REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Introduce an ordinance amending Sunnyvale Municipal Code (SMC) Chapter 2.07 to add special requirements for approval of certain sale and lease agreements involving publicly accessible recreation and city service (PARCS) properties, and adopt a Resolution approving the list of PARCS properties subject to the requirements of the amended SMC Chapter 2.07
Report
BACKGROUND
In November 2016, a citizen initiative (Measure M) that would have required voter approval for any sale, lease, lease extension, lease renewal, land swap or transfer of property owned, leased or used by the City as a public park or community service amenity failed by a narrow margin. The motivation and stated intent behind the initiative was to preserve public parks, open spaces, and community amenities for public use at a time when some members of the public perceived the City was under increasing pressure to repurpose public lands, and that a check on such pressure could be requiring a vote of the public before such transactions could take place. The Council directed an independent third party study of the initiative pursuant to Elections Code section 9212, which indicated that significant operational and cost impacts were likely to occur if the initiative passed. Other concerns identified by the study included the large number of transactions that could possibly be subject to separate public votes, potential election costs, and potential delays associated with public vote requirements.
In the months following the initiative vote, the City Council affirmed its intent to retain all Civic Center property as part of the Civic Center Modernization project. Additional acres of parkland have been added to the City in recent years, with additional acreage anticipated as pending development proposals come to fruition. As a part of the initial reflection post Measure M, resources were set aside in the FY 2017/18 budget for possible consideration of the City placing its...
Click here for full text