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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2007/10/22 - Minutes - Special Joint w/ PlanningOctober 22, 2007 CITY OF RANCHO CUCAMONGA JOINT CITY COUNCIUPLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES SPECIAL MEETING A. CALL TO ORDER A special joint meeting of the Rancho Cucamonga City Council and Planning Commission was held on Monday, October 22, 2007, in the Tri Communities Boom at the Civic Center located at 10500 Civic Center Drive, Rancho Cucamonga, California. Mayor Pro Tem Williams called the meeting to order at 6:10 p.m. Present were Councilmembers: Rex Gutierrez; L. Dennis Michael, Sam Spagnolo, and Mayor Pro Tem Diane Williams. Present were Planning Commissioners: Frances Howdyshell, Lou Munoz, Ray Wimberly, Vice Chairman Rich Fletcher, and Chairman Pam Stewart. Absent was: Mayor Donald J. Kurth, M.D. Also present were: Pamela Easter, Assistant City Manager; Fabian Villenas, Management Analyst III; James C. Frost, City Treasurer; John Gillison, Deputy City Manager/Administrative Services; Mahdi Aluzri, Deputy City Manager/Community Development; James Troyer, Planning Director; Corky Nicholson, Assistant Planning Director; Candyce Burnett, Senior Planner; Barbara Tuncay, Secretary; Dave Blevins, Public Works Maintenance Manager; Fire Chief Peter Bryan, Rancho Cucamonga Fire Protection District; Lieutenant Bill Lenew, Rancho Cucamonga Police Department; and Debra J. Adams, City Clerk. B. PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS B1. Danae Delaney distributed information (which is on file in the City Clerk's office) about a student in the Masters Program in Landscape Architecture at Cal Poly Pomona. The information pertained to a proposal on Rancho Cucamonga's Heritage. B2. John Lyons talked about the recent winds and haw bad it has been. He encouraged mare water trucks to prevent so much dust from blowing. B3. Jim and Gwyn Frost stated they were in the historic park in Bakersfield and reported how great it is. Mr. Frost talked about the evolution of the Historic Preservation Commission over the last several years and added they would like to see a change in the way historic preservation is handled. He felt it was important to the City and its future. He wondered if it was a good idea to keep the Planning Commission and Historic Preservation Commission a joint body. Mrs. Frost stated the Etiwanda Historical Society appreciates the staff that come to their meetings to keep them informed and thanked them for this. Mayor Pro Tem Williams asked for an update on all the fires currently burning in Southern California at this time. Chief Peter Bryan, Rancho Cucamonga Fire Protection District, talked about the efforts of all cities to make sure they are ready to go to insure public safety for their community. He stated people can get information on the status of the fires on Channel 3 and the City's website, but that if there is an emergency to call 911. He stated Rancho Cucamonga has sent resources to other cities with fires to help them. He stated they will continue to monitor the fires. He added that at the present time, the City is not in any immediate danger. Lieutenant Bill Lenew, Rancho Cucamonga Police Department, stated the Police Department didn't have any mutual aid calls, but will probably be sending people to Lake Arrowhead. He added they would still leave enough people here to take care of Rancho Cucamonga. Special City Council/Planning Commission Meeting October 22, 2007 Page 2 Dave Blevins, Public Works Maintenance Manager, stated our community is still in good shape compared to other cities. He stated they have plenty of staff available to take care of things. He reported on the trees down and that staff has lots of clean-up to do. He stated they encourage developers to take care of their blowing dust problems, but that they realize it is sometimes difficult to take care of all the problems because of the size of the City. Mayor Pro Tem Williams talked about a problem with the trail at Day Creek, and asked if they could look into this. Dave Blevins, Public Works Maintenance Manager, stated they would do this C. ITEMS} OF BUSINESS C1. PRESENTATION BY HOGLE-IRELAND ON GENERAL PLAN UPDATE The item was introduced by James Troyer, Planning Director. He began with a power point presentation (on file in the City Clerk's office) describing the process for the General Plan update. Laura Stetson and Sam Gennawey with Hogle-Ireland continued with the power point presentation (on file in the City Clerk's office) describing the General Plan update process. Commissioner Howdyshell asked what cities have they wanted to work with that they didn't get the job for. Mr. Gennawey, Hogle-Ireland, stated he really couldn't think of any, and added they are currently working with three cities. The Council and Commission asked various questions of Hogle-Ireland about how this process will be handled. Councilmember Spagnolo hoped the City will take advantage of every communication source available when gathering information from the community. He asked about the questionnaire and how that would be developed. Mr. Gennawey stated they would work with the staff on this. Ms. Stetson stated they would also get input from the Council. She added the questionnaire would contain about 400 random questions. - Commissioner Fletcher felt we should publicize that we are going through this process so that people can get involved. A lady from the audience (who did not identify herself) asked what percentage of public participation will be included in the decisions to be made, and asked if it is possible that the General Plan might not need amending. Mr. Gennawey stated there would be changes, and mentioned that technology has progressed and how this has created a need for change in how things are done. He stated they are very much inspired by public comment and welcome everyone's input. He stated not everyone will get everything they want. He added the final decision will be made by the City Council. Councilmember Spagnolo felt it was very important to get information out to the public and that the Daily Bulletin reporter could help with this. He stated the Council will be making a decision that will benefit the whole community. Special City Council/Planning Commission Meeting October 22, 2007 Page 3 Commissioner Howdyshell asked about the website providing information for this process and felt it should be updated frequently so it does not get stale. Mr. Gennawey stated it would be updated frequently. He stated the General Plan when completed, will also be on the website and be user friendly for the public. Jim Frost talked about the first General Plan and stated what the City wants isn't necessarily what the City needs. ACTION: Report received and filed. C2. PRESENTATION ON HISTORIC PRESERVATION PROGRAM A staff report was presented by Candyce Burnett, Senior Planner. Councilmember Michael stated he is glad to see staffing levels come back up to accommodate this program. He felt the Historic Preservation Commission has done a great job. Commissioner Howdyshell felt the information on the website is very important. Commissioner Fletcher felt it was goad to have staff that work specifically on historic preservation. Chairman Stewart didn't feel the Commission should be split, but felt it was good to have input by the Etiwanda Historical Society. She was glad to see the Mills Act included in this. She stated she likes the idea of historic districts. She didn't feel the mailboxes were the best quality. Mayor Pro Tem Williams stated there are several areas that are historic in the City. She felt there was the potential for some real fun projects. ACTION: Report received and filed. C3. PROPOSAL ON DEVELOPMENT CODE AMENDMENT REGARDING SELF STORAGE FACILITIES A staff report was presented by James Troyer, Planning Director. Councilmember Spagnolo asked if there are a lot of applications for self storage facilities. James Troyer, Planning Director, stated some, but not too many right now. Councilmember Michael stated he supports this proposal. Mayor Pro Tem Williams felt we should get moving on this. She hoped that everyone will take the time to study this. She felt we should use the land for the best use, and make the most of the space. Commissioner Howdyshell agreed. Councilmember Michael talked about the need for RV parking also. Mayor Pro Tem Williams stated these are necessary and is glad this is being looked at. Commissioner Fletcher felt location and design are very important. He brought up RV storage condos and felt this might be something to consider. Commissioner Munoz stated there is no Ordinance that says you can't have RV storage on Foothill and is glad to get the Council's input on this. ACTION: Repot received and filed. Special City Council/Planning Commission Meeting October 22, 2007 Page 4 C4. DISCUSSION OF RESIDENTIAL DENSITY A staff report was presented by James Troyer, Planning Director. Councilmember Gutierrez stated he wanted to express his interest in this issue and felt we should be careful what we develop because of the little bit of land we have left. He felt we should be very cautious with the General Plan amendment. He stated he didn't like a single car garage because it creates parking problems on residential streets. He stated he still likes the single story homes and felt we need to provide more of that product. Councilmember Michael commented on people that add a second story to a home and that it can block a neighbor's view. He felt some of the single family areas should be preserved. James Troyer, Planning Director, stated this could be looked at as part of the General Plan process. Chairman Stewart felt we should start looking at parking as compared to density. Commissioner Howdyshell stated she deals with this a lot as a realtor and stated people are not using their garages as they should in a condo/apartment complex. Councilmember Gutierrez stated he wondered if we are asking developers to plant their trees deep enough and if their file roofs are strong enough. He wished we had a system so developers could be notified to water when it is windy. He felt it would be good to look at the trails for landscaping. He stated he and Councilmember Spagnolo have been hashing over the Sign Ordinance and talked about the signs being put up over the weekend throughout the City. He stated it is also a problem with real estate signs not being taken down after an open house occurs. Jim Frost mentioned infill projects and felt neighbor notification was very important ACTION: Report received and filed. D. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 8:50 p.m. espect ully ubmitted, Debra J Ad s, CM~ City Cle Approved by Planning Commission: November 14, 2007 Approved by City Council: December 5, 2007