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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015/02/11 - Workshop Minutes - PC-HPC THE CITY OF RANCHO CUCAMONGA WORKSHOP MINUTES OF RANCHO CUCAMONGA THE PLANNING COMMISSION FEBRUARY 11 , 2015 - 7:00 PM* Rancho Cucamonga Civic Center ***RAINS ROOM*** 10500 Civic Center Drive Rancho Cucamonga, California I. CALL TO ORDER Roll Call 7:40 Chairman Wimberly X Vice Chairman Oaxaca X ' Munoz X Howdyshell X Fletcher X Additional Staff Present: Candyce Burnett, Planning Director; Jeff Bloom. Deputy City Manager/Economic and Community Development; Betty Miller, Associate Engineer; Lois Schrader, Planning Commission Secretary; Tabe van der Zwaag, Associate Planner Also in attendance representing the applicants: Walt Mitchel and Gary Bauer of Lewis Retail Centers; Greg Palaski and Greg Lyon of Nadel Architecture; Jim Baldovin of Conceptual Design & Planning Cc; Michael Reed and Scott Limbacher of Stater Bros Markets II. PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS This is the time and place for the general public to address the Historic Preservation Commission or the Planning Commission on any item listed or not listed on the agenda. State law prohibits the Historic Preservation Commission or the Planning Commission from addressing any issue not previously included on the Agenda. The Historic Preservation Commission or the Planning Commission may receive testimony and set the matter for a subsequent meeting. Comments are to be limited to five minutes per individual or less, as deemed necessary by the Chair, depending upon the number of individuals desiring to speak. All communications are to be addressed directly to the Historic Preservation Commission or Planning Commission, not to the members of the audience. This is a professional business meeting and courtesy and decorum are expected. Please refrain from any debate between audience and speaker, making loud noises,or engaging in any activity which might be disruptive to the decorum of the meeting. 1 None PLANNING COMMISSION WORKSHOP MINUTES „o FEBRUARY 11, 2015 Qk Page 2 III. ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION A. PLANNING COMMISSION WORKSHOP DRC2014-01096—LEWIS RETAILCENTERS -Preliminary site plan and architectural review of a proposed 92,235 square foot commercial center including a change in land use from Medium (M) Residential to Village Commercial (VC)for a site located within the Victoria Community Plan (VCP) at the northwest corner of Day Creek Boulevard and Base Line Road;APN: 1089-031-15, 16 and 35. Tabe van der Zwaag, Associate Planner, gave a brief overview of the concerns noted in the staff report such as the number of proposed drive-thrus and the anticipated traffic congestion, the adequacy of the drive-thru dedicated to the coffee business. the awkward drive-thru configuration of the proposed drug store. safety with respect to pedestrians crossing the drive-thru lanes, and enhanced landscaping and features. ' Walt Mitchell of Lewis Retail gave a full presentation of the modified plans. He said the raised grade at the southerly corner of the site allows for a pedestrian plaza area. He said they are trying to get the drive-thru for the drug store to be buffered with landscaping so it is not so visible from the street. He said 17 parking spaces have been added and the drive-thrus have been moved away from Day Creek to the site area along Base Line Road. He said the new arrangement allows for more cars in the stacking arrangement for the coffee business. He discussed the county flood control property (Pad B) and the access easement. He discussed the connectivity being provided for future residential units;the moving of the tower element from the east side to the west: access to the bus turnout: and added arbors and tiered landscaping in the patio area. He said the setbacks have been pushed more towards the street. Chairman Wimberly asked for Commission thoughts and comments. Commissioner Howdyshell commented on the clock tower and how she would prefer it be illuminated, a key factor of walkability of the site. the stacking of drive-thru vehicles during busy hours, maneuverability, and the density of buildings with respect to the number of parking spaces. She recalled much discussion and concern regarding drive- thrus with respect to the Winery Estates project on the southeast corner. Mr. Mitchell said lighting could be provided. He noted they have not addressed any lighting issues yet in the design. ' Commissioner Fletcher expressed concern about the number of drive-thrus and noted that is also a staff concern. He asked if they would address that. He said his initial concerns were from a historical perspective related to the prior development on the southeast corner because of its proximity to the winery. He said no drive-thrus were PLANNING COMMISSION WORKSHOP MINUTES FEBRUARY 11 , 2015 CL)CAMoNa Page 3 initially allowed and the design had to be an all winery theme. He said Walgreens was riot allowed to be there. He said the project may need to incorporate winery architecture and he also thought there are too many drive-thrus and he dislikes walking through drive-thrus. He said they should try to attract sit down restaurants-this is prime property. He said he did not want to tum this over and allow this developer to do everything the other developer did not get to do. He said he did not want to ignore the prior wishes and work that had been done before by the Task Force. He said he wants to look at what was considered to be the list of allowable businesses. He said before moving forward he needs to be more comforlable with the history of development criteria discussed with the Eliwanda/Base Line Historic Task Force. He said that if we find it should be more of a wine heritage theme, then that should be architecturally added. He said the Planning Commission is also the Historic Preservation Commission and there should be a consideration regardless if requirements are in the code. ' Gary Bauer of Lewis Retail said they are not considering the drug store drive thru-to be a true sense of a drive-thru in that not many cars would be using it. He said they would like flexibility in case they need those drive-thrus with respect to feasibility of the project. Commissioner Oaxaca commented that staff had thoughts about attracting folks from the trail into the center. He asked for the applicant to comment on the size/space of the area indicated as the connection point with future residential. He asked for them to show the path for them to get to the center of the development. He expressed concern about the drive-thru/double stacking at Building 5. Mr. Mitchell said the area is quite large. Pedestrians would have to cross Firehouse Court to use the amenities. He said they could proceed south on Day Creek or enter in by Firehouse Court through the open arbor area that is being provided for future residential connectivity. Chairman Wimberly commented on the parking and expressed concern about major turning problems and access. He said it looks great now but in the future when the development fills in there could be a density problem. He said he has a concern about pedestrian safety with respect to crossing the drive-thru lanes and that there are too many of them. Mr. Mitchell said the plan has unusual curves- a positive design feature but harder to navigate. He said with respect to parking, the development provides a little over 5 cars per 1,000 square feet. He said he believes it has good flows. ' Commissioner Munoz asked for clarification regarding what took place in the Task Force discussions. He asked if Pad B would be developed at the start or postponed because of the clearances needed from the County. He asked if there would be a berm to keep vehicle lights from shining into the eyes of drivers along Day Creek and Base Line Road. PLANNING COMMISSION WORKSHOP MINUTES FEBRUARY 11 , 2015 Page 4 He asked if there were any amendments in the plans that we should hold the developer to that may have occurred since the task force meetings. Mr. Mitchell said the idea is to process Pad B concurrently with the rest of the development but the process may take a little longer. Candyce Burnett, Planning Director, commented on the prior discussions held with the Etiwanda/Base Line Historic Task Force. She said the allowable uses are already covered in the specific plans. She said the winery theme was never fully defined and there is much variation amongst wineries. She said staff will review the codes and verify if any amendments have occurred that would affect this development. Mr. Mitchell noted that they received those comments at the onset from both Ms. Burnett and Mr. Bloom (DCM Economic and Community Development) with respect to ' appropriate design. He said the Craftsman style matches more of the wineries in town and also reflects more of the residential nature of this site. Greg Palaski. representing Nadel Architects, said the Tuscan style is not really a winery design. He said this area reflects rural agrarian architecture-that is what California winery design is. He said the Craftsman style has great heavy timbers and overhangs which add design/visual value. He said differences are very regional amongst wine producing areas such as Napa, Temecula, etc. He said Craftsman is very pervasive and part of the California winery heritage, particularly noting Pasadena. Chairman Wimberly asked that staff provide information that would verify any changes that may have occurred and asked staff to see what is compatible. Mr. van der Zwaag said staff will research the prior proceedings of the Etiwanda/Base Line Historic Task Force. Ms. Burnett said staff will also go through the General Plan and Specific Plans to see what has occurred. She said this may come back to the Commission as a Director's Report. IV. ADJOURNMENT 8:28 PM 1, Lois J. Schrader, Planning Commission Secretary of the City of Rancho Cucamonga, or my designee, hereby certify that a true, accurate copy of the foregoing agenda was posted on February 5, 2015, at least 72 hours prior to the meeting per Government Code Section 54964.2 at 10500 Civic Center Drive, Rancho Cucamonga. If you need special assistance or accommodations to participate in this meeting, please contact the Planning Department at (909) 477-2750. Notification of 48 hours prior to the meeting will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility. Listening devices are available for the hearing impaired. INFORMATION FOR THE PUBLIC TO ADDRESS THE PLANNING COMMISSION The Planning Commission encourages free expression of all points of view. To allow all persons to speak,given the length of the agenda, please keep your remarks brief. If others have already expressed your position, you may simply indicate that you agree with a previous speaker. 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