wal mart has to advertise and tell everybody that their prices are the lowest there is. So — and as far as the community, there's — the closest community to Walmart is that F section, and again, as the last person just stated, you'd have to go across a freeway to get to that grocery store. And adding a bike rack isn't going to make it easier to get there, to get across the freeway. Sales are down everywhere. All these drivers that I talked to — sales are down, the economy is down. There's not enough people. All the stores have dosed. First, I would like to say that I request that the City Council affirm and accept the Planning Commission's decision to deny the Walmart expansion. Thank you. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. MR. THEIS: Good evening. Rick Theis. 555 5th Street, Santa Rosa. I'm the founder and Board Chair of the Leadership Institute for Ecology and the Economy. For ten years we have been training leaders to create public policy that is environmentally friend ly LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 146 147 148 and socially ethical for a healthy economy and a sustainable community . In our ten years, our Board of Directors has only taken a stand on a political issue three times. Once to support the SMART train, two, to support the reenactment of the Open Space District, and, three, to oppose the expansion of Walmart. That's how important we think this is. The last time 1 looked at Forbes Magazine. it had a story of the Waltons. Their family is worth $100 billion. I wonder how they got that money. If you want to find out, read the Big -Box Swindle. Now, the Wal tons can drive their Priuses, and they can waive their suppliers' sustainability checklists and certificates of sustainably harvested food, but upon close examination, those documents are really mostly meaningless. In fact, as a monopsony, the Walmart model demands industrial farming practices that destroy our farmlands and our fisheries. Finally, Walmart's big -box store surrounded by acres of asphalt are antithetical to the smart growth principle of building liveable communities. I want to add that just the other day, another community in the Bay Area said no to Wal mart- Two years LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 zero -sum gain. I'm either going to lay off people or I'm not going to hire people I would otherwise hire. And instead of working for me at — our average hourly wage is closer to $18 an hour right now, and we offer benefits, not just for the employees, but for the families of our employees . And if those people would migrate over, those jobs would then be making 56 percent less with less benefits. You know, these are real choices that a community has to make in these kind of scenarios. The other thing that I hope you guys are considering is the multiplier effect that local businesses have. You know, I've always admired the guys at Pack Market. They've always been on the forefront of supporting local vendors. We've tried to aspire to be the type of grocer they are in terms of supporting I oval manufacturers, local farmers. And, you know, we bank locally. We use local printers. We use local lawyers , local accountants. And we recently ran a promotion in our store where we tried to connect all these dots for our customers, and we found that with the 90 or so local vendors . that we're dealing with, you know, those — those suppliers employ about 7,000 local employees. And LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 149 151 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 ago, one community where Wal mart had already purchased property and land zoned for big -box development condemned it by eminent domain just to keep Walmart out of their community. Just say no. And I have one final story. My 91- year -old grandmother — mother likes to tell about how she always bought her underwear at Macy's. It would last four or five years. She went to Walmart, bought the same underwear, same brand. She said they didn't last six months. MR. SCOTT: Hi. My name is Torn Scott I'm the general manager of Oliver's Markets. And I guess my address is — my corporate address is 4 29 E. Cotati Avenue in Cotati. I've come here today just mostly maybe to share my perspective as a local grocer with you guys. The reality is when you build another grocery store, people don't need anymore groceries. It's a zero -sum gain. You know, whatever business Walmart would be able to attract with a new store is going to come out of all of us. You know, out of Pack, out of Oliver's, out of Safeway. And by the same token, the 85 jobs that they claim they're going to create is also part of the LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 that's the connection just with our store. And I think — I think my time is up. Thank you. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. Okay. Kelly Rajala, Mark Wolfe, Gail O'Leary, Colkeen McGlynn, Adam Reader. MR. ADAMS: Madam Mayor and Council, I'm William Adams. 716 Brett Avenue, Rohnert Park. I've been here about almost 35 years. LIM, low prices. Always. Low prices. Always. Walmart's mantra. But how do you get that. Low prices on somebody else's back. Always. Low prices on somebody else's back. Always. I was rather surprised and grated to hear that some of the other grocery stores have some pretty good living wages . Over $20 dollars an hour, nearly 20. Double or better than Wal mart's. And glad to hear that. But I think there's going to be some little wedges going in if Wal mart — if you allow Wal mart to expand. You're going to get a pizza shop in there. You're going to get a couple of floral shops, garden shops, a deli. Probably the biggest deli in town. And I can tell you that I'm an electrical contractor, and I've been an electrician for about 60 -some years, and I can tell you that the trades — all LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 150 152 the trades get lots better wages than 12 .25 an hour. Carpenters, electricians, dry wall, plumbers, and any of the other trades are way better than — way over twice, three times, four times, five times Wal mart's wages. So, don't let us down. Stick by your Planning Commission. Thank you. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. Next speaker. MR. WOLFE: Good evening, Madam Mayor and Members of the Council. My name is M ark Wolfe. I'm a land use and CEQA attorney. My address is 49 Geary Street in San Francisco. I'm here tonight on behalf of the California Healthy Communities Network. And I would just like to say to start that you should give your stenographer a bonus for what she's doing here tonight. There's very little that Walmart's attorney and 1 agree on, but one thing we do agree on is that the focus tonight properly is real ly the EIR and your General Plan. And 1 would like to address what I would view as a somewhat creative spin that I've heard tonight on both of these documents. First, with regard to the EIR. It concludes that there are four significant, unmitigated, unavoidable impacts of this project. What I heard LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 153 employment benefit is illusory. In the long run, 1 . believe the evidence before you shows there is likely to be a net loss. So, please take that into consideration tonight. 1 appreciate your time. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. MS. RAJALA: My name is Kelly Rajala. I'm the director of the Go Local Cooperative. And our office is at 900 College Avenue in Santa Rosa. This project is bad for local business. Its bad For the regional economy, and it's inconsistent with the General Plan. First, bad for local business. As stated in the EIR, this project will close Pacific Market and impact other independent, locally owned businesses in Rohnert Park. In this contracting economy with no recovery in sight, this should be your biggest concern. along with the resulting urban decay. Second, it's bad for the regional economy. As Thomas Scott from Oliver's said, and in this case we tallied over 60 local Sonoma county businesses that work with Pack Market, this encompasses over 42 00 local jobs. Because they are local , Pack Market has the latitude to make decisions on where they buy their 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 earlier was tantamount to saying , "Yeah, but that doesn't really mean they're significant and unavoidable. They would happen anyway. And we sort of had to find them significant and unavoidable, because the County is responsible for mitigation and you aren't," and a lot of kind of wishy -washy backpedaling. I'd like to say that CEQA is very dear. If the impact is significant and is traceable to the project, the E I identifies it as such. This project will have significant and unavoidable traffic impacts in your community. Maybe the County will fix them, maybe they won't, but those impacts nevertheless will be felt here in the City. Make no mistake, those impacts are very real. And those are just the impacts that the EIR discloses. We would submit that the evidence before you shows that there's going to be a large host of other significant, unavoidable impacts as well that need to be taken into consideration. Your job tonight is to balance those impacts against the purported benefits of the project. What are those benefits ? 1 would submit to you that any tax revenue benefit is illusory. This is a grocery expansion. I would submit to you that any LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 products and services. Wal mart will not buy local bread, eggs, milk, meat, beer, or wine from Sonoma County producers, farmers, dairies, wineries or breweries. They also will not do their banking, marketing, printing with local businesses. They won't use local CPAs, attorneys, or graphic designers. This is the multiplier effect that many have mentioned tonight. All those additional economic transactions will be lost permanently and jeopardize hundreds if not thousands of local jobs. We need to think of the long -term impact of this decision, think about local control, and the local economic resilience. In this county, one of the only bright spots is locally grown food. Local food and local manufactured goods need local outlets. Wal mart does not sell local products. It was mentioned earlier, the word "lifeline," which I love. Our local businesses are the lifeline to our local community and local jobs. Finally, No. 3, it is clear that this project is inconsistent with General Plan. Please up hold your Planning Commission's decision, vote for local business, and show the community that you support them. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. Next speaker. MR. READER: Good evening. My name is Adam. LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 155 154 156 I live in Santa Rosa, California. Of course. I just want you guys to know about the jobs that we need in California. And this past two years, people lost their jobs, but Wal mart has been helping to find new jobs for (inaudible). Last year I lost my job at the Hyatt due to the economy not that good. But 1 found a job at Goodwill, so I'm grateful. But if I knew Wal mart was hiring, I would work for Goodwill and make the bus trip to Wal mart and work for them, if I worked for Wal mart. I work —1 go to Petaluma to work . Take the bus, and I'm comfortable with it. A lot of people will — probably wouldn't take the bus to Walmart to shop. 1 take the bus to FoodMaxx to shop. I'm going to take the bus to Walmart to shop. And also, I realize it's going to be open 24 hours. How many people — like, say if you want to go out and buy some wine at twelve o'clock in the evening. You could go to the liquor store, pay t he extra five bucks, or you could go to Walmart, buy the same kind of wine for cheaper, or a steak at 12:00 a.m. or 12:00 p.m., or whatever you want to buy. Wal mart is going to be there for cheaper. Also , other places like FoodMaxx will be also cheap er. I'm nervous, so l do apologize. LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 157 We have something unique here in this county. Rohnert Park is at the geographic center of Sonoma County. And we have an incredibly symbiotic relationship of growers, farmers, producers, intermediaries such as Clover's processers an d many other distributors. And ultimately retailers. That symbiotic relationship only exists if all partners understand the importance of that and the value of that, and how that relationship truly holds the fabric of communities together. In my opinion, my humble opinion, there are antitheses of that fabric. It's important that we look at not just — and ultimately , everyone understand s, you know, the necessity for value and cheap food. But do understand that cheap food comes at a cost, an incredible cast. It's hard to ultimately materialize that cost. A lot of folks hinted at that, and it's difficult to understand the gravity of, you know, influx from overseas and everywhere else. But ultimately, if one looks at the sum of those costs and balances that against the f abric of the community, I think that the decision is ultimately a relatively easy one. Thank you so much for your time, and best of 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 But my point is, people do need jobs. People is willing to take the bus to Wal mart for the their jobs. I do it. I live i n Santa Rosa. It takes me about an hour to get to work and an hour home, and'[ don't mind it to go to work in Petaluma an d take the bus. And I know people is willing to take the bus to work, to Walmart. Thank you. I hope you guys pass this bill. MAYOR STAFFORD: Gary Crane, Bill Weber, Steven Butler, Scot Stegeman. MR. BENNEDITTI: Good evening. I'm Marcus Benneditti. I'm President of Clover Stometta Farms at 5401 Old Redwood Highway in Petaluma, California. And you folks have a tough, tough job. I don't envy you at all. And I'm only hop ing to offer a bit of brief perspective. You've heard all the facts and all the figures and all the anecdotal stories and compelling arguments clearly on both sides. When it comes right down to the essence of the decision, ft's what you envision for you r. community, your home. Not just for the City of Rohnert Park, but for the County, for Sonoma County. We are blessed with such an incredible fabric of diversified economy, agriculture being an incredible base within our county. LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 1 luck to you all. 2 MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. 3 MR. SNYDER: My name is Arte Snyder. I reside 4 at 333 Enterprise Drive, Apartment 36 herein Rohnert, 5 Park. And many of you I may be familiar with my mom, 6 who is a former Councilmember. Her name is Vicki 7 Vidak - Martinez. 8 I'd like to support the expansion of Walmart, 9 because I'm a Type 2 diabetic who spends a great deal of 10 money on medication and supplies, and can barely make 11 ends meet. We need the expansion of Walmart so that 12 people like myself can buy groceries.at affordable 13 prices. 14 And for the record, I work at FoodMaxx. I 15 work at FoodMaxx, which is a union store. And although 16 1 support Walmart and their expansion, I'm not 17 anti - union. 18 Thank you. 19 MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. ?0 Okay. Anisia Robinson, Jeff Maertins, Roger ?1 Carillo. ?2 MR. STEGEMAN: Scot Stegeman, 1430 High School ?3 Road, Sebastopol. I've been a planning and CEQA .4 consultant in Northern California for 25 years. 15 I'm going to pass this to the clerk. LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 159 158 160 (Indicating) (Handout provided to City Clerk.) In the interest of time, I'm just going to summarize what's in there and reference some of the attachments. I'm here not to talk about values, but about the law. Because the law compels you. Values may drive you, but the law compels action. This project is inconsistent with the General Plan and for more policies than had previously been naryied. Policy HS -13 of your General Plan requires that a project be assessed against and determined to be consistent with two City documents an d one County document relative to solid waste management and recycling. No such evaluation or assess ment has occurred. It's nowhere in the administrative record. You're not in compliance with that mandatory General Plan policy. As such, the project cannot move forward at this time. Policy CD-55 requires a dedicated pedestrian pathway through retail shopping center parking lots. No such pathway exists. That is not a discretionary policy. To be consistent with that policy, you need to create that pathway in this parking lot. Wal mart has LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312-9040 161 opportunity to fix k. Now they want an expansion an d intensification of use, and they are still not proposing to upgrade a parking lot that looks like a refugee from the 19 50s. That's unacceptable in a city that wants to move forward on sustainability and green build ing practices. . Thank you. MR. MAERTINS: Jeffrey David Maertins. 1044 Golf Course Drive, Rohnert Park, California. I am in opposition to the expansion. I was on the fence. I buy my Grape -Nuts at Walmart, my sour dough baguette at Pacific Market. I like them both. The day after the preceding hearing , which it, was denied, the expansion, we got a call . My partner, she shared this call with me. It was an informal survey from a third patty, and they used rhetorical devices to try to fool her into answering in support of the expansion of Wal mart. You could tell. In light of that, 1 do get my food now at Wal mart, my Grape -Nuts. There is food at Wal mart, so, we have this contemporary outside -of- the -box idiom. Figure of speech. Why not instead stay inside the box and expand the Wal mart within the current structure. Take — use Target as an example. They have just redone their food 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 not done so. This is not option al. This a mandatory policy, and there are graphic render, ings in your General Plan that make it very Gear that having people walk down drive aisles is not a substitute to a dedicated pedestrian pathway as required by your General Plan. You have no choice on those two policies. Moreover, the parking lot itself violates your zoning code. It does not qualify as a legal nonconforming use, and t he documentation of that is in the packet. Therefore, they have to redo the entire landscaping plan. They have to double the number of trees that will be in that area. They have to relocate drive aisles. And also under the zoning code , they have to create the dedicated pedestrian pathway. That's nonnegotiable under the General Plan. Absent that, the project cannot be approved. My last comment is again on the parking lot . And that is, the parking lot in a way is the face of Wal mart. And what it suggests is that they are willing to spend money where they want to, where it benefits them. They've had that parking lot for a long time. If it mattered to them to make it look good and present a good face to the community, they've had ample LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 section. They have frozen. They have deli. All within the existing boundaries. Or as another idea, and that idea is — if you put your creative energies to work it will bring out originality in your thoughts and your ideas without expansion — take the garden se ction and just eliminate it, helping the local nurseries, which are going out of business — just go right down over the highway and you'll see this firsthand — and make that section your food section. There are alternative s. Its not a black- and -white thing. So, the moral of my story, as 1 support your opposition of the expansion, there are other means by, which to reach your goals. Thank you. MS. ROBINSON: Good evening, Mayor Stafford and Councilmembers. My name is Anisia Robinson. I live at 1340 Graymill Court in Rohnert Park. I've been a resident of Ro hnert Park for over 30 years, and I've raised three children now grown. I've volunteered in the city, and I've worked in this community. I've actually worked at the Mountain Shadows Plaza for over 25 years. First with Roger Wilco, and now with Pacific Market. I know firsthand what a necessity and a bonus LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415.) 312 -9040 LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 163 162 164 this type of local market and center is to a neighborhood. I moved to Rohnert Park way back when because of the amenities that Rohnert Park offered. Small neighborhoods with schools an d parks located in each neighborhood. Rohnert Park is a family- oriented city with facilities that one can walk or bike to. It's a safe, family - friendly community. The addition of the Mountain Shadows Plaza 25 years ago just solidified the neighborhood concept for me. The City Council and Oversight Committee, who did extensive research and then developed a General Plan for Rohnert Park, had the wisdom and foresight to see the value of such planning. The vision of the General Plan is to preserve the quality of life and community character of Rohnert Park. Walmart's expansion flies in the face of our General Plan. It does not maximize residents' accessibility to neighborhood shopping centers. It does not ensure supermarkets are located close to where people live. The expansion will, in fact, lead to the exact opposite. . Wal mart's expansion plan should, and were rightly denied by the Planning Commission back in April. Walmart is here already. It gets its fair share already. No one is telling anyone you can or can not LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 165 Cotati, and they're all for Rohnert Park expanding. But they don't have to live with what's left behind. We do. People like myself. The people that already work at Pacific Market and other small markets — small markets in town will be left with what grief this causes us. Not those people from Santa Rosa that are happy for us to get a Walmart. Anyway. Thank you for listening. MAYOR STAFFORD: Okay. We're going to take another recess. The transcriber needs a break. (Off the record from 10:07 p.m. until 10:18 p.m.) MAYOR STAFFORD: (Indicating) I'm going to get the next five names. MS. ROBESON: Connie Robeson. I live at 5023 Country Club Drive in Rohnert Park. I've lived here for 20 years. And I like where I live. And I like Pacific Market And its going to be put out of business if Wal mart is allowed its expansion. And 1 love walk ing to the store. That's really important to neighborhoods. We need neighborhoods. We don't need urban blight And local businesses need to be supported. As you can guess, I'm opposed to the expansion of Wal mart. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 shop at Walmart. Rohnert Park currently has so many grocery shopping choices for all different economic levels. From Safeway, Costco, Target, and all the others you've heard tonight In this current economy, any decline in business for some of the smaller independents like Pacific Market would be disastrous. The addition of an expanded Walmart grocery would tip the scales just enough to have a disastrous effect on many local business' vendors. Not only Pack Market. Please do not put at risk the businesses that currently exist and are consistent with the policies and visions of the General Plan. The fact is, if Wal mart can't play by the rules set forth by the City, then it can't and shouldn't be allowed to expand in our city. Don't let it be this City Council's legacy as the Council that top pled the first domino triggering the beginning of the end of the quality of life, livelihood, a nd success of so many Rohnert Park residents . Please uphol d the decision made by your Planning Commission an d deny the Wal mart expansion. Just one note. I noticed so many people are here that don't live in Rohnert Park, that haven't lived in Rohnert Park. They live in Santa Rosa, Petaluma, LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 1 Um, other cities in the Bay Area don't want 2 Walmart. And to contradict another speaker, people in 3 California, especially in the North Bay, are on the 4 leading edge of how communities are organized. We're 5 not behind the rest of the country. We're ahead of the 6 rest of the country. 7 So — and there are — another thing is, there 8 are many places to shop with vary ing price ranges, and 9 Walmart would be a major, major redundancy. And who 10 needs that. 11 And also, I don't even know of it's been 12 settled, but wasn't there a lawsuit filed against 13 Walmart by individuals who were overlooked for 14 persuasion — overlooked for promotion? And were they 15 of the female persuasion? Is that — 1 think that's 16 what — what went on. Like, women weren't getting 17 promoted. That's what I've seen on TV. That's bad 18 news. 19 And then the last thing I have to say is, 1 ?0 want to live near Mountain Shadows to shop, and I do not ?1 want to live under the shadow of Wal mart. I've been in .2 Walmart once. 1 was aghast, and IT n ever walk in 13 there again. It's not my place to shop. ..4 So, please vote against the expansion of 15 Walmart. LEONARD REPORTING_SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 167 166 168 Thankyou. Good -bye. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. Next speaker. MS. FREUND: I'm Shannon Freund. I live at 1044 Golf Course Drive. I actually got out of my jam mies to come down here. 1, like a lot of families, have been affected by the unemployment, by the layoffs. However, 1 'm still against the Walmart expansion. 1 think we're at a stage where we need to weigh being green with economics. We have tow eigh living wages versus personal finances. I did not have to rush to find an apartment. 1 took four months to choose my apartment. I've been at Gold Course Drive for six years now. I overlook a park. 1 chose that location, because 1 was already banking with Patelco Credit Union, which is a cross the street. I do shopping at. Pack Market, as well as other places. I can say I have visited an d done business with almost all of the businesses in Mountain Shadows Plaza. I hate to see that suffer. Like other people, if Walmart wants to start doing the groceries, I think they should do it within their square footage that they already have, similar to what Target did. Because once that green area gets paved over, its not coming back. LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 169 to their own advantage with little fear of prosecution. So, basically, anti -trust and the merits of preventing big monopolies from just decimating small businesses is now up to protection at the local level . And what we would like to see in Petaluma and all across the county is local governments standing up for local economies. So, please do the right thing and uphold the ruling. Thank you. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. Next speaker. MS. GILBERT: My name is Shirley Gilbert. I live at 163 Fescue Way, Rohnert Park. I support the expansion of Walmart. My friends, family, myself, neighbors, and most of the seniors of Rohnert Park all shop at Walmart, because I hear their stories . What 1 am about to say is a little different. I care, and I'm concemed about the seniors and the handicapped who have to take tax is or ride their scooters to Walmart — because I see them — because their medications are low -priced and their sundries, et cetera, all at low price. Then they have to go on to grocery stores for fruits, foods, and veggies. This is 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 6 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 So, thank you very much. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. Next speaker. MR. AXELROD: Good evening. My name is Dale Axelrod. I'm a carpet bagger from Petaluma who is opposed to the Walmart expansion. I'm just referencing the woman who said that people who are here all in favor of this were from out of town. Earlier tonight somebody mentioned this book. I don't know if everyone has re ad this. (Indicating) Big -Box Swindle. If you have any doubts about up holding the Planning Commission's recommendation, I suggest that you read this. You will sleep well at night knowing you're going to make the right decision by up holding the Planning Commission. In trying to figure out a good — a new angle that hasn't been spoken about, I'd like to point out that in one of the middle chapters of this book , it details how from a federal and state level, anti -trust laws have been ignored over the past 50 years because of the corporate control that's exerted over the FCC and the Anti -Trust Division of the Justice Department. The result is predatory capitalism in which corporate retailers can use their size an d market power to undermine smaller rivals and tilt the playing field LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -90.40 so hard on these folks . With the expansion, we can ease their stress and save money buying everything under one roof. And the extra hours of operation of Walmart h elps the working people who can't afford to go to other stores. They can shop at Wal mart anytime. Thank you, and I hope you make the right decision. Good night. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. Okay. Lauren Ballard, Melanie Fleek, Candice Simmons, Mary Wallace, David Mejia. Okay. MS. BRUNS: Hi. My name is Danielle Bruns. I live at 4316 Heritage Lane. I grew up on Dorian Drive. 1 am a product of the Rohnert Park public school system and Sonoma State University. I'm currently a history instructor at Santa Rosa Junior College. I've lived her a all 28 years, because that's all that I have. The speaker prior to me mentioned that Walmart has been discriminating against women. A nd I just wanted to touch on that case , because the jobs that will be produced will take away from the existing jobs that do create opportunities for women. Wal mart has systematically discriminated LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 171 170 172 against women and are currently subject to the largest Gass action sex discrimination suit in American history. Dukes v. Walmart. The majority of Walmart's low -paid workers are — part-time workers are women with, usually, children. A lot of them wi nd up on public assist ance, so Dukes is representing those wom en that have been denied benefits and den ied opportunities for expansion in the company. I'm glad to see that there are some wom en in Walmart's management here tonight. That's good to see that they're getting better with that But the 1.6 million women that are suing were discriminated against and are suffering as a result of that I have not personally shopped at Walmart for over ten years because of that systematic sex discrimination against women there. So, research bears that wom en are discriminated against and are the majority of their employees. So, I ask that you please take that into account when making this decision, that this is suppose d to be a family community, that you would be hurting the women of Rohnert Park who are trying to support their children, who wind up, usually, on public assistance LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 173 Sonoma County voters have decided to make a significant investment in our community by voting in the SMART train. Approving Walmart's expansion will Close off opportunities for land use development around the Rohnert Park SMART train station. This type of development is economically shortsighted. Using the land around the SMART station for mixed -use building, local businesses, and affordable housing is part of our vision for building a walkable, bikeable, and economically viable community. If we are going to make a serious investment to create an environmentally and economically sustainable community, we need to start now. Thank you. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. MS. SIMMONS: My name is Candace S immons. I'm a Field Trainer for Sonoma County Conservation Action, and 1 personally collected over 500 — MAYOR STAFFORD: State your address. MS. SIMMONS: Oh. 925 Mendocino Avenue, Apartment A, Santa Rosa. I personally collected over 500 of the postcards. I spoke to everyone in the public, and out of all of the apartment complexes and low- income housing places I went to, all of the people, they supported the 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 programs like Women and Infant Children or on MediCal. And that takes away from the taxpayers, and that takes away from money that should be supporting schools like the ones that I teach at. So, I want you to remember that nothing will be gained, because groceries are not taxable: But for those people that will lose their w ell- paying jobs, they have everything to lose. Thank you. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. Next speaker. MS. BALLARD: Hello. My name is Lauren Ballard. I live at 2746 Westberry Drive in Santa Rosa. And I am the Assistant Field Manager at Sonoma County Conservation Action. I grew up in Rohnert Park next to Creekside Middle School. When I lived here, 1 walked and rode my bike to school, to local businesses, to Sono ma State University, and to the closest local grocery store, which was Safeway. One time only 1 crossed the Highway 101 overpass on my bike to get to the other side, and I would never do it again. Putting a grocery store on this side of the 101 does not support the growth of a walkable and bikeable community. LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 local stores, the ethnic markets. And I grew up in El Verano in Sonoma Valley. And I relied on my local grocery store and ethnic markets to get the prices I need ed, because we didn't have the money to get by. And now that I live in Santa Rosa and I'm seeing my friends go to Walmart, I just say, "Why are you wasting gas ?" You know. "You can find it here." And I go to Farmers Market, 1 go to Grocery Outlet, I go to FoodMaxx, and I find prices that are lower. I ask my friends for food out of their gardens if I'm having a hard time. We have our community , and we can't let that go to some big -box store sending all of their profits out of the state. We need our money here. We're R struggling. We really need everything we can get. And we can't lose those jobs. They mean everything to us. One thing: Like, the Walmart workers, they are offered insurance, but it's at a really high cost. It's upwards of $150 a month per person. If you're making 12 bucks an hour, you can't afford that for your kids, you can't afford that for yourself. And we need really good, well - paying jobs with benefits. Thank you for your time. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 - LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 175 174 176 Okay. Susan Kilmer, Steve Wilson, Rue Furch, Rose Stiles, Chip Atkin. Go ahead. MS. WALLACE: My name is Mary Wallace. I live at 5370 Daywalt Lane in Sebastopol. I am a Walmart . employee. I have been for three years. If it wasn't for Walmar t, I wouldn't be here today. 1 lived in the Midwest. My parents became ill, and Walmart let me transfer here with all my benefits. I was very concerned about moving back to California just because of the job situation. I arrived here with open arms. They — I didn't lose any pension. 1 didn't lose any vacation pay, or anything. I walked into the job. And I checked about a half a dozen other companies, and they wouldn't even consider it So, I'm very much for the — they treat their people very well. Thank you. MAYOR STAFFORD:. Thank you. MS. FURCH: My name is Rue Furch. I I ive on High School Road in Sebastopol. I just got off an airplane and came directly to this hearing. And I really want to applaud your diligence in having to put up with this. LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 Iril consistent. So, those two statement are inaccurate. And I'm hoping that you, by virtue of the recommendation of the Planning Commission , will take that under consideration and recognize the flaw in their logic. And I hope you'll uphold the Planning Commission's recommendation. Thank you. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. MR. ATKIN: I'm Chip Atkin. 1 five at 901 West Street in Petaluma. And I want to compliment you. You've run a very good meeting and fair process with one exception. Early in the evening, I — there was an empty seat here, an emp ty seat there, and I asked security about — MAYOR STAFFORD: Do you want to make a comment about the subject matter? MR. ATKIN: Yeah, I will. I just want to say, because of the angle of the TV, they were allowed to pack the front row, because the seats were reserved for them. And that's not quite fair. But I do shop in Rohnert Park. I go to a gym close by, and my work takes me around the county. And I'm shopping here. And the arguments about low wages is 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 I was on the Planning Commission for 18 years and was the President of the Statewide Planning Commissioners Association, so I have some knowledge of CEQA and planning I aw. And so, the reason that I've chosen to speak is because the Applicant made a statement in their presentation earlier, and it is inaccurate. And I wanted to draw that to your attention, because 1 know the basis of your decision this evening needs to be made on what the law requires. The Rohnert Park City Council adopts a General Plan. The statement that was made earlier was that the General Plan didn't have to be adhered to in toto, that there were all thes a points that you had to comply with. Some of them, but apparently not all of them, according to the Applicant. When the General Plan is adhered to — your General Plan does not say, "substantially in compliance with," except in instances when it means that. There is nowhere where it allows you to vary from what your General — your adopted General Plan requires of you. It also is required to be internally . consistent. And 1 know that the staff and yourselves, probably, if you sat on the General Plan update, went to great lengths to make sure that it is i nternally LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 31.2 -9040 cothmpelling , and it used to be my primary decision about what stores 1 shopped at And then I began to realize at the concentration of stores, the concentration of economic power, and what the gentleman was talking about, the monopoly an d oligarchy, it tends to homogenize the businesses and given them undue power. And the concern about — that low -income people have about low prices is, that helps low -income people. But the ability of a big company to drive down wages creates more low -income people. And that's a problem. And the homogenizing of and centralizing of commerce goes against your plan to h ave neighborhood s, businesses, and decentralize. And then the other point is, I heard a rumor attributed to an employee of Wal mart that they plan to sell groceries within the current store irrespective of your decision. So, they don't need to expand to give their customers the choice s they ask for. If they really care about the customers, they can provide the low -cost groceries within the current footprint. Thank you. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. MS. STILES: Good evening. My name is Rose Stiles. 609 Mountain View Avenue, S anta Rosa. I am an LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 179 178 180 employee of Walmart. And my title is not a lawyer, I don't own the store, but 1 am a grandmother. And I'm trying to save, along with the rest of my family , money to send our children to college. And because of Wa Imart hiring me, I am not on welfare. I get vacations, I get sick pay, I get. personal days, and we get bonuses. And no, I did not have to wait two years to get benefits. I don't know where that came from. I worked there three months, got my benefits. I do not pay $200 for my benefits. I worked at a hotel years ago, and I also had to wait three months for my benefits. I thank Wal mart, because I'm not on Welfare. And I can afford my food. I don't take food stamps from anybody. I'm proud of what I do , and I support Wal mart. Thank you. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. MR. WILSON: My name is Steve Wilson. I I ive at 1820 Primavera Court in Santa Rosa, California. And 1 teach math at Sonoma State University, and I'm a member of the California Faculty Association. And I'm our chapter's delegate to the N orth Bay Central Labor Council. LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES; INC. (415) 312 -9040 combat union formation following the incentives set up in unbalanced U.S. labor laws that tilt the playing field decidedly in favor of anti -union application. It's also not alone in. violating U.S. labor laws in taking advantage of ineffective labor law enforcement, but Walmart stands out With sheer magnitude and aggressiveness of this anti -union (Inaudible) and actions. Based on our research, we conclude that the cumulative effect of Walmart's monopoly and anti-union tactics is to deprive its workers of their international ly recognized right to organize. Walmart also opposes the Employee Free Choice Act. And this is significant, because union jobs are better - paying jobs, and good pay stimulates the economy. The — Walmart is — you know, they're — MAYOR STAFFORD: You have to wrap up your comments. MR. WILSON: Yes. — they're saying that the best thing about them is their low prices. Low prices depress the econom y. And what will happen if Wal mart is allowed to expand is that Rohnert Park will win d up with less tax revenue. LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (41 5) 312 -9040 181 183 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 And I would direct the Council's attention to a series of three letters, one from of the Living Wage Coalition of Sonoma County, one from the Sonoma County Conservation Action , and one from the Sierra Club. And the one from the Sierra Club, I'd like to read into the record. The North Bay Central Labor Council is concerned that Walmart is the largest employer and the most anti -union corporation in America. Wa Imart employees have no labor protection and are systematically denied the right to organize a union and to bargain collective ly for better paying wages and working conditions. As a consequence of Walmart's legal and illegal union- busting tactics, not one Walmart store in the United States is unionized. After an extensive two-year investigation of Walmart's labor practices that included interviewing dozens of former Walmart workers and managers, the respected 1 ntemational Organization of Human Rights Watch, in a 2007 report, concluded Walmart is a case study in what is wrong with U.S. labor laws. It is not alone amongst U.S. companies in its effort to LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 So, 1 urge you to uphold the Planning Commission's ruling. Thank you. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. So, that was the last speaker card that I had. Did anybody else have a speaker card that didn't get called? COUNCILMEMBER CALLINAN: You called his name. (Indicating) MAYOR STAFFORD: I did? COUNCILMEMBER CALLINAN: Yes, MAYOR STAFFORD: Okay. MR. MEJIA: Dave Mejia. I live at 271 Arlen Drive. I work at FoodMaxx. The only thing I've got to say is, at FoodMaxx we welcome competition , but the only question we have, or I have, is, a majority of you guys appointed these guys on the Planning Commission, and the Planning Commission spoke. And they denied this. I just want to say thanks for wasting the public 's time. They denied it. You guys appointed them. They denied the passing of Walmart's expansion. So, I really don't know what I'm doing here tonight. 1 really don't. You guys appointed most of these guys on the Planning Commission. They denied the expansion. I LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 182 184 really don't know what we're doing here tonight. - That's all I got to say. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. MR. MEJIA: Thank you for your time. I appreciate it. MAYOR STAFFORD: Okay. Did anyone else not get a chance to speak that wanted to? (No response) MAYOR STAFFORD: All right. I am going to dose the public hearing. (Whereupon, the Public Hearing was dosed at 10:42 p.m.) RESOLUTIONS FOR ADOPTION . MAYOR STAFFORD: I want to thank everyone for their respectful behavior to speakers. No one got out of hand, and we are very appreciative of that. Thank you very much. Before we go on and the Council starts talking about this, I'd like to give the staff some time to have any comments that they might have. PLANNING AND BUILDING MANAGER PONTON: Thank LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES,. INC. (415) 312 -9040 185 state laws. The speaker purported that we were not consistent with the other state laws. The condition also excluded this state and other state laws. So, there is a state law that is required regarding this matter. So, that matter has been covered. Additionally, the speaker made reference to noncompliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. That is not correct. The project analysis an d the conditions of approval explicitly state that the applicant must be in compliance and me et Title 24 ADA requirements. And in the original packet that you have as Exhibit 1 in the binder that was reviewed at Planning Commission, an exhibit showing the ADA path of travel which was required from the public right -of -way to the store is spelled out and illustrated. So, ADA requirements are explicit ly stated as a requirement. And the Applicant must comply with it before a Certificate of Occupancy would be issued regarding ADA. Additionally, the Applicant made reference to landscaping and the current condition of the landscaping in the parking lot area. The project tonight regarding the site plan 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 you, Madam Mayor. The staff would like to respond and enter into the record some clarifications regarding a couple of points that were brought up by one of the speakers, so I'll take those in order in which they were brought up. There was a m after that was brought up regarding the project has not addressed — or, the EIR has not addressed recycling an d current requirements for such. That is incorrect. The EIR has addressed recycling an d waste management issues. I'll go ahead and talk about the Conditions of Approval that were derived from the initial analysis, and then I'll have Mr. Grant Gruber follow up on where that is addressed in the mitigation measures. Condition of Approval 32 in the packet tonight that complies to the site plan and architectural review and sign program approval relates to recycling and the requirements that must be met by the Applicant for the project that are set out by the Sonoma County Waste Management Agency. Additionally, Condition No. 62 sets out criteria regarding the handling of waste materials. What was important to call out in that condition as it relates to the speaker's comment was a number of other LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 and architectural review relates to the proposed project. In the staff analysis, staff acknowledged that some landscaping must be up graded to meet our current design review requirements , and the Applicant submitted a concept plan which covered those issues relating to a number of new trees, upgrading the berm area framing Redwood Drive, installing drip landscaping irrigation, and some water - tolerant landscaping also. So, staff, in their analysis an d what you find in your conditions of approval, Nos. 24, 25, 26, relates to those issues. So, the parking lot trees, landscaping, and drip irrigations are taken into consideration. There is some reconfiguration of the parking spaces. And briefly, to address parking spaces,.there's a complete analysis it your Exhibit 1 binder. The total requirement — or, excuse me. The project proposes 785 spaces, a total which includes an additional 225 — excuse me — 229 more vehicle spaces than is currently required by our code. So , that is met and is a condition of approval. So, actually , they can be somewhat over - parked. So, everything is met as far as parking spaces. So, with that, I can turn it over to Mr. Gruber, and he will review the actual mitigation LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC_ (415) 312 -9040 LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 187 i[Yy 188 measures that are a definite requirement of the Mitigation Monitoring Plan that is required by the EIR analysis on those issues. So there is another area where these issues are a condition and requirement. So, I'll turn it over to Grant now. Thank you. MR. GRUBER: As Marilyn said, the EIR sets forth mitigation measures for solid waste and industrial facilities. Mitigation Measure PSU 6-A states that the Applicant is required to retain a qualified contractor to perform construction and demolition debris recycling, and they are obligated to provide documentation to the City to the satisfaction of the City demonstrating that construction and demolition debris was recycled. And again, there's some additional Conditions of Approval associate d with that. Those would be all tied together. And Mitigation Measure PSU -68 also requires that the Applicant must prepare and submit a recycling and waste - reduction plan to the City of Rohnert Park for review an d approval. As part of that, City staff will verify whether it meets City requirements for mitigating source reduction and recycling elements as (Inaudible) in the General Plan. LEONARD - REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 project. DEPT. OF DEV. SERVICES JENKINS: And finally, I would like to make one clarification on comments it hat Ms. Burke made about comments that Ms. Montesinos made early on in tonight's testimony. And that relates to, there may have been an implication that this project was not consistent with current policies of the City's General Plan, and that conclusion s and analysis in the EIR are that this project is, in fact, consistent with the City's General Plan policies. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. So, does the staff have any comments? All right. So, Council. Questions of staff. COUNCILMEMBER CALLINAN: I actually have no questions of staff. COUNCILMEMBER BREEZE: All my questions have been answered. Thank you. MAYOR STAFFORD: Councilmember Mackenzie? COUNCILMEMBER MACKENZIE: No. We heard the public. We heard the staff. VICE MAYOR BELFORTE: No questions. MAYOR STAFFORD: Okay. So, we'll start the (Inaudible) and see what — LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. 1415) 312 -9040 189 191 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 And the plan also must identify on -site facilities and operational practices that ensure that the recyclable materials and green waste are diverted from the solid waste. So, I think there's a high degree of certainty that there will be waste- reduction and recycling facilities and practices implemented with this project. And just briefly on the pedestrian front, we also set forth the mitigation measure in here. Mitigation measure (Inaudible). It says: The project applicant shall install pedestrian circulation i mprovement s within the project site. The improvements shall consist of enhancing existing pedestrian facilities linking surrounding commercial uses and street frontages with crosswalk markings, sidewalks, pavement treatments, or other appropriate measures to create a safe and convenient path of travel. And also; it's required to be coordinated with the mitigation measure that pertains to providing an enhanced bus stop for Sonoma County transit. Again, we believe this provide s a high degree of certainty that pedestrian facilities as contemplated by the General Plan policy would be provided by this LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 CITY ATTORNEY KENYON: I'm sorry. If we could just remind Council that prior to making any statements that you put on the record any ex parte contacts that you've had outside of this hearing so that we can be aware of them . COUNCILMEMBER CALLINAN: Okay. For the record, I have met with Ken Silveira of Pacific Market. And I also met with Angie Stoner from Walmart. Those are the two people I've met with. First of all, I want to tell everybody thank you for showing up and giving your opinions. We do take this very seriously. It's a big decision. Everybody was cordial tonight. Everybody was allowed their opinion. That's what makes America what it is. 1 want everybody in the public to know that if you look at some of these books that we got, the draft EIRs, all the paperwork, I mean, we have more paperwork here for a little addition on a Walmart than our forefathers had when they wrote the Constitution. I mean, we were in undated with paperwork here. We have talked on this Council for some time about economic development. We've been pushing that and pushing that. And now we have a store that's been in town for over 18 years. And ft's been a good patron. You know, we get quite a bit of tax money from this LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040. 190 192 Walmart for the last 18 years. As Ms. Stoner said tonight, it was a little over $600,000 that we got last year. That's a lot of money for a city that needs tax revenue. One of my questions to here today — and she answered it tonight — was, What kind of revenue does the store get after the supercenter comes in? ' . Thirty -five percent increase, she says. That's another $200,000 to a city that need s money. That's a lot of money for us. Um, you know, people have said that stores are going to go out of business. I've been here my whole life. Wal mart's been here 18 years. I can't think of one business that they have put out of business so far in Rohnert Park. Um, I just don't see that. Um, we talk about Pack Market. I shop at Pack Market. Quite often. I'll still continue to shop at Pacific Market. Everybody that supports Pack Market and thinks they're going to go out of business, keep shopping at Pacific Market. That's all we have to do. I mean, it is a neighborhood s tore, and I think it's a great little store. If everybody thinks that we're all going to rush to Wal mart, that's not going to happen. Wal mart brings in people from all over LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 benefits will not out weigh the significant impacts _ I think the benefits are much greater. I think that we just — we can't not overtum the Planning Commission . Again, we have been preaching economic development, and here we have one of our biggest sales tax companies in Rohnert Park wanting to expand. I think we would be — we would look really silly if we didn't agree with that. So, I'm not going to give a long speech. It's going to be short. You're going to hear from all of us, I'm sure. So, that's where I stand with this. 1 don't see how we can overturn it — or, how we can keep it the same. I think we have to overturn the Planning Commission's decision. I feel that the Planning Commission didn't do their job. And yes, we did appoint the Planning Commission. And shame on them for making that decision and returning it to us, because that was their job. So, with that, I'll pass it on. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. Before we go on, it's almost eleven o'clock. Our protocol determines that we need to vote to (Inaudible). So, does someone want to make a motion? LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 193 195 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 the area. Its going to bring us, again, tax revenue that we need. So, I don't think that were going put Pacific Market out of business. If pack Market goes out of business, I don't personally feel that it's because of Walmart. I disagree with that statement Traffic. We talked about the four areas of traffic. That's going to happen regardless . I mean, and it says that right in the EIR. It's going to happen regardless. We know that that freeway, after they put three lanes in, its still not enough. I mean, that's our government. I'm sorry. This is the way it is. We need more than putting in three. So, this is not going to affect that, I don't see. Um, I think there's just this feeling about Walmart, because they're the biggest privately -owned company in the world. They make a lot of money. . That's how America was founded. You can't knock them for that. 1 think some of our government should pay attention to how they're running their business. You know, we wouldn't be in the situation we're in right now. That's my opinion. We were told that we have to make legal findings to change this. decision. I can't see where the LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 VICE MAYOR BELFORTE: I'll make a motion. COUNCILMEMBER CALLINAN: I'll second. MAYOR STAFFORD: Okay. All those in favor? (Motion carries.) MAYOR STAFFORD: All right. Thank you. Councilmember Breeze. COUNCILMEMBER BREEZE: For the record, I have met with Angie Stoner, Alexis Smith, both representing Walmart. I've also talked to many of.you in the audience via phone , or I've listened to your voice mail. For the record, 1 do shop at Pacific Market a lot more often that I shop at Walmart. I live right around the corner from Pack Market, so I go there quite often. My daughter enjoys walking there and riding her bike now that she's at that age to have a little bit of freedom.. And 1 enjoy t he fact that I feel safe allowing her to do that. We are not here tonight to choose between Pacific Market and Wal mart, as many speakers tonight may have suggested. Doing so w ould imply that the Council has the wisdom of Solomon. We do not possess this wisdom, and on this point, I think we can all agree. Choosing between Pacific Market and Walmart is like a parent having to choose one child over another. LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 194 196 Both of these businesses our part of our community . By my definition, this makes them both local. They both employ local residents. They support local charities and contribute to the City's sales tax revenue. 1 want them both to succeed. and 1 want every business in Rohnert Park to succeed. The key to success of these businesses and others lies in each and every one of our hands. We have the power as consumers in a free market to shop what we support This Council is not tasked here tonight to choose which has more value to each of you. Local versus big box. Union versus non- union. Higher prices versus cheaper prices. These are all incredibly important decisions that deserve our attention. Tonight, however, this Council must decide whether to uphold the Planning Commission's decision to deny the certification of the Final EIR or to grant the appeal of the Commission's decision and certify the Final El and approve the proposed project. To do that, we must turn to the law. Specifically CEQA . Also, our General Plan. CEQA requires agencies to balance economic , legal, social, technological, or other benefits against significant impacts. LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. '(415) 312 -9040 197 not mitigated. It is in the report, but we don't have control. We're not the agency that would be mitigating that, so it has to be state d that it is a significant impact. I feel comfortable knowing that this project does have benefits that outweigh those significant impacts. And really, that is what we as Council are here to do tonight. We need to uphold the law, we need to apply the law, and we need to allow for this project to go forth. To do — to not do so, I believe. would be un- American. It does not — (Noise from the audience ) COUNCILMEMBER BREEZE: Pardon me. You know, when you were all up here speaking, I didn't laugh at you. 1 didn't make faces at you. I didn't jeer at you. And I would j ust ask that you give myself and the rest of the Councilmembers and staff the same sort of respect. These are my opinions. But my opinions also are based and rooted upon, I need to apply the law. That's what I was elected to do. I was elected to apply the law. How 1 feel about something personally is really not what needs to be decided upon tonight. That's what's very difficult for all of us sitting up 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 As Councilmember Callinan pointed out we have a gargantuan amount of p aperwork that has been supplied to us. I think my bag probably weighed 50 pounds that I brought in today from all the paperwork. We also have a host of professionals sitting to my left and to my right that have supplied us much information, that have gone through reports, analysis, and have supplie d all of this and weighed it all for us to weave through and figure out. And I'm here tonight to say that I feel confident that from the report that we have read from the General Plan that we as residents of Rohnert Park voted on back in 2000 — that there are benefits to this project that do outweigh the significant environmental impacts. As was stated tonight, those environmental impacts basically rest upon traffic. There's four areas of traffic. Each and every one of those areas of traffic, the report states those significant impacts are there regardless of if this project is built or not. They're already there. Three out of four of those are going to be mitigated, as the report suggests and states. And they have to be mitigated . The one that it states is not mitigated, that is because — well, it's not that it's LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 here. We probably all feel very different about this project. Those are — as one speaker said tonigh t, those are our values . But really, it's the law that compels us to action , as he said. And so, by law — and I feel comfortable that staff and the experts that we have hired have provided us the law and they've weighed it against this project. And the outcome was that the benefits of the project do outweigh the environmental impacts. Thank you. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. Councilmember Mackenzie. COUNCILMEMBER MACKENZIE: I'd just like to say what a well- mannered bunch you all are, and how persistent you all are with these operation s of government. We've had other public hearings in this city and the past couple of d ecades that have not been as peaceful an d well- behaved, and so for that, I give you my personal thanks. For the record, I had — I've had discussions with the owner of Pack Market and members of the staff. 1 have had discussion s with Walmart representatives who are in front of us tonight. I have had discussions with other people who have testified in LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 199 198 200 front of us tonight Specifically with Rob Eyler from SSU, with Soot Stegeman and other members of the coalition, which includes Sonoma County Conservation Action and the Economic Development Group.. And so, all these conversations I've had and have read the written material and to (Inaudible). This is an administrative process. We - this Council has options that we can pursue. It's laid out in the Staff Report. We may believe differently. And I think I will point out my beliefs and direction could be different from my colleagues here who have spoken already. But, we can legally, I believe, follow the options - one of the options that staff has laid out for us, which is. one, to grant the appeal of the Planning Commission's certification of the EIR for the proposed project, or we can approve the Planning Commission's decision, w hich has been appeal ed. And that is the denial of the certification . Or we are given a third option , and that is to modify the Planning Commission's decision for reasons different from the Planning Commission. All these we can do legally and properly. It's my intention to lay out a - a scenario LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9090 201 but I have had lengthy exposure to land -use law and to the practical workings of how we came about developing this General Plan and what has happened since that time. And so, when we had. as one of our themes, laid out at the beginning of this General Plan, which emphasizes balanced neighborhoods, stores and parks readily accessible to residents. I believe that is a very important statement. And in the context of this particular EIR discussion we are having , clearly some people don't believe that it's - you know, is applicable. But let me go on to say that we have not had reference to land -use policies. And that's the general theme of the General Plan . It was emphasized by placing two of these policies very deliberately in this document, that residents should have access to neighborhood commercial centers under LU -6, and that there should a maximization of accessibility of neighborhood stores under LU -7. And I believe that as a result of that decade of discussion - that it was very clear , as we put this General Plan together; that that emphasis was added for a very good reason, and that is, reflecting the history of this City of Rohnert Park and the way it grew from neighborhoods. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 which would lead us hope fully to modify the Planning Commission's decision for reasons different from those that they give. I will say that this book here (Indicating), which I have been accused in the past of carrying around, I've been accused of having it under my pillow while I sleep, the Rohnert Park General Plan, Our Place, Rohnert Park, 2010. I was one of its principal authors and was present almost exactly ten years to the day. July 25th. It's engraved upon my heart July 25th, ten years ago, was when - the year 2000 was when we adopted this General Plan. This General Plan update was a result of a decade of fierce political argument and debate and discussion in this city. It did not come out of a vacuum. I believe that the consistency that we accomplished within this General Plan was - was properly realized. I believe it is very internally consistent. I believe that we have a broad discretion as a city in controlling how our city grows and what constitutes quality of life in our city. And it is my belief - and I am not sitting here as an attorney. I have no qualifications as such, LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040- You've heard people tonight saying , "I'm from A section," or "B section," or what have you. Those of you who do not live in R ohnert Park probably don't realize that that's how we identify ourselves here when we talk to somebody, "Well, where do you live? I live in G section right up in the (Inaudible) there." And it was very important to the founders of the city, and it continues to be important, I believe, to the City Council and to all of us who work here that we preserve that concept of neighborhoods. All of that being said, I was particularly impressed when Mr. Benneditti was talking to us about, how do we envision our city, how. important is the fabric of our community, because it comes back to what we tried to do ten years ago. And so, it's very important for me to establish this context. So, I am going to ask this Council to night to modify the Planning Commission's decision, and I would ask that the staff draft a discussion document that states that this Council deny the Wal mart project by not certifying the FEIR. The basis for this denial would be that t he record does not contain substantial evidence to support the finding that the benefits of the project outweigh its traffic- related significant and unavoidable impacts. LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 203 202 204 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 It's particularly persuaded by, amongst others, the letter from Steven Butler who speaks to CEQA and court cases involving a General Plan and CEQA decisions. I was and continue to be impressed and believe that the report by Robert Eyler is something that does speak to the reality of the situation. I believe that data presented by him and by others on the distribution of customers in the Northeast quadrant of the City of Rohnert Park is something that is particularly to be paid attention to in the context of our General Plan. And I would also say, I would like to — 1 would like to have seen, but I do not believe that I have seen, actual evidence that supports that there will be sales tax revenue increases for this city as a result of the addition of a 30 -plus- thousand - square -foot addition to Walmart or any overall increase of jobs in Rohnert Park as a result of this particular decision. And the basis of the denial would be that after review of the entire administrative record — and I'm reading this very carefully, and I have copied it down very carefully — including but not limited to FOR, the Staff Report submittal, and the oral and written testimony, and evidence present in public LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 have made comments. I don't know how you would like to proceed. I'm always good, for a motion, but I don't necessarily have to make it right at this point. MAYOR STAFFORD: Let's finish comments. COUNCILMEMBER MACKENZIE: Fine. MAYOR STAFFORD: Vice Mayor Belforte. VICE MAYOR BELFORTE: So, for the record, I have spoken the Living Wage Coalition, Pacific Market, Walmart. I did a site visit to the (Inaudible) City supercenter,.and I also contacted six city managers throughout the State of California, five cities that had Walmart supercenters, and one city that did not. And so, what I first want to say is, thank you to all of you that wrote or called or filled out cards , or in any way, shape, or form communicated with me. I tried to respond as diligently as I could. There was one incident, though, that I — actually, two incidents that I'd like to bring up, more as an educational value for the residents of Rohnert Park. I had the — an unpleasant present was dropped in my lap one day where I had my cell phone jammed from people that were calling. I got 20 calls in less than 25 minutes from an unidentified phone number to Rohnert Park residents who were told that they were going to be LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 205 207 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 hearings, the Council should f ind that the entire administrative record does not contain substantial evidence to support a find ing that the specific economic, legal, social, and technological and other anticipated benefit s of this project outweigh the significant and unavoidable impact s of the project 1 believe that the benefits laid out in draft Exhibit A, which is this document (indicating), part of this massive package which is part of the staff documents that were given to us — that if we approve Resolution 2010 -83 to go ahead with the project, we would have these findings of fact and we would make the Statement of Overriding Considerations, which is something that is well seated in CEQA and in which there is some limited case law, in my understanding. But those findings of facts and Statement of Overriding Considerations, I do not believe, are substantially reported by the record. And particularly the aspects I just referred to that the project would generate sales tax for the city, and the project would create diverse employment opportunity for city residents. And so, Madam Mayor, I will actually ask you, as the presiding officer, I can make this motion now, or I will be happy to wait until you and the Vice Mayor LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 able to leave a message on my voice mail on my phone. And 1 want to make it really clear that this did not in any way, shape, or form affect how I view the Walmart project or not. But what it did is it raised a concern that the residents were being misled. My personal cell phone was jammed at a time when 1 had two children out.on the Bay sailing and ailing parents. And I really did not appreciate the tactic. And I don't believe I'm the only City Councilmember that happened to. I bring it up for an education purpose only , and again want to reiterate that it d oes not affect what I think. But I would share that if it was to happen again to me, it probably would affect how I view any projects in the future. The other thing that 1 want to do is educate a little bit on some of the fliers that went out. One of them specifically stated that C Ity Council members were being bullied by Walmart. And for the record, I do want to state at no time did I ever feel bullied by Walmart. I'm not quite sure where that came from, but nobody tailed me and asked me if I felt that I was being bullied. And so, to the residents that sent me E -mails or called an d said, Don't let them bully you, I never LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 206 208 felt that way. And I do want to state one more time explicitly that it does not affect how I feel about this project 1 think it's very important, though, when we have something of this magnitude to make sure that everybody understands the truth. I'd like to. start out by saying 1 am not a Walmart shopper. And maybe I should clarif y. I think I've been in the store once in ten years when one of my children had a 104 temperature and it was the only place in town I could get medicine. But I'm not a Walmart shopper. I periodically visit Pacific Market. I live just down the road from it. And all the information that I have reviewed , I have to say that I do believe this project is a good project for the citizens in terms of keeping our grocery prices down for those folks that need lower grocery prices. Nobody forces anybody to shop at any grocery store at all. It is a consumer choice. And that's not my choice. It's the consumers' choice. It's our residents' choice. And 1 don't think that I have the right to decide where they can shop an d what prices they should have to pay. I think competition is good in an economy LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 regular Walmart in their city. I asked questions about increases in crime. I asked about lowered hous ing values. 1 asked about if they — if they in any way, shape, or form could attribute their supercenter to putting out other businesses . So, if any independent grocery stores went out of business as a result of the Walmart supercenter going in. And unanimously, all the c ity managers that I spoke with from the southern tip of the state to the northern tip of the state and everywhere in between said that it did not increase crime, it was no t responsible for driving down housing values, and that it did not shut out any of the independent grocery stores. Those independent grocery stores that were in business before the supercenter came in were still in business. They had found a niche and they were operating well. So, you know, I really believe there is a place for Pacific Market in our town. I hope people continue to support that store. I think the benefits do outweigh the environmental impact s. I trust the staffs report. I think this project is consistent with the General Plan policies. I do not see any reason to deny the Wal mart project. MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 209 211 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 whether it's a good economy or a bad economy. Where you choose to shop. though, that's your choice. Its not my choice. Um, you know, we are really trying to drive economic development , and I do believe this will drive economic development. Um, I do think that is more a regional complex than it is a neighborhood complex. 1 think it will draw from outside of the area in a variety of different ways. It's also situated on the 101 for travelers going up and down. So, I do see this as a benefit for the city as well to help stabilize us. Not just now, but into the future. The other thing that I think is important, is I don't believe the City Council should in any way decide which businesses we choose and which businesses we don't choose. If we have 15 taquerias or 15 burger joints. in town, it's up to the consumers to decide which ones make it and which ones don't — and I would really hope that those people that have shopped at Pack Market will continue to shop a t Pack Market and support that store. Lastly, what I'd like to share with you is, I said I spoke with six city managers, five of which had a super - Walmart in their city, one of which just had a LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 In full disclosure, 1 did speak to representatives o f Pack Market several times , Walmart several times, the Living Wage Coalition, and Sonoma County Conservation Action. Representatives of those different groups, I did speak to. I shop at Pacific Market all the time. To me, this isn't an issue of whether 1 like the grocery store or don't like the grocery store. I've been on the Planning Commission, and something that (Inaudible) said is, What we're dealing in is the law. We are dealing with the law. What right — what do we have a legal right to do. This is consistent with our General Plan. All of our legal and Staff Reports have told us it is consistent with our General Plan. It is consistent with our zoning code. They have — we have the right to do this. It's consistent with law. Someone else said something about long -term decisions. You're making a long -term decision here. Well, the long -term viability of the City of Rohnert Park is also based on following the law now, and the law we have right now says that this project is consistent with those — the General Plan and the zoning laws. So, long -term, yes. If we had a crystal ball and we could choose LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 210 212 what we wanted and what we didn't want, it might be different, but what we have to do is follow the law. People say don't be afraid to do what's the right thing. And unfortunately, you could hear tonight this is a very divided issue. There was no overwhelming feeling one way or the other. But even if there was one overwhelming feeling over the other, that's not how we get to decide issues. We don't get to choose because more people said no, we should say no, or if more people said yes. We have to do it based on the law. And so, I also say that the overriding benefits outweigh the significant and unavoidable environmental effects. So, do you still want to make your motion ? COUNCILMEMBER MACKENZIE: Why would I want to make my motion? One, two, three, four. One. (Indicating) MAYOR STAFFORD: I'm just giving you the opportunity. COUNCILMEMBER MACKENZIE: I went through this with the casino deal, Madam Mayor, and tried to make motions and — for a half an hour in section after section of the MOU as a — as a one - member minority, and it was a futile — it was a futile exercise. LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 213 (Motion carries.) MAYOR STAFFORD: Next item. Certifying the Final Environmental Impact Report. VICE MAYOR BELFORTE: I will make a motion to certify the Final Environmental Impact Report, Resolution 2010 -83. COUNCILMEMBER CALLINAN: I'll second. MAYOR STAFFORD: Okay. It's been moved and seconded to approve 2010 -83. All those in favor ? COUNCILMEMBER MACKENZIE: Wait a minute. Whoa, whoa. MAYOR STAFFORD: Discussion? COUNCILMEMBER MACKENZIE: Yes. I think that now that we've got ten to this point, 1 think it's fair to say that the reason that 1 specifically mentioned certain documents be placed in the record is there has been discussions as to who's going to sue whom over what after action is taken this evening. And clearly the action that's been taken is to approve. I would like to point out to this Council that I — I personally believe that there are grounds for legal action to be taken in this matter . And as 1 said earlier, I am not an attorney. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 So, I made it very dear exactly how I felt, and made a very dear motion.that I would have made if there were any hope of a second. And so, I'll rest my case. And there are resolutio ns in front of you that other people can make motion s on. I won't be voting — COUNCILMEMBER BREEZE: Your Honor, 1 move to adopt Resolution 2010 -82 granting appeal of the Planning Commission's decision for a Walmart expansion located at 4625 Redwood Drive, Rohnert Park, California. COUNCILMEMBER CALLINAN: I'll second. MAYOR STAFFORD: Okay. The move is seconded. Do you grant the appeal of the Planning Commission's decision? Is there any discussion? (No response) MAYOR STAFFORD: Okay. All those in favor? COUNCILMEMBER BREEZE: Aye. COUNCILMEMBER CALLINAN: Aye. VICE MAYOR BELFORTE: Aye. MAYOR STAFFORD: Aye. Opposed? COUNCILMEMBER MACKENZIE: No. MAYOR STAFFORD: Okay. LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 I'm not acting on the advi ce of any attorney. I'm just stating my personal opinion, because I know that this is a matter of some concern to M embers of this Council And so, I've said my piece and will be vot ing no on this resolution . MAYOR STAFFORD: Thank you. So, it's been moved and seconded to certify Resolution 2010 -83. All those in favor? COUNCILMEMBER BREEZE: Aye. COUNCILMEMBER CALLINAN: Aye. VICE MAYOR BELFORTE: Aye. MAYOR STAFFORD: Aye. Opposed? COUNCILMEMBER MACKENZIE: No. (Motion carries.) MAYOR STAFFORD: Next one. Approving the Site Plan and Architectural Review for a Walmart Expansion. COUNCILMEMBER BREEZE: So moved. MAYOR STAFFORD: Is there a second? COUNCILMEMBER CALLINAN: I'll second. MAYOR STAFFORD: Is there any discussion? (No response) MAYOR STAFFORD: Okay. It's been moved and seconded to approve LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 214 215 216 f'Zr1i[r3:L•! All those in favor? COUNCILMEMBER BREEZE: Aye. COUNCILMEMBER CALLINAN: Aye. COUNCILMEMBER MACKENZIE: Aye. VICE MAYOR BELFORTE: Aye. MAYOR STAFFORD: Aye. (Motion carries.) MAYOR STAFFORD: Okay. 2010 -85. Approving the Sign Program for a Walmart expansion. VICE MAYOR BELFORTE: So moved. COUNCILMEMBER BREEZE: Second. MAYOR STAFFORD: Any discussion? COUNCILMEMBER CALLINAN: No discussion, MAYOR STAFFORD: Okay. All those in favor of 2010 -85? COUNCILMEMBER BREEZE: Aye. COUNCILMEMBER CALLINAN: Aye. VICE MAYOR BELFORTE: Aye. COUNCILMEMBER MACKENZIE: Aye. MAYOR STAFFORD: Aye. (Motion carries.) MAYOR STAFFORD: Okay. So, we will adjourn the Special Meeting of the LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 217 CERTIFICATE OF REPORTER I, KATY LEONARD, a Certified Shorthand Reporter, hereby certify that the foregoing proceedings were taken in shorthand by me at the time and place therein stated, and that the said proceedings were thereafter reduced to typewriting, by computer, under my direction and supervision: And I further certify that I am not of counsel or attorney for either or any of the parties to said matter nor in any way interested in the outcome of the cause named herein. DATED: August 15, 2010 KATY LEONARD CSR No. 11599 LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 219 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Rohnert Park City Council . (Whereupon, at 11:26 p.m., the Special Meeting of the Rohnert Park City Council, Item No. 4, was concluded.) —OOo- LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 218 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 CERTIFICATE OF REPORTER I, KATY LEONARD, a Certified Shorthand Reporter, hereby certify that the foregoing proceedings were taken in shorthand by me at the time and place therein stated, and that the said proceedings were thereafter reduced to typewriting, by computer, under my direction and supervision; And I further certify that I am not of counsel or attorney for either or any of the parties to said matter nor in any way interested in the outcome of the cause named herein. DATED: August 15, 2010 KATY LEONARD CSR No. 11599 LEONARD REPORTING SERVICES, INC. (415) 312 -9040 219